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Moriarty’s DVD Shelf! New Releases For November 7th And 14th!
Since we’re going to be providing daily review content, I’m not going to be doing full-blown reviews in this weekly column anymore. Instead, this is a quick hits round-up of what I’m personally excited about or interested in for each week. This isn’t comprehensive. This isn’t every single title that’s coming out. And it’s not meant to be. But if it ends up on this list, it’s something that will end up on my actual shelf, something I’m genuinely curious about.
I’m still going to highlight one title each week, though, something that really stands out when looking at the list of upcoming releases. With that in mind...
This Week’s Featured Title (11/14)
LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION: Volume 4
I love that Warner Bros. has stayed with this series of releases, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy so I can share more of my favorite animation with Toshi. It looks like Warner Bros has broken the four discs up by loose theme this time. First up is BUGS BUNNY CLASSICS. You’ve got 15 Bugs cartoons, along with commentaries by Eric Goldberg, Paul Dini, Jerry Beck, and June Foray, along with a fairly well-stocked extras section. I’m absolutely giddy at the prospect of Disc Two, FRANK TASHLIN CLASSICS. Tashlin’s a brilliant filmmaker, whether in live-action or animation, and a collection of his cartoons is something I didn’t even realize I could ask for. Now that they’re doing it, I feel like someone got me a great Christmas present I didn’t even see in the catalogue. “Oh, they make that? WOW!” Even better, Tashlin shows up on the commentary tracks. Bliss. My wife is absolutely crazy about Speedy Gonzales, which is all disc three is, so she’s going to be very happy. And then there’s CATS, disc four, and I’m sure Warner Bros could do an entire box set on just this one theme. This’ll be one of the first things I pick up this week, and I salute Warner Bros for the way they continue to put these out, and they continue to go above and beyond in putting them together. It’s DVD at its very best.
Now before we do this week’s titles, let’s look at what we missed last week:
CARS
Pixar’s latest feature was the first of their films I’ve missed in the theater, and I have to admit... it’s the basic subject matter that kept me away. Car culture has always sort of left me cold. Now that I’ve seen the film (and I’ll do a longer review soon), I can understand what John Lasseter really wanted to accomplish, and I can respect his desire to make a love letter to a lifestyle that no longer exists. Technically, the film’s a knockout, and the sound and picture on this disc are excellent. You’ll get two bonus cartoons (“One Man Band” is a lovely little piece with a great Michael Giacchino score), but it’s nowhere near as tricked out as Pixar DVDs have been in the past, so be aware... there’s a possible double-dip lurking out there somewhere in your future.
CINEMA PARADISO: LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION
Damn youse, Weinstein Company. You’re going to make me buy this again, aren’t you? My ring tone on my phone is that lush, beautiful Ennio Morricone score. And now you put out this version of Giuseppe Tornatore’s heart-wrenching love letter to the relationship we have with movies, a character epic set in a small Sicilian village. It’s all about the relationship between a small boy (played by Salvatore Cascio in one of the great child performances every captured on film) and Alfredo (Philippe Noiret as his grizzled best), the projectionist at the village’s only theater. This is magic, pure and simple, and this box set comes with both versions of the film (the American release version and the much-longer director’s cut), two all-new documentaries, the CD soundtrack, and more. And despite owning two previous releases, I’m sure I’ll pick this one up, too. I love the movie that much.
DR. WHO: THE HAND OF FEAR
DR. WHO: THE MARK OF THE RANI
I’m not a Dr. Who fan, but I know that many of you are, and I’m glad to see that they continue to put out episodes from every different era of the show. I know there’s stuff they’ll never find, but for now, at least DR. WHO fans get a regular fix. Warner is also putting out Season One of the new reboot today, broken into two separate box sets. It’s been released previously as a full season box-set, so I assume this is like the “Spotlight Collection” of the Looney Tunes box from this week, a way of giving consumers several lower-priced options just in case they don’t want to take a $40 or $50 bite out their wallet at one time.
THE FALLEN IDOL (Criterion)
I am completely unfamiliar with this film, but it’s Carol Reed (director of THE THIRD MAN), and it’s got a great cast, and most importantly, it’s being released by Criterion. I’ve seen more great films thanks to blind buys of Criterion titles over the years than I have at any festival or thanks to any single friend’s recommendations. I trust Criterion. Love the redesign for their packaging, and this may be the first film to sport that new logo. It sounds like an interesting thriller, a riff on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” that was inspired by a Graham Greene short story. Reading various descriptions of this, it sounds like a great suspense piece, and it was Oscar-nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay the year it came out. Factor in the typical interesting mix of extra features on the disc, and I’m sold.
THE FLOWER DRUM SONG
Of all the Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, this is one of my favorites, and yet it’s almost never brought up or mentioned when people talk about classic musical films. It’s a primarily-Asian cast in a film about Asian-American culture, and that alone should be lauded, considering this was released in 1961. A girl and her father sneak into America so that she can be part of an arranged marriage. Things do not go according to plan, and romantic hijinks ensue. I’m curious to see the new Universal transfer.
