Blue Thunder is a specially modified
helicopter. It is for police work, but is armed and designed
to counter street insurgencies. Its makers want to show what
it will do, but have to train a Los Angeles Police pilot
Frank Murphy, to fly and use it in order to allow it to
operate in the city.
Murphy and the project pilot have
differences going back to Vietnam. The conflict between them
continues to heat up as Murphy begins to suspect that Blue
Thunder is more than has been disclosed.
Blue Thunder has always been one of my
favorite films. The plot is believable and entertaining with
top-notch special effects and stunts. The helicopter is very
impressive with all of its high-tech equipment and speed.
Blue Thunder can be compared to the modern-day Apache
helicopter with a few more “bells and whistles.”
The performances of Scheider and Stern
are priceless. Warren Oates, with all of his mannerisms,
portrays the perfect boss to keep Scheider in line. Malcolm
McDowell was the perfect choice for the villain of the
story.
His personality and cutting sarcasm makes
the perfect adversary for Scheider and adds a level of
tension to the overall story.
Arthur Rubinstein’s score is innovative
with the use of synthesizers combined with orchestra. The
action cues are stunning and combined with the amazing
helicopter chases, provides non-stop excitement from start
to finish.
The DVD Special Edition is presented in
Widescreen format remastered in High Definition with Dolby
Digital 5.1 surround. Extras include commentary with the
Director, Editor and Motion Control Supervisor.
Features include Making of Blue Thunder
and Blue Thunder: Building the Helicopter. We also get the
1983 featurette, storyboards and the Theatrical Trailer. If
you already own the previous DVD, this new version is worth
picking up. Special thanks goes to Sony for this wonderful
transfer.
GODZILLA: Monster Edition - Sony
Following the French atomic bomb tests in
the South Pacific, an unknown creature is spotted passing
eastward through the Panama Canal. Scientist Niko Tatopolous
is called in to investigate the matter, and he quickly
arrives at the conclusion that a giant, irradiated lizard
has been created by the explosions.
Godzilla then makes its way north,
landing at Manhattan to begin wreaking havoc in the big
city. Even with the combined forces of the U.S. military to
fight the monster, will it be enough to save the people of
New York?
If you are in the mood to watch a film
with a mediocre story and little thinking involved, this is
the show for you. Why Broderick chose this role is beyond
me. The only real thing that makes this film fun to watch is
the intense destruction throughout the film from Godzilla’s
rampage.
The CGI is young in the film but is
effective. One of the best aspects of the film is the
soundtrack. David Arnold (Independence Day, Stargate)
composes one of his finest scores to date filled with
intense brass and string passages leading the listener on an
intense musical journey.
This score, combined with excellent
effects, puts this film at a higher standard in the Monster
Film Genre. The DVD Special Edition is virtually the same as
the previous release with a few exceptions.
The picture is presented in Widescreen
and re-mastered in High Definition with Dolby Digital
Surround. This makes a major difference for those who have
big TVs and surround. Extra features include All-Time Best
Godilla fight scenes, 3 episodes of the animated series and
a new Production Gallery. Unless you have an HD TV, I would
pass on this one and stay with the previous release.
ICE AGE: Super Cool Edition - Fox
Back when the Earth was being overrun by
glaciers, and animals were scurrying to save themselves from
the upcoming Ice Age, a stupid sloth named Sid, a woolly
mammoth named Manny, a saber-toothed tiger named Diego, and
an acorn-loving saber-toothed squirrel named Scrat are
forced to become unlikely heroes. The four reluctantly come
together when they have to return a human child to its
father while braving the deadly elements of the impending
Ice Age.
What a wonderful story. This film has all
of the ingredients for a great film. Starting with a stellar
cast including Ray Romano, John Luguizamo and Dennis Leary,
the chemistry is perfect. The overall story is imaginative
keeping you engaged throughout the film. Special Effects are
great and provide a different look from previous animated
films. Composer David Newman provides a whimsical and
energetic score filled with themes and action at every turn.
