Charlie’s Angels (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” was a box office success and also brought the fun, sexy and kitschy elements of the TV series to the big screen.  If you were a big fan of the film, then you will probably enjoy the vibrant colors displayed on HD and also how much better the film sounds via lossless.

Images courtesy of © 2000 Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Co. Movie KG. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Charlie’s Angels

DURATION: 98 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital,  Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish

COMPANY: Columbia Pictures

RATED: PG-13 (For Action, Violence, Innuendo and Some Sensual/Nudity)

RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2010

Based on the TV series by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts

Directed by McG

Written by Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon, John August

Executive Producer: Joseph M. Caracciolo, Aaron Spelling, Betty Thomas, Jenno Topping

Producer: Drew Barrymore, Leonard Goldberg, Nancy Juvoven

Music by Ed Shearmur

Cinematography by Russell Carpenter

Edited by Peter Teschner, Wayne Wahrman

Casting by Justine Baddeley, Kim Davis

Production Design by J. Michael Riva

Art Direction by David F. Klassen, Richard F. Mays

Set Decoration by Lauri Gaffin

Costume Design by Joseph G. Aulisi

Starring:

Cameron Diaz as Natalie Cook

Drew Barrymore as Dylan Sanders

Lucy Liu as Alex Munday

Bill Murray as John Bosley

Sam Rockwell as Eric Knox

Kelly Lynch as Vivian Wood

Tim Curry as Roger Corwin

Crispin Glover as Thin Man

Matt LeBlanc as Jason Gibbons

LL Cool J as Mr. Jones

Tom Green as Chad

Luke Wilson as Pete Komisky

Sean Whalen as Pasqual

Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu star as the captivating crime-fighting trio who are masters of disguise, espionage and martial arts. When a devious mastermind embroils them in a plot to destroy individual privacy, the Angels, aided by their loyal sidekick Bosley (Bill Murray), set out to bring down the bad guys. But when a terrible secret is revealed, it makes the Angels targets for assassination.

Trailer

Long before director McG directed films such as “Terminator Salvation” and “We are Marshall” and before he would be executive producer for TV Shows such as “The O.C.”, “The Mountain” and “Fastlane”, McG was known for directing music videos for bands like Sublime and Korn.

But every director has their first start and for McG, his first theatrical debut was the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” based on the Aaron Spelling produced  ’70′s television show showcasing sexy women taking on various disguises in order to defeat crime while following their mystery boss Charlie.  Known for boosting the careers of Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Cheryl Ladd and many more women who took part in the show from 1976-1981.

Featuring actresses Cameron Diaz as Natalie Cook, Drew Barrymore as Dylan Sanders and Lucy Liu as Alex Munday, the three take on crime alongside Charlie’s assistant Bosley (played by Bill Murray), the three take on their latest mission to find the software genius Eric Knox (played by Sam Rockwell) who may have been kidnapped by Redstar owner Roger Corwin (played by Tim Curry).

While Bosley tries to get information from Corwin in regards to the whereabouts of Knox, the women follow the lead of going after a man who was was seen on surveillance videos ford kidnapping Knox, a man known as Thin Man (played by Crispin Glover).

Featuring action, sexiness, a variety of disguises and hair tossing, “Charlie’s Angels”, the film version continues the tradition of the popular TV shown for modern viewers and was a box office success earning over $264 million worldwide.

VIDEO:

“Charlie’s Angels” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1).  For anyone who remembers this film, because there were so many mini-segments, there were many times the film would emphasize reds, blues, blacks and for the most part, the HD presentation shows off the vibrant colors on Blu-ray.  Contrast levels are well-done, colors really pop, blacks are nice and deep and there is a good amount of grain.

The film definitely delivered when it came to set design, costume design and it helps that McG worked with a talented cinematographer, Russell Carpenter, who worked on films such as “Titanic” and “The Negotiator”.  This is a film that required various styles of footage and it helps to have an experienced cinematographer behind the camera.

