The Burning Plain (2008/Magnolia Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B-     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

A drama with Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger about a repressed past and female sexuality seems like a mature, adult, intelligent film with potential, but Guillermo Arriaga’s The Burning Plain (2008) is more like “the boring plain” as we get a very slow-moving formula tale of a young married woman (Theron) unhappy with her life and indulging in sexual trysts that even she seems unhappy about.  Basinger is someone she does not know who shows up where she lives, knows about her past and is ready to reveal all.

 

There are some good ideas here and the actresses cast opposite each other has potential, but Basinger is not in the film enough, even a nude Theron cannot perk up the pace and Arriaga is saying things only he seems to know the meaning of.  Also, since he is male and the screenplay is also his, there is a limit of a male trying to tell a woman’s story.  This does not become a soap opera (even at 107 minutes), but never adds up to what it thinks it does and I did not buy what little ending was offered.  For the curious only, but at least Robin Tunney also stars.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is a little soft, but good looking thanks to ace Director of Photography Robert Elswit, A.S.C., who continues to be one of the top cameramen in the business.  With that said, this should be sharper and clearer just he same, but still looks good overall.  The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 sound has its warmth, but this is a quiet film with silences and dialogue-based scenes, so you only get so much of a soundfield throughout.  Extras include the HDNet special promoting the film, Music Of and Making Of featurettes.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo