Tag Archives: reviews

Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell in

The DVD world paused to catch it’s breath this week, as there is only one major theatrical release making its way onto video. But, as usual, we’ve got plenty of television shows, reissues and direct-to-DVD titles to take up the slack.

Get Smart
2 stars (out of four)
Rated PG-13 for some rude humor, action violence and language
Warner Brothers
Available Tuesday on DVD and Blu-Ray

Big screen adaptations of television shows have become commonplace at the multiplex, and this is the latest. Like the 1960s television show that it’s based on, “Get Smart” follows the adventures of Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell), a well meaning but often incompetent secret agent.

On his first assignment, Max is paired with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), a veteran operative who reluctantly takes him under her wing. As they work together, Max’s technique improves and 99 begins to warm up to him. Then, another spy calls Max’s loyalty into question, putting his career and America in danger.

Carell and Hathaway are talented actors and their character readings are solid. Unfortunately, the “Get Smart” script isn’t nearly as entertaining as they are. The pacing is slow and good gags are intermittent, leaving viewers with a picture that is more ponderous than funny.

The film is available in single-disc versions and a two-disc special edition. Extra features vary.

 
Futurama: Bender’s Game
3 stars
Unrated
20th Century Fox
Available Tuesday on DVD and Blu-ray

“Futurama,” brainchild of “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, has endured one of the strangest runs in television history. Initially, the animated show aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003. Then, production ceased but reruns were broadcast on Cartoon Network. Fast forward to 2007 when “Futurama” was reborn.

The original creative team gathered with the idea of making four direct-to-DVD movies that could be split into individual episodes and aired on Comedy Central. The latest — and third — of those films is “Bender’s Game,” an homage to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

For folks who don’t know “Futurama,” a primer. The animated series is set in the 31st century, and it revolves around the adventures of Philip J. Fry, a 21st century man who made it to the future after being cryogenically frozen. He and his friends, including a mutant named Leela and testy robot named Bender, work for a delivery company owned by eccentric professor Hubert J. Farnsworth.

In “Bender’s Game,” the title character discovers he has an imagination and embraces it by playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Alas, Bender uses his imagination too frequently and eventually goes mad. Meanwhile, Professor Farnsworth enlists his employees’ help in bringing a greedy fuel executive down a notch.

The two stories intertwine when Bender magically transports everyone into an alternate dimension where they are forced to play out an adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings.” It sounds bizarre because it is. But it’s also a lot of fun.

“Bender’s Game” is filled with pop culture references and witty asides that are often more entertaining than the overall story. Although the show is animated, the language and content are targeted at adults. And those who like science fiction and sharply scripted humor should find it a pleasant distraction.

DVD extras include an audio commentary by the filmmakers, a storyboard animatic, a bit on Dungeons & Dragons and deleted scenes.

 
Reaper: Season One
3 1/2 stars
Unrated
Lionsgate
Available Tuesday on DVD

Few television shows are as good out of the box as “Reaper,” a supernatural dramedy that blends “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”-style action and special effects with a significant helping of laughs.

Bret Harrison plays Sam, a lowly box store employee who is shocked to discover that his parents sold his soul to Satan (Ray Wise). As if that’s not bad enough, he also learns he must work for the Devil as a bounty hunter … or suffer unpleasant consequences.

Most episodes involve Sam and his wacky friends — the uber-slacker “Sock” (Tyler Labine) and the more conservative Ben (Rick Gonzalez) — capturing demons who have escaped from Hell. This setup gives individual episodes a strong beginning, middle and end, but the screenwriters also include a variety of ongoing stories.

The most important side plot involves Sam’s quest to find a way out of his devilish contract. Also in play is his desire for a romantic relationship with his friend Andi (Missy Peregrym); a contentious relationship with his boss, Ted (Donavon Stinson); and a plot by friendly demons to unseat Satan.

Too often, television series — even good ones — start with poor character development, but the “Reaper” ensemble created layered and well-fleshed-out characters at episode one. Wise is particularly winning as the Devil, who effortlessly swings from genial to menacing.

This five-disc set includes all 18 season-one episodes plus extra features including audio commentaries, deleted scenes and a gag reel.

  
ALSO OUT TUESDAY

“Return to Sleepaway Camp”: This direct-to-DVD addition to the “Sleepaway Camp” franchise is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original, 1983 film. The story centers on campers at rural Camp Manabe who experience a series of bizarre accidents. The tragedy recalls the bloodbath that took place years before at nearby camp Arawak, the setting for the original picture.

“Spin City” — Season One: It’s hard to believe this television sitcom is just now getting a DVD release, but better late than never. Michael J. Fox stars as Mike Flaherty, the workaholic deputy mayor of New York City. Along with an oddball cast of cohorts, he keeps the city government churning. Barry Bostwick, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Connie Britton and Alexander Chaplin also star.

