DVD Releases for February 12, 2008
February 12, 2008
It is still early in the year, and, once more, most first run releases this week come from the second tier. That is not to say there are no quality releases, but there are no big box office hits. For instance, Gone, Baby, Gone is certainly the best movie on this week's list, and the DVD is certainly worth picking up, as is the Blu-ray to a lesser extent. However, the best of the best and the DVD Pick of the Week is the Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection - Winners & Nominees.
The Amateurs - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray, or HD DVD
The Beatrix Potter Collection - Buy from Amazon
Becoming Jane didn't earn great reviews, nor did it perform particularly well at the box office. However, I think a lot of this had to do with expectations. Many were expecting an Oscar caliber period piece when what you really got was a romantic comedy. Still, it is effective for a romantic comedy and those going in with the right mindset should be pleased.
As for the extras, the DVD includes an audio commentary track, making-of featurette, and deleted scenes. All are worth checking out, but none of spectacular. As for the Blu-ray, it has an additional pop-up trivia track, which uses one of the subtitle tracks, so you have to choose one or the other.
Becoming Jane was hurt by high expectations, but those looking for a romantic comedy with a little something extra should be pleased with this costume drama. Extras add enough to the overall experience that it is worth more than just a rental for most people. As for the Blu-ray, it looks fantastic and there is an additional special feature, but I'm not sure this is worth the 33% increase in price over the DVD. It's too close to call.
Blade The Series - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
Blu-ray Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Amateurs, Becoming Jane, Gone, Baby, Gone, and No Reservations
Blue State - Buy from Amazon
Charlie Chan Collection - Volume 4 - Buy from Amazon
No, I'm serious. Why?
Celebrities roasts have a long, long tradition in which the celebrities meet to honor one of their own by insulting them, and everyone else on stage, in the most profane manner they can for an hour and a half. This is a tradition I can get behind. However, you are supposed to choose a guest of honor who is deserving of the honor and quite frankly, Flavor Flav just felt like an easy target. How do you mock someone whose career has gone from influential rapper to serial-Reality TV star? At least with the William Shanter roast, the guest of honor was on a high after winning Emmys for his role in Boston Legal. Here, it just seems mean. Not even mean, but pointless.
This wouldn't matter if the humor was here, but it's not. Most of these people roasting Flavor Flav have less comedic talent than Flav himself has. The jokes are tired and old, and repeated from previous roasts in some cases. How low does it get? They brought out Carrot Top. I am not joking, although if I were, it would have been funnier than anything Carrot Top does in his short act. There were some that were actually worth checking out including Patton Oswalt, Snoop Dogg, etc., while Katt Williams was strong as the host. In fact, most times his introductions were funnier than the people.
Moving onto the extras, things start with more than 30 minutes of red carpet interviews, which was too much and again only one or two were worth listening too. Backstage Pass Pre Show and Post Show run less than two minutes combined, but even that's too much. While the two Flavor Flav-centric extras run just over 7 minutes and are a chore to get through.
When I reviewed the William Shanter Roast I complained that the show was too hit and miss to be worth picking up. This time around, the Roast of Flavor Flav has an even worse batting average and I can't even recommend renting. Everything from the guest of honor to the roasters are substandard and the Comedy Central series of specials has clearly jumped the shark.
Dallas - Season Eight - Buy from Amazon
The film stars Billy Crudup as Henry Roth, an OCD-afflicted kids author who creates a breakout hit with his illustrator / partner, Rudy Holt). However, when Rudy dies, he is forced to take on a new illustrator, Lucy Riley, in order to complete the next book. As you can guess, when they first meet they hate each other, but are forced to work together and soon they fall in love. Or at least something that resembles love in the world of art house cinema.
This is not a bad movie, but it is certainly flawed enough that I was never able to fully enjoy watching it. The main flaw is with Henry as a character. You can't have a romantic movie (I'm not even sure you could label it a romantic comedy) when one of the two leads is fundamentally unlikable, which was certainly the case here. He can be irritating, but he has to be sympathetic at the same time and I just never felt sympathy for that character. On the other hand, Mandy Moore is surprisingly effective and offers one of her best performances to date. I also like most of the supporting cast, many of whom were stuck with rather thankless roles. (I'm not saying Billy Crudup wasn't good in his role, I just didn't think his role was good.)
