Year: 2010
Running Time: 103 minutes
Rated: G
SRP: $39.99
Studio(s): Disney / Pixar
Release Date: November 2, 2010

Film/Feature: A+
If the announcement of a third Toy Story didn’t warm your heart then maybe you’ve grown too old for your own good. Now 17 years old, Andy is ready to move out to college and it’s assumed that he won’t take his box of favorite toys with him.

Woody (Tom Hanks) was chosen by Andy to go to college with him but the rest of the crew including Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusak), and the others are convinced they were meant to be thrown out when Woody witnessed that they were intended to be placed in the attic.

Neither. The Toy Story gang find themselves donated to Sunnyside Day Care where they are welcomed to a place where hundreds of toys live and get played.

Lots-o-Huggin Bear (Ned Beatty) seems nice enough upon introduction but he runs a prison-like environment leaving all the newcomers in the Caterpillar room where the younger children play much rougher with the toys. Knowing he should be with Andy, Woody escapes only to be caught in the house of a little four-year old girl named Bonnie. Woody has to escape and rescue his friends and get back to Andy before he leaves.

What does Andy eventually do at the end?

There are those who thought that a third Toy Story would ruin Pixar, or at least their product. Water it down, make it feel forced or corporate but I didn’t believe it. Everything about Pixar and they way they do business, make films, and tell stories adds to the mystique and charm that’s seen through their films.

Buzz, Woody, The Potato Heads and the rest, had insecurities older audiences could relate to and the fear of mortality is a story that bears repeating in a brilliant and fresh progression, 10 years after the last time we heard Buzz Lightyear said, “To Infinity and Beyond!” Toy Story 3 has no shortage of adventure, laughs, and visuals that will have you shaking your head, amazed and in awe.

Our characters’ fate, their desire to be played, and not forgotten is not only a metaphor for aging and the working environment, but the simplicity and straight forward story of the appreciation of toys and the joy that they can bring to those who can get lost in their imagination is the magic of Toy Story. We all had something to take us back when we were young, when we obsessed, not on their limitations but their endless potential.

Video:A+/Audio A+
Toy Story 3 has another amazing 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. It’s a sparkling Disney presentation that showcases every bit of detail laid down by the animators. Every frame is full of stylized delight, tip-toeing the line of near realistic but not so far you forget you’re watching an animated film. It’s cliche to say that Pixar outdid themselves, but seeing is believing. They really did and the high definition transfer in its entirety is reference material. That includes the 7.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. Make sure you try not to blink in the film’s climax at the landfill. You’ll swear you were in the middle of the piles of garbage. The sound is accurate, and full of activity. The rumbling machinery keeps your subwoofers bumping while the zipping action of the toys keeps your surround channels active.

Other audio selections include: 5.1 DTS-HD ES Master Audio, 2.0 English Descriptive Audio, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX French and Spanish tracks and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Extras:A+
A staple of all Pixar Blu-rays is a toy chest full of extra material that’s geared towards every kind of Pixar fan. The second disc in particular is split into four sections: Family, Film Fans, Publicity and Games and Activities. Fans of the animation process will find the Film Fans section to have everything they are looking for including two fine commentary tracks and looks into the technical challenges addressed in this latest film.

Disc 1
Day and Night Theatrical Short HD (6:02) The short film that aired prior to Toy Story 3 in the theaters. Day and Night is a mixture of classic cel animation and live action video.

Toys! HD (6:39) a featurette about updating the models for the returning Toy Story cast and the gang Stretch, Big Baby, Chunk, Twitch, Ken, and Lots-O-Huggin Bear.

Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs – The Science of Adventure HD (4:25) Continuing the blu-ray series of looks into the various NASA space missions done by real astronauts.

Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies on the Go HD (1:04) a quick tutorial on using the Digital Copy Disc

Sneak Peeks HD (3:54) Mater’s Tall Tales – Nine short films featuring Cars’ Mater; Incredibles on Blu-ray; and Disney Parks.

Screen Saver in the settings menu, you can choose to have a screen saver should you want to prevent any risk of burn in on your flat screen TV or monitor.

Disc 2

FILM FANS
Cine-Explore HD Commentary with Director Lee Unkrich and Producer Darla Anderson is an entertaining that’s balanced with good conversation about the story elements, working with the voice actors and pointing out the animators’ dazzling achievements.

Beyond The Toybox Audio Commentary by Leads from Story, Tech, Art and Animation is a brainier and more focused discussion with the Pixar crew commiserating about the minutia of Toy Story 3 and why no one wants to see a garbage bag again.

Roudnin Up a Western Opening HD (5:42) The opening scene of the movie is discussed.

Bonnie’s Playtime: A Story Roundtable HD (6:26) Unkrich talk about creating Bonnie, Bonnies toys and how she plays with them and the connection that would need to be made with this new family and the Toy Story cast. This was a pivotal scene, one which the filmmakers had a lot of problems with.

Beginnings: Seeting a Story in Motion HD (8:13) Michael Arndt wrote the screenplay for Toy Story 3 and talks about the challenges of starting the script. He breaks down the story basics and how he looked at Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and The Incredibles to see how the stories are set up from the beginning. As always, the entire sequence is told in an animated form.

Life of a Shot HD (6:57) shows the evolution of a scene, in particular the opening action sequence.

Making of Day & Night HD (2:00) shows the thoughts behind the aforementioned short film.

Paths to Pixar Editorial HD (4:38) is a collection of the editorial group of Pixar talking about how they came to work there and what they do.

Studio Stories Where’s Gordon HD (2:16) Andrew Gordon and the secret room of Pixar

Studio Stories Cereal Bar HD (1:36) The legendary Pixar Cereal room is revealed.

Studio Stories Clean Start HD (3:05) The animators bond over beginning a new production by shaving heads and beards.

FAMILY
The Gang’s All Here HD (10:24) A look into the voice actors, returning and new.

Goodbye Andy HD (8:02) Toy Story 3 deals with change, and embracing it and getting the aged Andy correct and stylizing him correctly so he doesn’t look creepy. John Morris was also brought back who voiced Andy in Toy Story 1 and 2. It was also important to tell Andy’s story and complete it the right way in this farewell and dealing with mortality.

Accidental Toymakers HD (3:59) How creating characters took small toy company Thinkway Toys into a global player with one movie franchise.

Creating a Whole New Land HD (5:29)Getting Toy Story into the Disney Theme Parks

Epilogue HD (4:22)See the film’s closing sequence without the rolling credits.

PUBLICITY
In the Publicity section of the DVD are tons of shorts, and promo trailers that continue the fun tradition of Pixar and Toy Story. They include:

Grab Bag HD (4:00)
Ken’s Dating TipsHD (1:30)
Lots-o-Huggin Bear Commercial HD (0:30)
Lots-o-Huggin Bear Commercial Japan HD (0:30)
Making of Lots-o-Huggin Bear Commercials HD (1:28)
Internet Chat HD (1:00)
Security Cam HD (1:12)
Gadgets HD (0:58)
Dancing With the Stars on Toy Story HD (2:21) DWTS choreographers Tony Dovolani and Cheryl Burke
TS3 Silence Trailer HD (0:40) Movie Theater Cellphone trailer to asking you to turn off your cell phone.
TS3 Antipiracy HD (1:08) Movie Theater Anti-piracy trailer.
Five Trailers HD
Poster Gallery

GAMES and ACTIVITIES
Toy Story Trivia Dash There’s two thing you need to do well in this game. Know your Toy Story films front to back, even the details. And the second thing you need is, lightning quick reflexes because you’re not given much time to think about the questions.

Disc 3
DVD of Feature Film + Bonus
The DVD of the feature plus a large portion of the extras are included for those who still use portable DVD players in cars, travel or laptops.

Disc 4
And if you you want even more mobility with Toy Story 3, you can use this disc for uploads to your portable media player whether it be iPhone, iPod, Android phone, or laptop. It is compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player.

Overall Shock Value: A+
There was no doubt what this score would be. With the inclusion of the DVD and digital copy of the disc, there is an abundance of value and great potential for several different experiences and repeat viewings. Toy Story 3 is undoubtedly one of the best films of the year, and one of the best family experiences that movies can provide. Even though the themes remain the same, the third installment does not water down the original Toy Story concept, it provides a just close to it and reminder of the joy and memories toys can bring someone.

Year: 2010
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rated: PG
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): Disney
Release Date: June 1, 2010

Film/Feature: C+
This Alice in Wonderland is a reaches a bit to be a “sequel” of sorts, but doesn’t do much to deviate from the conventional structure of what alice is about, except this time she’s older, more independent, sharper and has a nasty wit about her. Alice (Mia Wasikoawska) is free thinker in her day and she’d be cast as an outsider trying to fight the system of arranged marriages and all that is Jane Austen. Spurred by a marriage proposal, Alice has visions of another world, but are they dreams or memories? She follows a rabbit from her dreams down a fifty-story drop in the forest only to be confronted by the “Eat Me” and “Drink Me” concoctions that will make her fit into the spastic world of Lewis Carroll.

Pale as a frequent blood donor, Alice believes “Underland” is a dream, while the everyone she meets is skeptical that she is their savior. There’s the Tweedle twins (Matt Lucas), the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse), the Absolem (Alan Rickman) and the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry). Her reluctance and failure to remember this world goes against the Oraculum a prophecy scroll that shows what’s to come, and Alice is depicted killing the menacing Jaberwocky with the Vorpal Sword; thus resolving the land of the war between the kingdom’s patriarchal sisters: The hot-headed (and bulbous) Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) who has stolen the crown from her younger sibling, the aloof pacifist, White Queen (Anne Hathaway). The creatures of Underland need Alice to remember who she is and grow some courage quick. Once she does, she can steal the sword from the Bandersnatch, find the White Queen and lead an all out attack of the Red Army. That’s not too much to ask from someone who appears to be suffering from amnesia, is it?

While many waited to see Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, it’s been too soon since Sweeney Todd and even Depp played a deranged and spaced out Hatter isn’t as special as it could be. Depp played up the mad angle since many hatters back in the day went crazy from the glue used in the industry. Wasikowska is a surprise treat, portraying such naïvety and sweetness and is contrasted by the vitriolic Carter as the Red Queen stealing every scene she’s in. Hathaway is too bohemian, but Crispin Glover as the Red Queen’s Knave is just right.

The problem with Alice, well actually Wonderland, is that it’s not bizarre enough. Gothic, yes, but such dark and twisted re-imaginings have become run-of-the-mill for Burton, and truth be told, it’s almost mainstream these days. It’s a byproduct of Burton’s success and long tenure as a filmmaker. With Emily the Strange and Twilight gone mainstream, Burton’s goth have become like a passé. It’s odd, I know. Burton walks the fine line of what I consider style over substance. One film he’s just off, the other he’s just on. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney it was just enough Burton, too much in Planet of the Apes and Sleepy Hollow; but it’s so perfect in Ed Wood, Big Fish, and Nightmare Before Christmas so he’s earned the benefit of the doubt.

On a visual and technical level, I have no problems with Alice, I only wish Underland and the darker concepts were taken further and deeper story-wise. Some of the visuals will be permanently etched in such insidious ways, like the Red Queen’s moat. But I should catch myself, since this is a Disney, PG film, so we’re not going to see them go crazy. If only the story had a much more luxurious travel to the end perhaps I wouldn’t have been so content with Alice ‘s decision at the end. It all just felt a bit rushed, like they were trying not to be late to the tea party. If Alice’s adventure was supposed to be like a dream then it worked, just like the dreams where you wake up way too early.

Video: A+
I’ve seen my fair share of blu-rays this year and few can boast a better transfer than Alice in Wonderland’s 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Close ups reveal detail of the white, caked makeup on Johnny Depp’s face. Every strand of the Cheshire cat can be plucked if only you could reach into your screen. One impressive scene of note is the tea party when Alice reunites with the Mad Hatter. There’s layers upon layers of fog billowing in and out each frame and the depth perception is phenomenal. There is a wide scope of colors of eye-bursting hues like the orange in Mad Hatter’s hair, the blood crimson of the Red Army, and there’s a wide spectrum within the range of grays and browns too. In between are clothes with a pastel color palette. It’s stunning that there’s this level of detail, texture, shadow delineation and atmosphere considering most of the film was shot in front of a green screen. It should be interesting to see just how well this picture holds up when the eventual 3D version comes out for the new televisions.

Audio:A+
Not to be overshadowed is the blissful 6.1 English DTS-HD audio track, an active and at times knockout soundtrack that is full of swirling sound effects, a Danny Elfman score and just the right amount of bass during the action scenes to help make you feel as if you were standing next to Alice fighting dragons. Dialogue holds true in each scene, is clear and is never too faint to hear. Disney knows how to Other audio selections include: 2.0 English Descriptive Video, and 5.1 French and Spanish Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Extras: C
Blu-Ray Exclusive: Living Menus This is no extraordinary extra but it is a cool detail piece. I’ve always felt that blu-ray menus have taken a step back compared to DVD menus in the early 2000′s. The menus here connect to BD Live: and upon loading up, you’ll see your local weather as well as be greeted by a part of the Oraculum that mirrors your local weather. I was able to sample this on a cloudy day and sunny day and confirm these do change with the weather. Readers out there with snowy or rainy weather feel free to post comments if you see different images. I won’t get too many chances in California.

Wonderland Characters HD (27:56) features a selection of characters and their quirks Finding Alice, The Mad Hatter, The Futterwacken, The Red Queen, Time Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen, The White Queen.

Making Wonderland HD (19:29) is a general making-of extra that focuses on primarily the post-production part of Alice in Wonderland including Scoring Wonderland, Effecting Wonderland, Stunts of Wonderland, Making the Proper Size, Cakes of Wonderland, and Tea Party Props. I’m a sucker for anything that involves scoring films, but the bits about the effects and Alice’s changing proportions could have been longer. The cakes and props featurettes are fun too.

DVD Copy a great option for those with DVD players in their cars or portable players for the vacation trips.

Digital Copy another option for those who can stomach watching full-length feature films on tiny mobile devices or on their computer and is compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player.

Overall Shock Value:B–
Alice in Wonderland pushed the edges of Lewis Carroll’s story but it could have been shoved much further. It’s not to take away from the film’s success, but it’s just knowing there was potential for meatier story that keeps it from being a landmark film. What one has to remember is that it set out to be a family film first, and I think it achieved that well enough. The extras department was underwhelming considering the artistry and craft in Alice; it’s certainly one of the most visually memorable films of 2010 so far and a cargo full of supplemental material would have supported that. Despite those shortcomings, this is a visual show-stopper, and the sound is splendid. I’m going to recommend Alice in Wonderland with a Rent It stamp of approval, but it might be a keeper for film students and parents of gothic children who want to see a fairy tale they can stand behind.

And please check out Ernie’s other Alice in Wonderland articles including a lengthy Q/A interview with Ken Ralston and David Schaub, two of the wizards behind the visual effects of Alice in Wonderland, and a two roundtable interviews with costume designer Colleen Atwood and conceptual artist Dermot Power.

Year: 2010
Running Time: 59 minutes
Rated: Unrated
SRP: $19.99
Studio(s): Sub Pop Records
Release Date: May 25, 2010

Film/Feature: B–

On the main menu of David Cross: Bigger and Blackerer DVD, you’d think you’re about to watch a loud and boisterous Tom Jones concert, but instead you get the laid back, bearded Cross and an hour-long standup routine full of mild-mannered (but profanity-laden) observation humor that doesn’t discriminate. The deaf, religion, the airlines industry, green home products, junkies, potential date rape victims, anti-health care, anti-Obama-ists, “patriots,” Orthodox Jews, Mormons, Scientologists, Catholics amongst others are all fair game and many of them deserve the verbal lashing.

The feature is the mashing of two back-to-back concerts in Boston’s Wilbur Theatre, in the very town that Cross dropped out of college after one semester. It originally aired on the Epix Channel on April 10th. Since then Cross has paved a career writing for the Ben Stiller Show and starring in Waiting for Guffman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Tobias Funke in Arrested Development.

Cross is funny, but doesn’t bring the house down and you might find yourself chuckling and giggling through the routine, but not guffawing. Well, okay there is one person in the crowd who couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard because they cut to him often. It’s a funny, relevant standup act but probably won’t have you in tears nor make you feel like you just worked out with the Ab-flex.

Video/Audio: A– /B+
David Cross and his grisly beard can be seen in 480p encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. and there’s not a complaint that can be found with the transfer. Colors like the blue curtain behind Cross stand out with bright and bold intensity. While there is a slight bit of black crush, and graininess in the crowd shots, it’s a fine transfer for what the material is.

There’s a choice between the preferred 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track or the 2.0 English Dolby Digital Stereo track. There are no subtitles available. Cross comes across clear and understandable, all of the whispers, breaths, and subtle emotive gestures and mumbles can be heard without too much straining. The stereo track is a bit more difficult to pick up on the subtleties and lacks the punch of the surround track.

Extras: C+
Much of the supplemental material are additional scenes from both concerts. Some of them really funny, others remotely so. Just like the rest of the disc. The only problem with all of the extras is the lack of 5.1 surround sound audio, only stereo.

An Existence predicated Upon Manufactured Necessity SD (8:04) Cross dips into the wealth of material that can be discovered in… the Sky Mall.

Live Blogging SD (3:35) Cross gets some help from his assistants to make fun of online critics.

An Unpopular Stance SD (2:15) tries to start out a bit that leads to finding out one of the audience members is a Dane Cook fan.

The Most Surreal Thing I’ve Ever Experienced SD (7:32) A funny closing story about Cross’ path involving getting high, sharpening knives, a cussing taxi driver and a Teddy Ruxpin doll.

How to Make Your Own Yogurt SD (2:42) David speaks with his mother about making hippie food.

Unnecessary Bonus Bullshit SD (7:02) a clip of Cross’ routine in Seattle, Wa in early 2004.

Easter Egg SD (1:57) Another snippet of the show with Cross moving tables and getting his microphone mixed up with his beer.

15 x 15 Poster A 15” x 15” foldout poster of the DVD Cover art is in the packaging sleeve.

