Disney Archives - Entertainment Ave!

Brave

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:35 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Brave Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	The voices of: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Berguson
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Disney / Pixar
Release Date:	November 13, 2012
Kiddie Movie:	Most definitely, especially the girls.
Date Movie:	Good for snuggling with your honey, or for some quality family time.
Gratuitous Sex:	It’s Disney/Pixar – come on.
Gratuitous Violence:	Cartoon-style.
Action:	Some chasing and a little scariness.
Laughs:	The triplets are very mischievous.
Memorable Scene:	I liked when we found out what happened to the triplets when they at the magic cake.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing stands out.
Directed By:	Mark Andres, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell
Cool things about the Blu-ray:	The Ultimate Collector’s Edition has tons of extras, some techinical, some related to story-telling, and some related to the look of the movie. There is also the 3-D version of the Blu-ray, an extra disc of Blu-ray extras, a DVD version, and a Digital Copy for you to take on the go.

I know Pixar movies are generally good for the entire family, and sure, many a times they are more boy friendly than girl, but girls, you have now received your Pixar treatment, and it is great. Here’s the thing, though. Whereas many of the “boy friendly” movies end up with “objects” relating the stories of life, for example, “Cars,” “Toy Story,” and “Monsters Inc.,” for the girls we get “Brave,” a wonderful tale that the boys might enjoy but a mother and daughter should love together, and instead of something girly, say a flower patch or cute horses in the lead roles of the characters, for this one we go back to human characters, (Okay, there is a divergence into the lore of a bear, and a Momma Bear as it would be, but let’s move on,) yet maintaining that Pixar cartoony goodness.

Let’s get to the story.

We are in the Highland of Scotland, back at a time when bows and arrows, swords, and clubs were the weapons of choice and castles were the line of defense. Enter Merida, the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, and her three little, mischievous brothers. Merida is a free spirit, wanting to determine her own fate, but her Mom has her own beliefs on how Merida should live her life. So, while Merida is teaching herself to shoot arrows and ride horses, Elinor is trying her best to instill being the Princess Merida is supposed to be, and eventually take a husband from the other clans as is the custom and tradition. As the suitors line up and Merida begins to enter full rebellion mode, Mom is none too pleased, Merida and Elinor have a big fight, Merida thinks she has found a path to get her way thanks to a witch, and, of course, Merida learns a huge lesson that she should never trust a witch, especially when Merida herself is in the throws of anger.

As it goes, thanks to Merida’s desire to find her own destiny, we get to learn the full story of Mor’du the Bear who is responsible for Fergus having a peg leg, both Merida and Elinor get to learn about the bonds of mother and daughter, and as this is a Pixar/Disney movie, everyone lives happily ever after.

As a story goes, “Brave” is a nice little tale about the challenges a mother and daughter face, and how sometimes it takes both sides to bend a bit to see the love of the other. It’s also a Pixar film, and that means fun, which it has tons of. The animation is awesome, especially the detail that they are now able to do in terms of scenery, shading, color, and just making the movie look fantasticker than when we were blown away by “Toy Story,” so combine the great story and the great animation and we easily remember why, whenever there is a Pixar movie coming out, we are excited. Like I said before, however, this is a story really geared for the girls. I’m not saying the boys won’t like it as it does have lots of action and a fun brawl between the clans, but whereas the boys and dads could relate to the togetherness of “Cars,” there’s much more of a motherly love bond between Elinor and Merida and the mischievous boys are just that – mischievous. It’s a solid 4 stars out of 5 for “Brave.”

Now, as far as the Blu-ray offering the Ultimate Collector’s Edition gives you tons of extras to keep you learning new things for hours. Me, being the tech dork that I am, I wanted more of extras like “Wonder Moss” and “Brawl in the Hall,” two of the more technical extras, but if you want to know how the Pixar team researched all things Scotland, there are lots of featurettes like “Brave Old World” and “Merida & Elinor.” You also get looks into the various animals involved in the movie, explanations of some of the more mystical aspects to the film, a look at scenes that were shortened, changed, or eliminated, and your commentary-type stuff. And as this is a Pixar movie, there is a cute little short called “La Luna” about how the moon changes shape, and a longer look at “The Legend of Mor’du,” the bear that eventually brings the movie full-circle.

