Blu-Ray Reviews: Remember Me and "Percy Jackson"
From Summit Entertainment 
Remember Me (Blu-Ray)
Tyler (Rob Pattinson) is a rebellious young New Yorker whose dad is a workaholic seemingly blaming him for a family tragedy. Tyler cozies up to cop's daughter Ally (Emilie de Ravin) on a dare but the two fall hard and she starts to heal his on edge, depressed nature. Tyler's little sis, whom he seems to love a lot, likes her too. Just as a happy ending seems imminent, another tragedy looms large in the lives of the lovers and their families.
Special Features: You get two "Audio Commentaries"; one with director Allen Coulter that is interesting enough with location, production and his directing decisions. The one with Rob and the cast, however, will probably be more important to you and is definitely worth a listen.
"The Making of “Remember Me” is an HD featurette that is really good. You see the cast and crew working in New York where the Rob fans had to be held back and out of shot. Lots of cast/crew interviews and other on set stuff. Really a pretty comprehensive featurette that is a bit more than the usual "selling", press kit kind of doc. Liked it.
Wish there had been a DVD copy and a Digital disc included but what is here is nice and of quality.
There's also a "while supplies last" poster offer in the box.. in which R-Patz looks particularly scruffy/yummy!
Wrapping Up: Rob fans get to see him play a more outwardly emotional character with quirks etc. He does a nice job in the film. Emilie de Ravin is a very good leading lady for him as she's sunny, spunky and balances Rob out very well. This movie isn't the teen romance candy you might expect but deals with adult themes and some serious heartbreak. Excellent actors Pierce Brosnan and Rob's dad and Chris Cooper as Emilie's pop are really well-cast.
Whether you are a Rob fan or an Emilie ("Lost") fan or just like a good love story with some dramatic heart, Remember Me is well worth a rental if not a buy. It has a very shocking ending as well (if some jerk hasn't already tipped you as to what it is).
From 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment 
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Blu-Ray plus DVD and Digital Combo)
Based upon the popular novels about a half-God teen named Percy Jackson (played here by cute Logan Lerman), "The Lightning Thief" intros us to Percy and his supernatural world. Outwardly he is a typical teen with dyslexia who lives with his single mom and a jerk step dad. When he learns that he is the son of Poseidon, the God of the sea (a demigod, thus), his world is turned upside down.
Percy's best buddy Grover (Tropic Thunder's Brandon T. Jackson) is secretly a mythical creature assigned to protect him and Percy has been set up as the thief of King of the Gods Zeus's fave lightning bolt. This has caused a war between the Gods who are thinking of trashing all of Mankind. Percy takes off on an adventure to find and catch the true thief, learn how to use his powers and save humankind while he strives to handle and get closer to his crush, the demigod daughter of Goddess Athena (Alexandra Daddario).
Special Features: Quite a few. On the Blu-Ray version you get 10 "Deleted Scenes", not earth-shaking story-wise but worth a watch. Two featurettes are educational but don't run away, they are fun. "Secrets of the Gods" tells you all about the myths associated with the Gods in the movie (and others) and there is the "Discover Your Powers" Quiz in which you find out what God you are personally most like (Athena here).
In "The Book Comes to Life", Director Chris Columbus and the novelist for the series Rick Riordan talk about turning the book into a film. "Inside Camp Half-Blood" is a kind of on-set piece with the action/fight sequences and "On Set with Brandon T. Jackson" is the actor's video-log and, like him, it's humorous and interesting.
Wrapping Up: This film didn't do that well in theaters but I find it to be fun and really empowering for teens, tweens and heck, college kids. There are some pretty cool special effects that look great at home even if some of them didn't hold up on a giant theater screen. There is some really cool "weather/elements" stuff. Uma Thurman as the snake-haired Medusa, ex-James Bond Pierce Brosnan as a half horse centaur, hot Rosario Dawson as Persephone (held captive by Hades, the God of waaaay downunder) are fun to watch.
Some of the "jokes" fall flat but the cast is earnest and true and a lot of teens think Logan Lerman is pretty cute. Definitely worth a watch and, if you like myths, effects and action, a buy.
