Puss in Boots [Blu-Ray]

Puss in Boots was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 84th Academy Awards and didn?t win. That?s a good thing, since if this was the best animated film of 2011, then 2011 was a really mediocre year for animated movies. Puss in Boots is okay, but it?s not award-winning material.

The Movie:

Puss in Boots is the outgrowth of the group behind Shrek figuring out how they can pull a few more dollars out of that tired old franchise. The title character (voiced with perfect machismo by Antonio Banderas) first showed up in 2004?s Shrek 2. Bearing no resemblance to the French fairy tale character of his origin, Puss is a Spanish swords?uh?cat. Think Zorro, but in a cat form. Deciding that Puss was in a dire need of an ?origin story,? the Shrek team, lead by director Chris Miller, takes Puss out of the Shrek realm and into his own engaging, if predictable, adventure.

Following the Shrek formula of mixing fairy tale characters with a modern and ironic sense of humor, Puss in Boots, which takes place years before Shrek and Puss hook up, throws together the stories of Zorro, the Beanstalk (of ?Jack and the? fame), Humpty Dumpty, and the goose that laid the golden egg, along with some very 2011-informed visual gags. Puss and his childhood friend, Humpty (Zach Galifianakis), live in an orphanage in?uh?Spain? They dream of golden eggs and stealing stuff. They have a falling out, and then later, when Puss is on the hunt for some magic beans, he and Humpty get back together to try to get the golden eggs?it really doesn?t matter. It?s an adventure story and there are funny scenes and action scenes and some attempt at psychological insight that doesn?t go very far.

Although the movie falls along fairy tale-type lines, with the bad guys being a brutish Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris), they also throw in a little James Bond. Puss? femme fatale foil is Kitty Softpaws (Selma Hayek). Puss, Humpty, and Kitty have some exciting chases in a box canyon, on top of a beanstalk, and in a castle in the clouds, and constantly throw out cat puns, quips, and ironic one-liners that do much to keep the barely 80 minutes of pre-credits plot moving along.

Things move fast and look good. The bad guys are bad and the good guys are good. Banderas is a great Puss, with the perfect voice for the suave and swashbuckling hero. There is really nothing to recommend the plot other than that it?s not bad and certainly serves as an okay place to hang the visual feast and one-liners. Plus, there are cats. Lots and lots of cats. So, if you love cats, cat jokes, cat puns, or going ?awwwwwwww, kitty,? then you could do worse than giving this flick a shot.

The Disc:

Puss in Boots is a visually interesting film and seeing it on Blu-ray is the way to go. You get a crisp, clear picture, and the impressive effects are well displayed. There is also a lot of dancing, and certainly the sound supports the pulsing samba (or salsa or whatever) beat.

The extras for the Puss in Boots Blu-ray are primarily for children. Very young children. There is a picture-in-picture commentary type track called ?Animators Corner? that provides storyboard and work-in-process versions of the scene you are seeing in the other picture box, along with some talking-head stuff from the producers, director, cast, animators, etc. about the particular scene or a related issue. It?s informative and one of the few things on the disc that will be of more interest to someone over age 10. If you want to go behind the scenes on a Dreamworks animated movie, this is a good step. You can also run the movie with a trivia track. Sometimes these provide inane comments, but this one was pretty informative.

The other big item on the Blu-ray is a 13-minute short called Puss in Boots: The Three Diablos. Much as there are no Shrek characters in Puss in Boots (other than Puss himself), Puss is the only carryover in this short. It involves three young, cute kittens who are also thieves. The story is pretty simplistic and skews towards the kiddie market more than the movie did, but it will please the cute-cat fans out there.

Rather than put anything else substantial on the disc, the producers provide two featurettes, roughly 10 minutes each, that were clearly used as advertising prior to the movie?s release. The main voice actors, producers, and directors talk about the character, the making of the movie, why the movie had to be made, and how lucky everyone was that it was, indeed, made. It?s the basic stuff of no real insight or interest. There are also about seven minutes of deleted scenes (storyboarded and voiced, but not animated). The interesting part of the deleted scenes is that they show a different direction that was considered for the story, as well as some different characters.

The rest of the items are either stupid or only for the very young. There are two easy games where you try to find the differences in two pictures or catch a light, and a pop-up book thing with the movie characters. The completely stupid Mad Libs-type game that lets you answer three or four things about a character and make up a new poem is just a waste of time. There is also something for the fans of making cats meows sound like a song, whoever you are. Finally, you can learn how to do the dance steps in one of the movie dances and hear the story of a cat in California that steals things out of people?s yards and brings them to his own yard. The connection to the movie is tenuous at best.

It?s not a great Blu-ray package, but it?s not a great movie either, just an enjoyable waste of an afternoon. The Blu-ray also contains a DVD and a digital copy, naturally.

Puss in Boots [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Dreamworks Home EntertainmentStarring: Antonio Banderas, Selma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy SedarisProduced by: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou

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The Muppets [Blu-Ray]

I still find it unbelievable that The Muppets movie was actually one of my top ten favorite films of last year, but it was, and for good reason. It?s amazing!

The Movie:

Let me start off by saying I didn?t grow up with the Muppets. Being an '80s baby, I actually grew up more with the Muppet Babies rather than the Muppets themselves, which in itself was a pleasant, if not different, introduction to the clan. Why did I bring that up? Well, because this review isn?t really for fans of the Muppets. Those people have already seen this movie in theatres and know just how great it is. This review is for people, like myself, who know of the Muppets, but never really got into them. And for those people, all I have to say is that this movie will make you a believer. If you weren?t obsessed with the Muppets before, you will be after you see this.

The story is interesting in that it actually features human characters in prominent roles. Jason Segel, who plays the brother of a Muppet who is having an existential crisis, has a story that?s just as important as the main story with the Muppets themselves. Amy Adams plays his adorable girlfriend who?s willing to tolerate Segel?s devotion to his Muppet brother, Walter, only so long before drama ensues?sort of.

Of all the human characters in this film, though, Chris Cooper has the greatest and most surprising role as a rich oil baron so humorless that he can?t even do a maniacal laugh (you?ll get it when you see it). He wants to destroy the Muppets and keep them living in obscurity. And that?s the most interesting part about this story. It proposes that we?ve all forgotten about the Muppets and have moved on from them. But honestly, that couldn?t be further from the truth. Even as someone who never used to watch The Muppet Show (I know, I know, I?ll hang my head in shame), the Muppets have always been on the public?s mind. They?re like Mickey Mouse or Gumby. We might not be talking about them right now, but if they ever wanted to put on a show or a movie, we?d be there. And this movie toys with that idea. The greatest thing about all this, though, is that the Muppets look like they?re having a good time, and if they?re having a good time, then we?re having a good time. That?s why this was one of the best movies of last year.

I won?t spoil the ending, but of course it ends happily. How can a movie about the Muppets not? If I have only one complaint, it?s one that?s my own fault. Some of the movie revels in its past, and as a person who was never really into the Muppets before this film, I feel a little left out. But again, that?s my own fault. In the end, if you like good movies, then you?ll love this film.

The Disc:

I love these special features. Every last one of them only makes you love the film even more, which is what special features should do. ?Scratching the Surface: A Hasty Examination of The Making of The Muppets? is anything but hasty. It features the Muppets being goofballs, as always, behind the scenes. It even features a new Muppet named, J.G., so Muppet completists need to pick this Blu-Ray up just for that. ?Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song? features an even longer version of what has to be the best part of the whole movie for me -- Chris Cooper rapping about being rich.

The ?Unreleased Theatrical Spoof Trailers? segment features all those great viral gags we saw of the Muppets parodying other movies (the romantic one is my favorite). The deleted scenes are some of the best around since they feature celebrity after celebrity not featured in the movie. It?s like seeing the complete version of The Thin Red Line. Okay, it?s not like that, but it?s close. Okay, it?s not even close.

?The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History**We Think)? is just as hilarious as the title. And the commentary, while nothing revolutionary, is enjoyable enough. Overall, this is one of the best collections of special features in recent memory. It?s the perfect package: A great film with even better special features. Buy this Blu-ray. Buy this now.

Distributor: Walt Disney Home EntertainmentStarring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida JonesProduced by: David Hoberman, Todd LiebermanWritten by: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller

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Young Adult [Blu-Ray]

Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody?s Young Adult is a polarizing vehicle from the very start, showing the life of a thirty-something who left her small hometown for the big, elegant city and has spent every moment since making decisions leading to her own unhappiness. When we first meet protagonist Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron), she is hung over and unwashed. She?s also a poor pet owner and a young adult novelist whose series is about to end. With no new job prospects and no relationships to keep her going, it would be no surprise if this were rock bottom, but for Mavis, this is only the beginning.

The Movie:

After finding out her first love, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), has recently had a baby, Mavis proclaims him to be a hostage in his personal life and embarks on a trip home to save him from the misery of his marriage. Of course, she doesn?t bother telling anyone she is coming back to Mercury, Minnesota, so on her first night home, she?s stuck drinking in a bar alone. There she meets up with Matt (Patton Oswalt), a townie with a gimp whom Mavis can barely remember, but who will become integral to her storyline. After getting obnoxiously drunk, Mavis lets slip her dirty little secret.

Matt, of course, finds Mavis? desire to run home and break up a marriage to be abhorrent. Mavis, however, sees herself as a feminine knight in shining armor, taking her ex-lover away from a place he once told her he wanted to leave. This delusional outlook is certainly unhealthy, but it does keep Mavis from having to face the reality of her unkempt, unhealthy, borderline-psychopathic self. Theron, true to character, plays this up with all the style and humor a comedy as bleak as Young Adult could possibly muster out of her.