Overall Shock Value: C+
Upon a second viewing, Bigger and Blackerer grew to be a stronger performance, especially the religious bits. I do love a good thumping of the bible and its most faithful of followers. The feature itself is on the short side, even for a comedy concert. I was hoping for 90 minutes and then some, but definitely dive into those extras because for one, they’re funny; and two, they help stretch out the short running time.

There is also a CD of the same name which features some different material (such as the sing along song “The Sultan’s Revenge” and Cross’ gastro-intestinal misadventures), as well as some overlap. So if you find Cross tickling your ribs with this dry wit, you may want to give this a spin as well. Given the lack of length, I’m going to recommend this as a Rent It! rating for the casual and curious. But longtime David Cross fans should find no trouble adding this to his other CDs It’s Not Funny (2004) and Shut Up, You Fucking Baby! (2002) and DVDs Let America Laugh.

Writer: Mark Waid
Penciler: Horacio Domingues

Incorruptible, spun off from Waid’s other BOOM series, Irredeemable, stars Max Damage, formerly the archnemesis of that book’s main character, The Plutonian. Max gets stronger and tougher the longer he stays awake, making him able to go toe to toe with The Plutonian. Before The Plutonian’s descent into crazy, Max pulled off all kinds of crimes. He amassed billions and took on an underaged prostitute he trained to fight and made his girlfriend as his sidekick, Jailbait. After seeing The Plutonian kill millions, he changes sides, vowing to uphold law and order with the help of his former pursuer police Lt. Louis Armadale.

Issue #5 takes place after Jailbait has left Max, who tried to send her to a parallel universe away from The Plutonian. He saves a young woman kidnapped by brazen criminals emboldened by the fact that a godlike, pissed off superhuman could just decide to kill everyone anyway. The girl is thankful for the rescue until Max has her put on Jailbait’s costume and drags her along on his errands. There’s a reason Max needs to take “Jailbait” everywhere with him, but it becomes moot when Armadale gives him a box from the forebodingly named Deathgiver.

What’s great about this series is how enjoyable it is, without having to follow Irredeemable. The premise is great, and it’s rare to have a story centered on a villain going good, whereas a hero gone bad has been done to death. Waid has created an fascinating character, one whose power disconnects him from people, but finally embraces humanity when it could very well be wiped out. Max’s interactions with Jailbait and Armadale are handled well. Both are dubious of Max’s conversion, though only one hopes it sticks. This issue makes an excellent jumping-on point as it seems the villain community is starting to get word that Max has gone straight.

The one gripe I have with the series is that it suffers from what most independent series suffer from: mediocre art. The regular artist has a straight forward art style. Nothing about it pops out at you, but it’s not a pain to read. Domingues’ work on the other hand is, well, let’s go with unfortunate.

Rating: B+ An excellent story featuring one of the most original characters in years, but the issue suffers from mediocre art.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 162 Minutes
Rated: PG-13
SRP: $39.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: April 23, 2010

Film/Feature: C+
In case you haven’t heard, there’s this film called Avatar, and it’s kind of a big deal because it made more money than Hollywood could ever imagine and now we have 100 3-D films in the pipeline as a result. I’m kidding of course, sort of, and in the same way the Matrix sold DVD players, Avatar will do the same for blu-ray. Both successful and controversial, Avatar quickly comes to consumers in this stripped down movie-only release and is sure add to director James Cameron’s legacy of money-making blockbusters.

Avatar is about a paraplegic Marine veteran named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who enlists in the Avatar Program and infiltrates the Na’vi a sentient race of giant blue-skinned warriors who are connected with everything that lives on the moon Pandora in the Alpha Centauri star system. Pandora is full of hostile creatures but also beautiful things humans can only dream of. It is also full of rich resources like unobtanium that can be mined out and be worth millions back on Earth. Jake is serving two purposes, one for the science exploration and understanding of the Na’vi and the military strategic angle because underneath their home base, Hometree, is the largest known mineral deposit of unobtanium.

Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) leads the Avatar Program and has been trying to bridge a peaceful truce with the Na’vi to learn of their culture and Pandora’s ecosystem. It is under her command that Jake is taken in by the Na’vi, and is the first human to truly be accepted into the Omaticaya clan of the Na’vi. What she doesn’t know is that Jake is gathering information for Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and Administrator Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) in exchange for treatment that will restore mobility in his legs. Selfridge is leading the mining expedition, is unsympathetic to the lives they’re trampling on with their mining machines. Jake gets in with the Na’vi under the tutelage of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and is of course suspected by others in the tribe to be trouble as all outsiders are and Jake must prove to them that he is indeed true of his word. Once it is discovered that there is no way the Omaticaya clan will work with the humans or desire anything they can offer, Quaritch and Selfridge decide to take the area by force.

To get it out of the way, let me just say that Avatar is not an original story. I’ve heard all the comparisons to Dances with Wolves. Personally, it reminds me of the wonderful but sad 1986 Rolad Joffé film, The Mission starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons, about peaceful Jesuit missionaries trying to save South American tribes from being enslaved and forced out of their lands by of Portuguese and Spanish plantation owners. That film was based on the events revolving around the Treaty of Madrid in 1750, Avatar is undeniably influenced by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney’s invasion of Iraq as well as humans’ assault on mother Earth with industrialization and pollution.

Avatar’s pop culture significance stems from our current environmentally consciousness (hence its release on Earth Day), paying respect to few remaining indigenous tribes still left on this planet (and those that have been wiped out completely), and showing the crime of razing native civilizations from their land for the extraction of natural resources for capital gain. The fact that this story remains relevant, shows that no one has learned the lessons of it being told before, again and again. We have gotten to a point where we have forgotten the past sins. It’s no more “white guilt” as some have called it, than it is human history. One group of people trying to impose their will on the other for no other reason than personal gain and to exercise power.

Does that make it a good film, or more importantly an enjoyable film? That’s debatable and left to be discussed by film buffs, James Cameron-ites, and those who come out to see a film three times a year. I’d have loved to have seen Cameron not rest so much Avatar on what he’s done in the past; echoes of Aliens ring throughout from Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Augustine character resembling Ripley, Michelle Rodgriguez’s Trudy Chácon to Jeanette Goldstein’s Vasquez, and Ribisi’s slimy Selfridge to Paul Reiser’s equally despicable Burke. If not for the awesome and creative world that was put before us by the countless animators and artists, the story of Avatar would leave you wanting much more. A special nod goes to Zoe Saldana for giving one of the most convincing and emotional performances as an animated character in recent years. By the end of the film, I cared about what was happening to these overgrown smurfs.

It’s not what you tell, but how you tell it, as they say, and Cameron keeps finding new ways to get us into theaters. Based on the box offices, and the recent numbers on Blu-Ray and DVD sales, Avatar appeals to the masses and I’m not here to convert anyone into liking the film; you either do or you don’t. (I did, but recognize it’s trite shortcomings.) I am here to tell you that it looks fantastic on blu-ray, which brings me to the analysis of the disc.

Video: A+
This will be the most high scrutinized part of the blu-ray because everyone who saw this in the theater will attach their 3-D experience to the film. There’s no possible way this looks good on 2-D, right? Wrong. The 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio looks damn impressive with brilliant colors and loads of high-detailed depth. That high definition in conjunction with the depth in many scenes makes it appear almost three dimensional. There’s not that polarized or stereoscopic three-dimensional feel, but all I can say is that it is a completely different experience and I mean that in a good way. Look, I enjoyed the 3-D moments as much as the next person and when this gets its eventual 3-D release I will understand the need to recreate that original experience but this blu-ray release shows how magnificent a high definition 2-D image can benefit a film that was intended to be seen in 3-D. I could truly ramble on about this at great lengths, but just know that the depth on this film is as good as I’ve seen on any film and is in now way a lesser experience. The size and quality of your television, however, may lessen the visual impact, but everything else is golden. Blacks are immensely deep, primary and neon colors explode on the screen. There are no moments of digital artifacts, halos, or moments when the picture breaks down despite the high speed action. Textures remain true and stable and the gradual swirl of colors in the skin of the Na’vi are reproduced wonderfully. The detail in reflections, strands of hair, the vines of the Tree of Souls, and any scenes where the living plants show their neon colors/energy make for dazzling light show that will light a fire in your senses. I had a feeling it would look good, but not this good.

Audio: A
I can see Avatar being many folks’ first experience into blu-ray. Who knows, maybe it will inspire people to step up to a surround sound set up and for the first time in their lives, experience high definition audio as well. If so, they’ll be greeted to a 5.1 English DTS-HD master audio track. This soundtrack is aggressive and full of home theater audio moments where front-to-rear and side-to-side sound effects will turn heads all around. It has a punchy bass but I’ve heard films that go to the extremely far end of trying to blast your family room apart. Avatar won’t do that. In some instances I think it holds back. I was expecting a resounding thud when Hometree topples to the ground. There was another scene early when machine guns are spraying bullets and instead of being a directional sound moment, it got pushed to the center channel. Dialogue is distinctive, clear, and easy to understand. It sounds good where it needs to sound good, but I’d be lying if I said it was perfect. Other audio selections include: 5.1 English Dolby Digital, 2.0 English Descriptive Audio, and French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks; subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: D

Avatar DVD Avatar in standard definition. Yeah that about sums up the extras. But this does allow you to easily take Avatar on the go, in your van, and on your portable DVD player. I must point out the differences in the two formats because it’s hard to explain unless people have both formats available to compare with.

So here’s a quick run down of the DVD experience. It’s like night and day. With the added clarity of the blu-ray there’s not much that separates the foreground and the background. That’s why even on a 2D level, the blu-ray at times gives the perception that a 3D image is still there.

All of that is absent in the DVD. You still get the story, and some of the technical wonder, but it’s a noticeable step down. And you can live with that with a movie shot on traditional film stock and then transferred, where there’s that acceptable level of grain we’ve all come to love. Avatar though, is rich with technical and visual wonder, extreme color and levels of detail that you want as clean an image as you can get. Should you bring this home, you’ll be able to see the difference.

Now, this is not a shot at DVD, because that technology is great. For this instance though, the experience between DVD and blu-ray is incredible. This disparity is magnified by the type of film visually, that Avatar sets out to be. That gap may be much closer with a film that’s not designed to be as clean, and as detailed, one with much more intended grain. That variance in film to film, transfer to transfer is why I tell people that blu-ray maintains the intended look of the film, preserving how the film was meant to be seen.

There’s also a $25 coupon for Panasonic Blu-Ray disc players or entertainment systems to be used in conjunction with the purchase of the Avatar Blu-Ray or DVD.

Overall Shock Value: B
Avatar is one of those films that achieves such delight on a technical level that it overcomes the been-there-done-that story. There’s going to be a lot of speculation at how the Avatar experience is going to translate at home. I’m here to say that it translates beautifully. I can’t endorse how the film looks on DVD, because this is one of those films where the high definition experience needs to be preserved as close to the original as possible. If it the capacity of one entire blu-ray was needed for the film alone, then that effort was not wasted.

With only the movie and no extras, I’d say it’s hard to be completely immersed into Pandora outside of the nearly two and half hour running time. If you want to wait for extras, then you’ll have to wait this November. They are pricing this release as an affordable purchase for those who want to take the Avatar experience home ASAP, and for those who have been missing out, with a new blu-ray player and see what all the buzz is about.

So whether it’s an impulse buy or just to hold you over until the fall, Avatar on blu-ray is worth a Buy It recommendation if you can score a great sale, or if all you want is the film. Otherwise, plan for the collector’s release this Thanksgiving.

Year: 1994
Running Time: 81 Minutes
Rated: G
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): Disney / Pixar Studios
Release Date: March 23, 2010

Film/Feature: A+
It’s hard to imagine that its first feature film, Toy Story has just been released in high definition this past March. For many people, Pixar’s films inspired many to go out and buy a DVD player or soon after a DVD Player was accepted as a gift, a Pixar film brought home was a common ritual, soon to follow. And now the same thing could be said about blu-ray since Pixar films easily show a night and day comparison, ensuring that jump to high definition is well worth it. But Toy Story isn’t all about cutting technology in animation, there’s a great story about a young boy named Andy and the toys he loves to play with, or make that, loved to play with. If the toys could speak, what would they say? What would they think about? What would they fear most?

Toy Story believes that toys fear being forgotten. It sounds logical when you think about it. Every birthday and holiday when children are given a newly wrapped box, their old toys shake in fear that what’s inside is a toy so cool that all of their insecurities come out. Andy and his baby sister have a Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), a Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Bo Peep (Annie Potts), a Tyrannosaurus Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm the Piggy Bank (John Ratzenberger), and an army of Little Green Men (R. Lee Ermey) amongst dozens of other toys stuck in a chest. Word has it that the family they belong to is moving, so like any concerned toy, they are worried about being left behind. But before they can worry about that, Andy’s favorite toy is was Woody (Tom Hanks) but for his birthday this year, he opens up the hottest toy amongst boys, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Buzz is so new that he doesn’t realize that he’s a toy. Nothing more and nothing less. While the rest of Andy’s toys are enamored by him, Woody is unimpressed and does not hid his jealousy well. While Andy is stuck on going to “Infinity and Beyond” Woody does whatever he can to stay in the picture, even if it means compromising his good name among the rest of the toys. Woody’s plans begin to backfire on him while Buzz comes to grips that he’s nothing more than a pre-programmed toy with gimmicky bells and whistles.

The two of them get separated from the rest of the pack and eventually they find themselves trapped by the neighbor’s kid, Sid, who does has very destructive tendencies. This is what I love about Pixar, they have this great hook of a main story and then bring in this interesting character study. Sid reminds you of all of those kids who would do awful things to pets, pull the wings off of insects and do unspoken things to his toys. Buzz and Woody have to escape his grips before they’re blown to smithereens and at the same time get to the moving truck before Andy, his family, and the rest of their toy friends are gone forever.

What Toy Story accomplished with their first film and established from that point on is create adventures; ones that opened the mind of creativity and amazement in the inner child in us all. These qualities that often escape most films, regardless of who they’re aimed at. There’s nothing forced or contrived, this is just unfiltered fun. But Toy Story understood that it’s the details that count, the concepts that have to easily communicable, and the story needs to be flawless and that sums up what Toy Story and ultimately Pixar have since become.

Video:A+
What would the jump to blu-ray be, if there wasn’t a leap in picture quality and boy is there ever one here. Toy Story comes equipped with a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Two things jump out on this blu-ray, first the color looks ravishing. Blistering hues will scream off of your LCD screen or plasma television. I could list off a grocery list of scenes that looks better than the standard definition transfer but I’ll save time by saying that it all looks better. The other thing I want to note is the details in the texture. Plastic looks like shiny plastic, metal looks like metal (Slinky Dog), and fabric is well, you get the picture. Denim (on Woody), shine (on Buzz), lace (on Bo Peep); all look as if they existed in real life instead of being fabricated on a computer. I know there are some skeptics out there who think that the Toy Story DVDs are not chopped liver, but I’m sorry, but those of you who adore this film, need to see it in high definition because in this case, the DVD is a severely inferior product.

Audio: A+
Just because you can blow the roof off your building with an amazing audio mix, doesn’t mean you have to. Toy story picks its spots to show off its 5.1 English DTS-HD master audio track. When the film opens with all of the toys scrambling to organize a townhall meeting, there’s lots of surround sound chaos. Sound just whizzes by your head, and closing your eyes you can imagine what scene is happening where. And then Toy Story just lulls you with dialogue while the story sets in with front-heavy activity, until Buzz and Woody end up outside the house. The last half hour of the story plays out superbly in 5.1. Dialogue and Randy Newman’s score are also expertly mixed so as not to drown out or overpower any other sound or audio. Other audio selections include: French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital EX tracks, English DTS-HD 2.0, English DVS 2.0 and subtitles are available in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Extras: A+

When the 10th Anniversary DVD came out a few years back, it was chock full of extras, and the fine folks at Pixar packaged that and much more exclusive stuff for the blu-ray to make it worth buying again.

BLU RAY EXTRAS

Audio Commentary by Director John Lasseter, Co-Writer Andrew Stanton, Supervising Animator Pete Doctor, Art Director Ralph Eggleston, Supervising Technical Director Bill Reeves, and producers Ralph Guggenheim and Bonnie Arnold. A brand new commentary track by many of the main cogs of the Pixar machine. Even though the room is jammed with speakers, Pixar commentary tracks are always informative, light in tone and full of insight into the animating and storytelling processes.

Toy Story 3 Sneak Peek HD (2:02) A little of the story is leaked out about what the third installment is about.

Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off HD (3:27) A look into Buzz’s latest adventure into NASA’s space station up in orbit.

Path to Pixar – Artists HD (4:49) a few introductions of some of the cool people who work at Pixar and what they do now and when the started their careers at the famed animation studio.

Studio Stories: John’s Car HD (1:27) a story about John Lasseter’s humble beginnings and his method of transportation.

Studio Stories: Baby AJ HD (1:38) another story from the animators about a Halloween costume contest at Pixar.

Studio Stories: Scooter Races HD (2:16) one last story from the old Pixar studio vault.

Buzz takes Manhattan HD (2:13) Buzz Lightyear finally gets to fly, in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw HD (7:34) Lasseter tells the story about the first reel shown to the Disney execs who wanted Toy Story to have a hard edge to it and why it didn’t work. In fact it nearly ended the film.

CLASSIC DVD EXTRAS
For those who never got the 10th Anniversary DVDs, those extras have been ported over in their entirety. They are in standard definition, with may of them in 4:3 full frame and 1.85:1 widescreen.

Filmmakers Reflect (16:56) The four main heads of Pixar (Joe Ranft, John Lasseter, gather around and reflect back over the past ten years and Toy Story and creating an environment to create fun films that everyone would enjoy. They paint a picture of what it was like making Toy Story and beginning what would be the studio that couldn’t do wrong.

Making Toy Story (20:17) Is a step-by-step telling how Toy Story came together from concept to finished film and using the computer as a tool along with the creative human process in making a great story.

The Legacy of Toy Story (11:41) is a series of interview clips from animators, actors, filmmakers, and those associated with films discussing the impact of Toy Story on the film and animation industries.

Designing Toy Story (6:12) detailing the textured world of Toy Story.

Deleted Scenes (18:50) Nine deleted scenes

Design are 11 Galleries of the different set designs (14:03), seven galleries on 3-D Visualizations (5:41), three galleries on the storytelling device of Color (7:54).

