My take: Ghost Town

HD Goofnut · 09-30-2009, 09:36 PM

Title: Ghost Town
BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
Aspect Ratio: 1:78:1
Subtitles: Several languages
Run time: 102 minutes
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Region Coding: Region Free
Player used for review: LG BH200

Cast/Crew Info:
Greg Kinnear as Frank Herlihy
Ricky Gervais as Bertram Pincus D.D.S.
Téa Leoni as Gwen
Directed by David Koepp

My take: (the breakdown)

I am not usually a fan of Greg Kinnear (except in We Were Soldiers), but he's more of a supporting character in this movie so I figured I'd give Ghost Town a rent. I was totally surprised by this title because I was not expecting it to be so funny. Gervais as Dr. Pincus is absolutely hilarious, but it's not typical American humor, it's that great British dry humor that we see in things like Faulty Towers and Flying Circus. Anyway, the story focuses on Dr. Bertram Pincus, a dentist who loves to be alone and loathes being around people at all. He has no pets, wife, girlfriend, or hobbies and thinks he is content with his life the way it is. That is until he dies for a few minutes during a routine medical procedure from a problem with the anesthetic. When he is revived he discovers that he can see ghosts of people who have died and they all need him to do something for them, but will he help them?. Filled with comedy, drama, and sorrow I say this is a must own.

This is exactly what new release Blu-ray titles should look like. Colors are bright, saturated, and natural looking and flesh tones seem to be accurate. There is a moderate amount of grain that remains consistent and is never noisy. Fine detail is also great even during the wider shots. There were some minor problems with delineation and blown out contrast during outdoor scenes, but you'll never notice them unless you were looking for them.

We are supplied with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track that more adequately gets the job done. Dialogue is the star of the show and it is faithfully prioritized and easy to comprehend. Sadly, there's really not much for your surrounds or sub to do other than a couple songs that swell through the rear channels. For the most part this is a front heavy mix, which is not a bad thing, rather it's just the type of movie that it is.

We get a rather generous helping of extras on this 50 GB disc. We get a commentary with Koepp and Gervais, a 22 minute making of feature, a two minute feature on the visual effects, and 6 minutes of hilarious bloopers from Gervais. For some odd reason there's no trailer for the film, but at least all of the above features are presented in 1080.

Movie: 8/10
VQ: 8.5/10
AQ: 7.5/10
Supplements: 7/10
Final word: A Must Own

As always thanks for reading folks.

sigill · 10-01-2009, 07:00 AM

I agree, its a good fun movie. Ricky Gervais is in top form here, many parts are hilarious.

HD Goofnut · 10-01-2009, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sigill

I agree, its a good fun movie. Ricky Gervais is in top form here, many parts are hilarious.

Yeah, there were many times I couldn't stop laughing like when he was cracking the dental humor jokes.

gossamer · 10-01-2009, 08:26 AM

My wife caught it on HBO last weekend and really liked it.

ack_bak · 10-05-2009, 10:46 AM

I blind bought this one months ago based on some friends recommendations and my wife and I really liked the movie. Very funny. Definitely worth a rental at least if you are in the mood for a comedy.

**PFC5** · 10-07-2009, 12:30 AM

I liked this movie as well. I am not a huge fan of British comedies but this was like a mix of American & British humor and it played well I thought.