Then Buddy enters the picture, and we get a glimpse at his life, his beautiful newborn baby, and his congenial wife, Beth (Elizabeth Reaser). Buddy himself is sort of an ?aww shucks? kind of guy, who doesn?t quite know how to handle Mavis? specifically aggressive flirting -- which doesn?t do much for Wilson?s acting abilities, but does help to keep the focus on Mavis herself.

After spending an evening wooing her married ex lover, Mavis decides she will pull out her ace during the baby?s shower. The night before, the audience is privy to perhaps the only legitimate conversation we get to see Mavis have. She and Matt, hammered as usual, call each other out on all of their embittered hang-ups. We?ve seen Mavis? hate bubble up to the surface before this, but here Matt?s words actually manage to make her vulnerable. It only lasts for a few minutes, but those minutes make us wonder if Mavis might have a spark of self-awareness inside, somewhere, after all. If it doesn?t do that, it certainly enables us to see the Patton Oswalt of King and Queens in a brand new light.

Despite 90 minutes of Mavis and Matt calling each other out on their own shit, despite Mavis finally hitting rock bottom when there is every indication she could have pulled herself out at any time, and despite being rejected in a very public forum, Mavis never learns anything about herself and never changes. Reitman?s third act is a far cry from what he attempted in his more hopeful film, Juno. What is brave and bold and wholly unexpected is also incredibly simple, a scene which leaves Mavis exactly where she started: jobless, alone, and unhappy, which is where she wants to be, anyway.

The Disc:

?Misery Loves Company,? a making-of segment, is the first extra on the disc. Cody and Reitman both appear to give their two cents about the filmmaking, but several of the actors also speak out about the film, including Oswalt, Theron, and others. The second featurette, ?The Awful Truth,? takes a look at Diablo Cody?s Young Adult script through a scene between Mavis and Matt that dissects how the two feed on their hate and develop a bond because of it.

The next segment is a lengthy Q&A with Reitman shot at the Jacob Burns Film Center. Some of the fodder in the interview is a little redundant with the ?Misery Loves Company? segment, but if you are super interested in why many of the decisions in Young Adult were made, Reitman is good about clarifying, as well as passing on many interesting stories from the set. Audience members also ask questions toward the end of the interview, thus the Q&A.

Usually, deleted scenes are thrown on at the beginning of the disc, but someone was confident enough with the deleted scenes on Young Adult to round out the disc with them. To whomever made that decision?s credit, a couple of the scenes are really funny, and a couple more are really well-written and could have worked in the film. There?s not a lot to the disc, but what is there says much about the intricacies of the film.

Distributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick WilsonProduced by: Diablo Cody, Mason Novick, Jason Reitman, Russell Smith

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Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol [Blu-Ray]

This extremely clever introduction will self-destruct in five seconds, but will Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol do the same now that it?s on Blu-ray and DVD? With a runtime of 132 minutes and over two hours of bonus content, that?d be a waste of well over four hours' worth of seconds.

The Movie:

As a movie franchise, Mission: Impossible allows itself to adjust with every installment. It started off with Brian De Palma?s cerebral spy thriller, cliff-jumped into the deep end in slow motion with John Woo?s follow up, and buoyed back with J.J. Abrams' brighter take on the genre. With its fourth installment, subtitled Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible grabs hold of J.J.?s approach and straps it to a rocket.

In the director?s chair is Brad Bird, a name that animation fans have not only heard of, but view with reverence. After playing a substantial role in making The Simpsons great, Brad Bird went on to direct some of the best films of all time in The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Ghost Protocol marks his live-action feature debut, and even as a fan of the series, it was his involvement that sparked the fuse of anticipation. And once that fuse lights we all know what happens next.

The movie begins with a bang, a gadget, and a breakout. Everything you could want. There?s a nice bit of getting the team back together followed quickly by a "Wait, who are you and why are you doing this?" It?s quick, it?s fun, and it does what this series loves to do, in that the facts are just confusing enough to seem complicated without losing the audience. That said, it?s all broken up by the title sequence -- an element missing from most recent movies but surprisingly wasted here. The conceit of it is fantastic, following the trademark fuse through a series of spy related environs and imagery. It would be a perfect way to get into the story if only the imagery wasn?t borrowing clips from later in the movie. It?s an odd mix of flash-forward and gentle hints that only serve to lessen the impact of the scenes as they reveal themselves in the actual context of the film.

Of course, what really matters is the body of the film, and it can be best described in the following sentence: ?You know how movies are supposed to begin with a big action scene? This entire movie is a series of those big opening action scenes.? The spirit of this movie is fun. It?s a simple word but I feel it?s at the heart of Ghost Protocol and the thing that it takes the most seriously. The story isn?t going to work your mind like the first one, but it?s not about that here.

Mission: Impossible has always been about deception, and you?re usually just as surprised to learn the truth as the characters. This time it?s different. You?re on the IMF team, you know the deal and you know when the deal goes sour and exactly why. It?s a unique perspective that allows you the excitement of vicariously joining in on the mission. In a movie about the agency being disavowed, Brad Bird and Tom Cruise are asking the audience to accept this role and choose to go further with it. If you do, you?ll go places you?ve never gone before.

The Disc:

Ghost Protocol was shot with IMAX cameras that use a magical film stock that makes even watching this movie on Blu-ray a stunning experience. In theatres you?d giggle with giddiness at the sheer heights of it all, but even on TV you?re left gasping with how pristine it all looks. And for those of you with fancy sound systems, this seems to offer every option you?d possibly want to hear.

The three-disc Ghost Protocol set excels with its features and is the first set since The Social Network to strike me as something special. Starting with the dry joke looping continuously on Disc 2?s menu, you know you?re in for a unique experience, and the two major featurettes called ?Mission Accepted? and ?Impossible Missions? offer a look into filmmaking as you rarely see it. These are not the standard featurettes that check off the boxes, these are intimate documentaries that allow you to be a fly on the wall as you learn about making a blockbuster that?s crafted with care. These features show that the passion put into this project is overshadowed only the singular love of making movies.

?Mission Accepted? is very much about being on location and ?Impossible Missions? focuses on individual elements such as the prop department, stunts, make-up, and extras. They are mostly visual studies, with voiceover narration from professional climbers, executive producers, and nearly every position in between. Even footage from Brad Bird?s personal iPhone is used to immerse you in the world beyond the frame. Surprisingly, you also take away a sense of how much of a powerhouse Tom Cruise is as a producer and the dedication he has put forth to create this escapist experience. In addition to the exceptional behind-the-scenes footage, this set also includes 15 minutes of deleted scenes with director?s commentary that are worth watching but understandably removed from the film. It?s surprising that this offering lacks a feature commentary but what it gives you instead is far more revealing.

Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon PeggProduced by: Jeffrey Chernov, David Ellison, Tom Cruise, J.J. AbramsWritten by: Josh Applebaum & Andre Nemec

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War Horse [Blu-Ray]

Being a guy, it?s hard to admit this, but I?ve actually cried two times while watching movies. The first time was with the movie Spirited Away. I lose it when Sen guesses that Haku was the spirit of the river who saved her as a child. And the second time was with this movie, War Horse. It really impacted me on a personal level. It truly is a beautiful film.

The Movie:

When Oscar season rolled around last year, a lot of people rolled their eyes at War Horse's nomination for Best Picture. Nobody thought it would win. Many even found it to be one of Spielberg?s lesser films, but I beg to differ. Sure, it?s not Schindler?s List, but really, what is? What this film has going for it is sheer beauty, and I can?t think of any other film in recent memory where just looking at some of these shots made me cry. I was really touched by this film. It hit me on so many levels.

The movie is primarily about a boy and his horse. Back in the first World War, horses were regularly taken from their owners to be used in warfare. But WWI was like no other war before it, and the purposes of horses in combat changed. As weapons became more lethal, the idea of simply riding a horse into battle became antiquated, and even romanticized in some regards (a scene in which one of the soldiers lovingly draws a picture of the horse as if he was sketching his girlfriend is evidence of that). It reached the point where horses weren?t to be ridden in war anymore but instead used as work animals, and many of the tears in this film are mined off that idea. There?s nothing sadder than seeing a beautiful horse with a damaged leg being forced to drag a tank up a hill. Nothing at all.

Joey, the horse in question, starts off with his young trainer, Albert (Jeremy Irvine), on a farm. Albert raises Joey from being a stubborn beast into a well-trained animal, so you know the tear-works are going to be cranked when Joey is taken from his master. And the tears do come. They come a lot. It?s been argued that Spielberg tugs on the heart strings a bit too much with this film, making it mawkish and sappy, and I won?t argue with that. It is quite maudlin. But Spielberg does such a good job at it that I can?t fault him for cranking it up to the extreme here. By the end of the movie, when the scene fades out from a luscious red sky to black, I can?t help it. I have to whip out the Kleenex. No other film, not even my favorites, have gotten that kind of reaction out of me, so War Horse is something special, mawkishness or not.

The only real problem I have with this film is something that?s just a pet peeve of mine. All the characters speak English, and soldiers in Germany should not speak English. Subtitles would have been appreciated over their native tongue here. Aside from that, War Horse is a brilliant film. It?s definitely one of Spielberg?s best, and it?s the most beautiful film of last year. Both dudes and dudettes should prepare to tear up if you plan to watch this film.

The Disc:

Okay, so here?s how not to do special features. It?s not that that aren?t a lot of special features here, because there are. But none of them add anything to the film and most of them take away from it, so that?s not good. On disc one there?s ?War Horse: The Journey Home,? which is just a bunch of people sitting around a table and talking about the film. But here?s the thing, they?re not really saying anything worthwhile or interesting. They?re just, well, talking. It adds nothing to the film. ?An Extra?s Point of View? reveals that pretty much the whole cast was British. This means that Brits were even playing the roles of German soldiers, which is infuriating to no end. Please keep it authentic, Mr. Spielberg. You?re better than that.

