Spring DVD Review Round-Up - Part 1
It's Spring and new beginnings are in the air but, after a long day at school or after Spring cleaning your room, you'll be ready to curl up alone or with pals and a good movie on DVD. For Part 1 of this Round Up, we've got reviews of a teenage sleuth, a princess in New York, animated insects, a teen looking for his parents and Corbin Bleu wraps up his time as a marooned teen! Check it out...
From Warner Brothers Home Entertainment
Nancy Drew
This film update of a popular book series isn't your grandma's Nancy Drew but she's still a brainiac living in a pop culture world. Film story goes; Nancy (Emma Roberts) moves to L.A. for summer break with her dad making a promise to stop her dangerous sleuthing. Of course their rental house is haunted by a murdered screen siren so Nancy starts snooping; locating a hidden will and the woman's daughter and solving the crime with new pal Corky (Josh Flitter) who has a crush on her and her own crush Ned (Max Theiriot) along for the ride.
Video/Audio: My disc has both widescreen and fullscreen formats. The widescreen picture looks better in daytime scenes with vivid colors. Night or in house snooping scenes are more grainy and "muddy". Dolby Digital sound is fine with both dialogue, bumps in the night and music coming through with okay separation.
Special Features: "Nancy Drew: Kids at Work" is a set visit with Emma as guide where everybody is thrilled to be in the movie. Kind of a "selling" featurette but some of the young actor banter is cute.
"Gag Reel" isn't really the fun boo-boos and messed up takes we love but kinda more of the same messing around on the set. Not a laugh riot.
"Joanna: Pretty Much Amazing" is a short music video with no singer on camera but the song over clips from the film. Okay but kind of a cheat as a musical offering.
"Mini Featurette Gallery" is a hodge podge of little short scenes that might have been on the website. There are comments on who likes what music and some stuff about props. Not very hot but okay if you are a super fan of Emma or the movie.
Wrapping Up: This was a sweet movie with enough of a mystery story to please older teens and enough cutesy fashion fish out of water action for your younger sister. Nancy is a good role model in that she's smart and uses her smarts to help others. Emma is a good choice for the role. This DVD is a must for Emma fans and not bad faire for mystery buffs. I would have like more in depth special features but, overall, a buy or rent.
Nancy Drew: Drew's Clues
Along with the release of Nancy on DVD, there is another version of the film called Nancy Drew: Drew's Clues. This DVD is for those of you who are really into games, pop up trivia and sleuthing with the movie as backdrop. You can only get this version of the film via web download or on-demand cable.
Video/Audio: As good as the movie if your download provider or cable service keeps up the quality in the feature film. The screener I sent was fine.
Special Features: I'd say see the movie first on regular DVD then, go for this extra. You get a lot of pop ups with info on behind-the-scenes stuff like Emma's stunt double and locations etc. Some Emma personal stuff about her family and famous friends and here is where you do get a few actual bloopers, costume changes and silly movie moments.
Drew's Clues are a bunch of questions asking you to look all over the screen for hidden things and dig up things about Nancy's real self or the storyline. It's really just trivia but a little more interactive. You are basically rewarded as a winner for knowing the movie well and seeing it before.
Wrapping Up: This might be overkill if you've already bought the movie but hey, it's certainly worth a rental if you are a real fan. Some of this stuff could have just gone on the regular DVD release of the film as a special feature.
August Rush
Sizzlin' hot Jonathan Rhys Meyers sings in a band and woos Keri Russell in this adventure starring the now 15-year-old Freddie Highmore as an "orphan" named Evan who is sure his parents are alive and really do want him. He also wants to express his love of music but can't play an instrument. Evan "hears" music everywhere even in the phone lines. It leads him to NYC where a strange guy named Max Wallace (Robin Williams) takes him in and hopes to capitalize on the boy's instant musical talent on the guitar.
Meanwhile, in backstory, Louis Connelly (Jonathan) a rock musician and Lyla Novacek (Keri), a classical concert cellist meet, fall in love and have a one night stand. Yep, they are Evan's parents. Her dad demands she move on. She has the baby boy and evil dad tells her he died! Now, learning her son lived, Lyla starts her search and the odd little family is finally reunited when music prodigy genius Evan gives a concert in Central Park.
Video/Audio: You can watch in either full or widescreen versions. Don't know why you would want to not see the whole picture but your choice. The movie looks as good as in theaters with a bluish color palate predominating. All is clean. Dolby Digital sound does a great job spreading all over your speaker system, especially in the really good musical numbers. Dialogue is also crisp and clean as well as ambiant sounds.
Special Features: Not many. You get a few additional scenes that are interesting but nothing earth shaking.
Wrapping Up: I really enjoyed this film. It has a wonderful heart, some pretty awesome guitar playing on Freddie's part, some fun songs from Jonathan.. who is way hot in the movie, and a nice love story. The movie drags in parts but Freddie shows us what a great young actor with future potential he is. Very worth a rent.
From Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Enchanted : Widescreen Edition
Story for this fun, charming, musical film goes: In the animated land of Andalasia, beautiful Giselle (Amy Adams) is looking for the man of her dreams and settles quickly on Prince Edward (James Marsden) whose evil mom Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) simply won't be displaced as queen by a sweetsie daughter-in-law. Narissa uses magic to pop Giselle into the "real" world of New York City. Freaked-out but ever cheery Giselle is aided by hunky lawyer Rob (Patrick Dempsey). Narissa sends a henchman (Timothy Spall) to kill Giselle but his attempts fail. Edward comes into the real world to find his missing love with the aid of an animated chipmunk named Pip. Finally, Narissa pops in herself to try to finish the job.
Video/Audio: This widescreen transfer is really bright and colorful with dark and light coming through beautifully. Both the live action and the Disney animated sequences pop and sparkle. With all the music in this film, you want a good balance and you get it in both the musical numbers, dialogue and sound effects.
Special Features: The Bloopers are cute flubs and they are really entertaining. Deleted scenes are mostly just scenes or portions of scenes cut for time. Director Kevin Lima introduces them.
"Fantasy Comes to Life": is a three-featurette section that covers production. "Happy Working Song" is a hoot as it reveals how hard it was to get the choreography and music right while working with live pigeons and rats etc. Hey, most of these critters were really on set! Really interesting. "That's How You Know" takes you to Central Park where this show stopping musical number was shot. Tons of dancers, singers, jugglers, drummers etc were all corralled to make this work. Fun to watch. "A Blast at the Ball" is all about the film's complicated final scenes in which Narissa hits the real world and all heck breaks loose. Really interesting how this effects/live combo was produced. You do get some behind-the-scenes on set clips in these featurettes. Overall, a nice and entertaining production review!
"Pip's Predicament: A Pop-Up Adventure" might be more fun for your little sis or bro but hey, it's worth a one-time look for all. It's a short new story featuring little chipmunk Pip going to find Edward back in Andalasia. Cute.
Wrapping Up: This film is a laugh riot with romance and some cool action effects. Both the old-fashioned Disney animated sequences and the real NYC footage are just great and Amy Adams is the perfect actress to play a kind of ditzy but loving stranger-in-a-strange-land. Of course Patrick Dempsey is a great hunky hero and James Marsden is a comic genius at playing the self-absorbed prince. You'll see tons of references and "jabs" at classic Disney films. Definitely buy this DVD for your collection!
From Dreamworks Home Entertainment
Bee Movie: A Very Jerry Two Disc Edition
This super-popular recent animated film is full of wit and humor as graduating high school bee Barry (Jerry Seinfeld), unhappy with his boring assignment in the hive's honey factory, escapes into the outside world of humans where he gets chummy with human gal Vanessa (Renee Zellweger) and discovers that humans are stealing honey from the bees (hey, it's a big shock to him, okay?). Barry stirs up the hive to sue the honey manufacturers and distributors for a cut of the action. Oh yeah, and he's kind of in love with Vanessa.. "beauty and the bee"?
Video/Audio: This movie is ultra-saturated colorful and is very sharp and vivid. Those little yellow and black guys are just beautiful! The Dolby soundtrack is very crisp and clean with a lot of cute sound effects and great buzzing!
Special Features: Disc 1 contains some kinda fun and very talky commentary by Jerry and various filmmakers. You get some storyboard form sequences that were either cut or were alternate endings (like a really ticked off queen bee!). Jerry dressed up as a bee for the Cannes Film Festival is pretty silly fun and you get some behind-the scenes stuff of the cast recording their parts.
"Jerry's 16 TV Juniors" are short promo pieces that are pretty darn hilarious.
On Disc 2 we have a kinda cool featurette "The Buzz About Bees" that lets us know what the little critters do for us and nature. There is a kind of silly "Ow Meter" about bee stings and other slapstick. You get games that are good for a one-time play and you get a "We Got the Bee" music video with stuff from other Dreamworks movies. Okay. Again, a lot of these might work better for your younger siblings.
Wrapping Up: This is one animated movie that a wide variety of age groups can enjoy. It's not necessarily a teen fave but well worth a rental.
From Genius Entertainment
Flight 29 Down: Hotel Tango Series Finale
If you are a fan of the TV series, you'll want to see what happens to your fave castaways. After arguing and parting ways at the end of the Second Season (NOTE: the Second Season of the show is now also available on DVD with some behind-the-scenes footage of Corbin Bleu and the cast) the castaways split into separate groups; one trying to send out a better SOS, the other finding an isolated ruin that may explain the disappearance of their pilot and missing friends.
Video/Audio: The DVD looks and sounds as good as it did on TV... or better, if your TV doesn't get a good picture!
Special Features: Not too many: "Get to Know the Cast and Crew" is a silly Q and A session with questions like: "New York or L.A.?" "Pizza or Sushi" "Nite person or day person?" . You do get to know a little about the cast so worth a one-time watch.
"What You Didn't Know" is the director telling a story about one of the actors getting injured on set. Kind of lame.
"The Stranded Look" is the best of the features as the cast shows us their wardrobe for the series and then contrasts those clothes with what they really wear. Corbin complains that they don't get a nifty wardrobe because they are stuck on an island with the same clothes they landed with. There is also a little talk in the make-up trailer as the actors mention that they've aged 3 years making the series but only 24 days are supposed to have passed.
Wrapping Up: If you are a series fan, this is a "must have" to wrap up the castaways' story, solve any mysteries and see how it all ends. If you are just a mild Corbin fan, might wanna rent it.
***
Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.
