The Walt Disney Company introduces a new motion picture label, DisneyNature, to home audiences when Earth comes to Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD on September 1, 2009 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The debut home entertainment offering from the label, Earth tells a trio of unforgettable stories sure to captivate movie lovers of all ages. Set against some of the world’s most spectacular vistas, this breathtaking motion picture achievement uses the classic Disney storytelling tradition to celebrate the diversity and determination of its animal stars in a heroic journey that covers the Earth from pole to pole.
 
Award-winning filmmakers Alastair Fothergill (“The Blue Planet”) and Mark Linfield (“Planet Earth”) employ the latest innovations in film techniques to bring Earth’s stunning visuals to the screen. Narrated by James Earl Jones, the inaugural release from Disneynature is just the beginning of an instantly collectible new line of films and a worthy successor to the beloved, Academy Award®-winning True Life Adventures series, which includes The Living Desert (Best Documentary, Features; 1953) and The Vanishing Prairie (Best Documentary, Features; 1954).

Available in a single-disc DVD or two-disc Blu-ray Hi-Def/DVD Combo Pack, Earth includes bonus features that offer viewers an in-depth look at the making of the film and an opportunity to learn more about our planet and its myriad fascinating inhabitants. In Blu-ray, the film gives audiences an unmatched opportunity to view its dizzying aerial photography, epic backdrops and rare footage of land, sea and air in astonishing high definition.

From the opening credits, I knew this movie was going to be amazing.  It is a co-production with Discovery Channel and The BBC.  Then you hear the amazing voice of James Earl Jones and deep down inside you know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that this movie is going to be a special experience.  The views of this planet we are shown are amazing and breathtaking, even on a television as small as my own.  Some of my friends got the chance to see this movie in theaters and I can’t even begin to imagine how stunning it must have been in such great proportions.  These are great stories and will help to instill a love of this great planet into many children and adults alike.

Bonus Features for Earth
Both Blu-ray Hi-Def and DVD include:
• Earth Diaries — The making of Disneynature’s first feature film 

Exclusive Blu-ray Hi-Def bonus features take audiences deeper into the fascinating mysteries of
Earth, including:  
 
• Filmmaker’s Annotations — An in-movie experience with pop up facts
 
In the Arctic, a mother polar bear trailed by her two cubs searches for food as their icy hunting grounds melt away. A herd of African elephants slowly traverses the arid Kalahari Desert toward the water-rich Okavango Delta. A humpback whale and her calf make a 4,000-mile journey in an epic migration that takes them from tropical waters all the way to Antarctica. Remarkable high-definition footage follows these creatures and more to places human beings rarely see, capturing unique worlds populated by Mandarin ducks and birds of paradise, as well as a pride of lions and a vast caribou herd. Filled with surprising facts and extraordinary images, Earth is a dazzling portrait of life on our planet.

The spectacular Halloween classic, Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, is now a limited edition gift set with an exclusive Pooh dressed as Tigger beanz plush –available in limited quantities on September 1, 2009 on Disney DVD. The hilariously haunting movie features Pooh and his friends as they weave unconditional friendship with spooky adventures and warm-hearted moments. Set in the Hundred Acre Woods, Roo is ready to accompany his new friend, Lumpy the Heffalump on his first trick-or-treat adventure until they quickly discover Pooh has eaten all the candy.

The adorable duo decide to be “brave together, brave forever” and embark on an adventure to catch the mythical, wish-granting Goboloon that Tigger has told them about so they can wish for more candy and save Halloween. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie features all of the Halloween-themed original bonus features including numerous, fun-filled Halloween party activities and games, printable party invitations and Halloween-themed recipes. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie DVD was originally released in 2005 and is the sequel to the theatrical movie, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie.

There is certainly some enjoyment to be had with this movie (and the inclusion of some of the party planning material and the plush Pooh is great), but there should have been more.

“Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie Limited Edition DVD Gift Set” is a family fun DVD featuring Winnie the Pooh and gang.  Can children of all ages watch the film, I would say yes.  But parents who are cautious about images of bats in animated format, aside from Tigger’s (not-so-scary story), it depends on how a younger toddler may react to it but for the most part, the film is light-hearted at best.

Overall, “Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie Limited Edition DVD Gift Set” is an enjoyable and family fun-tastic Winnie the Pooh DVD release from Disney and definitely a gift set worth purchasing!

DVD Gift set Includes:
*Original Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie DVD
*Pooh Dressed as Tigger beanz plush

ORIGINAL DVD BONUS FEATURES
Fun Games including:
*Trick or Re-Treat
*Pooh’s Boo Bingo!
*Pass the Pumpkin
Plus, Heffalump Halloween Party Planner
*Printable Party Invitations
*Halloween-themed Recipes
*Decorate Your Own Jaggedy Lantern

Last November, I wrote a pretty scathing review of the seventh season of Scrubs.  It pained me to watch one of my favorite comedies devolve into the mess it had become, but I tried to remain positive.  I ended my review with the hope that the writers would find a “new level of creativity that has been long missing,” and that they “remember to be funny while they are doing it.”  Well, I am thrilled to say that they succeeded on both counts.
 
A large part of this improvement can be attributed to all the new characters.  This season found a new group of interns joining the Sacred Heart staff, and in a perfect example of a show coming full circle, the characters that began the show as interns eight years ago must now train the new batch.  As well as providing a thematically perfect season, these new additions also proved to be a hilarious group of comic foils for the leads to play off.  All the interns were cliched stereotypes on the surface (the tough one, the peppy one, etc.), but there was a depth to them that was unexpected and thoroughly entertaining.  As the season went along, they became real characters, and I found myself just as involved in their stories as those of the leads.
 
Now don’t get me wrong, this season isn’t perfect.  Every year, Scrubs has a gimmick episode (the musical, the sitcom, the fantasy, etc.) and this season found the gang in the Bahamas.  This two-part episode was painfully unfunny, and although it tried to acknowledge the ridiculousness of the situation with several references to a similarly themed Brady Bunch episode, the whole thing fell flat.  Coming right in the middle of the season, it didn’t fit with the rest of the year.
 
One of the longest extras on the newly released Season 8 DVD is a documentary about the filming of this “very special episode” in the Bahamas.  They acknowledge the ridiculousness of the whole premise, but seemed to genuinely think they were making a hilarious episode.  They weren’t.  Interestingly, the biggest feature on the Season 7 DVD was also a documentary about their gimmick episode (a Monty Python-esque fantasy), and it too was pretty bland.  While I love the show, the DVD extras could definitely be more compelling.
 
Having said that, I did enjoy the Webisodes included on the disc.  They feature the interns (in case you can’t tell, I really like this group), and while they do include cameos from the principal cast, they also showcase the ability of these characters to carry their own show.  There are rumors about a possible spin-off, and I really hope we get that show someday.
 
The DVD also includes some mildly funny bloopers, deleted scenes, etc.  Overall, it’s a solid set, but I thought this great season deserved a better release.  I should also note that the Season (series?) finale is one of the most perfect endings to a sitcom I have ever seen.  I don’t want to give anything away, but it is a beautiful ending; artistic and emotionally satisfying.  It gives closure to all of the main characters in an incredibly moving way.  Any desire I had for another season was immediately removed after this, and I really hope that we get to remember seeing these characters for the last time in this perfect ending.

A young Marine returns home for what might be the last time in American Son, a gritty and affecting drama coming to DVD on August 25, 2009 from Miramax Films and Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Exclusive bonus features, including interviews with the filmmakers, provide an unflinching look behind the scenes of this cinematic tour de force about a young man’s uncertain coming of age.

