Watcher
10-01-2002, 07:48 PM
<I><B>COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME ENTERTAINMENT </I></b>
<center><b>
<h2>THE GIFT </h2>
Release Date:</b> OUT NOW!.
<B>COLUMBIA TRISTAR</B>
<b>Rating:</b> MA</center>
<center><UL><b>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS …..</b></center>
<LI> Original Widescreen presentation
<LI>'A Look Inside' - A behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the movie.
<LI>Original Movie Trailer
<LI>'Furnace Room Lullaby' music video performed by Neko Case
<LI>Talent Profiles
<LI>English language in Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Languages: Russian Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Subtitles: English/Hindi/Arabic/Russian
<LI>Aspect: 1.85:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
<LI>Running Time: Approx 107 Mins.</UL>
<center><b>Cast…</b></center>
Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Kim Dickens,
Greg kinnear and Hillary Swank.
Directed by Sam Rami
<center><B>From the back cover….</b></center>
<i>In her latest Hollywood staring role, Academy Award nominee CATE BLANCHETT
delivers a riveting performance as Annie Wilson, a small-town single mother who makes a living by using her clairvoyant talents to help her neighbours with personal and marital problems.
But when a sexy young socialite goes missing, her fiancee and their local sheriff turn to Annie for help. Using her 'gift', Annie is able to lead them to the body and to the murderer...but she will discover that this supernatural odyssey is far from over when she faces the repercussions of her powers and the depths of a gruesome murder mystery.
From acclaimed director Sam Rami (A Simple Plan) and a screenplay by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, THE GIFT is an enthralling psychological thriller drenched with tension and mesmerising performances from a talented ensemble cast.</I>
<center><b>Audio/Visual….</b></center>
THE GIFT has an outstanding Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't expect much from the audio in this movie as I hadn't seen it before and was under the impression it was a bit "talky".
Well, I was in for a shock as this movie sounds fantastic in DD 5.1.
The front sound stage is very strong and clear and the surrounds offer plenty of ambient sounds as well as more bolder rear effects.
The sub also gets to play its part and will provide a rumble or two as well.
Speech is crystal clear, in sync and is faultless.
The audio transfer of this movie just oozes with atmosphere at many key points.
Very nice indeed!
The Gift is presented at 1.85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.
The transfer looks pretty darn good and has a mostly sharp and clean image that is almost flawless in my opinion.
Colours are strong as are blacks which look very good and hold up well with the many darker scenes in this movie.
Some grain is just barely noticeable at times, but thankfully this isn't of a distracting level and shouldn't concern most viewers. That would be the only (very minor) imperfection that I think is worth mentioning regarding this very nice looking transfer.
<center><B>Extra features…..</b></center>
<LI><U><I>'A Look Inside' </i></U> - A behind-the-scenes featurette on the
making of the movie. This 10.44 minute segment features
Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear and
Katie Holmes talking about how they came to be cast in the movie, the characters
they play, the development of their characters, working with the other actors and
Director Sam Rami on the film, their favourite scenes in the movie and more.
Sam Rami also briefly talks about how he came to read the script and take on the movie,
the casting and development of the characters and working with the actors.
It's more of a promotional video than a making of.
<LI><U><I>Talent Profiles</i></u> - Here you have a background picture of the cast member and you are able to read one or two screens of text on their career which includes lists of film credits.
<LI><U><I>Original Movie Trailer </I></u> - Widescreen trailer with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio
The trailer goes for approximately 2.12 minutes and sells the movie well.
<LI><U><I>Furnace Room Lullaby </I></u> -This is a 2.53 minute Music video performed
by Neko Case. The film clip contains scenes from the movie which seem to fit extremely well
with the haunting style of the song.
<LI><U><I>Bonus Trailers</i></u> -There is a 1.14 minute trailer for the movie Go. This trailer is widescreen with Dolby 5.1 audio. There is also a 1.37 minute trailer for the movie Suspect. This trailer is full screen with Dolby 2.0 audio.
<center><B>Overall…..</b></center>
Cate Blanchett shines in this movie with her portrayal of the young single mother who offers her clairvoyant talents (at a fee of course) to town locals to provide for herself and young kids after her husband's untimely death.
She soon finds that her "gift" is a curse as much as a blessing when she finds herself involved in the case of a missing young socialite.
Blanchett is supported well by a great ensemble cast who all give superb performances .
The movie itself easily grabs your attention and will keep you watching til the end.
The DVD version of The Gift contains a few extra features that are mildly entertaining and to most will only get a first and only viewing, but the DVD is saved by an outstanding audio transfer and superb video quality.
If you haven't seen The Gift already I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes a thriller that will have you gripping the arm of the chair more than once.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>6/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>8/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>8/10 </b></td></tr></table>
Thanks for reading......
