“WALL·E: THREE DISC SPECIAL EDITION”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen, 2008, G
Best extra: The hi-def documentaries “Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Ground Up” explains sound’s key role in a film where the characters beep and buzz, rather than talk. A close second: Leslie Iwerk’s, “The Pixar Story,” an in-depth look at the studio that changed the entire animation industry. It’s almost too thorough.
A NEW SHORT, BURN·E, whets your appetite for the film. As for the movie itself, the overall imagery is spectacular especially on Blu-ray, since the Pixar gang developed the visual look to match the classic sci-fi films of the ‘70s.
The commentary track with director Andrew Stanton on the Blu-ray includes some pop-up images throughout with concept drawings, early computer animation and photographs. An exclusive hilarious Geek Track commentary with WALL·E filmmakers in the classic “Mystery Science Theater” silhouette provides a lively track with plenty of off-the-wall comments, while pop-up behind the scene visuals are shown matching the action on the screen. This one is a BLAST!
The set also includes a digital copy which allows you to legally transfer the movie to your computer or iPod. Also, checkout Disney’s Blu-ray Live Network, using your PlayStation 3 or Blu-ray player with an Ethernet connection for some chat lines and online trivia games.
— Larry Printz
“TROPIC THUNDER: DIRECTOR'S CUT”
Blu-ray widescreen and enhanced widescreen, R for pervasive language including sexual references, violent content and drug material
Best extra: A Werner Hertzog-style fake documentary “Rain of Madness” running 30 minutes and nearly a half-dozen shorts that examine the making of the doomed “Tropic Thunder” film-within-a-film. A major plus, all are available in hi-def.
EVERY FEW YEARS, Hollywood likes to make a movie about how bad Hollywood and moviemaking is. As such “Tropic Thunder” is a bit of an in-joke comparable to co-writer/director Ben Stiller’s broader “Zoolander.” This film about deluded actors filming a failing Vietnam epic is an absolute hoot – but don’t watch it with your sweet, church-going grandmother unless you want to end up red-faced.
Key among its vulgarities is a very funny Tom Cruise in a fearless performance as a sadistic studio chief. It’s enough to make you forget his couch jumping. The best reason to watch is for Robert Downey Jr.’s turn as a Russell Crowe-like Australian method actor in blackface. The director’s cut runs nearly 20-minutes longer with more graphic violence and character development during the march in the Hawaiian jungles subbing for Vietnam.
Downey also pops up on the extras in a series of superb fake-doc vignettes depicting the making of the film-within-a-film, including one in which his Lazarus character gets so into his role that he suffers post-traumatic stress.
The making-of extras detail the “production design,” “casting mini-profiles” and 11-minutes of raw footage, giving a peek into the world of film editor Greg Hayden. During one of the commentaries, Stiller and his crew including Oscar winning cinematographer John Toll (“Braveheart” “Legends of the Fall”), describe how they always had three to five cameras rolling to insure the constant improv acting from Stiller and his zany cast would be captured on film. During the second commentary, Stiller, Black and Downey provide the laughs. In fact, Downey is always in character making this track R rated.
The Blu-ray imagery is crisp and clean, but there is some visible film grain during the dark scenes. The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack is solid with deep subwoofer action during the bomb blasts. Also, you can check out the BD Live site via your PlayStation 3 or Blu-ray player with internet access for additional extras.
Overall, this movie is hilarious.
— David Putney
“THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen, 2008, PG-13 for mature material and sensuality
Best extra: A short hi-def featurette “Go Jump Off a Cliff,” a look at how a non-scripted part of the movie was added after some fans ran into the four stars in Greece
THE SISTERHOOD continues, albeit this time with mature themes for characters who are growing up, and sometimes apart, from each other. What’s exhilarating about part two of this saga is that the young women who share the magical pants realize they need to figure out who they are individually to realize what they mean to each other.
The special features support this, including a gag reel and additional scenes with commentary from Director Sanaa Hamri. “Go Jump Off a Cliff” is short but offers a nice tale about teenage boys jumping off a cliff in Santorini, Greece, who happen to run into the film’s four stars.
America Ferrera (Carmen), Blake Lively (Bridget), Alexis Bledel (Lena) and Amber Tamblyn (Tibby) have a conversation with the boys who tell them that their trip to Greece was inspired by the first movie. They even prove it by quoting from the film, Ferrera recalled. Before you know it, the young women ask that a scene be put into the movie with them jumping off the cliff together, to prove that their friendship will outstand whatever life throws their way.
As for the Blu-ray version of this flick, all bonuses are filmed in hi-def, but if you’re looking for big-screen quality when it comes to shots in say, Greece, don’t expect much. The film isn’t shot in Panavision, which makes it look like another HD television show.
