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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.
Everything Must Go (Blu-ray) (2010)

Everything Must Go (Blu-ray) (2010)

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Released 5-Oct-2011

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Drama Main Menu Audio & Animation
Theatrical Trailer
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2010
Running Time 96:31
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Dan Rush
Studio
Distributor

Madman Entertainment
Starring Will Ferrell
Rebecca Hall
Michael Peña
Stephen Root
Laura Dern
Glenn Howerton
Case Standard Blu-ray
RPI $34.95 Music David Torn


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame Pan & Scan English Linear PCM 48/16 5.1
English Linear PCM 48/16 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Not 16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None 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 enjoy the work of Will Ferrell, in its very silly moments like The Other Guys or Anchorman but also when he is playing it straighter in a more dramatic role such as Stranger Than Fiction. Accordingly, I was attracted to this film, Everything Must Go, which is a departure for him from broad comedies and a trip into darker more dramatic territory. His excellent performance is the centrepiece of the film, and if I'm honest the main reason to watch the film.

     The story here is fairly slight, based as it is on a short story by Raymond Carver, but what sells it is the performance of Ferrell and other cast members especially the young boy, C J Wallace. The story involves Nick Halsey (Ferrell), a salesman who has had one too many embarrassing problems with alcohol and is sacked by the company he has worked for many years. He arrives home to find his wife gone, the locks on his house changed and all his possessions strewn over the front lawn. When his company car gets repossessed, he decides to live on his front lawn, which is fairly easy in warm, dry Arizona. Soon the police are called and he narrowly avoids jail by the intervention of his friend who is a detective. He finds a loophole which allows Nick to stay on his front lawn for a few days on the basis that he is having a yard sale. Initially, he sits around drinking but as time passes he starts to find redemption through establishing relationships with his new neighbour over the road, Samantha (Rebecca Hall) and a local boy who he employs to help him with the yard sale, Kenny (C J Wallace). Laura Dern appears briefly as an old flame of Nick's.

     This is a low key, bittersweet film involving a gentle redemption story. There are minor comedic touches but this is definitely a drama not a comedy. The feel has sweet moments but an overwhelming sense of melancholy. Fans of Ferrell should see it for a very different performance from him but this film is unlikely to have broad appeal.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The video quality is very good but unfortunately is not at the correct aspect ratio. The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is not the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Seemingly, the picture has been pan and scanned to fit a widescreen television. It is 1080/24p coded using the AVC codec. This trend of cutting widescreen films to fit a 16x9 television is very disappointing; back to the bad old days of early DVDs. I will remove one star from the overall video rating accordingly.

     The picture was quite clear and sharp throughout especially in close ups, however some longer shots were not quite so sharp. The shadow detail was very good.

     The colour is well portrayed although the film has a washed out looked consistent with the sunny desert climate in Arizona.

     There was one noticeable spot of minor compression artefacts at 13:40.

     There are no subtitles.

     There is no obvious layer change during playback.

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

Audio

     The audio quality is very good but this film is not a great show-off title for your home theatre.

     This disc contains an English LPCM 48/16 5.1 soundtrack and an English LPCM 48/16 2.0 soundtrack. The LPCM sounds excellent here providing great atmosphere for the film especially highlighting the music score and ambient sounds.

     Dialogue was very clear and easy to hear.

     The score and music used are poignant and evocative, adding to the air of melancholia.

    The surround speakers were used for atmosphere and some music. The subwoofer was used for music support.

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

Extras

Menu

     The menu features some of the music, dialogue and scenes from the film.

Theatrical Trailer (2:24)

    Yup, it's a trailer.

R4 vs R1

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

     The Region A release of this Blu-ray is significantly better than our local release because of the following


Summary

     A low-key redemption drama anchored by an excellent performance from Will Ferrell.

     The video quality is very good but in the wrong aspect ratio. The audio quality is very good.

    The extras were sold in the yard sale.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
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 BD player. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationPioneer VSX-511
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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