Blu-ray Movie Reviews

When it comes to love, Charlie Mackenzie has had his share of bad luck: Sherrie was a klepto - Charlie still can't find his cat. Jill was unemployed - but Charlie knew she really worked for the Mafia. Pam smelled like soup - beef vegetable soup. Good thing for Charlie these shortcomings became apparent, if only to him. Good thing for Charlie he discovered the truth before things went too far - before he stumbled into MARRIAGE! Because to Charlie the "M" word is just one step away from the fate foretold in that chilling phrase: "Till death do us part." When Charlie meets Harriet Michaels everything changes. Harriet's not like the others. She's smart, sexy, and crazy about Charlie. This time Charlie is determined to overcome the fears that sabotaged his past relationships. This time, he's ready for some commitment. Sure, Harriet may have her shortcomings - but so what? After all those other women, what's the worst she could be? An axe murderer?.

Mike Myers has always been real hit or miss with me and lately his flair for comedy just hasn’t done much for me. This is one of his first films and honestly, it is still one of my favorites from his catalog. The comedy is quirky, but not overly dumb or forced. The film has a nice chemistry to it too. While it may not be quite as popular as the Austin Powers series, it is still one of his highlights.

This is probably one of the weakest transfers I’ve seen from Sony. The studio is one of the most consistent ones in the Blu-ray market and I can’t help but think the elements had more to do with this one’s look than the encode. Detail wavers significantly throughout the film. Brighter outdoor scenes don’t look too bad but darker moments looked a bit flat here and there, especially in the club sequences. Fine object detail is a bit wanting and the overall image is softer than we see with most Blu-ray releases. Depth of image is still quite strong though and a good step up from the previous DVD release. Colors are a bit dated looking but at least they don’t look oversaturated or cartoony.

The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is a bit bland but I didn’t expect much from a comedy like this. I love the soundtrack selections though. The soundstage is front heavy with little to no use of the surround channels and dynamics are just about non-existant. Dialogue sounds quite natural though and the imaging across the mains is decent enough. Again, a pretty bland release overall.

No real extras on this one except the opening tidbits from Sony.

While I’m a fan of this film I was a bit disappointed in the A/V presentation. But I don’t really know if this film could have looked better given its age and budget. It is still a nice step up from the DVD release but on the low end of the scale for a Blu-ray experience.