BLU-RAY
REVIEW:
PITCH PERFECT ACA
AWESOME EDITION
5/3/2015

OVERVIEW:
Fans of the fabulous Bellas of Barden University won't be able to stop belting out their favorite songs when Pitch Perfect Sing-Along Aca-Awesome Edition comes to Blu-ray and DVD for the first time ever on May 5, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The all-new sing-along version with on-screen lyrics turns any gathering into an instant a cappella party. Outrageous, irreverent and utterly irresistible, Pitch Perfect Sing-Along Aca-Awesome Edition comes with a full array of bonus features to delight longtime a cappella addicts and newcomers alike—plus an offer for $7.50 toward a movie ticket to see the highly anticipated Pitch Perfect 2, coming to theaters on May 15, 2015. For those who can't wait, Pitch Perfect Sing-Along Edition will be available on Digital HD April 7, 2015.
SYNOPSIS: Newly arrived college freshman Beca (Anna Kendrick) can't seem to find her place in Barden University's dog-eat-dog social scene until she discovers a niche that she never knew she was looking for—the school's struggling a cappella singing group, the Bellas. With Beca's help, the Bellas start to break free of their bottom-of-the-barrel status by busting out a new and original sound in a jubilant and wildly funny musical comedy.
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 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 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement
to the picture. It also includes English,
French subtitles.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (1.85:1) 16x9
AUDIO:
English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), Dolby Digital 2.0, Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles -
English SDH, and French
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
Deleted Scenes
Includes original and sing-along versions of the film
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Feature Commentary with director Jason Moore and producers Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman
Feature Commentary with producer Paul Brooks
On The Set: Burrito Drive By!: Behind-the-scenes footage with Fat Amy
Backstage at Barden: Profiles & interviews with characters Benji and Bumper
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.
Line-O-Rama: Actors showcase their improvisational skills in this collection of funny one-liners from the set.
Meanwhile…: Find out what other characters are up to in these alternative scenes.
Starships, The Pitch Perfect Music Video