The Review at a Glance: ( max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
86
Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Films - 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 108 minutes
Genre: Suspense/Thriller/Horror
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: VC1 (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English PCM 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis
Directed by: Luis Berdejo
Music by: Javier Navarrete
Written by: John Travis (screenplay), John Connolly (short story)
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: May 18, 2010
"There's something wrong with Louisa....."
Film Synopsis:
John has his hands full raising his youngest child Sam and especially his adolescent daughter Louisa. As Louisa’s troubling behavior continues, far beyond the average tween angst and frustrations, John begins doubting his parental abilities. But when events around the James household start taking on an increasingly mysterious nature, John realizes that his family may be in mortal danger.
My Take:
How and why Kevin Costner chooses his rolls is sometimes beyond this reviewer. At least he takes risks and is not pigeonholed. When most think Kevin Costner they think--Baseball flicks (Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game- for full disclosure yes, I did cry like a baby for both of these), major big budget flops (Waterworld, The Postman) and of course Dances with Wolves. When I think of Kevin Costner a few of my favorite films come to mind--The Untouchables, Silverado and the grossly underrated Mr. Brooks. Over the last 30 years he has been one of my favorite actors, always mixing it up and not being afraid of failing--having an open-mind choosing projects. That brings us to today’s feature, the limited release and for all intents and purposes, straight to video, 'The New Daughter'.
'The New Daughter' was methodically directed by Spanish Director Luis Berdejo who penned 2007’s ‘[Rec]’ which was Hollywood-ized as 2008’s ‘Quarantine’. He has a great eye for composition using long slow shots that lull , building an inherent sense of suspense. Ivana Baquero, the girl in ‘Pan's Labyrinth’, in her English-speaking film debut, plays Costner’s daughter Lousia. She is entering womanhood just as her whole world is thrown upside down. Her Mother and Father have just divorced and she is moving with her Father and younger Brother to a rural community 100 miles from home. Behind their new house is a random huge dirt mound that Lousia seems to be drawn to. She likes to spend time there, and apparently likes digging around since she comes home with dirty shoes and hands all too often. Lousia begins acting strange and distant, sleepwalking and not remembering; dad finally starts to think there is more happening here than her first period and and their newly awkward relationship. I don't want to get into the plot too much more as I did enjoy 'The New Daughter’s' storyline, even with its numerous faults and at times contrived plot devices. It heavily borrows from many horror films (Poltergeist, The Decent, Amityville), but somehow it feels fresh and original. I was not prepared for the finale which hit below the belt and hard. 'The New Daughter' was much better than anticipated and was kind of like a plane ride. It sat on the tarmac for a while...almost too long: but its take off and flight were fast and furious.
Parental Guide:
Rated PG-13 for thematic material including violence, disturbing images and brief strong language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 88
Video: 84
‘The New Daughter' comes to Blu-ray Disc from Anchor Bay featuring 1080p VC-1 encoded video that has an average bitrate of 22.4 mbps and Lossless PCM 5.1 Surround Sound that has an constant bitrate of 4.6 mbps.
Anchor Bay has done a nice job with the high definition presentation of ‘The New Daughter'. Its color palette is a bit over-saturated, lending skin to look a bit on the orange side. The over-saturation does add stylistically to the film giving its overall look a bit of pop. That coupled with it being sharp and detailed make this a fun film to watch. What I enjoyed was its balance of looking high definition and still looking like film. Being shot in 35mm, it still had grain intact but nothing overbearing. Unfortunately the black level and shadow detail were ‘The New Daughters' Kryptonite; its weakness's were apparent when things got dark. I noticed the blacks almost give in when our protagonist was trudging in the dark; the best I can describe what I saw was snowy speckles of white over the image. Thankfully the film spends most its time bright and colorful, which is unexpected in a horror film. Even with those imperfections the ‘The New Daughter' looks sharp, unprocessed and was quite visually appealing.
Its Lossless PCM track was not the most elegant mix I have heard but it sure compliment's the film and was really fun to listen to. I usually don't enjoy over used surround effects but in this case it really did add to the film. Creaking around the house spooked me out--sounding like they were in my house; the crickets and bugs of rural South Carolina felt like they were all over my room. There was the occasional time I noticed the dialogue seeming a bit low, but nothing was swallowed in the mix. The LFE was big and bold, giving a deep loud punch the few times it was called for. Combining the LFE and active surrounds gave 'The New Daughter' a nice bit of subliminal unease to the calm and eerie first two acts of the film, adding nice dynamics when needed. ‘The New Daughter' is a fun Blu-ray to look and listen to.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
‘The New Daughter' is a movie most will not see and most reading this have not heard of. With the current state of horror remakes any original idea is welcome, even if its not the most...original. I enjoyed the menacing slow build and the look director Luis Berdejo delivered. Anchor Bay's transfer didn't seem to tinker with the source, giving us a well above average high definition experience. The included supplements are not the most noteworthy and I think a rental is a smart move before a purchase. I was surprised, enjoying ‘The New Daughter' more than I anticipated. I think it is good choice for a spooky flick on movie night.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS35 1080p High Definition Front Projector (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Custom 1.3 Gain 128" 2.37:1 CinemaScope Screen
Pioneer SC27 Receiver (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triangle Zerius Speakers (7.1)
SVS PC13-Ultra Subwoofer
The Review at a Glance: ( max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
86
Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Films - 2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 108 minutes
Genre: Suspense/Thriller/Horror
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: VC1 (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English PCM 5.1 Surround Sound
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis
Directed by: Luis Berdejo
Music by: Javier Navarrete
Written by: John Travis (screenplay), John Connolly (short story)
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: May 18, 2010
"There's something wrong with Louisa....."
