50/50 Blu-ray: Review By SpaceCowboy

50/50 tells a tragic story with a sense of humor of a recently diagnosed cancer patient. Inspired by true events, long-time friends Seth Rogen, Will Reisman, and Evan Goldberg came together to capture the incredible journey that affected their lives and so many others.

It's a movie that's so full of joy and tries not to take itself too seriously. Most of the situational awkwardness would be very nerve-wrecking and intense to deal with in real life, but 50/50 takes those situations and makes them seem silly or easy to overcome.

It's charming and uplifting, delivering great performances, hilarious banter, and emotional sights. Think Juno with male leads, cancer and more likeable characters. 2011 didn't have many quite like this, making 50/50 a gem amongst the independent and blockbuster circuit.

AUDIO COMMENTARY (1:40:02) with Seth Rogen, director Jonathan Levine, writer Will Reiser, and producers Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin. The commentary is just as warm and funny as the movie itself. There's a lot of buddying around playfulness amongst these guys that you'll want to watch 50/50 with the commentary again and again. Especially if you love bad cancer puns and lighthearted humor about tragedy. This option is also selectable from "Languages."

DELETED SCENES (5 scenes; 6:17 total) - Five cut scenes from the movie with optional commentary from director Jonathan Levine. The Play All option starts the scenes off with an introduction that hints how the scenes should be watched with the commentary track. Jonathan Levine tells how some of these scenes were favorites of his, but cut due to lengthiness and how others were just seemed to work better on paper than on film.

THE STORY OF 50/50 (7:54) - The cast and crew of 50/50 talk about how real life experiences with cancer effected their lives and inspired them to make a loosely-based movie of writer Will Reiser's first-hand endeavor.

LIFE INSPIRES ART (4 scenes; 9:15 total) - The 50/50 trio (Goldberg, Reiser, and Rogen) discuss how their friendship and hardship with cancer influenced 3 key scenes from the movie (the bar scene - 2 parts, the hospital, the office).

SEEK AND DESTROY (2:21) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen on set, destroying Rachael's (Bryce Dallas Howard) painting and having a fun time doing so. Not quite sure what the point of adding this extra to the Blu-ray and DVD was.

The film looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray! Presented in 1080p High Definition and anamorphic 1.78:1, 50/50 is a beautiful work of art complete with sharp images that are bright and colorful.

English DTS-HD Naster Audio 5.1 - English Stereo 2.0;

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Comes in the dreaded eco-case. Easily replicable for a standard Blu-case. Cover art is very similar to the original poster design. White background takes up most of the front, spine and back. Disc is navy blue with white text.

For a set that's only $20 it is definitely a must own. This was one of the most engaging and rewatchable films of 2011. And if you're a Blu-collector for the enhanced picture and sound quality of films then you will not be disappointed.

As you can see I decided to do something different. I went ahead and gave the current Blu-ray/DVD review layout a go just to see how it sits well with me. It limits me a little which is why I wanted to try it out. Most of my reviews are more like ramblings almost too detailed in some areas and lacking in others. Tell me what you guys think and if you'd like me to continue reviewing this way. Thanks!