Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Writing about DVDs excites me in a way that covering theatrical releases doesn’t anymore.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in any danger of stopping my overall work at AICN and the type of writing I’ve been doing for the past eight or so years. I’m working on coverage of the AFI Festival here in Hollywood, I’m finishing up a few overdue pieces for you guys, and I’m setting up plenty of stuff for the next few months as well.
But still... my favorite thing to do right now is shuffle the stack of titles waiting for review and spend an afternoon or an evening or a weekend overdosing on movies of all types. If I had to say why I am so crazy about the DVD experience, it’s the way old and new bump up against each other, the way you can watch a new blockbuster, a classic with a print nicer than any you’ve ever seen, and an obscure cult rarity, all in the span of a few hours, without ever leaving your couch. Yes, I love a great theatrical experience, but these days, that’s a crap shoot. Are you going to get a great night out at the theater, or are you going to get a crowd full of people who are interested in everything except what’s happening onscreen?
Even with the new duties of fatherhood, I find I’m still able to devour a fairly steady stream of DVDs. Right now, I’m cramming in as many horror films as possible in-between all the other regular titles I’m watching for review. Putting up this weekly reminder of all the interesting new releases is a great pleasure, but many times, I find that I’d rather make a quick note on something than actually put up a huge in-depth article. Some titles just don’t demand that much attention. And now, finally, I found a way to scratch that itch.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT MORIARTY’S DVD SHELF!!
Pretty different, eh? Lots of little bites as opposed to the full-sized meals we normally publish here on the site. Consider this an oddball little corner of AICN, an experimental offshoot, and feel free to visit often. There’s daily content, two or three times a day, and you’re even welcome to comment over there. As long as you don’t say “first.”
We’ve gotta save something special for this site, right?
Let’s get busy with today’s new release list. There are some big titles today... some of the biggest of the year for many of you, I’ll wager... and as always, if I’ve already got something here in the house, it’s marked with an asterisk (*), while everything else is going to have to wait until I can get my ass over to Amoeba later today.
THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Not only do you get the first full season of the George Reeves SUPERMAN (reason enough to buy the disc), but you also get the full-length feature film SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN from 1951 as well as extras like vintage TV commercials. 26 half-hour episodes of the show, which was admittedly very low-budget, even for the time, but which made up for it in character and charm. This is a heck of a buy, and it’s a nice companion piece for the week’s other big superhero titles.
BATMAN: THE COMPLETE 1943 MOVIE SERIAL COLLECTION
Y’know what modern BATMAN films are missing? Loads and loads and loads of deplorable period racism. That’s where this serial comes in. If you’re still harboring a grudge over Pearl Harbor, then this will be the feel-good family film of the fall for you. If you’re just curious to see one of the earliest film treatments of Bob Kane’s characters, then pick it up for the curiosity value. This isn’t a good BATMAN, but it sure is an interesting one.
*BATMAN: THE MOTION PICTURE ANTHOLOGY 1989 - 1997
Like anyone who has ever read a BATMAN comic or who has any emotional attachment to the character, I’ve got a lot to say about these films. I’m still working my way through these jam-packed DVD sets, so I’ll try to keep it brief for today’s preview.
I’ve given the 1989 BATMAN every chance you can possibly give a film. I’ve never wanted to like a film more than I wanted to like this one. Hell, I wanted to love this film. I had convinced myself before it opened that my entire filmgoing life was going to be summed up in this one two-hour experience. That’s an unfair amount of weight to put on any film, but especially one as shabby and half-baked as this. Every year that passes makes this film even harder to watch. It appears to be held together with sheer desperation, featuring some of the worst big-budget special effects in film history including model work that would have made Godzilla laugh. Still, Burton’s obviously got some good ideas here. None of that matters, though, because it’s obvious who was in charge of this film. Jack Nicholson railroads Burton and gives one of the most over-the-top performances ever. I’m sorry if you grew up with this film. I’m sorry if it made a mark on you as a kid. This is a lousy performance, no two ways about it. You are not allowed to say you like this performance if you’ve ever picked on any actor for hamming it up. Between Nicholson and Palance obviously doing whatever the hell they want to and the miserable Prince songs (a career low for His Royal Purpleness), this film is almost a train crash. Michael Keaton works hard to make it interesting, though, and Danny Elfman stepped up with an absolutely amazing score that managed to slap aural band-aids over everything that was wrong, and one of the best-managed marketing campaigns of the modern blockbuster era turned this into a monster hit. It would have been nice if Warner Bros. had found the original teaser trailer, rushed onto screens just before Christmas, since that was one of the most discussed and debated trailers ever, and its impact is undeniable. Still, the documentaries are solid, and the disc overall looks as good as this film can look.
