Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 1 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-Ray
Pixar started out as a division of LucasFilm but was spun off to sell hardware. At first their animated shorts were used only to showcase the hardware, but instead of just showing off animation techniques, they hired real animator to and uses the medium to tell real stories. The rest is, as they say, history.

This DVD includes 13 shorts starting with The Adventures of André & Wally B from 1984, which runs less than 90 second and looks absolutely archaic compared to today's standard. But was groundbreaking when it was first releases; in fact, when it was first released it wasn't even a finished project and it was still greeted with unabashed enthusiasm. Next up is Luxo, Jr., which has a legacy extends to this day in the Pixar logo. Red's Dream is the first short with a human character, environmental effect, a real plot. It's still relatively short at just 4 minutes, but you can see the seeds were planted. The shorts were no longer just about showing off the technology, but were also about telling a story. If you can tell a 4-minute story, you can tell a feature-length story, it's just a matter of improving the technology to make it easier to work with. You see this progression in Tin Toy from 1988 and Knick Knack from 1989. Two notes with Knick Knack, I love the song at the end of that short, and this is the edited version found on the Finding Nemo DVD and not the original version. I was hoping the original would at least be offered as an Easter Egg, but that was not to be.

That was the last of the pre-Toy Story releases, but not the end of the Pixar short films. However, now instead of using the technology to prove they can use digital animation to tell a story, they used the shorts to help animators get first hand experience at directing to help develop talent. For instance, Jan Pinkava, who wrote and directed the Oscar winning Geri's Game, co-wrote and helped direct Ratatouille. Speaking of Oscars, the 13 shorts on this collection earned seven Oscar nominations for Best Animated Short, winning three of them. Frankly I'm amazed a couple others didn't also win.

As for the extras, there are audio commentary tracks on 12 of the 13 shorts presented, with Jack-Jack Attack being the only exception. (I have no idea why.) The other main extra is the featurette, The Pixar Shorts: A Short History, which runs 23 minutes has does a very good job dealing the rise of Pixar and how they went from a tiny section of a bigger company to the best animation studio around. Very strong replay value here. Also included are four Sesame Street shorts done by Pixar featuring the two Luxo lamps from their second short. It's nice to have, but there's limited replay value.

(There are also some Easter Eggs, mostly animation tests, but I'll let the readers find them.)

I love short films. I have several collections of shorts on DVD and I jump at the opportunity to collect more. And of the companies of working in the medium today, Pixar is the best. Combined with the impressive number of extras it is a must have and clearly a contender for DVD Pick of the Week. The only question is if it's worth getting on Blu-Ray or not, but that's a question that will have to wait till next week.

Ratatouille - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-Ray
One of the best reviewed films of the year, it is also one of a record-setting group of $200 million hits. But will the DVD live up to the film?

(On a side note, this is a review for the DVD only. There was such a huge demand for the Blu-Ray version that my screener had not yet arrived. Hopefully next week I'll have a spotlight review on the Blu-Ray version.)

Ratatouille star Patton Oswalt as Remy, a rat with a taste for fine food. But it's hard for a rat get fine food, even one living in Paris. This is where he meets Linguini, a wannabe chef working at Gusteau's, a former five-star restaurant that has seen better days after the passing of its head chef, Auguste Gusteau.

This is a great movie that truly earned 97% positive reviews. The film tells a simple story of two people, Remy and Linguini, who share a dream of being a chef, a dream that is out of reach for both. But together they can achieve success. Like I said, it is a simple story, but it is told with amazing effectiveness. You quickly become emotionally involved in all of the characters' lives and there is a near perfect mix of drama, humor, and action. (I would like to point out that where there is a lot of humor, there are few jokes, as the movie generates laughs through the characters. I much prefer this type of film.) The sparse narration was effective, but I'm glad they didn't rely on this device to provide insight into Remy's state of mind. I am even happier that they didn't allow Remy to talk to human, just to other rats.

As for the animation, this is the best I've ever seen. There were a number of scenes early on where I was completely tack aback with the level of details, especially when Remy falls into the sink of water. Getting hairs right is hard enough, getting water right is hard enough, combing the two is nearly impossible. This was a scene that is sure to wow animators, however, it also will enthrall those who have no interest in how complicated the animation is. On the other hand, in Cars the big wow scene was at the waterfall. I remember when watching that movie for the first time how impressed I was with the animation, but I also thought that the scene would bore kids, and maybe even a few adults as it was more about the animation than the storytelling. This never happened while I was watching Ratatouille, in fact, by the time I was halfway into the movie, I had stopped paying attention to the animation and was completely focused on the story.

