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"RIO" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars) Rated G Studio: Fox Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
A blue maccaw that has spent most of his life in Minnesota is brought to Rio de Janeiro to help repopulate his species. However, when he is kidnapped by poachers, who plan to sell him to the exotic pet underground, he escapes with the other blue maccaw and embarks on a tropical adventure.
WHAT I LIKED
For the longest time, it seemed that Pixar and DreamWorks had a corner on the adorable, wholesome CGI animated films... and even then DreamWorks had some missteps with “Shark Tale” and the third “Shrek” movie. Everyone seems to discount Fox’s computer animation department, even though they’ve given us some decent flicks like the “Ice Age” films, “Robots” and “Horton Hears a Who.”
This year, “Rio” made everyone sit up and take notice, not just for its critical and box office success, but also for building a film that looked as good as the Pixar and DreamWorks films. In fact, were it not for the Fox logo at the head of the picture (and the Scrat cartoon attached as well), you’d think this came straight out of the Walt Disney Studios, trying to emulate the Latin American PR films of the 50s such as “The Three Caballeros.”
“Rio” is a fun and colorful ride, featuring some neat characters and plenty of action. It also has a safe, wholesome delivery without feeling like a sanitized G-rated film (even though it is). Like many of the great animated films from past decades, this doesn’t rely on the stardom of its voice cast, even though it has stars in it. Rather, the film plays well for the characters’ sake rather than just the presence of a name actor.
But also like a classic Disney film, “Rio” also has some excellent musical numbers. This, of course, makes sense with the film set in such a rich landscape for music. Still, it’s neat to see a film that isn’t exactly a musical but doesn’t shy away from some musical numbers... and none of them seem forced. In fact, the opening sequence as well as the solo from the villainous cockatoo are the highlights of the film.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
There isn’t much to grumble at for “Rio,” actually. Sure, some of the plot point and story arcs are pretty cliche, but you’re gonna get that with a kids’ movie. Even with some lack of originality in its message, it’s nice to see a fully fresh film that isn’t based on existing fairy tales or is a sequel to another movie.
My only other problem with this film is the presence of Jesse Eisenberg, who lost steam and interest for me as quick as he gained it. The guy’s a one-note actor and never really nails the empathy needed to voice Blue, the parrot.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The multi-disc Blu-ray set includes a DVD of the film, plus a disc for digital copy. The Blu-ray disc includes the feature, along with a rich assortment of bonus material. There’s deleted scene, music videos, a jukebox feature, Rio postcards, an “Coloring with Blu” app, behind the scenes via BD-Live and access to a secret code to unlock a hidden level in the “Angry Birds Rio” app.
Behind-the-scenes featurettes include “Saving the Species: One Voice at a Time,” “The Making of Hot Wings,” “Boom-Boom Tish-Tish: The Sounds of Rio,” “Carnival Dance-O-Rama” and a slate of behind-the-scenes and production notes from different virtual locations in the “Explore the World with Rio” feature.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Kids and families.
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"ARTHUR" Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars) Rated PG-13 Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
In this remake of the 1981 Oscar-winning film, Russell Brand plays Arthur Bach, an alcoholic, womanizing heir to a billion dollar fortune. His mother plans to marry him off to another successful family, and she threatens him with taking away his inheritance if he doesn’t follow through with it. Unfortunately, Arthur falls in love with a charming girl from Queens and has to make some difficult decisions between love and money.
WHAT I LIKED
I’ll admit that I’m not a huge Russell Brand fan. But I’m not a hater, either. Taken in small doses, he can be rather funny. And while I much prefer him as a supporting character in films like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” he wasn’t totally repulsive in “Get Him to the Greek.” And after watching this remake of the Dudley Moore film, I found myself enjoying his performance. Beyond having an okay reaction to the film in the theaters, I found that I did enjoy it even more on Blu-ray. Maybe Russell Brand is just made for the smaller screen.
Part of my fondness for this film comes from the fact that I do not hold the original movie in high regard. I never saw it in the 80s, but I watched it back in April when this remake first came out. I just found Dudley Moore irritating... more so than some people find Russell Brand irritating today. In fact, aside from John Gilguid’s performance in the 1981 film, there wasn’t a whole lot I liked about it... down to the all-too-easy ending.
Maybe Russell Brand’s lot in life is to play raging substance abusers who eventually are redeemed at the end of the film. After all, he does a great job doing it here. And the cast is pretty solid for this movie, including surprisingly well-played supporting roles from Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte and Luiz Guzman. Of course, like the original film, it is the role of Hobson (this time played brilliantly by Helen Mirren) that steals the show.
As much as I would have liked to have been sour to this film, I was just charmed by it. Brand’s brand of Arthur is more charming than his loveable but too-crass character of Aldous Snow in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek.” There’s a loveability to Arthur that I think Brand captured even more than Moore did in the original.
It’s not to be taken seriously, but it’s a sweet film, and it has plenty of laughable moments.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
The biggest problem with this movie is that it doesn’t work in today’s world the way it did in the early 80s. Back then, alcoholism was fun. Drunks were the life of the party. There was no push for recovery or for a character to join AA.
But those times have changed. So many elements to films from the 80s (from Bill and Ted calling each other “fag” in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” to Biff’s attempted sexual assault on Lorraine in “Back to the Future”) are downright offensive now. Same goes for Arthur and his drinking.
This results in a shoehorned redemption for the character, which changes the flavor of the film quite a bit from the original. But then again... I wasn’t a big fan of the original, anyway.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The Blu-ray is relatively slim with special features. There are some laughs to be found, at least, with a gag reel, ten minutes of deleted scenes and the featurette “Arthur Unsupervised!” which features alternative takes, line-o-ramas and additional set photos.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Those who don’t mind the original given a modern face-lift.
