New ‘Star Trek’ movie in orbit
J.J. Abrams’ powerhouse “Star Trek” is out on Blu-ray and DVD, in time for holiday gift-giving.
This “Star Trek” — a prequel to the events chronicled over the past five decades — is a sensational popcorn movie: exciting, touching and fantastic. In terms of entertainment value, it is this year’s “The Dark Knight.”
Paramount Home Entertainment released the science fiction movie in several versions:
- A three-disc “Star Trek” Blu-ray
with a digital copy ($26.49 Amazon);
- A double-disc “Star Trek” DVD
with digital copy ($22.99 Amazon);
- and a single-disc “Star Trek” DVD
for those who just want the film. ($16.99 Amazon)
Any fan of the series or of just this movie will want the multidisc sets. Looks like they won’t be disappointed, as director Abrams has put together a state-of-the-art set of extra features.
The Blu-ray and DVD both have the essential bonus materials, but the high definition version goes boldly into interactive territory.
The main extra features are:
“A New Vision” featurette — Abrams’ tells how he gave the aging space exploration franchise new life by going back to the future — to the early days of Capt. Kirk, Spock and the rest of the gang.
Deleted scenes — With or without commentary, your choice. Titles include “Spock birth,” “Klingons take over Narada” and “Prison Interrogation and breakout.”
“To Boldly Go” featurette — We hear from Abrams’ collaborators, including the producers and writers.
Plus there’s a look at the aliens, the casting and some console game freebies for the major formats.
The Blu-ray edition of “Star Trek” includes:
“Gene Roddenberry’s Vision” — Director Abrams and longtime “Star Trek” actor Leonard Nimoy talk about the series originator, who died in 1991.
NASA news — A link to the space agency’s latest news, for those with Blu-ray players hooked up to the Internet.
Bonus content — Blu-ray viewers can choose to explore expanded materials while watching the extra features.
Plus, there’s an interactive breakdown model of the Starfleet ship, a discussion of the various spacecraft used in the 2009 “Star Trek” film and a visit to some of the real-world locations Abrams used to create other worlds.
The “Star Trek” sets should please almost all science fiction fans, while Blu-ray enthusiasts should appreciate what could be be a reference-quality presentation, given the movie’s stellar production values.
Fans of the original TV series are in luck, as Paramount has just remastered three seasons with 21st century special effects added. Check out “Star Trek: The Original Series.”
‘Coraline’ scares up 3D visions
The deliriously dark animated hit 
“Coraline” comes to Blu-ray and DVD in 3D, along with four of those funny red-and-blue glasses in every pack.
The 3D experience is perfect for family fun, but high definition purists will be plenty impressed with the outstanding visuals offered by the 2D view.
The animated feature “Coraline” tells the tale of a girl who finds an alternate reality via a passageway in her new house, complete with a creepy new mom and dad who are definitely up to something.
The story harkens back to the spooky days of olde fairy tales, when awful things happened to good kids. Younger children may find “Coraline” too upsetting in spots, but everyone above the age of 6 should love this magnificent adventure.
“Coraline” comes from the mind of Neil Gaiman, who will be familiar to teens who follow graphic novels (“The Sandman”). Gaiman, however, maintains a separate career in making curious entertainments for children, most notably the fine movie “MirrorMask.” He wrote “Coraline” as a children’s book.
Word of mouth on “Coraline” was terrific when it hit theaters last winter. Comparisons to Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” were inevitable but Gaiman is 100% his own man. The two fantasy purveyors share a director, the stop-motion master Henry Selick, who did helm “Nightmare.”
The voices are by Dakota Fanning (Coraline), Teri Hatcher (the two Moms) and Keith David (the Cat). Also doing the talking are the longtime British comedy team of French and Saunders.
The Universal Studios home video comes with interactive features via “U-Control” and BD Live, such as the option to watch the voice actors at work as the movie plays. There’s a commentary with the director, a making-of featurette and a visit to the recording sessions for “Coraline.”
The double-disc “Coraline” Blu-ray
There are single-disc and double-disc DVD versions of “Coraline.”
“Coraline” makes a perfect companion for the Halloween season, but will play well right through the holidays.
‘Spinal Tap’ plays the Blu-rays
August 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Comedy, DVD Gifts for Men, Boys, Featured
Twenty-five years later, the film “This Is Spinal Tap” plays like a smash hit, not a golden oldie.
Rob Reiner’s spoof of rock bands in general and heavy metal morons in particular still hits all of the high comedy notes. While old-school metal has mostly gone out of style, stupidity never fades away. There’s a universality at work in this movie. We are all Derek Smalls … sort of.
Fox/MGM has debuted “This Is Spinal Tap
Most of the extras are ported over from the special edition DVD of 2000, including the commentary, which the band members do in character. That would be Micheal McKean, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest, aka the Folksmen.
A generous collection of deleted footage repeats as well, adding up to more than an hour. The deleted scenes date back to the 1994 and 1998 Criterion Collection versions of “Spin Tap,” but they’re worth revisiting. Note the one with marijuana and the singing limo driver, hilarious but wisely left out of the movie. These guys didn’t need drugs to be addled — and kids can appreciate the humor without parental worries.
The Blu-ray (and DVD) extras have everyone in character, including director “Marty DiBergi” (Reiner), who says the band has only itself to blame for looking bad in the film. The band, meanwhile, blames the director for a hack job.
Too bad there wasn’t a second commentary with the actors talking about the film 25 years on, especially since it’s become such a pop culture touchstone. (Or a third or fourth, since the Criterion laserdisc and DVD came with two talks.)
The Blu-ray won’t wow anyone with its video or audio. The movie was shot on 16mm, much of it hand-held. High-def can only do so much, but you’d hope for more. The 5.1 audio does a good job with the bottom (big bottom!) and spits out the dialogue clearly, but again there’s not much of an upgrade from the previous DVD.
‘Home’ movie a documentary stunner
You really want to catch this “stunning visual portrayal of Earth” on the biggest screen you can find, but there are plenty of magnificent images on the DVD and Blu-ray versions of “Home
The two-hour feature is narrated by Glenn Close, who almost sounds like Mother Earth as she escorts us through two hours of footage of our planet taken from airplanes and helicopters. We see the beauty and, especially at the end, the ravages of mankind’s presence.
It’s a powerful film on many levels, one that’s a must for fans of “Planet Earth
The aerial photography covers more than 50 countries, from frozen lands to scorched Earth.
The movie is long on problems and short on solutions, so don’t expect a feel-good experience, though. It presents a look at life out of balance, as a result of man’s manipulations over the centuries. “Home” is a call to action as much as an entertainment. The geo-politics and the science will leave families with lots to talk about.
The “non-profit” movie debuted on Earth Day, both at wordwide screenings and online, but this is a longer version of the film than seen previously.
Fox Home Entertainment has released “Home” on Blu-ray and DVD, without extras.
The “Home” channel on YouTube has many extra features, so look for a collector’s edition somewhere down the road. The movie’s producer is Luc Besson, known for his visually stunning dramas.