How to Spend $20
By Stephanie Star Smith
November 3, 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. The unreleased studio (film and television) back-catalogue means that every week there's likely something for you.
For those who like to see muscular men beating each other to a pulp: Ultimate Fighter Season 1
Yet another of the 4,756 reality game shows to hit TV screens in the past few years, Ultimate Fighter took 16 ultimate-fighting hopefuls, put them in a house, had them trained by renowned trainers in the field of ultimate fighting, and then let them duke it out each week to see who was going home, and who still had a chance at winning one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts that were up for grabs.
Now for those of you who, like me, are unfamiliar with ultimate fighting, this ain't your grandfather's boxing match. There are no illegal punches, nor are contestants restricted to using just their fists. Feet, knees, elbows, any body part that can be used to inflict punishment is fair game; in fact, about the only thing that isn't allowed is biting, which explains why Mike Tyson never had a go at ultimate fighting. The five-disc boxed set includes the entire first season, plus additional features, including fighter profiles; the preliminary bouts leading up to the finals; training, conditioning and technique tips; and something that's just called Bonus Material.
For those who just can't help giving George Lucas more money: Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
The third part of the prequel trilogy sort of hit the middle ground in terms of reception, with most fans feeling it was better than Phantom Menace - damning with faint praise though that was - but not as good as Attack of the Clones. Still, enough people found enough to like in Sith for it to earn more than $380 million to date domestically, which is almost enough for Lucas to buy that small Eastern European country he's had his eye on. Sith wraps up the saga of Anakin Skywalker's journey to the Dark Side of the Force and his eventual transformation into Darth Vader, thus setting the stage for what fans now call Episode IV, but what most of us still think of as the first Star Wars movie.
The Revenge of the Sith set is chock-full of extra features, including audio tracks in Spanish and French, Spanish subtitles, and commentary tracks by Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, Animation Director Rob Coleman, and ILM F/X supervisors John Knoll and Roger Guyett. There are also deleted scenes, a making-of documentary about the filming of the Mustafar battle, a featurette tracing the Darth Vader myth through all six films, a stunt featurette, a photo gallery, various trailers and TV ads, the poster and print campaigns, demos of several Star Wars PC and X-box games, the "A Hero Falls" music video, the 15 Lucasfilm Web documentaries, and additional DVD-ROM material. Apparently Lucas heard the fan outcry over the lack of features in previous DVD releases and took it to heart.
For those wondering where James Cameron has been hiding since Titanic: Aliens of the Deep
Since becoming King of the World directing Titanic, James Cameron has chosen to use his talents as a director in the service of science, specifically marine science. In the process, he has made several award-winning documentaries of his exploration of the Titanic and subsequent explorations of the ocean's depths. This latest venture, much like its predecessor Ghosts of the Abyss, follows Cameron and a team of NASA scientists and marine biologists into the deepest parts of the Atlantic and Pacific as they document and research the life-forms to be found in one of the remaining unexplored regions of the Earth.
The documentary was filmed in IMAX 3-D, but unfortunately, the DVD version will be 2-D. However, the DVD has both the original 47-minute documentary and an expanded 99-minute version, as well as subtitles in both Spanish and French. There aren't really any special features or extras on the single disc, but the expanded version provides more depth and insight into the dive and the scientific data acquired during filming.
For people who like their horror cerebral: The New Outer Limits, Season One
Back in 1995, Showtime got the idea to recycle this anthology series from the ‘60s, updating some of the episodes from the original and adding some new pieces as well. The result was a literate and thoughtful horror anthology series that was short on out-and-out scares but long on intriguing musings on humans and what they are capable of, for both good and ill. As was the case with the Twilight Zone remake ten years earlier - and in fact both series' progenitors - the quality of the episodes varied widely, depending on the writing and acting talent involved, but even the less-successful entries still provided some fascinating viewing. The boxed set of the first season doesn't come with any extras, but if you're a fan of the series, or just horror and science-fiction television in general, this is definitely one to add to your collection.
For everyone who's ever hated their job: Office Space - Special Edition with Flair
Office Space has become a cult fave since its theatrical debut in 1999. The tale of one man's rebellion against complaisant worker bees, nit-picky bosses, regimented procedures, productivity audits and the inanity that is the corporate environment, Office Space struck a chord with everyone who has ever been in stuck in the soul-searing stupefaction that is the office environment of the 20th and 21st centuries. It may not have set the box office on fire, but Office Space found an appreciative audience once it hit the home video market, receiving the kind of word-of-mouth "Oh, you have got to see this!" that made cult hits of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
In addition to presenting the film in wide-screen format, the DVD set also includes subtitles in English and Spanish, audio tracks in French and Spanish, an Office Space retrospective from director Mike Judge, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer. There is also DVD-ROM content, the better for those office drones who have DVD drives to avoid working.
For those who like their romantic comedies sugary-sweet and Hilary Duff fans: The Perfect Man
The latest teen queen to graduate from the Disney Channel joins forces with Heather Locklear and Chris Noth in a bit of fluff that illustrates the old maxim you have to learn to love yourself before you can love anyone else. Duff stars as Holly Hamilton, whose mother Jean (Locklear) is constantly getting involved with the wrong men and then moving her family to a new town to start over once the relationship inevitably falls apart. Tired of getting schlepped all over the US, Holly decides to invent a secret admirer for her mom, hoping to bolster poor Jean's self-esteem and ultimately demonstrate she can live a perfectly happy life without having a man in it. Of course, things start to go wrong, and Holly finds it increasingly difficult to maintain the charade without smashing her mom's new-found happiness and shredding her already-delicate ego, thus undoing all the good that has been done. Will Holly succeed in giving her mom the confidence she needs? Will Jean find true happiness? Will Mr Right show up just in the nick of time? Will high-jinks ensue?
The Perfect Man DVD's extra features include commentary by the filmmakers, audio tracks and subtitles in Spanish and French; the documentary Mom & Me, with Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff discussing their on-screen relationship as mother and daughter; a featurette called Getting the Perfect Look, On the Set with Hilary, which includes Duff's set-side blog; and deleted scenes and outtakes.
For those with a sentimental streak and a penchant for movies about small boys that have happy endings: Millions
Millions takes place shortly before the United Kingdom was scheduled to go from the pound sterling monetary standard to Euros (a transition that, much like the metric system over here, never really caught on). Thieves see an opportunity to make a big score by high-jacking a train carrying bags of pound notes to be burned, but in the process of the robbery, one of the bags falls off the train and almost literally into the lap of brothers Anthony and Damian. The boys, still mourning the death of their mother, see this windfall as a way of helping their father out of the financial difficulties that have resulted from their mother's death, thus hopefully returning the family to some semblance of normalcy. But things get complicated when one of the thieves comes looking for the missing money, and a mysterious woman begins courting the boys' father, which has Damian and Anthony facing the prospect of losing their father as well.
There aren't any extra features included with this DVD, but if you like your movies heartwarming and fairytale-esque, then this is the flick for you.
For those who like their political commentary with a heavy dose of humor: Bill Maher - I'm Swiss
Ever since creating Politically Incorrect more than a decade ago, Bill Maher has become one of the more provocative, not to mention hilarious, political comics working today. This DVD of his recent HBO special is Maher at his best, skewering the insanity that flows from both sides of the aisle and shining a spotlight on the idiocy that makes all of us want to disavow US citizenship from time to time (hence the special's title). There aren't any extra features on this DVD, but if you like your humor pointed and intelligent, put this one on your must-see list.
Other titles released this week:
The 12 Dogs of Christmas
15
21 Jump Street - The Complete Fourth Season
The 3 Wise Men
The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season 2
Aladdin
Ben Hur
Brady Bunch, The - Complete Fourth Season
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Christmas Carol
Cinderella
Convicted
Dick Cavett Show, The - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Disney Channel Holiday
Disney Princess: A Christmas of Enchantment
Doc Hooker's Bunch
Dora the Explorer: Dora's Double Length
Eve's Christmas
Exposing the Davinci Code
Fame - The Complete First Season
Farscape - Season 2, Collection 3 (Starburst Edition)
Forbidden Warrior
Foreign Field, A
Forever
Foyle's War - Set 3
Hammett
Hearts Afire - The Complete Second Season
Heights
Hellsing
Higher Ambitions
Home Invasion
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Series 1, 2, & 3
Inspector Morse - Dead of Jericho
Inspector Morse:Absolute Conviction
Inspector Morse:Dead on Time Collecti
Inspector Morse:Infernal Serpent Coll
Inspector Morse:Last Enemy Collection
Inspector Morse:Remorseful Day Collec
Jungle Book
Killer Upstairs
Leo the Lion
Lifting the Veil of Time
Lion of the Desert: 25th Anniversary Edition
Little House on the Prairie - Complete Season 9
Making of Changer and the Changed
Mazes and Monsters
Megiddo
Message - 30th Anniversary Edition
Millions
Miss Richfield 1981 Fall on Your Knees Christmas Extravaganza
Mister Peepers
Monster Garage - Season Three
Moonstone, The
A Night at the Casablanca
Night Scene
Once Upon a Stable
Orchestra Wives
Rains Came
Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
Sex and the City - The Complete Series
Shadow Dragon
Sharpes - Rifles Collection Set
Sharpes:Revenge Collection
Sharpes:Sword Collection
Slight Fever of a Twenty Year Old
Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season
Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete Seasons 1-4
Star Wait
Starwoids Disc Special Edition
Story of Moses
Tales of Tomorrow
Toy Shop
Trapped in the Closet Chapters 1-12 (Unrated Version)
Two for the Road
The Ultimate Fighter - Season 1
VeggieTales - Lord of the Beans
A Very Playhouse Disney Holiday
The War of the Worlds - The Complete First Season
The War of the Worlds - Collector's Edition
Warning Shot
Warrior of the Lost World
Whoopi - Back to Broadway
Winning Spirit
World Poker Tour Season Three
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