Show Review 

Loosely based on a Michael J. Fox film, “Teen Wolf” is about a high schooler that gets turned into a werewolf and has to deal with the struggles of keeping up with a normal high school life while dealing with his beastly changes. His comical best friend, Stiles, is in on his secret and helps him deal. From here the MTV series departs from the cult classic comedy film and takes a darker, more dramatic turn. There’s frequent deaths and attacks in this town, which our werewolf hero, Scott, is worried he might be involved in during his blackouts. To make matters worse, Scott is in love with a girl whose family is from a long line of werewolf hunters. There’s also an alpha werewolf that is trying to recruit Scott to kill or kill Scott if he refuses. And a jealous jock is blackmailing him so that he can get a superpowered boost as well. This show is an MTV summer series and usually summer is where lesser shows are banished to, but that’s not the case with “Teen Wolf.” In “Teen Wolf” there’s plenty of mystery and dark romance, making it a brisk and engaging series to watch. With what they set up in the finale, Season 2 looks to be even more wild.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Video Quality

As far as summer television programs go, “Teen Wolf,” is a high quality program and the quality from the original airings easily translates to DVD. Images are crisp, but with the abundance of night shots and dark settings, this is one better watched in a dark room to help make it easy to see all the features of the scenes — plus it helps add to the spooky ambiance of the story. Another note about video production is that the style of the show has a tendency to overly use a stark contrast effect to bring out fog and other atmospheric effects. It definitely works for the style of the show, but at times while some of the overly stylized video effects might look cool, it takes the viewers out of the realism that’s otherwise presented. There is a marked improvement as the season goes on in the video quality. Production got braver with camera angles and shots have more variety in the later portion of the season.

4 out of 5 Stars

Audio Quality

Audio is a big part of “Teen Wolf” and some of the coolest features are the portions of the episode commentaries that talk about episode audio and music choice. As a MTV series, “Teen Wolf” has lots of music selections and you’ll easily find yourself downloading half the artists used. Many of the bands were up-and-coming indie acts, so this show did a great job discovering new music and finding the perfect scenes. Sound effects are also a big part of this show as they help build suspense…or even passion. From little branch snaps in the woods to a chilling scream, and of course, the werewolf howl, the highlighted sounds are all wisely picked. But what really earns “Teen Wolf” a perfect score on the audio quality is the use of silence. Some of the more poignant scenes are made all that more intense by the use of silence – no music, sound or dialogue. For example, on the season finale when everything’s a whirlwind, this is an effect that is used for the opening sequence. Paired with the slowed down motion of the characters, it makes for a cool sequence. And the scenes where the sound cuts off only to be shattered by a scream or a howl: chilling. Audio is one of the strongest suits of this series.

5 out of 5 Stars

Special Features

Extended Finale Code Breaker: Extended finales are always tough – there’s a reason certain scenes and bits were cut. If you’re a diehard fan, this extension is just additional minutes with the show you love. The additions don’t really add anything, but they don’t really detract either.

Deleted, Alternate & Extended Scenes: There’s about 15-20 minutes of extra footage in this feature and it’s all a blast to watch. I like that text is often included with these to explain why they were cut or what was used instead. For example, this scene of Kate showing Allison a werewolf was recut to be more dramatic. In regards to the deleted scenes, most of these were cut for time’s sake and because they didn’t move the plot along. But I loved getting to watch them here because they were often little charming moments – an awkward car moment on an early Allison & Scott date, conversations with Stiles – these are great moments, so I’m glad they found a home. My only problem with this feature is that the DVD lumps all these clips into one video to play. I would have liked a menu item breaking them down to be played separately.

Gag Reel: This isn’t the most hilarious gag reel and is pretty forgettable. It’s nice to see the cast interacting and also to see that Dylan isn’t just playing the most comical character; he’s really that funny in life. But otherwise, the goofs are fairly bland and there’s a lot of laughing at farts.

Shirtless Montage: Forget a gag reel, this was one of the most hilarious features that I’ve ever seen included on a DVD. It’s a several minute feature of clips from the series with the various shirtless scenes (and there were a lot). It’s a bit ridiculous of a montage (ridiculous meaning ridiculously great), and they embrace the humor of this feature by pairing the first half with one of those cutesy old 50′s style movie songs. The ones always used for frolicking in the park type sequences with lots of little xylophone melodies.

Following the Pack: Meet the Cast of Teen Wolf: This a short feature and is nice to watch at least once. It reveals a bit about the casting and why these actors were picked for their parts. It also lets the actors say a bit about where they’d like to see their characters go in the next season. But the real reason I liked this feature is there were some behind-the-scenes clips thrown in that showed how some of the special effects were done. For example, Scott’s werewolf run was done by putting him in a hanging harness on a treadmill in front of a green screen. Who knew going wolfy was so complicated? I would have loved to have seen more behind-the-scenes and making the effects type of features included on this DVD.

Love Bites!: This is a feature all about the romance. Much like on the show, Dylan O’Brien’s a scene-stealer when he gets his interview on this feature and talks about the romances (or lack thereof) for his character in the first season.

Teen Wolf: Working the Red Carpet: This is worth watching once just to see the cast interacting, but it’s not the most relevant to the show. This is just a series of red carpet interviews talking to the cast about how they got ready for the carpet and what they’re wearing.

Behind-the-Scenes and Cast Commentaries on Select Episodes: These are probably the best features on the DVD (the shirtless montage is a close second). The cast commentaries are hilarious. The cast jokes around, tweets and chuckles about little goofs – “how’d he get his shirt on so fast? movie magic.” It’s also informative – Holland Roden does a good job keeping the boys on track with the commentary and she’ll give more of the ‘making of’ type of insight. She’s the info gal. They also do a great job answering frequently asked fan questions like where was Derek’s allegiance in this scene or what was so-and-so thinking here. Watching with the cast commentary is a lot like watching with your friends. The Behind-the-Scenes commentaries are with the producers are more technical. If you’re curious about why there was sound or silence in this scene or what’s going on with camera angles here, this is a great feature to listen to. The producers are also a bit more loose about dropping hints regarding Season 2 than anywhere else on the DVD.

4 out of 5 Stars

Overall

While MTV gets a bad rap for less-than-quality programs such as “Jersey Shore,” this is one of their redeeming moments. “Teen Wolf” is a story that’s easy to get lost in and it has plenty of twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s worth watching just for the quips of Stiles, but it is also one of those few shows that pulls off the whole package of being dramatic, funny, romantic and scary. Some of the special features were a bit dull and forgettable, but commentaries were fun and informative and make the DVD purchase a good deal.

4 out of 5 Stars

Teen Wolf, Season 1 Trailer:

The new season airs June 3 on MTV, right after the MTV Movie Awards. Watch the Teen Wolf, Season 2 Trailer:

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

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There is little hipper than nostalgia.

And that is all the intro you need to understand why Midcoast Station is sharing Strawberry Shortcake movie reviews with you today.

You’re welcome.

Berry Brick Road

This DVD started off as pure disappointment. I tore off the cellophane eagerly, excited to reach the dazzling, sparkling film beneath. Unfortunately, this:

was actually a façade for this:

I judge books (and movies) by their covers. Suddenly this allegedly holographic, whimsical retelling of The Wizard of Oz looked like nothing more than a flat, stale remake of the movie that terrified me for over 20 years. In the name of journalism, I swallowed my disdain and pushed forward. Unfortunately, I found little improvement.

I saw The Wizard of Oz in its entirety for the first time six months ago. After a lifetime of half-formed nightmares, I was relieved to learn that my terrors had a reasonable basis. Had I seen this Strawberry Shortcake retelling of the movie first, I’d have been entirely unafraid but substantially less likely to pursue the original film adaptation. Pros and cons.

