Posts Tagged ‘review’

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DVD REVIEW – MONSTERS, INC.

by Tom on November 24th, 2009
7 votes, average: 7.14 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – MONSTERS, INC.

In 2001, the proposition of Monsters, Inc. must have been a scary one for Disney / Pixar.

Coming fresh off the success of Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life and the original Toy Story (all directed by Pixar King John Lasseter)Pixar put an unproven director in the driver's seat for Monsters, Inc. - Pete Docter.

Of course, time would prove that Docter's madcap vision of a world inhabited by monsters who collect the screams of human children to power their communities proved to be a smash hit. But it's interesting to learn about the behind-the-scenes hand wringing that occurred at Pixar before the release of the film.

One of the bonus features of the movie is a film makers round table with Docter, co-director Lee Unkrich, producer Darla Anderson, and script supervisor Bob Peterson (who also lent his voice to the surly clerical worker Roz in the movie). In their round table, they discuss not only their uncertainty over the somewhat complex idea of a world powered by screams, but also the real-life intrusions that threatened the success of the film.

For example, I had completely forgotten how Monsters, Inc. had come out one short month after the terrible events of 9/11. An even that lead Pixar to wonder if they should push the film back. Ultimately, according to the feedback they received, the film became a refuge for families looking to steer themselves away from the unending and horrible coverage of that day. The insight that the round table provides certainly adds a layer of enjoyment to hard-core fans of the film.

Eight years after its theatrical release Monsters, Inc. holds up incredibly well and the Blu-ray transfer gives the film a candy-coated shot in the arm. Colors are richer, details are more pronounced. Even the hair on Sully's arms looks more refined. A more perfect version of the film I can't imagine unless you were sitting in Pixar's offices, watching it over the shoulder of one of the animators.

In terms of extras, the Blu-ray doesn't bring much that's new to the table. A short documentary about a Monsters, Inc. ride at Disneyland Toyko made me want to hop a flight to Japan immediately and an interactive game featuring over 100 doors intimidates more than it inspires gameplay.

Additional features include those already packaged on the Collector's Edition that was released in 2002. The animated shorts "Mike's New Car" and "For the Birds", storyboards, a database of monsters featured in the film, and multiple gag reels.

However, the Blu-ray package gives you a bevy of formats including a digital copy of the film as well as a DVD copy of the film, which are nice bonuses.

As a Pixar fan, I have no problem replacing all of my DVD copies with Blu-ray editions of the film. I believe they are the most authentic reproductions of the movies possible and a visual treat. However, it would have been nice to see a few more extras with the film and I probably wouldn't have minded waiting another 2 years for a 10th anniversary edition if it meant getting additional content.

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DVD REVIEW – UP

by Tom on November 11th, 2009
11 votes, average: 7.18 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – UP

With 9 smash films and nearly 15 years of film making under their belts, one might assume that Pixar would celebrate in grand fashion with their 10th theatrical release. Instead, with Up, Pixar has delivered their most unconventional and absurdly layered film to date.

Carl Fredricksen, the 78 year-old widower at the heart of Up is an unusual protagonist. Arthritic, grumpy and boxed in by life, he is partnered by the youthful and exuberant “Wilderness Explorer” Russell as he sets off for adventure to South America.

Up hooked us with its visual signature of a tiny house being lofted into the air by tens of thousands of balloons. But the story takes an unusual left turn when Carl and Russell finally land in South America.

Surrounded by strange vistas and a lush, but harsh environment, the duo is greeted by the affable and endearing Dug, the talking dog. Things only get weirder from there as the pair encounters a 13 foot tall iridescent bird, a crazed long-forgotten explorer and dirigibles.

The unusual details of the story are what sets Up apart from previous Pixar films. But it’s the rich metaphors and subtext that make Up truly engaging.

At its core, Up is a movie about lost opportunities, obsession the struggle to “fix” the past ruins the opportunity to enjoy the present.

Each of the main characters deals with this in some way. Russell uses over achievement and collects Wilderness Explorer badges to attract the attention of his absent father. There is one small space left on his sash full of accomplishments - a badge for “Helping the Elderly” and it's missing directly over his heart.

