BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) Blu-Ray Review

While it was 1989's THE LITTLE MERMAID that may have made critics and audiences begin to take a more serious look at animation, it was 1991's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST that proved that animation wasn't just for families.

After its triumphant preview at the New York Film Festival, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST developed a buzz that few if any animated films had. It would eventually become the first animated film ever to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

I was in college when the film came out. A lifelong Disney fan, after seeing the 20/20 segment on the making of the film, I left campus the afternoon it came out, driving an hour to the nearest theatre to see it. When I got back, everyone asked me what I saw. After embarrassingly mentioning it was the latest Disney cartoon, rather than strange looks, instead everyone was saying "Oh how was it? I want to see that."

Disney animation was back.

Without having seen the film in a few years, I put on the Blu-Ray. The film looks amazing. Colors are perfectly rendered.

But aside from the animation, the music in the film more than holds up. I had forgotten just how much fun the Alan Menken / Howard Ashman score was. From the opening "Belle", to "Gaston", "Be Our Guest" and the title song, the film was on its initial released often compared to a great Broadway show. Of course, it became one later on.

The film is being released in a three disc Blu-Ray. There are two Blu-Ray discs with a third DVD of the film. While the Blu-ray will be released in a three pack next week, October 5, the DVD will be released on its own on November 23rd.

DISC ONE

There are three viewing options for the film. There is the extended version featuring the very catchy "Human Again" added to the film. There is also the Theatrical Version as well as the theatrical with the "Work Print" version in a picture in picture comparison.  An audio commentary is available for the extended version.

Other extras include

• COMPOSING A CLASSIC (20:18) - Alan Menken discusses writing the music for the film.

• DELETED SCENES - There are two never before seen deleted scenes including an alternate story opening (18:24) and Belle in the library (8:27). Both of these are in rough form, with introductions.

• BROADWAY BEGINNINGS (13:07) - Donny Osmond, Deborah Gibson and Nick Jonas among others discuss what it was like appearing in the Broadway play.

• MUSIC VIDEO (3:26) - Jordin Sparks sings a new version of the title song.

DISC TWO

BEYOND BEAUTY - An excellent almost hour long documentary featuring crew members, along with others such as Jeffrey Katzenbeg, who discuss the making of the film. This is shown in enhanced mode where, at a few points in the feature, you can click on the remote to hear even more information about a certain point being discussed.

Disc two also features the extras from the previous DVD, including a documentary, music video, alternate versions of scenes, deleted scenes, animation tests, and TV spots.

DISC THREE

Disc three features the feature film and extras on standard DVD 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST DIAMOND EDITION is available on DVD and Blu-ray .

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (2010) Review

1987’s WALL STREET was one of the most important films in my life.

When it came out, I was in high school, planning on being a business major. I literally counted down the days until the film opened, and was there opening night. I loved the film.

Remember that scene in BOILER ROOM where Ben Affleck and his friends sat around watching WALL STREET and running the lines from it while watching it? That was my high school. I remember a gym class, during a volleyball game where all the guys were reciting the Gekko / Bud Fox beach phone call scene.

This was the end of the Reagan era and we all wanted to be Bud Fox. Forget the fact that the film was meant to be a cautionary tale, that Bud went to jail at the end. The life it showed was where we all wanted to be.

The problem with me came that, instead of loving the world, I began to just love the film. The way that Oliver Stone’s camera circled around Michael Douglas during some of the discussion scenes, I began to be more interested in filmmaking. While I went to college as a business finance major, I eventually switched over to Communications and Film.

Cut to twenty years later.

I didn't go into film. Lately, its gotten to the point that I haven’t even cared about films all that much. I haven’t been to one in over four months. And now the sequel, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS opens.

To be honest, I thought of continuing my movie hiatus and waiting for Blu-Ray. The reviews haven’t been all that terrific to go out to the theatre.

But, with nothing better to do, I decide to go see it.

Gordon Gekko is out of jail. The trial dragged on for five years, and he ended up serving an eight year term. He has written a book “Is Greed Good” a cautionary tale of Wall Street Excess.

