By Ken Shallcross
After the success of the ensemble indie film Paris, je
t'aime (2006), the producers sprang into action for a follow-up. The
result is a collaboration of 11 directors and over 31 stars bringing the same
air of love to the greatest city in the world, New York City. On Blu-ray now,
the genre doesn't necessarily warrant 1080p visuals, but the landscapes and
scenes of New York certainly make use of it.
THE FILM:
In the city that never sleeps, love
is always on the mind. Those passions come to life in a collaboration of
storytelling from some of today's most imaginative filmmakers and featuring an
all-star cast. Together they create a kaleidoscope of the spontaneous,
surprising, electrifying human connections that pump the city's heartbeat. Sexy,
funny, haunting and revealing encounters unfold beneath the Manhattan skyline.
From Tribeca to Central Park to Brooklyn, the story weaves a tale of love as
diverse as the very fabric of New York itself. Directors for the film are Jiang
Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar
Kapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Joshua Marston and Randy Balsmeyer. Stars
include Bradley Cooper, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom,
Christina Ricci, Maggie Q, Olivia Thirlby, Julie Christie, Shia LaBeouf, Chris
Cooper, Cloris Leachman, Andy Garcia, Ethan Hawke, James Caan, Anton Yelchin and
many more.
The film is good, entertaining enough, but it seems to be one of those things
you only watch once. But if you're going to make the purchase, what does the
Blu-ray give you?
HD SOUND + VISION:
The picture for New
York, I Love You is a very sharp AVC encoded 1080p high definition
1.85:1 presentation. A slow indie film with lots of intimate settings, the
Blu-ray only seems to shine through in the few scenic shots of NYC. Not a bad
thing, just an overall question of 'is it worth it?'.
The only language track for the film is English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
There are also only English subtitles. Again, for such a quiet indie film, the
HD audio is great, but offers more than the movie demands.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
New York, I Love
You is standard Blu-ray affair: blue plastic snapcase, no slipcover,
single disc. Inside is an insert with instructions on how to redeem five free
"Love Songs" from www.amplified.com/ny. Menus take forever
to load but are easy to navigate when they do.
New York, I Love You runs 103 minutes and is split into only
12 chapters.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
To be honest, there isn't
much at all on here. You get two deleted sequences, a series of short director
interviews and the trailer.
- These Vagabond Shoes (11:43) - Written and directed by Scarlett
Johansson, staring Kevin Bacon and shot in black and white, this is one of the
worst short films I have ever seen. Thank goodness it was cut from the film -
it would have destroyed it. The "love" story seems to be between Bacon and the
Nathan's hot dogs at Coney Island. Ridiculous. Scarlett, sweetie, stop trying
to wear every hat possible and just stick with the acting.
- Apocrypha (13:31) - This second cut sequence is a lot easier to
swallow, but still way to slow for the rest of the film that seems to move
with a steady pulse. Summary: a young teen films a couple breaking up. Meh…
watch it once and forget it.
- Director Interviews (16:26) - Just as the title indicates, this
is a series of director solo interviews. Brett Ratner, Yvan Attal, Josh
Maston, Mira Nair and Shunji Iwai (whose interview video is actually animated
and subtitled) explain their respective tales. The interviews are all filed
with home movie cameras, but then edited along with clips of their stories and
behind-the-scenes footage. To be honest, I could have sat through this for all
of them; they are short, sweet, to the point and serve as the only insight to
the film.
- Theatrical Trailer (1:59)
GOD, I LOVE NEW YORK:
I am addicted to all
things New York. Not being familiar with the film previously, and based on the
"New York" title, I decided to review the New York, I Love You
Blu-ray. I was pleasantly entertained with the film, but question the need for
the Blu-ray. There aren't a lot of special features, and the audio and video of
the film are both quiet (non-demanding). If you are obsessed with the movie and
must have the best visuals of any film set in New York, go Blu.
FILM SCORE: C
HD SOUND: B
HD VISION: A
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT: D
SPECIAL FEATURES: C-
OVERALL BLU-RAY SCORE: C-
