"Adventureland" in Blu-Ray

Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart in "Adventureland" (2009).

"In 2009, writer and director Greg Mottola’s (“Superbad”, “Arrested Development” and “Undeclared”) film “Adventureland” was released in theaters and for the most part, received positive reviews from the film critics. Now the film receives its High Definition treatment via Blu-ray (which includes a digital copy) and also a DVD release.The film takes place in the 80’s and revolves around James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg, “The Village” and “Solitary Man”), a Comparative Literature major who graduated from Oberlin College and plans to pursue his undergraduate degree at Columbia University but first, celebrate his graduation by taking advantage of his family’s gift to send him to Europe over the summer.VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Adventureland” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1) and cinematographer Terry Stacey (“Sex and the City”, “P.S. I Love You” and “Wanderlust” does a good job in bringing the look of the 1980’s to film. One thing that people will notice is the amount of grain on the film. For those who love the film look, the film definitely retains its grain and shows no sign of DNR (Digital Noise Reduction).SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes – (2:27) Deleted scenes featuring: Drunk Mom , Angry Grandfather, James Keeps Quiet. With optional audio commentary by writer and director Greg MottolaAudio Commentary – Writer/director Greg Mottola and actor Jesse Eisenberg talk about film. Mottola sets up the scene but for the most part the commentary often features the two joking around while doing commentary. Interesting comments on the number of songs licensed for the film and the challenges Mottola faced when their budget was low but need a song for the ending credits.Just My Life: The Making Of Adventureland – (16:31) Director and writer Greg Mottola sits down to reveal how his real life experiences helped inspire his unique comic vision for Daytrippers, Superbad, Arrested Development and now Adventureland. Cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader, and Martin Starr also talk candidly about what shaped them into who they are today, including the worst job they ever had.Lisa P’s Guide To Style – (2:08) Ms. “Rides, Rides, Rides” herself, Lisa P (Margarita Levieva), shares her totally hip, totally ‘80s fashion advice from spiral locks to neon pink nail polish.Welcome to Adventureland – Fans can learn all there is to know about the Adventureland theme park with a pair commercials promoting Fun-tastic Time at Adventure Land (:33 ) and another for fireworks at Adventureland (:42), the employee orientation kit (3:34) hosted by Joel and a peek at the official drug policy (:44).EASTER EGG: I also found an Easter Egg for the Blu-ray version. Move left on your remote while “Bonus Features” is highlighted and you will see panda bear. Click on the panda bear to access a Kristen Stewart trying to get into the Razzmatazz dance club. (1:24)
For those who are interested in “Adventureland”, one may think that Director Mottola is back with another “SuperBad” style of movie but I just want to emphasize that although “Adventureland” does have many humorous elements and the fact that there is a lot of scenes with the characters smoking weed, “Adventureland” is very much a love story. Call it a genuine romantic comedy.As for the main talent, Jesse Eisenberg was just perfect as James Brennan. Eisenberg does a great job portraying the awkward Brennan and how he grows as a person throughout the summer. Kristen Stewart also is a natural in playing the role of Em and bringing that sense that she’s a troubled teen and showing us that she has more to offer outside of her popular role in “Twilight” (note: Stewart filmed “Adventureland” before filming “Twilight” but the latter came out in theaters first).As for Ryan Reynolds, his character as Mike Connell is a bit hard to read at first but you eventually see his true colors as the film progresses. I sort of look at him as a man stuck within his former self of what he could have been but now thrives on being popular to those at the theme park and those people making him out better than he truly is.As for the music, “Adventureland” is a film that showcases popular 80’s music such as Falco’s “Amadeus”, David Bowie’s “Modern Love”, The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”, The Outfield’s “Your Love”, INXS’s “Don’t Change”, Expose’s “Point of No Return”, and many more. So, it was great to see how music was utilized in the film, especially Falco’s “Amadeus” (since most of us who grew up at that time know how this song was overplayed).As for the Blu-ray release, as mentioned, the Blu-ray comes with a digital copy of the film and the special features (which are unrated) are quite entertaining. From “Frigo’s Taps” and learning about various ways on how to hit someone in the nads was definitely unexpected. Also, to see a featurette based on the character of Lisa P and showcasing her 80’s fashion style was quite interesting". Source: www.nt2009.com

Top Ten Films of 2009 by NY Film Critics Online (in alphabetical order):
Adventureland
Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
Precious
A Serious Man
Two Lovers
UpUp in the Air
Source: www.el-blog.org