I’ve said before that BATMAN RETURNS is my favorite of the Burton films, and it’s because it is actually about Batman. Completely about Batman. People complain all the time about how villains manage to overpower superhero movies, and it’s normally a valid complaint. Here, though, I’d argue that there are no villains. This movie is all an internal roller-coaster ride through the damaged psyche of Bruce Wayne. Each of the major characters is simply an extension of some part of his personality. Catwoman is the side of him that gets off on wearing the rubber suit and beating the shit out of people. The Penguin is the part of him that feels like a freak over the loss of his parents, cut off from normal humanity. Even Max Shrek represents the part of himself that has to maintain a multi-billion dollar corporation that he’s not really interested in running. There is no “real” Bruce Wayne by the time this film begins. Look at the first time we see him. He’s just sitting in a dark house, motionless, staring at the wall. It’s not until the Bat-Signal comes on that there are signs of life. It’s spooky, and it’s a sign of just how hollowed out he is as a person. I love how Burton included several sly jabs at fandom in this film as a sort of response to the criticisms of the first movie, and I love the stuff between Bruce and Selina (Michelle Pfeiffer), particularly the scene at the costume ball that manages to be more human than anything else in the first four films. This is a beautiful film, and the transfer is stunning, much better than the 1989 one.
I’m just going to lump BATMAN FEVER and BATMAN IN RUBBER into one big horrible mess called A GAY FANTASIA ON BATMAN THEMES. I don’t understand how anyone can be a fan of one of the Schumacher films but claim to hate the other. You’re fooling yourself if you think either of these films is significantly better or worse than the other. They’re both gaudy, noisy, and nonsensical, and I really can’t find much to like about them. I will say that I think Joel Schumacher’s commentary tracks are even more self-aware and self-deprecating than the Burton track for the 1989 film, and it’s nice to hear Joel fess up to his thought processes on these films. I may hate every choice he made, but at least he made these choices confidently and didn’t just stumble into making terrible movies. Schumacher’s an engaging speaker, and I found myself really enjoying listening to him. If you do like these films, you’ll be thrilled by the transfers. Every bit of neon lunacy pops right off the screen in vivid color, and there are just as many great extras on these discs as on the Burton ones. Taken as a whole, this is a tremendous box set that does a nice job of capturing the entire phenomenon from the beginning of Sam Hamm’s script to the last scathing BATMAN & ROBIN review. Batfans, rejoice.
BATMAN BEGINS
I haven’t had a chance to check out this disc yet, but I’m a big fan of the film, and I look forward to revisiting it as soon as I can. So far, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that this is my favorite live-action version of Batman, and I’m curious to see if it holds up a second or third time. I’m sure I’ll find out later this week.
THE BIG LEBOWSKI: ACHIEVER’S EDITION
I’m not exactly sure why Universal’s double-dipping this particular title right now. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of new content on the disc, so you’re mainly paying for new packaging. If I do end up getting this one, I’ll compare the transfer to the old disc to see if it’s worth trading up or not. If you don’t already own one of the very best films by the Coen Bros, then at least you have a good excuse now to pick it up.
*BRUCE LEE: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION
What a great box to fill out my Bruce Lee collection. THE BIG BOSS, FIST OF FURY, WAY OF THE DRAGON, GAME OF DEATH, and GAME OF DEATH II all in one box. You may know THE BIG BOSS under the title THE CHINESE CONNECTION, and you may wonder what the hell GAME OF DEATH II is doing in this box, but all gripes aside, these remastered transfers look pretty darn good, all things considered, and these are films that any martial arts fan must have on their shelf. I’ll run full reviews soon.
DOT THE I
I’m curious to see director Matthew Parkhill’s “romantic thriller” because it sounds like the sort of rigorous mindfuck that I enjoy when done right. Gael Garcia Bernal is one of the more interesting young actors working today, and this is supposed to be a real showcase for him and for Natalia Verbeke in a sort of updating of CARMEN for the modern age.
*ELEKTRA: UNRATED DIRECTOR’S CUT
I wasn’t crazy about this one, but I also didn’t hate it reflexively. I’m definitely going to give it at least one more chance to see if the longer cut makes a difference the way it did with DAREDEVIL.
