How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
November 10, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who like watching old people succeed at things: Up (Deluxe Edition)
Up didn't turn out to be anything like I was expecting. Then again, I really don't know for sure what it was I was expecting, so a discussion about the movie meeting or even exceeding my expectations is a rather moot point. What's more important is this: Having relied on little more than the knowledge of this one starring a cute, old man who attaches an ungodly number of balloons to his home, causing it to break free from its foundations and get lost in the blue sky above – a precursor to Balloon Boy I'm sure – I left the theater feeling like I had seen one of the most creatively unique Pixar films to date, and that the nearly flawless animation studio had notched yet another win in its belt, bettering its perfect score card to an unprecedented 10-0.
Besides my lack of preparation for a truly emotional introduction that left many around me in tears, what I appreciated most about the movie was the unshakeable confidence represented in its makers as Up eventually dipped heavily into the surreal and then never looked back. What happens on land after Carl lands his house/balloon contraption is quite literally insane, but in the end just works remarkably well. (Then again, it's Pixar we're talking about here). Fans of WALL-E will even notice a similar framework at work here in Up, as the movie plays more or less steady-as-she-goes until a game changer disrupts the stable flow that we had grown accustomed to. (For WALL-E, it was all that business in space with characters that actually speak).
Disc includes: Partly Cloudy short, alternate scenes, Adventure is Out There featurette, digital copy
For people who think all actors should do their own stunts: The General [Blu-ray]
I can't say I've seen many silent films. I'm struggling to come up with even a handful of movies I've seen that predate the talkie. But thanks to a History of Cinema course I took only about a year or so ago, I can shamelessly get behind a Blu-ray version of The General, Buster Keaton's famed flick that bombed at the box office and was critically detested by naysayers at the time – but has since been immortalized as one of greatest American films of all time. Evidence of this is the fact that it was selected for preservation into the U.S. National Film Registry in the late '80s, and, interestingly enough, is the first American release of a silent feature film on the Blu-ray format. (Just don't be expecting featurettes!).
Taking place at the beginning of the Civil War, The General is about an engineer's (Johnnie Gray) determination to win back his two lost loves: 1) his train (named The General), which has been stolen by opposing Union forces and 2) Annabelle Lee, a woman Johnnie likes who was mistakenly kidnapped along with the stolen train.
Most of the movie's fun – along with the animated facial expressions and unusual antics people have come to expect from Buster Keaton – is in the elaborate train-chase scenes that Buster makes out to be a piece of pie. Performing all of his own stunts, Buster can be seen running along roofs, jumping from train to boxcar and actually sitting on one of the side rods, which connect the train's drivers.
Disc includes: N/A
For people who wonder whatever happened to Billy Crystal: Monsters, Inc. (4-Disc Edition)
While we're on the subject of great Pixar movies – does "great" qualify as redundant in this case? – here's one celebrating its eighth birthday with a special 4-Disc Edition: Monsters, Inc. The film, featuring the voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal, is set in a city inhabited by monsters. To power the city, a utility named Monsters, Inc. sends "scarers" to kids' bedrooms to frighten human children. (In turn, their screams are then captured and stored for power generation). The rules change, however, when the company's top scarer, Sulley (Goodman), accidentally lures a human girl – who's believed to contaminate Sulley's kind – from her world to his.
Its surely been awhile since I last saw this thing, but Monsters, Inc. left more of an impression on me than most animated movies tend to do. I most appreciate the uniqueness in its story – especially in spinning the there's-a-monster-in-the-closet concept on its head – while at the same time I'm pleased with the filmmakers' attention to detail, right down to the individual, CGI'd hairs covering Sulley's figure.
Disc includes: Ride and Go Seek: Building Monstropolis in Japan featurette, Filmmaker's Round Table featurette, audio commentary, For the Birds shot, Mike's New Car short, Roz 100-Door Challenge Game, Pixar Fun Factory Tour featurette, Banished Concepts featurette, digital copy
For people who need a pick-me-up after a long week at work: World's Most Beautiful Sunrises & Sunsets [Blu-ray]
There's just something about the thought of watching 60 minutes worth of sunrises and sunsets on Blu-ray that gets me all warm and giddy inside. I mean seriously, who wouldn't want to watch something like that? "Bah, I hate sunrises... get that trash out of my face!" It's a scenario that's just never gonna happen. Unless, of course, you're that guy who doesn't get a lick of enjoyment out of cute puppies whistling or kittens fooling around with a Kleenex box. If that's the case, then you're a soulless bastard and we shan't be friends.
Disc includes: N/A
For people who didn't think Watchmen's 162-minute theatrical cut was long enough: Watchmen (Ultimate Edition)
I feel like every couple weeks there's a new edition of Watchmen available on DVD and Blu-ray. Since we're way past Special Edition at this point, we've now hit Ultimate Edition. In tangible terms, this means plenty of special features, as well as a 215-minute cut of the film. Pretty nuts, right? For the curious, that number bests Titanic by about 20 minutes.
Disc includes: A 215-minute cut of the film; audio commentary; The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed Comics featurette; Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes featurette; Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World featurette; Watchmen: Video Journals; "Desolation Row" music video (My Chemical Romance); Under the Hood featurette; Story Within a Story: The Books of Watchmen featurette; Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics featurette (325 minutes); digital copy
November 10, 2009
Blu-ray
Ballast
The Challenge of Change
Discovery Atlas: Complete Collection
The Echo
The General
Godzilla
Heat
Killers: Live From The Royal Albert Hall
Kingdoms of the Coast
The Line
Logan's Run
Mamma Mia! The Movie (Gift Set)
Monsters, Inc.
Near Dark
The Negotiator
Red Heat
Smithsonian Stories from the Vaults: Season 2
Spread
The Ugly Truth
Up
Vexille: The Movie (Special Edition)
Watchmen (Ultimate Edition)
World's Most Beautiful Sunrises & Sunsets
DVD
The Accidental Husband (Widescreen)
Artie Lange's Beer League
Ballast
Classic Sherlock Holmes (2-Disc Edition)
Dawson's Creek: The Complete Series (Set)
The Echo
The General
Greg Behrendt: Is That Guy From That Thing
Heartland: Season 1, Part 2
Jag: Seasons 1-9 (Set)
JAG: The Ninth Season
Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Season 2
Killers: Live From The Royal Albert Hall
Kings of Leon: Live at the O2 London
The Line
Love Finds a Home
Mamma Mia! The Movie (Collector's Box Set)
Meat Loaf: Bat Out Of Hell Original Tour
Monsters, Inc.
Sesame Street: 40 Years of Sunny Days
Spread
The Ugly Truth
Up (Deluxe Edition)
Vexille: The Movie (Special Edition)
Watchmen (Ultimate Edition)
World's Most Beautiful Sunrises & Sunsets
Zebraman (Special Edition)