Story (13:56) Pixar’s unique and organic storyboarding and script review process is shown in three different scenes and has since been followed in each of the studio’s subsequent films.

Production (13:41) explains the animation process from the storyboards, layouts, animation, to the finished product. And as a bonus is a short reel of Toy Story in the various languages it was translated.

Music and Sound: Randy Newman Demos (17:30) is a collection of songs Newman created for the film. They can be heard one-by-one, or altogether. They are as follows: Plastic Spaceman 1 (3:18) and 2 (3:16), Strange Things (2:58), The Fool (2:09), I Will Go Sailing No More (3:32), You’ve Got a Friend in Me (2:17).

Publicity SD (10:14) a series of promotional Trailers, TV Spots, Posters, and much more.

Sneak Peeks for Disney Movie Rewards, Toy Story 1 and 2, The Princess and the Frog, James and the Giant Peach Special Edition, and Beauty and the Beast.

Toy Story 3 Coupon included is a $8.50 off a single admission ticket for Toy Story 3 which adds a little incentive for anyone who thinks they’ve bought this film enough. Gotta make sure to use it, though!

Overall Shock Value: A+
Chances are you already have the DVD of Toy Story, but as it was an early reference title for DVD technology, it has the same value for Blu-Ray. Looking even better in high definition, Toy Story is a justifiable double dip worth every single penny and you can give your old DVD to someone who doesn’t already have it and won’t make the leap to high def anytime soon. While it is already beginning to look outdated as far as computer-animated films is concerned, Toy Story holds up extremely well because of how good the story still is and there’s plenty of new bonus features and incentives to Buy It again!

Year: 2009
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rated: G
SRP: $44.95
Studio(s): Disney Studios
Release Date: March 16, 2010

Film/Feature: A–

You’re never too old to enjoy a Disney film, and if you find yourself at that place, then you may have lost your ability to have fun. Luckily for Disney animation, they haven’t lost their touch in making family films to lose yourself for an hour or two and let your inner-kid enjoy itself. In a brave move, Disney went against the grain and made a new hand-drawn animated feature going back to its roots to put their spin on another fairy tale. This time it was the Brothers Grimm tale of The Princess and the Frog.

Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) is a young and independent woman raised by a hard-working parents (Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard) and is saving up to open her own restaurant. She has been childhood friends with Charlotte, who was raised in a well-to-do aristocrat family and has taken the “wishing upon a star” literally. Tiana on the other hand, thinks good will only come to those who work for it.

Fifteen minutes in, and you might look at the cover of the box and wonder if you bought the right film. Disney’s twist of the Princess and the Frog fairy tale finally takes form when Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) and his servant, Lawrence arrive to look for a rich suitor because they are broke. Charlotte’s father gets wind that a prince is in town and gets whatever his little girl wants and throws a big ball for his daughter to meet the prince. However, New Orleans is a town of opportunists like Dr. Facilier (Keith David), a voodoo magician who promises to fulfill their wishes before showing up to the ball. But the servant has taken the form of Prince Naveen, and Naveen has been turned into a frog. Naveen is able to convince Tiana that he is a prince, and all she needs to do is give him a kiss and he’ll revert back to his human form.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out that smoothly and Tiana is instead turned into a frog and the leap into the swamps and bayou with the help of Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), a trumpet-tooting alligator and Ray (Jim Cummings), a romantic ragin’ Cajun lightning bug to find Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), a good witch who they hope to have some answers for them. If they remain in frog form too long, they could stay that way forever. The story is light road tale of perseverance, but has enough plot elements that keep pulling along your interest throughout.

It’s impossible to avoid the attempt Disney is making to fill a lacking hole in their library of films that would appease the African-American audiences. Tiana becomes the first African-American princess that Disney has ever revolved a story around and they did it successfully with a talented cast headed by Anika Noni Rose whose strong voice and cheerful spirit fit her character’s design of a strong-minded and head strong woman. Keith David plays Dr. Facilier, a conniving conjurer, and toned-down version of the popular folklore occult Shadow Man. His voice has prominence, a chilling ring, and David’s singing chops aren’t bad either.

There’s still a gap in how much this story can touch you as opposed to what comes out of Disney Pixar Studios but that’s the difference in working off a fairy tale and doing something completely original. The Princess and the Frog’s message of ‘not just wishing and a star and waiting, but also doing something about it’ is clear enough to not feel like it’s a one-note story, and so is its other lesson of ‘not working so much you forget to have fun.’ There are themes of class, work ethic, small business, and much more. Fun characters and music by Randy Newman solidify this release as a must-see for young, old, girls and boys; and there should not be any questions one whether or not everyone will enjoy this.

Video: A+
Disney’s triumphant return to drawn animation is supported by this terrific high definition 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Backgrounds have layers of painted detail, characters have loads of vibrant hues and color that are as visually stunning as some of the very best Disney films. Nice touches like opaque reflections in water, the amber glow of an oil lamp and smoke from a shotgun have no banding or signs of artificial enhancement. I want to call to attention three chapters which make for good visual tests of this blu-ray (as well as audio). Chapter 4 is Tiara’s first big musical number and the animation goes from the “Disney” style to 1940′s deco art full of bright oranges and yellows only seen on gerber daisies. Chapter 5 is Dr. Facilier’s introduction and his lair is full of the occult and voodoo magic. Rich purple hues and psychedelic imagery that are reminiscent of a Victor Moscoso painting. Every scene has something much deeper to look at and other good stuff like deep blacks and smooth gradient color will impress. And shadow delineation, accentuated by the shadow monsters have clear definition.

Audio: A+
Accompanying the strong visuals is the equally impressive 5.1 English DTS-HD master audio track. The music reflects each of the delicious flavors of the southern creole cooking pots. From the dixie jazz, to the gospel chorals, and the rhythm and blues will have you snapping your fingers, clapping your hands and shaking your thang down Bourbon Street. Your ear will be able to place where the instruments were from the drums to the sharp brass section. Dialogue is flawless as distinct accents don’t make the words any less difficult to hear but instead make them that much more memorable. Mama Odie and Louis for example, have subtle but very different accents that help distinguish not only who they are, but what region of New Orleans they’d be from. The shadow monsters have an eerie and haunting sound that swirls all around. Ray’s buzzing moves around the room as he moves on the screen and every musical performance is over-the-top with highly active sound movement, native surround effects heard in the swamps and a well-balanced mix of it all. Again, pay attention to Chapters 4, 5, and 11 offer up some of the very best this blu-ray has to offer. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and a English 2.0 DVS track; subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: B
I’ve got to knock Disney a few on their extras department which left lots to desire. First of all what’s on the disc is very short. We’re talking about a family film which should have a wealth of material, that will not only consume time, but shed a lot of light on the film. For being one of the first hand-drawn films in a long time, most of the featurettes could have been grouped together for one sitting or allow the option of playing them individually instead of forcing to view it in two-to-five minute segments. Another thing I have to take down on is for a Disney musical film, where are the Sing-a-long extras? A big-big-big misstep there. When I compare these to say, a Disney Pixar film and the hours of material there, I wonder why so little was given to The Princess and the Frog.

Disc One
Audio Commentary by Co-Directors John Musker and Ron Clements and Producer Peter Del Vecho is a scene-specific, on point track that covers a variety of subjects from Randy Newman’s musical contribution, the setting of New Orleans, and creating a brand new story, with new characters with the Disney twist of a classic fairy tale. All three men contribute equally, do not talk over each other and give a fine diversion for budding animators or Disney loyalists.

Work in Progress Track HD Here’s a neat blu-ray exclusive track which allows you to view the film alongside in-progress storyboards, pencil layouts, and rough animations as a Picture-in-Picture feature. I think what would have made this even better though would have been the ability to view this during the commentary. In fact, they should have fused the two tracks as a CineExplore commentary, often seen on other family films.

Deleted Scenes HD (11:43) There are five deleted / alternate scenes in storyboard form with different voices that were cut before animation and voices were recorded. The reasons they didn’t make the cut were mainly due to time constraints.

Music and More HD (4:04) Here’s where I really took issue with the extras. In this section there is only one option, so I’m not sure where the “and More” comes into play, but this is just the music video for “Never Knew I Needed” by Ne-Yo, which is only used on the closing credits. Where are the extras on the songs, the musical elements of the film? This is where a sing-a-long extra needed to be placed, a usual staple of classic Disney releases.

Bringing Life to Animation HD (8:08) Two scenes, “Dig a Little Deeper” and “The Proposal” are broken down with live action sequences used as visual references for the animators, a technique that was used throughout the golden age of Disney. They show different angles and choreography, along with commentary by Musker and Clements.

Magic in the Bayou: The Making of a Princess HD (22:11) John Lasster joins the production party to discuss the creative energy behind The Princess and the Frog and the universal buzz among the cast and crew that a new hand-drawn animated feature was pumping through the veins of the Disney offices, as well as the all of the major themes and elements of the film.

The Return to Hand Drawn Animation HD (2:43) The excitement of the return to a 2D film lit a fire under the animators because it’s what brought so many people to work at Disney in the first place. The animators of the film talk about wanting to continue the art of Disney filmmaking.

The Disney Legacy HD (2:31) A look at the great animators of Disney and their impact on the current animators who were able to work with people who worked alongside Walt Disney.

Disney’s Newest Princess HD (2:51) The attention swings to actress Anika Noni Rose and the 1920′s inspired character, who is a strong and independent woman who little girls can aspire to.

The Princess and the Animator HD (2:26) The supervising animator for Princess Tiana, Mark Henn talks about creating another strong princess character for Disney having worked on Ariel, Belle, Mulan and Jasmine.

Conjuring the Villain HD (1:50) Animators and Keith David talk about the story’s villain, Dr. Facilier.

A Return to the Animated Musical HD (3:13) a short featurette about the musical score for The Princess and the Frog involving Randy Newman’s composition of jazz, gospel and the blues.

Art Galleries Peruse a number of the developmental, conceptual, and design art for the film including Character Design, Visual Development, Layouts and Backgrounds and Storyboards.

What do you See: Princess Portraits is a guessing game where images are created by fireflies and you have to guess which Disney princess it is. Hosted by Mama Odie, after ten tries

Disc Two: DVD
The DVD includes the full film, deleted scenes, audio commentary, the Princess Portraits game, and the music video by Ne-Yo. If you have a family and you have outfitted your fan or travel packs with the ability to watch DVDs on the go, you will love this added option. However, to those thinking that the DVD version will suffice, the digital sound and vision of the blu-ray is unmatched.

Disc Three: Digital Copy Disc
Take The Princess and the Frog with you on the go to watch it on your laptop, desktop computer, or portable media player.

Overall Shock Value: A–
As a fan of all types of animation, Disney’s hit it our of the park with another musical twist on a classic fairy tale and presenting an enjoyable film that should connect with plenty of families on family night. There some real delightful performances especially by Keith David and Anika Noni Rose both in their acting and singing. The visuals are splendidly classic but also has that jolt of high definition pop. The Princess and the Frog offers a diverse option for families who want to expand from the classic Disney canon with a great message and a infectious blend of music ranging from jazz, gospel and blues. A definite Buy it! especially with every format imaginable is available in one package.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 430 Minutes
Rated: TV-14
SRP: $ 29.99
Studio(s): ABC Studios
Release Date: February 23, 2010

Film/Feature: B+
Knowing the their prized show, Lost was ending after this season ABC realized they’ll need something to take its place. They scored a science fiction show that was originally supposed to air on HBO which was based in the real world, but plays with the storytelling devices through a variety of glimpses of the future. A world-wide phenomenon occurred where every human experienced a blackout for 137 seconds, and experienced in that same time period, a taste of May 27, 2010, six months in the future. If people saw someone else in their flash-forward, then that person experienced the exact same vision.

The main story revolves around a group of FBI Special Agents investigating the cause of the blackout. The lead story is of Mark Renford played by Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) and his wife, Dr. Olivia Benford played by Lost alum, Sonya Walger. In their flash forwards he sees armed men hunting him down at his office, Mark is back drinking and the men looking for him bear the same tattoo on their forearm. His wife’s flash forward sees her cascading down her stairs in lingerie into the arms of another man. Mark’s partner, Special Agent Dimitri Noh (John Cho) sees no flash and suspects he will not live to see the day on everyone’s mind. Another agent, Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) is a lesbian and single, yet whose vision is that she is nearly six months pregnant.

The team begins to gather clues like a similar occurrence happened in Somalia in 1991, a dark shadowy figure seen in Detroit during the blackout who did not lose consciousness, and a mysterious person known only by D. Gibbons. In Mark’s flash forward he remembers his peg board being filled with other clues gathered from the upcoming investigation. Along the way about episode 4-7 FlashForward gets a bit bumpy and loses some of its interest and speed. The government looks into the money being spent on this sector of the FBI and is threatened to be closed. A common theme in Lost is destiny versus freedom of choice. It surfaces here too. Will a glimpse of the future be enough for people to accept that as their fate? Or were people meant to see that to change the future?

There are good characters, with some plausible and not-so-plausible angles. Dimitri Noh trying to find out why he has no vision of the future and desperately trying to change that is a splendid leading role for Korean-born, American Cho and is one of the strongest stories in the series. It’s probably one of the more fuller characters he’s portrayed. I also like Sonya Walger’s Olivia trying everything to change her future but fails to deter her apparent path of destiny. When the show’s antagonists slowly reveal themselves it proves that this ball of yarn will be quite a tangled mess. The show is not without its faults. Fiennes is out of his element doing action, the show takes some giant leaps in explaining the science.

It’s difficult enough for a show like Lost viewers to buy into the sci-fi strangeness of some remote island, but a global occurrence such as this, well, that’s an ambitious story to tell. FlashForward puts a good foot “forward” (sorry I had to say that) and by the end of part one of season one, it recovers from the lackluster middle portion of this box set. Not only does this series flash forward, but it also begins to show what each character was doing prior to the blackout. Managing all of these storylines coherently is not an easy task by any means and yet after ten episodes I’m still in it to its end. Here’s hoping that FlashForward will be given every chance to fill in those blanks.

Video: A-
The transfer is a 480p encoded transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio enhanced for 16×9 televisions. The series is shot in high definition and the result is a visually strong and stylistic series that’s bright and full of high contrast and real world textures and skin tones. At times scenes are lit with blue hues and slight over-saturation, but it’s a nice looking image that lacks the fine detail of high definition but the much of the source information makes it over relatively unharmed in the DVD. You almost think it’s high def at first which tells just you how good it looks for a DVD.

Audio: B+
FlashForward gets a 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track. Since this is not a high definition audio track, there isn’t the destructive sound that comes out of a DTS-HD track but all of the action sequences are full of subwoofer activity and lively movement from front to rear channels. Most importantly, center channels will pump out the dialogue clearly and in synch to the moving picture. There are no other audio choices and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Extras: C-
There’s a small smattering of extras here but it’s mostly to promote the second half of the season. There will hopefully be a more full plate of supplements when the full season comes out on DVD and Blu-ray.

Creating Catastrophe: The Effects of a Global Blackout SD (7:06) mainly shows the behind the scenes of creating the opening devastation scene where part of the Los Angeles freeway was closed.

FlashForward: A Look Ahead SD (4:48) is an extended preview of what I imagine to be a clip of episode 11.

Could SD (1:32) is a TV spot for the second half of season one.

Overall Shock Value: B–
After the first ten episodes I was sold on the show. It was an easy sell for me that moved a little faster than Lost as far giving viewers the feeling they are moving towards something real. But this is a much bigger story than what Lost is trying to tell. The phenomenon is on a global level and I’m interested to see how the writers get out of this jam. There are some questions about the future of this show given two of the creative forces, creator David Goyer, and showrunner Marc Guggenheim are no longer involved with the show. Whether it makes the cut in the summer or not, FlashForward served as a good filler while we waited to see the last season of Lost, which I think would be a wise lead-in if the show wants to get strong enough ratings for a return. This DVD is just the first half of the season and is meant for those who want to catch up on the show as the second half kicks in March 18, 2010 with a two-hour season finale set for May 27, 2010. And if that’s exactly what you want, this DVD looks and sounds great, and is worth at least a Rent It based on the skimpy supply of extras and inevitable full season box set.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 482 Minutes
Rated: Not Rated
SRP: $ 59.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 12, 2010

Film/Feature: C+

The first 12 seasons of the Simpsons crawled out on DVD with phenomenal extras and are great archive editions of probably the best years of the show, but they’ve always been behind in getting them out as compared to what the current season is on television. For the 20th season, Fox oddly rushed out this set on DVD and for the first time, blu-ray bypassing those in between. The episodes are as follows.

Disc 1
Sex, Pies and Idiot Scraps
Lost Verizon
Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
Treehouse of Horror XIX
Dangerous Curves
Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
Mypods and Boomsticks
The Burns and the Bees
Lisa the Drama Queen

Disc 2
Take My Life, Please
How the Test Was Won
No Loan Again, Naturally
Gone Maggie Gone
In the Name of the Grandfather
Wedding for Disaster
Eeny Teeny Mata, Moe
The Good, the Sad and the Drugly
Father Knows Worst
Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D’oh
Four Great Women and a Manicure
Coming to Homerica

After twenty years, I have to admit that the well hasn’t run dry, but the water doesn’t taste as fresh as it used to be. There are some episodes where I found myself going an entire segment without laughing or even forcing a laugh out because I still enjoy this world. I’ve always attributed the golden years of the Simpsons as seasons 4-10, and the quality slowly grades down from there. It’s the episodes with a strong central focus that’s carried throughout the entire show that leaves the best impression. But after that golden era of the Simpsons, the show seemed to take on a formula of putting the three most unrelated stories and find a way to string them together, oh and let’s see just how dumb Homer can be, what cause will Lisa take on or what threat does Marge and Homer have in their marriage. It’s gotten to the point where the only must-see show is the annual Treehouse of Horror episode.

Every now and then they do hit a nerve or two that are timely like taking on all of the DaVinci Code-like puzzle films in “Gone Maggie Gone,” satirizing Apple nation “Mypods and Boomsticks,” and taking the kids out of Springfield elementary and placing them in “Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D’oh.” “How the Test Was Won” is another stand out episode that reminds longtime viewers that this show can still put it all together. For a show where the characters never age, never develop or barely remember what happened to them prior, The Simpsons require no cliff notes and after 20 seasons, that’s a good thing; but like a long running game show, you still find ways to enjoy it despite a change in host, some modification of the games and change of the set, and most times forget it’s still on.

