Welcome to a new The Special Edition. After last week’s column was filled with prestigious releases, including three sought after Criterion releases, this week we get a lot of fluff. From crap like The Cleaner, to popcorn offerings Night at the Museum and Deja Vu to the cultish, with a special new Van Damme release. Only The Queen brings any class to this week’s offerings. Oh well, let’s take a look at a couple of those new releases.
THE QUEEN
Director: Stephen Frears
Stars: Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell
The Queen tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II, and her stugggles with her reactoin to the death of Princess Diana. That death is one that I actually remember where I was and who told me when she died. I remember pretty clearly the fallout here in America, as many people mourned the loss of the beautiful Diana and many more were angered at the senseless act that caused her death to begin with. That is impressive because I never really cared one way or the other about the woman, yet it was still big enough to stick in my mind. Stephen Frears, who has a proven track record with such classics as My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters and High Fidelity, continues to put out quality work here with The Queen, his second movie in a row to lead British “royalty” to Oscar nominations (2005 Best Actress nominee Judi Dench for Mrs. Henderson Presents and 2006 Best Actress nominee Helen Mirren for The Queen. The disc’s extras are quite small compared to last week’s impecable releases of Last King of Scotland and Notes on a Scandal. I can see this becoming a double dip, but I can’t be sure on that.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentary from director Stephen Frears, writer Peter Morgan, and British historian/Royal Expert and author of “Majesty,” Robert Lacey
“Making of The Queen” featurette
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Roonet, Robin Williams
Do you like popcorn flicks? Do you have kids? Do you like monkeys? Night at the Museum might be something that interests you. Here is the summary from our own Fetal Films: An action-adventure-comedy that comes to life by night. The hallowed halls of the Natural History Museum are lined with the most amazing things – wild-eyed prehistoric creatures, fierce ancient warriors, long lost tribes, African animals and history’s legendary heroes – all frozen forever in time. Or . . . are they? In the action-adventure-comedy, NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, the brand new night guard at the Natural History Museum is about to discover that when the visitors go home at the end of the day, the real adventure begins – as the museum’s stuffed, waxed and well-preserved residents come out to play. Ben Stiller plays the new night guard and his co-stars in the museum are pretty hefty too: Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan and Owen Wilson. Robin Williams plays Teddy Roosevelt. You also get the beautiful Carla Gugino (see all her beauty in Sin City). Is it any good? I don’t know. Director Shawn Levy directed Just Married, both Cheaper by the Dozen movies and The Pink Panther. I actually enjoyed the first Cheaper by the Dozen, but Levy is carving out a niche in “family friendly” entertainment that is almost taboo here at Chud to enjoy. It might be harmless fun, but there is a huge two disc special edition that shows that the studios believe they have something here that will interest a large sector of the DVD buying audience. It’s still a safer choice than Codename: The Cleaner, which I won’t be wasting my time writing about.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Commentaries by Shawn Levy and film’s writers, Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.
TWO DISC SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
Commentaries by Shawn Levy and film’s writers, Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon
Deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary by Director, Shawn Levy
Alternate opening scene
Blooper Reel
Directing 101
Bringing the Museum to Life Featurette
Acting with Nothing Featurette
Monkey Business Featurette
Building the Museum
Historical Threads: the Costumes of Night At the Museum
Storyboard Comparison with Introduction by Shawn Levy
Making of Night at The Museum Featurette
Theatrical Teasers
DVD-ROM Explorer Game – Reunite with Rexy
DEJA VU
Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Adam Goldberg
Tony Scott is one of the “fathers” of the popcorn action movie. He was activly sought after by Jerry Bruckheimer, after the Bruck saw his debut feature The Hunger. The former television commercial director was given the reigns of the film Top Gun, and he has never looked back. He followed that movie with some really good movies (True Romance), some pretty great genre flicks (Enemy of the State and Crimson Tide) and some mindless fun movies (Days of Thunder). Lately he has taken a little more interest in adding a little something extra to his work. Looking at movies such as Spy Game and Domino, you still see the “MTV” directing style that Scott practically introduced to the United States, but there is something there that shows he is trying to give us a little something more than just explosions and car chases. In Deja Vu, Scott scored some really good actors, Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer (who was also in Top Gun) and Adam Goldberg, and puts them into a story that adds a little sci-fi to the action that we are used to. Denzel plays Doug Carlin, a BATF agent brought in to travel back in time and stop a terrorist from blowing up a ferry filled with crewmen from the USS Nimitz and their families. He falls in love with the woman who was murdered for the truck that was used in the bombing. He decides that he also wants to stop her murder as well as the terrorist act. A funny bit of trivia I found on imdB (which means it is 50/50 that it might be true): Tony Scott had a shirt made that said: "Malcolm X, Jesus Christ, and Jim Morrison: Deja Vu. How Can We Fail?" Well, I think it’s funny. The disc has pretty much nothing of interest, except what looks like a follow the white rabbit feature in the film. [edit. One of the people who put this disc together informed me that the special features are a bit more in depth than the original press release would indicate. The "Surveillance Window" feature gives you a seamless commentary and Behind-the-Scenes look at the film and there’s a number of deleted and extended scenes with Tony letting you know why they were cut or shortened.]
