What It’s About: With the Academy Awards coming up on Sunday, you’ll want to be as caught up as possible on the nominees. While “Walk the Line” didn’t scoop one for Best Picture, it got noms for both of its main players, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. And it’s easy to see why.
Walk the Line is the story of Johnny Cash, a man I must admit I wasn’t really familiar with until I watched this movie (I know, I know). And while I’m still not a huge fan of his music (I know, I know) I have a whole new appreciation for the man himself.
Synopsis: Singer. Rebel. Outlaw. Hero. With his driving freight-train chords, steel-eyed intensity and a voice as dark as the night, the legendary “Man in Black” revolutionized music—and forged his legacy as a genuine American icon. Golden Globe winners Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon star (and sing) as Johnny Cash and June Carter in this inspiring true story of one man’s unwavering devotion to his sound, his message and the greatest love of his life.
Technical Stuff: The DVD cover lists the aspect ratio at an odd 2.39:1. This picture looks great, but not quite perfect. There is a touch of grain in a few places but nothing noticeable. Still, you would have expected perfection from Fox for such a huge release as this one.
The sound on the other hand, is absolutely excellent. It’s available in DTS and Dolby 5.1 with optional Spanish and French Dolby Surround. Subtitles are available in English or Spanish. You can definitely feel like you’re right in Fulsom Prison with Johnny with a fantastic soundtrack like this!
Extras? The single-disc edition has the following,
· Director audio commentary
· Ten deleted scenes
· Trailers
Final Verdict: It’s a sweet and harrowing movie about love, music and perseverance. Both Phoenix and Witherspoon give amazing performances and certainly deserve their Oscar nominations. And I did discover one lyric in Cash’s music that I especially enjoyed so I will include it to end off this review:
"I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.
I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds.
Because you're mine,
I walk the line."

What It’s About: The three magical sisters are back—sort of. Season four of Charmed picks up right where Season three left off. The sisters were exposed as witches and in order for them to survive, Prue sacrificed her life so that time could be reversed and their exposure with it. So now the power of three is no more right? Since there are only two sister left? Uh-uh. Turns out there was a fourth sister they never knew about, the love child of their mother and her Whitelighter Nathan. Enter Rose McGowan who fits perfectly into the show and in our opinion, makes this the best season of them all so far.
Paige, the fourth sister, is extra-special since she has the power of a witch and a Whitelighter. She can not only move things with her mind, but she can teleport and heal like a Whitelighter. The stories in Season Four are the best yet. The sisters are still fighting The Source (a very very evil being) who wants to kill them. Phoebe and Cole are in love and struggling since he keeps getting pulled to the side of evil. Charmed has the perfect mix of sci-fi, romance and comedy to keep its audience entertained and even if you found the previous season kinda boring and repetitive, check out season four because it really is the best one yet!
Synopsis: The DVD of the hit supernatural drama series, executive produced by Aaron Spelling, includes all 21 exciting fourth-season episodes that introduces the remaining Halliwell sisters (Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs) to a new sibling they never knew they had. Now, the reconstructed trio must attempt to overcome the pain of losing one sister and learn to deal with the addition of a new half-sister and their new places in the reformulated family.
Technical Stuff: Well, the picture ain’t perfect which is kind of a shame. It’s presented in 1.33:1 ratio full frame colour and has some grain, especially in the darker scenes. It’s not horrible but definitely could be better.
The sound comes in both English and French Dolby Digital 2.0. It’s a little flat but works okay as the show is mostly dialogue driven. It’s clean though, and does use the side speakers well.
Extras?
· none
Final Verdict: This is our favourite season of Charmed as it strays from the predictable storylines of the other seasons and brings a great combination of action, romance and comedy to the screen. Two thumbs up!

What It’s About: What an odd little film. The Weather Man was Nicholas Cage’s other movie this year (the first was Lord of War) that got pretty much ignored. Don’t ask us why these movies went away so quickly and quietly as we really enjoyed both. The Weather Man is a quirky comedy-drama about a guy down on his luck.
