Electric Shadow

Discs of the Year 2009

I made a major shift in the amount of time and column space I dedicate to home video this year. Consequently, I've got my year-end Blu-ray and DVD lists more fully-formed than my favorite theatrical releases. I've been adding titles to conventional category lists that appear on many home video-centric sites, and I've invented a few of my own. The content of the few Discs of the Year pieces will only marginally overlap the HD Guide series.
Read More

HD Guide: HBO on Blu-ray


TV shows in HD is a broader topic that I'll get to soon enough, but the recent arrival of the Blu-ray edition of Rome: The Complete Series pushed this notecard up in my priority stack. HBO has been doing something different on TV for a while now, and it's certainly paying off with the few Blu-ray releases they've put out there. They filmed Generation Kill and various other miniseries just as you would a movie in terms of scale, but with the depth afforded by a 6-hour-plus running time. When you transfer that proportion to HD, it's like you're watching something completely new. Please take for granted that the picture and audio are beyond compare on all of the following titles so that I don't have to invent new adjectives to describe them. All sets feature solid docs, behind-the-scenes and making-of pieces, as well as commentaries. John Adams notably has no yack track, but I don't really miss it.

The reason I feel so strongly that 1080p really changes the experience is that the Band of Brothers promo that auto-plays on the Adams set made me choke on my wine and nearly punt a dog. I barely missed Lucy (my Beagle) in my moment of surprise. She lay at my feet. I sat up to get the remote and all of a sudden, "Wham! Boom!" went the TV. "Glurg! Kick!" went I. "The? Fuck?" said Lucy's eyes. The first time I watched Band was on a 27" tube in college. At that point in the life of DVD, I was impressed that it was in original aspect ratio and came in a metal case. The idea of investing the 12 hours back in to it actually seems appealing now, but who knows when I'd have time to do that.

The first season of The Sopranos is on Blu as of just last week. Considering that I never watched the show, I could see digging right in to it right away. Yes, I realize that I'm probably the only person in the world who hasn't watched The Sopranos. I was in college during most of its run, and I didn't have a trust fund to buy me HBO like others did. I've had the "ending" spoiled for me already. I'm sure I'll love it if only due to my deep-seated affection for perpetuating ethnic stereotypes. Eyyy!!


The new generation of shows, like John Adams, Generation Kill and True Blood, have been shot with HD presentation in mind from the get-go. HBO is actually making the "BonusView" (pop-up trivia) option on these titles moderately interesting (glad someone is!). They're designing these to cater to the diehard fans of the particular program, which is why they work. They don't cast an impossibly unfocused True Blood's is all about gossip, backstories, and revealing info. Kill's has a military glossary, a chain of command chart, and mission maps. Adams' includes historical facts and biographies relevant to the real people and events going on in fictionalized form. Why isn't anyone else doing this as well as HBO on other TV or film releases? I guarantee that it's lack of effort or caring. Most studios are using the capabilities of the format on auto-pilot. I should mention that CBS/Paramount is the exception with their Star Trek: TOS sets.

I apologize for the terrible quality of this Google-Image-Searched shot. I will remedy this in a Screen Candy post tomorrow that features this and some other notable packaging of late.
I really can't explain why it's so satisfying to me that the case for the Rome full series Blu-ray set is shorter and thinner than the case for only my Season 1 DVDs. Even more disgustingly materialistic is the fact that I love the hard-bound leather book styling of the case. It goes so far as to include a bookmark ribbon. The BonusView for Rome features an extremely thorough guide prepared by the series' history consultant. All the other extras are the same as the DVD sets: 13 commentaries and a big pile of featurettes. The biggest deal, for me, was finally seeing my favorite modern (22 hour) Roman epic in HD for the first time. In the interest of not getting myself into trouble, I set a strict limit of 20 minutes to taste-test it. I first popped in the DVD (for a then/now comparison) and gave it a good 15 minutes. The moment I got really comfortable, I jumped right up. In went the Blu-ray. About an hour later, I realized I was running hopelessly late for the day. I hope rumors of a feature film prove to be true. Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson (Vorenus and Pullo) haven't gotten enough of a career bump out of this property just yet. Angels in America, From the Earth to the Moon, and Deadwood have all been mentioned for Blu-ray release, but without dates attached. I consider Angels one of my favorite films of 2003, and the other two are among my favorite shows HBO has ever done. As long as they get these out before Carnivale, I'll be fine. All this stuff comes in at better pricing than equivalent DVD sets did back when they were the hot new thing. I have, however, had it mentioned to me more than once by owners of existing HBO sets that they'd love to see something like Warner Bros.' DVD2Blu program in place to defray cost for loyal customers. Here's to that, but HBO is a separate home video outfit than WB, so no one should get their hopes up. I'll follow up with future installments as HBO broadens their offerings down the line. I'm currently toiling away on a multi-part set of Guide entries on Criterion's releases in a slightly different vein. The HD Guide is an ongoing series focusing on the evolving world of HD in the home: getting started, understanding the lingo, and appreciating the best (and worst) discs that are out there.
Read More

Golden Girls on Gay Marriage

For a show that's been off the air for 17 years, The Golden Girls is still ahead of its time in dealing with hot button issues. See how simple an explanation this is?
Read More

495: Golden Kinescopes


Desi Arnaz presenting Rod Serling with his Emmy for Patterns
One of the two or three most stirring and intriguing Criterion releases of the year for me has been The Golden Age of Television, which I've been working through over the last couple weeks. It's the three-disc home video revival of teleplays few have seen in the last half-century, if ever. It's a combination of various firsts, like Andy Griffith's first post-"What It Was, Was Football" performance to the first 90-minute TV drama (which starred Jack Palance). Piles of now-legendary actors cut their teeth on these TV dramas (and one comedy) from Griffith, Steiger, and Palance to Paul Newman, Everett Sloane, Piper Laurie, Cliff Robertson, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Julie Harris, among others. Directors like John Frankenheimer, Delbert Mann, and Daniel Petrie really came into their own on these shows. Rod Serling and Paddy Chayefsky wrote most of the teleplays included in this set.

