The Soloist (Blu-ray)

 

 

Studio: DreamWorks Home Video
Rated: PG-13 (for thematic elements, some drug use and language)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

HD Encoding: 1080p

HD Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC                
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1; French 5.1 Dolby Digital; Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; English SDH+
Time: 116 minutes
Disc Format: 1 SS/DL BD
Case Style: Keep case

Theatrical Release Date: 2009

Blu-ray Release Date: August 4, 2009

 

 

The character of the crusading journalist is one we as viewers are quite familiar with as is evidenced in just about any movie in this genre. The journalist has an opinion besides just uncovering and telling the facts; he must also try to convey the facts untainted by any personal agenda outside of getting out the truth. The journalist becomes a modern day hero, championing the little guy who is being dominated by the great machine: bureaucracy, government, corporation or whatever you may choose to call it. Case in point is Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.) a columnist (a mutation of a journalist where the facts aren’t as important as the opinion) for the L.A. Times. His column, Points West, details life in and around the Los Angeles area, and when he stumbles upon Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), Lopez finds his next great work. Ayers is homeless and has schizophrenia, but he is gifted with an amazing talent to play cello. Lopez is struck by just how amazing Ayers plays and he begins to look for ways to help Ayers get treatment and play music for a living.

 

Ayers schizophrenia will not allow this to happen, and with flashbacks into his childhood and adulthood detailing the mental deterioration leading up to his homelessness, we are shown a troubled man who is not treated for his problems and he is left to society to care for. Lopez spends a year detailing his interactions with Ayers, including setting up recitals and providing him with a new instrument, but Ayers still cannot get past the voices in his head. Lopez is still struggling with a divorce and the state of the printed newspaper, but he has enough sense to write a story that needs reading. Over the year, Lopez finds his work with Ayers may not be enough to help the struggling artist.

 

The Soloist is more than a plot of Lopez year spent with Ayers, it becomes a character piece for Downey and Foxx as they try their hardest to sniff out Oscar bait. Foxx turns in the more interesting of the two performances, never reminding me of Rico Tubbs or Ray Charles, where unfortunately Downey reminds me of a calmer Tony Stark. The picture, however, doesn’t give us anything really that new to chew on: Ayers reminds me of Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man and Downey barely gets too far away from Paul Avery in Zodiac. They each try to make this more than what it is (and the struggle faced by Lopez in the picture): a short story expanded into a novel. What could have been pared down by about a half hour simply lets director Joe Wright do some fancy camera tricks and show us a laser light show of Ayers internal process of hearing voices and music. Wright and screenwriter Susannah Grant take the columnist route and infuse the story with some preaching in regards to the state of the print newspaper business, the homeless population and mental illness. While these things may have worked well with two lesser known actors in the leads, Downey and Foxx overpower the story with their star power in trying to give voice to these troubling societal issues.

 

 

 

 

The Blu-ray disc is encoded in the MPEG-4 AVC codec at 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The image is very colorful throughout, showing a good palate of colors and shading. Flesh tones were rich and accurate showing fine lighting nuances in the actor’s faces. Detail and sharpness is excellent, showing many fine background items.  This being a release of recent vintage I noticed no dirt or distortion in the image and there was little to no edge enhancement. Black levels were not as good as I would have liked with many of the nighttime scenes coming off as dark gray. When this occurred the image lost most of the shadow detail and left it looking flat.

 

 

 

 

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track has a good soundstage utilizing all the channels. Since music is one of the primary focuses of the story, it plays an integral part of the soundtrack. We are treated to an exceptional surround experience anytime Ayers plays his cello or when we are in the Disney Concert Hall. The instruments remain in front and the surrounds echo them to give us a wonderful sense of space and presence. Each of the instruments is faithfully reproduced in each of the frequency ranges. LFE’s are subtle but forceful when need be. Voices are clear and natural, and there is no distortion or other problems noted.

 

 

 

 

Commentary by Director Joe Wright: Wright delivers a somewhat pompous and mirthless commentary reiterating what we see on the screen. 

 

An Unlikely Friendship: Making The Soloist (19:37): we get to meet the real life Steve Lopez and he and the production crew tell us about the events that led up to and the making of the movie. Wright and his crew come off as a bit pretentious and gives me a criticism of them going for more style than substance in the picture.

 

Kindness, Courtesy and Respect: Mr. Ayers + Mr. Lopez (4:48): the real life Ayers and Lopez talk about their friendship and Ayers passion for music.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Addressing Homelessness in Los Angeles (9:45): the numbers of homeless in L.A. is stunning and how it exists in the face of such wealth boggles the mind.

Juilliard: The Education of Nathaniel Ayers (4:08): the producer, Gary Foster, discusses Ayers history at Juilliard and how Ayers fame has allowed him to meet Yo Yo Ma and improve his mental condition.

 

Beth’s Story (2:02): an animated PSA about homelessness.

 

Deleted Scenes (SD, 9:49): five deleted scenes which only expand what we’ve already gotten from the feature itself.

 

 

 

A fairly bland movie seeks to enlighten us but falls short, even with a good performance from Foxx. The disc looks good but sounds great, and it contains a usual set of extras.