Without any substantial difference between the two versions, it is not worth the upgrade. On the other hand, if you don't have this movie in your DVD collection, now is the perfect time to fix that problem. Renee Zellweger stars in this period BioPic as the author / artist Beatrix Potter, who created the popular children's books Peter Cottontail, and others.
I don't think it is unfair to call this film busted Oscar bait. Given the subject matter and the release date, it was clearly made to win awards, but that didn't happen. It's not like the film was terrible, but with a 65% positive rating among critics, the film wasn't up to the level needed for a major player during award season.
That said, there's more than enough here to recommend watching it. Performances by the three main leads, Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, and Emily Watson were very strong, as were supporting performances. The story of Beatrix Potter's life was also ripe with dramatic potential although I have to admit that after Norman Warne, Beatrix Potter's publisher and lover interest died, I did lose some interest in the story as I didn't find William Heelis nearly as compelling On a side note, much of what Beatrix Potter did during her life was very much ahead of her time considering the women of her day were expected to marry someone their parents approved of, have kids, and run a household.
However, now all that seems very foreign and that might lessen the dramatic impact somewhat. Moving on to the extras, they are rather limited with just the audio commentary track, a making-of featurette, and documentary featurette, and a music video. There's nothing wrong with the quantity, which is better than expected given the film's struggles at the box office, but the quality is rather low.
For instance, the audio commentary track is a little dry at times and suffers from dead air while the documentary feature is also dry, and a little too academic. (It does touch on a lot of aspects of Beatrix Potter's life that are not covered in the movie and it is worth checking out for that reason.) This is one of those films that hard to rate as it fits nicely in between two levels.
It is certainly worth checking out, but unless you are a fan of biopics, Beatrix Potter, or some of the actors in the movie, it is probably only worth a rental. On a side note, the film can also be purchased with "Beatrix Potter: A Journal" as part of a package deal, but that is for hardcore fans only. A prequel to the novel, "Turn of the Screw" by Henry James, which was made into a movie called The Innocents.
This film isn't terrible, but is completely unnecessary and is one of Marlon Brando's lesser works. Add in no real extras, and this is a DVD that is safely skipped. On the other hand, The Innocents is a great movie and is worth checking out.
The Panic in Needle Park - Buy from Amazon The second Al Pacino film to come out on DVD this week. This one is the better movie and is more well known, but without extras is still only worth a rental. Raymond Burr stars in this quintessential courtroom drama, but while fans will be happy it's coming out on DVD, the lack of extras, not to mention the splitting the season into two volumes, is not optimal.
The quality of the show is so high that even with these problems, this 4-disc set is still worth picking up. Pinky and the Brain - Volume 3 - Buy from Amazon The third, and final volume of the Animaniacs spin-off hits DVD. Though it started with a very simple premise, the show was effective throughout its 65 episode run mainly due to the strong writing and the vast array of times and places they decided to set the action in.
Extras are again light, with just a single featurette, but for most fans the 4-disc set is still worth picking up. After coming out on half-a-dozen DVDs, this series finally gets a full-season set, but it might be too late. It has been several years since the show was on the air, even longer since its popularity peaked.
The 2-disc set is being billed as a collector's edition, but the extras aren't up to that level. I can still see fans wanting to pick it up, but the sales won't be as strong as they would have been had the studio not messed around with individual episodes first. Reno 911!
: Miami - Buy from Amazon: Theatrical Version or Unrated Edition A movie based on a cult TV series, which is a risky proposition. Too often these films feel like an episode that is stretched too far, or it loses something intrinsic to the success of the series trying to feel like a movie. This film doesn't suffer for those problems too much, but just enough to hurt its effectiveness.
That said, most fans of the show will find enough that works for the film to be worth checking out. As for the DVD, there are two versions, the Unrated Edition, and the other one that no one is buying. The Unrated Edition is loaded with extras including three audio commentary tracks, six extended scenes that run more than an hour, and several movie theater PSAs.
Worth picking up for fans of the show, and others who have never seen the show should give it a rental. The Secret of NIMH - 2-Disc Family Fun Edition - Buy from Amazon Don Bluth's best film and one that made it seem like he would be the new master of animation. (The story of why that didn't happened is long and doesn't have to be dealt with here.
) Extras on the 2-disc set are rather light with an audio commentary track, retrospective, and some games. You would think that would fit on one disc. Even so, it is still easily worth picking up, but a fully fleshed out 2-disc set would be an easy contender for DVD Pick of the Week.
Shaw Brothers Collection - Buy from Amazon: 36th Chamber of Shaolin, King Boxer, a.k.a.
Five Fingers of Death, My Young Auntie, The One-Armed Swordsman Four films from the legendary Shaw Brothers coming out on Dragon Dynasty films DVDs. This is not the first time I've reviewed films from this company, but this week we have four such DVDs. Fortunately, they are quite different from each other and any fans of for Kung Fu movies will find something in this week's selection that they will like.
