- Aspect Ratio: 2.44:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Running Time: 106 Min.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Blu-ray Release Date: September 13, 2011
- List Price: $29.99
[amazon-product]B0058ZPMYG[/amazon-product]
Purchase Hesher on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:2.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
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:2.5/5]
Writer/director Spencer Susser feature-length directorial debut is this dark comedy/drama produced by and starring Natalie Portman (Black Swan; The Other Woman) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the titular character. After watching Hesher, however, I’m still rather perplexed as to the whole point of the film. It seems that it wanted to be an interesting look at how an odd outsider, Hesher, would disrupt the life of a young boy, T.J. (Devin Brochu), after he recently lost his mother in a car accident. Instead, what unfolded was an unnecessary exploration of the social pariah Hesher, his fixation on classic metal tunes from Metallica and Motorhead, setting things on fire, being rude to people, doing drugs, and being a generally bad influence on an early-teen boy.
I’m no lawyer, but I’m pretty certain that the things Hesher does in this film with T.J. would get him arrested in most states on charges of leading to the delinquency of a minor, etc., etc. No? How about encouraging a kid to set a car on fire? Offering him a joint to smoke? Trying to set him up to get laid with an older woman? Or, here’s the kicker – running him over with his pervert van? And while all of this is going on, T.J.’s father (Rainn Wilson; Peep World) and grandmother (Piper Laurie) for some reason just allow this lunatic to move into their house. Hey, I love dark comedies and complex family dramas as much as the next guy, but this one just misses on all counts. As usual, Natalie Portman is the only highlight in this. She plays Nicole, a geeky mini-mart check out girl that T.J. develops a crush on after she comes to his rescue when an older kid is beating him up.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Hesher was captured in HD on a Red One camera at 4K resolution and it comes to Blu-ray in the rather unusual 2.44:1 aspect ratio at a progressive 1080p/24 encoded in AVC/MPEG-4. It doesn’t look like anything spectacular at all due to its production. Contrast is rather low, the image is dull overall, and often rather soft. Colors are generally muted and rather odd looking as well. Still, the picture is clean and offers good flesh tones.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
This is one of those instances where an odd choice for a 7.1 mix actually pays off quite nicely. This DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix from Lionsgate is actually filled with lots of ambient sounds that you can actually hear in those additional back channels, even if the mix is generally quiet and dialogue-driven. It really comes alive during a rainstorm and the 7.1 mix is much appreciated. Dialogue is clean, but don’t expect much in the way of low frequencies here.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
There’s a healthy dose of behind the scenes and making of featurettes included on Hesher and anything that allows for more looks at Natalie Portman in high definition is a definite plus in my book.
The supplements:
- Deleted Scenes (2.44:1; 1080p/24; 00:06:55)
- Outtakes (2.44:1; 1080p/24; 00:28:33)
- Behind the Scenes (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:07:11)
- Trailer (2.44:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:42)
- Hesher Sketch Gallery
- Air Traffic (2.44:1; 1080p/24; 00:02:09)
- Teaser Channels (2.44:1; 1080p/24; 00:00:24)
- DTS-HD Master Audio Sound Check
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
The subtitle of this misguided indie flick should be “how not to let a lunatic raise your kids.” Hesher gives metalheads a bad name. Where’s Metallica with a good lawsuit when you need them? Skip this one.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B0058ZPMYG[/amazon-product]
Purchase Hesher on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:2.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
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