BLU-RAY REVIEW

Things We Lost In The Fire

Featured In Issue 131, May 2008

Picture4
SoundNR
WSR Score4
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):
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
13258
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
For drug content and language
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
118
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2007
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
03/04/08
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Susanne Bier
(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 Digital+ 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):

In "Things We Lost In The Fire" Audrey Burke's (Berry) comfortable life as a stay-at-home mom is shattered when her husband Brian (Duchovny), is killed in a random act of violence. Still reeling from the loss of her husband Audrey invites Jerry Sunbourne (Del Toro), one of Brian's oldest and most troubled friends, to move in with her in hopes he will help her family through the grief. Somehow, as Jerry pieces his life together, the recovering herion addict helps Audrey and her children begin to heal. (Stacey Pendry)

Special features include the featurette A Discussion About Things We Lost In The Fire (20 minutes), seven deleted scenes, the theatrical trailer, and additional previews.

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD shows good resolution, although not great, and deep black levels, although shadow delineation is somewhat lacking. Contrast is a little overblown, giving an unnatural transition from light to dark, especially noticeable in the shadows on people's faces. Colors are bold and vibrant, really popping from the screen. Compression artifacts can be noticed from time to time, but they aren't overly distracting. Edge enhancement can be a slight distraction over high-contrast transitions at times. The H.264 AVC-encoded HD DVD shows similarly overblown contrast, although it is not as drastic as the DVD. Resolution is good, although not as pristine as the better high-definition releases. Blacks are deep, and shadow delineation is still somewhat lacking. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack features very good fidelity, with dialogue that sounds natural and full, and nicely delivered music. The mix can heavily favor the screen channels, although the surrounds are incorporated well to create a sense of expansion into the room. Music is mixed well across the front stage, with good phantom imaging between the channels. The soundtrack can be very quiescent at times, but it has its moments. The HD DVD's Dolby Digital Plus encoding sounds very similar to the DVD's, although the improved noise floor seems to improve dynamic range somewhat. (Danny Richelieu)