Kung Fu Panda on DVD

Po (Black) is an insane fan of kung fu. He is also a massively fat panda whose days are spent working in his father’s noodle shop. Dad, of course, wants Po to take over the restaurant some day, but he would rather dream of being a great warrior. Then comes a day of great excitement. Word comes that the mysterious dragon scroll is to be awarded to the world’s greatest martial artist so they might stand against a terrible menace headed toward their peaceful valley.  The entire town heads to the temple to see this historic moment, and Po is with them. This is unfortunate for, through what seems to be a terrible accident, Po is picked by the venerable Oogway, leader of these peaceful folk, to receive the dragon scroll. When the old master stands firmly behind his decision, his subordinates have no choice but to try and prepare this clown of a panda for the battle to come. There are no short cuts taken in "Kung Fu Panda." Its opening sequence, looking like a million dollar version of Cartoon Network’s "Samurai Jack," turns out to be nothing more than one of Po’s dreams. When the dream is over, the real movie begins, and so does the real art. Every shot is a joy to behold. The backgrounds are beautiful, the architecture is stunning, the designs of everything from the furniture to the supporting characters shows a depth of thought found only in the rarest productions.  There is, quite simply, not a hair out of place in this fantastic piece of entertainment. And, when no one is saying anything, the action sequences more than make up for the lack of chatter. Whether comical or deadly serious, the fight choreography is some of the best you will ever witness on the big screen. And, that is where you have to see this film.  This is more than just another cartoon. A film for the whole family, it is a story about expectations, about pride and its consequences, about following one’s heart, but also living up to one’s responsibilities--both to others and to oneself. It is, to put it bluntly, one of the best films of the year.  Comes with new' Furious Five' cartoon DVD

Format: Closed-captioned, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Dreamworks Animated
Run Time: 92 minutes
The Players:  Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, and Ian McShane

The Filmmakers;
Directed by Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Screenplay by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Released by Dreamworks/Paramount
 

Get Smart on DVD

When the headquarters of secret U.S. spy agency CONTROL is infiltrated and all it's agent's identities stolen ( hence they are assassinated ), it’s time for some tough decisions. The Chief (Alan Arkin) has wanted to keep his top analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) out of the field despite his excellent marks on the field agent exam, because his work is always the best. But, with all their top spies extinct, The Chief has no choice but to promote Max to the field as Agent 86 and hope this untested agent can save the day. The crux of the plot concerns a scheme by KAOS mastermind Siegfried ( Terrence Stamp ) and his assistant Shtarker ( Kevin Davitan ) to steal high grade uranium, make nuclear weapons and sell them to unfriendly nations - but NOT give them the key codes. Siegfried then blackmails the USA for billions of dollars ransom.  To make his point, Siegfried has rigged a small bomb somewhere in LA where the President ( James Caan ) is visiting. In a series of adventures Max and Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) who have an odd couple type relationship, journey to Russia, face off Siegfried's weapons procurer Krstic ( David S. Lee ) and his giant hitman Dalip ( Dalip Singh ).   In one sequence our heroes have to get into Krsic's office at the end of a hallway filled with laser beams. There is a lot of good comedy in this sequence, it can not be denied.   The film does have it’s good points, especially for fans of the television show upon which it is based and much to their credit, the producers of this film have retained Mel Books and Buck Henry, the creators of GET SMART as consultants.  So, we have the original theme music and other TV nostalgic bits to support the new material. It references the old series well, using almost all the famous gags (without overusing them as the show so often did). It also brings in all the silly spy gadgets fans loved, as well as throwing in some new ones. Max’s Swiss Army knife is a very funny gag to be sure.  There are many underplots, like Agent Larabee and ( David Koechner ) being Smart's nemesis in the office and techies Lloyd ( Nate Torrence) and Bruce ( Masi Oka) giving him hi-tech support.  One also notices the growth in range of Anen Hathaway to a comedienne of some note capable of holding down a feature for almost two hours. DVD includes 'Get Smart' Unscripted Interview and anAnne Hathaway Stages of Stardom Photo Gallery

The Players: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Rock, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, and James Caan

