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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.
Disturbia (2007)

Disturbia (2007)

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Released 6-Sep-2007

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Thriller Audio Commentary-DJ Caruso, Shia LaBeouf, Sarah Roemer
Featurette-Making Of-Making of Disturbia
Deleted Scenes
Trivia-Serial Pursuit Trivia pop-up quiz
Outtakes
Music Video- "Don't Make me Wait" by This World Fair
Gallery-Photo
Theatrical Trailer
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2007
Running Time 100:19
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (44:00) Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By D.J. Caruso
Studio
Distributor
Dreamworks
Paramount Home Entertainment
Starring Shia LaBeouf
Sarah Roemer
Carrie-Anne Moss
David Morse
Aaron Yoo
Jose Pablo Cantillo
Matt Craven
Viola Davis
Brandon Caruso
Luciano Rauso
Daniel Caruso
Kevin Quinn
Elyse Mirto
Case Amaray-Opaque-Secure Clip
RPI $39.95 Music Geoff Zanelli


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Unknown English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format ?
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement Yes, IPod, Xbox
Action In or After Credits No

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Plot Synopsis

    After his father’s death, Kale (Shia LaBeoufBobby, I Robot) becomes a troubled young man. At school he strikes his Spanish teacher and is then sentenced to house arrest. He’s forced to wear one of those ankle bracelets that restricts his movements to no more than a few metres from his house at all times. If he steps outside this boundary for more than a few seconds it summons the local police.

    Kale’s mother, Julie (Carrie-Anne Moss – Matrix, Red Planet) is hardly ever at home, so short on entertainment options, Kale soon turns to covertly watching the neighbours around him. There are some mysterious looking neighbours, but nothing as attention-worthy as the rather attractive young woman, Ashley (Sara Roemer – The Grudge 2) who moves in next door. Kale, his best friend Ronnie (Aaron Yoo) and a pair of binoculars enjoy the view on many an occasion!

    He then sees a news article about a serial killer and becomes convinced that this person is one of his neighbours. Despite his confinement, Kale then sets out to bring this person to justice…but is it the right person?

    In many ways this film is a modern-day retelling of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 classic Rear Window, but with a younger cast, gadgets galore and a bit more gore!

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The main feature is rather disappointingly presented in 1.78:1 ratio, rather than its original 1.85:1 ratio. Obviously done so it fits nicely on a widescreen display without leaving the slightest trace of black bars. It is 16x9 enhanced.

    Considering this is a very recent theatrical release, this is not the sharpest picture I've seen, though it is quite acceptable.

    Shadow detail is good at all times. There is no visible grain or low-level noise.

    Colour is consistent throughout with no traces of oversaturation or colour bleed.

    There were no visible artefacts.

    Although this was a dual-layered disc, I didn't notice the layer change point, so it must have been executed very well.

    English subtitles were provided and were quite accurate to the spoken words.

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

Audio

    The soundtrack for the main feature was in Dolby Digital 5.1.

    Dialogue was clear at all times, and there were no issues with audio being out of sync with onscreen action.

    The music, by Geoff Zanelli (House of D, Secret Window) was suitable to the onscreen action without being particularly memorable. There was also the requisite collection of contemporary songs.

    Rear surround channels were used reasonably effectively, especially with ambient noise.

    The subwoofer thumped away appropriately to support low frequency sound effects and music.

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

Extras

    For a single-disc release the extras were reasonably comprehensive.

Audio Commentary - Director DJ Caruso, Shia LaBeouf and Sarah Roemer

    LaBeouf's voice sounded oddly echoey compared to the other two. Caruso does most of the talking, and covers aspects of the filmmaking and also background information on locations. LaBeouf and Roemer are mostly active when the onscreen action features their characters. A reasonably entertaining and informative commentary with hardly any sequences without at least one of them talking.

Documentary- Making of Disturbia (14:16)

    This is mostly comprised of short snippets of interviews with the Director and other crew, as well as with some of the main cast members. There are some behind the scenes photos and footage.

Deleted Scenes

    There are four different scenes that can either be selected individually, or using the 'play all' option. The scenes are quite dialogue-heavy and would have perhaps developed the characters a little, but at the expense of slowing down the flow of the film. These scenes were all obviously cut from the film at a very late stage as they are all presented in 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced, and with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

Trivia Fact Track

    When this option is selected, little information 'pop-ups' appear at the bottom of the screen during the main feature. These contain brief trivia about the scenes, actors, locations and other information. They can be a little intrusive and probably best used during a repeat viewing of the film.

Outtakes

    A collection of bloopers, some accidental some obviously deliberate, from the filming of Disturbia. These are presented in 1.78:1 and are 16x9 enhanced.

Music Video (3:54)

    Don't Make Me Wait by This World Fair.

Photo Gallery

    A collection of publicity and behind-the-scenes photos. Somewhat pointless.

Theatrical Trailer (2:20)

    The original trailer for Disturbia, presented in 1.78:1 ratio, 16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

R4 vs R1

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

    The R1 release appears to be available in both 'widescreen' and 'fullscreen' versions. Each appears to have the same extras as the R4 release, with the addition of Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks and subtitles in French and Spanish.

    Unless you really needed the other languages, I would recommend the R4 version.

    This title will also be released in HD DVD in R4.

Summary

    The director, DJ Caruso, has plenty of experience in directing for the small screen (The Shield, Smallville), as well as a few theatrical releases including Two for the Money. It’s perhaps his relative inexperience in directing for the big screen that shows up occasionally in the look and ‘feel’ of Disturbia. I often felt that I was watching a telemovie, a feeling that wasn’t helped by the choice to provide the video transfer in 1.78:1 format, rather than its original 1.85:1 ratio.

    Thankfully the director doesn’t linger too long on the voyeuristic aspects, but focuses more on building the tension and thrills, which are sometimes done quite well. For a teen-focused film it was rather enjoyable, with some character and plot development, humour, and some red-herrings thrown in for good measure. There were occasionally relatively ineffective sequences, such as the poolside party.

    The acting by the three young leads was passable, with Shia LaBeouf being more effective than the other two. Carrie-Ann Moss and David Morse do well in their roles and bring a much-needed, dramatic weight to the proceedings.

    There’s nothing particularly memorable about this film, but it’s quite fun to watch, especially with a small group of like-minded friends.

    The picture and audio quality are good. The extras are quite plentiful, considering this is a single disc release.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Satish Rajah (don't read my bio!)
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV-344 Multi-Region, using Component output
DisplaySony KV-XA34M31 80cm. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationDenon AVR-2801
SpeakersMain: Mission 753; Centre: Mission m7c2; rear: Mission 77DS; Sub: JBL PB10

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