Who are the neighbours having for dinner?
Released by: Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment
Release Date: August 13, 2012
Production Year: 2012
Region Code: B
Running Time: 1:29:13
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 / English LPCM 2.0 Stereo
Video: 1080p (2.35:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: None
THE FILM:
Jaime Winstone (Made in Dagenham, Kidulthood) is Elfie Hopkins - an animal-loving slacker, stoner, and wannabe detective, living in a sleepy hunting village. Haunted by the death of her mother, Elfie seeks solace from the old school detectives in The Maltese Falcon and Chinatown. She entertains herself by investigating the villagers and upsetting everyone with her imaginative allegations.
Things get serious however with the arrival of trendy city dwellers, the Gammons, who weave seductive tales of adventure and entice the villagers with offers of exotic hunting holidays around the world. Elfie smells a rat - her mundane existence is about to be blown apart.
Blood quickly starts to spill, and it’s no longer just the blood of animals. Elfie discovers the villagers are disappearing and when she finally uncovers the truth, it’s darker than she could ever have imagined…
Also starring Aneurin Barnard (We’ll Take Manhattan), Rupert Evans (Hellboy), Steven Mackintosh (Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels) and British acting legend Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, Snow White & the Huntsman). The film was directed by Ryan Andrews.
I found this film oddly... appealing. Jaime Winstone as Elfie was at times, intriguing at at times, verging on annoying. But I did like the character. My favorite character though would easily be Ruby with her seemingly child like innocence. A quirky and likable film.. to me.
AUDIO:
This Blu-ray comes with two English tracks, DTS-HS Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 Stereo. The audio sounded above average, overall. I never had trouble hearing or understanding the dialogue. The tracks did a fine job as far as sound levels go in regard to balancing the dialogue, sound effects and score.
VIDEO:
"Elfie Hopkins" chomps its way on to Blu-ray thanks to Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment. The film is presented in 1080p with a 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio. The quality of the video varies, often. Indoor scenes with artificial lighting, look the worst. In those scenes, the contrast seems too strong with whites appearing blown out and black levels dissolving into a large mass of whatever it is that contains black, with definition going out the window. The visible light sources indoors have a bit of a glow about them. The darker indoor scenes don't look nearly as bad and look more like what you might expect. The best looking scenes are those that are outdoors or using natural light where the camera can actually pick up on details in clothing, facial features and inanimate objects. In those scenes there is actually a fair amount of fine detail present. Colors overall looked fine to me. The film has an overall drab look to it but I thought it just helped set the mood, which was mostly cold. It is a shame that the video quality is so uneven. I can only venture a guess that it has something to do with the way the movie was filmed.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes (2:33) - One scene involves Elfie speaking with the Butcher. The scene kind of helps set up a scene that appears later in the film, so it might have been better to leave it in. The second scene features Elfie talking to Michael at the police station where he proclaims his innocence.
Making Of (10:38) - This featurette includes several members of the cast briefly discussing their roles in the film.
Short Film: "Little Munchkin" (10:05) This short film was directed by Ryan Andrews and takes place during the Christmas season. It involves a couple going to an orphanage to look for a "unique" child. They find just that in little darling Margaret and promptly take her home. The couple go out one night and leave Margaret with a babysitter. When they return home, they learn that they have gotten more than they bargained for with Margaret.
Trailer (2:15)
Trailer (2:15)
IN CONCLUSION:
While not a very popular film, I enjoy it. I just wish the film looked better. Below average video quality, above average audio quality and poor special features. Although I will say the short film, which features Gwyneth Keyworth, who played Ruby in "Elfie Hopkins," was a fun little extra. I would suggest renting or borrowing the film from a friend to check it out first before buying. But, the Blu-ray can be purchased fairly cheaply if you would like to buy it. That was a key selling point for me.
OVERALL: 2.5 / 5