Electric Shadow

Other Musings on Human Condition

I'm fairly convinced that Criterion's The Human Condition is circling the top honors for my favorite DVD release of the year, so I feel no remorse continuing to plug the living daylights out of it. I found myself daydreaming and writing about a thing or two that occurred to me the other day.

Thing One The treatment of women is one of the strongest undercurrents in the three films, including both Kaji's wife Michiko and the "comfort women" of the labor camp featured in Volume I. Two lone women appear in the basic training setting of Volume II, and the most diverse collection of women are on the run from advancing Soviet troops in Volume III. Kaji encounters Michiko more than once after Volume I, sometimes in person, at others in hallucinations and yet others in dreams. Many of the women he meets on the way to find her in Volume III have similarities to her in personality and in temperament. Aside from the anti-war stance taken by the books and film, the portrayal of women's oppression in Japanese culture is a close second for what was most controversial during the film's original run and for some time thereafter. Thing Two As much as I enjoyed Inglourious Basterds as the jaunt away from reality that it was, it doesn't hold a candle to a third or even a sixth of Kobayashi's career masterwork (nor did it aspire to do so). Juxtaposing The Human Condition to the other notable WWII film of late is an interesting look at two things about the same event that couldn't be more different. For every inch of Basterds that is referential and singly-voiced, Human Condition is equally engrossing and universal. My review of the set can be found here, my preview photos of the packaging are here, and you can read about how I think Kaji's journey relates to Lawrence of Arabia here.
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FF09: Toy Story 1 & 2 3-D Double Feature

One of the strangest one-day-to-the-next experiences I had at Fantastic Fest was seeing around four hours of Toy Story one afternoon and then four hours of Love Exposure the next day in the same time slot. I'll get into Love Exposure soon enough, but the recent news that the Toy Story 3-D Double Feature is remaining in theaters for a bit longer finally kicked me into gear completing my Fantastic Fest coverage.

If you've missed the double feature 3-D version so far, make sure to catch it before it disappears. This recommendation goes double if you paid to take kids to Monsters Vs Aliens. There's got to be some justice in box office receipts favoring quality. Dimensionality is what set Pixar apart from the pack when Toy Story changed the animation landscape in 1995. That's precisely why I don't feel this is some cheap gimmick and see it as a finer-tuned, enhanced version of two movies I already love. The 3-D application here for me is as wholesome as using brighter projection bulbs than existed when a film existed. We're talking about fine-detail depth, not goofy stuff shooting out at you. Just as with UP, I'm fine seeing these movies "flat" rather than "deep", but there's something truly majestic about the 3-D presentation. The application isn't full of things flying at you, but rather, it adds a moving diorama feel to the proceedings that indeed more comprehensively immerses you in the action. I like the right applications of pop-up-in-your-face, but not when or if that is added to a movie that didn't have it to begin with. If anything, movies like these that are depth-of-field rendered are returning to their source files more than anything, and a case could be made that this is a more accurate and pure presentation of what the original animators sculpted with digital scalpels. The youngest of kids in the audience had trouble maintaining focus through the second feature, but they all behaved in general. The young guy next to me with his dad couldn't have been much more than 5 or 6, and had a Nintendo DS in his hands prior to the feature with some LEGO videos on it that he thought were the funniest thing in the world. I saw the first Toy Story when I was 12, when I'd moved on from toys and was into girls. This kid was already over physical toys and into digital gadgets before he'd gotten multiplication down pat! The digital information divide has made some of the most recent generations like different species to me. I'm still trying to wrap the fact that high schoolers and middle schoolers are using smartphone computers that fit in their pockets at ages when laptop computers were new and remarkable gadgets to me. I'm very curious to see how parents, adults, and kids of various ages take to the new movie next summer, especially relative to how Pixar has evolved and matured so beautifully throughout their first couple decades. Speaking of Toy Story 3, the trailer looks wonderful on the big screen in 3-D. Seeing it and thinking about the themes it teases while watching the first two movies makes for a really rich new experience.
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FF09: John Gholson's Day 7 & Day 8

Sweet Karma - Canada - Directed by Andrew Thomas Hunt Synopsis: A mute goes on a quest for vengeance when her sister ends up missing as a prostitute for the Russian mob. I've seen movies at Fantastic Fest that I've disliked much more than Sweet Karma, but I've never seen one I thought felt more out-of-place at the festival than this one. I must've be spoiled by the over-the-top exploitation vibe of the fest, because I kept waiting for Karma, the title character, to go really nuts, delivering a huge, splattery mess of revenge that never happens. Sweet Karma is a grimy, modest film with just enough strippers, nudity, prostitution, rape, and mobsters to make it marginally more gritty than something you'd catch in the 1990's on pay cable in the middle of the night. The sleazy sexuality outweighs the violence, which is a problem if you're trying to make a revenge movie. Hunt's more confident when he's shooting something titillating, and it keeps Sweet Karma more than a little unsatisfying. Private Eye - South Korea - Directed by Park Dae-Min Synopsis: A private investigator and a young medical student end up in over their heads as they uncover a series of murders. Boyish director Park Dae-Min seemed really happy with the Fantastic Fest audience reaction to his first feature. He has every right to smile--Private Eye is a solid piece of who-done-it storytelling. It's a continuation of South Korean filmmaking trends, where our friends from the East are making Western-style films that deliver the goods. It's pure, old-fashioned movie-making, unfettered from the needs of the American corporate studio system to cross-promote and co-brand. The lead actors, Jeon-Min Hwang and Dal-Su Oh, are fantastic. They've created a crime-fighting duo that bears the influence of Holmes and Watson, while remaining refreshing. I want more of these two. Park Dae-Min didn't rule out the idea of a sequel. I told him I wanted more than that--Private Eye III and IV, please. Keep 'em coming. If the sequels are as good as this debut, we'll have a couple of new iconic film detectives on our hand. If this sounds interesting to you at all, please check out Moises' review as well. I'm having a hard time here articulating what makes Private Eye work so well, other than to say that it's an exceptionally well-made movie. Merantau - Indonesia - Directed by Gareth Evans Synopsis: A spiritual quest, called merantau, leads a young man trained in Silat into opposition with a human trafficking ring. I usually avoid the martial arts films at Fantastic Fest, for no real reason than I find they're all of a certain quality. At a festival, I go for the bigger gambles--I'd rather take a chance on something that isn't as predictably entertaining as most martial arts films. After Merantau got a lot of buzz after its first screening, I decided to go ahead and take in a showing and see what all the fuss was about. Mainly, that fuss is about Iko Uwais, and how much of an incredible bad-ass he is. Merantau's story--goody-goody country boy helps a stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold and her orphan brother--is remarkably pedestrian, but, ohmygod, Iko Uwais is amazing. He's deceptively boring as an actor, adequate but not exciting. Once he starts fighting, however, you can not take your eyes off the man. He's fluid and brutal, and the fights are choreographed into long, unrelenting sequences where he takes on opponent after opponent without stopping for one breath. I think there's a better movie than Merantau awaiting Uwais in his future, but for fans of martial arts, Merantua may very well become a minor classic because it introduces such a major new talent. The Revenant - USA - Directed by D. Kerry Prior Synopsis: A dead soldier returns to life as a zombie, but he'll need his best friend to help him stay undead, by furnishing him with plenty of fresh human blood. I sort of, almost, really like The Revenant. It's a worthy zombie comedy, with an unusual take on the typical alpha male buddy movie. The undead vet, Bart (David Anders), decides to choose his victims with the mis-placed authority of a street vigilante, but his friend Joey's (Chris Wylde) reasons for helping Bart may have less to do with Bart, and more to do with Joey being a chronic thrill-seeker. The Revenant has a lot going for it. It's funny and gross, it's well-shot and well-acted for a low-budget indie, and it's legitimately weird. The downside is that The Revenant features too much of a good thing--it's a shaggy movie, that often shambles like a zombie through too many repetitive scenes of Bart's street justice and constant feeding. At the fest, Prior confessed that the film had yet to find distribution. That's a shame, because he's made a slickly professional film that horror fans are really going to dig. I'm hoping he can tighten it up (please, please, please lose the nonsensical, poorly green-screened subway shootout), and get The Revenant into fighting shape so that it can garner distribution. Festival reaction to the film has been strong, and I have no doubt that The Revenant will find a home soon. Daybreakers - Australia - Directed by The Spierig Brothers Synopsis: In a society controlled by vampires, a hematologist bucks the authority of the corporation he works for to help a small group of humans develop a cure of vampirism. I can say this about the Spierig Brothers--they know how to make a fantastic B-movie. Daybreakers is a no-frills excursion into a fascinating, horrific vision of the future, filled with interesting concepts and lean action, and, man, this thing is lean. Daybreakers sets up its world and the conflict in the blink of an eye, then wham-bam-thank-you-Sam (Neill, that is, playing the villain) and it's all over. Breathlessly paced, it's easily the most satisfying vampire film of its kind since Blade, zooming along so quickly that you barely have time to consider any plot holes caused by the movie's undercooked psuedo-science or timeline. That's the trick with B-movies, distract the audience with just enough cleverness to keep them from noticing that almost all of the thrills are visceral in nature. I can't complain much about a movie this efficient--a near perfect peanut butter-in-my-chocolate junk food blend of action and horror.
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Spine Number 496: CHE