If anything, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has proven to us within these past two years that they can take these past films and really make them shine on Blu-ray visually (and also via lossless audio).  Definitely a major improvement compared to its original DVD counterpart.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Charlie’s Angels” is presented in English, French and Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.   The film definitely shines via lossless from the opening scene with the jet flying and the engines coming from the surround channels and also hearing it via LFE to the battle with Thin Man and hearing the fight sequences, steel against steel, windows crashing and hearing them quite nicely through the surround channels.  Dialogue is clear through the center channel and the film does sport a lot of contemporary music and may it be from Destiny’s Child to Blink-182, good amount of music as well.

Subtitles are presented in English, English SDH, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Charlie’s Angels” comes with the following special features (in standard definition, English Stereo and subtitles in Spanish and Portuguese):

• Blu-ray exclusive movieIQ®+sync
• Commentary with Director McG and Cinematographer Russell Carpenter – An interesting commentary to listen to McG about his first major film and how it helped to work with an experienced cinematographer.
• Deleted Scenes – (4:42) Featuring three deleted scenes: Marco Polo!, The Men’s Room Extended, Extra Shake & Bake
• Outtakes & Bloopers – (2:39) Outtakes from “Charlie’s Angels” that were seen at the ending credits.
• Getting G’d Up – (6:32) An in-depth profile of Director McG and McG behind-the-scenes.  Film staff and talent talk about how they love working with McG and how energetic he is.
• The Master and the Angels – (7:25) A look behind the martial arts and stunts in the movie and working with world renown Cheung-yan Yuen and how much training the main talents had to go through to prepare for the film.
• Welcome to Angel World – (4:48) A behind-the-scenes look at the film’s set design with production designer J. Michael Riva.
• Angelic Attire: Dressing Cameron, Drew and Lucy – (3:25) Costume Designer Joseph G. Aulisi discusses the costumes for the film and how he styled each angel.
• Angelic Effects – (6:45) A discussion of the exciting special effects used throughout the film’s production.
• Wired Angels – (2:35) A scene deconstruction of the Chinese Alley scene and the wiring work used during filming
• Music Videos - Featuring  “Independent Women Part 1” by Destiny’s Child and  “Charlie’s Angels 2000” by Apollo Four Forty.

“Charlie’s Angels” is one of those films that you don’t take seriously and like the television series, you know it’s going to be a bit kitschy but with three sexy women kicking ass, you just sit back and enjoy no matter how crazy the film may get and hopefully, you find something fun or entertaining about it.

If anything, “Charlie’s Angels” is one of those films which is a straight-up action popcorn flick.   A film that you just don’t come in and watch it with any high expectations and if there were any expectations, probably from those who watched the original TV series and wonder how the Angels and their sexiness would be displayed on the big screen.

Yes, you’re going to see Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in tight outfits, outfits that showcase cleavage and quite a bit of hair tossing but of course, you’re going to get a lot of action and in this case, with the film utilizing world renown Cheung-yan Yuen (who was involved in major martial arts films with Jackie Chan and also the “Matrix” films) for the fighting sequences and putting these women through difficult training prior to the making of the film, the fight sequences were done very well.

Also, you can’t help but be amazed by costume and set design for the film.  With every individual sequence created for each of the women, various costumes and disguises they had to wear, director McG and staff really went all out in making “Charlie’s Angels” a fun, visual film.

With that being said, if one owns the DVD, is “Charlie’s Angels” on Blu-ray worth it?  If you enjoyed the film, then the improved visuals and the lossless audio would make things worth it.  The special features are the same standard definition features that were included on the original DVD and although I have read that there were two Easter Eggs (which were part of the original DVD) included, I’ve tried many ways to figure where it would be in the Blu-ray version to no avail.

But what it comes down to is one’s enjoyment of “Charlie’s Angels”.  Watching it again, I have to admit that I wasn’t really getting into this time around and the watching it again, I admit I was even questioning myself of why I even enjoyed this film back then.  Yes, the plot was ludicrous and the dialogue and storyline was kitschy.  Even the talent in the film also found the dialogue kitschy, Bill Murray even found himself at odds with Lucy Liu verbally because he found the script to be ludicrous.  Even comedian Tom Green who has a short stint in the film thought the script was terrible but only participated because of his ex-wife (Drew Barrymore) asked him to.

But I’m not going to be invidious towards this film.  Because the TV show was also cheesy to begin with and having grew up around watching the TV series as a kid, I was not expecting anything deep from the film but I did expect the film to deliver in special effects and also with Cheung-yan Yuen’s involvement, I was expecting to see a good amount of wirework and awesome fight choreography and the film did deliver in that respect.

There has been a lot of talk about a third film and I’m sure McG’s style of filmmaking has gotten much better since the making of this film and hopefully with what he accomplished with “Terminator Salvation”, if he was involved with the third film, maybe a series that could still incorporate the fun elements of the film but possibly less cheesiness.  Who knows?  I guess we’ll find out if the third film does receive the green light.

Overall, “Charlie’s Angels” on Blu-ray definitely looks much better and sounds much better than its previous DVD counterpart and if you were a big fan of the film or any of the talent, then this Blu-ray is definitely for you!

Alice in Wonderland (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Alice in Wonderland” is a enjoyable, action-driven version of the characters loosely based on the original Lewis Carroll novel.  Gorgeous and creepy in visual presentation, director Tim Burton captures the feel of wonderland.  If you enjoyed the film, you will definitely enjoy the Blu-ray release!

Images courtesy of © 2010 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Alice in Wonderland

DURATION: 109 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), English, 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), English 2.0 DVS,  Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Fantasy Action/Violence involving Scary Images and Situations and for a Smoking Caterpillar)

RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2010

Directed by Tim Burton

Based on the books by Lewis Carroll

Screenplay by Linda Woolverton

Executive Producer: Chris Lebenzon, Peter M. Tobyansen

Producer: Joe Roth, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd, Richard D. Zanuck

Co-Producer: Katterli Frauenfelder, Linda Woolverton

Associate Producer: Derek Frey

Music by Danny Elfman

Cinematography by Dariusz Wolski

Edited by Chris Lebenzo

Casting by Susie Figgis

Production Design by Robert Stromberg

Art Direction by Tim Browning, Todd Cherniawsky, Stefan Dechant, Andrew L. Jones, Mike Stassi, Christina Ann Wilson

Set Decoration by Karen O’Hara, Peter Young

Costume Design by Colleen Atwood

Starring:

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter

Helena Bonham Carter as Red Queen

Anne Hathaway as White Queen

Crispin Glover as Stayne

Matt Lucas as Tweedledee/Tweedledum

Stephen Fry as the voice of Cheshire Cat

Michael Sheen as the voice of White Rabbit

Alan Rickman as the voice of Blue Caterpillar

Barbara Windsor as the voice of Dormouse

Paul Whitehouse as the voice of March Hare

Timothy Spall as the voice of Bayard

Marton Csokas as Charles Kingsleigh

Lindsay Duncan as Helen Kingsleigh

Geraldine James as LAdy Ascot

Tim Pigott-Smith as Lord Ascot

Leo Bill as Hamish

Frances de la Tour as Aunt Imogene

Jemma Powell as Margaret Kingsleigh

John Hopkins as Lowell

Tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. Inviting and magical, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an imaginative new twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19 years old, returns to the whimsical world she first entered as a child and embarks on a journey to discover her true destiny. Wonderland is a world beyond your imagination and unlike anything you’ve seen before. The extraordinary characters you’ve loved come to life richer and more colorful than ever. There’s the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and more. A triumphant cinematic experience – ALICE IN WONDERLAND is an incredible feast for your eyes, ears and heart that will captivate audiences of all sizes.