As previously stated, there are no extras on this DVD.
Dedication is a movie that sank fast at the box office, never coming close to finding an audience. However, while it should perform better on the home market, I can't recommend anything more than a rental, especially for a featureless DVD.
Dirty Laundry - Buy from Amazon
The Equalizer - Season One - Buy from Amazon
Very early in season three, Elysa finds out she is pregnant, which comes as a shock to pretty much everyone. Normally a new baby is a major reason why a show jumps the shark, and there are more than a few who think that way about Family Ties, but the show manages to hold together. (It is even used as the impetuous for a couple of guest shots by Geena Davis.) While this storyline does take up the bulk of the season, there are others, including Alex heading off to college, Mallory getting a job, Jennifer... well, Tina Yothers continues to be underused this season.
As for extras, there are only the episode promos, which I don't consider real extras. On the other hand, there are play all buttons and proper chapter placement, but no subtitles.
Family Ties is a multi-Emmy winning show, and while it didn't win its first Emmy till season four, The Third Season is still a very strong release. Fans who enjoyed the earlier seasons will certainly welcome this one.
However, most would have preferred real extras on the DVD.
Fat Girls - Buy from Amazon
Those who are familiar with this site and my reviews know that I use the term, 'soap opera' as a pejorative term. I am not a fan of soap operas so it would take a lot for this show to wow me. It doesn't. That said, I'm not the target audience and some of the problems I had with the show, including the overwhelming number and salacious nature of storylines, would actually be a selling point for fans of General Hospital or soaps in general. However, it seems that many fans of the original are not pleased with this show complaining how their favorite characters are being treated in this show. "Wasted Potential" seems to be the consensus among fans.
(On a side note, something struck me as odd in the first episode. Who walks up to the back of an ambulance and lights a cigarette? Who walks up to the back of an ambulance, period? "I have no medical training, but maybe I can help the situation by my proximity to the injured party." Is this really normal behavior?)
As for the extras, the 3-disc set has a behind-the-scenes look at the show that runs just under 8 minutes. It's not much and there's little replay value here.
So far, the fan response to this show was strong as it broke records for the network and while the audience did drop off through the season finale, there's still a lot of people watching the show. I am unsure if the disgruntled group represents the majority, or is just a vocal minority. I do agree with most of their complaints, and have a few others to add. Additionally, the 3-disc set is lacking in extras. If and when a second season airs, it might be worth a rental for fans so they can get caught up again, but that's as far as I will go with my recommendation.
George of the Jungle - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon
This season there are a lot of relationship problems. Maya's going through a divorce, Lynn's birth mother blows back in town, Toni starts a relationship with a short doctor, Darrel dates a women all of the friends hate, and Joan, well Joan's relationship problem is she doesn't have one. (At least in the beginning.) The number of problems can get soap opera-y and a little sitcom-y as well (neither of which are real words), but for the most part the show maintains an authentic feel. The comedy comes from the characters, which is a strong compliment.
There are two featurettes on this 4-disc set. The first featurette, It's What You Wear That Counts, is on disc three and it runs a meaty 17:25. As you can tell by the name, it is about the clothing, which plays a big role on the show. The second featurette is on disc four and it is called Here Comes the Bride: An Invitation Inside 'The Wedding', which is not just about the wedding, but that is used as a springboard to talk about some of the difficult topics dealt with this season (AIDS, interracial marriage, etc.).
Girlfriends - The Third Season is a very fun show with plenty of crossover appeal. It is worth checking out for those who never gave it a shot, and if you've enjoyed the previous seasons, it is worth picking up. Granted, I would have liked an audio commentary track or two, and that's not an unreasonable demand for such a long-running show.
At least there was interest among critics and box office analysts; the average moviegoer seemed to shrug it off and ignore the movie as it barely crossed $20 million at the box office. On the other hand, the film earned amazing reviews, and boy did this movie earn them. Starting from an amazing book, the script is amazing, and I couldn't tell there was a first time director at the helm. On the other side of the camera, every performance was nearly perfect from the top on down. This is such a good movie, I am amazed it hasn't done better during awards season. (Amy Ryan has picked up three major nominations, but she's been shut out so far.) Easily one of the best movies from 2007 that I've reviewed. And I've reviewed a lot of them.