Criterion has at long last announced a killer edition of Steven Soderbergh's CHE. The comprehensive extras, as reported previously, are the cause of the long wait for the announcement and release. The DVD Edition is 3 discs (each feature on its own disc and a third for extras), and the Blu-ray is 2 discs (not sure how things are split up there). The extras include the following (with my added comments): High-definition digital transfers of Che: Part One and Che: Part Two, supervised and approved by director Steven Soderbergh, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition Audio commentaries on both films, featuring Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life [Ed. note- This guy is not only considered a subject matter expert, but depending on your feelings about Guevara himself, something of a controversial guy.] Making "Che", a new documentary about the film's production, featuring interviews with Soderbergh, producer Laura Bickford, actor-producer Benicio del Toro, and writers Peter Buchman and Ben van der Veen [Ed. note- I have the expectation that this will be every bit as comprehensive and engrossing as the Benjamin Button doc from that disc.] New interviews with Cuban historians as well as participants in the 1958 Cuban Revolution and Che's 1967 Bolivian campaign [Ed. note- I may see family members in this. You may think I'm kidding, but I'm not.] Deleted scenes [Ed. note- Apparently one of the big delays was giving Soderbergh time to compile these. I assume that was time well spent waiting, based on his previous Criterion contributions.] Theatrical trailers A booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin
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Sarah Connor Collateral Damage

I'd blame myself for the cancellation of The Sarah Connor Chronicles if I felt the Nielsens ratings system applied to me. The show was actually quite good, I just wish the myriad means of digital distribution out there allowed shows like this to have their popularity accurately measured. The ratings don't take into account who DVR-ed the show, which accounts for a huge segment of active viewers at this point.

As I said in the Roundup for 9.22, I never kept up with this show during its run, but if I had, its cancellation would just eat at me like the other good shows that have gotten the axe. Catching up on it now, I really dig this "on the run" sci-fi show more than most of what I flip past. Maybe it was destined to be best remembered as something that was limited to a few years, but just two seasons was too few. The Blu-ray presentation of Season 2 is appropriately in-depth and high quality. Fans couldn't ask for much more than a third season. Extras include: Commentaries on 4 Episodes (including finale) with Exec. Producer Josh Friedman and Cast & Crew, Unaired Scenes, Gag Reel Featurettes: The Continuing Chronicles: Terminator 8-part featurette gallery, The Storyboard Process, Cameron vs. Rosie Fight Rehearsal Blu-ray Exclusive: Collision with the Future: Deconstructing the Hunter Killer Attack from the Series Finale

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 hit the street on 9.22. Amazon has the Blu-ray for just $6 more than DVD for $42.49.
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The Mentalist and Power of Suggestion

I've become hooked on yet another crime show thanks to my penchant for satisfying my curiosity for popular things. After putting in the first disc of the first season of The Mentalist, which airs on CBS, it took no more than 15 minutes for Ashley and I to while away an afternoon absorbed in the show. Psychological manipulation is the bedrock of confidence men, illusionists, and TV mentalists. All three of them are fundamentally the same thing: professional, influential liars. They use the untruth to uncover the truth. Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane, a mentalist-turned-police-consultant. He uses his powers of persuasion to help solve crimes in the wake of the murder of his wife and daughter by a serial killer named Red John, who haunts Jane throughout various episodes in the first season. Prior to his personal tragedy, Jane had been a TV charlatan like so many we all (hopefully) flip past on late-night TV. He's flanked by California Bureau of Investigation agents played by Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman, and Amanda Righetti. Tunney was a hot up-and-comer years back, Kang you've seen in Shell and AT&T U-Verse commercials (and the excellent Rambo 5), Yeoman was in Generation Kill, and Righetti was in the Friday the 13th remake. Now I get why Aussie-born Baker has become something of a sensation. He plays "American" much better than Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, or Hugh Jackman. I really dug his short bit in Women in Trouble when I saw it at South by Southwest. He's got a sure-footed, lived-in style of acting that's common among all the greats. I'm not saying the man is an instant legend, but he's more than got the chops to get there over a long career. The show is well-scripted and tightly-paced, with the potential to run for a long while.

Season 1 was released on DVD September 22nd. Amazon has it for $40.
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One eskimO Throwback

I got a press release a few weeks ago about something I don't usually write about because I don't keep up with it: music. Warner Brothers' Premiere Digital imprint partnered with UK band One eskimO to produce something they call a "visual album" by producing ten animated shorts to go with the songs on their new album.

