DVD Reviews »

Batman: Gotham Knight
Like the Animatrix, Batman: Gotham Knight is a collection of filler stories. Created by the hands of different writers and animators, Gotham Knight was made to bridge the gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. But it's not just a collection of adventure stories -- these blips into Gotham take the story from all sides -- the villains that wreak havoc, the police whose work is interfered with, the kids who spot him in action, and even Bruce Wayne working with Lucius Fox on gadgetry. Be prepared for the look to be different -- this isn't your ordinary looking Batman -- but there are also nods to the past. Kevin Conroy voices Batman in this collection, just like he has for many years now on the animated series.

Of course, no true special release can be free of features, and Gotham Knight is no exception for this 2-disc release. On the first, you get a disc-wide commentary with Kevin Conroy, Dennis O'Neil, and Gregory Noveck (it pours through each episode) and a good preview of the upcoming animated Wonder Woman. On the second, you also get a long documentary called "A Mirror for the Bat" that discusses the character and the villains he fights, another called "Batman and Me, a Devotion to Destiny: The Bob Kane Story," and some final extras that focus on Batman: The Animated Series.

Further information on this release can be found, in-depth, at DVDTalk.

Buy the DVD

Flakes is a neighborhood breakfast fantasy -- a funky, retro shop dedicated to cereal. You walk in, pick your crunch of choice, and are instantly served a bowl of cereal that you can enjoy with the quirky members of your community. But it's not all Corn Flakes and Cheerios -- there's a large wall of selections from the new to the old, discontinued, and hard-to-find varieties. It's history in a bowl, served without the capitalist cleanliness.

In a film, there's a number of ways this can play out that could make for a memorable and lovable indie experience. However, while Flakes mixes the worlds of High Fidelity, Reality Bites, Clerks, and Empire Records, it does so without the verve and life that made each of those lovable classics.

Sex and Death 101
Finally! I've been waiting eons for Sex and Death 101 to hit the shelves -- ever since there was news that writer Daniel Waters was not only taking another stab at directing, but that he would be reteaming with Winona Ryder. Sure, it wouldn't have her digging into her blue clothes for more Veronica Sawyer, but I take what I can get.

Simon Baker stars as an executive and ladies man whose world is thrown into upheaval by the appearance of an e-mail -- one that includes the names of all the women he's had sex with, plus all the women he will canoodle in the future. Ryder, meanwhile, is "Death Nell," a femme fatale who targets men guilty of sex crimes. Other faces that pop up include Leslie Bibb, Julie Bowen, Sophie Monk, Mindy Cohn (yes, that Cohn), Dash Mihok, Patton Oswalt, and Neil Flynn.

The release includes a commentary with Waters, plus a featurette called "101 Perversions."

Seeing that this is the 20th anniversary for Heathers as well, Anchor Bay is also releasing the 20th High School Reunion Edition today.

Check out Scott's review | Buy the DVD

With two of four Futurama movies now behind me, I think I have the formula figured out. If the first flick -- the very amusing Bender's Big Score! -- was a patchwork and episodic affair, then at least it was a choppy good time. It was great seeing the old Planet Express crew in their resurrected form, but since the film was made with perforations ... it was a little bit of a mess. (Basically, each of the four new Futurama flicks were made to be split into four television episodes apiece. And it really shows.)

So there's my biggest and most basic complaint about Bender's Big Score! and doubly so for Movie #2: The Beast With a Billion Backs. That the writers and producers were asked to create four modular-style movies when the fans were pretty much expecting "normal" movies. The kind with three cohesive acts and what-not. Such is definitely not the case with the first two Futurama flicks -- and I expect that it's a slight malady that will continue across Bender's Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder.

So with that obvious complaint out of the way, I can also say that Futurama Movie #2 is really funny, chock-full of unexpected surprises, stunningly animated, and an absolute treat for the old-school fans. If the movie feels more like four inter-connected mini-stories than one big "movie movie," then oh well. It's still great to see the Futurama gang back in action. Especially because they're still so damn funny.

The word is a powerful tool that offers precise communication, as well as removal. But cinema is not about the word, it's about the scene. Matthias Glasner's The Free Will removes many of the words, and most of the padding that allows viewers a cushioned safety zone, leaving us to see, experience, and feel the pain and drama on screen in a way that forces us not to fall for cinematic tricks and clever writing.

The Free Will is the story of a rapist, Theo (Jürgen Vogel). However, instead of merely discussing his crimes and moving on, or revealing a carefully edited flashback, we're served the full, brutal force of his crimes. Much of the first half hour is a detailed account of one of his rapes -- no voiceovers, no chance for removal -- just the cries of his victim as he grabs her, savagely beats her, and sexually assaults her. It's a horrific scene to watch, and something that should definitely be missed by those with their own personal assault triggers, but this scene does serve a purpose. It makes rape real -- more than a word, and something you cannot ignore, no matter where the film takes you. It's not a removed crime like Kevin Bacon's portrayal of pedophilia in The Woodsman, where it's easier to sympathize with his character since the crimes are off-screen. We see Theo's crime, feel it, and know that what comes isn't just a simple love story.

Yes, this is the story of a man who is sent away for rape, and once he's released after almost ten years, tries to find love and live a normal life.

Charlie Bartlett
It was set to come out in August, a darkly comic, drug-filled teaser to the impending back-to-school September. Then the film got bumped to February, and slid in and out of theaters with barely a second glance. This is too bad, because we're talking about a flick free of the booze and boobs teen movie mentality, and one that stars Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, and Kat Dennings.

