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Digital Breakdown: Leap on 'Jumper' for a wild ride
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Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson star in the visually arresting "Jumper."
SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - “Jumper” is the story of a guy who discovers he has the ability to teleport himself. After robbing a bank and setting up a nice little life for himself, David (Hayden Christensen) travels back to his hometown to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart (Rachel Bilson). But along the way, he meets another Jumper, Griffin (Jamie Bell) and is dragged into a centuries-long war between Jumpers and those tasked with eliminating them, the Paladins, led by a fanatical zealot (Samuel L. Jackson).
The movie has high-profile special effects and unique chases, but there’s no explanation of why Jumpers can do what they do or why the Paladins oppose them. If you don’t care about facts or logic, this is a fun ride.
The best of the set’s good extras is “Doug Liman’s Jumper Uncensored,” a 35-minute behind-the-scenes extravaganza focusing on actor grievances, on-location issues and the grueling production schedule. There are an additional four featurettes, deleted scenes and audio commentary as well. Price: $29.99 to $39.99. Rent or buy: Great rental.
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL
If you’ve watched Showtime’s “The Tudors,” which deals with the private life and government workings of Henry VIII, “The Other Boleyn Girl” will be tame in comparison. Instead of heated sexual trysts, there’s mediocre innuendo. There’s no brutal rule; the story’s really about one woman unwilling to give herself to the king without becoming queen.
The biggest issue here is casting Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn and Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn. The roles should be reversed; audiences are far too accustomed to seeing Johansson as a strong-willed character and not the meek, “ugly” one she’s supposed to be here. Two featurettes, deleted scenes and cast bios round out the DVD. Price: $28.96 to $38.96. Rent or buy: Rent.
THE BUCKET LIST
When two aging gents (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) end up in a hospital side-by-side, they look back at their lives and decide to right some wrongs and to put together a list of experiences they’d like to have before “kicking the bucket.” Freeman and Nicholson seem to be born to work together playing the seniors without a care. The movie’s an enjoyable romp. The standard definition disc has few extras; the Blu-ray has a richer selection. Price: $28.98 to $35.99. Rent or buy: Great rental.
JOHN ADAMS (HBO MINI-SERIES)
HBO’s awesome biopic “John Adams” follows the birth of a nation told through the eyes of one of the founding fathers. Paul Giamatti stars as John Adams; Laura Linney plays his wife Abigail, who are shown as they draft the Declaration of Independence. The seven-part, three-disc DVD set has a feature-length documentary about the author of the book on which the series is based: “David McCullough: Painting with Words.” Featurettes deal with happenings on the sets and the historical accuracy of the series. Price: $59.99. Rent or buy: Buy.
HIGH NOON — 2-DISC ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION
The classic Western is back on DVD with a new digital cut. The set has great new extras, including a 50-minute documentary on the making of the film and a look at the Tex Ritter museum, plus vintage featurettes, commentary and deleted scenes. Price: $19.98. Rent or buy: Buy.
Other DVDs coming out Tuesday: “McLeod’s Daughters — The Complete Sixth Season,” “Dukes of Hazzard: TV Double Feature,” “7th Heaven — The Sixth Season,” “The Odd Couple — The Fourth Season,” “Hawaii Five-O — The Fourth Season,” “Army Wives — The Complete First Season,” “Home Improvement: The Complete Eighth Season,” “Witness Protection,” “Soap — The Complete Series” and “What’s Happening! — The Complete Series.”
Comments from Examiner Readers
7:38 PM MST on Mon., Aug. 11, 2008 re: "DIGITAL BREAKDOWN: Everyone should ‘Live Free’"
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april simental said:
this movie is very good as the first three, but it would have been better if they did have it R.im pretty sure bruce wanted the movie 2 b R, but the directors didnt want 2.
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Examiner Reader said:
were u watching the same movie as i was. this movie is one of the best bruce has ever done. it seems to me that u are not a bruce willis fan, if ur're gonna diss the kind of movies he does come talk to me. dont u ever talk about his movies like that ever again.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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R. Knights said:
Both "Twister," and "P.S. I Love You," are available in HD DVD from Warner Bros., in spite of what this article implies.
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ja pan said:
if you haven't seen the "host," you're missing something great in horror flicks. it may not be the most interesting plot or the greatest actors, but it will keep you in the seat of your pants terrified what's coming up next.
401 agree | 351 disagree
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