Be Cool (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The sequel to “Get Shorty”, “Be Cool” comes nowhere near the quality of the first film.  But for a popcorn comedy film, “Be Cool” has plenty of stars, plenty of music and for the most part, ends up being a fun film.  If you are looking for a comedy on Blu-ray, don’t hesitate in giving “Be Cool” a try.

Images courtesy of ©2005 Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Be Cool

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2005

DURATION: 120 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:40:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Surround, French 5.1 DTS, Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish and French

RATED: PG-13 (Violence, Sensuality and Language Including Sexual References)

COMPANY: Jersey Films/Twentieth Century Fox/MGM

RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2011

Directed by F. Gary

Based on the novel by Elmore Leonard

Screenplay by Peter Steinfeld

Produced by Danny De Vito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher

Executive Producer: F. Gary Gray, Elmore Leonard, Michael Siegel

Associate Producer: Anson Downes

Music by John Powell

Cinematography by Jeffrey L. Kimball

Edited by Sheldon Kahn

Casting by Sheila Jaffe, Georgianne Walken

Production Design by Michael Corenblith

Art Direction by Lauren E. Polizzi, Dan Webster

Set Decoration by Denise Pizzini

Costume Design by Mark Bridges, Betsy Heimann

Starring:

John Travolta as Chili Palmer

Uma Thurman as Edie Athens

Vince Vaughn as Raji

Cedric the Entertainer as Sin LaSalle

Andre Benjamin as Dabu

Steven Tyler as Himself

Robert Pastorelli as Joe Loop

Christina Milian as Linda Moon

Paul Adelstein as Hy Gordon

Debi Mazar as Maria

Gergory Alan Williams as Darryl

Harvey Keitel as Nick Carr

Dwayne Johnson as Elliot Wilhelm

Danny De vito as Martin Weir

James Woods as Tommy Athens

Wyclef Jean asHimself

Fred Durst as Himself

Sergio Mendes as Himself

Gene Simmons as Hismself

RZA as Himself

Joe Perry as Himself

Anna Nicole Smith as Herself

Be Cool is the wildly hilarious tale about a gangster turned music mogul and what it takes to be number one with a bullet. When Chili Palmer (Travolta) decides to try his hand in the music industry, he romances thesultry widow (Thurman) of a recently whacked music exec, poaches a hot young singer (Christina Milian) from a rival label and discovers that the record industry is packin’ a whole lot more than a tune!

With the success of the 1990 Elmore Leonard novel and the 1995 film “Get Shorty”, there was no doubt that Leonard’s sequel would be made.

With many of Leonard’s stories being made to films from “3:10 to Yuma” and “The Tall T” and the TV series “Justified”, the gangster film “Get Shorty” was a box office success and also received nominations in the American Film Institute’s “AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Laughs” but also “AFI’s  10 Top 10″.

To preface a little about what “Get Shorty” was all about, the film focused on a Miami Loan Shark named Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta) who clashes with another mobster. In the film, Palmer meets with an actor named Martin Weir (played by Danny DeVito) to star in his life story.    In the film, Palmer is supposed to collect a lot of money but because of his movie ambitions, people want their money back and end up pursuing each other.

This now leads to “Be Cool”, a comedy film produced by Danny De Vito and directed by F. Gary Gray (“The Italian Job”, “Law Abiding Citizen”, “The Negotiator”, “Friday”) and a loosely based screenplay adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel by Peter Steinfeld (“21″, “Analyze That”, “Drowning Mona”).

In “Be Cool”, Chili Palmer (Travolta) has become a successful producer in Hollywood while Weir (DeVito) has become a popular actor.  Seeing how Weir has become a star has made Chili a bit disenchanted with Hollywood and talks about how he may want to return to the loanshark lifestyle.

Meanwhile his friend, music producer, Tommy Athens (played by James Woods) asks if Chili can produce a film about his life of resurrecting a record company through a wonderful talented younger singer named Linda Moon (played by Christina Milian).

Chili feels that before he can even consider a film, he needs to know more about the details.  So, when Palmer goes to the bathroom for a brief moment, someone drives by Athens, comes out of the car and guns him down.

When Chili goes to check out who did it, he sees a man with a toupee.  The man tries to kill Chili, because saw the man’s face but he runs out of bullets and escapes.

Tommy Athens murder leads to a few related storylines.

Chili goes to check out this Linda Moon at a club and learns that she can sing!  When he talks to her, he learns that she signed with Nick Carr (played by Harvey Keitel) and  that her naivety of being a star led her signing a contract and now she is forced to sing in dumps by Carr’s employee Roger “Raji” Lowenthall (played by Vince Vaughn), a white man who talks like a Black man and his muscular gay bodyguard Elliot Wilhelm who desperately wants to be an actor (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson).

Tired of seeing how Raji treats Linda, Chili tells him immediately that she is no longer with Nick Carr and that she is now being managed by him.  When Elliot tries to fight, Chili tells him that he can help him get an audition and in the process, Chili pretends he knocks out Elliot (which Elliot acts as if one punch to the necks puts him out).  But with Elliot, now he is expecting Chili to hook him up and get an audition.

Due to the change of circumstances of his life, Chili has now decided to get into music.  Chili goes to visit his friend’s widow Edie Athens (played by Uma Thurman), part owner of NTL Records and talks to her about working together and making this singer, which Tommy believed in, a star.

While talking about Linda Moon and what is needed to make her a star, Edie talks about her tattoo of Aerosmith and how at one time she knew the band, especially Steven Tyler.  This gives Chili an idea of possibly getting Aerosmith to help them out.

Meanwhile, as Chili and Edie work on making Linda Moon a star, another storyline develops with gangster/producer Sin LaSalle (played by Cedric the Entertainer).  It appears that Athens owed LaSalle $300,000 and with him dead, he is intent in collecting the money from Edie and NTL Records.  LaSalle and his boys go to NTL Records to collect their money (which Edie has found out, there is no more money) but with quick thinking, Chili tells them that he will get them their money by the end of the week.

In another storyline, Nick Carr (Keitel) is upset that Chili has assumed that he can take Linda Moon away from him and so, they hire an assassin to kill Chili.  Unfortunately, the assassin ends up killing is a Russian mafia member who was planning to kill Chili and now the Russian mafia wants revenge.

With all that’s going on with Chili Palmer’s life, will he and Edie make Linda Moon a star?  And will he be able to get the money and save NTL Records, but most importantly, with people wanting to kill him, will he live by the end of the day?

VIDEO:

“Be Cool” is presented in 1080p High Definition (widescreen 2:40:1).  Picture quality for the film is absolutely vibrant.  There are plenty of colors seen through the film but also detail galore.  Skin tones are natural, black levels are nice and deep.  I didn’t notice any blemishes, artifacting or any problems with the film whatsoever.  The film looks great on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Be Cool” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Surround and French 5.1 DTS HD.  While the film is dialogue-driven, it’s also musically driven and from scenes with Linda Moon singing, to ambiance of hip-hop playing in Dabu and friend’s Humvee’s, Aerosmith playing live in concert to the Black Eyed Peas playing at club, music is what envelops the soundscape and utilizes the surround channels.

