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Film and Dvds

Cinderella song “Cinderella,” the movie that gave wicked stepmothers and stepsisters a bad name, gets the special edition treatment thanks to Disney By David Dickstein Published: October, 2005

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For ages 3-9 Cinderella (Special Platinum Edition) Disney; G; 76 minutes $30 Available Oct. 4 “Cinderella,” the movie that gave wicked stepmothers and stepsisters a bad name, gets the special edition treatment thanks to Disney coming up with yet another way to make money from one of its commodities. This isn’t the first time the 1950 animated fairy tale has been remastered on DVD, but now you get reconstructed deleted songs, a sneak peek of the made-for-video “Cinderella III,” newly discovered deleted scenes and a freshened making-of featurette. Unless you’re so into Cinderella that you’ve named your cat Lucifer or given your daughter glass slippers for her birthday, take a pass. There’s plenty of an earlier special edition on eBay that should do your family just fine. The movie gets the highest marks, but the package gets a big “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.” Grade: D For ages 6-adult The Wizard of Oz Warner Bros.; G; 210 and 304 minutes $27 and $40 Available Oct. 25 Not sure why Warner Home Video is releasing two special editions of “The Wizard of Oz” in a non-milestone 66th anniversary year, but that’s a question for the Scarecrow when he gets his brain. A two-disc special edition and three-disc collector’s edition are out on the same day, offering fans of the 1939 family classic the choice between “medium” and “large” size. Both sets boast a fabulous new digital transfer of the original Technicolor film in addition to a newly remastered soundtrack. DVD bonuses in each include “The Wonderful World of Oz” storybook read by Angela Lansbury, who also narrates a featurette on the movie’s supporting cast, along with documentaries on the impact the film has had on cinema and society. The third disc of the collector’s edition devotes four hours to “Oz” creator L. Frank Baum. Grade: A+ for both. For ages 7-12 Herbie ­ Fully Loaded Disney; PG; 102 minutes $30 Available Oct. 25 Lindsay Lohan’s career strayed off course with this retread from Disney that barely topped $100 million worldwide at the summer box office (definitely below expectations). This forgettable remake of the delightful 1968 comedy “The Love Bug” has Hollywood’s former “It Girl” taking ownership of a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own. Together, they make their way on the NASCAR circuit. The comedy has its moments, but the fun runs out of gas much earlier than Herbie does. Michael Keaton, Matt Dillon and Cheryl Hines also star. Grade: C+ Kicking & Screaming Universal; PG; 95 minutes $20 Available Oct. 11 One-time golden boy Will Ferrell had a rough summer. “Bewitched” was bothersome and bewildering in terms of its lousiness, and before that was this soccer semi-stinkeroo. Ferrell plays an average Joe who decides to coach his 10-year-old’s soccer team. He ultimately goes head to head against his dad (Robert Duvall), an overly competitive man who will stop at almost nothing to win the championship. Like father like son is the name of this title game. Laughs are as few as the goal count at most pro soccer games. Plus, we’ve seen it all before in “Bad News Bears” and “The Mighty Ducks.” DVD bonuses include deleted scenes, appropriately called “The Red Cards.” Grade: C- For ages 11-16 Batman Begins Warner Bros.; PG-13; 140 minutes $30 Available Oct. 18 The fifth installment gets it right, ignoring the previous big-budgeted action flicks by telling the saga from the beginning with more character study. Director Christopher Nolan, working off a screenplay he wrote with David S. Goyer, spends the first half switching back and forth from flashbacks to the present day, not unlike the device he used masterfully in “Memento.” Christian Bale is perfectly cast as the suited dude who tries to rid Gotham City of all baddies. Here, one of the worst is crime boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), who also has control over the cops and judges. It’s an uphill battle, but thanks to friends played by Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, Batman just may prevail after all. A 72-page comic book is included, along with several hours of DVD extras in the two-disc edition. Grade: A David Dickstein is a regular contributor.

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