CD Review: Halloween - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2007)

Way back in 1979 John Carpenter revolutionized the horror film when he introduced the world to one of horror cinema's most enduring killers. Michael Myers was born that year, and from that moment on, he would go on to haunt the dreams of many a young child who dared stay up late on dark and stormy nights watching Halloween. It would go on to spawn a series of sequels of varying quality that would never live up to the original masterpiece. Now, nearly thirty years later, the horror loving populace will be subjected to a remake of said classic. A daunting task to be sure. One that a lesser man would curl up in a dark room and whimper. Not Rob Zombie, he took on the task, and in addition to writing and directing the film (with approval from John Carpenter), he also took on piecing together a soundtrack to his new vision.

In addition to writing and directing the original, John Carpenter was also the composer. To this day the Halloween score remains one of the best ever recorded. One listen and you will know why. It is terrifying in its simplicity, in the way it can build suspense and dread even when you aren't watching the movie. I doubt that anyone will be able to match what he was able to accomplish. For the remake, Tyler Bates has taken up the compositional duties. He is coming hot off of his work for Zack Snyder on 300, and has previously collaborated with Rob Zombie on The Devil's Rejects.

This soundtrack is not a score album, but it does contain two pieces by Tyler Bates. I have read rumors that a score album will be released this October. I hope that is true, as I liked what I heard here. The first piece is a reworking of John Carpenter's original theme music, music that even those who haven't seen the movie are familiar with. The track is simply called "Halloween 2007." It does not match up to the original, but it does a pretty good job of retaining that old school sense of dread without merely duplicating it. The main lines are still there, but there is a bit more of a synth feel to it with some underlying ambiance added to the mix. The other track is from the climax and it is called "The Shape Stalks Laurie." First, I am glad to see the credit of the Shape remain, hopefully that is how the end credits will read. As for the piece itself, it is an ambient piece with lots of industrialized noises. It is far from your traditional orchestral score sound. It has a slow build as a variety of sounds build up to a violent crescendo. I like it. It brings in flavors of Carpenter's work, but is definitely a new take for the new film. I cannot wait to see how it fits with the film.

The bulk of the album is comprised of classic rock hits from the 70's and 80's. It is refreshing to see a horror film that is clearly courting a younger audience not load up on the current crop of metal bands to provide "dark and creepy" songs. For example, take a look at such offerings as Saw III, Freddy vs. Jason, and the Masters of Horror collection. It's not that there is anything wrong with that soundtrack, I like a lot of what's on them. I just like that there is someone out there that finds appropriate music among the classics, and remembers that there was music before the last few years.

Anyway, the songs that play between Tyler Bates bookends are a good number of known songs that make you just want to turn up the stereo to 11. You will find such hits as Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," Nazareth's "Love Hurts," Rush's "Tom Sawyer," and Kiss' "God of Thunder." There is also the unexpected inclusion of "Halloween II" by the masters of horror punk, The Misfits. It would have been nice if there were a few more oddball picks like that. Still this is a solid collection of tunes that will hopefully fit the film that Rob has created.

Perhaps taking a cue from the 20th Anniversary edition of the Halloween soundtrack, or just continuing the trend he started with his first two films, each song is separated with a snip of dialogue from the film. All I can say is that these bits are definitely not from the original film, and is increasing my anticipation of the new take.

The soundtrack ends with Nan Vernon's version of "Mr. Sandman," which I presume will play over the closing credits. What? Never heard of Nan Vernon? Well, neither have I, but no matter. This song is deliciously sweet with a just a touch of evil sprinkled throughout. The perfect closer.

Bottomline. It isn't filled with current hits, and could possibly have had a few more oddball choices, but it is still a solid soundtrack. I say this, of course, without having seen the movie yet, so I cannot comment on the complete success of the selections. I have faith, however, in Rob Zombie's ability to capture the right feel for the moment. With his past two outings, he is near Tarantino's level of excellence in that department. Also, Bates is composer to keep an eye on.

Recommended.

Music DVD Review: Solitude Aeturnus - Hour of Despair

It was only a few months ago that I first heard Solitude Aeturnus. Despite the fact that they have been around for twenty years, already had five albums out, and possess a sound I enjoy. It is eye opening every time I get a disk from a band I don't know. When the music turns out to be as impressive as Alone was, it only makes you stop and think about how many great bands are out there waiting to be discovered by your ears. As many bands that I listen to, there are always going to be more bands out there waiting for me to find them. Hour of Despair is the first DVD release for the act, and it delivers the goods. It builds upon the base of my experience with Alone. If you are looking for some doom metal from a band that proves it can be exciting live, this is definitely for you.

