Home Media Magazine - September 30 - October 6, 2007 - (Page 18)

REVIEWS THE TOP 5 I THE GREATEST SUPERHERO MOVIES EVER This summer, we spoke with some of the top names in the comic book industry to find the best superhero film of all time. We printed the findings in our sister publication, Agent DVD, and we asked fans to vote for their favorites at AgentDVDonline.com. Here are the results. – John Latchem Street 10/16 Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP: THE COMPLETE SERIES Warner, Drama, $59.98 six-DVD set, NR. Stars Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Steven Webber, Timothy Busfield, Sarah Paulson, Nate Corddry, D.L. Hughley. 1. I BATMAN BEGINS (Warner) 40.3% 2005. Director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale restore dignity to the franchise. A sequel, The Dark Knight, hits in 2008. A 2. I SUPERMAN (Warner) 13% 1978. With Christopher Reeve in the title role, this is the prototype for the modern superhero epic, against which all others are judged. 3. I SPIDER-MAN 2 (Sony Pictures) 12.7% 2004. Spider-Man battles Doctor Octopus, while Peter Parker wrestles with his own self doubt. An extended cut also is available. 4. I BATMAN (Warner) 9.4% 1989. Director Tim Burton gives rise to the brooding superhero flick. Jack Nicholson’s Joker is an iconic movie villain. 5. I X2: X-MEN UNITED (Fox) 7.8% 2003. Bryan Singer proves character and story need not interfere with great action sequences in this superior sequel. s a fan of some of Aaron Sorkin’s earlier projects, such as A Few Good Men and “The West Wing,” I was rooting for “Studio 60” when it first aired. Sorkin’s backstage tour of a sketch-comedy series not unlike “Saturday Night Live” got off to a great start. The pilot episode’s brisk pace, snappy dialogue and references to the movie Network set up a series brimming with potential to become a meaningful examination of television’s impact on, and role within, American society today. Unfortunately, any network politics quickly took a backseat to myriad romantic subplots involving the main characters, most of whom weren’t developed enough for the audience to care. Whatever corporate intrigue we did get was ultimately uninteresting. The final nail was the show-within-a-show, to which the characters reacted as if it were funny and groundbreaking, when in reality it was neither. When so much of filmed entertainment relies on the audience’s ability to relate to the characters, such a disconnect is never a good thing. Needless to say, Sorkin might want to rethink his stance on humanizing Hollywood elitists. “Studio 60” had its moments, a highlight being a reunion of Busfield with his “West Wing” sweetheart, Allison Janney. Fortunately, Sorkin had an opportunity to provide some closure for the series, and on disc the episodes play more like an extended miniseries than a show that week-to-week seemed to lack direction. The commentary on the pilot between Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme is very technical, more about assembling the actors, building and sets, and choosing camera angles, and less about the ideas behind the show. Unfortunately they never get into why they think the series failed. To hear more of Sorkin’s creative philosophy, check out the DVD set’s lone featurette, “The Evolution of Studio 60,” located on disc six. This 23-minute special was clearly filmed early in the show’s run, and it’s weird to hear Sorkin and the actors express such optimism for the future of a series that has been long since cancelled. — John Latchem BLU-RAY SPOTLIGHT I SURF’S UP Street 10/2 Sony Pictures, Animated, B.O. $58.9 million, $38.95 Blu-ray, $28.95 DVD, UMD, ‘PG’ for mild language and some rude humor. Voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Mario Cantone. HDTV: Philips 1080p 47-inch Player: PlayStation 3 I WELCOME TO PARADISE Street 10/9 First Look, Drama, $19.98 DVD, ‘PG’ for mild thematic elements, brief language and teen smoking. Stars Crystal Bernard, Brian Dennehy, Brad Stine. O T here’s a reason consumer electronics chains use digital animation to demonstrate HDTVs. The imperfections in the picture are calculated — not an unintentional flub revealed by high-definition resolution — and the scenes that are supposed to look perfectly beautiful do. Thus, Surf’s Up — which employs faux grainy scenes to impart the idea of vintage film, as well as realistic, gorgeous wave sequences — is an ideal title to show off the beauty of high-definition. The surfing scenes look like photographs. As for extras, the Blu-ray version includes most of the features of the DVD, with the major exception being the games. The DVD has three relatively rudimentary games: “Make Your Own Surfboard,” “Whale Hopping” and “Lava Surf.” They are pretty good and entertaining for kids, and it would have been nice to see them on the Blu-ray Disc as well. The Blu-ray has a pinball game that is more dynamic. Unfortunately, there’s a bit of a delay in the timing between the remote and execution on the disc, but it is kind of fun when you get the hang of it. Another extra exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc is, appropriately, a visual-effects commentary. The camerawork is an omnipresent digital effect that merits a continuing description in the movie, as do the wave re-creations. – Stephanie Prange ld-fashioned values meet modern notions in Welcome to Paradise, a feel-good film with some drama. Bernard plays Debbie Laramie, a preacher whose unusual ways at the pulpit and in the community cause her to get transferred to the forlorn town of Paradise, Texas, where folks are not too keen about getting along. The divided, gossipy citizens of Paradise don’t take kindly to a female preacher, especially a preacher with ideas of turning things around. Debbie’s modern notions of community and forgiveness don’t help endear her. When a tragedy forces the town to at last realize that working together is the best solution, Debbie becomes the leader of a new era, bucking the statewide religious establishment and doing things her way, bringing together people who otherwise would have stayed separate and solemn. Welcome to Paradise is a faithbased, feel-good film offering the notion that sometimes a little adversity brings better times in the long run. It’s a family film that isn’t afraid to touch on more serious issues. The film benefits from a bevy of good character performances, especially from old pros such as Dennehy. — Dan Bennett 18 Home Media Magazine September 30–October 6, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://AgentDVDonline.com

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Home Media Magazine - September 30 - October 6, 2007

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