Berry Brick Road deserves little positive review. The creators opted for the easy-in framework of Strawberry reading the story of The Wizard of Oz to her pets (immediate thumbs-down in my book). Pupcake, Strawberry’s dog, talks without moving his mouth — creep alert. And to top it off, Strawberry’s voice reminds me of Dora, which any parent of a child under 7 knows is a terribly grating sound. Unexpected musical numbers. Worst of all: an inexplicable second “episode” based on Strawberry returning to Oz to help fight an impending environmental apocalypse. I…what? L. Frank Baum, author of the original Oz books, penned 14 novels. I haven’t read any of them, but I’m pretty sure none of them deal with Munchkins (or, in this movie, Berrykins) using their power resource, Gem-Berries, all willy-nilly and needing a stern lecture from Dorothy (Strawberry) to set them straight again. I can appreciate a lesson in environmentalism, but half of this movie strayed completely from its origins. I just can’t do it.

Since I hate to be a complete downer, here’s what I did enjoy:
1. The good witch is a complete nerd, glasses and all. Too cute.
2. This film included lasers.

There’s a chance I took this movie too seriously.

Bloomin’ Berry Garden

I also viewed Strawberry Shortcake’s Bloomin’ Berry Garden, which was a markedly better film. Left to their own plot designs, the geniuses behind Strawberry Shortcake created a superior storyline to the half-adaptation that is Berry Brick Road. Plus, there was no deception in the cover of this DVD.

In Bloomin’ Berry Garden, Strawberry and friends tackle three related adventures. In the first, the girls learn that sometimes the most outlandish answer is the resolution, such as a packet of seeds labelled “daisies” turning out to be corn seeds — a very dangerous plant in a place as tiny as Berry Bitty City. In the second adventure, the citizens of Berry Bitty City discover their plants for the Flower Festival disappearing, and the girls learn a valuable lesson about not jumping to conclusions. In the final episode, Raspberry Tart spritzes the Berrykins with a special perfume that quadruples their size, putting the entire city in danger as the Berrykins can’t run their tiny machinery
when they’re as large as the girls.

I enjoyed this DVD’s combination of an ongoing storyline, a clever plot, no musical numbers, real-life lessons (that were slightly less pushy than those in Berry Brick Road), and girl power in the cutest possible way. Parents, this is a show for kids that you won’t mind watching quite so much.

This reviewer gives these films one giant thumbs down and one bigger thumbs up. One out of two — not so bad. There’s hope for you yet, Strawberry Shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Brick Road DVD Special Features

• Printable Coloring Pages

Strawberry Shortcake: Blooming Berry Garden DVD Special Features

• Printable Coloring Pages
• Sunshine Girls Dance Instruction Video

Caitlin

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Movie Review

 I am a fan of Cameron Crowe. Not all of his movies (I really didn’t like Elizabethtown), but just him. I thought that I would see any movie he makes regardless of subject until I saw trailers for We Bought a Zoo. How would he handle a family film? Will it be any good? The answers are well and yes.

We Bought a Zoo tells the (somewhat) true story of Benjamin Mee a journalist and recent widow who decides to buy a zoo to give his family a change of scenery that they desperately need. When he moves in he finds the zoo understaffed and in disrepair but through his perseverance and love for his family he restores the zoo and established stronger bonds with his family.

I was quite shocked at how much I liked this movie. When I saw the trailers I thought it looked a little saccharine (it is) and thought Scarlett Johansson looked a little lost (she actually wasn’t too bad). Matt Damon is excellent as Benjamin as his charm, wit and screen presence elevate what could have been a very average family film.

Video Quality

The video quality of We Bought a Zoo is very good if not quite stunning. The transfer has captured the rich detail and textures of the Zoo but you probably won’t be blown away by the presentation here.