The DVD Special Edition is packed with extras. The film is
presented in Widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1
surround. Commentary tracks include Director Chris Wedge and
Co-Director Carlos Saldanha.
Deleted scenes can be inserted into the
film making for a Director’s Cut. The Extreme Cool version
of the film is on Disc 2 and combines facts and video clips
while watching the film. We also get the Ice Age 2 trailer,
“Gone Nutty” and “Bunny” animated shorts, HBO special, six
interactive games, six production featurettes and a Sid
Voice Development Feature. If that wasn’t enough, you also
get various Promo spots, three multi-angle animation shorts,
DVD-ROM games and the theatrical trailer. Tons of great
stuff in this edition makes this a must for your animated
collection.
HOGAN’S HEROES: Season Three - Paramount
Colonel Hogan leads a ragtag band of
POW’s caught behind German lines in this popular television
comedy. The bumbling Germans give Hogan and his crew plenty
of opportunities to sabotage their war efforts. Colonel
Klink is more concerned with having everything run smoothly
and avoiding any trouble with his superiors (especially
anything that might result in his being reassigned and sent
to the front) than with being tough on Hogan and his fellow
prisoners. Join us for another explosive season with Hogan
and all the gang as they encounter new obstacles and
adventures while evading the Germans and Colonel Klink. The
cast for this show is what made it last so long. Bob Crane
and Werner Klemperer were dynamite on the screen and John
Banner portraying Schultz put the “icing on the cake”. Some
episode highlights include returning a Soviet Pilot to his
homeland, Hogan going back to the U.S.A. for a hero welcome
and Carter returning from an unsuccessful mission with a
Chimpanzee. The laughter never stops in this season. The DVD
presents all 30 episodes in airdate order with Full Screen
Format and Dolby Digital sound. Extras include Werner
Klemperer on the “Pat Sajak Show”, Episode Photo Galleries
and a Series Photo Gallery.
THE MEL BROOKS COLLECTION - Fox
Why do we hold Mel Brooks in such high
esteem as a film maker? Well, Blazing Saddles for one, and
Young Frankenstein for another. Oh yeah, then there’s
History of the World: Part 1, Silent Movie and Spaceballs.
All of which is why The Mel Brooks Collection is
definitively April 2006’s must-have DVD boxed set. Arranged
alphabetically in a cardboard slipcase, the titles in The
Mel Brooks Collection are as follows: Blazing Saddles, High
Anxiety, History of the World: Part 1, Robin Hood: Men in
Tights, Silent Movie, The Twelve Chairs, To Be Or Not To Be,
and Young Frankenstein. Some of these were previously
available on DVD, and some of them were not. So a proper
Double Dip this set is not, but it does feature a
preponderance of pre-existing material; suffice it to say
that consumer interest will be driven not by our own
respective opinions about these films but their presentation
and packaging, which is superlative. The movies themselves,
of course, are still great.
I had forgotten just how funny Silent
Movie is, and Blazing Saddles remains my favorite comedy of
all time. The others not only add some welcome volumes to my
expanding DVD collection, but provide perspective on Brooks’
refinement of the formulas he would later put to use in his
more recent works. So while I was mildly disappointed to
note the absence of some important extras, much less the
entirety of Spaceballs, there is more than enough comedy to
keep Brooks followers in stitches, and recruit a few new
fans as well. Overall, The Mel Brooks Collection is worth
buying even if you’re only a half-hearted follower of the
director’s films, because it provides an impressive amount
of all-new content (that being five full films) and packages
them with three other avowed classics. As with most recent
box sets and repackagings, there are a few overlaps, a few
overlooks, and a few outright shortcomings. But the two
notable omissions here cancel themselves out (Spaceballs
notwithstanding, a grateful nation thanks the DVD producers
for neglecting to include Dracula: Dead and Loving It), and
the overall merits of the material are strong enough to
quell most quantitative criticisms.
