Blu-ray Movie Reviews

(500) Days of Summer (Blu-ray)

Kris Deering  |  Dec 29, 2009

This is a story of boy meets girl, begins the wry, probing narrator of "500 Days Of Summer," and with that the film takes off at breakneck speed into a year-and-a-half of one young man's no-holds-barred love affair. Tom, the boy, still believes, even in this cynical modern world, in the notion of transforming, cosmically destined, lightning-strikes-once kind of love. Summer (Zooey Deschenel), the girl, doesn't. Not at all. But that doesn't stop Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) from going after her, again and again, like a modern Don Quixote, with all his might and courage. Suddenly, Tom is in love not just with a lovely, witty, intelligent woman - not that he minds any of that - but with the very idea of Summer, the very idea of a love that still has the power to shock the heart and stop the world.

The film according to Kris:
I really wanted to love this film. I’d heard so many good things about it and its approach to relationships sounded refreshing compared to the recycled stories we see so much on the big screen. While the style was a hit (I LOVED the Hall and Oats themed dance sequence), the story falls a little flat with its back and forth. Frankly, I didn’t feel much chemistry between the characters (which is I guess part of the point). Still, it's a nice indie jaunt, just not the hit I was hoping for.

The film according to David:
I liked the film a little more than Kris did, mainly because of my fondness for Zooey Deschanel. Director Marc Webb takes a different approach to the story by using flashbacks to show how the relationship evolved, but jumps around the timeline and doesn't show it in a linear fashion. The dialog can get a little overbearing, but by the end of the film I felt I knew the two main characters intimately.

The Blu-ray presentation is quite good with a very rich film-like look. Detail is there, but not quite as razor-sharp as some other recent films. The color palette changes substantially through the film and can look a bit murky. The soundtrack is outstanding and I loved the song selections littered throughout. Ambiance is believable, but this is mainly a dialog driven track and is always intelligible.

Extras include interviews and some behind the scenes features along with a feature commentary and some music videos. The second disc includes a digital copy.

Fun, charming and overall pretty funny, (500) Days of Summer does deliver an off the beating path look at relationships and both David and I would give it a rent.

Release Date: December 22, 2009
Studio: Fox

Movie: Kris: 7/10 David: 8/10
Picture: 8/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
Planar PD-8150 1080p DLP Projector
120" ST 130 Screen w/ Carada Masquerade Masking System

Electronics
Integra DHC-80.1 pre/pro
Outlaw Model 7900 Fully Balanced Amp
Exact Power EP-15A Voltage Regulator
Exact Power SP15x4 Balanced Power Transformer

Speakers
Paradigm Reference Signature S8 Mains
Paradigm Reference Signature C5 Center
Paradigm Reference Signature ADP Surrounds
Paradigm Reference Signature S6 Width Channels
Dual SVS PB12/2 Plus Subs
Dual SVS 25/31 Subs

Cables
Cables by Accell, Nordost, Blue Jeans and Better Cables
Cables by Accell, Nordost, Blue Jeans and Better Cables

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