Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The High School of Performing Arts in New York City was created in 1947 by Franklin J. Keller offering music and speech programs along with traditional trade skills. Promising seven classes a day and a hot lunch, the school trains teenage musicians, actors, and dancers who have dreams of making it big except some dreams will be shattered along the way.

Fame garnered six Academy Awards nominations scoring two wins for Best Music (Original Score and Song) and spawned a popular TV show and an uninspiring 2009 remake I renamed Fame 90210. The 133 minute runtime feels rushed as we follow a group of kids through their four high school years. The film depicts a rough-and-tough New York in the late 70s and music holds up surprisingly well after 30 years. The same can’t be said about the fashion of the era—did people really dress like that?

For a film of this vintage I’m somewhat surprised by the visuals. The VC-1 encode boasts a strong color palette, deep blacks, and adequate shadow detail. Resolution isn’t razor-sharp; in fact it’s soft and grainy, especially in dark scenes. Contrast is hot in some exterior shots, but all told it looks better than other films from the era that I’ve seen on Blu-ray.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack harkens back to its stereo roots with a front-loaded presentation. The surround speakers have some minor ambience with the sounds of New York City so don’t expect too many discrete effects. Dialog is mostly intelligible, but there are times it sounds nasally and unnatural and the Oscar-winning score is a blend of techno-pop hits with some tinny highs but powerful midrange and low-end.

Supplements include a commentary with director Alan Parker, interviews with the cast and crew, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a 2003 documentary about the school that inspired the film, a theatrical trailer and a soundtrack sampler CD that includes 4 songs from the film.

Some of the characters are difficult to like, but there’s no doubting their immense talent and if you have a choice between the “classic” Fame and the 2009 remake, stick with the original despite its middling presentation.

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Release Date: January 26, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 7/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 7/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics