Blu-Ray/DVD Review: 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'

It seemed to come and go at theaters earlier this year, but Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is now on Blu-ray and DVD and truly is a fun film, loaded with creative effects, but also grounded in a story that bodes well for not just a sequel, but perhaps a francise of several movies. 

Very  (very) loosely based on the same-named segment in Disney’s classic Fantasia, the movie spans a millennia though most of the setting is modern-day New York, though with arcane touches right of Dr. Strange comics and the like.  

Nicholas Cage as Balthazar Blake is a one-time disciple of none other than Merlin, while Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel from Fanboys, Tropic Thunder)  is, but of course, the one he's been seeking for centuries. And he becomes the apprentice.  Alfred Molina relishes his role at bad guy wizard Maxim Horvath. Add Teresa Palmer and Monica Bellucci as love interests for each hero, and a creepy Alice Krige (The Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact) and you have a solid cast,  well-guided by director John Turteltaub, though Cage is the real anchor here.

And the magic through movie magic?  It’s quite stellar and also different from say, the land of Potter, with links to science, including a big nod to the work and creatins of Nikola Telsa. Everything looks best on Blu-ray, though the DVD is quite vivid as well. And yes, the Fantasia scene is there, cleverly done, with the music of Paul Dukas, which all was inspired by a 1797 poem by Goethe. 

For those who enjoy behind-the-scenes material, the documentaries provide much insight as fascinating looks at how it all came to together, especially the special effects.   

So this is another score for Jerry Bruckheimer and family-friendly all the way, too, with only a few harrowing moments for the littlest ones, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is watchable and winning and would make a nice little holiday gift in any format. Print up a limited time discount coupon here. 

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. 

Blu-ray/DVD Review: 'Prince of Persia' - A Fun Fantasy Romp

Adapted from the video game series, Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time seemed to come and go at theaters. Many critics drubbed it (way unjustly) and the film also was slammed because Arabic actors were not cast in some of the lead roles. While that outcry was understandable, we're not going to debate that here. And it does not mean the film was bad. Far from it.

This is an engaging romp, a fine fantasy adventure, starring Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain), Sir Ben Kingsley (Gandhi), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2, The Da Vinci Code) and Gemma Arterton (Clash of the Titans, Quantum of Solace). It's a tale of princes, brothers and betrayals, with legends, magic, a mystical weapon, time travel and, hey, ostrich races with betting. 

There are those who not only questioned Gyllenhaal as a Persian hero, but as an action hero period. Nonsense. Remember the talk at first of Brendan Fraser in The Mummy? Same thing here. Gyllenhaal and Arterton plumb some bickering chemistry, Kingsley channels Ming the Merciless (from Flash Gordon serials - the great Charles Middleton) a bit and Molina is a delight as a huckster who's not quite a selfish as he seems.  Plus the story takes enough twists and turns to merit a sequel drawing from the other "Prince of Persia" video games.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, National Treasure series) and stylishy directed with a fast pace by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" looks dazzling on Blu-ray and mighty solid on DVD as well.  

The Blu-ray bonus features include “Sands of Time," which gives viewers control over the control of the "Dagger of Time" to go behind the scenes in more than 40 different segments, along with various featurettes, including "An Unseen World: Making Prince of Persia," which is also on the DVD. 

Sure, this is a popcorn movie. But there's nothing wrong with that. And Prince of Persia is just right for a family or friends movie night.