DVDs of the Week

[Üncle Snake]

January 2, 2005: MARIA FULL OF GRACE




When a movie can blend passionate social concern with good old-fashioned suspense, it must be doing something right. Maria Full of Grace scores high on both counts. Maria is a Colombian teenager who, for a large paycheck, agrees to be a mule for drug-runners: she has to swallow dozens of thumb-sized capsules of heroin and smuggle them into New York. This debilitating process is painstakingly described, and of course not everything goes as planned when Maria and her fellow mules land in America. Director Joshua Marston is working on a low budget, which explains the film's narrow, single-minded focus--but this may be a strength, not a weakness. The trump card is the lead performance of Catalina Sandrino Moreno, who won awards at the Seattle and Newport Film Festivals. Her empathetic face carries us along on Maria's journey, and humanizes a problem that is too easily relegated to a headline. --Robert Horton (Amazon.com)

[Üncle Snake]

January 9, 2005: 24 SEASON THREE




There's not one cougar to be found in 24's dynamic third season, and that's good news for everyone. After Jack Bauer's daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) survived hokey hazards in season 2, she's now a full-time staffer at CTU, the L.A.-based intelligence beehive that's abuzz once again--three years after the events of "Day Two"--when a vengeful terrorist threatens to release a lethal virus that could wipe out much of the country's population. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) attempts to broker a deal for the virus involving drug kingpin Ramon Salazar (Joaquim de Almeida), whose operation Jack successfully infiltrated at high personal cost: to maintain his cover, he got hooked on heroin. That potentially deadly triangle--drug lords, addiction, and bioterrorism on a massive scale--sets the 24-hour clock ticking in a tight, action-packed plot involving a potential traitor in CTU's midst; the return of TV's greatest villainesses in Nina Meyers (Sarah Clarke) and former First Lady Sherry Palmer (Penny Johnson Jerald); a troubled romance between Kim and Jack's new partner Chase (James Badge Dale); and a scandalized reelection campaign by president David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), who monitors CTU as they struggle to (literally) save the day.

The intricately woven subplots that are 24's greatest strength are masterfully developed here, and character arcs are equally strong, especially among CTU staffers Tony (Carlos Bernard) and his wife Michelle (Reiko Aylesworth); CTU director Ryan Chappelle (Paul Schulze), who is season 3's tragic bargaining chip; and the annoying but well-intentioned Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), who makes pivotal contributions with by-the-book efficiency. It's 24's superior casting that overcomes the series' occasional lapses in credibility, and season 3's twists make marathon viewing a nerve-wracking delight. By the time it's all over, with a high body count and the surgical reattachment of a main character's severed hand, 24 once again leaves you gratefully exhausted. As always, Sutherland anchors the series in the role he was born to play. When Jack takes a private moment to release 24 hours' worth of near-fatal tension and psychological anguish, Sutherland proves that 24's dramatic priorities are as important as its thriller momentum. DVD extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes (about the prison break sequence, climactic F-18 Hornet air-strike, and real-life bio-weaponry) that pay welcome tribute to the series' hard-working crew, who create Emmy-worthy television under pressures as intense as 24 itself. --Jeff Shannon (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- All 24 episodes on seven discs
- Cast and crew commentary on selected episodes
- Original extended version season premiere
- Deleted scenes and alternate takes
- Season 4 teaser and promo
- 24: On the Loose
- Boys and Their Toys
- Biothreat: Beyond the Series
- Multi-angle study
- 45 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Jon Cassar

[Üncle Snake]

January, 16, 2005: COLLATERAL





Collateral offers a change of pace for Tom Cruise as a ruthless contract killer, but that's just one of many reasons to recommend this well-crafted thriller. It's from Michael Mann, after all, and the director's stellar track record with crime thrillers (Thief, Manhunter, and especially Heat) guarantees a rich combination of intelligent plotting, well-drawn characters, and escalating tension, beginning here when icy hit-man Vincent (Cruise) recruits cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive him through a nocturnal tour of Los Angeles, during which he will execute five people in a 10-hour spree. While Stuart Beattie's screenplay deftly combines intimate character study with raw bursts of action (in keeping with Mann's directorial trademark), Foxx does the best work of his career to date (between his excellent performance in Ali and his title-role showcase in Ray), and Cruise is fiercely convincing as an ultra-disciplined sociopath. Jada Pinkett-Smith rises above the limitations of a supporting role, and Mann directs with the confidence of a master, turning L.A. into a third major character (much as it was in the Mann-produced TV series Robbery Homicide Division). Collateral is a bit slow at first, but as it develops subtle themes of elusive dreams and lives on the edge, it shifts into overdrive and races, with breathtaking precision, toward a nail-biting climax. --Jeff Shannon (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (DTS 5.1)
- "City of Night: The Making of Collateral"
- "Special Delivery"
- Deleted Scene with Commentary
- Shooting on Location: Annie's Office
- Tom Cruise & Jamie Foxx Rehearse
- Visual FX: MTA Train
- Theatrical Trailers
- Cast, Filmmakers, Production Notes
- Number of discs: 2

[Üncle Snake]

