How to Spend $20
...on something not featuring Clay Aiken
By Les Winan
October 28, 2004
Taking a look ahead at the week's DVD releases is always dicey for your wallet. Nearly every week, there's a disc that would fit nicely into any size collection. When it comes time to decide what to buy, there are really two determining factors: how much you love the content and the quality of the extra features on the disc.
As a result, decisions will be totally subjective (I bought the full run of the unjustly canceled ABC dramedy Sports Night, no matter that the discs are featureless, The Criterion Collection edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a disc I had been dreaming of for years). The massive unreleased studio (film and television) back-catalogue means that every week there's likely something for every film fan.
I’d like to take a quick moment to apologize to all of the Clay Aiken fans who wrote in after I made fun of him a few weeks back. It was uncalled for and it won’t happen again. Clay Aiken is clearly an artist to be respected. Also, I am writing this week under protest…there’s not a single thing being released this week worth getting excited about. Nothing. There’s certainly no DVD Pick of the Week.
For people who really can’t wait for the Shaun of the Dead DVD: Dawn of the Dead (Unrated Director's Cut Widescreen) (2004)
I haven’t seen Dawn of the Dead (this version or the original), but let me just take a moment to advocate that instead of buying this DVD, you run out, right now, and see Shaun of the Dead, in theaters now. If, however, you insist on spending money on this DVD, you’ll find deleted scenes, an audio commentary with director Zack Snyder and producer Eric Newman; and three featurettes.
For people who like their humor as obvious and unoriginal as possible: White Chicks (Unrated) (2004)
Take two parts easily mockable slutty rich girls, one part cross-dressing, and three parts extremely broad, obvious humor and you have a Wayans brothers movie. While I’m not sure that “purchaser of a Wayans brothers movie on DVD” and “interested in the filmmaking process” necessarily go hand in hand, if you do pick up the DVD, you’ll find a couple of features. First and foremost, what is likely a highly self-congratulatory audio commentary with said Wayans Brothers, and also tossed in there is a couple of featurettes (including one titled "How'd they do that", because apparently it’s difficult to dress like a woman).
For people who really prefer a crappy music video featuring Jackie Chan, Raven and Christina Aguilera over a really crappy music video featuring Clay Aiken: Mulan (Special Edition) (1998)
Now, I’ve never seen Mulan, but after looking at the extras on the Aladdin DVD and finding a crappy new music video by Clay Aiken, seeing a crappy new music video starring Jackie Chan, Raven and Christina Aguilera, I wonder just what exactly Disney is thinking. What’s next David Hasselhoff, Aiken and Raven teaming up for a new song on The Little Mermaid DVD? Could Disney possibly have undermined the artistic integrity of their films more? In any case, for purchasers of the Mulan disc, you’ll find deleted scenes; alternate openings; that atrocious music video; storyboards; an audio commentary; games; and featurettes. Whoo! If Clay Aiken were involved, then there would be legitmate cause to storm Best Buy and burn all available copies of this disc.
For people who want to see the real follow-up to The Bourne Identity: The O.C.: The Complete First Season (7-DVD Set) (2003)
The final item in this week’s new DVD list of shame is the complete first season one of the two successful new shows from Fox’s last season slate (with Arrested Development being the other). The O.C., somewhat of a surprise hit when it debuted, has been advertised constantly on this fall’s Fox baseball coverage, giving me an opportunity to see more of the show than I ever had before. Given the talent involved (Go, Swingers, The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman; Charlie’s Angels director McG; and others), it’s not a huge surprise that the show at least looks good. But I still have yet to be sucked in. That said, there are myriad fans of the show who will be running out to pick this set up. And they won’t be disappointed with the features. Included on the set’s seven discs are deleted Scenes with introductions by creator Josh Schwartz; a casting featurette with Schwartz and casting director Patrick Rush; a music featurette with music supervisor Alexandra Pastavas; a featurette on the real Orange County with McG; audio Commentary for the pilot episode with Schwartz and producer Stephanie Savage; and a sneak peek at Season 2. Not a bad set
October 26, 2004
21 Jump Street (2-DVD Set) (1987)
3 Play (2000)
Alive (2002)
Alive (Unrated Director's Cut) (2002)
Bad Boys II (Superbit Edition) (2003)
Border Blues (2003)
Brain Donors (1992)
China Syndrome (Special Edition) (1979)
Cliffhanger (Superbit Edition) (1993)
Control Room (2004)
Corn (2002)
Crazy Love (1987)
Dawn of the Dead (Full Frame) (2004)
Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen) (2004)
Dawn of the Dead (Unrated Director's Cut Full Frame) (2004)
Dawn of the Dead (Unrated Director's Cut Widescreen) (2004)
Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill (2004)
Forgotten Silver (1998)
Frankenfish (2004)
Frankenstein (2004)
Grand Theft Parsons (2003)
Grande Ecole (2004)
Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
The Harvest (1993)
In Enemy Hands (2004)
Jimmy Hollywood (1994)
Ju-Rei: The Uncanny (2004)
Julius Caesar: His Time Has Come (2002)
Killer Nun (1978)
Mafioso: The Father, the Son (2004)
Mark of the Devil (1969)
The Missing (Superbit Edition) (2003)
Mulan (Special Edition) (1998)
Night Train Murders (1975)
The O.C.: The Complete First Season (7-DVD Set) (2003)
Post Impact (2004)
Profiler: Season Four (6-DVD Set) (2000)
Ritual (2000)
S.W.A.T. (Superbit Edition) (2003)
Shikoku (1999)
The Tesseract (2003)
That 70's Show: Season One (4-DVD Set) (1998)
Underworld (Superbit Edition) (2003)
White Chicks (2004)
White Chicks (Unrated) (2004)
Young Thugs: Innocent Blood (1997)
Young Thugs: Nostalgia (1998)
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