Blow Blu-ray

Blow

 (2001)

Biography | Crime | Drama



Based on the true story of how powder cocaine turned into the United States' biggest drug problem and how one man from the blue-collar suburbs became the 35 billion-dollar-a-year conduit to the Colombian cartels. George Jung pursued what he thought was the American Dream. Rather than become just another construction worker like his father, George moves to California where he discovers the profitable pleasures of selling marijuana. A spell in prison introduces him to big-time Colombian dealers, and soon George is involved with their plan to export tons of cocaine to US shores. Becoming fabulously wealthy, he will take a dizzying fall that will knock him out of the underworld.

For more details about Blow on Blu-ray, see the Blow Blu-ray Review

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Jordi Mollà, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Director: Ted Demme

Blow Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Blow is presented in 1080p using the VC-1 codec, with an average bitrate that hovers around 30 MBPS. Overall, this is an excellent transfer, with a superb level of detail and inky blacks. In fact, I only had three nitpick complaints with the transfer, but they are still worth mentioning. First, there appears to be a slight use of DNR in some scenes, since grain is completely absent (which seems odd in a movie set during the 70’s and 80’s), and some facial textures appear a little waxy at times. I don’t think DNR was used throughout the entire feature, since facial textures in some scenes look nice and crisp, but I do think it was used sporatically. Fortunately, overall detail in the film does not take a hit due to DNR, though there are still 3 or 4 scenes that don’t look nearly as detailed as the rest of the feature. The second nitpick, is the appearance of washed out skin tones at the beginning of the film. This could be a stylistic choice on the part of the filmmakers, and only lasts during the first 10 or 15 minutes of the feature, but the tones just don’t look natural. Otherwise, color saturation is excellent, and this is a transfer that comes extremely close to a demo-worthy ranking.

Blow Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


As with most New Line titles, the film begins automatically without an option to switch the audio track from the menu. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is not the primary track, so you’ll want to switch to the lossless track as soon as the film begins. The soundtrack is pure retro bliss, with a heavy emphasis on horns and organ. Although the music may seem a little bright at times, I’m pretty sure this is representative of what the filmmakers were going for, and adds to the period nature of the film.

Blow is a dialogue-heavy film, but there’s still an adequate level of surround activity to enhance the setting of most scenes. For instance, the sequence in the penitentiary cafeteria contains a subtle use of chatter in the rear channels to create a feeling you are locked up with the prisoners. The dialogue throughout the film is perfectly balanced with the music and ambient noise, so you won’t find yourself having to adjust the volume levels or straining to hear what is taking place. Lastly, the track is well-defined, with accurate highs and lows.

Blow Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - September 23 - September 23, 2008


• Blow Announced for Blu-ray - July 14, 2008

Blow Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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