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[tab title="Movie Review"]

Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy - Blu-ray Review

5 stars

Como estan, beetches?

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is one of those comedies – like Animal House, This is Spinal Tap, Caddyshack, and Hot Rod – that only gets better the more times you watch it.  It rewards the repeat viewer with its never-ending string of timeless catchphrases and quotables.  And its use of the jazz flute.  Yes, the satire of the culture of the 70s gets the Will Ferrell treatment and, while despised by many, Anchorman is an enduring and classy affair.

Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, Anchorman is quickly approaching its 10th anniversary and properly celebrates it with the “Rich Mahogany” blu-ray release and the long-awaited sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, later this December which tackles the 1980s.  Can’t wait to see what new suits the gang buys themselves.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  This review must stay focused on the “musk” at hand and offer up a major confession.  The Rich Mahogany edition is not new.  It was originally offered solely at Best Buy a couple of years ago but now is made available to all retailers and contains both the unrated version of the movie, the rated version, and the companion film assembled from outtakes and abandoned subplots entitled Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie.

Ronald Joseph Aaron "Ron" Burgundy (Ferrell), a five-time (local) Emmy Award-winning journalist and the main anchorman for the KVWN Channel 4 News Team, finally meets his match in news anchor Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate).  His Channel 4 news team and best pals - lead field reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sportscaster Champion "Champ" Kind (David Koechner), and intellectually disabled chief meteorologist Brick Tamland (Steve Carell) – don’t want to see females invade the profession and go out of their way to make Corningstone feel threatened.

It features the best street brawl on film since Sonny Cheba’s Streetfighter and some of the richest lines in comedy history.  Will it make everyone laugh?  Probably not.  I know a lot of people who sit stone faced through some of the best comedies (those listed above) and couldn’t muster a laugh if their life depended on it.  Those people aren’t going to find one second of Anchorman hysterical.  They may quote a line or two, but never appreciate it for the polished gem of anarchy and improv that it is.  To them, this release will mean nothing.

But this is a release to be celebrated by the film's many fans.  The entire creation of Rob Burgundy is a riot.  From the satire of the conservative 70's to the string of cameos in the film, Anchorman is a classic of the comedy genre.  Yes, a classic.  This release, much like Ron Burgundy himself, is kind of a big deal.

Come get a taste.[/tab]

[tab title="Film Details"]

Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy - Blu-ray ReviewMPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual humor, language and comic violence.
Runtime:
94 mins
Director
: Adam McKay
Writer
: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay
Cast:
Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell
Genre
: Comedy
Tagline:
His news is bigger than your news.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Hey, let's leave the mothers out of this."
Distributor:
DreamWorks Distribution
Official Site:
www.anchormanmovie.com
Release Date:
July 9, 2004
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
December 3, 2013

Synopsis: Ron Burgundy is San Diego's top rated newsman in the male-dominated broadcasting of the 70's, but that's all about to change for Ron and his cronies when an ambitious woman is hired as a new anchor.[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Anchorman: The legend of Ron Burgundy - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - December 3, 2013
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region Encoding: A

Paramount’s 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer looks good for a high-definition comedy, but the transfer suffers from some grain and artifacts.  Still, that Kentucky Wildcat blue suit has never been as vivid, though, and the hairs on his mustache have never been more intact for home consumption than on this release. So much tweed and never before has it ever looked as crisp as it does here.  Colors are saturated.  Black levels are strong, too.  The action scene (fans will know what I’m talking about) is also worth treating yourself to in HD with the speakers cranked up to make the most of the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • This might be the funniest commentary of all time.  Featuring comments from Adam McKay, Will Ferrell, Andy Richter, Kyle Glass, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Christina Applegate, and Lou Rawls.  Forget about information from the movie, sit back and enjoy this one.

Special Features:

There’s a lot to love about this release; a hell of a lot.  On Disc One, you get the original movie and an extended, unrated version.  You get nearly 50 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, a blooper reel, the “Afternoon Delight” music video and Ron Burgundy’s ESPN Sports Center Audition.  On Disc Two, you get an alternate version of the movie called Wake Up, Ron Burgundy about a ‘70s terror group led by Public Enemy’s Chuck D. that takes on the News Team.  Also included are the Public Service Announcements, Ron Burgundy celebrity interviews, making-of documentaries, cast auditions, the table read, rehearsals, trailers and assorted other nonsense.  There’s also a pack of News Team trading cards and a copy of Ron Burgundy’s datebook full of the anchor’s musings and scrawls.

Disc One:

  • Theatrical Cut (94 min)
  • Unrated Cut (97 min)
  • Deleted/Extended Scenes (54 min)
  • Blooper Reel (8 min)
  • "Afternoon Delight" Music Video (4 min)
  • Ron Burgundy's ESPN SportsCenter Audition (2 min)

Disc Two:

  • Wake Up, Ron Burgundy (92 min)
  • Ron Burgundy Public Service Announcements (4 min)
  • Ron Burgundy's 1970 Emmy Awards Speech (3 min)
  • Raw Footage 'Good Takes' (40 min)
  • 'Afternoon Delight' Recording Session (3 min)
  • Happy Birthday AMC Loews (3 min)
  • MTV Interviews (9 min)
  • Cinemax: The Making of 'Anchorman' (9 min)
  • Comedy Central Reel Comedy: 'Anchorman' (9 min)
  • A Conversation With Ron Burgundy (11 min)
  • Cast Auditions (13 min)
  • Table Read Scenes:
  • Women Don't Belong in the Newsroom (2 min)
  • News Team Confrontation (3 min)
  • News Team Take a Run at Veronica (5 min)
  • The Alarm Clock (2 min)
  • Ron and Veronica Date (3 min)
  • Ron and Veronica Sleep Together (3 min)
  • Rehearsal Footage (9 min)
  • Playback Video (5 min)
  • Commercial Break (2 min)
  • Teaser Trailer (2 min)
  • Theatrical Trailer (3 min)
  • "Trounced Spiderman" TV Spot

[/tab][tab title="Trailer"]

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