Fans of Luis Bunuel are the most-impacted by Criterion's just-announced wave of titles going Out of Print at the end of the month. This leaves only three Bunuel titles in the Collection: Viridiana, The Exterminating Angel, and Simon of the Desert.
As much as I really like Magnet's lineup of extremely diverse genre and foreign films, I do find myself worrying. I worry about how easily they can be discovered by others who don't watch for every release announcement. There is such a thing as a non-obsessive follower of foreign action films, who does not check Tony Jaa's every move on specialty blogs that translate Thai tabloids. There are guys like some of my college theatre pals, who love Asian martial arts movies, but, as recently as 2006, had no idea that Ong Bak existed.
These are the guys who stand to benefit most from a line of value DVD double features that are cropping up from more and more studios at lower price points and in bigger stores. Magnet's recent crop is by far better than the last decade's selection of Walmart shrinkwrapped 2/$20 or 2/$15 choices. The biggest reason is that they were chosen based on complimentary value. The one that finally made it my way after delivery snafu after another coupled Johnnie To's Exiled with Dynamite Warrior. Getting both for Amazon's $15.49 asking price is quite preferable to paying around $20 for each individually, and is far more likely to see impulse sales.
Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a Disc Wanted article on the 1983 Pirates of Penzance, which starred Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, and Linda Ronstadt. I've gotten official confirmation from Universal this morning that it is coming to DVD on the 14th of September this year, with 2.0 Stereo audio (as originally recorded) and an anamorphic widescreen transfer. No extras are specified, but I'm sure we'll know more soon enough.
One of my favorite contributions to H-E has been the Most Wanted on DVD and Blu-ray listings found on every page of the site. It's a blessing and a curse to update, thanks to the explosion of studio Manufacture On-Demand programs. The most prominent, of course, is the 550-title-strong Warner Archive, which has its own subsection on WB's WBShop site. MGM and Universal "Vault" titles are found exclusively on Amazon. If you're a regular reader and notice something has come out that I've missed removing, please email me at the link in the Most Wanted box.
Non-English Release of the Week Power Kids Colleague and friend William Goss is quoted (after some editing) on the cover of this violent Thai movie with Muay Thai-trained children going after terrorists. Mr. Goss is correct to use adrenaline-laced terms to describe the movie. It's a sharp, thrilling little 77-minute thing really gets cooking after the requisite Thai melodrama setup. It truly belongs right next to Ong Bak and Chocolate on my Blu-ray shelf. This movie is one of the reasons I love that Magnet/Magnolia is around. These movies would find no buyer that'd get the movies seen in the US. Here's the trailer, and I defy you to not be interested:
Release of the Week - New Shutter Island I liked Shutter Island very, very much, and when I reviewed it after BNAT last year, I invoked the name of HItchcock for a very specific reason. The style of filmmaking evoked that era, and more specifically, the very best of that era. Likewise, the twisting plot echoed those films. Even knowing where it ends, the movie can be enjoyed thoroughly if you can just give in to your trust and doubt everyone and everything at the same time. That is sadly a very difficult thing for modern moviegoers to do. We spoil everything: good, bad, and in-between. Everyone in the Information Age is in a knowledge arms race to appear more aware of more things to others. It became commonplace in the less-connected era to hear "what a twist" about a hit movie. Now, you hear "dude, I saw that coming from a mile away, and never before has a movie relied so fucking much on a twist."
The Blu-ray looks and sounds scrumptious (to be expected) and includes a couple of longish featurettes that total almost 40 minutes. The first is about the adaptation and characterization, and the second is about the real world of psychiatric care in the 50's. That latter piece thankfully talks a fair amount about how itchy a trigger finger docs had to perform lobotomies.
Release of the Week - Catalog Movie New to Disc Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives This now 30-year-old documentary was the first to really talk about the experience of being homosexual in America. The movie is an interesting cultural touchstone in that it really comes from the infancy of not merely what is considered "queer cinema", but the portrayal of homosexuality on film whatsoever. These days, we have gay main characters on sitcoms and dramas that aren't over-the-top, flaming queens. We've come a long way.
The good folks at Millarium Zero (Milestone Films' sister company) have issued a DVD of the UCLA remastering of the landmark doc, complete with a very interesting Word is Out Then and Now: Thirty Years Later documentary that runs just over 25 minutes and revisits the film's 26 subjects. A couple of additional reflective bits in the extras run about nine minutes each, and a quick bit with the Executive Producer is just two minutes long. If you're curious but don't want to outright buy it, then add it to your Netflix queue or ask a local video store (they do exist in some places) to order a copy.
Release of the Week - Catalog New to Blu Caddyshack The AV upgrade here is solid, with appropriate grain level throughout and solid detail in the picture. This looks about as good as I think the movie can on this format, considering that style and era in which it was shot and the very celluloid-y look on display here. It's soft in places, but mid-budget comedies from this time period just have those minor telecine flaws. Those few spots are brief and barely noticeable.
