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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
September 2007 DVD Selections
Blue Smoke
When Reena (Alicia Witt) witnesses her family’s restaurant burning down, she discovers she has an attraction for fire. Not in the sense of actually starting fires, but tracing them back to their roots. And at the time she discloses the fact that her father had an argument with the father of a boy who attacked her earlier. The man was subsequently arrested and served time for the arson. Now, years later Reena realizes her dream of being an arson investigator and teams up with the investigator who was assigned to her family’s restaurant fire all those years before. But things start happening that take a toll on her. When she discovers that all her former boyfriends’ deaths might not have been accidents, the pieces begin to fit together. Someone is out to get her, or at least those close to her. This edge-of-your-seat thriller is based on the popular novel by Nora Roberts and brings all the intensity of her characters to the screen.
Carolina Moon
When she was a young girl, Tory Bodeen’s best friend Hope was murdered and the town’s people thought it might be Tory’s father who killed the little girl. Tory (Claire Forlani) has the ability to see things. This ESP leads investigators right to the dead girl, which causes everyone to wonder how she knew the location if she wasn’t there herself. It had to have been her father. Now that several years have passed and she is a grown woman, Tory returns to her home town to try to put to rest the psychic visions that have been haunting her her entire life. But what she discovers is not peace of mind. Rather it is more distress, as more murders begin and Tory’s visions become clearer. With the help and support of her childhood friend and Hope’s brother Cade Lavelle (Oliver Hudson), she discovers that Hope’s murderer was not her father after all. Rather it was someone who had hoped to get both girls and now that Tory is back he intends to finish what he started all those years ago. Jacqueline Bisset appears as Mrs. Lavelle and Josie Davis is Faith Lavelle, Hope’s sister who realizes that her mother’s life has been mired in the past and her sister’s death. This is an interesting murder mystery from novelist Nora Roberts.
Casper Meets Wendy – Family Fun Edition
This fun film introduced Hilary Duff to movie audiences. A very young Hilary plays Wendy, a nice witch. When the evil warlock Desmond Spellman (George Hamilton) learns Wendy is more powerful than he is, he decides to do away with her. Wendy and her three aunts hide out in a sleepy little resort, which just happens to be where Casper and his uncles are vacationing. Casper and Wendy are both lonely and treated unfairly by their relatives, and once they meet they form a lasting friendship even though Casper has been told that witches are evil and Wendy grew up thinking ghosts are scary. Both Casper and Wendy are beloved comic characters that have entertained generations of fans. This DVD includes a discussion with young Hilary about her first major role, some inside information about witches and ghosts, some recipes for kids to make with their parents for things like goo and edible eyeballs, and two interactive games. This is a bewitching –and fun - movie.
Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams
Every little girl dreams of being a princess and the Disney princesses are some of their most popular characters. Now this new movie features Aladdin’s Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora in an enchanting story that begins in Aurora’s castle before going to Agrabah where Jasmine lives. These beloved princesses learn that believing in themselves and following their dreams is what is most important. There are new songs in these tales, and a music video is included on the DVD along with two fun games. First viewers get to help Aurora dress up for the royal banquet. What little girl doesn’t love to play dress up? With everything available to Aurora, this is especially fun. The second game takes viewers along on a magic carpet ride with Jasmine as she searches for the missing horse, Sahara. Follow the clues to help the princess find Sahara.
Flashdance – Special Collector’s Edition
This story of a welder (Jennifer Beals) who falls in love with the owner of the construction company (Michael Nouri) was a break out hit in 1983 when it was produced. Beals plays Alex, the tough welder by day who is an exotic dancer by night and has memorable dancing scenes, including one in which she is drenched by water. Alex spends her spare time dancing up a storm and has dreams of attending a prestigious dance school. But her kind of dancing is not what they are used to. She has to get the courage to audition and prove she has what it takes to become a great dancer. The song Flashdance – What a Feeling, won the Academy Award that year. This 2-disc special edition DVD contains a music CD of 6 tracks from the film, including the title song and the other hit from the film, Maniac. Other bonus features include a history of the film, the look of the film, the music and choreography. Not only did this film ignite the dancer in many people, it also started a fashion craze of torn sweat shirts.
Griffin & Phoenix
Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet star in this remake of the popular 1976 TV film which starred Peter Falk and Jill Clayburgh. In this adaptation, Mulroney is Griffin, a divorced father of two who discovers he has a chest full of cancer. While attending a class on death and dying, he meets Sarah Phoenix (Peet), who is also suffering from terminal cancer. Neither knows about the other’s fate, but their attraction is strong and they soon find themselves in love and enjoying their time together. They do things that they have always wanted to do – like jumping a freight train and parasailing. Well, at least they try to do these things. Let’s face it. Even if you’re dying you don’t want to push up the end by doing something stupid, and in some cases, even a dangerous activity is too dangerous, even for them. But they find that the time they share is precious. This love story is sad, indeed, but it is also enjoyable to watch. Neither of these people has much time left but they want to share whatever time they have. And when they discover the truth about the other, it makes their time together that much more meaningful. This poignant story is about love, life, and priorities. Yes, it is a tear-jerker, but it is also filled with love and energy.
