Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - (Page 16) REVIEWS www.homemediamagazine.com I DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO! Street 12/9 Fox, Animated, B.O. $154.5 million, $29.98 DVD, $34.98 two-DVD set, $39.98 Blu-ray, ‘G.’ Voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett. H orton Hears a Who!, an expanded but mostly faithful animated adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss childhood classic, is a beautiful ode to Seuss’ loopy visuals and roundabout life lessons, with stellar voice acting and only a few missteps due to contemporary references thrown in for the kids. The film could have stood on its own without the power ballad and anime sequence. It’s Dr. Seuss. The extras on the disc will prove a treat for both animation and Seuss fans, making it a likely stocking stuffer for the holidays. Firsttime directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino offer a solid, though not wildly entertaining, commentary, shedding light into the thinking behind the characters, art and plot decisions. Better are the numerous mini-docs, which cover topics such as translating the book to the big screen, Jim Carrey’s (Horton) voice work, animating Horton, facts about elephants (this one’s more for the kids), the “a person is a person” message of the film, and more. While all are worth watching, especially the ones about animating Horton and translating Dr. Suess, “Bringing the Characters to Life” and “Meet Katie” are particularly enjoyable. The first demonstrates how animators film themselves acting out the scenes, using their own expressions and personal quirks for reference when creating the characters. The second one focuses on Katie, the creepy little yak who was originally supposed to be just a background character, but was brought to memorable life by a young animator right out of college. Other extras include deleted footage in vari- ous stages (storyboard, rough animation, almost-final); animation screen tests for Horton, the Mayor and the Whos; a child-narrated short about what kids can do to help the “speck” they live on; and a create-your-ownanimation DVD-ROM feature. One major plus for Ice Age fans (but probably no one else) is the new Sid short — Surviving Sid — wherein the grating ground sloth leads campers astray as a counselor. By the way, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is slated to hit theaters in July 2009. – Laura Tiffany I THE TROUBLE WITH DEE DEE Prebook 12/8; Street 12/30 Monarch, Comedy, $24.95 DVD, ‘R’ for language. Stars Lisa Ann Walter, Kurtwood Smith, Mason Gamble, J.P. Manoux. I CROSSROADS Street 12/9 MTI, Drama, $24.95 DVD, ‘PG-13.’ Stars Alan Arkin, Amy Acker, Frank Langella, Orson Bean, Jacob Pitts, Matthew Carey. W hen an iconoclastic trustfund princess finally steps over the line once too often, her father cuts her off without a cent. Fortunately, it never occurs to Dee Dee that this might present a problem. Walter, a gifted character actress and comedienne, is pitch perfect as the seat-of-herpants, on-the-fly Dee Dee, a rich girl whose only real vice is generosity. As long as she’s on the family payroll, she casually tosses around her pocket full of credit cards, funding a new wing on an overburdened homeless shelter and delivering hard-to-find toys to children’s hospital wards. But her father, a buttoned-up business exec, wants her to take an C interest in the family business, and he issues an ultimatum: Either Dee Dee shows up at the next board of directors meeting or he will shut off the money spigot. Predictably, she is sidetracked and misses the meeting. Her father is as good as his word, and when Dee Dee tries to use her credit cards to pay for food for the homeless shelter, every single one is declined. In Dee Dee, Walters creates and fully inhabits a wonderfully exasperating, loveable, clueless, funny and endearing character. She is both oblivious and empathic, selfish and selfless, clever and dimwitted. Also wonderful are Smith as Dee Dee’s unhappy father, Gamble as her neglected yet still-devoted son, and Manoux as her long-suffering assistant. The Trouble With Dee Dee is a sweet confection that will please fans of screwball comedy, but Dee Dee’s propensity toward crude language makes this inappropriate for the youngest members of the family. – Anne Sherber rossroads plays like a prequel to The Thorn Birds, if that iconic love story about a priest torn between his vocation and his love of a woman had taken place in the early 21st century instead of the early 20th century. Nonetheless, it’s a lovely little film distinguished by a gifted cast. A pair of seminary students spends a summer working at a struggling soup kitchen in the deep south. When they arrive Peter (Pitts) questions his vocation, unsure of his commitment to the church, while Gilbert (Carey) has no such doubts. As the summer progresses, Peter becomes attracted to one of the soup kitchen volunteers. At the same time, he finds within himself resourcefulness, understanding and charity. Meanwhile Golbert, skilled at the su- perficial parts of a priestly routine, lacks empathy. There are many interesting things about Crossroads. Characters arrive at defining moments, and they choose unexpected paths. Priests and novitiates are both virtuous and, at the same time, human, especially when dealing with the flawed members of their flocks. Langella has a lovely tranquility as the priest in charge of the novitiates’ training. And Arkin is great as the quirky clergyman who runs the soup kitchen and has an uncanny sixth sense about people. Pitts delivers a thoughtful performance as a young man poised at the beginning of his adult life, with more questions than answers. Crossroads winds toward an uncertain ending, making for an engrossing, small drama that will please fans of the anti-blockbuster. The film was originally known as The Novice, and should not be confused with the 1986 film starring Ralph Macchio, or the 2002 Britney Spears film. – Anne Sherber 16 Home Media Magazine December 7–13, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 Contents News News High-Def News Electronic Delivery News TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Reviews (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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