Year: 2010
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rated: PG-13
SRP: $ 29.95
Studio(s): Touchstone Pictures
Release Date: Jun 15, 2010

Film/Feature: C–
I’ll admit it, I reviewed this movie because I’m still hung up on Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars, and yes, I’ve known to dabble in the occasional “rom-com” every now and then; listen, it’s not bad to tune into a film where your expectations are low every now and then. Since her cult-favorite television show ended, I think many had hoped Bell would land somewhere she could let loose her sarcastic, witty, and at times adorably cute charm loose. Unfortunately she joined the Heroes cast when that began to suck, she’s voiced Lucy Stillman on the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise, which led to her lead voice role in the latest Astro Boy movie and video game. She’s been mining us fanboys for years now, and even starred in a film that went straight to DVD, Fanboys (2008) where she toyed with our fantasies (Slave Leia) Other than that, she’s played minor roles in this latest tidal wave of rated-R comedies in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), Get Him to the Greek (2010) and Couples Retreat (2009). So who can blame Bell for trying to branch out to a new audience?

Bell plays Beth, a curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York who travels to Rome, Italy to see her sister’s sudden wedding. Beth is a career woman who has always put her job in front of her personal life and has not held men for a long time. So she takes a risk when she meets the best man, Nick (Josh Duhamel) but sees him kissing face with another woman and so we have our hapless, attractive and romantic gal who can’t find a good guy who steps into the Fountain of Love (a lower fi version of the Trevi Fountain) and steals a handful of coins sitting in the bottom meant for wishes of love and instantly becomes the woman of desire of four men: Antonio (Will Arnett) a starving artist, Lance (Jon Heder) a street magician, an over-zealous widower Al (Danny Devito) and Nick. And this is the hook; lots of these romantic comedies have them. A fantasy gimmick that takes you out of reality and into what’s supposed to be the fun part of the movie and the comedy ensues. Beth spends the rest of the film trying to find a way to reverse the curse and get the men to realize they’ve been tricked into liking her and wrestles with her conscience to let Nick off the hook.

When in Rome has a few spots where you might bust out louder than you really should or smile where you’re supposed to be guffawing, but you hang in there, for Bell. Well, that’s why I hung in there. I hope someone gives Bell another chance to star in her own film, because she has the talent to shine in a feature role; it’s just not When in Rome. I’m crossing my fingers that Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) is available to do another love story after Spider-Man.

I’d like to blame director Mark Steven Johnson whose gone on to destroy Daredevil, Ghost Rider and Elektra on the big screen. (Thank goodness the Preacher project died.) It seems his magic of mediocrity has spread here, too. It’s not the hook or the actors per se. Devito, Arnett, Heder, Anjelica Huston and Don Johnson along with Bell try their best, but too many parts have been borrowed from other movies of this ilk. 13 Going on 30 surprisingly works, Devil Wears Prada is flawless, but both of those have parts chopped and blended into When in Rome, along with every other successful romantic comedy. It’s complete with the awful pop music, the canned supporting cast and recycled jokes that make this Kristen Bell vehicle an average paint-by-numbers rom-com instead of its own original film.

Oh Kristen, the fanboys will always take you back.

Video:B
Seeing Rome and New York in high definition never gets old and every ornate piece of architecture or piece of art can be seen clearly in this1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 2.35:1 aspect ratio, but it’s a romantic comedy, not a cinephile’s dream, so there’s not too many spots to gush over great photography here. Flesh tones are generally warm, rolling a bit too much in the oranges and yellow colors. Things look a bit drab and flat as far as textures and depth. There’s not a lot to anchor your eyes and that’s a bit sad for blu-ray.

Audio: B+
Hear Will Arnett speak terrible Italian in this 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track, a chatty, dialogue-driven film. The center channel will do most of the mild lifting in When in Rome, but the music does get amped a bit. Levels are balanced, and there’s a fair amount of atmospheric surround that helps place the viewer in the middle of crowd scenes or outdoors. The most lively your theater will get is when the storm clouds begin to collect with the impending thunder and lightning crackle across the screen. Anything else would be overkill to be honest. Other audio selections include: English 2.0, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Even Napoleon Dynamite can save this film

Extras: C–
What’s here is a collection of various cut scenes, alternative cuts, and light promotional affair. None of it really enhances the film any, nor makes it any worse but one viewing is more than enough on most of the selections.

Crazy Casanovas: Mischief From the Set HD (12:28) an EPK running down the comedic cast members as they make light of being on the set. This is exclusive to the blu-ray release.

Alternative Opening and Ending HD (7:17) let’s just say the editors made the right decision when it came to using these scenes. This is exclusive to the blu-ray release.

Extended Pain with the Suitors HD (2:39) Three cut scenes with the suitors making their last attempt at Beth at the Guggenheim. I thought these scenes could have been kept in because the appeared to cross the line that the film at times tries way too hard to avoid. And this is the last exclusive extra to the blu-ray release.

Kerplunk! Bloopers from Rome HD (3:07) cast members flub lines and act goofy.

Deleted Scenes HD (7:00) eight more scenes that didn’t make the cut and are a mixed bag of parts that dragged the pace, and bits that told too much.

Music Videos SD (6:47) “Starstruck” by 3Oh!3 featuring Katy Perry and “Stupid Love Letter” by Friday Night Boys. These are two fairly annoying overproduced pop songs with both of them playing on the movie’s gimmick. I will say though, if you are a Katy Perry fan, and who isn’t, you’ll like that first one.

Overall Shock Value:C–
I knew what I was getting into with this film and it didn’t surprise me one bit and that’s when a film disappoints. When in Rome gives your mind a vacation, with a simple but sweet romantic spin, but be prepared for the cheese and corn. It’s a technically fine disc, that leaves much to be desired on the extras, but this probably isn’t a film that you expect to be immersed long after the 90-minute feature. It’s nice to see Kristen Bell branch out and appeal more to the ladies instead of the fanboys for a change, but I think even the most arduous of romantic comedy fans would recommend When in Rome with a Rent It at the very best.

Year: 2010
Running Time: 137 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $39.99
Studio(s): Paramount
Release Date: June 8, 2010

Film/Feature: B–
Shutter Island explores 1954 when the world of psychology and psychiatry came at a crossroads. Three methods of treatment to those deemed insane were being widely debated. Psycho-surgery (AKA lobotomy), talk therapy and the advent of pharma-therapy, a method some say is being abused today. This psychological thriller is based on the book written by Dennis Lehane novel of the same name is set in this time period.

Set on an isolated island in Boston Harbor, Ashecliff Hospital is known to hold the worst of the worst criminally insane patients with only one way in and one way out. It’s a prison and hospital at the same time. Dr. Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley) is trying to pioneer new methods in treating his patients with more talk therapy instead of methods of lobotomy, which even in its time, was just beginning to be considered barbaric. He hopes that through alternative methods, he can reach patients easier and leave drugs and psycho-surgery as last resorts. Dr. Naehring (Max von Sydow) represents the other side of psychiatry who would rather lobotomize all of the patients and save the time and effort that feels is being wasted on cases so far gone who can’t be reached, when the mind has completely taken over the body.

Our story begins when two U.S. marshals, Edward “Teddy” Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), arrive to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer), a patient who is thought to have vanished from her locked quarters. She allegedly killed her three young children and is a widow thanks to World War II. Teddy leads an all-out interrogation of staff and patients while feeling very close to Solando’s case and is haunted by his own history. Just as he is about to break the case open, he is blocked by the hospital to pursue his intuitions and that’s when he becomes suspicious of those in charge at Ashecliff. But this story is just a front for a much larger story; an emotionally-cleansing journey for the U.S. marshall. To find out the truth, Teddy must look within, and confront his secrets and lies before it’s too late.

Lehane’s novels have inspired two other heavily talked-about films, Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, and as in those stories, Shutter Island presents odd folk, trapped in a precarious situation. There is something sinister and ominous here, helped by stark, atmospheric settings, peculiar characters and good old-fashioned camera work. It won’t take long to begin suspecting what’s at play, but it’s how the film evolves from this inauspicious point is what ignites conversation between viewers, not the twist. Only when Shutter Island is fully revealed, does one see the complexity of Shutter Island. It’s a successful translation with the direction of Scorsese, and screenwriter, Laeta Kalogridis whose task was to adapt this narrative for the big screen.

An inevitable second viewing allows the viewer redemption to properly soak in Scorsese’s tapestry. Once again, DiCaprio is dominant in every scene he is in, but Michelle Williams who plays Teddy’s wife Dolores, is equally moving (and tragic); while character contributions by Kinglsey, Ruffalo, Jackie Earle Haley, and von Sydow hit the mark.

If you’re expecting a classic, violent Scorsese film, Shutter Island won’t meet those expectations. Nor will it satisfy those looking for a large supernatural element that could be expected from what I feel were misleading trailers. It’s instead a search and rescue film, of a character disparately needing help. In the backdrop, is the world of psychiatry, during its questionable infancy and is the apt villain as Teddy’s traverse into his lower depths while trying to solve his case.

Shutter Island is a wolf in sheep’s clothing; masquerading as one thing but being something different. Its slow spots restrain the film from being something magnificent, and its secret is thinly shrouded, but the eventual resolution will undoubtedly challenge the audience, but most notably, the rest of the film that precedes it.