Knocked Up
Alison (Katherine Heigl) is a beautiful, young, career woman who is enjoying her life. She just got a promotion to be an on-air reporter for the E! Television network. To celebrate she and her sister go out on the town. Alison meets Ben (Seth Rogen) and they have a fling. But they end up with more than just memories of that night. Alison discovers she is pregnant and soon the two are trying to make a go of a relationship. The thing is they are completely different kinds of people. Ben is a sophomoric man with no real responsibilities. Alison is a dedicated woman with her eyes on the future. How can these two people make a go of it? They soon discover that they actually do like each other, despite their circumstance, and their journey from one-night-stand to parenthood is filled with comedy. The DVD contains a funny gag reel and more bonu6s features.
 
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast
Two new DVDs featuring the adorable little red-head Maggie are now available for fans of her NOGGIN TV show. The discs include several adventures with five-year-old Maggie and her fun friends - The Ferocious Beast and Hamilton the pig. This sweet little girl has a great imagination and all kinds of fun. She adores her stuffed animals (Hamilton and the Beast) and conjures up all kinds of adventured for them to enjoy together. “Somewhere in Nowhere Land” and “Trick or Treat” are two DVDs that youngsters will enjoy over and over again. Maggie is a loveable character young kids have taken to their heart, and these discs will be beloved by the kids – and their parents, who can feel comfortable letting their kids watch Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, not to mention Hamilton.
Next
What would you do if you discovered you could see two minutes into the future? For Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage), that is his lot in life. He has always been able to see into his future – two minutes. But when the FBI is on the hunt for a rogue nuclear weapon that is going to go off somewhere in the country, they enlist Cris’ help to get a jump, so to speak, on the terrorists and hopefully stop the disaster from occurring. Cris meets the woman of his dreams (Jessica Biel) and only wants to be with her. He does not want to be involved with the FBI, but when he sees that her life is also in danger, he has second thoughts. The lead agent (Julianne Moore) is on his side and they pool their talents to hunt down the terrorists. This film is a sci-fi adventure utilizing amazing special effects. The DVD contains some great bonus features about the effects and the film. Even though audiences might get a little confused about some of the scenes, they are interesting and filled with the great talent of Nicolas Cage.
Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Ninth Season
This popular sitcom lasted almost a decade. The final season, season nine, is now available in a four-disc box set which includes the 16 episodes as well as plenty of extra features for Raymond fans. There are hysterical bloopers and some deleted scenes as well as a fun and interesting behind-the-scenes retrospective with the cast and producers about making this Emmy Award-winning television show. Ray Romano starred in this series about a family man living across the street from his parents, which caused a lot of problems for his wife and was the source of so many funny scenes through the years. This show lives on in reruns and now all the episodes are available on DVD for fans of this adorable sitcom.
The Graduate
It’s been 40 years since this film first hit the screen. This two-disc anniversary edition contains the film as well as many bonus features. The movie starred Dustin Hoffman in his first starring role. Benjamin Braddock (Hoffman) returns home after graduating from college. There he is seduced by his parents’ friend Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) who seeks out comfort with the young boy. When her daughter Elaine (Katherine Ross) comes home, Benjamin is smitten by her. Then their friendship grows, to the chagrin of Mrs. Robinson. How can this young man make love to her and her daughter? It’s unacceptable. The movie is a true classic and has inspired several other stories, most recently the film “Rumor Has It.” Combined with memorable music by Simon and Garfunkle, this film continues to be among the most popular by movie fans. The DVD contains featurettes with Hoffman and others. The second disc contains several songs from the soundtrack. This 40th Anniversary edition will be cherished by fans of this enduring and still beloved film. Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson.
Saturday Night Fever - 30th Anniversary Special Collector’s Edition
Put on your dancing shoes and dust off the disco ball because John Travolta is back with a special edition of his hit movie that sparked a big craze around the world. With the dancing, music, and story of a group of tough young men, this film was an instant sensation. The bonus features include a spotlight on Travolta as well as a look inside the film and the phenomenon. This DVD is loaded with extras for all the fever fans.
Tweety’s High-Flying Adventure
When Granny makes a bet with the Colonel that Tweety can fly around the world in 80 days and outsmart 80 cat paw prints, the little canary is off on a big adventure. His perilous trip takes him around the globe to exotic and out of the way locations, and in every place the little fellow must collect 80 passport stamps as well as the paw prints. In the meantime, he is joined by some of his other friends – Bugs Bunny, Pepe Le Pew, Daffy Duck, Marcin the Martian, and the Tasmanian Devil make appearances in this high-skying adventure. And, along the way Tweety manages to find a new friend as well as the stolen royal passport. This tiny little yellow guy outwits all the puddy tats, and once again he puts one over on his pal Sylvester who always wants to make a meal out of the little guy. The film is fun and filled with all the loveable Looney Tunes characters we have all known throughout the years, especially cute little Tweety bird.
Two and a Half Men – Season 1
What do you get when you combine Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and a precocious Angus T. Jones? A funny sitcom that has captured the attention of viewers for several years. The first season is finally available on DVD and features a backstage tour with Angus as well as outtakes in a funny gag reel. All 24 episodes are included. The pilot episode set the stage for this series as free-living, womanizing Charlie Harper (Sheen) now has his newly-single brother Alan living with him as well as Alan’s pint-sized kid Jake sharing their house when Alan has visitation. The ensemble includes Holland Taylor as the boys’ domineering mother, Marin Hinkle as Alan’s soon-to-be ex-wife, and Melanie Lynskey as Rose, the neighbor who has an obsession with Charlie. Can these two brothers, along with the kid live together in harmony and form a loving family? This is truly a classic sitcom that will be enjoyed over and over again for years to come.
© 2007 Francine Brokaw
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