DVD Review: Transformers Two-Disc Special Edition

Transfomers, arguably the most popular movie of the summer, is now out on DVD (as of this Tuesday), and it's safe to assume that the DVD (one-disc, two-disc and HD DVD two-disc) will be topping the charts for the coming weeks.

So, is the two-disc special edition worth the extra dollars? I'd have to say... yes.

The two-disc special edition is not the most jam-packed DVD you'll find on the shelves, but it still has a good two hours of honest, legitimate special features (vs. those editions that include a bunch of useless and seemingly filler bonuses).

The special features are split into three segments, each of which vary in length from 45 minutes to over an hour:

• Our World
  An in-depth look, broken into chapters, at the production, cast and stunts of Transformers. There's plenty of behind-the-scenes goodness here, including interviews with the cast (and not just promotional interviews where they're saying, "You'll see stuff here that's never been done before), on-set footage and more. The feature drills into several of the stunts of the movie, and it's surprising to see how many of them are not just special effects. Apparently, Michael Bay and his crew destroyed over 200 real cars in the movie...
• Their War
  This featurette looks at the creation of the Autobots, Decepticons and military vehicles used in the movie. This one will appeal to Transformers fans a lot as it discusses how the creators went from the original toys and cartoons to the robots found in the movie, and why changes were made. The in-depth look at how the production worked with the military is also pretty interesting.
• More Than Meets the Eye
  This one looks at the making of the desert attack sequence.
  

Other features include several of the film's trailers (which are quite cool) and conceptual art.

Overall, the Transfomers: Two-Disc Special Edition has a lot of honest, in-depth special features. There may not be a lot of features, but what lacks in quantity is made up for with quality. Fan boys should definitely invest the extra dollar or two into this more enhanced version. Also, you can read a Transformers movie review here.

Transfomers DVD release date and special features

Transformers is coming to DVD October 16th as 1-disc standard DVD, a 2-disc special edition and a 2-disc HD-DVD. Here are the features:

Transformers Special Edition DVD

• Disc 1:
  
  
  
  • Feature film
  • Commentary by Michael Bay
  
  
• Disc 2:
  
  
  
  • Our World
    
    • The Story Sparks - Steven Spielberg discusses his love for the franchise and early concept art for the film. Explores how the writers adapted the cartoon into a live-action movie and why Michael Bay is the perfect director for the film.
    • Human Allies - A look at how the actors were selected and their experiences on the set.
    • I Fight Giant Robots - An exploration of the military training that
    • Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson underwent for their roles and the various stunts that the actors were asked to perform.
    • Battleground - A piece on the senior officials from the Department of Defense and Air Force who consulted on the film to give it authenticity and the key locations that the U.S. government provided access to.
    • Their War
      
    • Rise of the Robots - Explores the interaction between Hasbro designers and Michael Bay to bring the toy line roaring to life.
    • AUTOBOTS Roll Out - Michael Bay discusses working with Chevy and its designers and the modifications that were made to the cars seen in the film.
    • DECEPTICONS Strike - The film’s military advisors discuss the “toys” they allowed the production to borrow: F-22 Raptors, Ospreys and A-10 Warthogs.
    • Inside the AllSpark - ILM’s digital artists discuss the challenges of bringing the TRANSFORMERS to life.
  • More Than Meets The Eye
    
    • From Script to Sand: The SKORPONOK Desert Attack - An in-depth look at the making of this particularly epic and challenging scene from initial storyboarding through production and visual effects.
    • Concepts - Early sketch concepts of the robots.
    • Trailers
      

Transformers HD-DVD

The HD DVD includes the above special features as well as this exclusive content:

• Disc 1:
  
  
  
  • TRANSFORMERS H.U.D. (Heads Up Display)—In this mode, viewers can access running text-based behind-the-scenes background information on the production during the feature. Users can also watch relevant picture-in-picture b-roll and video with Bay, Spielberg and other filmmakers during select sequences.
  • Transformers Intelligence Mode web-enabled features consist of:
    
    • Transformation Mode
    • Health Meter
    • Weapon Mode
    • Robot Bio
    • In Scene Indicator
    • Text Ticker
    • GPS
• Disc 2:
  
  • TRANSFORMERS Tech Inspector - Gives viewers an unprecedented look at the TRANSFORMERS robots through the exquisitely detailed models created by ILM artists. Users can zoom in on each detail for a closer examination and pause and change the rotation of the models.
    

11 reasons why 24: Season 6 sucked

I'm a fan of 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland. The show has offered up some great television and, at least at first, some original and gritty excitement. The show has had its ups and downs - after a killer first season, the second season left little to be desired for. But then it picked itself back up again and delivered some quality subsequent seasons, culminating in the extraordinary Season 5, which had twists, turns and everything else in between.

