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Born To Rock Edition Two-Disc DVD Specs:

THE ROCKER Born To Rock Edition two-disc DVD will be presented in widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Surround and French Dolby Surround, plus English and Spanish subtitles.  Bonus features include:

· Digital Copy movie file for portable media players

· Commentary with director Peter Cattaneo and actor Rainn Wilson

· Commentary with actors Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger, Emma Stone and Jason Sudeikis

· 10 Deleted Scenes

· Gag Reel  (including separate options of “Matt Gags” and “Vesuvius Gags”)

· Rainn Wilson: Office Rocker featurette

· Pete Best Interview featurette

· Behind The Band: Vesuvius featurette

· Rock Beat With Fish Fishman featurette

· The Music of The Rocker featurette

· Rock Tales featurette

· MTV Film Festival Panel

· Fox Movie Channel Presents…In Character With The Rocker

· “I’m Not Bitter” music video

· Four exclusive podcasts

· Vesuvius Public Service Announcements

Blu-ray Disc Specs:

THE ROCKER Born To Rock Edition BD is presented in widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) on a 50GB dual-layer disc authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Master Audio plus English, French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks, with English and Spanish subtitles. The BD includes all of the above two-disc standard-def DVD special features.

It will be priced at $29.98SRP and come in the flipper disc format for both full and widescreen. Audio will be English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish and French Dolby Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.

Here is a plot synopsis for the film:

“A heart-thumping, edge-of-your-seat adventure comes to light in this exhilarating family film based on the best-selling novel by Jeanne Duprau.  For centuries, the residents of the underground City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights and quiet contentment.  But when the City’s massive power generator begins to fail, the street lamps start to fade — along with the hopes and dreams of the townspeople.  Now it’s up to two courageous teenagers to follow a trail of clues left by the ancient Builders and find a way out of Ember before their world is plunged into darkness forever!“

By: The Dweeb

November 2008

DVD Features Video: 1.85:1 Audio:Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Disc 1 - Movie: - Play movie straight through or in Comedy Optimization Mode with Get Smart Takes, over 20 minutes of hilarious alternative jokes. Disc 2 - Special Features: - The Right Agent for the Right Job: Behind-the-Scenes Training - Max in Moscow!: On Location or on a Soundstage? Watch and decide - Language Lessons: Spotlight on Linguistics Master Steve Carell - Spy Confidential: Gag Reel - Spying on Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control Theatrical release: 6/20/2008 DVD released on 11/04/2007 by Warner Bros. Running time of 110 minutes Starring: Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin Director: Peter Segal Plot: Maxwell Smart, the novice agent often out of his depth but never out of options in this action comedy pitting him against the nuclear scheme of the evil spy group KAOS.

Get Smart is part of the recent trend of movie studios taking long dead television properties and giving them a reboot on the silver screen, the end result is that they mostly fail. The problem is of course that the original show in question was usually canceled for a reason (meaning it jumped the shark), or the this film version can not seem to recreate the chemistry that made the TV show work. I can think of many films that tanked, The Dukes of Hazzard, Speed Racer, or Starsky and Hutch come time mind right away. Of course the same could be said for many a TV show based on a movie, so its a delicate balance to get it right.  There are of course, a select few film reboots that actually work, Star Trek, The Fugitive, Mission Impossible, Transformers, Waynes World, and the first X-files for starters.  Get Smart I think gets it mostly right. Its a tough act to recreate when the show was originally created by comedy legend Mel Brooks, the master of satire.

But what director Peter Segal has managed to pay some respects to what Get Smart was, while in turn reinvigorating the concept by modernizing it and turning up the volume with the action and stunts. So now we have an action film that happens to be quite humorous with an update to the story of what happened to CONTROL after the fall of Communism. Ironically, its closely related to real events just as the original show was. So timing is everything, especially in comedy. The bits with the cone of silence or Max getting mistaken for a shoe bomber on the airplane are just plain hilarious, among others. But for the rest we could say, “Missed it by that much.” At least there are plenty of references to the original show as an homage, and lots of cameos (Bill Murray? Why?).

