BLU-RAY REVIEW

Be Kind Rewind

Picture4.5
Sound3.5
WSR Score3
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(Studio/Distributor):
New Line Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
10000140435
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Some sexual references
(Retail Price):
$35.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
102
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2008
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
06/17/08
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
Yes
(Director):
Michel Gondry
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
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(Costume Designer):
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(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 7.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
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(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
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(Italian Language):
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(Portuguese Language):

Mike (Def) is a loyal employee to Mr. Fletcher (Glover), who owns Be Kind Rewind, a local video-rental and thrift store in Passaic, New Jersey. When Mr. Fletcher goes on vacation for a week, he leaves his trusted help in charge of his shop, hoping nothing will go wrong in his absence. A freak accident leaves Mike's best friend Jerry (Black) magnetized, which sets off a course of events that may make a tired, old video store the hippest new media sensation in New Jersey. (Stacey Pendry)

Special features include a ten-minute featurette Passaic Mosaic, the original theatrical trailer, a seven-minute Booker T & The Michel Gondry featurette, five-minute Jack & Mos Improvise Songs featurette, an interview segment A Conversation With Jack Black & Michel Gondry (six minutes), an 11-minute tribute to Fats Waller featurette Fats Was Born Here, and previews

The anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD exhibits relatively poor resolution, with fine details that are overly soft. Compression artifacts can be noticed at times throughout, and moiré patterns can occasionally distract. Black levels are slightly elevated, but not distractingly so, and shadows are delineated well. Source element artifacts are not noticeable, and fleshtones and contrast are both rendered well. Edge enhancement can be noticed, though, especially on high-contrast transitions. The VC-1-encoded Blu-ray Disc shows solid resolution and nicely delineated shadows. Black levels are deep and contrast is balanced, all of which gives this a dimensional appearance. Colors are saturated well. This is a good picture. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack rarely uses the surround channels and only subtly incorporates even the front corner full-range channels, but when used they help create an effectively engaging soundfield. The LFE channel is used well with music and occasional effects, dropping down below 40 Hz at times, and bass definition is commendable. Phantom imaging, though, is weak around the room, and there isn't any real sense of dimensionality in the soundfield. Dynamic range is adequate and dialogue generally sounds natural, but there is distortion audible at times. The Blu-ray Disc's DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack improves upon the dynamic range and overall fidelity of the DVD's encoding, although it is still limited by the mix. (Danny Richelieu)