Back in early 2000, I broke down and got a DVD player.  The main catalyst for this was the release of 9 animated features by Disney on DVD.  Over the course of the next 4 years, I grew my collection at an astronomical rate.  One thing that I did notice was that Disney, more than any other studio, did not just want to put out a movie on DVD; it wanted to give movie lovers a true reason to upgrade from VHS.  This included taking a number of the live-action movies and giving them the “Disney” treatment.  Some (The Parent Trap, Swiss Family Robinson) were released under the banner of Vault Disney; others were released without the fancy banner, but with all of the substance.

Which brings us to 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

Released in 1954, Leagues was Disney’s first fully live-action feature.  Based on the novel by Jules Verne, Disney set out to release a movie like no other.  He recruited A-list stars in Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, and James Mason; he paid a lot for special effects that were revolutionary at the time; and he filmed many scenes underwater.  Even today, the movie is a visual treat, even with the huge, fake squid.

What amazed me more than the movie and its presentation in its original, wide-screen format was the amount of extras that Disney put on this two-disc set:

• Audio commentaries from the director
• 5.1 audio remastering
• Over 10 different videos about various aspects of production
• Theatrical trailer
• Radio spots
• Peter Lorre’s audio loopbacks that show the process of dialog replacement after filming
• The Donald Duck cartoon released at the front of the movie when it was in theaters

All-in-all, it took me an extra 2-3 hours to go through all of the extra features, and it was worth every second.

My advice: this is one 2-disc set worth having in any collection and a great way to spend an evening with the whole family — I swear by my tattoo…

In the late 70s and 80s, there was an up-and-coming movie director that captured our imaginations and told wonderful stories.He could weave tales of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure while still making you believe that the child within still existed.  Then award snubs kept happening and he became more serious.  In becoming more serious, he lost what it meant to play on a movie set and simply create.  How else do explain the same man producing Jaws, E.T., and Schindler’s List?

In 1985, just a couple of years removed from his iconic movie, E.T. and just after the release of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Spielberg gave the world his idea of what would have happened if Holmes and Watson had met as schoolboys.  What unfolded on the screen was a wonderful tale worthy of Doyle’s Holmes and a treat for the eyes.  The Academy rewarded the visuals with the Oscar for best effects.  It also became the movie that caused everyone to stay until the credits had ended by putting a plot twist after them.  This of course inspired the irrevent take at the end of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and other movies.

So, does it hold up 24 years later?

To an extent, yes.

The story is still amazingly simple, yet has enough twists to keep you engaged.  The effects are still impressive, if not moreso given the timeframe.  What I didn’t notice then that hit me hard watching it now is how much of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Spielberg copied.  The temple scenes in Young Sherlock Holmes are toned down from what we saw in Indy, almost as if Spielberg was telling everybody he could make it gentler.  That is probably the only real issue I have with the movie.

Unfortunately, the DVD got the shaft.  No extras at all, which is surprising given the groundbreaking effects created for it.  One can only hope that Paramount corrects this injustice with an anniversary release next year.  I am not holding my breath.

My advice:  See the movie if you haven’t — particularly if you liked Indy and The Goonies…

When Shrek came out, audiences fell in love with the “fractured fairy tale” format after a long absence; after all, it had not been seen in animation since the days of Peabody and Sherman.  This led to movie studios to rush into animation and try to create the next Shrek.  Many of the entries were unforgettable, but one came along 2005 without a lot of fanfare.  Spaldy and I saw it in the theater and enjoyed the spin on a well-known fairy tale.

Hoodwinked is the story of Little Red Riding Hood with a twist.  As we are quick to learn, not everything is as it seems.  Each character has its own take as to how they arrived at Granny’s house and are willing to share with Inspector Flippers, voiced by David Ogden Stiers.  The story is good and benefits from good casting of voices.  I liked the little extras thrown in, such as the homage to the movie “Fletch”.

The DVD has the usual extras — nothing to write home about.

My advice: The next time you are in the mood for an irrevent cartoon, skip Shrek and give Little Red a try…

We all have them — that one movie that we never got around to seeing in the theater but was forced to watch by our significant other.  For guys, this usually involves a chick flick filled with “kissing and all that yucky stuff.”.  For me, it was The Princess Bride.

In my review of 27 Dresses, I referred to one of my exes and her love at the time of bridal magazines.  Well, I guess you have to be careful of what you put on the Internet.  Yep, she saw the review and asked me to do a review on her favorite movie, The Princess Bride.  I agreed, and 8 months later, this is it.

So what do the the first two paragraphs have in common?

You guessed it.  The Princess Bride is the movie she insisted that I watch with her one night.  Over the years since, I have had a love-hate relationship with the movie.  For a long time, I did not want to watch the movie because it reminded me of her.  After a while I got over myself and realized that I was shutting myself off from a good movie.

So after promising to review it, I picked up the DVD and settled in for an afternoon of watching.

The story is based on classic children’s book of the same title.  Fred Savage, banking on his Wonder Years popularity, plays a sick kid whose grandfather (Peter Falk) spends the afternoon reading and caring for.  What follows is a love story without the “kissing and yucky stuff.”  Rob Reiner does a great job melding the performances of many character actors to tell a heartwarming story that all can enjoy.  Unfortunately the DVD had very few extras; such a poor packaging for a good movie.

My advice:  If your significant other says to watch this, there is only one reply: As you wish…