How to Spend $20
By Les Winan
September 30, 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 wouldn't feel right starting this column without a wholehearted plug for future DVD Pick of the Week Shaun of the Dead, now in theaters. I highly recommend that all of you go out to theaters and see this film; it's terrifically entertaining, creatively written, and well made. Don't miss out.
For those interested in a movie that performed metaphorically similar at the box office to the characters in the film: The Alamo (Widescreen) (2004)
You know, it's an obvious transition for a director…The Rookie, a baseball movie, followed by a period piece about one of the most famous battles in American history. I can see that. Director John Lee Hancock's "epic" was pushed back several months to an April release date, which is pretty much all you need to know about the expectations for the film…and it delivered! The Alamo, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid and Jason Patric as famous dead people, was a significant disappointment at the box office, but is likely worth at least taking a look at on DVD, particularly if you're into historical films. If you do check it out, you'll find deleted scenes and featurettes (including one called, I shit you not, "Deep in the Heart of Texans". Punny stuff). Enjoyably, the notes on the IMDb listing of the film include one that says it wrapped $82,000 under budget, which for reference, is a bit like my going to the grocery store and being proud that I left having used several coupons to save $2.39.
For all of you who…just…want…to…dance!: Footloose (Collector's Edition) (1984)
This hopelessly dated movie is notable for one thing…John Lithgow when he was skinny. Okay, that's not entirely true. The film was a massive hit when it was originally released, and it's easy to see why: hilariously unrealistic plot, catchy '80s soundtrack, dancing…you see what I'm saying. In any case, there is something innately charming about the film…probably the fact that it's only 20 years old and now the thought of some town not allowing dancing is so completely ludicrous that it's like watching Gone With the Wind. Also, I love that a teenager moving to a small town would choose to rebel by dancing. Most people I knew as a teenager would have drank a lot and burned down the preacher's house. If you check out the long-awaited Collector's Edition, you'll be treated to featurettes and a commentary track with star Kevin Bacon and another track with producer Craig Zadan and writer Dean Pitchford. When you're done watching, don't forget to cut loose, cut loose…never mind.
For people who happen to like kicking ass with a 2x4: Walking Tall (2004)
Wouldn't it be great if, during The Rock's audio commentary, he finished every thought with "…if you smell what I'm cookin'"? That would be great. In fact, that would almost make me check out the movie. But alas, there are no promises that The Rock's commentary contains those entertaining words. For those of you who are interested in watching The Rock smack the crap out of a bunch of guys with a 2x4 (something Tom Cruise would never think of), the DVD has that audio commentary with The Rock and director Kevin Bray; a photo gallery; featurette; deleted scenes; alternate ending; and bloopers. Not a bad package, if you smell what I'm cookin'.
For really stoned bikers: Easy Rider (35th Anniversary Edition) (1969)
Perhaps it's the fact that I never really have ridden a motorcycle, smoked copious amounts of weed, or been a hippie, but I really have never understood the appeal of Easy Rider. Personally, I found it a bit boring. That having been said, the likelihood is that I'm the one missing the point of the movie. It is, after all, considered a classic.
Starring Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, the film's pedigree is helped further by the involvement of noted lunatic Dennis Hopper, who co-wrote (with Hopper), directed, and acted in the film. Also present is accused murderer Phil Spector. If only Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson had been involved. This 35th Anniversary Edition includes an audio commentary with Hopper; a bonus CD soundtrack; the British Film Institute's book, "Easy Rider"; and a documentary.
For people about to make a quick stop for a Big Mac: Super Size Me (2004)
No film has ever made me prouder to have given up McDonald's many years ago. The icing had already been put on that cake when I read Eric Schlosser's terrific book Fast Food Nation. But hearing that the director of Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock, had literally been made sick by eating McDonald’s at every meal for a month was the best part…and I haven't even seen the movie. Rest assured I'll be watching this soon. As the second-most famous documentary released this year (see next week's likely DVD Pick of the Week), Super Size Me generated a significant amount of press. When I go and rent the DVD, I'll be treated to an audio commentary with Spurlock; deleted scenes; and an interview with Schlosser. Sounds like a good order to me.
For everyone looking for possible ways to erase the memory of that time they saw their parents having sex: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Widescreen) (2004)
Everyone has an ex-something they'd like to forget (well, this being the Internet, probably not everyone , and from the mind of Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Being John Malkovich) comes a movie about deleting those memories from your mind. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the DVD Pick of the Week, stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as a couple who break up and decide to erase the memories of their lives together from their minds…and end up finding out what they'd be missing. Or something like that. Having yet to see the movie (and knowing Kaufman), I'm sure it's a more interesting and quirky film than I can make it out to be. Considering the cast involved (Carrey, Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson) and the director (Michel Gondry) and writer involved, quality (if not, at a minimum, creativity) is assured.
When I run out this week to pick up this disc, I'll make sure to spend some time with the impressive set of extra features contained within. In addition to an audio commentary with Gondry and Kaufman, there are deleted scenes; an interview with Jim Carrey and director Michel Gondry; a music video; a documentary; and a featurettes. It's a terrific package for the DVD Pick of the Week. I am most interested in hearing Charlie Kaufman talk about his work.
September 28, 2004
The Alamo (Full Frame) (2004)
The Alamo (Widescreen) (2004)
Backbeat (Special Edition) (1993)
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (2004)
Best of the Best (1989)
The Big One (1998)
Cannonball (1976)
Christine (Special Edition) (1983)
Circle of Iron (1978)
Easy Rider (35th Anniversary Edition) (1969)
Ellen: The Complete Season One (2-DVD Set) (1994)
Envy (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Full Frame) (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Widescreen) (2004)
Footloose (Collector's Edition) (1984)
Homicide: Life on the Street: Season 5 (6-DVD Set) (1997)
The Hunting of the President (2004)
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Collector's Edition) (1978)
Journey to the Sun (1999)
The Killing Device (1992)
My Best Friend's Wife (2001)
National Lampoon's Lost Reality (2004)
Nothing But a Man (1964)
Rivers and Tides (2001)
Sniper 3 (2004)
Spinning Boris (2003)
Star Trek Voyager: The Complete Fourth Season (7-DVD Set) (1999)
Strangers with Candy: Season Three (3-DVD) (2001)
Super Size Me (2004)
Tales from the Crapper (2004)
Tattoo, a Love Story (2002)
Tess (Special Edition) (1979)
Thomas Jefferson: A Film by Ken Burns (1996)
Track Down (2000)
Underground (1941)
Walking Tall (2004)
Wild Roomies (2004)
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