Evans Above

As you can tell from my review of the theatrical release, I totally loved Wreck-It Ralph. So you can understand why it was Christmas in March when my review copy of the Wreck-It Ralph Ultimate Collector’s Edition arrived in the mail.

The UCE (hey, you keep typing Ultimate Collector’s Edition…wait, I just did) contains a Blu-Ray 3D, a Blu-Ray, a DVD and a Digital Copy. Everything but the kitchen sink, but that might be in the case and I haven’t found it yet.

As I mentioned in the theatrical review, the film has the perfect combination of video game cameos, in-jokes and real heart. So let’s take a look at the home release.

The Blu-Ray is presented in 1080p, MVC-encoded for the 3D disc and AVC-encoded for the 2D. The aspect ratio of 2.39:1 is the same as the theatrical release. The 3D in this film brings you in to Ralph’s world, though as a comedy it’s not above throwing a few things out of the screen as well. The colours are bright and crisp and this film is a shiny, candy-coated sugar rush for the eyes.

On the audio side, the presentation gives us a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 English soundtrack as well as Dolby 5,1 French and Spanish soundtracks. The LFE and rear channels are given quite the workout as well, again immersing you in the video game world you’re watching. You’ll find yourself expecting to be battling the Cy-Bugs as well.

The presentation is loaded with extras as well. You get 3D and 2D versions of the Oscar-winning short Paperman, Bit by Bit: Creating the Worlds of Wreck-It Ralph, a 17 minute look at how they created the various game worlds, a series of alternate and deleted scenes, some amusing fake commercials for the video arcade over the years, the Disney Intermission feature that has Chris Hardwick discussing in-jokes and references when the disc is paused and a variety of sneak peeks for Disney flicks and properties.

Give yourself a treat and pick this one up.

Been away for a few days but came back to discover the Blu-Ray of The Sessions waiting for us to toss in the ol’ LG BP200. (As an aside, we covered the premiere of The Sessions at the Toronto International Film Festival.)

We received the Canadian Blu-Ray only version from Fox Searchlight, but there’s also a Blu-Ray plus Ultraviolet version available in the United States. If you’re new to the whole Ultraviolet thing, it’s a “buy once, play anywhere” system that you can read about here.

The Sessions tells the story of a man in an iron lung (John Hawkes) who wishes to lose his virginity. After consulting with his priest (William H. Macy) he hires a professional sex surrogate (Helen Hunt) to help him take this step n his life. Written and direced by Ben Lewin, and based on a story by and about Mark O’Brien, The Sessions debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting.

The Sessions has had a great critical response and the awards season has been kind to it as well. Hawkes and Hunt were both nominated for the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the Independednt Spirit Awards. Hunt was also nominated for an Academy Award.

The Blu-Ray is at 1080p resolution and is released in a 1.84:1 aspect ratio. Shot on a Red One camera system, the transfer to Blu-Ray is understandably flawless. This isn’t a Transformers flick, so you’re not going to notice the dazzling surround effects that 5.1 brings you but still, the audio is good and the dialogue levels — important in such a dialogue-heavy film — are clear. The film does have an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1. There are English, French and Spanish subtitles and the English subtitles are SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired) which means they add effect notes like “(dog barks)” to the subtitles.

Extras on the Blu-Ray include deleted scenes, director Ben Lewin discussing how he came upon the story, John Hawkes and Helen Hunt talking about their roles, as well as cast interviews as well as a piece called “The Women Who Loved Mark O’Brien.”

With a moving story and great performances, The Sessions is a great addition to your movie library.

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Walt Disney’s Peter Pan, the studio has released a Diamond Edition package (available in three and two disc combo versions) that for the first time sees the 1953 film released on Blu-Ray.

Based on the play and novel by J.M. Barrie, the film tells the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, his trusty sidekick Tinker Bell, and the three siblings — Wendy, John and Michael — who joined him on a trip to Never Land where they battled Captain Hook and his band of pirates.

The film, directed by Walt’s “Nine Old Men”, has been carefully restored for its Blu-Ray release and its bonus features include:

• Disney Intermission
• Growing up with Nine Old Men
• Disney View
• Introduction by Diane Disney Miller
• Deleted Songs & Scenes
• You Can Fly: The Making of Peter Pan
• Tinker Bell: A Fairy’s Tale
• Disney Song Selections
• Audio Commentary Hosted by Roy Disney
• Music Videos

The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, so those expecting a widescreen film should be forewarned. (That may seem like an unnecessary bit of info, but just check Amazon comments on some older films like Casablanca where clueless buyers wonder why the sides were chopped off. Sigh…)

The video transfer is 1080p and there’s both a DTS-HD 7.1 soundtrack and the original mono track.

Parents should also be warned that this film is a product of its time and the film’s portrayal of Native Americans is stereotypical and racist especially in the “What Makes the Red Man Red?” musical number. Though there’s no revisionism in this release and we’re seeing the film as it was intended to be seen in the Fifties, I am a little surprised that the way Disney chose to handle the controversy was by ignoring it. Surely there could have been an small bonus feature on the disc that parents and teachers could have used as a discussion point.

It’s pretty weird. It’s only the beginning of December, but I’m pretty sure I heard Santa’s sleigh landing on our mailbox. Looking inside this week I noticed that Christmas came early in the form of three new Blu-Ray/DVD combo sets from Disney: the Up 3D 5-Disc Combo Pack, the Finding Nemo 3D: Ultimate Collector’s Edition 5-Disc Combo Pack and The Odd Life of Timothy Green 2-Disc Combo Pack.

