Bill Kelley
12-25-07, 11:44 AM
Here's the following Blu-ray reviews from The Virginian-Pilot newspaper/online.
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 23, 2007
“THE SIMPSONS MOVIE”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 2007, PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout
Best extra: Two commentaries blend from series creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening, writer/producers Al Jean, Mike Scully, Mike, B. Anderson, Steven Dean Moore and Rich Moore, director David Silverman, voice actors Dan Castellaneta and Yeardly Smith. What’s fun is that one was recorded prior to the release of the film. The second afterwards – but both hit on many of the same triumphs and concerns.
“THE SIMPSONS MOVIE” took years to complete. Commentaries give a clear idea of the difficulties. Full scenes were animated, voiced and scrapped when the laughs didn’t pay off. In this story about pollution and a solution to encase Springfield in a dome gone horribly wrong, Marge was the initial harbinger of doom. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Our lady of the blue beehive is the voice of truth.
But using Marge in this role gave the story dark mojo. Better to use whacky Grandpa as the oracle and let ’er rip from there ... which it does with abandon. There’s something to offend everyone in “The Simpsons.”
A full package of extras on the Blu-ray and standard-def presentations include fully realized deleted scenes and scenes from the series. The film looks and sounds good in standard-def, but viewers will see a big difference in color and detail on Blu-ray. Huge even. It’s an odd experience because “The Simpsons” isn’t known for its detailed animation. Still, the rich color – and Mr. Flanders’ magical hot chocolate – is stunning to behold.
— Kay Reynolds
“BLADE RUNNER: FIVE-DISC COMPLETE COLLECTOR’S EDITION”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 1981, 1992, 2007, R for violence and brief nudity
Best extra: “Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner,” the three and a half hour documentary where Ridley Scott answers the question fans been arguing about for years: Is Harrison Ford's character a replicant? The answer? Yes. And as Scott so quaintly puts it: "If you don't get it, you're a moron."
WITHOUT A DOUBT, “Blade Runner” is the best DVD and hi-def collection of the year.
Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece finally has been given the treatment it deserves in a massive five-disc edition that compiles five versions of the film. Plus, there’s a definitive 3˝-hour documentary culled from more than 80 new interviews (including Harrison Ford), an Enhancement Archive filled with featurettes about sci-fi grandmaster Philip K. Dick, screen tests, deleted and alternate scenes, promotional featurettes, trailers, TV spots, marketing material and four audio commentaries.
“Final Cut” looks the best, highlighting Jordan Cronenweth’s stunning cinematography, revealing every detail Scott crams into the dense exterior shots. It’s also the only version to support Dolby True HD sound, for the most dynamic experience.
Surprisingly, hi-def (Blu-ray and HD DVD) viewers get the cheapest deal for the five edits at $39.99. DVD owners have two options: the four-disc set $34.99 or the five-disc set at $78.92. Yet another reason to embrace the future and go hi-def.
— Josh Boone
“UNDERDOG”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 2007, PG for rude humor, mild language and action
Best extra: "Sit. Stay. Act: Diary of a Dog Actor" taped in hi-def.
"HAVE NO FEAR, Underdog is here!"
Walt Disney’s real-life version of the 1960s cartoon brings a super Beagle to the big screen after his run in with evil Dr. Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage) and his not-so-bright henchman Cad "Patrick Warburton). Underdog, also known as Shoeshine, has super powers and a family who loves him, Dan and Jack Unger (James Belushi and Alex Neuberger respectively).
The DVD doesn’t contain a feature-length commentary but a short feature "Sit. Stay. Act: Diary of a Dog Actor," actually gives a glimpse at the making-of the flick, not only from Shoeshine’s perspective, but the humans who put the movie together. It’s amazing the dog actor actually got hooked up to a contraption so he could be filmed against a green screen with just enough wind in his ears and cape.
Other bonus features include brief bloopers, three deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Frederik Du Chau, a music video to "Underdog Raps" with Kyle Massey and the original "Underdog" cartoon episode "Safe Waif."
Look closely at the movie, try to figure out which Disney classic is spoofed between Shoeshine (Jason Lee) and Polly Purebred (Amy Adams).
— Toni Guagenti
“HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: EXTENDED EDITION”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 2007, TV-G
Best extra: "Rehearsal Cam," behind-the-scenes taped in hi-def, of the actors rehearsing each of the flick’s dance numbers
THE CLAMORING for this DVD or Blu-ray might not be as rabid as it was for the first "High School Musical," but, nonetheless, the triad-in-the-making is a must for die-hard fans.
This time around, we find the East High teens out of school for the summer and working for Sharpay and Ryan’s parents posh country club resort. Do Troy and Gabriella withstand the pressure from Sharpay to break up, or are the kids "All In This Together?"
A cool new feature is the "rehearsal cam," with behind-the-scene action taped of the teens practicing for the real musical-scene shoots. This feature can be accessed on its own, or during the movie when you can "bounce" in and out of them during the actual musical numbers.
Other bonuses are typical Disney, including bloopers, music videos, karaoke version with optional lyrics on-screen and a never-before-seen musical sequence to "Humuhumunukunukuapua’a," which is on the "High School Musical 2" CD.