Tons of extras, a 3-D Blu-ray if you’ve got the TV for it, a Digital Copy so the kids can take it on-the-go, and the “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” shows how a nicely packaged Blu-ray can be well worth the extras instead of just throwing useless things in the set just for the sake of being there.

All in all a lot of fun with a lot of the extras you would expect and the “Brave” set is another feather in the cap of the Pixar legacy.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Prom

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:44 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Prom Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie:	Tween girls is probably best.
Date Movie:	Only if she’s the mom.
Gratuitous Sex:	Just some kissing. It’s Disney clean.
Gratuitous Violence:	A small fight.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	If you’re a tween girl, maybe.
Memorable Scene:	Nothing really.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing really.
Directed By:	Joe Nussbaum

I know it’s a Disney movie, and I know it’s not really made for the likes of me, a 40-something year old reviewer, but please, Disney, you are better than this movie. I mean, it’s like they took the cookie-cutter, mostly perfect world of Hannah Montana, changed characters, and decided to make a movie about prom. Yup, the movie is “Prom,” I don’t think there is any school in the world that has a prom like this, and I suppose if you want to shield your pre-teen about high school and give them the “perfect world” version, Disney did its job. Let’s get to the story…

It’s the end of high school in Perfectia, or at least some high school, and Nova (Aimee Teegarden) is the go-getter, cute girl who dreams of the perfect prom and is in the midst of planning it. She is hoping her prince-charming will ask her, but ever-so-slowly things go wrong when she is asked to prom by someone else, and then there is a fire destroying all things prom decoration. Enter Jesse (Thomas McDonell). He’s the bad-boy in this story, if you really want to call him that, whose biggest problem seems to be that he has a complicated life outside of high school. As punishment for something minor by most any other high school standard, he is ordered to help Nova rebuild all of the decorations for prom, and yes, you can pretty much assume what happens when Ms. Perfect is paired with Mr. Bad-Boy, right before the prom.

And so, we get little stories about various high schoolers, from the jock, to the nerd, to the dork, to the Goth, and how their lives get effected by A) Having to leave high school soon, B) Having to ask the right person to prom, C) Having to deal with the jock making the moves on your girl, D) Girls breaking up best friends, and E) Just about every other cliché you can think of, but in a Disney-safe kind of way.

Look, the movie is pretty much harmless, as long as your daughter doesn’t get ultimately delusioned that high school will be the way this movie shows it to be. Yes, the stories probably end up similar, but the real world always seems a little, or maybe a lot, edgier than a Disney film, so I guess, sure, for your younger daughter, she who likes something like a Hannah Montana, “Prom” will give her a Disney-fake world, but if your girl has already hit freshman year I’m guessing she will already know nothing happens like it happens in “Prom.”

In the end the acting of the lead characters is fine, it’s your classic story of good-girl falls for bad-boy who really isn’t that bad when you get to know him, all wrapped up in Disney goodness. For me the movie was a 1 star, cliché mess, but for some young girls I can see them finding it a 4 star gem. I’ll average stuff together, drop it a bit for a lot of bad acting by most others in the film (watch the “Making of” featurette on the Blu-ray and you’ll find out why), and leave this movie at 2 stars. And I hate to say it, I remember the trailer, laughed a little during the clips of Justin (Jared Kusnitz) trying to ask girls to prom, and thought it might be better. Sadly, in the end, even those scenes turned out bad.

As far as the Blu-ray you get a “Making of…,” which is nice enough in telling you how the film ended up on the big screen, the blooper reel is pretty lame, you find that they made the right decision in leaving out the deleted scenes, and there are some music videos for your viewing pleasure. They don’t really add that much, so for the most part your tween is getting this to keep watching the movie, making her own dream of how her prom will be, and probably finding Jesse dreamy. And, oh yea, I almost forgot the “Last Chance Lloyd” short, highlighting Lloyd’s various exploits at trying to ask a girl to prom. Cute enough, but then it just dragged on too long. Oh well.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Tron: Legacy

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 2:05 Long
A Blu-ray Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Tron: Legacy Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date:	April 5, 2011
Kiddie Movie:	It’s a tad violent, so not too young.
Date Movie:	Especially if she’s a little geeky.
Gratuitous Sex:	Skimpy outfits, mostly.
Gratuitous Violence:	It’s Disney and PG, so nothing horrible.
Action:	Lots of chasing and running.
Laughs:	Some snickers.
Memorable Scene:	The Game Grid is cool.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing stands out.
Directed By:	Joseph Kosinski
Cool things about the Blu-ray?	The “making of” stuff is nicely detailed so you don’t get the feeling it was just thrown together, but for shear interactive Tron-ness grab your iPad or laptop and use the Second Screen feature.

I barely remember the original “Tron.” Sure, I played the game on my Intellivision, but in my movie world, if my life depended on remembering any of the story, well, it’s a good thing that “Tron: Legacy” has a 5-Disc, 2-Movie combo pack that includes not just “Tron: Legacy” on Blu-ray, but the original “Tron” on Blu-ray as well, a Digital copy of “Tron: Legacy” for portability, a basic DVD of the new one and, if that weren’t enough, if you’ve popped for that new Blu-ray 3D TV and have been looking for an entertaining movie to watch on it, well, this set has one of those as well! Yup, there is no excuse for you to not be assimilated into all things “Tron,” but so that this review isn’t too long, let’s pick up where the first movie left off…

In “Tron: Legacy” we find that it’s been a number of years since Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) disappeared from his son, Sam’s (Garrett Hedlund), life. Sam has always been a rebellious son, even though technically in charge of ENCOM, his father’s company. As it goes, after ruining a software release for ENCOM and posting bail, his father’s old confidante tracks down Sam and lets him know that he received a page, from Dad. So Sam is on a quest to the old arcade, finds a trap door, gets sucked into the computer game Dad was sucked into, and when he realizes things aren’t well on the Grid (that’s the computer world), he also realizes he can save his Dad.

So, with the help of Quorra, a resident of The Grid, Sam is able to survive a bit, and eventually Sam, Kevin, and Quorra realize that Clu, who is now the “Ruler” of The Grid, is trying to build an army to enter our real world, take it over, and make it better.

Sure, it sounds a little confusing on paper, but even for me, who couldn’t remember a lick of most of the original, “Tron: Legacy” did a nice job of moving along and bringing you into the story. There are some scenes that, if you aren’t watching it in 3D, will say “Come on, already!”, but in terms of entertainment in your living room, I liked “Tron: Legacy” and think you won’t even have to be a geek to like it.

Visually the movie is pretty stunning and part of me would love to run out and buy a 3D TV but damn, I still hate those glasses, even though I’m guessing it looks even better in 3D! Acting-wise things are what they are, but you get some fun action and just some popcorn fun. It’s 3 ½ stars out of 5 for “Tron: Legacy.”

Now in terms of the Blu-ray package and the various extras, gosh, where to start? Well, in terms of normal stuff you get some pretty good looks at how things are made and that, even though technology has made the movie look a hell of lot better than the original, the challenges are still many to bring a movie about a fictional “game” universe to the big screen. Some stuff is throw-away, I suppose, unless you are a Daft Punk fan and really want to watch the video of “Derezzed,” but in terms of shear movie interaction, Disney has included their “Second Screen” extra, which allows you to use your iPad or laptop to follow along with movie, synching the extra coolness, views, and tidbits for you on your device while you watch the movie. It’s pretty cool, and a lot more fun than things just popping up on the TV screen.

So, in the end, I’ve got to say that in terms of movie-packaging, Disney did a great job with “Tron: Legacy,” especially if you opt for the 5-disc package.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Tangled

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:40 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Tangled Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	The voices of: Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date:	March 29, 2011
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young, but definite girls.
Date Movie:	Mom and Dad can watch it nicely with the kids.
Gratuitous Sex:	There is some love, but it’s Disney-safe.
Gratuitous Violence:	Cartoon.
Action:	Some chasing and scenes of peril.
Laughs:	Nothing gut-busting, but cute enough.
Memorable Scene:	Nothing was super-special.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing really.
Cool things about the Blu-ray?	Other than the picture looking cool, and the DVD copy for on-the-go, it’s pretty much a movie for the movie. The “making of” segment might be cute for the kids, but the other extras seem to be thrown on there for the sake of having extras.