The film’s opening weekend made ALICE IN WONDERLAND the highest-grossing non-sequel opening weekend in history, the biggest March opening of all time, the biggest 3D opening of all time and the biggest IMAX opening of all time.

“Alice in Wonderland” is Tim Burton-lite but that will appeal to the young and old, without becoming overly dark or twisted.

The 2010 film directed by Tim Burton (“Corpse Bride”, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “Beetlejuice”) and a screenplay by Linda Woolverton (“The Lion Queen”, “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey”, “Beauty & the Beast”) is loosely based on the Lewis Carrol 1903 classic “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.

Featuring a production by Team Todd (The Austin Powers films, “Memento”, “Across the Universe”), the 2010 Disney incarnation received a lot of buzz when the announcement was made that the film would feature a reunion of both director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp but the that the film would feature a cast tat would include Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Alan Rickman and many more.  The film would also receive buzz about the creation of the world of Wonderland and the extensive use of CG, especially with its steep production budgeted at around $200 million.

Despite receiving reviews that were 50/50 from film critics, there is no denying that a Tim Burton film would bring people to the theaters and in this case, the Burton and Depp mystique would help bring in over $996 million dollars in the box office.  The film would achieve the sixth highest grossing opening weekend of all time and the highest opening weekend for a non-sequel and also surpassing “Avatar” in the IMAX and is currently the highest grossing film of 2010.

The film revolves around a young girl named Alice Kingsleigh (played by Mia Wasikowska) who at a young age would have these unique dreams of talking animals and going to another world.  She would tell this to her father who would be open to hearing more about Alice’s dreams.

Flashforward to Alice at 19-years-old and she is taken to a garden party at Lord Ascot’s estate and finds out the party is actually a proposal party in which a young man named Hamish would be asking Alice’s hand in marriage.  But when she sees a white rabbit wanting her to join him, she goes after the rabbit and ends up falling into a rabbit hole and taken to another world.

In this world, she meets the white rabbit, the dormouse, a dodo and two bumbling twins, Tweedledum and Tweedledee.  Each are debating if the young woman is “the right Alice” who has been documented as slaying the Red Queen’s dragon known as the Jabberwocky on the Frabjous Day to restore the power of the White Queen.

Of course, Alice doesn’t think she’s a fighter and thinks they have found the wrong Alice.  While the others debate on if Alice is the actual Alice or not, the Red Queen’s Knave of Hearts (played by Crispin Glover) and the Red Queen’s soldiers go to capture the white rabbit and others.    As everyone tries to escape, the Knave of Hearts finds a scroll and realizes that the girl who was seen running may be the Alice on the scroll who is planning to kill the Red Queen’s Jaberwocky.

Meanwhile, as Alice travels the Wonderland alone, she is greeted by the Cheshire Cat who brings Alice to the Mad Hatter (played by Johnny Depp), Doris the Mouse and March Hare.  As the Mad Hatter tries to figure out if Alice is the right Alice, he explains to Alice of how the world is not the same since the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) has taken the crown away from her sister the White Queen (played by Anne Hathaway) and how the Red Queen has had many good people killed or imprisoned and has ruled the area and making everyone fear of her.  But as he tries to explain to Alice of her path, Alice does not believe she is the person that can fight a dragon and refuses to believe that she is the one they are looking for.

The Red Queen has issued an order to the Knave of Hearts to capture Alice and with the help of Bayard the bloodhound, has them searching for Alice and leading them to the Mad Hatter.  With quick thinking, the Mad Hatter shrinks Alice and throws her on his hat to avoid being caught by the Red Queen’s soldiers but in the process of doing so, is captured by the Red Queen’s soldiers.  But feeling guilty over how the Mad Hatter has protected her, Alice now wants to infiltrate the Red Queen’s castle and rescue the Mad Hatter and her new friends.

Will Alice find the strength to save her friends?  And does she have what it takes to slay the Jabberwocky?