The people who did the animation are the same who did the Gorillaz videos, and it's really rather lovely. It reminds me of back when I paid attention to music videos and MTV played them. If record labels want to sell music, they'll use media like this to entice fans and the curious. Imagine what could be done if The Beatles had done Yellow Submarine in this way, with each track sequentially corresponding to a piece of overall narrative.
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Going to Dogville



The same dog actor starring in (l. to r., top to bottom) Hot Dog, College Hounds, Who Killed Rover?, and The Dogway Melody. His work ethic reminds me of Jude Law's output in 2004.
If you've frequented the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, whether during a festival or not, you've undoubtedly seen clips from one or another of the "All-Barkie Comedies". The common genres of films released in the early days of talkies are all lampooned in the form of theatrical shorts. They starred dogs that were dressed up in human clothes and made to "talk" and "act" by obviously nefarious means. They use a lot of the same dogs in featured parts, like the fella pictured above. The dogs involved were all unquestionably mistreated and abused, but the Barkies are important artifacts of cinema history. Warner Archive's The Dogville Collection features all 9 shorts made from 1930-31 that were put together by the same team that would soon thereafter bring us The Three Stooges. In various polls of theatergoers, the Barkies were voted more popular than any other shorts running before features, even ones that critics and historians have elevated to more prominent heights. The same reason audiences in the 30's loved these movies is why the atrocious "spoof" movies continue to do well: people like to laugh at things that make fun of the artistically successful. If someone did new versions of these, I'm reasonably sure people would love Barkie versions of Obsessed, The Proposal, or Zombieland. As a whole, the Barkies are very much hit and miss, depending on the one you pick. Some hew so closely to their source material that they become just as tedious as the stale genres they assail, whereas others end abruptly or nonsensically. I feel terrible laughing at some of the gags that rely entirely on "here's how we made this dog do this," but I'll be damned if it isn't funny. I've gotten through the first disc of them, and they look and sound great considering their age. My favorite thus far is their "Great Woof Way" backstage musical The Dogway Melody. There are no extras, as is the case with the rest of the Archive titles, but I've been dying for the shorts for so long that I don't really care. The Dogville comedies are no more politically correct than many of the Our Gang shorts (also on Warner Archive), but just as with those films, these shouldn't be categorically erased from availability.

This is the perfect example of why the Archive program is out there, and why I'm glad to be a customer. The Archive folks were good enough to send a review copy of this and a couple others to me, but trust me when I say they're still getting plenty of my money otherwise and I'd have gladly spent the $25 myself. In fact, I probably will a couple times over to gift this to a couple friends with upcoming birthdays. I've just found this vintage 6-page article explaining how the trainers worked with the dogs.
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Watchmen Redux Redux

This went out officially a couple weeks ago, but had a couple things to say on it. The Ultimate Cut version of Watchmen that had already been soft-announced a while ago was officially announced for release on November 7th, and the final running time clocks in at 215 minutes, or 3 hours and 35 minutes. This is the version I've been most curious to see since the film's theatrical release, not that I think it will be a more definitive version than the Director's Cut. The new Ultimate Cut Edition incorporates most of the Tales of the Black Freighter animated thing into the Director's Cut and includes the following extras according to the press release: Audio Commentary with Zack Snyder and Dave Gibbons The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics [28:50] Learn how the subversive, thematically complex, award winning comic that changed literature, inspired analytical debate, and won countless fans, was created. Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes [27:28] Explores the fascination and psychology behind real-world vigilantes and where that behavior crosses over into actually donning the hood and behaving as superheroes. Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World [16:46] The creators of Watchmen had a great understanding of engineering and science, allowing for plausible mechanics in their characters tools and the world itself. This featurette will guide the viewer through the filmmakers process of turning these technologies into cinematic reality. Watchmen: Video Journals My Chemical Romance video Desolation Row [3:16] Under The Hood [36:00] A retrospective look on the biography by Hollis Mason - the original Nite Owl - and the world of those who stood for hooded justice. Story Within A Story: The Books of Watchmen [26:00] Weave through the nuanced layers of detail to see how a comic-within-a comic acts as parallel commentary to the acclaimed work of Literature, Watchmen. Digital Copy of the Theatrical Version Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics
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Bloom a la Blu

Genres that I can never get enough of include: crime (heists in particular), westerns, and con artist jobs. I'm sure there are more, but those immediately come to mind. I hadn't watched Rian Johnson's The Brothers Bloom until Summit provided me with a review copy of the rental-only Blu-ray. I didn't find myself outright disgusted and appalled with it, as Jeff did, but instead enjoyed it a great deal. The movie charmed me and I was eager to dig into the supplemental features on the Blu-ray, which hasn't been the case with many movies this year.

I wasn't part of the throng of enthusiastic bloggers/writers/journalists/fans who "pimped it large" during Bloom's limited theatrical run, which never reached more than 200 or so screens nationwide. It feels to me like Summit didn't know where to put it, and I still firmly believe it was a good move to put it against summer blockbusters instead of Oscar season. I'm not terribly familiar with the release date moves that happened before that, so sorry for my ignorance. Recent missives hurled hither and yon all over the net as a result of recent FTC regulation changes have found various writers shouting "sellout" and "who can be bought?" into the air and at one another. Unlike some of my colleagues, I don't really know Rian well on a personal basis. Unlike a number of buzz campaigns for other movies I've seen come and go, I've seen a great deal of voluntary disclosure from writers who've had "face-time" with Rian or an ongoing friendship of some sort. It's one of those advocacy campaigns that really came from the right place, and that means a lot in an atmosphere where people get into the blogging racket exclusively to touch the famous people and work their own angle. The reason I'm bringing this up aside from now disclosing myself that I met Rian briefly at Butt Numb A Thon X last year (and have maintained a very limited correspondence with him) is that this whole FTC thing is thematically tied to the thing about Bloom that won me over. There are plenty of solid, on-the-level people doing this online writing gig, but make no mistake, there are tons of aspiring and working writers in it for what they can juice the gig for and nothing more. They have a sense of entitlement that the con should always go their way, and instead of hone their skills and do what they do well (usually not much for these hucksters), they skate by misrepresenting themselves to their readers. Penelope (Rachel Wiesz) is getting conned from the moment she runs into the Bloom boys, but I quickly got wise to the fact she was smart enough to know pretty quickly that she was being taken. The people who go wild for the hucksters among the movie bloggers (love, hate, or disagree with the term) are just like Penelope: getting exactly what they want out of the con. These are the envious, the want-to-be's, the people who wish they had the life, access, and perks and none of the work. It was really rather poetic to see this whole debate play out all over blogs and Twitter while I was tucking in to this movie. I found the whole damn thing appealing and easily re-watchable, from Brody & Ruffalo to Wiesz and physical comedienne extraordinaire Rinko Kikuchi. The Feature Commentary with Johnson and producer Ram Bergman was a great listen, partly thanks to the fact it seems Rian is quite a DVD devotee himself and knows what makes for a good commentary. I should also mention here that I participated in a call he put out for questions or contributions on Twitter (before he had any idea who I was) while he was recording this track, and so as a result my Twitter handle comes up shouting out Fantastic Fest toward the end. Also mentioned are friends and colleagues Will Goss of Cinematical and James Rocchi of MSN Movies/Redbox, both to hilarious effect, whether you know them or not. One of the best solid anecdotes thrown out is regarding why Johnson thinks Robbie Coltrane did the movie (it relates to his lust for vintage autos). The other extras are worth watching (again, for once!). From Sketch to Celluloid [12:29] is a comparison of early and later storyboards to finished film. The Behind the Scenes featurette [15:35] is more easy to pay attention to than others that seem to just plant a camcorder on the ground 100 feet from the action. The twenty Deleted Scenes [32:48] with or without commentary by director Rian Johnson are more illuminating on the shaving-down process than other sets of similarly cut material on other discs I've reviewed this year. Why on Earth it is that Summit has decided to forego making Bloom available to purchase in time for the lucrative Holiday Buying Season here in the US absolutely mystifies me. It's rental-only until January, when you'll be able to buy it in stores and order it from online outlets. My pledge earlier today regarding those who illegally download Trick R Treat stands for this title as well, but unfortunately, that big window has resulted in more than a few "general consumers" on Twitter spouting off about how angry it makes them. "I don't want to pay to rent it now and then pay to own it, I just want to buy the damn thing!" they say, and I can't help but agree with them. There is still time for Summit to bump that release up, right? Leave your opinions on this in the comments, and I'll be sure that they're passed on to people at the studio. Do be civil, but don't hold back from being brutally honest.
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Trick R Treat: Lost and Not Found?


