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| Kevin Krock, editor |
DVD ReviewThe holiday season is upon us once again, and with that, we all begin the hunt for the perfect gifts. DVDs have become prime gifts over the last couple of years as DVD players have become incredibly affordable. However, after a quick trip to your local discount store or a few minutes browsing your favorite on-line retailer, you will see that choosing DVDs these days has become quite a challenge. There are so many to choose from that it will make your head spin, unless you are prepared. In order to better prepare you and help you best spend your hard earned money, I have assembled a slew of brief reviews of recent (and a few not so recent) discs that you and your family may be thinking about for this season. Family Flick Top Picks (click on a title to go to the review)Stocking Stuffers and Lumps of Coal
A few years ago, Disney released a “movie-only” DVD version of Mary Poppins, and I intentionally avoided it because I knew something better had to come along. Well, it has, and the wait was worth every month. The movie itself is an absolute classic that plays as well today as it did 40 years ago, and this two-disc 40th Anniversary Edition makes it shine. The THX certified audio and video transfer is fantastic. The Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix soundtrack is lively and very enjoyable, and a scene like the firework shootout sounds pretty impressive. The original stereo soundtrack is also included, and sounds darn good, too.
The video transfer is clean, detailed, and beautiful. The colors are solid and saturated, and the dark scenes show nice depth and clarity. For being 40 years old, this is an excellent presentation of the movie, and it is a treat to see it look and sound this good. To top everything off, there is an awesome collection of bonus material, including a wonderful 51-minute “Making of” documentary, some cool reunion featurettes, and lots of music-related bonus material. Other items you should not miss are the full-length commentary featuring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice, Robert Sherman, and Richard Sherman, the Gala World Premiere featurette, and the cute new animated short. This collection is definitely worth adding to your home video collection, as your whole family will not only enjoy the movie but also the wonderful goodies.
The third chapter in the ongoing saga of Harry Potter, wizard wunderkind, has now made its way to DVD, and all of you Potter fans will be happy to hear that it follows the successful trend of the previous two sets. The movie, while yet again darker than the previous two, follows Harry and the gang through their third year at Hogwarts, but this time Sirius Black has escaped from the Azkaban wizard prison and is searching for Harry. Even though the film's director is different from the first two, this movie nicely maintains the look and feel of the series. I will say that it is not really a movie for the young ones in the family, but if your children are old enough to read and appreciate the books, they should be OK with the movie. Given that this film was released earlier this year, I expected top-notch video and audio transfers, and I was not disappointed. Quite simply, both the video and audio transfers look and sound spectacular, and they should play quite nicely on any home theater system. Also, this two disc set features a good amount of bonus material. There are a couple of brief behind-the-scenes featurettes worth watching, especially if you are interested in how the production team makes thing happen. However, the bulk of the bonus materials are interviews with the cast and crew, so if you and/or your children enjoy about an hour of talking heads discussing the movie, then you will definitely enjoy the material. I, however, found some of the interviews less than enthralling and moved on. Overall, though, the movie presentation is great and there is enough bonus material to make this set worth picking up for most Potter fans. At the very least, those of you that enjoy the movie should give the set a spin from your local rental outfit.
I remember sitting in front of the TV during the 1980 Winter Olympics and watching the United States Men's Hockey team beat the “unbeatable” Soviet Union team. It was quite an event, and earlier this year, the story of the U.S. team was finally made into a film starring Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks. Watching the movie brought back a flood of memories, names, and emotions that will put goose bumps on those of us that watched those events unfold. It is also impressive how well the producers portray the political climate, fashions, and game action, and it definitely adds to the impact of the movie. [Read Alex Stroup's movie review of Miracle here.] Although the movie may not hold the attention of younger children, it is a pretty decent family movie with a great story that shows what hard work can achieve.
The DVD itself is a treat. The THX-certified anamorphic widescreen video and Dolby Digital surround sound audio transfer faithfully reproduce the film's look, feel, and sound, and it will look and sound good on any home theater. The video is clean and sharp, and the good ol' reds, whites, and blues (and other colors, too) are solid and beautifully detailed. As for the audio, it, too, is right on target, and it provides plenty of surround sound effects, especially during the game scenes. Then, there is the solid collection of goodies that provides a good look at not only the making of the movie but also the inspiration for it. Between the audio commentary by Director Gavin O'Connor, Editor John Gilroy, and Director of Photography Daniel Stoloff, the “Making of” featurette, the “Sound of” featurette, and the “From Hockey to Hollywood” featurette, you get a great idea of the incredible effort that went into accurately reproducing such a memorable sporting moment. There is also a cool ESPN roundtable discussion where several of the original team members got together with Kurt Russell to discuss the team, the coach, and the whole event. Also, the discussion between Herb Brooks and Kurt Russell provides a unique and interesting look at what made Brooks tick.
If you or someone in your family has any interest in sports movies, underdog movies, or just a good family movie about a team that achieves the impossible, this DVD is a must. You get a great movie, a wonderful presentation, and a fascinating collection of bonus material, and there is not much more to ask for. Even if you are not a huge sports fan, though, this DVD is well worth renting for a couple of nights.
