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DVD Review: “The Penguins of Madagascar-Operation: DVD Premiere”

Who could have imagined that the Penguin characters from the two Madagascar film would spin off to their own animated series so successfully? In both films, the characters were essentially comic relief, thrown in as a “C” story that pretty much had nothing with the main plots until they show up at the end to rejoin the rest of the escaped zoo animals. Yet, in their own show, the penguins not only carry the show, but they are funny and enjoyable for parents and kids alike.

The Nickelodeon series has been on the air nearly a year now and it’s a big hit for the network. So, in true fashion of the marketing savvy network, Nickelodeon has released Operation: DVD Premiere, the first “feature length” DVD with over two hours of entertainment. The DVD is a collection of some of the Penguins best adventures, as well as a brand new, never-before-seen special, “Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge,” and two never- before-seen episodes, “Truth Ache” and “Command Crisis.” On a side note, I know that Nick plans to air “Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge” on President’s Day. I don’t understand the logic in advertising something as “never-before-seen” for just one week before putting in on television. I digress.

The set up for the show is simple: The Penguins, that is Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, are back living at the New York City Zoo. Even though they are residents in the zoo, that doesn’t mean they’re confined behind bars. Instead, they have plenty of crazy adventures within the zoo and outside it. Along for the fun are three characters they never lived in the zoo in the films: King Julien, the insane lemur, originally voiced by Sacha Baren Cohen, by on television capably handled by Danny Jacobs, Maurice, an aye aye who is Julien’s trusty servant, and Mort, the accident mouse lemur who is the brunt of Julien’s contempt.

Supporting characters on hand to fill the absence of the main Madagascar characters include Marlene, an otter whose character is solely new to the series, plus Mason and Phil, the two chimpanzees from the films.

“Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge” is a funny, “save the world” adventure that finds the Penguins pitted against the evil Dr. Blowhole, an angry dolphin who gets around on a Segway. Dr. Blowhole plans to melt the North Pole in order to flood the earth as payback to humans for making him perform tricks in a ring of fire. Making matters worse for the Penguins is the fact that Julien has teamed up with Blowhole. The nefarious Blowhole is voiced by guest-star Neil Patrick Harris (who seems to be everywhere these days) and he has a good time with the role. Like most animation being produced these days, the adult behind the creation of the show often slip in a little bit of safe grown-up humor to make the show enjoyable for parents, as well as their kids.

The other two episodes, “Truth Ache” and “Command Crisis” fit right in with the seven other episodes included on this DVD, all of which have previously aired on Nickelodeon. As for bonus features, they aren’t much. But you shouldn’t expect too much when you’re buying TV episodes on a single disc like this one, anyway. There are trailers for upcoming Dreamworks animated features, Nick animated show and a couple of online games. Like I said, it isn’t much. Still, if you have a Penguin or King Julien fan in your house (child or adult) then this DVD is a worthwhile investment.

DVD review: “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs”

You can add Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs to the list of entertaining family films that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Funny, irreverent and sometimes emotionally resonant, this film, based on the children’s book by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett, is one of the few animated films that succeed without having the word “Pixar” attached to it. It’s no surprise that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was hit in theaters last fall. Some cynics might say that because the film was in 3-D this accounted for the film’s popularity. They’re wrong because even without the 3-D effects, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is a great movie.

Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live and Superbad) stars at Flint Lockwood, an inventor who dreams of changing the lives of the citizen of his tiny hometown, Swallow Falls, loctaed on a tiny island located under the letter “A” in the word “Atlantic Ocean” on world maps. Swallow Falls used to be the sardine capital of the world, until the world realized that sardines are gross and stopped buying them. After years of invention mishaps (rat-birds, a remote control TV that walks away from its owner) Flint has created a machine that will create food out of water. Sounds ingenious, right? Well, it would be if Flint wasn’t a bit of a doofus.

The day he wants to test his experiment, the machine rockets into the sky and gets trapped in the clouds. With the moisture from the rain, Swallow Falls is suddenly raining cheeseburgers and snowing ice cream. Much to the dismay of Flint’s stoic father (wonderfully voiced by James Caan), Flint is cheered a hero and it’s not long before the corrupt mayor (Bruce Campbell, smarmy as always) schemes his way into Flint’s life to use the machine for his own greed. When things go haywire and giant food threatens to destroy Swallow Falls and then the world, it’s up to Flint, a plucky weather girl (delightfully done by Anna Farris) and Flint’s monkey assistant, Steve, to find some way to shut down his machine.

As directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, these talented men and their team of computer wizards have crafted a delightful movie, assembling a wonderful cast that doesn’t include one single superstar (unless you include Mr. T- who kicks ass, by the way). Hader is perfect as Flint, a performance full of life and charm. Likewise, Farris is fun in the role of Sam Sparks, the weather girl. The two of them have great screen chemistry; the warmth they bring to their roles, along with splendid comic timing, make Flint and Sam characters you want to root for. As I said, Mr. T, as over the top, hard nosed police man (who has a soft side for his son) is brilliant. Also in the cast is Andy Samberg, and in small roles, Benjamin Bratt and Neil Patrick Harris.

The directors decidedly took the film in a cartoony direction, giving the animation a very fluid and lively look. As this was originally intended for a 3D experience, you can tell when objects were meant to pop things out of the screen at you; however these moments are not distracting at all. In fact, having only seen the film in 2-D I don’t feel like I was missing anything. The colors are vivid, the action exciting, the jokes are very funny (I laughed out loud along with my kids) and the sentimental scenes were not too sacchariny. Although the script’s themes cover ground already done in other films, the writing doesn’t feel clichéd. Everything feels fresh, like a hot meal coming out of the oven, or in this case, descending down from the sky thanks to a wacky invention. As I said in the opening, this is one movie the whole family can sit down and get watch together.

The 2 disc DVD comes with some nice features, not too many, but enough to keep you happy. The behind the scene featurette on making of the film was silly, but informative. More enjoyable was the featurette on the voice casting of the film, despite the fact that some of the cast were not heard from (how can you use Bruce Campbell and not have an interview with him?).  The DVD has a food fight game, which is cute, as far as DVD games go; deleted scenes; audio commentary;  and a pointless music video for Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) performing the film’s theme, “Raining Sunshine.”

DVD review: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Two-Disc Monkey Mischief Pack)

Adult fans of the original Night at the Museum may be a little disappointed with its loud, action packed sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian; I was. Because the thrill from the first film of seeing museum pieces come to life was gone and because Ben Stiller’s character, “Larry,” was no longer at his wits end trying to contain those same museum pieces, some of the magic is missing from the 2^nd film. Battle for the Smithsonian is bigger, noisier and has all of the shortcomings most sequels have. However, it does have one saving grace, one key element that makes this DVD worth checking out: Amy Adams.

Adams co-stars as Amelia Earhart, or rather a mannequin of Earhart that comes to life when the magic tablet of Ahkmenrah (from the first movie) is shipped off to Washington to be placed in storage at the Smithsonian. Earhart teams up with Larry (now a wealthy entrepreneur) to prevent an evil Egyptian pharaoh, Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) from opening a portal to the underworld and unleashing an army of the undead to take over earth. Adams, one of the most charming and likable actresses working these days, is pure delight at the legendary female aviator. She speaks in a rat-tat-tat-tat cadence that hearkens back to the era from which Earhart was popular. Adams gives her character a no nonsense attitude and gung ho spirit that pops off the screen and charms your socks off. Moreover, the way she carries herself and commits to the role makes watching Adams such a pleasure that whenever she’s on screen you overlook the shortcomings of this movie, which was wildly successful in its theatrical run. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: Walt Disney Treasures “Zorro: The Complete First Season” and “Zorro: The Complete Second Season”

Nostalgia is a tough sell when it comes to today’s children. With 21^st century kids used to quick, Michael Bay-paced edits and brilliant, flashing colors to keep their attention, sitting them down to watch a black and white television series from 50 years ago may seem like a lost cause. With the release of Zorro the Complete First Season and the Complete Second Season in deluxe DVD format, Disney is showing the utmost confidence that this adventure series will delight not only the diehard Disney fanatics, but future generations of TV watchers. Trust me when I tell you that if you sit down with your son or daughter to watch Zorro, they’ll love it, and you’ll find your inner kid bursting with enthusiasm.

