Earl’s Blog: Part III

I’m sure you know about The Dark Knight, the superhero movie critics are raving about, Warner Bros. is advertising like there’s no tomorrow for, and Morgan Freeman stars in (He could even play the Joker, why stop at Lucius Fox?), well there was a prequel to that a couple of years ago called Batman Begins, and although it’s probably not as good as The Dark Knight, it was still pretty good. Now, 3 years later, they’re releasing a special limited edition gift set, filled with all kinds of extras and goodies, it even folds out! The set, of course, features the movie from 2005, Batman Begins, but also features a whole slew of special features, which make it LIMITED!

• 6 Min. Prologue to The Dark Knight, in other words the first 6 minutes of the movie where the Joker and his henchmen rob a bank.
• The “In Movie Experience” featuring several commentaries about the film.
• Reflections on Writing Batman Begins
• Batman-The Journey Begins
• Shaping Mind and Body
• Batman: The Tumbler
• Gotham City Rises
• Genesis of the Bat
• Confidential Files
• Saving Gotham City
• 5 Collectible Alternate Covers
• 2 Different Reads-A Graphic Novel and Comic
• 128 MB Batman Flash Drive
• 2 Min. Sneak Peek of The Dark Knight

According to DVD-Active, the recent movies What Happens in Vegas and Leatherheads are set for a soon DVD release. The movie What Happens in Vegas is set for release on the 26th of August, while Leatherheads is set for a release on the 23rd of September. The boxarts are below, click for a larger image. I’ll probably be skipping both of these flicks, even though I am a John Krasinski fan. With the DVD releases set for these two films, I will give 10000 Earl Points to the person who can find the OFFICIAL Iron Man DVD art. 

My Favorite Movie of this year so far has got to be The Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, it’s an absolutely beautiful movie, and you need to at least rent it on the new DVD. The story follows Carter Chambers and Edward Cole, two terminally ill cancer patients, both from different walks of life, who come together coincidentally in the same hospital room and create a friendship. They also create a bucket list, a list of things to do before they die, and soon go on an adventure to fulfill them. The performances by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson are wonderful, the whole movie is just an absolute gem. The beginning and end of the movie mainly take place in the hospital, and most of the middle takes place in a variety of locations, where the two characters were explored and got to know eachother, building personalities the audience could relate with. A lot of people panned this movie, and I don’t see how. It only goes to show you can’t trust all critics all the time. The movie allows you to laugh your butt off at times and cry your eyes out the next. The language can be a little coarse at times, making this not exactly the best kids movie, which it’s not exactly a kid’s concept. The movie is definitely worth a view by any fan of movies or even if you don’t like movies, it’s just one of those you have to see. 5 out of 5

I really did like this movie, however I was disappointed that it did not receive the full support it should have. It opened in limited release at first, then moved on to wide release in January. The menu is solid, and so are the special features, including a music video of John Mayer’s “Say” and a behind the scenes look at the movie. The movie itself is worth the DVD. I really liked this movie, and plan on picking it up soon. If you’re a fan of good movies, this is definitely a good pick for you. 

DVD Score-5 out of 5

One of my favorite movies from last year was National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. It’s now out on DVD, and I have to say I’m impressed. This is my DVD-View. The review for the movie: After months of anticipation, I was able to go see National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, and it was worth the wait. The story follows Benjamin Gates, once again played flawlessly be Nicolas Cage one day while he is teaching a class on his great-grandfather’s role in the prevention of the finding of a treasure which could have caused the Rebels to win the Civil War. Right after the lecture, a man stands up and claims that Ben’s Great Granfather Thomas was one of the conspirators. He then had to go on a mission to clear Thomas’ name and in doing so, discover the lost Cebola Treasure. The movie brings back all of the old characters and the people who played them, from Riley who is publishing his new book and having some financial troubles, to Jon Voight who plays Ben’s father. They also brought in Helen Mirren, who plays Ben’s Mother. The bickering between her and Ben’s father is hillarious. The treasure hunt this time takes them across the world, from France’s Statue of Liberty to Mount Rushmore. The story this time was equal to, if not better than the first, due to the fact Lincoln was one of my favorite presidents. This movie lives up to the hype, delivers a great and interesting plot for fans of the series, and any fan should check out this movie. 5 out of 5 

Now onto the DVD. I have to say this has to be one of the best looking boxarts I’ve ever seen. The fonts and background, including the pic of Nicolas Cage is great. The box is real smooth and shiny, just the right amount of holograph. The disc’s menu also is very swanky. Providing that same feel from the first movie with all the 18th century longhand, nice touch. The menu’s choices like set up, play, and special features 
even disappear, which is cool, but I could see being a problem for the elderly. “What happened to the Scene Selection? That must be a stroke.” The entire menu provides the great music I know and love. The video looks pretty nice, although during the final scenes in the movie it could be a little too dark. Anyway, the first disc contains the movie, while the second includes a plethora of bonus features including a hilarious blooper reel, along with some very good deleted scenes. Some other features include a look behind the scenes with making a sequel, the london car chase, and more. It’s worth noting that it took me a while to get into the special features menu. You have to select an icon that looks like the bird from the Mt. Rushmore finale and then you’re taken to a menu that looks like Cibola. I also liked the fact that the film had EIGHT sets of subtitles, including subtitles for the movie and the commentary, so you can just read what they’re saying. Overall, I loved National Treasure 2, it was a no-brainer buy for me, if you’re inquisitive, buy the collector’s edition if you were a big fan of the series like me, or if you just don’t feel like spending 5 more dollars for a buttload of special features worth $5, spend it on a footlong or something. This is definitely a great buy and a well-done DVD. 

Film- 5 out of 5

DVD-5 out of 5

A couple of days ago I posted the boxart (or what I thought was) of Drillbit Taylor. Turns out that wasn’t the case, and Paramount has now released an official boxart. Below is the boxart thumbnails for the regular and “Extended Survival Edition”. 

The comedy Drillbit Taylor, which met with some mixed critical reception, including myself will be coming to DVD on July 1st. The DVD will include a commentary by the director, writer, and the three boys, Making Of Featurettes, Additional Scenes, and a Gag Reel. Below is the boxart (click it to get a bigger picture). I personally probably won’t pick it up, you can read my review by clicking here or Nolanator’s review by clicking here.