Aisle Seat Olympic Edition
PROM NIGHT Hustles Its Way to Disc
Plus: PBS' THE PRESIDENTS and More!
By Andy Dursin
www.andyfilm.com
dursin.blogspot.com
But first...
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As the express train of horror remakes rolls along, it's
worth noting that I'm not against the notion of reworking old genre films
per se -- especially not when the originals weren't all that great to begin
with. The problem, naturally, has been that, so far, most of them haven't
been very good, ranging from bland ("The Amityville Horror") to disappointing
("The Fog") and just plain bad ("When a Stranger Calls").
Now Sony and producer Neil H. Moritz (of the "I Know What You Did..."
pictures) have dusted off another horror chestnut -- the 1980 slasher "Prom
Night" with Jamie Lee Curits and Leslie Nielsen -- for a stylishly-assembled
yet still dreadful remake of the 1980 Canadian knock-off of "Halloween."
Writer J. S. Cardone's script for the 2008 PROM NIGHT (*1/2,
89 mins., Unrated; Sony) doesn't offer much in common with its predecessor:
Brittany Snow here steps into the Jamie Lee scream- queen role of a beautiful
high school senior whose family was murdered by a psycho (Johnathon Schaech,
running as far away from his once-promising career as possible) years before.
Sadly for Snow, crazy Schaech is back on the loose, just in time to ruin
the senior prom for her and all of her nameless, attractive classmates,
many of whom serve as lambs for the slaughter.
Rated PG-13 theatrically, "Prom Night" turned out to be quite a success
at the box-office, raking up over $40 million in domestic receipts against
a budget that was less than half that. Director Nelson McCormick, who's
currently helming a remake of the 1987 genre favorite "The Stepfather,"
has fashioned a typical by-the-numbers hack n' slash affair with threadbare
characters and a lampoonish succession of faux-shocks that undercut Snow's
sincerity. It's not the worst movie of 2008 but it's certainly one of the
more forgettable, failing totally to capture any high school angst or atmosphere
and playing it by the book at every turn.
Sony's Blu-Ray disc looks predictably glossy with its AVC encoded transfer,
though the Checco Varese cinematography is on the drab side for the most
part. The Dolby TrueHD sound is bass heavy but not particularly noteworthy,
featuring a routine Paul Haslinger score. Extras include director and cast
commentary, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a gag reel, four featurettes,
BD Live material and some unrated footage.
Also New On Blu-Ray
TRANSFORMERS (***, 142 mins., 2007, PG-13; Paramount): Last summer's
"big three" sequels all managed to gross essentially the same amount (in
excess of $300+ million) at the U.S. box-office -- a feat no other film
in 2007 equaled outside of the gargantuan, live-action adaptation of '80s
Hasbro action figures "Transformers."
Produced by Steven Spielberg and directed (in a somewhat less chaotic
fashion than usual) by Michael Bay, "Transformers" is a whizz-bang sci-fi
epic that brings the toy characters into present-day "real life." The Roberto
Orci-Alex Kurtman script follows the struggle between "good" extraterrestrial
robot beings the Autobots and their evil counterparts, the Decepticons,
as they launch their galactic battle on Earth. To be precise, both factions
are seeking the whereabouts of the vile Deception leader Megatron, who
was discovered in ice nearly a century ago by the great-grandfather of
American teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf).
Sam proves to be our Everyman as he meets all the Transformers, including
their leader Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen, reprising his work
from the beloved '80s cartoon version), and tries to help the Autobots'
cause while matching wits with federal agents (including a cartoony John
Turturro) and a tough army captain (Josh Duhamel) following the action
from the Middle East.
Impressive special effects from ILM are the main reason to watch "Transformers,"
with the robot design and animation being positively jaw-dropping -- especially
in Paramount's high-definition Blu-Ray release. In addition to the overall
"believability" factor (as convincing as giant robots could ever be), the
animators managed to maintain the original Transformers look from the toys
and '80s TV series in a way that won't disappoint long-time fans.