GARY COOPER: THE SIGNATURE COLLECTION
THE MARLON BRANDO COLLECTION
It’s almost exhausting keeping up with Warner Bros. as they continue their excellent recent efforts regarding their catalog titles. These two box sets both celebrate the arrival of some long-requested titles on DVD.
In the Cooper box, you’ve got SERGEANT YORK and THE FOUNTAINHEAD finally, and for any fan of Cooper’s particular low-key charm, this is great news indeed. I’m not familiar with the other titles in the box, and here’s hoping for some gems I’ll discover for the first time.
The Brando box is what’s really got me pumped, though. JULIUS CAESAR, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE... that’s a lot of fascinating Brando to dig into all at once. MUTINY was a notoriously troubled film, and Brando’s Fletcher Christian is a perfect example of the way he could completely subvert and derail a movie while being enormously entertaining the entire time. His Marc Antony is a strong, unadorned interpretation, well worth seeing.
The other three films are problematic, but still worthwhile. REFLECTIONS is a film about homosexuality made at a time when Hollywood still couldn’t really handle the subject, so the good work in it is lost under all the layers of Hollywood horseshit. THE TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON is, shall we say, unfortunate in terms of casting Brando as a Japanese interpreter, but if you can get past that, he’s actually very funny in the film. Finally, there’s THE FORMULA, a film he’s barely in. He’s really good, particularly when he and George C. Scott collide in a few scenes, but it’s not really his film.
Both boxes have extra features on some of the discs, and for classic films fans, I’m sure these are a must.
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA PRESENTS WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS’ THE JUNKY’S CHRISTMAS
What the hell is this? I love Burroughs, so the idea of a stop-motion animation Christmas film based on one of his stories is just outrageous. I’ve never heard of it, but it’ll certainly be part of my holiday festivities this year.
THE JAMES BOND ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 1 and 2
THE ULTIMATE FLINT COLLECTION
THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM
I’m seeing CASINO ROYALE tonight, and my fingers are crossed so hard they’re cramping.
I love Bond. I acknowledge that there are some truly crappy Bond films out there, and many of them are included in these two seemingly-pointless repackagings of random entries in the series. I say seemingly-pointless, but I’ll be picking these all up because of those Lowry Digital frame-by-frame restorations and the new 5.1 tracks. They’ve also put a ton of new extras onto the discs, so they’ve basically bullied me into rebuying many of the films I already own. There are two more collections coming out on Dec. 12th, but for now, you’ll get THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, GOLDFINGER, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, and THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS in the first box, and A VIEW TO A KILL, THUNDERBALL, DIE ANOTHER DAY, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, and LICENSE TO KILL in the second. You can find the collections for $60 each or less if you look hard enough, and if you’re in a Bond kind of mood, this is the best you’ll be able to find at the moment.
The Flint films are, if anything, even more rareified fun than Bond. There were many Bond imitators in the ‘60s, but the two FLINT films were probably the best of the bunch. James Coburn as the lead helps quite a bit, and so does the particular sense of oddball humor that permeates the movies. I love that Fox has finally put together a collection of both films along with a bunch of extra features, and I can’t wait to watch it all.
Finally, if you just can’t handle the campy excess of Bond or Flint, then THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM, with its Harold Pinter script and its cool British style, is a sort of anti-Bond, one of the “real world” espionage films that were so popular at the time. Alec Guinness, George Segal, and Max Von Sydow star in a story of neo-Nazis in ‘60s Germany, and it’s a damn fine thriller all the way around.
MEN BEHAVING BADLY – COMPLETE COLLECTION
POLICE SQUAD: THE COMPLETE SERIES
These two shows, taken here in collections of their entire runs, point out a pretty major truth in terms of what endures on television.
BBC’s MEN BEHAVING BADLY ran for pretty much the entire ‘90s, a full seven series. It’s not a bad show, but it’s certainly not a great show. It’s a sort of amiable sitcom with a bit of naughty talk from time to time, a cuddly version of what is obviously meant to be “edgy.” It’s the sort of show that you can watch a full season at a time, and it all sort of blends together into one sort of static gag. You don’t have to watch it too closely, because nothing ever really happens. That’s why it ran forever. It offers a viewer a comfortable familiar experience every week.
POLICE SQUAD, on the other hand, ran for six episodes before ABC pulled the plug on it, and watched straight through, it’s about the length of a single feature film. It’s demanding, packed with sight gags and hilarious wordplay and ZAZ’s trademark surreal silliness. I think these six episodes and TOP SECRET! represent the absolute pinnacle of the work that ZAZ did as a team. POLICE SQUAD holds up because of how meticulously crafted every scene is. This show literally never stops being funny. There is no lull, no downtime, no wasted image. It was never going to last as a television series because it only really works if you give it your undivided attention, and on DVD, thankfully, you can. There are some nice extra features included here, including some hilarious commentaries and a featurette about the freeze-frames that end each episode.
