Some titles were only put out on HD DVD during the high-def war. Since the war is over some of those titles are coming out on Blu-ray and this comedy about ice skating makes its Blu debut. Is it funnier in high definition? Read on to find out.
Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) is the bad boy of male figure skating and has the hickeys to prove it. Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) is the blond wonderboy adopted son of millionaire Darren MacElroy (William Fichtner), who raised Jimmy just like he bred horses – to be a champion.
Chazz is the horndog of skating and Jimmy is dedicated to his art – so naturally they hate each other. When they tie for a competition the awards ceremony turns into a slugfest and both are banned for life from competing in men’s figure skating. Years pass and time has not been kind to both men.
Jimmy is working at a sports shop and Chazz is doing time in a follies on ice show (under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol). Jimmy’s psycho, obsessed fan Hector (Nick Swardson) points out a loophole in the lifetime banishment rules – he’s only been banned in his division.
So he can’t skate in men’s singles, but he can skate in couples. Jimmy goes to the ice capades to look for a gal to share the ice with and runs into Chazz. A fight breaks out and Jimmy’s old coach (Craig T. Nelson) watches it on television and realizes that the two of them would make a great team, but can they get together without killing each other?
Couples champions Fairchild (Amy Poehler) and Stranz (Will Arnett) Van Waldenberg sense that their crown might be in danger of being toppled. Jimmy develops a crush on their younger sister Katie (Jenna Fischer). However, both Chazz and Jimmy might be crushed by the forbidden move that coach wants them to use which usually results in a decapitation.
Blu-ray fans can now rejoice in that Blades of Glory (cue theme song) is now out on the high-definition disc. This announced title was one of the first to get pulled after Paramount/Dreamworks decided to become exclusive to HD DVD since it was scheduled for release just a short time after the announcement of exclusivity was made.
I hear tale that both it, Next, and Face/Off where manufactured and awaiting shipment. Some even made it to retailers and fetched some high dollar prices on auction sites.
It replicates the HD DVD release and includes everything that was on that one. It’s also very funny and having to sit through the ho-hum Ferrell vehicle Semi-Pro I liked this film much better. It seems that every other sport has been put on the comedy chopping block, so why not figure skating?
Ferrell is his nutty best and Heder also performs better here than in any of his post-Napoleon roles. They’re aptly supported by Jenna Fischer, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, and Craig T. Nelson.
Blades of Glory is presented in 1080p anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The majority of the special features are presented in high-definition. First up is the 14 minute “Return to Glory: The Making of Blades of Glory.” Next is the 6-minute “Celebrities on Thin Ice” which interviews skating choreographer Sarah Kawahara about training the stars to hit the ice.
The 4-minute “Cooler than Ice” interviews costume designer Julie Weiss about the skating costumes. The 5 minute “Arnett & Poehler: A Family Affair” interviews the couple and their responses are hilarious. The 5-minute “20 Questions for Scott Hamilton” sits down with the skating legend.
The 3 minute “Hector: Portrait of a Psychofan” sits down with Nick Swardson in character to talk about his obsession with MacElroy. Next are 9 minutes of deleted scenes that are just as funny as the film is.
Bo Dice performs the 4-minute “Blades of Glory” music video and there’s also a 2 minute gag reel, photo gallery, and 8 minutes of alternate takes. The features in standard definition is the 9 minute Moviephone Unscripted (with Ferrell, Heder, and Arnett) and 90 seconds of MTV commercials.
Is it funnier in Blu-ray? Probably not, but it’s still funny. High-def fans who opted for Blu-ray can now sit down in their living rooms, put on their ice skates, and chill out to this laughfest from Ferrell and Heder.
Blades of Glory [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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