There are action sequences with gun shots or an aluminum bat coming into play and other ambiance as Chili and Edie going to a Lakers games but the film will be recognized for its music soundtrack and there is plenty of music being played throughout the film.

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Be Cool” comes with the following special features:

• Be Cool, Very Cool Making-Of Documentary – (21:36) Making of the film and cast talking about the various characters in the film and how cool Chili Palmer is throughout the film.
• Deleted Scenes – (17:31) A total of 14 deleted and extended scenes.
• Gag Reel – (7:20) Outtakes from “Be Cool”.
• Music Video” The Rock as Elliot Wilhelm, “You Ain’t Woman Enough To Take My Man” - (4:07) As Director F. Gary Gray would say, things that one would not want to do in music video.
  
• John and Uma’s Dance Sequence – (3:35) The making of the dance sequence of Chili and Edie.
• Close Up: The Rock – (6:01) Director F. Gary Gray talks about casting The Rock as the gay Elliot Wilhelm.
• Close Up: Andre 3000 – (4:24) Director F. Gary Gray talks about casting Andre 3000 Benjamin (from the hip hop duo Outkast) and giving him a role in the film.
• Close Up: Cedric the Entertainer – (5:26) Director F. Gary Gray talks about how he wanted Cedric to play a bad, comedy man.
• Close Up: Christina Milian – (5:26) Director F. Gary Gray talks about how the role of Linda Moon was the most difficult to cast and how Christina Milian got the part.
• Theatrical Trailer – (2:03) The theatrical trailer for “Be Cool”.

When “Be Cool” came out in theaters back  in 2005, I figured that it would be the 10th anniversary of “Get Shorty” and it would be a pretty dark, comedy about Chili Palmer and the world he lives in.

“Be Cool” turned out to be a comedy which features plenty of stars, many cameos and a storyline that is fun but nowhere near the quality of its predecessor.

If there is one thing that the film does right, it’s the fact that Chili Palmer retains his cool from beginning to end, he is unfazed.  But then the film tries to incorporate so many stars that it tries to capture the Hollywood and Los Angeles lifestyle and like many other films which tries to incorporate a plethora of stars, it becomes the film’s focus and sure, it may work for some people but for those who are familiar with “Get Shorty”, especially those who are familiar with Elmore Leonard’s novel of “Be Cool”, the film becomes less about Chili Palmer and more about everyone else.

We have Vince Vaughn playing a white guy who talks Black, the Rock playing a gay bodyguard who is sensitive of people calling him a queer and yet singing in a silk cowboy outfit “You Ain’t Woman Enough to Take My Man”, you have the Black Eyed Peas in the film to provide Chili and Edie’s dance theme (which does not achieve the same or similar efficacy as their dance scene in “Pulp Fiction”) and characters after characters that are thrown in to the mix to make the film more appealing and cool to different audiences but in the long run, it just doesn’t work.

And now the good news…what I mentioned above, could also be the positive for many viewers.  Forget “Get Shorty” and look at this film as a popcorn comedy film with a lot of talent and stars.  Heck, there is so much music being played in the film, the filmmakers even manage to pull of filming scenes during an actual Los Angeles Lakers game.

And for me, compared to other films that try to throw in a lot of stars like “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” or “Valentine’s Day” that were not that great, “Be Cool” is a much more entertaining film.

When you think about it, you Travolta playing a cool character, Uma Thurman looking fantastic, Cedric the Entertainer as bad boy, The Rock as a gay man and Vince Vaughn trying to be Black, that makes for a fun comedy.  Not a great film but a good popcorn comedy film.

And its important to note that anyone who hasn’t seen “Get Shorty” can easily get into this film.  Watching the original film is not essential but if you do, you’ll see how the original is much better than this sequel.

As for the Blu-ray release, picture and audio quality were pretty solid for this catalog release and the film has a good number of special features as well.

Overall, “Be Cool” comes nowhere close to the efficacy of “Get Shorty” but it does manage to feature plenty of stars, plenty of music and in the end, makes for a fun popcorn comedy film on Blu-ray.

John Travolta drops extortion case

John Travolta has dropped the extortion case charges against a paramedic and attorney who were allegedly trying to extort the family for $25 million.

The two were allegedly threatening to contact media if Travolta refused to pay $25 million to them for a “Refusal to Transport” document that John Travolta had signed the day his son Jett died at their vacation home in the Bahamas. The case ended with a mistrial.

Travolta’s issued the following statement:

I am grateful and appreciative of the dedication, hard work and support provided by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Royal Bahamas Police Force while handling matters associated with the attempted extortion that targeted my family in January of 2009. Throughout the investigation and prosecution, my staff and I remained fully supportive of all requests for assistance from law enforcement representatives even though this cooperation was at a great emotional cost to my family. Unfortunately, in early October of last year the first trial of this matter resulted in a mistrial. Almost a year later, the long pending status of this matter continued to take a heavy emotional toll on my family causing us to conclude that it was finally time to put this matter behind us. Therefore, after much reflection I concluded that it was in my family’s best interest for me not to voluntarily return to The Bahamas to testify a second time at trial. We are thankful to the people of The Bahamas for the friendship, love and support they provided to us during this matter.”

The Travolta’s are expecting!

There has been speculation that Kelly Preston is pregnant but now the Travolta’s have confirmed the pregnancy. John Travolta and family have released the following statement:

“It’s impossible to keep a secret … especially one as wonderful as this. We want to be the first to share this great news with everyone that we are expecting a new addition to our family. Love, John, Kelly and Ella”

John Travolta and Kelly Preston at the LA premiere of “The Last Song”

Actor John Travolta and Kelly Preston arrive at the ‘The Last Song’ Los Angeles premiere held at ArcLight Hollywood on March 25, 2010 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images). Content © 2010 Getty Images All rights reserved.

Old Dogs – 3-Disc Combo Pack (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

If you enjoyed films like “Three Men and a Baby”, leave it to John Travolta and Robin Williams to take care of 7-year-old kids and provide laughs for the entire family.  If you enjoyed Walt Becker’s “Wild Hogs”, you’ll more than likely enjoy his latest film “Old Dogs”.

© Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Old Dogs – 3-Disc Combo Pack

DURATION: 88 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), AVC@33MBPS, English 5.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish Subtitles

COMPANY: Tapestry Films/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Some Mild Rude Humor)

RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2010

Directed by Walt Becker

Written by David Diamond, David Weissman

Executive Producer: Garrett Grant

Producer: Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy, Andrew Panay

Cinematography by Jeffrey L. Kimball

Music by John Debney

Edited by Ryan Folsey, Tom Lewis

Casting by Kathleen Chopin, Anne McCarthy, Jay Scully

Production Design by David Gropman

Art Direction by Peter Rogness

Set Decoration by Ellen Christiansen

Costume Design by Joseph G. Aulisi

Starring:

John Travolta as Charlie

Robin Williams as Dan

Kelly Preston as Vicki

Conner Rayburn as Zach

Ella Bleu Travolta as Emily

Lori Loughlin as Amanda

Seth Green as Ralph White

Bernie Mac as Jimmy Lunchbox

Matt Dillon as Barry

Ann-Margret as Martha

Rita Wilson as Jenna

Amy Sedaris as Jenna

Dan (Robin Williams) and his best friend and business partner Charlie (John Travolta) are on the verge of the biggest deal in the history of their sports marketing firm when their lives are turned upside down by a surprise visit from Dan’s ex-wife Vicki (Kelly Preston). Vicki has big news for Dan—their ever-so-brief liaison produced twins Zach (Conner Rayburn) and Emily (Ella Bleu Travolta), now seven-years-old and in need of a dad to keep an eye on them for two weeks. With only high-living playboy Charlie for support, Dan’s bumbling attempts at “on the job training” in fatherhood result in a series of disastrously funny exploits that lead him to a new understanding of what really mattersin life. Featuring an extraordinary cast of comedy purebreds including Seth Green, Matt Dillon and Lori Loughlin, Old Dogs will have audiences rolling over and begging for more.

John Travolta and Robin Williams have been friends for decades but have never worked together on film.  That was until the release of the film “Old Dogs” directed by Walt Becker (“Wild Hogs”, “Van Wilder”) and features a screenplay by David Diamond (“Minutemen”, “The Family Man”) and David Weissman (“Minutemen”, “Evolution”, “Family Man”).  The film features cinematography from Jeffrey L. Kimball (“Mission: Impossible II”, “Star Trek: Nemesis”, “Hostage”) and music composed by John Debney (“Aliens in the Attic”, “Evan Almight”, “Iron Man 2″) and would feature many talent including Kelly Preston, Lori Loughlin, Bernie Mac, Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Ann-Margret, Rita Wilson, Amy Sedaris, Justin Long and many more.

The film would also be known as the last feature film for comedian/actor Bernie Mac who passed away several months after the film was completed and despite negative critic reviews, similar to Walt Becker’s previous film “Wild Hogs” (which garnered negative reviews but made an extreme amount of money), “Old Dogs” which cost $35 million to make, has made over $81 million worldwide in the box office guaranteeing another box office success for Becker and crew.

“Old Dogs” revolves around a two best friends since grade school.  Charlie Reed (played by John Travolta) and Dan Rayburn (Robin Williams) are successful partners of Rayburn+Reed, a successful sports marketing firm.

While Charlie is a flirt with the women and lives in a stylish apartment with his very old dog, Dan has had his share of personal problems after his first divorce seven years ago.  So, one day Charlie takes Dan to a vacation and hook up with Vicki (played by Travolta’s real life wife, Kelly Preston) and her weird friend/hand model Jenna (played by Rita Wilson). And somehow after many drinks, Dan who had tried to get a tattoo that says “Free Man” instead gets a tattoo that says “Fremont” across his chest and also manages to get married with Vicki.

The marriage is short lived and seven years later, while Charlie and Dan along with budding executive Ralph White (played by Seth Green) and translator Amanda (Lori Loughlin) are trying to land a very lucrative Japanese account, Dan receives a letter from Vicki.  Excited that Vicki wants to meet with him, Dan thinks that maybe Vicki wants to have a serious relationship but during the course of their meeting over dinner, finds out that Vicki is heading to jail for two weeks for an activist crime and felt it was time for Dan to know the truth.  That Dan is the father of two seven-year-old fraternal twins: Zach (played by Conner Rayburn) and Emily (played by Ella Bleu Travolta).

Before she goes to jail, she just wants Dan to know his children and shocked Dan is.  Charlie is not so thrilled because they have a major account to work on but nevertheless, gives his best friend support.

Dan goes with Vicki and the children to a few places and starts to become acquainted with them but its evident that he’s not used to being around children.  But as they bring the children to stay with Jenna for the two weeks that Vicki is in jail, Dan accidentally slams his car trunk on Jenna’s fingers and also has the trunk flip open and hit her on the face.

With Jenna now hospitalized and Vicki going to jail, Dan volunteers to take care of the kids for the next two weeks.  And because Dan’s apartment does not allow children, he and the kids must stay at Charlie’s place and now the two are forced to be like parents to both Zach and Emily while trying to gain this major Japanese account.

Can these two “old dogs” win the Japanese account and also raise two children in two weeks?

VIDEO:

“Old Dogs” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1).  Fortunately, “Old Dogs” is shot in daylight conditions.  So, there is a good amount of colors featured in the film and also the HD definitely brings out the skin pores and also the hairyness of Robin Williams as detail is quite evident.  But for the most part, the film is vibrant and follows the tradition of fantastic picture quality from Disney.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Old Digs” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit) and also French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.  For the most part, the film is front and center channel driven as the film is primarily dialogue and music driven.  Dialogue and music are very clear with a few use of the surround channels when you hear the creaking of Charlie and Dan’s bones or when they participate in a frisbee game and get continuously tackled.  Overall, lossless audio is satisfactory for this type of film.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Old Dogs” comes with a few special features presented in 1080p High Definition and 480 i with audio in English 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital with English SDH subtitles.  Included are:

• Audio Commentary by Director Walt Becker, screenplay writers David Diamond and David Weissman and Producer Andrew Panay – A lively audio commentary by the four men discussing the film and working with the talent and seeing the film for the first time.
• Bloopers – (2:26) Bloopers form “Old Dogs”.
• Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks – (2:51) Conner Rayburn interviews Robin Williams and Ella Bleu Travolta interviews her father John Travolta.
• Deleted Scenes – (3:30) Three deleted scenes: Body Check, Pate, Alternate Ending Tag: Tables Turned.
• Music Videos – Two music videos featuring Bryan Adams singing “You’ve Been a Friend to Me” and John Travolta singing “Every Little Step” (a Bobby Brown cover) with his daughter Ella.

EXTRAS:

“Old Dogs” features a 3-Disc Combo Pack which includes the DVD version of the film and a digital copy.

If you enjoyed “Wild Hogs”, you’ll more than likely enjoy “Old Dogs”!

It’s kind of interesting because back in the ’60s we would get a good amount of films featuring older talent being friends, single and having fun.  May it be the Rat Pack or Lemmon and Matthau and really, there haven’t been any comedy films with older men who are living their lives ala youthful in their late 40′s or early 50′s.

I have to admit when the film started off with the photoshopped heads of Travolta and Williams  on other people’s bodies (which some looked unrealistic) trying to show that they have been friends since they were kids, right away I was thinking “this movie is going to suck!”.