All supplemental materials from the previous edition are carried over. The only added extra is an 80-minute Bio Channel documentary on the making of the movie. It's good, though the various "recap after commercial" bits show off just how much regurgitated info we see on TV these days. Today also marks the movie's On Demand/Digital Download premiere.
Release of the Week - Catalog TV (tie) Ghost Writer Season 1 Family Matters Season 1 Growing up, both of these shows meant a lot to me in that they represented the real USA that I saw all around me growing up, and not the otherwise whitewashed one found on almost all network TV of the 80's and 90's (and even today...look at NBC's mostly-white "More Colorful" lineup). Ghost Writer's premise is kinda weird for a PBS show: a group of kids can communicate with a ghost by writing with special pens. They solve mysteries and all sorts of things. It encouraged those in my generation who saw it to write and be creative, which was wonderful. PBS in Dallas, unfortunately, regularly re-ran the same ten episodes or so all the time.
This is the first time I've seen the original, longest version of the opening. The shorter one everyone remembers is far superior. Family Matters wasn't originally "The Urkel Show" that it became. Jaleel White's annoying neighbor character became ultra-popular in the middle of the first season. Hence, the sitcom saw the family that was supposed to be the focus moved into the background, ironically (or not) portrayed on the cover of the first season DVD. Reginald VelJohnson portrayed one of TV's most indelible father figures of any color as the principled and caring Carl Winslow.
Also notable is that a different actress played little sister Judy in the first episode than the rest of the series. That character went upstairs in a later episode and was never heard from again.
Music Release of the Week Not The Messiah I don't really cover music/concert discs, but the Monty Python connection here brought this onto my radar. Imagine Monty Python's Life of Brian put to music in the style of Handel's Messiah. This is well worth a look for opera dorks and Python fans alike. I never thought I'd hear "Biggus Dickus" uttered in the Royal Albert Hall. The extras include a decent "production week" behind the scenes mini-doc.
Movie New Releases Shinjuku Incident (DVD only) Doubt Jackie Chan or slander him as you will, but check this out and get ready to eat a feast of crow. I would have liked to see a Blu-ray from the company that invented the technology, but oh well.
From Paris With Love Bugfuck movie with Travolta and Rhys-Meyers. Worth a rental for the craziness of Travolta's near-Battlefield Earth wacky performance, but it's not a standout in much of any respect.
IMAX Horses A disc for this one is on its way, and I'll cover it as soon as it arrives.
180 South: Conquerors of the Useless
Direct to Video The Cry of the Owl Based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, this movie answers the question "where did Julia Stiles go?". I'm watching it tomorrow and will report back on it later in the week.
The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It This is one of those amalgam "spoof" movies. You know, the ones that have been terrible for almost all of their history. The opening few minutes are full of dildo gags (one literal) and a dig at Sarah Silverman that is so misplaced that it feels like an inside hate-on. I didn't make it all the way through the movie after a bit, just skimming forward.
Lead Bryan Callen was most recently seen by the masses as the Wedding Chapel owner in The Hangover. He's probably best-known from his stint on MadTV. He's a solid comic, and a good guy from those I know who know him or have worked with him. I also remember him as one of the most notable one-off guest stars on Frasier. He was "The Chicken", a shock jock DJ that showed up in the "Radio Wars" episode.
Noureen DeWulf was the best part of Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, and I unfortunately missed her in The Tacqwacores at SXSW. Strand picked up Tacqwacores, so I'll get to see it eventually. She and Callen are really talented people that rise above the Apatow Mashup Spoof material as much as is possible.
Catalog Movies New to Disc TCM Spotlight Charlie Chan Collection (DVD only) Dark Alibi Dangerous Money The Trap The Chinese Ring I covered this one here just earlier today.
Animation Express This includes all the following shorts: Madame Tutti-Putli, Spare Change, Forming Game, The Spine, Hungu, The Man Who Slept, Rosa Rosa, How People Got Fire, Rains, Robes of War, Retouches, Drux Flux, Subservience, Sleeping Betty, Invasion of the Space Lobsters, The Necktie, Sainte Barbe, Come Again in Spring, Paradise, HA'Aki, Vive la Rose, Here and There, Land of the Heads, Flutter, Runaway, Engine 371
Bob Hope Thanks For the Memories Collection (DVD only) Thanks for the Memory The Cat and the Canary The Ghost Breakers Nothing But the Truth The Road to Morocco The Paleface
Catalog New to Blu Happy Together The reactions of people who I trust make me feel good about this one.
The Illusionist Yeah, yeah, it isn't fair to compare this to The Prestige. Life isn't fair, folks. I didn't hate the movie at all, but it felt very much like a Saturday afternoon rental/cable movie then and it does now. Part of what put me off was the Americans-doing-European-accents thing, which I'm on record hating. I'll update this if/when my review copy arrives.
Reissue/Repackaging Cinema Pride Collection The Children's Hour La Cage Aux Folles My Beautiful Laundrette The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert The Birdcage Bent The Object of My Affection Boys Don't Cry Kissing Jessica Stein Imagine Me & You More on this release and a similarly-packaged Elvis set later this week.