As I was watching “Tangled,” it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, Disney is starting to shift the vision of a Princess to the modern times, and I’m thinking it’s a smart thing. I will explain this a little more at the end of this review, but let’s get to the story first.

“Tangled” tells a tale loosely based on the “Rapunzel” story from the Brothers Grimm. Gone is the family that gives their baby to Dame Gothel and in its place is a Princess with magic hair, being kidnapped by Mother Gothel. It seems Mother Gothel, years ago, found a plant that, when she sang to it, would keep her young, but now that the power was transferred to Rapunzel through the Queen drinking flower broth and giving birth to Rapunzel, it seems the magic power is now in Rapunzel’s hair.

Okay, so Mom Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) and keeps her in a tower for her selfish self, but Rapunzel is getting older, wanting to explore the world, and Mom keeps her at bay by convincing her the world is a bad place. Enter a dude who is far from a Prince, namely Flynn (voiced by Zachary Levi), who finds Rapunzel while on the run after stealing the Princess’ tiara from the castle. And so, yup, adventure ensues as Rapunzel convinces Flynn to take her out of the tower and to the town to see the flying lights, Flynn obliges so that she’ll give him the tiara back, and wouldn’t you know it, our happy couple falls in love.

It’s a nice story, you pretty much know how things will end up, after all it is a Disney movie, but what is great about “Tangled” is that it is smartly written, and rather than just being a princessy Princess, Rapunzel has spunk, yet at times is still just a girl at heart, and the movie does a fantastic job of showing this. Sure, she wants to be pretty, but Rapunzel’s not afraid to get her feet wet or wield a wicked frying pan.

Probably okay for younger boys (they’ll like the Flynn and horse characters), and the girls will relate and love Rapunzel, so I say it’s nice to see Disney taking what could have just been a generic Princess character and turn her into a girl that today’s youngins can relate to.

With that it’s 4 stars out of 5 for “Tangled.” I enjoyed it, it’s a movie I think most can enjoy, and if Disney can keep with this trend of movie I think it might have a future in keeping the Princess motif, but making her a 2010 kind of girl.

As far as the Blu-ray and DVD, I almost hate to say it but you’re pretty much getting this version for the movie, with a smattering of extras. The deleted scenes were pretty much better off cut, sure, you could probably sing along to the extended songs, and the alternate openings were better as alternates. The “Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale” is nice enough, probably better for the kids with the banter of Zachary and Mandy, but for me, loving the technical aspects of making films like this, the funniest part was the scene with the women trying to decide the best looking characature for Flynn.

Get the Blu-ray because it looks good, and just enjoy the movie as a smart movie that moves the concept of the Princess nicely into the 2010’s.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Bambi

MPAA Rated – G
It’s 1:10 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Bambi Blu-ray Diamond Edition Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Bambi, Thumper, Flower, and all of Bambi’s friends.
MPAA Rated:	G
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios
Release Date:	March 1, 2011
Kiddie Movie:	It’s for the youngin’s.
Date Movie:	If you’re watching it as a family, or she’s a Disney fanatic.
Gratuitous Sex:	Um, no.
Gratuitous Violence:	There is some peril, but nothing gratuitous.
Action:	Some chasing and running around.
Laughs:	Cute for the kids.
Memorable Scene:	Nothing stood out.
Memorable Quote:	Nah.
Cool things about the Blu-ray:	There is some basic stuff, some deleted scene stuff, and some games for the kids, but for total coolness bust out your iPad or computer and sync things up using the Second Screen feature. It will take “Bambi” from a dated 1940’s animated movie into the 2010’s.

I don’t remember ever seeing “Bambi” when I was a youngin’. I don’t think it’s because I had bad parents, because I vaguely remember seeing Pinocchio, but I think it was more because when I was growing up, before the time of video, Disney would stagger re-releases into the theater, and I was 8 years old by the time it came out again in 1975. With that, it was with some anticipation as I plopped myself on the couch to watch “Bambi,” and yes, this movie probably isn’t geared for me, and yes, it wasn’t even exciting for my wife, but I can see its place in movie history, and as a parent, you’re going to have to be the one to judge because, as kids seem to get older quicker, I’m thinking “Bambi” is almost skewing itself to the 3 to 4 year olds, although, with the interactive Disney Second Screen feature, your 5 year old with their iPad might enjoy learning a whole boat-load of stuff about Disney animation.