Video: A
Paramount put out a fine 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 2.35:1 aspect ratio reflecting the film’s classicism and noir roots. In period pieces, art direction and set production are what makes a story of this kind believable, and shortcuts and shoddy work can be detected in high definition, but this is a Scorsese film, and this film looks near flawless. Whether it was rain-drenched wool or the tweed of a two piece suit, textures look highly accurate and colors are full-bodied, rich, and warm. With such a level of detail, depth perception is tremendous in crane and aerial shots. Also, DiCaprio on a closer look, is no longer the smooth-skinned young man in Titanic. Wrinkles, freckles, and stubble on his face, Ruffalo’s, and other cast members cannot hide from the picture clarity. The drab, real world colors stabilize each scene with the exception of an occasional sunny, outdoor shot that display the lush greens and gardens of the Ashecliff compound. Blacks are extremely solid and stable, with no glaring signs of crush, and are especially impressive when Teddy enters Ward C, that’s full of darkness and prison bars that create artful, shadowed stills with each frame. It’s so nice to see a classic director shoot wide, and capture so much information and spotlight the set designs.

Audio: A
Shutter Island doesn’t resort to predictable music and effects cues to get you out of your seat, but it does have a strong, 5.1 English DTS-HD audio track that serves as the driving force of the audio of the film. Music, sound effects like thunder, are sent to the rear channels, while flashbacks to concentration camps are full of bullets spraying all around you. The movement of sound is accurate and flawless no matter the direction, and the dialogue is balanced at a comfortable level with the rest of the audio. Nothing too booming or bombastic from the LFE .1 channel, it’s just right where it needs to be but the sound design had room to be more dynamic. The score, not originally composed, was rather selected parts of composed pieces, and is heard throughout all five channels. Other audio selections include: 5.1 French, Spanish, Portuguese Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Extras: C
There are only two featurettes to explore after the film, so I can’t give Shutter Island a high grade for an abundant amount of supplement material. The film is in of itself, an extra because you will want to see the film on repeat viewings. But what extras are on the disc, do explain enough about the film that doesn’t take away from the experience, and avoid redundant information that can come with repeating similar EPK interview pieces. Both featurettes are in high definition and stereo sound.

Behind the Shutters HD (17:10)
Author and Executive Producer of Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane
Kingsley waxes poetic about the cast and their qualities
Scorsese shares how he and Robbie Robertson used composed musical pieces and strategically place parts of them in the film.

Into the Lighthouse HD (21:11) is the best extra of the two and talks about being both violent and mentally ill. Dr. James Gilligan served as a psychiatric consultant to the film and was the director of psychiatry at the former Bridgewater prison mental hospital which the model for the film. Gilligan talks about his efforts to transition Bridgewater into more humanistic and humane methods over the primitive and horrifying practices of old school psychiatry. Lehane also explains further why he picked 1954 as the setting and the pivotal time in psychiatry.

Overall Shock Value: B–
Shutter Island is slow to get to where it’s really interesting, but the film finds its direction about 45 minutes in. This is a film that should inspire some debate or discussion amongst friends and for that alone, it’s worth the overall gloomy experience. Technically, Paramount put out a strong blu-ray disc with a near spotless transfer that preserves the Scorsese’s artful eye and a sound stage that should take a bow. Shutter Island should easily get two or three viewings, and with just two extras on the entire blu-ray, that’s just enough to get a solid Rent It recommendation while Scorsese fans may just want to add it to their expanding library.

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: 87 Minutes
Rated: PG
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: March 23, 2010

Film/Feature: A –
If there a were ever an animated film that would be best seen with a glass of beer, Fantastic Mr. Fox would be it. Anthropomorphic animals are always fun, as long as it’s not live action, and especially if they are set in a world created by Wes Anderson (Royal Tennenbaums) and Noah Baumbach (Squid and the Whale). Actually, the story stems from a story by the late Roald Dahl, who authored James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But both Anderson and Baumbach are like two peas in pods, who love making films soaked in dry wit and memorable chatter, odd character idiosyncrasies and set designs as memorable as a timeless photograph. They took Dahl’s short story and put their fallen-aristocrat spin on it.

In their adaptation, the hierarchy of animals and humans exist, but this gathering of wild animals can talk and be understood by humans. Even though they live underground and in the fields and forests, they’ve evolved to to running law firms, schools, newspapers, real estate firms, and more, yest still adhering to their “natural” tendencies every once in a while.

George Clooney voices Mr. Fox, a compulsive chicken thief who makes a deal with his partner-in-crime and wife, Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) that he will find a new line of work if they are able to escape the clutches of an enraged squab farmer who has just caught them in the act of a heist. She reveals her pregnancy and convinces a safer line of work should be on order.

The Foxes did escape and Mr. is no longer fantastic, he is just a bored family fox, working as a community reporter for the local rag, putting those tendencies behind him and earn an honest wage. He seeks a better life for himself, his wife and son and longs to live above ground in a high rise pine, but settles for whatever local variety tree is in his price range. His son Ash (Jason Schwartzman), now a teenager, is a short and uncoordinated cub and is everything Mr. Fox is not. Ash looks up to his tall and agile father despite being ignored, but is going through the awkward stages of fpuberty and accepting his short-comings. After moving to higher ground, the family takes in Mrs. Fox’s nephew, Kristofferson (Eric Anderson) and is everything his son is not. Mr. Fox bonds instantly with Kristofferson, admiring his natural abilities and unknowingly creates a rift between he and Ash.

Prior to purchasing his new home, Mr. Fox’s attorney, Badger (Bill Murray), of Beaver, Beaver and Badger advises him not to move into the area because the tree resides near three farmers, the meanest of which is a hard Cider tycoon, Franklin Bean (Michael Gambon). Mr. Fox is tempted by his primal predilections and plans to break into each farm for one last heist. He convinces his possum superintendent Kylie (Wally Wolodarsky) to help him, but when the stakes get higher and the farmers come after him and his family, he puts everyone in danger.

Fox tries to rally those in his community, to accept their nature and do what animals do, be faithful to their Latin names, and not be afraid to embrace those gifts. It’s a cute and valid notion, if living in the wild. Yet the three pieced suits, landscape paintings, and patterned wallpaper tends to contradict all of that. The farmers and their workers, act more like animals than the animals, and therein lies the conundrum. Call it the evolution of the tale of the Tortoise and Scorpion. (Look it up.)

But back to that glass of beer, while I don’t believe it’s a film that’s aimed at youths, the script makes sure that they can safely view it too replacing every swear word with the word, “cuss” adding another whimsical detail in a fully-accessorized world that would put Barbie to shame, down to every piece of miniature china. Not all films that are animated should be aimed at kids or as seen in Where the Wild Things Are, some material is best suited for those who have lived a bit. Animation though, is just another way to tell a story, simple as that.

Aesthetically, by using the stop-motion technique of animation and puppeteering, Fantastic Mr. Fox achieves a hybrid, nostalgic look of the original King Kong and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Every now and then there’s a wave of movement in the fur of the animals, a blustery flap of the collar, or coy shrug of the shoulder that signals Fantastic Mr. Fox is an Anderson film first even though it features the work of endless hours of work done by fabulous countless animators. Clooney is extraordinarily good as the lead (when isn’t he?), Anderson gets the most out of Murray and Schwartzman yet again, and even surprise voices like Willem Dafoe as Fox’s adversary The Rat, and Owen Willson as Coach Skip will tug at the corner of your upper lip. Anderson and Baumbach always makes the droll and cynical perspective so interesting and well, for the lack of a better word, fantastic, wait, scratch that, fun, and that’s why we hang on every single word and take in every single scene like pieces of baroque bark so that packrats like myself can add them to my internal movie scrapbook.

Video: A+
This film is all about texture! Every single texture was captured on this 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio so well that you could see the type of knit in the floor mats, wool looked like wool, and every strand of animal fur could be counted by pausing the screen. The Nikon D3 was used to make this film and it’s a great advertisement for that camera. As heard on the extras, green and blue were, for the most part, taken out of the color palette leaving just the warm reds, oranges, violets and golden amber hues along with lots of brown to convey an autumn feel. For instance, Farmer Bean’s Cider storage is completely lit by passing light through the cider-filled bottles. There’s a lot of detail in the 150 different sets full of miniatures and neatly organized clutters and not a single piece or strand is missed.

Audio: B+
Fantastic Mr. Fox owns a 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. I was a bit underwhelmed by the amount of surround movement initially as a lot of what I would think would comes from the front, but as the film continued into the later stages, there was much more activity than in the first half. Bass has a balanced thrust in a handful of scenes, more than you’d expect, less than what you desire. Dialogue is clear to understand, even at low levels and as expected, a Wes Anderson film wouldn’t be complete without a moody, eclectic score composed by Alexadre Desplat and a soundtrack that includes the Beach Boys, Art Tatum, Burl Ives. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, and Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Chinese-Mandarin.

Extras:C+
Lots of potential is wasted here but the best we get here is a lengthy and fairly comprehensive Making of and lots of empty room on the disc that could have held some more substantial extras. I know that there has been less emphasis on menu design, but this is about as dull as it gets, folks. One still shot that shows a bit spoiler, no music, or animation. Also I have to take them down a point or two for not having any subtitles for the extras. Hey, deaf people want to be able to enjoy the extras too.

