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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Life After Beth (2014)

Life After Beth (2014)

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Released 29-Oct-2014

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Zom-Rom-Com None
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2014
Running Time 85:02
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Jeff Baena
Studio
Distributor

Roadshow Home Entertainment
Starring Dane DeHaan
Aubrey Plaza
John C Reilly
Molly Shannon
Paul Reiser
Case ?
RPI ? Music BRMC


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1
English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     I quite enjoy zombie themed stuff, being a recent convert to The Walking Dead and I also love a zombie based comedy such as Shaun of the Dead. Accordingly when this pretty much unheralded film from a first time director arrived I decided to give it a shot. The film is a zom-rom-com, I suppose, directed and written by Jeff Baena whose only other credit of note on IMDB is writing a comedy from 10 years ago, I Heart Huckerbees. It is not the greatest film ever made but it certainly is a lot of fun.

     Zach Orfman (Dane DeHaan) is a pretty ordinary young man in suburban America. He has a girlfriend who he loves, Beth Slocum (Aubrey Plaza). One day Beth goes for a hike on her own and does not return. When she is found, she is dead from a snake bite. Of course Zach and Beth's family grieve and a funeral is arranged and Beth is buried. Fortunately or unfortunately, Beth's story does not end there as she comes back to life, digs her way out of her grave and returns to her family home, assuming nothing has changed. She does not remember dying or being buried. Beth's parents, Maury (John C Reilly) and Geenie (Molly Shannon) try to hide her return as they are deeply concerned that all is not well, trying to ensure that Zach does not realise she has returned. Of course, Beth gets upset that Zach seems to be ignoring her and contacts him. Despite the shock, Zach wants to make it work and decides to make the most of his time with the girl he loves. Unfortunately, Beth's behaviour becomes more and more erratic and her flesh seems to be decomposing, making their ongoing relationship a challenge. How will Zach and Beth resolve these issues?

     This is a small indie film which despite its low budget is quite amusing and entertaining especially for those who enjoy zombie films. There are certainly some similarities to other zombie comedies like Shaun of the Dead however the idea here works and provides good entertainment. The cast is pretty good especially Aubrey Plaza supported by comedy veterans like John C Reilly, Molly Shannon and Paul Reiser as Zach's father. There is nothing special about the film from a production design perspective and the story does not develop too much beyond the original concept but it is entertaining and well worth a watch.

     If you are after something light and a little different you could do a lot worse than Life After Beth!

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The video quality is very good.

     The feature is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced. It was filmed digitally which shows in the way it looks on screen.

     The picture was sharp and clear for DVD. Shadow detail was generally very good.

     The colour is very good with no issues to report.

     There are no obvious artefacts.

    There are subtitles in English for the hearing impaired which were clear and easy to read.

    There is no obvious layer change.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good.

     This disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1 plus an English Audio Descriptive track in Dolby Digital 2.0.

     Dialogue was mostly clear and easy to understand although the subtitles were occasionally useful.

     The music is by quality indie band BRMC plus some other songs. It suits the film and works well.

     The surround speakers were used for mild atmosphere, music and an occasional surround effect, however the sound track was mostly front focused.

     The subwoofer was used mostly to support the music.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    No extras.

Menu

    The menu features music and motion.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This film is available locally and in other regions on Blu-ray and DVD and the Region 1 DVD release seems to be the same. Blu-ray editions seem to include some extras.

Summary

    A fun but minor zom-rom-com.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

    The extras did not make it out of their grave.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Review Equipment
DVDSONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output
DisplaySharp LC52LE820X Quattron 52" Full HD LED-LCD TV . Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt into amplifier. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationMarantz SR5005
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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