Disc two is nothing but special features, none of them really special. ?A Filmmaking Journey? is too long and it?s boring. It?s basically just Steven Spielberg dissecting every major moment of the film. Yawn. ?Editing and Scoring? is what it sounds like and nothing more, and so is ?The Sounds of War Horse.? We learn that a lot of work went into making the sound of a horse snorting authentic. Fascinating. ?Through the Producer?s Lens? is some pictures that don?t do the majesty of the film justice. The third disc has only one special feature on it, called ?War Horse: The Look.? In it, we learn about different locations and other scenes from the film. Really, there?s nothing interesting here, either. A commentary would have been preferred. These special features are awful.

Distributor: Touchstone PicturesStarring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter MullanProduced by: Steven Spielberg, Kathleen KennedyWritten by: Richard Curtis, Lee Hall

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Hugo [Blu-Ray]

Martin Scorsese?s Hugo was alive in 3D in the theater in a way that seemed to take the illustrations from Brian Selznick's book, lift them out of the pages and land them stolidly in front of us. Like Selznick?s book, which tells its story mostly through pictures and not words, Scorsese?s film tells much of its story through images, through quiet looks shared between characters, through action moving the story forward, and through a romantic display of some of the greatest moments in the history of film. It?s a shame this time around I wasn?t privy to it in 3D.

The Movie:

Hugo begins with an exact replication, but in color, of the penciled drawings in Selznick?s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It?s a beautiful picture, a large pan of dawn over a snow-covered city, a focus on one train station, a spotlight of a clock inside the station, a shot of just one number on the clock, and our first glimpse of the face of a small boy, our hero, Hugo Cabret.

Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) is a small boy invested in the order and tidiness of everyday life. He is also an orphan who, after his father?s death, found a niche winding the clocks in the Paris train station. Hugo has very little going in his life, save his secret profession and fixing the broken automaton left to him by his late father (Jude Law).

Hugo is not the story of a small boy finding his purpose in life because, by the time we meet him, Hugo is abundant with purpose. What Hugo has in tasks to keep him occupied, he lacks in healthy relationships. Asa Butterfeld plays the pursed lip and sullen face to great effect here, but he is only one kind of lonely in a film about overcoming loneliness.

When Hugo meets Papa Georges (Ben Kingsley), we see the toyshop owner is a sorrowful kindred spirit for the young lad. If anyone could teach Hugo more about the art of pursed lips and dour faces, it is Papa Georges. Nonetheless, Papa Georges becomes a sort of problem for Hugo, as the grumpy elderly man chooses to snag Hugo?s prized notebook and spirit it away. Hugo has other problems, such as with the lonely Station Inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen) who can never seem to find the right plane to connect on with others. The Station Inspector, too, loves order, but he is consistently distraught by the lack of it. To the Inspector, Hugo is not a cog, but a great kink in the wheel.

In the span of Scorsese?s film, Hugo, too, must learn about kinks. Again and again, he cannot get his precious automaton to work. At first, he does not have the right pieces, then his notebook is taken away, and then he is missing the key to make the whole thing come together. Eventually, with a little reluctance, Hugo enlists the help of Papa Georges? ward, Isabelle (Chlo? Grace Moritz), and a greater mystery than a bit of clockwork begins to unfold.

Unlocking a mystery can have powerful ramifications, and Hugo and Isabelle set off a chain of events that swaps the gloomy shadows lurking around train station corners for magical and occasionally fuzzy glorifications celebrating the history of cinema. By charting this course, Scorsese is able to add textured side plots and characters, giving the film more of a complete story than its source material. As such, it also plays much longer and to a much older audience.

Scorsese has always been skilled at creating powerful worlds, and his vision for Hugo stands right up against some of his very best. Whether we buy into the magic of movies, the adventure story should be sufficient enough to catch our attention for the entirety of the movie, as well as some of this year?s best performances. Whether or not Scorsese?s film does a disservice to Selznick?s book is largely a matter of taste.

The Disc:

The timeline feature when the disc is paused is beautiful, copper, matching the automation and the graphics on the menu page. In Blu-Ray the color is bold and crisp, and even without the 3D element, the whole picture pops.

The first extra is ?Shoot the Moon,? a making-of segment that focuses on all the hands that delved into putting together the enormous undertaking that was Hugo. We hear from the actors, the writers, and Scorsese himself. The most important part Scorsese talks about is the idea of space and implementing that idea through many beautiful shots in 3D throughout the film. It sort of made me sad about missing the special affects this time around. I cannot say enough nice things about Hugo in 3D.

The second segment focuses on the magic of Georges M?li?s' films. Through iconic footage, shots of Ben Kingsley in the role, and a history lesson from Scorsese, Selznick, and some French historians, we are able to get a better picture of how M?li?s? actual life bleeds into Hugo, and what an incredible mind M?li?s lent to the world of film.

One of the other segments details the history of automatons, and points out that the automaton in Hugo actually worked. Another segment explores some of the special effects. Hugo features a pretty great scene in which a train bursts off its tracks and out the front window of the train station. These segments are informative, but they are pretty lengthy. Randomly, the last extra is dedicated to Sacha Baron Cohen?s character. Apparently, Cohen preferred not to have his actions dictated by Scorsese and would sort of do his own thing.

Ultimately, all of the extras are a pleasure to watch and seem to be choice pieces put together directly for the disc, but it would have been great to see a segment on the film's music, or maybe a few outtakes. While the Hugo Blu-Ray is carefully constructed, I will say, for the last time, if you have the capacity, please purchase the 3D.

Distributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Sacha Baron CohenProduced by: Johnny Depp, Tim Headington, Graham King, Martin Scorsese

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Chinatown [Blu-ray]

Until I got my copy of the Blu-ray for Chinatown, I?d never seen the film noir classic in its entirety. Despite being a pretty huge fan of detective movies, I?d only ever seen a brief section on television many years ago. How?d that happen? No idea, but I?ve rectified it and joined the legions who feel it?s a great movie.

The Movie:

If you?ve seen some recent Jack Nicholson movies and wondered, ?How the hell did this guy get to be an icon?? you need to go back and watch 1974?s Chinatown. It will wash the taste of The Bucket List right out of your mouth. Jack is Jake Gittes, a private eye in 1930s Los Angeles who looks great in a white suit and is happy to take pictures of your spouse cheating on you. Gittes is hired by a woman to follow her husband, Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling), and catch him cheating. Gittes gets the job done, only to discover that the woman wasn?t really Mrs. Mulwray, and the real Mrs. Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) is at first planning to sue Gittes but later wants him to drop the whole thing.

As is often the case in this type of movie, Gittes pursues the case anyway, and when Mr. Mulwray, the Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles water company, goes missing along with the young woman he was seen with, Gittes is on the case like, well, a 1930s detective. His investigation into the disappearance runs him into Mrs. Mulwray?s father, Noah Cross (John Huston), who has a persona that screams ?BAD GUY.? Cross is also involved in the plans to bring water to Los Angeles, and determining who will profit from that process. Here?s a hint: it?s not going to be the general public.

Although Chinatown predates the Occupy movement by nearly 40 years, it?s probably the one movie that says everything they would want to say if they could ever come up with a coherent message. Gittes' investigation is about the few screwing over the many and disposing of whoever gets in their way. The dead bodies start to stack up and Gittes runs down a few false trails before he finally gets a handle on what is going on.

So, why is Chinatown considered so great? The script is interesting and twisty, the acting is top notch, the look is perfect, and the title says it all. Gittes used to work as a cop in Chinatown but stopped when he realized that, while trying to help, he was actually making things worse. That sums up the theme of the movie in a nutshell. The plot does lose some sense of logic if you look at it too closely, but that?s true of almost any detective story. People in these stories act in ways that advance the plot and suspense rather than in a way that a person would really act. It?s a minor quibble. Everything else is literally as good as it could be.

If you still haven't seen Chinatown, it?s worth a look. More than that, it will keep you engrossed with both the water-rights story and the more personal issues in the Cross/Mulwray family.

The Disc:

This Blu-ray release of Chinatown seems to be the first new release since a two-disc DVD set in 2007. The movie, while a slowly paced period piece, really deserves a clear, crisp picture. The costumes, cars, and sets are impressive, and the whole look benefits from the HD treatment. Some of the extras are from 2007, but they are a nice bunch and overall this is a pretty impressive single disc.

The main extra is a new commentary by screenwriter Robert Towne and director (just not of this particular movie) David Fincher. Towne brings first-hand stories and insight, and Fincher brings a fan and film student?s excitement and awe. Between the two of them, they make for a very informative commentary without being dull.

There are a trio of extras that all seem to date from the 2007 DVD and feature Jack Nicholson, Roman Polanski, Robert Towne, and producer Robert Evans commenting on various aspects of production. This is interesting and informative, and although they are obviously reminiscences rather than from the time the movie was filmed, they don?t seem to pull any punches when it comes to disagreements. Evans was shot in profile for a reason that might make sense if I knew more about him. Faye Dunaway doesn?t take part, but no one explains why. Overall, the three parts total about an hour and do a good job enhancing the commentary.

The main players from the movie are not involved in ?Chinatown: An Appreciation.? A few filmmakers (Steven Soderbergh, Kimberly Pierce, Roger Deakins, and James Newton Howard) all talk about their love for the movie, script, music, acting, and so on. It?s a decent extra, but it?s funny how there are so many clich?s in these comments. Soderbergh says there are so many layers in the movie but never actually talks about what he means or gives examples.