This prequel to last year's Bionicle: The Mask of Light follows a small group of Matoran as they are turned into Toa to defend the city of Metru Nui against a mysterious dark force. The movie is action packed, and it closely follows the look and feel of the first movie. Also continuing the graphical style of the original, the computer animation is pretty decent and features several fascinating environments with all kinds of cool visual effects.
The story, however, is probably more easily understood by your young Lego maniacs than by yourself, as the world of Bionicle has been well established via numerous toy sets, comic books, and online information. If you are not very familiar with the terms, “Toa,” “Matoran,” and “Kanoka Discs,” then you may not find the movie all that interesting because you may get lost rather quickly. If you have a child who loves Bionicle, they are sure to enjoy this movie, but be aware that all the action may be a bit too intense for young children As with the first DVD, this disc is real eye and ear candy. The movie covers a wide range of environments, and the colors and shadows, which range from very saturated, bright yellows, reds, blues, and greens (the traditional Lego colors) to dark grays and blacks, are solid and pleasing throughout. The Dolby Digital soundtrack sounds very nice and features plenty of surround effects. Overall, the presentation is a lot of fun to watch and listen to.
There is a little bit of bonus material on this single disc worth mentioning, but it is light relative so some of the other titles in this review. For those of you that want to brush up on your history of the city of Metru Nui , there is an activity that lets you explore various aspects of the island and its inhabitants. Also, the “Making of” and “The Legend Revealed” featurettes provide enough background to appreciate the genesis of the movie, but they do not del ve into very many details. Overall, this disc is a good choice for those steeped in Bionicle lore, but for the rest of you, you may want to save those pennies for something else.
When I first watched the trailers for this, it made my eyebrow twinge. I don't know if it was just watching classic 2-D animated Disney characters move across the screen as 3-D computer renditions, but they were not the same characters I have known for years and years.
So it was with some trepidation that my young boys and I popped this disc into my player and started watching the five animated shorts that make up this package feature. After about 10 minutes, my 6-year-old asked if I could put something else on because, “this is boring.” So much for thinking modern children will enjoy something because it is computer animated. I put it away for a few days and then gave it another try with my boys, and the second time around they seemed to be a wee bit more receptive, but it was clear that it was not holding their attention. The deleted scenes were marginally interesting, and the other two minor goodies were uninspiring.
I think between the mediocre stories and the radically different character animation of universally familiar characters, this disc just does not cut it. The video and audio transfers look and sound great, but all the flash and bang in the world cannot make up for so-so content. Since the first attempts at watching it with my boys, they have only asked once to watch it again, and it was only to watch one of the five shorts. Save your money on this one and put it towards Mary Poppins.
On the young children's end of the spectrum, Disney has collaborated with educators to have Winnie the Pooh and friends teach 2- to 5 year-olds about their ABC's and 123's. Each of the discs sports a 30-minute animated story that features opportunities for the characters to count or identify alphabetical characters. It is perfectly suited for the intended age group, and if your young children enjoy Pooh and learning, then these discs are well worth taking a look at.
I know there is an audience for Gargoyles; I have received several e-mails over the years asking when Gargoyles was going to be released on DVD, and now your wait is over. The first season of this animated Disney TV series is featured on this two disc set, and contains the following episodes: First Season: Disc 1
First Season: Disc 2
Staring a group of gargoyles that have been frozen in stone for 1,000 years on the moors of Scotland, the show starts off as they come back to life in modern New York City and begin to explore their new world. It is one of those shows that works on different levels, but its target audience is really a bit older than one might expect. Because of its numerous mythological and literary references, the show seems to have connected with adults down to pre-teens, but it is probably a bit much for younger children. I also think it is one of those cartoons that you need to spend time with to begin to appreciate it, and this set is a good start to get acquainted or re-acquainted with the story. The 13 episodes are presented in full screen, and the video and audio transfers are very basic. The video pretty much looks like an old TV cartoon, and the audio is nothing more than what you would normally get from broadcast television. It is not much, but it does the job. The set contains a couple of goodies that fans will enjoy, especially the five audio commentaries for the first five episodes and the featurette on the “Gathering of the Gargoyles” annual fan meeting. The show pitch by creator Greg Weisman is also interesting but short. These too are not much, but they are enough to add some value to the set. In the end, though, the set is probably of most interest to fans of the TV series.
I am probably one of a relatively small minority that never had any desire to see James Cameron's 1997 epic Titanic, but I am fascinated by the events that took place and the technology that people are now using to visit the hallowed resting site of that great ship. I have watched several documentaries on the subject, but I have to admit that Ghosts of the Abyss puts an interesting and personal spin on the Titanic disaster.
