One of the most financially and critically successful films of the year, Up is a surefire must-see if there ever was one. Sure, it’s animated, but it’s a Pixar film, which means that it’s good. It’s really good. In fact, after a couple of great movies that skewed toward slightly older audiences (Wall-E, Ratatouille), Disney-Pixar has returned with a movie that blends classic animated adventure and heartfelt sincerity. The movie is also one of their funniest to date. Surprised? No, I didn’t think so.

This review covers the four-disc Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack that Disney sells, and it has a lot of great features to feast your eyes on, though not so many that they’re overwhelming. Disc 1, aside from the feature film, does not start off on a good note, however, as I immediately gravitated to a made-for-this-release short called Dug’s Special Mission. The short is easily the lamest and worst animated short I’ve ever seen Pixar make. It’s terrible. Thankfully, the hilarious short that played with the movie in theaters – Partly Cloudy – wipes the foul taste away.

The other features on disc one include Cine-Explore, an informative making-of documentary that has some of the crew, including the directors, venturing into Venezuela, and The Many Endings of Muntz, which looks at other ways the filmmakers planned to end the villain’s story. Cine-Explore is pretty entertaining for two reasons: 1) we get to see the unique mountains that serve as a setting for the movie, and 2) we get to see the crew freak out about their interaction with nature, which apparently is foreign to them. I’m sure a 3,000-foot climb could be grueling, but the crew consistently acts like they’re at the edge of death and were being forced to climb Mt. Everest and live through horrific rainstorms. Clearly they’d never stepped foot outside of LA before, because what is shown on camera does not look that harrowing. Still, I’m jealous of the awesome places they went. As for the various endings of Muntz, it’s good they went with the ending that’s in the film, but it’s interesting to see the other, less tragic endings they considered.

The second disc includes a badge game that I didn’t play, a feature on Married Life, which shows an alternate/expanded view of Carl and Elle’s relationship (including a rather odd punching montage) and eight documentaries that focus on various aspects of the film. The documentaries are all pretty interesting as we get to see the voice behind Russell and how the directors evoked a strong, believable performance out of him, as well as inspirations for different parts of the story. The documentaries are great to watch as they aren’t at all promotional in nature; the only downside was I couldn’t figure out a way to play them all in sequence versus manually selecting each one.

There are a few other standard features included on the discs, including trailers, et cetera.

The Up four-disc Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack is an excellent choice this holiday season for two reasons: 1) the movie is one of the best of the year, and 2) the special features are interesting.

They just keep getting better and better, don’t they?

Of all the Pixar movies aside from Cars, Monsters, Inc. has, for some reason, been one of my least favorites, but unlike Cars, which I hated, it is still pretty good; It just didn’t grab me like their other films have. I have yet to re-watch it, but I did peruse the tons of bonus features included in this four-disc pack (two Blu-Rays, the DVD and a digital copy) and am now looking forward to giving it a second chance.

The Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Combo pack begins the show with two new bonus features, one that looks at Monsters, Inc.: The Ride and another featuring a round table discussion with the movie’s creators. Disney has put a ton of money into making a massive “Monstropolis” ride in Tokyo Disneyland, and the featurette explores the creation of the environment and the experience. While there’s clearly some promotion going on here (the ride looks like a variant to the Roger Rabbit ride, albeit on a grander scale), the featurette does a good job of providing some interesting tidbits.

The round table is the best featurette on the disc, as we get to hear the four head creators of the movie discuss the film several years after its release. They recall some interesting stories, reflect on some particular decisions and bring up the chimp they brought in just to be funny for the original DVD bonus features (”Some applicants said they wanted to work at Pixar because they had a ‘monkey’”). Furthermore, they discuss the implications of 9/11 on the film (one scene had to be changed) and their concerns about whether anyone would want to go to the movies amidst war and anthrax scares. The entire discussion is very interesting.

