Jet Li’s Fearless
Blu-ray Edition
Directed by Ronny Yu
Starring Jet Li, Nakamura Shidou, Sun Li, Dong Yong, Nathan Jones
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 9, 2008

Jet Li was planning to stop making martial art movies after the filming of Fearless. He didn’t stick to that plan, but had he done so he would have gone out on an extremely high note.

Fearless tells the story of the life of Huo Yuanjia (played by Li), though it takes some major liberties for dramatic effect. In real life, Huo had many children and grandchildren, not a single daughter, and he was not the only person responsible for the forming of the Chin Woo Athletic Association. Also, humorously, the film greatly embellishes the facts around the fight between Huo and a boxer named O’Brien (Nathan Jones). In reality, there was never any fight, O’Brien simply left town after a dispute over the rules of the match. I don’t imagine that would make a great sequence in a martial art film though, so it’s safe to say the film was “inspired by” Huo’s life rather than a factual account of it.

The Blu-Ray edition holds three versions of the film: theatrical, unrated, and director’s cut. I can count on one hand the number of director’s cuts that are significantly different from the original film. Fearless is one of those films and the director’s cut is a significant improvement over the theatrical version. Running 40 minutes (yes, you read that correctly, 40 minutes) longer that original version, director Ronny Yu found a lot more story to tell, with none of it seeming gratuitous.

Call of Duty: World at War
Genre: First Person Shooter
ESRB: M for Mature
Developer: ACTIVISION/Treyarch Studios
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: November 11, 2008

Just another WWII shooter right? Well, in this case, yes and no. The name Call of Duty has become synonymous with quality first-person shooters and sequels continue to improve upon their predecessors. That was until now, as the fifth installment seems to have hit a few bumps along the way and fails to really improve on some of more innovative aspects introduced in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It is worth noting that this game was produced by Treyarch Studios, who were responsible for part 3, but not part 4, which was produced by Infinity Ward. Even ignoring the WWII/Modern aspects, the contrast in styles is obvious, with some aspects not really helping the new version.

The story mode is entertaining, though at this point you have to wonder how creative people can get with yet another WWII first-person shooter. Even though Call of Duty: World at War lives up to its name by showing both the Asian and European fronts, I think the game could have done fine on its own focusing on the U.S.-Japanese conflict. The game jumps back and forth between the two fronts every two missions, which can be a bit annoying as it breaks the storyline for the sake of breaking it. Supporting this notion is the fact that a majority of the Asian front levels take place nearly a year after the fall of Berlin. You will play two levels in the spring of 1945 only to be sent back to the battle of Stalingrad immediately after. It seems unnecessary. While the Japanese campaign story would have been fine on its own, I have to admit some of the Russian/German levels were my favorite ones to play. Though it seems like a direct rip-off of Enemy at the Gate, one level has you taking over for a wounded sniper in Stalingrad, stalking your prey throughout a ravaged city. There is plenty to enjoy from the solo gameplay here, even if it isn’t all that original.

LittleBigPlanet
Genre: Platformer
ESRB: E for Everyone
Developer: Media Molecule
Platform: Playstation3
Price: $59.99
Release Date: October 27, 2008

If you’re looking for a fun game for adults, kids, or both, LittleBigPlanet for the Playstation 3 is a very safe bet. The new platform is certainly one of the most unique games of 2008 if not this entire gaming generation. How can you go wrong with a culturally diverse game starring little “sack people” in a world of marionettes narrated by Stephen Fry in the same humorous manner as he did the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?

There’s not much to the “story” of the single-player game. You are your own sackperson, exploring the imaginary parts of LittleBigPlanet as you learn the ways of the game. Along the way, you may notice a bizarre looking creature ease-dropping on your fun or even sneaking away with one of your friends, but there isn’t much more to say about him until the very end.

The gameplay is very standard platforming. You run, jump, grab, move blocks, blow stuff up, and jump on bad guys to make them disappear. Even so, the game finds new and creative ways to implement the simple controls needed to move your Sackboy or Sackgirl around the world. There are only a handful or so “devices” used by the game but hundreds of variations on how they can be used. The first few levels walk you through the basics, but the game includes video tutorials and demos to teach you about all the possibilities, and even those contain some humorous jabs. I half-expected a bowl of petunias to fill from the sky at one point. Overall I found the game’s atmosphere to be very clever and one of the few games I found entertaining to learn the game.

Shrek the Third
Blu-Ray Edition
Directed by: Chris Miller
Starring Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonia Banderas, Justin Timberlake
Paramount Home Entertainment
Release date: September 23, 2008

Sometimes, trilogies take a great film and make a legendary series out of it. Sometimes… they take what was good about the original, regurgitate it over and over, and the end result is a garbled shell of what made the original entertaining. This latter accurately describes Shrek The Third.

The first Shrek was a phenomenal showcase of how far animation technology has come and a biting lampoon of Disney. The sequel managed to keep the same sharp wit and turned it attention towards the Hollywood subculture. The third time around, the writer went full-potty humor and turned their attention towards… fitting in in high school?

Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is set to inherit the kingdom of Far, Far Away, but he doesn’t want the responsibility, especially after learning Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) is pregnant. So he sails off in search of his young cousin Arthur (voiced by Justin Timberlake) to get him to take the throne.

Knocked Up
Blu-Ray Unrated Edition
Directed by Judd Apatow
Starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Pall Rudd, Leslie Mann
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 30, 2008

Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) is living the easy responsibility-free life. A court settlement gave him enough money to sit around and get stoned with his housemate for a few years. In contrast, Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) is an up and coming entertainment reporter working at E! These seemingly polar opposites both go out for a night of fun and end up hooking up for what it seems both intended to be a one-night stand. Too bad Ben didn’t use protection. Alison is pregnant, she’s keeping the baby, and the two decide to see if they are compatible enough try an actual relationship.

Rogen is a funny guy, but I think his Frat Pack cohorts may have put him on center stage too early. Despite its own charms, Knocked Up is not as good as some of the other FP movies out there. It fails to comment on the responsibilities of parenthood in the subtle ways the other films poke fun at social norms, but there is still plenty to find funny. I know I may be in the minority with that opinion, but to me, Knocked Up does not have the same rewatch value as other movies with this group.