JANUARY MAINSTREAM DVD IN REVIEW

THE ILLUSIONIST
20Th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Except for the commentary from Neil Burger the extras on this disc don’t really qualify as anything special. Burger offers a lot of insight on adapting the story, and the art of storytelling in general. It’s too bad the Illusionist itself doesn’t quite become more than the sum of some of its very good parts. Fine performances by Giamatti and Edward Norton are ultimately upstaged by a mystery that isn’t mysterious enough. In other words most will know how the trick was done before it’s over. Still there are ample atmospherics at work here that are entertaining enough to warrant a viewing. For those interested in magic the film is a must own, for the rest I would say rent rather than buy.

SPONGEBOB SEASON 4 VOLUME 2
Paramount Home Video

A quick inventory of my office reveals a Spongebob umbrella, winter hat and gloves, slippers, Spongebob pillow, 2 pairs of loungers, a t-shirt, the DVD of the movie and every single Spongebob episode on DVD. So don’t look for too much objectivity here. I was delighted to receive this and am just as delighted to encourage you to buy it.
I think the popularity of this show can be traced back to Ren and Stimpy in many ways or rather back to Ren and Stimpy’s downfall. John Kricfalusi made a decision to get too edgy for the audience his network wanted to focus on. And the bottom line is that none of his later edgier stuff is funnier than the early R & S classic Space Madness. This is where Spongebob compares very well. Over a much longer period of time Spongebob has managed to stay funny without having to strain even as it occasionally edges up to what parents might feel comfortable with. The show has mastered the art of giving adults what should be out of kid’s reach simply by making sure it’s presented in a way that goes over kids heads. Some of the shorts are funnier than others but then again can’t we all say the same for our own shorts. No important extras here.

IDIOCRACY
20Th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Idiocracy? Isn’t that what keeps Mike Judge from having a free reign over his projects. That particular government, made up of suits and bean counters is so worried about how to sell the end product that they can’t see the comedic forest for the trees. This project had a lot of potential and it’s a credit to Judge that so much of that potential was realized. There are serious script problems here but there are also plenty of laughs and it’s easy to see that this project was probably short circuited early on during development by people who just didn’t know how to sell it. So with not nearly enough money cast and crew still managed to get a chunky if somewhat clunky satire made.

No genius that Joe Bowers- especially as played by a well cast Luke Wilson. But when a hibernation experiment goes awry he finds himself living 500 years in the future where the dumbing down of America has turned everyone into complete morons. As the now smartest man on the planet Joe finds himself battling stupidity on every front to save the human race from itself. The extras available here, as listed on the packaging anyway, are ample- 5 lousy “unrated” and deleted scenes. Perhaps its best in some ways for Judge to put this behind him and move on. But those of us who love his work will always gaze wistfully at the spine of Idiocracy and ask ourselves how the powers that be couldn’t trust the man who gave them King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead and Office Space more.

THE NIGHT LISTENER
Miramax Home Entertainment

This underrated psychological suspense film depends a bit too much on a twist ending to really satisfy genre lovers but for those willing to look for more than genre thrills there’s a lot to recommend this thoughtful character study. Robin Williams plays Gabriel Noone a celebrated author and radio personality suffering through the breakup of a relationship. When a sick young fan gets in touch via phone the two develop a long distance friendship that suddenly grows ominous when, after a series of increasingly disturbing encounters with the boys controlling mother Noone begins to doubt the boy actually exists and sets out to discover the truth.

Toni Collette is flat out wonderful as the obsessive mother Donna Logande. I count her performances in this, The Dead Girl, Japanese Story and The Sixth Sense as some of the most memorable I’ve ever seen. She manages to make a despicable character into a human being who inspires empathy. We wonder how she has become what she is and wish we could go back and make things turn out differently. Likewise Williams brings just the right note of lostness to Noone’s search for the truth. Human connection, what is it all about really? What do we truly need before we apprehend meaning? What is it to truly feel loved? I didn’t have time to listen to the commentary but this is an excellent film even without, or perhaps in spite of, the requisite twist at the end.

THE STREET
Koch Vision

A good cast is a joy even in a mundane TV show. The Street is unfamiliar to me but that won’t stop me from digging in. Not when Jim Broadbent and Timothy Spall await. I haven’t heard great things about it though. Anyone out there know a little bit more than this? It’s a great concept. Each episode takes place at a different address on a street named Bold giving the show the freedom to be funny, sad, tragic or redemptive. There are six episodes which chime in at barely under 6 hours total and no extras listed. Part of Koch Visions excellent British DVD Collection I’d recommend a little more research on their site. My guess is that those who have a developed sensibility to British Televsion will like this more than those who are new to it. However if you're like me you'd gladly watch Spall and Broadbent read the phonebook before catching most of what passes for TV drama stateside. While we content ourselves with Superheroes, island castaways, deserate housewives, dysfunctional doctors and forensic soap operas most of it is pretty derivative compared to the quiet human dramas that have emerged overseas.

