DVD Review: “Gettin’ Funky with the Sugar Free Allstars”

Aside from Martin & Medeski or the Benevento-Russo Duo, there aren’t many acts a person can turn to if they’re hungry for some stripped down, funky Hammond organ-and-drums action — and in the kids’ music universe? Forget it. With the quasi-exception of Taj Mahal’s songs for children, funk and/or soul is in short supply in the kiddieverse, and if there are two things our children need more than fresh air, exercise, and to leave me alone while I’m trying to write, those two things are funk and soul. After all, like Whitney Houston said, the children are our future. Try imagining a future even less funky than the world we’re living in. Gives you the heebie-jeebies, doesn’t it? I mean, if Karl Rove had been fed a diet of Wilson Pickett and Aretha when he was a little boy, things might have turned out a little differently, don’t you think?

I digress. Here’s what I’m trying to say: There might be bands making music for kids that’s funkier, more soulful, and more fun than the Sugar Free Allstars, but if there are, I’m not aware of them — and what’s more, the band makes music for adults, too. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: The Jimmies, “Trying Funny Stuff”

Watch enough kids’ videos, and you’ll figure out pretty quickly that even though kindie rock is a booming genre, even its most popular artists tend to have more enthusiasm than money — and as a result, music videos for children are mostly pretty low-budget affairs, which is unfortunate, because their target demographic is accustomed to plenty of eye candy.

Enter the Jimmies, the NYC-based group led by singer Ashley Albert (a.k.a. “Plucky Pea”). They’ve only released one album, 2007’s Make Your Own Someday, so you wouldn’t expect their debut DVD to be much to write home about, both because the band doesn’t have a huge backlog of material and because they haven’t been around long enough to build an audience the size of, say, They Might Be Giants. But the DVD, Trying Funny Stuff, is a wonderful surprise — emphasis on the “wonderful.”

The disc kicks off with six music videos, all of which I now know front to back, thanks to the daily viewing regimen my daughter has imposed since Stuff showed up in our mailbox a couple of weeks ago. Familiarity hasn’t bred contempt, though; these are the Lord of the Rings of kindie music video, with stellar production values to match the band’s smart, catchy songs. Hardcore Jimmies fans will already know five of the videos (“Do The Elephant,” “Spanimals,” “Cool To Be Uncool,” “Bedhead,” and “Taddy”) from YouTube, but I hate watching stuff on the computer, and besides, the band has been good enough to toss in a brand new video for “What’s That Sound?” 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/CD Review: “Readeez Volume Two” and “Songeez”

The following exchange has taken place in my home roughly four dozen times over the last 24 hours:

Me: I am a frying pan.

My daughter Sophie: (giggling) No, daddy, you’re a man.

Me: April fool, April fool, April fool.

Why, you ask? Only because the animated duo of Julian and Isabel Waters is back with another collection of the delightful (and educational!) animated musical shorts known as Readeez. Readeez Volume Two: Make It Up the Mountain includes 30 additions to the series that started with last year’s Readeez Volume One, and if you enjoyed the first batch, you’ll be pleased to know Volume Two is even better. The videos have a little more going on, there’s a slight theme tying them all together, and most importantly, the songs are even catchier and more varied. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “Monsters vs. Aliens: Ginormous Double Pack”

DreamWorks Animation has long been pegged as Pixar’s dumber, more obnoxious cousin — and quite often, the studio’s shabby rep is deserved: if you’re looking for a brightly colored CGI spectacle stuffed full of pop culture gags and fart noises, chances are, whatever DreamWorks has on the menu will scratch your itch. If, on the other hand, you want to show your kids a piece of animation with a ton of lasting value, then you’re probably going to come away frustrated (and left cleaning up all the toys, books, and videogame tie-ins your offspring will end up owning).

