America 3000 CLICK HERE to

America 3000

CLICK HERE to read the full Burn After Reading review by Todd Gilchrist. The films naturalistic visual style is nicely delivered in a 85:1 widescreen ratio. When you have characters acting in outlandish ways and a story thats set in a slightly twisted reality, the key to believability is to set it in a world that is dull, familiar and recognizable. Thats typical of the Coens previous films, and it continues here. There arent complex effects shots or vivid pops of color, just a straightforward presentation with a slight wash of film grain that doesnt detract from the writing or performances. The picture is sharp and detailed, maybe too much so for the comfort of the actors sporting telltale signs of the natural aging process. It doesnt exactly look spectacular, but thats obviously not what the directors were going for here anyway. The sound is presented in DTS-HD master audio This is a dialogue heavy film, and that element gets the most focus here in the center channels. The dynamic range wont push your system to any lengths, but there are a couple of instances where gunshots ring out with startling force and the sound of a helicopter overhead seems to be coming from all directions. Add in some dramatic music swells to establish rising tension and what seems to be a simple and unassuming audio presentation suddenly turns into an impressive soundscape for a few brief, shining moments. This single-disc release comes in the standard blue plastic case. The special features are disappointingly slim, consisting of just three EPK-style featurettes. They include: Finding the Burn is the requisite five-and-a-half-minute making-of documentary featuring interviews with the Coen brothers and a majority of the cast members. The interviews with the always-interesting Coens make this a cut slightly above the usual behind-the-scenes fare, but its still rather limited in scope. The interviews continue in DC Insiders, which focuses more on the cast. Running at about 12 and a half minutes, its divided into segments devoted to each actor and their character in the film. Not only did the directors establish a truly great cast, they also managed to convince them to compromise their dignity through offbeat wardrobe and hair and makeup choices. It just goes to show the power and respect the multi-hyphenate Coens command among their peers. Theres also one that briefly touches on the set design and locations. As the title implies, Welcome Back George covers the special relationship between George Clooney and the Coen brothers and touches on the look he established for his character in the film. It lasts just under three minutes, and really doesnt offer anything that wouldnt have fit into either of the previous two featurettes. In fact, the three of these could have been put together in one making-of piece running just over 20 minutes. To separate these out into separate features is a bit misleading and makes it look like youre getting more than you really are. As for Blu-ray exclusives, Universals My Scenes feature allows users to bookmark scenes for later by pressing a button while the film is playing. The disc will also have BD-Live capability once the film is released, although that content was not available at the time we reviewed it.