JAWS (Universal 100th Anniversary series)
A giant great white shark arrives on the shores of a New England beach resort and wreaks havoc with bloody attacks on swimmers until a part-time sheriff teams up with a marine biologist and an old seafarer to hunt the monster down.
Gleaming an brilliant in every way JAWS hits high definition screens across the country! Not only a ground breaking movie, but a movie for all time as the acting, the cinematography and the one-liners we all love come back to us in a shark-filled flood.
Watching this movie, I couldn't help remembering how good this movie really is and how well it has held up through the years. More than a ride, a video game or a merchandising giant; Jaws has become a memory to all and a dailly reminder that under the water lies more than sand.
Grade: A+
Rating: PG
Special Features:
- The Shark is Still Working: The Impact and Legacy of Jaws. This is listed as an "all new" feature length documentary, but Jaws fans will know it actually comes from 2007. This is a fantastic overview not just about the film and its technical challenges, but how the film influenced scores of subsequent filmmakers.
- Jaws: The Restoration: is an in-depth look at the efforts made to restore Jaws, featuring several Universal executives and technicians, as well as Steven Spielberg.
- The Making of Jaws: is another really in-depth (vintage) piece that looks at the nuts and bolts (and animatronic hydraulics) of putting the film together. Spielberg, Peter Benchley and a host of others involved in the production are interviewed.
- From the Set: is a vintage (1974) making of featurette with a very young Steven Spielberg.
- Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
Dr. Seuss The Lorax (DVD & Blu-ray)
A boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
A fun family movie that falls somewhat flat in some respects. The message is there, but it gets dilluted through comedic animals and events that aren't as funny as they should be. I really wanted more from the creators of Despicable Me. On the bright side, I love Danny DeVito as the voice of The Lorax. And I will always believe that Dr. Seuss is a good idea for a child anytime, no matter my misgiving. And finally, this is an adult perspective, kids in the theater seemed to enjoy the film.
Grade: B-
Rating: PG
Special Features:
- Audio Commentary: While the rest of the supplemental package is devoted to the kiddies, director Chris Renaud and co-director Kyle Balda's extensive audio commentary is for mom and dad, dissecting the film's adaptation, story and production on a scene by scene, shot by shot basis. Changes to the original book, capturing the look and tone of a Seuss story, and filling in the gaps of the tale are discussed at length, as is the reasoning behind the use of the characters, the design and animation of the various creatures, the casting of the voice actors, and every theme, plot line, song, twist and turn the film has to offer.
- Mini-Movies: In "Wagon Ho!" a pair of bar-ba-loots hijack the Once-ler's mule-drawn carriage. In "Forces of Nature" a young bar-ba-loot learns to be an honorary lorax. And in "Serenade" two singing bar-ba-loots compete for the affection of a femme-ba-loot. None of the animated shorts are all that amusing, but kids will love 'em, so take that for what it's worth.
- Making of Mini-Movies: This brief trip behind the scenes pokes a stick at the three shorts but provides almost no insight into their development or animation.
Grimm season 1
Grimm tries to scratch and claw its way to Supernatural-sized geekdom but comes up woefully short in almost every regard. The premise is promising -- the monsters of Grimms' Fairy Tales are walking among us, some good, some evil -- and its beast-of-the-week creature-featuring never quite wears out its welcome, even if the somewhat cartoonish creatures look as if they've escaped from the bowels of Hogwarts circa 2001. There just isn't enough meat on the series' bones or enough blood pumping through its veins to sustain a sprawling mythos, much less a 22-episode first season and equally generous 22-episode second season (set to mark its territory on NBC in the coming weeks). Not that five million or so rabid television junkies care. Grimm is the latest in a long line of recent fantasy/horror series that have been gobbled up by insatiable and seemingly instant fanbases, and yet another mediocre genre misfire that's survived the network chopping block while other more deserving shows have been unceremoniously axed.
A fantastic show with many twists and turns to come. I enjoy how the show is shot and the option of the forrest being right on the doorstep, I'm looking forward to new monsters and myths in the next season!
Grade: B+
Rating: TV
Special Features:
- Grimm Guide: An interactive guide to Grimm's monsters and creatures. However, "interactive" should be taken as loosely as possible, as it amounts to clicking through a text-heavy book and playing video clips sans audio and any meaningful insight.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes: A number of deleted scenes are sprinkled across the 5-disc set, most either trivial or inconsequential. Fans may be entranced but most everyone else will continue to shrug their shoulders.
- The World of Grimm : An entry-level overview of the series' characters and mythos.
- Audition Tapes: David Giuntoli, Silas Weir Mitchell, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch and Reggie Lee win over the Grimm showrunners.
- Making Monsters: An FX featurette centered around Grimm's beasties.
Virgin Alexander
Alexander is a 26 year-old scrap hauler who has just been given a house by his grandfather. Alexander quickly learns the home is facing foreclosure and he has ten days to come up with $125,000. While on his route brainstorming get rich quick schemes with his co-worker Cliff, Alexander meets Ruby, a college student moonlighting as a prostitute to pay her student loans. The three team up to turn Alexander s house into a brothel. Everything is great except for Alexander s guilt of operating a brothel out of his home, his growing feelings for Ruby, and the incredibly inconvenient fact that he is still a virgin!
Virgin Alexander is a fun film with the sexuality and discourse of American Pie and the heart and awkward nature of Napoleon Dynamite. Rick Faugno's talent shines throughout the film and especially during the closing credits. His cast members all have memorable and character defining moments in the film, while playing to the offhand humor and integral sexuality.
Grade: B+
Rating: Not Rated
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