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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Lake House, The

    Featured In Issue 114, November 2006

    Picture3.5
    Sound3
    WSR Score3
    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 Home Video
    (Catalog Number):
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG
    (Rating Reason):
    (Retail Price):
    $
    (Disc Type):
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    98
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    (Regional Coding):
    (Theatrical Year):
    2006
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    09/26/06
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Alejandro Agresti
    (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):
    Dolby Digital 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Dr. Kate Forster (Bullock) loved The Lake House she had to leave behind when she took a job in the city. Leaving a note for the next tenant to forward any mail she might receive, Kate had no idea she would begin corresponding with the stranger. As she and Alex Wyler (Reeves) began a meaningful relationship through letters, something unreal was revealed—Alex lived in the house two years before Kate moved in—and her dream of meeting the man she was falling in love with seemed anything but likely. Based on the motion picture Il Mare produced by Sidus. (Tricia Spears)

    Special features on both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD include five additional scenes and outtakes, the theatrical trailer, and up-front ads. This is the first title from Warner to be released day-and-date on all three formats (DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray Disc), but the HD DVD version did not arrive in time to be part of this review.

    The anamorphically enhanced 2.38:1 DVD picture exhibits good contrast, deep blacks, and appropriate shadow delineation. Details can be resolved well, but there are scenes that have a softer focus. Hues are well balanced. Edge enhancement and pixilation can be noticed, and can become a distraction. The VC-1-encoded Blu-ray Disc release really shows off the high level of detail in some scenes, but it also makes it easier to see the scenes filmed with a softer focus. Colors are more deeply saturated and vibrant, blacks are deeper, but shadow delineation is slightly lacking, with details in the dark scenes often getting lost. The picture can look very good at times. Edge enhancement is not a problem with the Blu-ray Disc release. (Danny Richelieu)

    The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack is generally relegated to the front three screen channels, with very basic surround envelopment. Even when used, the surround channels are delivered at relatively low levels, which limits their effectiveness. Dialogue generally sounds good, although ADR integration is not great. The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel encoding included with the Blu-ray Disc release has slightly better fidelity, with more refined dialogue and tighter bass, no doubt due to the increase in bit rate (from 448 to 654 kbps). (Danny Richelieu)

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