Wonder Woman fans will want to take notice. The animated movie will be out on shelves, March 3, 2009. Stay tuned to LI Reviews for further Wonder Woman coverage, including reviews of The Animated Movie and other Wonder Woman DVDs.

You can learn more about the new Wonder Woman Animated Movie at the official website: www.wonderwomanmovie.com.

Technorati Tags: Cartoon, Animated Movie, Wonder Woman, Clip, Video

Writers: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles, Tony DiTerlizzi, Holly Black
Director: Mark Waters
Cast: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Nick Nolte, Mary-Louise Parker, Joan Plowright, David Strathairnk, Seth Rogen, Jordy Benattar, Martin Short, Andrew McCarthy
Rating: PG
Studio: Paramount – Nickelodeon
Release Date: June 24, 2008

I’d been looking forward to seeing The Spiderwick Chronicles since I saw the first advertisements for the movie several months ago. I’d never even heard of the books, but seeing as I have a 13 year old son, I’ve become immersed in the media that is the friendliest to the pre-teen and teen crowd. I have to admit some of the TV shows and movies are good and some of them are trash I don’t like him watching, due to the level of stupidity they have within them. I don’t want crappy television shows or movies sucking neurons out of his brain or anything.

With my girlfriend, son and a nice bowl of popcorn, we sat down in front of the living room television set to enjoy The Spiderwick Chronicles. We did enjoy it. For the most part, the story flowed together nicely. While I felt there could have been a little more to the battle at the end, everything came together nicely. Of course, now that I’ve researched the books and compared them to the movie, I must say book purists might not like the subtle changes and lack of inclusion of most of the fourth book in the series. Still, some things needed to be cut and others needed to be tweaked to keep the movie short enough to be engaging, but long enough to tell the story completely. This is where I believe The Spiderwick Chronicles succeeded.

Release Information:
The Spiderwick Chronicles was heavily advertised thanks to Paramount, Nickelodeon and the PR companies that represent them. I knew I’d be receiving a copy of this long before I did. I don’t get out to the movies much and prefer to watch them in the privacy of my home, so receiving the movie was fine by me. I would have been purchasing the DVD anyway.

The Spiderwick Chronicles had its Hollywood film premiere on January 31, 2008. The film was released nationwide in the U.S., Canada, the Philippines, and South Korea on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2008. The film grossed over $21 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. alone. From there, the film has received generally positive reviews from critics and an excellent reception by movie goers. Still, there is the occasional book purist who just can’t get over what changes were made from book to movie.

The Spiderwick Chronicles was produced by Nickelodeon Pictures and is set to be released on DVD next week (June 24, 2008). The DVD is being distributed by Nickelodeon and Paramount. The Spiderwick Chronicles is available on Amazon in a Widescreen Edition and a Fullscreen Edition, both for $18.99 USD, a Blu-Ray Edition for $27.95 USD and a two-disc special edition that is called The Spiderwick Chronicles – The Two-Disc Field Guide Edition for $23.99 USD. This review is specifically for The Spiderwick Chronicles – The Two-Disc Field Guide Edition.

The Spiderwick Chronicles Plot
The Spiderwick Chronicles contains a lot of actors I like. I’m a huge fan of Mary-Louise Parker and have been ever since her Fried Green Tomatoes days. I think she’s an exceptional actress with a versatility not often seen in Hollywood. As Helen Grace, the mother of the three children in The Spiderwick Chronicles, Parker plays a damaged, frazzled, somewhat defeated single mother. Sure, Parker has experience playing a single mother, but Helen is quite different from her performance as the drug dealing, suburban, single mother, Nancy Botwin on the hit television show, Weeds.

Young Freddie Highmore is one of the best child actors of his generation. I knew Freddie was good from his roles in Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and August Rush, but I do think The Spiderwick Chronicles is some of his best work. Freddie plays twins, Jared and Simon Grace. The two characters are polar opposites of one another and Freddie makes it clear these boys are two different kids. You can’t even really recognize the fact that Freddie is playing both of them. If I hadn’t known that it was him I would have assumed Freddie had a twin. Let’s just say, he put Lindsay Lohan’s performance in The Parent Trap to shame.

I wasn’t familiar with Sarah Bolgar prior to her role as Mallory Grace, the older sister of Simon and Jared. I probably saw her when she played on The Tudors, and I knew I recognized her face, but I can’t for sure remember if that show is why. Either way, she played her part quite well. She was the nagging, annoying sister where necessary and the protective, caring sister and daughter when needed. She also was pretty good with her fencing moves, something that made Mallory such an interesting character in the book series, from what I’ve heard about it.

It’s hard to argue with voice talent like Nick Nolte, Martin Short and Seth Rogan for the various magical characters. While I placed all their voices, I didn’t realize how I knew them excluding Nolte. That was, of course, because he made an appearance in person, as an old disfigured looking man, when he was trying to trick one of the twins. I knew it was him because he looked similar in appearance to that infamous mug shot he took that pretty much everyone has seen and remembers. It’s hard to argue with supporting actors like David Strathaim, Joan Plowright, and Andrew McCarthy. Overall, this film was incredibly well cast and that just made it all the better.

The story for The Spiderwick Chronicles begins with a sinister look into the private room of Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathaim) as he is frantically writing in his field guide. After the credits role, Helen Grace and her three children Mallory, Simon and Jared are moving to live in the Spiderwick Estate. The family is moving from the city (New York) because the recently divorced Helen has inherited the estate from her ailing Aunt Lucinda (Joan Plowright). She also has a job lined up in the nearby town.

The calm, somewhat nerdy Simon quietly accepts the move, Mallory is more than willing to do anything to help their mother, who is obviously suffering, but Jared hates the idea of living with his mother. He rebels against everything she says and does, preferring to have his dad, Richard (Andrew McCarthy) pick him up and take Jared to live with him. Unfortunately, that’s just not feasible.

After a few mishaps that make Helen and Mallory mad at Jared, he soon discovers a secret room when he pulls himself up a dumbwaiter Mallory has uncovered behind a wall. In the dumbwaiter, he finds a key. In the secret room is a trunk (the key goes in the trunk) and in the trunk is a book with a warning message. The message says the book must never be opened or basically the person who opens it will be dead. Ignoring the warning, Jared opens to book only to discover it’s a field guide that was written by his great-great-uncle, Arthur Spiderwick. Prior to opening it, Jared had received a sinister message written in the dust on the desk in the hidden room. The message was a warning much like the one on the book cover.

With Jared hidden in a trunk in his room, reading the field guide, the whole house is awoken by the screams of Mallory. Someone has tied her hair in knots to the bedpost and of course, she blames Jared.
While Jared proclaims he was in the trunk the whole time, Simon, who was sleeping, can only confirm that he saw Jared get out of the trunk, though it is pretty clear they all believe he did it. Jared, on the other hand, believes it might have been a brownie, which turns into a boggart.

Soon after, Jared meets the brownie, Thimbletack (Martin Short). He learns that Thimbletack was supposed to be protecting the book and he is quite upset Jared has opened it. This causes Thimbletack to change back and forth from brownie to boggart. Asa result of Jared reading the book, the home is now surrounded by beings Jared cannot see until he puts on a special eyeglass Thimbletack gives him. The house, outside of this toadstool circle around the estate is surrounded by goblins. It is the purpose of them to obtain the book for an evil ogre named Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), who wishes to use it to rule the world and destroy everything as it is currently known.

When Simon ventures outside the protective toadstool circle, the goblins, thinking he is Jared, kidnap him. Jared goes to save him, and on the way, he meets and rescues a hobgoblin named Hogsqueal (Seth Rogan). Hogsqueal spits on Jared’s eyes, allowing him to easily see all of the magical creatures around him. Jared is able to free Simon, for now, but they must make it home safely and prevent the goblins from snatching Mallory, who doesn’t believe the boys’ story about the mythical creatures, so she freely ventures outside the circle.

Ultimately, this is a story about adventure, family, loyalty and the ever present theme of good versus evil. The children have to find out how to make themselves safe, why the book is so important and whether their Aunt Lucinda, who has been institutionalized since she told authorities her dad was kidnapped by faeries, as a child, can help them. The story is great, the plot is woven neatly together, the storylines all make sense and everyone in the family, from 13 to 30, enjoyed it!

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The stunning anamorphic widescreen, 2.35:1 transfer for The Spiderwick Chronicles was absolutely perfect. I can’t tell you if there were visual errors or not, because honestly, I couldn’t find any. The colors were vibrant, the ability to have Freddie Highmore on screen in double was flawless, and the contrast was sharp. There really isn’t anything to complain about, because for a standard DVD, this is as good as it gets! This film needed to be visually pleasing, due to the amount of special features that had to be used. This film passes the visual test with flying colors.