Speaking of timing, Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway and the rest of the group do make this film a fairly funny affair to watch. Steve has some big shoes to fill, Don Adams made this his signature role, and I think Carrell does so quite successfully.  He is able to blend a bit of Don’s antics with his type of comedy, although if he continues to just do his schtick in the future I’m afraid audiences may tire of his act. Did he pull it off in this film? Yes I believe he did, although the getting the girl part I could have done without. Why do films like these insist on breaking the sexual tension (or perceived tension) by the end of the film and they finally become a couple? That’s what makes this film funny, to see Agent 99 (Hathaway) and Maxwell Smart argue and bicker about the mission and constantly trying to one up each other.  Surprisingly Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Agent 23 actually is a fairly convincing actor and plays the comedy bit very well. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since he is a former ‘wrestler’.  I loved the jamming of the stapler into someones forehead bit.

Similar to Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanmo Bay, the main DVD gives the viewers an option to watch extra scenes, or as they call it ‘comedy optimization’ mode. Thats a nice little bonus, along with the digital copy of the film.  The second disc is filled with all kinds of stuff, although some of it is a bit odd in my opinion. Steve Carrell mocking his foreign language skills is almost insulting. The rest is fairly pedestrian and typical and has no much in the way of surprises. Its the usual Hollywood circle jerk.

Overall I think Get Smart is decent comedy, and somehow I think I smell a sequel.

Reviewer’s Opinion: RENT IT!!

By: The Dweeb

November 2008

DVD Features Video: 2.40:1 Audio:Dolby Digital EX 5.1, French Dolby Digital EX 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Disc One - Movie: - Commentary by Director Dave Filoni, Producer Catherine Winder, Writer Henry Gilroy and Editor Jason W.A. Tucker Disc Two - Special Features: - The Clone Wars: The Untold Stories - Preview Stories, Vehicles, Planets and Battles of Season One of Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV Series. Check Your Local Listings. - The Voices of the Clone Wars - Voiceover Actors and Animated Characters in Split-Screen Performances - A New Score - Composer Kevin Kiner Establishing a New Musical Identity for the Series - Gallery of Concept and Production Art - Webisodes - 6 Making-of Featurettes - Deleted Scenes: Cargo Bay, Platform Droid Fight, Rancor Pit and Through the Tanks - Trailers Theatrical release: 8/15/2008 DVD released on 11/11/2008 by Warner Bros. Running time of 98 minutes Starring: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Baker,Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels Director: Dave Filoni Plot: As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, Anakin Skywalker and his new Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano plunge into a dangerous mission to rescue the kidnapped son of crime lord Jabba the Hutt. The renegade Count Dooku is determined to make sure that they fail, and with his deadly assassin Asajj Ventress in pursuit, this is a mission with grave consequences. Meanwhile, on the front lines, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to defeat the droid army and resist the forces of the dark side.

“And now my young apprentice your transformation is complete..” After watching this, those infamous words from Darth Vader echoed in my head. Nooooooooooooo! The Star Wars that once was, is no longer there. More machine than man, twisted and evil by the hands of George Lucas’s unrelenting desire to corrupt my youth and his pursuit of the almighty dollar.  My hopes faded after each successive release of the prequels, things were getting worse and worse. And now, with The Clone Wars (which I didn’t even bother to catch in the theater) this franchise has reached bottom. Come on guys! What is this crap!!

The essential thing you need to know about this film is that it should not have been a film in the first place. Its only purpose, is to be a promotional tool for the animated series that is coming to cable near you. This animated film was done on the cheap, on par with such things destined for TV, with unknown voice talent, hastily rendered characters and frankly a plot that doesn’t go far.  It is more suited as a two part opener for the series on TV. I mean, if Lucas were serious about this film, they would have put out the most jaw dropping CGI animated film ever right? Oh wait, Lucas sold off Pixar years ago.  Sorry I just can’t help slamming these guys for taking something that I loved so much before the prequels came out and diluting the franchise with these awful expansions.  Which yes man thought the main story line should be about rescuing  some character named..Stinky? Why does Jabba The Hutt have a gay relative named Ziro? At least we were spared from Jar Jar making an appearance (although from the looks of it he will have an episode all his own later.) Gah! I’m so done with this.