In recent years, however, DreamWorks has shown signs of becoming something more than just the house that Shrek built, most notably through the success of Kung Fu Panda, which some critics liked even more than WALL-E. The tie-in friendly 3-D spectacle Monsters vs. Aliens didn’t settle on quite as lofty a critical perch, but it still enjoyed some of the studio’s best reviews, and it’s easy to see why: with thrilling state-of-the-art animation, a voice cast that included Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Will Arnett, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Rudd, and a very funny script that just so happens to be 99% free of doody humor, it’s one of those rare “fun for the whole family” movies that actually ends up living up to its billing. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition”

It’s the most-watched film in history, and unless you’re an extremely unusual person, you’ve seen it more times than you can count — but The Wizard of Oz still somehow never loses its ability to enthrall audiences of all ages. I’m old enough to remember the days when Oz was an annual television tradition for the whole family; I can’t think of it without imagining Thanksgiving celebrations, and thanks to having three younger siblings and a mother who fell under the movie’s spell as a girl, I knew the movie inside and out by the time I was in high school. After my daughter was born, The Wizard of Oz — both the movie and the original L. Frank Baum book — was one of the first gifts she received from my mom, and although we worried that the Wicked Witch and the flying monkeys would freak Sophie out, we eventually caved in and let her watch the movie around her third birthday. Surprise, surprise — she loved it, and it’s become her own most-watched movie and favorite film.

Through her repeat viewings over the last year, I’ve rediscovered The Wizard of Oz myself (we’ve also read her the first 14 books in the series, but that’s another story). There aren’t many things that can hold up to seven decades of the kind of hype Oz has earned, but if there’s any such thing as a perfect movie, this is it — and if there’s a movie worth an incredibly lavish 70th anniversary box featuring books, a watch, and more than 16 hours of bonus material, it’s this one. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “The Tigger Movie — Two-Disc 10th Anniversary Edition”

The Tigger Movie: Two-Disc 10th Anniversary Edition (2009, Disney)
purchase from Amazon

Nobody raids the vaults like Disney. Even now, in the era of the DVD’s death spiral, most studios refrain from pathologically reissuing catalog titles — particularly those that were never terribly popular in the first place — but Uncle Walt’s house has always treated everything it’s ever done (or almost everything, anyway) like a timeless classic. Which is why you shouldn’t raise your eyebrows (but probably will anyway, if you’re anything like me) at the double-disc 10th anniversary edition of The Tigger Movie, an enjoyable trifle that Disney sort of half-heartedly shooed into theaters roughly a decade ago. Part of a sort of low-profile renaissance for A.A. Milne’s beloved characters at the studio, The Tigger Movie is a kissing cousin to Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, a more fleshed-out (and less Tigger-centric) adorable lesson in things like acceptance, friendship, and personal identity. Where Tigger Too mainly revolved around Rabbit’s perennial annoyance with Tigger’s brain-damaged antics, The Tigger Movie puts the bouncy-tailed wonder in pursuit of the family he’s certain is out there — despite his famous (and, it must be said, joyous) earlier insistence that he was the only one of his kind. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “iCarly Season 1, Volume 2″

iCarly Season 1, Volume 2 (2009, Paramount)
purchase from Amazon: DVD

Amongst the many teen sitcoms that populate the airwaves, iCarly ranks as one of the best. With a winning cast and well written episodes, the show has plenty pf laughs for kids while rising above the typical sitcom trappings of so many of the other shows aimed at kids. Paramount Video has just released iCarly Season 1, Volume 2, which collects 12 episodes (on 2 DVD’s) from the smash hit series that airs on Nickelodeon. It’s worth your time and money, especially if you have any young girls living in your family. In fact, it was while watching iCarly with my daughter that I came to appreciate how well done the series is. Credit show creator Dan Schneider (The Amanda Show, Zoey 101) for once again assembling a crack team of writers and producers who know how to write for kids while not talking down to them. Having worked with iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove on Drake & Josh, he knew she could carry a show and built a sitcom around her charm, producing great kid friendly entertainment that won’t drive the parents up the wall.