But as the film went on, the film started to become entertaining.  Sure, it is a bit silly and contrived but it kind of reminded me of the “3 Men and a Baby” films.  Two bachelors who are trying to take care of two young children.  They don’t know how but they try to do their best.  Granted, “3 Men and a Baby” was much more entertaining film but despite the critics really despising Walt Becker’s films, somehow both “Wild Hogs” and “Old Dogs” have managed to make a lot of money!  The film does feature quite a bit of all-star talent but they are cameos at best but the most notable is Bernie Mac in his final character role in a film.

Is this film suitable for the children?  I watched this with my seven year old and there is no profanity and there is no adult situations but there is one scene where the guys get involved in a frisbee matchup and things get a bit out of hand (Justin Long starts bleeding from the mouth) but that is probably the extent the violence.  Everything else is appropriate for the children.

As for the Blu-ray release, “Old Dogs” comes with a DVD and digital copy.  The high definition features really good picture quality and lossless audio that is satisfactory for the film.  If anything, viewers get to see Robin Williams strip down (to get a tan) and the Blu-ray brings out the comedian’s hairy body which I’m sure that is not what one would want to see that close in high definition.

“Old Dogs” is not terrible and I know the concept of a film about bachelor older men has not been captured in a similar format as the women in a film such as “Sex and the City” but for the most part, “Wild Hogs” and “Old Dogs” are films that do well in the box office.  These films even since the ’80′s with comedies such as “Three Men and a Baby” and “The Three Amigos” featuring bachelor men have done well in the theater despite critical scrutiny.  People just want a popcorn flick and laugh, even if the jokes may be mediocre.

Overall, “Old Dogs” is far from being bad or terrible.  It’s a comedy that I was entertained and laughed, felt a little embarrassed of certain scenes and at the end, me and my younger son enjoyed parts of it and found certain scenes to be quite silly.  But we were entertained.  Although, the wife felt it was more of a film for the guys and was not amused by it.

“Old Dogs” 3-Disc Combo Pack on Blu-ray will be released on March 9th.

John Travolta and Kelly Preston kissing their daughter Ella Bleu Travolta at the premiere of “Old Dogs” in Los Angeles

Actors John Travolta (R), wife Kelly Preston (L) and their daughter Ella Bleu Travolta arrive at the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ ‘Old Dogs’ at the El Capitan Theater on November 9, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.

GREASE (ROCKIN’ RYDELL EDITION) (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“The classic 1978 musical, ‘GREASE’ goes High Def and I am absolutely stunned of how magnificent this film looks on Blu-ray! The audio quality makes the musical come alive and special features galore.  This Blu-ray release of ‘GREASE’ is absolutely the definitive version to own!”

Images courtesy of© 1997, 1998 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: GREASE (ROCKIN’ RYDELL EDITION)

DURATION: 110 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Languages: English SDH Subtitled , English Subtitled , French Dubbed & Subtitled , Portuguese Subtitled , Spanish Dubbed & Subtitled.  Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital, 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Mono

RATED: PG

COMPANY: Paramount Pictures/Paramount Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2009

Directed by Randal Kleiser

Based on a musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Adaptation by Allan Carr

Screenplay by Bronte Woodard

Produced by Allan Carr and Robert Stigwood

Associate Producer: Neil A. Machlis

Director of Photography: Bill Butler

Edited by John F. Burnett

Casting by Joel Thurm

Production Design by Philip M. Jefferies

Set Decoration by James L. Berkey

Costume Design by Albert Wolsky

Cast:

John Travolta as Danny Zuko

Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson

Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo

Jeff Conaway as Kenickie

Barry Pearl as Doody

Michael Tucci as Sonny

Kelly Ward as Putzie

Didi Conn as Frenchy

Jamie Donnelly as Jan

Dinah Manoff as Marty Maraschino

Eve Arden as Principal McGee

Frankie Avalon as the Teen Angel

Joan Blondell as Vi

Edd Byrnes as Vince Fontaine

Sid Caesar as Coach Calhoun

Dody Goodman as Blanche

Lorenzo Lamas as Tom Chisum

Eddie Deezen as Eugene Felnic

Annette Charles as Cha Cha DiGregorio

Dennis Stewart as Leo

John Travolta solidified his position as the most versatile and magnetic screen presence of the decade in this film version of the smash hit play Grease. Recording star Olivia Newton-John made her American film debut as Sandy, Travolta’s naive love interest. The impressive supporting cast reads like a “who’s who” in this quintessential musical about the fabulous ’50s. Grease is not just a nostalgic look at a simpler decade–it’s an energetic and exciting musical homage to the age of rock ‘n’ roll!

“GREASE” is the most successful movie musical ever created.  The 1978 film was based on a musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey and eventually caught the attention in the early 70′s of producer Allan Carr who purchase the rights to adapt the play into a film.

With the popularity of “SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER” in 1977 which help boost the career of John Travolta, producer Robert Stigwood joined Allan Carr to create a film based on this play.  Tapping director Randal Kleiser who worked with Travolta in the popular 1976 TV film “The Boy and his Bubble”, recruiting “GREASE” musical choreographer Patricia Birch and hiring Director of Photography Bill Butler (“Jaws”, “Stripes” and “Rocky II & III”, etc.), this team would create a film that would become a musical ingrained into American pop culture.

Despite no respect in supporting the film by the major film studios, “GREASE” would become the second highest grossing film in 1978 behind “Superman” bringing in $96 million in the box office, the “GREASE” soundtrack would achieve #1 status around the world during its release and the film received many award nominations.

The film takes place in 1958 and starts off with Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsen (Olivia Newton-John) sharing an incredible Summer vacation together but their relationship seems to be short as Sandy is returning to Australia.

It is now a new school year at Rydell High School and Sandy’s family has had a change of plans, thus Sandy will be attending the Rydell High along with Danny, but he doesn’t know this.

Sandy becomes the foreign exchange student and becomes a friend of Frenchy (Didi Conn) who is a member of the clique “The Pink Ladies”.  She introduces Sandy to her friends Betty Rizzo (Stockard Channing), who used to be an ex-girlfriend of Danny, the flirtatious Marty (Dinah Manoff) and the toothy Jan (Jamie Donnelly).

As for Danny, he is the leader of a gang known as “The T-Birds” who tend to be the mischievous ones of Rydell High.  Members of the T-Birds include mechanic and the other big boss of the gang Kenickie (Jeff Conaway) who is now dating Rizzo, Sonny (Michael Tucci), Putzie (Kelly Ward) and Doody (Barry Pearl).

Sandy tells the Pink Ladies about her fantastic summer vacation with a boy she fell in love with.  Meanwhile, Danny tells the guys about the story of the girl he was with during the summer through a song titled “Summer Nights”.  Sandy’s version is more emotional and sweet while Danny’s version of his story is a bit more exaggerated of for the guys.

