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DVD Review: African Cats, Monte Carlo, Wrong Turn 4 and Thankskilli... http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/11/24/dvd-review-african-cats-mont... Main News Movies Trailers Celebs Games Music Webisode Television Gallery Free TV Store Follow @shockya 6,724 followers 1 of 12 1/4/2012 9:48 AM DVD Review: African Cats, Monte Carlo, Wrong Turn 4 and Thankskilli... http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/11/24/dvd-review-african-cats-mont... 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African ,ats , B95-RA. , B95-RA. REVIE/ , BROO6E MAR6S , ,OMING-OF-AGE , DEAN ARMSTRONG , DE,9AN OBRIEN , DISNE. , DO,5MENTAR. , DVD , DVD RE9EASE , DVD REVIE/ , ED5,ATION , GORE , Horror , HORROR MOVIE , I9IZA SH9ESINGER , IMAGINE IT@ , AENN. P5DAVI,6 , AOSH5A B5T9ER , 6AIT9.N /ONG , 6ATIE ,ASSID. , 9eighton Meester , Monte ,arlo , nudit0 , SAM5E9 9 AA,6SON , SE9ENA GOMEZ , SPOOF , TENI6A DAVIS , THAN6S6I99ING , VI,TOR ZIN,6 , V9OG , /EBISODES , /RONG T5RN 4 , /RONG T5RN 4 B9OOD. BEGINNINGS Related Holiday Sales Classic Horror Film School DVD Review: African Cats, Monte Carlo, Wrong Turn 4 and Thankskilling ,lick Here For More Movie News and Videos. Share Share Share StumbleUpon C Tweet 1 1 Like In a business that freDuentl0 has the tendenc0 to disproportionatel0 celebrate the contributions onl0 of above-the-line talent, a big part of the allure of something like EAfrican ,atsF lies in its below-the-line artisans. An engaging, gorgeousl0 photographed nature documentar0 that puts audiences on 6en0an plains in stunning fashion amidst its title subjects, this Disne0nature title onl0 stumbles in its willful insistence on imposing a famil0-friendl0 narrative on footage that is more than capable on its own, with less artificial constraints. 4 of 12 1/4/2012 9:48 AM DVD Review: African Cats, Monte Carlo, Wrong Turn 4 and Thankskilli... http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/11/24/dvd-review-african-cats-mont... /hat does that mean, straight to the pointB 9ess, or none, of Samuel 9. AacksonGs narration, dripping as it is with e8aggerated tones that needlessl0 attempt to dictate mood. Granted, heGs given a lot of awkward dialogue with which to work, but less evidence of human tinkering would have been more effective here. The movieGs stor0 focuses predominantl0 on two animal families, intercutting their separate stories of hunting and survival. One strand follows Sita, a fearless and cunning cheetah raising five newborn cubs as a single mother. The other follows a large pride of lionesses, including cub Mara, who live and travel under the protection of Fang, a broken-toothed old lion. /hen the receding river waters allow for the encroachment from the north of a would-be rival, 6ali, along with his four sons, it seems like FangGs da0s of supremac0 are numbered. The filmGs incredible visual intimac0 is its chief selling point, affording viewers a chance to get up close and personal with animals in a wa0 that even (oo e8hibits do not allow. Arriving on Blu-ra0 in a standard snap-shut case housed in turn in an embossed cardboard slipcover, EAfrican ,atsF is presented on an AV,-encoded dual-la0er disc, in 1.7C 1 widescreen. Its cr0stal-clear video transfer is utterl0 superb, with no artifacting or edge enhancement, and no minor hiccuping or dela0 in even the fastest cheetah chase seDuences. A DTS-HD master audio track spreads the bulk of its action across the front channels, but also takes advantage of its range in moments of atmospheric pause. A nice picture-in-picture feature pairs production trivia with information about the animals themselves, and there are also video annotations that spin off into much deeper topical e8plorations. A music video of Aordin SparksG EThe /orld I 6newF (a tune which closes the movieI accompanies two brief featurettes, one of which spotlights Disne0Gs commitment to conservation and nature through its Disne0nature line and one of which looks at the special land-lease program being used to bridge a migrator0 divide between two of AfricaGs largest wildlife preserves. 