The audio for The Spiderwick Chronicles is nearly as good as the video. Music, sound effects and dialogue came through perfectly. I didn’t have to toggle with my volume. I turned it to the normal volume level that is typical for my TV and I didn’t have to turn it up or down. It sounded great! There are three Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English, Spanish and French. The English track is superb. Closed Captioning is available in all three languages for the hearing impaired. Subtitles are also available in English, French and Spanish.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
The Spiderwick Chronicles – The Two-Disc Field Guide Edition is teeming with bonus features. I’ve decided to list them by the discs they are on and give a brief description of each of the bonuses that are included.

DISC ONE

“Spiderwick: It’s All True!” – A featurette that offers seven minutes of an anamorphic widescreen interview/intro with director, Mark Waters. As the featurette implies Waters explains how all of the creatures in The Spiderwick Chronicles are actually real and the story is 100% true.

“It’s a Spiderwick World” – The original author and illustrator of The Spiderwick Chronicles book series, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, explain how they came up with the idea for the books in this anamorphic widescreen featurette. They mention there are three children the book is based upon, though you never know if they’re really telling the truth. The director and producer discuss their approach when transferring the story from book to film. This featurette is not quite nine minutes in length.

“Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide” – For those who enjoyed the movie, this interactive bonus allows for the reading of individual pages that are in Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide.

“Field Guide in Movie Mode” – As you watch the film an icon (red book) will appear as a popup, allowing for interactivity and the ability to read more information during certain scenes of the movie.

DISC TWO

“Spiderwick: Meet the Clan” – This is a self-explanatory bonus featurette. This featurette is fourteen minutes and it is in anamorphic widescreen. This featurette offers an introduction and interview with the actors that play the main characters in The Spiderwick Chronicles. The voice actors are shown in the recording studio and the live actors are shown on the set.

“Making Spiderwick” – This is your run of the mill “making of” featurette. This is just over twenty minutes in length. The anamorphic widescreen feature looks at the special effects, the music, the cinematography and the production design amongst other things.

“The Magic of Spiderwick” – There are many special effects used in The Spiderwick Chronicles. This is almost fifteen minutes of anamorphic widescreen footage. It looks specifically at Tippett Studio and Industrial Light & Magic, both of which were used to create all the CGI and other special effects.

Deleted Scenes – There are four in total. You can watch them separately or choose to view all. This is also in anamorphic widescreen.

Television Promotion Spots – There are nine in total. They aired on Nickelodeon to promote the movie. This is presented in 4:3 video.

Theatrical Trailers – There are two trailers presented in anamorphic widescreen.

“A Final Word of Advice” – This is the final feature where the director, Mark Waters bids you adieu.

Bonus Features: 5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
The Spiderwick Chronicles was my favorite, family friendly movie I’ve seen so far this year. The acting was superb, the story was engaging, the characters were well developed and there was very little I could complain about. No matter your age, you should pick up a copy of The Spiderwick Chronicles. I recommend this Two-Disc Field Guide Edition because I truly enjoyed the bonus features, but as long as you get the movie, you’ll surely enjoy it, and whatever version you get is fine by me.

Overall Rating: 4.79 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: The Spiderwick Chronicles, Two Disc Special Edition, Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolgar, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte, Martin Short, Seth Rogan, Paramount, DVD Review

Writers: Homer Brightman, Ralph Wright, Roy Williams, Harry Reeves, Dick Huemer, Joe Grant, Aurora Miranda, Carmen Molina, Dora Luz, Starling Holloway, Joaquin Garay
Cast: Fred Shields, José Oliveira, Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney, Clarence Nash, Frank Thomas
Rating: G
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Release Date: April 29, 2008

I never understood why parents were so worried about cartoons smoking cigars. First, it’s pretty unrealistic to think of a duck or a parrot smoking cigars. Second, when I was a kid, I thought seeing my favorite cartoons with stogies was kind of funny looking, but never something I’d want to try myself. I don’t know why anyone thinks Jose Carioca with a stogie shoved in his mouth is glamorous because to me, it’s not, but I guess that is a major reason why Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros aren’t as readily available as other Disney productions. People are just too PC these days.

In the early days of the Disney studio, Walt Disney did some fun and experimental movies. One of those movies involved a trip to Latin America. The Disney studio traveled the region and then made several short films about their exploits. This was the basis for Saludos Amigos. This movie was shown in Latin American countries during WWII to promote relations with the countries, in hopes of their allegiance against Nazi Germany. So, the movie has quite an interesting history.

The film was well received worldwide and so popular in Latin America that Disney decided to film another movie, The Three Caballeros. The shorts in this film take place throughout Latin America, in South America and Mexico. This is the more famous of the two, though both really go well together. That is why Disney Home Video has decided to release a Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros set. The films are available on one disc and there are also extras. Seriously, people need to look past the cigar thing and watch these, because they’re entertaining and worth watching at least once!

Release Information:
Saludos Amigos debuted in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) on August 24, 1942. The film didn’t premiere in the United States until February 6, 1943. The film wasn’t quite as popular in the U.S. as it was in various other countries around the world. Still, it was reissued in 1949 with the re-release of Dumbo. Saludos Amigos has been released on DVD previously. It was released by Disney, on its own, on May 2, 2000. The movie had returned to the vault, though this original DVD can be purchased through select sellers on Amazon.

The Three Caballeros was released on December 21, 1944 in Mexico City, Mexico. Like its predecessor, The Three Caballeros was released in the U.S. in February. This time it was released on February 3, 1945. The film was released onto DVD from the Disney vault on May 2, 2000. It’s been re-released in a Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros two movie set by Walt Disney Video and it’s now available through all major retailers. Walt Disney Home Video released the DVD on April 29, 2008. It can be purchased at Amazon for under $10.

The Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros Plot
The Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros set goes together so well because both are made up of a set of shorts that are primarily told about events that happen in Latin America. The introduction of the cigar smoking parrot everyone couldn’t help but love, Jose Carioca, is in Saludos Amigos and along with Donald Duck, Jose is a primary character of the follow-up film, The Three Caballeros. The movies are pretty funny. Having a son who is a huge fan of Donald Duck made the Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros DVD a must purchase in this household. I knew that the movie would keep him busy for as long as it was on (and then he’d probably watch it again). Lo and behold he wanted to add his two cents to this movie and say, “both are very good”.

The shorts from Saludos Amigos are played first and then there is The Three Caballeros. The shorts that are included are:

–Saludos Amigos–

“Lake Titicaca” – I’m not saying a word about the name. Despite my son being 13, this name went right over his head, though I’m not sure if he’ll catch it the next time he watches it. I figure most 13 year olds will find it amusing, but needless to say this has nothing to do with a Lake that is made of titties or excrement in any form. Donald Duck takes a trip to visit Lake Titicaca. There he has a run in with a llama that just won’t budge unless Donald doesn’t want him to move!

“Pedro” – Tells the story of an airplane named Pedro. Pedro is from Chile and he has to pick up mail in Mendoza. This is Pedro’s first flight and everything that could go wrong does!

“El Gaucho Goofy” – Goofy, as a cowboy is taken to Argentina where he learns to be their version of a cowboy, called el gaucho. The gaucho wears a sombrero and poncho instead of spurs and a cowboy hat. Traveling along the South American pampas, this features Goofy at his best. Don’t worry parents. The scene where Goofy smokes a cigarette isn’t included in this short. Apparently, that’s more offensive than all the cigar smoking that happens hereafter.

“Aquarela do Brasil” – In this crazy, brightly colored short, Jose Carioca is introduced as that cigar smoking, South American parrot. Jose shows Donald around South America as the illustrators paint each scene on film. Donald learns all about South America and he even learns how to samba.

–The Three Caballeros–

“The Cold-Blooded Penguin” – One of my favorites in the bunch, Pablo the penguin just can’t wait to make it to a warm climate and an island paradise. He tries to leave the South Pole, but keeps ending up a frozen block of ice. Finally, he finds a way to make his ice block into a boat and travels towards his warm, island paradise.

“The Flying Gauchito” – When a little boy finds out his little donkey, Burrito, can fly he decides to enter him in a race.

“Bahia” – In pop-up storybook fashion, Donald and Jose take a trip through the capital city of Salvador. This is one of the most vibrant shorts in the set.

“Las Posadas” – This short re-enacts the Christmas story. Children from Mexico attempt to tell the story of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay. This also involves the discussion on Mexican celebratory customs. Donald gets his chance to break a piñata or at least tries to!