Merv Griffin (l.) introducing A Wind from the South and Roddy McDowell(r.) introducing No Time for Sergeants
These shows played the one time live and then re-aired for a second time nearly 30 years later (in 1982) on PBS' The Golden Age of Television anthology series. Stars who had cut their teeth in the 50's like Roddy McDowell, Eva Marie Saint, Jack Klugman, Carl Reiner, and others did short introductions that include cuts of interviews with surviving talent. All of these original intros accompany the respective teleplays.

Andy Griffith in a 1982 interview for No Time for Sergeants
The video transfers of the programs are the best ones available of the kinescopes made for re-airing the program in other timezones. The quick and dirty explanation for what a kinescope is to the uninitiated is that it's like setting up a camcorder to record whatever is playing on your TV. In this case, they had a film camera set up to record the live feed monitor in the studio. The frame warps at the edges as well as at random points in the middle of the frame. These were never recorded for archival purposes (videotape wasn't invented until 1957), so the quality is not what cineastes are accustomed to from Criterion. I'm just glad that the needs of airing at different times in different places accidentally preserved them at all.

Roy Scheider as an extra (!) in A Wind from the South
I hate most modern US TV, but this is nothing like the garbage clogging my overpriced channel lineup. The eight shows are an odd amalgam of a play, a TV show, and a movie. The discovery in each for me was also a cross-section: the marvel of seeing a new live production of a play, the little flubs here and there, and the unearthing of new-to-many performances from some of the greatest actors of the filmed era. Extras include the aforementioned 1982 introductions to each show, a couple of interviews with John Frankenheimer (regarding The Comedian and Days of Wine and Roses), and commentary on some of the plays by their respective directors. This is one of the top releases of the year, thanks to both the unearthed treasure aspect and the content within. I can only hope this release sells well and we see a "Volume 2" from Criterion of other kinescope recordings.

(l.-r., top-bottom) Rod Steiger in Marty, Patterns, Andy Griffith just after singing the lyric "stuck her nose in the butter" in No Time for Sergeants, and Julie Harris in A Wind from the South
Marty (May 24, 1953) The character of Marty, famous for declaring himself "a fat, ugly man" in the movie version, made his debut on live TV. Paddy Chayefsky had his deadlines writing the script moved up out of necessity when another script/show was abruptly deemed not ready for production. Rod Steiger and Nancy Marchand starred, and both put in touching, nuanced performances that are still rare in filmed entertainment. The movie would be made two years later with Ernest Borgnine and Betsy Blair. The story of an ordinary butcher in postwar America was one of the major turning points in the history of TV, as networks came to realize that there was an appetite for the rhythms and sounds of real lives. Patterns (January 12, 1955) The success of Patterns made it possible for Rod Serling to have a real writing career and paved the way for The Twilight Zone. It's not outlandish to claim that had this Kraft Television Theatre program not happened, TV and media history would be very different. The play itself wonders what morality and ethics really mean in the corporate world. It proved so popular that they reunited the cast to perform it a second time live, and most of the cast (including Ed Begley) returned for the film version in 1956. No Time for Sergeants (March 15th, 1955) There weren't many live TV comedy plays, and of those, this is one of the most prominent (if not the most). Andy Griffith had appeared on Ed Sullivan the year before, and this show truly made him a star. The story of how country bumpkin Will Stockdale (Griffith) turns a military barracks on its ear proved so popular that the play transferred to Broadway and then was made into a film. The Broadway production co-starred Don Knotts and Roddy McDowell. Since the networks now saw viewer interest in rural or "gee shucks" subject matter, Griffith and Knotts' chemistry and friendship helped conceive The Andy Griffith Show (1960). Shows like The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Gomer Pyle, USMC (a knockoff of No Time) only happened because No Time for Sergeants aired first. A Wind from the South (September 14th, 1955) Julie Harris stars, Daniel Petrie directs, and Merv Griffin sings the theme song. Lots of "theatre Irish" accents abound, and they re-spell "Siobhan" as "Shevawn" in the credits to not confuse all the Americans watching. I expect they'd have spelled "Niamh" as "Neeve" had someone had that name. Frankly, they probably still would. The play is a good example of the "working young woman looking for love" story that has become so sexist and sloppy in modern feature films.

