Orphan

[Barney_DaPurple1]

Studio Warner
Director Jaume Collet-Serra
BD Release Date October 27, 2009
Video 1080p/23.976Hz | 1.85:1 | VC-1
Audio English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD (Default)
BD-Live 2.0 Feature not available for the rental version.

OTHER MOVIE COMPARISON

The Good Son meets Silence of the Lambs | Identity, The Omen, The Orphanage, Halloween (Rob Zombie's), Gothika, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Hide and Seek, Let the Right One In, Problem Child, Carrie

WHAT'S THE MOVIE ABOUT?

After losing their stillborn baby, John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Kate (Vera Farmiga) adopts 9 year old Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman). She turns out to be more than what's on the surface.

TRAILERS, CLIPS, AND MUSIC VIDEOS

BARNEY'S BOOMOO FUNFACTS AND TRIVIA
Barney does not assume the accuracy for these funfacts. They are to be used for entertainment purposes only.

During its initial summer of 2009 release, the movie Orphan generated a lot of controversy especially from the various adoption agencies around the world and the foster parent communities. Katie Sander, a Domestic Adoption Programs Coordinator for Hands Across the Water, protested; "Orphan is kind of a loaded word, [a] negative connotations. I think that there's already so many myths and misunderstandings about adoption, especially adopting older children and this [movie] just perpetuates those myths... How many good families never make a call because the myths scare them off?" Enough pressure from adoption agencies and foster parents was put on Warner that the line "It must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own" was removed from official trailer of the movie Orphan. Before the movie starts, Warner included on their DVDs and BDs a 3 minute public announcement "The movie ORPHAN is based on fictional characters... NOT real children". Statistics and factual information were sponsored by AdoptUsKids.org and Kidsave.org. WebMD defines Hypopituitarism as a condition in which the pituitary gland (a small gland at the base of the brain) does not produce one or more of its hormones or not enough of them. In hypopituitarism, one or more of these pituitary hormones is missing. The lack of hormone results in a loss of function of the gland or organ that it controls. Some of the important hormones are: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) are hormones that control sexual function in males and females. They are also known as gonadotropins or sex hormones (eg, estrogen, testosterone). Growth hormone (GH) is a hormone that stimulates normal growth of bones and tissues. Isabelle Fuhrman (Esther) has mentioned, "I never saw Esther as scary and was never afraid of her either. Esther's dream is to find love and a perfect family that would appreciate her. She wants it so badly that she has to remove all the obstacles on her way to achieving her dream. It's a life-or-death stakes for her." An earlier script tried to reveal Esther's past in Russia. [spoiler]She was sexually abused by her father at a young age and therefore her reproductive organs were damaged (probably indirectly related to cause her hypopituitarism). Her father took on a new wife and Esther went psycho and killed them both. She then became a young prostitute and was favored among Russian pedophiles. All Esther ever wanted was to grow up, get married, have a family, and be the best lover for her husband. This would explain a lot why she killed all of the men/fathers who have rejected her.[/spoiler] Her past was deleted from the final script and I'm not sure it should have been. This may have held the key to understand the story and Esther's motives. The movie Orphan has a strikingly resemblance to the real-life accounts of Brianna Stewart, aka Treva Throneberry (1969-present, Wichita Falls, Texas). [spoiler]Treva Throneberry was the alias she used when she took the role of a teenage victim of sexual or satanic ritual abuse. As a women in her late 20's and early 30's, she has the appearance of a teenager and tried to take advantage of her condition. On March 22, 2001, Throneberry was arrested for theft, fraud, and perjury for trying to obtain legal documents with false identity. She had defrauded the state of Washington for foster care and college tuition worth $4670. She was found guilty by the court and sentence to 3 years in prison. The judge recommended that she receive psychotherapy while in prison. Throneberry was released on June 18, 2003, after two years. As of 2003, she continued to maintain that she is Brianna Stewart and tried to appeal her fraud conviction. It's ironic how she was caught. In 2001 while attending Clark College, Washington, she tried to obtain an official birth certificate in order to get her social security number. Her fingerprints came back and her real identity was revealed.[/spoiler] What she wanted to be after college was a lawyer and a children's advocate. In the 13th season of Law & Order, an episode called "Shangri-La" and in the 8th season Law & Order: SVU, an episode called "Pretend" were produced based on Brianna Stewart's case.

BD MAIN MENU

BARNEY'S BOOMOO RATING FOR HOME THEATER EXPERIENCE

Overall Home Theater Experience
Movie Stupid So-So [Spectacular]
Video *
Audio **
Subtitle Legibility ***

AUDIO SOUNDSTAGE SUB-CATEGORY

Dialog Clarity
Balanced Surround Sound Volume
Surround Sound Detail, Integrity, Resolution, and Definition
Surround Sound Dynamics (Bass, Treble, Separation, and Transition)
Ambient Background Music and Soundtrack
Low Frequency Effects

* 1080p/24fps OFF.
** DRC: Off | Bitstream to Onkyo 805 | Reference Listening Volume : 48.0 db (abs)| Late Nite Mode: Off | Re-EQ: Off | 7.2 Surround Sound Setup
*** White text with thin black borders. Some inaccuracies.