Shia LaBeouf is Jake Moore, a Bud Fox like trader who is engaged to Gekko’s estranged daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan). After hearing Gekko speak, Moore approaches him to introduce himself. With Moore’s trading bank taken down in the economic collapse, Moore wants Gekko’s help in going after the bank that he blames for the collapse.

This may not be a perfect film.

While Josh Brolin is very good as a rival trader, there is also a bit about how he and Gekko have a history. Umm, when WALL STREET came out, Brolin was only 19 and just a couple years from his appearing as the older brother in GOONIES. That would have been difficult.

Susan Sarandon also has a couple scenes as Jake’s mother, a house flipper in financial trouble. This seems to only be there to show the human side of the housing crisis and feels more like a deleted scene than anything else.

And I could kind of have done without the David Byrne soundtrack. Nothing against Mr. Byrne, but it just didn’t fit.

Getting that out of the way, I truly loved everything else about the film. It is my favorite film I have seen this year.

There is a scene early on where Frank Langella, as the head of a bank in financial trouble, pleading with the Federal Reserve for help that gives a better idea of what was really going on than you would know from just watching the nightly news.

Michael Douglas is fantastic. He is as good here as he was in the original.

Plus, there is a moment, I won’t give it away as I’ve seen no mention in any of the reviews, but I almost cheered when it happened. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

As I mentioned, the original was always a favorite of mine. So, my reaction may just be my own.

But if you loved the first film, this is truly a must see.

KING KONG (1933) Blu-Ray Review

KING KONG is one of the greatest films ever made.

There is no denying that.

Remade twice (so far), neither of the reworkings with all of their updated special effects have matched the original. The iconic image of King Kong at the top of the Empire State Building with Fay Wray has never been topped.

I first saw the film over thirty years ago. It was in the days before DVD, VHS, or even cable TV.  During the summer the town showed movies on 16mm to kids in the basement of the library. KING KONG was one of those films.

While the film is full of memorable moments, from the finale, to Fay Wray chained while Kong first attacks, the sequence that always stayed with me was of Kong battling the pterodactyl on the side of the cliff.

From its original 35 mm release, to 16 mm, VHS, laserdisc, and finally DVD in the 2000's, KONG has seen every format imaginable. It now has been released in Blu-Ray.

This is another Warner book release, where the film is housed in a small hardback book (written by film historian Rudy Behlmer).  The book is the same size as a Blu-Ray case with a very interesting essay on the film.

The extras have been carried over from the previous special edition DVD release.

• A commentary track with Special Effects guru Ray Harryhausen, Ken Ralston along with director Merion C. Cooper and star Fay Wray

• A 7 part documentary on the making of the film, RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World (2:38:58) with fans and filmmakers interviewed.

• The TCM documentary I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (57:02)

• The Lost Spider Pit Sequence (5:58) - Peter Jackson and his team's attempt to recreate the legendary lost scene from the film. They do a darn good job as well, making it feel like an actual deleted scene.

• Creation Test Footage (4:57) with Commentary by Ray Harryhausen

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:33).

A note on the Blu-ray Transfer. I have to admit that this is one of the grainiest Blu-ray transfers I have seen. The black and white picture is filled with grain. Some purists appreciate this, as this is the way the film is meant to be seen, with the grain giving a better representation of what it looked like in theatrical settings. There have been plenty of raves about this transfer from those who know more about the transfer process than I do.  The film is still perfectly watchable, even with the grain.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: BEST OF 2009 / 2010 DVD Review

Every year for the past five years, one of my favorite DVD releases has been the annual SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE season sets from Universal Home Video. They release a full season, with every episode including all the music acts. They have released the first five seasons so far.

No other show is as much of a pop culture time capsule as SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. From the hosts plugging a then popular movie or TV show and musical guests, to the sketches focusing on what was in the news that week, and the Weekend Update jokes about some forgotten news event, they gave you a better look at the period than any sitcom or hour long drama.

Sadly, it appears that Universal has given up on the Season Sets. After releasing the first five seasons, featuring the original cast, there has been no announcement for a release this year.

