Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveShow Live From Madison Square Garden (Blu-ray/DVD-Video Set)

 

Picture: B+/C+     Sound: B+/C+     Extras: C     Concert: C+

 

 

I have never been a fan of Justin Timberlake as a singer, actor and off screen, but he is a hard worker and his survival in show business is an interesting tale.  If he was not working with Timbaland at this point, I wonder if he would be finished, but he instead just keeps coming up with new projects.  That includes a concert that had noted success on DVD and has now arrived on Blu-ray.  FutureSex/LoveShow Live From Madison Square Garden (2007) shows a singer who has grown a bit, but not remarkably, yet is happy to hang in there.  The songs from the main program are:

 

1)     Futuresex/Lovesounds

2)     Like I Love You

3)     My Love

4)     Senorita

5)     Sexy Ladies

6)     Until The End of Time

7)     What Goes Around

8)     Chop Me Up

9)     Rock Your Body

10)  Gone (Medley)

11)  Take It From Here (Medley)

12)  Last Night (Medley)

13)  Damn Girl

14)  Summer Love

15)  Losing My Way

16)  Cry Me A River

17)  Love Stoned

18)  SexyBack

19)  (All Over Again) Another Song

20)  Bittersweet Symphony

 

 

In most cases, non-fans will quickly forget the songs as soon as they are finished and any dancing can seem more like a distraction than anything integrated into the music, but Timberlake knows his audience and they seem happy, even if you are not.  This is an affair for fans only, though even if you really dislike the music and performances, much money is invested into this spectacle.

 

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is very good in Blu-ray with good color often making up for problems with HD limits and motion blur, blur which is much more prevalent in the choppy DVD-Video extras on the DVD bonus disc.  Once again, not degrading the color helps.  The sound is only Dolby Digital on the DVD which is usually lame and not the reason to buy this set.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 on the Blu-ray (640 kbps) is better, but is lame as compared to the PCM 48/24 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo mixes the Blu-ay offers at its best, easily making it the best playback material with Timberlake’s voice in any media to date.  The combination is first rate, even if the material is lacking.

 

Extras on the DVD include a lame Music Video for LoveStoned – Justice Re-Mix, Under The Stage featurette, 1 on 1 with JT interview, a making of featurette and Open Mic bit.  Needless to say, there is room for improvement, but the set is pretty good on a tech level, though some will wonder why not DTS MA or Dolby TrueHD.  Maybe next time.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo