5/11/04
Weekly Release Roundup
There really isn't a pick of the week this time around, but there
are a lot of good titles in stores today, so let's just get right
into it...
  |
Scary
Movie 3
The Scary Movie franchise
isn't one of my favorite comedy franchises. It was gross,
sophomoric and virtually unwatchable in every sense of the word.
So to say I didn't give a crap about part 3 is an
understatement. That said, I'm glad I gave it a second chance on
DVD. The third film doesn't mirror the previous films, except it
brings lead character Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) and the always
dying Regina Hall back. After that, all connections are lost,
thanks to new director David Zucker and writers Pat Proft &
Craig Mazin. Zucker and Proft have worked their comedy magic on
the Airplane and Naked
Gun films, and this is a throwback to that style.
Part 3 is essentially a parody of The
Ring, with Signs,
8 Mile, The
Others and The Matrix
Reloaded thrown in for good measure. It's cute and
funny, but more so if you're literate in the above mentioned
films. The DVD presents the film very well in anamorphic
widescreen (a full frame version is available separately), with
sound in Dolby Digital 5.1. Extras include a funny as hell
commentary track, three making of featurettes, hilarious
bloopers (I'm still laughing at the "Ben-Hur" dog
wiping out) and about 30 minutes of deleted scenes including an
alternate ending which goes further into the Matrix
parody, adding The Hulk
and A Beautiful Mind in
for kicks. If you were like me and thought this one was going to
suck, go ahead and give it a try. It really is silly fun. |
Lady
Snowblood
Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
 
Lady Snowblood is one of my
all-time favorite films. I love it. It's not the greatest samurai
film made, nor is it an especially great film by itself. But it has
the passion that sums this genre up. It features one of the most
beautiful actresses of all-time (rivaling one of my favorites
Soledad Miranda), Meiko Kaji as Yuki, a girl born for revenge to a
woman in a prison. Her life is simply there so that she can kill the
men and woman responsible for the deaths of her mother's husband and
her half brother. And she does so very well. Created in part by Lone
Wolf and Cub writer Kazou Koike, Lady
Snowblood is a must see for fans of samurai films. Most
may know the film from the inclusion of its theme song in Kill
Bill, Volume 1, but it's so much more than that. Pick it
up today. The DVD has a beautiful anamorphic transfer with a
standard and clear Dolby Digital 2.0 track. Extras include liner
notes and trailers for other AnimEigo films. The less important (and
not so good) sequel Lady Snowblood: Love
Song of Vengeance is also available and features video
and sound quality as good as the predecessor, with similar extras.
 |
Lone
Wolf & Cub: Baby Cart to Hades
I'll be doing an overview of the Ogami Itto films (a la the
Zatoichi films) sooner
rather than later, but if you love samurai films, this is a
great series. Baby Cart to Hades
is the third film in the series and still follows our hero Ogami
Itto (and his son Daigoro) as he travels the Japanese
countryside wreaking havoc on the villainous Yagyu clan who
framed him and killed his wife. This episode finds Itto killing
a group of mercenaries who rape a woman and her daughter,
enduring torture for the honor and freedom of a young
prostitute, and taking down a corrupt politician and his crew.
Although not the best of the six films, it entertains nicely.
The video and sound quality are wonderful, and the extras
include liner notes explaining the historical context and
Japanese terms, as well as trailers for other AnimEigo samurai
films. This one joins the first two in stores today. You'll be
able to buy the last three in stores in a few months, or go to
AnimEigo.com
to pick 'em up today. |
 |
The
Godfather
Not much to report on this one. Paramount broke it free from
the box set with no changes. You'll find the same transfer, the
same sound and the wonderful commentary track from the box set.
If you don't have the box and just want the first film, then
pick this up. But if you already have the must-own box, then you
won't need this release. |
 |
In
America
Jim Sheridan's very personal film about the American experience
comes at a time when all of us need a little bit of reminding
just how good we have it. A family of illegal immigrants live,
love and learn in New York City, as they face every possible
hardship and every possible joy. It's a lovely little film with
smart and sincere writing, masterful direction and some
incredible acting by everyone involved. You really want to check
this one out. The DVD is beautiful in a widescreen anamorphic
transfer on one side and full frame on the other. The sound is
also nice in Dolby Digital 5.1. Extras include a poignant
commentary by Sheridan where he discusses the film and his
personal connections to it, deleted scenes with optional
commentary, and a short featurette. These extras are spread over
the two sides. |
 |
Easy
Riders, Raging Bulls
A documentary about film in the seminal 1970s - should be good.