Up tells the story of Carl Fredericksen (Ed Asner) a curmudgeonly 78-year-old balloon seller and widower who straps thousands of helium balloons to avoid getting sent off to the Shady Oaks Retirement Home. As he floats off to South America he discovers a surprise passenger, a young Wilderness Explorer Scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai). They end up in an adventure that has them crossing paths with a crazy explorer (Christipher Plummer), an exotic bird named Kevin and Dug (Bob Peterson), a golden retriever fitted with a voice box. As per Pixar standards, there’s laughs and heartfelt moments galore.

The Up 3D 5-Disc Combo Pack contains the Blu-Ray 3D version (requires a 3D-compatible TV and Blu-Ray player), the regular Blu-Ray version, Blu-Ray bonus features disc, a DVD version and a digital copy for your computer or portable device. The 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is stunning and the 3D immerses into the world that Carl and Russell set off to explore. You’re further brought into the action by the 5.1 surround sound. The 2D Blu-Ray is just as stunning. Extras include Cine-Explore Commentary with picture-in-picture commentary and storyboards, animated shorts and several documentaries.

Finding Nemo won our hearts in 2D back in 2003 and came back with a 3D version in 2012. When a young clownfish named Nemo gets captured, it’s up to his father Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) to find him. He’s aided by a blue tang fish named Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) who’s eager to help but has short-term memory issues. Toss in pelicans and seagulls, sea turtles and sharks and you’ve got an underwater adventure for the whole family. Again the 1080p transfer is amazing and the 3D version immerses us (excuse the pun) in their underwater world. A TrueHD 7.1 soundtrack will have you feeling like you need scuba gear. Extras include a Cine-Explore Documentary and a whole seafood platter of featurettes , deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes looks.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green 2-Disc Combo Pack brings us the story of a married couple (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) who dream what their child would be like only to have a young boy (CJ Adams) appear on their doorstep. No 3D here and the sound isn’t as immersive as the magical worlds above. Some may find the story a little too sweet and sentimental. Extra include a music video and director commentary.

People who love these films and want to add them to their collections, can’t go wrong with these versions.

If you haven’t seen the video “Wilder” by a singer named Gnesa, then you can count yourself among the lucky ones. In days, or perhaps hours, you won’t be able to escape the onslaught of news outlets that will play clips and ponder whether this is better or worse than Rebecca Black’s ode to awful, “Friday”.

Gnesa’s video does not come off as an ad for Auto-Tune, which appears to have either been turned off or incapable of containing the ear-bleeding insanity that Gnesa uses as vocal stylings.

The video, which features poor singing, bland direction, bad outfits and trowel-applied makeup, must surely be the first wave of the “cyber Pearl Harbor” that U.S. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has warned us about.

Listen at your own risk. I had to stop about 58 seconds in.

Batman’s ride from The Dark Knight Rises has hit the road across Canada and made a couple of stops in Toronto today. The Tumbler, along with the two-wheeled Bat-Pod, are spending a week in Canada. It’s at Yonge & Eglinton until 7pm today.

Here are the remaining stops on the tour:

• Friday, June 8 – Sick Kids Hospital – Herbie Day 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Yonge-Dundas Square, 1 Dundas St. E., Toronto, On)
• Saturday, June 9 – La Coupole Restaurant 4 p.m. – 1 a.m. (1325 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, Montreal, Qc – Inside Hotel Le Crystal)
• Saturday, June 10 – Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival – 9 a.m. – 6 p.m MINI Grand Showcase (Crescent St. between Ste. Catherine & Maisonneuve, Montreal, Qc)

It’s great to see these vehicles up close. The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20th, 2012.

Did you buy a ticket in the Mega Millions lottery in the U.S.? If your ticket has the following numbers, we’re guessing Monday morning is going to be quite different for you:

2, 4, 23, 38, 46 with a mega number of 23.

Got all the winning numbers? You’re looking at a $640 million jackpot. Even after taxes…well, you’re still our best friend. Wow, you really look great tonight.

Saturday March 31st is 2012’s Earth Hour, an hour to reflect on how small gestures can begin to make a world of change.

If you really don’t know how to participate in Earth Hour, this hilarious video from actress/singer Jax can give you a head start:

To all my fellow Welshmen I’d like to wish a Happy St. David’s Day or Dydd Gŵyl Dewi.

Who is St. David, you ask? Well, he’s the patron saint of Wales and the poor guy apparently didn’t have as good a PR guy as that Patrick fellow.

On St. Patrick’s Day, people in Toronto of all backgrounds line up for hours to get into bars to buy overpriced green beer and puke all while pretending they’re Irish.

On St. David’s Day, well, no one lines up in Toronto to wear daffodils or leeks. People don’t put on a Tom Jones CD, watch a Richard Burton movie, or read Dylan Thomas poems. It’s a shame really.

I saw this in my Twitter feed earlier today and man, Papa John’s Pizza’s PR people are going to have to dance pretty fast to fix this one.

Customer Minhee Cho went to an NYC location Friday night to make an in-store purchase. On of the sales staff typed a note on the receipt so they could identify who the order was for. What did they type? “lady chinky eyes”

Really? On what planet is that an acceptable way to label a customer? How stupid, insensitive and racist is this employee? When the Huffington Post contacted the assistant manager, she said, “I apologize. I’m sure they didn’t mean any harm but some people will take it offensive.”

Some people? You mean the intelligent ones, right? It’ll be a real exercise in corporate spin to see how head office handles this one.

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