“Mexico: Pátzcuaro, Veracruz and Acapulco” – The crazy red bird, Panchito, shows up to provide Jose and Donald with a trip through Mexico. They take the trip on a zarape, which flies. Donald attempts to be a lady’s man, but can’t seem to get any response from the women. Instead, they seem to like the cool style of Jose Carioca.

“You Belong To My Heart” – I believe the woman who sings in this is Carmen Miranda (though it might be Dora Luz). Either way, Donald falls in love with her and the cartoon is mixed with live action sequences. This is a psychedelic trip that would be fun to watch when taking LSD or excessive amounts of marijuana (if you’re an adult and drug-friendly – I can’t say I’ve experienced it personally, but could see the appeal of watching something like this while high).

“Donald’s Surreal Reverie” – Another trippy song and dance number featuring Donald, Panchito, and Jose. You just have to see this one to experience what it’s all about. Donald is once again up to his lady’s man antics and it features both live action and animation, blended together like the previous short.

Not everyone is going to like Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros. While more Americans seemed to dislike this film than other nations where the film was released, fans of Donald Duck and Goofy will want to have this DVD. This is not really the traditional Disney fare so don’t go into this expecting to see a Disney movie. It does capture the essence of Latin America, which was its intended purpose and it does that quite well.

The acting and direction are about as good as any other Disney film, but the appeal for this is going to be limited. My son, a Donald fan, loved it. I loved certain parts of it and Ash wasn’t as thrilled with most of it, though she did find something to laugh about at times. Ultimately, this will be the type of DVD you’ll want to rent before you purchase it because it won’t have international, widespread appeal for everyone.

Storyline/Plot: 3 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
If you purchased the 2000 releases of Saludos Amigos or The Three Caballeros, you might not want to double dip. The same quality seems to be displayed from the earlier releases. Considering the films were made in the 1940s and used innovative techniques, especially in blending live action with animation, the film looks remarkably good. Still there is quite a bit of grain, several compression artifacts and other printing errors. The live action/animation blend looks quite bad in some places, but it adds to the charm of the movie, merely because the technique was something unheard of before Disney started playing with the process. The visual quality is standard full frames with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Colors are vibrant so there are some instances of desauturation. Though the problems are mild, they are to be expected.

What is improved from the previous release is the addition of a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround mix. This allows the soundtrack, which involves a lot of music (singing and instrumental pieces) as well as more limited dialogue, to flourish. The clear, vibrant audio mix is an excellent addition to the Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros DVD. There are two additional Dolby soundtracks available, with options in French 5.1 and Spanish 5.1 present. Closed Captioning is available in English and subtitles are featured in both French and Spanish.

Visual: 3 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
The best bonus feature on this set is a documentary that is a little over 30 minutes in length. Shot on 16mm film, the documentary follows the trip that Walt Disney took to South America in planning for the development of the movies Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. This was filmed in 1942. This shows some of the initial drawings for Saludos Amigos as well as extensive footage of Walt Disney, amongst other interesting tidbits about the area and the making of the movie.

The live action CBC interview, “Walt Disney CBC Interview” is less than two minutes long. It’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s an interview with Walt Disney that discusses both Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. The 1937 Latin-themed Donald Dark cartoon, ‘Don Donald’ and the 1944 cartoon, ‘Contrary Condor’ complete the bonuses. While there isn’t much in the amount of bonuses, what is here is interesting and worthwhile.

Bonus Features: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
If you like adding to your Disney collection, pick up a copy of Saludos Amigos/The Three Caballeros. If you like Donald Duck, Goofy, or you can appreciate Jose Carioca, this is a must buy DVD. Otherwise, you need to rent this before you purchase it so you aren’t disappointed with the final product. I liked it enough to watch it once or twice though you may not have the same opinion. Overall, the decision to buy or not will be up to you.

Overall Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Donald Duck, DVD Review, Goofy, Jose Carioca, Walt Disney, Latin America, Walt Disney

Writer: Randi Mayem Singer
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, Mara Wilson
Rating: PG-13
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: March 4, 2008

When I was reviewing Mrs. Doubtfire, we watched this as a family, because that’s what this is, a family movie. While most people I know and especially those my age have already seen this, I had not yet had the pleasure.

Everyone loves this movie or so I was told. How could you not like it, I was asked more than once. I had to think about it. For one reason or another, I just never wanted to see this movie. When it came time to put it in, I forced myself to have higher hopes. Naturally, I wanted to like it. No one wants to watch a movie they are going to hate. Not only that, but I love Robin Williams and Sally Field. I don’t like the idea of giving any of their work bad reviews. That doesn’t mean I am going to say I liked something that I didn’t though, so unfortunately it’s time to go where I haven’t gone before.

It’s not that Mrs. Doubtfire was downright horrific. I think the problem, or at least the problem for me, is that there were a few problems that were so major that I could not handle it. I’m not going to lie. There were a few laughs. There were some funny moments. That being said I really can’t recall enough of those moments to want to watch this movie again. Unfortunately, that doesn’t bode well for a re-release collector’s edition or at least not in my mind.

Release Information:
This re-release of Mrs. Doubtfire has been dubbed The Behind the Seams Edition. It offers plenty of special features and is supposed to be in a better quality than the last DVD offering. Whether that is true or not, I cannot comment because I have not seen the old edition. Set to be released by 20th Century Fox on March 4th, you can soon pick up Mrs Doubtfire for around $15 at stores, such as Amazon. This version comes with two discs and is available in anamorphic widescreen, which differs from the previous full screen version that was available.

The Mrs. Doubtfire: Behind the Seams Edition Plot
Mrs. Doubtfire is a fan favorite that works as a family comedy with children that are either clueless to the bit of adult humor there is or that are old enough to catch it and understand that it’s just comedy. This is a film that looks at the emotions that come with ending one phase of your life and learning to live again in another phase. It’s about divorce and the absurdities (aka lengths) that one parent (in a comedy) would go to, to see their kids. I suppose this is meant to make it heartwarming, but in so many ways it just seemed overly ridiculous.

Written by Leslie Dixon and Randi Mayem Singer, after being adapted from Anne Fine’s “Alias Madam Doubtfire”, Mrs. Doubtfire stars the likes of Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, and a young Mara Wilson. You would think that this movie should be good just based on star potential. True it has all the stars that it could ever need, but this movie fails in every way that I had hoped it would shine.

The idea is about as simple as it comes. Daniel Hillard (Williams) loses custody of his kids when his wife, Miranda (Field) files for divorce. Daniel is a good father, but never seems to take anything seriously, including his acting career, so he is continuously unemployed while Miranda is quite the go getter. Before the ink is signed on the divorce Miranda has a chance to work with her old college flame, Stuart (Pierce Brosnan), and you can see where it’s going from the get-go. So, while Miranda is flirting it up, Daniel is hyperventilating as he moves into a tiny apartment and only has a chance to see his three kids twice a week.

There is no question that Daniel loves his three kids, Lydia (Lisa Jakub), Chris (Matthew Lawrence), and Natalie (Mara Wilson). The problem is with Daniel’s ability to be an adult. It also doesn’t help that Miranda wants to take some of her bitterness out on her ex-husband. So, in the process, everyone suffers. Soon enough things change when Miranda announces she will be hiring a housekeeper to watch the kids and clean up in the hours that the kids are out of school and she is still at work. Daniel does the only thing he can do to see his kids. He transforms into the perfect Scottish nanny/housekeeper, Mrs. Doubtfire!

It’s predictable. There is the whole…I’m a man, I’m a woman, switcheroo scene. The pretending to be a woman and setting your chest on fire while cooking thing. The one kid catches the man, dressed as a woman, peeing standing up to figure out the truth thing. While the kids eventually grow to love Mrs. Doubtfire for whom she is, Daniel learns to become a grown up for the first time in his life.

Despite the predictability, I am not against the plot of this movie. The problem I have above all else, is with the acting. Sally Field, an actress I love as much as Meryl Streep, is horrific in this movie. It’s like she took the day off. Her giddiness about her new boyfriend is played as if she is spastic. Meanwhile, she is boringly bitter with Williams and is stern and straight-laced with the children until around the end, when it appears she grows a heart, like the Grinch might have. Field was by far the most disappointing in the bunch. Adding insult to injury Brosnan is pointless as her lover because they have absolutely no chemistry. Finally, Williams is predictable, and the kids are kids. It doesn’t offer much to look forward to when you think about it.