VIDEO:

“Alice in Wonderland” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1) and for the most part, “Alice in Wonderland” is a film that showcases a great amount of detail on Blu-ray but in terms of colors, for example, Alice going with her mother for a party, the color seem quite muted (like it’s overcast) and I looked at it as a way for the film to show the viewer how Alice was a bit disenchanted with her life.  When she falls into the hole, we notice a different, surreal landscape that was created digitally.

In fact, you will see in the special features that a large part of the film was created alongside a green screen, so for the most part, the film is CG-heavy and one can expect gorgeous CG graphics for Wonderland.  Blacks are nice and deep and scenes such as the Red Queen’s lair and the use of reds are quite vibrant.  And as mentioned, there is a good amount of detail.  From Mad Hatter’s hat to the tea party and more.

As for the DVD version that is included with the three-disc Blu-ray release, the DVD is presented in Widescreen 1:78:1 (enhanced for 16×9 televisions).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Alice in Wonderland” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), English 2.0 DVS,  Spanish and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.  The lossless audio was very well done as the film is quite immersive.  From crowd ambiance, to the smallest noises created by the Red Queen’s servants to the thunder clouds approaching nearby, to the galloping horses, the march of the soldiers and more.   Dialogue is crystal clear through the front channels as Danny Elfman’s music utilizes the front channels while the surrounds utilize the special effects.  From Alice falling through the hole and hitting various objects to the various characters running from the Red Queen’s soldiers and more.

“Alice in Wonderland” may not be action-heavy but the 5.1 DTS-HD MA is no slouch either.  Audio is well done for this film and overall, a satisfying, immersive lossless soundtrack.

As for the DVD version that is included with the three-disc Blu-ray release, the DVD is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English 2.0 DVS French and Spanish.

As for subtitles, the film is presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Alice in Wonderland” comes with the following special features (in 1080p High Definition or 480i, Audio in English 5.1 or 2.0 and subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish):

• WONDERLAND CHARACTERS: (27:56)  This segment contains the following special features:

- Finding Alice – The special effects, costume design and more.

- The Futterwacken Dance – Futterwhat? Check out the making of the timeless dance called the Futterwacken.

- The Red Queen – The creation of the Red Queen from start to finish, including early Tim Burton sketches showcasing costume designs, make-up and digital effects.

- Time-Lapse: Sculpting the Red Queen – A short time-lapse piece showing Helena Bonham Carter as she gets her make-up done. A three-hour process can be watched in just a few short minutes.

- The White Queen – An interview with Anne Hathaway, who plays Wonderland’s good queen, about her character’s journey throughout the process of the film.

• Making Wonderland – (19:28) The following segment contains the mini-featurettes:

- Scoring Wonderland – Composer Danny Elfman and Tim Burton discuss the music for the movie.

- Stunts of Wonderland – A featurette highlighting some of the biggest stunts in the film.

- Making the Proper Size – An inside look at the visual effects process of growing and shrinking Alice. See how filmmakers used different techniques to stay true to the storyline.

- Cakes of Wonderland – Take a trip to “Cake Divas” where the creators of the EAT ME cakes provide viewers with details about how they made the smallest crumb to the largest cake in scale.

- Tea Party Props – Tea cups, saucers, cakes and more. Prop master Doug Harlocker gives an overview of all the props used to bring the famous tea party scene together visually.

EXTRAS:

“Alice in Wonderland” is available via a single Blu-ray disc release and a 3-Disc release.  The 3-Disc release comes with a slip cover featuring artwork different than the main cover insert.  Also, the film comes with a DVD version of “Alice in Wonderland” and a Digital Copy.

Tim Burton was able to create a magical world of Wonderland with its characters with the heavy use of CG.  The film was literally filmed with a big green screen all around and people having to wear it while most of the work was then added via post-production in making sure the characters, the scenery and of courts the animals and inhabitants of this world are captured quite well in the film.  So, I had no doubt that the Blu-ray release would look good because mostly everything is CG-driven.