Carl is trying to make up for lost time by going on the adventure his never got to go on with his wife. But since he can’t bear to leave behind his belongings and all of his memories, he takes them with him by setting the house aloft. The house becomes a symbol for his wife – something he has to learn to let go of by the end of the film.

Muntz, the story’s villain, is corrupted completely by his obsession to trap a rare bird in order to bring it to civilization and repair his damaged reputation. His relentless pursuit is ultimately what leads to his literal downfall.

These story elements are framed beautifully by the bevy of mini-documentaries among the Blu-ray’s bonus materials. The character studies for Carl and Russell are particularly insightful.

Carl, for example, is one of Pixar’s most stylized human characters and the decision to make him so was very deliberate.

Animators noted that, as a septuagenarian, Carl’s movements would very limited. His physical restrictions mirror his world view as every shot Carl appears in before going to South America he is placed inside some kind of box. He is either looking out of a window or the camera is looking at him through a door frame. He lives a very interior life. As a result, Carl himself became very square shaped, with hard-edged and inflexible features. A boxy character living in a boxed-in world.

Alternatively, the rotund Russell is almost egg-shaped. This reflects the nurturing he requires in the absence of his father. It becomes Carl’s instinct to take care of him.

Another fantastic bonus feature is the original story concept behind the 10 minute montage of “Married Life” – the emotional gut punch the starts the movie and leads Carl toward his adventure.

Assembled through animatics (animated storyboard concept drawings) and set against Michael Giacchino’s brilliant score, the alternate version of “Married Life” is just as emotional and affecting as what ended up in the movie – a testament to Pixar’s storytelling process.

It should be noted that there is also an excellent piece on Ciacchino’s contributions and how he transformed a simple, heart wrenching four-note melody into a glorious score.

Another great example of the lengths Pixar animators will go to capture their subject material is the engrossing :22 minute documentary “Adventure Is Out There,” which details how directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson traveled with a team of animators to remote and nearly inaccessible tepius mountains of Venezuela.

Other features include audio commentary, the theatrical short “Partly Cloudly,” a second animated short called “Dug’s Special Mission” (that runs parallel to the main storyline in Up) and several other production features detailing the care, craft and precision Pixar executed to bring their unique vision to the screen.

The direct digital transfer to Blu-ray looks sumptuous as one might expect and the Blu-ray edition of the film comes with a digital copy and regular DVD copy as well (for your portable DVD player, I assume?)

Up may not be Pixar’s best film, but it is certainly one if it’s most ambitious. Despite its eccentricities, the emotional core of the story is potent – easily making it one of the best movies of the year.

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GOOD POINT

by Tom on May 21st, 2009
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Reviews are starting to trickle in for Terminator Salvation and while I am trying to avoid them for the most part, I did read Tom Charity's review over at CNN.

It's kind of a pan, but I was more interested in how he chose to end his review...

"...the gap between the Terminator movies and Transformers is diminishing along with any vestige of adult entertainment. In the virtual era, nobody we care about stays dead for long; there is always a second life just around the corner. They've even stopped numbering the sequels now."

This taps into something I've been feeling about action movies for a while now.

Dropping the sequel number isn't a big deal. That's just a marketing maneuver to make franchises feel like chapters in a larger story rather than a long-in-the-tooth money making scheme. But Charity is completely right about there being nothing at stake. No one ever stays dead and rarely does it feel like anything is at stake. Movies are starting to feel more and more like comic books.

That's not a dig against comic books. Comic books are meant to refresh themselves every few years to stay viable. Trying writing 12 months of content and NOT dragging out old characters people once thought were dead.

But what happened to the movie as a stand-alone story? I look at a movie like The Matrix and how, even though the ultimate conclusion wasn't told, it felt open-ended enough that you could imagine how things went for Neo and the human resistance. Then the sequels came along and. were so overblown and boring. It was all just filler to get you to that ultimate conclusion - the humans win.

So what?

