The Screening Room
By Bill Kallay
Blu-ray Review
I have a word for "Bedtime Stories," and the word is cute.
“Bedtime Stories” is now available on Blu-ray.
The movie isn't offensive and it won't challenge adults with any deep
meaning, and it's not supposed to. It's a light enough fantasy that plays
with imagination and storytelling. That said, none of the segments in which
Adam Sandler's goofy character, Skeeter, is memorable and it seems as though
the screenwriters took the safe route.
There's not much that is challenging to his character of Skeeter, other than
a thin plot about a hotel developer (Richard Griffiths) and his snooty staff
putting down poor Skeeter. The plot is simplistic, and the movie is
predictable. Those elements don't make the film bad or unwatchable. Just
don't go into it expecting much more than a thin quilt made with bedtime
stories of cowboys, spacemen, and Romans.
This is perhaps the first Adam Sandler movie I've sat through without
wanting to turn off the television. I'm not a fan of the man's work. I do
understand he's got a legion of fans who appreciate how he's acted basically
as the same slacker for years - that "I'm so dumb, yet I can outwit everyone
with a witty comeback" character. At least in "Bedtime Stories," he tones
his persona down and becomes likable.
The rest of the cast is credible, begining with Keri Russell. Though you
know what's going to happen between her and Skeeter, it's still fun to watch
them banter. Guy Pearce plays the snooty Kendall as well as anyone could.
Richard Griffiths, which kids will no doubt know from the "Harry Potter"
series, plays a good Richard Branson-type.
When I saw the previews originally, first I smirked with my usual Adam
Sandler dislike. But what really got me was the fake looking CGI Guinea pig.
Those eyes! Yet after watching the movie, he wasn't as bad as I thought he'd
be. Neither was Sandler.
The Blu-ray (a DVD and "digital copy" are included)
offers an excellent way to see the movie. The picture is nice and sharp,
loaded with color. It's not eye-popping, but the picture is still solid.
The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is very good, but only by a bit. It's not
a very aggressive soundtrack and I don't think it was meant to be. Despite
all of the fantasy segments, it's a fairly low key affair. I didn't compare
the DVD's soundtrack to the Blu-ray, but I imagine both are perfectly fine
audio presentations. The kids won't care about the sound quality. They just
want to see raining gumballs and big-eyed Guinea pig.
Special thanks to Click Communications
Photos: © BVHE. All
rights reserved.
| QUICK GLIMPSE |
|
MOVIE A better than expected Adam Sandler movie TALENT Director: Adam Shankman Cast: Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Lucy Lawless, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox FEATURES Deleted scenes, "making of," and more RATING PG BLU-RAY Picture: Excellent Sound: Very Good GEEK OUT The Guinea pig is at first fake looking, but he's instilled with some personality that makes him fun TECH SPECS Aspect Ratio (2.39:1)  DTS-HD MA 7.1 BLU-RAY RELEASE DATE April 5, 2009 |