Paul Newman at the beginning of Bang the Drum Slowly, Jack Palance insisting he "coulda been the heavyweight champion of the world!" in Requiem for a Heavyweight, Mickey Rooney searing in intensity in The Comedian, and Piper Laurie/Cliff Robertson getting into a row in Days of Wine and Roses
Bang the Drum Slowly (September 26th, 1956) People told Newman he probably wouldn't have much of a career as a leading man because he "look[ed] too much like Brando." A series of supporting roles lead to this, his first real shot at taking the lead. George Peppard and Clu Gulager played supporting roles in this "tragic friendship" story about fellow baseball players. Newman's preparation and dogged work ethic show in his effortless, naturalistic portrayal of Henry Wiggen. It's a performance that really reflects what he offered throughout the rest of his career: preparation so intense that the actual "doing" of it appears to be effortless. Requiem for a Heavyweight (October 11th, 1956) This first 90-minute drama produced for TV starred Jack Palance as "Mountain" McClintock, was directed by Ralph Nelson, and was written by Rod Serling. Father and son Ed and Keenan Wynn played supporting parts, and their on-set friction was fodder for a 1960 production that pulled the curtain back on live TV production (also written by Serling). Ed had never done drama in his 54-year career that stretched back to the days of vaudeville, and playing Mountain's trainer proved difficult in that he couldn't fall back on his common ad-libs that worked when he was clowning. The film version starred Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, and Mickey Rooney in the Palance/K. Wynn/E. Wynn roles six years later. Having seen both now, I really prefer these performances to the movie. Like all the titles in this set, this is a sterling example of the difference from teleplay to film in how much more fresh and daring the "no-name" actor can be compared to the "box office draw". The Comedian (February 14th, 1957) If you've only seen Mickey Rooney do heart-warming, funny, or not-racist-at-the-time dumb show (or a combination of the three), the vicious little man he plays in this one will stop you cold. Directed for Playhouse 90 by John Frankenheimer and co-starring Kim Hunter and Mel Torme, The Comedian could be considered one of very few filmed performances that truly shows off the depth of Rooney's talent. The Comedian in particular was impossibly complex in production due to inserting filmed audience reaction shots to give the impression of a live studio audience. Days of Wine and Roses (October 2,1958) One of my favorite Jack Lemmon performances is in the film version of this play. It turns out Frankenheimer didn't direct the movie because Lemmon didn't think he had the chops. The drama behind the scenes is always so juicy and interesting in retrospect. Cliff Robertson and Piper Laurie originated the lead roles in the debut of the play, which the presenter introduces as a story about "two young, attractive people who find themselves affected by this problem" (alcoholism).

Amazon currently has The Golden Age of Television listed for $36.99. Fans of the various masters of their respective arts and media history enthusiasts alike will be very pleased with this set.
Read More

Jersey Hat Trick


John & Janet Pierson, now Austinites, in a still from the new Chasing Amy Blu-ray
Kevin Smith is a very important figure in my film education. I was introduced to the indie movement of the 90's by VHS tapes of Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy that I got my hands on in high school. I missed Dogma in theaters, but snapped it up on video as soon as it was available. I found out about the existence of other favorite filmmakers (Linklater, Soderbergh, and Tarantino, among others) after him, but his work has yet to diminish for me.

Tarantino on Charlie Rose calling Amy one of his favorite films of that year.
For trivia and other film connections, I had to pick my best friend's brain and dig deep on the sites of the day that would load over dialup. The internet was a much less evolved place then, and DVD commentaries didn't yet exist. I remember a video store clerk trying to convince me that Kevin went to her high school in East Dallas and "was drawin' those stoner dudes in school an' shit." No one could get away with that in the age of the internet on cell phones. I didn't believe her because I knew better, but I played along because she seemed to so completely believe everything she was saying.

The man himself.
My first five DVDs included Clerks, Mallrats and Amy. I've owned all three on VHS and DVD twice each. The lost tapes got loaned out and never returned. Clerks and Mallrats were double dipped on DVD, and my original copy of Amy was stolen along with my Jay & Bob discs that I never replaced. In high school, I wrote short plays for stage and screen that shamelessly aped the Original Jersey Trilogy. I've never shown them to anyone, but I continue to mine those ape-plays for good components. I saw Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back in college at a mall theater. Jersey Girl was my first Kevin Smith movie at a festival (South by Southwest). It's easy to defend Jersey Girl when the people telling you you're wrong for liking it never saw the movie and are going off of "what people say". My now-wife, then-fiancee and I went to see Clerks II with a friend and his wife. He loved it, and she...did not seem to enjoy it much at all. Zack and Miri was the first Smith film I saw at a press screening instead of with a real audience or on video. I really lived the golden age of VHS, when it was cheaper and less of a hassle for my parents to rent a pile of movies to let me watch and only every so often go to the theater. Even though there were frequently Blockbuster boxes in the house, most of what my dad picked up were disposable action movies that I barely remembered a week later and my mom didn't usually pipe in with her own taste. The internet, as I mentioned above, was not even remotely as pervasive and encyclopedic as it is now. Siskel and Ebert/Ebert and Roeper came on at 3:30am. I didn't have the mountain of advantages a kid does now. The short version of all that would have been the following: I'm always glad to watch anything with Kevin's name on it. These three movies are points on a map in Kevin's Askewniverse, and they're landmarks in my filmgoing life. That's why I shared generously before getting to what I thought of the new Blu-ray Askewniverse discs. Cracking open the new Kevin Smith Collection of Blu-rays was a little intimidating and a little cathartic at first, and I haven't devoured them all the way through. In acting, sense memory is or isn't a big deal (depending on who you talk to), but in real life, it's integral to our emotional responses and personal history. It's why people buy sports jersey after sports jersey or set up little rituals for themselves each year like family meals. You want to re-live those moments that really make you feel vibrant and meaningful. This is why the masses avoid arthouse cinema, since they assume there's always some pain involved. Opening up a video copy of Clerks or Amy flashes me back to manually adjusting the volume so that my mom wouldn't hear all the "dick" "fuck" "shit" "cock" and other words she hated hearing coming from my room (and still hates seeing me use in writing something viewed by members of the public). I recall all the times I defended Affleck to people who hadn't seen Amy but had seen Forces of Nature and Pearl Harbor. These movies have helped define friendships and sparked so many conversations in my life that going through every last thing on them was a bit too much for me all in one gulp. I have watched all the new features on Clerks and Amy (no new stuff on J&SBSB), and it's all fantastic. The Clerks disc includes all of the extras from the Clerks X DVD three-disc DVD on one Blu-ray, a new introduction by Kevin, and Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party: The Making of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Tea Party is mostly behind-the-scenes footage, but touches just about every major (and minor) cast member from what I consider Cannonball Run 3: Kickin' It Askew. The one thing missing for me was the booklet that came with Clerks X. These things don't usually matter to me, but I like the pieces written by Kevin and Scott Mosier, and the photos of the Sundance submission check and other things. If you simply must sell your Clerks X set, keep the book. The transfer is actually an improvement over the DVD, so the joke about "how is Clerks going to look better in 1080p?" is misguided to say the least. The previous discs suffer from lack of contrast that the Blu-ray has in spades. The most important thing is to make sure your monitor is calibrated for black & white picture with lots (and lots) of grain. There are only two outfits that I've seen do unparalleled (except by each other) color 16mm to Blu-ray transfer: Criterion and Kino. Chasing Amy may not be a completely ideal transfer to HD (soft black levels), but honestly I can't be certain, because I've never seen it theatrically. It looked fine to me, but after that virtuoso Criterion Monsoon Wedding transfer, I wonder how much richer the color could get. The Amy disc, and frankly, the boxset itself, is worth it for the new extras alone. Tracing Amy [1:21:15] is the feature-length, warts and all retrospective doc that any big fan of the film has been waiting for. Bits and pieces of stories that have been told before by Smith in Q&A's and appearances are fully fleshed-out here and in "Was It Something I Said?" [18:17], a back-and-forth between director Smith and star Joey Lauren Adams. Smith and Adams were together romantically during the lead-up and making of the film, and they are very candid about how that impacted the whole endeavor. I haven't listened to the new commentary in full just yet, but the opening 20 minutes are true to form for these guys, who are among the best when it comes to commentary recording. The 10 Years Later Q&A at the Arclight 10th Anniversary screening includes Smith, Jason Mewes, Affleck, Adams, Jason Lee, Scott Mosier, and Dwight Ewell. I particularly liked it thanks to the presence of Ewell, one of Amy's most memorable actors. I wish I could say I've seen him in more than one thing since Amy, because he's a truly present and powerful actor.