Hailing from Texas, the five piece band traveled to Poland to record this concert with Metal Mind. It was recorded February 12, 2007 at the Stodola Club in Warsaw Poland. And for those unfamiliar with the band, I did say Texas. I was surprised too. In a genre that is dominated by European acts, a band from Texas, of all places, has made an indelible mark on the genre. The music is dark, intense, technically sound, catchy, and flat out excellent. Now, as for the DVD? It is 70 minutes of perfectly performed doom metal.

I am not terribly well versed in the doom metal, although I find the genre to be intriguing. Solitude Aeturnus takes the technical dirges of darkness from their albums and successfully bring them to the live stage. This style is typically slow, methodical, and not all that conducive to the lively pit action I am more accustomed to. Despite these potential drawbacks to live performance success, Robert Lowe (vocals) and John Perez (guitar) lead the band onto the battlefield.

Their performance is impeccable. Lowe stands at the center of the stage in priestly robes and wearing a large cross. He commands attention while he sings in his hauntingly emotive style. At his side is band founder, and lead guitarist John Perez, who sounds great in the live setting. These two, in conjunction with the other three members prove that you can take a mid-tempo style of music that relishes in sonic atmospherics and turn out a concert that flat out rocks. To use the works of a couple better known bands, think Type O Negative's gloom crossed with Dream Theater's technique. It is a fascinating sound, and it is equally fascinating to see it performed live.

The concert itself is shot well, although the lighting was definitely not geared for video recording. Concerts can be considerably difficult to shoot (as if I know anything about shooting a concert!). From the few times I have taken still photos, it can be awfully tough to get a good shot through the lighting setups. What works for a live audience can wreak havoc with photo/video equipment. I mention this because the blue lights early in the set cause some problems, as well as some flashing issues throughout. Despite that, the production quality is quite high. There is nothing terribly special about the camera angles, but there are some nice closeups of Perez's hands as he plays (something I always found to be interesting). For the most part the image is clear and crisp, a few digital artifacts are revealed in the bright lights, but nothing to ruin the disk.

On the audio side, we get a 5.1 surround mix and 2.0 stereo mix. Both of them are good, but the 5.1 mix has considerably more life to it, even through a stereo setup. Each instrument is captured and rendered nicely. Which is at is should be, considering this is a recorded concert!

The extras are highlighted by some old concert footage. The quality isn't all that good, but seeing this old stuff is a great inclusion. First up is a pair of songs recorded at Joe's Garage in Fort Worth, TX in 1987. This recording features the bands first singer, Chris Gabeworth, and while you can make him out a bit and he doesn't sound bad, he is nothing next to what Robert Lowe brings to the band. The other video is a set of 4 songs recorded at Live on the Rocks in Dallas Texas, 1992. This performance comes complete with the big rock star entrance, followed by the band delivering a show that is better than the 1987 set, and is in a bit better quality. Neither has any type of production value, but really is a treat to fans new and old.

Also included is an interview with Perez and Lowe about the history of the band and their latest album, Alone. It runs for over thirty minutes, and is really worth listening to. They talk about their time on Roadrunner records, how the new material compares to the old, and how they came together in the wake of John Perez's departure from the thrash scene of the mid 1980's.

Rounding out the set are a couple of photo galleries, a text history of the band, their discography, and some desktop wallpaper for your computer.

Bottomline. This is definitely a band I need to investigate some more, and hopefully get a chance to see them live. They do bring a dynamic presence to the stage and an energy that you wouldn't necessarily associate with the doom genre. Man, these guys are really good. What else can I say?

Recommended.

Movie Media: Sydney White - Stills, Trailer

This September will see Amanda Bynes' follow up to her role in the hit musical Hairspray. The movie is called Sydney White and seems to be taking cues from any number of tween films with a dash of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Clearly, I am not a member of the target audience, and no, I don't think it looks terribly good. However, it still looks like it could provide an entertaining experience. What little I have seen of Bynes has been positive. She is cute, has great eyes, and a good deal of on screen charisma. So, it is likely I may make the trip out to see this. The story centers on her freshman year of college, where she rushes a popular sorority of ditsy cheerleader types, and ends up in a dorm with seven dorks (get it?). Anyway, here are a bunch of stills, the trailer, and a link to the official MySpace page with all sorts of other goodies.

