GEORGIA RULE
Directed by Garry Marshall
Starring Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes and Garrett Hedlund
(Distributed by Berjaya HVN Sdn Bhd)

WHEN stars like Fonda, Huffman and Lohan come together in a movie, you take notice. When the director is the guy who was behind Pretty Woman, you take the DVD out of the shelf and tell yourself maybe it’s worth the watch.

Sadly, this one isn’t.

Initially, the story is promising. Lilly (Huffman) is driving her daughter Rachel (Lohan) to her mother’s place (Fonda) so the rebellious teenager gets to spend the summer with her grandmother for some good old disciplining.

You would expect a run-of-the-mill family drama like Secondhand Lions as the young actress learns about love, life and acquiring deep respect for your mother.
And then the issue of Lilly’s alcoholism and Rachel’s sexual abuse kick in and instead of addressing the issues seriously, the story is suddenly thrown off-balance and splattered everywhere without having the main issues solved.

Frankly speaking, it is a waste of talent for these three actresses who shine in their respective roles but don’t merge nicely as a complete story.

The DVD doesn’t come with any bonus feature, but I suppose after you’re through with this film, any extras cannot be deemed a bonus.

THE KINGDOM
Directed by Peter Berg Starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom and Ali Suliman
(Distributed by Berjaya HVN Sdn Bhd)

IT’S another America-against-terrorism drama as FBI agents are sent to Riyadh when a terrorist attack at Riyadh’s expatriate housing area kills 100 people. Fleury (Foxx) leads his team to find the man behind the terror and realises that they are the militants’ next target.

It’s a fast-paced drama as the team, with the help of two Saudi policemen, try to find the man responsible for the attack. The villain has a tight network of suicide bombers and people who are willing to die and kill in the name of religion.

The bonus features are extensive. There are a few deleted scenes and the one with Fleury and Mayes (Garner) getting a nod from their boss to authorise the trip explains how the team got its permission to go to the crime scene.

There is also a character by character sequence of the final shootout so fans can follow a character’s story without disruption and distraction. It gives a clearer picture of what happens to who.

The explosive freeway sequence also made it to the bonus features but this is a lengthy and technical explanation about the accident scene before the shootout.

A behind-the-scenes look called Creating The Kingdom narrates the crew’s process in story-making, including fact-finding to keep the story probable.

An interactive timeline gives the history of Saudi Arabia and its relationship to the West, laying the background for the story.

I like the ending of this movie. It gives a perspective of good and evil as we know it. That they and us are both good and evil and the difference is only in our views.

MEET THE ROBINSONS
Directed by Stephen J. Anderson Voiced by Angela Bassett, Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Matthew Josten, John H.H. Ford, Dara McGarry, Tom Kennie and Laurie Metcalf.
(Distributed by Berjaya HVN Sdn Bhd)

ANOTHER great movie! Meet the Robinsons is about a young inventor named Lewis who is an orphan. Sad, but here comes the fun part. He meets Wilbur who’s from the future and Wilbur has a mission. To find a man with a bowler hat. Then Lewis goes on an exciting journey to the future with Wilbur on a time machine!

That’s where he meets the wacky family Robinsons. Singing frogs, dogs wearing glasses, instant buildings and flying cars! Everything that you would want the future to be.

This awesome DVD doesn’t only contain a great movie but it also contains some cool bonus features! First is Backstage Disney which is where you can see what they do at the studio, how they started getting the ideas for creating Meet the Robinsons. There is also an audio commentary on the Backstage Disney feature.

Then there is the Deleted Scenes section which is my favourite part. You get to see the stuff they decided to leave out from the movie and they’ll explain to you why and so on.

Next are the music videos by Rob Thomas and Jonas Brothers. The most exciting part is the Family Function 5,000 which is a game everyone can enjoy. This is an awesome DVD with lots of extras.

HANNAH MONTANA
Starring Miley Ray Cyrus, Jason Earles, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment, Mitchel Musso and Moises Arias.
(Distributed by Berjaya HVN Sdn Bhd)

WELL, this DVD contains four episodes about Miley Steward a.k.a. Hannah Montana, the pop star with a crush on the famous actor, Jake Ryan.

At first she hates him but slowly she falls in love. Her best friend Lily is also hung up on Jake badly — and so are all the other girls. But soon Hannah Montana guest stars on Jake’s series where he slays zombies!

I love the episode where Jackson (Miley’s brother) and their dad play pranks on each other. I laughed till my stomach hurt. I also like it because it teaches you that certain things happen in life, teaches you to be true to yourself, but sometimes things are not meant to be and someone will always be there for you.

This DVD also contains a lot more than just four episodes of fun; it also contains bookmarks of Hannah Montana, a musical performance by Hannah singing Nobody’s Perfect, which I enjoyed so much I kept replaying it till my mom got irritated.

There’s also an interview with Miley Cyrus. This is a great bonus feature. This gives glimpses into Miley and her real family as well as her co-stars. If you’re a Hannah Montana fan, you should really get this DVD! It’s full of laughs and sad moments.