January 23, 2005: SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW




While setting a milestone in the progress of digital filmmaking, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow resurrects a nostalgic fantasy world derived from a wide variety of vintage inspirations. It's a dazzling dream for anyone who appreciates the look and feel of golden-age sci-fi pulp magazines, drawing its unique, all-digital design from such diverse sources as Howard Hawks adventures, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Buck Rogers, Blackhawk comics, The Third Man, cliffhanger serials, and the action-packed Indiana Jones franchise. Writer-director Kerry Conran's feature debut is also guaranteed to inspire digital dreamers everywhere, suggesting a paradigm shift in the way CGI-dominated movies are made. It's a giddy adventure for the young and young-at-heart, in which ace pilot "Sky Captain" Joe Sullivan (Jude Law) and intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) must save the world from a mad scientist whose vision of the future has tragic implications for all humankind. Angelina Jolie drops in for a glorified cameo, but it's the ultra-fortunate neophyte Conran who's the star here. His clever riff on The Wizard of Oz is a marvel to behold, and the method of its creation is nothing less than revolutionary. --Jeff Shannon (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by producer Jon Avent
- Commentary by filmmaker Kerry Conran and the VFX crew
- "Brave New World" featurette
- "The Art of the World of Tomorrow" featurette
- The original 6-minute short
- Deleted Scenes, a Gag Reel

[Üncle Snake]

January 30, 2005: RAY




Jamie Foxx's uncannily accurate performance isn't the only good thing about Ray. Riding high on a wave of Oscar buzz, Foxx proved himself worthy of all the hype by portraying blind R&B legend Ray Charles in a warts-and-all performance that Charles approved shortly before his death in June 2004. Despite a few dramatic embellishments of actual incidents (such as the suggestion that the accidental drowning of Charles's younger brother caused all the inner demons that Charles would battle into adulthood), the film does a remarkable job of summarizing Charles's strengths as a musical innovator and his weaknesses as a philandering heroin addict who recorded some of his best songs while flying high as a kite. Foxx seems to be channeling Charles himself, and as he did with the life of Ritchie Valens in La Bamba, director Taylor Hackford gets most of the period details absolutely right as he chronicles Ray's rise from "chitlin circuit" performer in the early '50s to his much-deserved elevation to legendary status as one of the all-time great musicians. Foxx expertly lip-syncs to Ray Charles' classic recordings, but you could swear he's the real deal in a film that honors Ray Charles without sanitizing his once-messy life. --Jeff Shannon (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Original theatrical version and extended version of film with 14 deleted scenes not shown in theaters
- Stepping into the Part Featurette
- Ray Remembered Featurette
- Theatrical Trailer
- 9 additional complete and uncut musical performances
- Soul Mates featurette
- A Filmmakers Journey
- Academy Special
- The Women of Ray
- The Filmakers' Journey
- Ray: An American Story
- Booklet

[Üncle Snake]

February 5, 2005: METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER




With voyeuristic intensity, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster explores the intricate connections that are created, nurtured, and challenged between members of a long-lasting band. That this intimate odyssey of group therapy and self-discovery involves Metallica--the most successful heavy metal group of all time--is just one reason this film is so uniquely fascinating. Having proven their documentary skills with Brother's Keeper and Paradise Lost (which included Metallica in its soundtrack), filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky spent two years with Metallica as the band survived the defection of long-time bassist Jason Newsted, struggled to record St. Anger, and recruited $40,000-per-month "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle to counsel members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett as they confronted alcoholism, creative obstacles, and themselves in an effort to determine the viability of Metallica's future. With sincere hope, honest discussion, and the hiring of new bassist Robert Trujillo, Metallica battle their personal and professional demons, showing the vulnerable side of a business that thrives on raging testosterone. The effort pays off for everyone involved, especially the fans: Like the ultimate backstage pass, Some Kind of Monster is a healing journey into the hard-beating heart of rock & roll. --Jeff Shannon (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- 40 Additional Scenes
- Exclusive interviews with Metallica about the film
- Highlights from festivals and premieres
- Two audio commentaries by the band and the filmmakers
- Two trailers and a music video
- Number of discs: 2

[Üncle Snake]

February 13, 2005: ANGEL: SEASON FIVE[/u]

(I promise this is the last time you will see Angel or Buffy in this thread.)

[/u]


Lives were upended--and some co-opted--in the fifth and final season of Angel, as the denizens of Angel Investigations found themselves taking on one of their scariest endeavors ever: corporate life. After making a literal deal with the devil (or something distinctly devil-like), Angel (David Boreanaz) moved his team from their crumbling hotel to the high-rise digs of law-firm-from-hell Wolfram & Hart, his reasoning being they could better fight the forces of evil from the inside, and with more resources to boot. Clever maneuvering or easy rationalization? Not a few members of Angel's team accused him of selling out (as did a number of viewers), but as with most of the show's previous four seasons, Angel somehow took a dubious premise and mined it for gold. And with one core cast member gone (Charisma Carpenter, whose Cordelia was immersed in a deep coma), it seemed as if the show, from within and without, would suddenly fall apart--that is, until Angel's longtime nemesis Spike (James Marsters) showed up, fresh from his sacrificial roasting at the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Let the vampire games begin!