Afterwards, Rizzo asks Sandy who the guy that she was with during the Summer and she tells them Danny Zuko.  Rizzo’s face turns to shock but then reassures her that she may see him again, while the Pink Ladies are just shocked.

Sandy is eventually encouraged to join the spirit team by a classmate and after the rally, Betty and the Pink Ladies decide to introduce Sandy to Danny and immediately both Sandy and Danny are excited to see each other.

But because Danny is with his gang, he has to act cool and arrogant and behaves like a jerk in front of Sandy.  Sandy storms off in tears!  Danny regrets what he did but he knows that in front of the guys, he has to be cool and act a certain way.  He gives a sad look towards Rizzo and Rizzo gives a smirk right back.

Because Sandy is depressed, Frenchy invites her to a sleepover at her home with the other members of the Pink Ladies.  But her and Betty Rizzo don’t get along all that well because of their different personalities.  As for French, she announces to her friends that she is dropping out of high school and will be going to beauty school.  Meanwhile, the Pink Ladies start singing a sarcastic song towards Sandy (because she’s so innocent) titled “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee”.

The T-Birds arrive and Kenickie picks up Rizzo, meanwhile Sandy goes toward the porch and you realize that despite all that has happened that night, she is very much in love with Danny and sings “Hopelessly Devoted to You”.

As Rizzo and Kenickie start making in the backseat of the car, she asks Kenickie if he has a condom, but when he takes it out, the condom breaks (he’s had the condom since he was in 7th grade).  To make matters worse, Leo (Dennis Cleveland Stewart) who is the leader of the rival gang, The Scorpions, damages Kenickie’s car purposely and shows off his hot rod.

Kenickie and the guys take a look at his damaged cars but they see the potential of making it better and with new parts and a new paintjob, the guys start singing “Greased Lightning”.

After putting some work on the car, we see Sandy and jock Tom Chisum (Lorenzo Lamas) at the soda shop sharing a soda.  When she goes to start a song on the jukebox, Danny who is with his gang leaves them quickly to try and talk with her and apologize for how he treated her and tells her that he acted the way he did because of his status with the guys.  But when Danny sees that she is spending time with a jock, Danny gets a bit jealous.

So, Danny decides that if he’s going to get Sandy back, he has to be a jock.  But because of his troublesome nature, sports are not exactly his thing.  His coach decides that perhaps being in a track team is more of his thing.  So, when Danny starts jogging around the track, he sees Sandy with Tom and then starts to show off by jumping several hurdles.  Unfortunately, he messes up and takes a fall and immediately Sandy runs to his side.  The two are able to reconcile their differences and are back together.

Danny tries his best to be with Sandy without his friends around but it proves to be difficult.  Meanwhile, the relationship between Rizzo and Kenickie is not going too well either.

With the big dance coming up, the other T-Birds and the Pink Ladies decide to go with each other to the dance.  For Frenchy, life is a bit difficult for her as well as she realizes that quitting school for beauty school may have not been a smart thing to do.  While closing up the soda shop, she has a dream of Frankie Avalon singing “Beauty School Drop Out” and that she should return to high school.

The following day, as it may seem that Kenickie might want to make things right with Rizzo, Rizzo instead does the opposite and she and Marty end up ditching school to hang out with Kenickie’s rival Leo and getting into his car for a ride.

It’s now time for the big dance as Both Danny and Sandy go on their first major date together as a couple.  The TV show National Bandstand is broadcasting live at their school and holding a competition.

Rizzo ends up attending the dance with Leo, Kenickie ends up taking Leo’s girlfriend Cha-Cha DiGregorio (Annette Charles), who happens to be Danny’s ex-girlfriend and the competition begins.  Everything is going well at the dance but things get a bit chaotic when Kenickie and Leo try to show off in front of their ladies, somehow Sonny ends up dancing with Sandy, Danny ends up dancing with Cha-Cha and when Danny tries to regroup with Sandy, Cha-Cha grabs him and both start dancing.  Sandy seeing her boyfriend dancing with another girl, makes her upset and she leaves the dance.

Danny and Sandy eventually reconcile and while parked at the drive-in, Danny wants to make things right with her and give her his ring which makes her happy.

As for Rizzo, she tells Marty that she has missed her period and she may be pregnant.  Marty blabs to Sonny, who blabs to other people at the school and everyone finds out that Rizzo may be pregnant.  Kenickie eventually hears the rumor and goes up to her and wonders why she never told him and Rizzo tells him that it’s because the child is not his.  While this is going on, Danny tries to make out with Sandy but she’s doesn’t want to do it and storms off, throwing his ring back at him.

Each of the main characters now face challenges in their lives.   Danny and Kenickie losing their ladies, they focus their energy on getting back against Leo and thus Kenickie challenges him to a race.  Rizzo is worried about being pregnant, Sandy is worried about how she and Danny are from two different worlds and everyone just wants to get through the school year.

Of course, there is much more to the story of “GREASE” but without having to spoil the film, the idea about “GREASE” revolves around relationships.   Two people who care about each other but are from different worlds.  The film revolves around high school youth during the late 50′s and facing the typical high school challenges that people continue to face today.   Teens trying to fit in and facing normal teenage problems that are just as relevant now as they were back then.

But of course, “GREASE” is also about a musical being adapted to a film and suffice to say, the crew and cast successfully pulled it off.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“GREASE” is featured in 1080p High Definition and I will tell you I was blown away by the picture quality.

I’ve watched this film dozens of times, owned the VHS and both DVD versions and when I started watching the High Definition Blu-ray transfer, I was speechless.  The many colors featured in the film were quite vibrant.  This film is over 30-years-old and Paramount really did a great service in the transfer and remaster of this film.  Closeups, outdoor scenes, you name it, the film looks spectacular!

I compared my 25th Anniversary DVD to this Blu-ray and just the opening sequence alone with the two at the beach, the colors are just absolutely stunning on Blu-ray.  I was literally in awe of how beautiful this film looked in High Definition.  The DVD video quality just doesn’t compare to the Blu-ray disc and I was quite impressed!

As for audio, audio is presented in English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and also in French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish mono.  Since music is a big part of the film, it was important for me to test this Blu-ray out on my system.  Where the 1977 film “SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER” was just spectacular for its High Definition audio transfer, I was hoping to have an awesome lossless soundtrack for “GREASE”.

Somehow, in the beginning of the film, it seemed as if the audio coming from the center channel was a bit lower than my front speakers. So, dialogue seemed as if it was being overpowered by the music.   I’ve run a variety of tests and I did have to increase my center channel dB a little bit to compensate for the music coming louder but this may be due to my audio setup for my receiver.  But everything sounded well throughout the film after the adjustment.