Storyline/Plot: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 2 out of 5 stars
Directing: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Mrs. Doubtfire is available in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The majority of the movie looks blazingly clean. It is crisp and clear. For the most part, you will not have any problems or see any defects in this release. Fox did a good job at making sure things were up to snuff. While there is a very small amount of soft spots, the film quality is nothing to complain about.

When it comes to audio, Dolby Digital 5.1 is versatile enough to offer good sound effects, dramatic dialogue, and strong music. The music sounds especially nice and it is never hard to hear anything, even the dialogue. There was no need for volume toggling at all. In addition to standard audio, the discs offer Spanish and French tracks in Dolby 2.0 and subtitles in both English and Spanish.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
On the first disc of two you get to enjoy the feature film (if you have better luck than I did), 18 deleted/extended scenes, and four alternate scenes. The deleted scenes are available in anamorphic widescreen and the alternate scenes come in full screen. In either case you have the option of playing the scenes one by one or altogether. The deleted scenes last for more than 30 minutes.

Oddly enough, one complaint I have heard much of is the fact that the Chris Columbus commentary which was on the original disc did not make the cut here. Being that I never heard it, I didn’t miss much. People that own the old version and are planning on replacing it for this one may feel differently though.

There are five main feature sections on the second disc. The five features include “Production Office”, “Animation Studio”, “Make-Up Department”, “Stage A” and “Publicity Department”. In “From Man to Mrs.: The Evolution of Mrs. Doubtfire” there are a series of short segments that can be played together for nearly 30 minutes worth of behind the scenes footage about how Robin Williams transformed into Mrs. Doubtfire. There are new interviews with both Chris Columbus and Robin Williams in “Aging Gracefully: A Look Back at Mrs. Doubtfire“. Finally you receive a photo gallery to round out this section.

Next up is the animation features including “A Conversation with Animator Chuck Jones”. Also included is the original pencil test, the final animation sequence, and an alternate animation sequence. The Make Up area offers “Make Up Application with Ve Neill” and a photo gallery. In “Stage A” viewers can enjoy “The Improvisation of Mrs. Doubtfire“, which lasts for nearly 40 minutes.

The last offerings are in the Publicity Department. The original promo piece, “Meet Mrs. Doubtfire” is included, as well as three theatrical trailers, a poster, photo gallery, “Meet Mrs. Featherbottom”, and two TV spots.

Bonus Features: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Mrs. Doubtfire was definitely not my cup of tea. I realize that many people will like it and some will certainly love it, but I am not one of those people. As hard as it was to say I detest a movie that contains the likes of Sally Field and Robin Williams, I do detest this film. When it comes to acting they are strong performers and have many amazing films under their belts. This one just fell flat for me. If you’ve seen this and enjoyed it, I highly recommend the purchase. It’s a decent family film and younger audiences love the silliness.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Movie, Mrs. Doubtfire, Robin Williams, Sally Field, Child Custody, Comedy, Behind the Seams Edition, DVD Review

Writer: Zach Helm
Director: Zach Helm
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Jason Bateman, Ted Ludzik
Rating: G
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: March 4, 2008

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a fluffy, adventure-filled journey through the multiple storybooks that make up a person’s life. That person just happens to be Mr. Edward Magorium, a magical toymaker with an Italian shoe fetish.

The wonderment of the Wonder Emporium in Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium will make you feel like you’re stuck in a song by the Beatles. Perhaps “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” or “I Am the Walrus”. The insane, head spinning marvelousness is just one aspect of a much deeper story with a simply complex message. Perhaps most of the reviewers who dissed this movie, “just didn’t get it”. Those of us who are adults do have a tendency to over analyze things, after all.

In it’s complexity, a daft riddle that takes most of the movie to solve (though the message is easy to know – not so easy to learn), though the message is simple. It’s heartfelt. It may be super sugary coated to make it easier for children to understand, but it’s an important lesson nonetheless. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium carries the message of hope, moving on, and ultimately, learning to make your own destiny by believing in yourself. Nothing more, nothing less. Those who expect some, hard to fathom revelation, will be disappointed, but I am one who sees the beauty in such simplicity and appreciates it.

Release Information:
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was first released in theaters in Brazil, on November 15, 2007. It enjoyed a next day theatrical opening in the U.S., Canada and Taiwan. Other locations where the movie has played include the Philippines on November 28, Israel on November 29, Poland on November 30, and Germany, Russia, the UK, Belgium, and several other countries in December. In the U.S., in particular, the movie premiered in over 3,000 theaters and finished in #5 at the box office during it’s opening weekend. Since then, it has grossed over $38 million worldwide.

Thanks to 20th Century Fox, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is set to be released on DVD this Tuesday, March 4, 2008. The DVD will be available at local and national retail chains such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and Wal-mart. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is also available at their online stores and on Amazon, where it can be pre-ordered for $17.99 USD.

The Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium Plot
First, I just have to comment on the name, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. I’ve seen reviewers complain about this as though it were the name of Black Death. It’s just a name, and I happen to think it’s catchy. The marketers did a good job with this one, because who in their right mind is going to forget a title of a movie like, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium?

With that in mind, if you don’t like it, get over it. My kid thinks the name is hilarious and I’m sure plenty of other kids feel the same way. It’s sad that so many stuffy, white collar, adults grow up to have no sense of wonder, imagination, or humor pertinent to the mind of child because, I remember life being much more fun than now, as an adult.

Now that the name thing is out of the way, I also have to comment on the “Willy Wonka” connection and similarities (or lack thereof). Yes, Magorium is a toymaker with a wonderful toy store. Willy Wonka was a wonderful candy maker with an amazing factory. That is about where the similarity ends. Anyone who says that Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a bad remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory doesn’t really understand Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.

Furthermore, I found nothing similar in Eric Applebaum and Charlie Bucket. Charlie is poor and lives with his two parents and extended family. Eric is awkward and disliked by his peers, and lives with his single mother, who apparently isn’t poor. The two movies both have great messages, but neither message is the same. That being said, I can finally get into discussing the plot.

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was written and directed by the genius behind the screenplay for Stranger than Fiction, Zach Helm. Helm manages to create a script for Magorium that appeals to children and yet is able to explain complex concepts including the importance of living life to its fullest, moving on and accepting death, and finding your own destiny in a way that isn’t so mindless that adults will be too bored by it and isn’t to advanced children won’t be able to understand it.

The story begins with the voice of the young narrator of the story, Eric Applebaum (Zach Mills). Eric talks about his favorite story, which is the story of Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman), his wonder Emporium, and how the events of the story affect his store manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman). As the story explains, Molly was a child prodigy at the piano. She went to college and everyone believed she’d one day write that amazing composition that would make her famous. Unfortunately, Molly has composer’s block, so while her fingers constantly hear a melody, she’s unable to finish it, or make anything out of her music career. She continues to work for Mr. Magorium as a result.

Who wouldn’t want to work in the wonder emporium though? It’s filled with colors, magic, and every kind of toy imaginable from homemade fare to commercial products, Mr. Magorium’s store has it all. All of the kids hang out there, especially Eric, who has returned home after one week at summer camp. Eric is awkward around other kids. An avid hat collector, all the other kids seem to look at him like he’s weird and the only friend Eric has is Molly, besides Mr. Magorium himself. He comes to the store every day to play and help Molly.

On this day, Mr. Magorium announces (after we see how quirky he is) he must hire an accountant (or as he calls it, ‘a counting mutant’) to get his business affairs in order. You see, Mr. Magorium is 243 years old. A shoe aficionado, he has purchased just enough Italian shoes from a store he liked in Italy, until it is time for him to depart from this world. He doesn’t want anyone to know this, except for the “mutant”, Henry Weston (Jason Bateman), who is going through 243 years of documentation to get things in order for Mr. Magorium.

In the meantime, Molly has plans of finally pursuing her music career and leaving the Emporium. Eric’s biggest challenge is making friends, and the Mutant must deal with his stuffy, accountant-like, lack of imagination in a place where imagination is the only thing required.

As each of the characters struggle with their particular dilemma, Mr. Magorium has his own plans for all of them, especially Molly, who he sees as a shining star. With Molly unwilling to accept the fact that Magorium will be leaving the world, such a simple fact, Magorium explains by saying he lived his life and one of the most brilliant discussions on death occurs between these two, amazing characters.

“When King Lear dies in Act 5 do you know what Shakespeare has written? He’s written- He dies. That’s all. Nothing more; no fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is: He dies. When every time I read those 2 words I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. I know its only natural to be sad. But not because of the words “He dies”…, but because of the life we saw, prior to those words.”

