Wednesday
Mar092011
Mar 9 Easy A Blu-ray Review
Easy A - HT Guys Review: Overall - 4.2 Stars (out of 5)
Synopsis
High school is the setting for this freewheeling comedic twist on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th-century novel The Scarlet Letter. Ambitious student Olive (Emma Stone) decides to boost her popularity by pretending to be the school slut. As the school's swirling rumor mill increases both her notoriety and her finances, Olive enjoys her new found status but eventually must decide which is more important: popularity or self-esteem. (Buy Now $23.99)
Starring:
Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Stanley Tucci
Directors:
Will Gluck
Blu-ray Release Date:
December 21, 2010
Subtitles:
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Rating
Overall rating weighted as follows: Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20% Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of saltAudio 4.1 Stars (out of 5)
Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison- Subwoofer – 4.0 Stars
- Dialog – 5.0 Stars
- Surround Effects – 4.0 Stars
- Dynamic Range – 3.5 Stars
Easy A has the standard audio one could expect from a teen comedy. All of its witty conversations are heard with lossless clarity. There are a few scenes were ambient sounds of chatty students, echoed voices bathrooms, and rustling leaves are heard. The sub-woofer is not very active until music is heard. In fact, besides the dialog, the music is the best thing to hear in this movie. It fills the room and provides great atmosphere.
Video 4.3 Stars (out of 5)
Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison- Color Accuracy - 4.0 Stars
- Shadow detail – 4.5 Stars
- Clarity – 4.0 Stars
- Skin tones – 4.5 Stars
- Compression – 4.5 Stars
Easy A has above average video performance. The movie does have a slight orange tint to it, but it’s not very noticeable. Somehow it seams to bring a bright cheery vibe to the movie. There were a few scenes were the video was very blocky, but it was done on purpose to simulate a webcast. Sometimes the movie did not seam as sharp as it could have, especially when compared to the crystal clear video of the extra features.
Bonus Features 4.0 Stars (out of 5)
- Extra Credit: Pop-Up Trivia Track
- Audio Commentary: Director Will Gluck and Actress Emma Stone
- The Making of 'Easy A'
- Vocabulary of Hilarity
- The School of Pop Culture: Movies of the Eighties
- Gag Reel
- Emma Stone Audition Footage
- Trailers
- Movie IQ
- BD-Live
Movie - 4.5 Stars (out of 5)
Review:
Easy A is not a cookie cutter teen comedy. Instead of the standard boy meets girl story, it analyzes stereotypes, questions religion, and pokes fun at spreading rumors. All while remaining witty and charming.
If you are a fan of John Hughes movies, this is a must watch. There are several scenes were famous dialog from his movies are used. At the beginning they even spend time directly referencing Hughes movies as contrast to what this movie is. In several ways, this is a modern day John Hughes movie. It has a lot of heart and addresses serious issues of today’s youth while remaining charismatic. The witty script and actors performances really make this movie endearing. I would’ve enjoyed this movie if it was just about Emma Stone’s character hanging out with her lovingly comical family.
If you are a fan of John Hughes movies, this is a must watch. There are several scenes were famous dialog from his movies are used. At the beginning they even spend time directly referencing Hughes movies as contrast to what this movie is. In several ways, this is a modern day John Hughes movie. It has a lot of heart and addresses serious issues of today’s youth while remaining charismatic. The witty script and actors performances really make this movie endearing. I would’ve enjoyed this movie if it was just about Emma Stone’s character hanging out with her lovingly comical family.
Reader Comments (1)
Nice review! As a DISH customer/employee I was able to get a free PPV movie and used it to watch Easy-A. Looks absolutely fantastic in my DISH HD, and the movie was much better than I thought it’d be. I expected a rather ham-fisted backward salute to A Scarlet Letter and instead got a sweet, wry, and ironic little gem of a comedy.