Yes, it’s basically another Nic Cage movie where he acts odd and narrates. But while we just didn’t get most of the others, this one we got a kick out of. It’s tough to explain and it’s not one to rave over, but “The Weather Man” is original, realistic and just might make you smile.
Synopsis: Popular Chicago weatherman Dave Spritz (Nicolas Cage) has issues: his ex-wife won’t reconcile, his kids are troubled, and no one – not even his Pulitzer-winning father – seems to take him seriously. When a national morning show calls him for an audition in New York, he sees an opportunity to do the right thing – if he can only figure out what that is. Acclaimed director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) takes us inside the funny, insightful and sometimes bizarre life of David in this modern-day comedy.
Technical Stuff: “The Weather Man” looks beautiful, with a creative use of colour and lovely cinematography. It’s an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer.
The film is almost all dialogue (Cage’s narration) and the Dolby 5.1 mix is just fine. Also available are English 2.0 Surround, French 5.1 and subtitles in English and Spanish.
Extras?
· Relative Humidity: The Characters
· Trade Winds: The Collaboration
· Forecast: Becoming A Weatherman
· Atmospheric Pressure: The Style and Palette
· Extended Outlook: The Script
· Theatrical Trailer
Final Verdict: It’s weird, it’s dark and it’s quite good. “The Weather Man” was one of 2005’s most over-looked movies and you simply must catch it on DVD.

What It’s About: Thank goodness for the return of true television. All that reality TV got real boring real fast. One of the standouts from last year’s line-up alongside Lost and Desperate Housewives was Grey’s Anatomy, a dramedy about surgical residents at Seattle Grace Hospital. I’ll admit, I never really caught the show on TV but when the screener landed in my greedy little hands I eagerly popped it into the DVD player expecting to watch one, maybe two episodes. I watched five.
And even then I only stopped because I was forced to leave the house. Now I’m very upset it’s the middle of Season Two and I have no idea what I’ve missed. The show is smart, hilarious and can I just say—Sandra Oh really did deserve that Golden Globe. She is the true star of the show in my opinion. But I digress.
The show does seem to have a lot in common with “Scrubs” on the surface, but they truly are two completely different entities.
Every single character on Grey’s is appealing and accessible in some way, adding to the show’s charm and complexity. Yes, there are many many clichés but you can forgive them and even enjoy the when a show is just this good.
There are only nine episodes here since the show was a mid season offering.
Synopsis: Meet Meredith Grey, a brilliant first-year surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital. Together with her fellow residents in training, Meredith navigates her way through the daily traumas and social landmines of life inside the hospital and out in the real world. GREY'S ANATOMY is a smart and witty look at young people struggling to be doctors and doctors struggling to stay human. Both a critical hit and fan favorite, GREY'S ANATOMY burst onto the television landscape with gripping plot lines, a sensational soundtrack and hot stars, including Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, and Sandra Oh. It's "a winner," raves the New York Daily News. Now you can experience all the drama, romance and excitement of GREY'S ANATOMY from the very beginning. Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Technical Stuff: It’s a new ahow and was originally broadcast in High Definition. The DVD is released in an anamorphic widescreen and looks lovely. No issues here at all.
The sound only comes in Dolby Digital 5.1, which does the job nicely despite not really being necessary as this is a dialogue-driven show. We would have liked at least a French track here as well.
Extras?
· Under The Knife: Behind The Scenes Of Grey's Anatomy -- A look into the production of the show
· A Hard Day's Night -- Exclusive collection of unaired scenes from the pilot
· Deleted Scenes
· Alternate Main Title Sequence
· French Spoof Trailer -- A fake French trailer made by the production team
· Audio Commentaries
Final Verdict: We are now really itching for the second season to either start re-airing or finish already so we can catch up on DVD. Yup, we’re hooked. Blame Patrick Dempsey.

