The Review at a Glance: ( max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
90
Studio and Year: Columbia Pictures - 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 107 minutes Theatrical Cut / 116 minutes Directors Cut
Genre: Comedy/Action
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English, French, Portuguese DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, English Audio Description track Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French,Portuguese, Hindi
Starring: Steve Coogan, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Ray Stevenson, Mark Wahlberg
Directed by: Adam McKay
Music by: Jon Brion
Written by: Adam McKay & Chris Henchy
Region Code: A/B/C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: December 14, 2010
"The movie industry is completely irresponsible for the way the portray explosions"
Film Synopsis:
Misfit NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) are sentenced to life behind the desk. They hate each other and the monotony of their meaningless jobs, as they’re forced to live in the shadow of the two biggest and most badass cops on the force (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson). But when those guys go down for the count, opportunity knocks for Gamble and Hoitz. Stumbling onto what could be one of the biggest crimes in years, can The Other Guys step up their game to solve the case without killing each other and destroying NYC in the process?
My Take:
'The Other Guys' is the latest flick from Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. They have brought us one classic comedy, Anchorman , as well as the hit-or-miss Step Brothers and Talladega Nights. This time they venture into the Buddy Action/Comedy genre we saw so much of in the late 80s/ early 90s. How did it stack up?? Hit-and miss, yet again.
When 'The Other Guys' is on, it's on. It begins with authority and pitch perfect comic timing, as we meet super cops P.K. Highsmith and Christopher (Samuel L. Jackson Dwayne Johnson). These guys rule New York City and cant do wrong. They are the darlings of the media, the police force and to themselves. When ego gets in the way (in a laugh out loud action scene) these guys are out of commission and the chance for some 'other guys' to step-up and become heroes opens up.
We meet Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) who are 'The Other Guys'. Well, Hoitz wants to be, but Gamble is cool with playing it safe and keeping his desk job. Hoitz needs to get back out and prove himself after accidentally shooting Derek Jeter and being demoted (that would have come with a promotion--possibly to mayor over here in Boston!). The boys stumble upon more then they bargain for when they go out to mess with a financial tycoon (Steve Coogan) on a building permit violation.
In the grand scheme of these buddy Action/Comedy's, 'The Other Guys' is pretty decent. OK it's no Tango and Cash (what is?
), 48 HRS or Lethal Weapon, but it does hold its own. Ferrell and Wahlberg have great chemistry as do the supporting cast of Micheal Keaton as The Police Chief and Damon Wayans Jr (Dance Flick) and Rob Riggle (The Hangover) as rival cops also trying to seize the glory. These guys help a drowning last act seem less disappointing as their timing elevates things where the script fails.
The movie has some really funny moments and is on point with the comedy, and has some decent action scenes sewn in, but the plot fails to have enough substance to take it to the next level. If only the story of the bad-guys and their financial tinkering was as interesting as the facts that are featured over the films end credits (about the economic depression we are in right now), 'The Other Guys' would have been a really great Action/Comedy. Oh did I mention Eva Mendes and Anne Heche??
Parental Guide:
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.
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: 86
Video: 94
'The Other Guys' crashes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 26 mbps and DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound that has an average bitrate of 2.9 mbps.
'The Other Guys' is without question a reference quality video presentation from Sony Home Entertainment. It is sharp and crisp, and fine details ooze from every pore on the actors face's as well as on scenery like bricks on the wall or aerial shots of the city. Black levels are inky with great shadow detail, and we never long for colors to have more pop or less saturation. When all of these things line-up this well there is a depth to the image that really takes advantage of what a great High Definition display and Blu-ray can offer. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound is great as well. This track sure has some aggressive goodness from gunfire flying around the effect channels to some LFE that rocked my room. Dialouge was never lacking and the front sound-stage was always paramount with proper placement. Just a little more finesse this would have been reference grade as well.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
'The Other Guys' was so close to not just being another movie, but it never took that extra step. If the script paid a bit more attention and fleshed out the the plot of the villains and their scheme as much as it did the comedy, this would have been great! I usually find Mark Wahlberg to be a mono-tone type of actor, never really clicking with me. Here he is the best I have seen him, he really stole the movie for me. If you dug this theatrically you will love the copious amounts of extra features, including an original take on the standard commentary track that doesn't feature the men behind the movie but their moms!! I listened to it for like 15 minutes and don't think I could do close to two hours of it. Sony's video quality alone garners a recommendation, especially for a rental when a brainless funny popcorn flick is in order.