4 out of 5 Stars

Audio Quality

The audio is also very good. You really feel like you are at a zoo with a lot of background animal noises and very good sound placement. The soundtrack by Jonsi is stunning and really shines through in a lot of the quieter moments of the film building to almost a joyful burst at times. We Bought a Zoo was a great audio experience.
4 ½ out of 5 Stars

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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Film Review/Synopsis:

Let me preface this by saying that this is in no way a DVD for kids, or to be watched with kids. I didn’t catch this film in the theaters but the trailer made me think it might be a kid friendly comedy, definitely not the case. I think having three kids in the movie made me believe this would be a little more light hearted and PG-13 instead of R. With the director of Pineapple Express this adventure in babysitting is definitely not for the entire family.

The film opens up with Noah (Hill) going down on his girlfriend Marisa ( Ari Graynor, who I will forever think of as Caroline form Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist). You quickly learn that Noah is just being used by Marisa and she has him whipped. Noah is a twenty-something slacker, college drop out and needs to get his shit together. What better way to do that than by babysitting three zany kids?

After getting a booty call and special request from Marisa, Noah, being the irresponsible young adult he is, takes to the streets brining three kids. His errands spin out of control and he finds himself on the run from a drug lord.  The film has its great comedic moments and the three kids  and Hill have a great chemistry.
The story itself is fairly substantial for how silly and raunchy its initialy seems. Hill ends up learning a lot about life, himself and other people. On his path to this realization  he has a moment with each one of the kids to help them and reach out to them in one way or another.

You will be surprised by the substance in the film, but only after you see through the raunchiness.

Audio and Video Quality

No demanding battle scenes or crazy musical numbers demanding lots of  visual & audio detail– everything was mixed well between the dialogue and background music, and the mini action sequences with the cars and cherry-bomb-exploding toilets were appropriate.

Features:

- Theatrical and Unrated versions of the film -see below for a list of deleted/unrated scenes not in the theatrical version*

- Gag Reel

- “Totally Irresponsible” outtakes “Sits and Giggles”- alternate versions of scenes which contained some of the films short but snarky comedic one liners

- “For Your Consideration” with Blythe featurette

- “The Making of The Sitter” featurette

- “Jonah the Producer” featurette - Hill (who actually produced the film) shows the viewers how he handled the child actors, their  parents, and how he helped to with their education on set. Cute but pretty pointless.

The Sitter  is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Defiant, vulgar and envelope-pushing, The DVD comes complete with both the theatrical and unrated or “totally irresponsible” version of the film.

If you enjoyed this film in theaters  I would suggest bringing home this DVD. The added features are a small bonus but the bigger pull  here is the unrated version and deleted scenes.

*The “Totally Irresponsible” unrated edition:

- Deleted & Extended Scenes:

- Noah Goes Downtown – Extended

- Noah and Slater Talk About Twins – Extended

- Getting the Minivan – Extended

- Karl’s Back Room – Extended

- Karl Hugs It Out – Deleted

- Kids on the Curb – Deleted

- Meeting Karl in Chinatown – Extended

- Noah Calls Stephanie – Deleted

- Brooklyn Party Scenes – Deleted

- Alternate Ending: Carousel Fight

Andrew

Avid movie goer, music aficionado and Netflix junkie. I also strive to quote Jurassic Park on a daily basis and I sing like no one is listening when in the car.

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Movie Review: The film follows Gary (Jason Segel) and his puppet brother Walter. Walter has always felt a little out of place but has identified with the Muppets so he wants to go tour their studio and meet them. When he gets to LA he finds out the studio has been shutdown and an evil oil tycoon (Chris Cooper), Tex Richman, is wanting to buy the land because there is oil under it. Walter and Gary must get all the Muppets together to host a telethon to raise the money to buy the land before Tex does.

Since I was little I have always loved the Muppets. I was too young to have seen the show on TV in its initial run but I watched reruns and the movies religiously. I also love Jason Segel. The combination of the two has created a fairly magical Muppet movie.

4 out of 5 Stars

Video Quality: The video presentation of The Muppets is absolutely flawless. The textures of the Muppets really comes through and you can tell that there was an enormous attention to detail. The detail of the felt puppets shines through and all of the bright colors are brilliantly captured without any sort of digital manipulation of the image at all.

