Why So Blu?

Wild Tales (Blu-ray Review)

This Oscar-nominated feature from Argentina is an anthology film that has one writer/director (Damian Szifron) allowing audiences to have a look inside his mind, as he uses his talents to deliver 6 different stories, all of which serving as darkly comedic looks at how the notion of revenge and challenging societal norms in some manner can take a turn for the worse (or the better, depending on interpretation).  The film is funny, maddening, sad, bizarre, and very entertaining. Now the Blu-ray is available for all to enjoy.

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Film:

I am not going to give away the premise for each of these stories, as that would be taking away from the fun, but I will say that each one is unique, in terms of what we see play out, but connected based on both the thematic work at play and the filmmaking.  Szifron has not only made a really entertaining film, but one that looks great as well.  He, Cinematographer Javier Julia, and the rest of the crew have put together a film that takes good advantage of digital camera work, which is reflected in a lot of the stylish camera shots we see in this film, let alone getting some nice looks at various parts of Argentina.  The appropriate score only manages to help things further.

Getting back to the stories though, something I enjoyed is how appropriate each one feels in terms of the length and where the one-act structure leads, as far as how the conclusions work for each.  The first is the shortest and plays as a great twisted joke fitting of either The Twilight Zone or Tales from The Crypt.  The others all have the same sort of humor, but get a chance to be fleshed out a bit more.  The fourth story, “Bombita”, for example was my favorite, as it dealt with material that I could easily wrap my around in terms of frustration and what the lead character (Ricardo Darin from The Secret in Their Eyes) was going through, despite being taken to a heightened level.

I should note that the film is also pretty violent.  Wild Tales is not necessarily gruesome, but the subject matter for most of these stories leads to some violent scenarios that feel like a mix of the black comedy that thrives in films from the Coen brothers and the sort of drama that takes place in films by producer Pedro Almodovar.  Mentioning those filmmakers should already make for an easy sell of this film, but suffice it to say, Wild Tales does plenty to provide a level of visceral kick and substantial drama for the various stories presented, even if it involves characters who are unlucky, seedy, or too stubborn for their own good.

This was a dark film, but a fun one.  It does plenty show off a sense of identity from one filmmaker, which is neat for an anthology film.  These sorts of features tend to work when it comes to thematic connection, even if the visual and stylistic senses vary.  For Wild Tales, I was pleased to see each story coming from the mind of one person and figuring out what it is that links it all together.  Even if that connection is not necessarily clear though, you still get 6 very entertaining stories that one can take a twisted delight in laughing with.

 

Video:

Encoding: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Clarity/Detail: True to what I love about getting to review Sony Blu-rays, Wild Tales looks phenomenal on Blu-ray. The level of detail is in pristine order for this transfer. The digital photography is perfectly matched for this release, with so much clarity to behold in a series of stories that all head into such interesting territory.

Depth: Enough can be seen here to best reflect the level of dimension one would hope to find.

Black Levels: The black levels are deep and inky.

Color Reproduction: Colors are amazing. This is an impressive film when it comes to seeing a ton of costumes and locations, so getting a chance to witness so much pop as far as the color goes becomes quite rewarding on a stellar transfer like this.

Flesh Tones: Characters look great here, with plenty of high regard going to the strong detail scene in the various facial features and other similar aspects.

Noise/Artifacts: Nada.

Audio:

Audio Format(s): Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, English Description Track

Subtitles: English, English SDH, French

Dynamics: Yes, the audio is also plenty impressive. This lossless track does a tremendous job of putting it all out there for everyone to cleanly here. The creative filmmaking allows for everything to come through the way it should, which includes the intended manner of the sound design.

Low Frequency Extension: You get a good amount of oomf through the LFE channel with this track.

Surround Sound Presentation: This is a well-balanced track that does the job as far as creating a sense of atmosphere through the arrangement of the various channels.

Dialogue Reproduction: You can hear everyone the way you need to.

 

Extras:

While it is unfortunate that there is not more here, it is great to learn enough about how this film came to be.

Features Include:

• Wild Shooting: Creating the Film (HD, 24:58) – The cast and crew go over the details of making this film, where it came from, and other important details in this making-of that is long enough for what it is.
• An Evening at the Toronto International Film Festival with Damian Szifron (HD, 6:46) – While not very long, this is a solid Q&A with the director.
• Theatrical Trailer
• Previews

Summary:

Wild Tales was a wonderful film that anyone in the mood for some twisted comedy should be willing to see. There is a great set of stories here to enjoy and they come on a fantastic Blu-ray, as far as the technical aspects are concerned. While there is more to be desired with the extras, the video and audio are fantastic. See this film when you can.

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