What I find amazing with this film, is that the awful acting from the movies transfers quite well into a CGI rendered film. Once again, the movie suffers from the usual stiff writing leaving these characters to just spit out the required dialogue in order to move the film from point A to B. Please ignore these interactions while we dazzle you with explosions and gee wiz bang imagery. There is no chemistry whatsoever in this film, its completely watered down. The funny thing is that Lucas did not write this script, nor did he direct it. Looking at the credentials for the writers and director Dave Filoni on IMDB shows that these guys primarily worked in animated series for TV before this. That explains the Ashoka character (Ashley Eckstein), the newest of the  annoying  bunch, the prototypical young rookie who knows better.  I dunno, this film is definitely more for the kids than the adults.  My 5 year old seemed to like it more than I did, but he’s never seen the originals ( I’m working on easing him in). Whats wrong with trying to create something that appeals to the adults as well as the kids. Many films have been successful in doing that, especially animated ones.

As is customary for a Star Wars related film, this DVD almost leaves no stone unturned in the extras portion of the second disc. Although I would say its not quite as extensive as we’ve seen in the past with the other films, its still quite a bit of material to wade through.  One element is certainly obvious here, a lot of it is promotional in nature for the upcoming series. This DVD has all the info you need on all aspects of the production, from the music to the character design. They also include deleted scenes (which are fully rendered by the way), and all the materials from the web site. As an added bonus a digital copy is also included.

I suppose I’ll just have to give up hope that this franchise will restore the magic that it once had for me. I loved Star Wars, I really did. But I will resign myself to the fact that they have finally left me behind, holding the bag. Am I expecting too much? Yeah probably. It is just a silly space opera.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BORROW IT!!

The French Connection and French Connection II Blu-ray discs will be presented in widescreen format (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with newly mastered English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital plus English and includes English, Spanish, French, Cantonese and Mandarin subtitles.  All new special features will be presented in high-definition.  Special features include:

· The French Connection

o Disc One:

§ NEW HD – William Friedkin Introduction to The French Connection

§ Commentary by William Friedkin

§ Commentary by Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider

§ NEW Trivia Track

§ NEW Isolated 5.1 Score Track

§ Theatrical Trailer

§ NEW D-Box Motion Control

o Disc Two:

§ NEW HD – William Friedkin Discusses Deleted Scenes

· Tailing the Frog

· The Whip Girl

· Devereaux at Work

· Mutchie’s Bar

· Mutchie’s Bar Part 2

· Girl on a Bicycle

· Street Walker

· Hector

§ NEW HD Featurette: Anatomy of a Chase

§ NEW HD Featurette: Gene Hackman on Popeye Doyle

§ NEW HD Featurette: Friedkin and Grosso Remember the Real French Connection

§ NEW HD Featurette: Scene of the Crime

§ NEW HD Featurette: Color Timing The French Connection

§ NEW HD Featurette: Cop Jazz-The Music of Don Ellis

§ NEW HD Featurette: Rogue Cop-The Noir Connection

§ BBC Documentary: The Poughkeepsie Shuffle

§ Making the Connection: The Untold Stories of The French Connection

· French Connection II

o Commentary by Director John Frankenheimer

o NEW HD Featurette: Frankenheimer in Focus

o NEW HD Featurette: A Conversation with Gene Hackman

o NEW D-Box Motion Control

o NEW HD Stills Gallery

o NEW Isolated 5.1 Score Track

By: The Dweeb

November 2008

DVD Features Video: 2.55:1 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1 - All-New “Once Upon A Dream” Music Video: Performed By Hannah Montana’s Emily Osment - Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough: A Fully Immersive Virtual Tour - All-New Enchanted Dance Game: With Help From Aurora’s Forest Friends, You Can Learn How To Dance - Never-Before-Seen Alternate Opening - Deleted Songs - All-New “Making Of Sleeping Beauty” Theatrical release: 1959 DVD released on 10/07/2008 by Disney/ Buena Vista Running time of 75 minutes Starring: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley Director: Clyde Geronimi Plot: A snubbed malevolent fairy casts a curse on a princess that only a prince can break, with the help of three good fairies

It is a testament to the lost art of fine animation. Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is a classic, a true work of art that cannot be recreated today, nor even shortly thereafter.  This film represents the finest hand drawn animation that they ever produced, even under the watchful eye of the mega control freak Walt Disney, and it was the end of an era for this type of animation.  It was a bold risk, running over budget and taking years to finish the project, even threatening to close down the studio. The end result speaks for itself, and in honor of its 50th anniversary, Disney has opened the vault and restored this film to its former glory for all of those who care to see.