As for the extras, the DVD comes with an audio commentary track with Ben Affleck and co-writer Aaron Stockard, the former of which sounds like he's battling a cold. The track is very informative, but someone should tell Affleck about Rotten Tomatoes, because he talks like his film earned average reviews. Going Home: Behind the Scenes with Ben Affleck is the typical making-of featurette that runs 7 minutes. The name keys on the fact that Affleck, Aaron Stockard, and the original novel's author, Dennis Lehane, all came from Boston and how that helped make the movie feel authentic. Speaking of which, Capturing Authenticity: Casting of Gone, Baby, Gone is the next featurette and is exactly what it sounds like, especially the locals who were cast as extras. (On a side note, why do people keep dissing Vancouver as a shooting location?) Finally, there are six deleted scenes, including an alternate beginning and an alternate ending with an optional audio commentary. The back of the box calls the extended ending "Thought-provoking", but as the audio commentary states, it's only a minor change.
As for the Blu-ray, there's nothing extra here. It does look good, but for a drama like this, looking good is not enough for me to recommend spending 40% more money. Others, I have no doubt, will feel differently.
Gone, Baby, Gone is one of the best movies of 2007 and it is an absolute puzzle why it didn't take home more nominations this year. The extras are strong enough to warrant a purchase over just a rental, but the Blu-ray doesn't do enough with the technology to demand the extra cash. I look forward to Ben Affleck's next turn behind the camera.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - 40th Anniversary Edition - Buy from Amazon
HD DVD Releases - Buy from Amazon: The Amateurs, Mountain Winds - Music Experience in 3-Dimensional Sound Reality, and Vivaldi - The Four Seasons / Concertos for Double Orchestra - Acoustic Reality Experience
I Could Never Be Your Woman - Buy from Amazon
The Independent - Buy from Amazon
Introducing the Dwights - Buy from Amazon
The Joan Crawford Collection - Buy from Amazon
Martian Child - Buy from Amazon
No Reservations - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Peter's Friends - Buy from Amazon
The series starts off where it left off last time with the five power rangers looking for the five gems that the bad guys are looking for so they can rule the planet. This time around they employ more of the usual giant robots, add in a new Fearcat, and even fight with a giant robot dinosaur in armor! How cool is that?
There's more than enough kung fu fighting and explosions to keep fans interested, while the violence level might be a concern for some parents. Speaking of violence, this show has a really high body count for a kids show with practically every baddy dying in the end. I say practically because I don't think Miratrix was really killed just imprisoned in the crystal that Kamdor was previously imprisoned in. If he was able to escape, I don't see why she couldn't also. So she could make a return in a future series without messing with the continuity. Not that I think that's likely.
As for the extras, each DVD has one featurette on an aspect of the team (genetic modifications and lessons learned), as well as a game to help you train to become a Reserve Ranger. Not a superb amount, but better than nothing.
Overall Volume 4 - Star of Isis and Volume 5 - Pink Emerald bring exactly what you would expect from this long-running show and those who have picked up the previous volumes will be happy here. The only major complaint I have is with the price as all five volumes runs to $75 on Amazon, which is a lot for TV on DVD.
Romance & Cigarettes - Buy from Amazon
Route 66 - Classic Episodes - Buy from Amazon
The Royal Tramp Collection - Buy from Amazon
Some Girls - Buy from Amazon
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection - Buy from Amazon: Winners & Nominees or Winners
We Own the Night - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Why Did I Get Married? - Buy from Amazon
The Wiz - 30th Anniversary Edition - Buy from Amazon
Zapped! - Buy from Amazon
Bounced around several release dates before being slipped into a few theaters late last year and now being released on DVD... and Blu-ray... and HD DVD. This seems like a weird movie to be given the High Definition treatment. It's not as bad as its Tomatometer score would indicate, but it is hard to recommend it either. Even with a DVD that has more extras than most limited releases (audio commentary track, a solid making-of featurette, and a photo gallery with commentary), for most people it is worth only a rental. As for the high definition releases, the movie is a second tier release, and it looks it. That said, the Blu-ray is actually cheaper than the DVD version, so if you are interested, might as well go High Definition here. It is important to note that while the movie is about porn, it is not porn. It is about as far from porn as you can get. In fact, one of the weaknesses of the movie is the overly sweet nature and lack of any real edge. So if you were avoiding the movie because of the subject matter, give it a try.