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE:THE BEGINNING- UNRATED
New Line Home Entertainment

I liked TCM The Beginning because I felt it showcased the rise of a major horror movie icon in an undeniably powerful way. The Leatherface in this film is a mountain of a monster. And the movie also has the guts (pun unintended) to concentrate on the family instead of the victims while refusing to make the killers sympathetic. In short it puts the onus back on the viewer- why do we cheer these guys on? It’s a subtext that has made the horror film- even at it’s most commercially watered down- interesting fodder for study. Compare with the original? Only as a cinematic afterthought. But it still treats the rise of the franchise and the interest fans have in the characters with respect even as it kowtows to the idea that horror films are really just for people who want gore. This film is much much better than Cry Wolf, The Texas remake of a few years ago or the remake of Hills Have Eyes. The extras here are nothing special really but are decent and include Commentary by director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, Deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary and "Down to the Bone" behind-the-scenes featurette.

THE ANIMATION SHOW
Paramount Home Video

This two disc set is comprised of the material that made up the 2005-2006 touring shows that Don Hertzfeldt and Mike Judge took to arthouse theaters all over the US. High points, and there are many, include Peter Cornwell’s Ward 13 which offers a claymation riff on the horror film, the highly sentimental and very funny claymation ruminations on family offered by Adam Elliot and Hertzfeldt’s own hysterical intros and shorts. The rest of the animations are so diverse that description is difficult without simply listing them. Suffice to say if you are an animation fan this is a must own two disc set. You get a fabulous little booklet offering comments from the animators as well as tons of featurettes, pencil tests, galleries, commentaries etc. We are way past the point where short animation is innaccessible due to a lack of outlet. So why don't we see more of it available on home video? I'm guessing fans just haven't stepped up to the bat. This excellent compilation of groundbreaking stuff is just one more reason to do so.

YOJIMBO & SANJURO - TWO FILMS BY AKIRA KUROSAWA
The Criterion Collection

Must own? Uh….duh. As I survey my shelf and take in the glory of Ran, Throne of Blood, Kagemusha, Rashoman and the new three disc edition of The Seven Samurai I can barely believe I get to set this wonderful slipcased set of Yojimbo and Sanjuro next to them. Kurasawa has won me over thoroughly. His slow sure style of storytelling might prove challenging at first but his eye for spectacle and plot is unmatched in his Samurai films and his choice of combining Shakesperean themes with ancient culture keeps his films from becoming turgid or overwrought.

The extras here are daunting. Audio commentaries by film historian and Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince as well as documentaries on the making of Yojimbo and Sanjuro, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create are augmented with trailers, teasers and still galleries. Of course this being a Criterion release you also get improved subtitle translation and HD digital transfers. The booklets feature essays by Alexander Sesonske and Michael Sragow and notes and statements from Kurosawa and his cast and crew.

ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK/DON’T KNOCK THE ROCK
TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK/DON’T KNOCK THE TWIST
Sony

It’s hard to stress the importance of Rock Around The Clock and Don’t Knock The Rock. In the struggle to emerge and gain mainstream acceptance Rock never found a better friend than the movies. These two films featuring early rock performers And of course movies never found a better friend than the DVD. The one thing unfortunate thing here is the absence of extras. A historical commentary would seem necessary. Still the packaging offered here is smart. All the films in these two separate two disc sets are remastered in HD and offered in original 1:85:1 ratios. For those of us who have taken the idea of music video as a given there's surprising dynamism to be found in watching these relatively raw performances from some of the biggest legends in rock history. The Twist films by comparison couldn't compare much less favorably offering the barest glimpse into a basically forgettable dance craze.

SAW III (UNRATED WIDESCREEN)
Lion’s Gate

Saw III is amazing but I have no idea if it’s any good. Does holding my attention and making me squirm count for anything? If so Saw III is a great addition to the franchise. I like the first Saw film precisely because it was so over the top, clearly not meant to be taken seriously. Long before the dread pirate Roberts took a saw to his own leg, screaming like a little girl, the audience I was with knew it had been had. Saw II failed to capture that sort of energy settling instead to assemble a too large cast and kill them off one by one making it virtually indistinguishable from the too often tried and no longer true formula most associated with the modern horror film. But Saw III is a far more imaginative film.

