The unconventional love story of an aspiring actress, her determined driver, and their boss, an eccentric billionaire named Howard Hughes.
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
86
Details:
Studio and Year: 20th Century Fox – 2016
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 127 minutes
Genre: Drama
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Starring: Warren Beatty, Lily Collins, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Oliver Platt, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Tessa Farmiga, Candace Bergin
Written & Directed by: Warren Beatty
Region Code: A
Release Date: February 28, 2017
“A Peek Behind the Curtain”
My Take:
An aspiring young actress (Lily Collins) and her ambitious young driver (Alden Ehrenreich) struggle hopefully with the absurd eccentricities of the wildly unpredictable billionaire, Howard Hughes, (Warren Beatty) for whom they work. It’s Hollywood, 1958. Small town beauty queen, songwriter, and devout Baptist virgin Marla Mabrey (Collins), under contract to the infamous Howard Hughes (Beatty), arrives in Los Angeles. At the airport, she meets her driver Frank Forbes (Ehrenreich), who is engaged to be married to his 7th grade sweetheart and is a deeply religious Methodist. Their instant attraction not only puts their religious convictions to the test, but also defies Hughes’ #1 rule: no employee is allowed to have any relationship whatsoever with a contract actress. Hughes’ behavior intersects with Marla and Frank in very separate and unexpected ways, and as they are drawn deeper into his bizarre world, their values are challenged and their lives are changed.
Written and directed by Warren Beatty, Rules Don’t Apply is an unconventional love story set in 1950s Hollywood. Taking a snapshot of old Hollywood, it’s a project that is near and dear to Beatty’s heart, as it’s an ambitious ode that features interesting characters, the most notable of which, is eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, played with quirky gusto, by Beatty. At its heart this is a love story, that carefully plays out over the film’s two plus hour runtime. With Hughes’ off kilter antics set as the backdrop, there are a host of wonderfully played situations featuring a cache of characters, all of whom find themselves tangled in the eccentric behavior and whims of Hughes world.
The film is slightly overlong, but I found myself engaged by the teasing nature of the romance, the separateness of the relationships between Hughes/Marla, Hughes/Frank, and the wonderfully played complexities of the additional relationships surrounding them. The cast is loaded with notables that add a bit of fun to the proceedings, despite the size of their role. Rules Don’t Apply isn’t a perfect film. It would have benefitted from a better shaped thematic context, and a nip and tuck from the editing team, but truth be told, it’s light, whimsical, and primarily fun to watch.
Replay Value:
Parental Guide:
The rating is for sexual material, including brief strong language, thematic elements and drug references.
AUDIO/VIDEO – By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100/EXCELLENT = 83-91/GOOD = 74-82/AVERAGE = 65-73/BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Audio: 82
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Dynamics:
Low frequency effects:
Surround Sound presentation:
Clarity/Detail:
Dialogue Reproduction:
DSU Rating * (non-rated element): NA
Video: 90
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Resolution/Clarity:
Black Level/Shadow Detail:
Color Reproduction:
Fleshtones:
Compression:
Rules Don’t Apply comes to Blu-ray Disc from 20th Century Fox Home entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 30 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.3 Mbps.
Colors are effectively used in this film to help set the tone/setting based upon the mood of the scene. The chroma range isn’t broad and hues can vary from being sullen and inanimate to warm and inviting. Skin tones are appropriately bland with natural highlights and descriptive variation. Images onscreen were exquisitely detailed and sharp with superb depth of field and visible texture during wide angle shots. Contrast is spot on and blacks are deep with revealing delineation that provides excellent perceptibility during scenes shot at night or in lower lighting. The video has a pristine quality that is free of video related artifacts.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround mix features dialogue that is full bodied with defining tonal characteristics and prominent soundstage position. High level detail is readily apparent as subtle sound effects, music and voices are rendered with superior clarity and depth. There is little call for active surround activity and extended dynamics however there is frequent use of atmospheric sounds that utilize the entire soundstage in support of the exterior/interior venues depicted in the film. The end result is an excellent audio presentation that renders the soundtrack’s elements with aplomb.
Bonus Features:
(HD) This is Rules Don’t Apply – 21 minute featurette
(HD) “The Rules Don’t Apply” Music Video by Lily Collins
(HD) Gallery
Bonus DVD
Digital HD Copy
Final Thoughts:
Written/Directed by star Warren Beatty, Rules Don’t Apply is a period drama/romance with ambitious aspirations that aren’t quite met, but still manages to strike enough of the right chords to make for a fairly entertaining film experience. It comes to Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment featuring solid high definition audio/video mated with a noticeably light supplemental package. Rules Don’t Apply is easily worth a rental, especially if you enjoy films that take the road less traveled.
You Tube
Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS500 3D/4K Ready High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal)
Stewart Filmscreen – Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16×9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV8802A 13.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies – 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton “Ergo” and Canton In-Ceiling Series Speakers
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS SB-13 Ultra (Piano Gloss finish)
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) – Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components – CP-CP102 cooling package
The post Rules Don’t Apply Blu-ray Review appeared first on AVSForum.com.