Universal, HD DVD, available now, $29.98, reviewed on LG 26-inch widescreen DLPHDTV with HDMI connection
Universal doesn’t add any new high-def features to its HD DVD release of Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight, but the chance to see George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez up close in high-def is reason enough to check out this new transfer. The 1998 all-star crime caper, based on an Elmore Leonard novel, pairs Clooney and Lopez (in her pre-J Lo, pre-Jenny From the Block days) as romantic interests on opposite sides of the law. The HD DVD version brilliantly shows off the warm oranges and reds of Miami in the first half and the dank blues and snowy whites of Detroit in the second half. It also brings more clarity to the sun-filled rooms of Miami and depth to the dark boxing rings and bars of Detroit. Skin tones and blemishes are all perfectly visible, giving the actors a greasy realness that adds some grittiness. But to be fair, there isn’t a blemish on Clooney, who has perfect morning stubble throughout despite being a bank robber on the run. Like in other movies on HD DVD, the actors all look skinnier than in standard-def. Clooney, who normally seems average-sized, looks slim in his tailored suits. J Lo looks like a normal-sized girl with a body and a booty. In a bonus documentary, Soderbergh talks about the care that went into choosing the “gun-metal blue” color scheme for Detroit and bright lighting for Miami, which he’s rewarded for in this HD DVD version.
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