With Buffy off the air, fans flocked to Angel's last season to get their fix of Joss Whedon's "Buffyverse" in any form they could, and the addition of Spike was a shrewd one, albeit not enough to keep the show from getting canceled. And for the first half of the season, the creative forces behind the show seemed to be toying ruthlessly with the audience. Spike was around, but not entirely corporeal; Angel himself became sullen and withdrawn; and most horrifically, sweetheart scientist Fred (Amy Acker) and former watcher Wesley (Alexis Denisof) underwent traumas that would test even the most devoted viewer. However, just when you'd be about to throw in the towel, things started changing for the better--Spike became a permanent fixture (both in the flesh and on the show), Angel's secret motives were revealed, and the introduction of demon warrior Illyria, who proved to be the show's answer to Buffy's sardonic demon-made-human Anya, was a welcome breath of fresh air. Creatively, Angel also came up with some of its best episodes, including "Smile Time" (where Angel is turned into a puppet – really!) and "You're Welcome" (the show's 100th episode, which marked the bittersweet return of Carpenter's Cordelia). The ending of the series was deliberately ambiguous, and not everyone made it through alive, but in going out kicking, it was a proper sendoff for a show that always fought the good fight. --Mark Englehart (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- 22 episodes on six discs
- Selected audio commentary by Joss Whedon, David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Sarah Thompson, Christian Kane, Juliet Landau, Adam Baldwin, Skip Schoolnik, David Fury, Steven S. DeKnight, Jeffrey Bell, Brent Fletcher, Elizabeth Craft, and Sarah Fain
- "Angel: The Final Season" overview with cast and crew interviews
- Featurettes: Hey Kids! It's Smile Time, Angel 100, Angel: Choreography of a Stunt, To Live and Die in L.A.: The Best of Angel, Halos & Horns: Recurring Villainy, Angel Unbound: The Gag Reels

DVD Release Date: Feb. 15, 2005

[Üncle Snake]

February 20, 2005: GET SHORTY: SPECIAL EDITION





John Travolta is the standout in this somewhat cartoonish adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel about a smalltime Miami enforcer (Travolta) who decides to get into the movie business in L.A. The cast sparkles--Gene Hackman as a failing cut-rate-movie producer, Rene Russo as a failed actress, Danny DeVito as a vain thespian, Delroy Lindo as a mobster who wants a cut of Travolta's film action--and the script is clever. But not clever enough: this isn't Robert Altman's The Player, as far as satires about Hollywood go. But director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) keeps it cute and brisk and that makes for an enjoyable experience. Travolta is great as a vaguely dangerous, supremely self-confident man whose love of movies makes him almost cuddly. (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by director-producer Barry Sonnenfeld
- Includes free movie ticket to Be Cool (valid thru 3/25/05)
- New high-definition transfer
- "Get Shorty: Look at Me" featurette
- "Get Shorty: Wiseguys and Dolls" featurette
- "Deleted Graveyard Scene" featurette
- "Danny's No-Cut Day" outtakes
- Get Shorty party reel
- Be Cool sneak peek
- "Page to Screen of Get Shorty" Bravo special
- Photo gallery
- Original theatrical trailer

Release date: Feb. 22, 2005

[Üncle Snake]

I've fallen behind, so let's play catch-up ...


FEBRUARY 27, 2005: PENN & TELLER - BULLSHIT! THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON




MARCH 6, 2005: LADDER 49




MARCH 13, 2005: THE INCREDIBLES




MARCH 20, 2005: FINDING NEVERLAND




MARCH 27, 2005: THE LONE GUNMEN - THE COMPLETE SERIES

[Üncle Snake]

APRIL 3, 2005: SIDEWAYS




One of 2004's best films comes to DVD ...

With Sideways, Paul Giamatti (American Splendor, Storytelling) has become an unlikely but engaging romantic lead. Struggling novelist and wine connoisseur Miles (Giamatti) takes his best friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church, Wings) on a wine-tasting tour of California vineyards for a kind of extended bachelor party. Almost immediately, Jack's insatiable need to sow some wild oats before his marriage leads them into double-dates with a rambunctious wine pourer (Sandra Oh, Under the Tuscan Sun) and a recently divorced waitress (Virginia Madsen, The Hot Spot)--and Miles discovers a little hope that he hasn't let himself feel in a long time. Sideways is a modest but finely tuned film; with gentle compassion, it explores the failures, struggles, and lowered expectations of mid-life. Giamatti makes regret and self-loathing sympathetic, almost sweet. From the director of Election and About Schmidt. --Bret Fetzer (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- Commentary by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church
- 7 deleted scenes
- Behind-the-scenes featurette
- 3 Easter eggs
- Theatrical trailer

[Üncle Snake]

April 10, 2005: HOTEL RWANDA




Solidly built around a subtle yet commanding performance by Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda emerged as one of the most highly-praised dramas of 2004. In a role that demands his quietly riveting presence in nearly every scene, Cheadle plays real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in the Rwandan capital of Kigali who in 1994 saved 1,200 Rwandan "guests" from certain death during the genocidal clash between tribal Hutus, who slaughtered a million victims, and the horrified Tutsis, who found safe haven or died. Giving his best performance since his breakthrough role in Devil in a Blue Dress, Cheadle plays Rusesabagina as he really was during the ensuing chaos: "an expert in situational ethics" (as described by critic Roger Ebert), doing what he morally had to do, at great risk and potential sacrifice, with an understanding that wartime negotiations are largely a game of subterfuge, cooperation, and clever bribery. Aided by a United Nations official (Nick Nolte), he worked a saintly miracle, and director Terry George (Some Mother's Son) brings formidable social conscience to bear on a true story you won't soon forget. --Jeff Shannon (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
- "A Message for Peace: Making Hotel Rwanda" documentary
- "Return to Rwanda" documentary
- Commentary by director Terry George and the real-life subject of the film, Paul Rusesabagina
- Selected scene commentary by actor Don Cheadle
- Select commentary by musician Wyclef Jean