Other than a trailer, the only other extra is both long, educational, and really, really weird. Called ?Water and Power,? it?s a documentary about how Los Angeles? main water source comes from the Owens Valley in Northern California. Bringing water to Los Angeles is a major plot element in Chinatown, but despite the occasional presence of Robert Towne, this has almost no direct connection to the movie itself. That doesn?t mean you won?t get a lesson in both the history of how water got to Los Angeles and the ecological damage of Los Angeles water rights. If you want it, that is.

Although the water documentary is a little out of place, it does round out the background information on the movie. The commentary and featurettes are very worthwhile and the movie itself is a gem.

Distributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Darrell Zwerling, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman

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The Immortals [Blu-Ray]

One of the most underrated films of 2011 is finally released upon the world like so many Titans before it. The Immortals is out on Blu-ray/DVD and can finally take its rightful place in your collection, right between I, Claudius and The Iron Giant -- alphabetically.

The Movie:

Often dismissed, and advertised, as some 300 knockoff, The Immortals seemed to lose out on both the ratings it desired and the art house attention it deserved. Though it?s nowhere on the box, which further proves the mismanagement of this title, this film is directed by Tarsem Singh Dhandwar and is his follow-up to The Fall, a love-letter to cinema that makes the wildly celebrated Hugo look like a blue-tinted 3D email. He also directed R.E.M.?s video for ?Losing My Religion,? which I think we can all agree was an immensely influential piece for the medium. All of this is to say, yes, it is in fact from the producers of 300, and it?s also directed by a visionary filmmaker.

As plot summaries will tell you, it?s about Theseus, played by the upcoming Superman Henry Cavill, seeking revenge against the evil King Hyperion, a role seized by the post-Wrestler Mickey Rourke who was severely underutilized in Iron Man 2. To seek vengeance, Theseus must join a ragtag group of friends and find a magical weapon, just like any good mythological story would have it. What makes The Immortals? take on this basic hero?s arc rich and exceptional is the role of the gods. The entire film, clich? though it might be to say, is a painting. It?s a visual escape of bronze splashed against dull rust, but up on the mountain the gods are gold. They are meant to be ?brighter than,? and it?s not just interesting costuming, it?s a decision that informs the narrative.

The conflict of the film revolves around the gods restraining themselves from interfering with the actions of mankind. If they show themselves, the truth of their existence would be unquestionable, and if man knew that Mount Olympus was host to such divinity, then free will would be compromised. Unlike lesser films that use the Olympians like so many stuffy high council members, the Zeus of this world humbly believes in the potential for mankind to decide not to war against each other, as opposed to being told not to by an all-powerful Beings. This, of course, becomes more compelling when the gods? decision to use restraint is questioned. Best of all, this isn?t just pretense, the film reminds you throughout that its characters are very much in doubt of the existence of Olympians, and that the true believers are in the minority.

Also worth noting are the clever ways the film handles this story?s retelling: the Minotaur is not a man with a bull?s head, but you can see how that rumor would have been started, and the seemingly omnipotent eagle that flies around is not necessarily Zeus. The Immortals also achieves something that many films lately have failed to accomplish: it has a sincerely dangerous villain.

The Immortals is played with sincerity, and the look is immaculate, and more importantly, interesting. The world?s environs take on the qualities of small sets used in a play or an old studio film, to the extent that these scenes seem to be framed as if illustrated tiles in a series. Even the graphic violence is executed with an artist?s eye, so while legs are gashed and bodies slammed by flaming chains or slashed in half by swords, it reads like the stroke of a brush. There is a difference between the gore used to shock in movies and the more expressive use of it in The Immortals. The last I?ll say, because part of the fun of this movie is discovering what it does correctly, is that the action scenes are captured with a fluidity that allows you to take in the choreography, as opposed to trying to catch glimpses in an over-edited montage. It?s a dangerous thing to compare but there is a long fight in a corridor that doesn?t copy but seems to at least take notes from Old Boy -- and that?s saying a lot. Watching these fight scenes make you wonder what it would be like to have this team make a superhero movie, but then you realize that, in a way, you?re already in the middle of one.

Theatrically, this was one of my favorite films of last year, and perhaps the first time that I felt the use of 3D actually enhanced the experience. On the TV some of its breadth is bound to seem smaller, but no less immaculate or worthy of your attention. Dhandwar?s next movie is the Lily Collins Snow White adventure Mirror, Mirror, and I can only imagine what the trailers aren?t revealing.

The Disc:

The presentation of The Immortals on Blu-ray is as good as you?d expect from any current release, and a digital copy is provided on an additional disc. The special features split the difference on quality and quantity and leave you with a fine assortment but not much to watch more than once. That said, do seek them out because some are extremely worthwhile. The fully polished alternate opening and two alternate endings reveal fascinating backstories for the main characters and provide an important reminder for viewers to consider the film?s title when thinking about the larger themes of the story.

The featurette ?It?s No Myth? is a soft look at where these mythological adventures come from, while ?Caravaggio Meets Fight Club: Tarsem?s Vision? takes an in-depth look at the making-of process. While neither the painter Caravaggio nor the classic film Fight Club seem to be explicitly referenced in this featurette, it?s a unique look into Dhandwar?s set and process. It also reveals the technology used to pre-visualize the extensive CGI elements of the movie on the monitors while they were filming. The final non-trailer/sneak-peak feature on the disc is ?Immortals: Gods & Heroes Graphic Novel,? a thoughtful inclusion of the supplemental comic that you can read on your TV...if you stand real close and squint. If there is a zoom option I haven?t found it, so I?m going to defer to being sarcastic about it. It?s too bad, because it would be nice bonus to this exceptional film.

The Immortals [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Universal Studios Home EntertainmentStarring: Henry Cavill, Mickey RourkeProduced by: Jason Felts, Tucker Tooley, Tommy Turtle, Jeff G. WaxmanWritten by: Charles Parlapanides & Vlas Parlapanides

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Shame [Blu-Ray]

It?s a shame that I didn?t love this movie. Get it? Shame? Like the name of the movie? Aw, what do you know about comedy, with the puns, and the jokes, and the LAUGHTER!

The Movie:

I really wanted to love Shame. Like, Midnight Cowboy love it (I only make that reference because it's the only other ?X? rated film I?ve ever seen). But something just seems to fall short with Shame. Sure, the sex is there, and the "I?m-dead-inside" look in the protagonist?s eyes is there. But it?s still missing something that I can?t quite put my finger on, and whatever it is, it could have put this movie over the top.

The film stars Michael Fassbender in what might be his boldest movie yet. That said, I still prefer him playing roles like Magneto or Lt. Archie Hicox in Inglourious Basterds. He?s just so charming, and to steal that charm away from him and turn him into a soulless sex addict is almost criminal. But at least he?s a handsome sex addict. I?m sure women won?t mind the brief shot of Fassbender?s junk that appears in the film. And while that might sound crude, I feel it?s justified, as the character of Brandon Sullivan is such an empty husk of a man that it?s hard to feel anything for him or see him as anything other than a piece of meat. We get a sense of the shame he feels for succumbing to his sexual desires, but the movie never really explains why we should have any sympathy for him. That might be the point of the whole movie, as there are some excruciatingly long shots of us just staring at Fassbender and making sense of who he is, but that doesn?t make for much of a movie. It makes for more of a screensaver.

Thank God for Carey Mulligan, who plays Brandon's vivacious and intriguing sister. They?re both self-destructive in their own ways, but Mulligan actually makes us feel for her flawed character, which I can?t exactly say for Fassbender. It?s like all the life was sucked out of his character and put into hers. Again, that might be the point of her being here -- the staggering differences between them is what pushes them apart?and ultimately, brings them together -- but it almost feels like this movie is trying to decide just what it wants to be: a study of a sex addict, or a family drama. It tries to be both and fails on both accounts. If it had only stuck to one, it might have been a better film.

Still, there are some memorable and haunting scenes in this movie that keep it from being a total drag. There?s a scene of Fassbender staring at his prey on a subway, which is disturbing and off-putting in all the right ways. And his loathsome feelings at hearing his sister having sex in the other room of his apartment is palpable and realistic. I could feel his anger. But besides a few distinct moments, this film isn?t all that great. If you come into it expecting a masterpiece, then you might be disappointed. But if you?re coming into it as a normal film, then you?ll probably like it, but you won?t love it. It?s worth a watch.

The Disc:

There really aren?t that many special features on this Blu-Ray version of Shame, and what?s here is pretty short. I?m shocked at how anemic they are.

?Focus on Michael Fassbender? is about three minutes of The Fass (You like that? The Fass?) talking about his role in the film as Brandon. It?s not interesting, and did I mention it?s only about three minutes? Get used to that time frame, because it?s about the same for all the special features on this disc. ?Focus on Steve McQueen? is a three-minutes-and-some-change video of the director talking about working with The Fass again after their previous collaboration on the movie Hunger. You can tell the two of them are comfortable with each other, but again, it?s only about three minutes or so. Plus, it shows many of the same clips from the movie as the ?Focus on Michael Fassbender? feature. It gets old, fast.

?The Story of Shame,? is basically a three-minute retelling of the film?s theme of isolation, and ?A Shared Vision? is almost the same thing, but?well, really, I actually think it is the same thing. The same clips play, the same music swells, and there?s nothing distinguishable about it. It?s not even worth watching. ?Fox Movie Channel presents: In Character with Michael Fassbender? is the last special feature and it?s pretty much a replica of the ?Focus on Michael Fassbender? segment. So really, these special features are useless. See the film, but don?t watch the features. They suck.

Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Home EntertainmentStarring: Michael Fassbender, Carey MulliganProduced by: Iain Canning, Emile ShermanWritten by: Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen

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Tower Heist [Blu-Ray]

I may be one of the only movie critics to openly say this, but I actually like Brett Ratner?s films, and Tower Heist is a pretty good one. It?s no Rush Hour 1-3, but really, what is?

