Electric Shadow

Breslin Playing Helen Keller

Abigail Breslin is starring in Circle In the Square's new production of The Miracle Worker, set to open on March 3, 2010. It will be staged in the round, according to Playbill. She's got to be hitting this role before she's too old to play it. It's a female child actor rite of passage. I wonder if we'll see her play Annie Sullivan in 15 years. Alison Pill (Milk) will play Sullivan. This is neither here nor there, but I played Dr. Anagnos (Sullivan's mentor) once back in middle school. No one else knew what a Greek accent sounded like, much less could do one.
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Disc Roundup (TV) 10.13.09


New Release of the Week Legend of the Seeker: Season 1 (DVD only) Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentaries Featurettes: Forging the Sword: Crafting A Legend, Words Of Truth: A Conversation With Terry Goodkind Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series of books was originally set to be adapted as a miniseries, but it became a full-blown ongoing series. Legend of the Seeker is one of the sole fantasy TV series on the air (or at least the only one that's any good). I've been a sucker for decently-crafted fantasy TV shows like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ever since I first got into that show. The fact that Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert are on-board this series as executive producers is a good sign indeed. The first episode is promising in that I may have found a program that airs on ABC Family that I'll actually watch. Catalog Release of the Week The Mighty Boosh: Special Edition (DVD only) There's a whole new disc of extras on this on top of what was already on the three individual season discs. New Release

Flashpoint: Season 1 (DVD only) Commentary on Pilot by series creator Featurettes: Behind the Scenes, "The Human Cost of Heroism" Flashpoint stars Enrico Colantoni as the lead negotiator for Toronto PD's Strategic Response Unit. I'll spare you a refrain of my weakness for police drama. The show's gimmick is that each show has to do with a hostage situation, bomb threat, or "guy with a gun". The name among the supporting cast that stuck out was none other than Amy Jo Johnson, a fine actor in her own right, but who will forever be remembered as the original Pink Power Ranger. It's unfortunate they list Colantoni as Just Shoot Me's Enrico Colantoni, but hopefully the residual checks are nice and fat.

Nick Swardson: Seriously, Who Farted? (DVD only) Beardo & Dirt Nasty Performance, 8 Drinks Later Trailer, Timeless Comedian Featurette, A Very Terry Christmas This guy is best known as the gay rollerskating prostitute Terry on the now-cancelled Reno! 911, but he's totally straight and very much of the video game-playing, gross-out humor-loving Sandler school. This standup special was recorded at Austin's very own Paramount Theater, and there were only a few moments that made me laugh out loud. It's a better showcase of his ability to stay focused and tell a story, which isn't just a key to being a good comic, but a believable actor. The pattern he falls into throughout was quick anecdote, re-enactment using a few funny voices, and a little physical He's also remarkably candid about things like a hidden "Asian Massage Parlor" that he went to only once. A rather good standup special overall compared to many I've suffered through on Comedy Central over the last few years, but he falls into the same drunken fratboy style that Dane Cook made marketable. Girlfriends: Season 7 (DVD only) Selected Audio Commentary with creator Mara Brock Akil The seventh season of one of the few shows on TV featuring non-whites. It is "colorful" in ways that NBC's fall season is not, contrary to their ad campaign.

My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure (DVD only) Six sing-alongs, Waiting for the Winter Wishes Festival prequel, Elefun And Friends animated short, downloadable coloring sheets and activities So why the hell am I reviewing this? My wife grew up on My Little Pony and told me to ask for it. The MLP of her youth is truly very far gone. The design of the "ponies" has taken on the dyed-hair Bratz look. The plot, as described by the press release "follows Pinkie Pie and all her pony friends on a fun-filled adventure as they discover that friendship can make wishes come true. All the ponies can't wait for the Winter Wishes festival where the Wishing Star grants each pony one special wish. But when the Wishing Star disappears, they go on a journey to find it. Will they make it back in time for the festival? Find out by joining Pinkie Pie and all her pony friends on this magical journey of discovery." It's the same type of story as the original show, but the aesthetic is catering as much as possible to stylistic...dare I say...sexualization of My Little Pony. The "ponies" all have dyed hair and accessories. I'm sure they'll wear high heels in future installments. Reissue/Repackage Land of the Lost: Season 1-3 This time out they're available individually rather than all in one lunchbox. Futurama: The Complete Collection 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. Unless otherwise noted, 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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FF09: Killing a Ninja Assassin

Contrary to a lot of the opinions I overheard at Fantastic Fest and that I've read since then, I don't think the action was too fast or too dark. I do think the movie could have been an amazing 20-minute short, however. The feature film that V for Vendetta director James McTeigue ended up with is one part bloody, violent fever dream and one part nostalgia for adults who grew up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live action films of the 90's.

Korean pop star-turned actor Rain (I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK) plays Raizo, a ninja assassin who goes rogue from his clan after they commit an unforgivable act of violence. Secret clans of ninja have apparently been killing people for centuries (accepting payment in gold), and Interpol is only now on their trail. The presence of various top grade actors like Randall Duk Kim, Rick Yune, and Ben Miles (best-known for Coupling, but he's done better) can't lift this one beyond being merely a great idea for a TV show from 1993. The action is ultra-bloody and rather intricate, but the story just isn't terribly engaging. I saw much better martial arts movies with admittedly thin plots at Fantastic Fest this year. They had a tiny fraction of the budget this one had, but delivered ten times the entertainment. Assassin will appeal to anyone looking for an adrenalized action alternative to holiday/Oscar season movies when it opens in November, but it's not destined to be terribly memorable to anyone.
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Remastered Blackadder & Fawlty Towers



Even though I wasn't into Red Dwarf growing up, I was a regular Saturday night viewer of PBS' reruns of classic British sitcoms. Fawlty Towers and Blackadder were at the top of my favorites list along with Monty Python's Flying Circus. WB/BBC Video have re-transferred both series from their original TV masters and reissued them with a pile of new extras. These now look as good as I expect they can, and the extras are good enough that I'm fine recommending them as "go ahead and finally buy it" titles. Best of all, these new sets cost less than the previous Complete Collections of each show. Blackadder No offense to the Fawlty folks, but between the two, I'm more of a Blackadder nut. If you're not familiar with Blackadder, here's all you should need: Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, and Miranda Richardson in period satirical comedy. Blackadder follows the actors playing different generations of people from one series to the next from earlier eras toward the present and never gets stale (like so much British TV). If you need more than that, there's always Wikipedia

