How to Spend $20
By Les Winan
March 10, 2005
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.
March 1, 2005
For people really missing Giovanni Ribisi: Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
I don’t care enough to know anything more about this film than what I saw in the ubiquitous previews: plane crash; desert; guns. Other than that, I’m not interested. Certainly not interested enough to listen to the audio commentary by director John Moore, producers John Davis and Wyck Godfrey, and production designer Patrick Lumb, watch the deleted scenes or making-of featurette or carry over the fact that I’m generally happy that Dennis Quaid’s career is going, in general, better than his mildly retarded brother Randy’s into actually watching the movie. Call me uninteresting, but I’d rather just re-watch my full set of The Office.
For people who really like the idea of gay Keanu Reeves: My Own Private Idaho (Criterion Edition) (1991)
Now, I am not from the northwest, nor am I a homosexual hustler, but if my mother was in Italy, I would certainly go in search of her, even if that meant going through Idaho. Frankly, I’ve never been to Italy, but I have been to Idaho. While Idaho was interesting, I imagine Italy would be significantly more exciting to visit. I will admit to having never seen My Own Private Idaho, but I can tell you two things: 1) Gus Van Sant was extremely funny in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and 2) It’s a Criterion Collection DVD, which means quality. It’s like buying a Sony product; you know you’re getting quality. Watching the DVD, you’ll be treated to a sweet talking hustler of extra features, including deleted scenes; and, disappointingly, interviews with director Gus Van Sant, filmmaker Todd Haynes, film scholar Paul Arthur, producer Laurie Parker, writer J.T. LeRoy, filmmaker Jonathan Caouette, and River Phoenix's sister Rain. It’s actually stunning that there isn’t a commentary track on this DVD. Particularly when you consider the quality of Gus Van Sant’s commentary track on the Good Will Hunting DVD.
For everyone with a friend who likes to pound the ground with one foot: Bambi (Platinum Edition) (1942)
I will cop to having bought the fantastic Snow White DVD that Disney released a few years ago, simply for posterity and the fact that it was a terrific DVD. If you ever plan to have children, buying a Disney Platinum DVD of one of their classic animated features is always a great idea. While you may never admit it to the guys over a beer at the bar, Disney animated films are classics for a reason and they’re eminently watchable. Adding another to the pantheon, it’s hard not to look forward to future Disney DVD releases. Included on the Bambi disc is deleted scenes; interactive games and featurettes. While it’s too bad there aren’t any audio commentaries with Bambi’s mom, it’s a fantastic package that’s made great by the restoration of the original film, making this the best-looking presentation of Bambi in history.
For people who like great, great, great, great, great movies: Hoosiers (Collector's Edition) (1986)
The runaway DVD Pick of the Last Two Weeks, Hoosiers is one of my favorite movies of all time. There is no better basketball movie than this story of the small-town Hickory High making it to the state tournament in 1950s Indiana. Perfectly capturing the specter of small town sports within a fantastic sports movie, Hoosiers is a modern classic.
Gene Hackman stars as Coach Norman Dale, a disgraced college coach looking for redemption in small-town Hickory. Upon arriving in town, he meets the local ice queen, Moira (Barbara Hershey), the local drunk (Dennis Hopper) who naturally becomes an assistant coach, and a variety of other small town personalities. Among the notable sports movie actors is Chelcie Ross (Harris of Major League fame). Suffice to say, the bulk of the classic sports movie clichés are included in the film, but one of the high points is Jerry Goldsmith’s score, which I will admit having listened to obsessively as a ten-year-old slowly realizing that I would never make the NBA, much less a high school team. In fact, I still have my cassette tape of the score, purchased in 1986. I remain convinced that, with proper publicity, a CD re-release of the score would be number one on the Billboard album charts, simply as a result of the massive male fanbase for Hoosiers.
Given that all men of a certain age are destined to own a copy of this DVD (to go along with the featureless copy we all already have), the sheer quantity of extra features are important and, in this case, impressive. Most exciting is the audio commentary by director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo (though it’s a shame there isn’t a separate commentary with the “team”). Also included are a photo gallery; deleted scenes and featurettes. It’s a fantastic DVD and the DVD Pick of the Last Two Weeks.
March 8, 2005
For realizing that John Travolta sucks: Ladder 49 (2004)
John Travolta sucks like a porn star working overtime. That is all. If you must watch this DVD, you’ll find an audio commentary with director Jay Russell and editor Bud Smith; deleted scenes and featurettes. Unfortunately, no extra feature will change the fact that John Travolta is in the movie.
For everyone who would actually leave Mary Louise Parker for Claire Freaking Danes: Stage Beauty (2004)
Billy Crudup, while a terrific actor, is a fool. Who could possibly leave the luscious Mary Louise Parker for Claire Danes? It’s appalling enough that I wish there were a special audio commentary with Parker wherein she bashed both Danes and Crudup and talked at length about how hot she is. That I would buy. Given that Stage Beauty only has an audio commentary by director Richard Eyre and a featurette that has nothing to do with Mary Louise Parker’s hotness, I am not impressed.
March 1, 2005
Alien Lockdown (2004)
Bambi (Platinum Edition) (1942)
Bringing Up Baby (Special Edition) (1938)
Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed (2004)
D.C. Cab (1984)
Dinner at Eight (1933)
Easy (2003)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
Hoosiers (Collector's Edition) (1986)
Incident at Loch Ness (2004)
Libeled Lady (1936)
Meet the Creeps: Volume 1 (2005)
My Own Private Idaho (Criterion Edition) (1991)
Nirvana (1997)
Paradise Alley (1978)
Philadelphia Story (Special Edition) (1940)
Rameses: Wrath of God or Man? (2005)
The River (Criterion Edition) (1951)
The Seagull's Laughter (2001)
The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie (2004)
Stage Door (1937)
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Virginia's Run (2002)
Wonder Woman: The Complete Second Season (4-DVD Set) (1977)
Yanks (1979)
March 8, 2005
21 Jump Street: The Complete Second Season (6-DVD Set) (1987)
29th Street (1991)
Arrowsmith (1931)
Barbary Coast (1935)
Barbie Fairytopia (2005)
Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh (1990)
Bright Future (2003)
Columbo: The Complete Second Season (4-DVD Set) (1972)
Cover Story (2002)
Dead End (1937)
Dolls (2002)
Dutch (1991)
Earthsea (2004)
Enchantment (1948)
End of the World (1977)
Fairy Tales (1978)
Fear X (2003)
Felicity: The Complete Fourth Season (6-DVD Set) (2001)
Free Radicals (2003)
Friends: The Complete Ninth Season (4-DVD Set) (2002)
Golden Balls (1993)
The Hillz (2004)
Incident at Blood Pass (1970)
Koma (2004)
Ladder 49 (2004)
Lightning in a Bottle (2004)
Little Heroes (1991)
Moloch (1999)
My Big Phat Hip Hop Family (2004)
Rhinestone (1984)
Stage Beauty (2004)
Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004)
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