“I’ve lived all 5 of my acts, Mahoney. And I’m not asking you to be happy that I must go. I’m only asking that you turn the page, continue reading, and let the next story begin. And, if anyone asks what became of me you’ll relate my life and all its wonder. And it was a simple, modest, he died.”

This alone speaks volumes about the kind of movie Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is. While kids may get the message that death is just the ending of one story and the beginning of another, Helm is reaching out to adults, those who quite often have the hardest of times letting go, to explain to them that each life is complete, even if it might not seemed finished or even if they might not want their loved one to go. It’s just another chapter, in the book of life. It’s a great metaphor and this scene made the movie for me. Dustin Hoffman is a brilliant actor and this really showed off the emotional power he is capable of portraying both in what is said and what isn’t.

All of the actors do wonderful in their respective roles. Natalie Portman is fantastic as a young woman caught between childhood daydreams and adult realities. Her chemistry with both Hoffman and Bateman is a thrilling addition to the movie. Portman and Hoffman play off one another like a modern day odd couple, though Mahoney really seems to understand Magorium and he understands her. Bateman is making a comeback, with his transformation from the man stuck in the adult world to someone who can have fun, make believe, and see both the magic and sparkle in people. Young Zach Mills is superb as the loner, Eric. He’s a cute little kid and he has a way of lighting up the screen with his presence.

One of my favorite scenes occurs between Mills and Bateman. The two talk by writing messages, and holding them up to one another. The emotions that range across young Mills’ face speak volumes. There is also a scene where Eric teaches the mutant to play a make believe game. While I have heard some complaints about kids being friends with adults (my son plays at one of our neighbors house – they are grandparents and are very kind to him because their grandson is autistic and he has an autistic spectrum disorder – so does that make them molesters?) because that’s unnatural, but I thought the scene fit in quite nicely and showed Henry’s transformation into a more balanced perspective on life. Not everything is all about work, and life should be enjoyed whenever possible.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium was given to me as a watermarked, screener copy. Despite being a screener, the visual quality for this film is excellent. Fox is releasing Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The visual quality really enhances all of the wonderment of the film and if this were lacking, the film might not have been as enjoyable as it was. I should note that even the opening credits for Magorium are wondrous. A 60s throwback to movie openings like Charade or cartoons like the Pink Panther, the opening was quite an impressive start to a great movie.

The audio quality for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is equally as impressive. With the magnificent score by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman, the score plays an important role in telling the story, so it is important that the music comes through loud and clear. With swelling crescendos and symphonic melodies, the music is balanced nicely, in contrast with the spoken dialogue. No volume toggling, even on the screener, was needed. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mix is presented in English with subtitles available in English, Spanish, and French.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
While there are some bonuses included on the DVD for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, most of them aren’t as in depth as they could be. There is a short, but sweet, four part, behind the scenes making of feature, “Strangely Weird and Weirdly Strange: The Magical World of a Wonder Emporium”.

Other features on this DVD include an interview with director/writer Zach Helm called “Supposedly the Mind of Zach Helm”, a look at Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman and the characters they play in “An Eccentric Boss and an Awkward Apprentice”, a look at Zach Mills and his portrayal of Eric Applebaum in “To Meet Eric Applebaum Start By Saying Hi”, a look at the creation and puppetry of the on screen puppets in “The Sock Monkey”, the creation of the Wonder Emporium set in “The Magical Toy Store”, a look at the live zebra used in “Mortimer the Zebra” and a look at the building of the Lincoln Log statue of Abe Lincoln in “Lincoln Man”.

Fox has included an interactive feature that provides a look at the all new movie, “Horton Hears a Who!”. There is also the typical list of 20th Century Fox trailers, that usually play before the movie loads and there are also a couple you can check out in the bonus features, trailer section. Overall, while each featurette is relatively brief, the overall set of bonuses is fun. Most of them are kid friendly and are are short enough to keep their attention. I should note that I recommend this movie for older kids (7-10 and up). Young kids simply won’t understand the message, though the store will mesmerize them.

Bonus Features: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is a heartfelt look at life and death, believing in yourself, and living life to the fullest. While your dreams may not always be able to come true in the way you believe they should, you can learn from everything you do and make a difference in your life, and the lives of others, with all of the opportunities that are presented.

While this message is said in a way kids can understand, adults would be wise to heed the advice of Mr. Magorium and delight in the joy of his Wonder Emporium, if only for a moment, as they’re transported back to a much simpler time, where life was carefree, joyous, and such heavy decisions were never a thought in their mind.

This film comes highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, DVD Reviews, 20th Century Fox, Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Jason Bateman

THE CLASSICALLY COOL CARTOON BRINGS ITS NOSTALGIC WHIMSEY TO A NEW GENERATION

THE PINK PANTHER & FRIENDS CLASSIC CARTOON COLLECTION: THE INSPECTOR

Available For The First Time On DVD, 17 Episodes Featuring
The Bumbling Inspector Arrive March 4 From MGM Home Entertainment

Los Angeles, CA – A blundering pair of crime fighting misfits became two of the most memorable cartoon characters of the ‘60s and ‘70s in The Pink Panther & Friends Classic Cartoon Collection Volume Six: The Inspector debuting on DVD March 4 from MGM Home Entertainment. Hailed as some of the most original cartoons produced in their era, The Pink Panther & Friends Classic Cartoon Collection Volume Six: The Inspector features 17 hilarious episodes from the first seasons, from 1965 – 1967 now available in one collection. Filled with intelligent dialogue, complex plotlines and avante-garde villains, the cartoons always sustained a special chemistry between the two main characters, both voiced by Emmy and Golden Globe-winner Pat Harrington Jr. (“One Day at a Time”).

Originally released as a series of theatrical cartoons, the hilarious Inspector Clouseau and his trusty assistant Sergeant Duex-Deux gained millions of fans with their constant fumbling while solving crime after crime. >From a creative staff that helped define the stylized “cool” of ‘60s/’70s animation, The Inspector was produced by David DePatie and features direction by Fritz Freleng (“Return To The Planet Of The Apes”), Gerry Chiniquy (“Transformers”), Robert McKimson (“Looney Tunes”) and George Singer (“The Bullwinkle Show”), with scripts by John W. Dunn (“Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters”) and others. The Pink Panther & Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: The Inspector (Volume Six) is available for the suggested retail price of $14.98 U.S./$15.98 Canada.

Synopsis:
With a nose for clues, an eye for intrigue and a mind like a steel trap that’s jammed shut, The Inspector sets out to solve Paris’ most puzzling crime mysteries.

DVD Special Features:
The Pink Panther & Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: The Inspector (Volume Six) is compiled on one dual-layered, DVD 9 disc (full frame, aspect ratio 1.33:1), and is presented in English Mono with English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Episode Selection:
The Great DeGaulle Stone Operation
Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat
Napoleon Blown-Aparte
Cirrhosis of the Louvre
Plastered in Paris
Cock-A-Doodle Deux Deux
Ape Suzette
The Picque Poquette of Paris
Sicque! Sicque! Sicque!
That’s No Lady – That’s Notre Dame!
Unsafe and Seine
Toulouse La Trick
Sacre Bleu Cross
Le Quiet Squad
Bomb Voyage
Le Pig-Al Patrol
Le Bowser Bagger

Technorati Tags: Pink Panther, Classic Cartoons, Retro, Inspector, Upcoming Releases, DVD

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kyra Sedgwick and Madison Pettis Star in the Hilarious and Heartwarming Family Comedy Hit

THE GAME PLAN

On DVD and Blu-ray Disc® January 22, 2008

BURBANK, Calif., November 30, 2007—Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson scores a touchdown in his first comic leading man role in the family-friendly box office hit The Game Plan, coming to Disney DVD and Disney Bluray Disc on January 22, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Johnson (The Scorpion King) lends his trademark charm and formidable charisma to the role of Joe Kingman, a pro football superstar who unexpectedly finds himself caring for a precocious young girl played by Madison Pettis (“Cory in the House”). With Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”) as Joe’s workaholic agent and Rosalyn Sanchez (“Without a Trace”) as the little girl’s football averse dance teacher, the talented supporting cast also
includes Gordon Clapp (“NYPD Blue”) and Morris Chestnut (Like Mike). Directed by Andy Fickman (She’s the Man), The Game Plan puts a hilarious spin on the tough world of professional sports in a comedy delight for the whole family. Both DVD and Blu-ray Disc feature entertaining bonuses, including a pair of very special, and very funny, interviews created in conjunction with ESPN.