A 3-disc box set featuring the animated adventures of Beatrix Potter. There's more than four hours found here and anyone who has enjoyed the works of Beatrix Potter as a kid will find a lot of nostalgic warmth. The DVDs are also available separately, but this is the better deal.
The story of Jane Austen's life done as if it was an adaptation of one of her books.
The movie franchise moved to the small screen, but the transition wasn't successful. In fact, the show only lasted one season. There were several problems, including low production values and a lead that didn't seem to have the charisma to carry the show. However, it is still worth checking out for fans of Blade, but even with better than expected extras (audio commentary tracks and featurettes), it is still worth just a rental.
Another week, another relatively impressive slate of Blu-ray releases for so early in the year. Granted, none of them are $100 million hits, but there are a couple worth owning and a couple more worth renting, which is certainly more than what's coming out on HD DVD.
Breckin Meyer stars as John Logue, a liberal blogger who made a pledge to move to Canada if George Bush was re-elected, and after a few taunts by his friend, he decides to make a go for it. It's a political movie but it doesn't sacrifice entertainment to make a point. That's not to say it doesn't have a point to make, nor is it 100% effective, but it is not the propaganda train wreck some were fearing it would be. It's worth checking out, but with only an audio commentary track, it is only worth a rental.
There is something inherently racist about using a white actor to play an ethnic role; I don't think there are many people willing to dispute that. That said, these films were made in the late 1930s when this practice was common and if you can get passed that issue, they are well made. On a side note, they are revamping the series for 2009 with Lucy Liu starring as the famous detective's granddaughter. Hopefully it will be better than most of her other films.
Why?
One of the longest running nighttime soap operas. As someone who uses the term, 'Soap Opera' as an insult, this is not a selling point for me. However, most fans will agree that the show was starting to get old at this point, but it still hasn't dropped off the cliff and those who have enjoyed previous seasons will still be interested in picking up this one.
Dedication opened to rather weak reviews and never really caught on in limited release. Now it is being dumped on the home market on a featureless DVD. Is this justified or unfair?
Rockmond Dunbar stars as Sheldon, a man returning to his family in Georgia who has to deal with telling his family that he is gay and learning that he has a son. The film has a message to tell, which is commendable, but it is not effective in telling it. The film failed to find an audience theatrically, so the fact that the DVD only has some deleted scenes and an image gallery is no surprise. Still, worth checking out, but a rental will do.
Edward Woodward stars as Robert McCall, a private eye for hire for those who are up against problems the authorities can't, or won't deal with. An excellent show that combined action with intelligent plots, not to mention superb acting by Edward Woodward, who won a Golden Globe in 1987. Extras are light, but that is to be expected for a show this old, and include an audio commentary track and a bonus episode from season 2. That's not much, but the show is worth picking up for fans of the genre.
One of the powerhouse shows on NBC's Must See Thursdays in the 1980s. The third season was the year the show moved to Thursdays and its ratings took off. That wasn't the only major change this year.
An Indie comedy about two social outcasts trying to survive high school. He's an outcast because he's gay while she's an outcast because she's overweight. The film earned weak reviews, mainly due to a lack of originality, while it disappeared during its short theatrical run. The DVD should perform better, but it will still be just a rental for most.
The nighttime spin-off of the long running daytime soap opera, this is the first original show for the SOAPnet network. Fans were eagerly anticipating the release, but the reactions have been mixed, to put it mildly.
The last series produced by Jay Ward, who is best know for creating Rocky & Bullwinkle. This show isn't as good as Rocky & Bullwinkle, but fans of this brand of humor will still find plenty to laugh at. As for the 2-disc set, it has all 17 episodes plus the unaired pilots for both George of the Jungle and Super Chicken and is worth picking up for fans of Jay Ward's work and renting for fans of animation in general.
