For those who don't know the basic plot of the TV series, Miley Cyrus stars as Miley Stewart, a regular teenage girl who happens to have an alter-ego, Hannah Montana, international pop star. As the movie starts, we see that Hannah Montana has taken over Miley Stewart's life and as a result she's getting into fights with Tyra Banks, ruining Lily's birthday party, almost forgetting her grandmother's birthday. It gets so bad that her father decides she needs to get back to Tennessee to find her roots and that perhaps it is time to retire Hannah Montana for good.

When it comes to adapting a TV series for the big screen, there are a lot of pitfalls one must avoid, including making the movie feel like an episode or two stretched to fill the film's running time. This is at least partially unavoidable and this film does padded at times. (There are perhaps one too many montage sequences, and perhaps a couple too many songs stretching out the running time.) On the other hand, there is also the issue of making a movie that doesn't fit with the tone of the original show. At least on the second part, the film is spot on, as the conflict between Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana has been a central theme of the show. Granted, the movie isn't perfect, or even great, but it should please fans of the show, even if it doesn't win over many new converts.

There are three versions of the home market release: DVD, DVD plus Digital Copy, and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack. I only have the last one, but it's pretty easy to figure out what features are on which release.

The DVD DVD has deleted scenes, outtakes, and one music video.

The DVD plus Digital Copy has the above, plus a digital copy of the movie.

Meanwhile, the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack has all of the above extras, plus a lot of exclusives, including the an audio commentary track with the director, Peter Chelsom. Next up is nearly 11 minutes of deleted scenes, including introductions by Peter Chelsom, which are also on the DVD. There are seven music videos from various artists seen in the movie (Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift, etc.) one of which is on the DVD. There are four features under Backstage Dinsey starting with a two-part look at the Hoedown Throwdown dance. Find Your Way Back Home is a 15-minute look at Miley Cyrus heading back home to Tennessee. I Should Have Gone to Film School has Jason Earles giving a behind-the-scenes tour of the making of the movie. Fun With Hannah and the Gang has 4 minutes of bloopers, also a holdover from the DVD. The disc is also BD-Live enabled with two features, Radio Disney and Country Store, but sadly these are not available in Canada. Almost all of the extras are available in High Definition, with some of the music videos being the only exceptions.

Speaking of High Definition, the audio and visual presentation is solid, but not spectacular. I wasn't expecting to be blown away by the video, as this is not an effects heavy movie by any stretch of the imagination, but there are also no issues that need to be brought up. On the other hand, I was hoping the musical numbers would be a little more dynamic in their presentation, but the rear speakers do not get much of a work out. That said, the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is only $4 more than the A HREF=http://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Montana-Movie-Miley-Cyrus/dp/B002BIULQ2?tag=thenumbers target="_NewWindow">DVD and it is actually cheaper than the DVD plus Digital Copy. Easily the better buy. In fact, it is the better buy even if you don't have Blu-ray yet, as it has the DVD release in the combo pack.

Like The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Hannah Montana the Movie is worth checking out for fans of the show (and I assume if you are not a fan, you've stopped reading the review by this point). The DVD is only worth a rental, but the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack is a solid buy for its target audience. There are more than enough extras, including some exclusives and some BD-Live features, to make it worth picking up. The High Definition presentation won't blow you away, but it is as solid as it needs to be given the type of film.

The film stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. She stars as a magazine writer assigned to write an article on how women sabotage relationships. He stars as a guy who tends to be in a lot of relationships, but flees at the first sign of commitment. They meet when she decides to test out how women sabotage relationships by trying to get a man to leave her within ten days, and he has a bet with his co-workers that he can make a woman fall in love with him in ten days. You can see where these two goals would conflict. Also, since this is a romantic comedy, you know where this is going to go. They will initially hate each other. They will then fall in love. Their two secrets will be revealed. They will again hate each other. And then they will reconcile and live happily ever after.

Knowing the ending of the movie within 20 minutes of the opening is not a downside for a romantic comedy, in fact, it's to be expected. What matters is the chemistry between Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. Personally, I thought there was none. I'm a fan of the genre and I liked the director's previous film, which isn't a true romantic comedy but did have some of those elements in there. However, this film was mostly a slog to get through. I did like Bebe Neuwirth, and some of the side characters, but I've seen Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey play these characters too often to enjoy it.

Looking at the extras on this alleged "Deluxe Edition" DVD, there's doesn't appear to be much that is new from the original release. The audio commentary is back, as are the deleted scenes. There are a trio of featurettes starting with How to Make a Movie in 2 Years, which details the making of the movie, starting with the genesis of the book. Why the Sexes Battle talks about how men and women choose mates. Then there's Girls Night Out talks to the two authors of book talking about their book and how it is not auto-biographical... mostly. Finally, there's a music video. All three featurettes are new, but the two featurettes from the previous edition are missing.