Disc One
Making Mr. Fox Fantastic HD (44:48) is broken into six parts but can be viewed all together as well. They are:

The Look of Fantastic Mr. Fox (8:12) – See how Roald Dahl’s books and Donald Chaffin’s concept art influenced the set designers and puppeteers, in addition to Wes Anderson’s meticulous aesthetics.

From Script to Screen (7:00) – taking Dahl’s one act story into a three-act film.

The Puppet Makers (8:21) – See the step-by-step process of how the puppets are made and how they move.

Still Life (Puppet Animation) (7:23) – the difference in feel of a stop motion film as opposed to a traditionally animated film is explained such as communicating through body language with characters that are covered in fur. The look they were trying to achieve was a bit of the original King Kong look where there was real-looking fur that would ripple in the wind so it’s not as smooth as say how Coraline looked. Also these animators rely on storyboards so much more because there’s a “one take” attitude.

The Cast (6:34) – Not just your typical rundown of the cast, this bit sees how the actors filmed scenes out for the recording of the audio with all of the actors in one shot acting with each other as opposed to recording different audio tracks. In a sense the full movie was shot like a film just to capture that audio for a different sound quality and feel.

Bill and His Badger (7:37)Bill Murray gets to know his character, Badger better and learns a thing or two about stop motion animation.

A Beginner’s Guide to Whack-Bat HD (1:12) In case you missed it in the film, here’s another quick rundown on Whack-Bat.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: The World of Roald Dahl HD (3:00) Wes Anderson takes you on the tour of Roald Dahl’s life with his Dahl’s wife, Felicity and his estate where Anderson visited to write the screenplay. Dahl’s other books include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and Mathilda. His quirks and personality made their way into the film after Anderson took a deeper look into the man he was. Sadly, this feature seems like it’s been pulled from the Making of instead of a separate, more substantial biography would have been more desirable here honestly.

Theatrical Trailer HD (2:27)

Disc Two
Included in this combo package is the DVD of the film and I can’t praise this option enough as a consumer who uses a variety of electronics at home and on the road.

Disc Three
As stated above, included is yet another way to view the film and that’s by digitally downloading the film onto your iPod or media player and you’re given a sheet with a code that’s valid for the file transfer.

Overall Shock Value: A–
Here’s the most important question: Do you like Wes Anderson films? If you answered “yes,” then you will enjoy this film. It has all of the charm of his past films, from the title cards in the Futura font to the obligatory Rolling Stones song. It’s hard not to crack a wide grin from the opening credits to the close, because every single minute is likable and so much amusing that I wanted to watch it over and over, and I can, now that it’s on blu-ray. I just wished there was more extras than what we were given. The featurette on Dahl was practically borrowed from the bigger feature, and missing was a Wes Anderson commentary which I’ve grown accustomed to. My recommendation? Cuss Yes Buy It!

Year: 2009
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $ 39.95
Studio(s): Magnolia Pictures / Magnet
Release Date: February 2, 2010

Film/Feature: A-
I don’t know if I’m ready to believe that Tony Jaa is the “baddest mofo” martial arts actor on the planet but in his age bracket, he doesn’t have many peers. After breaking onto the scene with Ong Bak, he starred in Tom-Yum-Goong (AKA The Protector), a cookie-cutter chop-saki films that instead felt like a continuation of Ong Bak, switching out Buddha statues for pet elephants as the driving motivation. I love watching Muay Thai or “Elephant Boxing” as much as the next guy, but I feared Jaa would be a one-trick pony. So when Tony Jaa decided to go back to the Ong Bak franchise to do two sequels, I didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this.

No connection can be made between Ong Bak 1 and 2 other than they star Tony Jaa, elephants and buddha statues. I know what you’re thinking, Jungle Book is in this kid’s future. The story is set in ancient Thailand and Jaa’s character, Tien, is the son of nobleman Lord Sihadecho (Santisuk Promsiri). Lord Rajasena (Sarunyoo Wongkrachang), an unruly tyrant is trying to take control of Asia and plans to take over Sihadecho’s provinces. Rajasena orders for Sihadecho, his family, and army to be wiped out. Young Tien (Natdanai Kongthong) escapes and is captured by slave traders. For entertainment they then throw the young Tien into a crocodile pit and is saved by the Pha Beek Krut, a gang of guerillas who are well-versed in all forms of martial arts. Pha Beek Krut’s leader, Cher Nung (Sorapong Chatree) takes Tien under his wing to tap his destiny and make him the greatest warrior Thailand has ever seen. Vengeance motivates a now adult Tien (Jaa) to eventually confront Rajasena and his army in an all-out barefoot brawl.

The climax takes place at the Raiders’ Village, and is an awesome sequence that features several more fighting styles than Muay Thai boxing (Ninjitsu, Indonesian Harimau Silat, Wing Chun, Hung Ga to name a few) and that’s a nice change. Credit must be given to Jaa (who serves as co-director and producer) and company to provide a fresh experience that celebrates a variety of different fighting style and more jaw-dropping moments where you have to take an extra breath–as if throwing a young boy into a muddy pool with a live crocodile isn’t thrilling enough.

One fight scene involves Jaa jumping on and all around a stationary elephant that left my mouth open the entire time. There’s also an earlier scene where Jaa is running on the backs on a moving pack of elephants with no safety. This film is all about the variety of weapons in each style from the three-segment staff, staff fighting, kaili, swords, Thai boxing, Chinese boxing, samurai swords and that’s a bit of a deviation away from contemporary kung fu films with are hand-to-hand battles or some sword play. The story, while a bit too convoluted, even for a martial arts film, does require Jaa to find his emotional side which really only a slight change from the man-of-action Jaa. But if you can keep it all straight, it’s a much stronger attempt at a real story than in any of Jaa’s previous films. Not previously-knowing there would be sequel, I was stunned by the abrupt ending which offers no closure except that Tien is not successful in his attack and is sent to endure a torturous ending. Don’t let that scare you away, Ong Bak 2 is easily Jaa’s most exciting film to this date and it’s only halfway done.

Video: A
After watching Ong Bak on blu-ray and its disappointing video transfer, Ong Bak 2 leaps far beyond with a fine looking1080p VC-1 encoded transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Colors are flushed with more than adequate saturation, blacks are nice and heavy, deep and ink black. I do however think some of the night scenes offer not enough contrast or are lit sufficiently because it’s hard to distinguish what’s going on, but that’s the only complaint in an otherwise sharp looking film. Each frame of action is full of depth and detail and clarity. This shows the improvement in equipment and high definition transfer that Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. has done with their films.

Audio: A
From the very beginning Ong Bak 2 proudly shows off its highly active and perhaps a little over-aggressive 5.1 Thai DTS-HD Master Audio track. Thankfully the main effort is the original Thai track, dialogue is clear and surround sound effects are plentiful. Action scenes and music are given a lot of attention, and I admire the effort to give the film a real dynamic push, even if it’s not always accurate. I don’t ever recommend English dub tracks but it’s there for those who refuse to hear it in its original format. Other audio selections include: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, and Spanish.

Extras: C+
The extras that accompany the film are in high def, but have that promotional, EPK feel to them which usually means that they’re lazy, uncreative, repetitive or are too short. In this batch, there’s a little of all of the above.

Alternate Cut HD (88 Minutes) is ten minutes less than the theatrical cut. It’s been edited more, some scenes taken out. One is particularly stronger than the other but I think I like the pacing and flow of the shorter cut, personally.

The Making of Ong Bak 2 Featurettes HD (21:07) has three chapters, The Story and Character of an Epic, Revealing the Majesty and The Art of War, go into the films themes, characters and influences of who and what Ong Bak is striving for. It’s solid “Making of” affair but nothing to really write home about.

Behind the Scenes Featurettes HD (17:50) There are three featurettes Capturing a Warrior, The Kingdom, and The Community each showing that everyone is in fact doing their own stunts and a lot of cameras behind cameras type of footage.

Interviews with Cast and Crew HD (25:21) Eight interviews with different members of the cast and production teams including Jaa, Prachya Pinkaew (Producer), Panna Rittikrai (Co-Director/Producer), Sorapong Chatree (Chernang), Santisuk Phromsiri (Lord Shadecho), Sarunyu Wongkrajang (Lord Rajasena), Niruth Sirijunya (Master Bua), Primrata Det-Udom (Pim). These are a bit more meatier but also very dry. One camera on the subjects doing typical question and answers. If you watch the Making of, then you’ve also seen some of this material, so a bit too much repetition for my taste.

HD Net a Look at Ong Bak 2 HD (2:53) Village Voice’s Robert Wilonsky gives an introduction for the film for On Demand, and is a nice intro for an American audience.

Ong Bak 3 Exclusive Footage HD (1:34) is an unofficial trailer of sorts showing the next installment in the Ong Bak trilogy which picks up right where that ambiguous ending left off which is scheduled to be released later this year.

International Trailer SD (3:50) seems to be a bit more clearer on what the story is about than the US trailer and breaks down some of the various styles of martial arts that are showcased in the film. It’s a long trailer, but unfortunately, this is in standard definition.

