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Like its first breast cancer-themed installment, Call Me Crazy aka Five 2/Five More will feature five short films featuring A-list talent both in front and behind the camera. The sequel will address mental illness. Directors include Laura Dern, Bonnie Hunt, Ashley Judd and Bryce Dallas Howard.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Call Me Crazy” is the second Five film to tackle heavy issues. This year’s theme is mental illness and its impact on those around us. The five films come from people who don’t function as directors, but they have a background in entertainment. Naturally, we see their talents unfold as they play off what they know and what they will bring to the table. Jennifer Aniston serves as the overall producing voice to guide them, but each story has unique qualities. Plus, I appreciate the attempt to balance the female and masculine voices in the narrative.

Bonnie Hunt’s segment stands out the best. She plays with a simple conceit of a stand-up comic that is spiraling out of control, while trying to find a network of like-minded spirits to support him. You feel for the guy and the supporting cast is made up of comics that have been in the same position. Laura Dern tries to make a tale out of the girl from Modern Family trying to handle a mentally ill mother. While I’m watching it, I want to know who is going to make a Five movie about that girl’s eyes. She looks like an anime character that James Cameron whipped up for his Battle Angel Alita (never going to happen) film.

The DVD comes with no special features. The A/V Quality is pretty decent for standard definition. The Dolby 5.1 track is soft and lossy. Still, the transfer looks pretty sharp. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!

BEST OFFER, THE

Blu-ray reviews

TroyAnderson

May 8, 2014

THE PLOT THUS FAR

From the director of Cinema Paradiso comes a romantic thriller with a playful side that proves love is worth bidding on at any price. When a mysterious heiress asks famed but unscrupulous art appraiser and auctioneer Virgil Oldman (Academy Award® winner* Geoffrey Rush) to evaluate her late parents collection yet remains forever unseen behind closed doors, it ignites a spark of curiosity in the normally austere Virgil that soon grows into an all-out obsession. Before long everything in Virgil’s carefully constructed life threatens to come apart as he delves ever further into the world of intrigue surrounding his enigmatic employer. Co-starring Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games) and Jim Sturgess (Cloud Atlas), director Giuseppe Tornatore s THE BEST OFFER is a unique take on a seemingly doomed romance from one of cinema s greatest artists.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“The Best Offer” is a complex thriller about an art appraiser trying to get in the pants of an heiress. While the young lady might not be what she seems, the art dealer doesn’t care and must have her. Invited to her home, the appraiser takes a look at dead parents’ art collection and finds something interesting. Donald Sutherland shows up in a supporting role, but this is Geoffrey Rush’s time to shine. Hell, I haven’t seen the guy sink into a role like this since the 1990s.

Tornatore plays up the love affair with a panache that belongs to Hitchcock. What hurts the film is that the tension is so evenly spread out, that might as well not exist. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not like it would kill anyone. Hell, it might teach Western audiences to appreciate European sensibilities. Yeah, it’s laughable.

The DVD comes with a trailer as the only special feature. The A/V Quality is pretty decent for standard definition. The Dolby 5.1 track is soft and lossy. Still, the transfer looks pretty sharp. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!

DAVE CLARK FIVE AND BEYOND, THE: GLAD ALL OVER

Blu-ray reviews

TroyAnderson

May 7, 2014

daveclarkfiveandbeyonddvd

THE PLOT THUS FAR

The Dave Clark Five started the rock n roll British invasion that changed the world, having already knocked The Beatles out of the #1 position in the UK. Watch newly-filmed interviews with Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick and many more, as they share their memories of how the music of the 60s and the cultural revolution of 1964 changed their lives forever. Bonus disc includes 2 hours of extra interview scenes and rare archival footage, including never-before-seen star performances and alternate performances from The DC5 ! Featuring 4 hours of star-studded performances in total!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Glad All Over” is a wonderful documentary about how The Dave Clark Five shaped the British Invasion. They were always seen as riding on The Beatles’ coattails, while claiming small victories. However, they were never able to nail down the hits like the Mersey Beat crew. If that wasn’t enough, you had the fact that they were shooting a Rock movie and working so hard to copy what had previously worked. How can you be your own band when everything is dependent on what The Beatles are doing?

The band made a lot of famous fans and those fans get a chance to talk about the band. Plus,k we get a look at the history of the group’s revolving membership. If that wasn’t enough, we also get Tom Hank’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech in its entirety. While Hanks was there due to the “That Thing You Do” ties, he hit on a lot that was going on with the band. It’s a wistful remembrance, but it works for what it is.