5 of 12 1/4/2012 9:48 AM DVD Review: African Cats, Monte Carlo, Wrong Turn 4 and Thankskilli... http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/11/24/dvd-review-african-cats-mont... A fanciful teen travelogue with the reDuisite number of tall dark strangers, EMonte ,arloF charts a small town Te8as girlGs travels through Europe after her high school graduation, where she ironicall0 finds herself b0 assuming another personGs identit0. More than a bit sill0 and contrived, but so agreeabl0 cast and well e8ecuted as to mitigate these shortcomings for the core demographic at which it is pitched, the movie is a pleasant slice of re-worked, tween-targeted entertainment J diverging wildl0 from its source material, a novel b0 Aules Bass — that should receive welcome embrace from fans of EThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,F as well as their 0ounger siblings. Selena Gome( stars as good-girl Grace, a sensible valedictorian whoGs saved up mone0 for 0ears for this special post-graduation trip with her sass0 friend Emma (6atie ,assid0I. SheGs bummed when her parents (Andie MacDowell and Brett ,ullenI force her newl0 minted, wet-blanket older stepsister Meg (9eighton MeesterI upon her, but vows to make the best of it. Her package tour, however, turns out to be a rushed, bargain-basement affair, and unsatisf0ing on all fronts. /hen the girls get separated from the rest of their group, it seems like a disaster, but soon Grace is mistaken for snoot0 0oung heiress and tabloid Dueen ,ordelia Scott (Gome( againI, which affords the gals an evening in a huge Paris hotel suite, and then an all-e8pense paid trip to the title cit0. /hile Grace struggles to keep up the charade in the presence of a member of ,ordeliaGs famil0, she and the other girls also meet various bo0s who make their hearts soar, and offer up fresh complications. Gorgeous production design and superb costuming and girlie accoutrements help float this improbabl0 romantic adventure and lend it an air0 grace, as does a score from composer Michael Giacchino that classil0 evokes swirling romance without hitting antecedent influences right on the nose. The stor0 is fairl0 boilerplate, and could certainl0 do without a stor0 strand involving EmmaGs in-pursuit bo0friend Owen (,or0 MonteithI, who travels across the Atlantic in an improbabl0 flight0 Duest for romantic reconciliation. Still, Gome(, ,assid0 and Meester have a nice rapport, and the locations are nice as well. There are far, far worse wa0s to while awa0 a famil0 movie night. EMonte ,arloF comes to Blu-ra0 on a BD-51 disc presented in 1.C5 1 anamorphic widescreen, with a si8-channel, DTS-HD audio track that abl0 captures plent0 of bustling, chirp0 street life in the movieGs outdoor seDuences, but otherwise focuses more straightforwardl0 on dialogue and music. Seven minutes of deleted scenes include a bit more material with the ErealF ,ordelia thatGs kind of amusing, 6 of 12 1/4/2012 9:48 AM DVD Review: African Cats, Monte Carlo, Wrong Turn 4 and Thankskilli... http://www.shockya.com/news/2011/11/24/dvd-review-african-cats-mont... plus a Duintet of featurettes, none longer than si8 minutes, focusing on the cast, fashion, ph0sical backdrops and other elements of production. The filmGs trailer, a Dui( that matches viewers to a character from EMonte ,arloF and BD-9ive capabilit0 round things out, along with a digital cop0 disc of the movie. On the documentar0 front, EImagine It@F is a breathlessl0 paced, 52-minute look at various global challenges which evokes Aohn F. 6enned0Gs famous 1962 Rice 5niversit0 Eman on the moonF speech in an attempt to trigger ambition in particularl0 the fields of science and engineering, and connect those disciplines with left-brain creativit0 and imagination.