• Login

    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    In The Valley Of Elah

    Featured In Issue 130, April 2008

    Picture3
    SoundNR
    WSR Score4
    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):
    1000027427
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    Violent and disturbing content, language and some sexuality and nudity
    (Retail Price):
    $35.99
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Single Layer (HD-15)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    121
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2007
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    02/19/08
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Paul Haggis
    (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 TrueHD 5.1, 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):

    In The Valley Of Elah, a young soldier goes missing from a military base in New Mexico after returning from his tour of duty in Iraq. Hank Deerfield (Jones), a retired military policeman, is suspicious of his son's disappearance and decides to investigate the case. With the help of a local detective, Emily Sanders (Theron), Hank desperately tries to follow the evidence, despite the suspicious coverup efforts of the military establishment. (Stacey Pendry)

    Special features include a two-part 43-minute In The Valley Of Elah documentary, a 28-minute In The Valley Of Elah: After Iraq featurette, a 15-minute In The Valley Of Elah: Coming Home featurette, one deleted scene, and up-front previews.

    The anamorphically enhanced 2.37:1 DVD shows a washed-up image, with blown-out colors that also look under-saturated when outdoors. Indoors colors can look more natural, but not always. There are also times at night when colors are fairly natural-looking. Fleshtones generally look pallid. Resolution is good, with fine textures that can look sharp and detailed. Black levels are relatively high, but shadow delineation is adequate. Still, there are times when the image can look overly soft. Pixel breakup and compression artifacts can be recognized from time to time, and, while minor, edge enhancement is noticeable. The VC-1-encoded Blu-ray Disc exhibits deep black levels with colors that appear less washed out than the DVD release. Still, the desaturated appearance matches the storytelling well. The inconsistencies in the color scheme are still recognizeable and fleshtones are still pallid. Film grain is more recognizeable in this release than the DVD, although it is not overly distracting, but the image can look overly sharpened with hard, digitized edges. (Danny Richelieu)

    The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack can be limited, with the mix collapsing to the center channel often, especially when indoors. Dialogue fidelity is good, but a shuffling distortion can be heard from time to time. Articulation is good, but not as pinpoint accurate as on the better releases. The surround channels can be used nicely to deliver atmospheric effects, but generally they are only used as an extension of the music, which is mixed nicely. The Blu-ray Disc's lossless Dolby TrueHD encoding provides a noticeable improvement in overall fidelity over the Dolby Digital encoding that is also included on the disc, with better fluidity and articulation in the dialogue. Still, dialogue can sound unnaturally forward, and subtle shuffling distortion can still be heard. (Danny Richelieu)

    Reason #131 Why Readers Love Widescreen Review:

    I read it because I need it! For an avid audio/video enthusiast such as myself, Widescreen Review literally blows away the competition in terms of technical expertise and professional journalism when covering the world of cinema. Whether it is for the home or the local movie theatre, the magazine's articles are the most complete from my experience. This is particularly evident with topics that are covered over multiple issues. Instead of what could be a brief overview, there appears to be a journalistic determination to “do it right or don't do it at all” attitude from the very beginning. There are three key factors that I believe contribute to this achievement. One is the amount of research you do, and you do it with a resolve to touch as many bases as possible. Two is the amount of preparation that goes into each article or review, which most readers only get to read the tip of the iceberg as a finely polished product. Finally, your passion for the field you cover is as great or greater than that of your readers.

    Jay Winter
    26864 Mandelieu Drive, Murrieta, CA 92562 • Phone: 951 676 4914 • Fax: 951 693 2960
    Copyright © Information • All Rights Reserved • www.widescreenreview.com • Web Site Established In 1995 • Privacy Policy • Partners