The Filmmakers;
Directed by Peter Segal
Screenplay by Tom J. Astle, Matt Ember
Consultants: Mel Brooks and Buck Henry
Released by Warner Brothers
 

To reprise his role as the legendary explorer Indiana Jones, the 64-year-old Harrison Ford spent three hours a day at the gym, and subsisted on a high-protein diet of fish and vegetables, thus building his body into a condition where he could perform his own stunts (he always kept himself fit anyway, as he hoped to complete all the five Indiana Jones films that were originally planned in the 1980s). Steven Spielberg later stated he was so impressed with Ford's form that he could not tell the difference between the shoots for the third and fourth films. This viodeo release on DVD and Blu-Ray HD-DVD two-disc Special Edition is sensational with more than two hours of extras. The film, set about 15 years after the third flick, opens with a nostalgic drag race between some very 'American Graffiti' teens in a hot rod and the first car of a military convoy of vehicles plowing the Nevada desert on their way to a secret location. This is a nod to Lucas' first picture which was also the first feature appearance for young Harrison Ford. The film joke done, the convoy arrives at an Army base and savagly murders the guards at the base and pulls famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones back into action from thje trunk of the first car.  he is now entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious South American artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.   Jones and his old sidekick and car trunk companion Mac (Ray Winstone) face off the Soviet Agents in the top secret warehouse of oddities we saw in the last scene of Raider of the Lost Ark, where the government has stored some super magnetic secret item you won't learn from me here.  There are some surprise disclosures by Mac and the head of the Soviet team, Irina Spalko, ( Cate Blanchett ) who is a low-level cross between Natasha Fatale and Rosa Kleb.  Spalko also has a brutish assistant, Dovchenko ( Igor Jijikine ) who likes to hurt people a lot before he kills them.  There's a great chase and fight sequence in the warehouse and Indy escapes only to find himself trapped in a small test village a few yards from an A-Bomb...in ground zero much like the little town in ''The Hills Have Eyes''. Yeah, Indy cleverly escapes the blast, is gathered up by the FBI and is then under suspicion by the Feds and forced to take a long sabbatical from Marshall College.

The Players:  Harrison Ford, Shia La Beouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent

The Filmmakers;
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Director of Photography: Janisz Kaminski
Music by John Williams
Released by Paramount Pictures

    * Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
    * Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    * Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
    * Original language: English, German, Russian
    * Number of discs: 2
    * Running time: 122 minutes

“THE RAPE OF EUROPA”    reviewed by Andrew Johnson This film shows still another aspect of Adolph Hitler’s inhumanity and depravity toward his fellow man. Imagine the priceless art treasures of the world no longer available for viewing, possibly destroyed by a warring faction opposed to such expression of the human spirit. The very plunder of artistic endeavor actually happened in the dark days of the 1940s when those of Nazi Germany swooped on neighboring states. Luckily, many of the treasures were hidden, never seeing the light of day until after the war and liberation from tyranny. But many paintings and other art work were stolen and transported by those in power. “THE RAPE OF EUROPA” is a brilliant documentary depicting this assault on art. Art collecting became the prestigious thing for those in the Nazi Party. Adolph Hitler purged museums and other places where art resided through looting and architectural destruction. Sometimes, paintings were traded for Jewish lives. Jewish art collectors and dealers had their possessions confiscated and put into places of collection for Hitler, Herman Goering, and other prominent Nazis.   Hitler, as he waged his war of annihilation and erasing people and their memories, ridiculed modern art. He had this art work sold at fire sale prices, when not burning these masterpieces as he did with the books he didn’t favor. He planned the greatest art museum to be built in his hometown of Linz, where he also wished to be buried. Here would be honored his ill-gotten loot from neighboring countries and even his own.  Joan Allen narrates this chronicle of art survival in the twentieth century as fanaticism, warfare, and greed tried to abscond with Europe’s artistic heritage. But ordinary heroes as clerks and truck drivers, as well as art professionals, fought back to safeguard and rescue treasures, many removed beforehand from museums to hidden locations for safekeeping.