High-living Boston Rebels quarterback Joe Kingman (Johnson) finds his world turned upside-down when seven-year-old Peyton Kelly (Pettis) shows up at his door and announces she is his child from a brief early marriage and needs a place to stay while her mother is away on business. For the next month, Joe is suddenly saddled with unfamiliar parental responsibilities like ballet class and homework, while also getting to know his daughter. As he tries to lead his team to a championship season, Joe navigates the rocky shoals between macho man and girly-girl cultures with hilarious and heartwarming results, building to an outcome he never saw coming.

BONUS FEATURES

DRAFTING THE GAME PLAN
This behind-the-scenes featurette provides hilarious movie-making insights from director Andy Fickman as well as a look at what goes into the making of a successful action sequence. It focuses on the fine art of choreographing a realistic scene, the challenges that the actors and athletes endure and the unexpected injuries that The Rock sustained. Special attention is paid to the scene in which Joe Kingman falls victim to a career-ending hit—a scene that actually left one stuntman nearly unconscious. Plus, eight-year-old Madison Pettis, armed with her own DV camera, documents her personal experiences on the ballet set.

ESPN’s SportsCenter DVD/Blu-ray™ Exclusive: The King in Search of a Ring
Stuart Scott of ESPN hosts a look at fictional star quarterback Joe Kingman, a man who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “share.” The Rock stays in character for interviews that fill in the blanks in Joe’s back story. The cast and crew contribute their thoughts and deleted scenes serve as “archival footage” in an entertaining “biography” of the athlete.

ESPN’s SportsCenter: The Rock Learns To Play QB
ESPN’s Sean Salisbury interviews The Rock on how he learned to play quarterback for the movie.

BLOOPERS WITH MARV ALBERT
Exclusive missed lines, blunders, bloopers, gags and more all set to the familiar narration of sportscaster Marv Albert.

DELETED SCENES
An extended version of the uproarious ballet scene and much more, including optional intros by director
Andy Fickman.

PEYTON’S MAKEOVER MADNESS
In a set-top feature, help Peyton “redecorate” Joe Kingman’s apartment with fun virtual arts and crafts.
Plus, exclusively on Blu-ray™:

CHALK TALK
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and director Andy Fickman enliven their unique film commentary by drawing “sports booth” style graphics on the screen to highlight their filmmaking experience.

The Game Plan DVD has a suggested retail price of $29.99 in the U.S. and $37.99 in Canada. The Blu-ray Disc is priced at $34.99 in the U.S. and $44.99 in Canada.

STREET DATE: January 22, 2008

Suggested retail price: DVD: $29.99 U.S., $37.99 Canada

Blu-ray Disc: $34.99 U.S., $44.99 Canada
Feature run time: 110 minutes
Rated: PG U.S., Bonus Materials not rated, G Canada
Technical specifications may only apply to feature
Aspect ratio: Widescreen (1.85:1), Full Screen (2.35.1)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Languages: English, French and Spanish, French and Spanish subtitles
FastPlay: FastPlay enabled

LI Kids will be sponsoring a contest soon giving away three copies of this great movie! Stay tuned for more details the closer to the release date it gets!

Technorati Tags: Game Plan, Disney DVD, Upcoming Releases, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, Comedy, Family Friendly, Blu-Ray, Standard DVD

Writer: Alyson Fouse
Director: Steve Rash
Cast: Ashley Benson, Michael Copon, Cassie Scerbo, Jennifer Tisdale
Rating: PG 13
Studio: Universal
Release Date: December 18, 2007

Direct to DVD release sequels are usually not worth watching. They work well if they are children’s movies or family films because children tend to be less picky about things like the plot and overall movie quality. Bring it On: In it to Win It is one of those movies that works as a family film. Kids will love it, parents will be able to sit through it, but it’s never going to come to close to winning any tangible awards.

After the success of the first Bring it On it only made sense to follow it up with additional stories, at least that is apparently what the studio thought. I did not catch any of the other sequels that came in this series and chances are I would not have bothered to see this one had it not ended up on my desk with a need for review.

Release Information:
Bring it On: In it to Win It is the third movie in a line of sequels that revolve around cheerleading rivalries. The movies generally deal with a cheerleading championship and two rival schools with preppy girls who talk smack and are in it to win it! The movies stopped being truly enjoyable after the first film, but they are still a hit with the teen and tween crowds. Bring it On: In it to Win It came out on DVD on December 18, 2007. You can pick this movie up at most major retailers and Amazon where it retails for just under $20.

The Bring it On: In it to Win It Plot
Cheerleading and dancing movies are all the rage anymore. It doesn’t make them all good. In reality, just because they are popular doesn’t make any of them good. The facts are pretty simple in that all dance and all cheerleading movies are relatively the same. The style of dance may be different, but the plots are almost always identical in many ways. Bring it On: In it to Win It is one of those similar style movies. It’s your typical cheerleading, trash talking, teenage indulgence films, but this one has a twist. The twist comes in the form of a play on words based on West Side Story. In this installment of what appears to now be a nearly worthless franchise you have the East Coast Sharks battling the West Coast Jets. While at cheerleading camp, these two groups often rumble, if you will, though it is hardly entertaining in Cheer-Gang form.

To make things amusing the peppy teens make up cheer words that are supposed to be funny. They have Cheer Offs and Cheer Downs and things of that sort. The movie takes place at Universal Studios, where the cheer teams stay at the Hard Rock Hotel. I suppose this serves as a twofold benefit for Universal because they receive the benefit of having made the movie, if it were to become a success (though I hope not because that would encourage yet another sequel), and they have the infomercial appeal down with 90 minutes of life at the theme park.

The majority of the first half of the film is a lot of cheer rumbling. The problem is that the moves of both teams aren’t all that exciting. In fact, if those were the moves they planned to take to the competition, you could see them losing. There is also an unlikely romance that blooms between cheerleaders on opposite sides, making things cattier and more deceptive until the events of both teams explode in their respective faces.

My biggest problem with this installment of Bring it On is that the movie hinges totally on cheerleading and not on the story. If the cheerleading had been impressive then I might have been able to overlook the lack of plot, but it wasn’t that great. The movie’s main theme deals with being true to yourself and your friends. That is fine and will work well for a younger audience. The problem is that there are plenty of things that parents might not want their children to see. The cheerleaders talk a little too much about sex and they seem to have far too much freedom in their adult behavior. This is what led to the PG 13 rating, thus marketing it for a slightly older audience, though the older you are, the less chance you have of finding anything interesting for you to enjoy in this movie.

If the movie was going to be marketed for an older audience it should have had a better story. While this would have been fine for kids, the sex talk raises the bar, and it misses any possible target audience that it could have found due to lackluster performances, undeveloped characters, and sad choreography. At this point, I only hope that the series stops here. I don’t really see that happening, but it would be nice if Universal gave up while they could still have some dignity.

Storyline/Plot: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 1 out of 5 stars
Acting: 2 out of 5 stars
Directing: 2 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Bring it On: In it to Win it was not a movie that I had extremely high expectations for when it came to transfer quality. Considering the fact that it is direct to DVD, this often leaves plenty of room for skimping on quality where big studio flicks are given top treatment. Thanks to Universal backing, it seems that this film also got that treatment. The film looks incredible, done up in anamorphic widescreen with a film transfer of 1.78:1.

The colors are bright and the background looks as good as the foreground. There is little, if any grain present, making the film dazzling when it comes to video. The audio is a Dolby 5.1 mix and it comes through incredibly strong whether you are hearing music or dialogue. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
There are a couple special features offered on the Bring it On: In it to Win it DVD. Some of the special features include Universal movie previews (these can be skipped if you do not want to watch them), seven deleted scenes, an extended opening sequence, and a couple featurettes. The featurettes listed include, “Lights, Camera, Bring It!”, “East Coast Proper”, “West Coast Flair”, “The Rumble with Tony G”, and “Cheer Off! Learn How to Cheer with Tony G.” All of the featurettes offer a beautiful look as they were filmed in the same picture quality as the actual movie.

