Each week DVDs come out. Some of them are worth your time and money and some aren’t. Some of them are movies I’ve seen, and some of them aren’t. Regardless, I give you my opinion on the big releases of the week. Take it or leave it, here’s the DVD Blend.
Angel - Season Five - The last season of “Angel” comes out this week, finishing up the Buffyverse on DVD. This is a bit depressing of a DVD release though. The fifth season started taking the show a different direction that would have been very interesting to watch. I didn’t even end up minding James Marster’s Spike coming over to “Angel” from “Buffy”. Instead the show was canceled in its prime, ending on a bit of a cliffhanger. There’s been talk of following up the series with some made for television movies, but thus far so such luck. For now, fans of Joss Whedon’s work will have to wait for the Serenity movie and enjoy his stint on “The Amazing X-Men” comic.
Donnie Darko - Director’s Cut - Unfortunately I’ve now missed Donnie Darko in theaters twice, first for the film’s 2001 debut, and last year for the new director’s cut. That doesn’t mean I’m not a fan of the film though. It was actually the Cinema Blend review of the first theatrical run that intrigued me enough to check out Donnie Darko on DVD, which has me a little nervous about this director’s cut, since Josh’s theatrical review wasn’t as positive as I was hoping. Still, it’s Donnie Darko, which means it’s heads above a lot of other films out there. If you haven’t seen the film, check out the original version rather than this director’s cut which apparently explains the film a bit more than fans would like.
Half Baked - Fully Baked Edition - For some reason, in the last year there has been an unexplained rise in Special Editions of drug films. Last year saw a colorized version of Reefer Madness, as well as special editions of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, and How High. That pretty much only leaves Half Baked and a couple Cheech and Chong movies before the druggies have to find new entertainment. Luckily the munchies will have set in by then, and they’ll be ready to watch these special editions all over again... giving a new meaning to watching something for the first time again regardless of whether they watch the alternate ending or deleted scenes.
The Motorcycle Diaries - No, this is not the story of Ewan McGregor’s cross continental motorcycle trip (sorry to all you Ewan fans out there). This is the prequel, if you will, to Che Guevara’s revolutionary story. Before he became a revolutionary, Guevara took a motorcycle trip that opened his eyes to the world around him. No doubt the DVD release of this was intended to remind you what a great job director Walter Salles, and Gael Garcia Bernal (playing Che Guevara) did in their jobs before the upcoming Oscars. Unfortunately, the film wasn’t recognized in half as many categories as it was expected to be, and thus this is pretty much just a release of one of last years better films...
Saw - ... unlike this movie, which was described by one of my friends as being mistitled (he said the appropriate title should be - “God, I want that ninety minutes of my life back”). However, Cinema Blend gave Saw a mediocre review for a movie of it’s genre. Be warned however - the version being released this week is the American version, which apparently lacked some footage that was released in Europe. What does this mean to you? If you want to see the complete version, either have a region free player, or wait a couple of months. Extra footage means a “uncut” version is inevitably just down the road somewhere.
Raise Your Voice - Oh Hilary Duff, how I could have done without you doing a film like this. Like so many other movies out there, this is about a young artist who is seeking their way in their chosen form of expression, in this case singing. But, as usual, the movie isn’t about the singing, but instead about how their form of expression opens the artist’s eyes to the world around them, especially about some form of adversity or discrimination. When a film like this gets it done better than Fame give me a call, otherwise stop wasting our time, especially with someone like Duff who can’t really act. This movie is basically a giant commercial to get the target audience to buy more Duff merchandise, and since it ain’t Duff beer, I’m not buying.
Taxi - Last year Jimmy Fallon left “Saturday Night Live” to pursue his film career. His first endeavor with Queen Latifah proved maybe he should have stayed behind the SNL Weekend Update desk just a little bit longer. I honestly think Fallon would have done better if this had been an adaptation of the Judd Hirsch show rather than a french comedy. Can’t you picture Fallon playing Bobby, the out of work actor? Or even Latka, the foreign mechanic? Instead of getting that, we get hot chicks as criminals and Queen Latifah showing that, while she can do better than Bringing Down the House, she’d rather keep making films of this caliber.
The Greatest American Hero - Season One - Most super-heroes don’t translate well to the television screen. Special Effects just seem to cost too much, making the shows seem cheap and strained, as writers create stories that work within the boundaries of television. “The Greatest American Hero” solved that problem by allowing the show to look cheap and silly from the get go. The story of a hero who doesn’t know how to work his powers, the show is one of the few comedies from the ‘80s that I’m happy to see come to DVD. This set only includes 9 episodes (which includes an unaired pilot) but the second season is already slated for an April release.