[Üncle Snake]

April 17, 2005: THE MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 COLLECTION VOLUME 7




Join Joel, Mike and their "Robot Friends" as they are forced to watch the worst movies ever made. To endure, these crazy characters make hilarious jokes at the expense of those bad movies. Includes the following episodes:

Episode 407- THE KILLER SHREWS (with short: JUNIOR RODEO DAREDEVILS)
Episode 408- HERCULES UNCHAINED
Episode 410- HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MEN
Episode 816- PRINCE OF SPACE

[Üncle Snake]

April 24, 2005: DREAM THEATER: WHEN DREAM AND DAY REUNITE



The entire legendary performance of "When Dream and Day Unite" and the encore from the March 6th 2004 show in Los Angeles (the 15-year anniversary of the album's release), as well as an Audio Commentary by Dream Theater, rehearsal and soundcheck footage and a 70 minute documentary on the original WDADU told through live footage and interviews with the band circa 1988/1989.

A Fortune In Lies
Status Seeker
Ytse Jam
The Killing Hand
Light Fuse And Get Away
Afterlife
The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun
Only A Matter Of Time
To Live Forever
Metropolis

Bonus Features
- Audio Commentary by Dream Theater
- WDADU Rehearsal and Sound Check Footage
- "I Can Remember When..." - A 70 minute documentary from the Portnoy Archives looking back at the original WDADU album. A song by song recount told through live footage and interviews with the band circa 1988/1989.

View the trailer here.

[Üncle Snake]

May 1, 2005: SPACEBALLS (COLLECTOR'S EDITION)



DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
- Audio commentary with Mel Brooks
- Spaceballs: The Documentary
- John Candy: Comic Spirit featurette
- In Conversation: Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan featurette
- Storyboards to film featurette
- Spacequotes
- Behind-the-scenes photographs
- Spaceballs: The Costume Gallery
- Spaceballs: The Art Gallery
- Theatrical trailers
- Number of discs: 2

[Üncle Snake]

May 8, 2005: 12 MONKEYS (SPECIAL EDITION)



DVD Features:
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- Commentary by director Terry Gilliam and producer Charles Roven
- "The Hamster Factor and Other Tales" featurette
- Archives and production notes

(Doesn't look like much of a special edition, but it is a good movie and definitely worth picking up if you don't already have it.)

[Üncle Snake]

May 15, 2004: SEINFELD - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON



This is the best season of Seinfeld. Nearly every episode is classic. This is when Jerry and George were developing a pilot for NBC and it includes my all-time favorite episode, "The Marine Biologist."

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0)
- Approximately 13 hours of exclusive special features including all-new interviews with Jerry and the rest of the cast
- 24 episodes from Season Four on four discs
- The Breakthrough Season: an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the Emmy-winning season in which Seinfeld leapt from cult favorite to ratings sensation and officially became "a show about nothing."
- Notes about nothing: behind-the-scenes scoop and production notes
- Inside Looks: the cast and creators talk about what was happening behind the scenes of certain episodes
- In The Vault: Never-before-seen deleted scenes...saved from the cutting room floor
- Not That There's Anything Wrong With That: never-before-seen outtakes and bloopers
- Yada, Yada, Yada: creator and cast audio commentaries
- Master of His Domain: see Jerry Seinfeld in exclusive, never-before-seen stand-up comedy footage
- Sponsored by Vandelay Industries: Original NBC promo ads and trailers
- Featuring the original (1-2 minutes longer) NBC network versions, not seen since their original broadcast runs
- Remastered in high definition
- Includes fan-favorite episodes The Contest, Bubble Boy, and The Junior Mint
- Number of discs: 4

[Üncle Snake]

May 22, 2005: THE JOB - THE COMPLETE SERIES



Network television says they want original programs, but they don't always know what to do with them. Case in point: The Job, the late lamented series that lasted but 19 episodes before being unceremoniously yanked by ABC. So long Mike McNeil; we hardly knew ye. But what we did see of Denis Leary's working class anti-hero made for arrestingly funny television. McNeil, a cop, smokes, drinks, pops pills, and juggles a wife and girlfriend. And it's all beginning to catch up with him. "This stuff is Biblical," notes his partner, an African American whom the squad has nicknamed "Pip" (as in Gladys Knight and the...). The Job is not your typical workplace sitcom. There is no laugh track. Based on a real cop whom Leary befriended while researching his role in the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, The Job has the raw sound, rough language, and gritty look and texture of authenticity. It was shot documentary-style on location in New York. The focus of the series is more personal and less procedural than other cop shows. We get to know intimately this flawed and funny close-knit band of brothers, including straight-arrow Pip (Bill Nunn); Frank (Lenny Clarke), an old school cop and great bear of a man; and Det. Jan Fendrich (Diane Farr), a capable member of this boys' club in the classic Howard Hawks tradition, and who perhaps might have become a love interest for Mike had the series continued.