The Movie:

Brett Ratner gets a lot of flak. Sure, in his personal life, he deserves it. His homophobic comments are unacceptable and tweeting box office dividends for a movie many people loathed (http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Brett-Ratner-Tweets-Box-Office-Numbers-In-Defense-Of-X-Men-3-25076.html) is beyond petty. But movie-wise, I find his films inoffensive at worst and pretty damn enjoyable at best. Look, he?s no Steven Spielberg, but he?s no Michael Bay, either. He makes fun, mindless action films and he does a decent job at it. He?s much better than people say.

Tower Heist is proof of that. Though it doesn?t have the frequent humor of his Rush Hour series, or even the, let?s just call it "loud," action sequences of X-Men: The Last Stand, it still has a charm factor of its own. It?s all held up by a relevant backdrop of the haves and the have nots. It?s not exactly the voice of Occupy Wall Street, but it?s an enjoyable enough romp where the bad guy gets his and the good guys are victorious. Plus, it?s the best movie Eddie Murphy?s been in since the mid '90s, and that?s saying something, right?

The story revolves around a group of hard-working employees at a luxurious condo tower who get screwed over by their boss and decide to take back what?s theirs. It?s wish-fulfillment for the modern age. Alan Alda plays a charming but deceitful Wall Street cat who screws over his employees by taking all their money. Ben Stiller is the guy who leads his crew to get back at the scumbag. It?s a predictable enough story, but Ratner pulls it off with a list of likeable stars. Eddie Murphy, while not The Golden Child hilarious, is back in fine form. He has a lot of great moments. Mathew Broderick, with his Ferris-Bueller-plus-30-years face, makes his character believable enough that you care about him. And Gabourey Sidibe, who will forever, unfortunately, be known as Precious, is great as a Jamaican maid.

In fact, out of the whole cast, I?d have to say Ben Stiller is the only sour note. He makes a fine enough straight man, which I guess is the whole point, but when the craziness starts going down, he?s the only one who really seems out of place, and that?s a shame. It dampens an extravagant finale. I mean, there?s a harrowing scene near the end where a beautiful car dangles out a window from a great height. It?s actually pretty nerve-racking, and Ben Stiller kind of ruins that feeling of suspense somehow. But oh well, it?s a good enough film and a nice little addition to Ratner?s resume. See it, even if you hate the Rat. It?s pretty good.

The Disc:

How are the special features? Well, they?re good and they?re bad. On the front of the box, it advertises how there are two alternate endings, but they?re not even worth mentioning. They?re both, like, less than a minute long. They?re pathetic and were rightfully cut. The ?Deleted/Alternate Scenes,? just like the missing endings, are worthless too. Why are they even here?

The ?Gag Reel,? like all gag reels, isn?t funny, and a segment called ?Brett Ratner?s Video Diary? just goes on and on and on. ?Plotting Tower Heist? is actually pretty interesting though, because it features a celebratory love-fest between Brett Ratner and producer/long-time friend Brian Grazer, who looks spaced out as always. It also reveals that the movie actually started out as an idea by Eddie Murphy as a black ensemble piece, which is kind of interesting. I might have wanted to see that.

Last but not least is the commentary, which features Brett Ratner, an editor, and the movie?s co-writers. It?s the best special feature on here. The discussions travel all over the place, from the origins of the story, to wind direction in a shot, to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I know it?s not cool to like Ratner and all, but he seems like a pretty interesting guy, and I wouldn?t mind hanging out with him. I?d just nudge him in the side if he ever started making rude remarks.

Distributor: Universal Studios Home EntertainmentStarring: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni, Michael Pena and Gabourey SidibieProduced by: Brian Grazer, Eddie Murphy and Kim RothWritten by: Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson

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Martha Marcy May Marlene [Blu-Ray]

Is it strange that Martha Marcy May Marlene is the third movie about a cult I?ve seen in the last few days? Is it even stranger that I watched it in a communal living room with 17 of my closest ?brothers and sisters? while our mother figure made soup from homemade stock and our father figure polished his blade against the ?whooping? strop? I?m only allowed a half-hour on the typing machine, so I?d be wise to get this review done in a right hurry.

The Movie:

Sean Durkin?s full-length directorial debut, the aptly abbreviated (if you?re into clannish chicks) MMMM, is a near-perfect example of how to tell an expanded story while only working with pieces from the middle. We don?t quite know the beginning, and the end isn?t even an issue. Most films of this nature drive home a character?s backstory before introducing the cult, sequentially playing out the daily trials and tribulations before shit goes downhill and escape is necessary. And many times, they can be as boring as that sentence was. But here, we experience only the lingering aftermath, where shallow wounds healed by time are surrounded by gaping holes of psychological turmoil.

Elizabeth Olsen?s star turn as Martha relies as much on her expressiveness, or lack thereof, as any dialogue or actions rendered. She fibs her way back into good graces with sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) after a two-year absence, staying with her and husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) at their lakeside vacation house. So assimilated into the quasi-hippie farmhouse existence, under the subtle menace of leader Patrick (John Hawkes), Martha?s behavior is at first acceptably eccentric but soon becomes maddeningly paranoid and troublesome. Paulson plays Lucy as loving and compassionate, but with just the right amount of judgment that makes Ted, lacking in depth as he is, at least react realistically. Lucy seems like the kind of person who couldn?t go a day without bitching to Ted about something, probably the carefree Martha, her polar opposite.

Through seamless juxtaposition, Durkin connects Martha?s present and recent past through locations and actions, giving viewers glimpses of an initially cogent lifestyle soon riddled with violence and sexual dominance. This works two-fold, as we realize these flashbacks aren?t just for our benefit. This is regressive shock cascading into a mental breakdown. Martha needs to second-guess everything she?s been through, from pseudo-relationships with Watts (Brady Corbet) and Patrick (who coins her cult name ?Marcy May?), to friendships with Zoe (Louisa Krause) and Katie (Marla Dizzla). Once you?ve lived through something like this, concepts such as ?right and wrong behavior? lose most of their meaning, and their differences are indistinguishable. And seriously, will Brady Corbet ever make a movie that doesn?t make me uncomfortable?

In highlighting the farmland?s warm expansiveness, setting few scenes in the same place twice, Durkin allows viewers to toy with the idea that its positives may outweigh the negatives, especially when compared to Lucy and Ted?s large, colorless, personality-free home. The ever-powerful Hawkes, in short bursts of screen time, presents Patrick as gently parental, though rough around the edges. (Especially the ?take you from behind while you?re sleeping? edges.) The relative ease in which Martha is able to escape the group?s clutches casts doubt on her paranoia, but this just makes the tension all the more strangling.

Again, it would all be for naught without Olsen?s masterful solemnity. Each smile feels genuinely fought for. Each look of distress is conveyed with frightening ease. Her widened eyes in the final seconds are somehow more lasting than the film?s already haunting previous 100 minutes. Wholly more than the sum of its scattered parts, Martha Marcy May Marlene is as understated and captivating as it can possibly be, ushering in hopefully lengthy careers for both starlet and director.

The Disc:

Though Durkin speaks in the all-too brief "Making of MMMM" about wanting the grain of the film to show through, it?s not often that it does, and it actually looks somewhat awful in between positively crisp and gorgeous wide-open scenes. Indie movies rarely look this pristine. The sound aspects are only worth mentioning in brief, as the entire film is just dialogue and a softened score.

?Mary Last Seen? is the rare short film that serves as an addition to the feature rather than a previously filmed inspiration. Filmed as Durkin was finishing the feature script, it expounds upon the tactics someone like Watts uses to snare outsiders into the group, such as removing external communications and wearing the person down mentally and physically. Interesting and beautifully shot for a miniscule budget, this is the only feature to appear on both Blu-ray and the DVD.

The features exclusive to this disc are all basic and quite short, so I guess they?re worth the time. ?The Psyche of a Cult? looks into the mindset and methods that hold these groups together, such as the guise of individual thought. ?The Story? is mostly Durkin talking about wanting to write a cult script. ?The Making of MMMM? has a few of the cast and crew members talking about locations and shooting. People talk about Elizabeth Olsen in ?Spotlight on Elizabeth Olsen.?

My favorite of these features is John Hawkes? music video for ?Marcy?s Song,? an extended, studio-recorded version of a pretty folk song Patrick wrote for Martha in the film. It isn?t amazing or anything, but I kept singing it after listening to it, and the oddball intensity on Hawkes? face is reminiscent of a coked-out Springsteen. Watch it here.

This film definitely joins the original Wicker Man and Kill List in the trifecta of awesome cult movies. But more than just that sub-genre classification, it?s a personal character study of a damaged female unlike many we?ve seen before. Martha is victimized, but she?s not quite a victim. She?s a survivor. And the only Olsen with onscreen talent.

Martha Marcy May Marlene [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentStarring: Elizabeth Olsen, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet, Christopher AbbottProduced by: Ted Hope, Saemi Kim, Saerom Kim, Matt Palmieri, Alexander Schepsman

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The Adventures Of Tintin [Blu-Ray]

With an action-filled mystery adventure featuring an energetic young protagonist globetrotting around the world, it should not be much of a surprise that Steven Spielberg?s The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn is a very busy movie. Its picture is busy, its action is zippy, and the whole thing plays out so quickly that many gratifying but quick moments could easily be missed on a first viewing. With a second viewing, many of these sly comments and candid characterizations color the screen and prove The Adventures of Tintin is truly more than just a basic action piece, although the action, too, is thrilling.

