Holiday Blu-Ray/DVD Review Round-Up Part 3
It’s coming down to the wire but there is time to pick up more video gifts and certainly collect some for yourself and that holiday movie marathon at your house. We’ve watched a comedy with penguins, a teen romance, a fun animated romp and a fun if scary thriller. Here’s the lowdown….
From 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Combo Pack
Jim Carrey is Mr. Popper, a workaholic NYC real estate guy who is divorced and spends too little time with his kids (one is a teen). He’s given the challenge of buying famous Central Park restaurant the Tavern on the Green (now actually closed) so his evil bosses can tear it down and put up a commercial building. The owner is played by the delightful Angela Lansbury and she’s not about to sell to the likes of Popper.
When Popper’s explorer dad dies, he sends six live penguins to his son which Popper has to keep in his swanky apartment. Of course his kids love them and they help him thaw out his emotions until he, ex-wife and kids can reunite. He changes his mind about swooping down to destroy the restaurant as well.
Special Features: There is an "audio commentary" by directorMark Waters, film editor Bruce Green, and effects guy Richard Hollander. We learn when real and computer-generated penguins were used and why certain NYC locations were picked. Interesting enough. “Nimrod and Stinky’s Antarctic Adventure” animates two of the penguins in the movie in their own adventure down at the South Pole. Cute.
“The Legacy of Mr. Popper’s Penguins” tells us about the authors of the original book the Atwaters who won several awards for their children’s book. “Ready for Their Close-Up” is a making-of piece focusing on the live penguins and how hard it was to get them to act on cue and hit their marks. Jim Carrey is a natural with them. Very cute.
“Ladies and Gentoomen” again is penguin-centric and talks about the specific habitat the birds must have on set. Little divas. “Stuffy Penguin Theater” is pretty funny as stuffed penguin plush toys are used to mark various action that will then have CGI penguins put in later. “Penguin Pandemonium” is a complete scene from “stuffy” toys through various takes until the final shot. A nice “how do they do that?” piece.
A story sampler is the first 3 chapters of the book that you and the family can read off the screen. The “Gag Reel” is pretty penguin-funny but very short. There are some “Deleted Scenes” but none that really matter too much.
Wrapping Up: Okay, penguins are cute and the filmmakers do a great job of combining CGI penguins and real ones so that you really can’t tell which is which. Jim Carrey is pretty funny and goofy and you might identify with the teen daughter whose dad embarrasses her and just doesn’t get it! This is a cute buy for both teens and kids and a great watch for the holiday season.
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special- Blu-Ray/DVD and Digital Combo Pack
The whole Ice Age gang is back for this sweet holiday cartoon. When Sid the sloth accidentally destroys Manny (the mammoth’s) heirloom Christmas rock, he ends up on Santa's "naughty list." Sid leads a quest to the North Pole to make things right and ends up making things much worse of course. Now it's up to Manny and his prehistoric posse (including wife Ellie and daughter Peaches) to band together and save Christmas for the entire world.
Special Features: A preview of the next big Ice Age movie Ice Age: Continental Drift. Looks pretty cute. And you or your smaller siblings can dance along to a “Swingin’ Jingle Bells Music Video” that is a hoot for a one-time watch or multiple dances.
Wrapping Up: This little gem only runs 25 minutes so it’s a great cartoon to play between films at home. Anything with Scrat (Ice Age’s weird squirrel-type critter always after his runaway acorn) cracks me up and he’s in this a bit. Well worth collecting, gifting and breaking out every holiday season.
The Art of Getting By – DVD
This relatable young love/relationship movie features Emma Roberts and the now, very tall and older Freddie Highmore (he’s totally not that little kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory anymore) as they play a misfit couple (he
’s a slacker, she’s popular) who get together because both are kinda miserable. Her home life is messed up and he’s unhappy because he’s so smart that classes bore him and he might not graduate. They learn they have more in common than they thought.
Special Features: You get an “audio commentary” with Director Gavin Wiesen. "New York Slice of Life" has the cast and filmmakers talking about shooting and hanging out in New York. "On Young Love" features the director with Freddie and Emma talking about the character relationships and the story.
Wrapping Up: This is a very watchable film with two very good young actors; Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts. Not that I saw any chemistry between them although, when I interviewed Emma for another film, she mentioned that they were great buddies and hung out in New York. You’ll recognize pals and maybe yourself in these characters and this is a very nice “girl’s night in” flick or a great gift for Emma fans especially.
From Warner Home Entertainment and New Line Cinema
Final Destination Five – Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack
These clever horror films have legions of fans and this “last” one is a great example of the series. It is a prequel to all the other films and dovetails nicely into the first of the series. A bunch of young coworkers (Including “Heroes” Nick D’Agosto) are on a bus to one of those lame job retreats when a suspension bridge they are crossing collapses. One of them foresees the event and gets some of his friends to leave the bus before the disaster. Of course death, who stalks all the Final Destination films, feels cheated and starts picking off those intended to die one by one in very clever and gruesome ways.
Special Features: Several. “Final Destination 5:' Circle of Death” describes how the films have gone full circle. Actors are interviewed. “Alternate Death Scenes” show slightly different versions of two of the deaths in the movie. Not too different but… a little.
“Visual Effects of Death: Collapsing Bridge “ is a split screen showing of the actors on wires against green screening in their bridge escape (or deaths) side by side with the final shot of the same thing in the movie. Kind of interesting to see how all of this was done. Some of the actors went through quite a lot.
“Visual Effects of Death: Airplane Crash” is the same thing.
Wrapping Up: There are some cool and very creative deaths in this (maybe) last of the “Destination” movies. I liked some of the character relationships. There’s always that guy that you can’t wait to see the film kill off and the lovers you root for, etc. Special effects, especially the big bridge collapse, are really pretty good and again, creative.
There is a montage over the final credits of the film featuring memorable deaths from all the movies in the series. Yes, these films are gory but the chain reaction deaths are so clever that you laugh more than you freak. Of course WARNING: Still rated “R”. Buy this one for a true fan of these films. They won’t be disappointed.
