{"id":20339,"date":"2019-01-11T23:04:06","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T07:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=20339"},"modified":"2019-01-11T23:04:32","modified_gmt":"2019-01-12T07:04:32","slug":"review-house-with-a-clock-4k-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2019\/01\/review-house-with-a-clock-4k-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"The House with a Clock in its Walls 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The House with a Clock in its Walls<\/em><\/strong> is a fine enough family fantasy adventure that is certainly flawed with some suspect acting but it was at least enjoyable time.<\/p>\n

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The House with a Clock in its Walls<\/span>
\n(2018)<\/span>
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Genre(s): <\/strong>Fantasy, Family
\nUniversal | PG \u2013 105 min. \u2013 $39.98 | December 18, 2018<\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 01\/11\/2019 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Eli Roth
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>John Bellairs (novel); Eric Kripke (screenplay)
\nCast: <\/strong>Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Rene Elise Goldsberry, Sunny Suljic, Kyle MacLachlan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K, Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio (4K\/BD): <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), French (DTS-HD HR 7.1), Spanish (DTS-HR 7.1)
\nVideo (4K): <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.39
\nVideo (BD): <\/strong>1080p\/Widescreen 2.39
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265 (4K), MPEG-4 AVC (BD)
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe opinions I share are my own.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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THE MOVIE \u2014 3.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>Based on the classic children\u2019s book, this magical adventure tells the spine-tingling tale of 10-year-old Lewis (OWEN VACCARO), who goes to live with his Uncle Jonathan (JACK BLACK) in a creaky old house with a mysterious tick-tocking heart. But his new town\u2019s sleepy fa\u00e7ade jolts to life with a secret world of warlocks and witches.<\/p>\n

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Review: <\/strong>Shouldn\u2019t be much of a surprise to anyone who knows me, I\u2019m generally not familiar with these adaptations to best-selling books, especially ones that were aimed toward younger readers at the time and\/or required reading in school (in high school, we more often than not read Shakespeare).<\/p>\n

So with that said, I had never even heard of The House with a Clock in its Walls<\/em><\/strong>, though I\u2019ll give it to the studio for even keeping such an awkward title. In any case, while I don\u2019t think this is a special movie, it was moderately entertaining. The acting was alright though Jack Black pretty much is playing a similar character to that of his quirky R.L. Stine in the two Goosebumps<\/em> movies. Cate Blanchett was, as always, a delight even in a smaller role with some minimal development. The young Owen Vaccaro did have his moments… good and bad, one in particular was rough; even as child actors go he wasn\u2019t always the best.<\/p>\n

Eli Roth continues on his unusual career path which began in the \u201ctorture porn\u201d realm (Hostel 1 & 2<\/em>), cannibal horror (The Green Inferno<\/em>) and then thrillers (Knock Knock<\/em>, Death Wish<\/em> remake). Now he\u2019s forayed from R-rating affairs right to family-friendly PG rated films with this one. I don\u2019t think he did a bad job and some of his darker tones, some of which might be too much for younger viewers (I\u2019d say 8+ in age might be suitable).<\/p>\n

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In the end, The House with a Clock in its Walls<\/em><\/strong>, aside from having an awkward title, was a fun enough family-fantasy flick that save for a couple performances, especially from Vaccaro, was enjoyable though having never even heard of the source material, let alone ever read it, not sure how this compares. Even so, the movie is at least worthy of a rental.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 3.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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This release comes with a glossy and title-embossed slip cover<\/strong> and inside is a redemption code for the Digital Copy<\/u><\/strong>. All of the features are on both the Ultra HD (in 4K resolution) and Blu-ray discs.<\/p>\n

Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black provide a friendly track that was fun to listen to and the pair do provide some behind-the-scenes stories.<\/p>\n

Alternate Opening and Ending (5:35; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 These two alternate scenes that was changed. Includes an optional track with Roth and Black.<\/p>\n

Deleted Scenes (9:20; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Nine scenes failed to make the cut and via the optional commentary, it\u2019s explained why they were ultimately removed.<\/p>\n

Gag Reel (3:33; HD)<\/u><\/strong> filled with line flubs and on-set shenanigans.<\/p>\n

Movie Magic (9:53; HD)<\/u><\/strong> breaks down some of the practical effects and production designs such as the house, the pumpkin vomit and the like.<\/p>\n

Tick Tock: Brining the Book to Life (3:27; HD)<\/u><\/strong> is a short featurette on how the project, based on a best-selling book, was brought to life.<\/p>\n

Eli Roth: Director\u2019s Journals (7:23; HD)<\/u><\/strong> are behind-the-scenes production featurettes on the mansion, filming locations, the chair, etc.<\/p>\n

Owen Goes Behind the Scenes (4:11; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 They gave actor Owen Vaccaro a camera to interview the cast and crew on the set.<\/p>\n

Theme Song Challenge (2:48; HD)<\/u><\/strong> is a featurette on the cast, including Black, Vaccaro, MacLachlan, Lorenza Izzo, and Roth coming up with a theme song. Strictly for kids.<\/p>\n

Do You Know Jack Black? (4:01; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 Is a trivia game where Vaccaro, MacLachlan and Izzo answer questions about the actor.<\/p>\n

Abracadabra! (1:06; HD)<\/u><\/strong> has Roth performing a magic trick. Okay.<\/p>\n

Jack Black\u2019s Greatest Fear (1:27; HD)<\/u><\/strong> has Roth and Vaccaro doing a prank on Black.<\/p>\n

The Mighty Wurlitzer (2:26; HD)<\/u><\/strong> \u2013 This is a featurette on the score and the instruments the composer utilized to give it a unique sound, specifically a silent era organ.<\/p>\n

Previews<\/strong> \u2013 Johnny English Strikes Again<\/em>, Mary and the Witches Flower<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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4K VIDEO \u2013 4.75\/5, BD VIDEO \u2013 4.5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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The House with a Clock in its Walls<\/em><\/strong> is presented in its original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and on 4K UHD with a 2160p high-definition transfer (and 1080p on Blu-ray). Although this was a generally dark looking movie, detail was still visible and sharp while colors were decent, though nothing I\u2019d say was overly vibrant, yet there are a few shots that had some pop, perhaps aided with the 4K\u2019s included HDR. The Blu-ray meanwhile is no slouch either, definition was still nicely defined and black levels were fairly stark. In either format, there were no noticeable instances of artifacting, aliasing, or any other flaw.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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AUDIO \u2013 5.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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There is a Dolby Atmos track available on both formats. This is a fantastic sounding track providing crisp and clear dialogue primarily coming via the center channel while the bulk of the action was laid out through the front and rear channels. This track especially comes to life during the action-filled finale where you get a good sense of the depth, such as the winding gears of the titled clock.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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OVERALL \u2013 3.75\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Overall, The House with a Clock in its Walls<\/em><\/strong> is a fine enough family fantasy adventure that is certainly flawed with some suspect acting but it was at least enjoyable time though I would not recommend this for anyone probably under 7. The 4K UHD\/Blu-ray combo pack offers up great video and audio transfers and a so-so selection of special features, highlighted by the commentary track from Roth and Black.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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