A series benchmark is "Barbeque," in which an anniversary party hosted by Pip and his commanding wife, Adina, inexorably descends into chaos when McNeil and company disregard Adnia's "no alcohol" edict. Another classic is the episode in which McNeil suspects that Frank is gay. While it does not jibe with Internet episode guides, the episode chronology on this four-disc set builds to a powerful climax, with Mike's girlfriend en route to confront his long-suffering wife (who may herself be having an affair), and Pip considering cheating on Adina with an old flame, all scored to the Ramones' pounding rendition of "Wonderful World." Whether it was ahead of its time, a victim of network neglect and mishandling, or just too dramatically different, The Job was too good for prime time. That it led to Leary's new hit series, Rescue Me, is small comfort. For faithful and frustrated viewers, it's great to have McNeil back on The Job. --Donald Liebenson (Amazon.com)

[Üncle Snake]

May 29, 2005: NEWSRADIO - THE COMPLETE FIRST & SECOND SEASONS



With its shaky five-season tenure (1995-99) including a dozen different time slots and only one major Emmy nomination, the outstanding NewsRadio is the atypical sitcom of its age. While most of the '90s sitcoms were based around a single big name talent (Jerry Seinfeld, Candice Bergen, Drew Carrey), NewsRadio came from the same stock from earlier shows Taxi and Cheers: a relatively unknown cast that rarely ventured away from the place of business. These first 29 episodes (7 as a mid-season replacement the first year), deliver a consistently hilarious show about the day-to-day life with the eccentric staff of New York radio station WNYX. Creator Paul Simms (The Larry Sanders Show) built a talented cast relying on expert delivery and character traits instead of goofy situations. The most famous cast member, Saturday Night Live's Phil Hartman, went against the grain of most SNL veterans and gleefully took a supporting role, the pompous, silver-tongued anchor Bill McNeal. The lead--the glue--of the series is Kids in the Hall member Dave Foley as the earnest new station manager, Dave Nelson. Soft but eager, Nelson plays lion-tamer delicately maneuvering around staff to keep the station humming along. This is complicated from the get-go when he falls into a secret, but very cute affair with Lisa (Maura Tierney), the ace reporter.

The station, like Mary Tyler Moore's TV crew two decades earlier, has a good balance between funny folks and just plain whackos. The former includes Stephen Root as the rich yet time-crunched owner, Joe Rogan as the fix-it man, and Khandi Alexander as Bill's tart co-anchor. The latter is embodied in Andy Dick as the helpless Matthew, a sublime airhead whose comic highjinks are often the show's hardest laughs, and Vicki Lewis, continuing the famous TV tradition of the lovable ditzy secretary that knows all. But the legacy of the show belongs to Hartman who tragically died after the fourth season. His comic bravura is balanced with the ability to play the fool. In one perfect scene, Lisa walks by with only a bra on (don't ask) and Bill doesn't move, reading his newspaper. Lisa returns to slap him anyway, shocking him. "I didn't say anything." Lisa retorts, "You were thinking it" and walks away. Hartman eases into a juicy, soft smile and returns to reading, "Well, that's fair."

If you're not a fan of commentary tracks, you won't find the love and care that went into this DVD set. There are commentaries on 20 of the 27 episodes with the cast and crew rotating duties. The nice thing about a cast full of comics is that the commentaries are very funny and rewarding for fans. We hear about the casting of the show, Foley's uncanny ability to memorize a script, the art of the archaic reference, and how the fix-it man was--for the half the pilot--Ray Romano. But if you don't have time for the commentaries, watch and laugh hard at the 10-minute (!) gag reel. --Doug Thomas (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: Portuguese
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
- Commentary by by cast and crew on 20 episodes
- The complete first (7 episodes) and second (22 episodes) on three discs
- Season two gag reel
- Making-of featurette
- Filmograhies
- Number of discs: 3

[Üncle Snake]

June 5, 2005: CORROSION OF CONFORMITY - LIVE VOLUME (THE MOVIE)



A four piece powerhouse of riff heavy rock, lyrically charged politics, and explosive live shows have taken Corrosion of Conformity from the tiniest basement clubs to international tours with the likes of Metallica, Soundgarden, Faith No More, and Bad Brains. Now we bring you that unparalleled experience with Corrosion of Conformity's first live album, Live Volume. Recorded at Harpo's Concert Theatre in Detroit on April 20, 2001, Live Volume showcases the songs the fans want to hear with 75 minutes of pure Corrosion. Tracks: These Shrouded Temples; Diablo Blvd.; Senor Limpid; King of the Rotten; Wiseblood; Who's Got the Fire; Albatross; My Grain; Congratulations Song; 13 Angels; 7 Days; Vote with a Bullet; Zippo; Long Whip; Big America; Shelter; Clean My Wounds.

[Üncle Snake]

June 12, 2005: HITCH



This is not the kind of movie I typically recommend, but it ended up being a pleasant surprise earlier this year. Read my review here.