I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of Trick R Treat due to a lack of trying, I assure you. I checked "big box" stores in my area, and they are either out of stock or not carrying it. Reports like this are pouring in from all over the country. I said nearly two years ago that this Creepshow-inspired anthology film could take the Halloween season crown away from Saw, and frankly, it still could. Director Mike Dougherty has floated the possibility of a sequel, which I think would be successful even if a series of them went DVD-only like the first one. I can't definitively point a finger at who's to blame for the fact I can't find Trick R Treat in any physical location in Austin. Did WB not make enough discs? Did the big box stores not order enough discs (or at all), perceiving no demand? Did WB not make enough discs to meet demand because those big shelf-space-having stores didn't order them? Who the hell knows. Regardless of immediate availability and what/how you feel about how WB has handled the movie since its completion, voting with your dollars is the best way to show the studios what people will actually pay for when it shows up. Amazon has the Blu-ray for $25 and the DVD for $15. If anyone illegally downloads this DVD and tells me they did, I will punch them in the mouth. Acknowledgement of having read this piece in front of witnesses prior to or after the punching commences is considered tacit agreement to not hold me liable for any and all damages as well as to forego any litigation related to said incident.
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Balance of the Weekend

Tomorrow and the weekend will find me catching up my massive backlog in a flurry of posts, excepting a few Fantastic Fest films I'm catching up on thanks to screeners. Expect reviews of DVDs, Blu-rays, festival films, the VOD evolution, and short films you may have never seen. If I'm lucky, I'll have a couple recurring features return to regularity tomorrow. What a pair of weeks.
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Kim and The Health Care Crisis

Movie City News columnist Kim Voynar explains her current medical condition and crisis better than I can summarize it here. Read what she's posted and then come back. Nothing I say below is necessarily how Kim feels, it's how I feel when I read a story similar to hers. I barely know Kim. I briefly had a "hi, how are ya, nice to meetcha" moment with her at South by Southwest a couple years ago. She is, for me, the new face of the current health care debate. Should her life or death be decided by her "choosing" to get divorced? For having four kids? For having cancer? The weakest argument going around equates the sick and suffering as "bad actors" or "the abusers in the system". That analysis makes me want to grasp those people firmly by the shoulders and ask if they've truly lost their minds. Sarah Palin didn't invent Death Panels all on her own, they already exist. The Death Panels are the boards of the major insurers who deny coverage or procedures to people who need them most. How dare Those Against Reform decide who lives and who dies? Without a compelling reason to find a cure to deadly diseases, major insurers and pharmaceutical companies will choose not to try. People prolonging their lives before a certain death are far too profitable to give up as "customers". Symbolically, we the people should file an anti-trust lawsuit against the healthcare industry, as they've cornered the death market. A good friend of mine died of brain cancer earlier this year. My mother-in-law's life was saved by being successfully treated for renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) last year. Even before either of them got sick, the stories of suffering in the face of indifferent insurance companies made me furious. The opposition to healthcare reform calling for "the right reform" isn't proposing an alternative, so logically speaking, they're pushing the status quo. Those people make me wish I didn't work a day job and had the opportunity to go around and listen to people's concerns about healthcare and dispel ridiculous rumors without the baggage of being a politician. It makes me wish I had a broad platform to make my voice heard that's free from the insanity and inanity of anonymous message boards and comment threads. This will have to do, I suppose.
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FF09: Private Eye - Holmes Sher-lock


"Private Eye" Hong, Lady Inventor "Mrs. Q", and "Doc"
The best film I saw at Fantastic Fest this year was Park Dae-min's Private Eye, a brilliant and impressive first feature from a screenwriter-turned-director. It's the second highest-grossing movie in South Korea so far this year, and it's better mainstream entertainment than the US has produced in the last nine months. After both Fantastic Fest screenings, various people remarked that this Korean period crime movie was all the Sherlock Holmes they were looking for, and that they didn't know how Guy Ritchie's Holmes could hope to be this good. Private Eye takes place in early 1900's Japanese-occupied Korea. All the details are perfect, from costumes to locations to the nuances of the script. The story follows a private eye named Hong Jin-ho (Hwang Jeong-min) who gets tangled up in a murder investigation when a medical student (Ryu Deok-Hwan) finds the body of a government minister's son and comes to Hong for help. The reason the med student (who is never named, but referred to as "Doc" by Hong) needs help is that prior to finding out who the body was, he started dissecting it for study. Without spoiling any of the twists and turns, by the end of the movie Hong and "Doc" have a very Holmes & Watson thing going. I'm not alone in wanting to see a followup, based on the responses of very enthusiastic audiences at both shows last week.

Hwang is one of the most famous actors in Korea these days, and director Park mentioned at one point that his participation is the main reason the movie was made with the budget it needed. His portrayal of Hong is at once disciplined like Holmes, but also somewhat obsessive and revenge-driven like Batman/Bruce Wayne. Unlike both characters, Hong's background (which is revealed later in the film) makes him right at home delivering brisk, decisive judgment in a Korea that isn't run by the laws on the books. It is Hwang's talent for subtle, naturalistic comedy that really sells the part. Otherwise, the hard-boiled detective would feel too much like a carbon copy of Holmes or Batman without the costume.