— Toni Guagenti
“BAND OF BROTHERS”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2001, TV 14 for language, intense war violence and brief nudity
Best extra: The exclusive interactive scrolling field guide featured on every episode with hundreds of solider bios, military terms, trivia tidbits, military training footage, historical timeline and maps.
HERALDED AS THE bestselling TV series on DVD, the six-disc set finally premieres on Blu-ray with extraordinary realism and power. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s nonfiction best seller, the 10-part series chronicles the young men of Easy Company (506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, U.S. Army) who volunteered to save the world, but got more than they bargained for.
They got a glimpse of hell.
“All I remember was tremendous blast and flash. I tried to get up, but I could only see my broken legs,” says veteran Herbert J. Suerth Jr. during the hi-def documentary. Most of the interviews are sprinkled throughout the mini-series in a pop-up video format as the vets recall their personal stories as they occur onscreen.
The “Easy Company” saga begins in 1942 with rigorous training at Camp Toccoa, Ga. Then it’s off to England for more training. On June 6, 1944, the men encounter death for the first time, parachuting behind enemy lines. In September, they make another jump into German-occupied Holland, where the Dutch call them “angles from the sky.” Six-months after D-Day, the boys of Easy Company hold the front lines during a surprise counter-attack from the Nazis during a snowstorm in Belgium. And in the summer of 1945, the 506th captures Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest retreat in the Alps.
The Blu-ray discs are housed in a heavy-duty metal case just like its DVD brother. It has the same features, including 12 mini-video diaries in which actor Ron Livingston (Lt. Lewis Nixon) taped the cast’s 10-day training camp headed by actor/military advisor Capt. Dale Dye. It also includes a “making of” documentary detailing the three-year project from exclusive producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
The hi-def imagery revives more of the intentional grainy film look, while providing more detail, sharpness and color brilliance. The DTS HD soundtrack gets the biggest boost – a real shot in the arm – with its sonic blasts, blazing bullets and overall dialogue from the men of Easy Company.
Clearly this series is worthy of a Blu-ray upgrade, especially since it’s selling for nearly $50 less than the original DVD.
— Bill Kelley III
“HANNAH MONTANA: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON”
Full-screen, 2006, not rated
Best extra: “Back Home Again with Miley” and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, in the hills of Nashville, Tenn.
MILEY CYRUS CERTAINLY has made a mint living the “best of both worlds.” Viewers and fans who came late to her success can see where it all began on the Disney Channel with the first season of “Hannah Montana.”
The four-disc collector’s set not only has the 26 episodes from season one and three bonus features, it includes an iron-on Hannah Montana decal that’s should make the tween set go wild. Warning, parents will need to be around when the iron is used to make the transfer.
For a collector’s edition, other bonuses are lame, except for the trip back home to Nashville with Miley and her dad. The farm where Miley grew up is beautiful showing rolling hills, horses, a donkey and even a ton of arrow heads still hanging in a tree in a pouch that Miley used to collect them in. She didn’t want to take any back to Hollywood where the family now resides, even after her dad tries convincing her to.
The other two features include the opening of 2008’s Disney Channel Games, an annual event now pitting Disney Channel stars from around the world against each other. Miley sings during the opening event. The final bonus, “Hannah’s Highlights” on the episode “The Idol Side of Me,” has Miley popping up in a separate screen twice. Yes, it’s only two times. For most viewers, this won’t be worth watching the episode over again.
Some other Disney releases include the “Hannah Montana DVD Game” and “High School Musical DVD Game.” Both allow you and your friends and family to sing, dance and act while playing a game on your DVD player. The “High School Musical” version includes songs from the third movie installment in the series, which came out in October. Both are rated E for Everyone.
— Toni Guagenti
“SUNSET BOULEVARD”
Full-screen, 1950, unrated
Best extra: A commentary by Ed Sikov author of “Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Time of Billy Wilder”
“ROMAN HOLIDAY”
“Full-screen, 1953, unrated
Best extra: A 30-minute documentary, “Audrey Hepburn: The Paramount Years”
“SABRINA”
Full-screen, 1954, unrated
Best extra: A 30-minute documentary, “William Holden: The Paramount Years”
TRACING ITS DEEP ROOTS, Paramount has launched a new series of award winning classics. Each title in the “Paramount Centennial Collection” will be packaged in a two-disc set featuring new documentaries, an eight-page booklet and the very best digitally restored picture and sound mastered in hi-def.
Stop one minute. Where are the Blu-rays? Why not release the standard-def and hi-def at the same time? That would seem to be better marketing.
OK, enough of that. First up are three of Paramount’s greatest films of the 1950s.
“Sunset Boulevard” looks marvelous. In fact, it almost looks like a Blu-ray. Using the same pristine digital master from the previous DVD collection, Lowry Digital Images put 300 Mac computers into action to remove every single scratch and blemish. This time the black level is a little stronger and the sharpness is unreal.
