The Ides of March - Blu-ray Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS***

Ambition seduces and power corrupts in a nerve-wracking thriller from Academy Award® nominated director George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck). Idealistic campaign worker Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) has sworn to give all for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), a wild card presidential candidate whose groundbreaking ideas could change the political landscape. However, a brutal Ohio primary threatens to test Morris's integrity. Stephen gets trapped in the down-and-dirty battle and finds himself caught up in a scandal where the only path to survival is to play both sides. The all-star cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.







***VIDEO QUALITY***

The Ides of March arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Sony continues it's streak of consistently stellar transfers. What is on display is a natural film like presentation with top notch fine detail. Colors exhibits a lot of warm yet natural tones. Black levels were inky while allowing good shadow detail to come through. There were no signs of edge enhancement or any other anomalies to report. I enjoyed every moment of this flawless transfer. 10/10




***AUDIO QUALITY***

Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. While the video is a knockout the audio track is well represented but the talk heavy nature of the film doesn't lend itself to demo worthy material. What we get though is a tasteful listen that uses surrounds subtly to bring you into the room of a debate or to expand the atmosphere in a crowded office. Dialogue was crisp and clean. The Bass lends some nice heft to the well done score. 8/10



***SPECIAL FEATURES***

* Audio Commentary: Actor/Director/Producer George Clooney and Writer/Producer Grant Heslov - A very engaging listen. George Clooney gives a lot of detailed information on every aspect of the production. The Actor and Director have a good speaking chemistry as well.

* Developing the Campaign: The Origin of The Ides of March (7min9sec, HD) - A brief, but interesting look at the behind-the-scenes story.

* Believe: George Clooney (6min20sec, HD) - Basically a puff piece with cast and crew gushing over Clooney.

* On the Campaign: The Cast of The Ides of March (5min49sec, HD)

* What Does a Political Consultant Do? (7min29sec, HD)

* Previews

* BD-Live

* UV Copy - I cannot stand this method of digital copy, although I still don't see the excitement over watching a movie on a 3-inch screen.

Fantastic Mr. Fox - Blu-ray Disc Review

***SYNOPSIS*** - Academy Award-winning Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney (Up In The Air) and Meryl Streep (It’s Complicated) lend their voices to the hilarious, heartwarming and dazzling stop-motion animated adventure from visionary director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenebaums). In there-imagined classic family tale, Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep) live a happy home life with their eccentric son Ash (Jason Schwartzman: The Darjeeling Limited) and visiting nephew Kristopherson. That is until Mr. Fox slips into his sneaky, old ways and plots the greatest heist the animal world has ever seen. When mean old farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean join forces to surround Mr. Fox and his family, they don’t realize they are not dealing with any old fox – it’s Fantastic Mr. Fox and he has a fantastic master plan to save the day!

***VIDEO QUALITY*** - 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer utilizing the AVC MPEG-4 codec in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. In a word this transfer is flawless. The best aspect of this presentation is the opportunity it affords to take in the superb character design and fantastically detailed sets. Colors are strikingly bold with no signs of bleeding. Everything is razor sharp to the point I felt as if I was there in person looking at the beautiful craftsmanship that went into this film. Detail reveals the lifelike fur textures and minute details on clothing and accessories were a delight to watch. Black levels are solid throughout. No signs of DNR or Edge Enhancement were noticed. FOX has done justice to this wonderous film with a breathtaking high definition presentation. 10/10

***AUDIO QUALITY*** - Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Wes Andersons' eclectic taste in music is the highlight of this crisp and detailed audio presentation. Choice cuts from The Beach Boys, Cole Porter, and more fit the look and feel of this film to a tee. Dialogue was clean and audible throughout. Surrounds were engaged with subtle effects of the natural nature sounds that were recorded for the film. The LFE channel comes through with tight, rich bass when called upon. In closing this track complements this delightful tale perfectly. 9/10

***SPECIAL FEATURES***

**Disc One**

* Making Mr. Fox Fantastic (HD,44min)
* The Look Of Fantastic Mr. Fox (HD,8min)
* From Script To Screen (HD,7min)
* The Puppet Makers (HD,8min)
* Still Life (Puppet Animation) (HD,7min)
* The Cast (HD,6min)
* Bill And His Badger (HD,8min)
* A Beginner’s Guide To Whack-Bat (HD,1min )
* Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World Of Roald Dahl (HD,3min)

**Disc Two**

* Fantastic Mr. Fox widescreen feature film DVD disc (SD)
* From Script to Screen (SD)
* Still Life (Puppet Animation) (SD)
* A Beginner’s Guide to Whack-Bat (SD)

**Disc Three**

* Digital Copy of the feature length film.