From the creators of High School Musical, and you can really tell. The film tells the story of Ally, a young lady who wants to be a musician. Her mom owns the music store in the local mall and she spends all of her time there practicing, including after hours thanks to the help of a couple nightwatchmen. It looks like her dream moves one step closer to reality when she meets Joey, a janitor / up-and-coming musician, who understand her music, and her soul. However, just when it seems like they met their soulmates, in walks Madison. Madison is the daughter of the mall owner, who uses her daddy's power to get what she wants, and what she wants is Joey and to get rid of Ally and her mom's store.

Basically it's High School Musical set in a mall and substituting Ally for Gabriella, Joey for Troy, and Madison for Sharpay. It is also aimed at a slightly older audience; and by slightly older I mean instead of going after 8 to 12-year olds, they are going after 13 to 15-year olds. So far reviews are mixed, but I think that might be a little more than I'm willing to go. For the most part the story was simply uninteresting, the characters were one-dimensional, and most of the music & dancing left me flat. Granted, I'm not in the target audience, but I've reviewed enough similar movies to know when a film like is just not working. And I don't think this one worked.

On the other hand, the extras are great with two audio commentary tracks, four music videos, two dance instructions, six deleted scenes, outtakes, and two extended performances. However, while there's a lot here, none of it really stands out and demands repeat viewing.

American Mall makes its debut on TV tonight before coming out on DVD tomorrow. However, while there are plenty of extras, the movie itself has little replay value and is only worth watching once for the target audience, skipping for the rest of us.

The Jack Ryan Franchise - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon: The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears
All four films from the Jack Ryan franchise came out recently on Blu-ray recently. Since the screeners were late, let's jump right in...

The Hunt for Red October - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
The first of the Jack Ryan series with Alec Baldwin playing Jack Ryan. Not only is it the first movie, it is based on the frist book. However, while Alec Baldwin plays Jack Ryan, most would argue that the real star is Sean Connery as Marko Ramius, a Russia Submarine captain who has stolen a top-secret Russia submarine and is either intent on defecting to the United States, or starting World War III.

Almost all would agree that this movie is the best of the series and it relies on tension more than action to draw moviegoers in and keep their attention. Additionally, for a film that is nearly 20 years old, it looks good on Blu-ray. On the other hand, the extras are rather light with just an audio commentary track (with a few more dead spots than I would have liked) and a 30-minute retrospective that is in standard definition.

Patriot Games - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
The second film in the franchise and the first with Harrison Ford in the lead. Here he is vacationing in the U.K. when he gets caught up in an I.R.A. plot to kill a member of the British royal family. But after he stops the attempt, his wife and daughter become targets and he must stop an escaped I.R.A. member bent on revenge.

The second in the series is not as good as the first was, as it doesn't generate the tension needed. Perhaps the claustrophobic feel in the submarine just could not be replicated. Perhaps the villain here felt too cartoony to be as compelling. Don't get me wrong, it is still a good movie, but just not a classic like the original. Additionally, the extras are not as good with just a making-of featurette, which is presented in standard definition. Finally, despite being a couple of years younger, the print looks substantially worse than The Hunt for Red October. I can't really explain why.

Clear and Present Danger - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
Due to a shipping problem at the warehouse, Clear and Present Danger on Blu-ray never arrived. While the movie is better than Patriot Games, the special features are limited to the making-of featurette found on the DVD, but I can't go into anymore detail than that. If the Blu-ray does arrive, I will post the review A.S.A.P.

The Sum of All Fears - Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon
Ben Affleck becomes the third man to play Jack Ryan in this 2002 action film. This time around Neo-Nazi terrorists try to start World War III by provoking Russia and the United States into war by detonating a nuclear device at a championship football game.

It was 8 years between Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears, but the time was not generous and it earned the weakest reviews. Granted, its Tomatometer score was just below the overall positive level and it is certainly not terrible, but it is hard to get overly enthusiastic about it. Some blame Ben Affleck for his portrayal of Jack Ryan, but I think that's not fair. I think the problem is with the script. While the movie is very slick, the story relies on too many clichés and the characters are not as well developed. Conversely, the extras on this Blu-ray are better than the other three combined with two audio commentary tracks, and two making-of featurettes. That said, the High Definition transfer is weaker than the age would suggest.