It’s the tale of Joe Gillis (William Holden), a struggling screenwriter who’s found face down in a swimming pool with police and photographers surrounding his body in the opening scene. One of the documentaries pinpoints how director Billy Wilder pulled off this haunting image. The story then moves to six months earlier where we find Gillis on the run from the repro man. A flat tire lands him in the driveway of huge rundown gothic mansion, the strange world of an aging silent film queen Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), who soon won’t allow the young writer to escape her grasp. Swanson’s performance has to be one of the best roles ever filmed for the silver screen. Who can forget her first exchange with Joe?
“You used to be big,” he says.
“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small,” she snaps back.
Sikov’s commentary provides inside scoop about a different opening sequence that was soundly rejected during a test screening. It was set in the Los Angeles county morgue with Joe wearing an ID tag on his toe. When then the room full of corpses start talking to each other, the audience started laughing. Wilder left the theater. “It was one of the black moments of my life,” he told Sikov.
The collection also features 12 documentaries with dozens of interviews from ex-LAPD detective/author Joseph Wambaugh, actress Stefanie Powers, co-star Nancy Olson, film historians and critics. You’ll discover that Wilder first considered Mae West and Mary Pickford to play Norma Desmond.
“Roman Holiday” is not in “Sunset’s” league for sharpness and overall quality, but it’s still quite enjoyable to watch Audrey Hepburn in her Oscar winning performance. The gorgeous 23-year-old, who suffered depression and malnutrition during he Nazi occupation of Holland, was paired with Gregory Peck as an American reporter. He escorts the young princess (Hepburn) around Rome after she escapes from royal life for the day.
The two-disc set includes seven documentaries with interviews from Eddie Albert, Peck, fashion designers, a film historian and Hepburn’s son, Sean, who describes his mother as “This young twig, which grew into a lovely tree.” She retired from acting at the height of her career to raise a family. Hepburn later became the special ambassador to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The first American film completely produced in Italy, Peck pulled a fast gag on Hepburn during the filming of the “Mouth of Truth” scene. Legend says the stone will bite your hand off if you lie to it. Peck pulls his arm out during the shoot to show his hand missing. The stunt wasn’t planned and Hepburn’s shock is genuine. Peck had stolen the sight gag from comedian Red Skelton.
“Sabrina” just happens to be Hepburn’s next crowd pleaser. She plays the charming Cinderella-like character opposite Hollywood’s top leading men at the time, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart.
Set in Long Island, Hepburn is the daughter of the chauffeur to the wealthy Larrabbee family. Playboy brother Holden is her first love, but her heart turns to the other brother, an aging tycoon (Bogart, in a role first offered to Cary Grant). When Sabrina returns from culinary school in Paris, she sets the brothers into a tailspin with her newly refined fashion and style.
The DVD features seven documentaries including interviews with fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, who defined Hepburn as a fashion icon. “She broke all the rules, it was her style and her hair cut.” Another documentary highlights the “Gold Coast,” considered the ultimate gated community and that part of Long Island where the tale takes place. During the Holden documentary, you’ll discover how the Oscar winner crashed his car on the way home after picking the golden statue for “Stalag 17.”
Paramount, keep the movies coming, but please don’t hold the Blu-ray versions from us too long!
— Bill Kelley III
“STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES - SEASON 3”
Full-screen, not rated
Best extra: The restored and revamped version of the original series pilot “The Cage.”
AS DVD SETS go, Star Trek is not among the greatest of values. This seven-disc set of the 1968-1969 season lists for close to $90, although it’s available through online retailers for less. The shows in that set were remastered for HD-DVD with new special effects, but that format dead-ended early this year, so season two and now three have been released in standard format.
That makes this collection among the “most likely to re-buy on Blu-ray in a year or two.”
Compared with its previous release, picture and sound are much improved – pristine actually – even if it does tend to accentuate the show’s creaky plywood and tinfoil production design. The new special effects are adequately lo-fi and non-intrusive unlike other productions with pasted-in FX such as “Star Wars.”
Season three itself is the most lackluster of the three. Gene Roddenberry’s attention drifted and a high percentage of the shows were absolute clunkers or worse – “Spock’s Brain” for example. The documentaries are carried over from previous DVD releases.
If you can find a good price, this set is a definite upgrade over earlier presentations. But be warned – that will be said about a hi-def release down the road.
— David Putney
“THE POLAR EXPRESS: PRESENTED IN 3-D”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2004, G
Best extra: Original theatrical 2-D version.
“ELF”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2003, PG for mild rude humor and language
Best extra: Two commentaries, one with director Jon Favreau and another with Will Ferrell.