I guess I’ll start with the story before I get to what might be the most feature-packed Blu-ray I’ve ever seen.

The story is simple: It’s the story of a young deer, Bambi, and the intrusion of man on nature. The movie opens with introductory scenes of the animal “friends” Bambi will have growing up, and then, there’s Bambi, a newborn, with his mom. At first Bambi is an unsure little deer, hanging with his friends, but then as winter comes to pass, and the friends in the forest grow up, wouldn’t you know it but love enters the picture, too. In the meantime man is intruding more and more on the forest and momma deer has to warn Bambi of the dangers out there, and in deer nation, the elder statesman is there to help the group.

And so, yup, there is peril as momma deer takes a bullet, man sets the forest on fire, and Bambi learns he is much more than just a timid little deer – that he might be destined for greatness.

The thing is, as entertaining as this story sort of sounds, in this day and age of multitasking and mind-overload, I found the movie a tad boring, even through the music movements, although I know, from being little once, that there was a time in movie-land that things like an orchestra building to a crescendo can create excitement, but I don’t think it works so well today, at least it didn’t here, or at least for me.

And this is where the Disney folks are seeing that interactivity might be the way to go with the youngin’s of today because, as a movie, I’m thinking the kids might be bored with a straight sitting of “Bambi,” but with a computer to play along with, even I almost got trapped into watching the movie a couple of times.

First off, the Blu-ray Diamond Edition includes some nice little extras like a missing scene, some extra music, and looks kick-butt between the Blu-ray and a decent widescreen TV, but the package add-ons don’t stop there. Nope, for just Blu-ray goodness, there is a fantastic “Inside Walt’s Story Meeting” feature that, rather than just a boring commentary track, shifts things around with video, taking you through the entire process of how a movie like Bambi goes from concept to the final story. There is also some game-play for the kids, though from my experience the Blu-ray games never play as well as the computer version, but they are there for you to play with your kids.

The winner though, for this Blu-ray package, is the Disney Second Screen feature. Now I did have a little bit of an issue syncing it with my laptop, but I’m guessing if you have an iPad it is probably pretty easy to do. Pretty much, what happens, is as the movie plays on your TV, on your computer or iPad, there is an interactiveness that plays along exactly with the movie. You get extra art-work, tile games, bonus information about the scene, and loads of things that, for the kids of the 2010’s, will probably get them through a lovely orchestral maneuver and into the next scene. It was really kind of fascinating, and for the older movies like a Bambi, will probably be the wave of the future to keep them fresh.

So, as a movie I have to say that I didn’t cry, I almost found “Bambi” kind of boring when I was just watching it solo, but when I was playing around with the extra features on the Blu-ray, especially the “Story Meeting” and Second Screen, I was getting sucked right back into it. With that, when I just saw the movie I was almost hesitant to write a review because it was starting to be a simple “I give ‘Bambi’ 2 stars,” even if it is still unbelievable to me the animation detail of a movie from back in the 1940’s, as my wife pointed out the scenes with reflections in the water, but with the extra features, wow, it’s 4 ½ stars out of 5 for the “Bambi” Diamond Edition. I almost dismissed the extras as basic extras, but I’m glad I played around with them because they brought a little more magic to a movie that well, seems a little dated.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Secretariat

Here’s a bit from The Dude on the Right’s Blu-ray review of “Secretariat”

… Whereas “Seabiscuit” was a movie about a horse that also had Tobey Maguire in it, “Secretariat” is a movie about a strong women, Penny Chenery, that also has a horse in it, and had I known that, I might have actually gone to see the movie in the theater, because really, all I thought from the commercials was that I was going to see a movie about a horse, and that’s too bad. Luckily I caught the Blu-ray because yup, “Secretariat” is just as good as “Seabiscuit,” just in a different way. …

Secretariat

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 2:03 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Secretariat Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Diane Lane, John Malkovich
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young, it’s kind of drama-driven with cool horse scenes.
Date Movie:	It’s a nice story for both of you.
Gratuitous Sex:	Nope.
Gratuitous Violence:	Nope.
Action:	The horse racing scenes are fantastic, even if you do already know the outcome.
Laughs:	John Malkovich is a hoot.
Memorable Scene:	Penny getting all “horse whisperer” with Secretariat.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing totally stands out.
Directed By:	Randall Wallace
Cool Things about the Blu-ray?:	I actually liked one of the deleted scenes for a change, the interview with Penny Chenery makes you just want to stop by and have tea with her, and the technical stuff was cool. You also get the audio commentary and a detailed look at Secretariat the horse, not the movie.