US Trailer HD (1:39) is a much more ambiguous trailer that just shows all of the highlights of the action sequences and doesn’t offer much else. I’ve always cried out to trailer makers to keep them shorter

Trailers HD Included are previews for John Woo’s Red Cliff, District 13 Ultimatum, Bronson, Warlords, and HD Net.

No this is not the Jungle Book, just another Tony Jaa film.

Overall Shock Value: B+
Ong Bak was a novelty, a great showcase of Tony Jaa as a newcomer in the martial arts movie genre, but outside of the action it was pretty putrid. By embracing that, and having that room for comedy, Ong Bak’s appeal still outweighed the negatives. In the sequel, which begins a new two-film epic, Tony Jaa and his fellow filmmakers do elevate the action to a new level with a variety of fighting styles and broke the trend of predictable Muay Thai action scripts. I can’t say that this is the cup of tea for every movie viewer, but if you appreciate the martial arts genre and all of its warts, you can’t walk past this film. The choreography and action is a buffet of thrills, with hair-raising stunts, non-stop weapon-fu and noticeable nods to the greats that will leave that grin on your face, ear-to-ear. Even though the plot is a tad convoluted, its an ambitious attempt by Tony Jaa to do something that requires more thought and emotion. The extras aren’t necessary and at times repetitive, but they are in high definition and validates that Tony Jaa can run on top a stampede of elephants. Add that with a lovely video transfer, Ong Bak 2 on blu-ray is a definite Buy It recommendation for Jaa and martial arts fans alike.

Year: 2003
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $24.99
Studio(s): Magnolia Pictures
Release Date: February 2, 2010

Film/Feature: A–
When Ong Bak opens, around two dozen villagers run up a gigantic tree, maybe three or four stories high. All of them caked with mud, shirtless or wearing very thin clothing. It’s a race to the top where the fastest up the tree to retrieve a flag and down is crowned the village prideful champion warrior. Using martial arts and acrobatics, each man tries his best to leaping limbs, fending off other aggressors, and kicking and clawing their way to the top. Most didn’t make it falling anywhere from 10-20 feet to the ground, clipping a giant branch on the way down. No safety nets, no padded clothes, and no wires. These poor bastards experienced real pain. Stuntmen can’t act that good. From the opening scene, I knew this was going to be a film I’d talk about for years.

Ong Bak is the story of a Nong Pradu village hero/warrior, Ting (introducing Tony Jaa) who is sent to Bangkok to locate and return the head of their stolen sacred Ong Bak statue which is believed by the tribe to keep balance. Rain, food, and livestock were all plentiful until their statue was defaced. A city crime lord in a wheelchair, sporting a talk box, is stealing ancient Buddah statues for gobs of money and selling drugs in exchange for the country’s sacred culture. No this is not starring Roger Troutman. Ting sets his relentless pursuit to the city and seeks out the help of a former Nong Pradu villager and cousin, Humlae (Petchai Wongkamlao) who now goes by the name of George and has since renounced his country life. He along with his lady friend, Muay Lek (Pumwaree Yodkamol) have been running street scams and have piled up a large debt by the time Ting runs into them. George refuses to help his countryman at first, looking out for only himself, until he realizes that Ting is an amazing Muay Thai fighter. Trying to exploit his cousin and half-heartedly helping him find his beloved Ong Bak, George forces Ting to fight against his will to make money, knowing the fighting will lead Ting to his man.

I’m not going to sugar coat Ong Bak for anyone. It’s a terribly weak story with one goal in mind: get Jaa in action. The melodrama with Ting in his home village could have been wiped out altogether and saved us all at least 15 to 20 minutes of time, and it would have been a much tighter film (see Jaa’s second film, Tom -Yum-Goong AKA The Protector). Everything else though, is pure jubilation. One fantastic fight scene follows another and stunt scenes will have you high-fiving with your boys. Jaa is so amazing that each acrobatic sequence is shot at multiple angles and repeated in slow motion to show that it is indeed Jaa, not a stuntman, and that no wires were used. When bodies go limp, it’s because they were really hit. The action is lightning fast, full of brutal blows, splitting skull caps, and jaw-dropping moments that will make you rise out of your seat. And credit must be given to Petchai Wongkamlao, who is equally good in the comedy department.

I’ve probably watched Ong Bak at least a dozen times and every time I do, it’s with a different set of friends who have never seen it before. They all experienced that same rush of excitement I got when I first saw it. It’s all about Jaa and there’s no shame here for loving it for that reason, but a fulfilling story, it’s not. I only hoped subsequent Jaa films would aim higher (which has… sort of happened in Ong Bak 2). Seriously? Who the hell watches martial arts films for story. Still, Ong Bak remains a classic that shines a spotlight on the fighting style of Muay Thai with dizzying display of fight choreography and introduces us all to Tony Jaa. A necessary film for any martial arts fan.

Video: D+
The disc has a special note to say that this “new, digital transfer was created from an original 35MM internegative of the film. Color correction, image stabilization and digital cleaning were facilitated at Deluxe Postproduction Toronto to restore the film and present it in high definition.” I can say though that the 1080p encoded transfer in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio really went to waste here. One would wonder what the buzz is all about high definition if this is the first blu-ray someone decides to purchase. Picture quality is just terrible, fuzzy, colors are dull and muddy. Speaking of mud, I expected that opening scene to be brilliantly clear and see the levels of dirt clay packed onto the stuntmen’s skin, but nope; all of that detail is lost somewhere in a blurry, non-distinct mess. There’s black crush, and some pixelation of the image in spots. If you’re eyes are used to seeing high def films, seeing this is an embarrassing step back into the dark ages. It’s a lazy transfer for sure, and not worth the upgrade if you already have the DVD.

Audio: C
Thankfully, the original dialogue can be heard through the 5.1 Thai DTS-HD audio track. I had hoped the taxi chase scene would be a more exciting since it had one of the only explosions in the film but it’s another disappointing effort that doesn’t really improve on the sound any more than what the DVD showed. I think the one stand out scene for me in terms of directional sound is when Ting defeats an onslaught of brawlers in an underground fight bar and patrons pay respect to him by raining down money at him. There’s not much of an immersive sound field that’s created and the sound suddenly wakes up whenever the soundtrack kicks in with hip-hop beats and tracks. Aside from the hip-hop, the music is real cheesy, almost laughable (see taxi chase) but is also the most consistent thing that’s sent to the surrounding channels. Other audio selections include a English 5.1 DTS-HD track (shudder) for those of you who can’t read and watch at the same time, and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, and Spanish.

Extras: D+

All of the extras from the original DVD release have been ported over, but there are no blu-ray exclusives. All of it’s fluff and continues the odd marriage of hip hop and modern martial arts. None of the extras have been transferred to high definition, so that’s another big disappointment.

Live Tony Jaa and Stuntmen Performance before French Auditorium Audience HD (2:34) See Jaa strut his stuff in front of a live audience.

The Movements of Muay Thai SD (1:43) is a demonstration of some of the basic attack and defense moves of the Thai martial art style

French Rap Music Video with Tony Jaa SD (4:03) It’s a rap video that starts out in English with Reed the Weed but shifts to the French rap duo of Tragedie. All of it happens in a boxing ring with footage of Jaa as if he was battling the french rap duo.

Making of Music Video HD (7:14) goes behind the scenes of the Tragedie music video to see the filming process and interviews the director.

Selected B-Roll HD (2:33) audiences get to go behind the scenes and see some additional three scenes Taxi Stunts, Legs Ablaze Fight Sequence, Arena Fight Sequence (Missing Audio at end)

Promo Video Featuring the RZA SD (1:00)

Trailers SD (:) Teaser (0:52), Thai Teaser French Teaser (0:58), French Trailer (2:07), Thai Teaser (1:31) Thai Trailer (1:31), Trailer featuring the RZA (1:44).

Overall Shock Value: C–
I have to say that this is one of the more disappointing high definition transfer of a catalog film. Ong Bak continues to have its special place in my large martial arts library, and so I was excited to really see what would be done to bring this film to blu-ray. Sadly, I was let down in every category, most importantly the technical aspects because it’s being presented as a blu-ray but is feels like an expensive DVD. If you don’t have this film already in your library, then I cannot recommend this release at all. But if you have never seen Tony Jaa in action and missed out on this Muay Thai classic, then it is a mandatory purchase, but wait for it to be on sale.

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: 89 Minutes
Rated: PG-13
SRP: $ 39.95
Studio(s): Disney Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release Date: January 25, 2009

Film/Feature: C
If you haven’t had enough science fiction films about human-like cyborgs, then you may room for Surrogates, a Jonathan Mostow-directed film that’s based on the 2005 Top Shelf comic by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. In a not-too-distant future, humans have the ability to live life through a surrogate robot/cyborg model of themselves. The surrogates are idealized versions of humans, and by living life through a remote control life-sized action figure there is less crime, no racism, and life is seemingly lived better. That is until the story begins and FBI Agent Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) arrive on the scene of a murder scene. A surrogate turns up terminated and when it’s found out that it is a college boy named Jerod Canter was in control they discover his human body was terminated simultaneously. Canter is the son of Dr. Lionel Canter (James Cromwell), the man who originally created surrogate technology.