New Movies and Box Office Predictions: War, The Nanny Diaries, Mr. Bean's Holiday, Resurrecting the Champ, Illegal Tender

A bean, a nanny, an asian assassin, a boxer, and a mom with hidden guns. Those are your choices for this week. Anything jump out at you? Given a chance, I would see all of them. Anyway, the big titles are gone and we are moving towards the summer dregs. Not to say they will be bad, just saying they have much lower studio expectations. Will any of them be able to compete with the might of Superbad? I don't think so, but it will be interesting to see how close any of them can get. Now, all of you go out and do your part! Report back on your findings.

Mr. Bean's Holiday. (2007, 90 minutes, G, comedy, trailer) Rowan Atkinson is back as the accident prone Bean. This time he heads out of England with the goal of vacationing on the French Riviera. Of course, getting there is going to be half the fun. The commercials look pretty funny, and safe for family viewing. I have never been exposed to all that much Bean, but what I have seen always tends to be to the fun side, so hopefully this movie will prove to be that on a longer scale.

The Nanny Diaries. (2007, 95 minutes, PG-13, comedy, trailer) Scarlett Johansson is always a pleasure to see on the big screen, though I am not sure this will be for me or not. It tells the story of Annie, a college freshman with a working class background who takes a nanny position with an affluent and highly dysfunctional family. Now she has to balance school, work, a boyfriend, and the challenges of life. The trailer looks kind of cute, but nothing spectacular. Robert Pulcini directs, he was also behind the excellent American Splendor. That could make it worth checking out. Hmmm.

War. (2007, 99 minutes, R, action, trailer) The pairing of Jason Statham and Jet Li? Brilliant. This will be the second time the two have been onscreen together, but the first time since Jason Statham has gained some notoriety. They had appeared in One together. This time Li is an assassin responsible for the death of FBI agent Statham's partner. Statham has gone rogue and is dead set on getting Li. Their battle comes in the middle of a mob war. I am not expecting this to be good, but I do expect a lot of fun. The trailer promises fist fights, sword fights, gun fights, and car fights, er, chases. Philip Atwell directs in his big screen debut, he has previously directed one episode of The Shield and some music videos.

Resurrecting the Champ. (2007, 105 minutes, PG-13, drama, trailer) This looks really good. It stars Josh Hartnett as a writer looking for his big story, the one that will make his career. He finds it when he bumps into a homeless man, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who claims to be a former boxing champion. The story becomes much more than that as Hartnett has to reexamine his relationships. It just looks really good. Rob Lurie directs, he has previously directed The Contender and The Lat Castle.

Illegal Tender. (2007, 110 minutes, R, drama, trailer) Rick Gonzalez stars as the son of a murdered man. Years later, the men who killed him come back looking for the son. It is up to Rick, as Wilson DeLeon Jr., to defend himself and his family at all costs. This looks pretty good. I have seen Gonzalez in a few thing, but always remembered liking his work on Boston Public. Hopefully the film will pay off. Franc Reyes directs, he also directed the John Leguizamo film Empire.

Also opening this week, but not near me:

• September Dawn
• Closing Escrow
• Dedication
• Deep Water
• Hannah Takes the Stairs
• The Hottest State
• Right at Your Door

Box Office Predictions
I have a good feeling that Superbad has a good shot at retaining the top spot this week. It is a hilarious movie that will benefit from good word of mouth. That will be followed by decent showings from a trio of new releases, led by a little piece playing counter to Superbad's vulgarity in The Nanny Diaries. Of course, I could end up being way off. This could prove to be a tough weekend to call. Kids are starting to get ready for school, college freshman will be moving away leaving the theaters a bit more empty than usual. Still, it should be interesting to see as the releases wind down with no clear leader among the bunch.

Here is how I think the top ten field will play out:

Rank	Title	Box Office
1	Superbad	$19 million
2	The Nanny Diaries	$16 million
3	War	$15 million
4	Mr. Bean's Holiday	$11 million
5	The Bourne Ultimatum	$10 million
6	Rush Hour 3	$7.5 million
7	Resurrecting the Champ	$6 million
8	The Simpsons Movie	$4 million
9	The Invasion	$3.5 million
10	Hairspray	$2.25 million

What are you seeing this weekend?