THE PUSHER TRILOGY
Nicolas Winding Refn is a serious filmmaker, a heavyweight who is overdue for discovery by mainstream America. It seems bizarre to me that he’s in the middle of making an Agatha Christie TV movie right now.
If you want to understand what makes him worth serious consideration as a filmmaker, you have to pick up THE PUSHER TRILOGY, three films made over the past ten years. PUSHER was 1996, PUSHER II: WITH BLOOD ON MY HANDS was 2004, and PUSHER 3: I’M THE ANGEL OF DEATH was 2005, and this year, they got a theatrical push as a trilogy, which is how they’re appearing on video, all of them released at once along with GAMBLER, a feature-length documentary about Refn’s decision to make two sequels to his original film. And for anyone who sees CASINO ROYALE this weekend, you might want to check out this work by Mads Mickelson, that film’s bad guy. He’s a pretty fucking great performer, so if this becomes his big break, maybe it’ll drive audiences to discover this, which would be a great thing.
As soon as I get my hands on this, I’ll be sure to include it as one of my daily reviews so we can discuss it in depth.
THE SOPRANOS: SEASON SIX, PART ONE
I got a lot of love for HBO’s programming, and some of their DVD collections (FROM EARTH TO THE MOON and BAND OF BROTHERS, for example) have gotten heavy repeat play in my house. I really enjoyed introducing my wife and her mother to THE SOPRANOS on DVD, and watching everything with them to catch them up before the fifth season started to air. Since then, we’ve been waiting, like everyone else, for David Chase to wrap up his sprawling epic story of family life in the New Jersey mob. Count me among the fans who really loved this first half of the sixth season. I don’t think it went anywhere I expected it to, but that’s okay. I think it advanced some of the major themes of the series, and it set up what I pray is a magnificent conclusion next year.
TRANSFORMERS THE MOVIE: 20th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION
I’ve said before that I just don’t get TRANSFORMERS. I was a little too old for it when it made its premiere as a show, and it always seemed like a crass toy commercial to me. When this film came out, a full 20 years ago now evidently, I was working as an usher at a theater, and I was amazed at how emotional some people seemed to get at this film. If the last year has taught me anything about TRANSFORMERS, it is that there is a large, vocal, passionate fanbase out there who is still invested in the property. Because of that, I plan to pick this up and revisit the film for the first time since its release, and I’m curious to see how it plays for me as a non-fan. It certainly looks like Sony BMG Music Entertainment went hogwild with the extra features, too, so I’ll check out what I hope is a great look at that fanbase and just what it is that has kept them so crazy all these years.
ULTRAMAN: SERIES ONE, VOLUME TWO
On the other hand, I totally loved ULTRAMAN growing up. I was probably six when I discovered the show in twice-daily airings on a local channel in Dunedin, Florida. This show would get me so crazy that I’d try to wrestle the dog or do kung-fu on my sister every time I’d watch it. The bizarre condition of the prints being used for these transfers only adds to the oddball charm of the show, and I find this compulsively watchable even now.
WORDPLAY
I can’t believe I missed this one. It sounds like a great character piece, a documentary about Will Shortz, the crossword-puzzle editor for the NEW YORK TIMES, as well as the people who absolutely adore the work he does and who make the puzzle a daily part of their lives. People who saw it seemed to love it, so I’m going to hunt down a copy of this IFC release immediately.
Now let’s jump right in with this week’s titles, another dense and varied list of releases:
ACCEPTED
I just recently spent an evening on the set of a new comedy called SUPERBAD, and one of the two stars of that film is Jonah Hill, best known to some people from the trailers for this movie as the “Ask Me About My Weeeeeeiner” kid. Hill makes me laugh, and so does Justin Long, and so does Lewis Black. I didn’t feel compelled to rush to the theaters for this, but I certainly expect I’ll check it out at home, and I’ll hope for some funny from the talented cast.
THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: THE COMPLETE FIFTH AND SIXTH SEASONS
Fans of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN tend to place the first few black-and-white seasons on a pedestal above the color seasons. This collection, which wraps things up for the series, was shot in a crazy hypervivid Technicolor, and these are actually the best episodes to show to kids. In some ways, I prefer this to any of the modern Superman films, and hold it dear in the way I revere the Fleischer cartoons. There’s a real purity of spirit to this show, and George Reeves is pretty consistently great.
THE BEDROOM WINDOW
Yes, I know this is a Steve Guttenberg movie from the ‘80s. But the reason to pick this up is because of writer/director Curtis Hanson. These days, he’s known more for films like 8 MILE and LA CONFIDENTIAL and IN HER SHOES.
But I have a particular fondness for the thrillers he wrote and directed. His script for THE SILENT PARTNER is wicked and nasty stuff, and it’s worth tracking that film down if possible. He wrote and directed BEDROOM WINDOW, and it’s certainly his nod to Hitchcock in many ways. Isabelle Huppert, Elizabeth McGovern (one of my most shameless crushes of the ‘80s), and Guttenberg are the major players in a great, taut little square dance of betrayal and mistrust.
