New In Town (2008/Lionsgate Blu-ray + DVD-Video)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B/B- Extras: C+ Film: C+
In a
project that feels like Fargo-lite
minus the murder and much of the wit, Renee Zellweger is a successful executive
who visits a food plant in a small Minnesota town (without Mary Richards
around) where she intends to make the plant more efficient and alter the
production from business plans in Jonas Elmer’s still-amusing comedy New In Town (2008) now on Blu-ray and
DVD from Lionsgate.
However,
her plans hit a wall when she finds how for real the workers are and becomes
involved with the company’s local executive (Harry Connick, Jr.) in at-first
awkward ways. At 97 minutes, it quits
while it is ahead, but the cold woman defrosted in one of the coldest places in
the U.S. is a clichéd idea and this is one too many times for it, which is why
it did not fare well in its theatrical release.
However, it is amusing thanks to some good performances by the cast including
Zellweger, who is underrated and refuses to sell out to garbage roles. It is better to be in something at least
interesting than outright dumb and she deserves credit for handling her career
as such. If interested, you might want
to check it out.
The 1080p
1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image is softer throughout than expected,
looking like a HD shoot with more motion blur than expected and general low
performance that is not the epitome of what Blu-ray can do. This is about as good as this could look,
which we cannot say about the anamorphically enhanced DVD with weaker detail
and color. The DTS-HD Master Audio (MA)
7.1 lossless mix is warm enough and though joke/dialogue-based, the fullness is
not bad, but 5.1 would have been sufficient, though the Dolby Digital 5.1on the
DVD version is a bit weaker than if it were DTS. Extras include BD Live interactive functions
with MoLog capacities exclusive to the Blu-ray, plus both editions offer three
making of featurettes, deleted scenes and a cast/crew audio commentary which
the Blu-ray adds picture-in-picture if interested.
- Nicholas Sheffo