Bonus Features: 3 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
Bring it On: In it to Win It is the unfortunate movie with no plot and no audience. People will watch this and if they have low standards they might even like it, but it’s not anything that someone with love of a good plot will appreciate. At best, Bring it On: In it to Win It is the kind of movie you watch to keep you from absolute and total boredom. Even then, you only watch it to laugh at it. Save yourself from this one. If your kids love it, I recommend renting it first as you might just find that it is too dumbed down for them to appreciate, as well.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Bring it On, In it to Win it, Sequel, Home Entertainment, Universal, Comedy, Cheerleading, Universal

Writer: Various
Director: George Scribner, Jerry Rees
Cast: Tommy Chico, Jeff Lam, Sammy Davis Jr., Walt Disney, Steve Martin, Ronald Reagan
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date:December 11, 2007

It’s time again for another round of the Walt Disney Treasures DVD sets. Now in round seven, these limited edition classic sets are both interesting to watch and a pleasure to own. There are three collections in this round of Treasures. This review is of Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic. Other reviews in this series are for Chronological Donald, Volume 3 and The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

This particular DVD is presented in a number of different segments ranging from small featurettes and bonus features to larger documentaries on Walt Disney and his magical theme parks. When Disneyland opened back in 1955, I find it hard to imagine that anyone would have any idea the legacy that was being built. This phase of the Walt Disney Treasures line pays homage to the wonderful addition to Anaheim, California that seems to get more popular every single year. It’s common for Disneyland to receive millions of visitors every year, and any of these visitors are Disney obsessed.

Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic is a good first DVD when it comes to offering an obsessed fan information about the Disneyland legacy and history. With such a positive presentation it is easy to imagine that Disney will soon be offering more thorough peeks into the history and soul behind Disney and all that the name implies. This DVD set will be adored by fans as it contains a touching look at the meaning behind the park for Walt Disney and the lengths that have been taken to ensure growth and preservation of the park in his name.

Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic is broken into two DVDs. In the plot area I will break down each of the discs so that you know just what you can find on both of them.

Release Information:
Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic is one of three DVD Box Sets that is part of the Disney Treasures collection. These DVDs are released periodically in limited editions. Often, they celebrate the older days of Disney, hence the name of the set being called Disney ‘treasures’. This wave of DVDs was released on December 11, 2007. You can purchase Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic on Amazon, while the box set is still available, for $22.99.

The Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic Plot
All of the information on the Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic set has been put on two DVDs. I have listed information on what you will find and where it is located based on each disc for your convenience.

On disc one, there are several offerings including a short “Introduction with Leonard Maltin”, the documentary “Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic of the Happiest Place on Earth”, a little bit of fun with the “Wonderful World of Disneyland Trivia Game”, an early day at Disneyland with “People and Places: Disneyland U.S.A.”, and a tour of the beginning of Disneyland in “Places”.

The Introduction lasts for two minutes and gives you a chance to learn more about what you will see from the Disney Treasures ambassador, Leonard Maltin. “Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic of the Happiest Place on Earth” is the longest feature on this disc, lasting for 81 minutes. As you might have guessed, this makes it the main piece for this DVD. “Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic of the Happiest Place on Earth” focuses on the history of the park. There are interviews with the people who helped make the park what it is. At one point this was meant to be its own DVD, but after a little remastering and a new look, this feature came to life beautifully.

Julie Andrews is included in this DVD as the host for the documentary. It seems impossible for them to shove 50 years of history into such a brief documentary, though they manage to get all of the little known points and bits of trivia into this section. There are numerous interviews with important Disney personalities. Some of the interviewees include Marty Sklar, Roy Disney, Tony Baxter, George Lucas, and plenty of others that were not mentioned here. The interviews are not only interesting, but they are nice to watch because everyone speaks of Walt and his memory so highly.

Some of the high points of this DVD include the death of Walt Disney, failed attractions, Holidayland, renovation, and much more. The park footage in this documentary is fascinating to watch. The reason this is so amazing to watch is because many of the clips that are viewed were part of the Disney Vault. This means plenty of retro clips and tons of nostalgia are presented for your viewing pleasure. There are moments that may remind you of a vacation planner DVD, but this soon changes and what you see will leave you wanting to know more.

The trivia game, “Wonderful World of Disneyland Trivia Game” is at times easy if you can follow a hint, but it is fun to play nonetheless. You have the option to play beginner or advanced, so if the one level is too easy you can move on to something harder. This trivia game is special because when you win by answering things correctly you receive Disneyland park tickets, which give you a chance to see the rides in actual motion.

“People and Places: Disneyland U.S.A.” is similar to a tour DVD. You are shown around the park. Originally filmed in 1956 and narrated by Winston Hibler, this was meant to be a piece of promotional material that showed people enjoying the park. This portion of the DVD is incredibly interesting as you will see shots of Disneyland that you probably haven’t seen before. There is also the pleasure of seeing Disneyland in such an infant-like state. The tour that you receive here is unlike any other that you will receive at a Disney park.

The second disc has another “Introduction with Leonard Maltin”, a small sneak peek called “Operation Disneyland”, a color episode of “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” and “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair”. Finally there are two more offerings, “Disneyland around the Seasons” and “Fantasy on Parade”.

“Operation Disneyland” lasts for 14 minutes and gives a small peek at what things were like on the first day the park opened. This mini-documentary gets right to the point. The quality here is not the best though it offers a few interesting points about the running of early Disneyland.

The next feature, “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” is much longer, lasting nearly an hour. This episode from “The Wonderful World of Color” was made in the early 60s. This episode is hosted by Betty Taylor. Guests on “The Golden Horseshoe Revue” include Ed Wynn, Annette Funicello, Gene Sheldon, and Wally Boag. This show is definitely interesting to say the least. There are plenty of laughs, interesting skits, and lots of action going on in this feature!

The next feature, “Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair” is all about Disney’s presence at the 1964 World’s Fair, as the name partially suggests. This episode is more about the creations of Disney that made him a success at the fair than anything else. While interesting, I could have taken or left this particular feature.

In yet another “World of Color” episode, “Disneyland around the Seasons” shows the opening of the ride, “It’s a Small World”. There are some similarities here to the episode prior to this one, though things still remain fresh enough to warrant its place on the DVD and to keep things interesting. The last feature is about a Disney Parade! “Fantasy on Parade” was, at one point, a holiday classic. While this parade show is interesting, it has special significance because it was aired in 1966, days after Walt passed away.

Storyline/Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic offers a variety of different video qualities so it is hard to list them all. However, the majority of them have held up incredibly well over the years. Most of the picture quality comes through nearly perfect with sharp colors and little grain. Most of the audio format was done in Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound. Overall the sound works well and there are no complaints to speak of in this area.

Visual: 4 out of 5 stars
Audio: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
The main bonus feature on the first disc of this box set is commentary courtesy of Tony Baxter and Leonard Maltin. The second disc offers a 37 minute video, “Building Walt’s Dream: Disneyland under Construction”. Commentary is also available on this second disc. Bonus features are rounded up with a map gallery. These features add to the overall feel of the DVD set, offering plenty of interesting information and some great material for Disney buffs.

Bonus Features: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
This is a first step in showing some of the best of Disneyland’s history. While this is by no means complete, what you have here will entertain and inform you about one of the most spectacular parks on the planet. Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic will make a perfect gift for Disney fans that are older, as younger children may be put off by the documentary style and lack of constant cartoons.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic , DVD Review, Disney, DisneyWorld, Documentary, DVD Review

Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Mel Blanc and Various Others
Rating: N/A
Studio: Warner Bros
Release Date: October 30, 2007

Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection surfaced with volume one about three years ago. Cartoon lovers swarmed around these sets with excitement. Looney Tunes is a favorite of most of the cartoon fans I know. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the other characters are memorable and fun in various ways. As a child, my favorite was always Tweety Bird. I think it comes from dressing up as Tweety for Halloween and having all the women in the neighborhood give me extra candy because of how cute they thought I was. My big brother didn’t like it, but he was too old to be cute at that point. His loss.

Back in the 80s you couldn’t watch the Saturday morning lineup without catching Looney Tunes at noon. They closed out the lineup and they were always some of my favorites. Over 20 years later, I still have my favorites, many of which are in this set of 60 cartoons. Volume five offers tons of cartoons, plenty of special features, and loads of fun for the whole family. It’s hard to say anything truly bad about Looney Tunes so while I might have a complaint or two, you won’t hear anything overly negative in my assessment of Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5.

Release Information:
Each of the Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection box sets have contained 60 cartoons, with exception to the first set which offered 56 cartoons. As the fifth set was just released on October 30, 2007 that brings the total count of Looney Tunes cartoons on DVD to 296. This box set also offers a great deal of special features and extras that add to the entertainment value of the box set. These features will be discussed below in more detail.

The Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 box set includes four discs. Interested parties can purchase Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 at all major retailers. Many online retailers will be carrying this title, as well. At Amazon you can pick up a copy of Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 for under $50.

The Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5Plot
Listing information on the plot for Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 is virtually impossible. Part of the reason for this is that the collection is a bunch of cartoon shorts. Furthermore, unless you’ve been living under a rock you are no stranger to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Coyote, Road Runner, Porky, Sylvester, Tweety, Grandma, Pepe, Taz, and all of the rest of the Looney Tunes gang.