When Walt Disney decided to produce his first primetime series, he went all out to ensure that what he was airing met the high standards he set for his studio, both in motion pictures and television. He smartly chose to adapt the pulp novels of Johnston McCulley and partly based his vision of the masked avenger on the wildly successful silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks.  The Fairbanks version of the hero was a lighthearted take, adding humor and charm mixed with swordplay and spectacular stunts. Disney hired top writers to produce the show, he built an elaborate, permanent set on the Disney lot, and he brought together a cast of talented character actors to bring to life the colorful characters he envisioned. In the role of Don Diego/Zorro, an unknown actor named Guy Williams was cast. While this may have seemed like a risk, the actor exuded charisma as the masked avenger out to defend the oppressed. Moreover, Williams had an everyman, relatable quality that draws you in and keeps you entertained. And entertained you will be. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “Aliens in the Attic”

I’ve now seen Aliens in the Attic one and a half times, and after each viewing, my seven- and ten-year-old both exclaimed how awesome it is. For kids, this movie has all of the elements to make it awesome: cute aliens, adventure, a Disney star (Ashley Tisdale), neat gadgets and lots of physical humor. As a parent, I thought Aliens in the Attic was pretty awesome, too. The first thought that came to mind when I watched this movie (penned by Mark Burton and Adam F. Goldberg) was how it follows the model of those great Spielberg films from the ‘80s, like Goonies and Gremlins. Indeed, there were several moments in Aliens in the Attic when director John Schultz emulated the camera style of those slickly produced, slapsticky Steven Spielberg productions. Because of this approach, this film was a throwback to my youth and made it as much fun for me as it was for my kids.

In the film, Carter Jenkins stars as Tom, a straight ‘A’ kid who’s throwing his grades in order to look cool. He’s tired of being a mathlete and the butt of the jokes for all of his peers. Even among his family, Tom feels like a loser and an outsider and thinks that his brainpower will never get him anywhere. Tom has an older sister, Bethany (Tisdale) and an adorable little sister, Hannah (Ashley Boettcher). After they’re reprimanded for trying to fix his grades by hacking into the school computer, Tom and his sisters are dragged on a family vacation by their parents (Kevin Nealon and Gillian Vigman) to spend time at a summer house with their uncle (Andy Richter), their Nana (Doris Roberts) and their three cousins, Jake (Austin Butler) and twin boys, Art and Lee (Henry and Regan Young). Showing up unexpectedly is Bethany’s skeezy boyfriend, Ricky (Robert Hoffman), a college student lying about his age in order to score with his recent high school graduate girlfriend. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Reviews: “Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection: X-Men Volumes 3 & 4″

Picking up where they left off earlier this year, Disney and their new acquisition, Marvel Comics, have released the next two volumes of their “Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection” with the 2 DVD sets, X-Men Volume 3 and X-Men Volume 4. These DVDs continue in the release of every episode from the 1990’s hit Saturday morning TV series. X-men aired for five seasons and featured a popular lineup of Marvels band of mutants from the early Clinton decade. Those characters included Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Gambit, Rogue, Storm, Jubilee, Professor Xavier and fan favorite, Wolverine.

What I always liked about this particular X-Men series was the way it adhered to the mythology from the long-running comic books. Even though some of the characters were changed, the story lines about the Savage Land and  in particularly the Phoenix saga (in which telepath Jean Grey is gradually transformed into a God with unlimited power) were played out over a series of episodes that treated this show more like a continuing drama you’d find on prime time instead of a Saturday morning cartoon aimed at kids seven years and older. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “The Suite Life on Deck: Anchors Away!”

The Suite Life on Deck: Anchors Away! (2009, Disney)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

The Suite Life on Deck continues the storied saga of Zack and Cody, those lovable characters created by Dylan and Cole Sprouse on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. That long-running Disney show had run its course, so Disney came up with this “Love Boat for kids” idea to keep the Sprouse twins in the fold. The characters moved from the fancy hotel where they lived (in a suite) with their mother to an ocean liner where they sail around the world and attend school on the boat. Gone are Kim Rhodes as their mom, Ashley Tisdale as Maddie and the screwball staff of the Tifton hotel. In their place is Debby Ryan as a love interest, as well as carryovers from the original series, the wonderful Phill Lewis as Mr. Moseby and Brenda Strong as the dimbulb London Tifton.