Now movie franchises just go on and on and on and never really deliver anything new. Everything in the old movies is swept under the rug or explained away so producers and studios can have another run at the trough. Audiences are learning not to trust storytellers and that's a big problem when the ENTIRE POINT of movies is to remove the audience from their surrounding and place them inside your world for two hours.

How can death in the movies have significance when the same through it running through everyone's mind?

"They're gonna bring that guy back for the sequel."

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SLUMMING

by Tom on January 27th, 2009
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As Cami pointed out, we finally got around to seeing one of the five Best Picture nominees this weekend: Slumdog Millionaire.

I've been kind of wrestling with this movie a little bit. Like Cami, I thought the performances were winning and the child actors in particular were amazing. I thought it was well directed, tense at times and very engaging. But it didn't quite make my heart soar like all everyone said it would.

It was difficult for me to get caught up in the movie's tale of star-crossed lovers because the film does not pull any punches in it's depiction of India's poverty, squalor and corruption. Maybe this is the wrong thing to focus on, but it left me feeling guilty for accepting the story as entertainment. I left the theater thinking about what I could do to help.

I'm not completely naive. I have heard about orphaned children being maimed and put on the street to beg. But later I became conflicted and started to wonder if the movie was promoting some kind of stereotype. Isn't India one of the largest growing business centers in the world? What about their advances in education?

Turns out I'm not alone. Time Magazine recently published an article that tackles the same question.

I know it's not fair to ask one movie to provide a thorough examination of the social and economic strata of the entire sub-continent. Especially when it only wants to tell the story of two people. I mean, I doubt non-American audiences watch movies like Goodfellas and assume that the country is overrun by gangsters. I'm just saying it was a distraction, that's all.

Slumdog Millionaire is a good movie. Experty assembled and told with an effective time-bending narrative. Will it make you shoot rainbows out of your eyes after you see it? Well, in my case it didn't. In that respect, it didn't live up to the hype. Ignore the critics and commercials and see it with reasonable expectations and you'll have a good time.

EDIT: Here is a another article written by Slate's Dennis Lim that confronts Slumdog Millonaire's confounding moral compass. Lim says a few things more acutely than I could in my review.

"If Slumdog has struck a chord, and it certainly seems to have done so in the West, it is not because the film is some newfangled post-globalization hybrid but precisely because there is nothing new about it. It traffics in some of the oldest stereotypes of the exoticized Other: the streetwise urchin in the teeming Oriental city... And not least for American audiences, it offers the age-old fantasy of class and economic mobility, at a safe remove that for now may be the best way to indulge in it.

Slumdog has been so insistently hyped as an uplifting experience ("the feel-good film of the decade!" screams the British poster) that it is also, by now, a movie that pre-empts debate. It comes with a built-in, catchall defense—it's a fairy tale, and any attempt to engage with it in terms of, say, its ethics or politics gets written off as political correctness.

A slippery and self-conscious concoction, Slumdog has it both ways. It makes a show of being anchored in a real-world social context, then asks to be read as a fantasy."

Food for thought.

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HOLDING ON TIGHTER

by Cami on January 26th, 2009
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Finally, Tom and I were able to catch an Academy Award-nominated film: Slumdog Millionaire. And, it didn't disappoint. I felt myself biting my nails, crying, laughing, turning away in disgust (at the jumping in a lake of poop scene) and cheering for the main characters of this movie. One thing that amazed me was the director's unapologetic snapshot of the human condition of the Indian people over the last twenty years. The child actors in this film were outstanding. Their performances made me want to hold Henry just a little bit tighter when I hug him each night before he goes to bed.

Speaking of Henry, we're entering a phase of Time Outs, him asking "why?" and for some reason, jumping on furniture every chance he gets. Instead of sitting and participating in his regular Saturday morning music class, he announces "I'm running away!" and hightails it out the door. Is this a sign of things to come or merely a phase? Judging by the perpetual twinkle in his eye, and his bionic-man energy level, I'm guessing we're going to be dealing with things like this for a long time! We can't believe he'll be two years old next month, and I don't know about you all, but I'd love to see him appear in the comic once in awhile.

What do you think? Would adding Henry to the comic mean it's finally jumping the shark? Or did it scale the heights of sharkdom years ago?

