The Virginian-Pilot
“RATATOUILLE”
HD and enhanced widescreen, 2007, G
Best extra: An exclusive Blu-ray low-grade pop-up video commentary (MIA on the standard-def DVD) with writer/director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles") and producer Brad Lewis, admitting they conceived the rats as gypsies. The track also includes hundreds of sketches and 25 plus mini-documentaries, but still doesn’t match the sophistication of many of the HD DVD pop-ups – for example on “Bourne Supremacy.”
THE PIXAR MASTERPIECE is quite lively following a gifted, cooking rat, Remy, and his mingling with humans at the Paris restaurant of his deceased hero, Gusteau. The spectacular animation, whether on hi-def – the real way to watch a movie at home – or DVD, makes it the perfect family time event during the holidays.
Both formats (DVD or Blu-ray) provide the details, including a 13-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, “Fine Food & Film,” taped in HD, with the director and Thomas Keller, the renowned chef at a Napa Valley restaurant in California. Another fabulous extra, “Your Friend the Rat” stars Remy and his pudgy brother Emile (a-meal, get it?), giving a brief history lesson about rats and their decline, so to speak, as an animal feared and hated by humans.
Also, there’s deleted scenes, “Lifted,” a theatrical short in HD which will have you laughing out loud, and an interactive game only on Blu-ray, where you prepare the gourmet dishes before the orders pile up. Be patient. It clearly takes a couple times to get the hang of it, so you won’t lose the coveted five-star rating at Gusteau‘s Restaurant.
— Toni Guagenti
“SICKO”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, R for language
“MICHAEL MOORE HATES AMERICA”
Enhanced widescreen, 2004, PG-13 for brief, strong language
Best extra: “Michael Moore Hates America,” a true shoestring production, has none; perhaps the best extra for “Sicko” -- one of many segments that didn’t make the final cut -- is additional footage of the charming Mike and Tony Benn.
ALTHOUGH HIS DETRACTORS complain that Michael Moore’s movies have hurt American pride and targeted American corporations, the filmmaker has done one impressive thing for the economy: inspired the growth of a vibrant anti-Michael-Moore industry that churns along as he keeps making movies and writing books.
Moore’s latest movie, “Sicko,” has a big, juicy target - the health-care system, in all its inequities and bureaucratic snarls. The film is most successful when it juxtaposes other countries’ approaches with the painful stories of Americans who have been worked over by the system, like a 22-year-old who whose claim was denied by an insurance company that insisted she was “too young” to have cancer. It wanders astray, though, when Moore gives in to his penchant for stunts (yes, he drags his ailing documentary subjects to Guantanamo Bay) and gushes too uncritically over Cuba’s health-care system.
Most of the extras here are additional interviews and segments (plus a movie premier on Skid Row and a brief political press conference) that highlight both the best of his efforts (a profile of a dying man and his parish priest) and the worst (a silly side trip into Norway).
IT SEEMS A LITTLE mean-spirited to dislike “Michael Moore Hates America.” Yes, the title is intended as satire - sort of - and the filmmaker, Michael Wilson, presents himself as a chubby-cheeked Up-With-People version of the sometimes shrill Moore, pursuing his own American dream of making his own documentary.
The notion of pursuing an elusive and unwilling Moore, a la “Roger and Me,” is a funny idea, and Moore clearly doesn’t much care for a dose of his own medicine. But turning that idea into an actual movie is where Wilson falls down. He calls for dialogue rather than shouting, then enlists the most strident of Moore’s critics; he laments a lack of civility, then films away while his interviewees launch ad hominem attacks. To his credit, he tries to examine his own motives and tactics - though, tellingly, not his political assumptions, and without much vigor or insight.
He may be right about Moore’s narcissism, but despite Wilson’s study of his target, he doesn’t get one thing: how entertaining and persuasive a filmmaker Moore can be. Wilson’s documentary is clunky, halting, and not very compelling. He’s got Moore’s narcissism down pat, but hasn’t yet got the skills to rise above it.
— Caroline Luzzatto
“NO END IN SIGHT”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, unrated but contains adult subject matter, language, and graphic imagery
Best extra: A wealth of additional interviews that didn’t fit into the muscular 100 minute documentary.
THE DVD IS EASILY the most important and credible documentary about the war in Iraq because the people interviewed are all former Bush administration officials who were intimately involved in the events that transpired after 9-11. Also interviewed are journalists, authors, and soldiers. It is more damning and outraging than “Fahrenheit 9/11” could ever hope to be. It is a methodical and deeply felt film that every American should see in order to have a better understanding of what went wrong.