THE BEST OF THE ELECTRIC COMPANY, VOL. 2
I wrote earlier this year that volume one of this collection was one of the year’s best discs, and I can’t wait to get my hands on volume two. This show looks even more revolutionary now than it must have when it was airing in the ‘70s. I’ll write more when I actually see this one, but in the meantime, pick it up.
BLACK BOOKS 2
LITTLE BRITAIN: THE COMPLETE THIRD SERIES
I’ve never seen BLACK BOOKS 1, but I’m definitely going to get a copy soon now that I’ve seen the second series. First, though, I’m going to go back through these six episodes and listen to the commentaries by the cast, Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, and Tamsin Greig. I’m pretty fond of all three after watching these episodes. I know Greig from her work on GREEN WING, and Moran from SHAUN OF THE DEAD, but this is essentially just their three characters every week, and they are all glorious freaks. Moran play Bernard Black, owner of a small bookstore, and Bailey is his employee/whipping boy, while Greig plays his best friend. They are miserable, awful people, SEINFELD-cubed, and it made me belly laugh repeatedly.
I feel like I should be ashamed of myself for enjoying LITTLE BRITAIN. It’s absolutely base humor much of the time, and there’s a repetition to the series that has certainly started to wear thin in this, the third and final (so far) series of episodes. Still, David Walliams and Matt Lucas are genuinely funny and evidently deranged, and sometimes, their brand of grotesquerie hits me just right. I find the Bubbles sketches to be among the most vile things I’ve ever seen done in the name of laughter, but lord help me, I watched every one. There are excellent commentaries on every episode on the first disc, and then on disc two, there’s almost an hour of deleted scenes with commentary, an episode of THE SOUTH BANK SHOW about Lucas and Walliams, and a bunch of other TV content featuring the guys appearing on other shows.
CARY GRANT: THE SCREEN LEGEND COLLECTION
THE PAUL NEWMAN COLLECTION
ROCK HUDSON: THE SCREEN LEGEND COLLECTION
Sometimes, when you put together one of these actor-driven box sets, you have a lot of great films to choose from, and other times, these box sets are shameless attempts to dump some forgettable b-product on the consumer using a movie star’s face.
The Cary Grant box set is a bust. BIG BROWN EYES, WEDDING PRESENT, KISS AND MAKE UP, WINGS IN THE DARK, and THIRTY DAY PRINCESS are early pictures from his filmography, when he was a contract player, and there’s not a gem in the bunch. There are moments in many of them, particularly when he plays off a co-star like Joan Bennett, but not a genuinely consistently good film out of the five.
The Paul Newman box, on the other hand, is a knockout. You get your money’s worth with HARPER, THE DROWNING POOL, THE LEFT-HANDED GUN, THE MACKINTOSH MAN, POCKET MONEY, SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME, and THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS all for under $50. I love HARPER and its sequel THE DROWNING POOL, great slow burn detective films where Newman gets to be cooler than cooler than cool. SOMEBODY is the Rocky Marciano story, a boxing biopic, and it’s earnest and well-made, and Newman’s charismatic as hell in the lead. John Huston’s MACKINTOSH is a thriller that really is hard to categorize, a smart, bracing adult entertainment that holds up. POCKET MONEY is the one I’m most interested to see, a cowboy comedy with Lee Marvin and Strother Martin co-starring. PHILADELPHIANS is a young lawyers in the city drama, a completely average ‘50s film. Finally, LEFT-HANDED GUN is his Billy The Kid movie, and it’s an ambitious effort by director Arthur Penn. Newman’s quite good in it, and it’s a real treat, just one of many in this collection.
I’m not sure which way the Rock Hudson set goes, since I’m not familiar with any of the five titles included. THE LAST SUNSET, HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL?, THE SPIRAL ROAD, A VERY SPECIAL FAVOR, and THE GOLDEN BLADE are new to me and new to video, and if any of you are familiar with them or pick up the set, pipe up in talkback and tell me if they’re worth my time.
COLUMBO: THE COMPLETE SIXTH & SEVENTH SEASONS
I’ve written at length about my love of this series. Peter Falk’s performance is one of the greatest sustained works by an actor in the history of TV. He’s amazing, each and every time. He’s funny, he’s deadly serious, and he can play both bumbling and formidable. Two seasons at once makes me very happy, and I can’t wait to dig in.
THE DA VINCI CODE
I want to see this again for many reasons, and I plan to write a review of it when I do, and if I’m going to pick it up, I should get the bells-and-whistles version and check out Sony’s work on it.
FORBIDDEN PLANET
I’m reviewing this one tomorrow. I forgot how much I love this movie, but Warner really put together a package that is determined to remind me. Great stuff.
FRIENDS: THE COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTION
HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS – COMPLETE SERIES MEGASET
SIX FEET UNDER: THE COMPLETE SERIES GIFT SET
These aren’t just DVD collections. They’re furniture.