Watch for Brad's review tomorrow. |
 |
The
Fog of War
Honestly and truly, this is one of the best films of 2003. It
won the Oscar for Best Documentary and rightfully so. The film
is brilliant and will change the way you think about Robert
Strange McNamara. This disc couldn't be better timed for
release. The transfer is gorgeous in anamorphic widescreen and
sound is good in Dolby Digital 5.1. Extras include about 30
minutes of additional footage, TV spots, a trailer and an
elaboration on the 10 lessons of war discussed in the film. One
word for you: Wow. |
TV
on DVD this week:
 |
Friends:
The Series Finale - Limited Edition
That was quick. Wasn't this just on TV, like, last Thursday
night? Fans of the show will probably want to pick it up; but
then again, it probably hasn't even been deleted off your TiVo
yet. This "limited edition" features the American
broadcast version and an extended version with "never
before seen" footage. You'll also find the original series
pilot. A review copy was not made available before press time,
but I'm sure it looks and sounds fine enough. |
 |
Invader
Zim Volume 1: Doom, Doom, Doom
One of my favorite cartoon series - ever. Zim is a slacker
alien who screws everything up, so to get him off the backs of
his leaders, he and his malfunctioning robot assistant Gir are
sent to Earth to survey our ability to be enslaved. He sets
himself up as a student with robot parents, dresses up Gir as
his dog and gets to work... messing it all up along the way. His
plot is soon discovered by MiB-in-training Dib, who makes it his
personal mission to foil Zim... if only he can get his videogame
addicted Goth sister off his back. Created by comic genius
Jhonen Vasquez, Invader Zim
is a badass toon deserving to be on DVD. This first volume
contains the first 16 episodes on 2 discs. Media Blasters
provides full frame transfers that work, along with commentary
by Vasquez and crew for most of the episodes, including the
original pilot episode, as well as animatics for select
episodes. Fans of animation will definitely want this set. |
 |
The
Jetsons: The Complete First Season
Everyone's favorite family of the future (1996 is the future?)
hits DVD and I feel fine. Every episode of the first season of
the first series is here and they all look and sound good. Full
frame transfers and mono audio present the show in all of its
original glory. There are a few special features that will pique
your interest, like commentary by Janet Waldo (the voice of
daughter Judy) on the first two shows and a handful of
featurettes on the show, the gadgets, Rosey the robot maid and
some fun character bios. It's not loaded, but it's nice to get
the show on disc. |
 |
Jonny
Quest: The Complete First Season
After churning out goofy TV sitcom inspired animal characters,
Hanna-Barbera gave us the sci-fi inspired action toon Jonny
Quest. And it was good. Very good actually. Quest
is still good after all these years. And this DVD set proves
that. All 26 episodes of season one are here on 6 discs,
presented in full frame and mono sound. The transfers are okay,
but the source material could have used a better clean up for
lint and dirt. The extras are alright - a tad bit better than
what we expect on these H-B sets from Warner. There's a pop-up
video trivia feature for the Double
Danger episode, a featurette on the show from the
prospective of comic and animation legends like Brad Bird and
Alex Ross, an overview of characters and gadgets from the show,
and a vintage commercial. Not bad. Not even close to what COULD
have been done for this show. But not bad. I'm still glad to get
it on disc. |
 |
The
X Files: The Complete Ninth Season
Bill will be popping in later this week with a comprehensive
look at this set, but in the meantime - it's a nice send off to
a groundbreaking series on DVD. The final set houses the show in
pristine quality (including all the episodes in anamorphic
widescreen), and adds a nice set of extras that include a look
at the making of the final episode, commentaries, deleted scenes
and documentaries about the series. If you love X-Files
as much as Bill (even half as much) you'll want this to complete
your collection. |
You'll
also find TV favorites
Survivor:
The Complete First Season and
The
Waltons: The Complete First Season in stores today for
your libraries.
Also available... gear up for Troy
with 1962's
The
300 Spartans, Jack Nicholson works
The
Border, Rita Hayworth is
Down
to Earth, a new release of
Independence
Day is timed with Emmerich's new film Day
After Tomorrow, Toni Collette tells us a
Japanese
Story, Peter O'Toole is
The
Man from La Mancha, the classic
Nighthawks
is re-released by Universal, mmmm...
Playboy:
2004 Playmate Video Centerfold, Kirk Douglas starts a
Posse,
Tom Berenger sings in
Rustler's
Rhapsody, Jahnke is happy because Kieslowski's two films
A
Short Film About Killing &
A
Short Film About Love hit DVD from Kino, those of you
looking to fuel up on all-things Shrek
can do so with the two-pack
Shrek/Shrek
3-D, incest and lesbianism lives with
Sister
My Sister,
Starring
Pancho Villa As Himself stars Antonio Banderas as Pancho
Villa, Henry Fonda has
The
Tin Star and finally Van
Helsing gets animated in the cartoon prequel
Van
Helsing: The London Assignment
Hey ho. That will do it for this week. Be here next time when we
explore even more new DVD releases. I can't wait. Can you?
Todd Doogan
todddoogan@thedigitalbits.com |
