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| Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database. |
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| Stepfather, The |
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Genre: Thriller
Reviewed In Issue 146 (Jan/Feb 2010) Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley, Amber Heard, Shery Stringfield, Paige Turco & Jon Tenney |
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| WSR Review Scores |
| WSR Picture Rating: |
4 |
| DD Sound Rating: |
NR |
| DD Plus Sound Rating: |
NR |
| DD True HD Sound Rating: |
NR |
| DTS Rating: |
NR |
| DTS-HD Rating: |
NR |
| DTS-HD Master Audio Rating: |
4 |
| PCM Audio Rating: |
NR |
| WSR Score: |
3.5 |
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Reference Systems |
| Critics' Composite Score: |
NA |
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| Special Features |
Special features include commentary with Director Nelson McCormick and Actors Penn Badgley and Dylan Walsh; the Open House making-of featurette (HD 20:12); Visualizing The Stunts (HD 11:35); a gag reel (SD 04:52); the theatrical trailer; TV spots; up-front previews; and BD-Live and Movie IQ functionality.
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| Disc General Information |
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| (Studio/Distributor): |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment |
| (Catalog Number): |
33179 |
| (MPAA Rating): |
Unrated |
| (Rating Reason): |
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| (Retail Price): |
$39.95 |
| (Disc Type): |
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50) |
| (Widescreen Edition): |
Yes |
| (Full Screen Edition): |
No |
| (Running Time In Minutes): |
102 |
| (Color Type): |
Color |
| (Chaptered/Scene Access): |
Yes |
| (Closed Captioned): |
Yes |
| (Regional Coding): |
A, B & C |
| (Theatrical Year): |
2009 |
| (Theatrical Release): |
Yes |
| (Direct-To-Video Release): |
No |
| (Disc Release Date): |
02/09/10 |
| (THX® Digitally Mastered): |
No |
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| WSR Narrative Review |
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Story Synopsis:
In The Stepfather, Michael Harding (Badgley) returns home from military school to find his mom madly in love with her charming live-in boyfriend David (Walsh). At first David appears to be the ultimate nice guy and an ideal future husband and stepfather. But when Michael and his girlfiend (Heard) start delving into David's past, they begin to discover a dark and dangerous side to Michael's new "daddy." Based on the motion picture of the same name and a screenplay by Donald E. Westlake. (Gary Reber)
Picture:
The 1080p AVC picture appears generally natural throughout, though, there are sequences in which hues are rather pushed to oversaturation, with crushed black levels. Generally, though, colors are well balanced, with natural fleshtones. Hues are rich and warm. Contrast is pretty well balanced, with deep blacks, though, at times a bit crushed, and revealing shadow delineation. Resolution is quite good, with facial features and object textures exhibiting good detail. While the picture appears weightier in the darker interior scenes, the imagery is, at times, dimensional. This is a richly hued picture that provides an edgy imaging experience that perfectly enhances the thriller genre. (Gary Reber)
Sound:
The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack features a suspenseful musical score, which is the driving surround element. Otherwise, the soundtrack is frontal focused with a wide stereo spread, but with dialogue that is production sound throughout, with at times, poorly integrated spatial coherence. The orchestral music score is creepy and moody, with strong low-frequency extension, which complements the darkly hued imagery. LFE extension is, at times, energized to below 25 Hz, to enhance dramatic effect. But, except for the insertion of the full orchestral score, surround envelopment is absent through most of the movie, and opportunities for envelopment are missed. The fallback is a conventional stereo soundtrack. But as the story heads towards its ending, the soundtrack's music score and lighting thunderstorm effects provide an effective aggressive holosonic® surround experience that makes for an enhanced soundfield experience. The storm effects are impressive and deliver a sense of surround height. (Gary Reber)
This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
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