What It’s About: Okay, I admit that He-Man wasn’t my favourite guy ever. Personally, I would rather watch She-Ra do her thing, Jem strut her stuff or The Thundercats go nuts. But—when I got this DVD started, I was so transported back into my childhood it didn’t even matter. He-Man is my new hero.
I got completely sucked into the adventures of Prince Adam/He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Teela, and Orko. This is classic animation. It’s not deep or enlightening, but it sure is entertaining. We seriously CANNOTWAIT for the release of She-Ra: Princess of Power sometime soon, but He-man and Skeletor will keep us plenty occupied until that eye candy lands.
Synopsis: In a distant and mystical land, wimpy Prince Adam leads the life of royalty. Unknown to all but a few close friends/allies, Prince Adam is actually a hero, the mighty He-Man. Together with his friends, (such as Teela; her father, a man-at-arms; mysterious Orko and his mighty friend/horse substitute Battle Cat), He-Man battles the evil Skeletor and his minions for control of the world, and, more importantly, for the control, power and "honor of Greyskull," the mysterious castle from which He-Man derives his powers.
Technical Stuff: Yeah, well it’s 20 years old already! So it’s not crisp and super clean but it sure looks darn good for something not turned out of the digital and high def generation. BCI has cleaned it up nicely and kept the original fullframe 1.33:1 ratio.
The sound is Dolby 2.0 and sound good- the theme song really resonates through the house. Sweet.
Extras? Tons o’ goodies here! You get a very impressive array of extras.
· "The Stories of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Season 1, part 2" featurette
· "He-Man invades the San Diego Comic-Con" featurette
· animated storyboards
· character profiles & video clips
· trivia facts
· scripts
· commercial spots
· 2 art cards
Final Verdict: Perhaps we’re biased towards anything created during the time of our youth but the awesome packaging, super-cool extras and wicked-awesome stories make this set say “I am the power!”

What It’s About: This one absolutely depends on your sense of humour. If you like incredibly offensive jokes with the f-bomb being thrown every which way, you’ll probably get a kick out if this Roast. For those who don’t know, a roast is a celebration of a deserving individual where people are invited to make jokes at their expense. The weird thing about this one is that the minority of jokes are made at Pamela Anderson, she of the monstrous breasts and minimal acting skills. Instead, the comics make fun of each other a lot, and even some people in the audience (Anna Nicole Smith, for example). The jokes that are thrown Pam’s way mainly have to do with Tommy Lee’s penis size, and the sex tape.
Still, it was somewhat entertaining thanks to Jimmy Kimmel, Bea Arthur and Courtney Love who kept saying she’s been clean and sober for a year as she stumbled around the stage, flashed her crotch and slurred her words. Yah-very convincing, Court. Anywho, the majority of content here is rude and offensive and if you like that sort of thing, you’ll probably get some chuckles. Oh, and yes, Pam’s top is see-thru.
Synopsis: The Roast kicks off with Anderson floating down from the rafters in an O-shaped chair while bubbles flowed through the air followed by rapid fire of quips, all at Anderson's expense. The show taped in August with Jimmy Kimmel, host of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," serving as Roast Master and aired as a 90-minute special. Highlights from the evening included: Bea Arthur reading sexually explicit excerpts from Anderson's new "novel"; Tommy Lee giving an arousing musical performance with Anderson dancing her heart out; Courtney Love acting like Tom Cruise on acid; Andy Dick French-kissing Jeffrey Ross and fondling Anderson's assets; and Lisa Lampanelli, the Queen of Mean, unleashing a verbal assault that fired-up the crowd to a standing ovation. Nick DiPaolo, Greg Giraldo, Elon Gold, Eddie Griffin, Lady Bunny and Sarah Silverman also appeared during the telecast to Roast Anderson, along with David Spade and Hugh Hefner, who provided taped tributes.
Technical Stuff: Looks, fine. It’s presented in the same way it was shown on Comedy Central last year in a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio.
The sound is a basic Dolby 2.0 which is fine since the raunchiness comes through loud and clear and I really didn’t need to hear Tommy Lee’s musical number any better. No other options or subtitles.