Amazon will have to come down on that $54 price tag for a ton of people to jump on this thing, but fans will gladly drop $18 per to get these. Amy and Clerks are $50 together separately, so the box is the way to go.
Read More

Disc Roundup (TV) 12.01 & 12.08.09


Blu-ray Upgrade of the Week Catalog Release of the Week New Release of the Week New Release Catalog New to Blu Catalog New to Region 1 Reissue/Repackage 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, assume that screener copies of titles reviewed were provided by the respective studio.
Read More

HD Guide: Blu Criterion v1 (Black & White)

The thing that really sticks out looking at the titles Criterion has very carefully selected from their existing library and new releases is the broad range in content and era. The variety is wonderful and refreshing. Traditional studios are only just getting the slightest of a grip on how to program their catalog Blu-ray upgrades. There's a little of something for everyone
Read More

The God Delusion

I categorize strict Creationists and Scientologists in the same theological bucket of strange creatures. I actively enjoy watching Creationists squirm when I talk about Darwinian evolution and the very old age of the planet. Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and author of The God Delusion, presents The Genius of Charles Darwin, an exceptional three-episode program about the development of the theory presented in Darwin's On the Origin of Species. It's now on DVD thanks to Acorn Media's Athena Learning label.

The thing that's most valuable about this DVD set is that the special itself is about 2.5 hours long, and the extras disc includes 4.5 hours of content. Of that, 4 hours is made up of interviews with the subjects of the main program, so you can go more or less in-depth as you wish. The remaining half hour is comprised of three Tales from the Galapagos Islands specials.
Read More