It is a classic Disney film, but it stands out for its distinctive style and lacks of much the ‘Disneyification’ (I just invented a word there) that other films succumb too. Sure, its another film about some Princess finding her true love, but its not dripping in cutesiness, the animals don’t talk, and there are few musical numbers. Really its a simple tale, and its a relatively short film to boot. One thing to note is the gorgeous animation and backdrops, a lot of effort was made in the details and it really shines on the screen and in a style that makes it stand out from the typical production designs in Disney movies.

Another element that strikes me differently is the characters in this film really stick out. They aren’t the usual Disney types, well some of them anyway, the three fairies and the two kings actually are very likeable. They go beyond the 2 dimensional approach and are portrayed as well, flawed and human. They aren’t the typical image of the ‘ideal’ or perfect person (ie Prince Charming and Princess Aurora, the Ken and Barbie of the cartoon world). They have some really funny moments, like the drunken argument between the kings or the fairies trying to live like regular folk, which makes this film enjoyable even for an adult. The dragon at the end of the film was pretty cool stuff too, more intense than the usual fare.

The remastering process for the film has paid off, it looks simply fantastic on a large screen television. Scratches, dust, errors or lines are simply not present, at least I didn’t notice. Disney of course makes up for the films short run time by cramming the rest of the DVD package full of all kinds of things to see and play. From lengthy interviews and documentaries to interactive games, original trailers what have you its easy to lose a lot of time on this DVD.  If you haven’t seen this movie since your childhood, now may be the time to relive some of the magic.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!

Exciting WALL•E DVD Bonus Features

Single Disc DVD:
·      Presto – The Pixar Animation Studios original theatrical short that accompanied the WALL•E theatrical release, about a star magician’s ego that provokes some clever revenge from his neglected rabbit co-star. 
·       Animation Sound Design: Building Worlds from The Sound Up – Ben Burtt, the acclaimed Oscar-winning sound designer, introduces viewers to the art of sound design using examples from WALL•E and historic footage of the early Disney sound effects masters at work.
·       Audio Commentary by WALL•E director Andrew Stanton.
·       Deleted Scenes, Easter Eggs and More…

2-Disc DVD (Canadian French Only) includes all of the above, plus:
·      Robots – Find out everything about the film’s robot heroes, including hilarious web vignettes, the names and functions of all of WALL•E’s malfunctioning misfit robot friends and an interactive storybook packed with kid-friendly challenges. 
·       Behind the Scenes – Six exclusive featurettes give fans an insider’s view of the making of WALL•E, including the film’s visual design, character development and musical score, plus the story behind the special effects challenges and a look at building the robot characters that populate the film. 
·       Buy n Large Shorts – Straight from the BnL archives, five revealing short films provide insight into the inner workings of the company, from its humble beginnings to the intergalactic plan that launched EVE into space. Learn how to operate the Axiom, find out about the company’s line of “robots ‘for every need’” and hear the story behind the Earth Exit Plan. 
·       The Pixar Story, A Documentary by Leslie Iwerks –  The first in-depth look at the most influential animation studio of its time, The Pixar Story goes behind the scenes of the groundbreaking company that pioneered a new generation of animated feature films. Academy and Emmy Award-nominated director Leslie Iwerks uses never-before-seen footage from the Pixar library, along with historic archival animation and first hand accounts by animators, studio executives, directors, producers and voice performers to chronicle the remarkable company that revolutionized an industry
·       Early WALL•E Development Test