Movie Media: Death Sentence - Poster, Stills

A few weeks back I posted a poster and trailer for this new one from James Wan. Since then another poster and some stills have appeared. I am looking forward to seeing this revenge flick. It was just the other day that my Mom say some footage on television from this film, and she told me of this movie that reminded her of Death Wish. That shouldn't surprise anyone as it is based off a novel from the same author. I think it looks good, I also like to see James Wan moving out from the horror genre and trying something else. Hopefully the movie will be quality.

Movie Media: The Kingdom - Poster, Stills, Trailer

I feel as if I have been seeing this trailer for a year and a half now, yet whenever I see the title I can never remember what movie it is. That said, I am looking forward to seeing this. The cast is strong with Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman (!?!). It is also directed by an actor turned director who has made great strides in his newfound role, Peter Berg. The story centers on a bombing in Saudi Arabia which ignites an international incident. Foxx leads a team into the hot zone with intentions of finding those responsible, while working with the Saudi government. Hopefully it will be as good as I think the trailer is.

DVD Review: Ray Harryhausen Presents: The Pit and the Pendulum

Ray Harryhausen is going stronger than ever. The man is a legend among animators with his astounding work in the field of stop motion animation. If you don't believe me, just take a look at his resume. His accomplishments include Jason and the Argonauts, 20 Million Miles to Earth, and Clash of the Titans. There is no denying the advancements he has made. Now he is working to spotlight other artists using the "Ray Harryhausen Presents" tag. The first title to benefit from Harryhausen's involvement is The Pit and the Pendulum, a short based on the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name. This deliciously creepy animation was directed by Marc Lougee and written by Matt Taylor. It delivers on all counts.

Stop motion animation has been a part of film for a long time. Early examples include Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon (which was immortalized in The Smashing Pumpkin's video for "Tonight, Tonight") and, more famously, King Kong in 1932. It was that film about the big ape that would inspire a young Harryhausen to create his enduring works which would go on to influence the next generation of animators, including Henry Selick, whose lush work has reached the big screen in the form of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Another man whose work is inspired by Harryhausen is The Pit and the Pendulum director, Marc Lougee.

This film may run a mere seven minutes, but in that short time frame he is able to capture the essence of the Poe tale and create a memorable film that will haunt the back of your mind well after it is over. This is no jokey take on the material, don't be expecting Puphedz: The Tattle-Tale Heart! This is a moody piece with plenty of atmosphere and mood to spare.

The Pit and the Pendulum is narrated by the anonymous victim. He is dragged before black-robed inquisitors on trumped up charges. Once he is found guilty, he is taken into the dungeons where death surely awaits him. He awakens with his head locked in a metal helmet (an inspired addition to the original story), in the room is the pit of the title. When he survives that, his captors drug him and he is moved to the next room, this room contains the pendulum. Now, this is a short, and I cannot give away everything, but you are probably already familiar with the details already. This is definitely Poe, just stripped down to its essence.

Stop motion has a strange other-worldly feel to it, what with the exaggerated movements and decidedly unrealistic look of the figures. Lougee has used the style to great effect here, with the cadaver-like wax faces, the nice use of light and shadow, and the stylized movements. Another piece that really drove everything home was the music and sound design by Philip Stranger. The music adds just the right touch of eeriness and dread.

Bottomline. This a fantastic short. In its brief runtime it has condensed the Poe story to the bare minimum, and done so in singular style. Marc Lougee continues the grand tradition of stop motion animation and displays a high level of skill that makes me look forward to what he has up his sleeve next.

Highly Recommended.

Movie Media: Saw IV - Posters

Previously, I posted the first two teaser posters for the upcoming horror film, now there are a couple more making the rounds. One is advertising the annual Saw blood drive. This has become a very impactful marketing campaign, resulting in filmgoers having donated nearly 38,000 pints of blood to help save as many as 112,500 lives. That is fantastic. The other is a version of one of the earlier posters, showing Jigsaw's head on a scale. This time it gets a little closer up.

