Mamma Mia! The Movie [Blu-ray]
Universal Studios Home Video / 2008 / 109 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Genres: Musical, drama
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Plot Synopsis: The delirious sight of Meryl Streep leading a river of multigenerational women singing "Dancing Queen" is one of the high points of Mamma Mia!, the musical built around the songs of the hugely popular pop group ABBA. The plot sets in motion when Sophie (Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls), daughter of Donna (Streep), sends a letter to three men, inviting them to her wedding--because after reading her mother's diary, she suspects that one of them is her father. When all three arrive at the Greek island where Donna runs a hotel, Donna flips out and finds that passions she thought she'd laid aside are coming back to life. But let's face it, the plot is not the point--it's a ridiculous contrivance that provides an excuse for the characters to sing the massive hits of ABBA. Regrettably, first-time film director Phyllida Lloyd (who directed the original stage production) has drawn over-the-top performances from everyone involved, even Streep; every production number hammers its exuberance into your eyeballs. Which is too bad, because Mamma Mia! is a rarity: A middle-aged love story. The kids start things off, but the story is really about Streep and the three guys (former James Bond Pierce Brosnan, former Mr. Darcy Colin Firth, and Swedish star Stellan Skarsgard), as well as Donna's best friends (Christine Baranski, best known from the TV show Cybill, and Julie Walters, Calendar Girls). It's a romantic comedy aimed at the people who were around when all these songs were new, and that's an age group Hollywood largely ignores. For that alone, Mamma Mia! deserves to find an audience.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary
- Featurette: "The Making of Mamma Mia!" (HD, 25 minutes)
- Featurette: "Becoming a Singer" (HD, 11 minutes)
- Featurette: "Anatomy of a Musical Number" (HD, 6 minutes)
- Featurette: "A Look Inside Mamma Mia!" (HD, 3 minutes)
- Deleted Scenes (HD/SD, 8 minutes)
- Music Video: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" (HD, 5 minutes)
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor [Blu-ray]
Universal Studios Home Entertainment / 2008 / 112 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Genres: Action, adventure
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello
Director: Rob Cohen
Plot Synopsis: The third film in the The Mummy series freshens the franchise up by setting the action in China. There, the discovery of an ancient emperor's elaborate tomb proves a feather in the cap of Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford), a young archaeologist and son of Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello, taking over the role from Rachel Weisz). Unfortunately, a curse that turned the emperor (Jet Li) and his army into terra cotta warriors buried for centuries is lifted, and the old guy prepares for world domination by seeking immortality at Shangri La. The O'Connells barely stay a step ahead of him (climbing through the Himalaya mountains with apparent ease), but the action inevitably leads to a showdown between two armies of mummies in a Chinese desert. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor has a lot to offer: a supporting cast that includes the elegant Michelle Yeoh, Russell Wong, and Liam Cunningham, the unexpected appearance of several Yeti, and a climactic battle sequence that is nightmarishly weird but compelling. On the downside, the charm so desperately sought in romantic relationships, as well as comic turns by John Hannah (as Evelyn's rascal brother), is not only absent but often annoying. Rarely have witty asides in the thick of battle been more unwelcome in a movie. Rob Cohen's direction is largely crisp if sometimes curious (a fight between Fraser and Jet Li keeps varying in speed for some reason), but his vision of Shangri La, in the Hollywood tradition, is certainly attractive.
Disc Features:
Disc One:
- Audio Commentary - Director Rob Cohen offers a solo commentary for his entry in the 'Mummy' saga.
- Featurette: "The Making of 'The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'" (HD, 23 minutes)
- Featurette: "From City to Desert " (HD, 15 minutes)
- Featurette: "Legacy of Terra Cotta " (HD, 13 minutes)
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 11 minutes)
Disc Two:
- Featurette: "The Casting Process" (SD, 5 minutes)
- Featurette: "Preparing for Battle" (SD, 11 minutes)
- Featurette: "Jet Li: Crafting the Emperor Mummy" (SD, 8 minutes)
- Featurettes: "Creating New Supernatural Worlds" (SD, 9 minutes)
- Digital Copy (SD, 9 minutes)
Into the Wild [Blu-ray]
Paramount Home Entertainment / 2007 / Rated R
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Genres: Biography, Drama
Starring: Hal Holbrook, Emile Hirsch
Director: Sean Penn
Plot Synopsis: This is the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch). Freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead, McCandless instead walked out of his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people -- a fearless risk-taker who wrestled with the precarious balance between man and nature.
Disc Features:
• Featurettes: "Into the Wild: The Story, The Characters," "Into the Wild: The Experience"
• Theatrical Trailer
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale [Blu-ray]
Fox Home Entertainment / 2008 / 162 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Starring: Jason Statham, Burt Reynolds, Leelee Sobieski, Claire Forlani
Director: Uwe Boll
Plot Synopsis: Based on the best-selling action-fantasy game and filled with spectacular visual effects, this epic tale of heroism, courage and destiny is brought to life by an all-star cast: Jason Statham (War), Leelee Sobieski (Joy Ride), John Rhys-Davies (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Claire Forlani (TV's CSI: NY), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Ray Liotta (Wild Hogs) and Burt Reynolds (The Longest Yard). When a bloodthirsty legion of half-man/half-beast Krugs rampages through his village, one man picks up a sword and undertakes a quest of vengeance... and honor. Haunted by the memory of his son's death and the kidnapping of his wife (Forlani) by the Krugs, Farmer (Statham) ignites a duty-call for others to join his crusade to stop the campaign of terror waged by an evil sorcerer (Liotta) whose ruthless quest for the crown could spell doom for the entire Kingdom.
