My take: Monster

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/images/post/8/8831/original.pjpeg
Title: Monster
Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
Aspect Ratio: 1:85:1
Subtitles: English
Run time: 109 minutes
Studio: First Look Home Entertainment
Rating: R
Player used for review: LG BH200

My take: (the breakdown)

I honestly had no clue about what this movie was based on. I remember Theron receiving the oscar for best actress for this title in 2004, but even then I had no desire to see Monster. Well, on a whim I decided I'd watch it last night and I wasn't all that impressed. The movie focuses on the true story of Aileen Wuornos (Theron) and her daily battles with life as a prostitute. She's rather beat up looking like she has had a tough life and we find out that she was indeed abused as a child and was pregnant at age 13. When Aileen meets Selby Wall (Ricci) she falls in love with her and tries her best to make a life with her, but that is easier said than done. When neither one has a solution as how to make money Aileen comes up with her own idea that just happens to be against the law. I just honestly could not get into this title beause many scenes are filled with absolutely nothing but boredom. Theron did deserve the oscar, but the movie itself is average at best.

For a title that is only six years old I was expecting a little more from this presentation. The first thing I noticed was grain and there is a lot of it. Some scenes are so grainy that the background looks like a honeycomb and some of the darker scenes do see some noise. On the bright side colors seem to be saturated correctly and flesh tones are accurate. Blacks are also completely resolved, which is a plus since much of the movie occurs at night. The image also felt extremely flat lacking any real three-dimensional qualities. Overall it's an above average transfer, but it doesn't compare with many of the top tier releases.

The audio is about what you would expect for a drama. Dialogue is clear and understandable most of the time, but I found that it was slightly muffled during conversations within a vehicle. Surrounds are used frequently, but only for the musical score. Also, other than a few brief moments your sub will not see much action.

I honestly did not even look at the supplemental package because I was so discouraged by the movie.

Movie: 5.5/10
VQ: 7.5/10
AQ: 8/10
Supplements: ?/10
Final word: One to Avoid

As always thanks for reading folks.

I remember seeing this in the theaters and recalling a gritty look to the movie.

I remember seeing this in the theaters and recalling a gritty look to the movie.

I would have thought they intended to make it gritty and dirty. The story was gritty and dirty. I viewed it about a year after release, and on a tube tv. I am also not a fan of homosexual mediums (Will and Grace is an exception) but thought the story was very good. It contained violence and very emotional themes. I was only 22 when it came out though, so times have changed.

I thought Theron did a great acting job with the role, and Ricci as well. I mey need to check out the BD version to see if my tastes are still there for this type of movie, but HDGoofnut convinced me to stay away. I will not go BD, but I will try the SD version again. Maybe I was too young to understand it fully at the time. Hmm.