BLU-RAY
REVIEW: BEDTIME STORIES
04/03/09
SYNOPSIS: As a handyman
at the hotel his father used to own, Skeeter Bronson (Adam
Sandler) spends his days changing light bulbs and competing
with the hotel’s smarmy manager (Guy Pearce) for the
attention of the new owner’s beautiful, hard-partying
daughter, Violet (Theresa Palmer). When his sister Wendy (Courteney
Cox) asks Skeeter to babysit her kids for a week while she’s
out of town, Skeeter entertains his niece and nephew with
elaborate, original bedtime stories that transport them to
exotic locales, including ancient Greece, the Wild West and
outer space. When he tries to help his family by telling one
outlandish tale after another, it’s the kids’ unexpected
contributions that turn all of their lives upside down. Full
of imaginative special effects and good-natured hilarity,
Bedtime Stories is a winning combination of comedy and
adventure.
FILM REVIEW:
The
band Journey was really on to something with their hit song
Don’t Stop Believing. If you want your dreams to come true,
you’ve got to believe. This movie is an adventurous
“journey” (yeah, I had to) for Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler)
to learn exactly that, thanks mostly to his niece and nephew
and their vivid imaginations. Gumballs, Ferraris, epic
battles, and a kiss from a damsel in distress are all part
of the fantasy that makes up this bedtime story. In this
film there is a dashed line between fairy tale and reality
and that is what makes it special. It has a touch of Disney
magic and a touch of Adam Sandler comedy to make it fun for
the whole family. Yes it is cliché and predictable, but it
is funny, enjoyable, and very cute. That one word probably
describes it best . . . cute. The story, the dialogue, the
imagination, the niece and nephew played by Laura Ann
Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit, and even their big-eyed
pet Bugsy are all adorable. Oh yeah, so is Keri Russell in
the role of Jill.
Even with all the cuteness this movie has, it lacks a little
in quality. There is a good amount of character presentation
along with the foundation of the story during the opening of
this movie and yet the viewer has a tough time identifying
with any of the major characters. Adam Sandler’s forte is
presenting approachable characters that people can relate to
and connect with. It is a large part of his extraordinary
success in films. I struggled to figure out Adam’s character
in this movie. Is he a slacker, a genius, a lazy bum, a
self-centered dreamer, a sleeping giant, or just simply a
talented guy who patiently waits for his big break? I
couldn’t put my finger on it and thus I didn’t know where he
was coming from during the movie. Same goes for his sister
Wendy played by Courteney Cox as well as Jill (Keri
Russell). These are most of the major characters and you can
understand what is going on between them but their
development is too shallow and their motivation is unclear.
Some of the supporting roles were too obvious to mistake,
though. Such as Violet Nottingham played by Teresa Palmer.
She is the spoiled, self-proclaimed celebrity daughter of
the rich hotel owner Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths).
Hmmm, sounds familiar doesn’t it? Guy Pearce plays Kendall,
the selfish hotel executive with a hidden agenda that
benefits only himself. Can I tell you that I didn’t even
recognize Lucy Lawless as Aspen who works at the front desk
of the hotel and is Kendall’s accomplice. Russell Brand
delivers another goofy, light-hearted role as Mickey, hotel
employee and friend to Skeeter. All in all, everybody gave a
decent performance but those main characters where hard to
connect with. Luckily, the story wasn’t.
Given the nature of the story, you would have to expect the
visual effects to keep up and they did. Not the best stuff
ever but good enough for this production. You are taken to
the Wild West with cowboys, Indians, and fast horses, a
Roman coliseum for some chariot tricks, medieval times with
knights in shining armor, and to the future on board a space
station. The sky is not the limit when it comes to the
imagination used in this picture. Even when it comes back to
reality in the end, the climax of the film is really quite
exciting and brings the whole thing together in Disney
style. Director Adam Shankman has directed some good
projects this decade; Wedding Planner, A Walk to Remember,
Bringing Down the House, The Pacifier, and Hairspray to name
a few. This is not his best work but it can definitely be
included in this list.
BLU-RAY: The film is
presented in 1080P widescreen in a 2.35:1 aspect ration
preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just
flawless, giving the film and special effects clarity that
only high definition can provide. Not only the picture looks
excellent in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1
DTS-HD Master Audio (48kHz/24bit) that provides a good
complement to the picture , however I was very surprised to
find that the sound was not 7.1 DTS-HD. Not sure why Disney
Home Entertainment decide to go with a 5.1 audio, instead of
the 7.1.
The 3-disc Blu-ray is a
limited time Special Offer Combo Pack that also
includes a DVD copy of the of the film, allowing
fans to own this classic story on standard def DVD while
they are preparing to upgrade to 1080p Hi-def Blu-ray, so
consumers can “future-proof” their collection.
In terms of Special Features,
the Bedtime Stories's three disc blu-ray
falls a little bit short. Even though it includes a DVD copy
of the film and a Digital copy, I was expecting more. It
includes three short featurettes about the production. The
first one is
"Until Gravity Do Us Part"
which talks about the gravity fighting scene between Adam
Sandler and Guy Pearce. The Second one is "It’s Bugsy",
another short featurette about Bugsy the
big-eyed guinea pig.
And finally "To All
The Little People", in which the big Hollywwod stars talk
about their experience working with the talented kids of the
film. If you enjoyed the film the Blu-ray also includes
about twelve deleted scenes that you may want to ckeck out.
It also includes about seven minutes of outtakes, which are
without a doubt the best featurette of the Blu-ray, really
funny.
Like previous release the blu-ray comes with
DB-Live, which allow users to get exclusive online content,
users get opportunity to chat, participate in movie
challenges and access movie mail. Your blu-ray player will
need to be connected to the internet, in order to access
this features.
Overall this release will be a
good addition to your Disney collection.
VIDEO:
1080P Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) Enhanced for 16 x
9 Televisions
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - English Spanish French
Subtitles - English, Spanish,
French
BONUS FEATURES:
Until Gravity Do Us Part
- A behind-the-scenes look at the film’s mindboggling
special effects, including comments from the special effects
team. This featurette focus on the space fight scene between
Adam Sandler and Guy Pearce(4:05)
It’s Bugsy – A
close up look at the breakout star of Bedtimes Stories,
Bugsy the big-eyed guinea pig (3:42)
To All
The Little People : In this featurette we
get to know more about the star kids of the film. Adam
Sandler and Guy Pearce
shared their experience
of working with the kids. (5:20)
Laughter is Contagious: Outtakes
Believe or not this is the best featurette of this release.
Definitely worth watching (6:45)
Cutting Room Floor: Deleted Scenes
A total of twelve deleted scenes, wroth watching if you
enjoyed the film. (10:20 ).
DisneyFile Digital Copy that enables viewers
to enjoy the film on an array of mobile devices in their
choice of iTunes or Windows Media formats.
DVD Copy
BD-Live including Movie Chat, Movie Mail, Movie Challenge
and Movie Rewards
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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VIDEO |
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