*THE EMPEROR’S NEW GROOVE: THE NEW GROOVE EDITION
This is one of the more maligned of the Disney animated films, but it’s got something going for it that many of them don’t: it’s fucking hilarious. If you’re missing Joe Ranft, Pixar’s House Genius, then put this on and enjoy one of the films that he saved, and then dig into the supplemental material where they at least touch on the development process that eventually turned out this inspired comedy. And since it’s Disney, you know the disc looks amazing.
*THE JAZZ SINGER – 25th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
A few weeks back, Henchman Mongo called me up to tell me that he had somehow ended up with two totally free tickets to see Neil Diamond at the Staples Center. Great seats, too. Midway through his medley of songs from JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL, as I looked around the sold-out venue and saw people on their feet, screaming, I realized that this DVD is going to sell very, very well. Amazing, considering how truly godawful the film is. If you’ve never seen it, treat yourself. It’s the BATTLEFIELD EARTH of movies-starring-rock stars. If you can sit through Lawrence Olivier tearing his lapel and bellowing “I... HEFFFFF... NO SON!” without laughing, you are a better person than me. The disc looks and sounds great, and I’ll admit that songs like “Love On The Rocks” and “America” almost make you forget how silly the movie is. If you or your mom loves this sort of cheese, you can’t go wrong with the disc.
*LAND OF THE DEAD: UNRATED
I stand behind everything I said about this film when it came out, and the minor changes made to the film for this DVD release actually do improve it in a few ways. The make-up’s given greater prominence, and there’s an extra scene with Dennis Hopper and John Leguizombie that helps flesh out their relationship more. This may not be the high point of George Romero’s career, but it’s a film with integrity, and I think it’s going to age very, very well.
*LIFEBOAT: SE
Okay... if you’ve been waiting for this one so you could finally get rid of your old laserdisc transfer with the water damage to the print, I’ve got some bad news for you. The transfer’s very nice, but it’s that same water damaged print. Still, minor gripe. I’m about 6000 words into a major Hitchcock DVD special article where I’m writing about this, the Masterpiece Collection, Season One of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, and a recently released biography called IT’S ONLY A MOVIE. Taken all together, it’s going to give me a chance to write about a huge chunk of this legendary director’s career. I’ll just say this about LIFEBOAT... this is one of Hitchcock’s intentional style exercises, and one of the most successful ones. His cast is great, and his adaptation of Joseph Steinbeck’s play is smart and well-crafted. The making of featurette on this disc is well worth seeing for fans of Hitch’s work, and the commentary track by Drew Casper is informative and dense. This is a heck of a buy today.
*MAD HOT BALLROOM
I resist feel-good movies vehemently. Most of the time, they pander in a way that makes me uncomfortable. I have to give credit to director Marilyn Agrelo, though, because I think she hates feel-good movies as much as I do. She made an honest film here that captures a wide range of human experience, and if it leaves you feeling better about people and about kids and about education, that’s just a side effect of telling the story. Over 60 schools in New York City teach ballroom dancing to students as part of an annual program that culminates in a competition where one school is chosen as the very best. What happens over the course of training and then competing is remarkable. This reminds me in some ways of SPELLBOUND, the great spelling bee documentary from a few years back, but it’s got a personality all its own. These kids are worth spending time with, and Agrelo never patronizes them. Overall, this is a big-hearted film that doesn’t have to be stupid or simple to be affecting.
MA MERE
Isabelle Huppert is crazy. And that’s a good thing. If you’ve seen her in THE PIANO TEACHER, you know just how crazy she is, and what I’ve read about MA MERE indicates that it’s along the same lines. I don’t want to read anything too detailed, because I want to let the film work on me as much as possible, but basically, it sounds like a psycho-sexual thriller about a woman and her son dealing with the death of her husband just after she’s revealed his infidelity to his son. Sounds like there’s plenty of meat on those bones, and I’m looking forward to seeing Huppert dig into yet another role like this.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM: 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
I’ve heard people describe this film as “searing” and “courageous” and “groundbreaking,” and perhaps it was upon release. Otto Preminger’s adaptation of the controversial novel has been defanged by time, though, and what remains is a solidly crafted drama about a musician struggling with a heroin addiction, featuring a nice performance by Frank Sinatra. It’s not a great film, but it’s held up fairly well, and I’m impressed by all the extras that appear to have been packed onto the disc.