That HOMICIDE set is next to my TV cabinet in my office right now, and when Toshi’s playing in there, hanging out with me, this has become an important part of his blocks-building real estate. I’m working my way through the first season right now, and I’m starting to remember just how unreal this show seemed when it first appeared. Now that Tom Fontana and David Simon and LAW AND ORDER and OZ and THE WIRE and a number of other shows have all been on the air on various networks and outlets, HOMICIDE doesn’t quite look as unique. But HOMICIDE was there first, and all those other shows obviously owe this a great deal. I’ll review this year by year as I work my way through, and I’m sure I’ll be watching it for a while.
The SIX FEET UNDER set is another hefty box, large enough that Toshi can’t pick it up and move it. He’s tried, too. While I’m rediscovering HOMICIDE right now, SIX FEET UNDER still feels very fresh to me. That final episode was devastating, and it really did put the series to bed for me. I’m going to hold onto this one and rewatch it once I’ve let some time pass, once I’ve forgotten how it all works. It’s a great show, and I think they got out at the exact right moment, and that taken as a whole like this, this is one of HBO’s finest hours.
I don’t have the FRIENDS box set, but I’m going to get it. My wife wants it, and I do think that this is a sitcom worth revisiting. There were good seasons and great seasons and not so great seasons, but it managed to stay true to itself all the way to the final episode. It’s a Teflon show. I don’t remember what happened in the last three or four years, much less what happened in the last show. Warner really went all out on this one.
THE GREEN MILE: SPECIAL EDITION
Frank Darabont resisted doing special editions of his films for a long time, but he finally broke down and did a commentary and documentary for THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, and now he’s done the same for THE GREEN MILE. I spent a lot of time on the set of this film, and I was impressed by the giant ensemble cast on a daily basis. There is a lot of sleight-of-hand going on in the film, too, and overall, I think this is a pretty epic film.
THE GROOMSMEN
Holy shit. I liked a movie by Ed Burns. I actually enjoyed something that he wrote and directed. Burns stas with John Leguizamo, Donal Logue, Jay Mohr, and Matt Lillard rounding out what played to me like a pretty shameless riff on DINER.
Having said that, I thought it worked well, and I believed the relationships. I liked the cast. The film looks good, and it’s well-cut. It’s just a good solid movie. I’ve literally never liked anything else he’s done, but I would recommend at least renting this.
JOYEUX NOEL
LAST DAYS OF MUSSOLINI
SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL DAYS
WERNER HERZOG’S THE WILD BLUE YONDER
Here’s a grab bag of foreign titles, all being issued for the first time this week.
Remember the Paul McCartney video for “Pipes Of Peace”? Well, that’s JOYEUX NOEL, the story of a temporary holiday cease-fire called on the front lines of World War I. It’s a good version of the story, decently rendered, but since seeing it a year ago, I doubt I’ve thought of it twice until now.
LAST DAYS OF MUSSOLINI is a new release by the always-interesting NoShame Films, and it’s one of the great batshit Rod Steiger performances. And I don’t mean that as an insult, either. Rod Steiger was frequently out of his fucking mind, a la Crispin Glover, and it led to some spectacular performances. Throw in Franco Nero (have I told you that babies looooooooove Franco Nero?), an Ennio Morricone score, and Henry Fonda in take-no-shit mode, and this one is a must-buy.
SOPHIE SCHOLL – THE FINAL DAYS is a story of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance party, The White Rose. This is one of those stories I never heard until I read about this, and I’m looking forward to checking it out.
I love Werner Herzog. I love how bold and wild he is as a filmmaker, how anti-career he’s always been. He’s a real artistic hero, a guy who has followed his muse to great success. I haven’t seen THE WILD BLUE YONDER, this documentary sci-fi hybrid starring Brad Dourif as an alien whose planet was invaded Earth, but I love what I’ve read about it. It sounds like another stylistic stretch by a director who never seems to stand still, artistically speaking. Subversive Cinema has included a commentary by Herzog on the disc, and he’s one of the most entertaining directors I’ve ever heard speak. Should be great.
KING KONG: DELUXE EXTENDED EDITIONS
I’ve been watching this the entire time I’ve been writing this column tonight, and now I’ve finished the second disc. It’s a pretty great set, but of course you need to enjoy the movie or this is going to be torture for you. It’s more, more, more. The Peter Jackson/Phillipa Boyens commentary during the extended edition of the film is warm and funny and conversational, and the extra features on the first two discs are really well-done. THE EIGHTH BLUNDER OF THE WORLD is one of the funniest gag reels I’ve ever seen on a DVD. There’s some stuff involving Jack Black getting his full-body laser scan done that had me crying from laughter. There’s a “hidden” documentary on disc one that is also incredibly sharp and funny. The new footage in the extended edition played pretty great, but the problems I had with the film before are still there. KING KONG the movie is a wild thing that Peter Jackson never quite tamed, and for me, all the behind the scenes stuff in this three-disc set is as much a part of what I like as the film itself. I love that Jackson used his megaheat coming off LORD OF THE RINGS to make something he always wanted to, instead of just chasing the easy money. I’m also glad it’s out of his system now, and I look forward to whatever’s next.
