“Chicken Little” is such a mediocre collection of coop-sweepings that its arrival last fall was Disney’s code-red cry for help.
Luckily for Disney, and unlike Chicken Little’s first few unheeded warnings, somebody did come to the studio’s rescue. “Chicken Little” ($29.99) was heralded as Disney’s first fully computer-generated animation feature, and the film’s throttling from critics and so-so box office guaranteed major studio changes.
Along came the merger with Pixar, the world standard in smart and successful computer animation. Pixar’s best brains have taken over Disney animation, so we may finally see an end to a string of Disney animation duds that included “Brother Bear” and “Home on the Range.”
Why does the sky fall all over “Chicken Little”? The story is nonsensical. The characters are ugly. There’s no cohesive design sense to the artificial world. Other than a tolerably catchy tune from Barenaked Ladies, the music is utterly forgettable. And the inside jokes and nonstop pop-culture patter (“Oh, snap!” is not a line that will age well) are as cringe-inducing as Chicken Little’s appearance on the Oscar telecast.
The extras fly like a clipped duck. Karaoke is meant for classic songs, I believe. A trivia game based solely on watching the movie itself is less than inventive. Watching BNL perform their song in a studio is like observing a caged bird.
Save your money for the Pixar regime. They may have to break some eggs, but they’ll no doubt wind up with an omelette.
– Michael Booth, The Denver Post
Out for Easter
Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 Biblical spectacle, “The Ten Commandments” receives a 3-disc “50th Anniversary Collection” (Paramount, $24.99 ) upgrade in anticipation of Easter.
This is the third DVD release of DeMille’s epic telling of how Moses (Charlton Heston) defied Pharaoh (Yul Brynner) and led the Jews out of Egypt.
The spectacular Technicolor restoration and 5.1 Surround sound mix appear to be identical to that in the earlier 2-disc “Special Edition,” and it retains the extras from that set.
The only reason to upgrade, if you own the earlier version, is the inclusion on Disc 3 of DeMille’s original 1923 silent version of “The Ten Commandments.” The biggest difference is that the story of Moses is combined with a contemporary story set in 1920s San Francisco, that illustrates how the commandments are kept – and broken – in everyday life.
“Capote” in context
If like most Americans, you have no idea why Philip Seymour Hoffman was the runaway winner of the best actor Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards, the DVD release of “Capote” (Columbia-TriStar, $28.95) should explain it – even if you have little idea who the real Truman Capote was.
Director Bennett Miller (who provides commentary with Hoffman) and writer Dan Futterman do an excellent job of putting Capote in his cultural context, but the film’s real purpose is in exploring how Capote used his wiles on the people of Kansas and the two killers of the Clutter family to write his groundbreaking nonfiction novel, “In Cold Blood.” Extras include a bio of Capote, named for the novel he never completed, “Unanswered Prayers.”
Also, you can now see why Jeff Daniels deserved his best-
actor Oscar nomination for playing a less-successful writer trying to cope with a divorce from Laura Linney and connect with his sons in “The Squid and the Whale” (Columbia-Tri-Star, $26.96).
– Terry Lawson, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Staff writer Michael Booth can be reached at 303-820-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com.
NEW ON DVD
“King Kong” *** Director Carl Denham (Jack Black), Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) aren’t the only ones in mortal danger when the director, his leading lady and screenwriter land on Skull Island in Peter Jackson’s extravagant, enjoyable adventure. After starting off as a wonderfully realized old-fashioned flick, “King Kong” threatens to become a creature feature – and not because of the big guy of the title. Jackson can’t quite help going Jurassic on his characters. For a time “King Kong” becomes as overinflated as a Macy’s Thanksgiving float, but once the film returns to New York with Kong in chains it, heads for a spectacle of a finish. PG-13; 180 minutes (Lisa Kennedy)
“Memoirs of a Geisha” ** 1/2 Arthur Golden’s best seller about a girl sold into servitude in Kyoto who later becomes a renowned geisha in pre- World War II Japan demanded a deft gift with the epic and the intimate. It’s an elusive mix that seldom gets its due in director Rob Marshall’s adaptation. Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri, Michelle Yeoh as her mentor and Gong Li as her rival give the film great glamour and its best drama. PG-13; 137 minutes (Lisa Kennedy)
“Get Rich or Die Tryin”‘ *** Inspired by the true story of rap artist Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson, this film tells a harrowing story: He never knew his father, was orphaned by the early death of his mother, was selling drugs as a teenager, was shot nine times but lived and eventually sold millions of albums. Jackson plays the character based on himself, Terrence Howard is his friend and manager, Joy Bryant is the woman who loves him, and there are good supporting performances by Viola Davis and Bill Duke. R; 134 minutes
“Derailed * 1/2 Not many thrills in this alleged thriller. The chief attraction is finding out whether Jennifer Aniston can play a bad girl, and the results are inconclusive. Clive Owen is a family man who strikes up with Aniston as a distraction from his hurried life. Their interlude has a horrific ending. R; 105 minutes (Michael Booth)
