- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Video Codec: AVC MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48 kHz/24-bit), French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: A (B? C?)
- Rating: R
- Run Time: 112 Mins
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: UltraViolet
- Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: April 30, 2013
- List Price: $29.98
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below TheaterByte screen captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray Discs and losslessly compressed in the PNG format. There should be no loss of picture quality with this format. All screen captures should be regarded only as an approximation of the full capabilities of the Blu-ray format.)
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Not Fade Away, a film from David Chase (creator of The Sopranos), tells the story of a time known as the age of Rock and Roll (aka the 1960s.) Inspired by his success in a local band, Douglas (John Magaro) decides to drop out of college in the hopes of pursuing his musical dreams. Along the way, he quickly discovers that the music industry is not what he initially thought it might be. Forced to choose between his heart, or his father Pat (James Gandolfini), Douglas must now figure out where his heart truly lies. What results is a solid musical tribute to the age of Rock & Roll.
While we might want to initially expect quite a lot from this David Chase directorial debut considering his past work (Sopranos anyone?,) the truth here is that Not Fade Away works, if only because I always seem to find myself enjoying music. Anyone who knows me, knows that music is a huge part of my life. Outside of watching WAY too many movies, music is everything to me. Like film, there are few other mediums that can convey the pure emotion (highs and lows) that music does. With that said, Not Fade Away is an enjoyable little film from Chase. In particular, the story is successful in drawing us into the era of Rock & Roll, via the musical moments and via the performances (Gandolfini hits the ‘father’ role perfectly.) Even though this one isn’t as impressive as the other period film in Almost Famous, Not Fade Away is one worth looking into for those who enjoyed Famous.
Video Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Not Fade Away hits Blu-ray with a faithful 1.85:1 framed, AVC/MPEG-4 encoded transfer. Shot using the Arri Alexa Camera, Not Fade Away features a unique style to its photography. The 1960s era sets, locales, and costumes all looked fantastic. Facial close-ups resulted in both accurate flesh tones, as well as contrast levels. The palette is equally solid as well, bringing home a clean, natural look to the films color scheme. Nothing looked out of place, everything felt and looked realistic. Lastly, the film’s print is in immaculate condition with no evidence of altering, DNR, EE or any other scrubbing tools. All in all, Paramount has delivered a perfect transfer.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio wise, Not Fade Away contains a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, one of which suits the film well. Dialogue is well reproduced throughout, mixing in nicely with the assortment of 1960s Rock and Roll. Atmosphere is the only slightly (I stress the word slightly) bad aspect of this mix, as atmosphere is mostly reserved for the opening train moment. Whether it be the little plucks of the guitar strings, or the hits on the drums, everything in the rest of the film balances well, really absorbing the viewer into the era.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
All included features are presented in High Definition:
- The Basement Tapes – This is broken down into 3 sections, each highlighting a part of the making of the film. Part 1 (The Boys in the Band) runs 13:32 and features story origins. Part 2 (Living in the Sixties) runs 12:26 and looks into the film’s making process. Lastly, Part 3 (Hard Art) runs 10:04 and looks into the technical aspects of the film.
- Building The Band – A rather short (3:06) look into the casting of the film.
- Deleted Scenes – 3 total scenes, running 5:33, are shown.
- UltraViolet – An UltraViolet Digital Copy of the film has been included.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
With a faithful technical presentation on both fronts, Paramount’s Not Fade Away is an era film well worth checking out, especially for those who enjoyed Almost Famous.
Additional Screen Captures
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Best Buy:
Purchase Not Fade Away on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles on Amazon.com
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Best Buy:
Purchase Not Fade Away on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles on Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]