The Movie:

The Adventures of Tintin splashes together its storyboards from three very famous Herg? stories: ?The Secret of the Unicorn,? ?The Crab with the Golden Claws," and ?Red Rackham?s Treasure.? Together, the three different stories could have contributed to a script that never really felt like one tale; however, Stephen Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish?s tale never falls into that trap. Not that The Adventures of Tintin is a one-note script -- quite the opposite -- but it does tell one (rather jaunty) story.

We begin with an introduction to the affable Tintin (Jamie Bell), who just so happens to be hanging out in the marketplace when a pickpocket runs amok. We may wrongly assume Tintin is about to embark on a journey involving said pickpocket, but that is actually a mystery for blundering policemen Thomson and Thompson (Nick Frost and Simon Pegg) to solve while Tintin moves on to a bigger adventure, which begins with the purchase of an antique desktop ship.

Turns out the beautifully crafted boat hides a clue to the secret of a hidden treasure, sunk long ago by one Sir Francis Haddock. After learning there are more boats to be found, Tintin and his faithful dog seek to discover them, eventually making an enemy out of complicated villain Rackham (Daniel Craig) and teaming up with drunken good guy Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), who often hinders plans as much as he helps.

Like Herg?s comic-book world, Spielberg?s film is busy and colorful, chock-full of mystery and adventure. There are tons of nods to Herg?s The Adventures of Tintin world throughout the film, including a cameo by the author himself in the opening scene. These moments cannot be appreciated nearly as much if you can?t get past the motion capture animation, which is a far cry from the animated drawings in Herg?s stories, but thankfully also a far cry from the creepy, off-putting characters that populated earlier motion capture pictures, including The Polar Express. Indulge in the nuances and depth of the new technology -- the very careful way the sunlight lands on characters faces, especially -- and you will make it through the movie a much happier viewer.

Despite the nods to Herg?s world, The Adventures of Tintin is very much a Spielberg creation, propelled forward by producer Peter Jackson, who also collaborated on the making of the film. Much of the over-the-top but plausible arcs in the Tintin stories are made more slapstick and fantastical here, which is fine, provided we are willing to roll with it. Ultimately, this is Spielberg?s Tintin, and he?s going to live and die by his own point of view.

From The Artist to Hugo, 2011 was a year that really stepped back in time to celebrate the magic of movies. In many ways, The Adventures of Tintin is very much a byproduct of this nostalgic outlook, a simple movie about a boy and his pup that fans all over the world have loved for a very long time, supplemented by a John Williams soundtrack that never stops reminding us of past grand movie moments. In other ways, The Adventures of Tintin takes the framework of a Spielberg action-adventure story and recreates it for a whole new audience. The byproduct may lack the wistful attachment fans of the series may look for, but the ultimate result is no less impressive.

The Disc:

The look of this disc is extremely similar to that of Hugo, which was also produced for at-home release by Paramount. The similarities run from the look of the boxes and the Blu-Ray disc itself, down to the way the menu unfurls and has a little compass piece in the corner (in Hugo the compass is replaced by a clock). However, the extras on The Adventures of Tintin disc flow much better. There is a really nice ?Play All? button on the menu that allows each of the extras to play out like one extremely long ?Making of? featurette, which is really how the extras on this particular disc are meant to be watched.

The first segment, ?Toasting Tintin,? shows how production started in 2009 and worked through challenges to create a film that was exactly what Spielberg and Peter Jackson had envisioned together. While Spielberg directed this film, and really has been the big name attached, each of the extras really flesh out just how much of a collaborative effort The Adventures of Tintin truly became.

There is a great love for the Tintin books in the extras, and even the pup, Snowy, gets his own segment. John Williams? music also gets a proper look, including a cute moment when the veteran composer admits he used a Disney trick to weave the music with the animation.

The big bonus feature focuses on the motion capture, and the reasons why it was chosen to bring Tintin and co. to the big screen. Most of the information is pretty cool, especially if you are interested in motion capture, but I will warn you, the disc is extremely in depth and lengthy. If you aren't excited about motion capture, it could be a huge snore fest, although a star-studded one, with appearances from the actors and even writers Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright.

The Adventures Of Tintin [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Paramount Home EntertainmentStarring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel CraigProduced by: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven SpielbergWritten by: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish

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The Sitter [Blu-Ray]

If you thought The Sitter looked like Adventures in Babysitting with Jonah Hill, you?re on the right track. Take away some of the reasoning behind the premise, add a bit of School of Rock grown-up-to-kid-style humor, a handful of cute children, and plenty of Jonah Hill and what you get is an occasionally funny movie with a solid cast but not enough story or character development to really make it anything beyond an okay comedy.

The Movie:

Directed by David Gordon Green, The Sitter stars Jonah Hill as Noah, a suspended college student who?s in a rut, living with his mother and seeing a girl named Marisa (Ari Graynor), a barely-girlfriend who?s using him for whatever attention he?ll give her. As a favor to his mother, Noah agrees to babysit three kids. When Marisa begs Noah to pick up some cocaine for her and meet her at a party in the city, Noah agrees, bringing the kids with him. Naturally, mayhem ensues.

The biggest problem with the movie is the set-up. Why is this guy bringing three children into the city? Going into the city to buy drugs for a girlfriend who barely cares about him seems like a stupid thing to do on its own. Add three children to the mix and it really doesn?t make any sense. Since it?s kind of hard to get around that notion, the movie barely holds up. But it does have some redeeming qualities, among which are Sam Rockwell, Jonah Hill, and the three kids (Max Records, Landry Bender, and Kevin Hernandez).

Each of the kids have their own set of problems, and as Noah is actually a decent guy (with proven bad decision-making skills), he tackles them throughout the night. Slater (Records) has some emotional issues he?s trying to sort out. Blithe (Bender) is reckless and obsessed with celebutantes, and adopted child Rodrigo (Hernandez) disregards authority and likes to blow stuff up with cherry bombs. All three kids are cute and play their roles well. There?s also good chemistry between the actors and Hill, which really makes me wish there were a better story on which to hang these characters? relationships. Sam Rockwell adds value to just about anything he?s in, and as the unstable drug dealer Karl, he definitely has some funny moments. But, again, it?s not enough to carry the film.

An appreciation for Jonah Hill is a requirement to get through The Sitter, but that?s probably a given. His character, like the film itself, feels a bit underdone and isn?t really set up enough to deliver a satisfying conclusion. In the end, what we get is a movie that never quite reaches its potential. I almost wish they had actually just aimed to remake Adventures in Babysitting with Hill as the lead, rather than going with the story they did for The Sitter. Given the cast and some of the humor, with a slightly more believable set-up The Sitter might have actually been a decent comedy. Instead, it falls just short of being average, offering some laughs and cute moments, but not much else.

The Disc:

The ?Totally Irresponsible Edition? offers two discs, one of which is the Blu-ray, which includes both the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. The other is the DVD, which contains the theatrical version of the film and a digital copy of the unrated version of the movie.

This set doesn?t go overboard with bonus features. There?s no commentary, but you will get a number of behind-the-scenes looks at the film, including a gag reel, a making-of segment, and a funny featurette that shows Jonah Hill the producer, whose responsibilities apparently include humorous interactions with the parents of the kids. Additional bonus content includes extended scenes and an alternate ending.

It all amounts to an amusing assortment of content, none of which is especially exciting or substantial, but which offers a few reasons to laugh and allows us to get to know the cast, including the talented kids, a bit better.

Distributor: 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentStarring: Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell, Ari Graynor, Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin HernandezDirected by: David Gordon GreenWritten by: Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka

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Jack and Jill [Blu-Ray]

Attempting to figure out what is at the very heart of what does not work with Jack and Jill is a difficult task. It?s as damn near impossible as trying to hold onto a person with moist hands as you are slowly slipping off a precipice. The problem seems to be that there is nothing underlyingly wrong with Jack and Jill, a comedy that builds its foundations out of a realistic premise: two siblings that don?t connect and cannot understand one another at all. Unlike the precipice thing, which is stuck dealing with extenuating factors, Jack and Jill could have been a whole lot better had creators been able to pursue characters with a bit more humanity and jokes that did not fall flat.

The Movie:

Jack and Jill?s issues begin with the miscasting of Katie Holmes, continue through 91 minutes of arduous cross-dressing appearances and pointless, star-powered cameos, and end without having produced anything remotely close to a storyline. Regardless, I?ll give explaining the story a go. Adam Sandler plays Jack, a struggling advertising executive who really needs to land a new deal featuring the one and only Al Pacino. When his annoying and oblivious twin sister Jill (also Adam Sandler) visits, Jack decides he needs to land socially inept sister with a man. Eventually Al Pacino actually takes a liking to Jill, and Jack spends a good part of the movie trying to hook them up in different environments so he can shoot his commercial.

Katie Holmes plays Sandler?s wife, Erin, but she is the straight woman in the group, there more to prove Jack has a stable family life than to provide any real comedy. So Sandler and director Dennis Dugan look to the kids to supply many of the cheap laughs in the household, notably the boy, Gary (Rohan Chand), an adopted child who makes wizened comments while taping random items to himself.

When not focusing on Kids Say the Darndest Things zingers, Jack and Jill relies on comedians and famous faces to bring in a little jazz. Admittedly, the jazz works some of the time. I never mind seeing Norm MacDonald pop up for a scene or two and some of the cameos are amusing, although non sequitur, surprises. Ultimately, the don?t prop up the other missteps, but they are not the worst thing the movie attempts.

Speaking of stuff that does not add up, in the end, there is a halfhearted attempt to explain that family is family, and we all need to come through for that family, even when we may not like that family very much. Watching Jill, the only character that is even partially fleshed out in Jack and Jill, we find one of the most outrageously unlikeable family members to ever grace a movie screen. Jill consistently misconstrues movie titles, she doesn?t know what Skype is, and she likes to ride kiddie rides at carnivals. In the end, though she may be unlikeable, she is still part of that loosely connected web known as family and she, too deserves a little happiness. It?s not Adam Sandler?s rendition of Jill that fails so sorely here, but all of the crap we are put through to get her there.

