Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas is quite possibly one of the greatest holiday specials ever created. While the made for TV Muppet movie first appeared in 1977, it came to us on DVD in 2001, with a re-release in 2008. The classic story of Emmet and friends trying to scrape enough together for the holidays, deciding to compete in the local talent show to raise money, only to be threatened by the Riverbottom gang. The story demonstrates the possibility of unity and togetherness even in the face of adversity. Not your typical holiday tale, but I think that's why it works. This was one of the initial Muppet forays beyond the variety show style atmosphere of the Muppet Show, demonstrating the ability of puppets to carry an entire production. As with other Muppet features, the story has elements designed to appeal to both kids and adults, without dumbing anything down or needing to offend to carry a point. Possibly the coolest plus about this DVD version is the Dolby 5.1 sound, which adds an element missing in the previous VHS release. The DVD is lacking in any exciting additional features, only including a couple of trailers, which are mere advertisements for other video. It's a quick viewing at just under 50 minutes.
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Warner Brothers is the first company that gets the new distribution model. If I can pay for a DVD and easily get a copy of movies I can play on my computer and portable device, I won't need software to rip copies for me. The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD I got in the mail today includes exactly this. Right on the front of the box, there's a sticker reading "Bonus Digital Copy of the Film included".
There are actually two digital copies on the disk:
1) A 320x166 widescreen version for PlaysForSure devices and Zune playback.
2) A 3.6Mb 720x306 widescreen version for PC Playback
Both look great on their respective devices. And both eliminate the need to rip DVDs, without adding any additional price to the disk. The only thing better than this would be a disk that came with a download code for Amazon Unbox. In the meantime, you just validate and copy the files to your PC for playback or transfer to your portable device.
With any luck, the Harry Potter experiment will work well and we'll see many more disks like this one in the near future. Maybe this is the HD-DVD managed copy concept only a year or two late?
Geoff writes, "I was wondering if there is a way to burn your purchased iTunes movies to DVD?"
Movie purchases from iTunes are protected with Apple's DRM, preventing you from burning them to DVD playable on a set top DVD player using software solutions like Nero, Roxio, etc. You can burn the movies as data files to back them up, storing them for recovery in the event of a hard drive failure. If you want to watch iTunes movies on your television, I recommend getting the iPod A/V Cable for your iPod and watching movies with iPod connected to television. The iPod scales video from the portable resolution to a television-quality resolution well enough for standard definition video playback. If you have an HD screen, turn off image stretching so that the video isn't distorted.
Possibly one of the stranger movies I've seen, this film breaks down human behavior and examines what make hairless apes tick, in a rather unique fashion. Tim Robbins plays a behavioral psychologist, Nathan, bent on teaching mice table manners, in an effort to deal with repressed issues related to his upbringing. Patricia Arquette plays nature writer, Lila, a talented mind with a unique body hair disorder, who falls for Nathan after being setup by Lila's electrolysis specialist. Things are dandy until they discover Puff (played by Rhys Ifans), a man raised in the woods as an ape. Nathan wants to study Puff, and teach him to be civilized, which leads to all manner of absurdity. Written by Charlie Kaufman, who also penned the brilliant Being John Malkovich, Human Nature examines what it means to be civilized in a wry comedic light. The DVD offers little in the way of special features, but the movie is definitely worth renting and may take more than one viewing to really grab all the nuances.
Comedy - 96min
Rating - (R)
Release Date - 2002
Given the opportunity, I'd spend all day doing nothing but watching DVDs and writing about them. I couldn't tell you where this year's Survivor is taking place (or if there is a Survivor this year), but the chances that I watched a movie released on DVD in the last week are very high. I'm always watching the new release listings on Web sites and directly from the various studios, hoping to find obscure stuff that tells a good story. digitally OBSESSED covers a wide range of genres, offering reviews and news, not to mentioning offering some downloads that are useful in improving the DVD experience for both Mac and PC movie fanatics.
Run Time: 92 minutes
Director: Robert Wise
Starring: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal
Rating: G
DVD Release Date: March 2, 2004
Compare Prices on The Day The Earth Stood Still
A classic science fiction film that should need no introduction, The Day The Earth Stood Still is as much a commentary on the 1950's political climate, as it is a disturbing premonition of humanity's self-destructive tendencies. Combining a religious parable with a flying saucer obsession and fear of Communism, the movie is a snapshot of American imperfections. Despite a lack of special effects, much of the imagery in this movie has been repeated throughout the evolution of sci-fi. The film's quality has been restored to a state that may be better than the original theatrical release without losing the old time feel of the movie. Extras on the DVD are a must for any sci-fi fan, including a documentary on the making of the movie, the shooting script, and a before and after comparison of the restoration.