“Alice in Wonderland” is a film that was received 50/50 and for the majority of the critics who are familiar with the Lewis Carrol novel, the film was a major deviation from the actual story.  Whereas the novel was about a young Alice who ends up in Wonderland and interacts with the inhabitants of the land including the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the King and Queen and Ducchess and literally an adventurous experience of a girl in a new land.

As for the Linda Woolverton screenplay, the film is about a young adult Alice who faces adulthood.  Not knowing how to explain her emotions and being asked to take part in a marriage (in which she doesn’t love the man), she just wants to escape.  In Wonderland, this escape from reality is where Alice gets to know her true self and learn how to stand up for herself without anyone calling the shots in her life.  Call it a coming-of-age film, “Alice in Wonderland” deals with a young woman not knowing her true strength but when her life and her new friends lives are in danger, she is the only one that can defeat the Red Queen’s biggest weapon.  She may not think that it is possible but her brief stay in Wonderland will eventually be an incredible test.

Typically, I am a reviewer who tends to find CG-driven films to be quite banal of late.  Granted, “Avatar” was a film that was extremely well-crafted and as for “Alice in Wonderland”, I actually enjoyed the world that Tim Burton and staff was able to create. Wonderland may be lush but a CG film can only go so far.  It depends on the characters and its storyline.  And reading a number of reviews, the film was split 50/50 for critics who enjoyed it or those who felt the film was to astray when compared to the original novel or just more eye candy and an unappealing film.

Sean P. Menas, film critic for The Salt Lake Tribune wrote, “Burton’s overamped, visually frenetic and chaotically action-heavy adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” manages to be both too much and not enough of what a retelling of Alice should be.”

I have to agree with Sean P. Menas and that “Alice in Wonderland” is a film that could have been an amazing trilogy if given the chance.  As I pondered about the film, sure, images of “Lord of the Rings” came to mind but it would have been great if there was more to the story of “Alice in Wonderland” because 109 minutes did not seem enough.  And I felt that Tim Burton’s storyline was diluted by its pacing of trying to get from point A to point B so quickly that I found myself more in-tuned with Alice’s character and Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter was just a creepy character that needed more time.  Even the Cheshire Cat which was so instrumental in the novel was left with very little in the film.

Michael Smith of the Tulsa World writes, “A disappointment on a massive scale canvas, Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” is a beautiful, giant bore that’s almost comedy-free. It may be of some interest to adults, but kids will be bored to tears, unless they don’t listen to the leaden dialogue and imagine they are watching a new video game.”

Although, I didn’t find “Alice in Wonderland” as a giant bore, I found it to be entertaining and felt it was a film that had potential but in the end, making you feel it was OK or good but not fantastic.  I can’t call the film a disappointment on a massive scale, especially as it is one of the highest grossing films of all time.   I also feel that with the pairing of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, the films success was facile and if anything, their pairing would lead to financial box office success but I may not be an erudite when it comes to the original novel’s storyline but I do feel for the film, the story of “Alice in Wonderland” could have led to more sequels and stretch out the story to make us care for the characters and even Wonderland itself.

We are told that Alice has been to the Wonderland many times before, even painting roses for the Red Queen and this is where I find the biggest fault of the film.  The original novel would have served a better first film for “Alice in Wonderland”, taking her to adulthood and bringing her back as featured in this film as a sequel.  This would have made sense and a much more engaging film.

I did enjoy Mia Wasikowska as Alice.  She fit the part of a young woman trying to find herself and both Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway did a wonderful job playing the queens.  And Johnny Depp, he was wonderful as the Mad Hatter but for each of these three characters, once again, I just felt there was more storyline for these characters that could have been developed.  I felt there was too much emphasis on the glitz and the look of the world while watching a girl who was trying to find her inner strength.  Granted, that was the writer’s intention but for all these characters introduced, including the CG animated animals who play a major part in the film, it would have been great to see these characters explored a bit more.   If anything, making the viewer care enough to see them rescued or have created some emotional connect to them.  I just felt the pacing of the film was a bit rushed.

