{"id":22468,"date":"2019-12-08T23:22:23","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T07:22:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/?p=22468"},"modified":"2019-12-08T23:23:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T07:23:00","slug":"review-hustlers-4k-bd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moviemansguide.com\/main\/2019\/12\/review-hustlers-4k-bd\/","title":{"rendered":"Hustlers 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> had some potential and the story its inspired by was interesting, however in spite of an impressive performance from Jennifer Lopez, everything else was pretty much a letdown.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hustlers<\/span>
\n(2019)<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Genre(s): <\/strong>Drama, Crime<\/span>
\nUniversal | R \u2013 110 min. \u2013 $44.98 | December 10, 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Date Published:<\/strong> 12\/08\/2019 | Author:<\/strong> The Movieman<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
MOVIE INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Directed by: <\/strong>Lorene Scafaria
\nWriter(s): <\/strong>Jessica Pressler (article \u201cThe Hustlers at Scores\u201d); Lorene Scafaria (written by)
\nCast: <\/strong>Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo, Cardi B<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DISC INFO:
\n<\/u><\/strong>Features: <\/strong>Commentary, Trailers
\nSlip Cover: <\/strong>Yes
\nDigital Copy: <\/strong>Yes
\nFormats Included: <\/strong>4K, Blu-ray
\nNumber of Discs: <\/strong>2<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Audio: (4K\/BD) <\/strong>English (Dolby Atmos), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
\nVideo (4K): <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.39
\nVideo (BD): <\/strong>2160p\/Widescreen 2.39
\nDynamic Range: <\/strong>HDR10, Dolby Vision
\nSubtitles: <\/strong>English SDH, French, Spanish
\nCodecs: <\/strong>HEVC \/ H.265 (4K), MPEG-4 AVC (BD)
\nRegion(s): <\/strong>A, B, C<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/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

Note:\u00a0The screen captures were taken from the Blu-ray disc and\u00a0do not<\/span> represent the 4K Ultra HD transfer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

THE MOVIE \u2014 2.25\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Plot Synopsis: <\/strong>Inspired by a true story, Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> follows Destiny (CONSTANCE WU), a young stripper struggling to make ends meet. That is, until she meets Ramona (JENNIFER LOPEZ), the club\u2019s savvy top earner, who shows her the way forward making big bucks. But when the 2008 economic collapse hits their Wall Street clientele hard, Destiny and Ramona concoct a plan with their fellow strippers to turn the tables on the greedy power players.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Review: <\/strong>The opinions from the professional critics don\u2019t usually sway me one or the other, but Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> is a movie that was a surprise box office success ($150 million worldwide) as well as with the critics (88%, 7.3\/10; even the user\u2019s rating of a 3.69\/5 was respectable). So with some momentum, I had interest in this movie, and doesn\u2019t hurt that the trailer I did see make it seem like an interesting, even unique crime-drama. Unfortunately the final product nowhere near lived up to expectations and instead I found Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> to be a middling film at best.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not a whole lot that really works for Hustlers<\/em><\/strong>, not the narrative \u2014 which they hammer the message over the head with via actual narration at the end (about America being one big strip club) \u2014 nor the dialogue and even the \u201cheist\u201d element (it\u2019s more of a con game) quickly loses steam and begins feeling more repetitive rather than anything approaching dramatic or suspenseful. Even Constance Wu, whom I\u2019ve heard of but don\u2019t recall seeing her anything else, doesn\u2019t quite have that on-screen charisma to carry a film. Same goes for a supporting cast I generally like, including Keke Palmer and Julia Stiles, in a smallish role as the reporter whose work this film is based upon (article entitled \u201cThe Hustlers at Scores\u201d).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However, the movie does pretty much hinge on Jennifer Lopez who looks absolutely amazing, and apparently did her homework to play a stripper going so far as visiting a club with her husband, Alex Rodriguez. As an added honor, she\u2019s hit the big 5-0, but also gives a solid performance; I won\u2019t go so far to say it\u2019s worthy of an Academy Award nomination, yet easily was the brightest spot in an otherwise mundane and forgettable flick.<\/p>\n

The movie has many issues, but perhaps the biggest one is it was hard to have empathy for any of these characters. No the ladies or the dudes they target, not even the one or two innocent bastards who, the brief scenes they have, are just okay guys, not married nor insanely rich; one of them, recently divorced, gets fired from their job as his corporate credit card was maxed out and is about to lose his home. Yet even then, it didn\u2019t sway my feelings on the ladies either way.<\/p>\n

The messaging also isn\u2019t anything all that new, men or pigs (and here they are mostly caricatures), exotic dancers are used and abused. Got it. I actually think this would\u2019ve been a more socially impactful film if they focused more on the industry and what the sex workers encounter but instead we get characters that are difficult to root for.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, marking her third feature film following 2012\u2019s apocalyptic drama-comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World<\/em> and 2015\u2019s The Meddler<\/em>. Having seen neither of those movies, I can\u2019t say what kind of a filmmaker she is, but based on this, and while she does attempt some long takes, the pacing did feel off, a bit slow at times.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

SPECIAL FEATURES \u2013 1.5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

This release comes with a glossy slip cover<\/strong> and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD<\/strong> copy.<\/p>\n

I can only guess the studio never anticipated the film\u2019s success as we get an Audio Commentary<\/u><\/strong> with Writer-Director Lorene Scafaria, which I found to be interesting guiding viewers through the source material and working with the actors, and 2 Theatrical Trailers<\/u><\/strong>. And that\u2019s it, no featurettes, not even a promotional one\u2026<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

4K ULTRA HD VIDEO \u2013 5.0\/5, BLU-RAY VIDEO \u2014 5.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Universal Pictures releases Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> onto 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray where its presented in the original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 2160p and 1080p high-definition transfers, respectively. Although the movie takes place in the early\/mid 2000s, the production designer did not shy away from the neon colors which really do pop off the screen on both formats, but especially the 4K aided by the HDR. Outside of that, the rest looks great, detail is sharp and the natural noise does shine through. While I did notice a slight difference between the 4K and Blu-ray, the latter still looks wonderful.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

AUDIO \u2013 5.0\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

The disc comes equipped with a Dolby Atmos track which really comes to life during the numerous scenes inside the strip club with some banging 2000s music the dancers strip to (this is a no-nudity for the dancers who look like Constance Wu or Jennifer Lopez type of strip club I think) with dialogue coming through the central channel with nice clarity and some great depth for the front and rear speakers outside the club, being able to hear the ambient noises while on the streets of NYC.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n

OVERALL \u2013 3.5\/5<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Hustlers<\/em><\/strong> had some potential and the story its inspired by was interesting, however in spite of an impressive performance from Jennifer Lopez, everything else was pretty much a letdown from the writing, direction and even unremarkable performances. This 4K\/Blu-ray combo pack offers up fantastic video and audio transfers and the bonus features were lackluster other than the commentary track.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n