Three of Jodi Picoult’s best-selling novels in fine movie form. SALEM FALLS, directed by Bradley Walsh and starring James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek), Sarah Carter (Falling Skies) and AJ Michalka (Hellcats, Super 8), tells the story of a beloved teacher and soccer coach (Van Der Beek) at an all girls’ prep school whose career is ruined when a student’s crush initiates an uproar of false accusations. When he begins his life again in Salem Falls, a shocking rape accusation turns his world upside down and triggers a modern day witch hunt. PLAIN TRUTH, directed by Paul Shapiro and starring Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Allison Pill (Midnight in Paris), is a movie about high-profile criminal attorney (Hargitay) who ditches her self-indulgent city life to defend an Amish teenager (Pill) on trial for murdering her newborn baby. THE PACT, directed by Peter Werner and starring Megan Mullally (Will & Grace), is a powerful story about a supposed “suicide pact” between two teens that goes terribly awry. When only one of the children dies, both sets of parents must look at their friendship, loss, and guilt as they try to figure out the truth about the fateful night.
DISC ONE Salem Falls / Plain Truth
DISC TWO The Pact
The Jodi Picoult Collection arrives on DVD with a 480p transfer in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The three films on display here look quite good. Colors were solid even though they exhibited that subdued tone that Lifetime movies have. Black levels were above average but not deep. 7/10
Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 track. There is some decent stereo separation to bring you into the on screen proceedings. Dialogue in all three films were crisp and clean. Background music and score had some decent heft. 7/10
