http://intotheblu.com Dive "Into The Blu" with the latest in Blu-ray movie reviews and more! Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/ http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:16:19 +0000 Gregg Senko http://intotheblu.com/?p=2890 Mean Girls is one of those titles that wasn’t a massive blockbuster, but it made a profit and still has a following today, five years after its theatrical release.  Before I put this disc in my PS3, I realized I had never seen Lindsay Lohan in anything other than paparazzi photos.  Not once have my eyes and ears had the privilege of taking in the event of Ms. Lohan’s acting.  Am I sounding too sarcastic yet?  Okay, let’s move on to the review. 

Film 

Though Mean Girls gets a little over the top at times, it is a story that is all too true at its core.  Ah yes, the hierarchy of high school life.  Lohan plays Cady Heron; a new student in school after she and her parents move back to the States from Africa.  Being home schooled all her life, Cady is about to get a serious culture shock. 

She eventually meets up with a trio of girls affectionately referred to as “The Plastics.”  You remember these girls from high school, right?  They were the best looking, best dressed and biggest attitude-laden wenches around.  The Plastics are led by an adolescent Rachel McAdams (Regina) as opposed to the young woman we saw her as in Wedding Crashers only a year later.  Supporting her causes of shopping and gossip are equally well-dressed and air-headed friends Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried).  Also guest starring are some familiar faces from SNL such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows and Amy Poehler. 

Now with the introductions out of the way, let the backstabbing begin!  Lindsay Lohan’s character soon finds herself in the midst of a gossip reconassaince charade that turns her social life upside down where she’s not able to decipher friend from foe or cute boy from failing grade.  What a mess for her!  Somehow I never cared!  The fact of the matter is this film is for the female gender, mostly for those not yet entering college life.  Lohan does look incredibly cute in her pre-drunken stupor years but the story is pretty shallow and it’s a lot of the same throughout the film’s 96-minute runtime. 

Video 

In this 1080p, AVC encode presentation, the video quality was very similar to that of another film I recently reviewed, Spring Breakdown.  There is a significant level of quality with no real signs of grain.  Although improving on the quality of Spring Breakdown, you will find that Mean Girls brings out slightly more of the finer screen details that the former did not.  Lohan’s freckles are not only cutely visible, but eerily countable due to the detailed finesse of Blu-ray.  Skin tones remain consistent throughout the film and levels of black were pretty solid. 

Audio 

The sound out of Mean Girls is above a state of mediocrity, but not by much.  There are times when this film had a chance to shine in this area.  Unfortunately, it chose to fall short.  Typically in films, I’ve found that dialogue is delivered out of the front speakers while sound effects are often generated a little more through the rear channels with the subwoofer providing extra emphasis.  In Mean Girls, there was little to no enveloping effect at times to draw me in as a viewer.  Take for instance a scene involving an all out fight in the hallways of the school.  This would have been an opportune time to hear some slaps, smacks and punches out of the rear channels while the grunts and yells came out the front.  Instead, nearly everything but the music came out of the front speakers.  It was a lackluster experience of monaural proportions.  Luckily, that was just one scene but there is certain room for improvement overall. 

Special Features 

The special features are not very well-rounded and as a result, seem geared for a very young and ‘of the moment’ audience.  Contributing to this sub-average layout is the fact that all of the extras are in standard definition.  Booooo. 

• Commentary by Director Mark Waters, Screenplay Writer & Actress Tina Fey and Producer Lorne Michaels.
• Featurettes (45:52)
  • Only the Strong Survive - A look at talking behind the backs of one another’s classmates and the social hierarchy of high school
  • The Politics of Girl World - An interview with Rosalind Wiseman, author of the book “Queen Bees & Wannabes.”  Ms. Wiseman discusses the negative effects of students not fitting in and how to build their self esteem.
  • Plastic Fashion - the wardrobes of Mean Girl
• Word Vomit - outtakes (5:44)
• So Fetch - one of the adjective catch phrases of the film, this is a collection of 9 deleted scenes (7:01).
• Interstitials - These are quick snippets of footage of the film’s cast that provide brief explanations of the girl-gossip lingo (1:39). 
  • Frenemies
  • New Girl
  • PSA (Public Service Announcement
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:35)

Final Thoughts 

If you are looking for a quick film of catty girls clawing at one another, both literally and verbally, then look no further than what is arguably Lindsay Lohan’s best-known work, Mean Girls.  Though I did not get a positive feeling out of the film, it is still a frequent water-cooler discussion topic whenever the subject of film arises at the office…and of the favorable opinion I might add.  I don’t want to say it has a cult following like other mid-budget films, but there’s a pretty good fan base there nonetheless.

 

 

]]> http://intotheblu.com/2009/07/mean-girls/feed/