BLU-RAY REVIEW

Bad Words

Featured In Issue 189, September 2014

Picture4
Sound3.5
WSR Score3.5
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):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
6213002
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Crude and sexual content, language and brief nudity
(Retail Price):
$34.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
88
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2013
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
07/08/14
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Jason Bateman
(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, DTS 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):

Bad Words is a subversive comedy in which Jason Bateman plays Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for Guy, as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Hahn) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forgoing an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Chand), who is completely unfazed by Guy's take-no-prisoners approach to life. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director/Actor Jason Bateman, deleted and extended scenes (HD 06:37), the featurette The Minds And Mouths (HD 10:32), upfront previews, BD-Live functionality, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture, photographed in the Panavision Digital Imaging format, is nicely filmic, with a warm appearance that exhibits golden hues throughout. Saturation is at times strong, with rich hues and satisfying blacks, which at times appear a bit muted. The actual Golden Quill televised set is effectively colorful. Fleshtones are naturally hued throughout. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail revealed throughout, especially in close-ups. Overall, this is a very satisfying visual experience that won't disappoint. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialogue focused throughout, accompanied by a nicely presented musical score that provides subtle surround envelopment. Atmospherics and sound effects, which heighten the confrontation segments, are generally restrained in terms of surround energy. Dialogue is consistently intelligible, with generally good spatial integration. This is a nicely recorded soundtrack, with excellent fidelity and frontal presence. (Gary Reber)