The longest running show on the UPN network. Not only that, it is the longest running live-action comedy series currently on TV. With this kind of longevity, it's hard to come up with information that fans don't know while those who haven't become fans after 8 years probably don't care.
Ben Affleck's directorial debut. Ben Affleck's acting career has been in a bit of a slump since Daredevil... well... slump is putting it nicely. So it was with some interest that this film made its way to theaters.
On the one hand, when this film was first released it was daring social commentary that dealt with the topic of interracial marriage, which was still illegal in 17 states while the film was being made. Additionally it earned great reviews and 10 Oscar nominations, including two wins. On the other hand, while it was powerful social commentary at the time it was released, its time has passed and its effectiveness has lessened dramatically. It is still a good movie and worth checking out, and it is certainly for the best that interracial marriage is no longer a taboo. Also coming out tomorrow as part of the Stanley Kramer Film Collection, which is the much better deal, even though this film is the best of the bunch.
There's not a single first-run HD DVD release this week. The best selling HD DVD release is referred to as an "Acoustic Reality Experience," which sounds like something you will need chemical enhancement to really get into.
This film was bounced around several release dates before being dumped direct-to-DVD. It's not a bad movie, but it is a rather predictable romantic comedy that has enough charm that it could have done well at the box office with the right marketing. Especially if it was released in theaters this close to Valentine's Day. Worth renting for most, picking up for fans of the genre.
A mockumentary starring Jerry Stiller as a director trying to make one more movie before the bank forecloses and takes all his assets away from him. The film also stars Janeane Garofalo as his daughter and about 100 people in various cameos, but while there's a lot of talent here, the end result is only average. I've mentioned in the past that this can be worse than when a film is actually terrible. Here there was so much wasted talent that it is much harder to accept. As for the extras, there are two audio commentary tracks and several deleted scenes. It adds up to a rental, but it could have been so much more.
A comedy from Australia that generated a lot of buzz before it ever arrived here. However, when it finally did, the reviews were only average and it never took off at the box office. It's filled with quirky characters like most Indie comedies and has enough laughs to be worth checking out, but for most people a rental will be enough, especially with a featureless DVD.
Some classic films from Joan Crawford and some lesser works (including Torch Song, which will leave you speechless, but in a campy, entertaining way). Extras are on par with other such releases and include shorts, cartoons, newsreels, etc. Worth checking out for most, picking up for fans of Joan Crawford.
John Cusack had a busy year in 2007 starring in three movies, although only one really connected with moviegoers. This wasn't it. So I'm a bit surprised with the strength of the DVD as it has an audio commentary track, nearly 30 minutes of deleted scenes, a look at child actor Bobby Coleman, and a featurette on the author of the original novel. It adds up to a rental, but that's it.
A run-of-the-mill romantic comedy that did just average business over the summer. It's not a bad movie. It is simply predictable at nearly every turn, which is a common flaw for the genre. However, fans of the genre are used to that and for them the film is worth checking out. As for the extras, the DVD has a preview of the film from the Food Network series, Unwrapped, while the Blu-ray also has an episode from the series Emeril Live Show with Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin. This is not a lot and it is hard to recommend purchasing over renting. That said, the Blu-ray is only 25% more than the DVD and that's an acceptable price difference between Standard Definition and High Definition. To recap: No Reservations is only worth renting, but if you are going to buy it and have the option to get the Blu-ray edition, the extra money is not unreasonable.
An ensemble comedy from Britain featuring a boatload of amazing actors who bring to life the witty script. Sadly, the film is not well known Stateside and the DVD is devoid of special features. Still, worth checking out for most, picking up for many.
The final two volumes of Operation Overdrive, the latest incarnation of the Power Rangers, hits the home market tomorrow. Which is just in time for the debut of Jungle Fury.