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DVD REVIEW – WALL-E

by Tom on November 18th, 2008
1 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – WALL-E

I am remiss to admit that I did not feature a review for Pixar's 9th wonderful feature film Wall·E when it came to theaters in June of this year. Not only do I find it one of the company's most heartwarming pictures but I also consider it to be one of the best films of the year.

Fortunately, we have the DVD release to reflect on and take the time to fully absorb the brilliance that is Wall·E.

For the uninitiated, Wall·E is a small, boxy robot left on Earth to clean up the mess left behind by humanity as they have shuttled themselves off-world on the dime of the global corporation Buy N Large. Our Wall·E is one of many, but the only one left still functioning. Day in and day out he performs the tasks he was programed to do - scoop trash into his tiny frame, compact it into cubes and stack them into spirling skyscrapers. He does his work efficiently, with no complaints... and totally alone.

Centuries in isolation have caused Wall·E to develop a personality. Like a beachcomber, he collects odd trinkets in an attempt to understand the history of a society that has long since abandoned him. He collects spoons and forks, hubcaps and adoringly watches an old videotape of Hello, Dolly - longingly looking for companionship.

Companionship comes in the form of a sleek and elegant probe droid named EVE, sent to Earth to search for signs of plant life. What follows is an adventure that takes Wall·E off Earth and reconnecting with the remnants of humanity living on-board a luxury star cruiser before leading them home.

The commentary track from director Andrew Stanton reveals a lot. While he admit that the movie hits on themes of environmentalism, consumerism and some of the more slothful tendencies of humans coddled by technology, he never set out to make a "message" movie. Stanton identifies himself as the type of person who likes to keep his politics to himself and was not interested in preaching to the audience. The themes established in the film developed out of the "reverse engineering" of the film's core concept - a robot left on Earth all by himself and what would that feel like?

Stanton's commentary reveals a lot about Pixar's film making process. They establish a simple premise and start asking questions.

"Okay, he's a robot alone on Earth? What is he doing there? He's cleaning up. He's a janitor. Why? Because that seems like a lonely job to do. Why is he alone? Because humanity left Earth. Why? Rampant consumerism ruined the planet. Oh, so he's cleaning up what they left behind? Yeah! Are there other robots helping him? There were, but the broke down. So then he must have been working for a very long time? Let's say 700 years. But he doesn't spend the entire movie by himself? How do we introduce conflict? A probe robot visits Earth. What's it doing? Looking for plant life. Why? Because then humanity can come back to Earth."

And so on and so on. I reveals a simple extrapolation process in the writing and gives you the impression that the film's "message" was a lot less deliberate and serious than some people took it.

In addition to the movie, the three disc special edition contains bountiful extras well worth your time. Most stunning is a deleted scene introduced by Stanton that was pulled from the film in the 11th hour. It's the trash compactor scene right before the third act where, instead of Wall·E being damaged, it's EVE who is nearly beyond repair. As Stanton explains, the scene was in the movie all the way up until test screenings. Meaning it had cleared the years of script revisions, storyboards, animatics and made it's way to full render. This NEVER happens in animated movies, much less computer animated movies that require hundreds of hours of rendering time. It wasn't until the test screening that Stanton realized his mistake and completely reconfigured the last act of the film. For the rarity of this alone, the scene is fascinating.

The extras also include an hour and a half long documentary called The Pixar Story, which reveals the history and inner workings of the company, excellent featurettes on sound design, visual design, set design, character development and score and - as advertised - a hilarious new short called Burn·E featuring the trials and tribulations of a service robot trapped outside the hull of the ship as seen in the movie.

I strongly believe that Wall·E is a film we'll still be talking about 50 years from now. Not just from it's timely message (accidental or not), but for the risks taken by Stanton and Pixar to deliver an emotional and engaging story that makes you care about robots in a way you never thought possible. It's economical and engaging story will be something families and film buffs will be returning to year after year.