3-Disc DVD includes all of the above, plus:
·      “DisneyFile” Digital Copy – Allowing viewers to enjoy Wall·E via a computer laptop or other portable device, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment also is adding a special “DisneyFile” Digital Copy of the movie — enabling DVD and Blu-ray owners to receive a digital version of Wall·E in their choice of iTunes or Windows Media formats.  DisneyFile Digital Copy is a fast and easy way to enjoy your favorite Disney movies, anytime, anywhere on your Mac, PC and/or compatible portable device. 
(Please see grid below for exact contents/differences of 1-Disc, 2-Disc and 3-Disc Standard Definition DVD releases)
WALL•E Blu-ray Bonus Features:

Everything on the Standard Definition DVDs, Plus…

• Cine-Explore – A fascinating viewing option in which filmmakers comment on WALL•E, accompanied by behind-the-scenes visuals, in sync with the movie.

·      Geek Track – An additional commentary full of obscure references, little known trivia and lively sci-fi discussion, this pop-up silhouette in-movie feature gives viewers a peek inside the minds of some of the more passionate geeks at Pixar.
·       The Axiom Arcade – A retro suite of video games with a Wall•E twist, including Eve’s Bot Blaster, Wall•E’s Dodge & Dock, M-O’s Mop-Up Madness and Burn•E’s Break Through.

• 3D Set Fly-Throughs – Cut-away illustrations of the Axiom and Earth sets provides viewer access to HD set fly-throughs from ten of the film’s most detailed locations.
• Disney BD-Live Network – Disney’s BD-Live Network is just one of the many ways U.S. movie lovers, families and loved ones can continue to stay connected and engage in their favorite movies. 

o   Movie Chat – Communicate with your friends on-screen using any text-enabled device such as a laptop, desktop or PDA device such as a Blackberry, iPhone or most other cell phones. Your chat session will appear over the movie and occur in real-time while watching the movie together.
o   Movie Mail – Blu-ray owners will be able to record a personalized video message of themselves, superimpose that capture into a pre-selected clip of the movie, and send it off to a friend, colleague or relative. This specific feature enables the WALL•E Blu-ray Disc owner to personalize a very special greeting as never before.
o   Movie Challenge – Users will be able to test their skills against online players in a synchronized, real-time, online trivia game while watching WALL•E.  There is always a Movie Challenge game in progress to join, regardless of the time of day.
o  Disney Movie Rewards Live – WALL•E Blu-ray owners will be able to accumulate reward points by participating in any Disney BD-Live Network activity. In return, viewers can redeem points for exclusive content such as ringtones, avatars, previews of upcoming movie trailers, downloadable extras and many more exciting possibilities.

DVD Specs:

The Mirrors DVD release features the theatrical R-Rated version of the film presented in widescreen format (2.40:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound and Spanish/French Dolby Surround with English and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:

· Extended Unrated cut of the film

· Reflections: The Making of Mirrors featurette

· Behind The Mirror featurette

· Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary by director Alexandre Aja)

· Inside The Mirror Alternate Ending

Blu-ray Disc Specs:

The Mirrors BD release will be authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression on a dual-layer 50GB disc presented in widescreen format (2.40:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio and Spanish/French 5.1 Dolby Digital with English, Spanish, French, Cantonese and Korean subtitles.  The Mirrors BD includes all the above standard-def content plus the following BD Exclusive bonus features:

· Anna Esseker Backstory featurette

· BonusView Mode

o Mirror Images: picture-in-picture commentary with director Alexandre Aja and

co-writer/producer Gregory Levasseur

o Picture-in-picture Scene to Storyboard comparison

· Animated Storyboard Sequence

· Digital Copy of the film for portable media players

“The Women follows fashion designer, Mary Haines, who seems to have it all until she finds out that her husband is cheating on her with the perfume girl from Saks Fifth Avenue. As all hell breaks loose, Mary contemplates the fate of her marriage as she and her circle of tight-knit friends question their own friendships and relationships.” Oh is that all, sounds like a lot of movies and tv shows to me.

Here are the special features:

· The Women: Behind the Women: A Look at George Cukor’s original film as well as why writer/director Diane English remade the movie nearly 15 years later

· The Women: The Legacy: As part of Dove’s popular program to help women improve their self-esteem, follow along as Cammy, a fifteen year old high school journalist, joins the cast and crew of the movie to search for the definition of real beauty.

· Additional Scenes