Disc Features:
• Featurette
• Deleted Scenes
• Theatrical Trailers
HD Exclusive Content:
• Unrated Director's Cut
• Audio Commentary with Uwe Boll
Planet Terror [Blu-ray]
Weinstein Co. / 2007 / Unrated
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Genres: Horror
Starring: Rose McGowan
Director: Robert Rodriquez
Plot Synopsis: Director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) is back with a rip-roaring, zombie-infested rollercoaster of a movie that "sure as hell keeps you hanging on for the ride" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Bruce Willis, and an all-star cast fight for their lives in the ultimate showdown between an army of flesh-eating mutants and a motley group of rag-tag survivors. Featuring one of the most memorable screen heroines ever and the now-legendary mock Machete trailer, "Planet Terror is as total blast - funny, gory and over the top"
Death Proof [Blu-ray]
Weinstein Co. / 2007 / Unrated
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Genres: Suspense, thriller
Starring: Kurt Russell
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Plot Synopsis: Director Quentin Tarantino delivers an adrenaline shot to the heart with Death Proof, "a tribute to balls-out pedal-to-the-metal car chases" (Pete Hammond, Maxim). Featuring exhilarating high-speed action, jaw-dropping stunts, and some of the most quotable lines since Pulp Fiction, Death Proof "goes faster, and funnier, than you thought possible...and then it goes further" (Ty Burr, Boston Globe). Kurt Russell stars as a sociopathic stuntman whose taste for stalking sexy young ladies gets him into big trouble when he tangles with the wrong gang of badass babes. Their confrontation escalates to a hair-raising, 18-minute automotive duel with one of the girls strapped to the hood of a thundering Dodge Challenger that "earns a place of honor among the great movie car chases"
Hot Rod [Blu-ray]
Paramount Home Entertainment / 2007 / 88 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Starring: Ian McShane, Sissy Spacek, Will Arnett
Directors: Akiva Schaffer
Plot Synopsis: Amateur stuntman Rod Kimble (ANDY SAMBERG) has a problem – his step-father Frank (IAN MCSHANE) is a jerk. Frank picks on Rod, tosses him around like a rag doll in their weekly sparring sessions, and definitely doesn't respect him, much less his stunts. But when Frank falls ill, it's up to Rod to stage the jump of his life in order to save his step-father. The plan: Jump 15 buses, raise the money for Frank's heart operation, and then... kick his ass.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary - Director Akiva Schaffer is joined by stars Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone.
- Featurette: "Ancestors Protect Me: Behind the Scenes of Hot Rod" (HD, 8 minutes)
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 15 minutes) - There are sixteen clips in all.
- Outtake Reel (SD, 3 minutes)
- "Kevin's Videos" (SD, 14 minutes)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD)
The Heartbreak Kid [Blu-ray]
Paramount Home Entertainment / 2007 / 115 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Starring: Ben Stiller, Polly Holliday, Scott Wilson
Directors: Peter and Bobby Farrelly
Plot Synopsis: Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers bring out the best in each other. In The Heartbreak Kid, Stiller plays Eddie Cantrow, who--persuaded by his father and friends that he's commitment-phobic--marries a gorgeous and seemingly ideal woman named Lila (Malin Akerman, The Brothers Solomon) that he's been dating for several weeks. But after the wedding, things start to go awry... the least of these being that on their honeymoon, Eddie meets a woman who might truly be the girl of his dreams (Michelle Monaghan, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). As in There's Something About Mary, writers/directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly push Stiller away from his increasingly schticky "tense guy" persona and draw out his sweeter, more multilayered earnest side. On his end, Stiller provides a human core to what could just be a festival of raunch and absurdity (the movie features aroused donkeys, deviated septum jokes, and digitally-enhanced body hair, among other items of questionable taste). It only takes a quick comparison with Jim Carrey in Me, Myself & Irene or Jack Black in Shallow Hal to see what a surprisingly delicate balance that is. The Heartbreak Kid may not be quite as wildly sublime as There's Something About Mary, but it comes extremely close, with kudos to Akerman for her unrestrained nuttiness.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary - The best extra on the disc by far
- Featurette: "The Farrelly Bros. in the French Tradition" (HD, 16 minutes)
- Featurette: "Ben & Jerry" (HD, 6 minutes)
- Featurette: "The Egg Toss" (HD, 8 minutes)
- Featurette: "Heartbreak Halloween" (HD, 3 minutes) -
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 8 minutes) - There are six rather short scenes in all.
- Gag Reel (SD, 4 minutes)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD)
Old School (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]
Paramount Home Entertainment / 2003 / 92 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: December 16, 2008
Starring: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn
Directors: Todd Phillips
Plot Synopsis: When three thirtysomething friends with woman troubles (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn) decide to form a fraternity, it's supposedly to save Wilson from losing his house, which the nearby college is trying to claim for academic purposes. But really, Ferrell and Vaughn are desperate to return to the reckless, feckless days of beer bongs and hot chicks, and they drag Wilson along with them as they throw themselves into gathering frat pledges of all ages. Old School could have been just another string of bad jokes hanging on a flimsy plot, but the script and the cast have a jovial energy and just enough grounding in reality--at least, up until the obligatory beat-the-system ending, but by that point you'll forgive the excesses of this silly, cheerful, and frequently funny movie. Featuring Jeremy Piven and Juliette Lewis, with cameos by Snoop Dog, Andy Dick, and others.
Disc Features:
- Audio Commentary
- Featurette: "Old School Orientation" (SD, 13 minutes)
- Featurette: "Inside the Actor's Spoof" (SD, 22 minutes)
- From the Cutting Room Floor (SD, 13 minutes)
- Outtakes & Bloopers (SD, 5 minutes)
- Theatrical Trailer/TV Spots (HD/SD)
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