Aisle Seat 3-D Edition

By Andy Dursin

www.andyfilm.com
dursin.blogspot.com

Unless you grew up in the '50s or early '80s, 3-D has -- until recently -- been one of those filmmaking novelties that seemed like the bygone product of another era. Produced more as a means to get movie-goers into their seats than any kind of added artistic filmmaking component, the format did have its share of successes ("Creature From the Black Lagoon" or "Dial M For Murder" to name a pair), but otherwise was comprised of mostly disposable sci-fi/horror outings that relied heavily on the third dimension for whatever entertainment value they held.

Things, recently, have been changing: the success of numerous "special event" movies like the 3D "Nightmare Before Christmas," or Disney's "Hanna Montana" concert movie, have brought 3D back into the mainstream. Time will tell, though, if this resurrection is just another flash in the pan done every generation or so to test the format's validity, or if it means 3D really is here to stay (having projects like Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" and James Cameron's "Avatar" on the horizon can only help).

One of last summer's surprise box-office hits, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (**1/2, 92 mins., 2008, PG; Warner), was one of the rare Hollywood films these days to display a great deal of "legs" after its opening weekend. Though the picture managed just $19 million over its first three days, the film played through the entire summer, ultimately grossing $100 million domestically and scoring another hit for star/executive producer Brendan Fraser.

This 90-minute Walden Media/New Line co-production isn't a great adventure movie by any means, but it is a watchable family film that, when viewed in 3D, offers ample entertainment for sci-fi/fantasy fans. The Michael Weiss-Jennifer Flackett-Mark Levin script follows teacher Fraser, young nephew Josh Hutcherson and mountain tour guide Anita Briem on an odyssey into the Earth's core as the trio hunt for Hutcherson's lost father. En route they encounter prehistoric plants and animals, dinosaurs, lost caverns and mine carts and basically everything in between.

The film, directed by Eric Brevig, is fairly simplistic and doesn't offer much in the way of character development or compelling drama, but the 3D effects -- at least theatrically -- were quite effective and made the effort a fun "popcorn movie" if nothing else.

Alas, it doesn't help that current television technology still can't display theatrical 3D on home displays, relying instead on the old analygraph (red/green) set-up to achieve its three-dimensional effects. Warner's Blu-Ray edition of "Journey" does the same, presenting a 2D version of the movie along with an analygraph 3D version with four pairs of included glasses. The bad news is that, predictably, this 3D edition doesn't favorably compare to the theatrical 3D with its polarized lenses, but the surprising aspect is that the Blu-Ray's 3D is still fairly effective. Some dimensional depth of field effects are on-hand throughout -- in fact they're more effective than any analygraph 3D format presentation I've seen on video before. Whether it's because of the high-definition VC- 1 encoded transfer or the sheer fact that we're now watching on higher-definition displays than before, the 3D is fairly satisfying and much better than I anticipated it being.

Warner has rounded out the disc with commentary from Fraser and Brevig, three featurettes (in HD), and a plain 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack.

Centering on the recollections of a young boy just old enough to have his doubts about the existence of Santa Claus, "The Polar Express" offers Tom Hanks playing no less than five different "roles": the boy, his father, the conductor of a magical train that transports our young hero to the North Pole, a ghostly hobo who rides on top of it, and Santa himself. While at the North Pole, our nameless protagonist (dubbed "Hero Boy") -- along with the other children onboard the Polar Express -- learn something about the true meaning of Christmas and the ability to believe.

Meticulously designed with the most capable CGI available today, "The Polar Express" is a strange film: a warm-hearted holiday fantasy with creepy, half-human/half-animated performances set against a fully animated cinematic world, and a story that would have been more effective as a half-hour TV special as opposed to a 100-minute theatrical feature.

The latter is unsurprising, since Van Allsburg's beloved children's book is only a few dozen pages, and screenwriters Zemeckis and William Broyles, Jr. had to artificially lengthen the material for the big screen. Still, what's disappointing is the manner in which the filmmakers expand the story: after a strong start, the journey to the North Pole feels endless, with saccharine Alan Silvestri-Glen Ballard songs, an out-of-place Steven Tyler performance near the end, uninteresting side characters, and a succession of "action" sequences that do, admittedly, show off the film's amazing visuals.