The dialogue was quite clear but the music really came alive and I did notice certain sounds utilizing my subwoofer during the car and music scenes.  But overall, the music does sound great and clear via Dolby TrueHD 5.1.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“GREASE” comes with a good number of special features.  Included on this Blu-ray disc are:

• Commentary: Commentary by Director Randal Kleiser and choreographer Patricia Birch - This commentary is quite interesting as Kleiser talked more about the film side of “GREASE” while Patricia Birch talked about the choreography part of the film.  Both give really good insight of bringing the musical to film, talking about the things they had to accomplish and how Kleiser, Birch and DoP Butler really had to work closely with each other and the talent to make this film successful. You learn about the challenge of filming the National Bandstand segment, the finale during 102 degree weather and how Olivia Newton-John had to have her tight clothing sewn on and more.
• Introduction by Randal Kleiser – A brief :24 second introduction to the special features.  Kleiser does several introductions throughout various features.
• Rydell Sing-Along – This segment is for those who want to watch the musical parts from the film and on the bottom of the screen is a karaoke single along.
• Featurette: The Time, The Place, The Motion: Remembering Grease – (22:27) This is the main featurette featuring interviews with the Director, producers, the cast sharing their memories of working on the film, working with John Travolta and more.  How Allan Carr and Robert Sigwood made this musical a film and put money into it despite no studio wanting to back it, having to work with a good number of talents, John Travolta talking about why he wanted Olivia Newton-John to play the role, how Jeff Conaway actually played Danny in Broadway and was understudy for several other roles with the exception of Kinickie.  And many more interesting tidbits on the making of the film.
• Additional Scenes: Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes with introduction by Randal Kleiser (intro :13 scenes 11:55 – TRT 12:08) - Randal Kleiser explains how footage was recently found in the Paramount vaults.  The additional scenes found are in black and white.
• Additional Scenes: 1. T-Birds Harass Eugene – EXT
• Additional Scenes: 2. Classroom Announcements – EXT
• Additional Scenes: 3. Pink Ladies and Sandy at Lunch – EXT
• Additional Scenes: 4. She’s too Pure to be Pink – EXT
• Additional Scenes: 5. Intro to Summer Nights – DEL
• Additional Scenes: 6. Rydell Pep Rally – EXT
• Additional Scenes: 7. Kenickie and Danny Outside Frosty’s – DEL
• Additional Scenes: 8. The Stroll – EXT
• Additional Scenes: 9. National Bandstand – ALT
• Additional Scenes: 10. At the Dance – ALT/EXT
• Additional Scenes: 11. Thunder Road – DEL
• Grease on DVD Launch Party - (15:13) The cast and crew reunited for this DVD Launch Party back in 2002.  Both Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta performed live on stage singing a few of their classic songs that sung with each other.
• Grease Memories from John & Olivia - (3:23) Both talent at the DVD launch party and discussing how it was like working together and their memories of being on the film and their favorite scenes.
• The Moves Behind the Music – (8:14)  Interviews with Patricia Birch and the talent as they discuss how they learned the dance moves and how it important it was for Patricia to work with Director of Photography Bill Butler in capturing the choreography for film.
• Thunder Roadsters - (5:21) Interviews with George Barris (King of the Kistomers) and Michael Astamendi (Car Builder/Fabricator) and others in regards to making the cars for “GREASE”.  How they focused on customizing because parts for the old Chevy’s are hard to come by.
• John Travolta and Allan Carr “Grease Day” Interview - (1:47) A quick interview with producer Allan Carr and John Travolta on “Grease Day” and Travolta talking about working with the producers and the talent for the film.
• Olivia Newton-John and Robert Stigwood “Grease Day” Interview - (2:07) An interview about how Olivia Newton-John gotten involved and the popularity of the film and working with John Travolta and more.
• Photo Galleries: The photo gallery consists of the following still photos broken down into several categories such as:
• Rydell High Year Book
• Production
• Premiere
• Grease Day
• Theatrical Trailer HD - (2:09) The original theatrical trailer in its original untouched and aged format, grain and scratches included.

“GREASE” is just one of those timeless classics that never gets old with repetitive viewings.  But I have to be truthful and say how much I was in awe to see the brilliant camerawork but to see how the choreography and just literally everything look quite smooth on film.

And surprisingly watching this again 30-years-later and as the Director and even producers have said in the featurette, they were able to pull things off today that probably wouldn’t happen now.  Quite a bit of sexual lingo but overall, the lyrics of the songs to the mannerisms of the characters is what made things look genuine.

It’s interesting to read some of the critical reviews from people who did not grow up with the film but are more familiar with today’s musicals and drawing comparisons to “High School Musical” and making the comment of how HSM utilized real teenagers for high school life and that “GREASE” utilized 20 to 30-something year olds to play teenagers.  I don’t think any of us who watched it back then ever thought about the age being an issue for the film.  What we saw were popular talent at that time in a movie musical and the film became a success.  Even today, I have no reservations of the talents playing their roles.  They did a fantastic job!

For me, John Travolta was the hottest star coming off with “Welcome Back, Kotter” and then doing “SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER” in 1977 and Olivia Newton-John was just one of the most beautiful female solo singers at the time.  Both had unique chemistry and the film was well-cast that I felt everything just went smoothly on the final cut.

You really have to give a big applause to Allan Carr and Robert Stigwood for taking the chance of bringing a musical to film but making sure its adapted well for the screen.  Sure we see musicals now but during that time, there was no studio support.  And because the film was enjoyed by audiences, the film is definitely ingrained into America’s pop culture.

Also, I was just amazed through the featurettes and learning how the choreography was done.  Because there were so many people utilized in the dancing segments, Patricia Birchwood wanted to make things come alive but to alter a talent’s own personal dance to make it look right on film.  And of course, Bill Butler, to capture what Birchwood wanted on film, the amount of cutting from scene to scene showing opposing points of view on a song like “Summer Nights” to the ending theme, it was indeed “electrifying”!

Overall, this Blu-ray release of “GREASE” is just the definitive version to own. To watch this classic film in High Definition and to see the magnificent picture quality really brings out the vibrant colors of the film, the energy and beauty of the beach sunset to showcasing the life of youth of the late 50′s.    The DolbyTrueHD 5.1 audio makes the music come alive and last, there are many special features included that will help people remember and celebrate such a wonderful movie musical.

Again, this is the true definitive version of “GREASE” to own!  I was just stunned by how magnificent this film looked and how much clearer and alive the music sounded in High Definition.  I highly recommend this release!