The first disc also includes an audio commentary as well as some bonus features included on the original DVD, such as the two animated shorts For the Birds and Mike’s New Car.

The second Blu-Ray disc includes a 100-Door Challenge Game, which apparently is a “hundred” games according to the director’s intro, a Pixar Fun Factory Tour, which shows the office spaces of some of the employees at Pixar (Steve Job’s office looks very spartan and clean compared to everyone else’s, such as the guy who had a miniature door that led to a secret room called the “Love Room” or something like that, and a collection of banished concepts, which is basically a bunch of “deleted” storyboards. A lot of the other featurettes include a fair amount of storyboard action (you can watch parts of the film timed to the original storyboards), but it gets tiring watching the crude animation after a while. There are a bunch of other little featurettes scattered throughout, some better than others but generally unremarkable.

If you already own Monsters, Inc. on DVD, investing in this new collection doesn’t make sense, but the Blu-Ray version could certainly make for a good stocking stuffer for those who don’t. The bonus features are a mixed bag – the best by far is the round table discussion – so I wouldn’t spend a lot of time on the second disc.

1. Sacha Boren Cohen has started his own production company to do two more films, but they won’t be in the style of Borat and Bruno. After Bruno, all I can say is “thank God.” His next movie will be Accidentes, a comedy where he plays a lawyer.
2. Dan Akroyd returns to a leading role! He’ll be voicing Yogi Bear, while Anna Faris will play a nature documentarian who tags along for the ride. Justin Timberlake is rumored to be in talks to voice Yogi’s pal Boo Boo.
3. J.J. Abrams continues to be busy. He’s in talks to direct the TV pilot Undercovers, his first TV directing job since he did the pilot for Lost. I’m sold.
4. Sam Worthington is out of The Tourist, about an Interpol agent, along with its director, and Johnny Depp and Alfonso Cuaron are in talks to replace the two. Angelina Jolie is still attached to co-star.
5. Steve Guttenberg seems overly enthusiastic about sequels to his 1980’s properties (I wonder why). He confirmed Three Men and a Bride is moving ahead, of which he said, “That’s going to be a smash. A smash hit.” He also said new sequels to Police Academy and Cocoon would be “surefire hits and I think they’re good for the world. They make the world a better place and that’s what it’s all about.” Um… yeah. Whatever you say, Mr. Guttenberg.
6. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will be co-hosting the 82nd Academy Awards. Baldwin… perfect choice.
7. Kevin Williamson said he’s hard at work writing the script for Scream 4, and said that while that movie will star the original cast members, he’ll also be introducing new cast members who could headline future Scream movies. Uh-oh.
8. I spoke too soon about Robert Zemeckis returning to live-action, dammit. The director who seems intent on ruining his career has announced that the “live” actors in the Roger Rabbit sequel will be filmed using his motion-capture technology and 3D, while the cartoons will remain two-dimensional. So now the whole bloody thing is going to be a creepy cartoon. Somebody slap this director now! Jesus f**king Christ.
9. All the major studios and some production houses are salivating after the announcement that the Terminator franchise, one of the few not owned by a big studio, is being put up for auction.
10. Comic book writer, responsible for creating the works that resulted in such film adaptations as Wanted and Kick-Ass, announced that he will be directing a superhero feature of his own. However, he refused to say what that film would be just yet.
11. If you don’t get enough destruction in next weekend’s blockbuster 2012, it was announced that Roland Emmerich and the film’s producer are working on a television series about the aftermath. Take one damn guess what it’ll be called.