Ryu Deok-Hwan (Doc), Uhm Ji-won (Lady Inventor), Hwang Jeong-min (Private Eye Hong), director Park Dae-min
Hwang and Ryu make for a great team, and all the supporting cast members are solid no matter how few lines they may have. Uhm Ji-won has comparatively little to do as a Lady Inventor (whose name escapes me), but she's crucial to the plot and could figure much more prominently in a sequel. Director Park mentioned in the first screening's Q&A that she was loosely modeled on Q from the James Bond series. We're never directly told where "Mrs. Q"'s husband is, whether dead or what, but he's certainly absent. One of my favorite throwaways in the movie is seeing she's made various devices for Hong that are never seen again after they're demonstrated. Deductive reasoning wins out over gadgets and toys in the world of Private Eye. More than anything, Private Eye succeeds in the details of its character development. One bit that figures prominently in the growth of "Doc" is a point where he makes his views on unequal medical treatment for the poor extremely clear. He's studying under a very profit-driven, old school Japanese doctor whose heart isn't into the rewarding nature of the work, but the financial incentive instead. In one of a few places where Park resists the urge to show us every last detail, but gives us enough evidence to assume the result, "Doc" stands up to the man he starts out revering, and it makes you want to buy the kid a beer. The whodunnit style of crime story isn't reinvented here (I don't think that's possible), but it's perfectly shown tribute by a smart, funny script. Private Eye screened late in the festival, after most of the buyers and industry people had already left. The movie is one of the best I've seen in any language this year, with characters, music, and (most importantly) a story that deliver on every level. I'm hoping that post-festival buzz will carry it to a US distribution deal. If anyone knows where/how I can import the score, I'll pay whatever it costs.
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FF09: John Gholson's Day 6

Salvage - UK- Directed by Lawrence Gough Synopsis: A mother estranged from her daughter tries to make things right amidst a sudden and deadly military takeover of their neighborhood. About twenty minutes into Salvage, I turned to my friend sitting next to me and whispered, "If this is a monster movie, it has some of the best characterization I've ever seen." Salvage is definitely a monster movie (not a spoiler), and it does have great acting and sharply written characters. Unfortunately, that's about all it has. When the movie ramps up the action, all logic seems to fly out the window. It's a real shame too, because Neve McIntosh is outstanding as Beth, the mother, and I can say without a doubt that it's one of the most three-dimensional roles a woman has ever had in a horror film, indy or otherwise. She feels real--the character is introduced in a scene in which a very adult mistake on Beth's part causes unnecessary heartbreak with her teen daughter, Jodie. She struggles with that indiscretion, as well as more damaging, timeworn mistakes and the effect they've had on her relationship with Jodie. By the time Beth becomes a fiercely protective animal at the end of the film, it feels completely earned. But...this is a monster movie we're talking about--one in which the military behave as trigger-happy idiots, doing whatever actions the screenwriters need them to do at that given moment to ramp up the thrills, reality be damned. I'd give that a pass, maybe, if the monster was cool, but he looks like a rejected make-up idea from a DTV Wrong Turn sequel. He's a lumpy-headed mutant that roars like Godzilla, murders people like a rabid gorilla, but always takes the time to use proper bathroom ettiquette when he has to go. Yes, between kills, the monster pees in the potty. Good boy. The bathroom scene encapsulates everything that's right and wrong with Salvage. Beth hears someone relieving themselves through a closed bathroom door, thinks it's Jodie, and goes to open the door, only to see Jodie standing across the room from her. Jodie gives a barely perceptible headshake to let her know that her mother should definitely not open that door. The monster is in there, pissing. It's a solid moment of acting between the mother and the daughter, ruined by a ridiculous, unbelievable situation. Salvage is the very definition of a mixed bag. Rampage - Canada/Germany - Directed by Uwe Boll Synopsis: An unremarkable teenager goes on an unprovoked killing spree. Don't let anyone tell you that Uwe Boll has finally made a good film. He's made one that isn't laughable, but Rampage is not good--not by any stretch of the imagination. Boll still has too much love for slow-motion violence, bad camera work, and lousy soundtrack choices, and an incredible tolerance for terrible performances. Rampage may feel competent, but barely. Not content to let the story play out at its own pace, or perhaps not confident in his own abilities to create a slow-burn sense of dread, Boll dishes out violent flash-forwards during the actors' inane improvised conversations at the beginning of the film. These never feel like foreshadowing (they aren't artful enough for that), but promises to the audience that, trust me, these characters will shut up soon, and we can get down to the killin'. Rampage is an ugly, irresponsible film--a repellant, sociopathic male power fantasy that assumes we've all wanted to be the guy that could get away with killing all those jerks out there on the street. Thing is, I'm not a sociopath, so, no, I don't want to kill everyone I see. Uwe Boll is a person who once responsed to negative reviews of his video game movies by offering to fly critics to his location so that he, an amateur boxer, could knock them out in a boxing ring. It's a violent response to a trivial issue. Rampage is that response times one thousand, simmering with misplaced anger and hatred towards the middle class. It seems destined to become the new favorite film of disaffected, violent white trash fifteen-year olds across America. I don't believe cinematic violence causes real world violence, and, personally, I happen to like a lot of violent films. My issue here is that Boll has created a film without subtext or satire, immoral and lacking remorse, offering not one iota of intellectual or philosophical insight. A character study about the worst cold-blooded killer in history can at least offer us some moments where we reflect on the unusual psychology on display. Rampage just isn't about that. It's about the thrill of putting a bullet in the head of the guy that got your coffee order wrong. It's a thrill that I can't force myself to relate to. A Serious Man - USA - Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen Synopsis: Larry Gopnik experiences a troubling cycle of small victories followed by huge personal tragedies. I'm a Gentile, and I loved A Serious Man. I comprehend the "what can ya do?" attitude of the film, but not in the way that it might resonate with Jews (in much the same way that "Catholic guilt" doesn't resonate with me, but I can understand it). As far as character studies go, they don't get more well-crafted than A Serious Man. Michael Stuhlbarg carries the film with what is sure to be the break-out performance of 2009. His Larry Gopnik is desperate and patient, often at the exact same time, and it makes for an interesting combination of character traits as the Coens (playing G-d) continue to pile heartache upon heartache on poor Larry. Watching Gopnik's personal drama unfold is painful, but the Coens get us from scene to scene easily with plenty of strange characters and well-timed comedy. Tonally, A Serious Man reminded me a lot of 2001's The Man Who Wasn't There, but Billy Bob Thornton's character in that film, Ed Crane, is a simpleton. Gopnik is smart, but he's no more effectual than Crane at controlling his own life. There are forces at work bigger than Gopnik, and they were there before he was born (illustrated by the Coens' odd prologue, set centuries beforehand), and will continue to go on after he is dead (illustrated in a powerful way by the Coens' not-exactly-an-ending ending). In many ways, A Serious Man feels like the most personal work yet from Joel and Ethan Coen, and I look forward to seeing it again so that I can give it some further thought.
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Mirageman