I agree, Bart, but this blu-ray set could use some more work.

Video: C+
For the first time, the Simpsons television series was put on blu-ray and I figured that it would be a something to make note of, but I didn’t expect this at all. The episodes are split into two discs featuring a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer. The first disc shows the episodes in 1.33:1, while the second disc of episodes are in 1.78:1 widescreen. The split signifies the change in broadcast when the original broadcast went high definition in the middle of the season. The result is two entirely different viewing experiences. The full frame episodes have noticeable banding and aliasing, wonky contrast, and lacks the crispness seen with other cel-animated features on blu-ray. The episodes in widescreen appear to be closer to what you’d expect when you watch the Simpsons on HD TV when it airs on Fox. Colors stand out more and the subtle changes in tints of color for shading is more prevalent. I have no idea why this season was put together the way it was, but it comes off as lazy in my opinion. I’d expect something like this on the first season, but the 20th?

Audio: B
The Simpsons have always been designed as a standard television show in stereo 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. There is rarely a peep that will come out of your surround channels as almost everything comes from your center and front channels. There’s nothing really to complain about, but those are the facts. The dialogue comes in clear and that’s the biggest hurdle for this show. The rear activity, and sound movement is so unspectacular, keeping it at a 2.0 Stereo mix would have been better. Maybe then there would be more room for some extras (see below). Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH and Spanish.

Extras: D-
Audio Commentary by _____ Wait, what? No audio commentaries? You can’t put audio commentaries on every season box set, rush this one out on blu-ray and DVD, skip over eight other seasons and give a poor effort on the extras department. Seriously, this a bad move that I don’t think will make any Simpsons diehard thrilled.

The one lone (snicker) extra is a Teaser for Morgan Spurlock 20th Anniversary Simpsons Documentary Special HD (4:00) which aired prior to the release of this box set. The teaser is great, it’s wonderful, it makes you want to see this special, which Spurlock looks to be an intense fan, but I’ll be reserved to hunt for this online. Would it have burdened Fox to put the darn special on this box set? There’s not much else to take its space.

If there’s one thing you can expect out of a Simpsons box set, it’s the extras, and this has all the signs of rushing out a product, (especially with the inconsistent aspect ratios) and not making it as good as it can possibly be before sending it out.

Overall Shock Value: C
I never thought I’d ever give a Simpsons season set such a low grade but as much of a fan as I was of the first 15 years of the show, my interest has waned, and if I catch episodes at their original air date, it’s by pure luck. It doesn’t nearly have the magic and fun it once had, but it’s still better than 75% of what’s on television. I was curious to see if the format change to blu-ray would make any difference but unlike Family Guy’s Something Something Something Dark Side, the Simpsons looked quite ordinary on high definition. Add the lazy effort on the extras and you have a Rental at best.

Buying a last minute gift for a movie or TV fan, or maybe you’re trying to come up with a list for someone trying to get you a next-to-impossible-to-find gift? Or perhaps you’ve got some holiday gift cards to use, maybe a Christmas bonus? Wanna cash in on some After-Christmas sales? Keep this 2009 PCS Gift Guide: Movies and TV list handy for all your last minute pre-holiday needs and post-holiday wish fulfillment!

#10 Watchmen The Ultimate Cut and Director’s Cut Blu-Rays
SRP: $60 (Ultimate Cut) $36 (Director’s Cut) Find it online from $40-$50 (Ultimate Cut) and $17-$20 (Director’s Cut)

As a website that’s deeply rooted in comic book coverage, I couldn’t help but place Watchmen and both of its blu-ray editions. What? Both? Yes, and this is why. The entire 186-minute Ultimate Cut is everything you could possibly ask for. See the spliced animated feature length Black Freighter film mixed in with the director’s cut for a marathon movie experience. Packaged with the Ultimate Cut is the Watchmen Motion Comic, in case you want to see and hear the original comic. There enough featurettes and discussions as to where Watchmen belongs in our current culture. It’s everything you could dream up of short of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons epic reading the damn thing to you. Yeah, just try to make that happen. All of the extras from the Director’s Cut has been ported over to the Ultimate Cut EXCEPT for ONE THING: Maximum Movie Mode.

Maximum Movie Mode is on the Director’s Cut blu-ray, and is, (excuse this pun) the Watchmen of all picture-in-picture commentaries, featuring Zack Snyder beside two large screens; one for watching the film and the to pull up behind the scenes extras to which he pushes through all of it to bring up specific points in creating the film. He’ll explain something while it’s going on and then pause the movie to discuss something else. Snyder talks about Watchmen ad nauseam–until you don’t want to hear the name Rorschach ever again. While Snyder is doing his thing, trivia, side-by-side comparisons to the comics, and others run simultaneously. Now, in comparison, the Ultimate Cut’s has two newer commentaries, a new one by Snyder and one by artist Dave Gibbons, co-creator of Watchmen, over the entire, Ultimate Cut experience. So my final recommendation is to get the Ultimate cut, and find a used or discounted copy of the Director’s cut just to see Maximum Movie Mode.

#9 Marvel Animation Lion’s Gate 6 Film Set
SRP: $49.98 Find it on Amazon or other online outlets for approx. $35-$40

None of these are perfect animated Marvel films for the comic book fan who analyzes each comic-related item with a magnifying glass, but they’re entertaining enough for the average fanboy and especially for any geek-in-the-making. Start them off with next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow and then they can graduate to more of the classic Marvel stories with a modern take Doctor Strange and The Invincible Iron Man movie, which features the Mandarin. Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2 are two cracks at trying to capture that magic Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch imagined with their Ultimates comic, which was a modern take on the Avengers and is a partial road map for what the Marvel films are building towards. But everything culminates to the animation and action in the Hulk Vs. DVD which features two animated films, recreating the classic Hulk Vs. Wolverine battle, and another fight between hulk and Thor.

The extras are on the underwhelming side, but all of the movies are technically sound. The voice acting on these six films are as good as anything I’ve seen from an animated Marvel feature and know that the stories progressively get better and better if they are viewed in the order of release starting with Ulimate Avengers (2005) and ending with Hulk Vs (2008). Again, these are great introductions for that young Marvel Zombie who wants something with a little more teeth than Super Hero Squad, and is looking for a good connection from the animated product to the comic material they’re based on.

#8 Disney Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy Disc Combos
Bolt, Pinocchio, A Bug’s Life, G-Force, Monsters Inc., Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and Up
SRP: $36-45 each. Find it on Amazon or other online outlets for approx. $15-$25

Whether you loved them as a kid or plan to watch them with your own kids, these films strive to appeal the masses without really aiming to do so and often to achieve it. There is unfortunately no box set containing all of these Disney releases, but the reason that I list them down as the perfect gifts is that they include every way possible to watch these films. Whether you’re into downloading, have to go on a long road trip, or are going up on a plane, sometimes a little bit of entertainment goes a long way. Each combo package has enough extras to last for however long you need it to. Many of them have Academy Award-winning short films, interactive games, sing-alongs, music videos, archival footage, and Disney’s great multi-media experience Cine-Explore Experience Commentaries. They all have some of the very best transfers and sounding audio of the year, and whether you’re outfitted for blu-ray now or plan to in the future, you have what you need to prevent you from buying that film in another format ever again, at no extra cost. If you hunt around you can even find coupons specifically for these films, which will help you save even more money. Disney has shown a full support of the format and was one of the first studios to offer all the formats on one package, at one low price.

#7 Battle Star Galactica: The Complete Series (2004-2009) on Blu-Ray
SRP: $350 Find it on Amazon or other online retailers for approx. $200-$225

How do you sum up five years of probably one of the best, if not THE best television series that’s been made in the last ten years? Simple. Buy this box set. Blindly. That’s my best possible recommendation for this box set. There are 20 blu-rays that make up this box set that treat this series with the class it deserves: high definition transfers, movie theater-like sound, and extras out the wazoo. There are 22 commentaries, and 57 podcast commentaries, six extended episodes, video blogs, Univeral’s blu-ray exclusive U-Control, behind-the-scenes until you’re Cylon in the face. The giant box opens “up” to reveal smaller boxes and encased at the top is a cool Cylon Centurion action figure to dance about on your cubicle or home office. Where you’re going to put this thing, I don’t know but if you’re hardcore enough to spend two large bills on this box set, then I’m sure you already know where you’re going to display it. If you’re persistent, this box set could give you a year’s worth of daily entertainment if you can stay sitting for that long. Throw a treadmill walk in there or some Yoga ball workout, because by the time you get through everything your brain may go Galactica.

#6 The Bourne Trilogy Blu-Ray
SRP: $120 Fint it on Amazon or other online retailers for approx. $75-$85

Not to be forgotten in the great gift sets of 2009 is Universal’s blu-ray treatment of the Bourne Trilogy released at the beginning of the year. For those who have either gotten a new blu-ray player or home theater this is an incredible box set to begin any collection. The three superbly satisfying films showcase room-rattling acoustics, high-grade video transfers where the fast-paced action will test the abilities of your display, and hours of extras to keep you immersed in the world of Jason Bourne. Now in a few weeks, you may want to wait for Universal’s flipper technology to hit the streets so that you can have the DVDs as well, then by all means do so, but this box set may see a dip in price by retailers who want to stock the flipper discs. I actually prefer this set with the magnetic “Bourne” clasp and sleek faux “steel” stylings of the slipcase, though I’m sure I’ll gripe when the fourth Bourne film comes out in 2011 and it will sit by itself next to the box set.

# 5 Hogan’s Heroes: The Komplete Series DVD Kommandant Kollection
SRP: $180 Find it on Amazon or other online retailers for approx. $125-$150

Before Lt. Aldo Raine and the Inglourious Basterds were making buffoons out of Nazis, Col. Robert E. Hogan and his Heroes were doing it on a weekly basis on network television. Six seasons of Hogan’s Heroes are spread through 27, well-produced DVDs, mostly in color with some episodes of Season 1 in black and white. In a time when reality television rules the world, it’s good to remember what classic television was capable of doing in providing laughs-at zee German’s expense. There was a lot of cool stuff for fans of spy work and military, and most importantly well-written stories. It was a pretty bold move for television at that time to try and make satire out of World War II and the “camp” life. It featured a cool cast of actors in the sixties that included Richard Dawson who’s still sharp as ever, the late and great Ivan Dixon, and former actual concentration camp survivor, Robert Clary to name a few. Thankfully I had older siblings to make sure I knew about Heroes as a kid and now I’m reminding you of how truly great this series was.

As far as extras go, a majority of them are spread in Season 2 and Season 6. Unfortunately there are only two commentary tracks in the entire box set, but there’s tons of promo material, gag reels, a Patricia and Bob Crane Wedding Film, three new Richard Dawson interviews (The Early Days, The Cast, and Fond Memories), The Extended Pilot with Gilligan’s Island Introduction and perhaps my favorite extra out of the entire set was seeing episode 1.27 “The Safecracker Suite” as an alternate version that the German TV board got a hold of and recorded a new German audio track so that they didn’t look like fools on the show. Don’t worry it’s got English subtitles. Each season has its own folder of discs and everything is housed in a well-designed slipcase with acetate sleeve. Hogaaaaaaan!

# 4 Lost Season 5 Dharma Initiative Edition Blu-Ray
SRP: $120 Bargain Shoppers: Find it on Amazon or Target for appox. $75-80

There is a handful of television shows that really exemplify the beauty of high definition, and Lost belongs in that elite club. If you haven’t been catching the show on blu-ray, then do so because it’s the best these shows have ever looked and they’ve never sounded any better. Like in seasons prior, Season 5 has a ton of supplemental material and easter eggs, but after the lightweights make it through the episode discs and extras and go to bed, the “Lost-ies” can enroll in the blu-ray exclusive, Lost University which is like a full blown school of Lost-related classes and workshops, complete with lectures, homeworks assignments, exams, and higher learning like survival tactics, learning foreign languages, and the philosophical and scientific explanations of what is going on in the show. In other words, there are days worth of extras (because it actually makes you wait for days in between classes) on BD-Live/Online to keep you immersed in what the Dharma Initiative has in store for you.

And if you want to take it a step further, track down the Dharma Intiative version of Season 5 on blu-ray. The discs themselves are the same, but housed in “floppy” discs holders, and included are four Dharma Initiative patches for you to sew onto your jump suit (not included); a fifth chase patch is randomly packaged. In addition to trifold brochures is a retro orientation folder with a VHS instructional videocassette. Housing all of this is a distressed and aged, cardboard box with a “moldy facade.” It’s hard to deny the fervor that Lost fans have shown in recent years and these blu-rays are the best possible way to own and watch the series.

# 3 The Mel Brooks Blu-Ray Collection
SRP: $140 Find it on Amazon or other online outlets for approx. $95

It’s hard to find a funnier box set than the Mel Brooks collection. Yes it’s politically incorrect, yes, they’re off-the-wall, but Brooks is one of our finest comedic iconoclasts. In addition to the movies is a 120-pg hardcover booklet that’s as wide as the box and full of anecdotes for each film with production notes, Brooks’ diary logs and funny stories. This makes the PCS Gift list because Brooks’ films have stood the test of time and people still talk about them today, and they continue to be as funny today as they were when they were first made.

The set Includes high definition blu-rays of The Twelve Chairs (1970) Blazing Saddles (1974) Young Frankenstein (1974) Silent Movie (1976), High Anxiety (1977), History of the World Part I (1981) To Be or Not to Be (1983) Spaceballs (1987) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). The transfers on all of the films are of high quality, especially Young Frankenstein with Twelve Chairs looking the worst of them all specifically because of the grainy appearance but it is also the oldest of the set. Extras vary from disc to disc but Brooks is often found providing solo commentary tracks and on several discs are isolated score tracks. Definitely one of the best gift sets, just released this week.

# 2 Futurama DVD Series Set in Bender Head
SRP: $200 Find it on Amazon or Costco for appox. $145-160

If you found it tough to keep track of Futurama as it moved from different time slots to another network and then the four straight-to-DVD animated features, then DVR no more. Originally conceived as a limited edition 2009 Comic-Con Exclusive, (but is now available at your local Costco) are all 72 episodes and the four widescreen animated features: Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder spread throughout 19 discs, and housed in a giant plastic Bender Head. The box that holds the set has printing on all six sides of the cube so it looks like a well-preserved Futurama head floating in liquid. The first thing I thought when I opened this thing is, “This thing is bitchin!” Afterwards, it was, “Where am I going to put this?” Keep the box and put it safely on a bookshelf in your office so you can sneak an episode here and there proudly display your love of Slurm!

Now, while Fox is planning to recast the voices for new season in 2010 (blasphemous!), you can re-watch, or finish wherever you left off with the classic Futurama cast. It’s probably the most underrated animated comedy in the last ten years, and dare I say smarter and better constructed as a whole, than the Simpsons. There is an audio commentary for EVERY SINGLE episode, storyboards, animatics, cool how-to-draw galleries and featurettes to keep you busy until our world actually resembles the cynical and bizarre world of Futurama.

#1 AK 100: Criterion Collection 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa
SRP: $400 Find it on Amazon or other online outlets. $285-$325

And the grand daddy of them all, the gift that would make movie-lovers swoon. AK 100 celebrates 100 years of Kurosawa’s life. This linen-bound collector’s set comes with an illustrated book with an introduction and notes on each film by Stephen Prince (The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa) and a remembrance by Donald Richie (The Films of Akira Kurosawa). For those that don’t know, these two men have contributed to several audio commentaries and supplemental material that have come with all of Criterion’s wonderful DVD presentations. For those who know film or are filmmakers, there is possibly no more influential a filmmaker as Kurosawa and if you haven’t made the effort to start a library of his work, then there’s no better place to start than here.

Includes: Sanshiro Sugata (1943), The Most Beautiful (1944), Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (1945), The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945), No Regrets for Our Youth (1946), One Wonderful Sunday (1947), Drunken Angel (1948), Stray Dog (1949) Scandal (1950), Rashomon (1950) The Idiot (1951) Ikiru (1952), Seven Samurai (1954), I Live in Fear (1955), Throne of Blood (1957), The Lower Depths (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Yojimbo (1961) Sanjuro (1962), High and Low (1963), Red Beard (1965), Dodes’Ka-Den (1970), Kagemusha (1980), and Madadayo (1993).

Film/Feature: A–
Working in scientific research, is not as glamourous as other high profile careers. I come to that conclusion based on how many movies and television shows have been based on science and research… yeah, it’s tough to come up with one–until now.

Better Off Ted is about the inner-workings of global think tank, Veridian Dynamics, a research and development company in the dozens of fields including innovative industrial products, biomedicine, cryogenics as well as, defense technology. They come up with innovations such as biocomputers, exploding pumpkins, cow-less beef, and hair-growth remedies. This particular division of Veridian is headed by Veronica Palmer (Portia De Rossi) and in charge of research is Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington). Ted talks directly to the camera and is our main entry point to the company. He’s a confident, organized, corporate stiff who’s wife ran out on him and their daughter, Rose (Isabella Acres) who keeps her father in check.

Reporting directly to Ted are Head Scientists Phil Myman (Jonathan Slavin) Lem Hewitt (Malcolm Barrett), who are kept in the basement away from corporate but are always involved in the episode as they have to update the uppers of their progress, present in front of the board, and some of their experiments make their way up the building. Linda Zwordling (Andrea Anders) also reports to Ted. She works in the Testing, is the company idealist, flirts with Ted, and looks to violate company policies in protest of the anti-autonomous corporate culture.

De Rossi plays what she does best, and that’s playing a cold, heartless bitch. Borrowing familiar notes from her character in Arrested Development, De Rossi embodies corporate management perfectly lacking any sensitivity, looking for ways to cost-cut, and living the coda of ‘company first, employees last.’ She carries out mandates by her superiors and throws enough bones and scrap meat to the employees to keep them satisfied that they have a job.

It’s not comedy because it’s made up, folks.