HD Guide: Black Friday Deals and Don'ts

I will have to follow this up at some point with updated last-minute additions, since the retailers have wised up and left items off their printed ads that now always leak. I've gone through what is out there and have compiled some tips for you, the reader. I was going to do all of this for myself anyway, so I might as well spill for the greater good. I meant to post this yesterday, but enough changed since then that I've rewritten this about seven times. I'm specifically looking at TVs, Blu-ray players, and Blu-ray discs. I'm excluding crap that no one should bother with like Monsters vs. Aliens and, honestly, the mountains of DVDs that'll be $4 (The Dark Knight, Hellboy 2). Best Buy has the most of those in-store, but as far as I can tell, all of them have been matched by Amazon. Why buy The Dark Knight for $4 on DVD if you know you want to get it on Blu-ray soon (or for $10 tomorrow) anyway? The Rule of Thumb is: you really shouldn't have to leave your house to get the best deals. If you see something (TV/Blu player/Blu-ray disc) from a doorbuster ad missing from this entry, the reason is that it's a waste of your time or it's a movie I don't care for (or missed, I'm sure there'll be a few). Don't Do It As much as you may be tempted by the price tag, these aren't going to be worth it for various reasons. They could be an unreliable/badly-supported brand, the prior year (or year before last's) model, or just not worth your money. I spoke to a friend who is in the process of getting a third HDTV thanks to not following my Ten HD Commandments. It's my fault for not delivering them down from the mountain of experience in time to save him and his pocketbook. It's not too late for you. TVs Almost every TV that looks too good to be true is, with a notable trio of exceptions listed a bit further down. There are a ton of 720p TVs on the doorbuster ads. The stores and manufacturers are just trying to get rid of them. A TV is an investment, not something you want to cheap-out on. You don't need to spend $4000 to be happy, but you will not be happy with any of the $499-$599 junkers on those ads. Across the board, I recommend you avoid Westinghouse, Insignia (in-house BestBuy brand), Apex, AOC, ProScan, Sylvania, Element, Dynex, and Sanyo. The Sony sets are overpriced. Blu-rays $12.99 Target Exclusive Gone With the Wind Anniversary Blu-ray Unlike the Wizard of Oz Target Exclusive set (which I recommend further down), stay away from this one. Instead of being the same three-disc set included in the giant $60+ collector's box like Oz, this is only the Feature disc and no extras, aside from the commentary track. I'm more a fan of the making of GWTW than the movie itself, so it's the big box (reviewed soon) for me. $12.99 Ghostbusters (Amazon, Best Buy, you name it) I still haven't seen this transfer with my own eyes, but the consensus seems to be that the picture quality is terrible at first and gets better as it goes. $10.99 Casino Royale (Amazon) This isn't the Collector's Edition (currently $22.99) that has been found for as low as about $12 previously. This looks like a stock-clearing. $7.99 Stargate Extended Edition (Amazon) This one has already been double dipped on Blu-ray. The transfer on the $7.99 one is no good. The "Good One" is $17.99 from Amazon, and has garnered rave reviews from friends who are fans. $10 each Harry Potter 1 & 2 (Amazon) If you're really into these, there are new editions of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets with a bunch of new stuff on them and in the box coming in just a couple weeks. If all you want is the movie, fine, but be warned of the coming double-dip. $10 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Amazon) This movie is not worth buying, even if you have small kids and are dying to find something else to stick in front of them. Your kid(s) will not watch it a second time. Simon Pegg helps, but there is exactly one sequence in the whole movie I was really impressed with that involved a lot of rain, a weasel, and a Baryonyx. The moral of the movie is: it is impossible to be happy outside of a domesticated family life full of merchandising--er, friends. Rent or Netflix it if you just have to see it. Players Not having Wifi built-in isn't a deal-breaker, but it makes things like firmware updates (which happen fairly often) a pain in the ass. On top of that, BD-Live is no big loss, but if you want to use new features like Netflix Watch Instantly or Pandora...get ready to run a cable or spend extra for a Wifi adapter of some kind ($75-95 depending on model and quality). $78 Magnavox NB500MG1F (Walmart) Do not, do not, do not buy this. This is going to get a bunch of Blu-ray players in people's homes, which is good for the format, but bad for the people getting this box that's little more than a DVD up-converter that happens to play (most) Blu-ray discs. A $78 Blu-ray player sounds like a great idea until you realize this player doesn't have two very important things: (1) Profile 2.0, which means some newer discs may not play properly or at all, and... (2) Internet connectivity of any kind, which means no easy means of updating the firmware $99 LG BD270 (Amazon) The same downsides as the Magnavox above (Profile 1.1, no ethernet or Wifi), but better performance. $148 Sony BDP-S369 (Walmart)/$149.99 Sony BDP-S360 (Best Buy/Target) These are functionally the same Blu-ray player at all three stores, but Walmart has their own model number variant. Profile 2.0 and ethernet aren't that big a deal compared to the value of a couple below. Available Online (Avoid the Stores) Amazon is matching all of Best Buy and Walmart's best-priced Blu-rays with few exceptions (listed just below). Avoid lines and sales tax if at all possible. Players The best way to go is to have a player that has Wifi already built-in (PS3 or otherwise), but there's nothing wrong with getting one of the more inexpensive ones with the features you want and add some sort of Wifi adapter like the Linksys Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter ($70.99 at Amazon). If you already have a device that does things like Netflix Watch Instantly, then just get a good player and ignore the extra bells and whistles. The Best Price with Built-in Wifi $199.95 Sony BDP-S560 (Amazon) Assuming you don't care about Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, or whatever on your player, but do want Wifi, this is the best price you'll find. It starts up faster and the tray opens quicker than older Sony Models. Best Balance and Bang-for-Buck $148 Samsung BD-P1590 (Walmart)/$149.99 Samsung BD-P1600 (Best Buy) Amazon has this for the same price, sans sales tax. Be aware that "Wifi ready" doesn't mean "Wifi built-in". These are functionally the same unit. They are much better than the Magnavox Box of 99 Problems above. They have Profile 2.0 and can have their firmware updated. They also have Pandora, Netflix Watch Instantly, and YouTube capability, but without a proprietary Samsung USB Wifi Adapter or the Linksys listed above, you'll have to hard-wire it into ethernet. $220 for the player and the adapter gives you the combination of Profile 2.0, Wifi, and the extra "apps". ANyone who wants a player and doesn't have some sort of Netflix WI box already should go this route. The Best TVs Panasonic, LG, Samsung, and Sharp are the most reasonably-priced for the quality, aside from the three listed below. At Amazon: $909.69 Panasonic VIERA G10 TC-P42G10 42-Inch 1080p Plasma ($290 off) $1135.85 Panasonic VIERA G10 TC-P46G10 46-Inch 1080p Plasma ($364 off) $1249.85 Panasonic VIERA G10 TC-P50G10 50-Inch 1080p Plasma ($350 off) Depending on the size you're hunting for, go with one of these. The 46" would be the sweet spot for me. These are THX-certified TVs that do better self-calibration than just about anything on the market. These are the only TVs listed by anyone that I'd consider to have my full, unbiased and unequaled endorsement. These three TVs are among the best value I've seen, and remember you don't have hundreds in sales tax ordering from Amazon and they ship for free. Blu-ray Discs Amazon Be ready to set some calendar alarms to get some of these time-sensitive deals. Amazon is shipping everything free, even items usually under the $25 free shipping threshold. Many of the below discs include Digital Copy as well (like the Batman titles). $6.99 Superman: The Movie This one is seven bucks until they run out in the still-ongoing Lightning Deal. It's $9.99 once they run out. $59.99 James Bond Blu-ray 10-pack (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, The World is Enough, Die Another Day, Quantum of Solace) This is the best deal of the day, available from 4:45-8:00am PST on Friday until they run out (and they will). $6 per disc can't be beat, since this set is normally $159.99. $9.99 The Dark Knight This one is available at this price from 8am-12pm PST. It's $12.99 the rest of the weekend, same as Target's price. $14.99 Mad Men Season 1 This one is time-sensitive as well. Get it while it lasts 12pm-4pm PST tomorrow (Friday). $11.99 Coraline One of the top New Release disc transfers of the year combined with some of the most engaging extras in a year full of featurette fluff. $10 Braveheart $10 Gladiator Yes, there are issues with the Gladiator transfer (and none with Braveheart), but the $10 rebate included makes this a free-after-rebate title since I still own the DVD. I'm going to get both of these this way and avoid giving Walmart any of my money (or Best Buy $12.99 apiece). $10 Harry Potter 1-5 (each, Prisoner of Azkaban linked) $7.99 2001: A Space Odyssey $7.99 The Searchers $7.99 Ronin $7.99 The Terminator $7.99 The Departed $7.99 Goodfellas $7.99 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan $7.99 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home $7.99 Star Trek: First Contact $7.99 Silence of the Lambs $7.99 V for Vendetta $7.99 Dogma $7.99 Full Metal Jacket $7.99 Reservoir Dogs $7.99 Dark City: Director's Cut $7.99 Robocop $7.99 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country $8.49 Bullitt $8.99 The Aviator $9.49 The Fountain $9.99 There Will Be Blood $9.99 Wedding Crashers $9.99 The Visitor $9.99 The Thing $10.49 The Mist 2-Disc Collector's Edition $11.49 Batman Begins $11.99 Lonesome Dove $11.99 The Monster Squad $11.99 Away We Go $12.99 The 400 Blows: Criterion Collection $12.99 300: The Complete Experience $14.99 Baraka One of the most stunning HD transfers on home video, according to many sources including Roger Ebert. $14.99 Becket $20.49 Mad Men Season 2 $22.99 John Adams (HBO) $40.99 Planet Earth: The Complete Series $9.99 Eastbound and Down Season 1 DVD This is the only DVD I'm listing because I enjoy this series so much. In-Store Only Best Buy All their in-store Blu-ray deals shown in the ad are now matched by Amazon. Target $12.99 The Wizard of Oz 3-disc Emerald Edition Blu-ray If you don't care about the pile of tchotchkes in the Limited Collector's Edition box, you can get just the movie, extras, and 6-hour documentary disc for much less. $12.99 Gremlins Blu-ray This is a retailer exclusive that you can't get anywhere else, and this is $10 off the lowest price I see on it regularly. Will it be available at some point at a lower price? Maybe so, but you can only buy it from Target for now. The Big Question Marks A bunch of retailers are purposely withholding every last doorbuster from their ads, listing/showing 15 out of "over 30" Blu-rays on sale. These will be all over the net the day of. Best Buy is the one of the big three (Walmart/Target/Best Buy) that has most notably expanded Blu-ray shelf space in advance of Friday, so they will probably have some desirable stuff that Amazon won't know about in advance. As with last year, Amazon will probably abruptly drop pricing on some items to match the brick & mortar outlets during the day, so bring a smartphone with you if you're going to stores.
Read More