A young man named Maco (Marko Zaror) and his kid brother are orphaned after their parents are killed in a brutal attack. Maco is mistaken for a masked superhero by TV reporter he saves, and Maco's little brother becomes obsessed with this new vigilante. The movie itself is a bit of a mix of vigilante comic book movie, old-school Jackie Chan, and a dash of Latin American direct to video action. The combination results in one of the most inventive and watchable action flicks I've seen in a long while. I'd take twelve movies from these guys before I'd crack open another Hong Kong cookie-cutter thing. The team behind Kiltro got back together for another round of South American martial arts action in Mirageman. They also brought Mandrill, their newest film, to Fantastic Fest this year. Unfortunately, I couldn't get in to either show. They also apparently announced that this very movie was going to be remade in English and 3-D. The action in this original is taut and well-choreographed, but it never really rises above martial arts film tropes, so don't expect a revelation. On the other hand, it's nice to have a fight movie that has nothing to do with Thai boxing, ninja, or Chinese kung fu.
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Disc Roundup (Movies) 9.29.09


New Release of the Week In a Dream (DVD only) 2 Deleted Scenes [2:49], Alternate Ending [3:47], Recommitment short documentary [4:51], Theatrical Trailer Short Films: Cutting Ice to Snow video for Efterklang, Coney Island, 1945, Paints on Ceiling I've been an enthusiastic supporter of Jeremiah Zagar's masterful work of mosaic documentary filmmaking since I saw it a year and a half ago at South by Southwest 2008, before it made the shortlist for Best Documentary feature at last year's Oscars. In a Dream delves into his family history, specifically focusing on his father Isaiah's battles with madness and genius and how those epic wars within himself affect those who love him. Jeremiah turns the camera on his mother and elder brother, but never on himself. Some have inferred that his reluctance to do so is cowardly, or unbecoming of a documentarian. All those people are assholes, idiots, or likely both. The genius of Jeremiah's work is in the intimate distance he achieves and the mystery he inadvertently creates around himself unintentionally. With so much turbulence surrounding his family unit, how could Jeremiah do anything but be the observer in the shadows? Knowing little about him directly and a great deal more about those around him is what makes the movie and its twists all the more compelling and thought-provoking. Isaiah has created building facades and interiors full of mosaic art chronicling the family history, and to his own surprise, son Jeremiah has molded a towering achievement out of 4-5 years of fragments he didn't start out knowing what to do with.

Julia (l.) and Isaiah (r.) Zagar. Click the image to enlarge.
The supplemental materials are all easily re-watchable, including a short hidden one that I watched two and three times after finding it. This is one worth Netflixing if you haven't seen it yet, but be ready to pull out the credit card, because it's very much the kind of discovery you want to share with people. In a Dream is $20 on Amazon, but there's also a very unique Limited Edition version being sold off their website for $60 that they're only doing 500 of total. The additional extras on this version include the following: Deluxe Packaging (designed by Jonah Birns) Autographed 13"x18" Movie Poster (signed by Isaiah, Julia, Zeke & Jeremiah Zagar) Hand-Crafted Isaiah Zagar Figurine Bonus Disc -Even More Deleted Scenes -Rare Jeremiah Zagar Short Films -Short Works by Friends of In A Dream -Original Fundraising Trailer -Interviews, Slideshows and More!! My assumption (as should be yours) is that a larger portion of these sales goes to the filmmakers on top of the fact that the additional extras listed are worth investigating. New to Blu-ray Release of the Week The Wizard of Oz: 70th Anniversary Edition (also on DVD) The picture quality is better than I have ever seen it, and there are tiers of options depending on the amount of extras you care about. This will be, mark my words, one of the big software reasons people will go Blu-ray this year. My photo-inundated writeup of the set can be found here. I'm calling this as easily one of the top 5 disc releases of the year, and we still have two months to go.

New to Blu-ray Release of the Week (honorable mention in the face of Oz) Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal Labyrinth: The Storytellers Picture-in-Picture track (Blu-ray exclusive); Original DVD extras including Commentary and Making-Of Documentary The Dark Crystal: Picture-in-Picture Storyboard Track; Introduction by screenwriter David Odell on Skeksis language; The Book of Thra and Crystal Challenge interactive features; Original DVD extras including Commentary, Documentary, Retrospectives, and Deleted Scenes Sony has really outdone themselves with the transfers on these two Henson Company classics. I've never seen either one of these movies projected, just VHS copies and DVDs, and they both look jaw-droppingly good. Sony is handily maintaining its reputation as one of (if not the) best Blu-ray houses in town, as well they should, having invented Blu-ray in the first place. The all-new Storytellers PiP track on Labyrinth is much more than just the least annoying PiP track I've been subjected to, it's actually quite good. It features interviews with Cheryl Henson, puppeteer Kevin Clash, puppet makers Rollin Krewson and Connir Peterson, actor Warwick Davis, and makeup artist Nick Dudman. Dark Crystal has some interesting new extras, but none quite approach The Storytellers. All the original supplemental material is on both of these. New Release

The Girlfriend Experience (Blu-ray & DVD) Feature Commentary by Steven Soderbergh and Sasha Grey Blu-ray Exclusive: Unrated Alternate Cut The allegory one could apply to this movie is actually pretty universal. Do you sell something? Do you obey a master, corporate or familial? Do you know you're being molded against your nature into someone else's ideal and let it happen due to having no other choice? Sasha Grey, a porn star in real life, portrays Chelsea, a high-end call girl who seems happy with her job. She has a live-in boyfriend who's fully aware of what she does, and whether to cope with what his girlfriend does for a living or due to his own overcompensating personality, he reaches for stars that'll never be within his grasp. The shooting style and fractured chronology reminded me of the sadly forgotten HBO series K Street, which Soderbergh out together. I watched this twice, first the Theatrical Cut and then the Alternate Cut. I didn't have the time to give it a third spin to listen to the Soderbergh/Grey commentary, but I'm trying to find the time this week. The Alternate version gives Glenn Kenny the push he needs over the top in this year's Sleazy Supporting Character Awards. Away We Go (Blu-ray & DVD) Feature Commentary with director Sam Mendes and writers Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida Featurettes: The Making of Away We Go, Green Filmmaking This is the movie I haven't seen that is most frequently-recommended by friends. It drives me nuts that I'm looking at an unopened copy of a new Sam Mendes movie that I don't have time to watch. Based on my tea leaf reading, I have a feeling this is going to do some significant business on video, as a huge potential audience (new parents) mostly stayed away from the theater because that just isn't how they'll see movies for a few years. Monsters vs. Aliens (Blu-ray & DVD) I skipped this in theaters and I'm skipping it on home video. The twenty minutes I saw at BNAT last year were painful. Management (Blu-ray & DVD) I forgot this movie existed. Catalog New to Blu Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Snakes on a Plane Billy Jack Skipping the one in the middle, are Henry and Billy Jack not perfect examples of how Blu-ray has undeniably arrived as a format? Pushed Back 42nd Street Forever Volume 5: Alamo Drafthouse This one appears to have been pushed back into late October. I can't wait to get my hands on it personally, since I've seen most if not all of the trailers on it in person at the Drafthouse and love all of them, no matter how goofy or outright insane. Disc Roundup (Movies) is posted each week at some point, depending on how many discs there are to get through. Screener copies of In a Dream, The Wizard of Oz, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Girlfriend Experience, and Away We Go were provided by their respective studios. If you think I've missed something, feel free to send me an email.
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Disc Roundup (TV) 9.22.09