The DVD comes with interviews and rare archival footage as the special features. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp for what it is. But, the 1080p transfer on the Blu-Ray is so much better. The Dolby track on this holds up for what it is. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 05/13/14

DINOSAUR TRAIN DOUBLE FEATURE: DINOSAUR BIG CITY/DINOSAURS A TO Z

Blu-ray reviews

TroyAnderson

May 7, 2014

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while sparking an interest in life science, natural history, and paleontology. Dinosaur Train: Double Feature includes Dinosaur Big City and Dinosaurs A-Z. With a special holiday episode, Solstice Time!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Dinosaur Train Double Feature” plays really young. So young that it was able to entertain my daughter. Basically, it’s a pedestrian attempt to explain natural history and paleontology to kids under the age of 5. That it does through cutesy animation and friendly characters. But, let’s not go around like they are reinventing the wheel. People have been making cartoons like this for ages. Let’s just be glad that they want to educate kids for once.

Dinosaurs will always be little kid bait. The content is insanely loaded down for a kid’s program. It’s 3 1/2 hours spread across two discs and that’s not counting the DVD-Rom style printable material. Take that for what you will, but I’m just letting you know it’s there. I’d really love to get some input on these reviews from the parents out there. Some of you guys have to be picking these up off my recommendations and I’d like to know what’s looking for you. Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, so that we know we’re doing something right by you. For everyone else, we’re going to keep doing kids’ stuff at times. Take that for what you will, but that’s just the state of affairs.

The DVD comes with interactive games, coloring pages, activities and Dr. Scott’s segments as the special features. The A/V Quality is pretty decent. The transfer is flat, but the Dolby track carries the sound scape. That works for what you need. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.

RELEASE DATE: 05/13/2014

ARTHUR MAKES A MOVIE

Blu-ray reviews

TroyAnderson

May 7, 2014

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Based on the best-selling children’s books by Marc Brown, join the world’s most famous aardvark, eight-year-old Arthur Read, and his family and friends as they make their own movies! The two of the four adventures on this DVD are featured below!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Arthur Makes a Movie” is a typical Arthur adventure. This time, the kids are watching how the cinema impacts their worldview. They’re too young for the good stuff and the girls don’t see things that represent them onscreen. Naturally, they decide to avenge this by taking the time to make their own movies. The movies turn out to be complete crap, but at least they tried. That’s what you’re supposed to tell kids, right? I’m new at this and I can use all the tips that I can get.

The four episodes presented here are fun, but I can’t say that they are amazing. The wide perspective allows something for every child to be discovered. That being said, I can’t call anything here to be groundbreaking. If anything, a post Frozen and Hunger Games world makes the gender representation episode feel a bit dated. That’s kinda bad for an episode that came out relatively recently. But, I digress. Do I digress or do I just stop caring? Well, I’ll leave that one up to the jury to decide. There’s also an episode about the kids figuring out what a marriage means. It’s weird and feels out of place, but it’s ultimately a fun episode. That’s all that matters for the kids.

The DVD comes with no special features. But, you do get printable coloring and activity pages. The A/V Quality is on par with past PBS Kids releases. That being said, it’s not going to blow you away. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to parents of young kids.

RELEASE DATE: 05/13/2014

MARTHA SPEAKS: MARTHA’S SUPERHERO ADVENTURE

Blu-ray reviews

TroyAnderson

May 7, 2014

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Learn new words with MARTHA and her friends!

Martha the Hero Maker – When Martha has an idea for a thrilling adventure story, Truman, T.D., and Helen decide to draw it for her–adding their own special touches!

Starstruck Martha – When Martha unexpectedly reveals how uncourageous Courageous Collie Carlo really is, she has to help him save his reputation.

Return of the Bookbots: The Case of the Missing Words, Parts 1 & 2 – Armed with the power to bring nouns to life, the Announcer is wreaking havoc on Wagstaff City. Can our heroes, the Bookbots, utilize their semantic savvy to stifle this rampaging rapscallion?

Verb Dog, When Action Calls! – Struck by a falling book of verbs, Martha instantly becomes-Verb Dog! Using her new superpower to control people with verbs, Martha sniffs out trouble and defends the town from evil.

Martha’s Adverb Adventure – There’s a new invention in town! Weaselgraft and Pablum’s Adverbalizer activates adverbs-giving the user the ability to make things happen completely, sloppily, instantly…of course T.D. orders one…immediately!

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Martha’s Superhero Adventure” features a dog that wants to be a superhero. So, she gets into adventures with books and gains powers. It’s a lot like “A Boy and his Blob”, but the dog learns how to speak in her masters’ tongue. Unfortunately, Martha is never able to translate this into better living conditions. But, such is the life of a dog.

I have to admit that I’m not that familiar with the series. While I do hope that my daughter digs it, I can see kids aging out of it fast. The material is slightly more mature than the Caillou set, but not by much. Still, there’s a market for it. Isn’t that all that matters?

RELEASE DATE: 05/13/2014

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