Extras?
· Exclusive Rehearsal Footage
· Red Carpet Interviews
· Comedy Central Quickies
Final Verdict: Um, it’s rude and crude but if you like that and you like Pam, here’s some great viewing for ya! The rest of you—skip it.

What It’s About: I couldn’t even look at the DVD case without getting creeped out. Putting it up on the site freaks me out even more. So can you believe I actually watched this? Regulars to relish know my aversion to horror movies. But after seeing the first Saw and somewhat enjoying it since it was a “thinkie” movie, I braced myself for the sequel.
Holy nightmares batman! Jigsaw is back doing very mean things to a group of people trapped in a house. This time, we don’t really get to know those characters as we do the two cops who have apprehended him. One of the cops is Donnie Walberg who we just can’t forget as part of NKOTB. New Kids for-evah!!!!
It’s creepy and gross and freaked the snot out of me but begrudgingly I will admit it was well done. Not as good as the first but still good for a horror flick.
Synopsis: In SAW, a huge horror hit in 2004, a masked man called Jigsaw orchestrated the kidnapping of two people, chained them in a disgusting bathroom in an abandoned house, and played vicious, brutal mind games with them that potentially could lead to their freedom. Jigsaw is back for more gory fun in SAW II, but this time he comes out from behind the mask to terrorize a troubled cop face-to-face. Tobin Bell reprises his brief role as Jigsaw in the first film with a major starring turn in the sequel. Dying of cancer, Jigsaw lets himself get caught, only to show Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) that his son, Daniel (Erik Knudsen), has been taken hostage with seven other people, all of whom have been placed in a house of horrors with only the slimmest chance of escaping with their lives. Jigsaw promises Matthews that Daniel will live only if the cop follows the rules of the game, but time is running out, as the captives' bodies have been poisoned with a toxin that will soon destroy them. Meanwhile, in the dank, mysterious, booby-trapped house, the ever-more-desperate group of people (including Shawnee Smith, who is back as Amanda, the lone survivor of SAW) furiously try to find their connection to each other and a way out, but blood and violence lie in their path. Like its predecessor, SAW II is a frightening thriller filled with plenty of tricks and treats to satisfy even the most jaded horror fan.
Technical Stuff: The picture is red-heavy which really adds to the creepy factor but the picture (from what I could see in between my hands) was awesome. Widescreen 1.78:1 transfer here.
A reall cool Dolby Digital Surround EX is offered that made all the scary noises sound like they were inside my head and all around me. Make them stop!! Also available in DD 2.0 with English and French subtitles.
Extras?
· Audio commentary with director Darren Lynn Bousman and actors Donnie Wahlberg and Beverley Mitchell
· 'Jigsaw's Game' making of featurette
· Bits and Pieces: The Props of Saw II featurette
· Bits and Pieces: The Traps of Saw II featurette
· Storyboards
· Gallery of concept artwork
· Trailers
Final Verdict: Seriously freaky. If you like that kind of thing (which many people seem to) you’ll love "Saw II". Personally, I am bracing myself for the inevitable "Saw III".

What It’s About: This simple, family-friendly film was one of the big hits of the year when it came to theatres in October. It’s now available on DVD and we can safely say it’s a must-own. It’s a movie that from the very first few minutes you know you’re going to love.
If you’re a die-hard action fan you’ll probably be bored because the charm of “Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” is its timelessness and attention to detail. The simple story doesn’t go for cheap laughs and pop culture references, instead it’s a film you’ll watch with the young ones forever. We love this one!
Synopsis: It's 'vege-mania' in Wallace and Gromit's neighborhood, and our two enterprising chums are cashing in with their humane pest-control outfit, "Anti-Pesto." With only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, business is booming, but Wallace & Gromit are finding out that running a "humane" pest control outfit has its drawbacks as their West Wallaby Street home fills to the brim with captive rabbits.
