BLU-RAY REVIEW

American Fiction

Featured In Issue Issue 274, July/August

Picture4.5
Sound4
WSR Score4.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
3000098392
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Language throughout, some drug use, sexual references and brief violence
(Retail Price):
$22.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
117
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
6/18/2024
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Cord Jefferson
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Subtitles):

"American Fiction" confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. (Gary Reber)

Special features include a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally using the Arri Alexa Mini LF camera system and sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate. The picture looks terrific The color palette appears perfectly natural and realistic. Hues are rich and warm with balanced saturated imagery that is realistic. Flesh tones are accurate. Contrast is well balanced with natural black levels, revealing shadows, and realistic whites. Resolution is excellent with imagery that is sharp and clear. Facial features are finely detailed as in skin pores, lines hair and beards. Clothing reveals details of fabrics. Object textures are sharply defined. This is a wonderful looking picture that exhibits excellent realism. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialogue focused with generally good spatial integration and excellent intelligibility. Atmospherics are subtle but supportive. Sound effects reflect normal surroundings and situations, with moments of intensity, such as gunfire. Foley sound effects are realistic. The music score, which is jazz-tinged and orchestral/choral, is generally a background sound element, that thrusts forward occasionally, and occupies a wide soundstage. Surround envelopment is comprised of atmospherics and the music, all of which is nicely enveloping. Deep bass provides foundation for the sound elements. This is a nicely crafted holosonic® soundtrack that perfectly complements the storytelling. (Gary Reber)