IF YOU WERE waiting to pick up the Blu-ray edition of “Polar Express,” this could be a good time to go for it. The latest presentation offers a chance to view the film in 3-D (four pairs of red and blue lensed cardboard glasses are included) or in beautifully high-def 2-D. It’s not a bad deal.
It’s still difficult to sit through a 3-D presentation with those uncomfortable cardboard glasses for a 99 minute feature. You have to hold your head just right, don’t you know. The thoughtful bonus here is the inclusion of the 2-D Blu-ray presentation where video and sound quality are both beautiful. It is a completely clean transfer. The colors are rich and detail is superb. The TV trailer of this film was unsettling, but the film experience is a treat.
Most of the high-def extras have also made the transfer into this presentation.
I don’t care much for Will Farrell’s forays into the absurd, but I LOVE him in “Stranger Than Fiction” and “Elf.” “Elf” has become one of my top holiday classics and it’s great to see it on Blu-ray, something I can watch again and again. A stunning transfer provides more visual and audio polish to the story of a human raised by elves with Papa Elf in the form of Bob Newhart and Ed Asner as Santa. How perfect is that? The rest of the cast – including James Caan, Zooey Dschanel, Mary Steenburgen and a guest gig from Leon Redbone – are all fantastic in a brilliant script from David Berenbaum directed by Jon Favreau.
Most of the extras from the original DVD are transferred to the Blu-ray package and remain in standard-def. If you’re looking for holiday fare for you new Blu-ray player, this is a must-have.
— Mike Reynolds
“T.V. HOLIDAY TREATS”
Full-screen, various release dates, not rated
Best extra: Just having some of those oldies but goodies on one disc is a bonus in and of itself
IT DOESN’T GET any better than seeing Lucille Ball dressed like Santa Claus with her cohorts, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. But there are other touching, funny Christmas TV shows in this mix of eight. Here’s a list of them: “I Love Lucy,” original airdate Dec. 24, 1956; “The Honeymooners,” original airdate Dec. 24, 1955; “The Andy Griffith Show,” original airdate Dec. 19, 1960; “The Brady Bunch,” original airdate Dec. 19, 1969; “Taxi,” original airdate Dec. 12, 1978; “Family Ties,” original airdate Dec. 14, 1983; “Frasier,” original airdate Dec. 16, 1993; “Wings,” original airdate Dec. 21, 1990.
— Toni Guagenti
"SHREK THE HALLS"
Enhanced widescreen and full-screen, 2007, not rated
Best extra: “Gingy’s Dunking Game,” save the gingerbread man’s gumdrop buttons: “No, not the gumdrop buttons!”
IF YOU MISSED “Shrek the Halls” last year at Christmas, now is your turn to add it to your Shrek DVD collection. It was only a matter of time before Fiona and Shrek’s babies discovered the real meaning of the holidays. No, it isn’t toys, silly.
It’s cute and silly, and features your favorite voices and characters (Donkey and Puss, for example), so what’s not to love?
The bonus features are light, including two Christmas songs from the “Madagascar” crowd, a DVD-ROM preview to the Shrek Carnival Craze video game (with a cheat code) and the pat DreamWorks animation video jukebox with songs from lots of DreamWorks creations. The “Gingy’s Dunking Game’ is fun, but clearly for the younger kids, since you have to match gum drops with the ones on the front of Gingy’s body so he doesn’t get eaten.
— Toni Guagenti
"THE FLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"
Enhanced Widescreen, 2008, G
Best extra: zilch
EMMA ROBERTS (“Nancy Drew”) and Norm MacDonald (SNL) lend their voice talents to a new, straight-to-DVD holiday computer-generated story about a little reindeer’s trek to find his father at Santa’s Fell, deemed on the DVD box as “a place where dreams come true if you truly believe.” Doesn’t that sound like “Polar Express”?
Nonetheless, the feature-less DVD creates some cute new characters including Wilma (Roberts), a singing weasel, and Julius (MacDonald), a flying squirrel. They help reindeer Niko save his herd and Santa and his reindeer from rabid wolves and, at the same time, find out about friendship and caring.
Sounds like a nice family flick.
— Toni Guagenti
“ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES PRESENTS: A CHRISTMAS CAROL FOR ANNIE”
Full-screen, various dates, not rated
Best extra: An extra show from the series, “The Gift of the Magi,” O. Henry’s short story, and “Old Mr. Rabbit’s Thanksgiving,” an American folklore. Both are stories are about generosity.
THIS “ADVENTURES FROM the Book of Virtues’” takes on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” It’s about compassion and the meaning of Christmas and is in two parts.
This cartoon ran on PBS and features two human characters, Annie and Zach, who learn about virtues from their animal friends. The show is based on “The Book of Virtues” by former U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett.