Extras include additional interviews, culled from over 200 hours of footage shot for the film, including a compelling talk with lecturer and author Jessica Stern who argues that the war has dramatically increased the threat of terrorism in the world and decimated America’s economy. Other speakers, though deeply saddened by the choices the US government made in the Iraq war, are still convinced that the US must succeed in Iraq or face catastrophic consequences in the Middle East.
— Josh Boone
“PIXAR SHORT FILMS COLLECTION – VOLUME 1”
HD and enhanced widescreen, 2004, G
Best extra: A short history of Pixar from the men who created the company taped in hi-def.
JUST AS WALT DISNEY’S “Silly Symphonies” theatrical shorts prepared the studio for tackling full-length motion pictures, Pixar’s series of theatrical shorts prepared the company for the massive success it enjoys today. It’s hard not to see such short subjects as “Tin Toy” and “Knick Knack” as early drafts of future feature films such as “Toy Story.”
Pixar has done for computer animation what Disney did for conventional animation; transforming it from a rudimentary art to an essential commercial art form. From Pixar’s earliest efforts, they brought emotion to films born of the microchip. Pixar grasped that the story, characters and emotion are as important as technological innovation.
To fully grasp the company’s achievements, watch the Blu-ray or DVD twice; the first time with commentary off, the second time with it on. The second time around, you’ll hear the inspiration behind the animator’s seemingly effortless art. Then you’ll appreciate what Steve Jobs’ company has accomplished: transforming modern computer animation from a geek’s domain into mainstream cinematic art.
— Larry Printz
“CARS”
HD widescreen, 2006, G
Best extra: The low-grade pop-up commentary with director John Lasseter, who’s clearly a gear head, the son of a Chevy parts manager. It features hundreds of storyboards, photographs and a dozen or so mini-documentaries in standard-def, with a dashboard interface.
PIXAR’S TRACK RECORD is impeccable. Its films, which include “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo,” have received some of the highest ratings of any movies at rottentomatoes.com, which highlights the cream-of-the-crop critics.
But two summers ago, Pixar hit a speed bump. “Cars,” Lasseter’s most personal film, just didn’t have the magic. Many adults weren’t captivated with its simple story of a hotshot rookie, Lighting McQueen (voice of Owen Lewis), who rediscovers the important things in life. At the same time, kids were bored with its nearly 2-hour running time. Still, it found an audience, including tons of car enthusiasts who rallied behind the high-octane NASCAR like adventure. It grossed more than $244 million.
On the Blu-ray disc, the computer-generated cars look spectacular – check the highlights on the paint, glass and chrome. And with its supercharged soundtrack at 6.9 MB per second, you’re literally trackside.
The disc features the same bonuses from the original DVD, including the making-of documentary in standard-def. Lasseter and his gang of artists hit the road to experience historic Route 66 firsthand, from California to Chicago. Also, the director tells of his own wakeup call from his wife. He ended up renting an RV for the summer, packing up the family – four sons – for a cross-country road trip. “You know what? It changed my family. We got closer,” he says.
Exclusive hi-def extras include an interactive car-finding game in which you use the remote to search for as many cars possible while watching the flick. Maybe you’ll find all 217, along with some cool facts on each. But to be honest, I was looking for the nearest exit after just 10 minutes. Maybe the kids will get a kick out of it. Finally, the animated shorts “Mater and the Ghostlight” and “One Man Band” are in HD.
— Bill Kelley III
“I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY”
HD and enhanced widescreen, 2007, PG-13 for crude sexual content throughout, nudity, language and drug references
Best extra: A commentary with stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James and director Dennis Dugan, featuring plenty F bombs in between the insider jokes.
IT WAS ONLY A matter of time before a movie spoofed the union between man and man, but with "Chuck & Larry" the message is there: Discrimination is wrong.
The sad fact is, it’s out there and getting people to accept two "gay" firefighters in Brooklyn probably wouldn’t be as funny or poignant as the movie makes it out to be. Nonetheless, the flick is funny, crude at times, but it has a heart – especially viewed in hi-def.
The bonus features support this with: "Laughing is Contagious," funny outtakes in HD with Sandler and James’ antics coming to the forefront; "I Now Pronounce You Husband and ... Husband?" as the cast talks about its favorite movie moments; "Look Who Stopped By" with Sandler and James talking about the movie’s cameos, including Rob Thomas and Dan Aykroyd; "Stop Drop and Roll" about the stunts that Sandler and James performed (well, most of them); and "Dugan: The Hands-on Director."