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DVD REVIEW – THE FOOT FIST WAY

by Tom on October 14th, 2008
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DVD REVIEW – THE FOOT FIST WAY

In the red-band trailer for The Foot Fist Way (caution: NSFW), we are told that the film was slipped to comedian Will Ferrell and writer/director Adam McKay and that they loved it so much, they wanted to share it with the rest of us. It's easy to see why. Danny McBride as the sloe-eyed, drawling Tae Kwon Do instructor Fred Simmons falls perfectly in line with the string of over-confident, vulgar and ultimately clueless jocks Ferrell has played over the years in movies like Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory and Semi-Pro. Clearly they have found a kindred spirit in McBride.

I took Ferrell and McKay's recommendation of this film at face value. I assumed if they are quoting it constantly (as the trailer says) that I would enjoy it immensely, considering the amount of time I waste quoting their movies.

That said, there isn't much to The Foot Fist Way that I thought was overwhelmingly hilarious. A funny turn of the phrase here or there, but nothing so wickedly funny that I could see myself repeating over and over again. Frankly, I found McBride funnier and more effective in the movies he's had small roles in this year - both Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder.

Nathan Lee of The New York Times called The Foot Fist Way "The best thing of its kind since Napoleon Dynamite." That's not an accurate assessment. I'm thinking that Mr. Lee remembered the "Rex Kwan Do" scenes with Diedrich Bader and went for an easy comparison.

The Foot Fist Way is shot more in the mock-umentary style and does a fair job of depicting the fabricated rigors of Tae Kwon Do from the perspective of those that take the sport seriously. As a student of the practice for three years (brown belt, second degree, bitches!), a lot of it rang true. Bowing to the flag, bowing to the senior student, the flailing arms of uncoordinated children and the woefully mis-matched sparring exercises. But the movie is never weird for the sake of it like Napoleon Dynamite is.

Instead, the movie plays more like a calling card for McBride because it showcases him almost entirely. The supporting cast is 100% amatuer hour, leaving very little for McBride to work with beyond someone staring at him in disbelief over the "outrageous" things he says. The problem is, McBride as Simmons isn't so much outrageous as he is deluded.

Sporting an unfortunate crew cut, mustache and a pair of jean shorts, McBride infuses Simmons with the kind of misplaced confidence normally reserved for cops who used to be jocks and who now flex their authority over others. Simmons berates children, constantly exposes the weakness or lack of self-confidence in others and is generally creepy and unpleasant to be around. You don't feel particularly bad for him when his wife cheats on him or when his action-star hero Chuck "The Truck" Wallace turns out to be a jerk.

Of course Simmons finds redemption in the third act, but he doesn't exactly become a better person. All he manages to do is reclaim the power and control that has been slowly stripped away from him during the course of the movie. For a character whose self-confidence is paramount, that's the most he can ask for.

Extras are plentiful on this DVD. It features a DVD commentary track from the actors and writers, more than two dozen deleted scenes, a couple of blown takes and an alternate ending that will shock you. A behind-the-scenes featurette plays more like an extended music video shot in grainy Super-8. But otherwise, the extras do not disappoint.

The Foot Fist Way was an accomplishment in the sense that it brought a new comedic voice to the fore with Danny McBride. So far, I think we've only seen a fraction of what he can do. But don't look to this movie as the be-all, end-all of quotable sports doofus comedies like it was advertised. Approach it with reasonable expectations and you'll find it a harmless diversion.

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DVD REVIEW – THE LOVE GURU

by Tom on October 2nd, 2008
2 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – THE LOVE GURU

When trailers and commercials for Mike Myers first on screen comedy outing in 5 years, critical reaction in our household was one of puzzlement. My wife and I are two of the biggest Mike Myers fans you'll find. But what's up with all of the gags lifted out of the three previous Austin Powers movie? And your tacitly making fun of Hinduism? Really? Is that wise? Our stink meters went off.

Turns out we were right. After calls for boycott from leading Hindu groups and a dismal total domestic gross of $32 million, The Love Guru turned out to be the greatest misstep of Mike Myers' career.

I didn't see the movie in theaters, but I reserved judgment completely until the film came out on DVD. Deep down I was hoping that there was at least something redeemable about the film. There's a few things to like about The Love Guru, but a lot more things to hate.