View this The Men Who Stare at Goats movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

View this Ghosts of Girlfriends Past movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

• Robert Zemeckis announced that a script, by the original writers, is in the works for Roger Rabbit 2. Ironically, a movie that stars a cartoon may be his first movie in a long while to feature live-action actors.
• Eduardo Sanchez announced some troubling news: he is preparing to pitch a spec script to Lionsgate for a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Though he plans to ignore the disastrous second film, this still sounds like a desperate money play.
• John Rhys-Davies said he won’t be returning to The Hobbit as Gimli, which makes sense since Gimli isn’t in the book. He said he would like to return as an elf or another character, though.
• A production company has acquired the rights to remake Gattaca, which starred Ethan Hawke, as a futuristic police procedural on television.
• Anthony Hopkins will play Odin, father of Thor, in the upcoming Marvel action film.
• Tropic Thunder screenwriter Etan Cohen has been hired to write Men in Black 3.
• Mad Max 4: Fury Road is moving ahead with Tom Hardy in the role once played by Mel Gibson. Charlize Theron will co-star.
• With a bunch of other projects in the pipe, J.J. Abrams will unfortunately not direct Mission: Impossible IV. He will produce the project, however, and said that the story will not be a reboot.
• Producer Stephen L’Hereux said that the long-rumored Sin City 2 may finally go to cameras in the second half of 2010, to be directed by both Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.
• It looks like a Monsters vs. Aliens sequel won’t e happening, due to lackluster international reception. Other than being in 3D, the movie really wasn’t that good.
• Director Peter Berg has dropped out of doing Dune, and rumors put Neil Marshall or Neill Blomkamp as possible replacements.
• Shortly after announcing that Matt Damon and Josh Brolin would star in the Coen brothers remake of True Grit, the famed directors stated that the movie would follow the novel more closely, bringing to life some of the humor that “was lost in the original.”
• Joe Wright will direct Kiera Knightley in a remake of My Fair Lady.
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The direct-to-DVD movie is a blend of footage from the show and newly shot scenes, providing a more detailed look at how the Cylons planned their attack and infiltrated the human race. After “the plan” didn’t quite go the way they expected (the human race wiped out in one deafening boom), merciless Brother Cavil, on board the Galactica, conspires with his fellow Cylons to take down the ship and everyone on board. But as time passes, his brethren begin to second guess their mission.

As intriguing as the premise is, it unfortunately suffers from a lack of strong narrative and the look and feel of a “best of” repeat show. The Plan, directed by Commander Adama himself, Edward James Olmos, is a valiant attempt to add more to the BSG mythology, but in reality it’s not much more than a money grab for the SyFy Channel. The intent of this picture was, presumably, to tell an untold story and piece together the facts, but in reality it does little to expand upon what we already know. There are a few interesting tidbits to be found, but ultimately the show itself did a perfectly good job of showing the human side of the Cylons and their planning and prodding; it’s not as if The Plan presents anything new.

In fact, I was expecting – even hoping – that Battlestar Galactica: The Plan would exclusively focus on the events leading up to the initial attack on the colonies. To see their infiltration and preparation would have presented a unique view into the BSG world; instead, we’re given a rehash of events with some extra stuff thrown in for good measure. Even the biggest BSGdiehards – and I’m one myself – will be wishing for the end long before it comes.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan presents some new material, but the fact that it attempts to shove several seasons worth of the show into two hours makes it impossible to escape the feeling that it’s just a recap episode. Its narration is at times clunky and uneven, the end product a disappointment. This is not the way BSG should be retired.

I’m also giving away a copy of the movie, but the contest ends on Halloween!

I’ve never understood why the Ice Age movies have been so popular; the three films made so far have made nearly two billion dollars worldwide, not counting DVD and merchandise sales. The first one was boring and the second, while better, was still lackluster. The third film, unfortunately, is the weakest of the three.

In Dawn of the Dinosaurs, idiot sloth Sid (John Leguizamo) discovers three dinosaur eggs and begins to raise the little T-Rexes as his own. He also stumbles across a lost world full of big dinosaurs and other dangerous creatures and vegetation, forcing his pals Diego (Denis Leary), Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) to venture into this world to save him. Allegedly hilarious situations ensue.