The six-disc digipack book case is rather well-designed.
When I heard they were calling the third Shrek sequel "Shrek Goes Forth", I knew it was an obvious rip-off/reference to Blackadder Goes Forth (the fourth season/series). After the title was announced I'm sure the similarity in progression ("The Third" followed by "Goes Forth") caused a quiet legal inquiry by Blackadder's copyright holders, since the title became Shrek Forever After. The new extras are rather extensive on this six-disc DVD set, so I'll rattle them off by disc: Disc 2 (Blackadder II) 3 Audio Commentaries: on "Bells", Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, & John Lloyd; on "Money", Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerny; and on "Chains", Stephen Fry Disc 3 (Blackadder the Third) 3 Audio Commentaries: on "Ink & Incapability", Rowan Atkinson & John Lloyd; on Amy & Amiability", Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, & John Lloyd; and on Duel & Duality", Stephen Fry Disc 4 (Blackadder Goes Forth) 2 Audio Commentaries: on "Major Star", Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerny and on "Goodbyeee", Rowan Atkinson & John Lloyd

This is what greets you once you pull the inner case out of the slipcover and open it.

It folds out to reveal Baldrick's Family Tree
Disc 5 Blackadder's Christmas Carol Blackadder: The Cavalier Years Blackadder Back and Forth Baldrick's Video Diary Disc 6 Blackadder Rides Again, a 25th Anniversary 60-minute retrospective documentary Extended Interviews with Hugh Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, Richard Curtis & Ben Elton, and Stephen Fry Costumes Revisited with Miranda Richardson, Patsy Byrne, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny Fawlty Towers The 30th Anniversary set collects one of the best 12-episode runs in TV comedy, if you ask me. Quality over quantity is the best standard, one that US networks care much less about than the Brits by and large, much preferring continuing to sell ads during the airtime of the same "product" into infinity.

When you open the inner "book", it lists the disc contents

The anagrams of the title on the discs are a surprise I don't mind spoiling...

...especially "Farty Towels".
New extras include: New Commentary by John Cleese across all 12 episodes 2009 Extended Interviews, including one with Connie Booth A booklet Previously-available extras: Interviews with John Cleese, Prunella Scales, and Andrew Sachs Series 1 Director's commentary by John Howard Davies Series 2 Director's commentary by Bob Spiers Artist Profiles Outtakes Torquay Tourist Guide (documentary short) Cheap Tatty Review Series 1 & 2 are split between Discs 1 & 2. With the exception of the commentaries, the extras are all on Disc 3.

Black Adder Remastered ($59 at Amazon) replaces a set that cost $20 more, and Fawlty Towers Remastered ($35 at Amazon) replaces a set that cost $10 more. Both are big upgrades over their predecessors and were released last Tuesday the 20th of October.
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Criterion Third Man Out Of Print

Criterion's website sure seems to think that it is. [Update 2:53pm CST: Criterion has confirmed to me directly that the rights have expired, so the title is Out Of Print for now, though those rights could still be renewed. You should still get it if you've been thinking about it, since supplies could be dry for a long while even if rights are renewed.] Take this as a warning to grab the Blu-ray ($23.99) while you still can from Amazon.

The transfer and supplements are marvelous on this, one of Criterion's first Blu-ray releases. Cineastes, film professors, and Reed or Welles fans alike, open your wallets while you can. As I said in my review back in February, "it's glorious. I wouldn't change anything when it comes to this transfer. If you "cleaned" it any more, you'd get into the horror show territory that is the Patton Blu-ray disc. The transfer on this disc is a perfect reference for vintage material in HD."
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Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief Trick R Treat Book Contest

I'm giving away a brand-new, in the shrinkwrap copy of Trick R Treat: Tales of Mayhem, Mystery, and Mischief in a writing contest. If you attended BNAT 9, you got one of these. My wife and I both went, so I have one I don't need. In celebration of the release of the Trick R Treat DVD/Blu-ray and Halloween in general, I'm shipping it to whoever earns it. The contest timeframe is compressed, so I don't need anything long (there is now word or length limit). I've never done one of these, so here goes. Read on if you're interested.

Images taken from someone's blog via Google Image Search since I left the house without proper photos of my own.
Write on the topic "The Spirit of Halloween" however it strikes you. You can tell me a story (true or invented), write an essay rant about the state of the holiday, write an ode, or literally whatever you want as long as it fits the theme. Poems, fiction, non-fic, plays, an amalgamation...whatever tool you choose is fine. Think outside the box and do something outside the norm for you or do what you know. Make it as short or long as you like and write in whatever medium can be transmitted in an email (including images and video are fine).

Top credit awarded for: ingenuity, passion, and effective telling in whatever medium you choose. Do your best, not what you think I want to hear or would be most receptive to. I'm interested in your perspective more than anything. Extra Credit A: reference the movie Trick R Treat directly, indirectly, or thematically. Extra Credit B: drive friends to follow my Twitter (there's a catch). Introduce them in your submission email (or a followup email) by writing one line about them. the "introduction" can be in the body of your entry, an intro, or a postscript. It doesn't matter where, just get it in there. Quality counts over quantity. This Twitter follower drive is intended to reflect your lack of fear introducing friends to the contest. Entries will be accepted until the end of Halloween night your local time (before 12:01am November 1st). The compressed timeframe is intentional. If you send after the cutoff, there's no guarantee it'll count. Anyone in any country I can mail to may enter, be it New Zealand, South Africa, either Korea, and so on and so forth. Any or all entries received may be reprinted on this column. I reserve the right to reprint, forever and ever, whatever you submit; however, you do retain all other original ownership rights to your writing. The (1) winner will be notified by email and I will ship the book at my own cost to them. From the point I ship the book, I relinquish any and all liability regarding delivery or condition of the item. Submitting an email entry using the instructions below indicates your binding acceptance of these terms. I have to state these things for legal reasons, you understand. If I know you personally, that will not influence my decision (positively or negatively) in any way. If I know you, have met you, whatever, please set up or use an email address I won't recognize. To enter, follow these rules exactly: 1) Compose an email with your entry included (duh). 2) The subject of the email should be exactly what follows after the colon: TRICKRTREATBOOK 3) Send to the title of this column (Arthouse Cowboy) with no spaces at GMail with a .com at the end (I didn't just link or write it out to confound spambots and spiders). If you win, I'll get your name and address later, no need to include those in your submission. This contest, like all the others you see on movie sites across the internet, is designed to drive traffic to this column, but more importantly, regular readers. More contests of the type may follow depending on how this goes.
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FF09: Yatterman


The screening of the new Miike Takashi film was something of a now-legendary happening at Fantastic Fest. I'll get into exactly why in a bit. Yatterman is based on a 30-some-odd year old anime series about a guy, his girlfriend, and a giant robot dog fighting a team of three bad guys who keep coming up with hare-brained schemes. It's much-beloved in Japan, though the show itself was really vapid and repetitive and saw giant robots knocking each other to bits only to be repaired in time for the next episode. There's plenty of naughty humor on display that US parents would find just as objectionable as they do the idea that Astro Boy opens with the protagonist, a young boy, dying in an industrial accident. The clips I've found of the original Yatterman show on YouTube and various streaming sites confirms that Miike did as faithful an adaptation as possible, even including songs sung in the show at random intervals. For the first time in many massively failed attempts like Dragonball, I feel confident in saying someone has nailed a live-action anime. The actors and directors knew they were signing on for a big-budget, effects-laden farce and they sold it.