Cosgrove stars as Carly Shay, a junior high teenager who lives with her manic older brother, Spencer (Jerry Trainor), in a Seattle loft apartment. Their father is in the Air Force and stationed overseas; it’s unclear where their mom resides. Spencer, an artist, and Carly have a loving relationship and support each other tirelessly. Spencer has the tough job of juggling the roles of big brother, parent and friend. Across the hall from Carly and Spencer is one her best friends, Freddie (Nathan Kress), an electronics whiz living with his mother. He harbors a not so secret crush on Carly, but she only wants to be friends. Carly’s other best friend is Sam (Jennette McCurdy), a tough, troublemaking tomboy who loves to torment Freddie and always has Carly’s back. Although this collection includes an episode when they have a bitter fight (“iDon’t Want to Fight”) Carly and Sam are as close as sisters, always finding a way to work out their differences. The three friends put on a regular web cam show (called “iCarly”) and it’s during these segments of iCarly that the real fun occurs. Cosgrove and McCurdy has real comic timing together and during the web cam segments they throw lines back and forth with no hesitation, playing off each other like seasoned television veterans.

The four principal characters take on specific roles: Carly is the straight man (but still allowed to be goofy), Sam is the smartass with a heart of gold, Freddie is the nerd and Spencer is the bundle of energy slapstick physical character that pops on screen when an instant laugh is needed. Despite this only being one half of the first season on DVD, the show is well formed and all four actors create a great comedy team. They make the show enjoyable and lift it up when some of the plotlines seem a little familiar. Then again, this is a series intended for kids 7 and older, unjaded from years of television viewing. When watching iCarly with my daughter I was able to see it through her eyes. I saw a main character that is kind and thoughtful, the kind of friend I hope my little girl becomes. All of the characters learn from their mistakes and none are so cynical that I want to shut off the TV when iCarly is on.

Highlights from this DVD set include “iHeart Art” (my daughter’s favorite) in which Spencer nearly gives up on being an artist when his idol doesn’t like his work. This one has a great message about sticking to your dreams. I also like “iPromote Tech-Foots.” The girls are asked to endorse a high tech sports shoe and all of Carly’s fans buy the shoes. When the footwear turns out to be a lemon, Spencer must pose as a lawyer to get them out of the shady deal. Finally, there is “iMight Switch Schools” in which Carly is offered a scholarship to an elite private school. In the end she chooses staying with her friends over the prestige.

Bonus features include behind the scenes extras as well as the pilot episode of True Jackson, VP, Schneider’s next big hit.

DVD Review: Phineas and Ferb,”The Daze of Summer” and Wizards of Waverly Place, “Supernatural Stylin’”

If you’re like me and you wind up watching the same television programs as your children, then you know that most programming falls into two categories: Shows aimed at kids but filled with some adult (but not naughty) humor to elicit laughs from moms and dads, and shows that make you want to crawl away from the television to make the pain go away.  Two examples of these categories are the latest Disney Channel hits, Phineas and Ferb and Wizards of Waverly Place. Both series have new DVD collections that put together several episodes from their respective shows.

Phineas and Ferb is a delightful animated series about two genius brothers who are always coming up with outrageous ideas (a circus in the backyard, a portal to Mars, you know, stuff that only works in cartoons) that rile their older sister, Candice.  Each 11-minute episode is rife with vivid colors, snappy dialogue, and there is generally a musical number.  Additionally there is always a subplot involving the boys’ pet platypus, Perry, who is a secret agent assigned in foiling the plots of a mad scientist named Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.  Phineas and Ferb is innocent and goofy stuff made by artists who seem to enjoy doing their job.  On DVD the artwork of the show is much crisper and the sound is much better, plus you won’t have those annoying pop-ups that happen randomly throughout the show announcing what is coming up next on the Disney Channel.