Mike (Nick Cannon) just arrived from Iraq. He meets a Latina girl named Cristina (Melonie Diaz) on the bus who he falls in love with. Mike and his father Eddie try to help their brother who is a crack fiend but to no avail.  Mike struggles to find himself whether he really is fit to be a Marine. Mike and Cristina for the most part hang out and party. He flips out at a party and beats up a gang member for hitting on his girl Cristina. Mike and his long time friend Jake (Matt O’Leary) have a fall out. Her mother then finds out that Mike is going to fight in Iraq. It’s tearful ending when you watch her mother send away her young son to war.

This indie film’s special features are limited to three which aren’t particularly interesting or entertaining. These sections include “On Leave in Bakersfield: Behind the Scenes of American Son” which is a walk-through of the filming process, two deleted scenes appropriately removed from the film with optional commentary, and feature length audio commentary by director Neil Abramson and producers Danielle Renfrew and Michael Roiff.

It’s the sensational performances by Nick Cannon and Matt O’Leary that keep the film compelling, despite the fact that its attempts to make a statement fall flat. Given that the film does have a some good moments to offer, I don’t discourage people from seeing it. It’s far from a poorly made film, just a routine one that doesn’t have much creativity at its core. What you’re left with is something that’s been done before, and in a much better fashion. It’s not the first film featured with sex, drugs, and hostilities and it certainly won’t be the last.

Having grown up in the eighties, I was really looking forward to the nostalgia promised by the trailers for Adventureland.  In this respect, the previews didn’t lie.  Everything regarding the time period feels right.  The film doesn’t simply appear to be recreating the stereotypes of the decade, but genuinely feels as if it is from that time.  However, the trailers also billed the film as a comedy, and in this respect they were completely off the mark.

For those who don’t know, Adventureland is the name of the mediocre theme park where James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) is forced to take a summer job.  Once there, he meets the expected crew of misfits, jocks, hot girls, and of course Em, the requisite love interest (Kristen Stewart).  Everybody working at Adventureland seems to want more out of life, and have dejectedly resigned themselves to their fate.  They all feel trapped, even the park mechanic (Ryan Reynolds) who is cheating on his wife with Em.
 
As should be pretty apparent, there aren’t a lot of laughs in this movie.  All of the characters are pretty miserable, and their only escape is through constant partying, drinking, and drug use.  In fact, the only real humor of the movie comes from the managers of the park, played by the always hilarious Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig.  Coming from SNL, they don’t really fit into the film thematically.  Their characters are much broader and way more over-the-top.  However, I found myself far more entertained whenever they were on screen.  
 
Despite their presence, this is a subtle movie filled with realistic characters and authentic performances.  However, it’s not all that entertaining.  I loved the look and the feel of the film, but I didn’t find myself caring about any of the characters.  Maybe I just couldn’t identify with their angst, but I really was expecting something more.
 
In watching the extras on the Blu-Ray, it feels as if there was a point where this was going to be a more straightforward comedy.  Featuring fake commercials, an orientation video, etc. there seems to be a higher degree of satire than made it into the film.  One of the many reasons the film feels so natural in depicting the eighties is the terrific soundtrack from the time.  In putting the Blu-Ray together, they included a feature where you can select any of the songs from the film, and go directly to the scene where that song is featured.  There is also a commentary with writer/director Greg Mottola (Superbad).
 
However, the most interesting feature for me was the brief making-of video where they showcase the real theme park where they filmed the movie.  It was shot in a park called Kennywood and they didn’t have to change anything in terms of location.  This is a real park that barely evolved visually since the eighties, and it is really neat to see that places like this exist in today’s modern, high-tech world.
 
Overall, I find it really hard to recommend this movie.  I can appreciate the subtlety they were going for, but as a whole it just doesn’t work.  I get why they had to market the film as they did, and I just wish that the finished product was more like what the advertising promised.  Adventureland might make a decent rental for the eighties nostalgia, but beyond that, it’s just not worth it.