In home entertainment parlance, “Second Screen” is the device you hold while watching a movie on DVD in the comfort of your home. It provides an augmented viewing experience designed to enhance one’s enjoyment of the film you’re watching. If you own the John Carter… Read More »John Carter “Second Screen”
Editor: Please welcome new guest author Jeff Birou! Last week, Disney, through its North American distribution partnership with Japan’s Studio Ghibli, released three more titles from Ghibli’s catalog on DVD and for the first time on Blu-ray: The Secret World of Arrietty (2010; 2011 in… Read More »Disney Releases Three Studio Ghibli Films on Blu-Ray
Say what you will: For years, I have consistently ranked 1991’s Father of the Bride and its sequel, 1995’s Father of the Bride-Part II, as two of my favorite films of all time. These movies are singularly responsible for making me a fan of Steve… Read More »Disappointing Blu-ray Treatment for ‘Father of the Bride’
Walt Disney Studios and the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Ponyo” & “Spirited Away”) proudly open the doors to “The Secret World of Arrietty” on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD, available now for pre-order for delivery on May 22, 2012. This visually stunning animated masterpiece stars an illustrious voice cast that includes Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Bridgit Mendler, Moises Arias, David Henrie and the iconic and much beloved Carol Burnett.
Based on the acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers,” by Mary Norton, “The Secret World of Arrietty” is an imaginative tale of “little people” living furtively among us, and the unlikely friendship that forms when their hidden world is discovered. The heartwarming family adventure features beautiful, stylized animation and timeless themes of friendship, courage and determination.
In addition to the stunning Blu-ray hi-definition picture and digital sound, the 2-DiscCombo Pack includes an array of bonus features that will fascinate animation fans, including a storyboard version of the film and the original Japanese trailers and TV commercials. Additional features include music videos for the songs “Summertime” performed by Disney Channel star Bridgit Mendler, who is the speaking voice of Arrietty; and the movie’s theme song “Arrietty’s Song” performed by French singer/songwriter Cécile Corbel.
An enthralling story, with the English language version directed by 7-time Academy Award®-winner Gary Rydstrom, “The Secret World of Arrietty” is a remarkable filmmaking achievement that families will want to add to their home entertainment collections and enjoy over and over.
FILM SYNOPSIS:
Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered. Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasionalcovert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts.
But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”
The film was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and produced by Toshio Suzuki. Gary Rydstrom directed the English-language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” from a screenplay written by Karey Kirkpatrick. The producers include Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The original Japanese screenplay was written by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa.
Read More »The Secret World of Arrietty – Studio Ghibli’s Latest – on DVD
Readers of this blog will remember that I was not a fan of The Muppets when it came out in movie theaters. It was a minority view, I know. But my viewing of the movie on DVD has not changed my opinion. If anything the… Read More »The Muppets on DVD – And A Giveaway
The Muppets is heading to DVD in just a few days domestically, plus it’s still in theaters around the word. You know that that means… more Muppets Spoof Trailers from Disney. This time they’re skewering “The Hunger Games” The Muppets is available for pre-order now… Read More »Hungry for More Muppets – Get Ready for the Muppets Hunger Games Spoof
When I first heard of the movie Real Steel, I wondered why anybody would want to watch a movie based of that robot boxing kids game. The movie Real Steal is set around the sport of robot boxing, but it’s not about robot boxing. Instead it’s another heart-warming down on his luck sports star meets young kid and together they climb their way back to the top of the sport story.
That story has been made dozen times over and Real Steel is actually as good, if not better, than most of them. I know that’s saying a lot, but I gave the movie a shot expecting just a special effects extravaganza, but it was the story that won me over.
In the movie Hugh Jackman plays Charlie Kenton a down on his luck former boxer who gets stuck with his son Max, played with out too much of the cute-kid syndrome, by young Dakota Goyo. When Max discovers an old Robot Boxer with some unique abilities, the pair start off on a journey to repair their personal bonds and fight their way to the top of the sport. Here’s a clip about Atom the robot found by Max.
While you may not have seen Real Steel in the theaters, it was the #1 movie in the country for two consecutive weeks during its theatrical run. Real Steel was directed by Shawn Levy (Night At the Museum franchise, Date Night and What Happens in Vegas) and produced by Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List) and they kept it right on course, full of heart, and beautifully filmed.
Additionally, I found the special effects to be quite good in the film. They seamlessly integrate real robot puppets with digital versions and used motion capture technology to film the fights. So there is some real emotion up there on the screen, even though the cast is sometimes playing to a green screen.
I received the The Blu-ray Combo Pack to review. It offers a variety of supplemental bonus features that take you ringside with Director Shawn Levy on the making of the film. Exclusive features include a bare-knuckled exposé of the life story of Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman), deleted and extended scenes that go deeper into the film and storylines, and a riveting profile with legendary boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard. Plus, the revolutionary Real Steel Second Screen app lets viewers sync their iPad or computer with the Blu-ray movie to peel back layers of effects with progression reels, check out 360-degree turnarounds of the robots, explore seamless branching pods that delve into the cutting-edge technology used to create the fights, and much more.
I also liked that the DVD copy of the film comes with a good number of special features of its own, including the directors commentary. That means you can buy the combo-pack even if you only had the DVD today and plan to get a blu-ray player in the future.
Real Steal is a Dreamworks film and was distributed by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures division. You can pre-order the DVD or Blu-ray on Amazon today.
Read More »Real Steel Rock’em Sock’em’s its way on to Blu-Ray and DVD
The 20th Anniversary Edition of The Rocketeer
“I Like It” – Peevy chases an out-of-control Cliff.