BOLT (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“The BOLT Blu-ray release scores a perfect 10 for picture and audio quality!  A magnificent release (the Blu-ray comes with the BD, DVD and a digital copy)  for the family and  for home theater enthusiasts!“

Images courtesy of © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: BOLT

DURATION: 95 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080P High Definition 1:78:1, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-Bit), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English SDH Spanish

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RATED: PG (For Some Mild Action and Peril)

RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2009

Directed by Bryan Howard and Chris Williams

Screenplay by Dan Fogelman and Chris Williams

Produced by John Lasseter, Lisa M. Poole, Clark Spencer and Makul Wigert

Original Music by John Powell

Film Editing by Tim Mertins

Art Direction by Paul Felix

Cast:

John Travolta (voice of Bolt)

Miley Cyrus (voice of Penny)

Susie Essman (voice of Mittens)

Mark Walton (voice of Rhino)

Malcolm McDowell (voice of Dr. Calico)

James Lipton (voice of the Director)

Chloe Moretz (voice of Young Penny)

Grey DeLisle (voice of Peny’s Mom)

Sean Donnellan (voice of Penny’s TV Dad)

Enjoy the ultimate Bolt experience with this action-packed Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack.  Disney’s sensational animated comedy adventure is Super-Powered on Blu-ray with pristine picture and theater-quality sound.

Bolt is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood.  The only problem is, he thinks the whole thing is real.  When the super dog is accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny, his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt springs into action to find his way home.  Together with his hilarious new sidekick Rhino, Bolt’s #1 fan, and a street-smart cat named Mittens, Bolt sets off on an amazing journey where he discovers he doesn’t need super powers to be a hero.

Features the vocal talents of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus and loaded with totally awesome blu-ray bonus features you can’t see anywhere else, Bolt saves the day on Blu-ray Disc.

The BOLT Blu-ray release scores a perfect 10 for picture and audio quality and special features!  A wonderful release!

The 48th animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios features an all-star cast with voice courtesy of John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Malcolm McDowell, Susie Essman, James Lipton and many more and was released in theaters in Nov. 2008 and immediately, it was a clash of the titans as the animated film had to go against box office heavyweights such as the latest 007 film “Quantum of Solace” and the vampire hit “TWILIGHT”.   The film opened #3 in the box office making over $26 million but worldwide grossing over $286 million.  Needless to say, this film was financially successful.

The film revolves around a dog named Bolt (voice by John Travolta), along with his owner Penny (voice by Miley Cyrus), the duo try to find Penny’s father who has been kidnapped by the nefarious Doctor Calico (voice by Malcolm McDowell).  Penny’s father is known to have developed a treatment to give an animal super powers and Bolt, happens to exhibit super strength, laser eye beams and killer growl.

With an awesome chase scene and explosions galore, you realize that the whole scene was part of the filming of the hit television series “BOLT”.  For Bolt, he does not know that he’s a normal dog.  Filming for so long, he’s under the assumption that his powers are real and when he mistakenly believes that Penny has been kidnapped, Bolt goes into superhero mode and escapes and runs amok in the studio and eventually falling into a box filled with Styrofoam and shipped from Hollywood to New York City.

While Bolt roams around the city, he is not sure why his powers is not working and assumes that it’s because of the Styrofoam.  He befriends a bunch of pigeons who try to help Bolt and listen to his story about his owner being kidnapped by a mad doctor with green eyes along with his cat.  Meanwhile, the pigeons have been harassed by a cat named Mittens, so the pigeons concoct a scheme by telling Bolt that the cat who has Penny is Mittens and thus, Bolt goes after the cat.

Bolt interrogates and threatens Mittens and makes sure he is close to him at all times for her to help him find Penny.  Mittens finds out that he is from Hollywood and tells him that he must find a way from New York and get back to Hollywood and thus the two go on a road trip.  Along the way, they run into a hamster named Rhino (voiced by Mark Walton) who is an obsessed fan of Bolt and the “BOLT” TV series and is willing to help Bolt find Penny and thus the three go through major challenges in their cross-country trip to Hollywood.

“BOLT” is an enjoyable, action-packed family film that combines almost the Michael Bay style of action (major action and explosions galore) along with the beautiful and artistic animation utilized for this film.  Everything just looks incredible and you can’t help but be amazed by the amount of detail in the computer animation and the background paintings and how much work your home theater system audio-wise during the action scenes.  Just wonderful!

The “BOLT” Blu-ray release comes with a total of three discs.  The first is the Blu-ray disc, the second is a digital copy and the third is the DVD of the film.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“BOLT” is most definitely one of the most beautiful works of animation at this current time.  The creative group went all out in trying to create this action-packed world of “BOLT” by using Michael Bay films as a reference and when you think of Michael Bay, you think of car chases, explosions, multiple automobile crashes, explosions and even more explosions.  The animators captured that action that almost looks realistic with its use of lighting and incredible detail.  And for the background scenes, the film goes towards a painted style of background that is lush and just beautiful.

The Blu-ray definitely brings out the beauty of this film with its use of sunlight and it’s clear blue skies, amber sunlight and much more.  Absolutely, beautiful in 1080p High Definition (with an aspect ratio of 1:78:1).

The audio is just as impressive, featured in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, you literally feel the action all around you.  There is so much action in this film that this is what High Definition audio was made for.  Clear audio coming from all various channels and hearing the concussive booms from your sub-woofer and front channel speakers to hearing the sounds coming from all around you.  Absolutely awesome audio quality!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“BOLT” also features quite a bit of special features.  Include are:

• Super Rhino – BOLT breakout star Rhino, the hyperactive hamster, gets a chance to headline his very own adventure!  If you thought “BOLT” was action packed, this short of Super Rhino is just full of action and more explosions!  Almost five minutes long, a fun and enjoyable animated short!
• A New Breed of Directors: A Filmmakers’ Journey - First-time directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard take fans along as they traverse the road from concept to completion.  A four minute featurette of showcasing a new generation of Directors with Chris Williams who worked at Disney as a story artist and Byron Howard as an animator.  An informative featurette on the creation of the film and the challenges in the film (such as the leash attached to Bolt and Mittens).
• Act, Speak! The Voices of Bolt – Viewers join the voice cast in session: John Travolta (Bolt), Miley Cyrus (Penny), Susie Essman (Mittens), James Lipton (Director) and Mark Walton (Rhino). A near 10-minute featurette on the voice acting experience of everyone in the film and how they were selected for the position.  The most impressive part of the featurette was the segment on Mark Walton because he’s a Disney employee who typically is used a temp stand-in for voicework but he did such a great job with Rhino that they gave him the role.  What is most impressive is how they surprised him of how he learned that he got the role.
• Creating The World of Bolt – Bolt’s painterly backgrounds have wowed audiences across the globe. The filmmakers explain how they fashioned the unique look of this CG movie.  This near 7-minute featurette is quite interesting of how Art Director Paul Felix brought back the painted backgrounds that Disney was known for in the past but now utilizing these backgrounds in a more for a modern sense.
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary – Two deleted scenes which include “Dog Fight in Vegas” and “River Sequence”.   The deleted scenes are storyboards with voice acting.
• “I Thought I Lost You” Music Video featuring the movie’s stars, Miley Cyrus and John Travolta singing together with clips from “BOLT”.  A near two-minute music video.
• In Session with John Travolta and Miley Cyrus – A behind-the-scenes look at recording Bolt’s signature song “I Thought I Lost You.”  A one minute segment featuring both Travolta and Cyrus singing together.
• Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission – In order to defeat the Green-Eyed Man, Bolt has to find his way through three challenging levels in an exciting interactive game. Viewers can join in collecting clues, conquering ninjas and unleashing the power of the Super Bark!  I usually don’t get into DVD or Blu-ray type of games but “Bolt’s Be-Awesome Mission” is one of the better created mini-games in look and gameplay.
• Bolt Art Gallery – Animation enthusiasts can check out the film’s early creative concepts in the Bolt Art Gallery, which contains the building blocks of a big screen blockbuster, from storyboards to character mock-ups. Gallery sections include Visual Development, Character Development, Storyboard Art and Color Script Images.
• BD-Live including Movie Chat, Movie Mail, Movie Challenge and Movie Rewards