“Get Smart” — The Complete Series Gift Set: If Steve Carell’s “Get Smart” remake stirs nostalgia for the television series, this 25-disc set should more than sate your appetite. It includes all 138 episodes of the original series with Don Adams as secret agent Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as the voluptuous Agent 99.

“Star Wars” — The Prequel Trilogy: This set offers the opportunity to purchase “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” in a boxed set. Each movie was already available ala carte, so there’s no new content.

“Shrek the Halls”: Set after “Shrek the Third,” this half-hour animated adventure plugs the Shrek characters into a holiday setting.

The Bourne Trilogy: As spy thrillers go, Matt Damon’s outings as amnesiac secret agent Jason Bourne are top-notch. This set includes the franchise’s original film — “The Bourne Identity” — plus both sequels, “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

The Wild Wild West — The Complete Series: Fans of the 1960s science fiction Western can own all four seasons thanks to this 27-disc gift set. The show follows the adventures of secret service agents James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin), who traveled in a high-tech train protecting President Ulysses S. Grant and other American interests.

The Gregory Peck Film Collection: A six-disc set from Universal featuring some of Peck’s best-known films. Included are “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Cape Fear,” “Arabesque,” “Mirage,” “Captain Newman, M.D.” and “The World in His Arms.”

Planet of the Apes — 40th Anniversary Collection: All five of Charlton Heston’s “Planet of the Apes” movies are available on Blu-ray for the first time. They can be purchased collectively through this set or individually.

A Christmas Story — Ultimate Collector’s Edition: Repackaging of the much-loved holiday movie about a 1940s boy who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. The film has been available on DVD for years, but this version includes a variety of memorabilia. The film is also being released on Blu-ray for the first time.

Batman — The Complete Animated Series: What’s with all the huge, multi-disc sets? We’re heading into the holiday season, meaning distributors are trotting out as many high-end gift ideas as possible. For fans of the Dark Knight, this is a good one. “Batman the Animated Series” is a superbly made superhero cartoon, and this collection includes every episode.

(Left to right) Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson and Anita Briem in "Journey to the Center of the Earth."

It’s an outstanding week for home video, particularly when it comes to family viewing. Not only has Disney released a new direct-to-DVD title, but we got a great family film from Abigail Breslin and an enjoyable remake of a science-fiction classic.

 
Journey to the Center of the Earth
3 stars (out of four)
Rated PG for intense adventure action and some scary moments
New Line Cinema
Available on: DVD, Blu-ray

As science-fiction films go, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” places the emphasis squarely on fiction, and that’s OK.

Anyone willing to buy into the concept of dinosaurs living within the Earth’s core shouldn’t much care that the plotting is ridiculous. The basic story — introduced in Jules Verne’s novel — has always been nutty, yet it’s still classic. In this version of the tale, Brendan Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, a scientist obsessed with finding his long-missing brother, Max.

Max believed the stories in Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” novel were based on fact, and he failed to return from an expedition to prove such. So, Trevor decides to embark on a similar adventure in hopes of finding Max and making scientific history.

Along with Max’s young son, Sean (Josh Hutcherson), and a mountain guide named Hannah (Anita Briem), Trevor begins an expedition in Iceland. In short order, the three explorers find themselves falling deep into the Earth’s core and learning that the fanciful stories in Verne’s novel are indeed true.

The storytelling is so silly that it can’t be taken seriously, but it’s also loads of fun. What’s more, the PG-rated action is intense enough to be interesting but not so overwhelming that it will scare most youngsters. That makes “Journey” a great movie for young families.

The DVD releases include 2-D and 3-D versions of the film, and the 3-D effects are great.

DVD extras include a commentary by Fraser and Brevig, a short feature on Hutcherson, and historical theories about our planet’s core.

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
3 ½ stars
Rated G
New Line Cinema
Available on: DVD, Blu-ray
This wonderful feature is oh so timely in our trying economic times. Born from the American Girl doll and book franchise, the movie tells the story of Kit (Abigail Breslin), a 10-year-old living through the Great Depression in Cincinnati.

When Kit’s father (Chris O’Donnell) loses his car dealership, forcing him to leave home and look for work in Chicago, it turns life upside down. Doing whatever she can to keep their home, Kit’s kindly mother (Julia Ormond) takes in boarders who become part of the extended family.

The movie has the warm glow and conservative spirit of a picture made in the 1940s or 1950s, but the technical prowess of a modern effort. That’s a winning combination, and G rated films like this are too rare.

DVD extras are limited to trailers for other “American Girl” products and a handful of features available only to those with a computer DVD drive and internet connection.

 
Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection
4 stars
Unrated
Universal
Available on: DVD
The average movie fan may not be interested in all 28 films that Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made for Universal, but this set is a collector’s dream. It comes in an attractive cardboard chest packed with 15 discs containing the movies and numerous bonus features.

There are far too many titles to review individually, but most folks already know if they like Abbott and Costello. And fans will be in nirvana with this collection.