LEONARD COHEN: I’M YOUR MAN
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
I was talking to someone in line at the Arclight the other night, something I noticed happened a lot during the AFI fest. People in line would see the press badge, and they’d turn around and want to quiz me on the festival overall. In this particular case, they guy asked me what was worth seeing. I mentioned Lucy Walker’s BLINDSIGHT, and the guy practically recoiled. “I don’t like documentaries.” That just baffles me. As if all documentaries are alike, or even remotely similar. Look at these two released today.
LEONARD COHEN: I’M YOUR MAN is basically just a concert film, but Hal Wilner is the mastermind behind the various artists who show up to perform their interpretations of Cohen’s various classic songs. I’ve been a Cohen fan for about 20 years now, and every year that I re-examine his work, it means something new to me. I think he’s got one of the great songbooks for other people to try and perform, and Wilner is expert at putting this sort of thing together (his first Disney tribute album remains one of the best things he’s ever done).
I haven’t seen WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?, and I’m afraid it’s going to piss me off ferociously. I am not some rabid anti-corporate hippie, but I do think there are examples of corporate short-sightedness that move beyond “wrong” into being actively evil. If our transportation needs could be met with electricity instead of fossil fuels, that would be enough to literally change the world. I’m excited to see this one, but I figure I should watch it alone so no one else has to hear me yell and curse.
MANIAC COP: SPECIAL EDITION
If that cover doesn’t convince you to pick up a copy of William Lustig’s darkly funny cult classic, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ll review it as soon as I’ve picked one up, and I’m looking forward to revisiting it.
OLDBOY: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION
I’ve got the superdeluxe megaultra Korean collector’s DVD for this that came with the soundtrack and a bunch of other great stuff. And I shouldn’t really buy another special edition of it.
Still... look at that freaking cover.
STRANGERS WITH CANDY
I just recently broke out the complete series DVD collection and watched this show for the first time, and now I’m really eager to see the movie. I was really surprised by the show. I don’t know why I never tuned in during its run on Comedy Central, but now I really love what Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello were up to. The sprawling cast is great. The show stayed funny all three years it was on the air. As I understand it, this film is a prequel to the show. Whatever it is, I look forward to seeing everyone back in character again, particularly Sedaris.
Wow. That was a hefty one today. I’ve got a bunch more stuff for you this week, along with the daily DVD reviews for you. Lots to do, and James Bond tonight.
As the kids say... woot.
Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles
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its freakin big.......
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I got them last week and, as an owner of selected titles from the previous Bond DVD release, I was totally knocked out by the quality of the image and sound. Just stunning, especially for the early Connery Bonds. Heck, even Die Another Day looks better. And try not to be disappointed with Homicide after season three - the instant Michelle Forbes came on board things started going off the rails a bit and the show became more soap opera than police procedural. But before that, absolutely the best stuff that was on TV at the time.
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I love this article. Its actually the main reason I keep coming back to view AICN, but I can't believe where anybody finds the time to review all these DVDs and their features. I don't even watch special features or listen to commentary tracks and still only find time to watch two or three movies a week. Yipes.But thanks, Moriarty!
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I lol'd.
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Whatever.
MANIAC COP is still banned in Germany, by the way... -
That's quite a selection this week. Definitely gonna have to go get that Oldboy release.
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I've been posing this question for years. How can you possibly see all the extras, commentaries, and features for so many releases? Its just not possible, even if you did nothing else but watch content 16 hrs. a day, every day. Perhaps you just sample the extras and commentaries? I wish I knew the secret.
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What do you do with all the various editions you own? Do you sell off the old ones or is your libary stuffed with many versions of the same film? Anyway, that Forbidden Planet box with the little Robbie has got my name all over it.
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It's a pretty great little film.
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I'd be retired when it ended.
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Watching this will make a scene in Boogie Nights just a little bit funnier than it already is.
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...means Extended Edition, not Edited Edition.
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but nevertheless still the best column on the internet today.
Great stuff!
www.obsessedwithfilm.com -
That shit is classic. And look at his face! Hahaha.
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I got it and the extra stuff is cool. They added a lot to it. I was so young when it came out, then I got it for VHS a couple of times. This is by far the best version of the movie. The movie is really cheesy in parts but its also really dark, which is probably why I like it so much. Its also verrry 80's.
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to review The Da Vinci Code is to let the Terrorists win. And by that, I mean Dan Brown who is responsible for all the wars in the world.