5 out of 5 Stars

Audio Quality: Sometimes a terrific movie and video presentation can be ruined by a sub par audio track. I am happy to report that is not the case here. The audio is just as good as the video. The movie is full of great songs and they really fill all the channels well. Throughout the movie you get great ambient effects of Muppets swooping in and out. This is one to show off.

5 out of 5 Stars

Special Features:

• Scratching the Surface – A really hilarious behind-the-scenes featurette that mixes interviews with the actors, director and even the Muppets themselves. It talks about the history of Muppet movies and how much it means to the cast to be involved in a Muppet movie.
• Deleted Scenes – The Blu-Ray features 10 minutes of deleted scenes
• Blooper Reel – There are about 9 minutes of bloopers and they are quite funny. The Muppets never break character and still manage to make some funny moments.
• A Little Screen Test On the Way To The Read-Through – This is a short little skit following Walter, Jason and the Muppets as they prep for their first cast read-through.
• Theatrical Spoof Trailers – This is a really funny collection of fake trailers in the style of several other popular movies (Planet of the Apes, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and basically every romantic comedy). These were really funny.
• Intermission – While this technically isn’t a special feature when you pause the movie it goes to an intermission screen and has a few funny bits. They goes on for about 5 minutes (there are multiple intermissions).
• Audio Commentary – This commentary features Jason Segel, the director and the co-writer. It is obvious that they all really like the Muppets. It’s really fun and you get a good mix of behind-the-scenes stuff and funny anecdotes.

3 ½ out of 5 Stars

Overall: If you grew up loving The Muppets you will really enjoy this movie as it brings in Muppet history and blends it with fun new songs and fun cameos. The Muppets is a kid’s movie that will appeal to the whole family. If you loved the original or you just don’t want to watch Cars for the 200^th time with your kids I would highly recommend buying The Muppets.

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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Movie Review: The Descendants tells the story of Matt King (George Clooney) who is having an interesting few weeks. He is the sole trustee of his family’s inherited land in Hawaii and his wife is in a coma following a boating accident. While it becomes obvious that she is dying his daughter informs him that she was cheating on him. Matt decides to seek out his wife’s lover so that he can get some sort of closure and he can say goodbye.

When I had initially saw that Alexander Payne was making a new movie I was very excited to see it and The Descendants did not let me down. The thing that I loved the most about the movie was Clooney’s ability to find humor in the dramatic. From the description you wouldn’t guess that there would be many laughs, but even in the tragic there are these little moments of light that show that not everything is as easy as it usually appears.

Clooney was great (isn’t he always) and relative newcomer Shailene Woodley was fantastic as his oldest daughter. The rest of the cast brings some humor and some heartache but they all do a great job.

Despite being anxious to see it The Descendants lived up to expectations and was one of my favorite films from last year.

4 ½ out of 5 Stars

Video Quality: The movie which was shot on location in Hawaii looks absolutely gorgeous. The lush greens and blues were captured perfectly by the Blu-Ray transfer. While there aren’t too many scenes that are a real visual marvel, anyone watching will be hard pressed to say anything negative about the image.

5 out of 5 Stars

Audio Quality: The audio has received a treatment that is nearly as good as the video. There is always something happening in the surrounds, be it waves or birds chirping, and it really makes you feel a part of the action. That being said, there aren’t really any big sound effects that will make this a film that you have to throw in when showing off your new entertainment system.