Dugan does commentary on several deleted scenes, but it’s basically like watching the scenes without comment - he doesn’t add much.
Where content and jokes are added - the commentary with Sandler, James and Dugan – it’s not only funny, even when the stars go off on a tangent, but it proves the respect and rapport Sandler, James and Dugan had. Dugan also has his own commentary which sometimes mirrors the trio’s stint. The HD DVD includes a friendship test with multiple choice questions to see what type of friend you really are.
— Toni Guagenti
“THE BEST OF THE COLBERT REPORT”
Full-screen, 2005-2007, not rated
Best extra: None.
THREE HOURS OF brilliant satire with "The Daily Show's" Stephen Colbert, who has found success with his Emmy Award nominated spin off show "The Colbert Report," is now on DVD. The hilarious political satire with Colbert gloriously skewering Republican political pundit shows like "The O'Reilly Factor," is great fun for fans of John Stewart. Colbert's persona is an amalgamation of O'Reilly and Sean Hannity.
Contains my favorite segment, in which Colbert, over a series of episodes, challenges one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists, to a guitar challenge... And they accept. Rock and Roll chaos ensues.
Recommended.
— Josh Boone
“THE AVIATOR”
HD widescreen, 2004, PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, nudity, language and a crash sequence
Best extra: No HD exclusives are included. Everything has been maintained from the double disc special edition. As always, Martin Scorsese’s commentary track is invaluable.
“THE AVIATOR” LOOKS spectacular on HD. Scorsese designed the film to have each time period look the way the color film stock from that period would have looked. This may be off putting to some viewers who don’t know what Scorsese is up to, particularly the scene where Jude Law, playing Errol Flynn, is eating a plate of blue peas. They’re blue because that’s how they would have looked in two-strip Technicolor. As the film progresses, the color scheme gets more life-like. The HD transfer captures this effect perfectly, bringing out the changing colors even more. Detail is through the roof. This is an excellent transfer. The audio, a Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track is also used to spectacular effect, also somewhat resembling classic films focusing most of its energy on the front channels. The film is filled with the sounds of plane engines and a terrifying plane crash into a suburban neighborhood in particular is memorable for its sound.
All the extra features from the standard release are here, including a terrific commentary with Scorsese, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, and producer Michael Mann, a deleted scene, and a handful of featurettes about Howard Hughes and the making of the film. The only extra feature presented in HD is the theatrical trailer.
— Josh Boone
“FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, TV-MA
Best extra: Zippo, the two-disc set is void of special features.
JEMAINE AND BRET. Bret and Jemaine. The funniest comedy pair to come along in years and HBO has them.
"Flight of the Conchords" is quirky, kinky, crazy and tongue-in-cheek. It’s the story of two New Zealand musicians who relocate to New York City to pursue their dream of becoming a big-hit band. Problem is, it’s slow-going. The series’ characters are fabulous, there’s great on-location scenes and the song parodies keep you paying attention to the words. The 12-episode, first-season includes episodes like "Girlfriends," "Sally" and "The Actor" showing how Jemaine and Bret deal with what life in the big city has to throw at them, including Murray, the neurotic, naive manager, an obsessed, married fan and dead-end love lives.
A plus for the set includes a lively main menu, with previews to each episode.
"Flight" is a welcome addition to HBO’s superb line-up.
— Toni Guagenti
“TWIN PEAKS: DEFINITIVE GOLD BOX EDITION”
Full-screen, 1990-1991, not rated
Best extra: “Secrets from Another Place,” a feature-length documentary delving into every aspect of “Twin Peaks” contains interviews with David Lynch and just about everyone else who was involved in the show.
ONE OF THE MOST important shows in television history is back on DVD, this time in a definitive edition compiling the much sought after pilot, and the entirety of season one and two and a slew of new bonus features. If you want a "damn good cup of coffee," a murdered high school prom queen, secret diaries, dwarves who talk in reverse, and an extremely unconventional FBI agent, "Twin Peaks" is just the town for you.
Sadly, most of the special features from the previous “Twin Peaks” box sets have not been carried over to the new edition. Gone are the commentaries and interviews. Luckily, the beloved Log Lady Introductions created for Bravo have been preserved.