*THE MARK OF ZORRO
Simply put, this is one of the best adventure films that classic Hollywood turned out. It’s right up there with THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and Fox put the title out in both colorized and B&W versions on this same DVD. Skip the colorized version and just enjoy a great print of the original B&W, the way God intended. Fox has done right by Tyrone Powers fans recently, between this and NIGHTMARE ALLEY, and anyone who likes the Zorro character at all will love this version, one of the best ever.
*THE MASK OF ZORRO
Yep, this is a triple-dip. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that CTHE is putting this out to help publicize the release of THE LEGEND OF ZORRO at the end of this month. If you already own this, don’t bother. If you don’t, then you might want to take another look. Nick Gillard was the fight coordinator here, and you can tell that he was warming up for STAR WARS with some great athletic swordplay. Catherine Zeta-Jones earned her way into Hollywood with her appealing work here, and as always, when you let Antonio Banderas be funny and charming, he is. The villains are forgettable, but the heroics fly high, and I hope the sequel at least gets that much right. Until then, at least we’ve got this to look at. Best special feature? CTHE actually put Spanish-language captions on the disc, something they almost never do. This is the company, after all, that put out SPANGLISH without Spanish subtitles. Nice call, CTHE.
OMAGH
This sounds pretty great, and I’ve never heard of it until today. Released under the Sundance banner, this is a film about the aftermath of a terrorist bombing in a small North Ireland town back in 1998. I want to see this immediately.
THE SABATA TRILOGY COLLECTION
I love Spaghetti Westerns, and over the course of this trilogy, Lee Van Cleef and Yul Brynner both end up playing the title character. I’ve only ever seen SABATA, so it’ll be a treat to be able to finally see ADIOS SABATA and RETURN OF SABATA as well. These are classic “Man With No Name” films, long on revenge and short on chatty well-mannered characters.
SAW: UNCUT EDITION
Here’s one of those cases where an “uncut version” ends up actually being shorter than what was in theaters. I haven’t seen this yet, but I can’t imagine it adds enough to correct the problems I had with the movie overall. I like the premise. I like certain scenes. I just don’t think it gels as a complete movie, and there are parts that are painful to sit through. Still, I’m interested in the sequel, and that’s because this film has potential.
*TARZAN: SPECIAL EDITION
Ah, in a perfect world, they wouldn’t have had any songs in this film, and instead, they would have pushed the action/adventure thing further. Disney might have really changed the course of where they were going as a company, but instead, by pushing the songs and the wacky sidekicks, they undermined all the things about this that might have worked. It’s fascinating to revisit this to see just exactly where they went wrong.
TWILIGHT ZONE: SEASON FOUR
This was a weird year for THE TWILIGHT ZONE, as the show went from a half-hour to an hour, and they still only told one story per show. These may not be the classic episodes that everyone thinks of first, but there are some gems among the eighteen episodes that make up the season. These are ungodly expensive box sets, and I don’t have the other seasons yet. I figure I’m due for a little spending spree soon, though, and I’m guessing these boxes will end up in my cart soon enough.
*UNSCRIPTED
The second HBO show created by Section Eight, this is far more successful than K STREET. It’s not a perfect show, but any time someone lets Krista Allen appear as herself and take the piss out of her own image as a soap opera hottie, that’s a good thing. This is all about aspiring actors... people on the verge... and they wring a lot of truth out of what you see here. This is about getting kicked in the balls by life and then standing back up anyway. It’s about perseverance. Bryan Greenburg and Jennifer Hall, along with Krista Allen, basically play themselves, and they lampoon the insecurities that every actor feels all the time. Frank Langella does really nice work as the elder statesman, an acting teacher who might just be telling the truth in-between being totally full of shit. There’s something honest at the heart of this series, which makes everything else possible.
UNSEEN CINEMA: EARLY AMERICAN AVANT GARDE FILM 1894-1941
Holy cow, look at how much stuff you get as part of this package. Seven DVDs, 20 hours of programming, and over 150 individual films. This sort of collection of material is a victory for anyone who is interested in the history of film beyond just the big studio hits. I have no idea what to expect when I do finally sit down to watch this, but I’m sure there are numerous gems included that I’ve never had the opportunity to see before.
And on that note, I’m out for today. I’m not even going to bother teasing what else I’ve got cooking for this week, except to say that I’ve got some self-imposed deadlines I’m hoping to hit, and if I do, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other between now and Friday. Until then...
"Moriarty" out.
