Michelle Trachtenberg in "Ice Princess"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
"Michelle Trachtenberg Grows Up"

Many of us have watched Michelle Trachtenberg grow up on television. She played the role of Buffy's younger sister on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Now she is seen in her first starring role on the big screen, "Ice Princess." The DVD version is out and all of us can be amazed at how beautifully Trachtenberg has matured.

In this film she plays a young woman who is studying hard to get into a prestigious Ivy League college. Her mother (Joan Cusack) has groomed her for this day. The grades, and the ambition are there, but then she discovers ice-skating and her college dreams go out the window.

Kim Cattrall appears in the movie as Trachtenberg's skating coach. Hayden Panettiere plays her friend, and Trevor Blumas is her love interest.

This being a DVD there are extras such as deleted scenes and music videos. There is also commentary by the actors. All of this adds to the enjoyment of the movie but it is the film itself, with its radiant star, that makes the package worth watching.

"Ice Princess" is Disney family entertainment at its best. Pick it up today.

If you were a fan of "The Mickey Mouse Club" then you will want to get the new videos about it. There are three DVD releases available and they are (1) "Vintage Mickey" which is a collection of the best black and white appearances by Mickey Mouse; (2) "The Best of Britney, Justin and Christina" which is a collection of the episodes that featured the young Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and/or Christina Aguilera"; and (3) "The Best of the Original Mickey Mouse Club" which is a collection of the best episodes from the original "MM Club."

There are hours of entertainment here and your kids will love this look back. It is all from Disney and "Mickey" so you know it is family fine.

In 1994 Brandon Lee starred in a movie titled "The Crow." It gained cult status based on the fact Brandon Lee was the only son of Bruce Lee, and also because Brandon Lee died shortly after this movie was filmed.

Now there is a sequel of sorts on DVD. It is titled "The Crow: Wicked Prayer" and also concerns a man who comes back from the dead (as happened in the first film). The man is played by Edward Furlong in this movie.

Furlong was first seen in "Terminator 2." He seemed to have a bright future ahead of him in the movie world but things never actually go as planned and Furlong's career has been stalled for some time now. This movie shows the potential that is there.

Tara Reid, Dennis Hopper and David Boreanz also star in this movie. It isn't up to the standards of the first film but it is mildly entertaining.

More enjoyable and scarier is "Dracula III: Legacy." In this film Jason Scott Lee and Jason London are on the trail of Dracula. This chase takes them to Europe and to a country torn up by war. Here strange traditions are occurring which involve sacrifices to the vampire creatures.

Rutger Hauer plays the elusive man they seek and he is chilling as ever. Both Jasons do well in their roles too. It is all creepy and eerie just like a "Dracula" movie should be

It seems like we are hearing about shark attacks against swimmers more than ever. Maybe it is just the media coverage but that is certainly how it seems. So it is certainly timely to have a DVD titled "Anatomy of A Shark Bite" available in stores.

This video concerns an actual attack on Dr. Erich Ritter and is amazingly re-created using real footage as well as computer-generated imaging and robotics. This leads to an analysis of why sharks attack and what can be done when they do.

So before you go to the beach again this summer you might want to take a look at this film. It is an amazing story and a fantastic video.

For the little ones in your family pick up "A Pup Named Scooby Doo, Volumes 1 and 2." These two DVD's are comprised of four adventures by "baby Scooby Doo" as well as younger versions of Fred, Velma, Daphne and Shaggy.

Your kids will love these "prequel" adventures, so get them today. These "earlier" stories are just as much fun as the present day ones and that's saying a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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