Some of my personal favorites this time around include “Ali Baba Bunny”, “Transylvania 6-5000″, “Stupor Duck”, “The Abominable Snow Rabbit”, and “Tweety and the Beanstalk”. Rather than go on about the wonder that is Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 and give you random information about the various cartoons, I have decided to add in the track listing by disc. In the special features area, I will also do my best to break down the features based on disc, so you know right where to look to find what you want to watch.

Disc One contains mainly cartoons concerning Bugs and Daffy:

1. “14 Carrot Rabbit”
2. “Ali Baba Bunny” (Commentary by Filmmaker Greg Ford & Music-Only Audio Track)
3. “Buccaneer Bunny”
4. “Bugs’ Bonnets”
5. “A Star is Bored”
6. “A Pest in the House” (Commentary by Writer Paul Dini)
7. “Transylvania 6-5000″ (Commentary by Historian Jerry Beck)
8. “Oily Hare”
9. “Stupor Duck” (with Music-Only Audio Track)
10. “The Stupor Salesman”
11. “The Abominable Snow Rabbit” (with Music-and-Effects-Only Audio Track)
12. “The Super Snooper” (with Music-and-Effects-Only Audio Track)
13. “The Upstanding Sitter”
14. “Hollywood Daffy”
15. “You Were Never Duckier” (Commentary by Director Eric Goldberg)

Disc Two dealt with Looney Tunes versions of fairy tales:

1. “Bewitched Bunny” (Commentary by Director Eric Goldberg & Music-and-Effects-Only Audio Track)
2. “Paying the Piper”
3. “The Bear’s Tale”
4. “Foney Fables”
5. “Goldimouse and the Three Cats” (with Music-Only Audio Track)
6. “Holiday for Shoestrings” (Commentary by Historian Daniel Goldmark)
7. “Little Red Rodent Hood”
8. “Little Red Walking Hood” (Commentary by Animator Mark Kausler)
9. “Red Riding Hoodwinked” (Commentary by Filmmaker Greg Ford with Director Friz Freleng & Music-Only Audio Track)
10. “The Trial of Mr. Wolf”
11. “The Turn-Tale Wolf” (with Music-and-Effects-Only Audio Track)
12. “Tom Thumb in Trouble” (Commentary by Historian Jerry Beck)
13. “Tweety and the Beanstalk” (with Music-Only Audio Track)
14. “A Gander at Mother Goose”
15. “Senorella and the Glass Huarache”

Disc Three is a collection of shorts that have not yet been released on any other DVDs:

1. “Bacall to Arms” (Commentary by Historian Jerry Beck)
2. “Buckaroo Bugs” (Commentary by Historian Michael Barrier with Director Bob Clampett & Commentary Track by Director John Kricfalusi, Director Eddie Fitzgerald and Cartoonist Kali Fontecchio)
3. “Crazy Cruise”
4. “Farm Frolics” (Commentary by Actor Keith Scott)
5. “Hare Ribbin’”
6. “Patient Porky”
7. “Prehistoric Porky”
8. “The Bashful Buzzard” (Commentary by Writer Paul Dini)
9. “The Old Grey Hare” (Commentary by Filmmaker Greg Ford)
10. “The Wacky Wabbit” (Commentary by Director Eric Goldberg)
11. “The Wise Quacking Duck”
12. “Wagon Heels”
13. “The Daffy Doc” (Commentary by Animator Mark Kausler)
14. “A Tale of Two Kitties” (Commentary by Historian Michael Barrier with Director Bob Clampett)
15. “Porky’s Pooch”

Disc Four offers plenty of shorts from the 30s/40s:

1. “Alpine Antics”
2. “Eatin’ on the Cuff, or the Moth Who Came to Dinner” (with Commentary Track by Historian Jerry Beck)
3. “Milk and Money”
4. “I’ve Got to Sing a Torch Song”
5. “Porky at the Crocadero” (Commentary by Historian Daniel Goldmark)
6. “Polar Pals”
7. “Scrap Happy Daffy” (Commentary by Filmmaker Greg Ford)
8. “Porky’s Double Trouble”
9. “Gold Diggers of ‘49″
10. “Pilgrim Porky”
11. “Wise Quacks”
12. “Porky’s Preview” (Commentary by Filmmaker Greg Ford)
13. “Porky’s Poppa”
14. “Wholly Smoke” (Commentary by Historian Daniel Goldmark)
15. “What Price Porky”

The first two discs of Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 were certainly my favorites. Meanwhile, the third and fourth discs left something to be desired. I was able to watch them and there were some laughs, but I definitely found more humor in the later cartoons and shorts that I was already familiar with from the days of my Saturday morning cartoons. In the end, there were enough of those to appease me and make this a great set for both myself and my entire family.

Storyline/Plot: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars
Acting: 5 out of 5 stars
Directing: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio/Visual:
The audio and video quality here did not present anything worthy of much of a complaint. The aspect ratio for the video was 1.33:1. There were some small issues and it was obvious there was not a full restoration on these discs. However, they were cleaned up and they certainly looked better than they would have in a general transfer. The audio comes through loud and clear as English Dolby Digital Mono. Everything sounds perfect, especially considering when these cartoons were actually made.

Visual: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Bonus Features:
Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 is filled with special features, so if you want a bonus you can be sure that you will find plenty of them here. From loads of commentaries to featurettes and more, Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5 offers everything you could possibly wish to know about these cartoons.

Every disc comes with audio commentaries, music and effect tracks, and music only tracks. The following cartoons offer commentaries, “Ali Baba Bunny”, “A Pest in the House”, “Transylvania 6-5000″, “You Were Never Duckier”, “Bewitched Bunny”, “Holiday for Shoestrings”, “Little Red Walking Hood”, “Red Riding Hoodwinked”, “Tom Thumb in Trouble”, “Bacall to Arms”, “Buckaroo Bugs” , “Farm Frolics”, “The Bashful Buzzard”, “The Old Grey Hare”, “The Wacky Wabbit”, “The Daffy Doc”, “A Tale of Two Kitties”, “Eatin’ on the Cuff, or the Moth Who Came to Dinner”, “Porky at the Crocadero”, “Scrap Happy Daffy”, “Porky’s Preview”, and “Wholly Smoke”.

The rest of the special features are broken down by disc for your convenience.

The first disc includes the 2000 Documentary “Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens, A Life in Animation.” and a section on The Bugs Bunny Show. This area includes “Bad Time Story” (Bridging Sequences), “What’s Up Dog” (Audio Recording Sessions), and “The Bugs Bunny Show Commercials”. In the case of the commercials, there are quite a few to view and you will have the ability to play all of them if you wish.

Disc two offers plenty of behind-the-scenes footage including two featurettes, “Once Upon a Looney Tune” and “Drawn to Life: The Art of Robert McKimson”. The second part of the 2000 Documentary, “Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens, A Life in Animation” Part 2 is also included on the second disc. Special features for this disc are rounded out with “A Chuck Jones Tutorial: Tricks of the Cartoon Trade”.

The third disc begins with nearly 20 minutes of Behind the tunes action that offers two featurettes. The featurettes include “Wacky Warner One-Shots” and “Real American Zero: The Adventures of Private SNAFU”. In the “From the Vault” area you will have the chance to see a selection of early cartoons and shorts. Making the list here includes “Hare Ribbin” the Director’s Cut, “The Bashful Buzzard” Storyboard Reel, and “The Bashful Buzzard” Original Opening. Other vaulted items include Alternate Opening Themes by Milt Franklin, two SNAFU shorts, and three Hook shorts.

The final disc includes “Unsung Maestros: A Director’s Tribute” and Looney Tunes TV Specials. The specials add another hour to your viewing pleasure and offer previously aired specials such as “Bugs Bunny’s Looney Christmas Tales”, “Bugs Bunny’s Bustin’ Out All Over”, and “Bugs and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals”.

Bonus Features: 5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
I watched Looney Tunes as a kid and years later they still have the same effect on me. Rather than recommending you rent these before buying to make sure you like them, as I do with most sets that are later in the lineup, I am just going to recommend you purchase this set. Most people have seen Looney Tunes. If you’re one of the ones that haven’t seen it, you should definitely find your way to the store and pick up a copy of Looney Tunes – The Golden Collection Volume 5. You won’t be disappointed and if you have kids, they will love it, as well.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Looney Tunes, The Golden Collection Volume 5, Warner Bros, October 30 Release, DVD Box Set, Cartoons, Sylvester, Tweety, Bugs Bunny, Daffy, DVD Review