Our Picks Reviews - Page 34

What will the world be like a half century from now? Veteran TV journalist Mike Wallace asked 60 experts—including astrophysicists, biologists, Internet pioneers, medical gurus, astronomers, counterterrorism pros, energy researchers and contagious-disease scientists—for this lively round-up of informed crystal-ball gazing that foretells a futurescape of highly advanced technology, quantum leaps in medicine, dramatic strides in space and oceanic exploration, dangerous cocktails of population, politics and environment, and an array of other enlightening, often exciting and sometimes troubling scenarios. If you’re lucky enough to be around 50 years from now, you can find out how close they were to the mark.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Ellen Page is a breakout star in this bright, buoyant comedy/drama, which was among the cream of last year’s multiplex crop. As a spunky, offbeat teenager who accidentally gets pregnant, her title character puts a memorable face on the responsibilities, uncertainty and unfolding, life-altering reality of the situation. Extras include commentary, deleted scenes, bloopers and screen tests by Page and other members of the dynamite cast, which also includes Jason Bateman from TV’s Arrested Development and Jennifer Garner.
Neil Pond, American Profile

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A young Scottish boy discovers a mysterious egg that hatches a “water horse,” which grows up to become the legendary Loch Ness monster—and not so much of a monster after all. An enchanting 2007 family film with warmth, wit and adventure, it will charm audiences ready for another Princess Bride, E.T. or other classic movie that turns storybook magic into a touching cinematic tale. A second disc is loaded with extras, including a look at the special effects. (Rated PG)
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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This 17-song collection, recorded on tour in the fall of 1969 in six cities, was the live album Simon and Garfunkel never got around to releasing. By the end of the year, they were well on their way to breaking up, and the concert tapes languished away for nearly 40 years in a record-company vault. Now available for the first time (exclusively at Starbucks), Live 1969 flings open a long-shuttered window on live performances of “Homeward Bound,” “The Boxer,” “Mrs. Robison” and other classic tunes from one of pop music’s most significant duos.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Inspired by a true story, Emile Hirsch portrays an idealistic young college grad that drops out of society to “find himself” in the wilderness of Alaska—which turns out to be no picnic. Hal Holbrook was nominated for a 2008 Academy Award for his memorable supporting role, Vince Vaughn pops up as one of the colorful characters along the way and director Sean Penn stunningly captures the beauty, danger, hope, heartbreak and miles of highway that mark the journey. A second disc showcases the making of the 2007 movie—no picnic, either—and the real people behind its characters. (Rated R)
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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In this voyeuristic era when addiction and recovery are spectator sports on TV shows like Intervention and Celebrity Rehab, Negron—the former lead singer of ’70s supergroup Three Dog Night—plays a trump card. It doesn’t get any more real, or raw, than this harrowing autobiographical tale of a life and career ruined by drugs and other rock ’n’ roll excesses. And even though it has a happy ending, a recovered, resurrected Negron makes you feel the regret and ramifications of every wrenching wrong turn along a pathetic path of horrifically bad decisions.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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Behind “Happy Birthday to You” and “The Star Spangled Banner,” it’s the third most frequently sung song in America. The two guys who wrote it had never even been to an outing like it describes. In June, it will be come the first song ever to be commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp. It’s “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” and this handsome coffee-table book, released to coincide with its 100th anniversary, will tell you more than you ever imagined there could be to know about a song that’s become part of our popular culture. A delightful grand slam of information, trivia, vintage photos, illustrations and other artifacts, it even includes an audio CD that samples several of the 400 different known recorded versions.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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A gritty, modern-monster story that’s been made into three different movies in three decades, this 2007 version starred Will Smith in a bravura role as the last uninfected human in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan after the rest of the population—or so he thinks—has been turned into night-crawling, mad-dog mutants by a virus. The special effects—making New York a desolate concrete jungle where vegetation has taken over streets and zoo animals run wild—are a treat all by themselves. This action-packed double-DVD package includes an alternative version with a different ending, plus access to additional online bonus features.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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One of the most iconic, controversial and revolutionary films of the ’60s, this groundbreaking cops-n-robbers classic starred Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as America’s notorious outlaw lovers, broke bluegrass music into the mainstream—with Flatt & Scruggs’ “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”—and signaled a new era in Hollywood, one in which “bad guys” could be depicted as sympathetic, tragic characters. DVD extras include two hours of bonus content, with an in-depth making-of documentary, a History Channel look at the real-life Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, a 36-page photo book and more—fittingly, a lot of “bang” for the buck. (Rated R)
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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By the early 1970s, the fabled Motown music machine was in transition, moving from its longtime funky-town home in Detroit to the corporate canyons of Los Angeles. These 100 promotional videos, dating from the ’70s into the ’90s, shine a rare spotlight on the stars that followed the comet trails of label pioneers Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, the Isley Brothers and the Jackson 5. Through the music of Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, Billy Preston, Edwin Star, the Ross-less Supremes and more than 75 other acts, the legacy of the Motor City lived on long after Motown had hopped the train for the West Coast.
—Neil Pond, American Profile

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