thursday. september 4. 2003
DVD REVIEWS
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
R. 119 minutes.DVD
Michael Moore's compulsively watchable shock-show examines the culture of fear that continues to make America the planet's most violent developed nation. Critics often sidestepped this film's toughest issues: Yes, we trained Osama Bin Laden to blow people up, and yes, Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold lived in a town that manufactures parts for nuclear weapons.
The Oscar-winning result is a pungent hall of mirrors for the entertainment industry. Everyone from Dick Clark to Charlton Heston sits stunned in the face of Moore's relentless pointing finger.
The DVD's extras are superb and take up an entire second disc. The best extra features Moore at a screening in Denver three months after the film's release. He offers some powerful insight into why three hours passed before police entered Columbine High School on that fateful spring morning in 1999.
—Stephen Shupe
Movie Grade: A
DVD Grade: A
CHICAGO
PG-13, 1:3 minutes, DVD
Catherine Zeta-Jones took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for playing Velma Kelly in Chicago.
Best Picture-winner Chicago finally dances its way onto DVD with extras that appear to do the film justice but don't even come close to the DVD of Chicago predecessor Moulin Rouge. This film is still a masterpiece of tap dancing, gun wielding and musical numbers that can actually be described as candy for the eyes and ears. Chicago's cast includes Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere. The performances are better on the DVD because you can see every detail of their fancy footwork. The extras of the DVD, however, are lacking where they should be astonishing. Commentary by director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon is enlightening enough but where
we wanted to see inside Marshall's head we just skim the surface. There is also a behind the scene "featurette" that shows great rehearsal footage of the stars training and proves that everything you see is what you get. Finally, the deleted musical number "Class" rounds out the special features but really was better left alone. Chicago is still worthy of adding to the DVD collection but the special features just don't live up to the hype.
Lindsey Ramsey
Movie Grade: A
DVD Grade: B-
HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES R.88 minutes, DVD
Another group of silly kids who never watched a horror movie gets lost in backwoods America and ends up on the chopping block.
Rob Zombie's debut film took more than three years to be released, reportedly because his original cut piled-on way too much gore to be seen in theaters. Surprisingly, that cut of the movie is nowhere to be seen on this DVD, which features only the R-rated theatrical version. Zombie contributes a studious director's commentary track, which centers mostly on the design of the film's trippy camerawork.
The film itself starts out as black comedy, then one of the kids gets cut open and turned
—Stephen Shupe
Movie Grade: B+
DVD Grade: B+
into a dolphin. Things become increasingly warped from there Don't plan on seeing anyone for a while after you watch this; you'll wonder if they're hiding worms behind their ears.
LORD OF THE RINGS:
THE TWO TOWERS
PG-13. 179 minutes, DVD
To buy or not to buy, that is the question for all Lord of the Rings fans concerning the Two Towers standard DVD. Should they purchase this recently released version, which is light on quality special features, just to glimpse Frodo? Should they wait for the Special Edition DVD in November, which will include deleted scenes, commentary, behind the scenes documentaries and much more?
They should not purchase the standard DVD for its special features, which includes behind the scenes "featurettes", trailers and a preview of the The Return of the King.
Though this two-disc set boasts quite a few extras, none of them are spectacular and many of the "behind the scenes" are half-hour commercials. The features also recycle material from one short to the next, so if viewers watch two or three shorts, they've seen all the material on the disc.
Fans of Lord of the Rings should purchase this DVD, while hardcore fans should just rent this DVD and then purchase the special edition in November.
Cal Creek
Movie Grade: A
DVD Grade: C
SIMPSONS SEASON 3
Not Rated, 9 hours. 12 minutes. DVD
The recently released Simpsons Season 3 DVD is a must purchase for any true fan of the yellow-skinned, four-fingered family. This season's 24 episodes include classics such as "Stark Raving Dad" — the one with
The third season of The Simpsons is now available on DVD for $44.98.
Michael Jackson and "Homer at Bat"—the one with the baseball players.
The special features on the four-disc set are pretty interesting but nothing spectacular. They include several mediocre Butterfinger commercials and scene-specific sketches that show a small part of the animation process. There's also commentary by directors, animators and actors on every episode. The commentary is quite informative, revealing part of the magic that happens at the Simpsons offices.
The best special feature is not listed with the others. It's the complete absence of commercials. Each scene fades out and into the next, uninterrupted. This makes for an easy viewing experience that will help fans concentrate on one of the best written shows in TV history.
Cal Creek
Show Grade: A
DVD Grade: B
RAISING VICTOR VARGAS R. 88 minutes,DVD
Raising Victor Vargas is a quietly groundbreaking independent film filled with real people who have real emotions and go through the real rhythms of teenage life.
The title character is a teen from New York's Lower East Side who is in love with the neighborhood's most unattainable girl, Judy. Their romance is only a backdrop in Peter Sollett's ambitious film debut, which paints a vignette of colorful characters including Victor's bickering Dominican family, as well as Judy and Victor's best friends, who sweetly fall in love in the film's best scenes.
Sollett shot the film on a low budget, which unfortunately meant scant funding for the DVD and zero special features. Film students should pick it up anyway. Sollett, a New York University graduate, has a lot to teach them about what you can get out of a small amount of money, a handheld camera and a profoundly compassionate screenplay. This is one of the year's best films.
—Stephen Shupe
Movie Grade: A
DVD Grade: C-
EZ-D REVIEW
If you're tired of paying late fees or renting scratched DVDs that freeze or skip to scenes you've already watched, check out the new EZ-D. This DVD look-alike self-destructs 48 hours after you remove it from its packaging, after which it can be recycled. This way you don't have to worry about returning it you can just recycle it.
The EZ-D copy of Tom Tykwer's 2002 release, Heaven, I rented played just fine through
the 48 hours and even worked two hours longer. But after that the disc self-destructed and the DVD player couldn't read it. The DVD did not contain a main menu.The product, pioneered by Flexplay, has been test marketing in four major cities since August. There's no word yet on when the format will hit the Lawrence area.Look for updates at www.flexplay.com.
Stephen Shupe