How to Spend $20 This Week
By Les Winan
June 10, 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. So before you think to yourself, "I’m not an unrelenting completist, but I’ll watch M*A*S*H: Season Six more than once!" stop; ask yourself, "Why!?" and then check to see if M*A*S*H: Season Six (or your disc of choice) is one of the weekly BOP DVD recommendations.
Also, ten magical happy points to anyone who can guess what next week’s DVD Pick of the Week will be.
For people looking for another Ben Affleck relationship story: The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story (2004)
All I’m saying is that Scott Peterson and Ben Affleck were separated at birth.
For people who really want to see Ben Stiller play the same character…again: Along Came Polly (Widescreen) (2004)
Maybe I’m the only one, but after being disgusted by how lame Starsky and Hutch ended up (so much potential, so little payoff), I can’t even watch ads for Dodgeball without wanting to throw my shoe through the TV screen. Considering it’s a new TV, I can’t do that, which only ups my frustration. The simple fact is that Ben Stiller, through laziness or simple disregard for the audience, has become the new Mike Myers - a talented comedian content to play the same characters with the same jokes over and over while getting paid huge amounts of money for it. Now, I’m not suggesting that he should be ashamed of the money, simply that it’s a bit disingenuous to continue to do so when your scenes from Mystery Men could be spliced into Dodgeball with little editing. It’s disappointing that Stiller sees no need to challenge himself or his audience.
If you love Jennifer Aniston and just can’t be without this DVD, there’s an audio commentary with director John Hamburg; deleted scenes; alternate scenes; outtakes; and featurettes.
For movies that should have been as good as everyone said they were: Mystic River (Widescreen) (2003)
Maybe I’m the only one, but I was ultimately disappointed with this film. It was a movie that I found interesting when I was in the theater, initially liked, and then as time went by and I thought about it further, disliked more and more. I found the ending uneven and unexplained and that was probably the kicker for me. The acting certainly was impressive and showy, but that wasn’t enough for me to feel satisfied. That said, the film certainly does have fans, most of whom will be thrilled by the extra features on this disc: an audio commentary with actors Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon (no Penn or Eastwood?, that’s disappointing); "The Charlie Rose Show"; and featurettes.
For David Bowie…what? Different Ziggy?: Quantum Leap: The Complete First Season (3-DVD Set) (1989)
One of my favorite shows from the early '90s, Quantum Leap was charmingly low-rent for a science fiction series. Most of the special effects involved “warping” Scott Bakula from time to time at the beginning and end of each episode. In any case, the show was impressive in its creativity, which is to be expected given that the man who created it also came up with Magnum: PI. Quantum Leap dealt with social and moral issues, all with a sense of humor and Dean Stockwell. Fans of the show, and you know you’re out there, will find episode introductions; a trivia feature and a featurette on the DVD set.
For finally being released to the masses: City of God (2002)
In a move that will certainly enrage several of my BOP colleagues (well, at least one), City of God is not the DVD Pick of the Week. But I will admit that I have not seen the movie and that may play into my decision. The film, in simple terms, explores life in the Brazilian ghetto. But that doesn’t do it justice. Reviews were rapturous and the film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay and Best Editing. If you’re smart enough to rent or buy the film, you’ll find a documentary as the sole extra, but if what reviewers say is true, the film is all the special features you’ll need.
For having a catch: Field of Dreams (Widescreen Anniversary Edition) (1989)
One of the many great baseball movies of the 1980s (Major League, The Natural, Bull Durham, Eight Men Out), Field of Dreams is the most unapologetically corny, but it’s damn good at it. Part of a string of huge hits for Kevin Costner, the film, ultimately, is about the relationship between a father and son forged around baseball. It’s a terrific movie and one deserving of a full special edition. While it’s a shame that there isn’t more involvement from Costner and co-stars James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Timothy Busfield, the DVD is pretty impressive. Features include an audio commentary with director Phil Alden Robinson and director of photography John Lindley; a baseball stadium trivia; featurettes and documentaries; and deleted scenes. It’s a terrific package for a highly sentimental and highly effective film.
For really uncomfortable family situations that take too damn long to be released on DVD: Six Feet Under: The Complete Second Season (5-DVD Set) (2002)
Six Feet Under, the DVD Pick of the Week, is the redheaded stepchild of HBO dramas, frequently overshadowed by The Sopranos. While personally, I prefer Six Feet Under, the overshadowing is understandable considering dysfunctional funeral home owning families are far less sexy a subject than dysfunctional Mafia families (what kind of dysfunction is going on at HBO’s offices?).
Six Feet Under is a hypnotizingly good show with terrific actors. The main cast is absolutely fantastic, with Peter “Sports Night” Krause, Michael C. Hall and Lauren Ambrose as the children of a recently widowed mother, played by Frances Conroy. Rachel Griffiths, Mathew St. Patrick and Freddy Rodriguez are all terrific in their supporting roles, with other notable actors coming and going from the show (Lili Taylor, Ed Begley Jr., Jeremy Sisto and others). The notable pedigree of Six Feet Under includes Creator, Executive Producer, occasional writer and director Alan Ball, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter for American Beauty. The show is always intriguing to watch, with interesting plots, constant intelligent dialogue, and just the right amount of humor.
Watching the second season on DVD, you’ll find commentaries with Alan Ball, writers and directors on five episodes and a lengthy featurette on undertaking that I’m sure is a joy to watch. Not a great package of extra features, but the show alone is enough to make Six Feet Under the DVD Pick of the Week.
June 8, 2004
The A-Team: Season One (4-DVD Set) (1983)
Along Came Polly (Full Frame) (2004)
Along Came Polly (Widescreen) (2004)
The Bunker (2001)
Carolina (2003)
City of God (2002)
The Creeping Flesh (1972)
Day of the Locust (1975)
The Dead Zone: The Complete Second Season (5-DVD Set) (2003)
Fangoria Blood Drive (2004)
Field of Dreams (Full Frame Anniversary Edition) (1989)
Field of Dreams (Widescreen Anniversary Edition) (1989)
Ghost Rock (2003)
In July (2002)
Just Shoot Me: Season One and Two (4-DVD Set) (1997/1998)
The Keeper of Time (2004)
The Leopard (3-DVD Criterion Edition) (1963)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Barby Cart in Peril (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Barby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)
Love Letters (1999)
Love thy Neighbor (2002)
M*A*S*H: Season Six (3-DVD Set) (1978)
The Man from Colorado (1949)
Merlin (Special Edition) (1998)
Mystic River (Full Frame) (2003)
Mystic River (Widescreen) (2003)
One Nation Under God (1993)
The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story (2004)
The President's Analyst (1967)
Reality Bites (Anniversary Edition) (1994)
Quantum Leap: The Complete First Season (3-DVD Set) (1989)
Six Feet Under: The Complete Second Season (5-DVD Set) (2002)
Skin Deep (2003)
Survival of the Illest (2004)
Swann in Love (1984)
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)
Who's the Boss? The Complete First Season (3-DVD Set) (1984)
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