The investigation turns to Greer and his partner Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell) who follow a lead to the Prophet (Ving Rhames) leading a cult known as the Dreads, who choose to live a surrogate-free lifestyle and clue them in on a weapon that was used to carry out the murders. When Greer gets too close to the truth, he is nearly zapped by the weapon. He is temporarily discharged by his superiors and to take some time off and spends the rest of the film up out of his surrogate chair to reconnect with his wife, Maggie (Rosamund Pike), who is all too comfortable in her virtual world to go back to what she had with Tom. When it seems like he’s lost her to her virtual life, he pursues his investigation and discovers a plot to rid the world of all surrogates but also those humans connected to them.

I realize that Surrogates is about a robot world replacing live flesh, but that does not mean humans should act like robots as well. Willis shows no charisma or everyman charm he normally brings with him. He plays the tormented soul just fine, but not much else. The idea behind Surrogates are that they allow people to play idealized versions of themselves, how they want to be known, and frankly, there’s not much difference between Surrogate Tom Greer and his human counterpart. Willis’ role is the focal point and he doesn’t give much reason or hope for a non-surrogate world. In turn, this road block helps make The Surrogates a run-of-the-mill science fiction thriller that borrows from films like A.I., The Matrix, iRobot, but falls short of giving us something truly unique.

With its short run time (which is counter productive in this genre), there’s not enough here to connect to or be sold that this world could exist, never-mind being asked w In fact, I’d sooner warm up to the idea of a Surrogates TV show instead of a film so that the ideas in this story could be given some proper pacing and seasoning. Surrogates and the idealistic visions of their original purpose were not without good intentions but somewhere along the way their execution fell flat, and that’s exactly the way I’d describe the film as well.

Video: A–
The Surrogates blu-ray gets a strong1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 2.40:1 aspect ratio. and it’s a fine representation of what the film was intending to do. There’s a subtle difference in skintones between humans and surrogates. Give credit to the extras playing surrogates like over-botoxed models, but the makeup crews must be given their props as well as those slight differences help distinguish most of who are surrogates and who are humans. It’s that fine attention to detail that’s on display here as well as the full range of colors whether it’s the gritty and gray industrial wasteland where the anti-surrogates live. Their barracks area looks like a concrete jungle that’s been bombed repeatedly. Then in the nightlife which is all lit in neon colors and backlit sign, the screen is filled with savory hues. Mostow and company shot some scenes in a soft glow purposely and do not reflect any visual defects or digital artifacts that would mar the overall visual experience.

Audio: A
There are enough shootouts and chase scenes to make the 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track show its strength. Lots of directional movement and subwoofer activity will please the audiophiles, and the dialogue sounds superb even during the story’s most quiet moments. The balance can sound and at times a bit too much oomph, but technically, Surrogates has nothing to be ashamed of. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH, French and Spanish.

Extras: C+
Audio Commentary by Director Jonathan Mostow features a calm and almost soothing dialogue, that is a scene specific track delving into the subtext of the film. I believe that Mostow does a fine job filling in what the audience was asked to fill in for themselves if they were paying attention. He calls attention to small details in the art production and points out where additional shooting was needed because the original cut left much for the audience to piece together. Even though he’s by himself, Mostow is concise, knowledgeable and is not dry, nor is he boring. He’s definitely proud of the effort that was put forth and he expresses the enthusiasm for the material well, but don’t expect a lesson in film school. There are subtitles available for the commentary.

There are four Deleted Scenes HD (5:15) which can be viewed separately or all at once.

A More Perfect You: The Science of Surrogates HD (15:08) The technology behind Surrogate robots and how that tech is thriving in our modern-day world. This is probably the star featurette in the picnic basket. It tickles that curiosity bone and ties into the technology used in the film to the point where at least the science was plausible.

Breaking the Frame: A Graphic Novel Come to Life HD (6:39) Robert Venditti and Brett Wedele are briefly interviewed in the middle of a motion version the comic playing out. It starts to really take a good look at the comic but halfway through turns into your typical Hollywood EPK.

To finish off the extras is a standard definition version of the ”I Will Not Bow” Music Video SD (3:49) by Breaking Benjamin which is the usual mash-up of sexy band clips sandwiched in between scenes from Surrogates.

Overall Shock Value: C+
The origins of Surrogates lie in a good graphic novel, that plays with the story-telling devices on a sequential, visual medium, so there will be plenty of curiosity to see how it was adapted to the big screen. The concept lays a good endoskeleton for a solid science fiction film but there’s not enough meat to flesh out a memorable fictional world. I don’t know many memorable science fiction films that run under 90 minutes because there’s so much that normally needs to be established and while plenty has been done to create the world of surrogacy, we are only given bits and pieces of the antagonist, and never truly make a connection with his cause. The disc itself has no real deficiencies, this blu-ray just suffers from the story not going for it all. I wanted to like it more, but I am likely to let my Surrogates recommendation stay with just the comic. However, I do respect the curious, and caution those cats to Rent It first and go from there.

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.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $39.95
Studio(s): Sony Pictures
Release Date: December 22, 2009

Film/Feature: B +

This past summer, science fiction movie fans got introduced to one of the more interesting characters that have come in a long time. Wikus Van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) works for Multinational United AKA MNU, a large corporation who tries to come up with a way to move a race of aliens from a shanty are of Johannesburg, South Africa to a secluded camp where they can be closer monitored and be kept away from the human race. Wikus plays the villain, the victim, and then the hero of District 9, a film that uses a gritty sci-fi environment to remind us of the history and xenophobia of South Africa.

District 9 begins as a documentary, interviewing citizens of Joburg who express their opinion of the co-habitation. Through their words, we are led to believe that the aliens in the film are hostile, are an aggressive threat and a despicable nuisance. Then it turns into a handheld trailing of the story’s main character, Wikus. Expanding on short film called Alive in Joburg, District 9 is co-written and directed by Neill Blomkamp. An alien aircraft is shipwrecked on Earth, right over Johannesburg, South Africa in 1982. Most of the more intellectually advanced beings on the ship died off from either a sickness or injuries, leaving just mostly workers. Humans eventually infiltrate the ship and force its survivors into exile in a cramped shanty town called District 9. The aliens look like insects or “prawns,” which is a possible reference to a cricket species that are considered a plague in South Africa. There is no friendly integration with the human race as we are genuinely afraid of them. After years of inhabiting District 9, humans want to move them further away from society asking them to vacate so that they may be put into tighter quarters where they can be better monitored.

And this is where Wikus comes into the story. A corporate lackey, Wikus is sent into District 9 to give the aliens a choice. Either move to a new cramped “camp” or be extracted out the area by military force headed up by Koobus Venter (David James). Not only are they issuing this notice, but MNU is also destroying any signs of eggs and technology the refugees may be developing. Wikus does his job with little grace and in the sweeping of one house finds a capsule which releases a mist of liquid on his skin beginning a chain reaction in his body. That capsule was the key to an escape attempt by one of the remaining intelligent aliens, renamed Christopher Johnson (Jason Cope) and Wikus goes from being the company man to the most wanted commodity on the planet. His body undergoes the start of a transformation, and to MNU, that’s valuable to them because he becomes the first person to be able to use the alien weapons which were confiscated from the ship. The weapons only work with prawn biology so MNU wants to use him and his body to work the alien weapon technology and ultimately use his DNA to create a new army. In another conflict, Nigerian gangs has scrapped up enough alien technology by swindling the prawns trading cat food for weapons. The gangs are astonished by Wikus because they believed that they could work the weapons if they ate the carcasses of dead prawns. Wanting to restore his true body, Wikus seeks out Christopher to help him, but only for selfish reasons.

Was his efforts enough to sway your opinion of him? Would any of you try to make those same compromises to make things as they were? We’re not supposed to know much of the Prawns. Their elite beings on the ship were stricken with an illness that put caused them to float to Earth’s atmosphere in a “life raft” as Blomkamp succinctly puts it in his commentary. They have no culture, no means to defend themselves and fight to survive in a very real scenario where the humans invasive nature, gets its comeuppance.

Now there’s no possible way to avoid the significance of staging a science fiction story about alien genocide set in Johannesburg, where the racial and political climate is always a hot topic as is the crimes of apartheid. District 9 is about two races that square off with each other. One is definitely trying to wipe the other out, one is definitely trying to take all of the others’ weapons away, and even though there are these wonderful metaphors to what we as humans have done to each other in history, this film is able to entertains enough that it’s not weighed down by the underlying themes of the film.

The segregation of two races has always been a problem in the country of South Africa, practically in every country, but racism and xenophobia are so ingrained there that it makes Johannesburg the perfect setting for District 9. The spaceship is a constant backdrop hovering above, a reminder, like a big cloud or burden over the city. It is obviously inspired by when South Africa was under apartheid (1948-1994) and District Six, the inner-city area in Cape Town, South Africa whose 60,000+ citizens were forced to leave in that regime.

While it’s simple and easy to get stuck on that hurdle, District 9 is about Wikus. I believe we’re not supposed to like him and as he realizes that MNU just wants him for his biology he takes great leaps at trying to bridge that gap. Sure he helps Christopher Johnson and his child, but only because of selfish reasons. He’s a bit of a despicable character who shows no care or concern for the aliens until he finds out that only they can help restore his body.