The amount of nostalgic love for this series is similarly matched on this side of the ocean by fans of Transformers who have eagerly anticipated both live-action installments of that...thing. I grew up on The Transformers and even in my youth felt like it was just a half-hour toy commercial. The TF movies take the source material very seriously, and whereas I admire the writers for trying to make it as plausible and relatable as possible, I rather wish they had taken the tack Miike's Yatterman did and lampoon the life out of it, with nary a sequel in sight. Really, the ending sold the movie for me more than anything, and I don't consider the following reasoning of why I liked it to be spoiler material. One of the more obtuse subtitle translations was the very phrase I'm talking about here, which is along the lines of, "put your toys away and grow up." The infantilization of young adults over the last however many years has just stunned me, and I'm part of the generation most visibly exemplifying this. It's as if in fear of growing older, people retreat to the things they clutched on to in the good old days, when there was just good or evil, none of this grey in-between garbage. Transformers, G.I Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony (why the hell not?), and various other 80's and 90's cartoons that re-ran ad nauseum were the backbone of Reagan-era American ideology-building for my generation. We got closer and closer to the real world, and we much preferred our cartoon fantasy worlds to the one we were facing. What I'm getting at is that unlike the American revivals of franchises like this one, Yatterman is saying "okay, the reverie is over, go make something of yourself." That's a great deal deeper than I expected this thing to go. There are anime series that could make for brilliant, thoughtful live-action narratives, but I smell things like Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis Evangelion being screwed up from a mile away. The studios that have the bankrolls to make movies out of them aren't going to be willing to go to the places those stories go. They'll take Bebop and try to stretch it out to Matrix 4 through 10 and Evangelion will become some kind of franchise launching mess that'll get lost in development hell. I've been a fan of a number of these series over the years, and I feel that at this point, Yatterman is the best we'll see until studios are ready to gamble with their money and slates a bit. I'd be shocked if a US home video distributor didn't pick this up due to the rabid anime fanbase market combined with Miike completists. So, about that once-in-a-lifetime happening... The screening seated late and started late. That happens at festivals all the time. It turns out the Japanese studio sent over an HDCAM master tape that looked gorgeous, but lacked subtitles. After a lengthy wait while, according to one theater manager, "our guys in the booth are trying to work some magic," we were let in. Alamo Drafthouse & Fantastic Fest programmer Zack Carlson introduced the film by apologizing for the wait and explaining what they were going to try. He explained that the solution they'd worked out was to zoom the HDCAM to the top 80% or so of the screen. On the remaining bottom piece of the screen, they would project something using a second projector: the subtitle portion of the picture from the DVD screener they had on-hand. They masked the second projector just right and were pretty sure they had them synced up perfectly. The only thing that could go wrong would be if the two copies of the film were different cuts. Suffice to say they were the same cut and they showed perfectly in sync to a very impressed audience. Zack's last-minute ingenuity in cases like this easily assures him a retirement as an on-call film festival problem solver. He'll be worth his high price tag just like Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe in Pulp Fiction.
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Disc Roundup (Movies) 10.13.09


New Release of the Week Objectified (Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital Copy) One of my favorite films from SXSW 2009 is now available through so many methods of distribution that it's really rather stunning. A documentary about industrial design theory doesn't sound like the sexiest thing in the world on paper, but I'll be damned if it isn't unique. Seek this film out. Catalog Release of the Week Natural Born Killers (Blu-ray & DVD) Covered here. A really outstanding transfer and edition of a memorable film from the 90's. New Release

The Proposal (Blu-ray & DVD) Alternate Ending with Optional Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Feature Commentary with director Anne Fletcher and writer Peter Chiarelli, Digital Copy Blu-ray Exclusive: an Additional Deleted Scene Betty White kept me awake while I watched this. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are likable enough, and there are some good bits in the script, but everything was so far-fetched, from the plot to the lighting of faces against the green screen scenes. It was nowhere hear as bad as Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, but I really didn't find it memorable in the least. The extras do a great job of showing how really utterly horrible the movie could have been. Even though I love Niecy Nash (Reno! 911), it's definitely for the better they cut the botched original ending they had that featured her prominently. New World Order (DVD only) A conspiracy theorist documentary that played SXSW this year, it mostly focuses on Austin's own Alex Jones, radio host, "documentary" maker, and celebrity among his peers. Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry (DVD only) A doc that played SXSW 2008 about the tattoo pioneer (depending on who you ask). I wish the rum with his name on it didn't make me want to vomit. Drag Me to Hell (Blu-ray & DVD) Land of the Lost (Blu-ray & DVD) Fighter (DVD only) Catalog New to Blu The Craft Director's Commentary, Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary Featurettes: Conjuring The Craft, Behind the Scenes of The Craft The transfer looks sharp and crisp, just like I'm assuming it did in theaters when I was 13. Seriously, though, the effects hold up rather well, and the resolution upgrade is a whole different world than what I remember first seeing on tape. Stop Making Sense South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut How the Grinch Stole Christmas Screwballs Catalog Jack Brown Genius (DVD only) Co-written and executive produced by Peter Jackson, I'll have more on this one after I've watched it. Hardware (Blu-ray & DVD) The cult classic is finally on disc. Happy Birthday To Me I've seen the trailer to this one so many times at the Alamo Drafthouse, I'm amazed it's only just now hitting DVD. Disc Roundup (Movies) is posted each week at some point, depending on how many discs there are to get through. Unless otherwise noted, 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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Natural Born Killers 15 Years On


Oliver Stone never seemed to be finished editing Alexander. The new Blu-ray edition of Natural Born Killers holds an alleged new cut of the movie. Having not watched the original cut in a long while, I can't immediately put my finger on the differences, but the picture quality and audio are fantastic. New extras include NBK Evolution: How Would It All Go Down Now? and a recently-recorded introduction (both in HD) as well as a new commentary track with Stone. The 44-page booklet in the case includes a very auteur-y written intro by Stone challenging the viewer to decide how they like this, "the way it was meant to be."

