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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
DECEMBER 2008 DVD Selections
Beethoven’s Big Break
Living with a menagerie of animals that includes a loveable lizard, plenty of birds, a donkey, raccoon, skunk, and many more critters, young Billy (Moisas Arias) yearns for a dog, and when he finds one big friendly pooch he brings him home. Because the dog loves classical music, he names him, obviously, Beethoven. Billy’s father is a movie animal trainer and Beethoven inadvertently becomes the star of the show. Quiet on the set, Beethoven’s ready for his close-up. It’s lights. Camera. And a lot of action. This St. Bernard will steal your heart – again – just like he steals the hearts of everyone on the movie set. Slobber and all.This is a wonderful addition to the movie franchise. The loveable dog is a delight, whether he’s behaving or not. There are plenty of fun scenes with Beethoven and his three little puppies (oops, did I forget to mention them?), and don’t forget the adorable lizard named Pete. Animal lovers young and old will adore this film, and especially the cuddly canine. It’s a fun treat for the whole family.Lights. Camera. And plenty of slobbering, frolicking canine action.
Burn After Reading
This slap-stick style spy story has an all-star cast. George Clooney and Brad Pitt get entangled in a strange story involving the CIA, married lovers, workers at a gym, divorce attorneys and a lost disc containing some personal files from a former CIA analyst. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but the cast is phenomenal, including Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, and Tilda Swinton. When two workers at a D.C. area gym come across a lost disc, they think it’s their ticket to big bucks as they try to sell it back to the owner. When that doesn’t work they take it to the Russian embassy. Along the way they get entangled in a string of strange mishaps and involved in two messy divorces. The actors are cute and there are some funny scenes, but it’s corny, to put it mildly.
Casablanca – Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Some films live on long after they’re off the screen. Casablanca is one such film. It is a classic that has become part of pop culture by way of some memorable lines, or paraphrases of those lines. “Play it again, Sam” (although this is not the exact quote), “Here’s looking at you, kid,” “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.,” “Round up the usual suspects,” “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” and “We’ll always have Paris,” are all phrases in our pop culture, and all were from Casablanca.
This Ultimate Collector’s Edition not only contains the memorable film, but there are tons of extra goodies, including a photo book, reproduction cards, a letter of passage from Casablanca and a special passport holder and luggage tag, for all you humongous fans. A special disc looks at the life of movie mogul Jack Warner. Another bonus disc includes a look back at the film through the eyes of Pia Lindstrom (Ingrid Bergman’s daughter) and Stephen Bogart (Humphrey’ son) in which he states that this particular movie “still keeps my father alive.” Lauren Bacall also remembers the life and career of Humphrey Bogart. There are also many more extra features.
This edition comes in a box with a beautiful cover, and is perfect for the holiday gift-giving season. This is the Ultimate Collector’s Edition – with the emphasis on “ultimate,” and it is really a thorough look at the film, the stars, and the story.
Curious George Leade the Gband, and Other Musical Mayhem
Eight episodes from the PBS series starring that loveable monkey combine to make this a fun DVD. Not only does he get to lead the band, George has other exciting adventures. One time he and the man in the yellow hat take care of a farm for a day. Who can get into trouble in only one day? George. Although he loves the animals, especially his friend Mike the pig, George has a hard time trying to milk the cow and keep track of the chickens, not to mention taking the tractor out for a spin. Bonus features include a fun interactive game and printable coloring pages. This is a fun and educational DVD for youngsters – and oldsters who just adore the cute and curious George.
Elephant Tales
Zef and Tutu, two teenage elephants, take off on an adventure to find a new family after their mother is killed by hunters. Along the way they meet a chimpanzee, giraffe, and a lion cub who all join forces on the trek for families. All the while, they must stay away from “the badness,” aka humans. But what they eventually discover is that not all humans are bad. The scenery is spectacular as the animals travel through the emptiness of Africa. This is not an animated film. The animals are real, just the voices are added. Take note: it’s a little sad, as the animals have all lost their mothers, but they are cute to watch and in the end they find a new family. If your kids enjoy animals, this is a nice film.