District 9 challenges the audience to take a love/hate approach to a polarizing protagonist, torn by the inhumane treatment of his employer and his numerous selfish acts. Does Wikus really make a change in character, or does he remain true to himself, or at least his human self all the way to the end? Can a person really change who they are just because their biology changes? These questions and others that stem further are the reasons I like the film. This is not the mother of all science fiction films, far from it as the third act degrades to familiar shoot-out conventions. But it does satisfy that exploitative urge to see things blow up in such gross beauty. District 9 has an ending but a lack of real closure leaves the door wide open to an eventual sequel; but Neill Blomkamp gives us a beautifully designed world, a fascinating character, and through a fresh take on alien/human co-habitation, he also presents a commentary of contemporary South African culture.

Video:A+
The world of District 9 is filled with a gritty, filthy garbage-ridden world captured on a 1080p AVC-encoded high definition transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Colors are mostly real world-based, ranging in the muted browns and other dusty colors, sun starched landscapes as piles of trash, salvage, and destitute go endlessly as far as the eyes can see. Blacks are inky and are bottomless. The detail of those heaps of scrap, in the machinery, the scenery, paint a vivid picture of the world of District 9. On rare occasions, like the alien prawns themselves feature bright colors in their bodies, much like the insects their patterned after. These colors are juiced and provide great contrast to the rest of the prawns’ moving body parts. The intricacies of textured material like the dirt-filled scraps of detritus that make up the shanty town, the dust in the air, sweat on the skin or hair, or the polyester in MNU’s workers’ suits are all well-defined. There are two styles of filmmaking going on, the documentary style and the cinematic action. Both are seamlessly woven into a coherent and visually harmonious display of chaos unfolding.

Audio: A+
District 9 is heard on blu-ray via a 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. Wow, was this an enjoyable audio experience! Not in the sense that the audio made it feel like your home theater was being destroyed; there was just a lot of activity sent to the rears to add to the atmosphere of scenes like in the chopper, you’d hear the conversations between the helicopter pilots, gunfire bounces all around you, and when the mothership fires up its engines, you’ll feel that ignition and the wind that’s blows through Joburg. Dialogue is crystal clear and the LFE output is generous. Other audio selections include: a French DTS-HD Master Audio and an English Audio Descriptive track; subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, and Hindi.

Extras: A–
Cinechat allows users to watch the movie simultaneously with a friend over the net (who also has the blu-ray) and enables a chat screen with which to have an on-screen chat as a BD-Live feature.

God of War III Playable Playstation 3 Game Demo Obviously for people who have a PS3 but for those who have never played God of War are in for a treat. This is the first of the trilogy designed for the PS3 and there are noticeable improvements in game play and speed which utilizes the strengths of Sony’s dream machine. Kratos has new weapons including the ability to turn his fists into stone gauntlets and shoot them out and swing them like a mace as they are still attached to his arms by chains. To see the game played at that speed and that high definition was an awesome sight and there’s enough game to whet your appetite when it eventually comes out later this year. And yes, it’s as bloody violent and victoriously fun for those itching for the sequel.

If you finish the demo, (and GoW vets will) a Making of featurette is unlocked that talks to the game designers about the abilities in jumping to the PS3 by making weapons that rely on more dramatic lighting, the increased grappling abilities and just the speed of the game play to make more complex animation and battle sequences.

Audio Commentary by Director Neill Blomkamp is talkative track filled with Blomkamp’s breakdown of the film, regrets as a first time filmmaker. There’s a slight bit of repetition from when you start digging into the extras but I’m impressed to see Blomkamp’s enthusiasm to make sure the track has no dead spots.

Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of District 9 HD (12:05) Copley acting without being able to see the aliens.

Conception and Design: Creating the world of District 9 HD (13:18) is a feature in coming up with the look basing it off of the landscape of Joburg and the shanty housing.

Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of District 9 HD (10:18) shows the way the film was shot with a documentary style and the utilization of motion capture.

Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 Interactive Map: is a series of interactive Maps and technical illustrations and schematics of the alien mothership, MNU Headquarters, and District 9 with live information feeds, and MNU HD Updates.

Deleted Scenes HD (23:38) there are 22 cut scenes that can be viewed individually or in one sitting.

Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus HD (9:52) Wikus’ physical change is all practical effects so Copley talks about getting into that mode mentally as an actor while his body undergoes prosthetics, body casts and makeup.

The Alien Agenda: The Filmmaker’s Log SD (34:19) that dissects the a much more satisfying, making-of special split into three parts: Envisioning District 9, Shooting District 9 and Redefining Distict 9. The film was born out of the failed Halo film and working with Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens and how it developed into a much bigger, but budget-constrained project. In the second part, Blomkamp talks about the more technical side of shooting the film, the types of cameras that were used that gave different parts of the film different looks. Blomkamp also talks about filming on location in a nuclear house for weapons. His choice of an unconventional film made for an even more difficult filmmaking process and the third section of this diary goes over what Blomkamp would have done different, sound editing, and post-production.

Overall Shock Value: A–
District 9 is solid film that’s packaged nicely on blu-ray, with near flawless video and audio treatment, and bountiful extras. There’s plenty here to keep fans busy long after viewing the feature and the inclusion of the God of War 3 Playable Demo is smart marketing by Sony. I imagine that there are going to be sequels in line for District 9, and the appreciation of this film may grow in time, especially with how it fits in with future chapters that may or may not see fruition. In the truest sci-fi nature though, it stands on its own just fine as a film that is certainly influenced by real events but also gives our world a harsh image of how we easily turn on our own and how cyclical the sins of the human race are and how short-sighted our civilization can be for the sake of profit and greed. District 9 isn’t the best science fiction film this year, (that distinction goes to Moon) but it is one of the many that has shown how strong the genre has been supported this year. Buy it!

Year: 2009
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Rated: R
SRP: $ 39.99
Studio(s): 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 3, 2010

Film/Feature: C
Jennifer’s Body doesn’t aim much higher than a B-movie throwback, but unfortunately doesn’t get out of the C-class of mediocre shlock. It is written by Diablo Cody who arrived on the scene and won an Oscar for the sharp-witted indie drama, Juno (2007) and is directed by Karyn Kusama who earned her own accolades with Girlfight (2000). So Jennifer’s Body gets the unique opportunity of being a horror film that’s driven creatively by two women. What was the most terrifying thing they could come up with? High school girl-on-girl hate–something that can be truly terrifying, and can reach incredulous levels of cattiness, but doesn’t pay off as one would hope.

The setting is Devil’s Kettle High School and Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) and Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried) are childhood friends who grow up to be BFFs (Best Friends Forever) but realize that they may have outgrown their bond. Jennifer keeps her around because her good looks allow her to stand out even more against Needy’s frumpy Ugly Betty syndrome. Needy has a stable and faithful boyfriend, Chip (Johnnie Simmons) who struggles with her timeshare away from Jennifer. One night, Needy is dragged out by Jennifer to see a band called Low Shoulder at the nearby Melody Lane tavern. The girls are separated after a fire brings down the bar. Jennifer goes with the band, led by front man Nikolai (Adam Brody) leaving Needy to drive home alone. The band mates intentions are not good, and it’s not what you think. Trying to ensure they hit it big, Low Shoulder wants to sacrifice Jennifer because they think she’s a virgin. And this is where the wheels come off the tricycle.

It takes a great suspension of disbelief to think that Megan Fox can play the role of a girl in high school–no one walks around with that kind of confidence, even when they look like Fox. But to convince me, that this band thinks that Jennifer is a virgin when she’s built like that, and chooses to sacrifice her, is one of the several far reaches this story makes. The town “goes to shit,” so to speak, when she survives, and surprise-surprise, Jennifer’s not a virgin. Instead of performing a proper sacrifice, Low Shoulder unleashes the succubus onto the boys of Devil’s Kettle. Jennifer seduces those willing boys into her various lairs around town and makes them look like like a pile of pizza vomit.

After Jennifer explains what happened to her, Needy gets the inkling to search the “Occult” section of their library–because every school library has one of those–and realizes that she’s the only one who can stop her. From there the film kind of falls apart and doesn’t know when to end. It suffers from Cody’s all-too-cute dialogue with dated references that will make future viewings groan-worthy. I liked that boys were the prey, and the sexual tension between Needy and Jennifer made for both an interesting complication and teasing motive, but Jennifer’s Body needed to go either more on the shlock, or more on the serious horror. There’s too much of a juggling act that’s being performed here with attempts at witty high school comedy, gothic stylings, and absurd situations and it’s really unclear what kind of film Kusama and Cody were trying to make.

The one saving grace of the film for me came at the end when Needy hunts down Low Shoulder and gives the film a proper ending. Sincerely, it’s one of the slickest closing credits I’ve seen all year, shot mostly in high contrast and super-saturated still images of the revenge scene in its aftermath. Had a majority of Jennifer’s Body was shot like that, I’d be raving about this film. Contrary to Fox-haters, she isn’t bad in the film, and neither is the more talented Seyfried (Mamma Mia), but this script is pretty bad. I stood on the side of the fence with those who enjoyed Cody’s script in Juno, and still do, The United States of Tara is clever, but Jennifer’s Body is a real letdown.

