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Site created 12/15/97.
page added: 5/26/05
The Spin Sheet (continued)
back to Page One
| These
15 episodes are culled from the series' first three seasons. They
include the series Pilot, Deep
Throat, Fallen Angel,
E.B.E., The
Erlenmeyer Flask, Little Green
Men, Duane Barry,
Ascension, One
Breath, Red Museum,
Colony, End
Game, Anasazi, The
Blessing Way and Paper Clip.
All of them are presented in their original full frame aspect ratio
(the series switched to anamorphic widescreen later, in season
five). The quality is good, just as it was on the previous complete
season DVDs (these are the same digital masters). The series is
atmospheric by design, with a stylish and muted look. You'll notice
some grain, owing to the film stock used for the production. Colors
are accurate and contrast is excellent. The show has a bit of a
digital look to it occasionally (particularly in effects shots), due
to the evolving nature of post-production technology at the time.
But there's really nothing here to complain about video-wise. The
audio is equally solid, in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround. It's not
going to blow you away with panning and rear channel effects, but it
matches the video nicely. Five of these episodes include NEW audio commentary tracks that were not featured on the previous full season DVD box sets (although any deleted scenes and previews they might have had on the previous sets have been left off for space). The episodes with new commentaries are: Deep Throat (by Chris Carter), The Erlenmeyer Flask (R.W. Goodwin), Duane Barry (Chris Carter), End Game (Frank Spotnitz) and Anasazi (R.W. Goodwin). There's one other completely new bonus item here as well - a 20-minute featurette called Threads of Mythology: Abduction. It features new interviews with Carter, series producers Frank Spotnitz, Kim Manners and several other members of the show's production staff, talking about the mythology and how it developed. No doubt it's the first of four such pieces that will be included in these anthology sets. Diehards who already have the existing DVD boxes will rightly be upset to have to buy some of the same episodes again just to get all this new material, but I have to say... it IS worth having if you're a fan of this series. Just for the record, the 4 discs are contained in a pair of double-disc THINpaks (I really love those), complete with a slipcase and a foldout 'mythology timeline' insert. TV execs are gonna learn this fall that you just can't beat the original X-Files. You can't outfox Fox, baby, and I don't mean the network. With the complete season sets of The X-Files now available for a lower than ever price, there's never been a better time to revisit this show from the beginning. But if you're still too cheap to buy those (hey, I know… it's STILL a lot of cash), this set is the closest thing to Cliff Notes for The X-Files as you'll ever get. |
| Warner
Bros., working closely with The Cousteau Society, has finally
collected the complete Cousteau Odyssey
series into a single, 6-disc box set. All 12 documentaries are here:
The Nile, Parts 1 & 2,
Calypso's Search for Atlantis, Parts 1 &
2, Time Bomb at 50 Fathoms,
Mediterranean: Cradle of Coffin?,
Calypso's Search for the Britannic,
Diving for Roman Plunder, Blind
Prophets of Easter Island, Clipperton:
The Island that Time Forgot, Lost
Relics of the Sea and The
Warm-Blooded Sea: Mammals of the Deep. Scores of other
films were produced by Cousteau over the years of course, and there
are many episodes from other film series he produced as yet
unavailable on DVD (click
here for a complete list from
the
Cousteau Society website), but if you're new to his
adventures, this is a great place to start. It's worth noting that these films were shot on a fairly low budget, using somewhat less than Hollywood quality equipment (mostly 16mm film), so they do show their age and character on DVD a bit. They're full frame, fairly grainy looking and there's quite a bit of dust and dirt on the prints. Color is a bit faded, there's a soft look to the image and contrast isn't quite ideal. Still, these films certainly look better now on DVD than you'll remember having seen them on TV back in the 70s and 80s. Audio is an adequate 2.0 mono, and subtitles are offered in English, French and Spanish. You know, when I was a teenager, I once saw Cousteau's ship, the Alcyone, docked in port on the Mississippi of all places. Its cylindrical, white Turbosails were absolutely unmistakable to anyone who'd ever seen one of his TV shows. I just thought it was the coolest thing. There's something inherently exciting about any endeavor that dares to push back the edges of the unknown. That kind of thing's always gotten my blood pumping. Still, in today's edutainment and McJournalism culture, I'm sure that some will probably find these films about as exciting as watching paint dry. That's just sad to me. Even if you're not fascinated by the mysteries of the natural world, how anyone can resist a film with a name like Time Bomb at 50 Fathoms, I'll never know. They don't cut many guys from the same cloth as Cousteau anymore. For anyone who ever had a subscription to National Geographic, this is classic, classic stuff. Speed Racer: Limited Collector's Editions - Volumes 1-3 1966-1968 (2003-2005) - Tatsunoko Productions (Lions Gate) Program Rating (all 3 Volumes): B+ Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras - Vol. 1): B-/C/C+ Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras - Vol. 2): B-/C/C Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras - Vol. 3): B-/C/F |
     |
| Speed
Racer is the very first TV show I can ever remember
watching as a kid. I was born a month after it debuted in
syndication in the U.S., and my parents tell me I was hooked from
the word go (or should I say, "Go, Speed Racer, goooooooooo!").