The movie follows Cameron, his friend (and Titanic cast) Bill Paxton, and a crew of history and marine experts on a journey to explore the Titanic wreck, inside and out. Using the latest robotic submersibles, the team provides some amazing views of the massive ship. However, the cool thing about this movie is that Cameron takes submersible images and re-creates and overlays an accurate representation of what the scene looked like before the ship sank. For example, the radio room, the engine room, and the bridge are re-created and superimposed on the wreck, and each of these scenes are personalized by a discussion of the people involved with the events of that night. It makes for a fascinating history lesson. The two-disc set features both 60- and 90- minute versions of the movie, and there are two bonus items that are well worth watching. The 36-minute documentary on the documentary, “Reflections From The Deep” is a fun and interesting look at how Cameron and his crew put this whole thing together. It also features footage of their dives that was cut from the movie, and it ranges from pretty humorous to downright impressive. Also on the set is a multi-angle look at one of the crew's dives to the Titanic. You can select from a variety of cameras on the submersible and experience what it is like to dive to the bottom of the ocean.
For anyone interested in the Titanic or deep sea exploration, this set is an excellent choice, but even if you are not a huge Titanic fan, it is still a good rental if you are looking for something a little different that the family can sit down and watch together.
For its time, The Black Hole—the first Disney movie to get a PG rating—featured some of the most impressive visual effects ever seen on the big screen. The only problem is that they are wrapped around the rather odd story of a mad genius who has perched his ship, the U.S.S. Cygnus, on the edge of a black hole. A small crew of explorers stumbles upon this unusual ship and begins to unravel the bizarre plans of Dr. Hans Reinhardt. Unfortunately, many of the effects do not stand up well against today's special effects, so younger viewers may be a bit hardened and find this movie to look really phony. Then, there is the matter of the story.
The movie looks pretty good for being 25 years old, and the sound is decent, which is about all I expected. The bonus material is almost non-existent, but the 16-minute, behind-the-scenes featurette is marginally interesting for any of you who remember watching this movie in the theaters. Overall, this disc is only worth renting for those nights where you are looking for a little blast from the past but not much else.
Ah, Herbie, the lovable Love Bug. I reviewed the original Love Bug special edition DVD in the middle of last year, and that two-disc set was really cool. Then, earlier this year Disney released the other three Herbie movies as movie-only DVDs. While the audio and video transfers are decent, the lack of bonus material pretty much puts these three discs into the same “rental-only” category.
Herbie goes to Monte Carlo is probably the best movie of the three, so if you are trying to decide between them, start there and work your way through the other two. All three of these are classic family flicks, so next time you are in your local rental store looking for some Saturday night movies, check one of these out. Just don't expect anything more from these DVDs than the movies.
Nobody in my family caught any of these three movies when they were in the theaters, yet my 3- and 6-year-olds are absolutely fascinated by the Spy Kids. Despite the fact that the two boys have only seen commercials, McDonald's comic books, and a couple of the bonus featurettes, they tell me that both Carmen and Juni live somewhere in our house along with a host of their other invisible friends. I guess the attraction to these characters is their young age and daring high-tech adventures.
The first movie, Spy Kids, is actually pretty good for both adults and older children. The story is fun and action packed, and the movie features a bunch of cool spy-tech gadgets that help the Spy Kids save their international spy parents from the evil Fegan Floop. Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams takes the young spy duo and their parents on a journey around the world to recover a device that threatens the world, and even though this one is not quite as good as the first, it is still pretty decent. However, Spy Kids 3D falls way short and feels like a video game that was never quite fleshed out or finished. There are 3D effects, but I didn't find them to add much to the movie. Also, just be aware that in all three movies there are several action sequences and a considerable amount of peril that Carmen and Juni are put in, so you may need to decide how much of that your younger children can handle. Regarding the presentation, it is pretty simple: All three of these DVDs feature top-notch video and audio transfers. The anamorphic video transfers should look great on any home theater system, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound soundtrack is very dynamic and enveloping.
In terms of goodies, the Spy Kids disc is seriously lacking, but it is a better movie and sort of offsets that deficiency. Spy Kids 2 has a ton of stuff packed on to this single disc Collector's Series DVD. There is plenty of behind-the-scenes material, and I was particularly impressed with the range and openness of the goodies. Robert Rodriguez (Director/Writer/Producer) does a good job, not only with the movie but also with the bonus material, of taking directly to the target audience of middle schoolers while not excluding parents. Finally, the Spy Kids 3D two-disc set has a good amount of bonus material that is very similar to that on Spy Kids 2. It does cover some interesting aspects of that movie, but you really have to like the third movie to watch bonus material about it. If you or your children are looking for a good family friendly adventure movie but you do not particularly care for bonus stuff, be sure to check out Spy Kids. Additionally, if your children enjoy the bonus material and want to see how these movies were put together, pick up Spy Kids 2 too. You can avoid Spy Kids 3D or just rent it, as the other two titles have better movies and more than adequate behind-the-scenes material. Send your questions, thoughts and comments to Kevin here. |
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Kevin “Doc” Krock is been a long-time animation buff and home theater fan. He's been following the rise of the DVD format in the home market since its introduction, and he hopes to help you make the most of your family's home theater viewing time and video collections. You can contact Kevin here.
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