One of the sharpest, laugh-out-loud comedies on television is "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and now the gang at Paddy's Pub have their very own Christmas special. The catch? It's exclusive to DVD and Blu-ray and it's in stores now. So what's it about? According to the studio, "Join Mac, Charlie, Dennis, Dee and Frank as they embark on a holiday adventure filled with stolen toys, childhood videos, naked elves, and a bloody run in with Santa Claus that is guaranteed to blast Christmas spirit all over you!"
To whet your appetite, we've got an exclusive clip from the bonus features which features director Fred Savage (yes, that Fred Savage) walking us through backstage, with a special appearance from Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito. Check it out below.
While the rest of the planet is looking forward to "New Moon," here in the world of home entertainment it's all about looking back...specifically to two of the summer's biggest films which are now hitting store shelves. From space cadets to a fashion-savy Austrian, this is your DVD Report for Tuesday, November 17.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a group more anxious than "Star Trek" fans on the date director J.J. Abrams was tapped to reboot the franchise. It was a tall order. "Trek" had notably faltered at the box office after the dreadful "Nemesis," and had been unceremoniously dumped from the airwaves after the lackluster "Enterprise." And now here was a guy who openly boasted that he had barely watched "Star Trek." Even his directing credentials were thin -- a few television episodes here and there and one feature film in "Mission: Impossible III." It all made for a very skeptical fanbase for a franchise many thought should lay dorment to catch its breath. Read more...
"From the very beginning, we talked about wanting to do a Kirk and Spock story." That's "Star Trek" director J.J. Abrams, speaking on how the story for the May hit was originally conceived. The clip below, a brief snippet focused on the Kirk/Spock origin story, comes from the bonus content included on the DVD/Blu-ray, which hits stores today. Check it out.
Abrams and his team, including writing superstars Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, made the right move in focusing on the birth of Kirk and Spock's friendship. It is as essential to the DNA of the series as the name "U.S.S. Enterprise." As much as the two butt heads in this reboot, they have to be friends in the end if Abrams' is to have any hope of pleasing longtime fans. Read more...
After steamrolling the box office with "Borat," Sacha Baron Cohen came back for seconds with his flamboyant fashionista, Brüno. Like its predecessor, "Brüno" found Cohen crisscrossing the United States in-character to create awkward, often hilarious situations that push the boundaries of normal behavior.
One of those situations involved none other than erstwhile "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, who was duped into meeting with Brüno under the auspices of receiving an award. As you'll see, it led to one of the more memorable moments of the film. "Brüno" hits DVD and Blu-ray on November 17.
After last week's jam-packed release schedule led by "G.I. Joe," we're given an opportunity to breath today with only two new theatrical titles coming to market, along with an assortment of action-filled catalog offerings making their way to Blu-ray. This is your DVD Report for Tuesday, November 9.
Disney's Pixar was flying high after the critically and commercially acclaimed "Wall-E," so naturally they looked to the skies for their next animated outing, "Up." The film focuses on Carl Fredricksen, an elderly shut-in who aims to pay homage to his late wife by relocating to the top of a South American paradise the couple had always dreamed of visiting. Equipping his home with hundreds of helium balloons, the house lifts off its foundation and floats away, inadvertently taking with it a young wilderness scout who grows attached to the grumpy septuagenarian at the start of a grand adventure. Read more...
When he's not tearing up the world stage as a musical superstar, Justin Timberlake dabbles in film. One of his latest projects is "The Open Road," an indie dramedy where Timberlake plays a minor league baseball player who reconnects with his estranged major league father (played by Jeff Bridges) when his mother becomes ill.
The subject matter allows Timberlake to show his acting chops, which he does in the below clip featuring him and Bridges having a heart-to-heart at a local bar. "The Open Road" hits DVD and Blu-ray on November 17.
The "G.I. Joe" film is nothing if not bombastic, so it's no surprise that there were dozens of special effects wizards working on the many CGI-heavy scenes. One of the flick's most explosive moments concerned an attack on a US Army helicopter resulting in its destruction.
In this exclusive clip from the DVD's bonus features, the crew shows exactly what went into creating that memorable sequence, from multiple angles and computer-generated layers. The film hit Blu-ray and DVD today.
After weeks of rather lackluster releases ("Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" being a prominent exception), we finally have a Tuesday jam-packed with first-run titles and notable catalog additions. From the on-screen debut of an elite military team to John Cusack's ode to love, we're covering them all in this DVD Report for Tuesday, November 3.
For any child of the '80s, the thought of "G.I. Joe" receiving the theatrical treatment was an intriguing proposition, and one fraught with worry. And for die-hard fans of writer Larry Hama's epic "G.I. Joe" comic book run, it was especially scary. In stark contrast to the campy animated series, Hama infused his 155-issue run with deeply developed character arcs, ever-twisting conspiracies and, to his credit, pulled no punches when it came to violence and death. Which "G.I. Joe" would the film rely on for its story and tone? While producers insisted they'd follow the comics -- and even brought Hama on as a creative consultant -- fans remained skeptical. Read more...
Fifteen years ago I was planning my nights around episodes of "Mystery Science Theater," programming math cheats into my graphing calculator and filming "60 Minutes"-style interviews with Cobra Commander. I was also madly in love with director Roland Emmerich's "Stargate," the German filmmaker's bold sci-fi experiment in 1994 that foreshadowed his big-budget juggernaut "Independence Day" only two years later. "Stargate" is now bowing on Blu-ray as a "15th Anniversary Edition," and it's one of a handful of notable releases during an otherwise forgettable DVD week.
"Stargate" finds Kurt Russell as a suicidal, no-nonsense military officer tasked to lead a group of battle-hardened veterans -- and soft-skinned ninny scientist James Spader -- through a newly discovered wormhole to an unknown destination. The other side winds up being a sandy desert planet whose native inhabitants have kept their human slaves in bondage under the guise of ancient Egypt. It was a wholly original concept, driven forward by personality-heavy stars, amazing location photography and Emmerich's strong sense for the fantastical. The film would eventually launch a number of successful television spin-offs, although sadly no follow-up film (although one was originally planned). Read more...
It's big, it's loud and now the bonafide monster film of the year is rolling out on store shelves. Michael Bay's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" made gobs of money at the box office and now it almost singled-handedly owns the release calendar this week. But a few other titles do manage to break through the shape-shifting pack, and we'll cover them all in this DVD Report for Tuesday, October 20, 2009.
There's not much purpose in rehashing the plot to "Revenge of the Fallen," the follow-up to the bombastic intergalactic war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Anyone interested in the DVD and Blu-ray has already seen the film, so the only thing really worth discussing are whether the presentation and special features make it a must-own. Well, if you count yourself a fan of the robot-friendly franchise, then it's a definite yes. Like the first film's home video release, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is one of the best looking and best sounding discs around, especially on Blu-ray. Bay's films have frequently been reference-quality material for home theater systems and this one is no different. Action pops off the screen in amazing clarity and the 5.1 DTD-HD audio track could probably knock halls in your walls. Read more...
