|
|
DVD/VIDEO REVIEWS week of March 3, 2008
This week's DVD and video releases
The following are capsule reviews of new and recent DVD and video releases from the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Theatrical movies on video have a USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification and Motion Picture Association of America rating. These classifications refer only to the theatrical version of the films below, and do not take into account DVD releases' extra content.
Inferior, but still highly entertaining, sequel to the 2002 computer-animated hit which finds the prehistoric trio -- cranky mammoth Manny (voiced by Ray Romano), sarcastic saber-toothed tiger Diego (voiced by Denis Leary) and wise-cracking sloth Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo) -- joined by a confused she-mammoth (voiced by Queen Latifah) and a tag team of prankster possums (voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck) as they race to escape an impending cataclysmic flood triggered by the warming climate. Directed by Carlos Saldanha, the story and characters have thinned along with the ice, but in the thawing process the laughs and zany charm remain intact along with a gentle message about family and friendship. Some scenes of menace that may be too intense for very young children, a few crass expressions, some innuendo and a mildly crude sight-gag. A-I -- general patronage. (PG) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) 2006
- (Collection Two)
Episodic but absorbing road movie, based on Jon Krakauer's 1998 biography of idealistic 22-year-old Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) who abandoned his home, troubled parents (Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt) and sister (Jena Malone) after college graduation to avoid the "poison" of civilization and get back to nature, embarking on an epic two-year road trip from Atlanta to Alaska. Actor Sean Penn directed, wrote and produced the film, which gains in emotional power as it progresses, fueled by excellent performances, including those of Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, nonactor (one of several in the cast) Brian Dierker and especially Hal Holbrook, playing colorful characters Chris encounters on his journey, with underlying themes of family connection, individualism versus community and the primal pull of the wilderness, leading toward a moving climax of forgiveness, redemption and intense spirituality. Some rough language and profanity, upper female and brief full-frontal male nudity, the killing and then cutting up of an animal carcass, a beating, implied premarital situations and reference to a bigamous relationship. A-III -- adults. (R) (Paramount Home Entertainment) 2007
-
Wholesome, well-meaning but only moderately charming tale about a magical toy store run by a 243-year-old eccentric (Dustin Hoffman), his young assistant (Natalie Portman), a 9-year-old boy (Zach Mills), and their new stuffy accountant (Jason Bateman). There are too many holes in writer-director Zach Helm's basic premise even for a fantasy, while the death of a major character and the shop's subsequent temporary transformation into funereal black may be too downbeat for the youngest viewers, while the ultimate messages about "believing in yourself" and "finding the magic within" have been done better elsewhere. An ambiguous remark about the afterlife. A-I -- general patronage. (G) (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) 2007
-
The beloved Disney animated feature about canines Pongo and Perdita (voices of Rod Taylor and Cate Bauer) rescuing their 99 offspring from the evil Cruella De Vil (voice of Betty Lou Gerson) who has dognapped them to make a polka-dot fur coat. With stylish art direction and production design by Ken Anderson, the film maintains its great appeal as heartwarming family entertainment. In addition to the beautifully restored film, the deluxe two-DVD set features a plethora of additional features including a superb documentary about this most contemporary of any of the classic Disney animated features, and others on the creation of De Vil, and the original correspondence between Walt Disney and Dodie Smith, author of "The Hundred and One Dalmatians." Especially interesting are several deleted and abandoned songs, along with alternate takes. The usual Disney games and activities make this safe and recommendable family viewing, while the scholarly tone of the feature material make it worthwhile for adults as well. A-I -- general patronage. (G) (Buena Vista Home Entertainment) 1961
-
Captivating exploration of the bond between a young widow (Halle Berry) and her late husband's (David Duchovny) best friend (Benicio Del Toro), a charismatic recovering junkie who also influences the lives of her son (Micah Berry) and daughter (Alexis Llewellyn), her brother (Omar Benson Miller), a fellow addict (Alison Lohman) and a generous neighbor (John Carroll Lynch). The film, as directed by Susanne Bier, moves with dexterity from moments of clever humor to painfully deep emotion and features striking cinematography in which detailed close-ups beautifully mirror the script's intimacy. Partial rear nudity, nongraphic sexual activity, much rough and some crude language, one use of profanity and drug use. A-III -- adults. (R) (Paramount Home Entertainment) 2007
-
Warm and informative hour-long biography of the saint often regarded as the most effective Christian missionary since the Apostle Paul. Born into the nobility of the small kingdom of Navarre (now mostly in Spain) in 1506, 19-year-old Francis Xavier traveled to Paris to study for the priesthood. As the film makes clear, his interest in becoming a priest at this time had more to do with ambition and the desire to live comfortably than with serious vocation, and his early life in what was then Europe's largest city was dissolute if not scandalous. Francis, however, gradually came under the influence of his pious roommate, Peter Faber, and their guest, the Basque-warrior-turned-holy-man, Ignatius Loyola. Together with four other "Companions of Jesus," they formed the Jesuit order in 1534. Ironically, Francis' original duties kept him deskbound, and it was only because of the illness of another Jesuit that he was allowed to go on mission to India. There he catechized and baptized hundreds, perhaps thousands, of native converts before moving on to Malaya and Japan. His dream of bringing the Gospel to China was never realized and, at the time of his death in 1552, he probably considered himself a failure. Narrated by Liam Neeson, Jesuit novice Jeremy Zipple's film, shot on location through Europe and Asia, features interviews with academics and relevant 16th Century artwork. Features on the widescreen DVD include a brief "making of" featurette and an interview with Jesuit theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles. (Janson Media) (www.xavierfilm.com) 2006
The following movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
|