Run Time: 106 minutes
Director: Marleen Gorris
Starring: John Turturro, Emily Watson
Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: September 18, 2001
Compare Prices on The Luzhin Defence
Only Vladamir Nabokov could spin a tale that would make the world of competitive chess actually seem exciting. It's not that I don't have great respect for anyone truly gifted at playing chess, it's just that watching it is right up there with watching golf on my list of boring ways to spend an afternoon. John Turturro, as Russian chess master Alexander Luzhin, is brilliant, capturing the all-consuming passion of Luzhin's obsession with chess. Emily Watson, as Luzhin love interest Natalia, plays well against Turturro, creating a chemistry that leaves you believing the two are actually involved. When Luzhin first sees Natalia on an Italian island, during a tournament to determine the world champion of chess, the two fall instantly in love, despite Natalia's mother's wishes for her to marry a man of society. Part story of love, part story of madness, Luzhin's life turns into something of a mental chess match when his old mentor returns to try and thwart his chance at victory. The DVD contains commentary by director Marleen Gorris and a pathetically short "making of" that should have been labeled an extended trailer. The movie is brilliant, not to mention being one of the better book adaptations I've seen, and warrants multiple viewings. If you like good cinema, you'll appreciate adding this title to your collection.
Run Time: 103 minutes
Director: DJ Caruso
Starring: Val Kilmer
Rating: R
DVD Release Date: September 7, 2004
Compare Prices on The Salton Sea
For some reason, I either love Val Kilmer's movies, or absolutely despise them. For instance, I loved his characters in The Doors, and Tombstone, and even Real Genius was surprisingly brilliant. On the flip side, The Island of Doctor Moreau and Red Planet are far down the list of movies I'd ever consider watching again. The Salton Sea falls into the category of good Kilmer movies. In it, Kilmer plays a police informant, caught up in a world of Meth dealing, after the murder of his wife leaves him searching for meaning. Vincent D'Onofrio plays brilliantly as the drug dealer Pooh Bear, adding an uncomfortable quality to the story that strengthens the plot. The entire movie, from it's hilarious history of speed beginning, is a noir cinematic adventure, unlike anything I've seen recently. DVD extras are fairly standard, although I noticed the trailer contains scenes that weren't included in the film or as deleted scenes on the extras.
Run Time: 91 minutes
Director: Stacy Peralta
Rating: PG-13
DVD Release Date: May 3, 2005
Find Dogtown and Z-boys on Amazon
The theatrical release of Hollywood's polished version of the Z-boys story may have better effects than real life and a more attractive cast of characters, but I'm still partial to this documentary. I'm too young to have experienced any of the skateboarding revolution first hand, so I can't speak for the accuracy of this documentary's portrayal of the Santa Monica Z-boys and their influence on skating as it has evolved today, at the same time I'm certain this is closer to the truth than the current Lords of Dogtown. Iowa doesn't have many inground pools to skate and by the time my generation took up skating, we were building half pipes in permissive parents backyards and inviting select friends to join in the fun. The Z-boys skateboarding was stylistically different from anything else going on at the time and accounts from skateboard luminaries like Tony Hawk, and Washington DC punk rock icons Henry Rollins and Ian MacKaye suggest that the Z-boys did kick start much of what we see in skateboarding now. If you were a skateboarder in the 70's, this should be a good trip down memory lane. If you are skateboarding today, or are the parent of one of the new generation of skateboarders, Dogtown and Z-boys offers a great historical perspective from guys who have been there-done that. Of course if you're dying to see the Lords of Dogtown, buying the documentary gets you a movie pass good until July 15, 2005.
Run Time: 96 minutes
Director: Jesse Spencer
Rating: NR
Watch the Corner of Your Eye Trailer
I originally reviewed Corner of Your Eye back in 2003 after visiting with the director at a cafe in San Francisco. I noticed Phlying Phrog Philmz is currently working on a second production, so this seemed like a great time to revive the write up. Corner of Your Eye is a utterly bizarre story about a love triangle resulting in the infection of three friends with a disturbing mental virus. Imagination and reality blur as the three succumb to their infection, sharing dreams and experiences beyond the state of conscious thought and reliving moments of their lives trapped in a seemingly unending cycle. Shared dreams make for some particularly surreal moments in the film, building the psychosis of each character to unnerving levels before bringing you back to the implication of reality. Repeated musical themes throughout the movie punctuate the madness of the characters as they descend further from reality and into their own confused existence. I recommend seeing Corner of Your Eye at least twice, as the plot is occasionally difficult to follow, changing things up and leaving you wondering exactly where the story is headed. This is an outstanding first effort and leaves me eager to see what's in store from Striking 13, the next production from Corner of Your Eye writer, director, and producer Jesse Spencer.
