Dean's DVD Picks -April 24, 2007
"Night at the Museum"
Ben Stiller's smash comedy about a night watchman at a hisotry museum where the exhibits comes to life after dark. The movie comes in a two-disc DVD set, a single-disc DVD and a single-disc Blu-ray release, all with commentary tracks from director Shawn Levy and the screenwriters. The two-disc DVD set also has deleted scenes with Levy commentary and a huge range of featurettes.
"The Queen"
Helen Mirren won an Oscar for her prtrayl as Queen Elizabeth during the days following the death of Princess Diana. It's one of the best films of 2006. The DVD and Blu-ray disc come with a making-of featurette
and two commentary tracks, one with director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan, the other with British historian Robert Lacey, an expert on the royal family.
"Deja Vu"
Denzel Washington stars in a crime thriller from two of Hollywood's biggest action masters, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott. Washington plays a federal agent investigating a deadly ferry explosion in New Orleans, who is given access to a secret government lab that provides a window into the recent past
so he can observe events leading up to the tragedy - and possibly prevent it. Along with deleted and extended scenes, the DVD and Blu-ray disc have a wide range of behind-the-scenes segments that examine the pyrotechnics used in the ferry explosion, the stunts and special effects, the filmmaking team and the practicalities of
shooting in New Orleans.
TV on DVD:
The long awaited, "WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season", is satifying to see the sit-com that debuted in 1978 centers on wacky colleagues trying to breathe life into a third-rate radio station. The problem is that many of the episodes are 22 minute editted versions, instead of the originals. Even worse is that many oriignal songs from the series have been replaced with Muzak versions so producers wouldn't have to pay licensing feeds. It really dilutes the memories.
"Planet Earth: The Complete Series" -
"Tsunami: The Aftermath"
"The Lost Tomb of Jesus"
"The Odd Couple: The First Season"
"Ironside: Season 1"
"The Drew Carey Show: The Complete First Season" -
"One Day at a Time: The Complete First Season"
"Flipper: Season One"
"NCIS: The Third Season"
"The New York Yankees: 1977 World Series"