— Toni Guagenti
"ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CLASSIC HOLIDAY GIFT SET"
Full-screen, various release dates, not rated
Best extra: No bonus features but lots of Chipmunk holiday tales with those famous high-pitched voices singing familiar tunes.
ENJOY THE CARTOON Alvin and the Chipmunks in 12 holiday episodes, from Halloween to Christmas, on three separate DVDs.
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason,” has five episodes from 1988, 1989 and 1994. They are: “Trick or Treason,” “Babysitter Fright Night,” “Theodore’s Life as a Dog,” “Nightmare on Seville Street” and “No Chipmunk is an Island.”
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Alvin’s Thanksgiving Celebration,” has four fun-filled episodes from 1988, 1989 and 1994. They are: “A Chipmunk Celebration,” “Food for Thought,” “Cookie Chomper 111” and “Dave’s Getting Married.”
“Alvin and the Chipmunks: A Chipmunk Christmas” has three episodes from 1981, 1988 and 1989. They are: “A Chipmunk Christmas,” “Merry Christmas, Mr. Carroll” and “Dave’s Wonderful Life.”
— Toni Guagenti
“A COLBERT CHRISTMAS: THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL!”
Full-screen, 2008, not rated
Best extra: “Stephen’s 25-Day Video Advent Calendar”
STEPHEN COLBERT’S done with the 2008 presidential election and has moved on to the subject (almost) at hand: Christmas.
“Families have gathered around the TV to enjoy Stephen Colbert’s Christmas specials every year since 2008,” says the DVD box, which is just one of the many jokes that riddle the Comedy Central pundit’s latest effort. The show starts airing on Comedy Central Nov. 23.
Colbert hosts guests such as Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, John Legend, Feist, Toby Keith and, of course, Jon Stewart.
The special features are included on the main menu: A video Yule log to watch as books are burned in the fireplace, three alternate endings, a down-and-out holiday song sung by Colbert and the fun 25-day Advent calendar that I couldn’t bring myself to cheat on. Start it Dec. 1, and open up a different virtual door each day until Christmas.
— Toni Guagenti
“THOMAS KINKADE’S CHRISTMAS COTTAGE”
Enhanced widescreen, 2008, PG for language, some suggestive content and smoking
Best extra: Commentary with Director Michael Campus and Thomas Kinkade. Campus brings to life the true story of Kincade and how he became known as the “Painter of Light.”
AS A YOUNG COLLEGE student, Kincade (Jared Padalecki) returns to his home town in Nevada to find that attempts to promote local tourism have failed and his mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is about to lose the family home. Glen (Peter O’Toole), a famous painter who lives next door, inspires Kincade to find his true calling and save the day.
The movie’s a heart-warming new addition to those Christmas stories that pop up every year and make you feel good. This one has bonus features that support the tale, including a conversational commentary from Campus and Kinkade.
There are also deleted scenes with Campus/Kinkade optional commentary; a making-of featurette, “Building the Christmas Cottage,” where viewers learn about Kinkade’s first meeting with Campus at a restaurant with their respective wives; a conversation with Kinkade, and a look at Kinkade on the set of a movie about his life.
Of course, you can own the “Christmas Cottage” painting by the artist, available at a Thomas Kinkade Gallery near you.
— Toni Guagenti
“SOUTHLAND TALES”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2006, R for language, violence, sexual material and some drug content
Best extra: "The Complete Prequel Graphic Novel Series" allows viewers to peruse the three graphic novels which attempt to make sense of the events leading up to "Southland Tales."
WRITER/DIRECTOR Richard Kelly's follow up to cult favorite "Donnie Darko" is one of the most self-indulgent and incomprehensible films ever made. It premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival to disastrous results. The 160-minute film was reviled by critics and audiences alike. Kelly was forced to re-edit the film and Sony ponied up for 90 additional visual effects shots. The film was released a year later in a new and equally incomprehensible 144-minute cut that received more bad reviews and grossed well under half a million dollars.
If you happen to like this film (there's bound to be someone out there) it receives a solid hi-def transfer on Blu-ray. The print is clean as a whistle. Colors and detail are up to snuff. The uncompressed soundtrack is pleasing to the ear with lots of subtle details and Moby's score is well presented.
The commentary by Richard Kelly is boring and filled with dead space. Months after the film's DVD release, Kelly still seems unable to offer much of an explanation for this exclusive Blu-ray commentary and doesn't have anything interesting to say. Also exclusive to the Blu-ray are the three graphic novels which Kelly had the gall to say, in advance of his film being released, that you needed to read them to understand the film. Well, having read them, I still don't understand the film, which is filled with references to sci-fi literature and other movies but has no original thoughts of its own. Also included are the two featurettes from the DVD release.
Pretentious. Incoherent. Skip it.