[Üncle Snake]

June 19, 2005: AMERICAN PSYCHO (UNCUT KILLER COLLECTOR'S EDITION)



DVD Features:
- Director/Writer Commentary
- Cast and Crew Commentary
- Postcards from the '80s
- On-set interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
- Deleted scenes

Amazon.com essential video
The Bret Easton Ellis novel American Psycho, a dark, violent satire of the "me" culture of Ronald Reagan's 1980s, is certainly one of the most controversial books of the '90s, and that notoriety fueled its bestseller status. This smart, savvy adaptation by Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) may be able to ride the crest of the notoriety; prior to the film's release, Harron fought a ratings battle (ironically, for depictions of sex rather than violence), but at the time the director stated, "We're rescuing [the book] from its own bad reputation." Harron and co-screenwriter Guinevere Turner (Go Fish) overcome many of the objections of Ellis's novel by keeping the most extreme violence offscreen (sometimes just barely), suggesting the reign of terror of yuppie killer Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) with splashes of blood and personal souvenirs. Bale is razor sharp as the blank corporate drone, a preening tiger in designer suits whose speaking voice is part salesman, part self-help guru, and completely artificial. Carrying himself with the poised confidence of a male model, he spends his days in a numbing world of status-symbol one-upmanship and soul-sapping small talk, but breaks out at night with smirking explosions of homicide, accomplished with the fastidious care of a hopeless obsessive. The film's approach to this mayhem is simultaneously shocking and discreet; even Bateman's outrageous naked charge with a chainsaw is most notable for the impossibly polished and gleaming instrument of death. Harron's film is a hilarious, cheerfully insidious hall of mirrors all pointed inward, slowly cracking as the portrait becomes increasingly grotesque and insane. --Sean Axmaker

[Üncle Snake]

June 26, 2005: THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART - INDECISION 2004




The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is so laugh-out-loud funny that Indecision 2004--which could have been a dated recap of a time many would rather forget--is instead a hilarious time capsule of the follies and foibles of the 2004 presidential election. What also helps is that many of the issues being lampooned, such as the Iraq war, are still in the news in 2005. The 10 episodes included in the three-disc set are the four reporting on the Democratic National Convention, the four from the Republican National Convention, the episode following the first Bush-Kerry debate, and the hourlong election-night episode, subtitled "Prelude to a Recount." The Daily Show mimics the format of a news program, with Stewart as the anchor and his troupe of "senior correspondents/analysts"--Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, Samantha Bee, and Ed Helms--filing their "reports" from the field. Stewart is always quick to dismiss his show as "fake news," but an increasing number of people have taken to the Comedy Central staple as the way to get their news. Political news is mostly sound bites anyway, so Stewart piles the video clips together at their most incongruous or contradictory, then follows up with a wisecrack or a marvelously deadpan look of disbelief. As further proof of its impact, The Daily Show won a 2005 Peabody Award for electronic media excellence for its "satire that deflates pomposity on an equal opportunity basis." (Stewart admitted during the campaign that he himself was voting for Kerry, and his audience is very anti-Bush, but he takes the opportunity to skewer anyone who deserves it.) He also attracts a number of "legitimate" guests. Appearing on these episodes are Ted Koppell, Joe Biden, Chris Matthews (shortly after he'd been challenged to a duel by Zell Miller), Al Sharpton on election night, and a wry John McCain not looking like the combative party zealot that had appeared at the convention podium the night before.

In addition to the 10 episodes, the three-DVD set has more reports by Colbert (whose survey of Democratic minority groups has something to offend anyone), Corddry, Bee, and Helms. There's also John Edwards's 2003 announcement of his presidential candidacy on The Daily Show, the Schoolhouse Rock! spoof about midterm elections, a surprisingly musical four-correspondent rendition of the national anthem, and other lunacy. --David Horiuchi (Amazon.com)

DVD Features:
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
- Introduction by Jon Stewart
- Original segments featuring Jon Stewart and the correspondents
- Stephen Colbert's award-not-winning featurette: Requiem for a Show That Was Daily
- Voice-over commentary by Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, and Samantha Bee
- Our National Anthem sung in 4-correspondent harmony
- The First Presidential Debate: The Squabble in Coral Gables
- Election Night '04: Prelude to a Recount
- Daily Show Rock! Presents: Midterm Elections
- John Edwards Campaign Announcement
- Stephen Colbert's "Interviews I Could Get"
- Rob Corddry: Democratic debates in NY and Detroit; The Secretaries' Tour
- Ed Helms: Original Introduction; Principle Spinner
- Samantha Bee: Block the Vote; So You Want to Bee...A 527 Organization?
- Continental Skiff Boat Oarsmen for Veracity
- Steve Carell: Trail and Tribulations following the Howard Dean campaign
- Bob Wiltfong: Sticker Shock
- Number of discs: 3

[Üncle Snake]

