Holiday DVD Review Round-Up - Part 2

Still searching for that perfect gift or have you been waiting for a fave movie to hit DVD? Here is more yuletide fodder for viewing enjoyment. We've got it all; a gurl-friendly adventure, a delightful animated robot romp and two hot adventure/fantasy/actioners! Check it out....

From Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Wall-E: 3 Disc Special Edition

In this animated film, the delightful and lovable Wall-E is the last of a vast army of robots built by an all-controlling corporation to clean up the trash mess we earthlings have created. Once humans ship off to the stars, the machines break down, leaving only lonely Wall-E to trash compact himself through the long days...until he meets EVA, a sleek, modern robot sent to Earth to check for any new growth of long-extinct plant life. In love, Wall-E follows his "lady" back to the giant mothership where he becomes part of an effort to bring humankind back home to repopulate the planet.

Special Features: On Disc One - In his Audio Commentary director Andrew Stanton goes into detail on the origins of Wall-E (he's based on a pair of binoculars) and the way the film progressed, it's themes etc. More interesting than most. I loved the animated short films. "Presto" was seen in theaters with Wall-E and is a very funny tale about a magician and his hungry rabbit. "BURN-E" is not as great but cute as it explores a side story of a repair robot who is locked outside the huge Axiom ship. Cute and charming.

Two "Deleted Scenes" are called "Garbage Airlock" and "Dumped". These are completed scenes and extend what is in the film. They are fun to check out.

In "Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from the Sound Up" you learn how important sound is to an animated feature; especially this one with very little dialogue. Sound master Ben Burtt talks about all the crazy things used to create the Wall-E sounds. Very interesting and informative.

On Disc 2 we have two sections; "Humans" (for film fans) and "Robots" (for families). Really interesting is "The Pixar Story" which is a longish documentary made last year that details the history of the studio and its head John Lasseter. I would pay for this by itself. It is fascinating and full of cool pictures and clips. You learn about the "iffy" early days of Pixar and Lasseter's problems with Disney early on only to see him return to head the studio's animation division later in life. A must!

You get two more "Deleted Scenes" called "Secret Files" and "Docking". These are in a rougher animation state but well worth the look. For a bunch of behind-the-scenes featurettes we have: "The Imperfect Lens: Creating the Look of WALL-E" that lays out the movie's amazing details in stunning background art and character detail. We learn that a famous live action cinematographer consulted on making the animation look like live action at times. Also interesting. "Captain's Log: The Evolution of Humans" reveals how an earlier storyline showed humans as evolving into jello-like blobs due to the lazy disuse of limbs and a lack of exercise.. scary.. makes you want to hit the gym! "Notes on a Score" is the film from the POV of the music composer and editor. "Life of a Shot: Deconstructing the Pixar Process" introduces you to just how much of a crew it takes to do one shot.. astounding. "Robo-Everything" tells you more about the other robots in the film seen on the Axiom ship. Cute. In "Wall-E and EVE" you get the scoop on the design and development of these two lead characters.

The last featurette in the "Humans" section features a group of "Buy 'n Large" "commercials" that presume that the huge mega-company really does exist and is coping with a messed up earth while still "selling". Funny and entertaining.

The "Robots" section, I assume, is more for a younger audience although it's very cute. "WALL-E's Treasures and Trinkets" shows the robot with all the cool stuff Wall-E collects.. a very sweet little animated feature. The "Bot Files" lists all the different robotic characters in the movie..many only seen in the background. Fun to look through because we might miss a lot of this work. "Lots of Bots" is a Read-Along Storybook for kids with its own cute story. I'm also told there is at least one secret "Easter Egg" on this disc in one of the menus but.. waaaaa. I didn't find it. On Disc 3 you have your Digital Copy of the film for your other electronic gear.

Wrapping Up: Wall-E is one of Pixar's most charming films with sweet, lovable characters and a cautionary-tale story about our environment and our human tendency to be lazy (beware or we might turn into jello-blobs!) and this DVD is packed full of interesting and colorful Special Features; something for everybody. Teens and adults will really enjoy The Pixar Story. This DVD is well-worth buying for your animation collection and makes an excellent gift for a wide age-range of pals.

From Warner Brothers Home Entertainment

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2: Widescreen Edition

You might remember that in 2005's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a group of teen galpals further bonded when they could miraculously, all wear the same pair of jeans and, when their paths split for the summer, they kept in touch my mailing the jeans along with notes on their lives, to each other. Well, get ready for part 2. The pants don't seem to mean much in this one but the girls are all about 19 now and still struggling with relationships and building careers in this summer after their first year of college.

Special Features: Not a ton. You get the short featurette "Go Jump Off a Cliff," which talks about the actresses actually doing the jump on location in Greece etc. Kind of cute. "Deleted Scenes" include director commentary. Okay but nothing amazing. "Gag Reel: On Set Bloopers and Jokes" is fun and makes you think these young actresses were actually having fun on this film. You also get access to a digital copy of the movie for Windows media computers.

Wrapping Up: These popular actresses are a fun watch (Blake Lively from "Gossip Girl", America Ferrera from "Ugly Betty", Amber Tamblyn from "Joan of Arcadia", Alexis Bledel from "The Gilmore Girls") as their characters, all very bad at relationships, find their ways through the mire in separate lives that loosely tie together in this 2nd installment of the "Pants" saga. Well worth a rental however and certainly a buy for fans of the books, the actresses or just girlpower.

