Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - (Page 20) REVIEWS BLU-RAY SPOTLIGHT I HANCOCK Street 11/25 and unrated versions. Stars Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman. Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com Sony Pictures, Action, B.O. $227.9 million, $28.96 DVD, $34.95 two-DVD set, $39.95 Blu-ray, $24.94 UMD, Available in ‘PG-13’ T I PLANET OF THE APES: 40-YEAR EVOLUTION Fox, Sci-Fi, $159.98 five-disc Blu-ray. Stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Linda Harrison. T hese ‘B’-movies offered a very different science-fiction take on man’s future. With extensive make-up and effects work, these apes became ingrained in the minds of audiences and helped craft the future of sci-fi films. This collection includes the 1968 original Planet of the Apes, 1970’s Beneath the Planet of the Apes, 1971’s Escape From the Planet of the Apes, 1972’s Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Each movie is presented on a double-layer Blu-ray Disc with 1080p and a newly mastered English 5.1 DTS master audio track. Visually, the films have held up well over the years. Based on the novella Monkey Planet, by Pierre Boulle, the 1968 film is definitely the crown jewel of this collection. While the direction of the movies devolved with each sequel, every film offers plenty of action and great set pieces that hold up today in HD. Fox has added a lot of exclusive new HD bonus material for this collection, which is refreshing to see. One of the highlights is an unrated version of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes that was never seen in the United States. One of the darker “Apes” movies, this fourth installment has eight minutes of story added back for the Blu-ray. Each of the films includes an HD making-of featurette. Also included is a picture-in-picture “Science of the Apes” Bonus View, which allows fans to hear scientists, anthropologists and sociologists discuss the facts and fiction of the first film. This collection also offers a ton of standarddefinition extras previously included in the DVD boxed set. Fans also will get a great keepsake book filled with art, sketches and additional material about the film franchise. This collection is a must-have for any Blu-ray library. Even if you bought the recent DVD collection, there’s enough new HD content to warrant this additional purchase. And the films themselves remain an entertaining collection as well as a piece of sci-fi history. – John Gaudiosi wo movies are trying to break out of Hancock and end up working against each other. The first is a mild parody of the typical comic book movie. Hancock is a drunkard with superpowers who saves the day when prodded, often leaving an expensive trail of damage in his wake. This setup stems from an attempt to offer a pseudo-realistic view of how the public might actually perceive a superpowered being who fights crime. In a key scene, Hancock saves a car from being hit by a train not by picking up the car and hovering above the train as it passes by, but by throwing the car aside and letting the train hit him, derailing the train and causing damage to several surrounding vehicles. To say the crowd is upset with him is an understatement. This is not the first movie to put a realistic spin on a superhero story. M. Night Shyamalan did so more subtly and superiorly in Unbreakable. Once the freshness of the setup fades, the film must rely on its second tract, which is actually telling a superhero story. In this regard it bogs down and can’t play itself out fast enough. The last half of the film involves an origin story for Hancock that focuses on the comic-books-as-modern-mythology idea, but otherwise doesn’t make much sense. One must turn to several of the behind-the-scenes featurettes to help understand the scenario, which is explained much more clearly there than in the actual film. It doesn’t help that the box art basically gives away a major plot point. Featurettes comprise the bulk of the bonus material, covering everything from fight scenes to visual effects. Deleted scenes are incorporated back into the movie by way of a 10-minutes-longer extended cut. The Blu-ray version offers a picture-in-picture video diary with the unrated cut of the film. – John Latchem I SPACE CHIMPS Street 11/25 ever, unlike his primate predecessor, Ham III into uncharted space territory. is perfectly happy to work in a circus. One day There, Ham and his crew find new alien Fox, Animated, B.O. $30.1 million, $29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray, the government asks Ham III life and discover that the mis‘G.’ to team up with Luna (Hines) sion was not all they were led Voices of Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Stanley Tucci, Jane Lynch, and Titan (Warburton), to to believe. That leaves the notPatrick Warburton, Kristin Chenoweth. shoot for the stars and head so-merry band of monkeys scratching their heads about am pretty much interested in any how to get home. project that involves chimps,” says acSpace Chimps received a small tor and “Saturday Night Live” regular summer release, thanks in part Andy Samberg in one of the to Fox picking the same extras for Space Chimps. premiere date as The Dark Apparently, he is not Knight. Overall, this barrel the only one. From Every of CGI isn’t as impressive Which Way But Loose, King as Wall-E or The Incredibles, Kong and MVP: Most Valubut it will surely entertain able Primate to Dunston the same audience — as Checks In and Planet of the long as they are under the Apes, movie monkeys are age of 8. a long-standing Hollywood Unfortunately, Fox didn’t tradition. Where were our exactly go bananas when it lovable primates left to go? came to the extras. Aside Into space, of course. from a Fox Movie Channel Samberg voices Ham III, featurette, the disc just has grandson of Ham I, the a series of TV spots and first chimp in space. Howtrailers. – Rachel Cericola “ I 20 Home Media Magazine November 16–22, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 Home Media Magazine - November 16, 2008 Contents News HD-3 TV DVD Valentine’s Day Reviews Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - November 16, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - November 16, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - November 16, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - November 16, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - News (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - News (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - HD-3 (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - HD-3 (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - HD-3 (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - HD-3 (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - HD-3 (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - HD-3 (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Valentine’s Day (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Valentine’s Day (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Valentine’s Day (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Valentine’s Day (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Reviews (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Reviews (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Reviews (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Reviews (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - November 16-22, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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