The problem is: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs isn’t funny. The previous movies, while dull at times, offered up some glimpses of hilarity; in this movie, there are a lot of goofy situations, but few if any evoke any kind of laughter or enthusiasm. The best stuff – involving Scrat, of course – was shown in the previews, leaving a bunch of cluttered scenes for your viewing pleasure.

Though plot has never been all that important to these films, Dawn of the Dinosaurs seems to completely throw any semblance of such to the wind. The movie is just a collection of random situations that the characters have to get themselves out of, which are perfectly fine for five year-olds but painful for everyone else. The movie never lets up, but after a while it gets tiring; as confirmed in the bonus features, the crew basically sat down and attempted to come up with as many zany situations as possible… the screenplay itself is rarely mentioned.

Unfortunately, the visuals are also starting to look extremely subpar to the stuff that DreamWorks and Pixar are pumping out. Not only does Ice Age 3 struggle to entertain, it struggles to even look pretty.

There are few redeeming qualities about Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur. It certainly has plenty of adventure, but it is bland adventure at best. Little kids should have a blast with all of the random obstacles the characters face, but everyone needing more than a few goofy moments will be pulling their hair out. I wish I could say that this will be the last Ice Age movie, but we all know different: 20th Century Fox has no incentive to change its formula anytime soon.

The two-disc DVD set that I reviewed included a director’s commentary, additional movie trailers and lots and lots of relatively uninteresting bonus features surrounding Scrat, including two short films, the creation of Scrat, the creation of Scratte and more. Other bonus features include some behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, primarily the visual effects people. There’s not a lot of meat to bite down on here, and very little stuff for the kids alone.

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Amelia is perfectly watchable, with pretty visuals and strong acting. The casting director certainly can’t be blamed. Swank has always walked that fine line between having attractive features and boyish looks, and epitomizes the tomboy qualities of the title character. Swank, one of the best actresses working today, delivers an excellent performance as she immerses herself in the character as best she can. The supporting cast, which includes Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston, also are quite good. Gere, as Earheart’s husband George Putnam, fits the part well; neither McGregor nor Eccleston get a lot of time to flesh out their roles.

That’s the problem in general, however. Amelia barely scratches the surface in terms of character development; as hard as Swank and Gere try, their characters seem woefully plain. Though the picture revolves around Earhart’s various accomplishments, most notably her flights across the Atlantic and eventually the doomed attempt to circle the globe (spoiler alert: she dies), it is driven by her unique relationship with her husband. And yet, Nair and screenwriters Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan never appropriately explain what draws the two to one another, or why Earhart decides to marry him. Later, when she cheats on him, her motivations are never explained, and the film completely glosses over the reasons why Putnam takes her back. All of these elements are necessary to explore what makes Earhart and Putnam tick, and yet none of them are tackled in Amelia. The result: a very standard and at times dull movie that tells us what Earhart did but not why she did them. And I don’t buy into the explanation given early on: “Because I want to.”

Despite these major flaws, Amelia is perfectly watchable. Nair offers up fine visuals and scenery, full of scenic views of various parts of the world. Swank’s performance smoothes over some of the script’s shortfalls, and if she weren’t in such a so-so movie would probably have a shot at an Oscar nomination. The film does kick into gear at the end, where things settle down and focus on the final hours of the pilot and her navigator.

Still, if Nair is scratching her head as to why critics and audiences aren’t responding to her latest film, she may want to watch The Aviator. The movies have a lot in common, including a colorful, determined character interested in aviation who wouldn’t let anything stand in his or her way; a story that spans a number of years; a period setting; and many other attributes. And yet, the two are worlds apart in execution. In The Aviator, there is an emotional investment in the characters and the story, and a dynamic layer that drives the film beyond the historical facts. Amelia lacks those things, and that’s why the film never excels.

Amelia has its moments, and it goes out on a strong note, but aside from Swank’s performance, the movie could have just as easily been a good television biopic. At the theatrical, Oscar-worthy level, however, Amelia just can’t compete.

View this Amelia movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!