If you're unfamiliar with the plot, Myers plays an American stranded in an Indian orphanage after his parents are killed during missionary work (whatever) and seeks knowledge from Guru Tugginmypudha (played by Ben Kingsley - who apparently has lost the ability to say "no" to anything). Myers takes his spiritual guidance and transforms it into a multi-million dollar self-help empire. But he is dissatisfied because he is still number two compared to Deepak Chopra.

As the Guru Pitka, Myers is difficult to like. He speaks in platitudes hidden inside verbal riddles ("Intimacy: Or 'Into Me, I see." "What is the Bible except 'B.asic I.nstructions B.efore L.eaving E.arth?") Anyone who gets suckered into this kind of spiritual guidance needs all the self-help they can get.

Compounding the problem. Guru Pitka does not demonstrate any of the behaviors of a supposed Holy Man. When opportunity knocks in the form of Jessica Alba (as the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs) seeking the Guru's guidance to reunite their star player with his estranged wife, the Guru is not motivated by helping the player. He is motivated by the $2 million he's being paid and the opportunity to appear on Oprah should he be successful.

Of course there is a third act revelation where the Guru learns the errors of his ways, amends the shortcuts he took toward bringing the couple back together and frees himself from feeling inferior to Deepak Chopra, but it all comes too late. Who wants to spend time with this selfish ass for two hours?

That's another thing: SEVERAL times in this movie other characters refer to Pitka disparagingly - calling him an ass or a moron - and it's hard not to disagree. In addition to his spiritual blather, Myers infuses the Guru with an arsenal of playground antics and taunts meant to "regress" uptight squares but are really only effective for bridging the gap with the audience who hazily remember "Oh, yeah. I remember 'Milk, milk, lemonade - around the corner fudge is made'."

What makes matters worse is that the only one laughing at any of Pitka's jokes is Pitka himself. Hooting and sniggering like an exiled villain from the 1960's Batman TV show, Pitka's childlike glee isn't endearing. It's annoying.

For as grating as the character is, Myers at least plays him enthusiastically. I think Myers still has value as a comedic voice. His problem in this case was convincing himself that audiences would align themselves with his clear preoccupation for Eastern spirituality. But, hey... when you can make a movie about a slacker filming a local access cable show in his basement and a time-displaced Lothario super spy from the '60s and have them be huge hits, why wouldn't you think anything was possible?

As far as the rest of the cast goes, they perform amiably. That is, at least as well as they would have in any other comedy of this nature. Justin Timberlake shows up as a French Canadian goalie and the main antagonist. I'm guessing someone told him to approach the role like Pepe Le Pew, because that's what he sounds like.

Verne Troyer is on hand as a foul-mouthed coach and actually gets to spit lines this time. Beyond that, it's a cavalcade of cameos from the likes of Jessica Simpson, The Daily Show's John Oliver, Val Kimer, Mariska Hargitay, Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan.

Personally, I think it's a shame that Romany Malco as hockey superstar Darren Roanoke can't find better material to plug into. I've enjoyed him in nearly every movie he's been in and The Love Guru was poised to break him into a wider audience. This is, if the movie were able to draw an audience.

In terms of extra features, the DVD doesn't skim. But most of them are forgettable. It wasn't particularly interesting to sit through "One Hellava Elephant," which spends too much time with the effects supervisor responsible for creating the one-quarter top reproduction of the elephant Mike Myers rides in the film. Nor was it particularly interesting to watch "Hockey Training For Actors," which details the process in which Malco and Timberlake prepared for their scenes on the ice. The blooper reel is a fair diversion and the deleted scenes and outtakes (while uneven in quality) are sometimes funnier than what was left in!

The best featurette on the DVD is "Back In The Booth With Trent and Jay." Trent and Jay being the color commentators for the hockey game sequences as played by Jim Gaffigan and Stephen Colbert. The featurette collects their improvisations. Colbert owns the booth with his performance as the drug addicted and relapsing Jay Kell, but Gaffigan gives it right back as the straight man delivering several sharp lines of his own. Would it be too much to ask for a movie starring these two?