Deals: Giamatti in HBO's John Adams


As a lead-in to tomorrow's HD Guide-centric posting schedule, I thought I should pass along that HBO's recent John Adams miniseries is now $22.99 on Amazon. It deserves all the acclaim it's gotten and is worth owning rather (pronounced with a Colonial "ah") than renting. It's also well-priced for gifting. Remember when HBO miniseries of similar length cost $150 on DVD? Tomorrow's posts include a Black Friday Guide, among other things.
Read More

Economy of Runtime

My description of UP as Disney/Pixar's Gran Torino isn't entirely off-base. "Cranky old man stuck in his ways whose wife is dead teaches a young Asian boy with an absent father figure life lessons" describes both movies, right? In all seriousness, I just like that there are two pictures I enjoy very much that use such similar components with starkly different styles, narratives, and outcomes. More broadly, Pixar simply does so much more than other animation studios with the same seconds and minutes of time.

A rare look inside the notecard-filled organizational process that I have in place.
UP is among my favorite 2009 releases thus far, and Monsters, Inc. is one of the few 2002 releases that quickly come to mind seven years later. November 11th saw the paired release of both on Blu-ray. Respectively, they embody among the most thoroughly enjoyable new and catalog disc releases of 2009. The biggest surprise for me was a pair of BD-Java games that I actually found worthwhile.

Monsters, Inc. was originally set for Blu release alongside Bug's Life earlier this year. The movie itself greatly benefits from the 1080p upgrade, with riveting detail that makes the wait worth it. The "Door Vault" scene, in particular, is absolutely jaw-dropping. Monsters contains all of the previous DVD extras and a couple new ones. Similar to the recent Bug's Life Blu, there's a Filmmakers' Roundtable retrospective that touches on such things as Monsters being the first post-9/11 Pixar movie. They recorded it at a coffee shop they all frequented near the old Pixar campus. Also added in there is a featurette (Monsters, Inc. Ride and Go Seek: Building Monstropolis in Japan) on the building of a Sully, Mike, and Boo-centric ride at Tokyo Disney. There's a surprisingly challenging BD-Java game called Roz's 100 Door Challenge that ate up an hour without my noticing.

UP sprinkles just a few extras on the first disc to use the bulk of the space for picture and audio quality. What is ordinarily called an Audio Commentary is instead called Cine-Explore here and features pop-up storyboards and photos during the movie. The two shorts are the theatrical short Partly Cloudy [5:46] and new to the DVD Dug's Special Mission [4:40]. In a very short amount of time, The Many Endings of Muntz [4:56] covers a surprising amount of ground regarding the progression of the character of Charles Muntz in the development process. Adventure is Out There [22:17] covers the genesis of the project and the majority of the development process in broad strokes in addition to the "field trip" to South America. Specialized topics are separated into their own "mini-doc" featurettes on the second disc. More notable to me than the seven mini-docs [47:34 total] on disc 2 is the Alternate Scene: Married Life [9:15] piece that covers the evolution of the sequence that firmly glued everyone to their seats upon first, second, or tenth viewing of UP. All seven of the mini-docs are interesting. They're ten times the quality of other CG-animated studios' DVD featurettes second-for-second, facet-by-facet. The mini-docs cover Carl, the dogs, Russell, "Kevin", the design of Carl's house, the physics of flight employed, and the score by the virtuoso Michael Giacchino. The UP Promo Montage [6:00] is composed of the various in-store promo shorts that ran in Disney retail stores during UP's theatrical run. There's a Russell/Wilderness Explorer-themed game on there as well. I probably shouldn't admit that I invested well over 90 minutes playing it and learning how little I know about European and Asian geography. For the first time, I can actually recommend a BD-Java/BD-Live game as reasonably well-designed (within its limits) and educationally substantive. The most notable thing about both sets is that not one piece of either package feels like someone said, "ah, whatever" and just set their brain on autopilot. Monsters, Inc. retains its existing For Humans/For Monsters menu design, and UP uses what I consider the Pixar Standard Menu Template for Blu-rays that unifies everything into a single, straightforward structure. You can get both along with Cars for $30 and change by adding UP (and then Monsters & Cars) at this link and using the coupon code PIXARBLU.
Read More