— Josh Boone
"MISTER FOE"
Enhanced widescreen, 2006, R for strong sexual content and language
Best extra: Very little is offered in the way of extras, a brief behind-the-scenes featurette and a handful of deleted scenes.
"MISTER FOE," KNOWN as "Hallam Foe" in the U.K., is a bizarre coming of age story about a young man named Hallam (played by the brilliant Jamie Bell) who develops a creepy habit of spying on others after his mother's suicide. He suspects his new stepmother (Claire Forlani) of foul play in his mother's death and runs away from home only to be smitten by a beautiful woman (the luminous Sophia Myles), who he proceeds to spy on as well. This a strange little indie film but is well worth a watch for its strong performances and originality.
Recommended for viewers looking for something different.
— Josh Boone
"LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN"
Blu-ray widescreen, 2005, R for strong violence, sexuality and language
Best extra: Skip the director commentary and try the second track, an informative romp with actors Josh Hartnett and Lucy Liu, with comments from writer Jason Smilovic.
ONE WOULD THINK with Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett that “Lucky Number Slevin” would be one of the better crime thrillers of the year. Unfortunately, Hartnett’s second collaboration with director Paul McGuigan (“Wicker Park”) is simply a series of wannabe Tarantino moments and steals from classic films such as “Chinatown” and “North by Northwest.”
It’s not a terrible film; it’s just a waste that such a wonderful cast couldn’t have been given something more original. Extras include two commentaries. One, a solo track by McGuigan, is sleeping inducing. Hartnett, Lucy Liu and writer Jason Smilovic, though all recorded separately, offer a much livelier track. Just don’t listen to it before you’ve watched the movie because they give away every plot twist in advance. Three deleted scenes and a fluffy featurette are also included.
The Blu-ray boasts an eye grabbing transfer ripe with colors and detail. The uncompressed audio is also spot on. There's a lot of dialogue but the lifelike soundscape makes for an enveloping mix.
— Josh Boone
“AWAKE”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2007, R for language, an intense and disturbing situation, and brief drug use
Best extra: Although the film is engaging, there's not a lot to recommend here as far as the extras go.
AN ALL-STAR CAST, including Hayden Christensen, Jessica Alba, and Terrence Howard, star in this suspenseful thriller reminiscent of old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" episodes. The film deals with the phenomena of anesthetic awareness, which is reported to happen in 20,000 to 40,000 patients out of every 20 million U.S. surgeries, in which patients under the knife are paralyzed by anesthesia but are still awake and aware of the traumatic pain of the surgery.
"Awake" comes to Blu-ray with an excellent hi-def transfer and lossless sound. It's very film-like with golden, warm hues and grain intact. The Dolby TrueHD track is especially immersive, especially during the operation sequence in the film, which is told more through sound than visuals.
There are no Blu-ray exclusives and the extras, carried over from this year's DVD release, are presented in standard-def. There's not much here. The commentary by first-time writer/director Joby Harold is quiet and not particularly engaging. He spends too much time narrating what's happening on screen instead of telling listeners about the writing and production. Also included is a typical 20-minute making of featurette, some deleted scenes, and a brief storyboard to film comparison.
— Josh Boone
“DR. SYN: THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH”
Enhanced widescreen, 1964, unrated, maybe a few scary images
Best extra: The feature “Dr. Syn: The History of the Legend”
DAD, MOM, your responsibility is clear.
In his intro, Disney cheerleader Leonard Maltin says “Dr. Syn” has been one of the most requested titles from Uncle Walt’s vaults.
That means that fans of a certain age (i.e., those who camped around the tube for “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color”) have been nudging Disney for this DVD.
Now that it’s here, it’s incumbent that you sit the kids down in front of the flat-screen. Save a spot for yourself, too, because this full-bodied adventure is as good as you remember.
In fact, it’s better. The tale of Dr. Syn – parish priest by day; by night, the masked Scarecrow who confounded King George III – has been re-mastered and reconfigured for widescreen and comes with an optional 5.1 audio track. Patrick McGoohan, “Secret Agent” behind him, “The Prisoner” still ahead, makes you BELIEVE.
Part of Disney’s handsomely packaged “Treasures” series, the saga comes in its two incarnations: The three-parter (with Walt’s intros) that aired on U.S. TV and the streamlined feature film that played in the U.K. and in Europe.
There are only a few extras, but a feature on the history of the Dr. Syn character is really good. Author Russell Thorndyke came up with the character when he and his sister were visiting New York and someone was murdered in their hotel. Rattled, they spent the night telling stories. “Doctor Syn” was published in 1915; the problem was, he died in the end. Twenty years later, Thorndyke started cranking out the prequels.
The other feature is about Disney’s satellite studio in England.