The most important part of this new box is the inclusion of the pilot episode of the series, which has never been available on DVD in the US before. It’s been tied up in a legal battle for years. At long last, it’s here where it belongs with all the rest of the episodes. Lynch has done a huge restoration job in both the audio and video department. He also supervised new transfers and created a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The picture quality is through the roof, boasting incredible colors and sharpness.
The new extras are fantastic as well, including the international version of the pilot, which is actually a self-contained feature-length version of the pilot with additional footage that Lynch shot for the home video market. Definitely don’t watch it if you’re new to the series or you’ll find Laura Palmer’s murderer revealed a season and a half early. “A Slice of Lynch” is a half hour interview segment featuring new interviews with Lynch, sound recorder John Wentworth, and actors Kyle MacLachlan and Madchen Amick. Last, but not least, is the before-mentioned documentary “Secrets From Another Place,” and plenty of other odds and ends as well, including “Saturday Night Live” segments, commercials, a music video, and much more.
— Josh Boone
“STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP: THE COMPLETE SERIES”
Enhanced widescreen, 2006-2007, unrated
Best extra: commentary on the pilot by executive producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme
AARON SORKIN, WHO’S taken viewers behind the scenes of a fictional presidency and a sports newscast, returned in 2006 to take viewers behind the scenes of a sketch television show bearing a strong resemblance to “Saturday Night Live.” The show brings back “West Wing” alumni Bradley Whitford and Timothy Busfield, along with Matthew Perry, who also guest-starred in a few episodes. Other stars include Amanda Peet and Sarah Paulson, who starred together in a short-lived WB show, “Jack & Jill.” “Studio 60” lasted just 22 episodes in 2006-2007, teetering for a while on the brink of cancellation before it was finally cut. However, it won critical acclaim, and got 5 Emmy nominations, winning one.
The 6-disc set has only 2 features, and both appear to be made well before the end of the show. There’s a behind-the-scenes (fitting, yes?) feature on the design of the set of the show, hosted in part by a charming Busfield. In the commentary on the pilot, Sorkin and Schlamme spend much time congratulating each other on the job each has done.
— Judy Le
“CHINATOWN: SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION” & “THE TWO JAKES: SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION” Enhanced widescreen, 1974, 1990, R
Best extra: The reissues of both “Chinatown” and “The Two Jakes,” while welcome for improved transfers, fail to add much in the extras department beyond a handful of new featurettes. “Chinatown,” a landmark film, deserves a true special edition.
ROMAN POLANSKI’S CLASSIC detective film and its sequel return to DVD this week in editions that aren't particularly double-dip worthy. Jack Nicholson uncovers corruption in Los Angeles in both "Chinatown" & "The Two Jakes," two sterling representations of what the detective genre is capable of being. Much is owed to screenwriter Robert Towne, whose uncanny ability to twist both plot and dialogue, makes these films stand above all other film noirs.
The new transfers of both are only marginally better than the last two. The extras on "Chinatown," three new featurettes, are decent but don't come close to what is needed for a film of this importance. The only extra included with “The Two Jakes,” is a new 20-minute sit down with Nicholson, who discusses how “Jakes” was supposed to be the second of a trilogy and a third film, entitled “Cloverleaf,” about the pollution in California caused by the building of freeways, was always planned as the conclusion.
— Josh Boone
“CHUCK JONES’ COLLECTION”
Full-screen, 2007, not rated but suitable for all ages
Best extra: There’s only one extra, a brief featurette focusing on Jones’ 1970s work. Like the features on the disk, it’s not bad, but is overshadowed by better efforts elsewhere.
IF YOU MUST CHOOSE just one grand master of hip golden-age animation, it has to be Chuck Jones. He may have chafed under the yoke of Warner Brothers, but while he was there, he created some of the most triumphantly funny and briliant cartoons ever. As Jones moved on, through his Tom and Jerry years, the Oscar-winning “The Dot and The Line” and his famous version of the Grinch, his work was still distinctive and innovative.
The features here are even farther along in his career, when Jones produced a series of half-hour stories, mostly based on literature he admired. None of it is as funny or appealing as his best work, but it shows flashes of visual brilliance and a dedication to the original material. “The White Seal,” for example, has a ravishing underwater scene, as bubbles float past Kotec’s face, and perhaps the best-known of the six features, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” stylishly captures the quicksilver movement of the heroic mongoose from Rudyard Kipling’s tale.
Adults may be a bit disappointed by the unevenness of the features, but Jones fans will appreciate these later works as an example of what the master did when he was his own boss, and children will delight in the old-fashioned stories.