Muppet Rhapsody

Freddie Mercury died 18 years ago today. Regardless of the particular horrible things that happen to you in a given stretch of 24 hours, a surprise from the Muppets can easily make everything better.
Read More

Briefly, on Kino's Blu Buster


I've watched 30 minutes of Kino's new Blu-ray of Buster Keaton's The General. It's definitely the best home version of the movie I've watched. The depth of detail throughout the portions I've watched are up there with WB's new Wizard of Oz 8K transfer, aside from some scratches and dirt. The additional visual data make the picture appear close to three dimensions deep. There are three accompanying scores to choose from along with some other bits I'll get to in a subsequent post, but this thing is worth buying for the transfer on its own. Amazon is offering it for $20.99. More tomorrow.
Read More

Finding The Exiles: Past is Present


The Roxie is playing Imitation of Life. Click the picture for a larger screenshot.
A film virtually lost for almost half a century, Kent MacKenzie's The Exiles is a fascinating artifact recently recovered and restored by UCLA and Milestone Films. Milestone is the same quality outfit that recently re-issued a brilliant "cigar box" edition of I Am Cuba. They curate a really wonderful collection of American independent, classic, and vintage films, including some 1910's animation like Gertie the Dinosaur. The Exiles is the most Criterion-like title in Milestone's library when it comes to presentation (aside from I Am Cuba).

MacKenzie started hanging out with a group of Native Americans after college. They were a mix of people born on and off the reservation. MacKenzie interviewed his friends and then employed them as actors in something of a dramatized re-enactment of their real lives with the interviews as voice-over. This blurring of documentary and narrative is fascinating for a few reasons beyond the stunning, inky nighttime photography of the Bunker Hill district of L.A.

The raw, embedded perspective on the lives of these young people is akin to a nature film with the humans playing the animals. One woman desperately wants her man (any man) to just settle down with her and have a couple of kids. One guy is genetically disposed toward catting around, drinking, and treating women like less than dirt. All the Natives intermingle with Latinos and Whites, but they are drawn back to each other after the bars close.

The two-disc DVD includes the feature with optional commentary from author Sherman Alexie and critic Sean Axmaker, the 2008 trailer, short film Bunker Hill 1956 (also MacKenzie), and clips from Los Angeles Plays Itself on disc 1. Disc 2 includes six short films: A Skill for Molina (NARA), Story of a Rodeo Cowboy (Kent MacKenzie), Ivan and His Father (Gary Goldsmith), Last Day of Angels Flight (Robert Kirstie), Bunker Hill: A Tale of Urban Renewal (Greg Kimble), and White Fawn's Devotion: The First Native American Film. Also on disc 2 are a couple of audio interviews and a pile of PDFs that include a production history document, the final script for Exiles, a funding proposal, and original publicity material, among various others. Amazon has it for $24.99. Milestone is selling it themselves for $23.96 as of this posting.

Read More

Gilda, Guido, Jimmy, and Mickey


Warner Archive released the long-requested Gilda Live on November 3rd for the same $14.95 that all their 80's and 90's titles are currently. The "concert" film (for lack of a better term) of Gilda Radner's summer 1979 Broadway show was directed by Mike Nichols, and features all of Gilda's signature characters: Roseanne Roseannadanna, Rhonda and the Rhondettes, and so on. Interspersed are sketches that feature the great Paul Schaffer and his impertinent holiness Father Guido Sarducci among others. Watching this put a lump in my throat for most of the runtime. I know fellow fans who would have paid $30 for a bootleg of this, $50 even. She's that beloved for a reason: over the last ~30 years, we've rarely been treated to a voice so inspired and sharp.

Read More

FF09: Don't (Rather, Do) Go Into the Hausu

One of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences I've had this year was seeing Obayashi's Hausu (House) at Fantastic Fest this year. It's unbridled surrealist insanity. Zack Carlson introduced the film as a transformative experience so powerful that it will literally change your gender before you leave the theater. The movie is brilliantly whacked out and hilarious throughout. The english-subtitled trailer is below. Janus Films is screening it limited in advance of an assumed Criterion DVD/Blu-ray release that I consider a must-own (once it materializes). Upon screening the release version, the movie was such an embarrassment to Toho that they buried the release and it's been virtually un-viewable for three decades. A schoolgirl is upset that her father is remarrying, so she plans a trip to her reclusive old auntie's house in the country with six of her friends. The protagonists are all named like Japanese My Little Ponies. I'm not kidding. The main two are Gorgeous and Fantasy, with friends Prof (bookish), Mac (as in "Big Mac"...she likes to eat), Kung-Fu (athletic and the defender of the group), Sweet (scared of everything, cries all the time), and Melody (the musical prodigy). They set this up for you to expect people will start disappearing. The best supporting performance, for me, was from the definitive evil cat in cinema history. The cat helps Grandma (Minamada Yoko) capture and devour the girls one by one to restore her youth. Minamada's performance (and that of the cat) is inspired and just perfect for the material. Based on her IMDb profile, she had a long career in the Japanese film industry. Unfortunately, Minamada passed away just a few weeks ago on the 21st of October. It'd be nice to see something about her career on the inevitable DVD. The optical effects are a riot, and the blood and "gore" are so cartoonish and cheap that they won't force away the squeamish. Seattle, Rochester, and Denver, you've been warned. Get thee to a theater. The poster below features my beloved evil cat, and is also available from Criterion as a t-shirt.