Suddenly, a huge, mysterious, veg-ravaging "beast" begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots at night, and the competition hostess, Lady Tottington, commissions Anti-Pesto to catch it and save the day. Lying in wait, however, is Lady Tottington's snobby suitor, Victor Quartermaine, who'd rather shoot the beast and secure the position of local hero -- not to mention Lady Tottingon's hand in marriage. With the fate of the competition in the balance, Lady Tottington is eventually forced to allow Victor to hunt down the vegetable chomping marauder. Little does she know that Victor's real intent could have dire consequences for her... and our two heroes.
Technical Stuff: Gorgeous. Anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1, this picture is perfect. Not a blemish. Colours are ideal, sharp and bright.
The sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 and although it’s not all-encompassing, it does the job quite nicely. It has a bite but still won’t upset the ears for the little guys or the neighbours. Also features English in Dolby digital 5.1, English in dolby digital stereo , Spanish in Dolby digital stereo , French in Dolby digital 5.1 with subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
Extras?
· Behind-the-Scenes Fun, Including “How to Build a Bunny”
· “Stagefright” – the award-winning Aardman Short Film
· Deleted Scenes with Cracking Commentary
· Clayful Activities, Games, Printables and Much, Much, More!
Final Verdict: A new classic for the entire family to enjoy. We are huge fans of Wallace and Gromit and hope for more full-length films!

What It’s About: I put “Doom” into the DVD player with an excited fiancé next to me and a magazine in hand knowing I’d be bored. It’s just not my type of movie. Still, I was hoping for the occasional so bad it’s good moment of laughter or enjoyment. It never came.
“Doom” is based on one of the most popular video games ever and so everyone who ever played the game and loved it was looking forward to this movie. Now, perhaps because I’ve never even seen it, I was not its target audience but this movie bored me to tears. I actually had to go upstairs to get another magazine. Lots of guys with big guns shooting mutants…yawn. No human interest here whatsoever. Probably because the entire thing is based on a video game where the characters don’t matter as much as the violence does. Skip this one unless you’re a huge fan of the game.
Synopsis: In the not-so-distant future, a portal has been discovered leading from Earth to Mars, where the government operates a research base to examine the ruins of a lost civilization; scientists are studying it, conducting experiments they perhaps shouldn't be, and trying find out what happened. Answer: nothing good. That's what Sarge (The Rock) and his unit of high-tech Marines find out the hard way when they're sent to investigate a disturbance on the base--which turns out to be nothing less than an infestation of terrifying, evil, flesh-eating monsters.
Technical Stuff: Here is the only reason the film got more than one star—it’s production value. The picture is 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and although filmed in a dark underground set, looks spectacular, crisp and vivid.
The sound booms out in Dolby Digital 5.1 and packs a wallop. Every explosion is crystal clear and powerful. Impressive. Also features english in dolby digital 5.1, spanish in dolby digital 5.1 and french in dolby digital 5.1 with subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
Extras?
· "Basic Training" featurette
· "Rock Formation" featurette (The Rock gets ready for the role...)
· "Master Monster Makers" featurette
· "First Person Shooter Sequence" featurette (coolest part of the film, easily)
· "Doom Nation" featurette
· "Game On!" featurette
· Doom 3 Xbox demo
Final Verdict: A great movie to use to show off your new plasma or subwoofer but not much to watch at all. Boring and unsatisfying.

What It’s About: You always have to be suspicious of straight-to-video releases because if they’re that good, why didn’t they get into theatres? The answer for “Bambi II” is that while it’s a sweet and nice to look at film, there’s not much to it.
It’s not a traditional sequel as it doesn’t happen later, but in the middle of the original Bambi. It picks up just after he loses him mom (sniff, sniff) and his dad is trying to avoid taking responsibility for raising him. He becomes friends with all the forest animals and well…that’s about it. There isn’t really a big conflict or plot. The really young ones will probably really enjoy it but the older you get the duller it kind of gets.