Bay, predictably, keeps the action moving along, but unlike some of
his past works, also does a decent job establishing the characters and
keeping the humor at a "family friendly" level. This isn't a movie to be
taken seriously, but it's good fun for no-brain summer thrills -- stylishly
made and, appropriately, "assembled." LaBeouf, meanwhile, acquits himself
nicely against the all the bombast, with a satisfying ending leaving the
door open wide enough for inevitable future sequels (unsurprisingly, one
is due out next summer).
On video, Paramount brought us a two-disc HD-DVD edition of "Transformers"
a year ago that was highlighted by a pristine VC-1 encoded transfer and
a knockout Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack.
The studio's long-overdue Blu-Ray set basically reprises everything
from that release, but with the addition of Dolby TrueHD "lossless" audio
that will blow the doors off your home theater set-up.
The VC-1 encoded transfer is again outstanding, while the supplements
likewise satisfy: a commentary from Bay and extensive picture-in-picture
track content adorn Disc 1, while Disc 2 boasts a strong number of featurettes,
including interviews with Bay, Spielberg, and the production team, all
discussing how they brought "Transformers" to life. Recommended!
CAMP ROCK (98 mins., 2008, G; Disney): Remember
when the Disney Channel showed old TV specials, cartoons and other nostalgic
items? For adults the channel's evolution into this decade's version of
'90s Nickelodeon network has been disheartening, but for the corporation,
it's been a cash cow, ramping up ratings and cornering the lucrative teen
market, which flocked in massive numbers to the "High School Musical" films
and other popular series on the network.
This summer's follow-up to the "HSM" phenomenon, "Camp Rock," was another
gigantic hit, being one of the year's most watched cable programs. The
teen heartthrob Jonas Brothers here co-star in this tale of a good-hearted
girl (Demi Lovato) who's able to attend a music-oriented camp but has to
spend the time working in the kitchen when she's not crooning tunes. Naturally,
the camp's snobby girls attempt to thwart Demi's success, and predictably
freak out when they find out about her "blue collar" double-life.
Pedestrian and yet so wholeheartedly earnest you can understand why
kids would like it, "Camp Rock" hits Blu-Ray in a terrific looking package
next week. The 1080p transfer is excellent while uncompressed PCM sound
will enable all would-be kid rockers to bounce along to the bubblegum soundtrack.
Ample extras here include a Blu-Ray exclusive set tour with the Jonas Brothers
plus numerous Making Of featurettes and music videos.
DVD Capsules: New & Coming Soon
THE PRESIDENTS (25 hours, 2008; PBS/Paramount): Outstanding assembly
of recent PBS "American Experience" documentaries include lengthy profiles
of some of our nation's more noteworthy leaders, including Teddy Roosevelt,
Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Truman, the Kennedys, LBJ, Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald
Reagan, and George (H.W.) Bush.
Copious interviews, endless reams of archival footage, a broad overview
of what made each president tick both internally and politically make for
a massive, sprawling box-set that's perfect for history buffs, students
and casual viewers alike.
PBS' presentation includes 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks and fine transfers.
An outstanding release that's highly recommended!
CHICAGO 10 (***, 90 mins., 2007, R; Paramount):
Brett Morgen, who directed the fascinating portrait of producer Robert
Evans, "The Kid Stays in the Picture," returns with this unusual, vividly
shot pseudo-documentary of the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention
and the trial that ensued. Utilizing rotoscoped animation with actual archival
footage and photographs, this is an offbeat and yet consistently compelling
film with visuals that should appeal to younger audiences while there's
enough history to captivate adults who lived through the era. Paramount's
DVD, out next week, includes a fine 16:9 (1.85) transfer with 5.1 Dolby
Digital audio and a video "remix."