As for the Blu-ray release, there is no doubt that “Alice in Wonderland” is a beautiful film with tremendous detail.  The lossless soundtrack is very good.  A good amount of special features and you do get a DVD and digital copy for the 3-disc release.  So, as a total package, its a pretty solid Blu-ray release from Disney.  If you enjoyed the film, you will most definitely enjoy the Blu-ray release.

Overall, I was content with “Alice in Wonderland” and I’m sure that both parents and children may find the film entertaining.   Those who are familiar with the original story may feel the storyline’s deviance from Lewis Carroll’s work to be too much of a difference and for children, for the most part, this is a safe film with not much violent content until the latter end of the film in which Alice goes against the Jabberwocky.   Some parents might find the scene a bit too much for younger children and in that case, parental guidance is suggested.

But for me, I felt the film had tremendous potential but missed its target.  Sure, it was a box office success but as  I watched the film alongside with my seven-year-old son, after the film was done, the words that came out of his mouth was  “is that it?”   And like my son, I felt the same way about “Alice in Wonderland”… “is that it?”.

Charlie’s Angels (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

BUY THIS DVD

MOVIE COMPANY: Columbia Tristar
CAST: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray, Sam Rockwell, Crispin Glover, Tim Curry and more.
DIRECTED BY: Joseph McGinty Nichol
WRITTEN BY: Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts III
RATING: PG-13
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0160127
TYPE OF MOVIE: Action, comedy
DURATION: 98 minutes

King and Jack are experts in finding lovers of first love for their clients. One day, a young guy, a man of concealed identity, and Taiwan’s richest business tycoon ask King and Jack to look for their first lovers. To King and Jack’s astonishment, the women all look like the same ……

DVD EXTRAS:

• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
PLEASE NOTE: Warner and Columbia have recently added a Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE) to Region 1 titles like the The Patriot and The Perfect Storm. Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called “region-free” DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• Director and Cinematographer Commentary
• Featurettes:
• Fashion Featurette
• Set Design Featurette
• Martial Arts and Stunts Featurette
• Special Effects Featurette
• Director McG Featurette
• Wired Angels – Special Effects Deconstruction
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Outtakes and Bloopers
• Music Videos by Destiny’s Child and Apollo Four Forty
• Widescreen anamorphic format

KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): Three Easter Eggs

Hidden scenes:
Select the “Special Features” option at the main menu. Highlight the “Getting G’d Up” option and press Right. A box will appear on Cameron Diaz’s waist. Press Enter to view the scene.

Select the “Special Features” option at the main menu. Highlight the “Wired Angels” option and press Left. A box will appear on Bill Murray’s jacket. Press Enter to view the scene

Select the “Special Features” option at the main menu. Advance to the last screen in the special features section. Highlight the back arrow and press Right. A square will appear over Sam Rockwell’s eyes. Press Enter to view the scene.

DVD REVIEW:

A fun movie to watch and a fun movie to watch if you grew up in the 70′s during the Charlie’s Angel phenomenon.

One of the problems with this movie when it debuted was that some people loved it and some people hated it.  Those who hated it, didn’t like the MTV look of the film and how the film wasn’t serious.  Some may say it’s more eye candy for the male fans.

Perhaps.  But you maybe asking why buy this DVD?  Well, it’s kind of hard to convince you if you hate this movie but if you enjoyed it, then the reasons why to buy this DVD is because it’s jam packed.  Note: If you have a multi-region player, this DVD may not play.

