The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
87
Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Entertainment - 2013
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 98 Minutes
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Music by: Alexandre Desplat
Written by: Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope (screenplay), Martin Sixsmith (book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee")
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: April 15th, 2014
"These two unlikely companions are on a journey to find her long lost son."
Film Synopsis:
A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
My Take:
Judi Dench stars as the the titular Philomena, in the true story of Philomena Lee. When Philomena opens up to her daughter about the burning secret of the child she gave up for adoption 50 years ago, the wheels are set in motion of an unlikely road trip. Philomena takes a life changing journey with Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a former BBC reporter who was just disgracefully dismissed from the Labour Party. Martin arranges a magazine assignment about her search that leads the two from the Irish convent where a young Philomena had the child out of wedlock and was forced to give him up for adoption to America...and to the truth about more than just the child's fate.
The beauty of the film and of Philomina's story is the interaction between her and Martin, as they both learn about about each other, they both actually learn about themselves and even have their polarizing beliefs about faith challenged. Dench had a well deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actress here, however, the surprise for me was Coogans performance. He really shed his more sarcastic and comedic style and proved his worth as a dramatic actor. Director Stephen Frears directed with a level of trust in his cast, story, cinematographer and crew to where things just seemed fluid and never forced. Philomena is far from an original story, and it is not about being blatant or forced. Just like out protagonists journey, the film is one of subtle and slow self discovery, and of opening ones eyes to a world bigger then the one they have been living in. Highly recommended.
Parental Guide:
Strong language, thematic elements and sexual references
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: 82
Video: 92
Philomena comes to Blu-ray disc from Anchor Bay featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24.2 mbps and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound with an average bitrate of 3.8 mbps.
Philomena is a beautifully lensed film that seemed to favor a crisp and clean image with a warmer golden overtone in its present day passages and a colder, grittier less sharp image that houses a healthy dose of film grain in its flashbacks. Both have a natural color palette that is never overly saturated, but rich enough to sit comfortably on top of the films fine details that are in abundance, as well its deep blacks and stable contrast. All of this equates to a wonderful high definition image that made a great film even more of a joy to watch. Its lossless audio track is classy, never too aggressive, with always intelligible dialogue that sat on top of its soundtrack with ease. Surrounds are never obvious, however, they are used with care adding real life ambiance to the film.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
Philomena was nominated for Best Film as well as Best Actress. Both are warranted nominations, as this is a beautifully crafted film that slowly sucks you into a story that is not so much about its main narrative, but about what a story can do to those involved a deeper level. Anchor Bay delivers a gorgeous looking Blu-ray of reference quality video that makes taking our characters journey even that much more rewarding. Again, this highly recommended.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector
Screen Innovations Gamma Maestro 4K 1.1 138" 2.35:1 Acoustically Transparent CinemaScope Screen
Da-Lite Pro Imager Projector Screen Masking System
Onkyo PR-SC5509 Pre/Pro
Parasound Halo A51 & A21 7x250
Sony BDP-S790 Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triad Gold LCR's
Triad Silver Surrounds x4
Triad Bronze Subwoofers x4
Panamorph DC1 Anamorphic Lens
AudioQuest Wires
Panasonic TC-P65ZT60 3D 1080p Plasma
URC DMS-AV Receiver
Sony BDP-S790 Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
MKSound MP-7 LCR's
MKSound SUR-55T Surrounds
Triad Bronze Subwoofer
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
87
Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Entertainment - 2013
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 98 Minutes
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Music by: Alexandre Desplat
Written by: Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope (screenplay), Martin Sixsmith (book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee")
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: April 15th, 2014
"These two unlikely companions are on a journey to find her long lost son."
Film Synopsis:
A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
My Take:
Judi Dench stars as the the titular Philomena, in the true story of Philomena Lee. When Philomena opens up to her daughter about the burning secret of the child she gave up for adoption 50 years ago, the wheels are set in motion of an unlikely road trip. Philomena takes a life changing journey with Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a former BBC reporter who was just disgracefully dismissed from the Labour Party. Martin arranges a magazine assignment about her search that leads the two from the Irish convent where a young Philomena had the child out of wedlock and was forced to give him up for adoption to America...and to the truth about more than just the child's fate.
The beauty of the film and of Philomina's story is the interaction between her and Martin, as they both learn about about each other, they both actually learn about themselves and even have their polarizing beliefs about faith challenged. Dench had a well deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actress here, however, the surprise for me was Coogans performance. He really shed his more sarcastic and comedic style and proved his worth as a dramatic actor. Director Stephen Frears directed with a level of trust in his cast, story, cinematographer and crew to where things just seemed fluid and never forced. Philomena is far from an original story, and it is not about being blatant or forced. Just like out protagonists journey, the film is one of subtle and slow self discovery, and of opening ones eyes to a world bigger then the one they have been living in. Highly recommended.
Parental Guide:
Strong language, thematic elements and sexual references
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: 82
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 92
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Philomena comes to Blu-ray disc from Anchor Bay featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24.2 mbps and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound with an average bitrate of 3.8 mbps.
Philomena is a beautifully lensed film that seemed to favor a crisp and clean image with a warmer golden overtone in its present day passages and a colder, grittier less sharp image that houses a healthy dose of film grain in its flashbacks. Both have a natural color palette that is never overly saturated, but rich enough to sit comfortably on top of the films fine details that are in abundance, as well its deep blacks and stable contrast. All of this equates to a wonderful high definition image that made a great film even more of a joy to watch. Its lossless audio track is classy, never too aggressive, with always intelligible dialogue that sat on top of its soundtrack with ease. Surrounds are never obvious, however, they are used with care adding real life ambiance to the film.
Bonus Features:
- Feature Commentary With Steve Coogan And Screenwriter Jeff Pop
- (HD) A Conversation With Judi Dench
- (HD) The Real Philomena Lee
- (HD) Q&A With Steve Coogan
- (HD) UV Digital Copy
Final Thoughts:
Philomena was nominated for Best Film as well as Best Actress. Both are warranted nominations, as this is a beautifully crafted film that slowly sucks you into a story that is not so much about its main narrative, but about what a story can do to those involved a deeper level. Anchor Bay delivers a gorgeous looking Blu-ray of reference quality video that makes taking our characters journey even that much more rewarding. Again, this highly recommended.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS4910 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector
Screen Innovations Gamma Maestro 4K 1.1 138" 2.35:1 Acoustically Transparent CinemaScope Screen
Da-Lite Pro Imager Projector Screen Masking System
Onkyo PR-SC5509 Pre/Pro
Parasound Halo A51 & A21 7x250
Sony BDP-S790 Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triad Gold LCR's
Triad Silver Surrounds x4
Triad Bronze Subwoofers x4
Panamorph DC1 Anamorphic Lens
AudioQuest Wires
Panasonic TC-P65ZT60 3D 1080p Plasma
URC DMS-AV Receiver
Sony BDP-S790 Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
MKSound MP-7 LCR's
MKSound SUR-55T Surrounds
Triad Bronze Subwoofer