Overall The Love Guru lives up to it's unfortunate reputation. I take no joy in stating that, but it is what it is. Hardcore Mike Myers fans might find a few things to enjoy here. But the rest of us might be better off snuggling up with a copy of Wayne's World until this all blows over.

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DVD REVIEW – IRON MAN

by Tom on September 30th, 2008
3 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10
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DVD REVIEW – IRON MAN

As any regular reader of the site knows, I'm very much "in the tank" as far as Iron Man is concerned. My affinity for the character and his history have fascinated me most of my life. When the movie came roaring out of the gate at the start of the blockbuster season in May, it was (to my relief) a solidly executed, fantastically detailed, humorous and exciting exploration into the birth of Iron Man and his inventor Tony Stark.

My opinion of the film has not changed since I reviewed the theatrical release in May. If anything, my opinion of it has only grown stronger. True, The Dark Knight may have bested Iron Man in box office, fan and critical approval - but was it fun? Could you sit down and watch the grim and gritty tale of Gotham's protector over and over again or would it be too exhausting. For my money, Iron Man was the movie of 2008.

To that end, what can be said about the release of Iron Man on DVD? Plenty, as it turns out.

If you're thinking about buying the standard wide screen edition of the film (and if you were planning on buying the full-screen edition, you can leave right now), shell out the extra bucks and get the ultimate 2-disc edition. When they call it "ultimate," they're not kidding. There are nearly 4 hours of extras on this bad boy and hardly any of them disappoint.

There are your boilerplate deleted or expanded scenes, and, for the most part, you can see why they were cut. There are more than a few extended scenes that take place at Andrews Air Force Base that don't add much to the narrative. You kind of get the feeling that they were just appreciative to the Department of Defense for giving them access and they wanted to capture as much as possible before they were kicked off the base.

There are other scenes that were filmed that put a different spin on things. For example, a scene where Tony organizes a party in Dubai to put him closer to the insurgents who captured him when he flies in with the Mark III suit and destroys their weapons depot. Returning from his encounter with the two jets, badly damaged from battle, Pepper discovers Tony in the armor helmet off and enjoying a scotch while the other party-goers sleep it off. Not as funny as the "Admit it - this isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing" line from the original movie, and it's easy to see why these scenes were cut.

On the second disc, there is an an exhaustive 7-part documentary called "I Am Iron Man" the reveals the making-of process with more detail than I can seem to recall from a full-scale Hollywood action movie. They show nearly everything from concept to competition. They show a great deal of the pre-production work, the concept art, story pitch sessions with the Marvel editorial brain trust, the body casting sessions for star Robert Downey Jr., the effects development, sound development, putting the suit on, taking the suit off... everything. Some might find this amount of depth grueling. I loved every minute of it. I never been this happy watching DVD extras in my life. Admittedly, it's a lot to process in one sitting. I had to step away from it and come back at a few different points. But for anyone who is interested in the movie-making process even in a general sense, this documentary will be of value to them.

Fun fact: Director Jon Favreau lost over 70-pounds during production on the film to play the part of Happy Hogan. Most telling, he talked about adjustments that needed to be made to his wardrobe as well as his wigs! He basically admits he was a fat head at the start of production.

But I digress.

Additional features on the disc include a second 6-part documentary called "History of the Hero" which chronicles the evolution of the character in the comic books over the last 45 years. It not only does a good job of bringing viewers unfamiliar with the comics up to speed, but it puts some of the larger story points of the movie into context as well as set the stage for areas of the character's history that are sure to be covered in subsequent movie sequels.

The featurette "Wired: The Visual Effects of Iron Man" does an excellent job of highlighting the artists behind Iron Man's near-seamless digital effects work. There's even an extended portion of the piece dedicated to the development of Tony Stark's inside-the-helmet view or HUD - Head's Up Display.