THE BEST OF COMEDY CENTRAL PRESENTS: Uncensored (1999-2008,
176 mins., Paramount): Nearly three-hours of uncut stand-up comedy is on-hand
in this latest Comedy Central compilation, featuring clips with Dave Attell,
Mike Birbigilia, Frank Caliendo, Zack Galifianakis, Stephen Lynch, Patton
Oswalt, Nick Swardson and Daniel Tosh among others.
THE LITTLE MERMAID - ARIEL'S BEGINNING (77 mins.,
2008, G; Disney): Enjoyable prequel to the 1989 Disney classic profiles
everyone's favorite mermaid as she attempts to spread the joy of music
to the underwater world of Atlantica. Jodi Benson and Samuel E. Wright
are back to reprieve their vocal work as Ariel and Sebastian, respectively,
in this well-animated, amusing direct-to-vid production that's basically
along the lines of "Bambi II," making it one of the better Disney small-screen
efforts. Disney's DVD, out on August 26, includes a 16:9 (1.78) transfer
with DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound offerings, plus deleted scenes, featurettes
on the production of both this and the Broadway musical, games for kids
and more.
CHEERS: Season 10 (10 hrs., 1991-92; CBS/Paramount):
The next-to-last season for the long-running NBC series hits DVD shortly
in another fine box-set from Paramount, once again utilizing uncut broadcast
versions that look exceptional in their remastered full-screen transfers
and stereo soundtracks. By this point "Cheers" was starting to show its
age just a bit, though some gems do sprinkle the collection, which is comprised
of 25 10th season episodes: "Baby Walk, "Get Your Kicks On Route 666,"
"Madame LaCarla," "The Norm Who Came to Dinner," "Ma's Little Maggie,"
"Unplanned Parenthood," "Bar Wars V," "Where Have all the Floorboards Gone?,"
"Head Over Hill," "A Fine French Whine," "I'm OK, You're Defective," "Go
Make," "Don't Shoot...I'm Only the Psychiatrist," "No Rest for the Woody,"
"My Son, The Father," "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't," "A Diminished Rebecca
With a Suspended Cliff," "License to Hill," "Rich Man, Wood Man," "Smotherly
Love," "Take Me Out of the Ball Game," "Rebecca's Lover...Not," "Bar Wars
VI," "Heeeere's...Cliffy!," and the two-part season finale, "An Old Fashioned
Wedding."
HAUNTED HISTORIES COLLECTION (6 hours, 2008; History
Channel/Newvideo): Excellent compilation of five History Channel documentaries
for enthusiasts of spooky horrors includes "Haunted Houses" and "More Haunted
Houses: Tortured Souls and Restless Spirits," focusing on supposed real-life
haunts; "Zombies" as well as "Voodoo Rituals"; and "In Search of the Real
Frankenstein," which uses Mary Shelly's original classic novel as a springboard
into scientific studies of bringing the dead...back to life! Transfers
and soundtracks are all on-par with their original broadcast versions,
making for a pleasing release for all "pretend" ghosts and goblins as we
near Halloween.
DC COMICS SUPER HEROES: THE FILMATION COLLECTION
(126 mins., Warner): Warner already issued superb DVDs from the '60s Filmation
adventures of Superman and Aquaman, though the studio trimmed some of the
"smaller" self-contained stories starring a few of the smaller names in
the DC canon in the process. The good news for fans is that those shorts
have all been compiled into one handy double-disc set, "DC Super Heroes:
The Filmation Collection," offering 18 cartoons with the Justice League,
the Teen Titans, Green Lantern, The Flash, Hawkman and the Atom. The animation
isn't spectacular but it's sturdy, colorful stuff of the old-fashioned
comic book variety, and fans will love seeing these cartoons restored to
their remastered glory at long last. Colorful packaging, meanwhile, is
complemented by a profile of Filmation genius Lou Scheimer. Highly recommended!
NEXT TIME: THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM and More! Until
then, don't forget to check out my site, www.andyfilm.com,
to discuss the latest films on our Message
Board,, and check out the Aisle
Seat Blog. We can be reached via email at to mailbag@theaisleseat.com.
Cheers everyone!
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