Ultimately, despite all the good intentions and the evocative visual design of the film (its characters notwithstanding), "The Polar Express" isn't the perennial classic one might have hoped. I kept on thinking that the movie would have worked better either as a live-action fantasy (or at least with live, real actors set against the CGI backdrops), or a fully animated work, where animators could have used their own imaginations instead of having to adhere (at least partially) to the human "captured" performances. Instead, the picture exists somewhere in the netherworld between the two -- a fusion that may, in fact, date the picture badly for future generations.

Warner's new 3D edition of the movie boasts a similar presentation to "Journey to the Center of the Earth" above: both 2D and 3D versions are on-hand, the latter offering a decent enough analygraph 3D version with four pairs of glasses included. The effects are a bit more limited than "Journey," being most effective when conveying depth of field effects (i.e. when characters are spaced differently against the backdrops), but again, if you're expecting another old-fashioned analygraph 3D movie you might be pleasantly surprised with the results.

A smattering of extras from prior DVD and Blu-Ray editions are also on-hand here, with the added benefit of a "Smokey and Steamer" song that was cut from theaters. Of further interest for Blu-Ray fans is the inclusion of a new Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, easily besting the ordinary Dolby Digital 5.1 track from the prior BD release.

For my money, the summer's best movie wasn't "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man" or any other conventional super-hero tale.

Instead, Guillermo Del Toro's spectacularly entertaining HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (***1/2, 120 mins., 2008, PG-13; Universal) fit the bill as the season's most satisfying feature: an elaborate and superior sequel to Del Toro's prior adaptation of Mike Mignola's Dark Horse comic book character, who -- as embodied by Ron Perlman -- is anything but a conventional super-hero.

This freewheeling fantasy finds Hellboy (Perlman), Liz (Selma Blair), and Abe Sapien (Doug Jones, here voicing his character as well) trying to track down a elf king (Luke Goss) who's desperate to re-assemble a massive "Golden Army" of automatons that could wipe out humanity. In order to do so, he needs to find his sister (Anna Walton), who possesses the last shard of a magical crown that's all that stands in the way of the dying elfen race making one last stand against the human world.

The marvelous "Hellboy II" is packed with action, loads of humor and colorful characters, fascinating creatures and dazzling F/X to spare. Del Toro had a bigger budget and more freedom here than he did with the original "Hellboy" and it shows at every turn: this is a more confident and relaxed movie with a straightforward script (by Del Toro himself, working from a story he co-authored with Mignola) and engaging performances, from the three leads to Jeffrey Tambor as our lead trio's constantly frustrated FBI supervisor to "Family Guy"'s Seth MacFarlane voicing a mysterious German commander with bizarre supernatural powers.

In a summer that was populated with sequels and remakes, "Hellboy II" is that rare follow-up that really clicks, from the story to the characters and even Danny Elfman's fine score. It's all capped by a memorable Hellboy/Abe/Barry Manilow sing-along that ranks as one of the year's goofiest, and more endearing, scenes.

Universal is launching "Hellboy II" on Blu-Ray next week in a dynamic package. The VC-1 encoded transfer is outstanding, capturing all of the colorful action of the movie in a flawless HD presentation. DTS Master Audio sound likewise compliments a powerhouse audio presentation, while loads of extras shed insight into Del Toro's creative process: a two-hour documentary, "In Service of the Demon," extensively profiles the film, while deleted scenes, a production workshop "puppet theater" featurette, two different commentaries (one with Del Toro, another with members of the cast), an interactive "Schufften Goggle View" and other goodies (some of which will be available on BD Live next week) make for a dynamite supplemental package.

"Hellboy II" is one of Del Toro's best and rates as one of the most sheerly entertaining recent films of its kind. Don't miss it!

Steve Carell makes for about as satisfying a Maxwell Smart as one could hope for, with "The Office" star affably filling the shoes of Don Adams. Unfortunately, Anne Hathaway isn't what I had in mind as Agent 99, coming across almost like Carell's daughter in an odd bit of (mis)casting that doesn't pay off.