Video: B+
Megan Fox fans will have plenty to droll over seeing her in this high definition 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Viewers will also find a color-rich picture that’s flips between high-detail images and stylistically soft shots. Primary and secondary colors jump out nicely on the screen, skin tones and the varying complexion quality in the high schoolers are clearly visible. In certain scenes, there is some filtering and de-saturation going on, my favorite scene is when we see Needy in the correction facility where everyone is wearing orange jumpsuits in this dank and dirty jail. Lighting is well-balanced whether the scene is outside during the middle of the afternoon or under moonlight. Night scenes are very good but admittedly could go a tad darker. Contrast is especially strong at daytime and naturally lit scenes and shadow delineation is spot on where it needs to be.

Audio: B+
Stomping into your home theater, Jennifer’s Body gets a 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. It starts out subtle with a front and center channel-heavy, dialogue-driven but bursts into style when the fire at the Melody Lane tavern eventually builds to a first-class explosion. After that there lots of activity in all five channels to add atmosphere in each scene. I liked how there wasn’t too many horror score cues to tell you when something scary was coming. That can be really overused, but the songs in the soundtrack are pumped up and aggressive whenever they make their way into the film. While the film is hit or miss, this blu-ray is technically on solid ground. Other audio selections include: French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and subtitles are available in English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Thai.

Extras:C+
If you really love this film, there are two commentary tracks to sift through, but what made this category suffer in the rating was the quality of the remaining supplements as well as the lack of replay value.

Audio Commentary by Director, Karyn Kusama and Screenwriter, Diablo Cody Kusama pushes the commentary and Cody adds to her comments. These two truly believe in this film, and that’s a good thing, but they tend to have a very high opinion of every detail of the theatrical cut of Jennifer’s Body. One of the more refreshing things, however, is getting the perspective of the genre through the eyes of two women.

Audio Commentary by Karyn Kusama is found on the Unrated extended version of the film and her comments are preceded by a small red clapper icon at the bottom right in scene specific moments. Kusama discusses mostly the differences between the two versions of the film and I found this to be a tighter, more concise and more enjoyable.

There are six Deleted Scenes HD (13:55) reveal a handful of scenes that don’t add a great deal but the inclusion of them shows how they slowed down the pacing even though they added information that helped to connect a few scenes in a more coherent manner.

Video Diaries HD (12:51) These aren’t as cool as they sound or as inclusive as one would hope. It’s mostly clips done by a hand-held camcorder with poor quality shooting behind-the-scenes stuff following cast members and Diablo Cody around the set. There’s not much worth a second viewing here honestly.

Jennifer’s Body: The Dead Pool HD (14:00) Is a breakdown of the climax of the film, the pool scene. Interviews are done with Kusama and Cody but there’s an in-depth look at how the Fox’s special effects “jaw” was created.

Megan Fox is Hot HD (0:56) An absolutely pointless montage of Megan Fox scenes.

Megan Fox “Peer Pressure” PSA SD (0:40) Okay, while the last extra was lame, this though, was funny.

Gag Reel SD (4:55) Again, not usually an extra that’s going to get a lot of viewings past the initial screening, the gag reel shows the cast and crew clowning around but too much of the “gags” are drowned out by the “Low Shoulder” song used in the film.

Fox Movie Channel–Life After Film School With Diablo Cody SD (26:26) is one of the more substantial extras. I’ve never been a fan of these Life After specials as the questions are usually softball questions served up by three film students and in this episode, they interview Cody about her career path, her creative writing process and the inspiration behind Jennifer’s Body.

Trailers for Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead, (500) Days of Summer, and Something, Something, Something Darkside.

Disc 2 is a Digital Copy Disc for downloading Jennifer’s Body into laptops, iPhones, and other portable media devices. The expiration date is 12/28/11.

Overall Shock Value: C+
Jennifer’s Body tries to toe that line of 80′s shlock and modern-day trips down horror lane but misses the mark on both fronts. While Cody’s pop culture-filled script and voice worked in Juno, that same kind of poetic flair didn’t match the tone of Jennifer’s Body, which tries very hard to create brooding fright through style and atmosphere. Technically, the film shines, but the extras are best explored by devoted fans of Jennifer’s Body. This isn’t a total loss, but I’m reserved to recommend this blu-ray (or DVD) as a Rental.

Year: 2009
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Rated: PG-13
SRP: $39.99
Studio(s): Fox Searchlight Pictures
Release Date: December 22, 2009

Film/Feature: B+
Ladies, excuse me for a second while I ask the men out there a question. Hey guys, have you ever been in love or thought you’ve been in love with someone who just crushes your heart? Then you just can’t seem to get over them? Ever have these great expectations of what that relationship was and then come to grips with the very different reality of the situation? (500) Days of Summer is that remedy you need to help get that girl out of your system.

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a cynical writer at a greeting card company who happened to stuck there for the past three years on his way to becoming an architect. Then one day the sky turned blue when quirky and arrestingly cute girl named Summer (Zooey Deschanel) walks into his workplace. Summer is his boss’ (Clark Gregg) new assistant and Tom becomes that guy, who’s got to get that girl. Sounds like the basic romantic comedy, right? Wrong. The film’s narrator, (Richard McGonagle) warns you that what you are about to see, is not a love story. He’s right, it’s the exact opposite of that.

The story jumps back and forth from different days in Tom and Summer’s timeline from the first half when things are great, to the dark days in the end. Through these jumps in time we slowly get a full picture as to what went wrong, where it all went bad and also the great things that made this break up so hard on Tom. One look at Deschanel and it’s easy to see how Tom fell for Summer, a girl who’s comfortable in her own skin, and has her reservations of relationships and how abstract love can be. Tom takes it upon himself to challenge her and says that love is everything we see in movies and sappy love songs. Summer is attracted to that resistance and as our main characters slowly open up to each other, we realize that Summer’s point of view is based in reality, whereas Tom’s is rooted in destiny.

The film surfaces love’s ambiguities and challenges certainly, but it also reminds us that love has its moments where you wake up feeling great because of who you’re with. Basking in the afterglow of their first night together, Tom leads us to one of the more memorable scenes of the year, set to Hall & Oats song, “You Make My Dreams,” Tom is as high as can be, only to be taken down the ladder as the next scene flashes forward, hundreds of days later when that emotion has worn off. Gordon-Levitt portrays both that misery and elation with such honesty and bravery, while Deschanel can do so much with a flip of her eyes or tip of her head. You’ll find yourself rooting for both sides because each sells their side so well.

Music is a big part of this story, and the lies and goods it sells to us. We are almost conditioned for disappointment. We are brought together by a common interests, but often let those things do the speaking for us instead of really bearing down and saying what we really feel. On display in the film is another silent character, the city of Los Angeles. Director Marc Webb chose to shoot the downtown city of LA to give it this great metropolitan feel. It’s an LA that’s absent of anything related to Hollywood and propels LA as this living city. It’s a refreshing snapshot, and adds to the romance and architectural themes in the story, but I remind you, this is not a love story. It’s the story of growing up and discovering Tom’s own idea of love that’s formed by experience and not just the lyrics of a song or the inside of a greeting card. The only bothersome angle I didn’t like was Tom’s junior high sister, Rachel who happens to be full of sage advice when it comes to relationships and when his life long friends McKenzie (Geoffrey Arend) and Paul (Matthew Gray Gubler) are of no help.

Yes it has clichés of romance stories, but it’s all easily forgivable because what’s being said in the film is very real, and very heart-felt. I love-love-love what Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel bring to this film; their style of acting transports you back a few decades to when you can get lost in the sincerity of the acting and not get so distracted by who they are in real life. The smallness of the film makes it read that much bigger and has that much more impact, and that’s why it did so well at Sundance this past winter. Webb really understood how to take a very intimate story and have it play much bigger.

(500) Days of Summer is the type of comedy that will click with those who love Francois Truffaut films, karaoke bars, indie music mopers who like the Smiths, and Ikea hipsters for sure, but it should also be familiar with those trying to wade out of that funk that’s so easy to get stuck in when coming out of a relationship. (500) Days is a witty, little sardonic look at love; it’s cuteness is contagious, and it’s just that dinner mint of a film you need sometimes to refresh your outlook on life.

Video:A
If you’re a fan of the way films used to look, then you’ll love the way (500) Days looks in this 1080p encoded transfer in a very wide 2.40:1 aspect ratio. There’s this wonderful diffusion going on that gives everything a soft glowing look and that’s the way the film was intended to look, so don’t look for the hyper-level of detail seen in some of the more modern films on blu-ray. There’s still a juicy bouquet of earth tone colors, amidst deep dark blacks, and the screen is almost always full of warm-colored hues reminiscent of the autumn harvest. There is a fine display of natural skin tones throughout, fine grain, and a great balance of contrast keeps frames full of depth and dimension. (500) Days of Summer is just a beautiful looking film.

Audio:B+
(500) Days of Summer’s main audio option is a 5.1 English DTS-HD audio track and in typical romantic comedy fashion, it’s chiefly driven by the dialogue through the center channel. Music is a key part to the film and the entire film opens up whenever a song or melodic score piece flows in. Everything is nicely balanced, there’s no distortion or dialogue that’s too difficult to hear. There’s a minimal amount of panning and surround effects, but this really isn’t the movie that’s designed to do so. Other audio selections include: English for the Visually Impaired, and three 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks in French, Spanish, Portuguese; subtitles are available in English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Thai.