The other extras are carried over from previous editions, including another featurette, Deleted Scenes that include performances that weren't ever seen in the film theatrically, a Charlie Rose interview with Stone, the Alternate Ending, and the Theatrical Trailer.

Natural Born Killers hit Blu-ray on October 13th and Amazon's got it for $19.99. The DVD with identical extras is $14.99.
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Disc Roundup (TV) 10.6.09


James Nesbitt as Detective Tommy Murphy

The majestic and under-appreciated Bryce Canyon National Park
British Release of the Week Murphy's Law Season 1 (DVD only) This is a really strong police procedural starring the excellent (and under-appreciated) Irish actor James Nesbitt (Bloody Sunday, Match Point). Nesbitt plays Detective Tommy Murphy, who goes to work for the Metropolitan Police undercover. He's stubborn, a hard drinker, and great to watch. I'm just a couple of episodes in, but I'm sure I've easily found a new show with which to be obsessed. It's gritty, meaty, and very well-written. Normally only 5 episodes of a show would seem like a rip off, but realize these episodes are 90 minutes long apiece and comprise an entire season of episodes from the British style (quality over quantity). New Release of the Week The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Blu-ray & DVD) The rundown of everything on this release is here. I can't recommend it enough for fans of Ken Burns' work or just those with an interest in the National Parks. Catalog Release of the Week Mr. Ed Season 1 (DVD only) It's about time this one showed up on DVD. God bless you, Shout! Factory. New Release

Red Dwarf: Back to Earth (Blu-ray & DVD) Covered here. Medium: Season 5 Featurettes: The Making of Medium Season 5, Script to Screen: "Apocalypse...Now?", Jake and Patricia Q&A, Curious Maria The final season of Medium on NBC apparently vastly outperformed other shows in its terrible timeslot. I've never been into the show, but the story of it getting saved by CBS was thrilling. Bones: Season 4 (Blu-ray & DVD) Catalog

From the new retrospective documentary on the Complete Series set.
Ally McBeal: The Complete Series (and Season 1) (DVD only) It was yet another show that made a bunch of careers explode (Calista Flockheart, Jane Krakowski, Lucy Liu, and Portia de Rossi among others) and helped revive others (Robert Downey, Jr.). Fox has made a wise choice in offering the entire series in a box and then releasing individual seasons. This logic works for all shows that are over and done. If you want it all, it's right there. If you checked out after season X or Y, grab the individual ones you want. There's a pile of new and vintage extras. The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Season 5 (DVD only) In the fifth season of the show, Mary tries her hand at producing (the horror! men's work!), Lou Grant becomes her neighbor, and Ted Baxter starts a rumor that he's dating her. I just realized that Michael Scott on The Office US is a poor man's Ted Baxter. Get Smart: Season 4 (DVD only) 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. Unless otherwise noted, 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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Dwarfed

I wish I really had much of an idea what was going on in this show, but PBS running episodes out of order made it impossible for me to get hooked on Red Dwarf. It always seemed really enjoyable and witty, but I felt like I was on the other side of a set of iron bars watching people inside the zoo watching the show from the other side of their own set of bars. I hope that made sense, because I'm not certain how else to explain it without a diagram.

The best I could gather for all these years (and I intentionally haven't researched it much) is that these guys are a crew of misfits stranded in space. In Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, the crew are thrown through a portal in space and find out they're just characters in a TV show and are likely destined to die. They decided to track down both the actors who play them (Malkovich Malkovich?) and the show's creators in a desperate bid for survival, as the end of a show means death for them. This big reunion show remains controversial among fans because it broke the fourth wall and changed the rules of the show in ways it never really had. In some ways, that's what keeps things interesting, as no concept can survive in a vacuum. It apparently worked well enough financially that a new series has been commissioned, for better or worse. Extras on the Blu-ray released by Warner Bros./BBC Video back on October 6th include separate Cast and Director commentary tracks, a Making-of documentary, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, some Featurettes, Trailers, and Web Videos along with a couple Easter Eggs (denoted on the packaging).

Amazon has the Blu-ray for a cool $20. The DVD is $18.49, nice to see price parity.
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Ken Burns and The National Parks

The biggest stumbling block for Blu-ray fanatics in watching this latest dissertation by Ken Burns is going to be the fact it was shot on 16mm and doesn't look like all the ultra-HD, digitally-shot Planet Earth. The two things that piqued my interest most about The National Parks: Americas Best Idea were my lifelong fascination with the parks and the fact that Burns isn't changing his game for anyone.

The going logic is that if you like his style and the subject, you know it won't be a waste of time, and that remains the case. The recently-released Blu-ray set includes the Peter Coyote-narrated, 12.5-hour piece split into six parts (as it aired) along with a stack of extras. The Scripture of Nature (1851-1890) [116:00] covers the discovery of Yosemite and the US government establishing Yellowstone as the first National Park, but with no means or body to keep it preserved. The Last Refuge (1890-1915) [131:00] takes us into the beginnings of the Conservation movement and the Theodore Roosevelt presidency. Another notable is that Roosevelt is the one who set aside all 800,000 acres of Grand Canyon during this time period. The Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919) [114:00] covers only a few years, but a great deal of progress with the establishment of the National Parks Service and various new parks, including Bryce Canyon and Arches, favorites of mine. Going Home (1920-1933) [117:00] carries us through the turbulent 20's and the "democratization" of the parks by way of automobile. Great Nature (1933-1945) [116:00] appropriately covers the entire FDR presidency. He was responsible for one of the biggest expansions of the Parks system. The struggles facing conservation efforts, particularly during such an expansion, play a big role here. The Morning of Creation (1946-1980) [116:00], the final episode, covers the post-war period explosion in attendance at the various parks thanks to widespread automobile ownership in addition to one of the major dustups of the Carter presidency, in which the President set aside 56 million Alaskan acres for seven National Parks. That decision remains a hit button issue to this day, with industry and conservationists still duking it out. The extras are spread across the discs. Disc One has The Making of The National Parks as guided by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. Disc Two features Capturing the Parks, which is more of an on-location behind-the-scenes thing. Disc Three includes the Musical Journeys Through The National Parks featurette, which reminds me of the old Disney shorts that set famous music to beautiful locations. Disc Four is home to all the Outtakes, as narrated by Burns. Disc Five is home to a mini-documentary about the people who've dedicated their lives to the ideals of the parks called The National Parks: This Is America. Disc Six rounds things out with Contemporary Stories From America's National Parks. It's made up of five short films focusing on varied topics including the San Antonio Missions park, Mount Rushmore, Yosemite's Buffalo Soldiers, Inner City Kids working in the parks, and the establishment of a WWII Japanese internment camp as a national historic site. I found the supplements on the last two discs to be the most worthwhile. all the extras are also available on the DVD. I don't know why anyone would get the DVD to only save two dollars off the $71.99 Amazon is selling the Blu-ray for. It might be the kind of thing you want to own, or would rather get through your Netflix queue.
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FF09: Love Exposure