— Caroline Luzzatto
“BREATHLESS”
Full-screen, 1960, unrated, language, violence
Best extra: Interviews from 1960 and ’64 with writer/director Jean-Luc Godard
THE BLURB ON THE back of this Criterion title reads: “There was before ‘Breathless,’ and there was after ‘Breathless.’ ”
ON MOST ANY OTHER FILM that would be hyperbole, but 47 years after it launched the French new wave, Jean-Luc Godard’s debut still crackles with the unfettered energy and anything-goes attitude that set it apart.
Jean-Paul Belmondo is Michel, a roguish crook who emulates Humphrey Bogart, and a vibrant Jean Seberg is Patricia, his American girl. Their story doesn’t end happily, but with Godard’s unconventional direction (the rapid-fire cuts are dizzying) and a jazzy score, it’s a go-for-broke ride that will have you strapping in the moment Michel addresses the camera.
Criterion has loaded up the two-disc set with new and archival interviews, video essays, a 1959 short film by Godard and an 80-minute French documentary. A booklet includes another essay, Francois Truffaut’s original treatment, writings by Godard and his scenario.
But topping the list are interviews with Godard from 1960 and 1964. “Breathless” had been out a few months when the first interview was conducted, and he already was leery of its success. “I hope people really hate my second film so that I’ll want to make movies again,” he says. “Audiences trust me now. I hope I disappoint them so they don’t trust me anymore.”
Godard was still contrary four years later, though he clearly was more comfortable being interviewed. The success of “Breathless” was a mistake, he says. Rather than “the start of a new cinema, it was actually the end of cinema.”
“AMAZING JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE WHO”
Enhanced widescreen, 2007, unrated, language
Best extra: A second feature, “Amazing Journey: Six Quick Ones”
THE WHO HAS never been the kind of band to pull punches.
Same goes for this essential documentary that charts its rise from Shepherd’s Bush to voice of a generation. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey speak candidly and at length, as do childhood friends and admirers, managers and former managers – everyone, seemingly, who has known, worked with or heard of The Who.
Daltrey’s story about meeting Keith Moon is classic. Daltrey, Townshend and John Entwistle called themselves The Detours then, and they were working with a session drummer. One night, “this gingerbread man with puppy-dog eyes” came up to the stage and said he’d heard they were looking for a dummer.
“I’m much better than the one you’ve got,” he said.
It was obvious within a minute, Daltrey says, that Moon was the missing piece.Moon, of course, was done in by his own demons and Townshend does’t shy from the subject. Moon was “an addict, an alcoholic, a sex addict with esteem issues – a complex, little ball of difficulty.”
The DVD comes with a second disc, “Amazing Journey: Six Quick Ones,” that includes profiles of each member, but fans will eat up the footage of the band in a 1964 performance at a dingy London club. They went by The High Numbers at the time, and this footage, shot for an uncompleted film about the Mods, is believed to be the earliest in existence.
If it doesn’t have you reaching for “Live at Leeds” or “Quadrophenia” or “Who’s Next,” hang up that air guitar.
“KING OF NEW YORK”
HD widescreen, 1990, R, language, violence, drug use, sexuality
Best extra: A congenial commentary with director Abel Ferrara
ABEL FERRARA’S GRITTY story about a druglord (Christopher Walken) who, having done a stretch in the joint, returns to Gotham to get what’s his, makes a petty good transfer to hi-def.
While some edges aren’t as sharp as you’d like – that may be due more to Ferrara’s technique than any processing shortcuts – the closeups are razor sharp and there’s boundless beauty in details like the reflection in a limo window.
The extras are the same as those on the standard DVD special edition that came out in 2004: a chummy commentary by Ferrara; another with the editor, composer, producer and co-producer; the revealing documentary “A Short Film About the Long Career of Abel Ferrara,” and a profile of the gangsta rapper Schoolly D, the inspiration for “King.”
Another “extra” isn’t listed – seeing Larry Fishburne (this was, after all, pre-Morpheus), David Caruso, Wesley Snipes and Steve Buscemi early in their careers.
— Craig Shapiro
“BARBARA STANWYCK: SIGNATURE COLLECTION”
All: Full-screen, not rated but contains some violence and adult situations. “Executive Suite,” 1954; “Annie Oakley,” 1935; “My Reputation,” 1946; “East Side, West Side,” 1949; “To Please A Lady,” 1950; “Jeopardy,” 1953
Best extra: Each disc has plenty to choose from but Oliver Stone’s energetic, rambling commentary on “Executive Suite” should please modern movie fans. Just be sure to watch the film through first because he spills spoilers left and right.