There are a few laughs here and there, but the Tom J. Astle-Matt Ember script plays it safe for the most part, offering a bevy of veterans including Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, Bill Murray and James Caan a few lines while director Peter Segal cranks out fairly routine action scenes.

Warner's Blu-Ray disc offers a strong VC-1 encoded transfer with 5.1 Dolby Digital audio (no lossless here), with extras including a litany of alternate lines which can be incorporated into the movie, plus the requisite Making Of featurettes and a gag reel.

Goldsmith is on-hand to talk about his experience working with Franklin F. Schaffner, utilizing early synthesizers and divulging some of the tricks he employed to create the movie's unusual soundscape. The composer is candid about his relationship with the filmmaker and the strengths and weaknesses of the movie, including the decision to play the climactic twist ending without music (Goldsmith says that Charlton Heston was a bit over the top by himself, and didn't need any score to accompany him!).

For other supplements, the BD is content to rework other extras from past releases, including a strong text commentary track (filled with excellent anecdotes), and a secondary audio commentary with Kim Hunter, John Chambers, and the late Roddy McDowall, which obviously was cobbled together from old interviews. While this might have been a good idea, the track is so sporadic in nature that you might think someone made a mistake in the editing department (long stretches of time go by with no commentary at all).

Far better is the inclusion of the outstanding "Behind the Planet of the Apes" two-hour documentary. This is the same special that AMC produced for the Apes' 30th Anniversary several years ago, but it's still the best single program made about the creation of the series. Also on-hand are a handful of vintage featurettes and trailers, from a NATO reel to nearly 20 minutes of Roddy McDowall's home movies, which are in surprisingly excellent condition. All of the newer featurettes produced for the last DVD edition are also reprieved here, along with new interactive content, resulting in a jam-packed, terrific release for all "Apes" enthusiasts.

Fox has also released all of the sequels in HD (including "Conquest" in a reportedly "uncut" version), yet only sent the original film on Blu-Ray for reviewers to take a peak at. Hopefully the other discs -- which were supposed to include isolated soundtracks in 5.1 DTS Master Audio for the sequels -- offer a similarly satisfying package as this first high-definition trip to the "Planet of the Apes."

Not to be outdone by Universal's recent Legacy Editions of Hitchcock classics "Rear Window," "Psycho" and "Vertigo," Paramount is heading back into Golden Age territory with three double- disc "Centennial Collection" releases of studio classics "Sunset Boulevard, " "Roman Holiday" and "Sabrina" coming next week.

All three films have been treated to new high-definition derived transfers and look crisp for their respective ages, though I don't have the original discs on-hand to tell you how much of an upgrade these are on their past DVD incarnations.

The delightful 1953 William Wyler comedy ROMAN HOLIDAY with Audrey Hepburn as a princess who runs away from her royal responsibilities -- and falls for American journalist Gregory Peck along the way -- was previously issued in a fine Paramount DVD with a few extra features. The "Centennial" edition reprises the prior DVD's documentary and adds several fresh featurettes into the mix, including two different retrospectives on Hepburn's work at Paramount, a restoration comparison, a tribute to Dalton Trumbo, a costume design featurette, trailers and other galleries.

Hepburn also lit up the screen in Billy Wilder's 1954 SABRINA, even if she was playing opposite a somewhat miscast Humphrey Bogart (still, there's more chemistry there than the Julia Ormond- Harrison Ford teaming in Sydney Pollack's pleasant yet stilted 1995 remake). Documentaries on Hepburn (this time focusing on her status as a "Fashion Icon"), William Holden, the film proper, the cinematography, a restoration comparison and other goodies round out the disc.

Wilder's classic 1950 melodrama SUNSET BOULEVARD receives the grandest treatment of the trio, even if much of it is recycled from the prior DVD release. A new documentary is on-hand recounting the production, as are featurettes on William Holden and Joseph Wambaugh (recounting his fondness for the picture), while profiles of composer Franz Waxman (in an excellent 15-minute featurette), costume designer Edith Head, the original trailer, and script pages from the movie's morgue prologue are carried over from the earlier DVD.