Written and directed by John Turturro, this film struggled to get to theaters with Turturro finally self-distributing it. However, while it started out well, it was never able to expand, probably in part due to the reviews, which were only average. It's an interesting piece of experimental filmmaking and it is sure to earn some fans. However, even with better than expected extras (audio commentary track, deleted scenes, making-of featurette, etc.), the replay value just isn't there and it is only worth a rental.
Okay, I'm trying to image what was going through the minds of the studio on this one. The first release of this show has terrible video quality, so much so that many people were saying it was worse than recording the show off syndication. Now they are releasing a best-of DVD that's advertised as Digitally Remastered? It's a good show, but I would wait until the studio gets its act together. Hopefully they will put out of full series set that is worth spending money on.
Two films starring Stephen Chow, who really should be more popular here than he is. His ability to mix martial arts and humor creates an entertaining end product, and these two films are no different. Here he plays Wilson Bond, a con man caught up in a conspiracy to bring down the Ming Dynasty. Both are fun movies while the 2-disc set contains audio commentary tracks on both movies by Mr. Dragon Dynasty himself, Bey Logan, and there is an additional featurette on disc 2, which is an interview with the writer / director, Wong Jing. An excellent price and easily worth picking up for fans of the genre.
A teenage romantic comedy from the 80s starring, among others, the inexplicably re-famous Patrick Dempsey. (Looking at his track record at the box office, it is amazing his career survived long enough to land a role on Grey's Anatomy.) The film itself is weak and mostly forgotten, which explains the total lack of extras on the DVD. If you haven't seen it, you don't need to. If you have seen it and have fond memories, stick with your memories because the movie likely won't live up to them.
Anyone else think this title just isn't long enough? ... Just me? ... I love cartoons and my favorites were always the Looney Tunes, which make up a fair chunk of this collection. (I'm not as big of a fan of some of the rest, like Tom & Jerry, but as the title implies, this is the best of the best.) The Winners & Nominees is certainly the better deal as the 3-disc set includes almost three times as many cartoons (41 in total) at just twice the price. It also has plenty of extras, including audio commentary tracks on 14 shorts, as well as music only tracks on several others, and things wrap up with two documentary featurettes. The only complaint is the number of double dips with the other DVD releases that Warner Bros. has put out. Even so, it is easily worth picking up and a clear contender for DVD Pick of the Week.
I had high hopes for this movie. However, after reading the initial reviews those hopes were quickly dampened. It wasn't destroyed by critics, but the reviews were merely average and nothing more. The extras are better than expected given the film's struggles at the box office, starting with an audio commentary track with the director, James Grey. In addition there are a trio of featurettes on various aspects of the production that run a total of 35 minutes, more or less. Worth checking out, but for most a rental will suffice. As for the Blu-ray there are no additional extras, and it costs more than 40% more so I can't recommend it over the DVD.
Tyler Perry's latest film rebounded from Daddy's Little Girls both at the box office and critically. In fact, it has the most crossover appeal of all of his films, but still not enough to be worth checking out for those who are not a fan of his plays. (That could change in the future as he stretches himself as a writer and director.) As for the DVD, there are just three featurettes in terms of extras, which isn't enough to lift it above the rental level. Also coming out tomorrow is What's Done in the Dark..., which is strictly for fans of Tyler Perry's plays.
A retelling of The Wizard of Oz with a predominately African-American cast. ... It probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but this big budget musical crashed with critics and never came close to earning back its production budget. Just about every aspect of this movie is a mess. The script, the casting, the direction, everything. In fact, it is so bad that for many people it now holds a certainly camp appeal, but that is not enough to recommend purchasing, or even renting for those who have never seen the movie before.
One of those films that makes you think, "This needed to be on DVD. Really?" I'm sure there are at least a few people itching to watch this movie again, but they will likely be disappointed. It's an 80s teenage sex comedy that is heavy on gratuitous nudity and light on comedy. If you remember the movie from your youth, you might be thinking it is worth a rental, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Filed under: DVD and Blu-ray Releases, Home Market Releases, Why Did I Get Married?, No Reservations, We Own the Night, Gone Baby Gone, Becoming Jane, Martian Child, Romance and Cigarettes, Introducing the Dwights, Dedication, Dirty Laundry, Fat Girls, Blue State, I Could Never Be Your Woman, The Amateurs