4 out of 5 Stars

Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes – There are just two deleted scenes but they are both kind of interesting. Some movies present a lot of worthless scenes and a couple good ones, but it seems like for The Descendants they have chosen quality over quantity. Both have a text introduction by the director explaining why they were cut.
• Everybody Loves George & Working With Alexander – Both of these are short pieces that feature the crew talking about how wonderful it is to work with George Clooney and Alexander Payne. I think these are quickly becoming my least favorite special feature.
• The Real Descendants – This feature talks about real Hawaiian descendants and their family histories. It is strange to see such different cultures in the USA.
• Hawaiian Style – A further look in to Hawaiian culture and its influence on the filmmakers. This feature made me upset that I’m not currently in Hawaii.
• Casting – An interesting look at what the filmmakers were looking for while casting actors. It was kind of interesting to see more about the filmmaking process.
• Working With Water – A short featurette about how difficult it is to shoot on the ocean.
• Waiting for the Light – This is probably skippable as it just shows the crew on set waiting for clouds to move in the sky.
• A Conversation with George Clooney and Alexander Payne – While the previous extra is not very interesting this one is a must-see. The two of them speak about classic movies, what it means to be an actor, and what it’s like to make dramas while having a comedy background.

4 out of 5 Stars

Overall: This is a film that I have now seen 3 times and will definitely watch again. The superb video and audio quality combined with the really fun special features makes this one that you should purchase.

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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Two of cable’s hottest shows will be coming to home video. The fifth season of Burn Notice is particularly packed with goodies and the third season of White Collar offers a neat trivia challenge. These USA shows will be available on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 5th. From Fox:

“BURN NOTICE”

The Season 5 DVD is loaded with exclusive content including an extended episode, deleted scenes, a gag reel and a thrilling featurette on the villains of “BURN NOTICE.” Fans will celebrate the best of the “worst,” by exploring the “BURN NOTICE” bad guys and get unique insights from the actors who play them along with a snarky rebuttal on their deeds from “BURN NOTICE” star, Bruce Campbell!
The suspense, betrayal and intense action make Season 5 of “BURN NOTICE” a must-see! Master-spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) has just rejoined the CIA as consultant but after being framed for the murder of a close friend, partners with Kim Pearce (Lauren Stamile) to clear his name. After increasingly dangerous and criminal missions, Michael comes face to face with the man who burned him and the one closest to him who knew about it all along.

“WHITE COLLAR”

The Season 3 DVD features never-before-seen bonus footage including deleted scenes, a gag reel, commentary on “Judgment Day,” a “WHITE COLLAR” trivia challenge for fans and a hilarious intervention caught on tape by the cast and crew with showrunner Jeff Eastin who’s overzealous tweeting gets out of hand!
“WHITE COLLAR” focuses on the unlikely partnership between charming con artist Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) and straightman FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay).  Caffrey provides his expertise to help Burke catch other elusive criminals in exchange for his freedom, and together they prove that in order to solve the hardest crimes, you must hire the smartest criminal.

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Taubman Centers announced a year-long partnership to create unique shopping experience with Fox Movie Mall virtual storefronts. Along with the Fox Movie Mall app available at the iTunes Store and Android Market, shoppers at participating Tubman shopping centers (see below) can simply Stop, Scan and Shop. By picking a film title from a wallscape , consumers can scan a QR code and instantly be taken online to buy and have shipped right to their door.Using the app can save consumers up to 50 percent on their purchases and give access to the RIO coloring app, additional games, trailers, movie and TV clips and more.

The year-long exclusive partnership will also include home entertainment lounges in central locations with state-of-the-art HDTVs showcasing footage from the upcoming Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked  Blu-ray™ along with many other family films.

Participating Taubman shopping center locations:

Beverly Center, Los Angeles, CA

Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Denver, Colo.

Dolphin Mall, Miami, Fla.

Fairlane Town Center, Dearborn, Mich.

Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax, Va.

Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, Auburn Hills, Mich.

International Plaza and Bay Street, Tampa, Fla.

MacArthur Center, Norfolk, Va.

The Mall at Green Hills, Nashville, Tenn.

The Mall at Short Hills, Short Hills, N.J.

The Mall at Wellington Green, Wellington, Fla.

Northlake Mall, Charlotte, N.C.

Stamford Town Center, Stamford, Conn.

Sunvalley Shopping Center, Concord, Calif.

Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, Mich.

Westfarms Mall, Farmington, Conn.

