"The Lake House". A Review Of The 2006 Film On BLU RAY.

"…Dear Tenant…Welcome To Your New Home…"

PRINT/EXTRAS:
1080p High Definition Print in 16 x 9 - 2.4:1 Aspect Ratio
(will fill your screen without too much stretching).
There's "Additional Scenes And Outtakes" as a bonus and a "Theatrical Trailer"

AUDIO:
Dolby Digital English 5.1, French 5.1, German 5.1 and English 2.0 Audio Descriptive Service

SUBTITLES:
English, French and German

I had “The Lake House” on the now defunct HD-DVD format to have Alejandro Agresti’s gently persuasive film in High Definition – and it looked beautiful. This Blu Ray is the exactly the same – right down to how the menus are laid out - and there’s a superbly clear print also.

Some people have said Keanu can't act for snitz (he plays frustrated architect and suburban home-builder Alex Wyler), but I don't know if that actually matters here, because his quite effortless charm carries it off very nicely indeed. Sandra Bullock is excellent as always as the caring but lonely doctor Kate Forster who is new in town and a bit out of sorts with the world (there is a believable chemistry between them).

The support roles are nicely fleshed out too - the ever-accomplished Christopher Plummer is superb as Keanu's distant and overly-precise architect dad (who built "The Lake House") and the deeply beautiful Iranian actress Shoreh Aghdashloo plays Anna the head of ward in Kate’s hospital. The boss/doctor relationship between them is deftly handled – both in the work scenes, in the lunch-breaks and in the bars after work…

People have also poo-pooed the 'letters across time' storyline of Kate in 2006 and Alex in 2004, but I found it refreshing and a very clever angle in a romantic film that takes its time - and savours the lovely moments rather than squander them.

"The Lake House" is a nice watch - and the Blu Ray print adds hugely to the cityscapes of downtown Chicago and the out-of-state location shots too. It may be a little too pat in places and even sedate for some – but I liked it – and thoroughly enjoyed watching it again.

And not a black leather suit, bug coming out of your navel or bendy bullet in sight...

Recommended.