— Toni Guagenti
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 23, 2007
“THE SIMPSONS MOVIE”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 2007, PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout
Best extra: Two commentaries blend from series creators James L. Brooks and Matt Groening, writer/producers Al Jean, Mike Scully, Mike, B. Anderson, Steven Dean Moore and Rich Moore, director David Silverman, voice actors Dan Castellaneta and Yeardly Smith. What’s fun is that one was recorded prior to the release of the film. The second afterwards – but both hit on many of the same triumphs and concerns.
“THE SIMPSONS MOVIE” took years to complete. Commentaries give a clear idea of the difficulties. Full scenes were animated, voiced and scrapped when the laughs didn’t pay off. In this story about pollution and a solution to encase Springfield in a dome gone horribly wrong, Marge was the initial harbinger of doom. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Our lady of the blue beehive is the voice of truth.
But using Marge in this role gave the story dark mojo. Better to use whacky Grandpa as the oracle and let ’er rip from there ... which it does with abandon. There’s something to offend everyone in “The Simpsons.”
A full package of extras on the Blu-ray and standard-def presentations include fully realized deleted scenes and scenes from the series. The film looks and sounds good in standard-def, but viewers will see a big difference in color and detail on Blu-ray. Huge even. It’s an odd experience because “The Simpsons” isn’t known for its detailed animation. Still, the rich color – and Mr. Flanders’ magical hot chocolate – is stunning to behold.
— Kay Reynolds
“BLADE RUNNER: FIVE-DISC COMPLETE COLLECTOR’S EDITION”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 1981, 1992, 2007, R for violence and brief nudity
Best extra: “Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner,” the three and a half hour documentary where Ridley Scott answers the question fans been arguing about for years: Is Harrison Ford's character a replicant? The answer? Yes. And as Scott so quaintly puts it: "If you don't get it, you're a moron."
WITHOUT A DOUBT, “Blade Runner” is the best DVD and hi-def collection of the year.
Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece finally has been given the treatment it deserves in a massive five-disc edition that compiles five versions of the film. Plus, there’s a definitive 3˝-hour documentary culled from more than 80 new interviews (including Harrison Ford), an Enhancement Archive filled with featurettes about sci-fi grandmaster Philip K. Dick, screen tests, deleted and alternate scenes, promotional featurettes, trailers, TV spots, marketing material and four audio commentaries.
“Final Cut” looks the best, highlighting Jordan Cronenweth’s stunning cinematography, revealing every detail Scott crams into the dense exterior shots. It’s also the only version to support Dolby True HD sound, for the most dynamic experience.
Surprisingly, hi-def (Blu-ray and HD DVD) viewers get the cheapest deal for the five edits at $39.99. DVD owners have two options: the four-disc set $34.99 or the five-disc set at $78.92. Yet another reason to embrace the future and go hi-def.
— Josh Boone
“UNDERDOG”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 2007, PG for rude humor, mild language and action
Best extra: "Sit. Stay. Act: Diary of a Dog Actor" taped in hi-def.
"HAVE NO FEAR, Underdog is here!"
Walt Disney’s real-life version of the 1960s cartoon brings a super Beagle to the big screen after his run in with evil Dr. Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage) and his not-so-bright henchman Cad "Patrick Warburton). Underdog, also known as Shoeshine, has super powers and a family who loves him, Dan and Jack Unger (James Belushi and Alex Neuberger respectively).
The DVD doesn’t contain a feature-length commentary but a short feature "Sit. Stay. Act: Diary of a Dog Actor," actually gives a glimpse at the making-of the flick, not only from Shoeshine’s perspective, but the humans who put the movie together. It’s amazing the dog actor actually got hooked up to a contraption so he could be filmed against a green screen with just enough wind in his ears and cape.
Other bonus features include brief bloopers, three deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Frederik Du Chau, a music video to "Underdog Raps" with Kyle Massey and the original "Underdog" cartoon episode "Safe Waif."
Look closely at the movie, try to figure out which Disney classic is spoofed between Shoeshine (Jason Lee) and Polly Purebred (Amy Adams).
— Toni Guagenti
“HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2: EXTENDED EDITION”
HD and standard-def widescreen, 2007, TV-G
Best extra: "Rehearsal Cam," behind-the-scenes taped in hi-def, of the actors rehearsing each of the flick’s dance numbers
THE CLAMORING for this DVD or Blu-ray might not be as rabid as it was for the first "High School Musical," but, nonetheless, the triad-in-the-making is a must for die-hard fans.
This time around, we find the East High teens out of school for the summer and working for Sharpay and Ryan’s parents posh country club resort. Do Troy and Gabriella withstand the pressure from Sharpay to break up, or are the kids "All In This Together?"
A cool new feature is the "rehearsal cam," with behind-the-scene action taped of the teens practicing for the real musical-scene shoots. This feature can be accessed on its own, or during the movie when you can "bounce" in and out of them during the actual musical numbers.
Other bonuses are typical Disney, including bloopers, music videos, karaoke version with optional lyrics on-screen and a never-before-seen musical sequence to "Humuhumunukunukuapua’a," which is on the "High School Musical 2" CD.
— Toni Guagenti