Shion Sono, the director of import cult classic Suicide Club and recent genre hit Exte: Hair Extensions delivered a four hour, coming-of-age novella that surprised and delighted me in equal measure. Love Exposure deals in thematic shifts rather than simple plot twists, starting with an emo coming of age drama focusing on protagonist Yu. His mother dies when he's very young, and then his father joins the priesthood. Even as we go from situational comedy to broad farce to meet-cute love story (and back and forth), the story jumps narrators to Yoko (the girl he becomes infatuated with), and then later to another girl (who becomes infatuated with him...and Yoko). The stage is set and the pieces are explained about an hour in, when the title card finally drops.

Yu poised to practice Peek-A-Panty Kung Fu
The storytelling touches on finding oneself both as a teenager and an adult, religious fanaticism and cults, hentai (perversion) culture and sexual curiosity, as well as the zen art of upskirt photography and life of an unintentional cross-dresser. Suffice to say that short of retelling the events of the film step by step, it's a tough nut to crack. The simplest reduction I could come up with is that it's about the complications of human intimacy from varying perspectives. I should mention here that the one moment of striking, graphic mutilation in the film threatened to send me on a one-way trip to the lobby. To my great surprise, I was engrossed in the film only moments later.

I must mention here that Love Exposure delivers some of the most comprehensive, even-handed social criticism of religion in modern society that I've seen on the screen of late. The well-intentioned practitioners of true faith don't have the resources or popularity to keep up with false prophets with bigger bankrolls and more sinister plans. The film is really captivating in a way that feels more like you're watching a four-hour television miniseries all in one sitting. It is extremely weird, but no more so than real life is in one's teen years. The description "really weird four hour Japanese movie that is all over the place" probably doesn't look irresistible to US distributors (even just home video), but I've yet to run into someone who said they hated or even simply disliked the movie. When it really comes down to it, the story of Yuda falling in love with and pursuing Yoko is more interesting than the best parts of the various meet-cute rom-coms of the last decade. Here's hoping it's available for consumption in the US at some point.
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Disc Roundup (Movies) 10.6.09

The past couple weeks of Disc Roundup columns will be hitting throughout Monday, with Fantastic Fest reviews and other items interspersed.

New Release of the Week Not Quite Hollywood (DVD only) Feature Commentary with director Mark Hartley and various OZploitation Auteurs 17 Deleted and 4 Alternate Scenes Interviews: Brian Trenchard-Smith (by Quentin Tarantino), Director Richard Franklin (Audio only) Funding Pitches from Quentin Tarantino & John D. Lamond, Image Gallery, Original Theatrical Trailer One of the reasons this documentary succeeds so well is that it tells the story of Aussie exploitation cinema as well as it evangelizes individual auteurs and films. This movie is the master class on Aussie exploitation cinema from the 70's and 80's that had never really existed outside conversations between cinephile friends. The doc traces these movies from their beginnings to their decline. This movie has contributed to more than one friend picking up an addiction to tracking down every film made by Brian Trenchard-Smith.

Barry Humphries, screenwriter, actor, and close associate of Dame Edna Everage
The extras are among the most comprehensive and worthwhile of any single new release this year. The Extended and Deleted Scenes are great whether you watch them right after the feature or pick up with them later on. The feature commentary, however, is great to watch immediately after the feature. The Tarantino/Trenchard-Smith interview is all right, but rambles off-topic (big surprise). Among my favorite extra is an easter egg anecdote of Bob Ellis, an Australian critic, slagging off Peter Weir. Just thinking about one of the things he said in particular makes me chuckle. The movie is great, and it's one of those "own, don't rent" titles. Amazon has it for $15.49. Catalog Release of the Week Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Blu-ray only) It's beautiful, and the extras are Pixar-quality when it comes to design and content. Reviewed here. New Release

Mirageman (DVD only) Behind the Scenes featurette From my review: "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 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." Trick R Treat (Blu-ray & DVD) It's impossible to find this movie anywhere. I still haven't had a chance to get my hands on the thing. The movie is really well-made and the most fun I've had with a horror movie in a long time, but I don't want to unreasonably raise anyone's expectations as many already have. This movie is not the second coming of horror. It's a breath of very fresh air, without a doubt. The Creepshow-style anthology structure works well. There's thankfully some gender role reversal in places, which is a rarity in the genre known for helpless, whorish women. The format of the film and the world writer/director Mike Dougherty has created lends itself nicely to sequelization that wouldn't get stale the way Saw has (like so many slasher series from the 80's). Could it have taken the title of "the" Halloween movie series away from Saw? In 2007, yes it could have. Saw was at its weakest from franchise fatigue going into Saw 4, but taking risks has never been the modus operandi of the studio system. The same goes for 2008 in terms of opportunity. 2009 is turning into the Year of Paranormal Activity simply because no one has tried to take on Saw for years and Paramount strapped on their balls this time. Unlike Saw or Paranormal Activity, Trick R Treat is something my wife can actually sit through and not be uneasy and uncomfortable afterward. TRT's got its squirm-inducing moments, but it earns them and doesn't make you wallow in misery. Suspense and mythology win out over vivisections and induced night terrors. It's worth a rental at the least and a purchase if you can find it. I'll review the Blu-ray when I can actually get my hands on it. Year One (Blu-ray & DVD) Theatrical and Unrated Cuts, Alternate Ending, Deleted Scenes, Extended/Alternate Scenes, Line-O-Rama, Gag Reel, Feature Commentary with director Harold Ramis, Jack Black, and Michael Cera Featurettes: Year One: The Journey Begins, Making-of, Sodom's Got 'Em, Leeroy Jenkins: The Gates of Sodom Blu-ray Exclusives: Year One Cutting Room, Real-time info track via BD-Live, In-Movie BD-Live messaging I really, really was dumbfounded at how intellectually hilarious this movie was. By that, I mean that it wasn't conventionally funny, but academically comment-generating. "Ah yes, I see, here they are jousting at the ridiculous patrilneal, tribal society of the time and the unsustainable moral code of the era. How observant and witty." Notice there were no indications of actual entertainment in there. I really enjoyed just about every moment of the film spent with Cain (David Cross), but that about covers it. I'll have something more substantive about the DVD/Blu-ray itself when I have a chance to dig into the extras. Did they cut a bad movie out of the makings of something decent? Dark Country (DVD only) Commentary by director Thomas Jane, screenwriter Tab Murphy, and producer Patrick Aiello Featurette: Journey to Dark Country Thomas Jane makes his feature directing debut and stars in Dark Country alongside Lauren German and Ron Perlman. Jane and German play a couple who find a car accident survivor whom they save and then subsequently flips on them. The trailer, DVD case, and anything you read about the movie make no bones about the fact the couple does the guy in and tries to cover it up so that they can't be held responsible for the murder, however in the right they may have been. The movie carries no critic quotes, which either means no one saw it or no one liked it. Assassination of a High School President (DVD only) I missed this one but have heard nothing but praise for it, mostly from people who act or seem to wish they were still in high school. My Life in Ruins (Blu-ray & DVD) I'll probably never see this movie in whole or part. The Children (Blu-ray & DVD) A very popular Fantastic Fest 2009 title that I'm hopefully catching up with soon. It's Alive (2009) (DVD only) I don't understand how anyone put effort or money into a remake of It's Alive (1974). Seventh Moon (Blu-ray & DVD) A Fantastic Fest 2008 movie I walked out of before it started when I saw there were only about 8 people in the audience for its second show. Catalog New to Blu Contact Audition A Charlie Brown Christmas How the Grinch Stole Christmas Horton Hears a Who Wolf Out of this bunch, I'll probably pick up A Charlie Brown Christmas and Contact before long. It's nice the rest are on here, but none are absolute "gotta-haves". Catalog