I do not have the Blu-ray, but hopefully it will arrive within two weeks.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is not a bad movie compared to most romantic comedies, but I didn't like the chemistry between the two leads to recommend it. Additionally, if you have the previous DVD, the Deluxe Edition is not worth the upgrade.

• iSaw Him First - Freddie invites a fellow A/V nerd to help him produce the show. However, when Carly and Sam see Shane, they both develop a crush. When they can't figure out who should date them, they decide to both date him. That works out about as well as well as you would expect.
• iStage an Intervention - Spencer becomes addicted to an old video game so Carly stages an intervention by inviting the champion over to kick his but. Also, Freddie has a bit of bad luck after deleting a chain letter. Two minor points. Firstly, getting addicted to a video game is perfectly normal and doesn't require an intervention. Secondly, that was a cheaply done video game. I swear every other time you see it, it's the same looping animation.
• iOwe You - Sam owes Carly and Freddie more than $500, so she needs to get a job to pay it back. This works out about as well as when Carly and Sam try and share a boyfriend.
• iHurt Lewbert - A prank gone wrong leaves Lewbert the doorman injured, and it's up to Carly and Sam to nurse him back to health while Spencer takes over his job for him while he recovers.
• iGo to Japan - The iCarly TV movie has Carly, Sam, and the rest of the gang going to Japan after they are nominated for some Web Awards. After seeing their competition, which includes Kyoko and Yuki, the local favorites, they become desperate to write their best material and win the award. However, while their plan involves cheerleaders in space, Kyoko and Yuki's plan involves kidnapping.
• iPie - After the 97-year old baker at their favorite pie shop passes away, the gang pressures Spencer into dating her granddaughter in order to get the family recipes for the pies.
• iChristmas - After Spencer burns down the Christmas tree and destroying the gift she bought for him, she wishing he was born 'normal' and what follows is an adaptation of It's A Wonderful Life.
• iKiss - It's revealed that Freddie has never been kissed and the tormenting begins, especially from Sam. Then Sam has a secret of her own. You can pretty much guess what it is.
• iGive Away a Car - Carly and the gang get a chance to give away a car on their website, but when Nevel Papperman wins, they know something is amiss.
• iRocked the Vote - After telling their fans to vote for the underdog on a popular talent TV show, Carly is stunned when their fans actually sway the vote. So stunned that she starts to feel guilty and wants to help the runner up.
• iMeet Fred - Freddie says on iCarly that he doesn't like another internet star, Fred, and this causes Fred to quit his show. And this causes all of Fred's fans to hate iCarly. And apparently there are a lot of Fred fans.

iCarly is about halfway through its run, at least I assume it's halfway, as most kids shows only last 65 episodes. And Season Two - Volume 1 continues the high quality level the show's previous releases have set. It's a fun show for kids and the extras are better than most similar releases. If you have season one on DVD, then this 2-disc set is also worth adding to your collection.

Mutant Chronicles - Buy from Amazon: DVD, or 2-Disc Collector's Edition, or Blu-ray
First of all, I only have the 2-Disc Collector's Edition and it is unlikely that the Blu-ray will be arriving at a later date. As always, if it does arrive, I will update this review when it does.

Set in 2707, this film tells the story of a possible future where governments have fallen and the world is ruled by four corporations that are under constant war between each other for control of dwindling resources. During one such war a seal is broken and an army of mutants is unleashed upon the world. These unstoppable mutants are little more than mindless killing machines that take their victims back to the underground complex to be converted into more of their ranks and the world is quickly overrun. However, a small group of soldiers are lead by Brother Samuel, who believes in the ancient chronicles that prophesized these events. He assembles this group to head to the heart of the machine to deliver an ancient device, which they hope will destroy the machine. It's a suicide mission, and they all know this going in, but it is the only hope for the planet.

First the good new... The film has quite a bit of style, especially if you are a fan of Steampunk like I am. There is a very dense story being told here with a world that would take a mini-series to adequately go into detail, but there is also quite a bit of frenetic action for those who like movies that feel like video games on steroids. Finally, there's an impressive cast, especially for a low-budget independent film. Now for the bad news, at times it feels like style is the only thing the film has going for it, and the budget is too low to give it the presentation it deserves. (CG blood makes it easier and faster to get to a second take, but bad CG blood can look so fake that it ruins it for a lot of people.) The background information is too dense and is delivered by a rather exposition heavy voiceover at the beginning, and even then it feels like you are missing out on something. Also, while there's a good cast, they are given rather little to do, and without a script, even the best actors can't give good performances.

At best, some viewers will think this is a bloody, violent, video game of a movie that is little more than a diversion for a Saturday afternoon. Even fans of the movie are unlikely to consider this film a masterpiece, or anything more than B-movie filmmaking. At worst, a lot of people will just consider this film an unholy mess of bad acting, bad writing, and bad special effects. I don't think it is as bad as its Tomatometer Score, but this is a RPG that simply works better as a pen-and-paper game than it does as a movie.