<center><b>
<h2>THE GIFT </h2>
Release Date:</b> OUT NOW!.
<B>COLUMBIA TRISTAR</B>
<b>Rating:</b> MA</center>
<center><UL><b>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS …..</b></center>
<LI> Original Widescreen presentation
<LI>'A Look Inside' - A behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the movie.
<LI>Original Movie Trailer
<LI>'Furnace Room Lullaby' music video performed by Neko Case
<LI>Talent Profiles
<LI>English language in Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Languages: Russian Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Subtitles: English/Hindi/Arabic/Russian
<LI>Aspect: 1.85:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
<LI>Running Time: Approx 107 Mins.</UL>
<center><b>Cast…</b></center>
Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Kim Dickens,
Greg kinnear and Hillary Swank.
Directed by Sam Rami
<center><B>From the back cover….</b></center>
<i>In her latest Hollywood staring role, Academy Award nominee CATE BLANCHETT
delivers a riveting performance as Annie Wilson, a small-town single mother who makes a living by using her clairvoyant talents to help her neighbours with personal and marital problems.
But when a sexy young socialite goes missing, her fiancee and their local sheriff turn to Annie for help. Using her 'gift', Annie is able to lead them to the body and to the murderer...but she will discover that this supernatural odyssey is far from over when she faces the repercussions of her powers and the depths of a gruesome murder mystery.
From acclaimed director Sam Rami (A Simple Plan) and a screenplay by Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson, THE GIFT is an enthralling psychological thriller drenched with tension and mesmerising performances from a talented ensemble cast.</I>
<center><b>Audio/Visual….</b></center>
THE GIFT has an outstanding Dolby Digital 5.1 track.
I'll be honest and say that I didn't expect much from the audio in this movie as I hadn't seen it before and was under the impression it was a bit "talky".
Well, I was in for a shock as this movie sounds fantastic in DD 5.1.
The front sound stage is very strong and clear and the surrounds offer plenty of ambient sounds as well as more bolder rear effects.
The sub also gets to play its part and will provide a rumble or two as well.
Speech is crystal clear, in sync and is faultless.
The audio transfer of this movie just oozes with atmosphere at many key points.
Very nice indeed!
The Gift is presented at 1.85:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.
The transfer looks pretty darn good and has a mostly sharp and clean image that is almost flawless in my opinion.
Colours are strong as are blacks which look very good and hold up well with the many darker scenes in this movie.
Some grain is just barely noticeable at times, but thankfully this isn't of a distracting level and shouldn't concern most viewers. That would be the only (very minor) imperfection that I think is worth mentioning regarding this very nice looking transfer.
<center><B>Extra features…..</b></center>
<LI><U><I>'A Look Inside' </i></U> - A behind-the-scenes featurette on the
making of the movie. This 10.44 minute segment features
Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, Giovanni Ribisi, Hilary Swank, Greg Kinnear and
Katie Holmes talking about how they came to be cast in the movie, the characters
they play, the development of their characters, working with the other actors and
Director Sam Rami on the film, their favourite scenes in the movie and more.
Sam Rami also briefly talks about how he came to read the script and take on the movie,
the casting and development of the characters and working with the actors.
It's more of a promotional video than a making of.
<LI><U><I>Talent Profiles</i></u> - Here you have a background picture of the cast member and you are able to read one or two screens of text on their career which includes lists of film credits.
<LI><U><I>Original Movie Trailer </I></u> - Widescreen trailer with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio
The trailer goes for approximately 2.12 minutes and sells the movie well.
<LI><U><I>Furnace Room Lullaby </I></u> -This is a 2.53 minute Music video performed
by Neko Case. The film clip contains scenes from the movie which seem to fit extremely well
with the haunting style of the song.
<LI><U><I>Bonus Trailers</i></u> -There is a 1.14 minute trailer for the movie Go. This trailer is widescreen with Dolby 5.1 audio. There is also a 1.37 minute trailer for the movie Suspect. This trailer is full screen with Dolby 2.0 audio.
<center><B>Overall…..</b></center>
Cate Blanchett shines in this movie with her portrayal of the young single mother who offers her clairvoyant talents (at a fee of course) to town locals to provide for herself and young kids after her husband's untimely death.
She soon finds that her "gift" is a curse as much as a blessing when she finds herself involved in the case of a missing young socialite.
Blanchett is supported well by a great ensemble cast who all give superb performances .
The movie itself easily grabs your attention and will keep you watching til the end.
The DVD version of The Gift contains a few extra features that are mildly entertaining and to most will only get a first and only viewing, but the DVD is saved by an outstanding audio transfer and superb video quality.
If you haven't seen The Gift already I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes a thriller that will have you gripping the arm of the chair more than once.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>6/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>8/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>8/10 </b></td></tr></table>
Thanks for reading......