A DVD can be a double-edged sword, and trust me, you’re not the only ones with some not-so-choice choices collecting mildew in your closets. But we offer help by way of an answer to the decade-old conundrum, “How many times are you really gonna watch that?”
This week’s releases
Robots
Country robot Rodney Copperbottom (voice of Ewan McGregor) has always dreamed about a utopia for all of his fellow robots. But when the benevolent robot-itarian finally decides to act on it by going to the big city, he gets a lot more than he bargains for, encountering ‘bots both beautiful (voice of Halle Berry) and nefarious (voice of Greg Kinnear).
Total box office: $128.2 million
Extras! A glance at the back of Robots‘ jewel case is at first enticing. Then you realize you’re just reading euphemisms for the run-of-the-mill extras. Deleted scenes disguised as “Discontinued Parts”–very crafty–as well as interactive games which will be at least good for the kiddies. And when did featurettes on upcoming releases–Ice Age 2 in this case–become all the rage?
When it was relevant: Due in no small part to a touted cast of A-listers, young (Amanda Bynes) and old (Robin Williams), Robots was the animated feature flavor of the month–pre-Madagascar. Plus, it had an interesting concept the target audience could still grasp. Shrek, it wasn’t, but it didn’t try to be, proving the genius in the CGI game doesn’t lie solely in technological ingenuity and casting mega-stars.
Worthy DVD purchase? Sure, despite its futile attempt to trick us with its extras. After all, Madagascar won’t be released on DVD until November. What else is going to occupy your kids in the meantime, reading? Plus, animated films often sustain their replay values for years to come.
All things considered: B
Lords of Dogtown
In the ’70s, the Z-Boys–Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) and Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk)–were surfer-turned-skateboarding legends to most southern Californians. Lords of Dogtown documents their rise as well as their shenanigans, paving the way for a sports phenomenon to come.
Total box office: $11 million
Extras! Loads of featurettes, many of the uncensored, and probably taken from the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, which captured real footage of the Z-Boys in action. But that’s no excuse for not including at least a Johnny Knoxville (who co-stars in the film) commentary. Just throw him a couple cases of beer and some sharp objects and roll film!
When it was relevant: There were high hopes for Lords of Dogtown since the counterculture of skateboarding is so red hot. But it just wasn’t meant to be. Even though the film was written by former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, core audiences were left with a bad taste in their collective mouth, evaporating any hopes of word of mouth from skateboard devotees to their more mainstream-leaning buddies. Plus, the stellar docu Dogtown and Z-Boys starring the real-life players already whet those appetites back in 2001.
Worthy DVD purchase? I don’t think so. There is very little chance of someone executing a curiosity purchase if he or she doesn’t know the back story. So, first check out Dogtown and Z-Boys. Then, if you long for a dramatization with, admittedly, some interesting subplots and performances, rent Lords. It’s your call.
All things considered: C-
TV on DVD
Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Comments: Exploiting the steam Fox’s Family Guy has been gathering for some time now, Stewie Griffin is an unaired three-episode story arc more than anything. In an interesting marketing strategy that may both pay off and make network execs scratch their heads in a pensive moment, the exclusive 88-minute DVD premiere focuses on genius baby Stewie, the show’s breakout character, who sees a man that looks just like him on television. He concludes that this man must be his father and sets off on a cross-country road-trip to locate him. Along the way he makes grotesque discoveries and pokes fun at pop culture. Think South Park, only more politically correct–this is Fox we’re talking about here.
Extras!: Extras? Who needs extras? The whole DVD is one big extra, seeing as it’s never been aired. But if that’s not enough, there’s the usual commentary from the creator (Seth Macfarlane), cast members and the writers.
All things considered B
Gilmore Girls: The Complete Fourth Season
Comments: Another week, another WB-network TV show released on DVD. This fourth season found Rory (Alexis Bledel) starting college at Yale and her mom, Lorelai (Lauren Graham), left to fend for herself and fight with her daughter via telephone instead of face to face. But fear not. Each of the gals managed to snatch up male companionship in their respective towns. Translation: your daughter won’t be seen for weeks on end, but rather heard from her room between episodes, dishing on the phone – unless of course she chooses to watch it all in one day.
Extras!: Boy, does the WB know who their target audience is! Included is a montage of Season Four’s best “hook-up” scenes. Also, there’s a Stars Hollow (the town in which the not-so-happy Gilmores live) interactive trivia game, meaning a GG-themed Monopoly board game can’t be far away. And then there’s the episode in which “Fun Factoids” scroll across the bottom of the screen, á la the Seinfeld DVD’s “Notes about Nothing.” Something tells me that these same viewers would not fare well in a movie containing subtitles.
All things considered C+