Read More

Oscar Doc Shortlist of 15

I'm not thrilled with this list, but then again, the Oscar doc shortlist never elicits cheers from me (except for last year's inclusion of In a Dream and They Killed Sister Dorothy). I'm most surprised by no Anvil! The Story of Anvil (not on the shortlist? really?), Tyson (smells like a snub), We Live in Public, and The September Issue, to name the ones that jump out at me. The honestly-not-shocked-they-aren't-on-there pair for me are Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story and Chris Smith's Collapse, a movie so full of unprocessed truth that it's perceived as too nutritious to be appetizing. I know Collapse wasn't eligible, but I still had a hope in the back of my mind it'd magically just be there, rules be damned. I really wish The Horse Boy and Soul Power had been on the list, but I always knew they'd never make it. I've included the whole list below with some ultra-brief thoughts on a few. The Beaches of Agnes: Agnes Varda, duh Burma VJ: Hooray for a a deserving film The Cove: An odds favorite based on huge inside industry support Every Little Step: Great flick about a great revival of a classic show Facing Ali: Missed this one at Austin Film Festival Food, Inc.: I wonder whether The Cove will edge this one out for final five as "the treehugger movie" Garbage Dreams: stellar SXSW movie that I didn't review and should be brought up on charges for not covering then. A writeup will be posted in the morning. Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Mugabe and the White African Sergio Soundtrack for a Revolution Under Our Skin Valentino The Last Emperor: I'm sure this movie is just great, but no way should it make final five Which Way Home: Sin Nombre: The Verite Cut
Read More

Taking Flight

Warner Archive managed to make a Disc Wanted post that I had all ready to go irrelevant when they announced that they were putting the Rankin/Bass animated fantasy movie The Flight of Dragons on DVD. It became available for purchase yesterday at $14.95. I had never seen this movie until my wife shoved a worn VHS tape in my hand and said "we're watching this" after I told her I'd never heard of it.

One of the buried treasures of the Rankin/Bass animated catalog, Flight of Dragons was released direct to video in 1982 and then aired as a 1986 ABC family movie of the week. The theme song is sung by no less than Don McLean. Lead wizard Carolinus is voiced by Harry Morgan, his arch-nemesis Ommadon is played by James Earl Jones, and John Ritter is Peter, a nebbish board game creator obsessed with dragons. Peter is transported to the magical world of the past and has to save the day. There's a princess, a bunch of talking dragons, and story that is heavy on the virtues of being good-hearted and sticking up for what's right.

The inimitable Harry Morgan as Carolinus the Wizard
Flight of Dragons never achieves the level of quality in animation (or, sorry to say, storytelling) that Disney was maintaining at the time, but it's easily better than nearly all of the previous decade's CG children's adventure films. Thinking back, I really wish I'd gotten to see it at a point when I really would have appreciated Flight to its fullest. The transfer is from the best available elements and is a bit dim and shows its age. That being said, this looks about as good as the movie will for now, considering the lack of financial incentive for an extremely expensive restoration.
Read More

Umlaut-Question-Exclamation

Most of America and I didn't see Bruno in theaters, but I did the other night. It's definitely a harder sit for the average American than Borat for exactly one reason: it deals with homosexuality rather than foreigners. Foreigners don't make the average American shrink back, but the idea of men kissing can make people squeal in horror. Americans still have no problem believing the various broad stereotypes that make up the fibers of Bruno's being are the real deal, and that's why the movie is more ahead of its time than Borat and as a result, out of step with the mainstream.

Gay activists and organizations that have condemned the movie are responding to their concern that Bruno will only perpetuate the cartoonish gay image locked in the minds of many. I don't think they're entirely wrong. The movie was made, in my mind, to ideally become a dated, irrelevant artifact. The filmmakers want the absurd state of gay perception and gay rights to become a thing of the past, and I applaud that. The commercial issue the movie faces is that guys don't want to be caught by their friends or coworkers holding it in the video store or returning it to the Redbox at the grocery store. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't have a reason to watch it again. The bit with the Westboro Baptist Church (God Hates Fags) would have been worth watching the thing alone if it weren't for the Ron Paul Turns Into a Serpent Beast scene. Make sure to watch the deleted scenes with Gary Bauer, Tom Ridge, and John Bolton. Gustaf Hammarsten does excellent work as Bruno's assistant Lutz. He hasn't gotten nearly the notice he deserves for one of the most controlled, "invisible" performances of the year. He is ludicrous without being incredulous. Sorry to the sentimental, but the LaToya Jackson bit should have been left in the movie. The Blu-ray includes this and other Deleted, Extended, and Alternate Scenes. The Pete Rose bit is great until you realize he isn't actually gonna deck someone. I played the Enhanced Commentary in the background while I worked on writing this morning. It's an audio commentary with occasional pop-up video bits with Sacha Baron Cohen and Larry Charles explaining how they managed everything. When they get to an extended anecdote, they stop the movie, tell their story, and then "un-pause" things. Rounding things out is an interview with Lloyd Robinson (the agent they duped) that I haven't gotten around to watching yet. Like Borat before, this is an interesting and provocative film that not everyone will sit through. Bruno is some of the only intricate social commentary in film this year in addition to being among the most relevant.
Read More