09-30-2009, 09:36 PM	#1
HD Goofnut The Official HDF Reviewer Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mississippi, U.S.A. Your resident Dune, Star Wars, and war film expert Age: 27 Posts: 7,357	My take: Ghost Town Title: Ghost Town BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 Audio: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Aspect Ratio: 1:78:1 Subtitles: Several languages Run time: 102 minutes Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment Rating: PG-13 Region Coding: Region Free Player used for review: LG BH200 Cast/Crew Info: Greg Kinnear as Frank Herlihy Ricky Gervais as Bertram Pincus D.D.S. Téa Leoni as Gwen Directed by David Koepp My take: (the breakdown) I am not usually a fan of Greg Kinnear (except in We Were Soldiers), but he's more of a supporting character in this movie so I figured I'd give Ghost Town a rent. I was totally surprised by this title because I was not expecting it to be so funny. Gervais as Dr. Pincus is absolutely hilarious, but it's not typical American humor, it's that great British dry humor that we see in things like Faulty Towers and Flying Circus. Anyway, the story focuses on Dr. Bertram Pincus, a dentist who loves to be alone and loathes being around people at all. He has no pets, wife, girlfriend, or hobbies and thinks he is content with his life the way it is. That is until he dies for a few minutes during a routine medical procedure from a problem with the anesthetic. When he is revived he discovers that he can see ghosts of people who have died and they all need him to do something for them, but will he help them?. Filled with comedy, drama, and sorrow I say this is a must own. This is exactly what new release Blu-ray titles should look like. Colors are bright, saturated, and natural looking and flesh tones seem to be accurate. There is a moderate amount of grain that remains consistent and is never noisy. Fine detail is also great even during the wider shots. There were some minor problems with delineation and blown out contrast during outdoor scenes, but you'll never notice them unless you were looking for them. We are supplied with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track that more adequately gets the job done. Dialogue is the star of the show and it is faithfully prioritized and easy to comprehend. Sadly, there's really not much for your surrounds or sub to do other than a couple songs that swell through the rear channels. For the most part this is a front heavy mix, which is not a bad thing, rather it's just the type of movie that it is. We get a rather generous helping of extras on this 50 GB disc. We get a commentary with Koepp and Gervais, a 22 minute making of feature, a two minute feature on the visual effects, and 6 minutes of hilarious bloopers from Gervais. For some odd reason there's no trailer for the film, but at least all of the above features are presented in 1080. Movie: 8/10 VQ: 8.5/10 AQ: 7.5/10 Supplements: 7/10 Final word: A Must Own As always thanks for reading folks. __________________ Living Room Setup Sharp LC-46SB57UN 46" 120hz 1080p LCD (24fps) Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Receiver Onkyo SKS-HT540 7.1 System DirecTV HR21-100 HD DVR Sony 40 GB PS3 (Netflix Enabled) LG BH200 Super Blu Toshiba HD-A20 Nintendo Wii Bedroom Setup Sanyo DP46848 46" 60hz 1080p LCD DirecTV HR23-600 HD Magnavox NB500MG9 Toshiba HD-A2 My Movie Collection 309~157~DVD193 Latest Review: *Ferris Bueller's Day Off*

10-01-2009, 07:00 AM	#2
sigill High Def fan Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: United kingdom-Manchester Age: 30 Posts: 2,590	I agree, its a good fun movie. Ricky Gervais is in top form here, many parts are hilarious. __________________ Phillips 37" LCD 720p/1080i Sony BDP-S350 Sony BDP-S300 Toshiba XDE-500 DVD player Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 AVR KEF1005.2 speakers Latest HD movies bought - The Towering Inferno - The Wizard Of Oz - Looking For Eric 116 Blu-rays

10-01-2009, 08:26 AM	#4
gossamer 50 is the new 42 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Da Boogie-down Bronx Posts: 558	My wife caught it on HBO last weekend and really liked it. __________________ Living Room: Panasonic TH-50PZ700U Plasma Scientific-Atlanta SA8300HD DVR Sony PlayStation 3 80GB Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Toshiba SD-4700 SD DVD Apple Mac mini, 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo Onkyo TX-SR706 Receiver Paradigm Cinema 110 Speaker System Pioneer CLD-3070 LaserDisc Player Quasar VHQ760 VCR Bedroom: Panasonic TC26LX50 26-inch LCD Scientific-Atlanta SA8300HD DVR Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-ray Panasonic DMRES15 DVD Recorder JVC HR-S8000U S-VHS

10-07-2009, 12:30 AM	#6
PFC5 Super Moderator Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 30,625	I liked this movie as well. I am not a huge fan of British comedies but this was like a mix of American & British humor and it played well I thought. __________________ Denon AVR-887 Klipsch RP-5 Pwred Towers (mains) (525 watts peak each 12"Subs) All Klipsch RC-25(ctr),(2)SS1(surr),(2)SS1(rearSurr) Toshiba (2)HD-A20,PS3,BD35 For SACD/DVD-A Samsung HD-841 Panny 50pz80u plasma SETTINGS RCA HD50LPW162 50"DLP w/HD2+ SA 3250HD 47" LCD+Yamaha5790+HD-A1(bedroom) Harmony 680 + (2) 670s (amazing remote/support) Game room with Onkyo receiver & B&W Speakers The_Cable_Game Take the high ground and be happier PSN: PFC5

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10-05-2009, 10:46 AM	#5
ack_bak Hidef Junkie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,432	I blind bought this one months ago based on some friends recommendations and my wife and I really liked the movie. Very funny. Definitely worth a rental at least if you are in the mood for a comedy.