Of particular note this time of year are the titles “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948), “Abbott and Costello Meet The Killer, Boris Karloff” (1949), “Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man” (1951), “Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1953) and “Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy” (1955). As part of an early Halloween celebration, I watched “Frankenstein” with my 4- and 7-year-old sons, and it is amazing how well the storytelling holds up. The film is filled with slapstick moments, and features some terrific vintage performances, making it an outstanding choice for family viewing.

Abbott and Costello were about more than horror-comedies, so it’s important to note that the set also includes “In the Navy” (1941), “Buck Privates” (1941), “In Society” (1944), “Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Cops” (1955), and many more.

 
Tinker Bell
2 ½ stars
Rated G
Disney
Available on: DVD, Blu-ray
Everyone knows the story of Tinker Bell’s friendship with Peter Pan, but Tink’s origination was always a mystery … until now.

This direct-to-DVD title reveals where the famous Disney fairy came from, and it packs a valuable message about the need for varied talents and personalities in our world. Although the storytelling isn’t as layered as in most of Disney’s theatrical releases, it is strong enough to keep the interest of children.

“Tinker Bell” is also surprisingly beautiful for a direct-to-video title. The imagery is stunning throughout, surpassing the animation seen even in a handful of big screen features.

DVD extras include a guide to the fairy realm, a feature on how the filmmakers created it for screen, deleted scenes and a new music video.

 
Zombie Strippers
1 ½ stars
Available in an unrated version and the theatrical cut, which was rated R for strong violence and gore, sexuality/nudity and language
Sony Pictures
Available on: DVD, Blu-ray
Patterned after the low-budget horror-sexploitation films that were rampant in the 1970s, “Zombie Strippers” tells of a renegade zombie who escapes extermination to spread his curse to a Nebraska strip club.

When the joint’s top stripper (former porn star Jenna Jameson) gets massacred on stage, it looks like bad news for the club owner, Ian (Robert Englund). But when she mysteriously reanimates and takes the stage again, it becomes clear that men find zombie strippers even hotter than regular gals. In fact, the live nude girls have difficulty competing with the undead, so some of them willingly convert.

As the title suggests, there is plenty of nudity and an equal amount of over-the-top gore. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many laughs as the goofy premise would suggest.

It’s fairly clear that writer-director Jay Lee wanted “Zombie Strippers” to be like “Planet Terror,” the excellent B-movie homage director Robert Rodriguez delivered last year. The potential was there but the execution isn’t witty or loose enough to merit a recommendation … even at Halloween.

Special DVD features include two making-of features, deleted scenes, and a commentary with Jameson, Englund, Medina and director Jay Lee.

 
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK

“Hell Ride”: Executive producer Quentin Tarantino teamed with writer-director Larry Bishop to make this homage to the motorcycle flicks of the 1960s and ’70s. Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen and Vinnie Jones star as bikers looking for vengeance against a rival motorcycle gang that killed one of their loved ones.

“Animal House” — 30th Anniversary Edition Gift Set: This memorable 1978 comedy about college kids behaving badly has achieved cult status. It’s been released on DVD numerous times before, but this two-disc set — packaged in a frat house-shaped box — includes the film, a new documentary about it and exclusive Scene-It games. John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom and Tom Hulce star.

“The Polar Express” 3-D: It may be bad form to start talking Christmas before the Halloween decorations are down, but there’s no denying the quality of this 2004 animated picture about kids who take a magical ride to the North Pole. This release marks the first time the film has been available on Blu-ray, and both regular and Blu-ray editions come with special glasses and the option of 3-D viewing.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000” — 20th Anniversary Edition: In this bizarre television series, an oddball collection of supposed space travelers provide humorous commentary for terrible B-movies. The set includes four of the show’s most-requested episodes plus a collection of bonus content.

“Dale Earnhardt 10 Greatest Wins”: NASCAR fans can relive some of the late driver’s greatest moments on the track with this five-disc collection. Featured races are the 1984 Talladega 500, the 1987 Winston, the 1989 Southern 500, the 1993 Coca-Cola 600, the 1995 Busch Clash, the 1995 Brickyard 400, the 1995 Save Mart Supermarkets 300, the 1998 Daytona 500, the 2000 Cracker Barrel 500 and the 2000 Winston 500.

Complete television series sets: As studios gear up for the holidays, they’re trotting out an increasing number of large, multi-disc sets designed for gift giving. This is a particularly busy week, as complete collections of more than five television series are hitting stores. The shows range from relatively new — “The 4400” — to old-time classics — “The Little Rascals,” “The Flintstones,” “Sanford and Son.” And, of course, there are a couple that fall in between — “Newsradio” and “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.” All of these sets have suggested retail prices exceeding $50, but you get a lot of viewing for the money.

Forrest Hartman is a film critic for the Reno Gazette-Journal, KTVN-TV (Reno), Alice Radio (Reno), the Free Daily Observer (Hotchkiss, CO) and New Jersey Voice. Contact him at forrest@forresthartman.com.