Some have argued that it was because the next season to be released (which had Eddie Murphy as a featured player) was not at all popular. But on a personal level, the 1980-1981 season is when I first started to watch it on a regular basis. I’ve seen some on Comedy Central in recent years and it wasn’t as bad as people remember. While I would have definitely bought it, I guess Universal didn’t think enough would and the series is going to stay on the shelf.

Instead, Universal is releasing a Best of collection of the 2009 / 2010 season. Much like last year’s set that was originally sold at Starbucks, this is a 103 minute collection of sketches.

The sketches on this DVD are:

• Cold Open with Barack Obama and Chinese Presdent Ju Jintao

• Betty White Monologue

• Brownie Husband commercial with Tina Fey

• ESPN Classics Bowling with Will Forte’s hilarious sports announcer.

• What Up With That?

• Three McGruber Skits

• The Return of Delicious Dish with Betty White’s muffins

• DIGITAL SHORT: SHY RONNIE with Rihanna

• Jon Hamm as Senator Scott Brown

• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with Gabourey Sidibe

• A collection of WEEKEND UPDATE jokes

• A parody of THE TWILIGHT ZONE's Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

• Zach Galifinakis and Kristen Wiig learn about a bidet

• The Sarah Palin Network

• Hollywood Dish with Taylor Swift

• The Kick Spit Underground Rock Festival - "Literally everyone gets a pitchfork!"Worth buying the DVD for this alone!

• The Vincent Price Christmas Special

• DIGITAL SHORT: ON THE GROUND

• TCM Parody with Alec Baldwin

• Goodnights with Betty White

I’m sure everyone will have favorite sketches that didn’t make the set. Where are Jenny Slate’s commercials for the doorbell company?

The EXTRAS Are:

• A Bronx Beat deleted sketch with Betty White

• From Update, a deleted bit with Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig as Garth and Kat, the never prepared singing duo.

• There are outtakes from Update featuring jokes that didn’t make air or went really badly.

• There are also a few sketches from WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

I can see not buying this set. In a way, buying it is telling the studio it is okay that they aren’t releasing the full seasons anymore. But, there is also some good material here that makes it worth seeing.

Let’s hope that Universal either continues with the full season SNL releases or licenses them out to someone who will.

THE BIG BANG THEORY SEASON THREE (2009-2010) Blu-Ray Review

THE BIG BANG THEORY Season Three will go down as the season that FINALLY earned Jim Parsons the Emmy. It was about time. He had been deserving it since the first season, creating one of the funniest, and most memorable characters on TV.

Season three proved to be yet another winning season. For those that haven't been watching, it follows two physicist roommates, Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Leonard (Johny Galecki), their across the hall neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and two other scientist friends, Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar). The show is part THREE'S COMPANY and part a reworking of the Howard Hawks film BALL OF FIRE (where Barbara Stanwyck taught Gary Cooper and a group of professors about life).

It is no accident that the two leads are named Sheldon and Leonard. The two are named after Sheldon Leonard the legendary TV producer of such shows as THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW and THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW. THE BIG BANG THEORY is on its way to become the same sort of classic comedy. While some could argue that the whole Sheldon / Penny romance weakened some of the tension in the series, the writers knew enough that they had a great supporting cast that they could always rely on.

Wil Wheaton returned as Sheldon’t nemesis. Stan Lee guest starred, along with Danica McKellar and Katee Sackhoff.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The Blu-Ray has all 23 episodes on two discs, twelve on the first disc, eleven on the second. The DVD spreads them across to three discs.

Also on the second disc are the extras.

TAKE OUT WITH THE CAST (10:25) - All five cast members sit on the couch, eating Chinese food, and discussing the season, answering questions from fortune cookies.

SET TOUR WITH SIMON AND KUMAL (7:40) - The actors who portray Howard and Raj give a tour of the set.

GAG REEL (7:51) - Fun collection of missed lines.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

THE BIG BANG THEORY is on its way to becoming the sort of classic sitcom you will see years from now on TV Land. It is well worth owning.

TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (2010) Blu-Ray Review

Disney continues the Tinker Bell direct to DVD films with TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE. This is yet another film that brings the genre of direct to video animation a step higher.

