From Harry's Desk: LOONEY TUNES golden collection, TTTee, Chris Cunningham, THE PROFESSIONALS, TO LIVE & DIE IN LA +..

It has been a while since I’ve done a “From My Desk” report, but I figured… what the hell, it’s Sunday and I’m in the mood to discuss the DVDs and other material scattered about my desk.

TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. -- This DVD arrived from MGM yesterday, but won’t be hitting stores till December 2nd, I believe. Many folks consider this the “last great William Friedkin” film, but frankly I loved both THE HUNTED and RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. That being said… TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. just rules. If you’ve never seen the film, it’ll knock your front teeth out with some of the decisions that are made to the story and the structure. Billy doesn’t play nice, and this film pretty much single-handedly put William Petersen, Willem Dafoe and John Pankow on the map. The DVD has a gorgeous transfer of the film, and the extras are pretty damn spiffy. Friedkin’s commentary tells tales about how he manipulated situations to get what they wanted. How they hired an ex-counterfeiter to make about a million dollars in counterfeit money, which they eventually burned… and someone on the set took some home, his teenage son stole it and tried to pass it at a convenience store… and soon the Treasury Dept and Secret Service was investigating the Prop Master and the Film Production itself. The stories about how they shot the chase are classic and is real fly by the seat of your pants cool. Really great stuff. The film definitely is dated by the Wang Chung soundtrack… and of course the sound of Ronald Reagan’s voice and the styles of everything in the film. Much of the look of the film has become cliché, but this is less this film’s fault and more Jerry Bruckheimer, who flat out stole the look and vibe of this film for an entire run of films through the latter 80’s. Ultimately though… this film rules because it’s just kinda nasty in a rough and tumble way. The beat of the film pulses, and watching the extras… you’ll bless Billy a billion times for not going with the alternate limp dick ending that the studio apparently wanted. TERRIBLE. The making of documentary is also pretty darn cool. Great little DVD.

THE PARALLAX VIEW -- I’ve had this DVD for years now, but as soon as I watched TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., I just had to watch this film again. It’s a no-frills DVD with only the trailer as an extra, but the film is so amazingly brilliant that it just completely makes you long for the time when Warren Beatty played parts where he didn’t stutter and act stiff. The scenes atop the Space Needle in Seattle are classic and just watching Hume Cronyn in this thing makes me long for him to return to life and continue working. Just another of those great Alan Pakula flicks. If you’ve never seen it… pick it and 3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR and THE CONVERSATION up and just have a fantastic paranoid, they’re out to get you night of cinema. Great stuff!

THE TWO TOWERS EXPANDED EDITION Again, New Line, Peter Jackson, Weta and all the folks behind THE LORD OF THE RINGS again re-establish the gold-standard in DVD work. First TWO TOWERS Expanded Edition is stunning in that the film feels shorter with the extra 40 minutes... It definitely feels more complete, and I wasn't going to watch this dvd, as I had planned to hold off till Trilogy Tuesday, so I could see it on the big screen... but... The will of men is weak. The dark one called to me, and soon I was watching it... Then an entire day disappeared as I explored all the extras... and if you watch this thing, you'll soon be camping out in Wellington in front of WETA's locations holding a cardboard sign saying... Will Pick Boogers, Plunge Toilets & Pour Coffee for warmth! Just to get in... just to be a part of this, of course - with this DVD - you begin to get the idea that it's coming to a close. My favorite behind the scenes stuff is always Richard Taylor... and I love that he's a spokesman for the productions, cuz he's just the most infectiously glorious man on the planet. Have you checked out his little piece on Apple regarding MASTER AND COMMANDER? SUPER MODELS, and suddenly there’s that wide eyed Richard Taylor starting a sentence with, “Can you imagine…” and I just can’t help but giggle, cuz look at this thing… you’ve got all these guys firing air propelled lead shot into a gigantic model ship and getting giddy about blowing the hell out of this work of exquisite art they’ve created… that belongs in some bloody museum… On the TWO TOWERS DVD – it’s like a billion hours of this sort of energy. I just crawled into the DVD for hours. There is almost nothing better in life than just being a sponge for this digital absinthe. Such visions it gives. Moriarty was working on an extensive look at this disc... one filled with wide-eyed enthusiasm, but apparently his computer bit the big one last night and he's afraid the file has been lost to the dark lord of the hard drive.

TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES DVD -- While I love the film, the features on this DVD are really half assed. Maybe it is watching this DVD immediately after the TWO TOWERS DVD and realizing that this isn’t done in that same crazed loving manner. The crazy deleted scene of Arnold with a Texas accent is just… classically awful. I mean, it’d be great Saturday Night Live material (but how hard is that these days) but it is laugh out loud terrible. I’ve watched that scene like 7 times, to just howl laughing. Watching this DVD – I just can’t help but believe there is a far superior disc waiting to get made. I’m glad I have this, and I love having different editions, if for no other reason than the collector super-freak in me loves to compare and contrast various DVDs of films I love. It’s a mania man!

LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION DVD is heaven. The Termite Terrace documentaries… The commentaries… Pencil test stuff, the lost cartoons, the restoration work… Watching Chuck explaining his thought processes on classic tunes… watching Mel Blanc talk about how he came up with the various voices, watching Friz talking about Yosemite Sam… Watching Clampett discuss anything… it’s just… it’s just bliss. Add to all the documentaries, all the interviews and all the commentaries… I’d buy this DVD for all that stuff… But oh yeah… the main reason is the 56 classic Warner Cartoons. Now, would I have preferred to see discs out that assembled every Porky Pig cartoon ever made on one set. Every Daffy on one set… Every Bugs… and on and on. I’d love it. However, this set, if they continue to put them out like this and put EVERYTHING OUT, then we’ll be on a great path. I especially want all the Black & White and Wartime Toons. That being said… This set rules! Checking out 2 discs from this set before going to LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION is the exact way to see how much love Joe Dante put into this misfire.

CHRIS CUNNINGHAM Director’s Series DVD I dearly love his Aphex Twin work – and the two Video Installations with Aphex Twin background music… well these two pieces just completely creep me out. And that Mental Wealth Playstation commercial is just disturbed. The making of ALL IS FULL OF LOVE is fascinating, as it’s a real glimpse into Cunningham’s process. This DVD will be a treasure we all really appreciate when he reinvents cinema according to Moriarty.

WAKING LIFE DVD – This masterwork from Richard Linklater has been placed in bargain bins much to the advantage of all true cinema lovers. For like $4.99 you can buy this brilliant film and possess astonishing amounts of surreal imagery and classic gab. The film had a very limited run of theaters, and most likely many of you didn’t get the chance to see this one. DVD and the price make this one a steal! Great film!

INDIANA JONES Collection DVD – God I love these films, and while personally I think each film deserves it’s own complete DVD of extras and would kill for a Lucas, Spielberg, Ford commentary on each disc… That being said… I very much enjoyed the documentary disc that came with this… I just wish they’d done more. I know how Lucasfilm works and I don’t think any of us believe this will be the last DVD release of the series… With constant word of Lucas wanting to do Special Edition mania… Knowing full well that the 4th Indy is in the works, I know they’re going to be doing an eventual mega-release with frills to the umpteenth degree. Watching the John Williams conducting parts… that killed me. I mean watching that guy conducting the Raiders music is quasi religious for every good geek. The ultra cheap behind the scenes on the Mine Cart… the regular 35mm hand camera gerry-rigged to shot film stock and shooting at the slowest possible rate of speed… It just made me remember when ILM was that magic place where bubblegum and aluminum foil became magic… and where a potato could disappear in an asteroid field. I really enjoy these DVDs, but want the super-frills editions. What do you think? 2 years?

THE PROFESSIONALS DVD – Again a no frills DVD – part of Sony’s plain ol “Western Classics” run of shiny discs. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the greatest western that not nearly enough people know about is, well here it is. The secret work of supreme genius. THE PROFESSIONALS is brilliant. And quickly replacing WILD BUNCH and THE LONG RIDERS and OUTLAW JOSEY WALES and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY as my favorite all time Western. Sure I love RED RIVER and THE SEARCHERS and STAGECOACH and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and UNFORGIVEN and THE BIG COUNTRY and MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and on and on and on… But there’s something magical about THE PROFESSIONALS. First… the Professionals are played by Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan and Woody Strode. Jack Palance plays this revolutionary Mexican that apparently kidnapped Ralph Bellamy’s wife… Claudia Cardinale (she’s so hot in this she turns the sand to glass). Bellamy hires these guys to steal his wife back. The director… the god, Richard Brooks… the deity behind: BRUTE FORCE, CROSSFIRE, KEY LARGO, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, ELMER GANTRY and IN COLD BLOOD. A great director, not known for his westerns, but for taut suspense, drama and cold hearted reality. His eyes for this film, the director of photography was the legendary Conrad Hall, whose camera painted the most amazing moving murals of all time… and his setting was DEATH VALLEY – one of the most amazing locations on the planet. Stunning cinematography… your screen beads up with the sweat off these characters. Fantastic! And the music… MAURICE JARRE , the year after DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and never sounding better! I caught the film on the big screen about 2 years ago and wasn’t sure if I loved the movie as much as the person I saw it with, and now that they’re gone from my life, I was curious if this thing was as amazing as I remembered it. Bought the bare-bones DVD and have watched it about 6 times this year so far. DISCOVER IT if you haven’t.

What else is on my desk at this time?

The Soundtrack to THE COOLER -- very nicely done by Mark Isham. A Pumpkin Pie Candle that was on sale the other day, but makes the room smell of November. A bobble head witch that I love and my brand new cel phone that I bought… the Samsung VGA 1000 – and love it to death… just the greatest goofiest thing in the world. Love having Godfather themes, Tubular Bells and The Good The Bad and The Ugly signaling various types of callers as their faces strobe on the face of the phone. I hate reprogramming the zillion numbers into it, but… well that’s what happens when your old phone dies a horrible death. I also have all manners of top secret stuff regarding BUTT-NUMB-A-THON and my new secret life on the desk... but I'll be damned if I reveal either!

Anyway, check out the dvds if you get a chance.