Protecting the art treasures of Europe was a monumental task of the allies, especially in battle. One major incident was the bombing of Monte Cassino in Italy when the question was put forth: What is more important, human life or loss of art?            The daunting task of art protection and retrieval continues today. As one states in the film: “Art belongs to humanity.” The process of restoring is a painstaking task.
Most of Europe’s art has found its way home, but thousands remain unaccounted for, a great deal of which was probably destroyed as the result of war and negligence. “THE RAPE OF EUROPA,” with outstanding archival footage, is a marvelous journey into the past through seven countries and showing how a group of fanatics almost changed the world if not stopped by those brave enough to stand up to them. Impeccably filmed, it contains its many moments of heartbreak and triumph. Well worth seeing!

The Filmmakers:
Written, Produced, and Directed by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, and Nicole Newnham  based on “The Rape of Europa” by Lynn H. Nicholas
Director of Photography:  Jon Shenk
Music composed by Marco d’Ambrosio
A Menemsha Films release

Logitech's Drive FX Controller
for the XBOX -360

Rating five stars out of five.

Look at all those XBOX-360 racing games and consider that you can't drive a Ferrari with an XBOX controller. You need professional gear and a trip to the local game store will prove disappointing - or at least it did until now. The available driving controllers were pretty basic until Logitech came up with the Drive FX Controller, a complete wheel with pedals that makes driving that Lotus Formula 1 a dream experience.  The DriveFX looks as if it was grabbed straight out of the PC racing wheel pool. The matte black plastic wheel assembly is complimented with the standard colored 360 button array and D-pad on the spokes of the wheel, with a brushed metal central hub showing off the Logitech logo.  Surrounding the central hub are evenly spaced faux-bolts to give the unit that "racing" look. The rubber hand grips on either side of the wheel help add a little texture to the smooth plastic and the small paddle shifters are tucked away discreetly behind the side spokes.  The pedal unit is made of the same color material as the wheel itself, and despite having gray "drilled" pedals and this is definiately NOT a toy or arcade quality. This is the real thing.   The wheel itself is quite sturdy, and provides a nice level of resistance to turning. The rubber grips on either side ensure a comfortable and firm grip for the user, and also add a little extra circumference to the grip area. The pedal is equally sturdy and comfortably resistant. The unit needs power from the wall socket and comes with a transformer. The pedal unit is also plugged into the wheel unit and the whole assembly should be on a sturdy surface in front of the player at the right height to clamp the wheel onto. The wheel is attached to the XBOX 360 wqith a ten foot USB cable.  Yeah, there are cords, but you can easily dress them off to the side.  I tested the wheel with Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Forza Motorsport 2 .  The first thing I noticed was how responsive and sensitive the wheel was.  This took time to get used to. There is a setup button nopt to be overlooked, a small black button on the left spoke of the wheel unit. It allows the player to cycle the DriveFX through three different sensitivity settings. Once you find the settings that are right for you and the game you are playing the onscreen response was simply amaziong and the pedals are easy to use. The wheel's "Axial Feedback" function is more sophisticated than standard rumble features and provides shaking left to right as well as resistance to turning where appropriate. This feedback adds a great level of immersion to any game that really does make play much more enjoyable. This product get a full five stars from us and is a wonderful candidate for the gift list.

