How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
October 12, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who wish they were also named Hiccup: How to Train Your Dragon (available October 15)
How to Train Your Dragon is one of those somewhat rare animated movies I actually liked. Granted, I do like animated movies. Yet it seems like it usually takes something extra special for digitized characters to be embraced by me.
Anyway, How to Train Your Dragon is a delight of a movie about a Viking youth (Jay Baruchel) who aspires to be a dragon slayer like the rest of the land’s men and boys. Catch is, though, that he captures his first dragon and later befriends it instead of killing it. Dragon is a touching movie about the power of love and standing up for what you think is right – even if the choice you’re standing up for is an unpopular one.
And it's impressive to think Dragon is a product of DreamWorks Animation – the same studio behind Kung Fu Panda, which I also loved dearly. From time to time I forget that Pixar actually has reputable competition.
Disc includes: The Animators’ Corner featurette, trivia track, audio commentary, The Technical Artistry of Dragon featurette, Viking-Sized Cast featurette, deleted scenes, The Story Behind the Story featurette, Racing for the Gold featurette, How to Draw a Dragon featurette, Your Viking Profile featurette, Dreamworks video jukebox, Making the Story featurette
For people who think The Hangover was so good that it deserves another mention here on How to Spend $20: The Hangover (Extreme Edition)
Hard to believe The Hangover came out about 16 months ago, but ‘tis true. To commemorate the occasion – and, to give us something shiny to look at while we anxiously await the release of Hangover’s summer 2011 sequel – Warner Bros. is dishing out an “extreme” edition of the movie on Blu-ray and DVD.
Not too much is new over the original home media release, save for some extra featurettes and a stash of photos from the boys’ incredible night on the Vegas strip. Highlights include a missing tooth, a ferocious tiger and Mike Tyson serenading new friends with his rendition of Phil Collins’ “In the Air.”
The big rumor about the sequel for some time was that it was to take place in Amsterdam. Though Bradley Cooper claimed he thought it to be true, Hangover’s main brain, Todd Phillips, confirmed this month that it would actually be set in Bangkok and Los Angeles. Not sure what I think about that. Yet the fact that the people from the first movie
are back for a second feels promising.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, Hangover photos, The Madness of Ken Jeong featurette, The Dan Band! featurette, Three Best Friends Song featurette, Map of Destruction featurette
For people who like a little mayhem when celebrating the birth of Jesus: SNL: A Very Gilly Christmas
Just in time for Halloween is… SNL: A Very Gilly Christmas, a primetime special from the venerable late-night staple headlined by one of the show’s most despised characters.
I honestly don’t think I’ve come across a writer who has had one good thing to say about the recurring student psychopath who does naughty, naughty things – like kill other students – while her teacher is looking the other way. As for me, I don’t seem to mind Gilly, played by Kristen Wiig.
I was especially a fan of the skit with the visiting Drew Barrymore. Drew played an Italian student not unlike Gilly who did everything Gilly did – only using Italian quips as opposed to Gilly’s quick slang.
Anyway, the special, SNL’s first specifically geared towards Christmas, was a compilation of the show’s holiday-themed sketches – including some new ones – hosted by Wiig as Gilly.
Disc includes: N/A
For people who dig bombs: Jonah Hex
Receiving a rare “F” grade from AV Club’s Keith Phipps isn’t good. Actually, among other criticisms, the critic had this to say about Jonah Hex: “The 81 minutes (including credits) of Jonah Hex footage that made it to the screen look like something assembled under a tight deadline, and possibly under the influence." Yikes.
He wasn’t alone either. Co-starring John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Michael Shannon and – who’s proving to be box office poison – Megan Fox, Jonah Hex was liked by just 13% of critics, according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Only $5.4 million was had over its opening weekend (on 2,800+ theaters), and just another $5 million would be grossed before the superhero movie exited domestic theaters for good.
At $10.5 million in total box office, Jonah Hex fell about $7 million shy of tying Furry Vengeance. Something went wrong here, eh?
Disc includes: The Weird Western Tales of Jonah Hex featurette, The Inside Story featurette, additional scenes
October 12, 2010
Blu-ray
2012: Supernova
American Landscapes
Arn: The Knight Templar
Bangkok Adrenaline
BBC High Definition Natural History Coll 2: Life
Beerfest
Callas Forever
Christmas Classics Gift Set
The Christmas Hope
The Darjeeling Limited (Criterion Collection)
Deep Blue Sea
Dio: Holy Diver Live
Dollhouse: The Complete Season 2
Fool's Gold / The Wedding Singer
Gamera: Guardian Of Universe / Attack Of Legion
The Hangover (Extreme Edition)
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay
Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
I Am Love
Jonah Hex
Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man
Ladies & Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones
Leaves of Grass
Lethal Weapon 1 & 2 Back-To-Back
Lost Boys: The Thirst
Magic
The Magician (Criterion Collection)
Megapiranha
Observe and Report
Ocean Collection
Pandas & Pygmies: True Survivors
Red Dragon
Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
S&man
Semi Pro / Observe & Report
Semi-Pro
Sengoku Basara Samurai Kings: The Complete Series
Sex & Lucia
Three Kings
Tropical Paradise Collection
Warren Miller's Dynasty
Wedding Crashers
Wolverine & the X-Men: The Complete Series
The World's Most Beautiful Places
WWII in Hi Def
Zen Garden
How to Train Your Dragon
DVD
2012: Supernova
Angel: The Complete Series (Set)
Arn: The Knight Templar
As Good As Dead
Bangkok Adrenaline
Breaking Upwards (Widescreen)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Chosen Collection (New Packaging)
CSI Miami: Seasons 1-8 (Set)
CSI: Miami - The Eighth Season
The Darjeeling Limited (Criterion Collection)
Dexter's Laboratory: Seasone One
Dio: Holy Diver Live
Dollhouse: The Complete Season 2
Ghost Whisperer: The Complete Series (Set)
Ghost Whisperer: The Final Season
The Hangover (Extreme Edition)
Horseland: The Complete Series
How to Train Your Dragon
I Am Love
In Treatment: Season Two
Jonah Hex
Ladies & Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones
Leaves of Grass
Lost Boys: The Thirst
Magic
The Magician (Criterion Collection)
Marcus Welby, M.D.: Season Two
Megapiranha
S&man
SNL: A Very Gilly Christmas
Trailer Park Boys: The Complete First Season
The Tudors: The Final Season
Wolverine & the X-Men: The Complete Series