Still it’s hard to imagine anyone going to this for more than gore and the e gore on this unrated DVD is absolutely NC-17. Fans of special effects should be thrilled. I turned away more than once and had a great time watching it with some friends although I definitely left the film feeling indifferent even negative about how dumbed down it was. There is a genuine effort to play with our expectations regarding Jigsaw’s motives and our understanding of his relationship to his victims and even his protégé. But in the end all the film does is weave an impossibly complex plot around a series of grand guignol sequences. A better, more entertaining but certainly not much deeper entry than it’s predecessor. The Special Features here are very good. 3 separate commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes on props, traps and on the creative process of director Darren Lynn.

WALKER TEXAS RANGER THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
Paramount Home Video

Chuck Norris will kick your butt if you do not buy this. And after your butt is kicked it will maintain an orbit around earth for at least a year. The boot black from Norris’ boot is so tough it will protect your butt as it reenters earths atmosphere and Chuck will be waiting to kick it again. This game of cosmic kickbutt will continue until Chuck gets bored (not likely) or decides that you’ve learned your lesson. Should the latter occur he will kick you so hard that your soul will re-awaken and you will be healed of all your wounds. You will then spend the rest of your life walking up and down the street clothed only in a sandwhich board proclaiming “The Chuck Is Near.” In other words this isn't just the Second Season of Walker Texas Ranger. It's the Second Coming of Chuck.

There are no extras on this DVD set. If you whine about the lack of extras ….

BENNY HILL COMPLETE AND UNADULTERATED SET SIX
A&E

Break out the kazoos and chase your signifcant other around the room with a leer! Not a whole lot to say here. Is it fair to say that if you’ve seen one episode of Benny Hill you’ve seen them all? I’ll stop short of suggesting that Benny Hill fans represent a lower comedic order of geekery but…wait- no I won’t. I can’t imagine a reason anyone would need a complete collection of Benny Hill. If you are out there please explain. Extras here include … nothing except some interviews with the famous Hill’s Angels and a trivia quiz. I think the american equivalent of this is The Blue Collar Comedy Tour at least in terms of sophistication but I'm sure some grad student somewhere is fevereshly prepping a paper on Hill's socio/political significance. Despite the connection to vaudeville which lends the show some credibility this is guilty pleasure at it's most redfaced. I'm going to stop writing now and go watch League of Gentlemen Season One yet again.

THE MARINE UNRATED
20TH Century Fox Home Entertainment

The death of the American action hero has never seemed surer to me. I don’t follow such fare closely these days but always enjoyed the cheesy, the spectacular and the even the just plain bad offered up by Arnold, Jean Claude, Sly, Seagal and others growing up. So why don’t the Rock, or any of these other newcomers do it for me? The Rock comes close but even his brand of swagger is too self aware killing whatever chance a viewer might have of vicariously jack slapping the bad guys, getting to blow stuff up or imagine having the right thing to say after killing some deserving villain.

And maybe that’s the problem. Where else is there to go except self awareness? I find the very idea of an action flick called The Marine as disturbing as I do funny. Having exhausted the visual possibilities we now get an action movie with a message. But at least I can rest in the fact that action movies like The Marine, that ride the coat tails of nationalism have been floundering at the box office compared to horror films – even the bad ones, do exceedingly well these days. Til then I’ll just have to pop Commando, Hard Target or Rambo II back in the player or wait until the release of Die Hard IV.

This film features WWE Champ John Cena as a marine unwillingly discharged from Iraq. His wife is kidnapped by jewel thieves and he sets out on the typical rescue mission that any husband would involving helicopters, lots of guns and other unoriginal additions to the boom boom pantheon. The special features here are great. Both the theatrical and unrated versions, making of featuretes, a few featurettes on Cena himself and on the premiere of the film at Camp Pendelton.

SLAUGHTER OF THE VAMPIRES
Dark Sky Films

I grew up seeing stills from movies like this in Famous Monsters of Filmland. They were forever out of my reach I thought. How wonderful to discover that DVD is not only making them available but that they are proving so worthy of my attention. Whether it’s been the Casa Negra label releasing such gems Black Pit of Dr. M (aka Misterios de Ultratumba) or the wide availability of Argento, Fulci and others, this is still a grand time to be a horror fan. And Slaughter of the Vampires deserve viewing by any genre fan. Well made, atmospheric, it holds up admirably alongside other minor gems from the period. A young couple is terrorized by a vampire holed up on their estate and ask the noted vampire Hunter Professor Nietzsche for a hand. The kitsch factor is high here but so are a lot of great if fleeting shots of vamps in action. The only special feature here besides traler and still gallery is an interview with Dieter Eppler who played the vampire.