Charlie Bartlett is the story of a spoiled, ignored rich kid (Yelchin). With a mother (Davis) who is troubled and heavily medicated, he runs rampant with his own brand of living -- an Igby character with the talents of Veronica Mars. But when he's ravaged the available private schools, he gets sent to the public variety, where he ends up becoming not only a prescription drug dealer, but a pseudo psychiatrist. All would be well in this new gig, save for the fact that he's dating the principal's (Downey Jr.) daughter (Dennings), and the principal wants to bring him down.

It might have sneaked by without a glance, but the Charlie Bartlett disc offers a decent collection of features. First, there are two commentaries -- one is director Jon Poll with writer Gustin Nash, and the other is Poll with stars Yelchin and Dennings. There is also a Restroom Confessional featurette, and a music video for "Voodoo" by Spiral Beach.

Check out Erik's Review | Buy the DVD

Be Kind Rewind
When news first broke about the premise of this film, it seemed too good to be true -- Michel Gondry was making a movie about guys who remake classic movies. However, they wouldn't be just remakes; they would be "Sweded" classics because one of the guys had become magnetized and ruined a store full of VHS tapes. It sounded like a wacky dream come true, and it sounded like the perfect film fodder for Jack Black and Mos Def.

In reality, it was almost all there. The quirky bits were brilliant, but the save-the-store back story that Gondry was pressured to add could've been left out. But that didn't matter. Gondry's versions of flicks like Ghostbusters, Driving Miss Daisy, and Rush Hour were perfect -- and worth dealing with any sappy-themed fare that followed. Honestly, it could've been a lot worse, and I still would've enjoyed their scheme to film night shots during the day. That bit was sheer brilliance.

Anyway, now you can get your own copy of Be Kind Rewind, one that should be safe from your magnetically laced friends. The DVD offers an extended train scene with Mr. Fletcher, but not too much in the way of other added fare. There's a regular featurette called "Passaic Mosaic," which features chats with cast, crew, and locals, and the theatrical trailer, which isn't much of a special feature at all. I would assume that another disc has to be on the way -- at the very least, to add in Gondry's own Sweded trailer for the film.

Check out James Rocchi's review | Buy the DVD

Jumper
By now we now the rundown of Jumper -- there are some cool-looking scenes, a funky premise, and some haphazard filmmaking that doesn't allow the film to live up to its potential. After a sluggish start in North America, the film brought in a sweet box office take overseas, and now we're getting a collection of DVDs.

Hayden Christensen stars as a young man with one sweet "genetic anomaly" -- he can teleport. However, it's not all zipping to and fro and enjoying life, because there's a long and tumultuous war being fought between the others like him, and those who are set on killing them.

If this is your cup of tea, there are three options: the single disc, the double disc, and the Blu-ray edition -- and each has a collection of features. The single-disc release offers a commentary by Doug Liman, writer/producer Simon Kinberg, and producer Lucas Foster, a featurette on adapting the novel, another featurette on the teleporting, and "Previz: Future Concepts." The two-disc adds the following to the mix: two more featurettes, a special on the graphic novel, a digital copy, and a bunch of deleted scenes. Finally, the blu-ray option includes all of the above goodies in that fancy, blu-ray way, plus a PIP called "Jumping Around the World."

For more on Jumper, check out Moviefone's 12 Questions with Rachel Bilson.

Check out Scott's Review | Buy the One-Disc, Two-Disc, Blu-Ray

The UK production of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) is a bit like the US production of The Wizard of Oz from one year earlier. On the surface, it looks like a seamless blend of fantasy storytelling, special effects and stunning color, but underneath it was a patchwork collaboration of many hands, coming together in a combination of spit, duct tape and luck. These days, The Thief of Bagdad is usually catalogued alongside the movies of director Michael Powell (I Know Where I'm Going, The Red Shoes, etc.), but he was only one of three credited directors and at least two more uncredited directors. The saving grace is that The Thief of Bagdad had a driving force behind it: producer Alexander Korda. Korda was a Hungarian immigrant who, along with his brothers Zoltan and Vincent, took the British film industry by storm with his combination of business savvy and boyish glitz. No matter who filmed what footage, Korda would be the one to call final cut. And despite some sluggish spots, the result is still dazzling, enough to enchant entirely new generations of dreamy children.

Semi-Pro
On the one hand, it's yet another goofy, retro Will Ferrell movie, and yet another W.F. sports movie. But as Scott said in his review, "it's really tough to complain when a comedian doles out "the same old shtick" when that same old shtick is still pretty damn funny." In fact, he goes on to say: "I happen to think Semi-Pro is Ferrell's best sports flick yet -- and probably his most consistently amusing movie since Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

The ABA, or American Basketball Association, is deteriorating, so NBA benchwarmer Jackie Moon (Ferrell) heads to Flint, MI to shape up his old team for the playoffs, and to make it a successful team for the upcoming NBA absorption. It's also set in the '70s, hence the Semi-Pro fro.

This flick gets the 2-DVD treatment, so there's a lot of extras to enjoy on the second disc: deleted/alternate scenes, 6 behind-the-scenes featurettes ranging from "Recreating the ABA" to discussions about location and production, and this is all topped off with a music video, short comedic interviews, and Semi-Pro trailers from the teaser to the red-band variety.

Check out Scott's review | Buy the DVD