The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, Texas

Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, Ill

Midcoast Station

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Didn’t get a chance to see Oscar nominated “The Descendants” in theaters? Your chance to own it is fast approaching, and I must say that this is definitely one worth watching. We will have a full review when the movie is released, but until then, here are the details from 20^th Century Fox:

From director Alexander Payne creator of the Oscar® winning Sideways comes one of the Best Pictures of the year, THE DESCENDANTS, featuring a stunning cast including Best Actor nominee George Clooney (Ides of March) and Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) in her Golden Globe nominated and Independent Spirit Award winning role. Take home this wonderfully warm and witty film and go behind the scenes of THE DESCENDANTS with all-new exclusive content on Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack and DVD March 13 from Fox Searchlight and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Based on the best-selling novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings and set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

Nominated for five Academy Awards® and winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, THE DESCENDANTS is a must-have on Blu-ray and DVD. The release is packed with must-see deleted scenes, behind the scenes extras and exclusive featurettes to bring you even further into the story. 

THE DESCENDANTS Blu-ray Features:

• Deleted Scenes with introductions by the director
• Everybody Loves George
• Working with Alexander
• The Real Descendants
• Hawaiian Style
• Casting
• Working with Water
• Music Videos
• Waiting for the Light
• The World Parade – Hawaii (Silent Film)
• A Conversation with George Clooney and Alexander Payne
• Digital Copy of the Film

Nathan

Nathan enjoys film, music, sports and most of all, speaking in the third person.

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In the Disney musical “Lady and the Tramp,” Lady is a dog that has a nice home that spoils her. But when a new baby takes up the attention of her owners, Lady feels shoved aside and adventures off on a journey that introduces her to the rebellious street dog, Tramp. The two are an unlikely couple from different sides of the tracks, but Lady soon finds herself falling for the adventurous mutt.

“Lady and the Tramp” is a classic love story that’s being released just in time for Valentine’s Day. Unlike many other Disney films from this era, “Lady and the Tramp” is an original tale — no classic fairytales or historical legends served as the basis for the story. Instead, characters and story lines were inspired by the lives of the creators and, of course, their pets. That’s what makes so many of the Blu-ray features on the Diamond edition so special — you really get a good glimpse at the inspirations and the original ideas that led to this story. Did you know that this was originally going to be a short series of adventures? That’s just one of the many fun facts the features reveal about this film.

A DVD release of the film only came out a few years ago, so is the Blu-Ray Diamond Edition worth it? Yes. It not only includes all the original bonus features included with the first DVD release (PuppyPedia, The Siamese Cat Song and Lady’s Pedigree), but it also has a whole new batch of features. The best of these new additions is Disney’s Second Screen.

Second Screen syncs the Blu-ray film with a computer or a tablet device. As you watch the film with the commentary, the device, or “second screen” matches up extra enhanced content with the film. I used a computer and I was really impressed with how smooth the syncing was and how easy it was to keep the film moving at the pace that I wanted to move at. Some of the second screen features were original artwork stills, which were amazing to explore with this film. The scene backgrounds are so detailed! There are artist flip books, fun facts, and quotes. I found myself pausing the film as I played a picture puzzle on the second screen or as I tried one of the character sketchbooks. This is a great feature that is interesting for both adults and kids.

My only disappointment with the Blu-ray were the deleted scenes. There are three, lengthy deleted scenes and a short unused song. The song, I didn’t mind. But the scenes were in the original sketch form with a narrator filling in gaps in the scene’s stories. These aren’t so much deleted scenes as they are deleted doodles. So while I started off interested, 10 minutes of a deleted sketch series tried my patience. I would have liked to have seen the artwork and animation finalized for these cut moments and then left the sketches to another Blu-ray or Second Screen feature.

Overall, the quality of this restored film is fantastic. Even without the added features, this is a fine addition to any film collection. “Lady and the Tramp” was released on Disney Blu-ray & DVD on February 7, 2012.

Bethany Smith

I'm a geek; I love music, technology and grammar.

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