Synopsis: "Bambi II" tells the story of the young deer prince's coming of age in the period just after he loses his mother and learns that his father is the revered Great Prince of the Forest. After the initially awkward relationship between the playful fawn and his regal father, they begin a journey together to overcome grief and find in each other something wonderful and unexpected: family.
Technical Stuff: The film is presented in a 1.78:1 screen size and is anamorphic widescreen. It looks great and although the colours are a little muted, it works since the original movie was like that as well.
The DTS isn’t really necessary but sound very nice. The sound is smooth and calm and a nice change from all the explosions that usually come out of my speakers. Disney always has top-notch DVD releases and this one is right up there.
Also features English in Dolby digital 5.1, English in DTS , Spanish in Dolby digital stereo , French in Dolby digital 5.1 and English captioned for the hearing impaired.
Extras?
Making-of featurette: "The Legacy Continues"
Fun facts: "Bambi's Trivia Tracks"
"Thumper's Hurry & Scurry Game"
"Disney Sketch Pad"
Final Verdict: Since there had been so much time between this release and the original, you can’t help but wonder why they weren’t able to come up with a better storyline. It’s a little dry and boring but the really little ones will eat it up.

What It’s About: Can we just say Cameron Diaz is not looking so hot these days? Wow. We were pretty surprised with that one. Moving on…This is a pretty predictable and weird little movie about two sisters who get into a huge fight and how they can’t be happy without each other. Perhaps it’s because I don’t have a sister, but I just didn’t get the whole, “I need my sister or I’ll die” deal.
For those of you who have seen it, perhaps you can email me at editors@relishmagazine.com and explain it. I can’t get into too much here since I don’t want to give anything away, but aren’t weddings about the two people getting married? Not about the sisters together? Whatever. Toni Collette is terrific as Rose, but Diaz simply flashes her smile, and walks around in a bikini displaying no acting skills whatsoever.
Shirley Maclaine is awesome as usual but even she can’t save this sad little movie whose best feature is the huge designer shoe collection constantly shown. Now, that is exciting.
Synopsis: Sisters Maggie and Rose Feller are both best friends and polar opposites when it comes to values, goals and personal style.
Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is a party girl who barely graduated from high school, recycles jobs as quickly as yesterday’s newspapers and believes her biggest asset is her attractiveness to the opposite sex. Her recurring state of unemployment leaves her virtually homeless as she bounces between the sofas of her friends and relatives. With no confidence in her intellectual ability, she prizes makeup over books and has an innate talent for choosing the perfect accessories and clothes for any occasion.
Rose (Toni Collette) is a Princeton educated attorney at a top law firm in Philadelphia. Her beautifully decorated prewar apartment is her haven from the outside world. With her nose perpetually to the grindstone, she struggles constantly with her weight and never feels comfortable in the clothes she wears. Her low self esteem regarding her physical appearance has left her dating life non-existent. Rose’s one joy in life is shoes (because they always fit), but unfortunately she has few social opportunities to remove them from her closet.
After a calamitous falling out, the two sisters travel a bumpy road toward true appreciation for one another – aided along the way by the discovery of the maternal grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) they thought was dead. Through their re-connection with their grandmother, Ella, Maggie and Rose learn how to make peace with themselves and with each other.
Technical Stuff: The picture looks very good with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio and properly displays the colours as dark and gloomy in the first half of the film and pink and cheerful once we switch to Florida.
It’s a talkie movie so the 5.1 surround isn’t really used that much but it does a great job with what it has to work with.
Also features English in Dolby digital 5.1, English in dolby digital stereo , Spanish in Dolby digital stereo , French in Dolby digital 5.1 with subtitles in English and Spanish.
Extras?
Featurette: "The People in the Shoes"
Featurette: "From Death Row to the Red Carpet: The Casting of Honey Bun"
Featurette: "A Retirement Community For Acting Seniors"
Inside Look: "Just My Luck"
Final Verdict: I was hoping for more than a chick flick but that’s really what you end up with here. Nothing original or thoughtful really happens here, but it’s a somewhat entertaining piece of schmaltz at least.