Also separating Better Off Ted from the TV trash is accurate nonsensical workplace foibles, like the conversations between technical and marketing where there’s something lost in translation, unreasonable deadlines, cubicle communities, and dozens of other Dilbert-esque situations that all too many people can relate to. There’s also one Veridian commercial each episode that eerily mimics the style of science marketing, in painfully dry, and hilarious summations of that particular show. They have a special way of giving you hope and terrifying you at the same time. Sometimes the show even goes where it probably shouldn’t, and gives it a great satirical edge, like when the a cost-cutting move to install inferior motion light sensors keep all of the African American employees in the dark, or when Ted wrestles with the morality of helping his daughter outsell her classmate who is disabled.

I pray this show doesn’t fall prey to the same endings as Sports Night or Arrested Development as shows being so smartly written that it scares off a lot of people, and they’re run is cut too soon. Despite the setting, this show should strike a familiar chord with anyone who has worked in a corporate environment. It’s not important to have worked in corporate science to laugh at Better Off Ted because the comedic situations are universal. Corporate mentality and culture is so deeply engraved in our minds and what better to laugh at than life itself, right? But if you do work in science or technology be proud that your profession is so cleverly portrayed on television. You’ll get even more out of this show than the average person. And if you just know someone who works in science, tell them to take their head out of the books and watch this show.

Video: B
Better Off Ted has a standard definition, 480p transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. I watch the show regularly in high definition when it’s originally broadcasted so in comparing that to the DVD, it has a much less sharp and detailed pop off the screen. Still, it doesn’t detract from what is overall a solid looking transfer. Good color and reproduction of skin tones are there; there are not many night scenes to really determine how good the black levels are, but contrast, shadow delineation, and saturation are at satisfactory levels with thankfully no post-production “enhancements” visible. Early on, especially in the Pilot episode, compression artifacts are visible in the Veridian commercials. As the series continues, though, they seem to correct that problem. Otherwise a fine looking show.

Audio: B+
A 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track is a bit overkill for this series which is mostly weighted in the center channel. Dialogue from the center channel is the bread and butter of the series but a haunting brew of corporate choral music will surround you from all directions. Other audio selections include: a 2.0 Spanish Dolby Stereo track and ugly white and pixelated subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: F
There are no extras. This is a big disappointment but hopefully with more viewers, more money can be budgeted for some fun extras.

Overall Shock Value:A–
With all of the suffocating reality shows, it’s good to know that well-written shows still exist. Better Off Ted is one of those shows with enough quirks, wit and charm that you just can’t help but want more of it. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in this thought because it was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Comedy Series and was renewed for a second season and follows Scrubs at ABC on Tuesdays 9:30/8:30 Central. Despite the lack of extras, I’m still highly recommending this DVD as a stocking stuffer, or just a simple treat for yourself; because in the abyss of bad television, network shows as good as this deserve the attention. I have no doubt that people who work in any tech field will enjoy this, as will fans of Dilbert and Arrested Development. Buy it! and Long live corporate nerds!

Year: 2009
Running Time: 85 Minutes
Rated: TV-14
SRP: $ 29.99
Studio(s): ESPN Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 24, 2009

Film/Feature: B
Have you ever wanted to get so close to an NBA basketball game that you know what’s going on? No, I’m not talking about seeing what’s going on, but really knowing what’s going on? That means you’d either have to be a player or a coach to have that privileged information, and chances are you’re neither, but Spike Lee filmed Kobe Bryant late in his 2007 MVP season with several cameras, and mic’ed him up for an ESPN documentary, Kobe Doin’ Work. Afterwards, Bryant visited the footage long after and recorded a commentary to give a much fuller context of what was really going on in that game.

It starts inside the locker room during the Lakers pregame routine before a late season game against Western Conference rivals San Antonio Spurs. While watching video of the Spurs, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson warns his captains to tell the refs before the game starts, “My coach told me to tell you guys ‘Don’t let Oberto or Duncan pick and use their hands.” Kobe’s response is priceless.

Once the ball tips, it’s Bryant talking with a few prodding questions by Lee. It takes some time for Bryant to warm up, but once the game is in flow, he gives the audience unlimited access. Bryant shares what coach Jackson’s strategy is in a timeout, what he’s thinking while he’s on the bench, what he sees as a play develops or when it breaks down. Hear him communicate his observations to his teammates, explaining how he plays defense and how he prepares for each opponent. And he even translates what he says when he speaks to his international teammates in their native tounges.

As a long time NBA fan, I found the most interesting part of the commentary to be when he starts breaking down Jackson’s vaunted triangle offense and how the Lakers are able to freelance off of the basic concept and tweak it to the flow of the game. The game is as much execution as it is preparation and it’s understood, listening to Bryant.

Stylistically, Lee uses several vantage points and cameras to follow Bryant for the entire game. He’ll mix in some black and white photography, and replay an exclamation play again and again. The viewer gets multiple views of the game that could only be seen and heard from courtside seats or by being a Laker. I’ve only gotten this close at a college game and Lee recreates the sensation when sitting close and frantically scanning around the arena. If there’s one big gripe I have, it’s Bruce Hornsby’s happy, jazzy piano score. There’s some more somber tunes that are played, which fit nicely, but one particular finger-snappy tune took me out of the moment.

Despite what people may snidely remark about Bryant, he shows much respect for his competitors. He loves each of his teammates and respects the game. It’s doubtful that most players think like him. It’s hard not to like him more, or at least respect him more after watching Kobe Doin’ Work. The doc is simply seeing and hearing Kobe at work, but it’s that unprecedented look into what goes on inside his head and on the bench that makes this better than courtside seats–cheaper too.

Video: B
The DVD shows Doin’ Work on a 480p standard definition transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. After being used to watching games in high definition, this was a step back from how good the game can look. Colors are still vibrant and good but are a little on the dull side. Everything has a light veil of grain, and a soft look, which probably had to do with the cameras Lee used more than anything else. There’s nothing that’s distracting or bad, like edge enhancements or haloing, but it’s just knowing how much better it could look, makes me pull back on the video grade.

Audio: B+
Kobe Doin’ Work gets a 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track that uses all five channels effectively. Everything that comes out of Kobe and Spike’s mouths is heard in the center channel, all of it distinctly clear. Front and rear channels are used for music, squeaking sneakers, arena noise, and crowd reaction whether it’s cheering, sighing, or clapping. Lower frequency sounds peeks out when the game announcer speaks or the arena sound effects person decides he/she wants to get the crowd involved with a synchronized cheer or song.

Other audio selections include: Hearing the Game Only Experience with no commentary and the Censored Broadcast Audio Version which was used to air on ESPN. The whole point of the film is to get a real experience so I’ve never been a fan of censorship. As for the no commentary, I don’t see much point to it unless you enjoy sitting and watching a game alone. Yellow subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, French SDH, Spanish, and Spanish SDH.

Extras: C-
Where this disc really falls off at is the supplements. We get two deleted scenes, and a bunch of intros and music montages. Not a lot of thought or creativity was put into this section and sadly the score reflects that.

Deleted Scene: The Unseen Fourth Quarter SD (9:22) As Bryant sat for most of the fourth quarter, he still remained in the ear of his teammates. In a time out Bryant talks to Luke Walton, and Jordan Farmar his observations on how they can beat their man.

Deleted Scene: Press Conference SD (2:53) After the big game Bryant has his usual press Q&A with sports reporters.

Introduction to the Film by director Spike Lee SD (0:49) is exactly how it sounds. I just wish that Lee didn’t sound like he read the intro and just talked naturally, but hearing him in commentary tracks, he does have this certain Spike cadence.

Spike Lee on Kobe’s Commentary SD (3:19) Lee explains the difficulty of trying to schedule Bryant for the commentary. If he was unable to record it, there would be no film. So Lee recalls Bryant laying down the audio for the film right after his 61-point game against the New York Knicks.

Music Video: Levitate by Bruce Hornsby SD (4:19) features Hornsb’s closing credit song combined with the film footage and black and white photos.

Photo Montage SD (4:30) is a nice black and white photo show of the game set to the rhythm of Hornsby’s somber piano song playing behind. This is the the song I wish would have been more prominent in the film.

E60 Behind the Scenes SD (2:19) I’ve enjoyed the television show E:60 for their long investigative pieces but this was as brief as a Lakers’ fastbreak.

Baskeball Card Doin’ Work comes with an Upper Deck Basketball Card of Kobe Bryant, but it’s not a chanse card, jersey card or signature card, so it’s for the most part worthless.

Overall Shock Value: B-
As a big sports fan, and big NBA fan, I found Doin’ Work to be the courtside seats I’ve always wanted but could never afford. Despite my predilection for other NBA stars, I cannot take away how good a player Kobe Bryant is and being able to hear how an athlete of that caliber break down what’s going through his mind, what he sees on the court and what he’s telling his teammates is a unique experience that I think others who share my same love of the game, fans of Kobe, and the casual fan who respects the thrill of competition of any sport will enjoy seeing this. I’d like to see Lee follow a few other players, that’s how much I enjoyed it. However, I question how many repeat viewings one could get out of Doin’ Work and if professional b-ball isn’t your game of choice or the audio commentary is of no interest, then it’s safe to say this isn’t a blind buy. Doin’ Work is worth a Rental, a highly recommended one.

Film/Feature: A+
Cult Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is quoted in the film,

“Nobody shoots a car, the way Aussies do. They manage to shoot cars with this fetishistic lens that makes you want to jerk off!”

Attention: Genre Film Fans, never has there been a bigger collection of jaw-dropping stunts, outrageous gore, and gratuitous tit shots in one sitting than in Not Quite Hollywood. You may be found sitting with your mouth gaping open, because there are that many “Holy Shit!” moments. Like the films celebrated, this documentary isn’t a boring sedative, it’s an exciting romp through cinema’s wildest step child, Australian genre films. It’s fast-paced, filled with unbelievable clips like Nicole Kidman as a BMX biker (wait, what?), and eye-gaping interviews with legendary actor/stuntman Grant Page, or seeing Aussie director John D. Lamond talking casually on a couch, while at a strip club. 80 different interview subjects of Australian, American and British directors, actors, screenwriters, producers and critics including Quentin Tarantino, Stacy Keach, John Seale, George Lazenby, George Miller, Barry Humphries, Roger Ward, Dennis Hopper, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brian Trenchard-Smith and dozens more, tell-all in this history lesson of Australian genre B-movies.

It all started in the late 60′s to early 70′s, the ultimate revolution occurred in Australian culture. Feminism, sexual liberation, moratoriums on wars, you name it, the Aussies were into it, and no one wanted to be controlled or be governed. On a filmmaking front, the only films that were being made down under were nature films to promote tourism as if Australians were obsessed with koala bears and kangaroos. But in 1971 Australia’s censorship regime flipped house and with the introduction of the R-rating set off an explosion of a new age of genre films.

Ozploitation can be broken into three categories, and Not Quite Hollywood is broken into these three segments which progress chronologically. The first of these is the sexual comedy which was more or less born from the country’s sexual revolution, and the celebration of one’s skin. In The Naked Bunyip (1970), a Dr. Kinsey-type character goes around piqued and tries to chart different sexual fantasies which was a cheap way to get naked people on camera. Filmmakers such as Tim Burstall (1927-2004) who directed Stork (1971), Alvin Purple (1973), and Eliza Frazer (1976) thrived on the bawdiness and erotic comedies and still, other Australian filmmakers struggled with trying to create films to make portray Australians in a way that they wanted outsider’s perception to be. Call it an identity crisis, call it perversion at its finest, call it what you will, Australia had a booming epicenter of interesting filmmakers whether their own country’s elite liked them or not, the public spoke with their wallets.

In phase two of the film, “Comatose Killers and Outback Chillers,” the focus shifts to the horror genre where films like Inn of the Damned, and Night of Fear jump started the industry with a gory arrival. Others came like Patrick (1976), a psychological thriller where a man in a coma controlled people with telekinetic powers. Long Weekend (1978), featured a repulsive couple who were always at each other’s throat, but are attacked by Mother Nature when they go on a camping trip, because they posed as this cancer-like force of destruction. Writer Everett De Roche, then came up with Road Games (1981), which he describes as a Rear Window set in a truck; starring Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis and began a resentment by the Australian board because of American actors who were brought in to drive up ticket sales.

In the film’s final act, the action film, one staple that seemed to make its way in was the desert marauder, or bullies in the outback looking for trouble and someone to pick on, or worse things unimaginable. The one that trail blazed this new path was the biker-culture film, Stone (1974), which was hard to determine what was real and what was made up because of that particular filmmakers quest for authenticity. Other gems from this era were Mad Dog Morgan (1976), which featured a near-insane Dennis Hopper and The Man from Hong Kong (1975), which should have been called, the Man with the Bloated Ego because it starred the well-known difficult personality, Jimmy Wang Yu. But there was not a bigger success story than Mad Max (1979) launching the career of Mel Gibson and began a sub-genre of post-apocalyptic films like Turkey Shoot (1981) and Midnight Spares (1982).

Not Quite Hollywood takes a good glance into frontier filmmaking at its wildest, where feminism was being pioneered and taken down on the screen at the same time, the drive-in culture was on the rise, and innovative and creative films were being done on shoestring budgets. Safety precautions in stunts were almost never taken, and filmmakers would go to the horse track to try and win money to finance their films; it was as if this tight knit industry collectively gave a middle finger to their critics. Hysterically, the doc frequently cuts to Aussie film critics Bob Ellis and Phillip Adams who are never afraid to spew a barrage of disgusted words towards these films again. Kudos goes to Mark Hartley for putting forth the effort to bring a wider attention and hopefully a broader appreciation for the Australian genre films. He’s opened up a whole new vault of genre films to Ozploitation novices like myself to track down and enjoy.

Video: B
Not Quite Hollywood is preserved on DVD with a standard definition480p encoded transfer in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Now these are grind house films so the picture quality bounces back and forth from modern-produced interview pieces to moderately preserved clips, to really bad looking negatives of these rare films. I’m going to default to the filmmakers that what they were able to find for the film was the very best they could find. Grain is ever present and some clips have sever damage and artifacting, while others barely have a visible image, but for the most part, clips are very clear, color is strong but muddied down, and there is a toothy grit in many of the clips but all of the interviews are pleasant to watch even if they don’t look as refined, and for this film, that fits the mold.

Audio: B+
The Audio on the other hand is consistently good and comes to you via 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track. Dialogue is clear, coming from the center, with an active soundstage that utilizes the rear channels of your home theater frequently with sound effects like splintering glass from the various movie clips, head banging music, and joyful explosions that make their way to your subwoofer. Other audio selections include: English 2.0 and subtitles are available in Spanish, sadly because I think those with untrained ears may have trouble hearing through some of the accents.

A Scene from Turkey Shoot

Extras:A

There are no subtitles for any of the extras which is a letdown for anyone who wants to try and track this stuff down.

Audio Commentary by Director Mark Hartley and the Ozploitation Auters is a free-for-all commentary track that includes Brian Trenchard-Smith, Antony I. Ginnane, John D. Lamond, David Hannay, Richard Brennan, Alan Finney, Vincent Monton, Grant Page and Roger Ward. This is a great supplement to hear a very honest recount of what making films in Australia was like in the 1970′s and 1980s, and even today. What’s difficult is that some of the participants are doing adding their parts via phone so with that many contributors, who’s talking to who gets a little lost. Still the stories these filmmakers want to share are both entertaining and fascinating like what the filmmakers of Mad Max’s first impressions of Mel Gibson were.

Deleted and Extended Scenes SD (Approx. 60 minutes) There’s almost an extra hour of cutting room material. 21 total scenes are available to peruse one-by-one or see all at once. Most of them are deleted scenes with four being extended scenes.

Quentin Tarantino Interviews Brian Trenchard-Smith SD (13:00) QT and Trenchard-Smith (who made The Man From Hong Kong (1975), Stunt Rock (1978), Turkey Shoot (1982) Hospitals Don’t Burn Down (1978) talk films not for exploitation neophytes. Tarantino does reveal that he plans to release Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair after “once everything dies down and Miramax disentangles themselves from Disney and have their new company, we’ll release the whole thing together.” These two guys talk about tweaking their films for the MPAA and dealing with shady production companies.

Audio Interview with Director Richard Franklin SD (22:47) an audio clip of an interview with the late Franklin in front of a live audience, who was the director of such Australian gems as Patrick (1978), Fantasm (1876), Psycho II (1983) and Eroticon (1971). Franklin fields questions and shares his experiences in trying to make films in that renaissance period of Ozploitation era.

Image Gallery SD (5:03) is a groovy photo montage set to some funky music.

Funding Pitches from Quentin Tarantino and John D. Lamond SD (1:24) Tarantino and Lamond make a pleas and endorsements to those who may be interested in distributing the film. Thank the stars for Magnolia Pictures.

Original Theatrical Trailer SD (2:13) The excellent trailer that was enough to sell me on seeing the film is here.

Magnolia Trailers for Ong Bak 2, The Canyon, World’s Greatest Dad and HD Net (7:07)

Overall Shock Value: A+
If we’re talking about shock value, Not Quite Hollywood is right up there with the best films I’ve seen all year long. I’ve probably seen it nearly five times and I see something new with every viewing. The Aussies were so outrageous in their filmmaking that you’d think I was making this up, if you haven’t seen it yourself. Not Quite Hollywood is an educational acid trip down wild and risk-taking genre films that I think only the most devoted fans of genre films will be open to. If you’re looking for a film that will act like a fist and punch out your teeth, drop a grenade in your mouth and pull the pin, Not Quite Hollywood is there, winding up for the knockout blow, all you have to do is pick it up to seal the deal. Buy this, please.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rated: PG
SRP: $29.98
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 1, 2009

Film/Feature: C+
Ben Stiller steps back into his role as Larry Daley, a night guard who gets spooked when the exhibits in the New York Museum of Natural History come to life. Daley is now famous and bogged down with success because he pursued his dreams – the message of Night at the Museum – and is smote by the lure of filthy riches! As an unhappy infomercial pitch man, he suddenly gets sentimental when he finds out that his beloved posse of exhibits come-to-life, are being boxed up and sent to the Smithsonian archive.

