Bridge to Terabithia - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-Ray
Bridge to Terabithia was the first wide release of the year to wow critics, and is still one of the best reviewed wide releases of the year. (Strangely, none of the films that have outperformed it with critics were able to become hits at the box office.) Now that it has hit DVD, it has a clear path to being the biggest seller of the week and possibly the DVD Pick of the Week as well.

Bridge to Terabithia stars Jess Hutcherson as Jesse Aaron, a son of a poor farmer who is an outcast at school, and AnnaSophia Robb as Leslie Burke, the new girl in town who helps him break out of his shell. The movie was advertised and a special effects fantasy film very much in the same vein as Narnia, but is instead a family drama with elements of fantasy that are only in the minds of the two leads. This may have scared fans of the book, who thought the focus was dramatically changed in the movie, while others might have been upset over being deceived by the trailer. However, once they got into theaters and were sucked into the story, all would be forgiven. It really is one of the best movies I've seen this year and even people who have never heard of the book should check it out.

The extras were... well... mixed. On the one hand, there were two audio commentary tracks, the first with the writer, the director, and the producer, and the second with Jess Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, and a second producer. Both of these tracks move well, provide plenty of information, and have strong replay value. The first delves a little deeper into the technical side while the second one's main strength is the chemistry between the two young actors and they have strong replay value. On the other hand, the two featurettes were not as strong. Behind the Book: The Themes of Terabithia feels like it is aimed at teachers more than moviegoers. The second, Digitial Imagination: Bringing Terabithia to Life, is more of your typical making-of featurette, but one that focuses on the effects. Both are comprised of talking heads, behind-the-scenes footage, and clips from the movie and run a combined 20 minutes. Finally, there's music video for the song, "Keep Your Mind Wide Open" by AnnaSophia Robb; she mentions in the commentary track that she's not a singer but liked the opportunity to try something new. I know a lot of fans were worried she'd try to become yet another actor who tries to have a singing career. Although, to be fair, a lot of singers try their hand in acting, so I'm not sure why when the reverse happens it is met with more hostility.

This is one of the best movies of the year and the DVD package is strong, but not overwhelming. It adds up to a clear purchase and is even a contender for DVD Pick of the Week.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - The Friendship Edition - Buy from Amazon
Originally released as three short features, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!, and then combined in a feature-length release in 1977, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. This film is an absolute classic and one that I've enjoyed since I first saw it as a child.

Based on the stories by A.A.Milne, it tells the story of a boy named Christopher Robin and his collection of stuffed toys that live in the 100 Acres Wood. Although I probably don't need to tell you who they are as Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and the rest are some of the most famous characters around and this film is one of the best. I love the fact that the movie is a storybook and the characters interact with it. For instance, when it floods, the words are washed away. This helps it stand out. Also, the film has some of the catchiest tunes from any Disney film including Pooh and Tigger's theme songs, I'm Just a Little Black Rain Cloud, and others. Those who remember the movie from their childhood will certainly want to check it out and not just for nostalgia, while those with younger kids could hardly find a better choice for their children.

That said, this is not the first time the film's been released on DVD so the real question is whether this version is worth the upgrade. Extras from the original DVD are all here, including some of more substantial extras like the 24-minute long making-of featurette and the equally long short film A Day For Eeyore. Other returning extras including the DVD storybook feature and the theme song sung by Carly Simon, while the only new extras is an episode of My Friends Tigger & Pooh.

Without any substantial difference between the two versions, it is not worth the upgrade. On the other hand, if you don't have this movie in your DVD collection, now is the perfect time to fix that problem.

Miss Potter - Buy from Amazon
Renee Zellweger stars in this period BioPic as the author / artist Beatrix Potter, who created the popular children's books Peter Cottontail, and others.

I don't think it is unfair to call this film busted Oscar bait. Given the subject matter and the release date, it was clearly made to win awards, but that didn't happen. It's not like the film was terrible, but with a 65% positive rating among critics, the film wasn't up to the level needed for a major player during award season. That said, there's more than enough here to recommend watching it. Performances by the three main leads, Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, and Emily Watson were very strong, as were supporting performances. The story of Beatrix Potter's life was also ripe with dramatic potential although I have to admit that after Norman Warne, Beatrix Potter's publisher and lover interest died, I did lose some interest in the story as I didn't find William Heelis nearly as compelling. On a side note, much of what Beatrix Potter did during her life was very much ahead of her time considering the women of her day were expected to marry someone their parents approved of, have kids, and run a household. However, now all that seems very foreign and that might lessen the dramatic impact somewhat.