CD Review: DevilDriver - The Last Kind Words

Way back in 1997 Coal Chamber arrived on the scene, riding the then-popular wave of nu-metal. The had a goth look and a Korn sound that brought them to prominence behind songs like "Loco" and "Big Truck." They would peak in 1999 when they released Chamber Music before disappearing following the 2002 release, Dark Days. The band was disbanded by frontman Dez Fafara, who chose to explore the more extreme styles of metal. This led to the formation of DevilDriver. Their eponymous 2003 debut was pretty good, vastly different than his Coal Chamber output, but it failed to make much of an impression on me at the time. That was followed up with the 2005 release of The Fury of Our Maker's Hand, which I never bothered to pick up. We are now in 2007 and the third DevilDriver album is here, and it is a blistering collection of pure modern American metal that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go.

The Last Kind Words is a definite step up from the debut DevilDriver album. The songs offer up more complexity, some insane drumming, and riffs that while blast your face clean off. DevilDriver has become much more than Coal Chamber part 2, that would have been easy. Still, it has taken a few albums for the potential to start showing itself. Now, I know that I haven't listened to their sophomore release, but I can imagine the middling steps taken to get from Coal Chamber to the DevilDriver debut to this release. Their debut had nu-metal tinges woven through the more brutal metal that was being developed, where this one is more metal than anything else.

DevilDriver is a mash of metalcore, thrash, death all meeting at the crossroad of melody. They cannot be cleanly categorized as any one of those genres, but they aren't trailblazers either. When I finished the album entirely, I immediately saw strength and weakness built into the collection as a whole. Without breaking it down song by song, it was easily recognizable that The Last Kind Words was a solid album that plays on the fringe of extreme while remaining accessible to a more mainstream audience with its use of rhythm grooves. On the flipside, there is a strong sense of sameness throughout that was impossible to ignore. There was definitely a lack of range in terms of the style. Yes, the songs stand apart, but the pace and speed is consistent throughout. Despite the sameness, it was very easy to stay on the positive side of the coin because every track is solid in delivering the heavy that I crave. And they deliver the heavy with such insane precision that the sameness criticism could be turned around in favor of being consistently excellent throughout.

The Last Kind Words are a musical tour de force and a tribute to the talents playing behind Dez. The twin guitars of Mike Spreitzer and Jeff Kendrick are monolithic. The two of them create this thick wall of sound that is dense, fast, and even provide some pretty good solos. As good as the guitats are, the real star is John Boecklin, whose drumming is some of the best I have heard recently. He is easily in the same league as Chris Adler (Lamb of God) and Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall), the two drummers I credit as getting me to listen closer to the drumming to begin with. The double basswork, blast beats, and lack of repetition, not to mention precision, are unparallelled. Then there is Dez, whose voice has left the raps and rhymes behind in favor of a more growled singing style that better suits the decidedly more metal stylings of DevilDriver.

So, when you choose to spin this album up, and I guarantee you will, you will be greeted by one of the more satisfying metal releases of the year. Pay particular attention to the songs: "Clouds Over California," Bound by the Moon," "Horn of Betrayal," "Head on to Heartache (Let Them Rot)," and "Monsters of the Deep." You will likely be playing them a lot.

Bottomline. Forget that he was ever in Coal Chamber, and you will find an exciting metallic blast that should not be dismissed. Heavy, fast, catchy, DevilDriver has delivered an album that solidifies them as a force to be reckoned with.

Highly Recommended.

Movie Media: Harold & Kumar 2 - Teaser

A few years ago we got the unlikely pairing of that guy from American Pie (John Cho) and that guy from Van Wilder (Kal Penn) in a movie about hamburgers and getting high. That turned out to be a very funny movie, so funny that a sequel was a foregone conclusion. Well, after it became a surprise success. Honestly, who thought a movie called Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle would actually be any good? Whatever. The teaser for the 2008 sequel has landed, and although it is brief, it looks pretty funny. This time out, the best buds are heading to Amsterdam, but are misidentified as terrorists. Comedy ensues.

Harold &Kumar 2

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DVD Review: The Ultimate Gift

Here is a movie that falls in between the good and the bad, it is neither and it is both. The Ultimate Gift is a film that has its heart in the right place but doesn't quite know how to express it in a meaningful way, in a cinematic sense. The message is there, but when it comes to story and characters, The Ultimate Gift is seriously lacking. It is the story of a spiritual awakening, based upon the inspirational novel of the same name by Jim Stovall. The film was released through Fox Faith, a relatively new imprint from, you guessed it, Fox that focuses on more spiritually oriented family films.