Overall, the Jack Ryan Franchise's debut on Blu-ray is mixed. Most of the films are worth checking out, but only The Hunt for Red October is a must have. Additionally, the extras are weak on the two Harrison Ford installments only having making-of featurettes as extras. Worse still, only The Hunt for Red October looks good in High Definition (assuming you cut the film some slack for some of its dated special effects). I'm sure fans will be happy that these movies are finally coming out on High Definition, but I can only recommend picking up The Hunt for Red October on Blu-ray.

This is the first season the show moved from Canadian TV to the United States (with Stone and Parker as producer). However, even though it is only the series' fourth season, it is starting to show its age. Okay. Bear with me, I'm about to repeat something I've previously said on repetition, which is ironic. Repetitiveness is the killer of comedy, and while the competitions are wildly different in nature, the actual shows are not. In the vast majority of the cases, it is simply a matter of time waiting for Kenny to cheat to win. To make matters worse, Kenny doesn't come across as some charming rogue you can't help but cheer for despite his cheating. He comes across as a total loser; I've seen bathroom flooring with more personal charisma than Kenny has. On the other hand, Spencer is excellent as the straight man, and with a foil that had even half of his charisma, this could be an entertaining show.

Extras on the 2-disc set include a ton of deleted scenes, Kenny answering viewer e-mails, interviews, etc. There are even two audio commentary tracks, but you have to go to the individual episode menus to find them, as they don't appear in the special features menu. (I hate that DVD design.) Speaking of DVD design, there are no subtitles, but at least there are play all buttons and proper chapter placement.

Kenny vs. Spenny is a show that at its heart has an idea that is potentially funny. However, the lack of charisma displayed by Kenny, as well as the repetitious nature of how the contests play out, and what could be a gut-busting show, to the right crowd, is severely dulled. On the other hand, Volume One is priced right and has enough extras that it is worth picking up for fans.

On the one hand, this is a very interesting look at one of the best boxers of all time, and one of the best self-promoters of all time as well. However, this is also a bit of a downside as well, as there's very little new to explore in the life of Muhammad Ali. We learn about how racism affected his life, his early fights with Henry Cooper, and his two with Sonny Liston. (On a side note, they mention the so-called 'phantom punch' and talk that Liston threw the second match. However, they show a camera angle that clearly shows Ali landed a strong blow to the head. Whether or not Sonny Liston didn't get up because he couldn't, or because he didn't want to, is not something anyone can answer definitively, but there was a solid blow that landed. The program also delves into Cassius Clay becoming Muhammad Ali after getting involved with the Nation of Islam and how that affected how he was portrayed in the media, how that might have led to him being drafted, and how refusing to answer the call made him villain in the eyes of many Americans.

On the downside, there's not a whole lot of information here that hasn't been presented in a lot of other sources. Secondly, the main feature is less than an hour long and the price-per-minute is rather high for TV on DVD.

As for the extras, there's nearly 30-minute interview with the two filmmakers.

On the one hand, Muhammad Ali - Made in Miami is certainly worth checking out. However, the DVD is not strong enough that purchasing is obviously the better way to go over just renting. Call it a solid rental leaning to a purchase.

It's hard to write a review for what is a re-release of previous material, especially since I discussed both releases previously. What more do I need to add?

Mulan is an excellent movie that came out during the waning days of traditional animation (it came out the same year as A Bug's Life did). It tells the story of Mulan, a Chinese girl whose father is called into battle to defend the Empire. However, she disguises herself as a man and goes off to battle instead. The film deals with a lot of subjects, includes a bit of female empowerment, as well as using brains as well as brawn. Extras on the 2-disc set include an audio commentary track (although not packed with information nor is it high in energy), deleted scenes, several music videos, interactive Mulan's World. Disc two is taken up by a very large, multi-part making-of documentary that delves into the genesis of the movie to the final animation. However, it is broken into several sections, and several more sub-sections and I would have liked a master 'play all' button. It does earn its 'Special Edition' label.

Mulan II is everything we've come to expect from a direct-to-DVD sequel to a Disney animated movie. And no, that is not a compliment. It is not the worst such release I've seen, but it feels so unnecessary. Even at a mere 79 minutes, including credits, it feels padded. Extras on the DVD include deleted scenes, music video, a featurette on the voicework, and two interactive games.

