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Home Opinions Putting On Your DVD's Catfish a surprise DVD catch —There are lots of great DVD choices for the start of 2011
Catfish a surprise DVD catch —There are lots of great DVD choices for the start of 2011 PDF Print E-mail
Entertainment
Wednesday, 29 December 2010 15:11

By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

All of the presents have been opened with care (or most likely reckless abandon).

Now it is time to return everything and get something you really want — like a DVD.

As much as I would like to go back in time and offer some of my favorite DVDs and Blu-rays from 2010, new DVDs wait for no one.

So here are some of the latest as 2010 comes to a close (and maybe even one or two due out right after the new year).

 

If the entire “social network” scene irks you, you really will like Catfish. And even if you like Facebook, etc., this film with a cryptic title is also bound to impress.

This is the true story (how many times have we heard that before) about three guys — two brothers and one friend from New York City, who decide to film a documentary after one of them befriends an a young girl in Michigan.

Nev Schulman is an aspiring photographer and one of his published photos has been used by the girl in Michigan as an inspiration for a painting. The painting become a hit in her home town and soon the girl, Abby, is selling more “painted” versions of his photos.

The two become friends via email and soon Nev is talking to her mom regularly and also begins an on-line romance with Abby’s 19-year old sister.

Meanwhile, brother Rel and his friend Henry Joost decide to film a documentary on the girl’s success and Nev’s relationship with the family.

Maybe you have heard a few things about Catfish, but the less you know the better. Just know that things are not as they appear to be. It is a nice reality-based mystery, that borders on being a thriller. You will certainly be entertained.

Once you view the film there is a question and answer session with the two brothers and Joost who explain all the who what where why and hows of Catfish, including how it got its name.

The Universal Home Entertainment DVD is available Tuesday.

oooo

For kids (and families) Despicable Me, one of the most successful animated films of the year, after Toy Story 3, is now available on DVD. The enormous hit for Universal ($250 million domestically, $539 million worldwide) is animation in the Pixar tradition about a supervillain who has lost his title to a upstart.

Steve Carell plays Gru, a Russian-accented baddie who has lost his world's greatest supervillain title to Vector (Jason Segel). Vector first gets worldwide attention by stealing the Great Pyramid and replacing it with an inflated reproduction.

To win back his title, Gru adopts three orphaned girls (it figures in his plan somehow) but along the way he discovers there are somethings even more important than villainous titles.

There are laughs and sentimentality and even some creativity in Despicable Me.

The Blu-ray version makes Despicable Me a very good home theater experience as well.

If you love The Minions, those little yellow guys who aid Gru in his villainous ways, there is plenty more to like in the Blu-ray combo pack and DVD double pack as well.

Both versions include three all new mini-movies (“Home Makeover,” “Orientation Day” and “Banana”) starring The Minions.

Also included is a digital copy version of the film for portable devices.

Other bonuses include The Voices of Despicable Me, a behind the scenes look with the vocal talent from the film and Super Silly Fun Land games and a chance to win prizes with the orphaned girls Agnes, Margo and Edith.

The Blu-ray also includes the Pocket Blu App which allows access to even more bonus content via many portable devices, as well as your PC or Mac.

oooo

Long-time TV watchers and Groucho Marx fans undoubtedly remember You Bet Your Life, that popular TV game show that existed mainly for Groucho to ad-lib comments with the contestants.

Groucho Marx TV Classics is a three-disc collection featuring 16 episodes from the show. The third disc features Groucho “zinging” the contestants in what amounts to a best of format, as well as episodes of Groucho hosting The Hollywood Palace and a radio guest stint on The Dinah Shore Show.

There are lots of laughs as Grouch does his cigar and raised eyebrows routine for a pretty girl or anyone else foolish enough to create any kind of opening for his crazed antics.

There are more than 12 hours of entertainment here and the full-length episodes include the commercials usually for the long-time defunct DeSoto automobile or the seemingly healthful pleasures and joy of smoking Salem cigarettes.

Groucho Marx TV Classics is a Synergy Entertainment release. There is more information on their DVDs, including availability at www.synergyent.com.

oooo

The devil gets his due, quite literally (and graphically) in Devil a nicely-paced thriller about five people stuck in an elevator in a high-rise building in Philadelphia. Oh yeah. One of them is the Devil and there is no escape.

Produced by M. Night Shyamalan (don't let that be a distraction) this Universal DVD/Blu-ray comes with the tag-line “Bad things happen for a reason.”

A few of the faces may be familiar in this no-name cast (Geoffrey Arend, 500 Days of Summer; John Erick Dowdle, Quarantine; Chris Messina (Julie & Julia) and that helps in the effectiveness of this sometimes creepy films.

Definitely a notch above the usual slasher stuff, Devil will keep you entertained and make you want to keep at least one light on while you are watching.

Bonus features include filmmakers discussing the story and a look at the mythology behind the film.

oooo

Things are a bit lighter in The Boys: The Sherman Brother's Story (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment), but not amazingly so.

It would have taken much more than “A Spoonful of Sugar,” to get the brothers who gave us the musical genius of Mary Poppins together.

Everything seemed harmonious on the outside with Richard and Robert Sherman, but theirs was a professional partnership with the pair and their families barely talking throughout much of their career.

Through interviews with the Shermans, friends, family and associates this intimate documentary looks at the men behind the music from The Jungle Book, Summer Magic, Winnie the Pooh and many other Disney signature efforts including “It's a Small World After All” and the enchanted Tiki Room song from the Magic Kingdom.

The documentary was conceived produced and directed by two of the songwriters' sons.

DVD extras include a replica of the original song sheet for “Tuppence A Bag,” later renamed “Feed the Birds.” This was the first song from Mary Poppins that the Sherman Brothers played for Walt Disney, which became his favorite.

Other bonus features, include candid accounts from Disney legends Angela Lansbury, Dick Van Dyke, John Lasseter, Randy Newman, Alan Menken and the late Roy E. Disney.

oooo

If you like your adventure/romance of the ancient variety or at least straight out of the Dark Ages, The Pillars of Earth brings to life Ken Follett's best-selling novel about life, death, romance and religious strife in 12th century England.

The eight-part Starz miniseries captures the era quite nicely as it follows mason Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell) as he tries to build a Cathedral for the ages, but there is lots of evil afoot particularly when there is so much battling royalty about. The mini-series also stars Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane and Matthew Macfadyen.

A lot happens here considering the premise mostly is about whether or not a cathedral gets built.

The Blu-ray version is the best choice for to see all those beautiful sets and location scenes in Hungary and Austria.

Bonus features include a “making of” featurette.

oooo

If you grew up with The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz must have been a major wake up call when this film (based on the Broadway musical) debuted in 1978. A must for Diana Ross (Dorothy) and Michael Jackson (the Scarecrow) fans, The Wiz does have its flaws, but it does have its magical moments as well including some grand sets and New York City locales.

With musical production by Quincy Jones and co-starring Lena Horne, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross The Wiz gets a much needed makeover in Blu-ray. If you were already were a fan, you will love the look and feel of this urban, 1970s trip to Oz. If you have never seen it, Blu-ray may be just the reason you need to purchase it for the first time.

The Wizard of Oz is hallowed ground for Hollywood filmmaking, which is probably one of the reasons The Wiz was not critically loved or overly popular at the box office as well.

But some 30 years later, The Wiz is probably a bit better with age, and its weirdness may just grow

on you. The Wiz is a Universal Home Entertainment release.

 

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