36th Chamber of Shaolin Gordon Liu stars as San Te in a story that has become the template for martial arts movies. A man stands up against oppression, is defeated, trains to improve himself, and then avenges his earlier loss. What makes this movie stand out so much is it is one of the earliest examples and set a lot of the conventions of the genre.
This is the best of the four films that are coming out tomorrow. Extras start with an audio commentary track with movie critic, Andy Klein, and Wu-Tang Clan member, The RZA. The RZA might seem like a strange person to be involved with an audio commentary track, but the Wu-Tang Clan have always been promoters of Kung Fu films and he is incredibly knowledgeable on the subject while his enthusiasm adds to the overall experience.
Other extras includes interviews, with the star, Gordon Li, and with the two audio commentary participants in the other. Wrapping things up are a making-of featurette and a live performance by the Wu-Tang Clang, as well as image and trailer galleries. Five Fingers of Death Two rival schools prepare for a tournament that will help determine who controls the town.
This movie is filled with great action and plenty of double-crosses (and even triple-crosses). Billed as the first international martial arts hit, it is easy to see why. However, it is also arguably the weakest of four films in this group as it feels the most generic.
It isn't as well done as 36th Chamber of Shaolin, it doesn't have the humor of My Young Auntie, or the unique swordplay of The One-Armed Swordsman. Audio commentary with Quentin Tarantino, film scholar David Chute, and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Tarantino is one of those people that should be invited to do audio commentary tracks for every movie ever made as his knowledge of movies is encyclopedic.
.. no, that doesn't go far enough.
His knowledge level is autistic. He's the Rain Man of movie trivia, except he's also very charismatic when he speaks on this matter and even those who are not as interested as he is will be drawn in. Other extras include a trio of interviews, as well as image and trailer galleries.
My personal favorite of the four films coming out tomorrow as I love the mixture of Kung Fu action and humor. (Although, as the commentators say, a lot of Kung Fu purists hated this change in martial arts movies as they feel it harmed the purity of the genre.) Not only does this movie have great action and humor, it also has an almost musical feel to it and that helps it stand apart.
This film's audio commentary track is down by film scholars David Chute and Andy Klein. (Starting to recognize the names? Thought so.
) While the interviews are with the star Kara Hui and another with the aforementioned film scholars. Things are wrapped up with the image and trailer galleries. Finally we get to The One-Armed Swordsman, a story about a man raised by a master swordsman who is maimed by his teacher's daughter, only to relearn his craft and return to defend his master.
(That's not really a spoiler, as the basic setup is well known at this point.) This is the earliest film in this group of four, and in some ways it shows. It is also a film that has been imitated numerous times over the years and after just one viewing you will know why.
So much here has become iconic over the years that it will seem like you've seen the film already. Starting with an audio commentary track with David Chute and Andy Klein. (The box says Quentin Tarantino is here, but he's not.
They do mention his absence on the track, but don't say why he's not there.) Other extras include a featurette on the director, Chang Cheh, as well as interviews, images and trailers. 36th Chamber of Shaolin is widely regarded as the best of the group, but My Young Auntie is my personal favorite.
That said, all four of these films are worth picking up for fans of the genre and even newcomers will want to check them out. The quintessential 1980s family sitcom, and I don't mean that as a compliment. I grew up when this show was first on the air and I hated it then and I hate it now.
Granted, there are fans of the show, but I'm not sure if they will respond the same 20 years later and the total lack of extras further hurts the value of the show. I can't even recommend renting it, but others may have differing opinions. Has less to do with H.
P.Lovercraft, whose name graces the cover, than it does with Saw. I like H.
P.Lovercraft, which is why terrible movies that like this are so painful to watch. Granted, his style doesn't translate well into film, but there are at least a few stories out there that could be turned into amazing movies and crap like this hurt the chances that will ever happen.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 3 - Volume 1 - Buy from Amazon This show continues its rollout on DVD. This was Irwin Allen's longest running show and because it was his most sophisticated as well, it holds up the best. That said, in many aspects it is hopelessly out of date, like the special effects, but that's true of every science fiction show of the era.
Those who have picked up previous releases won't be surprised by the lack of extras, but won't be persuaded into not adding this 3-disc set into their collection. The Wood - Back in the Day Edition - Buy from Amazon My first reaction to this release is a common one with Special Edition. "Was the world really crying out for a special edition?
" I'm not saying this is a bad movie -- it's not -- but it's not one that really needs a second run at a DVD release, especially one that's not a special edition. Sure, it's called the Back in the Day Edition, but the only extras here are an audio commentary track and a short making-of featurette, hardly what one would call special and not enough to really warrant an upgrade. Without any substantial difference between the two versions, it is not worth the upgrade.
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