Esther Williams Volume 2 (DVD only) Thrill of a Romance Fiesta This Time for Keeps Pagan Love Song Million Dollar Mermaid Easy to Love The first time any of these Technicolor films have been on DVD, this set is significant for a variety of reasons, not the least being that Fiesta gives us another title starring Ricardo Montalban that wasn't previously available. My writeup on the set is here. Reissue Chinatown: Centennial Collection (DVD only) A cleaned up DVD transfer and new extras are on display here, but I'll wait for a Blu-ray (rumored to hit next year). My Fair Lady (DVD only) Feature Audio Commentary by Art Director Gene Allen, Marni Nixon, and Restorers Robert A. Harris and James C. Katz Vintage Featurettes, Footage, and Audio, "Alternate" Audrey Hepburn Vocals, Poster and Lobby Card Galleries, Rex Harrison Radio Interview, "Comments on a Lady" Featurette, Trailers CBS has re-taken ownership of this title on home video from Warner Bros., who released a lovely (not going to write "loverly" to be cute, sorry) Special Edition a few years ago. This disc does have some extras on it, but not everything that was on the WB SE two-disc set. Most notably missing from the previous edition is the More Loverly Than Ever: My Fair Lady Then and Now documentary. The transfer looks to be the same from a side-by-side comparison. Disc Roundup (Movies) is posted each week at some point, depending on how many discs there are to get through. Unless otherwise noted, 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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489: Criterion's Monsoon


The greatest challenge facing Criterion's Blu-ray of Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding was mastering it for HD when it was originally shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm. I recall Universal's original DVD edition suffering from a small amount of red shift, and color fidelity was my greatest concern about an HD master. As with Chungking Express and El Norte, they've ended up with rich color depth and stunning image quality, with better contrast and clarity than one might expect from a movie shot on 16mm. The DVD edition from Criterion is from the same new HD master. [Pal Jason Whyte points out that the original DVD was non-anamorphic letterbox, so this marks the first proper 16x9 widescreen release for Monsoon Wedding.]

Criterion has achieved a coup de home video here thanks to including 7 Mira Nair short films that total over three hours of material varied in content. India Cabaret [59:22] (pictured above right) is set in a strip club and confronts gender roles and sexuality. So Far From Home [49:22] is about a married couple separated by an ocean. Laughing Club of India [35:03] is one of her better known shorts, dealing with...well, laughing clubs that get together and...laugh. I don't know why I'm at a loss in explaining it, but it's worth watching (as all the shorts are). Migration [19:00] features the brilliant Irfaan Khan (A Mighty Heart, Slumdog Millionaire) in a supporting role and focuses on the AIDS epidemic in India.

"India" from 11'09'01 [11:50] was Nair's contribution to the short film anthology project about 9/11 and the wake it caused. After the tragedy of the day itself, many young men of a certain complexion were rounded up and accused of things the exact opposite of who they were and how they acted. The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat [11:21] takes place in the final days of Apartheid, as some white families started instinctively fleeing in misplaced fear. How Can It Be [9:07] is the shortest film of the bunch and, as a result, it's got the most to say in a compressed, potent manner. The topic here is the concept of marriage and what it entails: fidelity, conflict, and divorce. The power of the furies is in full effect here.

The included Feature Commentary track is the same one that was available on the 2002 DVD edition, which I fondly remember listening to nearly a decade ago. Nair's enthusiasm and free-flowing anecdotes make it one of the better investments I've made in commentary listening to this day. New to the Criterion edition are a 20-minute Interview with Naseeruddin Shah (the father in the film) conducted by director Mira Nair and a 10-minute chat between cinematographer Declan Quinn and production designer Stephanie Carroll. The Shah/Nair piece is chock full of meaningful and moving anecdotes from both participants, and the Quinn/Carroll piece squeezes a lot into a small space of time, interspersing behind-the-scenes footage as well. The Theatrical Trailer is a great point of reference for how good the Criterion transfer of the feature is on this disc, trust me.

Pico Iyer's very thorough A Marigold Tapestry essay comprises the majority of the content of the included booklet, and is supplemented by synopses of the short films and notes on the transfer and production.
Amazon currently has the Blu-ray listed at $27.99 and the DVD at $34.99 (both editions are $31.96 on Criterion's site).

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Why I Read Karina Longworth and Few Others

When I learned that Karina Longworth is now without a publication for whom to write, my first instinct was to hastily post something in support of her. I then second-guessed myself thinking "does noteworthy film critic and columnist Karina Longworth actually need the help of nobody me?" I suppose she doesn't, really, but a solidly-written reader testimonial can't hurt. Additionally, I relish the opportunity to speak out about the dearth of quality film writing out there.

