DVD/Blu-ray Reviews: Scott Pilgrim, Sound of Music, A Christmas Carol

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Universal
Blu-ray and DVD


While Scott Pilgrim is not the "game changer" that Rolling Stone claimed it is, this is still a clever, fun film. The action sequences play out like a video game (as does a variation on the Universal Pictures opening) contrasted by other segments that are somewhat like an indie film albeit with plenty of quirks.  Having yet to read the comics it was based on by Bryan Lee O'Malley, I can't say if it's a faithful adaptation, but it is a hoot, as an indie rock bassist (Michael Cera, doing his standard bewildered clueless slackeresque guy thing) must battle the "evil exes" of the girl of his dreams (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).  This isn't a super-hero film, far from it, though the exes and Scott , it turns out, all have super-powers of some kind. Those parts are surely absurd and ridiculous, but nonetheless sheer entertainment with slugfests of mayhem and references ranging from Bollywood to The Matrix movies to a slew of vid games. The final resolution and attempt at some depth - as the characters are pretty shallow people or caricatures overall, truth be told - doesn't quite work. But that doesn't make Scott Pilgrim a less-enjoyable wacky ride.  Both the DVD and especially the Blu-ray are chock full of extras, from commentaries and alternate footage to a making-of documentary about how it all came together, a music featurette and music videos, plus pre-production footage, too.   One thing's for sure, the movie does beam with an earnest sense of hope and that can't really be said of this year's earlier, far  more violent and cynical Kick-Ass. 



The Sound of Music
45th Anniversary Editions
Twentieth Century Fox
Blu-ray and DVD


Along with Mary Poppins, which of course, also starred Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music defines family film, even some 45 years after its initial release.  Adapting the story of the Von Trapp Family Singers, this film version by director Robert Wise  of the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein (in fact, their final work together, as Hammerstain died from cancer nine months after the Broadway premiere, so he didn't live to see the movie) remains beloved around the world. And for good reasons.  There are those songs:  The title number, "My Favorite Things," "Do Re Mi," "The Lonely Goatherd" among them, so magical and yes, innocent with delight.  Then there's the acting: Andrews shines as Maria, who leaves the nuns in the Abbey where she was raised to become the governess for the Von Trap children and falls in love with their seemingly stern Austrian Navy Captain father, Christopher Plummer, who falls in love with her as well. And there's the backdrop of the Nazis in Austria and that threat. A few may cry "hokey," but then, they really have no heart. The film looks gorgeous in Blu-ray and it still charms, once again.  Special features include a Music Machine Sing-Along, a viewing version with on-screen lyrics and trivia, commentaries with Andrews, Plummer and Wise. The Blu-ray includes a virtual map of the filming locations, screen tests and featurettes about the stage show, film and restoration. In addition to the Blu-ray/DVD Combo and individual format releases, there's a grand  Limited Edition Collector's Set. But any version is a wonderful family holiday gift this season. 


A Christmas Carol
Disney
Blu-ray and DVD


Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol will be presented again and again in films, on television and on-stage because its story resonates for every generation as a tale of a greedy, self-centered man discovering what it truly means to bring hope and joy into the lives of others. This CGI animated version by Robert Zemeckis with Jim Carrey as not just Scrooge but many of the other characters, has its moments, but tries to hard at times (one can't see it joining  the holiday classic ranks like Zemeckis' Polar Express). Still, as with much animation, it looks stunning in Blu-ray, though the DVD is fine as well.  Carrey's a bit too hammy a Scrooge, though the performances - and they are really are that, not just voice acting, thanks to the technique of motion capture - of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn and Cary Elwes are quite good. A behind the scenes feature explores the process, plus there are deleted scenes and a look at the challenges of bringing something new to the holiday story that's still sums it up with lines from the chain oppressed ghost of miser Jacob Marley as written by Dickens: "Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" There's a lesson there for plenty of ranting  political pundits on TV and radio and politicians and executives all over this country - and around the globe.