AVP2, Juno Plus Other Great Release On Blu-ray 15 April

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 2007 / 94 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Overall Grade






Genres: Action, thriller, suspense, sci-fiction.
Starring: Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth, John Ortiz
Director: Colin Strause


Plot Synopsis: For those who found 2004's Aliens vs. Predator too lightweight in the gore-and-guns department, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem offers a marked improvement in both categories, as well as a respectable amount of rumbles between the title extraterrestrials. Set in the 21st century (which predates the story to all of the Alien features), Requiem sends a crippled Predator ship crashing to Earth in a small Colorado town; unbeknownst to the locals, the craft is loaded with H.R. Giger's insectoid monsters, which make quick work of most of the population. As the human cast is slowly whittled to a few hardy (if unmemorable) souls, a Predator warrior also arrives to complicate matters and do battle with the Aliens, as well as a ferocious alien-Predator hybrid (dubbed a Predalien by the sci-fi and horror press). Visual-effects designers and music-video helmers The Strause Brothers (who make their feature directorial debut here) keep the action on frantic throughout, which is wise, since the dialogue and characters are threadbare at best; that should matter little to teenage male viewers, who are inarguably the film's key audience. Fans of the Alien franchise, however, may find the offhanded nod to the series' mythology given during the finale its sole saving grace.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentaries - The first is with directors Colin and Greg Strause, and producer John Davies. It's the kind of track that's enthusiastic, but won't sway anyone's opinion -- the movie still sucks. Adding fuel to the critical fire is the fact that the Brothers Strause actually discuss the casting and "acting," as if it mattered. Less laughable is their considerable knowledge of the comic book series, which influenced their script more than may be apparent. Davies, meanwhile, acts largely as a cheerleader, and helps in recounting the often arduous shoot in Canada.
  
  A second commentary track features special effects supervisors Tom Woodruff Jr. and Alec Gillis of Amalgamated Dynamics, the house behind the film's creature effects. A little of this type of discussion goes a long way for me, but this is a must-listen for effects fans. I was quite impressed with the man-in-a-rubber-suit tricks of 'AvP:R' over the CGI, and the pair go into quite generous detail regarding the conception, shooting, and post-production of the creature moments. Unfortunately, this track blands out by the end, with far too much dead air. No pun intended.
  
• Production Featurettes (SD, 28 minutes) - There are two here, all culled from the same batch of filmmaker interviews and laced with plenty of above-average making-of material. "Preparing for War: Development and Production" (16 minutes) is exactly what its title suggests. We get good background on the quick gestation of the project, the tough shoot (it's all water and darkness), and an intro to the conceptualization of the titular creatures. Cast comments are limited to the "Holy shit, I'm in an 'ALIEN' movie!" variety. "Fight to the Finish: Post-Production" (12 minutes) is actually more interesting, documenting how the Strause Brothers rushed to get the film to theaters while trimming the goriest bits to achieve an R-rating. There is also a look at some early CGI concepts and how they were fine-tuned for the final cut.
  
• Effects Featurettes (SD, 24 minutes) - This time there's three, and again they are all assembled from the same EPK material. "The Nightmare Returns: Creating The Aliens" (8 minutes) is a cool look at the early modeling and sculpting of the aliens and face-huggers, and how they updated the look from the original designs by H.R. Giger. "Crossbreed: Creating The PredAlien" (also 8 minutes) dissects the film's ace-in-the-hole, the mutated crossbreed that is, admittedly, pretty wicked. Finally, "Building The Predator Homeworld" (7 minutes) looks at the use of models, miniatures, and CGI to create the base of the predators. As with all of these featurettes, there's a nice mix of interviews, on-set footage, and concept illustrations.
  
• Still Galleries (HD) - For those who still haven't had their fill of creature designs, there are seven galleries here, with well over a hundred stills. Navigation makes good use of the format's color-coded remote buttons, so you can swish through a gallery with ease and view any image in a larger view. The seven galleries include "Designing the Alien," "Designing The Predator" and "Designing The PredAlien," plus four "On the Set" collections: "The Rooftop," "The Sewer," "The Hive," and "Cast And Crew."
  
• Added Footage Marker - If you're curious about the differences between the theatrical and unrated versions on the disc, flick on this feature. As the unrated cut progresses, an icon will pop up whenever footage appears that's not in the theatrical release. If nothing else, this feature illustrates just how little substance there is (outside of quick gore shots) in the "extreme" version.
  
• Digital Copy (SD) - A second DVD disc included in the set provides a downloadable digital copy of the movie. Just pop the disc in your PC, and the transfer to your computer (or other portable video device, such as an iPhone) is a snap. (Note that the digital copy is standard-def resolution only.)
  