Each disc contains the same "Paramount in the '50s" retrospective featurette and an eight-page booklet inside each package.

CHUCK: Season 1 Blu-Ray (556 mins., 2007-08; Warner): One of NBC's few successes from the strike-plagued 2007-08 season, the affable "Chuck" stars Zachary Levi as a normal, everyday guy who works at a Best Buy-like chain and lives a fairly drab existence. One day, an old friend sends him an email that turns out to be a group of government secrets that improbably become permanently etched into Chuck's mind. Needing to access that information both the CIA and NSA come calling to protect their newfound charge, the former in the form of lovely Yvonne Strahovski as an agent who quickly falls for our geeky hero.

McG and Josh Schwartz co-produced this engaging series which starts off a bit on the slow side but picks up steam about midway through its first 13 episodes. The interplay between Levi and Strahovski is playful and engaging, though the stories tend to be a bit on the routine side. Still, if you stick with it, "Chuck" comes together nicely and offers a solid mix of comedy, romance and adventure with a likeable cast.

Warner's Blu-Ray box-set of "Chuck" follows the studio's standard DVD release from a month ago and boasts enhanced, VC-1 encoded HD transfers that are top notch throughout. The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is also perfectly okay, while extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel, behind- the-scenes featurettes and interviews, and several "web originated mini-featurettes."

If you haven't noticed by now, holiday displays are up in stores across the country, so that must mean a bevy of new Christmas-related DVDs are on the way as well. Here's our first (of likely several) Aisle Seat round-up of new yuletide discs for the season:

THIS CHRISTMAS DVD & Blu-Ray (***, 119 mins., 2007, PG-13; Sony): Quite watchable domestic family drama (albeit with a bit too much sexual content for young viewers) focuses on family matriarch Ma'Dere (Lorette Devine) and her boyfriend (Delroy Lindo), who bring their diverse group of kids together for a memorable, if hectic, Christmas season.

Preston A. Whitmore II wrote and directed "This Christmas," and sprinkles the warm tale with musical interludes to help off-set some of the more formulaic, melodramatic aspects of his story. The ensemble cast, which also includes Regina King, Idris Elba and pop singer Chris Brown, is just fine and the movie has an enormous heart which, ultimately, makes it a fine addition to holiday viewing -- especially in lieu of recent studio-produced garbage like "Christmas With the Cranks," "Deck the Halls" and the seemingly putrid upcoming "Four Christmases" with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.

Sony's DVD offers a pleasing 16:9 (2.35) widescreen transfer with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, while the AVC-encoded HD transfer of the Blu-Ray platter is predictably even more satisfying, capped off by superb Dolby TrueHD audio. Extras spread across both platforms include deleted and extended scenes, a Making Of special, music video and cast commentary with Regina King and co-stars Sharon Leal and Lauren London.

Sony's DVD includes a fine 16:9 (1.85) transfer, 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, commentary from producer Mike Elliott and two Making Of featurettes.

KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL (***, 100 mins., 2008, G; Warner): Well-acted and highly enjoyable family movie based on the "American Girl" doll line finds Abigail Breslin as a girl growing up during the Great Depression and the shenanigans that ensue when her parents (Julia Ormond and Chris O'Donnell) have to take in boarders in order to make ends meet. A marvelous supporting cast (Glenne Hadley, Jane Krakowski, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack and Wallace Shawn) makes this leisurely paced, warmhearted film ideal for both kids and adults alike, complete with a fine Joseph Vitarelli score and direction by Patricia Rozema that never strikes a wrong note. Warner's Blu-Ray release includes a colorful VC-1 encoded transfer but pretty much nothing else of note, from the vanilla 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack down to a trailer gallery for other "American Girl" video features.

Fox's original DVD and Blu-Ray efforts were short on extras but the studio has rectified that -- at least on the DVD side -- with a new Special Edition offering deleted scenes, music videos, several featurettes, a 16:9 (1.85) transfer and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.