Moving on to the extras, they are rather limited with just the audio commentary track, a making-of featurette, and documentary featurette, and a music video. There's nothing wrong with the quantity, which is better than expected given the film's struggles at the box office, but the quality is rather low. For instance, the audio commentary track is a little dry at times and suffers from dead air while the documentary feature is also dry, and a little too academic. (It does touch on a lot of aspects of Beatrix Potter's life that are not covered in the movie and it is worth checking out for that reason.)

This is one of those films that hard to rate as it fits nicely in between two levels. It is certainly worth checking out, but unless you are a fan of biopics, Beatrix Potter, or some of the actors in the movie, it is probably only worth a rental.

On a side note, the film can also be purchased with "Beatrix Potter: A Journal" as part of a package deal, but that is for hardcore fans only.

Shaw Brothers Collection - Buy from Amazon: 36th Chamber of Shaolin, King Boxer, a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death, My Young Auntie, The One-Armed Swordsman
Four films from the legendary Shaw Brothers coming out on Dragon Dynasty films DVDs. This is not the first time I've reviewed films from this company, but this week we have four such DVDs. Fortunately, they are quite different from each other and any fans of for Kung Fu movies will find something in this week's selection that they will like.

36th Chamber of Shaolin
Gordon Liu stars as San Te in a story that has become the template for martial arts movies. A man stands up against oppression, is defeated, trains to improve himself, and then avenges his earlier loss. What makes this movie stand out so much is it is one of the earliest examples and set a lot of the conventions of the genre. This is the best of the four films that are coming out tomorrow.

Extras: Extras start with an audio commentary track with movie critic, Andy Klein, and Wu-Tang Clan member, The RZA. The RZA might seem like a strange person to be involved with an audio commentary track, but the Wu-Tang Clan have always been promoters of Kung Fu films and he is incredibly knowledgeable on the subject while his enthusiasm adds to the overall experience. Other extras includes interviews, with the star, Gordon Li, and with the two audio commentary participants in the other. Wrapping things up are a making-of featurette and a live performance by the Wu-Tang Clang, as well as image and trailer galleries.

King Boxer, a.k.a. Five Fingers of Death
Two rival schools prepare for a tournament that will help determine who controls the town. This movie is filled with great action and plenty of double-crosses (and even triple-crosses). Billed as the first international martial arts hit, it is easy to see why. However, it is also arguably the weakest of four films in this group as it feels the most generic. It isn't as well done as 36th Chamber of Shaolin, it doesn't have the humor of My Young Auntie, or the unique swordplay of The One-Armed Swordsman.

Extras: Audio commentary with Quentin Tarantino, film scholar David Chute, and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Tarantino is one of those people that should be invited to do audio commentary tracks for every movie ever made as his knowledge of movies is encyclopedic... no, that doesn't go far enough. His knowledge level is autistic. He's the Rain Man of movie trivia, except he's also very charismatic when he speaks on this matter and even those who are not as interested as he is will be drawn in. Other extras include a trio of interviews, as well as image and trailer galleries.

My Young Auntie
My personal favorite of the four films coming out tomorrow as I love the mixture of Kung Fu action and humor. (Although, as the commentators say, a lot of Kung Fu purists hated this change in martial arts movies as they feel it harmed the purity of the genre.) Not only does this movie have great action and humor, it also has an almost musical feel to it and that helps it stand apart.

Extras: This film's audio commentary track is down by film scholars David Chute and Andy Klein. (Starting to recognize the names? Thought so.) While the interviews are with the star Kara Hui and another with the aforementioned film scholars. Things are wrapped up with the image and trailer galleries.

The One-Armed Swordsman
Finally we get to The One-Armed Swordsman, a story about a man raised by a master swordsman who is maimed by his teacher's daughter, only to relearn his craft and return to defend his master. (That's not really a spoiler, as the basic setup is well known at this point.) This is the earliest film in this group of four, and in some ways it shows. It is also a film that has been imitated numerous times over the years and after just one viewing you will know why. So much here has become iconic over the years that it will seem like you've seen the film already.

Extras: Starting with an audio commentary track with David Chute and Andy Klein. (The box says Quentin Tarantino is here, but he's not. They do mention his absence on the track, but don't say why he's not there.) Other extras include a featurette on the director, Chang Cheh, as well as interviews, images and trailers.

36th Chamber of Shaolin is widely regarded as the best of the group, but My Young Auntie is my personal favorite. That said, all four of these films are worth picking up for fans of the genre and even newcomers will want to check them out.