I remember when “Secretariat” was coming to the theaters. I saw the trailer and in my head simply said, “Didn’t I already see this story before, with ‘Seabiscuit?’” I mean, that was a movie about a horse, how different could this be?

Boy, was I wrong.

Whereas “Seabiscuit” was a movie about a horse that also had Tobey Maguire in it, “Secretariat” is a movie about a strong women, Penny Chenery, that also has a horse in it, and had I known that, I might have actually gone to see the movie in the theater, because really, all I thought from the commercials was that I was going to see a movie about a horse, and that’s too bad. Luckily I caught the Blu-ray because yup, “Secretariat” is just as good as “Seabiscuit,” just in a different way.

In a nutshell, the story of Secretariat is one about a woman, Penny Chenery, played in the movie by the stunning and super-talented Diane Lane. As the movie opens we learn of how Penny is being called to the family horse farm as her father has taken ill and things are in peril, namely they might lose the farm. Penny is married at the time, with a few kids and a loving husband, but this is the late 1960’s/early 1970’s, and women aren’t supposed to be the owners/managers of the horses, nope, they’re supposed to be there, supporting their man. But Penny is strong and sees her calling, and in this calling comes a horse, a racehorse with the potential to accomplish the rare feat, winning horse racing Triple Crown.

So, leaving her family behind, Penny works the horse farm, but she also needs some help if Secretariat is to become a champion, and she finds that help in the quirky horse trainer Lucien Laurin, played funningly by John Malkovich.

And so, as the movie goes, we know the outcome, that Secretariat will win, but in the course we see how Penny overcomes the challenges of being a women in a man’s sport, of being away from her children who are growing up in the peace and love movement, and in believing in herself, and Secretariat, so much, that she is willing to risk everything for the family legacy she believes in.

As a movie “Secretariat” is great. It looks beautiful, the horse racing scenes are phenomenal, Diane Lane, John Malkovich, and the rest of the cast is great, and the story is truly one of inspiration, especially for women. But, and I give this only as a word of subtle warning, for me “Secretariat” plays more like a drama than a fun-filled family movie so I’m worried if the little one will be able to stick with it. It is only rated PG, so it’s safe for them, but not having kids, I wasn’t able to test it.

So, it does look good, the story is great, and in the end, as a full-blown movie I’ve got to give “Secretariat” 4 stars, but as a drama there are some slow parts, some deep parts, which might not really be what you are expecting. But then again, I was expecting another “Seabiscuit” and got something different, so go ahead and get this one, and watch it on your big screen in all of its Blu-ray glory!

As far as extras, I have to say that “Secretariat” isn’t overloaded with tons of stuff you probably won’t watch, but there are a couple of things I liked. Yup, there’s the standard audio commentary by the Director, Randall Wallace, but as much as I liked the movie, I really didn’t want to spend another two hours for any director insight. Instead I did watch the Deleted Scenes, and actually thought the directors Alternate Opening was better than the movie opening, but then the rest of the deleted scenes were, like normal, better off deleted. I did like the “Choreographing the Races,” because, well, technical stuff always gets me some how, but the extra I really liked, almost surprisingly to me, was the “A Director’s Inspiration: A Conversation With The Real Penny Chenery.” It was fascinating hearing her take on the movie, how some things were slightly different, and how some parts of her life, or changes to some scenes, she actually wishes might have made the film. She just seems like a fun lady to hang out with, and it showed in the interview. And, if you want to learn more about Secretariat, the Heart of A Champion bonus will help you out.

