Home Media Magazine - December 7-13, 2008 - (Page 18) REVIEWS I YETI Prebook 12/9; Street 1/13/09 Genius, Horror, $14.95 DVD, NR. Stars Carly Pope, Peter DeLuise, Crystal Lowe, Ed Marinaro. www.homemediamagazine.com BLU-RAY SPOTLIGHT I PING PONG PLAYA Prebook 12/9; Street 1/6/09 Image, Comedy, B.O. $0.08 million, $27.98 DVD, $35.98 Blu-ray, ‘PG-13’ for language, including some sexual remarks and drug references. Stars Jimmy Tsai, Roger Fan, Shelley Malil, Khary Payton, Smith Cho, Peter Paige, Jim Lau, Elizabeth Sung, Scott Lowell, Stephnie Weir. Y eti attempts to put a fresh twist on the based-in-reality tale of athletes fighting for survival following a plane crash in the mountains. The movie does not shy away from the cannibalism issue, it just relegates it to the ‘B’-story and focuses on the threat from a menacing carnivorous monster. There is simply no way around it: The most abominable thing about this snowman is the cheesy ape suit that looks like an albino mix of Chewbacca and The Cowardly Lion. Following close in the race to be the cheesiest are the bargain-basement computer-generated graphics that are supposed to approximate a plane flying through the sky and crashing, but really approximate nothing more than a really old-school video game. The result is one ridiculous film. And that makes it pretty fun. From the ‘B’-movie monsters of the 1950s to the classic Jaws, the school of thought has been less is more with creatures — show as little as possible while using psychology to create fearsome images in the minds of viewers. Yeti does the total opposite, showing the monster in full, early on, to the point of comic effect. For all of its technical and logical shortfalls, the film does one thing well — it examines group dynamics and how people respond when their backs are to the wall. Yeti actually surprises in some ways with unexpected heroes, character growth and dimension. Sure, some people like to watch movies about people getting killed, and those people will not be disappointed here. Everyone likes to see characters rise to the occasion, and in that regard Yeti really succeeds. The movie features a cast of recognizable ‘B’ players, from Pope, who appears in the recent 24: Redemption and should be seen in the upcoming season of “24,” to scream queen Lowe (Final Destination 3, Wrong Turn 2). – David Greenberg I TROPIC THUNDER Paramount/DreamWorks, Comedy, B.O. $110.5 million, $29.99 DVD, $34.99 two-DVD set, $39.99 Blu-ray, Available in ‘R’ and Unrated editions. Stars Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Danny McBride, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Tom Cruise. A s hilarious as the ‘R’-rated theatrical version of Tropic Thunder was, the unrated Blu-ray Disc offers even more over-the-top violence, gore and laughs. From the film’s opening fictional trailers, the laughs never stop. This inside look at filming a tentpole Vietnam movie on location with a collection of colorful actors has been crafted by someone who knows Hollywood well — Ben Stiller. It’s refreshing to see Stiller behind the camera again and back in control of the comedy after last year’s dismal The Heartbreak Kid. The great thing about Tropic Thunder is that it’s funny for all audiences (over 17, that is) and it offers an added layer of comedy for those who are familiar with the Hollywood machine. Most people have heard about Tom Cruise’s bald, dancing studio exec, and this performance alone is worth repeat viewing. But Robert Downey Jr.’s portray- al of a white actor in black face truly steals the show. This Blu-ray Disc brings the jungles to life with lush foliage and azure skies with its 1080p HD picture and 2.35:1-framed transfer. All the explosions, gunfights and blood come to life in dynamic colors on BD. Every one-liner and curse word comes across crystal clear with this BD’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The Blu-ray offers a great collection of HD bonus material, some of which offers as many laughs as the film itself. I recommend every fan listen to the commentary with Stiller, Black and Downey (who stays in character the entire time). This is one of the funniest commentaries ever. Another hilarious offering is the 30-minute mockumentary Rain of Madness, a parody of the Heart of Darkness documentary about Apocalypse Now. This making-of backstory is filled with more of Tropic Thunder’s inside-Hollywood, mainstream humor. Rounding out the extras are more featurettes, Tom Cruise’s makeup test, some BD Live features, and some deleted scenes fans will want to check out. It all adds up to the greatest made-up “true” story movie about the Vietnam War ever made. It’s a musthave for any BD library. – John Gaudiosi hristopher “C-Dub” Wang is a trashtalking, basketball jersey-wearing Chinese-American who is forced to embrace his family’s passion in Ping Pong Playa, a playful, albeit broad, comedy/drama that should find acceptance in families’ dens nationwide. While his contemporaries are starting careers and attending graduate school, “CDub” (co-writer Tsai) is content to live with his parents, playing video games and eating cereal by the crate. Meanwhile, older brother Michael (Fan of Corky Romano) is a doctor and champion ping pong player, while his parents (Lau and Sung) run a ping pong goods store. When Mrs. Wang and Michael are injured in a car accident, Christopher takes over his mom’s ping pong class at the local community center. At first, he avoids the responsibility, but the kids love C-dub, who begins to take the class and his life more seriously. A pending match with a nerdy, tight shorts-wearing nemesis (Paige of “Queer as Folk”) and a growing flirtation with a student’s sister (Cho of Meet Dave) accelerate the process. For the most part, director/co-writer Jessica Yu (of the Oscar-winning Breathing Lessons: The Life of Mark O’Brien) balances goofy laughs with insights on growing up in a family steeped with expectations and tradition. Think of it as a fusion of Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and The Joy Luck Club. That odd approach, along with Tsai’s spirited, bighearted performance, makes Ping Pong Playa enjoyable family fare even if the ironic goofiness does wear thin. Extras include commentary by Tsai and Yu as well as two featurettes. – Pete Croatto C Q U I C K TA K E ‘Panther’ on the Prowl M GM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s 18-DVD Pink Panther Ultimate Collection ($199.98) has everything a “Pink Panther” enthusiast could want, with nine films (including the 2006 remake) and hundreds of animated shorts. It comes in a pink velvet box and includes a copy of the Pink Panther Ultimate Guide coffee-table book. The recent release of this set is well-timed not only for the holidays, but the February 2009 theatrical release of Steve Martin in Pink Panther 2. It should be noted that the set is missing 1975’s Return of the Pink Panther, as MGM doesn’t hold the home video rights. But for about $10, completists can pick up the DVD, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. – John Latchem 18 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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