Jake and the Fatman – Season 1 Volume 2
Joe Penney plays Jake Styles, an investigator for the L.A. District Attorney J.L. McCabe (William Conrad). Together they solve crimes with flair. Jake is a suave, smart, and sexy cop while McCabe is a big, burly, brusque D.A. But they make a great team in this ‘80s series. The scene stealer is McCabe’s bulldog Max, who bears an uncanny resemblance in appearance and demeanor to his owner. In one episode, a “kidnapped” victim even eludes to the fact that Max looks just like the D.A. But in the end it is Jake and McCabe who uncover that the young girl planned her own kidnapping. This pair wowed audiences twenty years ago, and they still have a certain charm today.
The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea Special Edition
This Special Edition is available with some fun bonus features. First, the movie focuses n Ariel’s daughter Melody, who has grown up on the land because Ursula’s evil sister Morgana would like to kidnap the girl for her own evil plot. But Melody secretly enjoys the ocean, and one day Morgana tells the girl she will turn her into mermaid, something Melody would love to be, but only if the girl brings her King Triton’s trident. All of the memorable characters from Ariel’s life return in this adorable sequel. Along with the film, the bonus features include music videos and a brand new underwater challenge game. And as Little Mermaid fans know, everything is beautiful Under the Sea.
Mamma Mia
Donna (Meryl Streep) has been raising her daughter alone on a small Greek island. Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) doesn’t know who her father is, so when she discovers her mother’s old diary, she realizes her mother had three lovers at the time she was conceived. Sophie decides to secretly invite all three men to her wedding thinking that once she meets them she will instantly know which one is her father. But when the three arrive she cannot figure out which one it is. The men are delightfully played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard. Donna’s two best friends have their hands full keeping everything running smoothly while keeping Donna sane after she realizes her three former lovers are on the island. She has not seen any of them for 20 years so their arrival throws her for a loop. In the meantime Sophie is having a crisis of her own trying to sort out the three potential fathers. The movie is based on the Broadway play featuring songs from the group ABBA.
The 2-disc special edition contains a slew of bonus features, including deleted scenes, a feature on creating the story from the ABBA songs, a feature on the cast about which the producer says they “so lucked out” because they had to not only act but sing and dance as well, a look at how the ABBA members came together to record the songs and how they worked with the actors/singers, on location in Greece (they actually used two islands for the location scenes), creating the sets, working with the people of Greece, and a whole lot more.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy return to Narnia to find a different land than the one they left a year ago. In Narnia time it’s been over 1300 years, and everyone they knew is gone. Even Aslan. The magical inhabitants of Narnia are almost extinct, and the Telmarines are in control. The Telmarines are human, and all they know about the Narnians come from legends and folklore. The Narnians have been secretly living in the forest. Prince Caspian, the rightful heir to the Telmarine throne finds his life in danger and flees the land only to encounter the Narnians. It is then he unwittingly summons the four siblings back to Narnia. With their help, and the help of the magical creatures of Narnia, he can regain his power and bring peace to the two lands, which have been fighting ever since the Telmarines discovered the Narnians while searching for the missing prince. But how can they defeat the Telmarines without the help of Aslan? Lucy is the only one who believes the mighty lion is still alive, and her faith is what can save the Narnians
This 3-disc Collector’s Edition set includes a Digital copy which allows you the opportunity to transfer the movie onto your PC or Mac. And the bonus disc includes tons of extra features besides bloopers and deleted scenes. There’s a look at how nature is the force which actually saves Narnia and how working with nature is important, in Narnia as well as today. There’s also a cool look at Pre-Visualization (Pre-Vis), which is more intricate than storyboards. It is actually putting the movie on a computer in 3-D animation before it is filmed, kind of like looking at a computer game. It’s an interesting process. My favorite bonus is a look at Bovec, Slovenia where the inspiration for the beauty of Narnia came from. It is really an incredibly scenic place, and bringing a big movie like Prince Caspian to this small town was a huge event for the town and the people. The magic of Narnia in all its glory is explored in the bonus features.
 
Gunsmoke Season 3 Volume 1 and Rawhide Season 3 Volume 2
Fans of the classic westerns will rejoice with these two new DVDs. Gunsmoke, which aired from 1955-1975 starred James Arness as Marshall Dillon who kept the law in Dodge City. With his cool head and bravery, this character is an icon in TV history. The show also starred Amanda Blake and Dennis Weaver. Season 3 aired from 1957-1958. Rawhide aired from 1959-1966 and starred a very young Clint Eastwood in this show about cattle drivers and all they encounter along their route. Season 3 aired from 1960-1961. There’s no denying these are classic TV shows and classic westerns. Yee haw!
© 2008 Francine Brokaw
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