BARBARA STANWYCK was a grand actress with more than 100 film and television roles to her credit. Many might remember her as the Mom-in-charge in the ‘60s western series, “The Big Valley.” During the ‘80s, she was a force to be reckoned with on “Dynasty” and “The Colby’s.” She also won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in the miniseries, “The Thornbirds.” This Warner collection presents six early films on five-discs, showcasing her talents in a variety of films from adventurer “Annie Oakley” to classy dramatist in “My Reputation.”
Stanwyck’s films also bring a host of fabulous co-stars including William Holden, June Allyson, Fredric March, Shelley Winters, Clark Gable, James Mason and Ava Gardner.
Like other movies in Warner’s “Signature Collection” series, the video and audio transfers range from good to outstanding. Each film is set up to create a night-at-the-movies with cartoons, short subjects and sensational trailers.
— Kay Reynolds
“THE AMICUS COLLECTION”
All: enhanced widescreen and not rated but contains violence, gore, scary images, adult situations, sex and some drug use. “And Now the Screaming Starts,” 1973; “Asylum,” 1972; “The Beast Must Die,” 1974
Best extra: Commentary by director Roy Ward Baker and others on “And Now the Screaming Starts” and “Asylum.”
A COLLECTION OF FILMS from Amicus Productions is a perfect salute to this British film company of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Like its sister studio, Hammer, Amicus turned out choice creepiness, such as the horror anthology, “Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors,” and “The Skull,” based on Robert (“Psycho”) Bloch’s short story, “The Skull of the Marquis de Sade.”
Founded by two Americans, Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky, Amicus often shared actors and crew with Hammer, most notably audience favorites Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and you’ll find them among the films here. “Asylum” is the representative film anthology, also written by Bloch. There’s always a link to hold the tales together and, in this case, it’s the new psychiatrist (Robert Powell), who arrives for an interview at the Dunmoor Asylum for The Incurably Insane. Seriously. Imagine how desperate – or crazed – you’d have to be to work in a place with that name? Apparently, he finds that the boss is now an inmate and if Powell can guess who he is among the patients, he gets the job.
This is campy, old fashioned horror with some good moments among the plot lines and effects. To its credit, each film comes with commentary and other special features, such as biographies, trailers and still galleries. Baker, who also directed “A Night to Remember” and the earliest of the TV series, “The Avengers,” has forgotten more about filmmaking than many today can remember. That’s apparent sometimes in his commentary – but it’s still great listening.
His other film, “And Now the Screaming Starts,” is based on a gothic novel by David Case. Set in 18th century England, the story attempts to explore the difference between the supernatural and psychiatry. Do curses work or can dastardly results be the product of susceptible minds? There’s a similar theme in “The Beast Must Die” where viewers and guests at a house party must determine which of them is a werewolf. And there’s a pause towards the end so viewers can hash out their theories. Based on a short story (“There Shall Be No Darkness”) by James Blish, we’re offered the concept of lycanthropy as a disease as opposed to a curse. It was all new stuff back in the ‘70s and still fun to watch.
— Kay Reynolds
“SCRUBS: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON”
Full-screen, 2006, TV-14
Best Extra: “The Third Tier,” a short documentary about the show’s reoccurring third-tier characters
“SCRUBS” IS THE unlikely marriage of “ER” and “The Simpsons” and in its sixth season the zany and surreal show has only gotten more madcap, more implausible and more human. This is the next-to-last season for “Scrubs” and it’s therefore at that age where producers and writers take great creative risks.
Here, the big tah-dah was the show’s musical, “My Musical.” The making of that spectacle is documented in one of the DVDs extras.
All of the extras are filmed and paced in the same frantic, almost animated style as the show, and so the making of “My Musical” is nearly as enjoyable as the episode itself.
“Scrubbed Out” is a collection of deleted scenes, but watching “Alternate Lines”, wherein actors play with their lines, is an enlightening glimpse at TV magic.
Another extra finds Judy Reyes, who plays Carla, talking about her character, but inexplicably, she’s the only actor granted this opportunity. All of these are fairly standard extras for TV-to-DVD programs, which is why “The Third Tier” stands out. In it, producers explain how oddball characters (like Snoop Dogg Attending) go from non-speaking cameo roles to re-occurring characters. Only in the crazy halls of Sacred Heart Hospital.
— Mal
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