“BOLT” is just another magnificent release from Walt Disney Animated Studios.  For those who love the super hero style of animated film such as “The INCREDIBLES”, your definitely going to enjoy this film. In fact, the animation for “BOLT” is just breathtakingly beautiful, the amount of detail on the hair of the animals, the detail on the objects surrounding them, the lush backgrounds.  “BOLT” just receives a perfect 10 in picture quality and also in audio quality.

And because of it’s high rated amount of destruction and explosions, this is the first Walt Disney animated film to have a PG rating since the release of “DINOSAUR” (2000). For parents wondering if they should caution themselves from purchasing this for their children, I can tell you that I watched it with my 6-year-old and there is nothing for parents to fear for.  The animated film is lighthearted, cute and again, if you enjoyed a film such as “THE INCREDIBLES”, then “BOLT” is fine for your family.  Again, the PG rating is mainly because of the filming of the TV series (within the film) that the dog, Bolt is part of and it’s an action-based series ala Michael Bay style with chase scenes, explosions, destruction, etc.

Again, another Disney masterpiece with a definitive release via High-Definition on Blu-ray.   Amazing picture quality, audio quality, informative and enjoyable special features, this release is absolutely wonderful!  “BOLT” is one of the few Blu-ray releases that you want to show off to friends of why High Definition is absolutely worth it!

And speaking of Blu-ray, so far every Blu-ray disc release from Disney has not disappointed me yet.  “BOLT” just continues the strategy by Disney of giving you more than less and this magnificent release comes bundled with not just the Blu-ray disc but also knowing that families with children can benefit by having a DVD version as well (especially for those long commutes) plus a digital copy for those who want to watch on their laptop or portable device.

With all the positives, there must be negatives right?  Not really.  If I had to nitpick, I would love more lengthier featurettes but other than that, this is a solid release.

All in all, “BOLT” is highly recommended!

GET SHORTY (A J!-ENT DVD Review)

BUY THIS DVD

MOVIE COMPANY: METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES
CAST: Starring John Travolta, Rene Russo, Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Harvey Keitel, Penny Marshall and more.
DIRECTED BY: Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
PRODUCED BY: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
RATING: Rated R
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0113161
TYPE OF MOVIE: Action, Comedy, Drama
DURATION: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Drug smuggling, Racketeering, Loan Sharking.  Welcome to Hollywood!  Golden Globe winner John Travolta leads an all-star cast in “the most flat-out enjoyable movie of the year” (NY Newsday) – a hysterical comedy that insists it doesn’t take much to make it in the movies…just a background with the mob.  Loanshark Chili Palmer (Travolta) has done his time as a gangster.  So when “business” takes him to L.A. to collect a debt from a down-and-out filmmaker (Gene Hackman), Chili jumps headfirst into the Hollywood scene: he schmoozes film star (Danny DeVito), romances a “B” movie queen (Rene Russo) and even gets reservations at the hottest restaurants in town.  In fact, all would be smooth for this cool new producer, if it weren’t for the drug smugglers and an angry mobster who won’t leave him alone.  But hey, this Hollywood and no one said it would be easy!

DVD EXTRAS:

• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
• Theatrical trailer(s)
• 8-page booklet featuring trivia, production notes and a revealing look at the making of the movie
• Full-screen and widescreen anamorphic formats

KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I could find.

DVD REVIEW:

A movie about a gangster who leaves the business to get into another business similar to his previous job….show business.

The movie is very interesting and entertaining.  Also, very smart to see how the Loanshark Chili Palmer evolves in the movie business. Quite a few celebrities appear in this film which helps make this movie entertaining.

The video is colorful and the audio is strictly dialogue, so don’t expect much in terms of major explosions or audio effects in your living room.  The only thing that this movie falls short is in the special features department.  This movie’s release on DVD has audio commentary and much more.  In the DVD version, it’s just the trailer and an 8-page booklet.  So, either they will release a special edition of this movie, something that fans of this movie are awaiting for.

So, check out a cool movie, with a cool storyline featuring many of today’s top actors and actresses.

THE MOVIE:  B+
THE DVD EXTRAS:  D
THE DVD OVERALL:  C-

PULP FICTION (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

BUY THIS DVD

CAST: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arqueete, Harvey Keitel, Ving Rhames and a lot more.
DIRECTED BY: Quentin Tarentino
WRITTEN BY: Quentin Tarentino and Roger Avary
INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE URL: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0110912
TYPE OF MOVIE: Thriller, Crime, Action
DURATION: 154 minutes

The film initiates with two small-time thieves, Honey Bunny and Pumpkin, who spontaneously decide to hold up a restaurant. The film then shifts to the story of Jules and Vincent, who hit men for the well known and feared Marsellus Wallace, who is caught up in a deal gone wrong with struggling boxer Butch Coolidge. (IMDB)

DVD EXTRAS:

• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color, Closed-captioned, Dolby, HiFi Sound, Surround Sound
• Widescreen letterbox format

KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I know of

DVD REVIEW:

The movie is absolutely marvelous and quite violent.  A slight warning that even though this movie is in many listings as a top movie of all time, if you can’t take watching violence, then pass on this movie.

The screenplay is superb and the movie is just awesome! You probably heard about this movie mentioned many times, so I’ll cut to the chase and talk about the DVD.

Unfortunately, this must be an earlier DVD release (when DVD’s first came out) because there is nothing in terms of special features.  No audio selection but there are English subtitles.  With a special edition VHS version out with deleted scenes and more, I don’t know why they skimped out in this DVD release.  Even for an earlier release, I have seen trailers and other things added, therefore I can’t give the overall DVD a great rating until we get the special edition DVD.  Colors are vibrant, audio is good but this DVD deserves a better release.

If you want to see the movie and don’t care about special features, buy this DVD.  It’s very good!!  But if you are a DVD fanatic, then hopefully you can wait for the special edition.

THE MOVIE: A
THE DVD EXTRAS: F
THE DVD OVERALL: C

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