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I'm so sick of fucking moronic statements like this. Why, if one is anti-corporate, are they automatically labeled a hippie, and why is being labeled a hippie tantamount to a being an insult? It's ridiculous. You know, there is a reason for being anti-corporate that doesn't involve the freedom to drop acid and have unprotected sex with whomever strikes your fancy. It's about runaway companies having their primary interests being profit and fattening the pockets of their shareholders at the expense of just about everything the country is supposedly based on. And I'd rather be a acid-dropping, STD-carrying hippie and have a clear conscience than be some corporate fucking drone that doesn't care about anything except money and power.
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You'd think a re-issue of a cheesy 80's thriller to cash in on *Hanson's* recent critically-acclaimed output would have at least spelled his name correctly on the cover.
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Thunderballs, I lucked into a copy of OHMSS at a pawn shop about a year ago...and it's autographed by George Lazenby himself. It's pretty sweet.
As for Drew, or Mori...or whoever he is this week...the answer to how he sees everything he talks about is simple.
He doesn't. Of that I'm fairly certain. -
So Mori, what did you tell that poor misguided soul who refused to see documentaries? Because I happen to think Blindsight is one of the best films of the year. I saw it in Toronto and got a chance at AFI to talk to Lucy Walker and Eric Weihenmayer after their showing. Without a doubt, the highlight of my trip to L.A. Well, other than seeing all the supermodels parading past me in the Standard lobby.
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I just picked up the first set od The Electric Company, and it's even better than I remember from my childhood. Smart, funny, well written, well acted. I saw on a PBS documentry a few weeks back, and one of the stars said something that really shows in viewing the DVDs - It was a show written for grownups, but with education thrown in. It never talked down to anyone, ever 'lowered' itself to any specific age level. Watching it with the family is easy, because there are so many layers to the show that no age group is left out.
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How in the fuck of fucks do you watch all this stuff? I'm a writer too, and I usually put in a good 6 hours of work each day. I have a pretty sizeable DVD collection, around 2,700, so I know what it's like to consume this stuff at a quick pace... But you, I mean... are your eyes burning??? Are you just watching stuff on a loop in the background? How do you find the time, not only just to play each disc, but actually write a somewhat detailed review about it? Is it like A Clockwork Orange up at the labs? Are those fucking eyelids of yours just pinned back, with Toshi dropping water in them every few seconds? How the fuck do you have a marriage!? I'm lucky to knock back two new films a day, and usually just have my favorites on like background music the rest of the time... But YOU... I have nothing more to add, I just need answers.
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This is the release of the year. I've been waiting for this release for as long as I can remember, and it doesn't dissapoint at all. Perhaps the best moment in the series is in the first episode, where Neilsen remembers living with a phys ed in his youth (you can't go home). I have also always loved the "no dice" gag, and the way Neilsen screams when a wig is thrown in his face, and the gunfight from two feet apart, and it just goes on and on. Oh, don't forget the Japanese Garden, or the shoeshine man explaining life after death to the priest. A true joy to behold.
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Nov 14, 2006 10:37:58 AM CST
JeanLuc - I think it's a 'D Code r'....get it, decoder?
by iamjack'suserid
I think.
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I liked it well enough, but what sucks about it is: 1)it's half concert film as well, and since its a tribute concert it's a real mixed bag 2) there's not nearly enough insight from Cohen himself, it feels like they had like 45 minutes of interviews total 3) it's more of a tribute than a solid documentary 4) Bono and the Edge...who both babble incessantly about Cohen's genius without showing any real knowledge of his work. and they suck. and they talk a lot. and they ruin a lot of it. freakin U2.
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It's always nice to see Brad get some work. He is a brillant actor who never seemed to get past his great turn as Billy Bibbit. He is one of the pleasures of Deadwood as well. I was lucky enough to take a film class he gave in Woodstock back in the early eighties and he taught me more about acting in those two months than four years at NYU.
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I saw the movie in the theater and I've watched the DVD 3 times.... amazing. The series is nothing short of genius.
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Don't think much about that smaltzy film but Jacques Perrin doesn't play the little boy, he plays the same character as an old guy. Because you like the movie so much, I thought you should know...
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So if one of his movies ever comes out, and people keep talking about other movies and TV shows we'll know why. You figure that's why Tarantino and Kevin Smith movies are like that?
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that oldboyDVD looks SWEET!!! DAMN THE DVD MARKET FOR MAKING ME BUY ANOTHER COPY OF A MOVIE I ALREADY HAVE!!! but..sniff, i love oldboy....im so torn...i guess itll go by my 4 copies of T2 and Predator...sigh
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Carol Reed directed "The Third Man," not "The Thin Man."
Notice how they misspelled Curtis Hanson's name on "The Bedroom Window."
"Accepted" was surprisingly funny and an amazing throwback to the easy-going comedies of the 80s.
I am getting that glorious "Forbidden Planet" box set immediately. I was amazed how quickly I said "oooooh" when I saw that. -
I'm not sure if I agree with you on that one, Mori. I mean, it's a movie about a repressed homosexual military man. I think the movie comes across well enough what it is. It's not like there needed to be sex scenes or anything. Do you think the whole story is just handled poorly? I personally think it's good and Ebert's review kind of nails it for me. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19671017/REVIEWS/710170301/1023
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...make paragraph breaks in this newfangled contraption of a talkback?