Release of the Week Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2 (Blu-ray) These classic Trek seasons on Blu-ray are reasons to own the player in and of themselves. The remarkable picture quality from the first season set is also present here, as is the multi-angle option allowing you to toggle between the original effects shots and the "remastered" ones. Some of my favorite episodes are in here, including "The Apple", "The Doomsday Machine", "By Any Other Name", and "The Ultimate Computer". These sets are like Warner's Blade Runner Blu-ray release in that I can't really fathom why I'd ever have to buy it again in some new format. CBS has already shown a good deal of dedication to actually using BD-Live as incentive, unlike other outfits that aren't even trying. Others and I heap all kinds of hate on BD-Live's slowness and uselessness, but on these Trek titles, I don't really mind the wait because the content's worth it. New to this release compared to the other is the Mobile Blu feature, which lets you use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote and download exclusive content to it. I haven't tried it, but I haven't seen any complaints thus far, so I assume it's a-ok. The entirety of Disc 4 is dedicated to the episode "The Trouble with Tribbles," and it includes both the Animated Series and Deep Space Nine episodes that involve the furry little buggers. It's a well-produced disc all on its own, but it just made me yearn all the more for DS9 on Blu-ray with new featurettes. Speaking of, featurettes are semi-sparse on the first few discs, but Disc 7 is pretty supplemental heavy, so it evens out. On top of that, it turns out CBS/Paramount has hidden twelve featurettes across the set, and I don't mind spoiling how to find it all since the vast majority of these aren't things you'd stumble across by chance. Here are the keys to the kingdom, as provided to The Digital Bits by the studio: All 12 are brief interview featurettes (short, but well worth finding). For the Easter eggs that require you to enter a code, simply go to the disc's main menu screen and enter the numbers with your remote. Disc 1 #1 - (Enter 4-digit number) - The year Star Trek first aired on TV. Disc 2 #2 - (enter 4-digit number) - The first year of the Enterprise's five-year mission. #3 - (navigate right from Communication) Disc 3 #4 - (enter 4-digit number) - Spock's Birth Year #5 - (navigate right from Communication) Disc 4 #6 - (enter 4-digit number) - Original air date (month/day) of "The Trouble With Tribbles" Disc 5 #7 - (enter 4-digit number) - Registry number of the Enterprise #8 - (navigate right from Communication) Disc 6 #9 - (enter 4-digit number) - The year Shakespeare died (from "By Any Other Name") #10 - (navigate right from Communication) Disc 7 #11 - (enter 4-digit number) - The year the crew returns to in "Assignment Earth" #12 - (navigate right from Communication)" The thing that drove me mad more than anything was that I was in the thick of Fantastic Fest when the review copy of this set arrived and as a result didn't really have a chance to dig in to it until I fell ill just following the festival. Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2 is not only the top TV release of the week of 9.22, it's one of the best releases of the year. New Release

The Mentalist Season 1 (DVD only) Unaired Scenes on 3 episodes, Gag Reel Featurettes: Evidence of a Hit Series, Cracking the Crystal Ball: Mentalist vs. Psychic This show is in ink at the top of my "I should get into that show before it's cancelled after two seasons for no good reason" list. I'll have something more than a witty one-liner by the end of the week now that I have it in my hands. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 (Blu-ray & DVD) Commentaries on 4 Episodes (including finale) with Exec. Producer Josh Friedman and Cast & Crew, Unaired Scenes, Gag Reel Featurettes: The Continuing Chronicles: Terminator 8-part featurette gallery, The Storyboard Process, Cameron vs. Rosie Fight Rehearsal Blu-ray Exclusive: Collision with the Future: Deconstructing the Hunter Killer Attack I hope the reference to "cancelled after two seasons for no good reason" above relating to this title isn't too glaringly obvious or looks like a slam. I never kept up with this show during its run, and I'd feel guilty about that if there weren't seventeen other shows from the last few years that I've defended until after they're dead. It's a shame there's one less capably-produced science fiction show on TV. I need some more time to get to this one too, so check back at the end of the week. 30 Rock Season 3 (Blu-ray & DVD) 1-900-OKFACE commercial, Audio Commentary on select episodes, Deleted Scenes, Behind-The-Scenes With The Muppets, The Making of "He Needs a Kidney", Table Read of the Season Finale, Photo Gallery I went over this one here yesterday. It's infinitely re-watchable for me, at least. Brotherhood The Final Season (3) (DVD only) This good side/bad side family drama started with a bang in the ratings and all but disappeared without a trace by the end, with people jumping on other bandwagons. This final season DVD set has no extras on it, but it's got the final 8 episodes of the show on it, so you can safely line up the whole show in a Netflix queue now. Mitch Fatel is Magical (DVD only) Interviews with Fans, Special Mitch Animation, Outtakes, Photo Shoot Mitch Fatel was co-headlining a college tour with Mitch Hedberg shortly before Hedberg died (many conveniently forget, of an overdose). That tour swung through Tallahassee, where I lived at the time, and the universal consensus was that Hedberg was ok, but that Fatel was actually a great deal funnier. I've never really warmed to his stuff, most of which is about his penis and things that happen during events that involve his penis. His fans love him for being "the perverted guy who talks about it and isn't ashamed." Castle Season 1 (DVD only) Bloopers & Outtakes, Audio Commentaries Featurettes: Whodunit: The Genesis of Castle, Write-Along With Nathan Fillion I hope that anything with Nathan Fillion in it succeeds on principle. That said, I think I need more time to warm to Castle. In it, Fillion plays a crime novelist whose books are being used as source material by a copycat killer. The NYPD pair him with an all-business real-life cop to try to prevent the crimes before they happen. They fight crime. Repeat. I'm in a detective story mood of late, so I'll give this show another shot when I can. The Ghost Whisperer Season 4 (DVD only) The Other Side III Webseries Featurettes: Season 4: Love Never Dies, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Scoring the Spirit World Interactive Features: Haunted Dollhouse puzzle game, Grave Mistakes game, Fashion Style Guide Now part of the Paranormal Phenomena Friday block on ABC that I will likely find myself far too often accidentally watching, Ghost Whisperer is a somewhat rare breed: it's a show about the paranormal that I really can't get into. The reason for this is probably the same as why Twilight makes me sigh and and check my watch: I just don't have the patience for this volume of longing stares and lovelorn protagonists. I do particularly admire the Other Side III webseries, which leverages webisode format programs as universe extension rather than cutting room floor gags or advertising like many other shows do. This is the third year they've been doing it, and I'm more interested in Other Side than Ghost Whisperer. Jamie Kennedy joined the cast and Jennifer Love Hewitt's real life love life this season, for better or worse on both fronts. And yes, the Fashion Style Guide interactive feature has to do with all the pretty clothes the people in the show wear. Law and Order SVU Season 10 (DVD only) I think they intentionally keep the price of these sets so high that I can't afford them to make sure I watch all the repeats that come on. SVU keeps me hooked, even ten years later. Ugly Betty Season 3 (DVD only) Look Who Keeps Popping Up pop-up video commentary Featurette: Coming Home to New York City MODE After Hours Webisodes, Betty Bloops (Gag Reel), Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentary Ugly Betty has long since departed from the original Betty La Fea it's based on. They're alternate realities of one another rather than one acting as an adaptation of the other, really. The third season saw the show transplanted from L.A. to NYC, and as a result, this is actually a good jumping-on point for new viewers. Catalog

