The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Movies Anywhere) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: 20^th Century Fox
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Rating: PG-13
Film: 3.5/5

Plot
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain). In the 1970s and ’80s, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) built a burgeoning religious broadcasting network and theme park – until rivals, financial wrongdoing and scandal toppled their empire.

My Thoughts
What I know about the Bakker’s is what I read in the news as a teenager and most of it wasn’t good. Seeing this film has given me a new perspective. The film is based on the documentary by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato and even if you aren’t interested in the subject matter there’s one very compelling reason to watch this film—Jessica Chastain’s performance as Bakker. If she doesn’t get an Oscar nomination (and frankly, a win) for this performance, she may never get one.

Unfortunately, Disney/20^th Century Fox presumably has budget cuts in their marketing department and I only received a digital download of this for review. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy but I thought I’d give it a try and get the reader’s feedback. I chose to watch via the Movie’s Anywhere app on my Shield Pro and found the presentation to be decent enough for a biopic.

Streaming has come a long way in the past 10 years, but still doesn’t measure up to what we see from Blu-ray and not anywhere close to 4K. While the image is quite good on small screens, when you project it on a 110” screen, you can see plenty of warts in the encode. First, the depth is lacking and image is somewhat flat. Mind you, my download speeds from Comcast/Xfinity is at 275 Mbps, so bandwidth isn’t an issue.

Second, the audio pales in comparison to what we get on disc. Most viewers/listeners probably won’t notice the difference, but those of us who actually care about these things can hear the difference. A great audio track gives the illusion as if the actor is sitting in your room speaking directly at you while the streamed version sounds like a recording and loses that “being there” appeal. I’ve done demos in the past of A/B testing of a disc versus streaming and once I point out to the audience what to listen for they are able to tell the difference within seconds of changing the audio stream.


Video 3/5

Audio 3/5




Conclusion
I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. The performance by Chastain is the main reason but I also found the script witty and entertaining. Absorbing content from streaming is by far the most popular option for most consumers, but I’m not one of them. I do stream some shows from various services but when I watch a feature film, I prefer it to be on disc to get the best audio and video possible. Regardless, if you’re interested in a deeper look at the complicated personality of Tammy Faye Bakker this one is definitely worth watching.

Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[Paul Heroy]

My wife wants to watch this, I'm hesitant. I recall the news stories, and I also grew up right down the road from Swaggart Ministries in Baton Rouge. Let's just say I don't have anything close to a sympathetic view on televangelists. 

Re: streaming - I'm curious about the quality of the same movie from different platforms. Is Movies Anywhere the same, better or worse than iTunes, Amazon, Vudu? Do they basically all get the same digital file? Then from there do they do anything different? I know some of those have had different A/V levels available, for example MA didn't have 4K for a while. Audio codecs have been different too. I haven't kept up on the latest updates for various services.

[AVSCraig]

My wife wants to watch this, I'm hesitant. I recall the news stories, and I also grew up right down the road from Swaggart Ministries in Baton Rouge. Let's just say I don't have anything close to a sympathetic view on televangelists.

Re: streaming - I'm curious about the quality of the same movie from different platforms. Is Movies Anywhere the same, better or worse than iTunes, Amazon, Vudu? Do they basically all get the same digital file? Then from there do they do anything different? I know some of those have had different A/V levels available, for example MA didn't have 4K for a while. Audio codecs have been different too. I haven't kept up on the latest updates for various services.

Sounds like a good comparison project. Maybe for you?

[bmoney]

Don’t hit the delete button don’t hit the delete button…

[TRainH2O]

Don’t hit the delete button don’t hit the delete button…

I know what it was. Like me, as a child, you were traumatized by her eye makeup.   

[AVSCraig]

I know what it was. Like me, as a child, you were traumatized by her eye makeup.

That eye makeup was the stuff of nightmares!