Film Synopsis:
John has his hands full raising his youngest child Sam and especially his adolescent daughter Louisa. As Louisa’s troubling behavior continues, far beyond the average tween angst and frustrations, John begins doubting his parental abilities. But when events around the James household start taking on an increasingly mysterious nature, John realizes that his family may be in mortal danger.
My Take:
How and why Kevin Costner chooses his rolls is sometimes beyond this reviewer. At least he takes risks and is not pigeonholed. When most think Kevin Costner they think--Baseball flicks (Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game- for full disclosure yes, I did cry like a baby for both of these), major big budget flops (Waterworld, The Postman) and of course Dances with Wolves. When I think of Kevin Costner a few of my favorite films come to mind--The Untouchables, Silverado and the grossly underrated Mr. Brooks. Over the last 30 years he has been one of my favorite actors, always mixing it up and not being afraid of failing--having an open-mind choosing projects. That brings us to today’s feature, the limited release and for all intents and purposes, straight to video, 'The New Daughter'.
'The New Daughter' was methodically directed by Spanish Director Luis Berdejo who penned 2007’s ‘[Rec]’ which was Hollywood-ized as 2008’s ‘Quarantine’. He has a great eye for composition using long slow shots that lull , building an inherent sense of suspense. Ivana Baquero, the girl in ‘Pan's Labyrinth’, in her English-speaking film debut, plays Costner’s daughter Lousia. She is entering womanhood just as her whole world is thrown upside down. Her Mother and Father have just divorced and she is moving with her Father and younger Brother to a rural community 100 miles from home. Behind their new house is a random huge dirt mound that Lousia seems to be drawn to. She likes to spend time there, and apparently likes digging around since she comes home with dirty shoes and hands all too often. Lousia begins acting strange and distant, sleepwalking and not remembering; dad finally starts to think there is more happening here than her first period and and their newly awkward relationship. I don't want to get into the plot too much more as I did enjoy 'The New Daughter’s' storyline, even with its numerous faults and at times contrived plot devices. It heavily borrows from many horror films (Poltergeist, The Decent, Amityville), but somehow it feels fresh and original. I was not prepared for the finale which hit below the belt and hard. 'The New Daughter' was much better than anticipated and was kind of like a plane ride. It sat on the tarmac for a while...almost too long: but its take off and flight were fast and furious.
Parental Guide:
Rated PG-13 for thematic material including violence, disturbing images and brief strong language.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 88
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 84
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
‘The New Daughter' comes to Blu-ray Disc from Anchor Bay featuring 1080p VC-1 encoded video that has an average bitrate of 22.4 mbps and Lossless PCM 5.1 Surround Sound that has an constant bitrate of 4.6 mbps.
Anchor Bay has done a nice job with the high definition presentation of ‘The New Daughter'. Its color palette is a bit over-saturated, lending skin to look a bit on the orange side. The over-saturation does add stylistically to the film giving its overall look a bit of pop. That coupled with it being sharp and detailed make this a fun film to watch. What I enjoyed was its balance of looking high definition and still looking like film. Being shot in 35mm, it still had grain intact but nothing overbearing. Unfortunately the black level and shadow detail were ‘The New Daughters' Kryptonite; its weakness's were apparent when things got dark. I noticed the blacks almost give in when our protagonist was trudging in the dark; the best I can describe what I saw was snowy speckles of white over the image. Thankfully the film spends most its time bright and colorful, which is unexpected in a horror film. Even with those imperfections the ‘The New Daughter' looks sharp, unprocessed and was quite visually appealing.
Its Lossless PCM track was not the most elegant mix I have heard but it sure compliment's the film and was really fun to listen to. I usually don't enjoy over used surround effects but in this case it really did add to the film. Creaking around the house spooked me out--sounding like they were in my house; the crickets and bugs of rural South Carolina felt like they were all over my room. There was the occasional time I noticed the dialogue seeming a bit low, but nothing was swallowed in the mix. The LFE was big and bold, giving a deep loud punch the few times it was called for. Combining the LFE and active surrounds gave 'The New Daughter' a nice bit of subliminal unease to the calm and eerie first two acts of the film, adding nice dynamics when needed. ‘The New Daughter' is a fun Blu-ray to look and listen to.
Bonus Features:
- Audio commentary by Director Luis Berdejo
- (HD) Theatrical trailer
- The New Daughter Behind-the-scenes
- Deleted Scenes
Final Thoughts:
‘The New Daughter' is a movie most will not see and most reading this have not heard of. With the current state of horror remakes any original idea is welcome, even if its not the most...original. I enjoyed the menacing slow build and the look director Luis Berdejo delivered. Anchor Bay's transfer didn't seem to tinker with the source, giving us a well above average high definition experience. The included supplements are not the most noteworthy and I think a rental is a smart move before a purchase. I was surprised, enjoying ‘The New Daughter' more than I anticipated. I think it is good choice for a spooky flick on movie night.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS35 1080p High Definition Front Projector (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Custom 1.3 Gain 128" 2.37:1 CinemaScope Screen
Pioneer SC27 Receiver (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triangle Zerius Speakers (7.1)
SVS PC13-Ultra Subwoofer