BLU-RAY
REVIEW: PITCH PERFECT
12/15/12

OVERVIEW: Beca (Anna Kendrick) arrives at her new college to find herself not right for any clique but somehow muscled into one she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together in this hilarious laugh out-loud comedy, Pitch Perfect. The outrageous and irreverently fun Pitch Perfect, packed with deleted and extended scenes, line-o-ramas, music videos and more, will be available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download on December 18, 2012 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack allows consumers to view Pitch Perfect anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. It includes a Blu-ray™ disc, a DVD, a Digital Copy and UltraViolet™ for the ultimate, complete viewing experience.
• Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound.
• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
• Digital Copy provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®, Android™, computers and more.
• UltraViolet™ is a revolutionary new way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States and Canada.
SYNOPSIS:
Beca (Anna Kendrick) is that girl who’d rather listen to
what’s coming out of her headphones than what’s coming out
of anyone’s mouth. Arriving at Barden University, she finds
herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one
that she would never have picked on her own: alongside mean
girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is
how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud
comedy Pitch Perfect.
When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world
of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new
mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the
cutthroat world of college music competitions. This could wind
up either the coolest thing they’ll ever do or the most
insane, and it will probably be a little of both.
Loaded with new takes on old favorites, to hits of right now
that are seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and arranged like
you’ve never heard before, Pitch Perfect is directed by Jason
Moore, who opened our eyes to the very misbehaved life of
puppets in the surprise Broadway sensation
FILM REVIEW: Talking about a pleasant surprise… Wow! This flick really took me on a small journey. I totally bought the whole quirky sing-along feel of Glee meets Bring it On… neither of which I’m a big fan. Now, having said this, it did bring some of that “X-Factor” feel of audition-drama and behind-the-scenes-mayhem, to the big screen. Furthermore, I am probably the farthest thing from being an ‘a cappella’ fan; however, somehow I was able to totally submerge myself in to this squeaky-clean, witty comedic song-and-dance movie.
Writers Kay Cannon and Mickey Rapkin and Director Jason Moore, really made it work. Pitch Perfect brings an eclectic cast of colorful talented characters with the likes of Anna Kendrick (Twilight), Brittany Snow (Hairspray) and the always over the top hilarious Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids). Kendrick, who plays the Beca character, brings that sexy and beautiful demeanor with a rough-edged vulnerability and whip-smart delivery which makes it quite easy for the audience to invest in her character’s journey. She is pretty much flawless, captivating and perfectly suited for the role. More notably is the Wilson character ‘Fat Amy’ though. She is cheeky, sarcastic and side-splittingly naughty, with an infectious energy, throughout the entire film. In my opinion, she single-handedly brought the comedic value to this film that makes for absolute audacious ‘verbal diarrhea’ dialog. She is just nonstop funny!
Musically speaking, I particularly like the Bruno Mars, Nelly mash-up riff-scene, in the emptied campus swimming pool. It is fresh and loaded with new takes on old favorites with today’s hits that are seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and arranged like you've never seen or heard before. Furthermore, the elaborate vocal arrangements, the self-consciously goofy choreography, the pun-intended group names and the fiercely competitive spirit perpetuated by campus rivalries are over the top and profoundly entertaining.
If I have to find something negative to point out about this flick I would have to say that for those people who don’t like predictive endings, this is certainly a movie they would have an issue with. Nonetheless, in my opinion its predictable plot plays out well over the 112 minute run-time and doesn’t leave room for dull dragging moments.
Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun-filled character driven feature and would not hesitate to give it four stars (out of five) for edgy humor, creative dance and cutting-edge musical entertainment value.
Review
By Movie-Man Stan
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in 1080P widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration
preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just
flawless. Not only the picture looks great in
this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 DTS-HD Master
Audio (48kHz/24bit) in English that provides a
good complement to the picture. It also includes English,
French and Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen 1080P
AUDIO:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS2 2.0 and Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French DTS DigitalSurround 5.1
Subtitles - English SDH, French, Spanish
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Meanwhile… Find out what other characters are up to in these alternative scenes.
Line-O-Rama: Actors showcase their improvisational skills in this collection of funny one-liners from the set.
Starships, The Pitch Perfect Music Video
Backstage at Barden: Profiles & interviews with characters Benji and Bumper.
On The Set: Burrito Drive By!: Behind-the-scenes footage with Fat Amy.
A Look Inside: Catch a glimpse of this ensemble cast, the characters and the actors’ thoughts behind them, with this first-look into the movie.
Feature Commentary With Director Jason Moore and Producers Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman
Feature Commentary with Producer Paul Brooks
Blu-ray™ exclusives include even more Meanwhile… Featurettes and an additional
Line-O-Rama.
Digital Copy: Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronic and portable devices.
UltraViolet™: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, put them in the cloud and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smart phones, currently available in the United States only.
BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more!
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