Plot: What’s it about?
Frank (Joel Murray) just isn’t having a good day. After he sent flowers to an under the weather co-worker, he was fired for sexual harassment. Then a doctor visit reveals that he has an inoperable brain tumor, leaving him little time to live. In this dark place, Frank considers suicide, but is inspired when he sees a young girl on a television show. She has just received a lavish sixteenth birthday party complete with a new car, but she is outraged since she was given a Lexus instead of an Escalade. Frank realizes his frustration with modern culture has boiled over and now, he must kill this little bitch. He plans to kill the girl then himself, but he soon meets a teen girl (Tara Lynn Barr) with a similar mindset to his own. She convinces him not to stop with the birthday girl, but to eradicate more cultural drains. As Frank and his new friend begin a blood soaked journey of purification, will they make a real difference or just feed the cultural machine even more?
Video: How does it look?
God Bless America is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen. This is a good transfer, but not quite great. The image has more softness than I expected, so detail isn’t super high. The detail is stronger than a DVD of course, but not up to the level we look for in high definition releases. So not bad by any means, just not eye popping stuff. The colors are bold and bright, which suits the tone, while black levels are inky and accurate. I do wish this was a little sharper in terms of fine detail, but even as it stands, the movie looks very good here.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD 5.1 soundtrack is more than capable, but not all that memorable. The movie sounds good, but there just isn’t much depth or presence. Even when guns are drawn, the surrounds remain passive. The music adds some light presence, but I do the mix would benefit from more depth in some scenes. The dialogue sounds good, though some outdoor scenes come off a little hard to pick up on. Overall a solid soundtrack, but ample room for improvements. This disc also includes English and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
In addition to audio comments from the director and two leads, we have deleted & extended scenes, outtakes, a music video, cast & crew interviews, two behind the scenes featurettes, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
