Each week DVDs come out. Some of them are worth your time and money and some aren’t. Some of them are movies I’ve seen, and some of them aren’t. Regardless, I give you my opinion on the big releases of the week. Take it or leave it, here’s the DVD Blend.
The Grudge: Director’s Cut - Most of Cinema Blend hasn’t had good things to say about The Grudge, ranging from Bill’s theatrical review to nobody wanting to even touch the initial DVD review, so it’s no real surprise we’re not covering a director’s cut. I will give this DVD release a little credit though - it does appear this is actually an extended version of the movie instead of an attempt at a double dip. Instead of the usual extra minute or so (see Team America further down) this cut has almost ten minutes of extra footage. Given the reviews though, I’m not sure extra footage can really save this Sarah Michelle Gellar vehicle. Maybe she’ll see the light and concede to making some Buffy telepics that’ll actually get her some appreciation.
Kinsey - Let’s talk about sex baby! Liam Neeson plays an instructor to rival his Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn. Actually, with this year’s Batman Begins and Kingdom of Heaven, Neeson really is pushing the idea of playing teacher after teacher. None of them quite touch Alfred Kinsey’s source material - sex education. Any teacher can show us how to wield a lightsaber or a sword, but knowing how to use that one eyed trouser snake is much more important! Ah, admit it - you smiled when you read that. Seriously though, many people think Neeson’s portrayal of Kinsey was robbed of an Oscar nomination, although that honor did go to his co-star Laura Linney. The film sees a single and two disc release, although both releases see a commentary by writer/director Bill Condon. Personally I’d suggest the two-disc version just for the idea of a gag reel.
The Sea Inside - I don’t know much about this Javier Bardem flick other than it’s brought an odd element to our forums. The film as Josh so succinctly put it, is about a quadriplegic who wants to kill himself. Not exactly the happy-happy-joy-joy type film I usually look for, but hey, even the saddest picture can sometimes hit the right note. I wonder, do you think anyone might try to package this together with My Left Foot for a quadriplegic two pack? And why leave it there? Think of the possibilities - put it with The Bone Collector for a suspense two pack... or Monkey Shines for a suicidal tendencies two pack... or even possibly Boxing Helena for a romance two pack. The possibilities are endless.
Son of the Mask - Absolutely one of the worst movies I’ve seen in my life, let alone this year (overshadowed for that grand award only by this year’s Alone in the Dark. Son of the Mask is a horrible sequel that never should have been made, and stands as evidence that maybe Jamie Kennedy shouldn’t have a career after all. While the original Mask (which sees a needless special edition release this week) was a fun romp in the world of outrageousness, Son of the Mask proves Hollywood needs to come up with some new material and stop milking older dried up films that didn’t need a sequel in the first place, especially if the star who made the first movie work isn’t involved. Avoid this DVD at all costs. Drunkenness, disease, and dementia can’t even help this one.
Team America: World Police - America! Fuck yeah! It doesn’t get much more patriotic than watching a bunch of crappy puppets defend our fine land by blowing the hell out of other countries. When it isn’t blowing things up or creating a philosophy comparing people to body parts, Team America gets its blows in with a rockin’ parody soundtrack that’s funnier than the rest of the movie combined. There are two different versions of Team America coming out this week (well, three if you count separate widescreen and fullscreen versions). A regular “Special Collector’s Edition” and an “Uncensored and Unrated Special Collector’s Edition”. The two versions appear pretty much identical as far as extras and features go, so the only real difference is the film itself. So if you are open to a wide variety of sexual fetishes, check out the Unrated version. Otherwise the regular “Special Collector’s Edition” should be offensive enough for most tastes.
White Noise - Not since Poltergeist has television static been so scary. Michael Keaton stars in this thriller about a researcher who discovers the dead are communicating with the living through electronic “white noise”. I wish my pending DVD review could be a little more complete, (especially since we missed a theatrical review on the movie) but we weren’t given a complete DVD to review, just a VHS copy of the film and some of the extras. It’s hard to make a real judgment on a widescreen film that shifts between color and black and white, and has the studio’s stamp placed on screen through the entire film. I’ll say this - the movie alone is worth checking out. I just hope the final DVD is more compelling without the distractions.
TV on DVD - The television releases this week are a mixed bag, pretty much ensuring there is something there for just about anyone’s tastes, especially if you like quirky type things. For the quirky drama lover there’s the third season of Six Feet Under which has one of the greatest magazine ads I’ve seen (the slogan “Prepare yourself for the third season on DVD with the image of two people watching tv with toe tags on). If shows about nothing are more up your alley and you are “master of your domain” you’ll probably prefer the fourth season of Seinfeld which features both of those great episodes as well as “The Junior Mint”. For me, I’ll take the surreal comedy of the first season of Scrubs, which reminds me that the show never had one of those awkward introduction periods - it hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped yet. Finally, for the three people out there who like it, The Golden Girls gets its second season release on DVD. Enjoy your Bea Arthur folks - my “Scrubs” will be there to treat her when she needs it.