This Box Set is like buying the first Mulan and getting the second for $6, which is about the right price for that movie. Even with Mulan being better than its reputation, it is hard to be enthusiastic recommending this release and it is absolutely only worth picking up if you don't have the movie on DVD yet. There is no reason to upgrade.

Dennis Quaid stars as a college professor, Wetherhold, whose life takes a turn for the worse when a minor accident leaves him legally unable to drive and he has to rely on his wholly unreliable brother. Adding to the complications in his life are his daughter, who is rebelling by overachieving, his son, who goes to the same college but is miles away, and his new love interest, who is a former student.

Overall, Smart People earned mixed reviews, which is very apt. There is nothing overtly wrong with the movie and the cast are more than capable of handling the material. However, the material is too light to leave a lasting impression. One could easily enjoy watching the movie, but then have trouble remembering favorite scenes or plot points mere minutes after the closing credits roll. Worth checking out, but the replay value is limited.

As for the extras on the DVD, they are on par with most first run releases and include an audio commentary track, interviews, deleted scenes, and outtakes. There's even an Easter Egg that is easy to find. The Blu-ray has no additional extras, and they are all presented in standard definition. That said, the price is only 20% more than the DVD, which is great for this type of release.

Smart People is a second tier release. Both the movie and the extras are worth checking out, but the sum total doesn't have the replay value needed to warrant a purchase. Additionally, neither the DVD nor the Blu-ray offer substantially better value for the money, but since I'm only recommending a rental, that issue is mostly moot.

It is simply the nature of television that when a series is on a long, long time, it starts to lose the freshness that made it a success to begin with. The show becomes repetitive, it starts to drag, and even hardcore fans tend to stop watching the show religiously and when they do, they complain that it has jumped the shark. While one could argue when South Park jumped the shark, I am happy to report that this season still offers enough that works to be worth checking out.

Highlights for this season include the parody of ecological disaster movies, Lice Capades, in which we see how a lice infestation affects the kids' class and the lice doing the infesting. Fantastic Easter Special was also great and its parody of The Da Vinci Code hit all of the right notes. Snuke, the parody of 24 was also great, even if the concept of the snuke didn't make me laugh. Other strong episodes include Le Petit Tourette, Cartman Sucks, and The List. However, they were not all strong as With Apologies to Jesse Jackson was weak, as was the three-part Imaginationland. (You can read more about that story here.)

On a side note, according to the mini-commentary track for More Crap, I'm at the age where I'm supposed to be impressed by the size of my bowel movements. Apparently Matt Stone and Trey Parker believe that men of my age start to become really interested in the size of their bowel movements, but I am happy to report that this is not the case with me, and I hope that this will never change.

One more side note. On the mini-commentary track for Guitar Queer-O, the two men defend product placements saying that you can't have a realistic depiction of kids without throwing in a lot of product labels. I have to agree with them, but I would extend that to say you can't have a realistic depiction of life without product labels. Looking on my desk right now I can see a couple cans of Diet A&W Root Beer, two or three stacks of Magic the Gathering cards (I'm building a Thrull deck that is killer), Diet Dr. Pepper, Amazon shipping box, Wheeljack my last remaining Transformer, Canada Dry Diet Ginger Ale, a Red Dwarf watch, Nestle bottled water (it's from a town called Hope, which is where the filmed First Blood), Crystal Light, Mythos cards, Trident White, Fed Ex shipping bag, two remote controls for my TV / PS3, Chupa Chubs Buffy lollipops, Sharpie marker, take out menu to a local sushi restaurant, Staedtler pencil, not to mention countless DVDs and CDs. I bring this up because we are surrounded by product placement in our everyday lives, yet people complain when we see labels in movies and TV shows. It is clear that it would be unrealistic for a show to not have product placements. ... Also, it is equally clear that I need to clean my desk.

The only extras on the 3-disc set are the mini-commentaries that start off each episode. In fact, they only have the new mini-commentary tracks on Imaginationland and didn't port over the old commentary track for the single DVD release. Although short, the tracks tend to get off track rather quickly, and end abruptly as well. However, they are usually worth listening to.

South Park has been on TV for more than a decade, but while I don't think Season Eleven is as strong as some in the past, and doesn't have an instant classic like Season Ten had with Make Love, Not Warcraft, there's still enough episodes on this 3-disc set that are worth repeat viewing that it is worth picking up.