— Craig Shapiro
“PAUL McCARTNEY: THE SPACE WITHIN US”
Blu-ray widescreen, 2006, unrated
Best extra: A soundcheck performance of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On”
SORRY, BUT THE guy is wrong. An online shopper who bought the standard DVD in 2006 wrote that he was disappointed because there were too many shots of the crowd and not enough of Paul.
Maybe it’s me, but those crowd shots took me back to a happy place: Atlanta 2002, when I saw Macca on his Driving U.S.A. Tour, his first in nearly 10 years. I was overwhelmed all over again.
Besides, there’s plenty of Paul – playing hit after hit after hit by The Beatles and Wings, as well as his solo stuff. There’s lots of offstage footage, too, which brings up one complaint: Splicing it between songs really interrupts the flow of the concert.
As gripes go, though, it’s minor. The hi-def picture sparkles and the 5.1 audio covers the spectrum, from McCartney’s trusty Hofner bass to the classical guitar and accordion that color “Till There Was You.”
Two extras stand out: a clever film – think of it as McCartney 101 – that opened the concerts and a three-song soundcheck highlighted by Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Watch it, Paul, your roots are showing!
— Craig Shapiro
“THE COMPLETE MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS: COLLECTOR’S EDITION”
Full-screen and enhanced widescreen, various dates, unrated, language, bawdy humor
Best extras: Two new expansive documentaries: “Before the Flying Circus” and “Monty Python Conquers America”
YOU WANT TRUTH in advertising? Here it is. This 21-disc set – correct, twenty-one – comes with every episode of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” two live performances, the German episode and various and sundry other bits, some naughty.
What about the “16-Ton Megaset” you picked up in 2005? Get rid of it. Everything’s been re-mastered, though, to tell the truth, there’s only so much that can be done with British television from the 1970s. Plus, it comes with three discs of personal favorites by each Python (originally released in 2006) and, on two more discs, brand-new documentaries that every fan worth his late parrot will eat up: “Before the Flying Circus” and “Monty Python Conquers America.”
It’s great to see that the surviving members have aged so well and that they’re as funny as ever. Even better are the vintage photos and footage from the Pythons’ formative series, “At Last the 1948 Show” and “Do Not Adjust Your Set.”
But that only scratches the surface. Both docs are loaded.
— Craig Shaprio
“FUTURAMA: BENDER’S GAME”
Blu-ray and enhanced widescreen and full-screen, animated, 2008, not rated contains adult material
Best extra: Commentary, featuring Matt Groening and David Cohen, director Dwayne Carey, voice actors Billy West, John DiMaggio, and Tress MacNeille, producer Claudia Katz, and co-writer Michael Rowe, is available in its standard audio format on the Blu-ray and standard-def presentations. You can also watch it in a pop-up format on the Blu-ray. Entertaining and chock full o’ info.
“BENDER’S GAME,” THE third of four direct-to-video “Futurama” adventures, shakes its plot points out of The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, Dungeons & Dragons, and the politics of oil. Is it a hoot? It really is – one that can be savored by adult fans of animation.
The Blu-ray edition offers a great picture. Colors are lush and vivid; definition is clean. Sound is also terrific with a great balance of dialogue, background noise and effects. This is a whacky series with highly imaginative characters and situations and looks ready for the big screen here.
It’s also packed with extras including “Dungeons and Dragons and Futurama,” a looks at the game’s influence on the film and the series, “How to Draw Futurama in 83 Easy Steps,” “3D Models,” “Fun with Futurama,” “Storyboard Animatics,” “Genetics Lab,” and a trailer for the next “Futurama” film, “Into the Wild Green Yonder.”
— Mike Reynolds
“CHARMED: THE COMPLETE SERIES”
Enhanced widescreen, 1998-2006, not rated, contains action and spooky images
Best extra: A bonus disc of new features
EIGHT SEASONS on 49 discs with 173 episodes and lots of extra features gives viewers the complete story of the Halliwell girls, Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Paige (Rose McGowan), their family, friends and foes. This is a complicated supernatural family and it’s best to start from the beginning.
Epilsodes look like new here and the sound is very good.
Fans will appreciate how the new set is packaged in a “Book of Shadows” format. It’s clever and fun. A disc of new extras, the best of which is “The Power of Three” featuring interviews with the cast and crew, makes this a very special gift set for the fan – and a great source for new fans of the series.
— Mike Reynolds
“SCRUBS: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON”
Full-screen, 2008, not rated
Best extra: For the first time in this series, the new set features a commentary track for each episode.
BY ITS SEVENTH season, Scrubs – once one of the brightest and freshest comedies in all of teevee-dom – had become a shell of its former self. Where once charming, hilarious surprises waited around every corner of Sacred Heart Hospital, redundancy, by now, reigned.