The video quality is very cool.  Since they experimented with different ways to film the movie, colors are brilliant but at times I felt that the colors were over saturated (note: Beach scene, look at the reds).  The audio was nice but for some reason I felt that I got more from my digital 5.1 from the trailers. (Yes, the trailers are in 5.1 except Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

As for DVD special features, a small featurette for the director, the action-stunt coordinator, fashion/clothing, for the movie, extended scenes, deleted scenes, outtakes (the ending of the film without the credits), director’s commentary, two music videos and trailers that are in digital 5.1 (including a sneak peak of the highly anticipated CGI film, “Final Fantasy”).

So, if you enjoyed the movie, you will be in for a treat with the special edition DVD.

THE MOVIE: B-
THE DVD EXTRAS: A-
THE DVD OVERALL: B+

Nurse Betty (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

BUY THIS DVD

MOVIE COMPANY: Universal
CAST: Starring Renée Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear, Crispin Glover, Tia Texada and more.
DIRECTED BY: Neil Labute
WRITTEN BY: John C. Richards
RATING: Rated R
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0171580
TYPE OF MOVIE: Comedy, Thriller
DURATION: 112 minutes

A Kansas City waitress (Renee Zellweger) with dreams of becoming a nurse becomes delusional after seeing her no-good car salesman husband (Aaron Eckhart) murdered. Becoming delusional from shock, she becomes convinced that she is the former fiancée of her soap opera idol (Greg Kinnear). What she also believes is that the soap opera is real and goes to LA to find the hospital where he works as a cardiologist. Meanwhile, her husband’s murderers (Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock) are searching for the drugs stolen by her husband and, as luck would have it, they are stored in the trunk of the car she drove off in. Freeman, an aging hitman planning his retirement after this job, also becomes delusional about the woman he is tracking. (IMDB)

DVD EXTRAS:

• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby
• Two Separate Commentary Tracks:
• 1. Director and Cast (Chris Rock, Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger, Greg Kinnear)
• 2. Director and Crew (producers, music composer, Director of Photography, Costume Designer)
• A Reason to Love Soap Opera segments
• Deleted scenes
• Theatrical Trailer / 6 TV spots
• Hidden Bonus Features
• Widescreen anamorphic format

KNOWN DVD SECRET(S):

Alternate sequence:
Select the “Special Features” option at the main menu. Press Right to highlight the candle on the cupcake that Betty is holding. Press Enter to view an alternate sequence from the movie.

Hidden sequence:
Enter the “A Reason To Love” episode selection screen, highlight episode 1, then press Up. This will highlight the title “A Reason to Love”. Press Enter to view view Betty’s episode of the soap opera.

DVD REVIEW:

What an original dark comedy!  A woman traumatized after seeing her husband murdered while watching her favorite soap then suffers from post-traumatic stress and ends up thinking that the soap opera is real and heads to California to find her soap opera boyfriend/character David (Kinnear).

The last time we seen a weird fan thinking a soap was real was on “Friends” with Brooke Shields character.  But in this one, Renée Zellweger plays the character of Betty as a caring person and her performance is awesome!  I don’t think I know any actress who could of played that part.  She was perfectly cast.

The duo of Freeman and Rock was also awesome!  Chris Rock plays a different character compared to his other movies and both performances were remarkable as with Kinnear’s performance as the soap opera actor.

The DVD features good digital 5.1 audio but since it’s a dialogue film, you shouldn’t expect much.  As for video, the video is nice but some areas look a bit too reddish/orange.  I wasn’t sure if it was the intended lighting.

As for the special features, the deleted scenes were a shock.  The scenes show how ruthless Chris Rock’s character really is and also a scene that was cut because of its violence.  My favorite special feature is the soap opera clips.  To see Sung Hi Lee was awesome!  As for the two different commentary, it was a blast to hear the cast commentary with the director.  Everyone was having fun and not too much dead air.  Last, there is the movie trailer and a plethora of TV trailers.

All in all, a film that is enjoyable and if you like dark comedies like Fargo, you will like this film and the DVD.

THE MOVIE:  A-
THE DVD EXTRAS:  B+
THE DVD OVERALL:  A-