• Theatrical Trailers

Also available:

Alien vs. Predator/Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (Two-Pack) (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 2004 / Unrated
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Juno (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 2007 / 92 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Overall Grade Recommended. An instant classic.






Genres: Drama, comedy
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman
Director: Jason Reitman

Plot Synopsis: Somewhere between the sharp satire of Election and the rich human comedy of You Can Count On Me lies Juno, a sardonic but ultimately compassionate story of a pregnant teenage girl who wants to give her baby up for adoption. Social misfit Juno (Ellen Page, Hard Candy, X-Men: The Last Stand) protects herself with a caustic wit, but when she gets pregnant by her friend Paulie (Michael Cera, Superbad), Juno finds herself unwilling to terminate the pregnancy. When she chooses a couple who place a classified ad looking to adopt, Juno gets drawn further into their lives than she anticipated. But Juno is much more than its plot; the stylized dialogue (by screenwriter Diablo Cody) seems forced at first, but soon creates a richly textured world, greatly aided by superb performances by Page, Cera, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as the prospective parents, and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man) and Allison Janney as Juno's father and stepmother. Director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) deftly keeps the movie from slipping into easy, shallow sarcasm or foundering in sentimentality. The result is smarter and funnier than you might expect from the subject matter, and warmer and more touching than you might expect from the cocky attitude. Page's performance is deceptively simple; she never asks the audience to love her, yet she effortlessly carries a movie in which she's in almost every scene.

Disc Features:

• Audio Commentary - A fun and breezy chat with director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody (recorded before her Oscar win, by the way). The pair have a great time, and go beyond the basics of the story to touch upon everything from seemingly-insignificant supporting cast members to overlooked production design details. Cody is also forthright about the autobiographical details of the script, which balances nicely with Reitman's sometimes overwhelming penchant for technical analysis of specific shots and calling out the numerous gaffes in the film. There's even some interesting discussion of the elements cut to achieve a PG-13 rating. A strong track, and probably the highlight of the disc.
  
• Featurettes (SD, 30 minutes) - There are four in all, culled from on-set interviews and behind-the-scenes promo-kit footage. "Totally Beyond My Maturity Level" (9 minutes) introduces us to Cody's titular creation, as well as the esteemable Ellen Page. "Diablo Cody is Totally Boss" (9 minutes) recounts the writer's now-famous tale of blogger-to-film force to be reckoned with (dropping the erotic dancer part). "Jason Reitman for Shizz" (8 minutes) documents how the director landed the gig, and his tonal approach to the material. Finally, "Honest to Blog! Creating Juno" (13 minutes) is sort of like a recap of the previous three featurettes, and was produced as an EPK for Fox Searchlight.
  
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 20 minutes) - Eleven in all, and they're good. Cody certainly has a knack for nailing minor characters with just a few broad strokes, and there are plenty of great bits here that got cut either for time or other reasons. For once, a deleted scenes set that's actually worth watching. (Reitman and Cody also offer optional commentary.)
  
• Outtakes (SD, 33 minutes) - These odds and ends include a pretty funny Gag Reel (5 minutes), a "Gag Take" (a running joke that lasts 2 minutes), Screen Tests (22 minutes, with Ellen Page, Michael Cera and J.K. Simmons), and finally a "Cast & Crew Music Video" (3 minutes) that's pretty damn hilarious.
  
• Digital Copy (SD) - As is now becoming a standard feature on day-and-date Fox Blu-ray releases, a second disc includes a digital copy of the film. Standard-def only, pop the DVD in your PC and download a copy of the film for viewing on portable devices.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Blu-ray)

Image Entertainment / 2007 / 112 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Genres: Crime, Drama
Starring: Marisa Tomei, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke
Director: Sidney Lumet

Plot Synopsis: When two brothers organize the robbery of their parents' jewelery store the job goes horribly wrong, triggering a series of events that sends them, their father and one brother's wife hurtling towards a shattering climax.