This new series, like its predecessor, can be funny at times, but it feels like we see the jokes announce their presence from offstage, ruining the surprise of the humor. Furthermore, I don’t know how much more anyone can take of Strong’s character, London. There’s only so much stupidity a person deserves to watch. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break”

Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break (2009, Disney)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Disney’s Sonny with a Chance is cut from the same cloth as the mouse house’s other tween sitcoms: bright, pretty young ingénue thrown into a crazy situation and surrounded by an ensemble of wacky supporting characters. In this case, the female star is Demi Lovato; the budding young music star that also has appeared in the Disney hit films, Rock Camp and Princess Protection Program. Lovato plays Sonny; she’s a Midwestern teenager brought to Los Angeles to become the newest star on “So Random,” a sketch show that resembles the old Nickelodeon series, All That. With her wide-eyed optimism and Midwestern gosh oh golly, Mickey and Judy “let’s put on a show” enthusiasm, Sonny is a fish out of water and immediately at odds with “So Random’s” other so L.A. starlet, Tawni (Tiffany Thornton). Tawni is a bratty teen whose ice cool heart is eventually melted by Sonny and they soon become fast friends.

The remainder of the “So Random” cast includes the Mutt & Jeff duo, Nico (Brandon Mychal Smith) and Grady (Doug Brochu). Smith and Brochu are great with the one liners and willing to make fools of themselves. They’re my favorite characters. There is also the standard “bratty little sister” character, this time in the form of Zora (Allisyn Ashley Arm), the youngest cast member. While “So Random” is very popular, it competes for an audience with “Mackenzie Falls,” a sort of Gossip Girl soap opera staring a group of prima donnas. Their leader is Chad Dylan Cooper (a funny Sterling Knight), who is so full of himself, he can’t pass a mirror without looking. Chad loves getting the better of the “So Random” gang, but has a hard time breaking Sonny’s spirit. This confuses him and strangely, makes him drawn to the girl. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “Race to Witch Mountain”

Race to Witch Mountain (2009, Disney)
purchase from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

The first words out of my son’s mouth after we finished watching Race to Witch Mountain were, “That. Was. AWESOME!” I concur, Jacob, Race to Witch Mountain is indeed awesome. Disney’s remake/newest adaptation of Alexander Key’s book, Escape to Witch Mountain,  is funny, full of some exciting action sequences, and has enough emotional appeal to make this movie well worth your time for the next movie night in your house. However, this is a movie that earns its PG rating, so if your kids are under the age of 7, the chases and final fight with an alien meanie may require some covered eyes; they get a little intense.

Dwayne Johnson stars as Jack Bruno, a former stock car racer, reformed mob driver trying to turn his life around by driving a cab in Vegas and living in a crummy motel. As the film opens, sin city is in the midst of a science fiction convention. Jack chauffeurs around geeks in Stormtrooper costumes and wonders “what have I done to deserve this?” One of his fares is a brainy, gorgeous woman named Dr. Alex Friedman (Carla Gugiano), an author giving a lecture at the same convention about her proof that life does exist outside of the earth. Jack rolls his eyes and leaves her. But he’s soon to find out that she’s right when, after a run in with a couple of mob musclemen, Jack’s very next riders are a brother and sister whose behavior is strange and, well, a little out this worldly. The kids are Sara and Seth, played by AnnaSophia Robb and Alexander Ludwig. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “The Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience”

The Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience (2009, Disney)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Disney attempts to create the same excitement that surrounded the Beatles with the opening of their new DVD, Jonas Brothers: The Extended Concert Experience. We watch the three brothers, Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas wake up early in the morning for a TV show appearance, we see them banter about like real brothers, making fun of each other and, in Joe’s case, hitting on the cute young woman assigned to cater to their breakfast needs, and then attempt to get through morning NY traffic on their way to the television studio. Trapped in their SUV, the boys decide to get out of their car and run through the streets of Manhattan chased by a swarm of screaming teenage girls, a la A Hard Day’s Night. For some reason, this homage to the Beatles felt cheap. Are these guys really worthy to be compared to the fab four? I guess the question isn’t for me to answer, because my two kids loved the opening and found it hilarious.

Oh, how I look forward to the day we get to watch the Beatles together! Read the rest of this entry