Upon arriving in the nation’s capital, his old friends; Jedediah (Owen Wilson), Octavious (Steve Coogan), General Custer (John Hader) and Dexter the super capuchin, run into some rival “exhibits” who want to impose their superiority complexes all over the Smithsonian led by Egyptian Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) with his henchmen Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat) and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Jedediah makes a distress call to Daley setting up for another “Night at the Museum.” This time it’s the Smithsonian–the mother of all museums. This of course opens up the realms of possibilities to the Air and Space Museum, pop culture exhibits like Star Wars and Sesame Street, the national monuments (giant Abe) and the National Art Museum. Yes, American Gothic and Degas can come to life.

Kahmunrah’s evil plot comes to light when he needs to get his hands on the tablet which brings everything to life, and tries to open a gate for his world to enter ours. He holds Jedediah captive in an hourglass and haphazardly everything becomes a panic. But it all feels like some cheap way to pit to the cast of the prequel against the new cast, not in any meaningful way; not in any way that makes the audience feel like something truly bad can happen if Kahmunrah is successful. Look, his biggest threat is to suffocate a tiny wooden figurine with sand. Just wait until morning, Larry, it’ll all work out. There are some other moments that will pull at the corners of your mouth, like an action nod to 300, or seeing Craig Robinson cast as one of the Tuskegee Airmen, but outside of being a big mosh pit for some of your favorite historical figures, Battle of the Smithsonian plays out like most blockbuster sequels. Good concept, but poor execution.

The most genuine and interesting figure Daley meets on this Night, is Amelia Earhart played Amy Adams who no doubt, steals every scene with her Vaudeville-esque dialogue and sharp wit. Unlike the prequel, Stiller has someone to play off of, and strangely, be a love interest. She’s a glorified doll, Larry! Seriously though, Earhart is by far the most fleshed out character in this film. Her sense of direction is as present as her pursuit of adventure and I won’t be surreptitious and just say that Adams does the best Amelia this year. In fact, it weren’t for Adams, I’d think far less of this film. We get dollops of character growth bridging over from the previous film like Octavius and Jedediah, once sworn enemies are now homies, and a regretful Custer who comes to grips with being most well-known for his great failure. The most significant, cringe-worthy progression of them all is Daley who realizes at the end of the film that true happiness is practically unattainable because he goes back to his night guard job, which made him unhappy in the first place. Huh?

Battle of the Smithsonian did two things for me. 1) it made me want to go to the Smithsonian and see everything for myself because reminded me that it’s one of our country’s best man-made wonders; and 2) inspired me to see the original Night of the Museum to recapture that unsuspecting magic that’s just not present here. It’s sure to play well with tight-knit families who are bound to be distracted for two hours. Director Shawn Levy’s sequel to his box office winner attempts to carry the honor of being the first feature film shot in the National Museums, but truthfully, the Smithsonian deserved much better.

Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and Larry Daley (Ben Stiller)

Video: A
Battle of the Smithsonian comes to high definition by way of 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and it’s a great looking film. If you don’t believe me, take the DVD (Disc2) that accompanies the the film and pop that in for comparison. You’ll see that the colors are much more vibrant, details in like the capuchins’ hair is clear and easily definable. The scenes at night are particularly exceptional with deep dark blacks, and the lighting provides great the well-balanced contrast. When characters are shot in black and white (Al Capone and when Daley and Earhart jump into the photo) a dozen more shades of gray are seen than what’s seen on standard definition. The metallic luster of the tablet comes through on the screen and there’s enough grain to give the sense that you’re watching something cinematic instead of a documentary. My biggest problem comes from the inconsistencies of the digital effects. For instance, as seen in the extras, the black and white VJ-Day scene was almost all green screen but is really difficult to tell, even Lincon looks pretty good in several scenes. But other FX shots like the balloon dog (an actual work of modern art), the singing cherubs, and especially the Einstein bobbleheads, look SO fake that they almost take you out of the film. I’m not sure how much of that has to do with the way they put the film together or the transfer, but I’m going to assume it’s the former.

Audio: A–
To go with the high def picture, this film gets a 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track that starts out well. There are lot of little spatial and environment sounds that travel to the rears along with music. The scene in particular of note is when Daley and Earhart are in the Air and Space Museum and planes are zipping by and rockets are whizzing and blasting off reminds one of how nice it is to hear a film in surround sound. The dinosaur roar has a nice rumble to your subwoofer, and when glass breaks you can hear the shards flying all around you. The big battle royale at the end is a bit underwhelming as most of that audio comes from the front and center channels, a bit anti-climactic as far as audio goes. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, Portuguese; and subtitles are available in English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Sorry to those who speak French and are hard of hearing, no soup for you.

Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest, left), Al Capone (Jon Bernthal) and Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat): Not their best moment in history.

Extras: B-
This is a mixed bag of nuts for me. In some instances it’s kind of like walking through the dinosaur fossil room; cavernous and impressive in size and inspires imagination, but at the end of the day, not a lot of meat on the bones. Probably the must-see supplement is the Secret Doors and Scientists special which couldn’t have been long enough for me. I love the inclusion of the DVD and yes, the digital copy disc. A major downer for me was the lack of subtitles for the extras; it’s one of those things that have become standard and if you’re playing to as broad as an audience as they hoped, these extras should be geared towards everyone. So that’s a big misstep.

Audio Commentary by Director Shawn Levy is a chatty scene-specific track that’s not very heavy with technical information nor is it full of stories that you’re dying to hear. A lot of it is what happened on that day of the shoot, what lines were improvised and what wasn’t, as well as, some discussion about Rhythm and Hues’ digital effects contributions. Two-thirds in though it seems like Levy’s coffee wears off because he takes longer breaks between thoughts.

Audio Commentary by writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon keep the energy up all the way through the end and that’s the benefit of having a team in the same room doing the commentary where you can hear each person bounce conversation, but again did not lean too much towards any one way of commentary style, so unless you REALLY love Night at the Museum films, this one isn’t a memorable track, but in relation to this disc, they’re a nice change from Levy.

Museum Scavenger Hunt Game HD is an elaborate variation of the trivia track where users must use the four colored buttons to navigate and seek out historical figures and artifacts while the film is playing. I’m always for different ways to see the film. I mean if you’re going to buy this blu-ray I would expect anyone who does to see it more than once or twice. And again, given the target audience, this is an extra that would play well to kids in a discovery mode.

Curators of Comedy: Behind the Scenes with Ben Stiller HD (27:52) that’s heavily centered around interviews with the cast, some publicity for director Shawn Levy (who you’ll get to know quite well), and set design and recreating parts of the Smithsonian where they couldn’t shoot. It’s solid work, more than an average EPK piece, but not to the diary level of some making of specials I’ve seen.

Secret Doors of the Smithsonian HD (15:58) takes a tour of the museum, the people who work in the museum and those who handle the exhibits, artifacts, and the research done at the famous Smithsonian. Many of the curators and scientists who conduct research on site are interviewed as well brief tours that go into the offices where most people don’t get to go. If you really have a thirst for history and knowledge, then 16 minutes is just too short. I could watch another two hours of Smithsonian tours.

Show Me the Monkey Featurettes HD (18:00) is actually three short featurettes about working with simian actors Crystal and Squirt, the capuchin monkeys who plays both Dexter and Able in the Night of the Museum series. What’s fascinating is the third special that shows the home these capuchins have and what their trainers do for their daily regiment. Crystal in particular has been in too many big movies to count, and is a testament to her and her trainers.

Museum Magic Entering the World of Photograph HD (5:41) reveals the process in recreating the 1945 Times Square VJ-Day moment where the famous picture of the sailor and nurse kissing was taken.

Deleted Scenes HD (26:44) with optional commentary by Levy shows 11 cut scenes including a different ending.

Directing 201 with Shawn Levy HD (19:19) A day in the life of Levy while on the set of shooting Battle of the Smithsonian. This particular day was Steve Coogan’s final day of principal shooting as they film his and Owen Wilson’s big green screen battle with the giant feet, and Levy bounces to shooting multiple scenes, to editing visual effects, and laying down audio. It also shows the other crew members who he communicates with like the costume designer, action choreographer, and assistant director.

Phindering Pharaoh With Hank Azaria HD (4:50) See how the great voice actor Hank Azaria honed the voice for his Egyptian Pharaoh.

The Jonas Brothers in Cherub Bootcamp HD (3:53) A fake doc about the Jonas Brothers rehearsing for their appearance in the film as the sing-songy cherubs in the film. Thankfully, it’s a short piece where the brothers have a pretty good sense of humor about themselves.

Gangster Levy HD (1:57) If you haven’t discovered by now, Shawn Levy is littered throughout this entire disc, almost to the point of nausea. He’s a great, energetic guy who comes off as a interesting and a bit snarky. But this is yet another Levy-centric special, starring in an black and white Al Capone clip.

Gag Reel HD (8:10) The obligatory gag reel full of line gaffs and goofs that’s sure to get a few snickers and giggles.

Historical Confessions: Famous Last Words HD (6:29) Several of the actors talk catty about each other’s characters while in remaining in character. It’s cute but probably not worth revisiting more than once.

Cavemen Conversations: Survival of the Wittiest HD (4:18) is an “interview” with the three cavemen which is funny for the first thirty seconds, but runs way too long. Nothing will make you beg for the Geico Caveman commercials faster than this.

The Making a Scene SD (9:36) is quick EPK/TV show hybrid on how Air and Space Museum sequence was put together.

Fox Premiere SD (5:28) is a red carpet event with questions for the cast and crew at a premiere that was held at the Smithsonian.

Trailers HD is an interesting collection of other Fox productions including Post Grad, Aliens in the Attic, Fame, (500) Days of Summer, All About Steve, Amelia, and Glee.

Disc 2 is a DVD of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Museum for viewing the film on DVD players, whether they be in your vehicle, portable DVD player or computer.

Disc 3 is a Digital Copy of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Museum for viewing the film on portable media and computers.

Larry hanging with Lincoln

Overall Shock Value: C+
I’m certainly not above enjoying a good popcorn film but Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is only enough to get your feet wet. Extras will entertain, but only so far. It does look terrific in high definition and the sound is fine; but the story just seems like a clown car plot, in other words, how many people can we fit in this before people begin to notice there’s not much story? If the family is itching to see something new and familiar, but doesn’t want to get too involved with anything too deep then this is it. Otherwise, Rent It.

Year: 2009
Running Time:
Rated: PG-13
SRP: DVD:$34.95 Blu-Ray: $39.99
Studio(s): Paramount Studios
Release Date: November 17, 2009

Pop Culture Shock usually gets the blu-ray of such big studio releases but due to limited material PCS was given the DVD to screen. I will try to list the differences where possible.

Film/Feature: B-
In an attempt to recharge the Star Trek franchise, Paramount handed the bridge of the USS Enterprise over to director/producer J.J. Abrams (Fringe, Cloverfield). His goal was to do what devoted Trekkers and Trekkies didn’t want to hear. “Let’s make a movie that EVERYONE will like.” He not only recharged it, he hit reboot and started over. Rather than dance in between what’s been already done, Abrams and crew created a film that tells the story of what happened before. No this is not Enterprise and Scott Bakula is nowhere to be seen. We get something completely different, and a little familiar…

In the start of Star Trek, we are witnesses to a young James T. Kirk being born after a tragic Starfleet battle with Romulan renegades leave his mother a widow. Now a young man (Chris Pine) Kirk is a reckless young man who is as much a ladies man, as he is an unpredictable force who lives hanging by a thread. Captain Christopher Pike (Bruce Greenwood) rescues Kirk from himself and tells him to enlist into Starfleet and do his father proud. He indulges Pike and meets Bones (Karl Urban), Uhura (Zoë Saldana), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Sulu (John Cho) and a young first commander, Spock (Zachary Quinto). Later Kirk meets up rather conveniently with Scotty (Simon Pegg).

This cast does rekindle the original cast members. The spirit of each character is retained, instead of being made into caricatures or impressions. Clever homages are made to the original series, dozens of easter eggs for the most faithful of fans and there’s even a special moment for those who hold Fred Steiner’s original score close to their heart for the patient. As far as the look, the set design, and the acting, I cannot complain one bit. Seriously, a big time score for that! Goal #1: Satisfy old Trekkers. Check. For now.

Now in a year one-type story, we know how everything plays out. We know what will eventually happen. So it’s set up that we get to see what is unknown that will lead up to the 1960′s television show timeline. Kirk, before he becomes captain; Pike, when he was bad ass; Good-looking versions of the cast; Uhura and Spock together? Wait, WHAT? Goal #2: Satisfy Non-Trekkers lured in. Check.

Star Trek’s antagonist is Captain Nero (a well-cloaked Eric Bana), the leader of this band of Romulan extremists. They’ve got some major bone to pick with the Vulcans and connect a digging tool the length of the entire atmosphere, from their ship to planet Vulcan. After digging into the core, they plan to set off a black hole bomb if you will, within the excavated land. The hole grows, Vulcan implodes. Spock attempts to save his parents, Sarek (Ben Cross) and Amanda Grayson (Winona Ryder) before the bomb detonates, but he fails and Spock is met with a great loss. This Spock is still green, and still bears the few ounces of the emotions from his human mother, while fighting logically-rooted genes of his Vulcan father. Tempers flare and it’s anyone’s guess how these two will become great friends. As they argue about, Pike has been captured and Earth is Nero’s next target.

Kirk is kicked off the Enterprise and banished to a polar planet where he discovers the chain reaction of events that have lead us to this point. Which brings us to the pivotal point in the film, where the main character comes in. No, I’m not talking about Leonard Nimoy (which surely sent Goal #1 through the roof), I’m talking about the science. Nimoy does in fact reprise his role as the iconic Vulcan from the future; as we know him. He reveals his own recent failure, and sums up in two minutes the entire crux of the story and why Nero is out to make him suffer. Reminds you of another time-traveling sci-fi franchise film, no? (cough) Terminator Salvation (cough). The film was winning me me over until then.

Here is where Star Trek falls short for me. Good sci-fi films don’t tiptoe around the science, they fold it into their mortar and slap it in between the bricks. Good science fiction makes you think about the film long after seeing it, opening discussion points that weren’t there on the surface. Whether it’s about humanity, diplomacy, history; Star Trek is usually about much more than Vulcans, Klingons, and Romulans. Bad sci-fi fails at becoming anything other than what we see on the surface. Star Trek is on the surface is bad guy vs. good guy; cue in lots of action with redemption and destiny; everyone goes home rich type of film. It’s fun, it was enjoyable, but it certainly was not a Star Trek film.

I give credit on casting and upping the pace of the film to the campy speed of the original Star Wars films because now both sets of fans can enjoy this film together. Abrams turned Star Trek into A New Hope. It’s not a traditional Star Trek story or even a classic. It’s a sparkling, lens flare-filled, year one-conduit to whatever Trek will become from here on out. Abrams admits he’s not a Star Trek fan, (it shows) and tells a story that takes convenient measures to separate from the original series. Being called Pre-Trek might have been more accurate.

Now, does that make this less of an enjoyable film? To average movie-goer, probably not. But certainly, if you were expecting anything more than an action film. The science is an integral part to Star Trek, and the science here is weak. Everything in the film is held together by the weak use of time travel. This story negates the history of Star Trek as we know it, and stuffs it into some alternative time or universe. For what reason? To get a new audience. And no one can deny its accomplishment in that, so to millions, the lack of science fiction made it more inviting. I get that, I recognize that, and that’s acceptable, in anything outside a film called Star Trek.

Video/Audio: B+/B+
J.J. Abram’s Star Trek comes by way of a 480p encoded transfer in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. For a DVD, this looks great, as the colors and details of fabric, to skin are all very clear. It’s not crystal clear like on blu-ray, but for those with high definition televisions but no blu-ray should still be able to take advantage of the nice picture quality here. The blacks of space are like an endless abyss and the contrast and shadows are powerfully reproduced. The soundtrack for Star Trek on DVD is a 5.1 English Dolby Digital track that is sure to get some great play in a home theater. Lots of activity moves all around all five channels whether it’s music or sound effects. Pop in chapter 12 when Kirk and Spock are beamed onto the Romulan Ship. The gun battle that ensues is awesome. Laser beams from every direction whiz by, stuff explodes behind your head and even though it’s with less dynamic range, the DVD pumps out a respectable audio experience. Other audio selections include: French and Spanish tracks and yellow subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish

Given everything said here, the blu-ray promises to be even better. At 1080p, the HD transfer is sure to be sparkling and awesome. As should be the 5.1 English Dolby TrueHD soundtrack found on the blu-ray. Audio-wise, Star Trek should perform at a maximum level, with a large dynamic range that will generate excitement in home theaters for years. In addition to the above setups, Portuguese subtitles are available on blu-ray.

Extras: B-
This batch of extras is not bad when you consider what’s on here, but if you take a look at the blu-ray exclusives, the DVD pales in comparison.

Disc One:
Audio Commentary by director J.J. Abrams, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and Producers Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof is of a casual nature. They reveal their approach at modernizing Star Trek, and gloss on their efforts as they watch the film. Bringing on Nimoy was a big topic of disussion as well as lots of classic Star Wars references into the plot, and amongst other things, bringing in the charming sensibilities of Star Wars into Star Trek.

New Vision SD (19:38) Abrams took what he liked about the Star Wars franchise (as sacrilegious as that statement is) and put that into Star Trek, to reinvent it to appeal a modern audience. He wanted to make it look as real by doing as much practical shooting as possible instead of being on a green screen. Abrams gives his reasons for shooting anamorphically instead of digitally, as well as, some of his camera tricks.

Gag Reel SD (6:28) is some mildly amusing usual outtakes and on-set silliness.

Previews for Transformers 2, GI Joe, Fringe, Star Trek D-A-C.

Disc Two
Deleted Scenes SD (13:38) Nine scenes that were taken out of the final cut have an optional commentary by Abrams, Bryan Burk, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. They can be viewed separately or all together. They include: Spock Birth (1:58); Klingons Take Over Narada (0:46); Young Kirk, Johnny and Uncle Frank (1:35); Amanda and Sarek Argue After Spock Fights (0:38), Prison Interrogation and Breakout (3:08); Sarek Gets Amanda (0:22); Dorm Room and Kobayashi Maru (Original Version) (3:59), Kirk Apologizes to the Green Girl (0:54); Sarek Sees Spock (0:15).