Jack and Jill is not an example of Sandler trying something new and failing. It?s yet another example of Sandler failing to find the balance between stupid nonsense and interesting and clever characters we?d like to watch. Adam Sandler is and has always been into some weird and over-the-top comedy, and just because this one fails to hit the right mark, it does not mean Sandler and Dugan are losing their touch, because they have always been about goofy, falling-down humor. Despite completely despising this movie, I still did not find it worse than Little Nicky, and that movie was made when people were still behind Sandler?s twisted visions. In the time since, Sandler is still doing Sandler, it?s just that sometimes the pieces manage to land together a little better, and sometimes, as in Jack and Jill, they don?t.

The Disc:

The first extras are the movie?s deleted scenes. Some of the scenes are brand new and some of them are early versions of scenes that later ended up in the movie. One deleted scene even features an advertisement from Shaq. Many of the deleted scenes are actually fairly suggestive, and while I hope they were cut due to poor taste, it seems more likely they were cut to fit the PG rating.

An outtake reel follows, in which Pacino proclaims, ?This is a ludicrous mess? and Sandler lovingly intones, ?But that is why people are going to love it.? Right. This movie did not make back its production budget, people. Other segments include ?Look Who Stopped By,? which spotlights some of the many cameos appearing in the film; ?Stomach Ache?; and ?Don?t Call It A Boat -- Royal Caribbean," which is about the cruise scenes.

Honestly, the disc is put together really nicely. The picture looks great, the menu is easy to maneuver through, the disc automatically offers playback if you stop play mid-movie, and there are many extras that pack a lot of punch. If Jack and Jill weren?t such an absolute assault on the senses itself, I would highly recommend the Blu-Ray set. So, if you liked the movie, I say go for it.

Jack and Jill [Blu-Ray] DetailsDistributor: Sony Pictures Home EntertainmentStarring: Adam Sandler, Al Pacino, Katie HolmesProduced by: Todd Garner, Jack Giarraputo, Adam SandlerWritten by: Steve Koren, Adam Sandler, Ben Zook

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We Bought a Zoo [Blu-ray]

Cameron Crowe is my favorite writer/director. Well, he was through 2000 when he made the amazing Almost Famous. Then things started to go not so well. Vanilla Sky was ambitious but flawed and Elizabethtown in 2005 was, well, not very good. But he?s got the goods and I like what he does, generally. So the only reason I would even consider watching a family friendly movie called We Bought a Zoo is because Crowe is the co-writer and director. He makes this movie better than the premise deserves to be, but it?s not fantastic.

The Movie:

I?m not sure how much plot explanation is needed for a movie called We Bought a Zoo. It sorta says it all right there, doesn?t it? The ?we? in this case is a family headed by Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon), a journalist who is dealing with the recent death of his wife and trying to raise his bitter 14-year-old son, Dylan (Colin Ford), and insanely cute and mature-beyond-her-years daughter, Rosie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones). Dylan steals and draws dark and violent pictures in school, ultimately getting expelled. While looking for a new place to live and a ?new start? Ben and Rosie come upon the perfect house. Only catch, it comes with zoo! Yeah, it shocked me, too.

Crowe uses all his old tricks of dreamy cinematography with spot-on original music and cues from famous songs of the '60s and '70s. He also brings more realism to the whole project -- it?s based on a true story in England -- than you might expect. It?s not a wacky ?fish out of water? story, although it incorporates some of those elements. The heart of the movie is Ben?s relationship with his kids, his skeptical brother (Thomas Haden Church), and the zoo?s workers lead by Kelly (Scarlett Johansson). Again, Crowe resists the urge for a full-blown romance/misunderstanding/reconciliation with Ben and Kelly's flirtation, allowing the attraction to build more naturally.

Not that there aren?t missteps. The character of Rosie is just too unbelievable. I mean, obviously it?s possible for kids to be as darn cute as she is, but the level of maturity and knowingness rings false. As do the general eccentricities of the other zoo workers (Patrick Fugit, Angus Macfayden, Carla Gallo), and a secondary relationship between Dylan and Kelly?s cousin (Elle Fanning). Also, Crowe falls into the trap of not wanting to end a movie that is clearly over. After a big inspection with a curiously hostile inspector (John Michael Higgins), a natural ending place and a good 105 minutes into the movie, the film adds another crisis that seems to exist just to pad the running time.

The performances of the leads, especially Damon, and the way the movie handles the subject matter put this above the usual romantic, odd-situation comedy. You feel that while this may not be the way it really happened, it's close to how real people would handle the situation. It?s funny and family-friendly to boot.

The Disc:

There is a surprising amount of extras on the We Bought a Zoo Blu-ray combo pack. It includes both a DVD and an electronic copy of the film. The picture and sound quality are very good and the cinematography is better than you would expect from a family/animal movie. There is even a ?family-friendly? audio track that cuts out the couple of curse words.

Director/co-writer Cameron Crowe leads a commentary that includes editor Mark Livolsi and actor J.B. Smoove. Smoove?s presence is a head scratcher. He has a brief, and funny, scene as the real estate agent who sells Benjamin the zoo. The character is memorable, but it?s a very brief scene at the beginning of the film and then he?s never seen again (well, except for about three seconds at the very end). Crowe notes that Smoove is being included to make the commentary more exciting, and he does add some funny comments. Unfortunately, he gets a bit tiresome after a while and it distracts from the information provided by Crowe and Livolsi. If he?d been there for just the first 30 minutes or so, it might have gone better. There is one riff near the end about taking off and buying glasses that is just deadly to listen to.

The main featurette is ?We Shot a Zoo.? Not only is that a clever title, but the 75-minute extra is pretty well done. Shot in a Crowe-like style, it?s a bit more arty than that usual behind-the-scenes stuff. It?s also in-depth, covering not just the filming, actors, and the like, but the real Benjamin Mee, the development of the story, and the construction of the zoo ?set? on an empty ranch. The transformation is mind-boggling.

There are 35 minutes of deleted and extended scenes. None are particularly earth shattering, but a few show the set-ups for payoffs that remain in the film but aren't as clear without the extra information provided by the deleted scene.

The other extras are 20 minutes on the film?s composer, Jonsi, a member of the Icelandic band, Sigur Ros. It?s clear Crowe loves this band, as he mentions it often. Like ?We Shot a Zoo? this is a bit artier than the usual featurette and shows a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff involved in scoring the film, along with a conversation/interview between Crowe and Jonsi. There is also a slightly more traditional 30-minute documentary about the real Benjamin Mee. It covers the actual zoo and the challenges that come with living at and running a zoo without a zoological background. The extras are wrapped up with a trailer and a gag reel that?s pretty funny.

It doesn?t blow the doors off the joint, but We Bought a Zoo is a good movie. It?s especially adept at presenting a more realistic portrayal of a pretty out-there situation. It?s not a complete return to the Cameron Crowe of the '90s, but it washes the Elizabethtown taste out of your mouth. And mentioning El Cajon, Escondido, and other San Diego locales is a bonus.

We Bought a Zoo [Blu-ray] DetailsDistributor: 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentStarring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning, John Michael HigginsProduced by: Julie Yorn, Rick Yorn, Cameron CroweWritten by: Cameron Crowe, Aline Brosh McKenna

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Sound Of My Voice

In a basement, tucked away somewhere in the monotonous Southern California suburbs, there is a woman dressed in white who claims she is from the future. That's the irresistible pull of Sound of My Voice, the tiny indie film that caused a huge stir at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and comes to theaters, by way of Fox Searchlight, this weekend. Directed on virtually no budget by Zal Batamanglij from a script he co-wrote with the star, Brit Marling, it's a tiny, incisive movie that worms its way inside you and devours, expertly building tension and dread as it navigates the audience through its central mystery. Focused on its razor-sharp execution and ideas rather than its characters, the movie is more of an intellectual wallop than an emotional one, but when it quite deliberately ends on a cliffhanger, you have no choice but to ask for more.

Quite ambitiously for first-time filmmakers, Batmanglij and Marling have said they planned Sound of my Voice as a trilogy, and the further you get into this lean and engrossing film, the more their detailed world-building emerges. We first enter this mysterious basement alongside Peter (Christopher Denham) and Lorna (Nicole Vicius), who are infiltrating the cult led by Maggie (Marling) as investigative journalists-- though we don't know that yet. Intead Batmanglij takes us through the arduous ritual of meeting Maggie, from scrubbing you entire body with soap to being handcuffed and blindfolded, then performing an elaborate secret handshake while locking eyes with the aged hippie (Richard Wharton) who is Maggie's right-hand man.

When the woman herself enters, speaking partly in encouraging platitudes and partly about her own disorienting experience of traveling more than 30 years into the past, Maggie is magnetic and instantly alluring-- though Marling's performance is aloof and hard to read, Maggie has the clear, powerful charisma of all history's great cult leaders, and that power somehow only grows the more we get to know her. Peter and Lorna are naturally skeptical, and Maggie never explicitly proves she's come from year 2054, beyond making vague and foreboding promises about a coming war, and how her followers must prepare for the disasters to come. Batmanglij and Marling cannily avoid giving us a definitive answer, but they also take advantage of the moviegoer's natural desire to see something new-- we want to stick with our main character, Peter, and align with his skepticism, but when faced with a presence as powerful as Maggie and this movie, we're also inclined to believe.