The show chronicles the adventures of young Speed Racer, an up and
coming race car driver who's just emerged from obscurity to compete
on the world stage. His car of choice, the Mach 5, was built by his
genius mechanic father, Pops Racer. It's packed will all kinds of
high-tech gadgetry that would have made James Bond envious, and for
some reason Speed's nosy kid brother Spritle is frequently a
passenger in the trunk (along with his monkey sidekick, Chim Chim -
hey, I'm not making this stuff up). Still, even with a smokin' ride
and a hot babe like his girlfriend Trixie to hang on his arm in the
winner's circle, something missing from Speed's life. You see,
there's a rogue's gallery of villains gunning for Speed - guys like
Snake Oiler, Captain Terror and Cruncher Block. Making matters
worse, Speed's older brother Rex ran away from home years ago, after
a falling out with Pops. Fortunately, Speed finds an ally in a
rival driver, the mysterious Racer X. Little does Speed know, Racer
X is secretly… ah hell, you don't already have the rest
memorized, you're no fan of this show. Lions Gate has made the first 36 episodes of the series available on DVD in three volumes - 11 in the first volume in 2003, 12 in the second last year, and another 13 just this week in the third. The video quality of the episodes on all three sets is good, if not great. The program shows its age a bit unfortunately. The episodes look overly soft at times, there's the occasional bit of dust on the prints and a little too much compression artifacting visible. But contrast and color are both generally excellent. The reality is, a lot of older Japanese film productions have suffered from improper handling over the years, so we're probably fortunate to have the show looking as good as it does. The audio is presented in the 'original' dubbed English mono, as U.S. fans will remember it. I say original, of course, because Speed Racer was one of the first Japanese animated series to air in the States back in the late 1960s. American actors Peter Fernandez, Corinne Orr, Jack Grimes and Jack Curtis were hired to dub the episodes into English, and to fill in all those funny little exclamation sounds: "Ahhh?" "Huhhhh?" and "Ohhhhh!" Man, I love this show. Sadly, there's not a lot in the way of extras on these DVDs. Volume 1 features some interactive Speed Racer Files - text and menu based details on the history of the production, the car, the villains and the like. For example, you can press all the buttons on the Mach 5's steering wheel and you'll see video clips of the appropriate gadgets in action. There's also a theme song sing-along option, and a very limited gallery of merchandise photos. Volume 2 has several Easter eggs (including very brief video clips and text trivia). Volume 3 has no extras at all. I wish Lions Gate would offer something substantial - maybe video interviews with the surviving cast members or something? Probably what will happen is that after the final volume is released, Lions Gate will come back a year later with a super Ultimate box set with MetaExtras or something. Just kidding (I hope). Lions Gate's packaging for these DVDs is rather clever, I'll admit. Volume 1 features a slipcase with simulated rubber tire tread on the front. The slipcase for Volume 2 plays the theme song to the show when you squeeze it, and the headlights on the Mach 5 illuminate (sadly, the battery in mine is long dead). The just-released Volume 3, unfortunately, doesn't come in a keep case - the disc is packaged in a round medal tin, the front of which looks like the Mach 5's steering wheel. Anyone who purchased the Total Recall: Limited Edition, packaged in that silly Mars tin, will know exactly what I'm talking about. It sits atop a cardboard holder, which is rather flimsy and most people are likely to just throw it away. Without it, there's nothing to keep the tin from rolling off your DVD shelf but luck. I just put my disc in an Amaray and scanned the cover to make an insert. I really wish Lions Gate (Artisan, when they started all this) had just released the complete Speed Racer series as a box set. There are only 52 episodes after all, and God knows every fan in their right mind would have purchased it. Having to wait a year for each new volume is a major drag, and with 36 episodes now available, that means we'll have to chill at least one more year to get the final 16. A DVD box set was available briefly a few years ago from the official Speed Racer fan club, but only a very limited number were made (selling for a hefty $300 each) and I missed out. So here I am, waiting yet another year for yet another volume. Wonder what the packaging will be? I'm almost afraid to ask. Bill Hunt billhunt@thedigitalbits.com |
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