The story centers on the relationship between the recently deceased Red Stevens (James Garner in what he says will be his last film) and his grandson Jason (Drew Fuller). Red was a billionaire tycoon who has left portions of his vast estate to various members of his family, all of which have been spoiled by money and power. One by one they are doled out little pieces of what Red left behind. When it came to the end of the will reading, the room was cleared until only Jason and the executor of the will, Ted Hamilton (Bill Cobbs), remain. Red retained a special place in his heart for the youngest of the Stevens clan, and he set up his will in a way to bestow upon Jason a series of gifts that would culminate in the ultimate gift.

Jason lives life as he wills, a trust fund baby with the bad attitude to match. For some reason he has a chip on his shoulder in relation to his grandfather. Various family members also hint at animosity between the two, though it never gets any more specific than that. Anyway, Red has left video recordings of himself laying out the ground rules by which Jason must play in order to receive said ultimate gift. The surly young Jason is sent on quests which are aimed at imparting him with a new piece of what it means to be a good human being, or rather teach him something about the real world outside of his life of leisure. He is sent to work for a month on a large Texas ranch, he has his possessions taken away and his accounts frozen, he is also charged with making a friend and being generous. All of these things target him and attempt to make him see the path of his life prior to this new path.

A big problem with this as a film, rather than the validity of its content, is that there is no real character development or plot progression. The experience could be likened to watching a book, each test, sorry, each gift is broken down into its own little segment. It is not unlike watching the chapters. Another problem is that we are told what happens without being shown. For example, following the freezing of Jason's assets, we are expected to believe he has spent a good amount of time living on a park bench, through this time Jason is merely afflicted with some bad boy beard stubble. It just does not feel real. Each "chapter" is too short only showing us the beginning, the end, and a taste of the middle. It is hardly enough for the lesson to display any impact on Jason, or on the audience.

Besides the structure, the acting does not help. Most of the performances are wooden. Drew Fuller's Jason is a rather unlikable character, but it is all one note. Even when he reaches the expected moment of clarity where everything dawns on him, I did not feel as if he believed it. At his side for half the film is Ali Hillis, who plays the standard troubled mother of a sick child. While she did a decent job, I did not get anything out of the performance. The one person that did breathe some life, and seemed to "get it" more than anyone else is Abigail Breslin, the Oscar nominated young actress from Little Miss Sunshine and No Reservations. She brings life and humor to her role as young Emily. She really lit up the screen and deserves all the credit for making this at all watchable.

I didn't want to dislike The Ultimate Gift, by the same token I found it rather hard to like as well. There was not much subtlety to it, and if you missed it, everything is recapped during the end credits. So, if you happen to fall asleep for a bit, or miss something, there is no need to pause or rewind as you will be able to catch up on what you missed at the end.

In there efforts to create an uplifting family film, they succeeded in crafting a rather dull message film that has the potential for so much more. The potential is squandered in a story that does not enter the realm of believability. Not for a second did I buy into this video taped series of missions from a deceased patriarch, it felt far too contrived. The screenplay, by Cheryl McKay, is forced through hoops to make all of the gifts fit. There are just too many steps to go into for this version to work. Perhaps, if they pared it down to just a couple and dedicated some more time to them it would have had a greater impact.

Now we come down to the features on the DVD, and this is where everything was brought down another notch or two. This release is turned into a marketing tool for other products inspired by the book and the movie. The film is introduced by the author of the novel, Jim Stovall, who encourages us to look at the extras on the DVD and get the The Ultimate Gift Experience Kit, which is filled with items geared to bring more meaning to the gifts from the book and movie. The extras include a couple of featurettes called "Leave a Legacy," which spotlights the memories of a few inspirational people, and "Live the Ultimate Gift," which brings up the kit again. These are more like commercials to me, perhaps one mention in the context of a featurette would be fine, but I did not care for this use of the bonus materials section of the disk.

The extras also include fluffy 12 minute behind the scenes featurette, a couple of music videos, and a sneak peek for another Fox Faith release: The Redemption of Sarah Cain. Rounding out the disk are trailers for The Ultimate Gift and a few other Fox Faith films.

Bottomline. The message is a bit heavy handed in execution, as it is thrust to the fore at the expense of story and character. I appreciate what they were attempting, in making a movie that was good for the whole family and espoused a positive message. It is just a shame that the resulting film is rather disappointing and shallow.

Not Recommended.