BD PLAYERS PERFORMANCE Video Problem: No Audio Problem: No Load Problem: No Total Loading Time *: 0 min 31 sec | PS3: 0 min 28 sec | BD35: 0 min 24 sec Skip Previews "Shortcut": Yes * Resume Play: Yes Main Menu or Popup Menu GUI Intensity Rating: [Simple] Moderate Complex FW: 2.1 | PS3: 3.01 | BD35: 2.0

BD LOADING ANIMATION No loading animation for this title.

* Warner titles do not normally have a main menu screen. After loading the BD, some titles usually have previews before the movie automatically begins. If the Skip Previews "Shortcut" works, then the Bonus Features screen or some other screen is displayed in lieu of the main menu screen. Users have the option to do nothing and watch the previews and let the movie play automatically, or take advantage of the shortcut and reduce the amount of time it takes to start the movie.

DISC FEATURES WORTH NOTING

Annoying Menu Button Sound or Option No
Secondary Audio No
Bookmark No
Easter Eggs None
Alternate Ending Feature not available for the rental version.
BD-Live Feature not available for the rental version.
Disc #2 Digital Copy (DVD). Disc not available for the rental version.

WHADABOUT THE MOVIE BARNEY?

Boomoo Rent-O-Meter:
Boomoo Collection Worthiness:

Just in time for Halloween, Orphan is one heck of a suspense thriller flick. I really like this movie. It's creepy. It's freaky. It will leave a lasting impression long after the movie has ended. All three girls in this film made the movie worked. Esther is just pure evil! Isabelle Fuhrman in her young career plays the role of Esther perfectly, right down to the Estonian English accent. I would like see more of her in other movies. Vera Farmiga as the venerable mother, Kate, who is trying protect her children gets in all sort of unexpected and compromising situations. And little Max (Aryana Engineer), who is hearing impaired in real life, is quite remarkable in this movie. She's one adorable tough cookie. She deserves several awards for her debut and I would also like to see more of her in future movies. Someone from Hollywood needs to contact her agent ASAP!

It's tough judging the picture quality for this one. Let's just say the sharpness and detail are inconsistent from scene to scene. There are some scenes that are quite admirable, crisp and razor sharp. At other times, it is comparable to a good DVD quality with low lighting. It was like this in the theaters, so I didn't expect much. The overall image seems to be washed out. Although this may appease fans who love natural flesh tones, the richness of colors and the fine details of each pixel are being compromised. I guess an eye-popping PQ like the Atonement HD DVD is not applicable for this type of movie.

Orphan is one of those films that will do well in due time. I can see the potential it has to gain fans like Silence of the Lambs. The story itself is quite captivating and easy to follow. The plot is well planned. The filming style of Jaume Collet-Serra's is much more appreciatively improved than his earlier work with House of Wax (2005). Rent Orphan for your Halloween Spookfest party this year. Just like The Silence of the Lambs, it will probably grow on you.

Note on the rental copy, it is missing some interesting features. This is the first time I've encountered a rental from Blockbuster that has some significant features missing found in the retail version. I was interested in the alternate ending and looking forward to the cast discussing notable child psychopaths in movie history as part of the bonus feature material. Oh well, I guess I'll see it when I buy it. Thanks a lot Blockbuster...

-

[GOS]

Nice one Barney! I may try to rent this for this early November.

[CC]

Renting this tomorrow!

[Barney_DaPurple1]

Nice one Barney! I may try to rent this for this early November.

Thanks bud. I like this one as much as CC like Let the Right One In.

[CC]

Thanks bud. I like this one as much as CC like Let the Right One In.

We'll have to see about that!

[Barney_DaPurple1]

Renting this tomorrow!

speaking of the devil...

[CC]

speaking of the devil...

[Barney_DaPurple1]

We'll have to see about that!

see that 2nd screen shot? Guess from what movie does that looks like?

[CC]

see that 2nd screen shot? Guess from what movie does that looks like?

Yeah, it does...

[bravestime]

Thanks for the review Barney. I wondering about this movie and whether to rent this one. Guess you answered that one.

[Barney_DaPurple1]

Thanks for the review Barney. I wondering about this movie and whether to rent this one. Guess you answered that one.

My pleasure buddy. Should fit the bill for the family Halloween Spookfest Party.

It still gives me the creeps tho.

[ImRizzo]

On my BlockBuster queque

[Barney_DaPurple1]

On my BlockBuster queque

Hey Rizz, check out the new Easter Eggs feature you wanted.

[ImRizzo]

Hey Rizz, check out the new Easter Eggs feature you wanted.

Thank you sir, your a gentleman and a scholar ....... and PURPLE too.

[ImRizzo]

Barney here's another great site for EASTER EGGS: http://www.hiddendvdeastereggs.com/index.html

[trent.memphis]

Is it just me, or does the little girl in the 4th pic look remarkably like little Jenny from Forrest Gump?

[CC]

Loved it! A ton better then I though it would be!

[Barney_DaPurple1]

Loved it! A ton better then I though it would be!

I know, she was eeeevil wasn't she? :D I was looking for a deal on it on BF but only Drag Me to Hell was on sale.

[Barney_DaPurple1]

I couldn't never figure out if Esther was played [spoiler]by Isabelle Fuhrman and another actress? Yaw know?[/spoiler]

[gossamer]

This was surprisingly good. Especially the actress in the title role.

[spoiler]Although it was a little creepy when she tried to seduce her "father".[/spoiler]