Season 6 showed so much promise, but by part way through the season, I was considering leaving. I stuck with it - a bold move on my part, and a move that ultimately wasn't worth the risk. With 24: Season 6 coming to DVD December 4th, here are 11 reasons why 24: Season 6 sucked:

1. 24 failed to capitalize on the Chinese abduction. At the end of Season 5, Jack gets kidnapped by the Chinese and is shown being shipped away to the mainland inside a cargo container. The sixth season could have taken place in China, for once taking the show outside the U.S. and giving us some fresh scenery. Instead, Jack returns in the first episode so he can face off against -yes, you guessed it - Islamic terrorists!

2. 24 tried to wrap up loose ends from Season 5. Why did Season 6 have to involve the seedy, Nixon-like President who was taken down in the season finale? Why did we have to get subjected to his annoying and psychotic ex-wife, who ends up actually going psycho and stabbing and presumably killing the former President? It was a pointless side story that was about as far from believable as things can get.

3. 24: Season 6 played the family card. One of my biggest pet peeves is when a show introduces the main character's family as a way to stretch the story and the character. Alias did this and flopped because of it. Other shows have done this as well, though I can't think of any off the top of my head. When it was revealed that Jack's brother (Paul McCrane) was a villain we had seen over several seasons, it was a bit cool, but also rather stomach churning. When his father (James Cromwell) turned out to be an even worse guy, believability just went right out the window.

4. They kill off Curtis. Season 5 started off by killing off nearly half the cast. While it was disappointing that some great characters were killed, it was also pretty "cool". But enough is enough. In Season 6, Curtis, a bad-ass with a cool temper, goes crazy and nearly kills a former terrorist. Jack, to protect information, kills Curtis. It doesn't make any sense, ruins the reputation of one of 24's best characters and kills him off early in the game.

5. CTU gets invaded once again. How crappy is CTU's security? Their headquarters have been invaded at least two times, if not more, not to mention the constant informants and spies who sneak inside. After Season 5's approach to a direct assault, Season 6's version pales in comparison. It's just ridiculous.

6. James Cromwell isn't used to his full potential. The addition of James Cromwell to the cast, especially as villian, should have been the highlight and focus of the series. Instead, he is given the role of a psycho father who is trying to defect to China. He disappears for most of the season and then reappears at the end after the writers failed to come up with fresh ideas. What a waste of a good actor.

7. Paul McCrane is killed off way too early. McCrane, who was my favorite actor on E.R., had shown his weaselly face over the last few seasons, but it wasn't until this season that he was given a more prominent role and revealed to be Jack's brother. Unfortunately, he gets killed off so early in the season that we don't get to see him do much at all.

8. Jack's nephew is an idiot. Season 6 introduces a young teenage boy who is the complete antithesis of Jack Bauer: he acts stupid, looks stupid and gets himself into more trouble than his uncle, but doesn't have a game plan on how to escape. The character becomes more important toward the end of the season, thus making the end of the season all the more painful.

9. The meandering storyline was too meandering. 24 is known for its moving storyline, as the writers, over the course of the season, key in on stories that audiences react to and veer away from stories the audiences don't like. However, it is clear that in this season, the writers 1) didn't know what they were doing, 2) didn't listen to the audience after the first couple of episodes and 3) were so strapped for ideas that every couple of episodes they decided to throw something new at us with hopes that they would stick (and none did). The plot of Season 6 starts out with Islamic terrorists, moves to a showdown with the Russians, circles back to some crazy Chinese diplomats and eventually ends on Jack Bauer's dad trying to kidnap his own grandson. Are there any bad guys left in the world?

10. Morris sucks, and ruins the Chloe character. Chloe, played by Mary Lynn Rajskub, has slowly become one of the most popular characters on 24, despite being portrayed as weird, bitchy, nerdy and not all that attractive. Still, her bluntness and don't-take-shit-from-anyone attitude is great. Nonetheless, this year the writers tried to expand on her character by putting her at the center of a love triangle, and it blows up in our face. The love triangle isn't interesting or believable, and we get stuck with a whiny baby by the name of Morris as her ex-husband.

11. They make William Devane an asshole. Devane, who played the Secretary of Defense a season or two back, was awesome. He was a bad-ass who liked Jack Bauer and controlled every scene he was in. In the brief time he appears in Season 6, he kicks Jack Bauer while he's down and shows no sympathy toward the man who loves his daughter. What the hell?

Corey Haim out of Lost Boys 2

As if anyone really cares, one of the two stars of The Two Coreys, Corey Haim, has been dropped from the direct-to-DVD sequel The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe. I haven't watched the show, but I'm pretty sure The Two Coreys is a quasi-reality series about Corey Feldman and Corey Haim looking for their comeback with The Lost Boys 2, as if a direct-to-DVD sequel is really going to spark a comeback. But if that's so, what a freaking slap in the face!