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Yeah, it's possible to watch all that crap, I've done it before myself, but I was just trying to make a point. When I have consumed DVDs like that, especially movies I haven't seen before, I would say at the most I would probably enjoy only about 35% of the content for each, and comprehend a little more than half. And yeah, I'm no rocket scientist, and I'm stupid enough to try and explain myself to you... but all I was saying is the man can't possibly be getting his money's worth (even though I'm sure about half that stuff is comped), or be giving it enough attention to write a fair review.
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really help me appreciate my shelf of the 100 titles or so. I used to think I had a lot, but goddamn, you're buying about 1/2 of the amount of stuff I have in just one week.
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Scares the fuck out of me. But in a good way.
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Moriarty, the Pusher trilogy is absolutely great. All 3 films are different and great in their own way, as a trilogy it's a classic
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Bitty! Must check out Black Books, as well. Bitty!
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You've already got it. That Oldboy tin looks exactly the same as Band of Brothers. Still can't see why everybody raves like the ending isn't the most ludicrous thing ever. I'm all for suspension of disbelief, but Hey-zoos! Oh yeah Mori, so WHAT pecentage of DVDs would you say you get free?
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Does ANYONE know if they plan on releasing these Bonds separately in the near future? I only want the Connery and Lazenby movies.
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Havent heard if they plan on releasing indvidual copies of the new bond dvds, but I did see that they will be releasing an ultimate box set that includes all the bond dvds(2 discs) in a metalic breafcase. Should be sweet.
Also, i too wonder how many dvds he actually buys. Right now my collection spans close to 800 and I cant see how anyone can spend that much money on dvds every week. 40 $ avg per week is about max for me, this week was more with KK:DEE, DaVinci, and Family Guy Vol 4, which was left off the list I believe. -
OldBoy was a movie I liked, but not nearly as much as I thought I would, and certainly not nearly as much as everyone told me I should. Still, I have to own that edition of it. That's just awesome.
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back in july. if they ever release them individually i'll be gettin YOLT and OHMSS too, but the first 3 are my personal favorites.
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I've seen both before and wanted to check out the new set so I have them playing as I type . I hate that both sets force you to buy titles you don't want. I tried to sell my old DVD of DIE ANOTHER DAY on eBay for $1.99 and didn't get a bid and now I have a remastered version of a movie I tried to sell the day after watching it? MGM knows that is the only way they can move the crappy tiles in the same #'s as the fan favorites. SUX but you get some nice xtras. The Prints are so clean I noticed a matte painting that I don't remember seeing in Spy who loved me.
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Of course they'll come out individually. They did the same thing last time they rereleased the Bonds on DVDs. Bunch of sets that force you own all the crappy ones to get the good ones and then when the latest Bond flick hits DVD so will the individual Bonds. So when Casino Royal goes to DVD you'll be able to just buy the ones you want and avoid Mr. Dalton and scary old Mr. Moore.
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Madness, The Living Daylights is one of the very best Bond films!
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Is the new edition of OLDBOY REALLY worth it? I just can't seem to throw down another $40 when not but a few months ago I finally got around to buying the Tartan Video release. By the way...where the hell did you get an edition with a SDTK included? Did I miss something?
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I actually prefered the original packaging. It had a Streets of Fire look to it that I enjoyed.And yeah, kwis, I avoid Mr. Dalton, but maybe you want avoid Mr. Connery and Lazenby, so more sequential Bond packs would make us both happier. Donchya think?
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Can't wait to get the 50th Anniversary set of this duo. I told people for years that there was a "sort of" sequel to FP that only had one character...Robbie The Robot...and was told I was nuts. Glad to see both films packaged together after all this time. I do dislike that the packaging and disc art for Invisible Boy is in color when that film was shot in B&W; might mislead some folks. The production values of Planet was excellent; Invisible Boy was apparently re-written to stick in Robbie because people were crazy to see him in another film. I believe it was more a period Cold War sci-fi film like Gog (a little film I actually like a lot) until the inclusion of Robbie, but it still has those overtones somewhat intact. Already told the wife to put this one in my Xmas stocking!
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Me bought that -it's super! JUMANJI!
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they are HI-larious!! keep 'em coming....they are not tired or old at all..fresh fresh fresh humour....
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Is it too much to ask? I mean really? Is it? And just make damn sure it has the Tangerine Dream score as an isolated audio track. OK????!!!!!!!!
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Harry stopped doing his updates too, but at least Moriarty was still doing his. Weekly DVD updates and analysis was one of the main reasons I came to this site.
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... you'll be happy to hear that the column's not going away. I'm just going to be focusing on the daily reviews more. Harry's going to be bringing the weekly release column back, maybe as early as NEXT WEEK!
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Will you marry me?
You apparently speak pure unfiltered truth, i'm looking forward to Moriarty reviewing the monumentally awesome piece that is the Pusher-trilogy.
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