July 3, 2005: RESCUE ME - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON




Amazon.com
Dennis Leary snarls as naturally as most actors smile. Leary's trademark ferocity and fearlessness drive Rescue Me, a series about a team of firemen struggling with their wives and lovers in post-9/11 New York City. Tommy Gavin (Leary, No Cure for Cancer, The Ref) is the guy everyone confides in, the heart of the firehouse--but he's also an active alcoholic who rages about his wife Janet (Andrea Roth) leaving him, a man guilt-ridden and literally haunted by all the people he blames himself for failing to save. Surrounding him are a crew of vivid characters, played by a little-known but outstanding cast: Handsome lothario Franco Rivera (Daniel Sunjata) discovers he's fathered a daughter with a psychotic ex-girlfriend; Ken Shea (John Scurti) struggles to resolve his post-traumatic stress by writing poetry; Mike Siletti (Mike Lombardi), the newest guy on the team, finds love with a partner the rest of the crew finds unacceptable; Chief Jerry Reilly (Jack McGee) risks his career when he beats a gay firefighter in a bar; and several others, all multi-faceted and sharply written. Rescue Me's first season launches with a full head of steam, tackling divorce, homophobia, and male bonding in a pellmell rush. The core theme of the show, however, is how men react to stress--how anger, bragging, competition, sex, and booze pacify their jagged emotions, pulling the firefighters together and isolating them at the same time. The first eight or so episodes rip along, spiced with high-energy scenes of fires and obscene, scatological banter. The second half of the series grows a little repetitive (beatings and steamy sex lose their vigor after a while) and some storylines stretch credulity, but the characters never lose their engaging complexity. Leary, who co-created the show and co-wrote many of the episodes, barrels through each hour like a force of nature, even as Tommy's increasingly erratic behavior threatens to alienate his family and his team. This bilious fusion of vices and virtues guarantees compelling television. --Bret Fetzer

DVD Features:
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
- Commentary for first and last episodes with creators Denis Leary and Peter Tolan
- Blooper reel
- 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes
- Deleted scenes
- Exclusive sneak peek at Season 2
- Number of discs: 3

[Üncle Snake]

July 10, 2005: MILLION DOLLAR BABY 3-Disc Deluxe Edition




Amazon.com
Clint Eastwood's 25th film as a director, Million Dollar Baby stands proudly with Unforgiven and Mystic River as the masterwork of a great American filmmaker. In an age of bloated spectacle and computer-generated effects extravaganzas, Eastwood turns an elegant screenplay by Paul Haggis (adapted from the book Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner by F.X. Toole, a pseudonym for veteran boxing manager Jerry Boyd) into a simple, humanitarian example of classical filmmaking, as deeply felt in its heart-wrenching emotions as it is streamlined in its character-driven storytelling. In the course of developing powerful bonds between "white-trash" Missouri waitress and aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), her grizzled, reluctant trainer Frankie Dunn (Eastwood), and Frankie's best friend and training-gym partner Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman), 74-year-old Eastwood mines gold from each and every character, resulting in stellar work from his well-chosen cast. Containing deep reserves of love, loss, and the universal desire for something better in hard-scrabble lives, Million Dollar Baby emerged, quietly and gracefully, as one of the most acclaimed films of 2004, released just in time to earn an abundance of year-end accolades, all of them well-deserved. --Jeff Shannon

DVD Features:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish, French
- Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1)
- James Lipton Takes on Three: 25-minute roundtable with Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman
- Born to Fight: examines the parallels of the movie to real-life boxer Lucia Rijker
- Producers Round 15: behind the scenes
- Includes soundtrack CD (music by Clint Eastwood, orchestrated and conducted by Lenny Niehaus)

[Üncle Snake]

July 17, 2005: THE HISTORY OF IRON MAIDEN PART 1: THE EARLY DAYS




`The Early Days' is a unique collection of archive material packed onto 2 DVD's that covers the beginnings of the band's career from the struggle to get gigs in East End pubs through to becoming within just 5 years a band capable of headlining arenas anywhere around the World and achieving this without any radio support to speak of at any time.

This isn't simply a band history but more the intense and personal voyage of a remarkable group of individuals who shared one vision and worked hard to achieve that goal without any compromises along the way. It also demonstrates the band's unique relationship with their fans, the foundation for which was laid right back then ...at the beginning.

The first DVD contains nearly 2 hours of archive Maiden live concert rarities that demonstrate the energy and power that propelled them to the forefront of World Metal

The first program of DVD1 is Maiden's first ever concert video `Live at The Rainbow' which was produced by EMI back in 1980 shortly after they were signed and was one of the first ever concert VHS releases. This title has not been widely available for some time so fans can now see the band fronted by Paul Di'Anno singing such classics as `Killers' and `Phantom Of the Opera' .

The rest of the footage on DVD1 consists of two shows neither of which has ever been fully available. Beast Over Hammersmith was filmed at the beginning of the Beast On the Road tour that to many fans at the time was the first introduction to Bruce Dickinson. Songs like "Hallowed be Thy Name" and "Number of The Beast" have proved to become regular features in the Maiden live set since this was first recorded in 1982 and now thanks to some modern reconstructive work fans can enjoy the highlights from this rare footage.

To complete the first disk is `Live At Dortmund', a massive concert in Dortmund in December 1983 originally filmed for German TV with Maiden headlining a stellar Metal bill as part of their World Piece Tour. Originally the show was broadcast live across Europe but has not been seen since until now. Research into the footage shows that all the original film has since been destroyed so this is truly now a rare piece of Maiden history.

DVD 2 includes the feature length (90 minutes) Documentary titled "The Early Days" with extensive interviews and photographs and historical detail.

The documentary which forms the basis for the title contains over 90 minutes of extraordinary interviews with the colourful cast of characters involved with Maiden over this early period - current band members, a whole host of ex band members, managers, agents, journalists, photographers, EMI execs past and present, crew, promoters, fans - all of whom have their own perspective of the events and process that led up Maiden's Worldwide success, and the fun and hard work involved.

