We're pushing Christmas week this week, and to celebrate, the studios have released a bunch of movies that run the game from big budget fodder to low budget romantic comedies. If you have an aunt who was in stitches over This is Where I Leave You or a nephew who could use a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ninja mask, than this week is a good week for you. You can check out some of this week's releases, below. Unless otherwise noted, sets are available on both Blu-ray and DVD.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Blu-ray
While early reports wondered aloud if Transformers actress Megan Fox was an ideal choice to play cartoon icon April O’Neil, from the first moments it’s easy to see why director Jonathan Liebesman found her to be an ideal choice. From its first scenes to its style and focus, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles nods at TMNT producer Michael Bay’s Transformers series while bringing some new characters to the big screen.
Despite the fact that people have hated on the creepy look of teenage crime fighters Michaelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Leonardo (Pete Ploszek) and Rafael (Alan Ritchson), the big chunk of the problem with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the story arc, which flits between present-day action and an origin story that is at different times both tedious (shots of Sensai swaddling baby turtles) and weird (shots of the turtles dancing to "Hollaback Girl"). It’s all wrapped up in a package that takes itself pretty seriously, a different direction from the fun, silly turtles a lot of young people grew up with.
Still, we do get glimpses of the more-fun personalities of the turtles—especially when they interact with April O’Neil (a girl!) and are tempted by pizza and pop culture. The action sequences are exciting, too, especially one particularly memorable chase through the snow. And if you are a fan of Paramount Home Media Distribution’s release, there are several reasons to look forward to the set. First, there are a ton of different extras with the Blu-ray. A lot of these look behind-the-scenes at the making of the film and the ways that motion capture is used to bring the turtles to life. It’s clear that the PG-13 endeavor is mostly geared to the adults who used to watch the show as children, although if you nab the right Blu-ray set, you’ll also get two double-sided ninja masks to dress as your favorite turtle during the next costume party.
You can order Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over at Walmart.
Full List of Extras:
Digital Reality
"It’s Your Face: The Turtles in 3D"
"It Ain’t Easy Being Green"
"Evolutionary Mash-Up"
"Turtle Rock"
Extended Ending
"Shell Shocked" music video
"Making of Shell Shocked"
Skeleton Twins Blu-ray
Skeleton Twins isn’t the sort of movie you might expect from Bill Hader or Kristen Wiig. The Saturday Night Live vets are often known for their loud comedy, but in director Craig Johnson’s Sundance flick, the two actors play amusing people who are a whole lot quieter. The result is a movie that manages to be both amusing and emotional.
Skeleton Twins starts on a starkly unhappy note, leading twins Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig) to communicate for the first time in a decade. Milo eventually moves back to his hometown, where he flits between communicating with people from his old life and trying to figure out his future. His sister is having a similar predicament, and both are dealing with their problems in unpredictable and unhealthy ways. It sounds like a real downer, but there is enough laughter and true-to-life moments to keep audiences invested. It helps that the casting is top notch, with top marks going to Hader, Wiig, as well as an excellent extended cast that includes Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell and Joanna Gleason.
For what should be a fairly small release, Lionsgate Home Entertainment’s The Skeleton Twins has a remarkable number of extras, including two separate audio commentaries (which was a little excessive). Due to the comedic elements, though, there are a lot of outtakes, including a bunch of awesome scenes between Milo and Maggie’s husband Lance (Wilson), deleted scenes and a gag reel that are totally worth checking out. If I have one complaint about the disc, it’s that it’s not totally cohesive. For example, there’s a play all function for the deleted scenes, but not for the outtakes. That’s a small complaint, however, and this is a set that is far more about the movie content than the extras.
You can order The Skeleton Twins over at Amazon.
Full List of Extras:
Feature Commentary with director/ co-writer Craig Johnson, Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader
Feature commentary with Johnson, co-writer Mark Heyman and producer/ editor Jennifer Lee
"To Whom It May Concern: Making The Skeleton Twins"
"Sweet Moves"
Gag Reel
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes with optional commentary
This Is Where I Leave You Blu-ray
Skeleton Twins isn’t the only movie this week that infuses drama and comedy. This Is Where I Leave You also takes both humorous and dramatic turns, in a larger and bigger budget movie that fall just short of being a crowd pleaser, but is worth a watch, nonetheless.
Shawn Levy has churned out a slew of movies over the last decade, directing movies as dissimilar as Night at the Museum, Real Steel and now, This is Where I Leave You. The critical acclaim for these films is all across the board, but what they all have in common are solid casts. This time around, Levy signed on Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver and House of Cards’ Corey Stoll to play members of a moderately dysfunctional family who must spend a week sitting Shiva as part of their non-religious father’s funeral. Throw in Rose Byrne, Kathryn Hahn, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, Connie Britton, Ben Schwartz and Abigail Spencer and Levy managed to align one of the most notable ensemble casts this year. It’s just unfortunate that they are all competing for screentime.
This Where I Leave You was written by Jonathan Tropper, who also wrote the book of the same name the movie is based on. In the extras, Tropper revealed that he had the opposite problem that most authors working on screenplays seem to have. Instead of staying too true to the source material, he veered so far off that Levy actually worked with him to veer a little closer to the book that everyone involved with the movie loved. It is gems like these stories that make Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set a worthy Blu-ray to peruse, although the mountain of deleted scenes does take a while to get through.
You can order This is Where I Leave You over at Amazon.
Full List of Extras:
"The Brother-Sister Bond"
"The Matriarch"
"Sibling Rivals"
"Choreographed Chaos"
"The Gospel According to Rabbi Boner"
Deleted and Extended scenes
"The Narrative Voice: A Commentary with Shawn Levy and Jonathan Tropper"
"The Narrative Voice: A Discussion with Shawn Levy and Jonathan Tropper"
Magic In The Moonlight DVD
Woody Allen’s latest flick Magic in the Moonlight mixes a British and American cast in a period drama about an illusionist who is tasked with debunking the supposed abilities of a young American mystic. The result is an oddball romance tale that is generally charming.
Colin Firth is the big headliner in Magic in the Moonlight. He plays the illusionist Stanley, who happens to be the aforementioned gentleman tasked with determining whether or not Sophie (Emma Stone) is the real deal in the world of mysticism. The two meet-cute at the estate of wealthy acquaintances, where Sophie is attempting to get the son of the family, Brice (Hamish Linklater) to marry her. Shenanigans ensue, but the whole story wraps up tidily and predictably, without too many bumps or curves.
A couple of years ago, Allen crushed at the box office when he released Midnight in Paris, another film with romantic aspirations that is set in the 1920s. He tries to recapture the same sort of period magic with Magic in the Moonlight. But where Midnight in Paris plays with fantasy, including time travel and famous avant garde cultural figures, Magic in the Moonlight is more grounded, with a much more comfortable and breezy romantic comedy formula.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainments DVD set doesn’t come with a ton of bells and whistles. First of all, Allen’s movies are typically created with an extremely small budget and it’s easy to see why Sony wouldn’t throw in a ton of extras to market the set. Buyers will get some footage from the premiere, but overall, if you are purchasing the movie, it shouldn’t be for the picture quality or extras with the disc.
You can order Magic in the Moonlight over at Amazon.
Full List of Extras:
Behind the Magic
On the Red Carpet: Los Angeles Film Premiere
Theatrical Trailer
Other December 16 Releases
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rafael Gift Set
The Maze Runner
Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series
Extant: The First Season
At The Devil’s Door
Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever
