- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: PCM 2.0, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:English
- Region: A (B? C?)
- Rating: PG-13
- Discs: 1
- Studio: MGM
- Blu-ray Release Date: July 5, 2011
- List Price: $19.99
[amazon-product]B004XFZ4HC[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Be Cool on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Chili Palmer persona, introduced in the initial film installment in the Elmore Leonard crime novel, Get Shorty, returns in Be Cool , a satiric send off of the dark underbelly of the Hollywood music scene. John Travolta, in his best Pulp Fiction form, reprises the title character and is supported by an astounding cast-Danny Devito, Vince Vaughn, The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer, Harvey Keitel, Robert Pastorelli to name but a few. Spicing it up are The Blackeyed Peas and Aerosmith. This turns into a pulse-pounding film with virtually no dead air. The storyline is supported by excellent editing, twists and turns which include the Russian Mafia, gangsta rappers, and lounge lizards. My personal knowledge of the current recording industry may be limited to occasional reads from Rolling Stone and other music magazines, but if this is not the occasional real deal, it does seem darn near credible at times!
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Be Cool does not make a lot of demands on the camera, although there are scenes where the actors appear clearly pasted against the backgrounds. Close ups are good, crowd scenes no less than acceptable. The big video moments are very well done. As this is a 2005 release, not a lot of cosmetic surgery was required to make the BD release eminently watchable.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
A bit of a disappointment here. The music tracks are quite well reproduced with ambience, crunching low bass and pizzazz. The rest of the soundtrack is somewhat flat in both PCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4/5]
There are featurettes galore here and they are good. The “Making of” documentary is stimulating while the deleted scenes and gag reels reflect the good judgment of the editors not to include them in the final mix. The music videos are classic.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
Be Cool follows closely in the footsteps of Get Shorty. While the latter deals with the Hollywood movie industry, and is definitely worth seeking out in its BD incarnation, the former now puts a lens on the music industry. What makes this film an enjoyable watch is the synergy of the veteran actors in luxury casting. It is hard to watch Uma Thurman and John Travolta on the dance floor without evoking memories of Pulp Fiction. The improbabilities of the plot are not problematic, given the performances turned in by the cast. Christina Millan (Linda Moon) the vocal ingénue turns in a figurative balls-to-the-walls performance, matching Steven Tyler note for note. Seeing Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock portray a gay actor (his raised eyebrow is his best feature) working his way to video supernumerary is yet another the top character. Like they used to say in the TV commercials, try it, you’ll like it.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B004XFZ4HC[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Be Cool on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4/5]
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