As I previously said, I only have the 2-Disc Collector's Edition, but assuming the Single-Disc DVD is merely the first disc of the 2-Disc Collector's Edition, then it is pretty easy to figure out what extras are present. On the first disc there's an audio commentary track with the director, Simon Hunter, and the star, Ron Perlman. The pair give more than enough information to make the track worth listening to, while they are not dry in their delivery.

Over on disc two we find a huge making of documentary, which is about as long as the movie itself. There are 8 minutes of deleted scenes in various stages of post-production. Next up are 14 minutes of storyboard to green screen to final movie comparison. There's a short film that was made in 2005 to show how the film would look and feel. You can watch it with or without audio commentary, and there's even a three-and-a-half minute long making of featurette to go with it. There are just over 25 minutes of interviews with the cast and crew. There's a short EPK from HDNet, the Q&A session from ComicCon, several webisodes that look at the movie, and a few image galleries. Overall there are a few hours worth of extras here and even the most devoted fan of the film will be satisfied.

I don't have the Blu-ray, but there are apparently no exclusive extras (even though the disc is BD-Live enabled. However, it costs less money than the 2-Disc Collector's Edition, so it is obviously the better deal.

So is Mutant Chronicles B-movie fun or an unholy mess? It's a little of both. If you are into Post Apocalyptic Steampunk then the DVD is worth a rental. And if you've seen the movie and are a fan, the Blu-ray is worth picking up, if you have that option. I would definitely start with a rental, as it is not worth a blind buy.

Made more than 30 years ago, the movie tells the story of an orphan adopted by the Gogan family, led by Lena, although adopted is too strong of a word. Bought, as slave labor, would be more accurate. So he runs away to a small town in Maine called Passamaquoddy. But how's a small boy supposed to survive on his own? Well, he's not on his own, he has Elliott, his 20-foot tall flying dragon, who can turn invisible and for the most part only Pete can see him. When they get into town Elliott's size get Pete intro trouble, especially since Pete told Elliott to stay invisible. The only one who sees him is Lampie, who has a reputation for being the town drunk, so no one believes him anyway. However, Lampie becomes friends with Pete and his daughter, Nora, takes a liking to him as well and lets him stay with her. However, Pete and Elliott have to deal with a snake oil salesman, Doc Terminus, and the return of the Gogan before they can live happily ever after.

The late 1970s was one of the worst times for Disney and few films they made during this time are looked upon as classics. This one is certainly seen as a lesser effort from the studio. It's hard to argue that, as the magic just doesn't seem present. Some of the songs are catchy, but most are not. There is also the issue with the animated dragon, which was animated by Don Bluth, who has created some absolutely amazing movies, but the animation here is rough, and the combination with the live action never really meshes. Part of this has to do with the cast, which has trouble selling Elliott as real. Granted, it's hard acting to nothing, and this was before bluescreen process was commonplace, but there's still plenty of times I thought while watching a scene, 'If the actors don't believe Elliott is there, why should I?' That said, lesser Disney is still pretty good and the movie does have quite a bit of nostalgia going for it.

Extras on the DVD are a step up from the previous release. Brazzle Dazzle Effects discusses the history of movie magic used by Disney over the years. It's quite in-depth going back decades to Alice cartoons of the 1920s up till today when computers have taken over most of the challenges. Next up is a deleted sequence in storyboard form and another storyboard for the original concept of the "Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You, Too)" song. There are several music numbers, including early and pop versions of many of the songs. There's a game called Disappearing Dragon and if you beat it, twice, there's minute-long video clip on dragons. There are a couple of excerpts from the TV series, image galleries, and finally a Donald Duck short called, Lighthouse Keeping.

Pete's Dragon is an average family film and not among the best the Disney has to offer. A lot of its charm came from the technological innovations, which were good for its day, but have not aged well. If you remember the film as a kid, or if you have kids now, the DVD is worth a rental, but I'm unsure it has the replay value needed to become a permanent part of your DVD collection.

Like I said originally, this is a solid rental leaning towards a purchase, and while the audio and video is great, better than anticipated, I'm still looking at the DVD as being a slightly better value, but if you are phasing out Standard Definition, the Blu-ray is a respectable value.

First of all, this is a TV movie, and it shows. Most such movies feel like they were aiming for nothing more than mediocrity and most don't even rise to that level. Watching this movie, that's what it felt like. "Inane" would be the word I would use to describe this movie. The script, which was co-written by Carrie Fisher, daughter of Debbie Reynolds, takes the easy way to laughs every single time and the actors don't even bother trying to rise above the material. These are not bad actors, far from it, but it feels like I'm watching them on a paid vacation.

Additionally, there are no extras on the DVD.

These Old Broads doesn't rise above its TV movie roots and the DVD is devoid of extras. That adds up to strictly a rental, and that's only if you are a fan of the 'Old Broads' in question.