TV New Releases Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 7 Nip/Tuck (Final) Season 6
UK TV New to Region1 BBC Earth's Oceans (DVD only) Why in the world any BBC nature doc would go DVD only astounds me at this point.
Catalog TV The A-Team Complete Series This comes in a van-shaped box.
TCM has collected the final three Sidney Tolan Charlie Chan movies and one with Roland Winters in this week's Charlie Chan Collection. All four see their DVD debut here, leaving only a couple Chans unreleased. The movies are entertaining, in an absurdist context in addition to as a relic of a more oblivious era. It is good that we saw actual Asian actors cast as his sons.
The steely eyes of Hopkins and Baldwin face off in an extended game of mental chess. The movie is filled with subtle, private looks and tells. The Edge is one of my very favorite films of the 90's.
The Tobolowsky Files is a podcast that I can recommend to every person I know who is aware of what a podcast is or how it works. I find "The Files" miraculous in that it stands apart in the world we live in today. Everything else out there is so impatient, rushed, and frankly unpolished that the careful craft of Stephen's storytelling is just elevating.
Release of the Week - Catalog Movie New to DiscCharley Varrick (DVD only)
We've seen a fair number of Walter Matthau work hitting DVD in the last year, and that makes me really happy. For years now, very little of his filmography could be found on DVD. Most of what was available was made up of his later-life comedies.
I'm a big, big Peanuts fan. The only dogs I've ever owned personally are Beagles (though never being so trite as to name one Snoopy). I am the target market for anything Snoopy & Peanuts-related. The only title in this set that's new to DVD is What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown. Completely new to me otherwise is It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown, which sounds hilarious. It includes featurette You're Groovy, Charlie Brown: A Look at Peanuts in the 70's and overall continues the nice series of reduced-price Peanuts special series. It hit the street last Tuesday and Amazon's got it for $21.49. Titles include the following:
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown
SpikeTV has developed a series called Deadliest Warrior that's one part Mythbusters, one part History Channel. They've done this to determine the answer to the age-old question of "dude, who would win in a fight: a Taliban guy or an I.R.A. dude?". They engage fighting specialists (like a UFC fighter), ballistics, and physics "experts" to determine whether William Wallace could have taken Shaka Zulu, a Maori could take out a Shaolin Monk, or if, in fact, a Pirate could kill a Knight. The first season DVD includes a few extras (post-battle analyses, roundtables, and a wrap-up) in addition to the nine episodes across three discs. With all of the progress we've made as a species, thousands upon thousands of dollars are being spent on this.
I'm tagging Warner Archive entries with that little "WA" you see from here on. This one is a 1975 TV movie based on ideas from Gene Roddenberry. Not only does the nature of the story make this obvious (scientists awaken from suspended animation to a post-apocalyptic Earth), but there's a 60's Star Trek sound effect in the opening 30 seconds of the movie. Strange New World plays like an episode of the Original Series that they simply deleted the Enterprise and crew from, specifically one of the ones where they go back in time. WA has it for $19.95.
Before there was a paycheck job for Sally Field, Calista Flockhart, and Rob Lowe, Falcon Crest introduced the network TV audience to family winemaking business melodrama. The show starred Jane Wyman (the first Mrs. Ronald Reagan). Aside from her, the most notable member of the cast to readers of this column would be the one and only Lorenzo Lamas. The first season of Crest came out at the beginning of last month. Amazon's got it for $28.99.
Among the various "did you know" docu-TV shows, the only one I really enjoy (much less tolerate) is Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, which exposes all sorts of interesting things on various subjects. The seventh season DVD got misplaced some weeks ago when we moved, but once I found it, it quickly went into the player. I would love to see these two guys tackle Offshore Drilling. The most recent season on disc covers everything from Lawns to Orgasms to Video Games. Since I ditched my cable, this is the kind of show that I selectively buy, partly due to enjoyment, and partly to vote with my money.
I have a fierce, burning hatred for what Jeff Dunham's popularity represents. People vote their intolerance and prejudice with their dollars. The "dead terrorist" puppet promotes the idea that all Muslims are intent on murdering people and maintaining backward, perverse, and terrible traditions. Don't get me started on the encouragement of sexism. This came to mind in connection with the most recent disgusting thing to come out of Arizona. The first season of Comedy Central's The Jeff Dunham Show hit DVD the middle of last month, complete with deleted scenes, bloopers, and all that stuff.
David Cross is one of the best comedians working today. He meets all the requirements: says what people think but are too cowardly to say, writes his own material, and keeps things fresh. He's difficult to pidgeonhole, or anything-hole for that matter. He has a strong aversion to organized religion, Republicans, and big business. Many, including David himself, would say that those three are kinda the same thing. They would be correct. Cross' newest standup special, Bigger and Blackerer, is fantastic. It's so fantastic that I won't spoil a single of his jokes, or that would ruin you as a paying customer like prom night ruins teenagers' expectations about true love. Amzon's got the DVD for $13.99, though the album version has content missing here and vice versa.
