Home Media Magazine - November 4-10, 2007 - (Page 19)

www.homemediamagazine.com REVIEWS $16.99 NEW ON DVD from FIRST RUN FEATURES “ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR! A TAUT, EXEMPLARY PIECE OF HUMANE FILM MAKING THAT AVOIDS POLITICAL SENTIMENTALITY AND GLIB ANSWERS.” –Time Magazine I SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: ATLANTIS SQUAREPANTIS Street 11/13 Paramount/Nickelodeon, DVD, NR. Voices of Tom Kenny, David Bowie. Animated, W hen Nickelodeon decides to launch the first “SpongeBob SquarePants” TV movie, it’s not just a special episode, it’s an event — a media onslaught that leaves nary a kid under 10 unaware. To celebrate Veteran’s Day — or rather, the fact that kids are out of school — Nickelodeon is having a best-of “SpongeBob” marathon as chosen by fans, culminating in Atlantis SquarePantis, a new special where SpongeBob and the gang visit the legendary lost city. The next day, this DVD will arrive in stores to take its place next to accompanying books and video games. The plot is thin and is nowhere as compellingly weird as The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, but it does trump the film’s best cameo, David Hasselhoff, with the vocal talents of another David: legendary singer David Bowie, whose daughter is a “SpongeBob” fan. Bowie portrays Lord Royal Highness, the polite ruler and tour guide of Atlantis, and animators even included Bowie’s trademark blue-and-brown eyes in the character. Each character finds something they truly love about the lost city — Sandy discovers a state-of-the-art science lab, Squidward finds a beautiful art museum and Eugene Krabs learns that he can take all of the city’s gold and no one will care. SpongeBob and Patrick, however, treasure the world’s oldest bubble — the prized possession of the city. You can see where this is headed … The special is hosted by Patchy the Pirate (Kenny), whose real-world, notfunny antics just suck the momentum from the story. It makes sense to have a host on a TV show with commercial breaks, but to offer a DVD without the option to turn this irritating nonsense off is just lazy. The DVD also includes six episodes from the most recent season, including “Money Talks,” “The Krusty Sponge” and “Slimy Dancing.” None will be new to the audience, but will probably be privy to several viewings anyway. SpongeBob is an addicting oddity, and any fan — whether college students who like to alter their reality or kids who thrive on the candy-colored weirdness of Bikini Bottom and its cast of sea creatures — should enjoy the newest oceanic romp. I SEINFELD: THE COMPLETE SERIES Street 11/6 Sony Pictures, Comedy, $283.95 33-DVD set, NR. Stars Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards. his “Seinfeld” box is one of the better complete-series sets ever released, and not just because it contains one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. The packaging is simple yet effective, avoiding a shelf-proof design that tries to be too cute by mimicking some aspect of the show. The 32 discs containing the episodes are stored in trays, which protects them better than those cardboard slipcases many sets use to save space. The trays fold neatly for storage in the handsome black slipcover. Since the discs are the same as the season sets, they have all the same — Laura Tiffany great special features, which really puts the “Seinfeld” DVDs above the pack when it comes to putting classic TV shows on disc (and justifies all those TV DVD Awards the sets keep winning). The complete series also includes a coffee table book with information about every episode. Hopefully this book will be made available independently because every fan of the show is going to want one. The book includes an exclusive DVD featuring a reunion between the four main cast members and co-creator Larry David, called “The Roundtable.” This is basically a retrospective clip show, but it’s a nice bit of nostalgia and shows the group still has the same chemistry that made the series so memorable. A lot of clips from “The Roundtable” that weren’t used on the bonus disc are included in the ninth-season DVDs, released separately the same day at $49.95. — John Latchem T On December 2, 1980 lay missioner Jean Donovan and three American nuns were brutally murdered by members of El Salvador’s security force. This “sensitive, marvelously constructed film” chronicles Jean’s life, from her affluent childhood in Connecticut, to her decision to volunteer with the Maryknolls in El Salvador, to her tragic death. An award-winning classic for the ages, Roses in December is both an eloquent memorial to the commitment of this courageous young woman and a powerful indictment of U.S. foreign policy in Central America. SRP: $24.95 • 55 minutes • color • Catalog #: FRF 912969D Both Titles Prebook: 11/13 • Street: 12/11 “COMPASSIONATE, HUMOROUS A WARM-HEARTED GROUP PORTRAIT!” -New York Times -Religious News Service “UNIQUE CHARM IN THIS WARM, HONEST DOCUMENTARY!” What does a single, working woman have to go through to have a child of her own, without a husband, boyfriend or lover? Following a group of eight women for over two years, this is their provocative and emotionally loaded story. SRP: $24.95 • 60 minutes • color Catalog #: FRF 912990D “Jews of Cracow Await US Bar Mitzvah Boy,” read the New York Times, as Eric Strom, a 13-yearold Connecticut boy, prepared himself to headline the first Bar Mitzvah in Polish synagogues since World War II. SRP: $24.95 • 53 minutes • color Catalog #: FRF 913003D Contact Us at 800-229-8575 or email sales@firstrunfeatures.com November 4–10, 2007 Home Media Magazine 19 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - November 4-10, 2007 Contents News In Focus News News TV DVD Indie Film Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - November 4-10, 2007

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