The natural frustration of seeing a film intended as the start of a trilogy-- with no guarantee that those follow-up films will be made-- is that it cuts the engine just as it's built up the proper amount of speed. Maggie's world is fascinating and complex, but to keep the story simple Batmanglij gives us only hints-- a lesson in shooting guns for Lorna, an indoor greenhouse, Maggie's cigarette habit-- while focusing on the fractures in Peter and Lorna's own relationship. When the finale ratchets up tension and then abruptly cuts off, we're not only left in the lurch about Maggie's identity-- which is a secret fine to keep-- but Peter and Lorna, our main characters torn apart by a plot also left resolved. For a movie so small and frequently intimate, Sound of my Voice can lose track of the people inside it, and it's a surprise to find something so elegant can also feel a little hollow.

And yet, you'll be glad for the time you spent with Maggie, and with Batmanglij and Marling-- who also co-wrote and starred in Another Earth-- as independent filmmakers who see money as no obstacle on the way toward expressing big ideas. If the second and third Sound of my Voice films get made, they'll hopefully contain the same incisive filmmaking style and ambitious ideas-- with maybe a little more character texture to round things out.

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The Avengers

At my screening of Marvel?s The Avengers, the audience couldn?t wait until the end of the film before erupting in applause. In the midst of a massive action sequence in the third act of the story, the entire Avengers team, including Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow, assembled on screen and seeing them together was too amazing to ignore. It was a tribute to how entertaining the film truly was; a reaction to a wonderful payoff moment built up by well-crafted characters, witty dialogue and a thoroughly thrilling script. And I won?t be surprised if happens again and again once the movie is released worldwide.

A direct sequel that follows the events of the previous Marvel Universe movies, the film begins when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) finds his way back to Earth and steals the Tesseract ? an alien source of pure energy ? and threatens to enslave the human race with the help of his extraterrestrial army (called the Chitauri). Seeing no other option, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the leader of the covert government outfit known as S.H.I.E.L.D., assembles the team of superheroes known as The Avengers (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner) to stop Loki?s plans.

Rather than creating an uneven mix or trying to focus more heavily on any one specific character, writer/director Joss Whedon has constructed The Avengers as a balanced ensemble. In addition to everyone getting at least one great action sequence, all of the characters are fully fleshed out and given an arc to work with, whether it?s Captain America?s struggle to adjust in the modern world, Thor?s guilt about his brother, Iron Man?s ego and single-mindedness, or Hulk?s fear of his own power. Even Black Widow and Hawkeye, who were largely minimized in their previous appearances, are fully fleshed out and provided with backstories that give us a better understanding of their characters.

As fun as the other Marvel movies have been to this point, the action sequences have operated on a small scale, and The Avengers does more than compensate. Seemingly taking on a philosophy of ?go big or go home,? the action is not only pure spectacle, but perfectly paced and shot by Whedon, who makes frequent cuts so that we can see everything that?s going on with the different heroes. The final battle sequence between the superhero team and Loki?s army is better than all of the action in the other Marvel movies combined and multiplied by ten. It earns the buildup from all the preceding films by being the most epic title we?ve seen with these characters yet.

Over the course of his career, Whedon has become well known for his smart characters, quick wit, and emotional gut punches, and this film will only serve to bolster that reputation. Though never even coming close to spoof territory, the movie is actually very funny, both in dialogue (such as Captain America actually recognizing a pop culture reference from The Wizard of Oz) and physical humor (most notably a confrontation between Hulk and Loki). Though a tiny bit off towards the beginning, the pacing of the film quickly comes together as the writer/director is able to both tell the story he wants to tell and mix in multiple high-tension fight and action sequences.

As a lifelong comic book fan, I walked into The Avengers with the highest hopes and deepest fears. A little over two hours later, as the credits began to roll, I turned to the friend sitting next to me, smiled and exclaimed, ?They actually did it!? What Whedon and Marvel have created here is not just extraordinary, but one of the most entertaining and satisfying comic book movies yet.

For our To 3D or not to 3D guide to The Avengers, go Here.

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Lockout

Early on in Lockout, a team of special forces know-it-alls are debating how to solve a very particular kind of hostage crisis, in which the President's daughter is trapped in a jail that's in the middle of a mutiny, and that jail happens to be in space. The men are debating all kinds of solutions, SWAT teams and bombs and all that, until one particularly smart one pauses and says "Or? we could send in? one man."

That line is one of many make-or-break moments in Lockout, when you can decide as an audience to laugh at its audacity and keep going, or to shut down entirely to this movie's macho, hoo-rah appeal. The charm here is a little thinner than some of the other brash action movies to come from producer Luc Besson's hivemind-- it's no Taken, despite the presence of Maggie Grace as the kidnap victim once again, and it's missing the blunt-force dynamism of District B13. But it also has a trump card in the form of Guy Pearce, who unleashes a growling, muscular id as disagreed government agent Snow sent in to rescue the FIrst Daughter because he's got nothing left to lose. In his best scenes he makes Lockout feel special and vibrant, but when he's gone, the movie can be a surprising slog for something so silly.

For starters, it's a shame to see a futuristic sci-fi world so boring, in which Grace's character Emilie holds up the day's news on an actual piece of electronic paper (have they gotten rid of iPads?), and an early chase scene in the subway reveals trains as grimy and dysfunctional as the ones we have now. Directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger are operating off a small budget, but a little more imagination could have stretched that money a lot further-- the sets and costumes and general vibe of Lockout feel like all the sci-fi of the past 20 years blended into an indistinct mud.

It's only the people wandering around those sets, working their way around the borderline incoherent dialogue, who give Lockout any spark. There's Pearce's gruff Snow, of course, equipped with round after round of one-liners and a disdain for Emilie that barely coalesces into the expected romance. There's Lennie James's Shaw, who chows down on nuts constantly and directs Snow on his prison-rescue mission with some one-liners of his own. And a lot of the prisoners themselves make an impression, with Joseph Gilgun going all bug-eyed psycho as Hydell and Vincent Regan leading the revolt with a terrifying presence as Alex. Every one of these characters can feel overwritten or frequently lost in the murk of the story, but each have their standout moments as well-- if you don't think too hard about how much more fun they could have been in a better movie, of course.

It's not one big flaw of Lockout that dooms it, but a bunch of small, slowly accumulating ones, from dialogue that leaps right over on-the-nose into complete nonsense to brazen plot holes, like a giant sign flashing "Nitrogen Warning" that nobody in the tiny room notices until it's too late. One of the central action scenes is almost identical to one in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, but executed far less thrillingly, and though the entire finale operates with a ticking clock in the background and crazy convicts after our heroes, there's no sense of urgency or drama. After starting with a funny, dynamic interrogation scene in which Snow has a retort for every punch, the air slowly drains out of Lockout-- a fun premise killed by a thousand cuts of slack direction and not a single original idea.

With a plot cribbed so closely from Escape From New York and such a frequent disregard for character motivation, logic or even the laws of gravity, Lockout is pure schlock in the usual Besson mode, but it never picks up enough steam to turn into something outrageous and great. Pearce's performance is both things, and if nothing else Lockout is a strong argument for him to take on more charismatic leading roles-- he comes so close to rescuing Lockout that who knows what he might do in an actual good movie. He's almost reason enough to catch it, but be prepared to be frustrated that the rest of the movie isn't nearly up to his level.

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Chimpanzee

Really good nature photography is a special effect that never gets old, especially when the camera is trained on creatures or climates inaccessible to the rest of us. So for all of Chimpanzee's faults as a people-pleasing Disney "documentary" hellbent on building a kid-friendly narrative, it contains enough stunning footage of the chimps and their jungle habitat to remain engrossing, even while it's insulting your intelligence.

Cribbing a bit too much from classic Disney narratives like Bambi and The Lion King to feel believably true, Chimpanzee chooses as its hero Oscar, a young chimp living in a pack of about 35 in the jungles of? well, it's never said where in Africa they are, but the credits mention Ivory Coast and Ugandan crews, so let's go with that. Through Oscar we learn about chimp rituals of grooming and playtime among the young ones, plus the intense bond between Oscar and his mother Isha, who teaches him how to crack nuts and forage for berries and all the other necessary chimp life lessons. Eventually we're introduced to a rival gang led by--no kidding-- a chimp named Scar, with a "mob" of "thugs" determined to cut into the territory of Oscar's crew.

This shameless setup of an antagonist is against pretty much everything more honest nature programs will tell you, and the careful focus on Oscar and his mother vs. Scar and his aggressive males outrageously tips the scales, giving no indication that Oscar will likely grow up to be an aggressive male himself. The cornball, jokey narration from Tim Allen is generally acceptable under the "kids will like it" clause, but every time he refers to Scar and company in menacing tones, it eliminates any sense of Chimpanzee as authentic. The photography makes up for a lot of it-- particularly sped-up shots of growing fungi to give a sense of nature's authentic menace-- and directors Alistair Fothergill and Mark Linfield clearly know their way around the jungle. But the lack of nuance is maddening if TV programs like Planet Earth or Frozen Planet have taught you to expect more.

A twist late in the film leads Oscar to an unexpected, and actually authentic, relationship with another chimp in his tribe, and that serendipitous bit of reality makes Chimpanzee worth it-- in the credits the filmmakers talk about how moved they were by the moment, and it's clear this is something they, and we, are lucky to witness. And Oscar himself is undeniably cute, his tight relationship with his mom undeniably touching, and the chimpanzee rituals undeniably fascinating-- with no embellishment from Allen or the directors needed. Chimpanzee gets credit for avoiding the obligatory "and here is how we are destroying this habitat" ending, and for giving the camera over entirely to the chimpanzees and their stunning world. But when a crew is given such incredible access, then masks it with lowbrow narration and a overly simple story, it's something of a waste-- even kids are up for something a little more sophisticated.

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