This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
The star-studded mystery, directed by Rian Johnson (Knives Out), follows four-time Emmy® Nominee Natasha Lyonne’s “Charlie,” who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.
For thoughts on Poker Face: The Complete First Season, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Poker Face: The Complete First Season comes to MOD Blu-Ray with a really great 1080p presentation that makes you grateful that this was not doomed to a DVD-only fate. The series is filled with sleek and stylized cinematography and textured environments that are presented with impeccable clarity on this disc. There are many shots that would lose some of their potency if not for the crispness of high definition. Colors from the environments, lighting and clothing pop off the screen with splendid hues. Black levels are very deep and never lose edge detail of the objects on screen. From the more brightly lit scenes to the darker, shadowy sequences, the skin tones and facial details are incredibly rendered in a way that brings the most nuance out of the cinematography. No instances of compression artifacts made themselves known during the viewing. We are so grateful to Paramount for giving this a high definition presentation.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that opens up this series perfectly. The witty dialogue primarily stays focused in the front center channels and radiates out clearly at all times. The track does a capable job of making sure neither sound effects nor the score or music ever overshadows any exchanges. The series music brings a necessary element to the atmosphere that fills up the room on this track. This show provides some robust environmental effects that keep the surround speaker filled with intricate sounds. There is some pleasing ambient activity in the rear channels, especially in some of the more lively environments. Occasionally, the low end delivers in raw power which is appreciated. This is an excellent audio experience courtesy of Paramount. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this set.
Final Thoughts
Poker Face is a perfect marriage between the clever and cool sensibilities of Rian Johnson and the wry brilliance of Natasha Lyonne. With so much heavily serialized content being consumed these days, you can start to forget the simple joys of having a terrifically entertaining “case of the week” format which brings all kinds of room for major talent and experimentation. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a gorgeous A/V presentation and nothing in the way of special features. This series has been a bit overlooked during its run, but it makes for a tremendous viewing experience that you will not want to miss. Recommended
Poker Face: The Complete First Season can be purchased on Blu-Ray directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