Friday the 13th The Series The Final Season (DVD only) My mother did not let me watch shows like this when I was in the first grade, so this is my first exposure to Friday the 13th: The Series. As indifferent as I am to the Friday movies, the show is interesting to me since it's really just a creepy things and fighting evil show that's "F13" in name only. The show primarily concerns itself with the main characters locking away cursed items that will bring about untold evil. Taxi Season 4 (DVD only) I miss this show being in syndicated rotation. I could always switch it on and say to myself, "life could be a lot more boring with a much worse day job," and in the same breath remind myself, "and there's no way it'd be as interesting of a terrible job as the guys driving taxis in this show have." Compared to much of what has ever been on TV in the 70's and early 80's, I don't think a show ever quite nailed casting the way Taxi did. Reissue/Repackage The Judy Garland Show Volume 2 (DVD only) Outtakes I'm positive this must have been released previously. When I worked at Barnes & Noble, Teddy the newsstand manager came over to ask me about The Judy Garland Show arriving on DD what seemed like every other day. This second of thirteen volumes features two 50-minute episodes that feature guests like Ray Bolger, Ethel Merman, and The Smothers Brothers. TV on Disc is generally posted a few days after the corresponding week's Disc Roundup (Movies) and covers the week's TV releases on DVD & Blu-ray. With the exception of Law and Order SVU Season 10, screener copies of titles reviewed were provided by the respective studio. If you think I've missed something, feel free to send me an email.
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Crack Rock


One of the few things I can put on in the background while I write these columns other than music is network TV shows. 30 Rock is one of the few that make it difficult to work while they roll along in the background. At various points in my post-festival illness when I haven't felt up to being upright, I've stuck in a disc from the Season 3 set that's been sitting in my review stack for a couple weeks, sadly neglected like a ton of other DVDs I haven't reviewed yet (but should be caught up on later today). Season 3 of 30 Rock is the best yet, and it's easy to re-watch episodes like the one with Muppets or the one where Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) tries to find Mr. Green (Alan Alda) a kidney. Extras include the full 1-900-OKFACE commercial, Audio Commentary on select episodes, Deletes Scenes, Behind-The-Scenes With The Muppets, The Making of "He Needs a Kidney", the Table Read of the Season Finale, a Photo Gallery, and a couple other things I'm sure I'm missing here. Unlike the majority of TV disc releases, the producers of these build a good deal of value into owning 30 Rock rather than just letting it remain in stasis on your DVR.
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Remastered, HD Snow White


Disney's new Blu-ray of Snow White can be purchased from Amazon for $9.99 by using the coupon code "snowhite" at checkout. It's currently backordered, but worth waiting for at that price.
It's been interesting exploring this set after The Wizard of Oz, which was greenlit by MGM in the wake of Snow White's success. Disney's Blu-ray treatment of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs exceeds the standards already set forth by Sleeping Beauty and Pinnochio. The inaugural "Diamond Collection" release features a gorgeous new HD video transfer and all of the extras from the previous Platinum Edition 2-disc DVD. On top of that, there are a bunch of new extras, including a short doc (The One That Started It All) and beautifully-restored classic Disney animated shorts like Playful Pluto, Goddess of Spring, Flowers and Trees, and Music Land. The work that's been done here has me very much looking forward to Diamond releases of Beauty and the Beast next year and even more so to Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 later in 2010. The new features and additions are excellent, especially the immersive Hyperion Studios guided tour. Andrew Stanton introducing the tour is just one instance of the Pixar touch evident throughout the whole thing. The interface has you go from room to room of Hyperion, with archival audio interviews introducing each area. Inside each room is a collection of short Ken Burns-style documentary clips, short films, deleted scenes, and galleries related to the particular area's role in the production of Snow White. All of the content here is worth watching, so I wish there had been an auto-pilot option to just sit back and let it guide me through. Consider that a non-complaint. My personal favorite bits were those focusing on the role of women who worked in the ink & paint department. Even today, the role of women in animation (on screen and behind the scenes) is marginal, but it appears Pixar is working to change that with the upcoming The Bear and the Bow. The One That Started It All [17:12] is a short documentary that hits on the historical significance of the movie without needlessly repeating info provided in either the classic extras or the new ones. One of my favorite anecdotes had to do with critics arguing that no one would be able to deal with the horrible eye strain that would result from watching a feature-length, full-color animated movie. As for other features of the disc, the Magic Mirror eerily makes recommendations and says things in the main menus based on your IP address' geographic location, viewing habits, and history viewing the disc. I don't care at all for the DisneyView feature that adds matte paintings to the sides of the Academy ratio picture to fill the "black bar" space to either side of the frame. Other supplements include storyboards from Walt Disney's would-be sequel, Snow White Returns*, a Disney Channel starlet singing "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and a 6-minute preview of The Princess and The Frog. The review copy that Disney sent me came in a standard DVD-sized case, and based on what I've seen in ads, you're buying the same innards regardless of whether you get the "Blu-ray" or "DVD" of the Diamond Edition. The two Blu-ray discs are complimented by a standard-def DVD that has the feature, the Platinum Edition's patched-together Walt Disney commentary, the music video, and the Princess/Frog preview. They're still doing the DVD version of the new Diamond Edition on November 24th just in time for the holidays, but this is the one to get. * the title conjures images in my mind of Snow White brandishing a sword or a gun, and a tagline like "Red Ruby Lips Meet Blood Red Revenge!" or "Some Day Revenge Will Come!"
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