The Holiday- Sony, what the hell is wrong?

[Brad Ley]

So I gave The Holiday a pretty good once over tonight and, like Talladega Nights, Click, and a few others like it, Sony has completely f#ck'd this release. Contrast is completely crushed. Whites have a grayish/tan look to them, colors are somewhat dulled, and the whole thing just lifelessly hangs there like your display is on its last leg. I've seen people vehemently defend the awful picture quality of Click and Talladega Nights as "how the film was shot," but what could possibly be the explanation for why only Sony films seem to be so poorly shot. And to add to the mystery, go grab the Stranger Than Fiction disc and you see the The Holiday trailer that is included with that disc shows a bright, vibrant picture that is not at all representative of what you ultimately end up with if you buy The Holiday. Same for Click and Talladega Nights. Just take a look at the Click and Talladega trailers (both on TN) to see how each of those film could have (and should have) looked. Honestly, the look of The Holiday is akin to watching it with a projector bulb getting ready to die.

Ultimately, I have to wonder what in Sony's production chain is causing this. But it's not a problem with all their titles. Casino Royale and Rocky Balboa both look splendid without any hint of this overly dark, crushed contrast look. I'd be very curious to know if all these transfers were done at the same post facility by the same techs or if there is a difference to where the work is being done that could be causing this discrepancy.