DVD Movie Guide @ dvdmg.com Awards & Recommendations at Amazon.com.
.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main
UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
BJ Novak
Cast:
BJ Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Ashton Kutcher
Writing Credits:
BJ Novak

Synopsis:
A writer from New York City attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with and travels down south to investigate the circumstances of her death and discover what happened to her.

MPAA:
Rated R.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
English DVS
Spanish Dolby 5.1
French Dolby 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 108 min.
Price: $34.98
Release Date: 9/20/2022

Bonus:
• None


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BDT220P Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Vengeance [Blu-Ray] (2022)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (November 8, 2022)

Best-known for his long-running role on The Office, BJ Novak makes his debut as a feature film director via 2022’s Vengeance. Indeed, Novak delivers “triple threat” status, as he also serves as lead actor and sole screenwriter for the film.

New York journalist Ben Manalowitz (BJ Novak) aspires to develop a podcast, though he struggles to come up with an idea. A new concept hits him when he hears of the death of Abilene Shaw (Lio Tipton), a Texas woman with whom he hooked up briefly when she visited NYC.

Because her family believes he and Abby were soulmates, Ben finds himself guilted into a trip to the Lone Star State for her funeral. Along the way, Ben finds himself sucked into an investigation of her death that takes him down unusual paths.

Given Novak’s comedic background, one might expect Vengeance to follow suit, despite a title that doesn’t appear to promise laughs. Novak does involve light elements here, though those don’t dominate.

Instead, Novak weaves a tale that mixes comedy, thriller and character drama. Does he pull this off successfully?

Yes – sort of. While Vengeance unmistakably feels like a first effort from a neophyte filmmaker, it works well enough to keep the audience with it despite inconsistencies.

In particular, Novak struggles to balance the tone. As he melds the various genres I mentioned, he can’t quite blend them in a way that really fits all of the time.

Actually, Novak tends to lean on clichés. At the start, he paints the Shaw clan and the other locals as dimwitted hicks, but inevitably, we find much more depth to the characters.

Which seems fair, but this doesn’t come across as novel. Movies often give us the model in which visitors from the Big City assume Them Country Folk will be sub-moronic yokels but they learn differently along the way.

Consider this the Doc Hollywood concept. Though that 1991 flick didn’t invent the conceit, it acts as a perfect example of what Novak depicts here.

Though Novak shoots for something darker and more ambitious. He seeks to attempt an explanation for Red State concepts as well as interpretation of those who live in those territories.

And this becomes arguably the film’s biggest flaw: Novak bites off more than he can chew. Vengeance likely would work best as the simple investigation at its heart, one that expands to develop other characters but doesn’t attempt to offer so much socio-political commentary.

Not that I frown on attempts to reflect modern society, but in this case, Novak’s attempts just feel forced and contrived. The movie lacks the breathing room to dig into these domains well and the discussions come across as stiff and simplistic, even when Novak attempts complexity.

Novak can’t quite figure out a natural way to involve these sequences, so we wind up with an awful lot of monologues. The film occasionally grinds to a halt so characters can offer cultural and social discussions that feel tremendously “written” – ie, not like conversations real people would have.

All this said, although I can pick apart Vengeance - and already have – I like the final product. This gets back to the promise I mentioned at the start.

Undeniably, Novak gives us a movie with a mix of problems. However, he still manages to imbue it with enough cleverness and heart to make it an engaging tale.

The core story about Abilene’s death acts as a decent carrot to keep us with the movie, and cliché as so many of the characters may seem, they still offer enough charm to involve us.

This leaves Vengeance as a movie I will criticize but still recommend. It feels like more than the sum of its parts, so despite its issues, it still winds up as a compelling 108 minutes of cinema.


The Disc Grades: Picture A-/ Audio B-/ Bonus F

Vengeance appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a satisfying presentation.

Sharpness was always strong. Virtually no obvious softness materialized, so the movie looked accurate and concise.

I noticed no jaggies or moiré effects, and edge enhancement never manifested itself. In addition, the film failed to display any print defects.

Given the rural Texas setting, Vengeance tended toward an arid amber palette with some chilly blue for night shots as well. Within those constraints, the colors showed appropriate range.

Blacks were dark and full, and shadows showed good range. This was a consistently fine presentation.

Though it lacked much ambition, DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Vengeance worked fine. Without much that we could really call “action”, the soundfield leaned toward ambience.

Some scenes perked to life reasonably well, like those at a rodeo or others than involved fireworks. Nonetheless, the soundscape generally felt subdued, as music and environmental material formed a light impression.

Audio quality pleased. Speech was concise and natural, without edginess or other issues.

Music showed good range and vivacity, while effects worked nicely. Those elements came across as accurate and full, with solid low-end response and positive definition. All of this added up to a “B-”.

No extras appear on the disc.

As his first effort behind the camera, BJ Novak creates an erratic but promising tale via Vengeance. While the movie lacks consistency, it offers enough merit to keep the viewer with it. The Blu-ray comes with excellent visuals, acceptable audio and no bonus materials. The lack of supplements disappoints but the film turns into an engaging ride.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3 Stars Number of Votes: 1
05:
04:
1 3:
02:
01:
View Averages for all rated titles.

.
Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main