To Boldly Go SD (16:45) is a featurette about the production crew and the influence of (or lack thereof) original series in their modernization of Star Trek, as they as a team tried to answer all the questions that were sure to come in revamping the series like creating a Spock and Kirk story, the classic prequel pitfalls. Changing the timeline. Perhaps the most crucial in this team, and as seen by the finished product is, “How do we make a film for everyone?” and somehow missed the major part of “What Makes a Good Trek Film?” by taking out the sci-fi element of the film.

Casting SD (28:58) Asks how do you get new characters and create something new while appreciating the original cast. Quinto and Nimoy explore the psychology of the Spock, and every other cast member is put under the magnifying glass.

Aliens SD (16:34) is a short feature on the costumes, prosthetic head forms, digital creatures and recreating the Vulcans and Romulans for Star Trek.

Score SD (6:34) is a look at the score composed by Michael Giacchino retaining the original melody by

A Digital Copy of the film is included in the extras disc.

Star Trek: D-A-C Game Trial for XBOX 360 users. To play the trial, you insert the extras disc into your XBOX 360 and follow the onscreen instructions.

Blu-Ray Exclusives
Where do I begin? I don’t have the blu-ray available to rate how good or bad these extras are, but I will list them for you to make the decision whether or not they add more value to your purchase. Personally, with this much added material, you’d be dumb not to save the pennies for the blu-ray.

Disc One
NASA News is a BD-Live feature to access the latest NASA news about real space exploration.

Disc Two
The same featurettes in the DVD are here too, but have additional “branching pods” that I suspect are added material.

To Boldly Go
-The Shatner Conundrum
-Red Shirt Guy
-The Green Girl
-Trekker Alert

A New Vision
-Savage Pressure

Aliens
-The Alien Paradox
-Big Eyed Girl
-Big Bro Quinto
-Klingons
-Drakoulias Anatomy 101

Planets is a featurette on the art department’s frozen landscape of Delta Vega to the desert plains of Vulcan.
-Extra Businesses
-Confidentiality

Ben Burtt and the Sounds of Star Trek brings legendary Hollywood sound designer Ben Burtt on to talk about creating sounds for the original Star Wars film by being inspired by the Star Trek series, and got to use all of that on this new film.

Props and Costumes shows Russell Bobbitt, Star Trek’s prop master and the challenge to design props true to the original series as well as today’s tech. Michael Kaplan then reveals the design of his costumes in making timeless and practical Starfleet uniforms.

Gene Roddenberry’s Vision interviews cast and crew and previous Star Trek writers and producers and even scientific consultant Carolyn Porco speaking well of Gene’s vision for this future world.

Starfleet Vessel Simulator gives users 360-degree views and close-ups of tech illustrations of the USS Enterprise, and the Romulan ship, the Narada.

Disc Three
In addition to the Digital Copy and XBOX 360 Free Trial, there are Weblinks to the Star Trek D-A-C Free Trial Game for PC and Playstation Network.

Overall Shock Value: B-
Damon Lindelof says in the extras, “This series lasted only three seasons, so it’s not a matter of how did Star Trek succeed all these years but instead, how did it survive?” It’s simple, Damon. I believe it survived like any good science fiction story. Because they were good science fiction stories that were much more than what was on the surface of what our eyes can see on the big screen. The shows continued to open all of these great lessons of humanity, allegories, and wisdoms but did so in the sci-fi vehicle. Abrams’ Star Trek does none of that. I agree that these stories were executed through these great characters, so in rebooting Star Trek, Abrams and crew achieved that perfectly. But the weakness of the science makes this a good film, not a great film. It’s a fine action film, but it’s definitely not a science fiction film. So it’s not really a Star Trek film, to me. Hopefully, for the sequel with all of the characters re-established, we’ll get to see a real Star Trek film that has to rely on the science instead of the action; or maybe we’ll just see another attempt to water down something that was uncool for the cool. As for the DVD, I would try to push anyone who’s thinking of buying this to upgrade to the blu-ray. The extras included, as well as the perfectly rich audio and video experience is well worth the extra dollars, almost pushing it into an overall B+ or A- grade. But if you’re stuck with the DVD, it’s not a bad consolation.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 149 min.
Rated: PG-13
SRP:$ 29.99
Studio(s): Dreamworks, Paramount
Release Date: October 20, 2009

Pop Culture Shock usually gets the blu-ray of such big studio releases but due to limited material PCS was given the DVD to screen. I will try to list the differences where possible.

Film/Feature: C-
To run the plot down quickly, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is trying to move on with his life and enjoy the normalcies of a young adults. Go to college, go through a rites of passage, etc. but his relationship with the Autobots, and especially his grandfather involve him in things out of his control. He must live out a destiny, reluctantly, and accept it to save the human race against one of the original Decepticons, The Fallen who last visited the Earth thousands of years ago.

Megatron is revived, and gets his troops back together with the help of a very cool update of Soundwave and Ravage who retrieve the last known piece of the Cube from the last film. Sam though has the rest of the key for a great big weapon that will call the Fallen back to Earth, and arm a weapon that will destroy the sun, ending all of humanity as we know it. They set a trap for Optimus who gets ambushed and slaughtered in a righteous forest battle. Sam escapes and regroups with the help of his girlfriend Mikaela (Megan Fox), his college roomate, Leo (Ramon Rodriguez), and Seymour Simmons (John Tuturro) and an ancient Decepticon turned good, Jetfire who they find hanging out at the Smithsonian, warp to the middle east where the Matrix of Leadership is hidden and must be retrieved to revive Optimus Prime. Everyone converges upon the great Pyraminds of Egypt that are covering the weapon the Decepticons want to unleash. Can Sam get the Matrix to Optimus in time? Can he rescue the day? Can he please rescue this film from it’s paper-thin plot? I wish.

This says it all doesn't it? LaBeouf on the left, Bay on the right

The thing that aggravated me about this film was the same as the first, and that’s too much of the Witwickys, too much of the college roomate, Leo, and all of these arbitrary things that are put in because apparently I’d be too dumb to be able to follow an entire film about just the Transformer characters. Sam’s mother in particular is one of the most annoying characters in mainstream film since Jar-Jar Binks. She’s that bad. I watched a cartoon for several years that was just that that only had Spike, his dad, and his friend in a wheelchair as most of the human interaction. I don’t need much more than that, honestly. I came to see a film about the Transformers, not Sam Witwicky. I don’t care about whatever rites of passage he needs to take on, and I don’t believe that this kid is the only one who can bail the Transformers out every time. I was so annoyed by the above that I wasn’t even phased by the completely unnecessary “Autobot Twins” Skidz and Mudflap who are unintelligible, street-talking, doofuses who just get in the way. There are hundreds of characters Bay could have used instead of creating two throw-aways who also sparked a racial controversy.

There were improvements made to the film franchise like the redesign and silhouettes of the Transformers which make them easier to distinguish from each other. Also the animation was much more aggressive by having most of the transformations happen while on the move. This review has no beefs with the technical side of the film, and Bay does know how to make an explosively huge film that flocks of people want to see. Of note there were some excellent voice talent that came back for the second film. Peter Cullen who everyone knows as the voice of Optimus Prime and Hugo Weaving (LOTR, Matrix) played Megatron in the first film, both reprise their roles, and Frank Welker who played Megatron and Soundwave amongst many others in the 80′s cartoon was brought back to play Soundwave, Devastator, Reedman and Grindor. So it’s not all doom and gloom.

This story suffers from much bigger things and that’s creating a Transformers story where if you take LaBeouf’s Sam out of the picture, the story has nothing else built up about the actual transformers that could carry the film. We have these great characters, regal, proud race of robots that depend on a human every single time to save the day. The Autobots lived long before and will live long after the humans, so why is there such a dependent crutch in Sam? Because of that, I feel that the writers and Bay just do not understand what the Transformers are about. Ultimately the studio gives them free reign to make a big moneymaker but as far as the film goes, it’s a running joke. The Transformers should be independent of the humans, and not be suffocated or be held back based on what’s written for LaBeouf and Fox. Give me a point of interest that doesn’t involve either one of these characters, and eliminate the parents, and that will be the start of a Transformers movie that’s done right. Revenge of the Fallen though will be one of those films that people show off all the bells and whistles of their home theater, but because of how the film itself disappoints, the DVD and Blu-ray for that matter will probably not get as much replay value as one would hope.

Video/Audio: B+/B+
Revenge of the Fallen on DVD is presented in a 480p MPEG-2 encoded transfer in 2.40:1 aspect ratio that’s full of rich and vibrant colors and detail maximized as best as can be on standard definition. Blacks are nice and dark, grain is present throughout, and while the DVD may satisfy the less critical eye, it lacks the clarity and crispness of high definition. The impressive shock and awe of a blu-ray is incomparable so that’s why the grade isn’t higher, but make no mistake, this is still a fine looking DVD. The audio soundtrack is a 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track can be defined as the very best that can be heard in DVD. This is a Michael Bay film and so goes the subwoofers and surrounds with all of the activity that will travel round in this viewing experience. The dynamic body blow effect isn’t as prominent as it would be in blu-ray so I temper my grade accordingly. Other audio selections include: 5.1 Dolby Digital French and Spanish tracks and subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.

If you do have blu-ray, know that it is presented in 1080p high definition with an English 5.1 DTS-HD lossless Master Audio track and is an incredible reference disc for your home theater.

Ravage Reimagined

Extras: A

Disc 1
Audio Commentary by director, Michael Bay and writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman is actually two tracks in one. Bay’s comments come in sparingly while the writers talk at length about different parts of the filmmaking performance. If you’re looking to hear more from Bay, be patient because you’ll get plenty of him on the rest of the extras, trust me.

Disc 2
The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen is a huge 2 hour and 15 minute documentary chronicling the entire production, (pre, principal and post) complete with cast and crew interviews. This is a first rate making-of, almost exhausting investigation of how this film was made and perhaps a little too much glorification of Michael Bay. Still, it’s one of those extras that are a must-see, if only to see just what kind of strings Bay can pull in the movie industry.

• Seeds of Vengeance-Development and Design SD (30:04) reviews the first Transformers film as the boy who gets car and then gets girl story, then trying to jump the hurdel of the writer’s strike to get a script done on the sequel.

• Domestic Destruction-Production: United States SD (24:20) Cast and crew find out or tell all what a tyrant Bay can be to work with jumping around to location shoots in New Mexico to Pennsylvania.

• Joint Operation-Production: Military SD (10:02) This part really blew my mind. To see what Bay is able to do as far as military access and full carte blanche almost, is insane. But the military sees Transformers as a big commercial and recruiting tool, so everything is okay.

• Wonders of the World-Production: Middle East SD (13:17) Again Bay uses his and Spielberg’s pull to get access that’s unheard of by any other filmmaker by being able to film the pyramids and be able to have actors climb on the actual Wonders of the Earth boggles the mind. They go from Egypt to Giza and to Luxor in magnificent sights that need to be seen in one’s lifetime. This is one section where I really wish I had the blu-ray.

• Start Making Sense-Editing SD (9:20) reveals how Bay edits a film using four editors who simultaneously work on the same scenes in an unorthodox tag-team method.

• Under The Gun-Visual Effects SD (29:03) With Revenge of the Fallen shooting to be bigger than the first film, Industrial Light and Magic undertook the taske of creating the most complicated VFX movie in history. The Devastator VFX alone requried 83% of the ILM render farm capacity.

• Running the Guantlet-Post Production and Release SD (16:34) the exhaustive documentary comes to a close that has color timing and sound design in the eleventh hour before the premiere and then shows the stars on the red carpets all around the world.

A Day with Bay: Tokyo SD (13:28) is a day in the life of Bay while on the foreign press tour as they premiered the film in Japan. He even takes a dig at McG and Terminator 4 in the press junket.

25 years of Transformers SD (10:49) is not as long as one would hope but Aaron Archer of Hasbro is interviewed to talk about updating the classic characters to the film, giving Bay and design crew access to the entire catalogue as well as creating new characters.

NEST: Transformer Data-Hub allows viewers to look at all of the conceptual artwork for Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jetfire, Skidz, Mudflap, Megatron, Starscream, Ravage, Soundwave and Devastator.

Deconstructing Visual Bayhem with Commentary by Pre-Vis Supervisor Steve Yamamoto SD (23:35) is a series of pre-vis animations that were used as the starting blocks for many of the action sequences in the film. Bay also gives an introduction (0:27) to the special.

There are three Extended/Alternative Scenes SD (6:15) that show Sam and Alice at the dorms, The Witwickys in Paris, and Leo refusing to go to Egypt.

Using the box and a web cam, you can activate a 3D holographic experience where ou can piece together the Matrix of Leadership to bring back Optimus Prime back to life. You’ll be allowed to repair his armer and calibrate his weapons.

There’s the theatrical trailer (2:38) and a music video of Linkin Park’s song “New Divide” SD (4:43) that closes out the second disc of extras.

Blu-Ray Exclusives
Sadly I am unable to review the blu-ray exclusives but can announce that they include The ALLSPARK Experiment, an interactive feature to allow viewers to customize their own robots and apply the Allspark to it and get a glimpse at a rogue robot. One combination will unlock an exclusive interview with Michael Bay and his plans for the next Transformers movie. The NEST Data-Hub on the blu-ray incorporates 3D spin galleries of each robot and a timeline for each character charting its origin, back story and design. Giant Effing Movie is a very personal look in the making of the movie, and the Matrix of Marketing includes posters and television spots along with the trailers.

Overall Shock Value: B-
There’s no denying what a mess the film is, but even marginal fans will be impressed by the technical treatment and treasure chest full of extras on the second disc. If it were me, I would make the jump up in blu-ray knowing what reference material potential this film has in a home theater. It looks absolutely stunning and sounds incredible in high definition but for the sake of this DVD review, it’s pretty darn good too. Despite any disparaging things I may have to say about the film, it has its fan base and much more devoted apologists. I can bring myself to fully endorse the film itself but the action, the effects, and the transformers themselves have all been improved from the first film, but like the first, the human story just doesn’t hold me in. Why we are still seeing anything with Sam’s parents is beyond me but Bay seems vigilant in ramming these and characters like the Autobot Twins down our throats to the point where they can almost turn viewers off. If you’re able to overlook all of that, there is a big spectacle under all of that wreckage and the folks at Industrial Light and Magic are the real stars of this franchise once again. The audio and video treatment, along with the extras save this DVD/Blu-Ray release big time from a lower score and is a great value on DVD, but given how the prequel thrived in high definition, the blu-ray is even better.

Pop Culture Shock usually gets the blu-ray of such big studio releases but due to limited material PCS was given the DVD to screen. I will try to list the differences where possible.

Film/Feature: C
If you were hoping for a live action version of the cartoon, then G.I. Joe The Rise of Cobra hits that mark. If you expected the film to transcend what the cartoon was, well then, you’re out of luck. But in comparison to Hasbro’s other brand-gone-wild, Transformers, I think G.I. Joe is more faithful adaptaion of the beloved 1980′s cartoon, which was really about two opposing covert teams in some special arms race, showcasing tricked out weapon-vehicles, specialized soldiers, in every terrain known to man. As a kid you never cared about what these things would look like in real life, you just wanted the toys. So after 45 years, what did you really want out of a GI Joe movie directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing)? An extension of the cartoon? Or some crazy bastardization with cool effects? The Rise of Cobra is a bit of a mixture of those two, something in the middle of not-so-good and not-so-bad. And based on all of the Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes outfits I saw at Halloween, I think the goal has been accomplished.

It’s a basic year one type story where Duke (Channing Tatum) is recruited out of the US Military forces into a special international operations unit called G.I. Joe and with him is another soldier and friend, Ripcord (Marlon Wayans). Duke has orders to protect four warheads with nanotechnology created by James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) of the MARS industries. Think Haliburton on steroids. When unleashed the weapon can eat and destroy metal. Duke’s unit comes under attack by some covert team of soldiers with extremely advanced weapons, led by someone from his past, a woman named Ana (Sienna Miller) who now goes under the codename, Baroness. G.I. Joe saves Duke and Ripcord and brings them back along with the warheads to the Pit where they meet the leader, General Hawk (Dennis Quaid) and are properly introduced to Scarlett (the voluptuous Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (the ever silent Ray Park), Heavy Duty (the imposing Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Breaker (Said Taghmaoui).

Duke had some history with the Ana dating back four years prior when they were engaged to be married. Her brother, Rex (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) was in Duke’s unit and was apparently killed in a poorly-timed air strike. The relationship between Duke and Ana incinerated after that, sending Ana to the side of this black ops team who will be later revealed as Cobra. Alongside are Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee), Arnold Vosloo (Zartan), and McCullen. The other story we get in Lost-like flashbacks is the story of rival ninjas Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes, two of the most popular characters from the animated series, and are centerpieces of the satisfyingly good action scenes in Rise of the Cobra, whether when they are young (played by Brandon Soo Hoo and Leo Howard) or in their present grown-up selves.

The story is not as tight as an old fan would hope. With all of the military-related action films done in the last 15 years, the bar is pretty high these days what passes for a good script. But I’ll give them this, they did consult G.I. Joe comics writer Larry Hamma and the work he did in the 80′s and use the nanotechnology, as well as technology that is being planned for real use in the military. The tech eventually gets a bit too fantastic when Duke and Ripcord try out the Joes’ new weapon, the accelerator suits. Looking as if they were patterned off HALO outfits, these suits give the soldier inside enhanced agility, speed, and strength. Cool in theory, but in reality these suits get mixed results. Everything builds to an underwater battle that brings the Baroness back in Duke’s arms and revelation of what we will come to know as Cobra as well as a much bigger threat for the inevitable sequel.

Where the movie really loses me is in some of the bigger set designs that are almost done completely in computer animation and that’s not so bad, but it’s got that strange cold feeling like Sky Captain or Phantom Menace where it’s so close to being a fully animated film, instead of looking real, that it’s almost not worth pretending to be a live-action film. In that case, the film could have been just given over to the team who created the excellent G.I. Joe Resolute, which all of us at PCS are all fans of. Any scenes where it’s all vehicles waging all out destruction or are establishing a new setting, take you out of the moment of the film in the air, in the snow and especially underwater. In the commentary, director Stephen Sommers even says at one point where a G.I. Joe aircraft is landing into the Pit, that it’s not his favorite shot because they simply ran out of time. It does look like a student animation project.