The film opens with Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman, Ann Veal on ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and now a star on PARENTHOOD) seeing a car. Since fairies can't be seen by humans for fear of discovery, the rest of the fairies hide.  But Tinker Bell follows. As a “Tinker Fairy” she wants to discover how the car works.

She becomes trapped by Lizzy (Lauren Mote) who lives with her scientist father, Dr. Griffiths (Michael Sheen of THE QUEEN and 30 ROCK). The father has a collection of butterflies pinned to the wall. Fearing that Tinker Bell will wind up the same way, Lizzy keeps her hidden from him, and Tinker Bell teaches her about fairies.

Meanwhile, Vidia (Pamela Adlon of KING OF THE HILL and GREASE 2) and the rest of the fairies (featuring the voices of Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy Liu and Raven-Symone) try to rescue Tinker Bell. Their attempts are hampered by a rainstorm that makes it impossible to fly.

As with the previous films, the computer animation is beautiful. Especially on Blu-ray, this is a great looking disc. Once again produced by Pixar's John Lasseter, this isn't quite at Pixar level, but it is pretty close.

This film is geared more to the younger audiences. While the second in the series, TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE I found to be one of the better animated films in recent years, this is more for the kids. Parents may enjoy it too, with a terrifically staged chase scene at the end.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

This is a 2 disc set, featuring the Blu-Ray as well as a standard DVD version of the film.

Extras include:

DELETED SCENES (14:44) - The director and producer introduce deleted scenes in various stages of completion (from storyboards to fully realized sequences).

MUSIC VIDEO “How To Believe” by Bridget Mendler (3:02)

DESIGN A FAIRY HOUSE (1:48) - A group of kids build fairy houses at EPCOT while the winner of an online contest has her house designed.

TANGLED PREVIEW (3:39) - A preview of the upcoming animated film.

There is also a game FAIRY FIELD GUIDE where, with the remote. you create your own field guide, as seen in the film.

SHOULD I BUY IT?

This is sure to be a welcome addition to a Disney Fairy fan’s library.

PRINCE OF PERSIA (2010) Blu-Ray Review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the adopted son of the King.

When the King is murdered, Dastan is framed for the crime and escapes with Tamina (Gemma Arterton). The actual murderer is after a dagger in Dastan’s possession that allows to owner to reverse time.

WHO MADE IT?

Based on the video game, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film was adapted by Boaz Yakin (FRESH, A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES), and the team of Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard (THE UNINVITED)

It was directed by Mike Newell (ENCHANTED APRIL, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, DONNIE BRASCO, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE).

IS IT ANY GOOD?

THE PRINCE OF PERSIA is an old fashioned swashbuckling adventure story. Full of characters scaling walls, jumping, and battling with daggers, it has the feel of something that would have starred Errol Flynn.

While I have never played the video game, I have seen clips of it. The film does appear to be quite similar to the gameplay, with the emphasis on racing across rooftops and climbing up walls.

Jake Gyllenhaal makes a surprisingly credible action hero. He is well served by Ben Kingsley and the always fun Alfred Molina, who is increasingly becoming one of the most reliable actors of today.

The film is fast paced, with a lot of great action scenes.

Despite being released by Walt Disney Pictures, this is a PG-13 rated film. While most of the violence is bloodless, it might be a bit much for the youngest viewers. Although in my day, the PG rated RAIDERS OF THE LAST ARK was far more violent.

WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

The film is available in a combo pack, a 3 disc set featuring a Blu-Ray, DVD, and a digital copy of the film.

Extras include

THE SANDS OF TIME - This is a way of viewing the film, using the Cinexplore feature.  At various points in the film, a dagger will pop up on the screen and, if you click on it, you will be able to see over 40 different featurettes, expanding on what you are watching. This is only on the Blu-ray version. On the DVD, there is a standard making of featurette with most of the same material.

There is one deleted scene (1:26) that is probably best skipped by younger audiences (as it involves severed heads).

SHOULD I BUY IT?

If you enjoyed the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films, PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME is worth a look.