I don't read the majority of online movie sites. Just because I follow and converse with someone on Twitter doesn't mean I read their stuff. There are only so many hours in the day, and as my wife likes to remind me, only so many of those hours can be dedicated to reading others in addition to my own writing. I keep an eye on (in no particular order): Glenn Kenny, Patrick Sauriol at Corona Coming Attractions, Anne Thompson, CHUD (Devin Faraci specifically), In Contention, Awards Daily, HitFix, AICN, Twitchfilm, most of Cinematical, whatever Russ Fischer is writing, La Finke, and of course Jeff. I read print people like Ebert, A.O. Scott, Michael Phillips, and others. I'm sure there are a few I'm missing. The key for me is how I prioritize who I read when pushed for free moments (read: every day). Karina is the top of that list, because she has never wasted my time, unlike various over-entitled print writers and the flood of onliners that are no more than content aggregators, thieves, or freebie-paid publicists. I'm not buddy-buddy pally-pally with Karina. I've met her in person a grand total of once, at Fantastic Fest this year. Our conversation consisted of exactly four sentences outside The Highball. I have no vested interest in promoting her writing, nor has she ever given me a reason to, aside from her enlightening, carefully-crafted work. I discovered the magnificent Sita Sings The Blues because she championed the film early on, and that's just one example of how I, the reader, owe Karina Longworth. She was specifically selected by director Charlie Kaufman to participate in a featurette on the Synechdoche, New York DVD, and has been an in-demand panelist at plenty of noteworthy film festivals. In the middle of film festival insanity, I often miss more panels than I'd like, but I do my best to attend ones that feature her as a panelist or moderator. She knows her stuff and then some. She has the chops of the best of the "old guard" of print folks, along with the implied discipline and ethics that are not the norm in the online space. Karina is worth the investment of a decent salary, benefits, and a publication that can give her writing adequate exposure and access to proper festival credentials. There are many who are accredited by Cannes, Toronto, and others that I don't read specifically because they don't rate. I suppose I'd pay more attention to those festivals if writers like Karina (and for that matter, others) were accredited for them. I don't trust a lot of the festival buzz out there, because it comes from people who don't have my trust. Karina does. Her brand is credibility, integrity, and a finely-tuned sensibility for analyzing film as an art form. If you feel the same way I do, please do pass on what I've written here in email, tweets, or whatever digital means of discourse you use. [Ed. note 5:07pm CST - It's been misconstrued by a couple people who've contacted me that I'm inferring all online writers that I don't read are whores. I hope it's obvious that logic is behind me on this one and that the state of public education in the US is indeed grave.]
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TCM's Esther Williams Volume 2


Original studio art from the Easy to Love (1953) poster
If there's one channel I want in HD, it's Turner Classic Movies. I often lose hours of my day on the weekends to films I have or haven't seen. Its all the same to me. My affinity for this channel among hundreds explains my "drop everything" attitude when packages that contain new to DVD catalog titles arrive.

The scene from Easy to Love (1953)
I love the westerns, capers, and crime movies, as well as some of the musicals. The bunch of song and dance shows that I've always found most compulsively watchable are what I considered the Desperate Gimmick pack, where all kinds of ridiculous things happen: aerial pyramids on plane wings, skiiing stunts, ice skating, and of course the Esther Williams signature aquatic ballet.

Fiesta (1947) features the great Ricardo Montalban as Esther's Matador twin brother. She has to take his place, since they look so alike!
Depending on the particular one you catch, they're the crazy stunt pictures of the day. Esther rarely if ever used a stunt double, and as a result, injured herself pretty seriously on occasion. The most notable instance of her tempting fate was the 115-foot dive in The Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) that broke her neck and put her in a body cast for the better part of a year.

A favorite shot composition from Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
The TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams Volume 2 set includes six Williams-starring vehicles that have never been on DVD, all notable for one reason or another. Each disc features an animated short coupled with a live action short, one of the things I've been spoiled with on WB vintage titles.

A silhouette dance number from This Time For Keeps (1947)

The kind of dance number (and hips) you never see anymore from Pagan Love Song (1950), which co-stars Howard Keel.
A couple of Tom & Jerry shorts, a Droopy Dog, and three Tex Avery shorts can be found along with some terrific live-action (including three "Pete Smith Specialty" ones) are only the beginning of the extras included. Here's a rundown of the included goodies: Thrill of a Romance Passing Parade live-action short The Great American Mug Wild & Woolfy animated Tex Avery short 3 Outtake (cut) Musical Sequences Theatrical Trailer Fiesta Passing Parade live-action short Goodbye, Miss Turlock Hound Hunters animated Tex Avery short Theatrical Trailer This Time for Keeps Pete Smith Specialty live-action short Now You See It* Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse** animated Tom & Jerry short 1 Outtake Song Theatrical Trailer Pagan Love Song Pete Smith Specialty live-action short Curious Contests The Chump Champ animated Droopy Dog short 7 Outtake (cut) Musical Sequences 2 Versions of 2 Songs Theatrical Trailer Million Dollar Mermaid Pete Smith Specialty live-action short Reducing The Wise Little Quacker animated Tom & Jerry short Radio Show with Esther Williams and Walter Pidgeon (Audio only) Theatrical Trailer Easy to Love Vintage Fitzpatrick Traveltalk Short Romantic Riviera Cobs & Robbers animated Tex Avery short Theatrical Trailer

Thrill of a Romance (1945) played Esther's "civilian" husband against the handsome, virtuous soldier returning from WWII
The transfers on the films themselves are all excellent, up to and exceeding the same standard to which Warner has held all of their early Technicolor titles. The trailers and supplemental short films range from SD-TV quality to super-clean. The TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams Collection Volume 2 hit the street on October 6th, and Amazon currently has it for $41.99. For a six-DVD, six-movie set, that breaks down to about $7 a movie.