With the original Rock Band title providing millions of players with a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 builds upon its core band foundation to offer an unparalleled, deeper, dynamic gameplay experience. Some of the improvements of this edition include better campaign progression a more varied song list and a really neat new drum kit.  The new songlist is extensive and cheap - about 75 cents a song and there is something for every taste. There is also promise of 20 or more bonus songs to come. The improvements over the orginal game are evident.  The first game was the basic concept and now the tweaks in the sequel prove that you can make a sequel better than the first edition. The process of picking a song is greatly improved. Harmonix has sworn they will havemore than 500 songs by the Christmas holidays and this will make it easier to select what you want. With the new sort options and filters, it's much easier to set up playlists. Now, when you hit a red button after the playlist is set up, Rock Band longer backs up and eats the play list.  It's also more diffacult for someone to charge ahead during band selection by thrashing fret buttons or banging the drums before the whole band is set up. Progressing past the band member setup actually requires a press of the start button. The band leader is also a thingof the past. General Features of 'Rock Band 2'     * Tour Challenges that offer rockers a chance to play through mini-campaigns focused on the best songs by instrument, decade, genre, artist, album and more     * Quickplay makes it easier than ever to get in and jam without hassle while allowing for new prefab characters or customized characters that can play on any instrument plus lets you make your own set lists and organize your song lists in a variety of categories (genre, era, etc.)     * Customizable Set Lists keep the music rolling and your band rocking in Quickplay mode     * Drum Trainer mode gives players the fundamentals of different beats and fills, translating gameplay into real drumming skills     * Character Creator completes your look with all new choices in clothing, accessories, tattoos, hairstyles, instruments and more to keep your unique rock avatar playing the full rock part     * Unrivaled Blend of Classic, Developing and Emerging rock acts including Pearl Jam, Metallica, Allman Brothers, Motorhead, Devo, Jane's Addiction, Megadeth, Paramore, Modest Mouse and more     * Rock Band 2 is the first video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock"     * After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track, "Shackler's Revenge" from the album Chinese Democracy     * For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with "Tangled Up In Blue" More Music: An all-new, all-master soundtrack of classic songs spanning 40 years of rock'n'roll history. More Instruments: Rock Band 2 features newly designed guitar and drum peripherals, with spiffier detail and a more realistic playing experience. These are all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments. More Online Options: New ways to connect with other Rock Band players from across your street and around the world. Full backwards compatibility: Any downloadable songs you've bought since Rock Band's original release will automatically join your Rock Band 2 songlist.

Peak Products Announces Immediate Availability of Starpex™  Instrument-Quality Guitar Hero/Rockband Controller for PS2/PS3  Starpex Obsidian now shipping from Go-Peak.com and leading retailers.  New Dead Rose and Black Sunburst colors available October 31, 2008 Boston, MA– September 18, 2008 - Peak Products, a gaming peripheral company dedicated to providing the best in instrument-quality gaming controllers, announces the immediate availability of Starpex Obsidian, the first-ever full-size, wood, PS2™ / PS3™ Guitar controller with the look and feel of an actual guitar.  The Starpex is available now at Circuit City, J&R, MicroCenter and www.go-peak.com for an MSRP of 179.99. Peak Products will expand its lineup of Starpex controllers with the introduction of new colors in the Starpex Dead Rose and Black Sunburst coming this October. Starpex boasts a premium quality, high-gloss lacquered finish with a hardwood body, neck, and headstock handcrafted by a leading guitar manufacturer giving the authentic guitar experience that Guitar Hero™ and Rock Band™ enthusiasts crave.  Other unique features include… Full Guitar Hero and Rockband Functionality for PS2 and PS3 – Starpex is compatible with both PS2 and PS3, and allows users to experience the full list of game play features in both Guitar Hero and Rockband, including toggle effects switch and solo button functionality.  Unique Speed Star Power / Overdrive Button provides the fastest and most accurate access to Star Power and Overdrive.  Additionally, built in tilt sensor technology allows users to access Star Power and Overdrive in a more traditional way.  Optimized Whammy Bar maximizes comfort, provides better feel, reduces fatigue and provides a higher level of durability.  High Quality Ten Fret Button Design features optimal button travel for enhanced feel, reduced fatigue, and higher score potential.  Ten fret buttons means that players have the option of using traditionally positioned fret buttons, or rock out with solo buttons high up on the neck which also provide critical soloing capabilities in Rockband.  Enhanced Strum Bar gives the perfect balance of tactile and audible feedback to maximize enjoyment and scoring.  Connectivity Options – Dual wired / wireless capabilities allow players to use a 15’ wired cable or a 2.4 Ghz wireless connection (both included).  Forward - Thinking Compatibility – Starpex’s modular design allows users to easily separate the electronic components from the body of the guitar which will allow for further customization including new guitar bodies, pick guards, and more. For more information and orders go to http://www.go-peak.com/