From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Hellboy II: The Golden Army: 3-Disc Special Edition

In this second installment of fanciful director Guillermo del Toro's humorous action/saga Hellboy, based upon the comic, "freaks of nature" Hellboy (Ron Perlman), his pyrokenetic girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and their amphibian pal Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) are still helping mankind by working for the BPRD bureau. Hellboy and Liz are still a couple and are having domestic problems and Abe Falls for the Princess of an ancient race when she goes on the run from her brother Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) who is out to reclaim the human world by using a powerful hidden underground "Golden Army". Hellboy has to re-examine where he fits in the world and face a whole new challenge; his impending fatherhood!

Special Features: A lot of really good ones!! We have a feature-length Audio Commentary with director Guillermo del Toro who really provides the goods as far as production info and insider tidbits like there are a few "Pan's Labyrinth" creatures among the many created for this film. Guillermo designed the Golden Army soldiers after a toy he had from the 1980's and he had to build the inside of BPRD headquarters in CG when he couldn't get back to Budapest to shoot. The Latino director even apologizes for his "horrible voice" which was just fine.

A second commentary includes actors Selma Blair, Luke Goss and Jeffrey Tambor but no Ron Perlman which is kinda weird. This is a very chatty (mostly Selma) commentary and the folks seem to be having fun but this isn't a listening must.

On the "Troll Market Tour" del Toro guides us while we tour the huge sets for the underground lair of the baddies. You learn a lot and see things in detail. Enjoyable.

"Set Visits" gives you a lot of enjoyable behind-the-scenes footage with action and insider tidbits as if you were actually there. Really fun. "Zinco Epilogue" is an animated comic book meant to give you more of the story but it kind of confused me...however, it looked neat.

"Deleted Scenes", cut for better pace, include some cute character moments and some unfinished shots with green screen etc. These are interesting with or without del Toro's commentary. "Hellboy: In Service of the Demon" is an amazingly cool documentary that covers the entire production from very basic start to finish (no post production however). You are even included in design sessions in which the major department heads sit around on the floor trying to build their visually amazing world. Really a true behind-the-scenes treat. There are fun interviews with cast and crew and you really feel like a filmmaker after watching this. Excellent job.

"Production Workshop" is a story comparison of the storyboards creating the Golden Army. Cool. "Pre-Production Vault" lets you look at pages from the director's famous notebook in which he sketches and outlines all his dreams for the film. This includes his commentary. There are also a cool set of picture galleries "Creature Design, Mike Mignola Creator Gallery, Production Design, and Production Stills".

The third Disc is a digital copy for i-Pod, computer, etc. And there is a DVD-Rom version of the actual screenplay to read through.

Wrapping Up: This fun film is stuffed full of eye-popping visual effects in the form of creatures you could never imagine in amazing sets and action. Costumes are beautiful as well and I loved the "human" nature of a dual love story for Hellboy/Liz and Abe and his Princess. Humor is really high when Hellboy and Abe drink a little too much beer and sing "I Can't Live Without You" about their lady loves. This is a great DVD for fantasy film fanboys and girls and will keep anyone glued to the screen as an amazing collection of fantasy creatures go by in parade. Hot Luke Goss does some pretty impressive martial arts moves as well. Very worth a rental and certainly a gifting or a great, eye-popping edition to your Fantasy/Action film collection.

Wanted: 2-Disc Special Edition

In this intense action/thriller. Wesley Gibson (hot James McAvoy) hates his boring job in a cubical, his annoying, chubby female boss and his cheating girlfriend. He's ultra-depressed until super foxy Fox (Angelina Jolie) crashes into his life and tells him he's destined to be part of The Fraternity, a group of almost super-human assassins. Seems Wesley's dad died, leaving an opening on the team. Fascinated by Fox and the whole idea of an action-packed life, Wes meets leader Sloan (Morgan Freeman) and starts grueling training that will release Wes's special super gifts. Once a member of the team, Wes learns some secrets that make him question his decision.

Special Features: An "Extended Scene" shows us more about Wesley's getting familiar with a gun and practicing on already dead targets.. Ewww but hey, interesting. "Cast and Characters" focuses on the cast and crew talking about their characters and how the actors joined the project and you get some cool stunts and behind-the-scenes footage that is entertaining.

"Stunts on the L Train" provides a short breakdown of one of the major action scenes done with a lot of green screen and wirework.. You really see how the whole thing was faked... not even much real train! "Special Effects: The Art of the Impossible" hits all the behind-the-scenes tech achievements with the practical, on-set effects supervisor walking you through a ton of effects. The way the impossible was made to look real in this film is amazing.

"Groundbreaking Visual Effects: From Imagination to Execution" showcases the Russian team of artisans doing in-camera tricks and effects magic.. more explanation of the unbelievable action in the film. "The Origins of 'Wanted: Bringing the Graphic Novel to Life" is an interview with the graphic novelist Mark Millar, who created the basic "Wanted" story and characters. Interesting. "Through the Eyes of Visionary Director Timur Bekmambetov" features cast and crew talking about their director mostly in terms that make him seem like a total genius. A little "kiss-up" but informative.

"Wanted: Motion Comics" brings the graphic novel to life in animation. Okay if you are into that kind of thing. "'The Little Things: Music Video Mash-Up" is a very rockin' tune set to some film clips. "The Making of 'Wanted: The Game'" is a "selling" piece for the video game which isn't out yet.

Wrapping Up: Wanted is quite ultra-violent and graphic but it has a look that is very different. It's a total non-stop actioner that is a popcorn-chomping delight featuring a hero that you can probably identify with...if you work in a cubical or small office in a job that isn't your idea of heaven.. and that covers a lot of people. Stunts, real or not, are just amazing. More comedy relief would have been nice but, none-the-less, James McAvoy is buffed-up and at his hottest and this film will certainly please the thrill seeker on your list!