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 )
90
Studio and Year: Columbia Pictures - 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 107 minutes Theatrical Cut / 116 minutes Directors Cut
Genre: Comedy/Action
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English, French, Portuguese DTS-HD MA 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, English Audio Description track Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, French,Portuguese, Hindi
Starring: Steve Coogan, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendes, Ray Stevenson, Mark Wahlberg
Directed by: Adam McKay
Music by: Jon Brion
Written by: Adam McKay & Chris Henchy
Region Code: A/B/C
Blu-ray Disc release Date: December 14, 2010
"The movie industry is completely irresponsible for the way the portray explosions"
Film Synopsis:
Misfit NYPD detectives Gamble and Hoitz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) are sentenced to life behind the desk. They hate each other and the monotony of their meaningless jobs, as they’re forced to live in the shadow of the two biggest and most badass cops on the force (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson). But when those guys go down for the count, opportunity knocks for Gamble and Hoitz. Stumbling onto what could be one of the biggest crimes in years, can The Other Guys step up their game to solve the case without killing each other and destroying NYC in the process?
My Take:
When 'The Other Guys' is on, it's on. It begins with authority and pitch perfect comic timing, as we meet super cops P.K. Highsmith and Christopher (Samuel L. Jackson Dwayne Johnson). These guys rule New York City and cant do wrong. They are the darlings of the media, the police force and to themselves. When ego gets in the way (in a laugh out loud action scene) these guys are out of commission and the chance for some 'other guys' to step-up and become heroes opens up.
We meet Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz (Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg) who are 'The Other Guys'. Well, Hoitz wants to be, but Gamble is cool with playing it safe and keeping his desk job. Hoitz needs to get back out and prove himself after accidentally shooting Derek Jeter and being demoted (that would have come with a promotion--possibly to mayor over here in Boston!). The boys stumble upon more then they bargain for when they go out to mess with a financial tycoon (Steve Coogan) on a building permit violation.
In the grand scheme of these buddy Action/Comedy's, 'The Other Guys' is pretty decent. OK it's no Tango and Cash (what is?
The movie has some really funny moments and is on point with the comedy, and has some decent action scenes sewn in, but the plot fails to have enough substance to take it to the next level. If only the story of the bad-guys and their financial tinkering was as interesting as the facts that are featured over the films end credits (about the economic depression we are in right now), 'The Other Guys' would have been a really great Action/Comedy. Oh did I mention Eva Mendes and Anne Heche??
Parental Guide:
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, violence and some drug material.
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: 86
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 94
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
'The Other Guys' is without question a reference quality video presentation from Sony Home Entertainment. It is sharp and crisp, and fine details ooze from every pore on the actors face's as well as on scenery like bricks on the wall or aerial shots of the city. Black levels are inky with great shadow detail, and we never long for colors to have more pop or less saturation. When all of these things line-up this well there is a depth to the image that really takes advantage of what a great High Definition display and Blu-ray can offer. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround Sound is great as well. This track sure has some aggressive goodness from gunfire flying around the effect channels to some LFE that rocked my room. Dialouge was never lacking and the front sound-stage was always paramount with proper placement. Just a little more finesse this would have been reference grade as well.
Bonus Features:
-
- Audio Commentary: Called The "Mom"-mentary, featuring the Mom's of Adam McKay, Christopher Henchy, and Will Ferrell
- (HD) Wasn't That???
- (HD) Line-O-Rama
- (HD) Deleted & Extended Scenes (30 mins worth)
- (HD) Everyone Hates The DVD Guy
- (HD) Extreme Close Up
- (HD) Alternate Action
- (HD) Crash and Burn!
- (HD) Why Are There Brits In This Movie?
- (HD) Rob Riggle Likes To Party
- (HD) We Shouldn't Kiss Chicken
- (HD) Mark Wahlberg's Eating Contest Entourage
- (HD) "Pimps Don't Cry" music video/li>
- (HD) Alternate Action
- (HD) Bed Bath and Way Beyond
- BD Live enabled
- movie IQ
Final Thoughts:
'The Other Guys' was so close to not just being another movie, but it never took that extra step. If the script paid a bit more attention and fleshed out the the plot of the villains and their scheme as much as it did the comedy, this would have been great! I usually find Mark Wahlberg to be a mono-tone type of actor, never really clicking with me. Here he is the best I have seen him, he really stole the movie for me. If you dug this theatrically you will love the copious amounts of extra features, including an original take on the standard commentary track that doesn't feature the men behind the movie but their moms!! I listened to it for like 15 minutes and don't think I could do close to two hours of it. Sony's video quality alone garners a recommendation, especially for a rental when a brainless funny popcorn flick is in order.
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