- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080i/60
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Region: A
- Rating: Not Rated
- Discs: 1
- Studio: Image Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: September 14, 2010
- List Price: $17.97
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003UNFTJG[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Janeane Garofalo: If You Will — Live in Seattle on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Performance
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Performance
[Rating:3.5/5]
Comedy is a very personal thing for both the performer and the audience. What makes someone laugh is a mystery, so much so that is almost amazing that good comedians can tap into the human psyche and, more times than not, amuse us with their observations on just about everything in life. Janeane Garofalo, fresh off her stint in the final season of television’s 24, returns to her roots in this stand-up special recorded live in Seattle, Washington.
I’ve personally never found Garofalo’s humor to be all that special, but, as I said, comedy is a very personal thing. To me, Garofalo has always been no more than mildly amusing — not fall on the floor in tears sort of comedy. She’s a little edgy, but not too much, a little political, but not too much. In fact, she’s always seemed a little middle of the road humor-wise to me.
With that being said, in If You Will, the comedian does seem somewhat revitalized. She starts off a bit slow, but by the end of the show, she is definitely on a bit of a roll. Tackling everything from Twitter and her own low libido to whether or not Natalie Portman defecates and how to weasel out of an intervention, Garofalo is quick witted to be sure and she never allows the show to slow into a dull moment.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
If You Will was captured in high definition and it’s given a strong 1080i/60 AVC/MPEG-4 encoding on Blu-ray. The well-lit set means there’s not much video noise in the image, detail is strong and artifacts aren’t an issue. The picture looks lifelike with good flesh tones and even color reproduction.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
If You Will comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that is serviceable, but probably unnecessary given the extremely low level of ambience mixed into the surrounds, the lack of activity, and the absence of any low frequencies in a show like this. Still, Garofalo’s dialogue is clear and the crowd noise is thankfully kept to a minimum.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2/5]
The supplements are two “vignettes,” if you will, that expand on the material found in the comedian’s act, including jokes about her pets and Tea Partiers.
The supplements provided with this release are:
- Janeane on Pets (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:06.01)
- Congressman’s Dream (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:05.14)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
How much you enjoy Janeane Garofalo: If You Will — Live in Seattle will obviously depend on how much you appreciate Garofalo as a comedian to begin with, but Image Entertainment at least makes it easy with this strong high definition Blu-ray release of her Seattle show.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B003UNFTJG[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Janeane Garofalo: If You Will — Live in Seattle on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