Personally, I'd never even heard of Corey Haim before a few days ago, when I heard a discussion about how crappy the show was on Jackie and Bender. I've heard of Corey Feldman, of course (and don't worry - he, along with Jamison Newlander, is returning as one of the two Frog Brothers)

I'm not quite sure why Haim was dropped from the project, but I believe it had something to do with visa issues since the movie is being filmed in Canada. Anyway, here's a video of the guy talking about his bitch slap:



Here's the official synopsis:

The sequel takes us to the shady surf city of Luna Bay, California, where vampires quickly dispatch anyone who crosses their path. Into this dark world arrive Chris Emerson (Tad Hilgenbrink) and his younger sister, Nicole (Autumn Reeser). Having just lost their parents in a car accident, the siblings move in with their eccentric Aunt Jillian and become new prey for the locals' way of life. When Nicole unwittingly falls for a local vampire, Chris must locate and destroy the gang's lifeline before his sister's transformation is complete; to do this Chris finds himself relying on the expertise of none other than Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman). Subtle references to characters from the original film, and cameos from returning actors offer homage to the Lost Boys legend and set a sinister tone of impending doom.

Unrated Eyes Wide Shut coming to DVD

It sounds like Eyes Wide Shut will finally be seen in the way it was meant to be seen. Some may remember the controversy regarding Stanley Kubrick's last film, where certain orgy scenes were deemed to explicit for R-rated audiences. Slapped with an NC-17 rating, the producers decided to place digital characters over certain parts of the film to drop the film back down to an R.

According to The Digital Bits, a two-disc special edition Eyes Wide Shut DVD will arrive in stores October 23, 2007, and included both the rated and unrated versions.

DVD review: The Office, Season 3

The Office: Season Three hits DVD this Tuesday, and with it comes the buckets of laughs that this season delivered. As a huge fan of the show (and a defender that it is indeed better than the original British version), I've been highly awaiting this release, as it's one of the few shows that I can watch over and over again.

I'm not a huge comedy fan, and of everything I watch on television, The Office is the only comedy I watch religiously. With the occasional flat episode that still is better than most of the sitcoms out there, the season is full of punchy, water cooler comedy that often gets repeated at my real office the next day (and not always by me). As I traverse through these episodes once again, I am reminded of some of the highlights of the season, including Jim's expression after unleashing Dwight-competitor Andy upon Pam, an expression awkward heterosexual man-kiss between boss Michael and newly un-closeted Oscar, and a Michael improvisation of a prison convict. All of these highlights are from the first two discs (of the four-disc set) as I haven't gotten farther than that, but glancing over the summaries that are printed on the box (thank God, because how many times do box sets not include an episode summary?), other highlights include Michael's hiring of a stripper and Ben Franklin for his employees, an awkward speech at Phyllis' wedding and so on and so forth.

The DVD is full of special features that include episode commentaries, Toby wraparounds, a Dwight Schrute music video, an interview with Joss Whedon, videos from The Office "Make your own promo" contest and a blooper reel, but the real highlight, the highlight that makes the DVD worth it, are the deleted scenes. Deleted scenes have become overrated, but The Office's deleted scenes are excellent. Each episode has its own slew of deleted scenes, and many of them are hilarious and clearly removed due to time restraints.

Fans of The Office should be thrilled to get more of The Office with this DVD set, and non-fans should at least rent a disc or two to see what the craze is all about. The Office is a hilarious comedy with great acting, characters and writing.

The Office DVD hits stores September 4, 2007.

The Host DVD Review

The Host, the hugely popular critical success out of Korea, is coming to DVD on Tuesday. The movie, about a monster that kills bystanders along the Han River and causes a harsh reaction from the U.S. military, is a very entertaining and surprisingly "believable" monster movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and laughing, for most of the picture.

If you're a fan of the film, the 2-disc Collector's Edition is certainly something you should consider purchasing, as it is loaded with tons of great bonus features, most of which are interviews and featurettes about the making of the film. I didn't watch everything, but what I did see was quite interesting. There is an interview with the writers of the film, who provide some insight into what inspired them - this includes a real case about toxic chemicals being dumped into the Han River (the birth of the creature), the movie Signs (how the alien invasion was more about the family than the creatures) and one other movie I can't recall at this moment. Another focuses on the set design and shows how most locations in the movie, including the food stand, the bridges and even the creature's lair, all really exist.

Other featurettes include a look at the special effects, sound effects, creature design, creature animation and more, while there are also casting tapes, cast interviews, actor training, the Korean trailers, a director's commentary and, the only really disastrous part of the DVD, a blooper real that is about as funny as a dead relative.

All in all, a great movie packaged with a great DVD makes for an excellent purchase opportunity...

Read my Host movie review or learn more about The Host at: http://www.movie-source.com/movie_page.asp?movieID=2700