Still, all things considered, Scrubs in its seventh season remains stronger and more inviting than most TV fare. This is thanks to – in no small part – a top-notch ensemble cast, led by sometimes-director (see this set’s "My Growing Pains” episode) Zach Braff. Newest cast member Elizabeth Banks freshens things up a bit, but Heather Graham was much more entertaining in season four.
Much like the episodes included herein, this set’s extras offer nothing really innovative. A blooper reel provides some entertainment value. Otherwise, stick with the show itself if you’re looking for any real degree of entertainment.
— Robert Hatfield
“SHAUN THE SLEEP”
Full-screen, 2008, unrated (but suitable for all ages)
Best extra: There’s only one real extra, a cute “meet the animals” feature with children’s descriptions of the barnyard characters and a peek at the surprisingly small sets.
IT DOESN’T START promisingly. The disc is littered with hard-to-bypass ads for Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine – the kinds of shows that induce rapture in children and nausea in adults.
But then the collection of animated shorts begins, and all is forgiven. The show (available in the U.K. on the CBBC and in the U.S. via Disney) is the work of Aardman studios, the dotty British stop-motion geniuses responsible for Wallace and Gromit and “Chicken Run,” the masters of expressively sculpted faces and subversive humor.
Here, the stars are a herd of sheep, led by the irrepressible Shaun, a skinny soccer buff with a way of looking innocent even in the midst of mayhem. Watching over them is a smart dog, a clueless farmer hidden behind thick spectacles and a cluster of malevolent pigs. Like the classic Roadrunner cartoons, these tiny epics have virtually no dialogue, but they are wonderfully absurd and funny. And they have something not many children’s entertainments offer: Appeal for viewers of any age, from preschool to adult.
The only down side is that there are only eight shorts here – not quite an hour’s worth – plus a very short extra that doesn’t offer any insight into the painstaking work involved in this kind of animation. But in a world of Hannah Montana merchandising and worked-over Disney sequels, maybe 51 minutes of artistry disguised as a children’s cartoon about sheep isn’t so baaaaad.
— Caroline Luzzatto
“OPIUM: DIARY OF A MADWOMAN”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, unrated but contains nudity, drug use and disturbing imagery
Best extra: The making-of featurette is meaty and interesting.
BASED ON THE memoir of a Hungarian psychiatrist in the early 1900s, this nightmarish, but beautifully filmed drama is not for the faint of heart. It depicts the horrors of early treatments for mental illness, complete with torturous restraining devices and graphic lobotomies. “Opium” is also a bizarre love story in which the psychiatrist, who happens to also be a morphine addict, falls in love with a brilliant and beautiful patient who believes she is possessed by evil spirits.
The making-of documentary contains interviews with the Scandinavian stars (Ulrich Thomsen is Danish; Kirsti Stubo is Norwegian), the director, producer and other cast and crew members. The director discusses his choice of location, an abandoned Romanesque fort, to become the hellish hospital; his use of genuine mentally handicapped extras; and the demands placed on his actors, especially Stubo, who was required to do many physically and emotionally challenging scenes. Other extras include cast and crew interviews and some B-roll footage of behind-the-scenes moments.
— Peggy Earle
"MADAME BOVARY"
Enhanced widescreen, 1991, PG-13 for adult themes
Best extra: The only extra is a documentary about Isabelle Huppert, focusing on her preparation for a staged adaptation of “Medea.”
THIS TWO-DISC set contains Claude Chabrol’s incisive interpretation of Flaubert’s classic novel about a French 19th-century middle-class wife’s gradual ruination. It stars Isabelle Huppert, who is always fascinating to watch, as the bored, seethingly passionate Emma.
The documentary on Huppert includes a bit of biography with clips from previous films, her own narration revealing her views on the life of an actor, and glimpses of her rehearsals for Euripides’ demanding Greek tragedy.
— Peggy Earle
“GARDEN PARTY”
Enhanced widescreen, 2008, not rated, language, drug use and adult themes
Best extra: No extras.
IF THERE WERE ROOM in the world for yet another story about wayward big-city twentysomethings, this film isn't it. All the clichés are here: The struggling musician, the bed hopper, the deviant real estate agent who leaves a packet of pot for every potential customer. One is quickly led to believe that every resident of Los Angeles under 30 – 1) needs a job; 2) is willing to have kinky pictures taken of them for extra cash; and 3) is disposable as a Kleenex.
If writer/director Jason Freeland had introduced the aforementioned clichés, then turned them in on themselves, it would be a pleasant surprise – something for this likable bunch of actors to really sink their teeth into. But alas, the flaccid script only allows the characters to march in short, predetermined paths. The wealthy L.A. bigwigs who call the shots – the aforementioned real estate pot dealer, a deviant internet photographer and a rich man on the prowl for younger, vulnerable women – demand a lot of their underlings' capabilities before quickly losing interest. It's a good comparison of how you will feel when watching this film.
— Carl Hott
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