Extras: A
There’s a mixture of standard and high def featurettes, but I wouldn’t ask for any more or any less. It just hits that perfect amount of extras and original content for those who want to delve into the story a bit deeper. Try to leave the commentary for last because that’s the most satisfying supplement. The menus are well-designed, echoing the film’s unique presentation.

Disc 1
Audio Commentary by director Marc Webb, actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and writers Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter. is a lively track full of good discussion and revelations that much of this story comes from the real events in Neustadter’s misfortunes with a former obsession.

Not a Love Story: Making (500) Days of Summer HD (29:21) Is a solid making of featurette that looks to the Webb, the producers, writers, and actors to share their thoughts on the film, production design, the finer parts of downtown Los Angeles, the inspiration of Saul Leiter and representing characters through color.

Deleted and Extended Scenes HD (14:42) there are 10 scenes to zip through with a few of them being real bummers that they didn’t make the final cut. There’s optional commentary with Webb, Gordon-Levitt, and writers Michael Weber and Scott Neustadter.

Filmmaking Specials SD included are a bunch of snippets of what looks like a show on Filmmakers where Webb fielded topical questions about (500) Days. They are Director Marc Webb on Casting Joe and Zooey (2:07) on The Summer Effect (1:35) on French Film References (0:58) and on the Color Palette (1:11). Finally there’s two Fox Movie Channel Presents in Character, with Zooey Deschanel (2:38) and with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3:08).

Audition Tapes SD (7:00) for Geoffrey Arent (McKenzie), Matthew Gray Gubler (Paul), with optional commentary with Webb.

Summer at Sundance HD (13:46) Watch as the days build towards the premiere at Sundance through the eyes of Director, Marc Webb.

Summer Storyboards SD: Summer Effect(1:36) Reality/Expectations (1:55) Both sets of storyboards come with two angles (storyboards and side-by-side comparisons) to view them with optional commentary with Webb. For The Summer Effect Webb provides two different commentaries about Character and the Look.

Conversations with Zooey and Joseph SD (12:26) The two lead actors share a cup of coffee and have six short conversations discussing acting, Los Angeles, and music.

Mean’s Cinemash: Sid and Nancy/ (500) Days of Summer HD (3:28) playing off of a moment in the film where Summer compares their relationship to cinema’s famous Sid and Nancy where Summer is Sid and Tom is Nancy. Yes, this is as funny as it sounds.

Bank Dance SD (4:18) is a music video starring Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt and is directed by Marc Webb who made a name for himself in this trade. If you find both actors as irresistibly charming as much as me, then you’ll love this adorable musical number.

Music Video SD (4:01) Sweet Disposition by The Temper Trap

Trailers HD (6:29) for Amelia, Fame, and Adam

Disc 2
Digital Copy Disc for downloading onto your computer or portable media device.

Overall Shock Value: A–
I can’t recommend (500) Days of Summer enough. This is one of my favorite films of the year and it hits that need of charming-and-profound-indie-film that hits the sweet spot. Anchored by two terrific performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, there’s an honest idea about love and trying to deal with the reality of love existing in real life as compared to what we’re led to believe through popular culture. Along with a rich and faithful transfer, and solid audio, the blu-ray is everything any fan could hope for. Buy it!

Film/Feature: A–
Hurry up, you’ve only got five weeks left to catch up to speed on Lost before the final season begins, and what better way than the Lost Complete Fifth Season on Blu-ray to assist you in that task. Whether you need just a refresher, or you want to build up to that momentous premiere on February 2, 2010, this blu-ray has all of the contents you hope to attempt to make some sense of this fifth season.

As the title of this review suggests, Season 5 was just a matter of time–travel that is. Yes the dreaded sci-fi crutch of time travel was the focus of this past season; a move that had plenty of Lost followers scratching their heads. Let’s face it, this did appear to be a leap of great magnitude when its initially introduced, and the fifth season begins with much of the core group, Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Sun (Yunjin Kim) , Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) separated from the rest of the group as seen in the end of the fourth season as they make their escape back to the mainland. Left behind are Sawyer (Josh Holloway), Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) Locke (Terry O’Quinn) who try to lead the rest of the survivors as the island experiences back-and-forth jumps through time, while Richard (Nestor Carbonell) and Daniel Faraday (Jeremy Davies) lay hints as to explaining what’s going on. Slowly, Ben Linus (Emmy-nominated Michael Emerson) pulls the puppet strings, revealing a much bigger plot. Themes throughout the season include acting on free will and choice versus destiny; the paradoxical and non-paradoxical; and if you don’t come out of this season more confused than before, then you just weren’t watching hard enough. I jest.

Lost is probably the most successful science fiction network show to come along in the last decade. Perhaps that it takes place on a tropical island instead of in space, people have been tricked to discover that they’re watching science fiction. A note to those who have been duped, sorry, you’re geeks too. But there’s nothing wrong with caring about these characters or their outcomes. That’s just the mark of good writing. Season Five is just another big piece of this large jigsaw puzzle that’s Lost, which we’ll find out if it’s a great big payoff, or incite an online riot of rampage. Either way, you’ve made it this far, why stop now?

Video: A
Everyone knows by now that the most of the location shoots take place on Hawaii, and every breathtaking view of the island, the surf, and the rain forest is captured on a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. As expected, the detail is crisp and shows every pore and wrinkle of people’s skin; every one of Jack’s overgrown beard hairs are seen, as is the stubble on Locke’s chin, all of it exposed to the world of high def. At night time, or when time travel happens with the blinding light, Lost can look grainy, but consistently so, which leads me to believe it is the result of a stylistic choice, or the particular equipment they chose for those scenes as opposed to the transfer itself. Night scenes also take advantage of the super-deep blacks and great contrast. Other visual staples of Lost that look impressive are the lush and green valleys of the Hawaiian mountain ridges; it’s as if every bunch of branches can be picked out. Skin tones are all accurate, warm, and at times scary, like when Jin is seen with a sun-blistered face. You can’t even tell it’s makeup. Lost continues to be amongst those few shows to push the video standard of television, higher and higher with each season on blu-ray.

Audio: A+
Lost is presented in a number of audio options, with the main one being the 5.1 English DTS-HD track. This is an active and accurate audio track full of side-to-side movement, atmospheric effects that place you in the middle of an island like crashing waves and rain forest sounds such as crickets chirping in the night. Spine-tingling music travels to the rear channels and to the back of your neck. There are a few scenes that happen out in the ocean in the pouring rain and you’ll be inclined to pull open an umbrella in your theater room. LFE output has a bold, yet balanced presence. Disney/ABC has done another wonderful job on the audio department and did not let me down at all. Other audio selections include: 5.1 Dolby Digital in French and Spanish, and in 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo in Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish L.A. and English; subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Farsi, Spanish L.A. German, Bahasa, Malay, and others.

Extras: A
The presentation of Lost is extremely well-done once again. The entire season is split up into five blu-ray discs in one tidy case, however, if you’re looking to spend some more money and are an a Lost diehard, there is an extremely fan friendly Dharma Initiative version of Season 5 on Blu-Ray which includes a Dharma Orientation folder of goodies and VHS tape. There are Dharma patches, maps, a Geronimo Jackson CD, you name it. Well, no, there is no Dharma liquor, I’m sorry. (See image below)

Menus are superb as always showing a brief clips designed specifically for the menus and are in real time. So for example on Disc 1, you are apparently inside a microwave and Hurley starts the clip by placing a burrito inside, right by the menu words. By waiting a few minutes, Hurley comes back, opens the door and pulls the burrito out. The menu dissolves, and it starts over again. On the fifth disc, the menu selections are all over the place, which is appropriate, and makes it more challenging to find all of the Easter Eggs (and there are a lot—more below).

To get two things out of the way first, I want to talk about the blu-ray exclusives. Want to know why you make the jump to blu-ray? This is why.

On Disc 5 is Lost University is a BD Live feature so get ready to hook up to the internet. In order for “full enrollment” registration on www.lostuniversity.org is required. Your blu-ray will give you a unique registration “student ID” which you can begin what is essentially a series of courses to be a Lost expert. Courses such as: Language 101: Korean, History 101 Heiroglyphics, Philosophy 101: I’m Lost, Therefore I Am, Science 201: Jungle Survival Basics, Physics 101: Introductory Physics of Time Travel. In Semester Two some of the courses offered are Advanced Foreign Language (Latin and Arabic). Each subject has one or two classes (those with two require at least two real-time days in between taking them), professors, and a reading list. A test much be passed of all varities (some don’t require any work) and 21 credits must be passed in order to move onto the next semester. Sound intense? It’s not, really. But it is a lot of fun especially if you want to take your love for Lost an extreme step further, or perhaps you just want a better understanding of everything that’s at stake here.

On Disc 4 is BD Exclusive: Lost 100 HD (19:00) Filming the 100th episode complete with a cake from Charm City Cakes (Ace of Cakes), and the fate of Faraday.

And a feature on all of the discs is BD Exclusive: Season Play which I raved about in my Season 1 and Season 2 reviews which allowed multiple viewers, under one roof and one blu-ray player, to create profiles and watch the season at different rates.