I do have a minor complaint about the character design for Peter Sohn, who provided the voice for Remy's brother, Emile. That voice just doesn't work for that character, and by character I mean Peter Sohn. After watching this movie and seeing him in interviews, I think that voice fits better with the slightly overweight rat more than it does with the real person providing it. This is a sign of perfect casting, but it might cause some neurosis with the actor.

Moving onto the extras, this was the only part of the DVD that I wasn't happy with. The total extras for this DVD are one interview, two shorts, and three deleted scenes. That's it. On the other hand, the quality of the extras was high. The interview, Fine Food and Film talks to the director, Brad Bird, and the chef, Thomas Keller, who served as a consultant of sorts on the movie. They talk about the drive it takes to become one of the best in their field and how they were mentored, and mentor others, etc. The two shorts are Lifted, about an Alien student driver trying to pass his Alien Abduction test, (which can be found on the Pixar Shorts - Volume 1 - DVD or Blu-Ray), and Your Friend the Rat, which has Remy and Emile talking about the negative image rats have. (I agree with the short that rats didn't spread the Plague. They didn't even spread the fleas that spread the plague. They can't; they have tiny little legs. They only travel as far as humans take them and if we weren't so filthy, they wouldn't follow us.) Finally three deleted scenes are presented in animatic form with intros detailing why they were cut. They were smart cuts, but make interesting extras.

(There are also some Easter Eggs, but I'll let the readers find them, as that's half the fun of having them.)

Overall, Ratatouille is arguable the best movie I've watched this year, and I watch a lot of movies. On the other hand, the extras are only average. I was expecting an audio commentary track and the featurettes that were on the official site. Had those been included, this would have been the DVD Pick of the Week. As it is, I still heartily recommend adding this movie to your collection.

Sicko - Buy from Amazon
Michael Moore is the master of the advocacy documentary. Make no doubt about it, Michael Moore is not interested in giving equal time to opposing views, but this documentary is devastatingly effective, so much so that it is hard to image there being an argument that could withstand it.

Before I get further into the movie, I should point out that I am Canadian, which I have mentioned on numerous occasions. However, it is relevant here because Canada went through the same debate over socialized health care more than 40 years ago, and all of the scare tactics you here today were used then. And they were all proven wrong. In fact, as Michael Moore shows, they are more appropriate to the current American system. I've never been told what doctor to see, but as the film points out, some insurance companies force you to go to in house hospitals, even when it is an emergency and lives are at stake. I've never been told by a bureaucrat that I couldn't get the treatment prescribed by my doctor. We see that happened in Sicko a number of times.

I do have some complaints, for instance, I thought the use of the 9/11 rescue workers was a little heavy-handed. For me, the movie would have been more effective if it relied less on emotional arguments and more on the numbers. On the other hand, this might not be true for most people. Also, I think the Canadian debate should have been emphasized more in the film, as it is a clear parallel to the debate. Additionally, Michael Moore repeatedly refers to heath care in Canada, the U.K., and France as free, but it is not, it is paid through taxes. However, unlike the myths spread by opponents, these countries are not swimming in taxes. In Canada the average person making $40,000 a year pays 25% in taxes while in France it's 28%, in the United States is was 24%, same as the U.K. If you make $150,000 in Canada you pay 37% compared to 36% in France, while in both the U.K. and U.S.A. it is and 34%. Taxes are higher in Canada, but not a lot higher, and more importantly, the tax burden plus out of pocket health expenses is actually lower in Canada than in the States. If this point were made, that socialized health care will save money, it would kill half the arguments against it. Finally, the death rates for diseases should have been brought up, which would have killed the other half of the arguments. For instance, using a topical example, in the U.K. 27 out of every 100,000 men die of prostate cancer, while in the U.S.A. it's 26 out of every 100,000, which is merely statistical noise.

Moving onto the extras, this DVD shines with more than 80 minutes of bonus material, although no audio commentary track. There are additional / extended interviews with many people like British politician, Tony Benn, or a Cuban Nun who talks about religion in a country that most think has none. There are also stories on individuals who are trying to get health care without insurance that are also very effective. Not all the extras work, like What If You Work for G.E. in France which makes its point very fast but lasts way too long after that. Also, the music video didn't interest me.

Overall, Sicko is a very effective documentary on the state of the healthcare crisis in the United States. Michael Moore makes his points well and even adds more cinematic flare than most documentaries have. It is not a perfect film, but it is certainly worth checking out. Add in extras that are impressive in quantity and quality, and this DVD is easily worth adding to your collection.