All in all I liked “Secretariat” the movie, actually liked some of the bonus features, so in the Blu-ray world, I say go ahead and watch a great story about a strong woman. And, oh yea, there’s a horse mixed into the movie, too.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

An excerpt from The Dude on the Right’s review of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice on Blu-ray…

In terms of movies, I thought “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was a good movie, especially for the getting-a-little-older kid crowd. It had excitement, it had a little bit of love, it had great effects, and I love Nicolas Cage in that kind of role. The only problem I did have, and sorry Jay, but Jay Baruchel as Dave didn’t seem like a good fit for the role. I wish I great reason why, but unfortunately the only thing I have to go with was in talking with my BFF while we were watching the movie and saying I didn’t like the kid playing Dave, to which she agreed and said he seemed like a young Garry Shandling.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:49 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young, and probably better for the closer-to-teen-group.
Date Movie:	My BFF liked it, so go ahead and snuggle.
Gratuitous Sex:	Nah.
Gratuitous Violence:	Lots of flying lightning bolts.
Action:	There is some chasing.
Laughs:	Quite a few chuckles.
Memorable Scene:	I like anything with Tesla coils.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing really.
Directed By:	Jon Turteltaub

The good that I liked about “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice:” I like Nicolas Cage in that kind of role, and the effects were great.

The not-so-great-but-not-really-bad about “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice:” I didn’t think Jay Baruchel was a good fit for the role of Dave, a.k.a. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and neither did my buddy Stu Gotz who saw the movie in the theater, and neither did my BFF, who thought that he seemed like a young Garry Shandling, which normally isn’t a bad thing, just not for this role.

So let’s get to the movie first…

In “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” we get Nicolas Cage as Balthazar. In the old days, namely back in the 700’s, he’s an apprentice of the great wizard, Merlin, along with a few others. He’s also in love with Veronica (Monica Bellucci). But there is badness in wizard world, and Morgana (Alice Krige) goes after Merlin and wants to take over the world, but Balthazar and Veronica won’t have any of it, and in order to save humanity Veronica sacrifices herself and ends up in a jar, trapped for eternity with the soul of Morgana, or something like that. In any case, on his deathbed, or deathfloor I guess it really was, Merlin gives Balthazar a little dragon and tells Balth that the dragon will tell Balth who will be the next wizard person who can finally defeat Morgana, at which time it will be safe to let Morgana out because the chosen one has been found.

Enter almost present day… and here’s Dave as a young boy, having the little boy hots for a young girl, Becky, and a note back from Becky leads Dave on a wild good chase to Balthazar’s shop, and his destiny, only an accident gives him the reputation as a boy who pees his pants.

Enter present day… Dave’s back! Balthazar and some other magician/wizard type dude, Maxim (Alfred Molina), are let out of the vase they stuck themselves in (it makes sense in the context of the movie), Balthazar convinces Dave that Dave is the apprentice and they must find the jar his love is trapped in, in order to save the world, and Maxim also wants the jar so that he can let out Morgana and us mere mortals of human-kind can suffer at the will of Morgana. Whew.

And so, along the way, there is much peril as Maxim tries to get the jar, beat up Balthazar, and kill Dave, there is also some love as Dave still has the hots for Becky and Balthazar has the hots for his love stuck in the jar, and there is a lot of cool training and effects as, well, this is a movie about a Sorcerer’s apprentice which lends itself to things flying and lightning bolts sparking.

As far as the Blu-ray special stuff goes, there is a ton of “making of” bonus features, from the clothing to the car, as well as trying to link he science involved with some of the movie. As usual the deleted scenes were fine being deleted, and I’ve got to think there were better bloopers, but the montage feature was pretty lame. But the Blu-ray more for the fact that the movie looks great in Blu-ray, unless you are really a geeky fan, in which case some of the “making of” stuff will cause you to go back and re-watch for true geekiness!

3 ½ stars out of 5 for “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” it look great on Blu-ray, and for the fan there are enough “making of” stuff to make them happy as well.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

The Princess and the Frog

Not having kids, and even though I sometimes act like I’m 12, I am still a dude, so for my Blu-ray review of "The Princess and the Frog" I do my best to try to relate to the movie as a little girl, but I just can’t. The singing and dancing is fun enough, it looks good in the old-school animation kind of way, and the story is nice, but I’m a dude, I’m not dreaming of kissing a frog to find my Prince, and even though the dopey alligator was kind of funny, this is really a Blu-ray for the little girls, or the big girls still thinking that maybe they should kiss that frog because the cad they are with sure isn’t a Prince.