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Disc Roundup (TV) 9.29.09


Catalog Release of the Week Traffik: Remastered 20th Anniversary Edition (DVD only) Interviews with writer Simon Moore and Brian Eastman, Extended UK Broadcast version of Episode 6, Photo Gallery, Production Notes, Cast Filmographies The brilliant Channel 4 miniseries from 1989 that inspired Steven Soderbergh's Traffic has been re-mastered and reissued by Acorn Media. The new DVD edition includes the full five hour series as it originally aired along with an interview with the series' creators. With the majority of the new TV season disappointing big-time, it's a good chance to catch up on really good, solid storytelling. New Release of the Week Yellowstone: Battle for Life (BBC Earth) (Blu-ray & DVD) Featurette: The People of Yellowstone Paraphrased from my recently-posted impressions: BBC Earth has put together yet another reference-quality nature documentary, this time about the first National Park. The 2.5 hour doc follows the wildlife of Yellowstone surviving through the seasons and highlights the stunning beauty of the park itself. I hope the fact they didn't put the bears, wolves, and bison on the cover doesn't mean people will pass it up on the shelf. New Release Life on Mars (US): The Complete Series Featurettes: To Mars and Back, Sunrise to Sunset With Jason O'Mara, Flashback: Lee Majors Goes to Mars Blooper Reel, Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentaries This US version of the dynamite UK series failed to catch on with audiences or critics. Critical opinion seemed to really revolve around the "why remake it? what was broken?" topic. Having recently started my way through the original (Acorn Media released Series 1 in July, Series 2 coming in November), I have to agree that nothing was broken with it and it stands on its own. I love it and it's wonderful. At the same time, the US version isn't bad at all, and it was the best way to get the story to US audiences. By no means am I a remake-loving heretic, but it's in the nature of the storytelling tradition that things be recycled and done over. There are places here and there that the US version nails it (dare I say?) better than the original. It's like knowing the answers to the test in advance. The single reason I'm most glad the remake happened is that it means more than just the anglophiles out there like me will be exposed to the property and (I hope) see the original. I've already had the ending of the original spoiled for me, and I've received confirmation that the US version went a wildly different direction entirely with a similar device. O'Mara, Mol, Imperioli, and Keitel deserved better. The Real Story: Part 1 The Real Story: Escape From Alcatraz The Real Story: The Amityville Horror I routinely find myself trying to find something on the hundreds (thousands) of channels I pay for each month and see something interesting on the Smithsonian Channel, only to realize that it's one of a few channels I don't have. I'm glad I'm getting the chance to sample their programming by reviewing discs like this on for this column. In the world of shows purporting to be "the truth behind" some event, The Real Story is among the better put together I've run into. It's filled with re-creations, interviews, and voice of God narration relating the facts of legends like, in this case, the escape from Alcatraz and The Amityville Horror. Both of them have been plumbed for inspiration for various movies over the years, and the shows Smithsonian made about them are really pretty good. Kings: The Complete Series Deleted Scenes, Audio Commentary I heard very, very bad things about this show toward the beginning that turned to outright disgust only a couple episodes into the first and only season. I'm not sure when or if I'll crack this one open and watch it, after finding the following in the synopses of Disc 2: "David is torn between his family and his king the peace treaty with Gath threatens his homeland." I know the show is dead and buried, and I've seen typo-ridden booklets and packages for TV shows, but whaaa? How I Met Your Mother: Season 4 The Unit: Season 4 Catalog The Patty Duke Show: Season 1 Cagney & Lacy: The Menopause Years I just love the title of this set. 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. Unless otherwise noted, 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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Meet Joe McDoakes


From 1942 to 1956, George O'Hanlon starred as Joe McDoakes in a series of 63 theatrical shorts for Warner Bros. Joe was the definitive hard-luck guy, appearing in the opening behind a giant 8-ball. Nothing ever seemed to go his way, from martial strife to problems with work, money, and leisure. Warner Archive has wowed me yet again with a 6-DVD set that collects every last one of these shorts, which haven't been available on video until now. The first short, So You Want to Give Up Smoking (1942), was originally intended as a case study of the basics of moviemaking for a class that creator Richard Bare taught at USC. Warner Bros. picked up the short and it was going to become a series until World War II got in the way. Over the decade plus that followed the resumption of production, the shorts would ditch the dialogue-free, narrated format, and eventually be Oscar-nominated three times in the Best Short Subject One Reel category ('47: ...Want To Be in Pictures, '48: ...Want to Be on the Radio, '49: ...Think You're Not Guilty).

O'Hanlon is best known to modern audiences (myself included) as the unmistakable voice of George Jetson. The amount of exposure O'Hanlon got for these McDoakes shorts made him an unforgettable, immediately-recognizable voice for the rest of his life. In many ways, McDoakes is the part he could never really get away from, since in a lot of ways, his other cash cow part (George Jetson) is no more than a slightly-modified cartoon version of the part that made him famous. Classic TV fans will also recognize one of the assortment of women who played Joe's long-suffering, put-upon wife Alice over the years as Phyllis Coates, who played Lois Lane in the first season of The Adventures of Superman opposite and equally-billed with George Reeves. Cameos throughout the series include everyone from Iron Eyes Cody (So You Want to Keep Your Hair, 1946) to Doris Day & Gordon McRae (So You Want a Television Set, 1953),

"Ronnie" Reagan in So You Want To Be In Pictures
Highlights from the various installments I've watched thus far: repeated references to avoiding Communist/Socialist catchphrases in So You Want to Be a Politician, the non-speaking cameo appearance of future SAG President and POTUS "Ronnie" Reagan in So You Want to Be in Pictures (above), and the note-perfect satire of the Western genre in So You Want to Be a Cowboy. Latent racism and sexism are all over the place. The racism is much more mild than the sexism, but it's in there. From Joe's wife constantly being referred to as "Little Alice" to the encouragement of disliking and acting out against the institution of marriage while married, there's plenty of fodder for Gender Roles courses at universities across the country.

From So You Want to Keep Your Hair
Since there are ten hours of these shorts, I haven't had a chance to get through them all. I have, however, been playing one or two before each of the various discs I've been catching up on, and it's played like gangbusters to my audience of one (two if Ashley is around). The transfer is taken from the best available master and wasn't specially cleaned up or remastered, but all the shorts I've watched looked great. Warner Archive has all 648 minutes of 63 shorts for $39.95.
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The First National Park

BBC Earth has just recently released Yellowstone: Battle For Life, yet another reference-quality nature documentary. This one is about the first National Park, which is still one of the most lovely to visit. The 2.5 hour doc follows the wildlife of Yellowstone surviving through the seasons and highlights the stunning beauty of the park itself. I hope the fact they didn't put the bears, wolves, and bison on the cover doesn't mean people will pass it up on the video store shelf, because it's every bit as good as the Planet Earth series. There's plenty of flora and fauna on display, and for those who've never been, a view of just how biodiverse one National Park can be.

The 1080i video track and DTS-HD Master Audio track will greatly exceed the quality of presentation available on a HD cable provider. No, you didn't read that wrong, this is a 1080i transfer rather than 1080p (probably in the interest of squeezing it onto one disc). Trust me, it still looks great. There's a "People of Yellowstone" featurette included as well. Yellowstone: Battle For Life hit the street back on 9.29. Amazon has the Blu-ray for $17.49. It's also available on DVD, but if you're buying it, you want it in hi-def.
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