BLU-RAY REVIEW

Meet Monica Velour

Featured In Issue 159, September 2011

Picture3
SoundNR
WSR Score3.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Anchor Bay Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
BD23010
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Strong sexual content, nudity, language, and some drug use
(Retail Price):
$34.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
98
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2011
(Theatrical Release):
No
(Direct-To-Video Release):
Yes
(Disc Release Date):
08/16/11
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Keith Bearden
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby TrueHD 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Awkward teenager Tobe (Ingram) sets off on a road trip to Meet Monica Velour (Cattrall), his favorite 80's porn star, at a rare live appearance hundreds of miles away. Instead of the glamorous sexpot portrayed on film, he finds a 49-year-old single mom living in a trailer in rural Indiana, performing at seedy strip clubs to make ends meet. But the starry-eyed Tobe, still captivated by his crush, befriends Monica, further complicating her difficult life. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Writer/Director Keith Bearden and Actress Kim Cattrall, four deleted scenes (SD 07:53), and the theatrical trailer.

The 1.78:1 1080p AVC picture quality is inconsistent, mediocre, and good at different times, but decent in terms of color saturation. The low-budget, independent quality exhibits a certain charm to the imagery. The imagery is generally bright and lively. Blacks are generally solid, and fleshtones are naturally hued. Some artifacts are evident, such as occasional edge enhancement, but nothing terribly distracting. Overall, the imagery nicely complements the rural backdrop and storytelling, for a fun visual experience, especially the homage to old 3D and the fireworks segment. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby® TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack is a lively affair, with a 1930's monaural soundtrack feel, but with surround monaural envelopment that is nicely energized in the surround channels and interspersed with a real stereo surround music score. Atmospherics and sound effects are limited. Dialogue is production sound and ADR and wanting in spatial integration. Low-frequency effects are limited as well, but nicely energized in the firework display. Overall, the soundtrack nicely complements the low-budget filmmaking, and while pleasing, is mediocre. (Gary Reber)