Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2008 - (Page 16) REVIEWS BLU-RAY SPOTLIGHT I MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL: YES/SANTANA/DEEP PURPLE Eagle Rock, Music, $24.98 Blu-ray each, NR. Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I DAN IN REAL LIFE Street 3/11 Disney, Comedy, B.O. $47.6 million, $29.99 DVD, $34.99 Blu-ray, ‘PG-13’ for some innuendo. Stars Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney, Dianne Wiest. I used to be such a big Yes fan back in the 1970s that for my 10th-grade film-class project I used my parents’ Super 8 to film a Yes concert off the TV. Now, watching Yes’ 2003 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival — part of the band’s reunion tour — I was taken back to those days all over again, as well as the three or four times I saw Yes in concert, each time in an arena or stadium setting. Not only does the reunion concert feature Yes’ signature lineup, with Rick Wakeman at the keyboards, but it’s also a fine show, with classic Yes songs such as “Roundabout,” “And You and I” and “I’ve Seen All Good People” performed with the vigor and passion the band exhibited in its heyday. If DVD was a transformative leap over VHS, particularly for widescreen events such as concerts and football games, Blu-ray Disc represents the same jump over DVD, particularly when viewed on a 65-inch Panasonic plasma TV. I’ve been watching a bunch of my old music DVDs anyway, just because the size of the screen in relation to my family room makes it appear I’m at a show. But this is the first Blu-ray Disc I’ve watched, and there is a difference. I sat riveted through the whole concert. And there are two more Eagle Rock releases in the “Live at Montreux” series: Deep Purple in 2006 and Santana in 2004. I was supposed to watch all three for this review, but I never anticipated sitting through the entire Yes show. That should tell you something about the quality of these releases. – Thomas K. Arnold D on’t go into Dan in Real Life expecting any backwaxing hilarity — although that classic scene from Carell’s 40Year-Old Virgin certainly could have helped this film be more memorable. Carell plays Dan Burns, a widower with three girls, a budding career as a newspaper columnist, and not much of a social life. During a massive family reunion, he finally meets a woman (Binoche) with whom he can really connect. Unfortunately, she is already connected to someone else — Dan’s brother Mitch (Cook). From there, a series of quirky and sometime uncomfortable moments begins to unravel. This sappy comedy isn’t 40 YearOld Virgin funny, but it does evoke emotion. With Peter Hedges (Pieces of April) at the helm, one might ex- pect a little rom-com diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more like a Lifetime movie. The movie has karaoke, exercise sessions, crossword contests, big breakfasts and touch football. There hasn’t been this much family harmony since “The Brady Bunch.” If it wasn’t so goofy and instead focused a bit more on some of the family members, the film could have been the next coming of Parenthood. Unfortunately, despite the extremely large cast, the entire film seems to rest on Carell, who has the personality and charm to nearly pull it off. The DVD’s behind-the-scenes program is interesting, especially Hedges’ revelation that the movie is based on his own experiences growing up with a single father. The music featurette has a nice revelation as well. “Almost every American film is over-scored,” claims Hedges. “That music is often scored to evoke emotion.” It’s an interesting line, considering the music here, by Norwegian songwriter Sondre Lerche, is one of the film’s shortcomings. Other features include the necessary deleted scenes and outtakes, as well as audio commentary. – Rachel Cericola I INTO THE WILD Street 3/4 THE TOP 5 I BEST DELETED SCENES Most deleted scenes are rightly cut out of the movie, but some are just so good you wish they made it in. Thanks to DVD, we can enjoy these gems, too. — John Latchem Paramount, Drama, B.O. $18.2 million, $29.99 DVD, ‘R’ for language and some nudity. Stars Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Vince Vaughn, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker. 1. I BORAT (Fox) 2006. Too bad they didn’t use the extended ending — a raunchy parody of the opening title sequence from “Baywatch.” T 2. I AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (New Line) 1999. Austin shows Felicity a bar and a bookcase. “Something to drink?” The bookcase swings into a bar. “Or something to read?” The original bar becomes a bookcase. Hilarious. 3. I BACK TO THE FUTURE (Universal) 1985. Marty McFly asks Doc Brown how to tell he’s fading from existence. The classic response: “Beats the s**t out of me!” he effectiveness of Into the Wild depends entirely on audience sympathy for its subject. In 1990, Christopher McCandless graduated college and decided to go off the grid, exchanging a suburban middle-class lifestyle for a life unbound by structure. McCandless eventually made his way to the Alaskan wilderness, living nearly four months in a run-down bus until dying of starvation in 1992. His experiences were chronicled in a 1996 best-selling nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer, who discusses on the DVD how his passion for the story was fueled by his own similar adventures. A comparable zest influenced director Sean Penn to pursue the film rights, although he would wait nearly a decade before the McCandless family was ready to allow a movie to be made. 4. I CHASING AMY (Miramax/Criterion) 1997. During a game of darts, Joey Lauren Adams tells Ben Affleck a sad love story that sets the stage for the bittersweet lessons to follow. Penn’s direction betrays a tremendous affection for Chris as something of an anti-establishment hero. But there’s nothing in the film to suggest Chris is anything more than a disillusioned child rebelling against his parents and the authority they represent. The film utilizes beautiful sweeping shots of America’s natural landscape. But without a compelling story context it’s not much different from a nature documentary, and Chris becomes just another tragic figure who threw away a life of great potential. It’s almost as if Penn is trying too hard to re-create Krakauer’s book on screen. This is most evident in the narration by Jena Malone as Chris’ sister — she sounds as if she’s reading straight from the text. The acting is otherwise without flaw, but Emile Hirsch as Chris is overwhelmed by the more-interesting characters he meets on the road. The appearance of Vince Vaughn 50 minutes in improves the film instantly, while Catherine Keener and Brian Dierker shine as a hippie couple who befriend Chris. Hal Holbrook shows up near the end, hammering home the tragic circumstances of Chris’ life with a quiet yet powerful performance. His Oscar nomination was well deserved. That this is a two-DVD set is a curiosity. The only extras are two behindthe-scenes featurettes, and these total less than 40 minutes. – John Latchem 5. I STAR WARS: EPISODE I (Fox) 1999. We learn podracer Ratts Tyerell has three young children and a sickly wife. In the regular movie, he’s the first one who dies. Ouch! 16 Home Media Magazine March 2–8, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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