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    WSR Detailed DVD Review
    Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood
    Widescreen
    Genre: Comedy Drama

    Reviewed In Issue 67 (Dec 2002) Of Widescreen Review®

    Stars:
    Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Fionnula Flanagan, James Garner, Cherry Jones, Ashley Judd, Shirley Knight, Angus McFayden & Maggie Smith

    WSR Review Scores
    WSR Picture Rating: 3.5
    DD Sound Rating: 4
    DTS Sound Rating: NA
    Download WSR Review
    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score: 3.5
    Internet Links
    http://www.yayasisterhood.com
    http://www.warnervideo.com
    Special Features
    Includes group commentary with writer/director Callie Khouri, composer T Bone Burnett, producers Hunt Lowry and Bonnie Bruckheimer, co-producer Lisa Steart, and editor Andrew Marcus; a separate commentary with Khouri and Ashley Judd; the 14-minute "Unlocking The Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood" featurette; interactive featurettes and stills found in the Ya-Ya Sisterhood scrapbook,


     DVD General Information

    (Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
    (Catalog Number): 23308
    (MPAA Rating): PG13
    (Rating Reason):

    		 Mature thematic elements, language, and brief sensuality
    (Retail Price): $26.98
    (DVD Type): Single Side, Dual Layer (DVD9)
    (Widescreen Edition): Yes
    (Full Screen Edition): No
    (Anamorphic Widescreen): Yes
    (Running Time In Minutes): 116
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Regional Coding): 1
    (Theatrical Year): 2002
    (Theatrical Release): Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release): No
    (DVD Release Date): 11/05/02
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

     Credits Information

    (Director): Callie Khouri
    (Screenplay/Written By): Subscribe Now!
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    (Director Of Photography): Subscribe Now!
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    (Costume Designer): Subscribe Now!
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    (Supervising Sound Editors): Subscribe Now!
    (Re-Recording Mixers): Subscribe Now!
    (Executive Producers): Subscribe Now!
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      DVD Picture Information

    (Principal Photography): Subscribe Now!
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    (Measured DVD Anamorphic Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!
    (Measured DVD Letterbox Aspect Ratio): Subscribe Now!

      DVD Sound Information

    (DVD Soundtrack): Subscribe Now!
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      WSR Narrative Review
    Special Notes:
    Also available in a separate pan-and-scan edition.

    Story Synopsis:
    Based on the novels by Rebecca Wells, "Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood" tells a tale of a group of friends who step in to mend the damaged relationship of Vivi (played by both Burstyn and Judd) and her daughter Sidda (Bullock). When a TIME Magazine profile on New York playwright Sidda implies that Vivi was not a good mother, Vivi is outraged. Enter the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Flanagan, Knight, Smith)

    DVD Picture:
    The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits images that are easy-on-the-eyes, with soft, warmly lit scenes and rich, well balanced colors. Images are nicely detailed, though a bit soft, and the flashback scenes are conveyed with a hazy, nostalgic character. While edge enhancement is occasional, pixelization is noticed breaking up finer details and adding a

    Soundtrack:
    The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack is a nice recording overall, with generous spatiality from the music score. The music, itself a recording of very fine fidelity, also has a rich low-end foundation. The dialogue, which drives much of the film's audio, is distinctively clear and intelligible with rather good spatial integration. The use of atmosphere is also effective for this soundtrack, with the rendering of a nicely enveloping and expansive soundstage all around, with a panoramic presence across the screen channels. This is a nice example of a well-produced soundtrack that makes effective use of dimension, even for a film that calls for subtlety in this respect. (Perry Sun)

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