Mariah Carey: The Adventures of Mimi (Blu-ray)

Image Entertainment / 2008 / 165 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Overall Grade Full throttle music experience






Genres: Music
Starring: Mariah Carey

Plot Synopsis: "Mariah Carey, the top-selling female artist of all time with sales of over 160 million units worldwide, took her newest show on the road in 2006 for the first time in more than three years. THE ADVENTURES OF MIMI, her most successful tour ever, shaped up to be a grand celebration, drawing on songs--many performed for the first time ever--from her 15-year career. Shot in High Definition and recorded in Digital Surround Sound, this large-scale, sold-out arena production, produced by legendary Award Winning Producer Ken Ehrlich, is your all-access pass to see Mariah belt out everything from power ballads to hip-hop tracks. It is a fantasy come true to see and hear an artist of this magnitude touch the hearts and souls of so many with her famous five-octave voice. Disc 1 1. It's Like That 2. Heartbreaker 3. Dream Lover 4. My All 5. Shake It Off 6. Vision Of Love 7. Fly Like A Bird 8. I'll Be There 9. Fantasy 10. Don't Forget About Us 11. Always Be My Baby 12. Honey 13. I Wish You Knew 14. Can't Let Go 15. One Sweet Day 16. Hero 17. Make It Happen 18. We Belong Together 19. Butterfly Reprise Features Live performance of 19 hit songs.

Disc Features: Behind-The-Scenes footage and Jukebox feature which allows the user to select the order of songs. Disc 2 * The Adventures of Mimi Tour Documentary * An inside look at the Tour and Concert by Mariah and Mariah's personal Director * Lovers And Haters, an original Spike Lee directed Mariah mini movie Karaoke-Style Feature with the following hit songs: * Shake It Off * Vision Of Love * Honey * One Sweet Day * Hero * We Belong Together Disc 3 - Bonus Interactive Disc ($55 Value) * Exclusive Virtual Store * Free Virtual Ticket Subscription * Free Ringtones * Tour & Ticket Updates * Free Single Download.


Predator (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1985 / 107 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Genres: Action
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Sonny Latham
Director: John McTiernan

Plot Synopsis: The ultimate hunter meets the ultimate adversary... in the ultimate Collector's Edition DVD! Arnold Schwarzenegger wages an all-out war against an unseen enemy, a force more powerful and deadly than any on Earth-because the Predator is not of this Earth. Now, you can explore the depths of the Predator jungle with this all-new 2-disc set packed with over 5 hours of out-of-this-world extras, including an in-depth documentary, director's commentary, never-before-seen bonus footage, revealing featurettes and more!

Disc Features: Despite a myriad of standard DVD releases to cull from, Fox has not provided any supplements of note for 'Predator's Blu-ray debut.

Commando (Blu-ray)

Fox Home Entertainment / 1985 / 90 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Genres: Action
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya
Director: Mark L.Lester

Plot Synopsis: A massively underrated action thriller that kept Arnold Schwarzenegger occupied between mid-'80s blockbusters, Commando may be one of the last shoot-out films ever to have real characters in it. Not, of course, that they're anything other than stereotypes, but they're painted with such detailed, positive strokes that it's impossible not to relate to them. Arnie plays a retired military special-ops officer whose daughter (played with an expert balance of cute/feisty by Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped by the baddest of bad guys, who'll only hand her back as and when he's assassinated a tiresome banana-republic president on their behalf. Needless to say, Arnie is deeply annoyed by this, rescues the moppet single-handed amid more bullets and explosions than you can shake a stuntman's pay cheque at, and... well, why spoil the fun by revealing any more? Co-star Rae Dawn Chong gets some nice one-liners as the innocent bystander who gets caught up in the mayhem. --Roger Thomas

Disc Features: Aside from a theatrical trailer presented in high definition, the Blu-ray edition of 'Commando' doesn't include a single significant feature. Meanwhile, the Director's Cut standard DVD has a director's commentary, a featurette, deleted scenes, and an extensive still gallery. I have to say I'm growing weary of Fox's current high-def strategy -- the studio may make extra money by releasing a future, definitive release of 'Commando,' but it seems like a cold disservice to fans that punishes their early adoption and support of high definition.

A Passage to India (Blu-ray)

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 1984 / 163 Minutes / Rated PG
Street Date: April 15, 2008

Genres: Drama
Starring: Alec Guinness, James Fox, Peggy Ashcroft, Judy Davis
Director: David Lean

Plot Synopsis: Set in 1928, this film portrays an indelibly sardonic picture of British life in territorial India.The story concerns Adela Quested, who is a free-spirited British woman, played by (Judy Davis), whohas settled in India and is to marry Ronny Heaslop (Nigel Havers), a town magistrate. She is befriended by the charming Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee), but it's a friendship that ultimately leads to tragedy.

Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary with Producer Richard Goodwin
• Featurettes: "E.M. Forster: Profile of an Author," "An Epic Takes Shape," "An Indian Affair," "Only Connect: A Vision of India," "Casting a Classic," "David Lean: Shooting with the Master," "Reflections Of David Lean"

HD Exclusive Content:
• Graphic and Picture Track