The filmmakers had a considerable challenge showcasing Robert Downey Jr. in the armor when his face and expressions can't be seen. The development of the HUD was a brilliant solution. Not only did it bring you inside the armor, but it lent emotional weight to all of the armor sequences by allowing us to feel what Tony feels, his exhilaration, his fear, his struggle. The amount of detail that went into the tactical display of information inside the HUD will astound you. Most of those scenes only show up for a fraction of a second in the movie. But every piece of information you see has a purpose and it is a great example of the love and attention to detail all of the crew members put in on this film.

The producers aren't without a sense of humor, though. They also included The Onion's parody news clip "Wildly Popular Iron Man Trailer to be Adapted into Full Length Film," which was a welcome surprise.

There are still more extras to be found on the disc, including Robert Downey Jr's screen test, a scene breakdown between Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges and still galleries containing over 175 photos. But going into it at this point would be overkill.

Obviously I'm recommending this DVD as highly as I can. There are a few different bonus editions of the film floating around depending on where you shop. Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy all have collector's editions of the ultimate 2-disc set with bonuses including the pilot to the upcoming animated Iron Man: Armored Avengers, a helmet-shaped DVD case and mini-bust of Iron Man respectively. Whichever one you choose to go with is totally up to you. What counts is the DVD inside - and this is one of the biggest bangs for you buck that you're likely to get all year.

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DVD REVIEW – SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE

by Tom on September 25th, 2008
5 votes, average: 3.20 out of 10
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars
DVD REVIEW – SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE

Clear in my understanding that I am not a member of the targeted demo for Sex and the City: The Movie (on DVD September 23), I decided to do something a little unconventional and interivew my wife Cami and ask her questions about the film.

I concede that I show a little bit of bias in my line of questioning, but at least you're getting a rebuttal from a fan of the series and not a concentrated blast of cynicism on my part. Frankly, I think Cami handles herself quite well as you can read for yourself below...

Tom Brazelton: What is it that you like about Sex and the City?

Cami Brazelton: The clothes, the "love conquers allness" of it all, the NYC backdrop....It's an escape from my drab Iowa life in these harsh economic times.

TB: Did you feel the movie was a fair continuation of the television show?

CB: In a lot of ways I enjoyed the series finale better---it provided all the closure that I needed on the TV show in a magical, fairy tale sort of way. This was a nice revisit, but not at all necessary for me as a fan.

TB: What was your favorite part about the movie?

CB: When Charlotte poops her pants, of course!

TB: What was your least favorite part about the movie?

CB: Seeing SJP with no makeup in the scene where she's in Mexico looking in the mirror. Scary!

TB: Do you feel the movie betrayed the show's original concept by having Carrie marry Mr. Big and and accepting the "dowry" of a fabulous shoe closet?

CB: No...although the series touted the "women behaving as men" theme, the Carrie character always seemed a bit outside of that---she tended to prefer monogamous long=term relationships--Big, Aiden, Aleksandr Petrovsky. As a fan, you always knew that Carrie wanted commitment...she wanted to walk down the aisle one day and you knew that the only man that she would consider marrying was Big.

TB: Did you feel the promotion of Jennifer Hudson's character was warranted when it came at the expense of established characters like Charlotte's husband played by Evan Handler?

CB: Given that Jennifer Hudson's performance was fresh, fun and a great way to balance the heaviness of the Carrie character, I was OK with the little we saw of Charlotte's husband. The series probably explored the extent of the character: Jewish, lawer, loving husband and father.

TB: Considering the box office sucess of the film, would you watch a movie sequel? How do you feel about the movie's conclusion celebrating Samantha's 50th birthday and the women toasting "the next 50?"

CB: How else would it end?

What would the sequel be about? Carrie and Big having a child? Charlotte raising her daughters? Miranda still being a workaholic? I think a sequel would be boring and utterly predictable. I was fine with the ending...it shows that their friendship will endure for 50 more years.

TB: Were you at all disappointed by the lack of special features? (we were sent the bare-bones widescreen edition) Would you have paid more for the special edition DVD?

CB: Yes and yes.

TB: Final thoughts?

CB: I hop this intervue don't make me sound dum.

And there you have it!

Sex and the City: The Movie is available to own on DVD, Blu-ray, On Demand and by download at iTunes. For more information, check out the official site at www.SexAndTheCityMovie.com

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