The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
82
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2013
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 104 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Scott Porter, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg
Written & Directed by: Maggie Carey
Music by: Raney Shockne
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 19, 2013
"She’s going from straight A’s to getting her first F"
Film Synopsis:
Class of '93 valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) wants to get "educated" before she goes off to college, so she assembles a "to do list" of all the sexual activities she missed out on in high school. Quickly realizing that she's way out of her league, Brandy solicits her best friends, older sister (Rachel Bilson) and burnt-out boss (Bill Hader) for their help and advice. As Brandy crams for her sexual finals, a supporting cast of horny misfits— an orally-challenged classmate (Donald Glover), a grunge-singing doofus (Andy Samberg) —eagerly offer their assistance and shocking mayhem ensues...
My Take:
As a fan of the teen “coming of age” comedies I thought that The to do list might be worth checking out so I requested it for review. It follows the same basic formula which in this case revolves around a somewhat nerdy high school senior looking to gain “experience” in areas previous unexplored and comes up with a list of sexual tasks she needs to complete leading up to her ultimate goal, having sex with summer crush Rusty Waters. Of course the events leading into each “encounter” as she checks off her list, is the stuff that legends are made of.
The to do list is a sort of throwback homage to the horny teen comedies from the 80’s and 90’s. The script has a sort of sketch comedy feel to it with the framework revolving around situational humor more than witty dialogue etc. The sexually explicit and raunchy site gags as told from the female perspective was mildly refreshing. The film doesn’t bring anything new to the genre but writer/director Maggie Carey’s familiarity with the subject matter as well as a solid cast help make it a little bit more fun than it probably would have been otherwise. At the end of the day The to do list misses more than hits the mark but if you enjoy the period teen comedies it references it’s not a bad way to spend an evening.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for pervasive strong crude sexual content including graphic dialogue, drug and alcohol use and language all involving teens.
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.**
Audio: 78
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Video: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
The to do list comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 27 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3 Mbps.
This is a high bitrate encoding from Fox that looks great in high definition. The video isn’t razor sharp but has a noticeably film like quality that is visually pleasing. Detail rendering, especially during close ups, is discerning which brings forth plenty of nuance within the images onscreen. Colors are rich and delineated with deeply saturated primaries that pop nicely. The extensive palette of secondary hues that represent the period colors featured in the story, appear vivid and warm. Flesh tones appear natural with varying degrees of complexional separation among the members of the cast. Stable contrast and consistent black levels provide excellent balance during bright and dark scenes.
The lossless soundtrack doesn’t consistently make use of the entire surround platform however it has moments where it enlivens the room and reproduces the source elements with aplomb. Dialogue has definitive presence with refined vocal character and excellent room penetration. Dynamic range is very good which lends subtle distinction to low level sounds and gravity to broader ones. A large portion of the film has little need for this as dialogue, atmospheric ambience and musical enhancement is conveyed with little fanfare. This soundtrack delivers a complimentary listening experience.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
The to do list comes from the mind and heart of writer/director Maggie Carey and is a sort of throwback homage to the horny teen comedies from the 80’s/90’s. It’s fairly conventional conceptually speaking but for those that get a kick out of the subject matter it covers the requisite bases and has enough merit to make for a decent way to spend an hour and a half. It comes to Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring solid high definition audio/video quality and a bland supplemental offering highlighted by the audio commentary featuring Bill Hader and Maggie Carey. If you’re curious give it a rent.
Here is the trailer:
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
82
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2013
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 104 minutes
Genre: Comedy
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Johnny Simmons, Bill Hader, Alia Shawkat, Sarah Steele, Scott Porter, Rachel Bilson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg
Written & Directed by: Maggie Carey
Music by: Raney Shockne
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: November 19, 2013
"She’s going from straight A’s to getting her first F"
Film Synopsis:
Class of '93 valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) wants to get "educated" before she goes off to college, so she assembles a "to do list" of all the sexual activities she missed out on in high school. Quickly realizing that she's way out of her league, Brandy solicits her best friends, older sister (Rachel Bilson) and burnt-out boss (Bill Hader) for their help and advice. As Brandy crams for her sexual finals, a supporting cast of horny misfits— an orally-challenged classmate (Donald Glover), a grunge-singing doofus (Andy Samberg) —eagerly offer their assistance and shocking mayhem ensues...
My Take:
As a fan of the teen “coming of age” comedies I thought that The to do list might be worth checking out so I requested it for review. It follows the same basic formula which in this case revolves around a somewhat nerdy high school senior looking to gain “experience” in areas previous unexplored and comes up with a list of sexual tasks she needs to complete leading up to her ultimate goal, having sex with summer crush Rusty Waters. Of course the events leading into each “encounter” as she checks off her list, is the stuff that legends are made of.
The to do list is a sort of throwback homage to the horny teen comedies from the 80’s and 90’s. The script has a sort of sketch comedy feel to it with the framework revolving around situational humor more than witty dialogue etc. The sexually explicit and raunchy site gags as told from the female perspective was mildly refreshing. The film doesn’t bring anything new to the genre but writer/director Maggie Carey’s familiarity with the subject matter as well as a solid cast help make it a little bit more fun than it probably would have been otherwise. At the end of the day The to do list misses more than hits the mark but if you enjoy the period teen comedies it references it’s not a bad way to spend an evening.
Parental Guide:
The rating is for pervasive strong crude sexual content including graphic dialogue, drug and alcohol use and language all involving teens.
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.**
Audio: 78
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 86
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
The to do list comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 27 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3 Mbps.
This is a high bitrate encoding from Fox that looks great in high definition. The video isn’t razor sharp but has a noticeably film like quality that is visually pleasing. Detail rendering, especially during close ups, is discerning which brings forth plenty of nuance within the images onscreen. Colors are rich and delineated with deeply saturated primaries that pop nicely. The extensive palette of secondary hues that represent the period colors featured in the story, appear vivid and warm. Flesh tones appear natural with varying degrees of complexional separation among the members of the cast. Stable contrast and consistent black levels provide excellent balance during bright and dark scenes.
The lossless soundtrack doesn’t consistently make use of the entire surround platform however it has moments where it enlivens the room and reproduces the source elements with aplomb. Dialogue has definitive presence with refined vocal character and excellent room penetration. Dynamic range is very good which lends subtle distinction to low level sounds and gravity to broader ones. A large portion of the film has little need for this as dialogue, atmospheric ambience and musical enhancement is conveyed with little fanfare. This soundtrack delivers a complimentary listening experience.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) Maggie Carey: Directing her To-do-list – 3 minute featurette
- (HD) “Dirty mouth” – 2 minute feature that highlights the film’s naughty words/phrases
- (HD) 3 deleted scenes
- Audio commentary with writer/director Maggie Carey and actor Bill Hader
- (HD) The re-do list – 2 minute gag reel
- Ultraviolet Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
The to do list comes from the mind and heart of writer/director Maggie Carey and is a sort of throwback homage to the horny teen comedies from the 80’s/90’s. It’s fairly conventional conceptually speaking but for those that get a kick out of the subject matter it covers the requisite bases and has enough merit to make for a decent way to spend an hour and a half. It comes to Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring solid high definition audio/video quality and a bland supplemental offering highlighted by the audio commentary featuring Bill Hader and Maggie Carey. If you’re curious give it a rent.
Here is the trailer:
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package