This DVD collection, The Daze of Summer, contains ten 11-minute episodes, including the two-part story “Unfair Science/Unfair Science Redux,” about a science fair in which the boys build a portal to Mars and Candice get transported to the red planet and becomes queen for a day.  This episode in particular is very clever in that part one tells a complete story, then part two tells the same story from a different point of view.  My kids especially like “It’s A Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World.”  In it, Phineas and Ferb build a monster truck speedway to help Candice to learn of to drive.  Phineas and Ferb is the kind of hit show that deserves its success and as a parent; you’ll probably find yourself laughing at things your kids don’t understand, which is a good thing. Read the rest of this entry

DVD Review: “Oliver and Company”

Oliver and Company (20th Anniversary Edition) (2009, Walt Disney)
purchase this DVD (Amazon)

We look back on The Little Mermaid as the movie that lifted Disney out of its long journey through the shadow of the valley of cheesy live-action features (like 1981’s Condorman) and subpar animated adventures (1985’s The Black Cauldron, natch), but the truth is that the process was really more gradual. Giving the fishtailed Ariel all the credit for the Disney revival leaves out a handful of quality movies, including 1986’s The Great Mouse Detective — and 1988’s Oliver and Company.

It’s been sort of swept aside in the second Disney golden era — it wasn’t even released to the home video market until the late ’90s — but Oliver’s box-office success helped lift the studio out of its doldrums, and the movie was notable for a number of other reasons, too: It was Disney’s first animated musical since The Fox and the Hound, it marked the studio’s first use of extensive CGI (more on that later), and it helped kick off the era of big-name celebrities clamoring for voiceover work, employing the services of Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Robert Loggia. (It also includes the voices of Dom DeLuise and Joey Lawrence, but hey, you can’t win ‘em all.)

Fortunately for those who saw and enjoyed Oliver and Company in the fall of ‘88, Disney is forever scouring its vaults for older features to reintroduce as “classics,” and now it’s Oliver’s turn to receive the deluxe anniversary treatment. Yes, 2009 is technically the movie’s 21st anniversary, but why quibble? This beats another direct-to-video sequel, right?

What you have here is the original, Oliver Twist-inspired feature — in which a cat named Oliver (voiced by Lawrence) makes his way through New York City with help from a gang of talking dogs (led by Joel, who plays Dodger) and eventually finds a home with the pampered-but-sweet Jenny Foxworth — and for the anniversary edition, Disney has added a handful of bonus featurettes, including videos for the big musical numbers (Joel and Midler make musical appearances, naturally, and they’re joined by Huey Lewis, who sings the movie’s opening number, “Once Upon a Time in New York City,” and Ruth “Mr.” Pointer, who takes the lead on “Streets of Gold”), as well as some behind-the-scenes promo footage that was filmed around the time of the movie’s first release. None of them provide much in the way of added value, although “Backstage Disney: The Making of Oliver and Company” is unintentionally humorous, as it includes a lot of bragging about the studio’s use of the same hand-drawn animation techniques that Uncle Walt helped pioneer, as well as promises that no matter how advanced computer animation got, Disney would never forsake the traditional way of doing things. Whoops!

The movie hasn’t aged as well as some of Disney’s others — the plot is pretty threadbare, and some of the dialogue is rather atrocious, particularly Cheech Marin’s work as a four-legged Mexican stereotype named Tito — and the studio’s vaunted hand-drawn animation was, at this point, a far cry from what it had been 40 years before; it really doesn’t look all that different, in terms of quality, from an episode of DuckTales. Still, there’s something to be said for animation that has a bit of a rough edge to it, and watching Oliver and Company may make you feel nostalgic for the days when cartoons had a more human feel — more recent Disney features are certainly prettier, but they have a hermetically sealed look to them that can’t help but create a certain emotional distance. Oliver, for all its many flaws, takes you back to the old days — or the end of the old days, anyway.

Those who purchased the last Oliver release, 2002’s “Special Edition,” will notice that most of the content remains the same, including the bonus features; the main difference here is that the film itself has been digitally remastered, which adds a slight coat of polish but doesn’t take your breath away. For those consumers, this edition probably isn’t worth the $25, but if you have young Disney fans in the house — or you are one yourself — this slight but enjoyable entry in the studio’s canon is a safe investment.