I wanted to like this film more, and after I heard what I heard I wanted to dislike it more. But hearing and seeing are two different things, and I had to see it for myself. Truth be told, I think it’s like a computer-game hybrid stylish take of an extended G.I. Joe cartoon episode. Everything looked right, which was a plus. I was fine with almost all of the casting choices. The action sequences, weapons and vehicles all delivered, but the acting? Not so much. It’s reminiscent of the early 90′s acting in comic book movies. A little stiff, a bit wooden, and for too simple for my liking. Actors like Gordon-Levitt have been so impressive in other films but look like a shell here. It’s a lot like people describing the acting in the Star Wars prequels: Great actors who act like impersonators of themselves. Storm Shadow, Snake Eyes and the Baroness offer the most interesting arcs, everything else is forgettable.

Does it keep the spirit of the 80′s cartoon? Yes. Is it realistic? Hell no. Although lots of people die in this film where nobody died in the cartoons. But if you imagined a PG-13 live action version of the G.I. Joe franchise to be better than this, go watch The Hurt Locker or HBO’s Generation Kill instead because believe me, those guys are truly bad-ass. Rise of Cobra falls short of what G.I. Joe always was to me and that’s an action-packed bonanza that ironically portrayed the battles of war accurately. Take a look at the real action of Desert Storm and compare it to an episode of G.I. Joe. It’s pretty close. The battles here are taken to the proportion of a Star Wars prequel and that’s not a good thing. Sommers again in the commentary referred to Thunderball as a childhood influence. That also is not a good thing. However the sequel is set. Cobra is established, and hopefully the filmmakers up the ante and raise the quality of the script and acting, so that fans and non-fans can talk about a great G.I. Joe film. Until then it’s the 80′s animated series and Resolute for me.

Video/Audio: B+
Rise of Cobra on DVD has 480p encoded transfer in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. It’s a great looking film, even on DVD with good reproduction on colors and detail. Knowing how good this would look on blu-ray makes me hold back on giving a higher rating. The soundtrack on the DVD is a beefy 5.1 English Dolby Digital audio track. It’s an active sound stage with lots of explosions and spatial sound effects that moves all around you. Rear channels are active with atmosphere and environment noise as well as residual music. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, and subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.

The blu-ray is presented in 1080p and English 5.1 DTS-HD which I’m confident are upgrades worth checking out.

Extras: C+
I honestly expected a bit more from the extras section considering a passionate fan base would probably want to sink into every single aspect of the film. Maybe the DVD was rushed or perhaps there wasn’t much budget for lots of supplements. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French.

Audio Commentary by director Stephen Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay is not the best commentary track I’ve listened to because these guys really believe they put forth the best G.I. Joe film they could make. They do reveal the studio’s resistance for the back story between the ninjas among other anecdotes but it’s a very loving and apologetic track for a rather mediocre film.

The Big Bang Theory: The Making of G.I. Joe SD (29:34) shows how the comics and cartoons of the 80′s were used as a foundation for the film and the arduous task of making a popular children’s cartoon into a big studio action film scene. Action sequences, the accelerator suits, and the final underwater scene are their special effects are broken down.

Next-Gen Action: The Amazing Visual FX and Design of G.I. Joe SD (21:08) is set by set breakdown and the computer generation of the these creative pieces through the efforts of Digital Domain. Helicopters being crushed by a concussion cannon, detailing the Pit, the Night Raven, and the underwater finale were some of the sequences explained. Again, the end sequence was created with Thunderball in mind, huh, go figure.

There’s a 3D Holographic Video Game that can be played with your webcam but after doing the recommended plug in, every time I tried to access the game on the GIJOEexperience.com site, it crashed my browser. So if you’re able to get it to work, you can play a ninja battle game.

The extras disc is also used as a Digital Copy Disc to download on home computer and portable electronics such as iPod and PSP.

To close out the extras, check out Previews for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek, Monsters vs. Aliens, and the excellent G.I. Joe Resolute cartoon.

Overall Shock Value: C+
Like it or not, G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra accomplished its goal of bringing back the popular brand, capitalizing on the grown-up fan base from the 80′s and being able to sell more toys and licensed products to their kids. Like Hasbro’s other franchise, Transformers, it made a global impact that financially is unmatched in the brand’s run. It certainly looks right and feels a lot like the original animated series come to life, but unfortunately, it’s not much more than that. If you’re a home theater fanatic like myself, I would opt to save the pennies and make the jump up to high definition if you can because the high def picture and audio would add to the experience greatly. Still the DVD is probably best suited for devoted G.I. Joe fans who have to get their grubby paws on everything saying, “Yo Joe!” and I think boys who are in their early teens will probably get a kick out of it too. Otherwise I’d recommend Rise of Cobra as a rental and pray for something deeper and more ambitious for the second installment.

Year: 2007
Running Time: 92 min.
Rated: R
SRP: $26.98
Studio(s): Magnolia Home Entertainment

Film/Feature: B-

Three godfathers of modern day Hong Kong cinema, Tsui Hark (Time and Tide, Once Upon a Time in China), Ringo Lam (City of Fire, Twin Dragons), and Johnny To (Election, Exiled) collaborate in what’s best described as a relay film. Each director tells the story he wants to tell in the style he wants to do and then hands it off to the next storyteller. Even though there are some points where you’ll want to scratch your head, those familiar with each director will be able to tell who did what parts, but the transitions are very subtle. If this is your first dip into any of their works, then it may not be the best endorsement of how great they each are, because even though it has its moments, Triangle will be best appreciated for its experimental devices rather than its actual execution.

The synopsis is as follows: Three drinking buddies, Sam (Simon Yam), Fei (Louis Koo), and Mok (Sun Hong Lei), are struggling to make ends meet, when one night a mysterious old man appears an offers them a unique financial opportunity. He claims that buried beneath a high-security government building, lies an ancient treasure of great wealth. In agreement, the three men set off to commit the heist, but what they find puts their honor and friendship to the ultimate test.

Fei is the shady one out of the group and has “connections” with Triads to make this work. Sam has a mired marriage and past that will get him in trouble. And Mok, well he’s just trying to make a score with the least amount of trouble involved. It’s a basic story that really gets derailed in Lam’s intermediate part of the film who shifts the focus onto Sam and his marriage. His wife, Ling (Kelly Lin) believes that Sam killed his first wife and will kill her too. Ling has her own skeletons since she’s having an affair with a cop who she convinces to keep an eye on her husband and why he’s so secretive. Ever hear of the expression, three’s a crowd?

Now that we’ve veered completely away from the original plot of the film, Johnny To comes in and brings the film back on its track in what is a brilliantly-directed final act. All of the seemingly non-related parties involved in the story converge in a tiny province city where the real action takes place and only one party comes out alive.

Each director got his opportunity to do something special, but only To actually delivered. While I’m glad that we didn’t get three over-the-top action sequences, there could have been a bit more collaboration between them to tell a more coherent story from the back to the front. Because of that I liked many parts of it, but not the whole. I was strangely under a spell in Lam’s more emotion-filled middle as convoluted as it was. Hark had to establish so much in his section, so I felt less of him came through, but To brought it home in a fun and memorable way that’s best left unspoiled. Is it enough to salvage the rest of the disjointed film? I think so, but I also know many may agree so strongly. If HK action films are one of your favorite genres, then Triangle is just another film you should try with an open mind. It’s slick, it’s fun, and it’s also wildly out there. But I would also add that Triangle isn’t nearly as good as any of the three directors’ solo endeavors.

Video/Audio: B-/B-
Triangle is shown on DVD through a 480p standard definition transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The colors while clear are a bit dull side so there’s not too many scenes where the hues are going to pop off of your television. There’s a fair amount of grain, especially in To’s night finale, but is a steady viewing experience that’s indicative of many of the Magnolia home releases.

The audio is best heard in the 5.1 Dolby Digital Cantonese track which is a front-heavy experience. Some residual effect noise gets to the rear channels like the echoing of gunfire and crickets chirping, music of course but lots of it from the front. The subwoofer is used sparingly and is not a film where bass is going to really kick in. There are no giant explosions, or hip hop music, just a little bit of drums and percussion in the score. Other audio selections include: 2.0 Dolby Digital Original Cantonese, 5.1 English Dub Dolby Digital, 2.0 English Dub audio tracks and subtitles are available in English and Spanish.

Extras: C-
Behind the scenes SD (13:32) On the set of the film’s climactic night scene and a peek into To’s working behind the camera. The funny thing is watching the actors holding a cigarette in their hands between practice takes.

Making of Triangle SD (6:15) is an average EPK moment that a hardcore HK film fan could skip but it’s enough to provide green HK film fans a broader bit of knowledge at which to expand their next venture into the genre.

Trailers for Ong Bak 2, World’s Greatest Dad, and Not Quite Hollywood, a documentary about Aussie genre films and the phenomena of Ozploitation.

Overall Shock Value: B-
I’m an easy guy to please when it comes to HK action, and even though I wasn’t completely satisfied with Triangle, it entertained me much more than what’s usually showing out there. It’s a solid Saturday rental, and you can determine if you love HK films as much as I do, or are just a casual fan. There’s not a lot of extras that will push Triangle into a must-buy opportunity, but for Johnny To completists like myself, Triangle just qualifies as recommendable treat that’s good for some late night debate.

Year: 1985
Rated: G
Running Time: approx. 11 hours
SRP: $24.99
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 15, 2009

Feature: A-

If you never bothered your mind or eyes with the two Michael Bay Transformers films, then your are still pure of what the real Transformers once was, an epic chess match between two rival groups of robots set perfectly on the canvas of animation cels. The Shout! Factory is celebrating 25 years of the Transformers by releasing the DVDs in two ways. You can either plunk down the lettuce for the Matrix of Leadership box set that has a ton of extra Transformers memorabilia or you can get it el cheapo way by getting the individual season sets.

Season Two, Volume One collects the first 28 episodes of the follow up season. Everyone should be familiar with Optimus Prime and the Autobots doing battle with Megatron and the Decepticons. Good vs. Evil, More than Meets the Eye, Robots in Disguise and yadda-yadda you get it. Why I love this series so much and especially why I like this season even better than the first is how much has been built up and how the next wave of characters/toys were prominently featured in this season. No one here is saying they didn’t get enough of Soundwave, Hound, Bumblebee, and Starscream. But in this season the Dinobots, the Constructicons, Insecticons, all had recurring roles in this season. Autobots like Perceptor, Blaster, Cosmos, Beachcomber, Grapple, Hoist, Red Alert, Skids, Smokescreen, Warpath, and Powerglide weren’t just introduced, they had feature roles. Decepticons like the Triple Changer Astrotrain and Blitzwing, Dirge, Ramjet, Thrust were more regular than the first wave of Decepticon jets. And need we be reminded of Omega Surpeme?

One of the biggest knocks I hear about the Transformers is how simplistic the stories were and for some reason that gave the filmmakers who made the live action film a free pass to have absolutely no story. There was quite a bit of complexity in the Decepticon plans and made for some memorable episodes even upon revisiting them for this review. Some of my favorite episodes include “Autobot Spike,” which was a modern retelling of Frankenstein, Dinobot Island where a Jurassic Park-like island is found and exploited for fossil fuels. “The Insecticon Syndrome” and “Quest for Survival” which shows the mistrust between the Decepticons and the Insecticons. The two part “Megatron’s Master Plan” had an elaborate scam that framed the Autobots who are then exiled. The “Master Builders” show the Contructicons preying on the weak mind of Hoist and Grapple to help build a solar energy tower. There were stories down in Atlantis, on another planet, and in another time. And one of the crazier two parters had the Dinobots going to Cybertron to retrieve Cybertoronium for the Autobots and Decepticons who are on the fritz. Instead Grimlock and the Dinobots ditch them all because he’s through taking orders.

A handful of these episodes had more meat on the bone than either film ever did. They just did, and there’s no sugar coating it. There was less emphasis on Spike and his romance with the Autobots. This was all about good vs. evil and both of them against those in between. Characters played each other, Decepticons were deceived by their own, Autobots had to acclimate the suddenly new robots that appeared out of nowhere like Blaster and his loud racket. The same went for the other side. But you understood that it was a way to get more out of your new action figure you just bought. Today there remains a story that was thought out, and the animation–despite its glitches–was rich. This is the golden age of the Transformers and the reason why people ever paid attention to it. Make sure future generations get to see it by passing this box set down and stories of computer love to your future generations of bot lovers.

Episode Listing
Disc 1
Autobot Spike
The Immobilizer
Dinobot Island, Part 1
Dinobot Islant Part 2
Traitor
Enter the Nightbird
Changing Gears

Disc 2 ?
A Prime Problem
Atlantis, Arise!
Attack of the Autobots
Microbots
The Master Builders
The Insecticon Builders
Day of the Machines

Disc 3
Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 1
Megatron’s Master Plan, Part 2
Auto Beserk
City of Steel
Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1
Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
Blaster Blues

Disc 4
A Decepticon Raider in King
Arthur’s Court
The God Gambit
The Core
Make Tracks
The Autobot Run
The Golden Lagoon
Quest for Survival

Audio/Video: B/B
These are standard DVD presented in full frame 4:3 aspect ratio. Audio is 2.0 stereo.

Extras: D-
Nothing to speak of here because there are no extras. It’s not a big deal, I’m sure that keeps the price low but for those looking for something more won’t be satisfied by that. Being a 25th Anniversary, one would expect something added to these discs, but I know that they try to put all of the extra stuff for the extreme fans who buy the super Matrix of Leadership box set which contains all of the G1 episodes in one cool collective box set. There is a nicely designed episode guide booklet that’s included so there’s almost nothing as far as extras are concerned.

Features: B+

The X-Men Animated series has always been a cartoon in a kid’s time slot that was never really intended for a kids audience. Or at least that’s how it came across to me. All of the stories appealed to the time I read the comics they were based on which was high school/early undergrad college. I would literally read the comics and hope that they’d be turned into episodes of the cartoon.

Picking up from where Volume 2 left off, Volume 3 jumps right in to the Savage Land, the strange love triangle between Gambit, Rogue, and Magneto. Then, I have a correction to announce: In my review of the Volumes 1 and 2, I made a mistake, they cover the Phoenix Saga, and in Volume 3, the 4-part “Dark Phoenix Saga” is introduced. This was pretty advanced storytelling because so much of this is pretty difficult to keep straight in the comics, but for kids this was a high concept story. Also on the disc two of Volume three is the memorable “Juggernaut Returns” story when Marko comes after his step brother, Professor X. “The Nightcrawler” was his introduction to the series, and “Weapon X, Lies and Video Tape” was the first we get to see the classic story that was done originally in Marvel Comics Presents with art by Sam Keith in cartoon form. Even the titles of the episodes were pretty clever.

Volume 4 kicks off with the ultra-serious “Proteus” arc where Dr. Moira McTaggart’s son has a terrible accident that leaves him on the freakish side of being a mutant, hoping to find his real father, he searches him out and rips through those who would stand in his way. It’s just an extremely harsh story about child abandonment, social acceptance, and bad parenting. But it’s this stuff that made me love the series so. You could go an entire episode without laughing or smiling, but you wanted to see the next episode. The Four Part “Beyond Good and Evil” handled the wedding between Jean Grey and Cyclops, Apocalypse and the Four Horsemen, Mr. Sinister, Cable, Bishop and the Lazarus Chamber. The season ends on the story of “Family Ties” where Quicksilver and the Scarlett Witch discover who their true father is by consulting the High Evolutionary. It’s as if the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe unfolds on TV–from the corner of the X-Men anyway.

I make no apologies for my disdain on the X-Men theme song. It really is atrocious and I wouldn’t mention it all the time if they somehow took it off of every episode and menu selection. Thankfully you can fast forward through it, but god forbid you leave to fix yourself a sandwich while the menu’s playing. As an artistic style, I think the series falls a bit flat. I realize that it’s supposed to mimic the art style of Jim Lee and that era of Marvel comics, but that over-rendered and over-cross-hatched style of art doesn’t look that good when it’s simplified into animation.

It doesn’t hold the iconic look and timelessness of the DC Animated series, it is very dated, and the colors don’t punch as hard as other series do but as far as putting the comics in a more faithful treatment in another medium there is no comparison. Re-watching these episodes reminded me of why the last X-Men movie (X3) didn’t work. They tried to put too many story lines into a two hour package and the X-Men story works so well in long form and in episodic. If the cartoon won’t tread that path, what did Brett Ratner and Fox think they could do that this animated series couldn’t? The X-Men animated series took the time that was needed to explain each story, and was never intimidated in doing crazy stories about Wundagore, or the Morlocks. This is the way superhero comics should be adapted, honest and truly.

Volume Three:

Disc 1
34 Savage Land, Strange Heart (1)
35 Savage Land, Strange Heart (2)
36 Obsession
37 Dark Phoenix: Dazzled (1)
38 Dark Phoenix: The Inner Circle (2)
39 Dark Phoenix: The Dark Phoenix (3)
40 Dark Phoenix: The Fate Of The Phoenix (4)

Disc 2 ?
41 Cold Comfort
42 Orphan’s End
43 The Juggernaut Returns
44 Nightcrawler
45 Weapon X, Lies and Videotape
46 One Man’s Worth (1)
47 One Man’s Worth (2)
48 Courage

Volume Four:

Disc 1
49 Proteus (1)
50 Proteus (2)
51 Sanctuary (1)
52 Sanctuary (2)
53 Beyond Good and Evil (1)
54 Beyond Good and Evil (2)
55 Beyond Good and Evil (3)
56 Beyond Good and Evil (4)

Disc 2

57 Have Yourself A Morlock Little Christmas
58 The Lotus and the Steel
59 Love in Vain
60 Secrets, Not Long Buried
61 Xavier Remembers
62 Family Ties

Audio/Video: B/B
These are standard DVD presented in full frame 4:3 aspect ratio. Audio is 2.0 stereo.

Extras: F
Nothing to speak of here because there are no extras. It’s not a big deal, I’m sure that keeps the price low but for those looking for something more won’t be satisfied by that.