It chronicles their early struggles in the mid to late 70's in London's East End where the hardest thing was just keeping a line-up together for more than a couple of pub gigs, through the early successes of their eponymous debut album and "Killers", their first World Tours, the colossal impact on the Rock World that was "The Number of the Beast" and through to the end of their first full headlining World Tour - 'Piece of Mind' - in 1983.

A very honest and revealing (but also entertaining) insight into just what it was like early on in the World of Eddie and Maiden, its also a guide book to the problems faced and attitude and talent needed to get a band off the ground and to the pinnacle of Worldwide success - and then to keep it there!!! It is a fascinating and compelling story for any music fan.

Also on Disk 2 is a 30 min TV Documentary by LWT shown in 1980 on the rise of Heavy Metal featuring the band and footage of them performing at The Marquee in 1979 and an insight into the new breed of music fan that arose out of the ashes of the punk era.

Possibly one of the rarest items on The Early Days is a 45 minute home video recorded by the band of them performing at The Ruskin Arms in East London. This footage was originally feared lost forever however by complete chance a surviving copy was found in Steve's Harris' home and the delicate tape was processed and now included in it's entirety. With the exception of a very short clip used in 12 Wasted Years this has never been seen by anyone except the band themselves making it such a rare gem for the collector.

Extras include rare TV appearances like their first 'Live' performance on Top Of The Pops and Rock and Pop on German TV, Special photo gallery revealing never before seen personal pictures taken by the band and crew and a thorough overview and detail of all the bands artwork, tour programmes and imagery both on tour and their studio releases, plus of course some hidden goodies.

"The Early Days" is the first of what will eventually become a series of DVD's to be released over the coming years. Each release will extensively cover a period of the bands career to become a collection of not only re-mastered footage but also previously unavailable and unseen material taken directly from the bands own personal collections, along with extensive interviews.

Says Steve Harris, 'We haven't had any of our original live videos available for some time so when we started looking at this project we thought lets make each DVD a real document of not only the shows but everything around that time. Everybody has been digging through the archives to make this the most complete it can possibly be and I'm really proud of the end result. A lot of the footage we'd thought had been lost for good like the home video of the Ruskin Arms. Both disks contain some real collectors stuff. For example we filmed the first Hammersmith Odeon shows with Bruce but because of various lighting issues we never felt that it was really good enough to use. It just never really captured the excitement of show or the spectacle that it was - but by the time it was on film we could do nothing about it. However with technology being what it is now we've revisited and repaired some of the problems with the original masters to get it to a point where we can finally keep our fans happy by making it available."

'I have to say that I've really had a lot of fun recalling the early beginnings and we've managed to interview just about everybody who was ever part of Maiden from the very first line up in 1975 through to the band that everyone knows now. I found things I thought I had lost over the years and sometimes the smallest thing can remind you of exactly why you started doing this in the first place and the struggle everyone went through. I think the fans are going to love this.'

Plans are currently being put together for Iron Maiden play some festival and stadium dates next summer and bring the 'Early Days' back to life. The band will be linking in the look and feel of their beginnings in the stage set as well as performing some classic tracks from that time which haven't been heard live for a while!!. Dates will start to be announced in the near future

Says manager Rod Smallwood, 'On reviewing all these great shows it just reminded us all of the great songs that the band have in their repertoire. It's always difficult when touring a new album to include too many of the older songs which the fans always ask for as the band would end up playing for 4 or 5 hours! The plan for next year is to recreate the power and energy and look of their early shows and eventually continue this idea with each subsequent DVD release.'

The next in series will be the spectacular 'Live After Death' which will cover the bands legendary four sold out shows at Long Beach Arena in 1984.

The full contents of THE EARLY DAYS are -

Documentaries (115 min)
The Early Years - 90 minute Feature Documentary
20th Century Box - Heavy Metal (1980) - 25 minute feature.

Live At The Rainbow - 1981 (35 mins)
Ides Of March
Wrathchild
Killers
Remember Tomorrow
Transylvania
Phantom Of The Opera
Iron Maiden

Live At Hammersmith 1982 - Beast On The Road (45 mins)
Murders in The Rue Morgue
Run to The Hills
Children Of The Damned
Number Of The Beast
22 Acacia Avenue
Total Eclipse
The Prisoner
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden

Live at Rock & Pop Festival 1983 Dortmund - World Piece Tour (35 mins)
Sanctuary
The Trooper
Revelations
Flight Of Icarus
22 Acacia Avenue
Number Of The Beast
Run To The Hills

Live at The Ruskin Arms - 1980 (40 mins)
Sanctuary
Wrathchild
Prowler
Remember Tomorrow
Running Free
Transylvania
Another Life
Phantom Of The Opera
Charlotte the Harlot

Extras (40 mins)
Live on Top Of the Pops - Running Free and Women In Uniform
Live on Rock and Pop - Germany TV - Running Free
Promo videos - Women In Uniform / Run To The Hills / Number Of The Beast/ Flight Of Icarus / The Trooper
Rare and unseen Photo gallery featuring over 150 pictures and images
Full tour listings/ Discography/Tour programmes and artwork galleries.