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Junebug(Blu-ray Review)

Eureka Entertainment | 2005 | 106 mins | Rated R | Jun 22, 2009

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Blu-ray review

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Playback
Region free

Phil Morrison's award-winning "Junebug" (2005) arrives on Blu-ray boasting an excellent transfer, personally supervised by the director of the film. The disc contains a number of great supplemental features, including an audio commentary with Amy Adams and Embeth Davidz, ten deleted scenes, an exclusive interview and Q&A session with Amy Adams, etc. All of the supplemental features are perfectly playable on North American players. Courtesy of UK-based Eureka Entertainment. Region-Free.

Video



Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Phil Morrison抯 Junebug arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based Eureka Entertainment.

This is an excellent transfer! Eureka have delivered an unfiltered and unmanipulated transfer that retains the intended by director Morrison抯 occasionally soft and washed-out look of the film (Junebug was shot in 16mm). Furthermore, there is plenty of healthy grain that looks excellent when Junebug is projected on a large screen. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are most definitely not an issue of concern. On the contrary, the Eureka Entertainment transfer looks notably healthy and stable. For the record, I did not detect any digital sharpening either. This being said, I would like to make it very clear that Junebug has plenty of depth and detail that I don抰 see on the DVD release of the film, which I now have with me. Yes, there is a notable gap in quality between the Blu-ray transfer and the DVD transfer. To sum it all up, the folks at Eureka Entertainment have once again done a terrific job with a film I enjoyed tremendously. (Note: This is a Region-Free disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Audio

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. I opted for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with other two tracks for the purpose of this review.

Simply put, the audio presentation is as solid as the video presentation. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is not overly active ?you certainly won抰 hear a great deal of movement in your surround speakers ?but it is incredibly well mixed. Those of you who are familiar with Yo La Tengo know that their music is incredibly subtle and atmospheric. As far as I am concerned, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track treats it notably well. This being said, the dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Additionally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, clicks, or hissings to report in this review. My only complaint here is the lack of optional English subtitles. Other than that, the audio treatment is top notch.

The English Dolby Digital 2.0 track is not as convincing as the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Some of you may think that because Junebug isn抰 an overly active film, the two tracks are comparable. Simply put, they are not. Listen to the music score and you should be able to hear how notably stronger the dynamics are on the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is practically identical to the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Final Words



A terrific film and a terrific release by Eureka Entertainment! The Blu-ray transfer is very good - pure and unfiltered. Frankly, this is exactly what we want to see studios give us. Region-A cinephiles would also be delighted to know that Junebug is Region-Free. Of course, we Highly Recommend it.