SPECIAL FEATURES
“The Surveillance Window”, a feature which allows users to go back in time with the filmmakers and experience on set, behind the scenes moments just before they happen in the film
OTHER DVDs TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON
COMING SOON: THE DVD NEWS
The 40-Year Old Virgin: Unrated 2-Disc Double Your Pleasure Edition
Director: Judd Apatow
Stars: Steve Carrell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogan
Release date: May 22, 2007
A few weeks ago, I mentioned this release. Well, Universal Studios has released the complete list of extras and here they are: You get over 90 minutes of bonus material and a free ticket to see Apatow’s next movie Knocked Up. The extras include: Man-O-Lantern Packaging, 17 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by director Apatow and actor and co-producer Seth Rogen, Judd’s Video Diaries, Poker Game Rehearsal, Reel Comedy Round Table, Cinemax Final Cut – "The 40-Year-Old Virgin", Exclusive Raw Footage, You Know How I Know You’re Gay? – David (Paul Rudd) & Cal (Seth Rogen) do their infamous You Know How I Know You’re Gay routine, with exclusive commentary by director Judd Apatow and actor and co-producer Seth Rogen, Date-A-Palooza, Line-O-Rama , My Dinner with Stormy, Cast Auditions, Waxing Doc – Oh, yes he did!, Knocked Up Trailer, Unrated Feature Commentary by Judd Apatow and actor and co-writer Steve Carell, Sex Education Film from the 1950s, and a Gag Reel.
HELLBOY ANIMATED: BLOOD & IRON
Director: Victor Cook
Stars: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, John Hurt
Release date: June 12, 2007
A few months ago, a Hellboy animated movie was released entitled Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms. I was pretty excited because I loved the movie, they had brought in all the film’s stars for voice work on this animated film, and it was a good appetizer for the upcoming Hellboy 2 that has begun production. Well, that was not all it was serving as an appetizer for. Starz Home Entertainment has officially announced Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron which brings back all the talent from the last animated feature once again. At 77 minutes, the DVD will include an audio commentary with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Tad Jones and Vic Cook, a Reversal of Fortune: Professor Bloom’s Story feature, a Tales From the Tomb: A Look Inside Blood & Iron featurette, an Iron Shoes: The Animated Debut with Introduction by Mike Mignola, and The Penanggalan: An E-Comic Exclusive with introduction by Mike Mignola. In addition, a 32 page comic will be included with the first 300,000 DVD’s. They are not done yet, as a third movie will be available in 2008 entitled Hellboy Animated: The Phantom Claw right before Hellboy 2: The Golden Army hits theaters.
BREACH
Director: Billy Ray
Stars: Ryan Phillipe, Chris Cooper, Dennis Haysbert
Release date: June 12, 2007
I really liked the trailer for the movie Breach. A few things were going for me. First, I really like Chris Cooper (Adaptation) and Ryan Phillipe (Igby Goes Down). Second, I like covert spy stuff. Third, Billy Ray showed a lot of promise with Shattered Glass. Finally, Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 83% fresh rating. On the flip side, Devin reviewed the movie (here) and said “we get a movie that’s a restrained and respectable look at what might be the single least interesting aspect of a stunning true story.” I still want to see it. The DVD will be available on June 12 and will include a commentary with Writer/Director Billy Ray and Former FBI Operative Eric O’Neill, deleted scenes with optional commentary, alternate scenes with optional commentary, a Breaching the Truth featurette, an Anatomy of a Character Brought to You by Volkswagen, and "The Mole" as Originally Aired on Dateline 03/05/01. An HD/DVD Combo release will be available as well.
THE BARGAIN BIN
Color Coded for Your Pleasure
All Best Price New Releases deals are in YELLOW
All Gimmick Promotions are in BLUE
BEST BUY
CURRENT RELEASES
The Queen – $17.99 – Save $10 instantly when you buy both Déjà Vu and The Queen
Night at the Museum – $15.99
Night at the Museum SE – $22.99 – Free Night At The Museum Dinosaur Puzzle with purchase
Déjà vu – $17.99 – Save $10 instantly when you buy both Déjà Vu and The Queen
Code Name: The Cleaner – $19.99
Until Death – $19.99
.45 – $24.99
10 Items or Less – $19.99
Al Franken: God Spoke – $14.99
The Documentaries of Louis Malle – $99.99
The Drew Carey Show: The Complete First Season – $29.99
Harry and the Hendersons Special Edition – $9.99
Jane Eyre – $24.99
Man in the Middle – $12.99
Morel Orel, Vol. 1: The Unholy Edition – $24.99
NCIS – The Third Season – $39.99
New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector’s Edition – $69.99
The Odd Couple: The First Season – $32.99
Parenthood Special Edition – $14.99
The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes – $24.99
Slingshot – $14.99
Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away – $9.99
Thr3e – $19.99
WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season – $26.99
OTHERS
An Inconvenient Truth – $14.99
The Prestige – $17.99
Barnyard – $9.99
M:I: III – $9.99
World Trade Center – $9.99
Kingdom Of Heaven (Theatrical) – $9.99
Jackass #2: Unrated – $9.99
Eddie Murphy: Delirious – $9.99
The Last Kiss – $9.99
The Omen (2006) – $9.99
Eragon – $15.99
Columbo: Mystery Movie Collection – 1989 – $17.99 (3 Movies)
CIRCUIT CITY
CURRENT RELEASES
The Queen – $17.99 – Buy both titles together on the same receipt and save $6
Night at the Museum – $13.99
Night at the Museum SE – $22.99 – Free Encyclopedia Britannica Dinosaurs CD-ROM with purchase
Déjà vu – $13.99 – Buy both titles together on the same receipt and save $6
Code Name: The Cleaner – $17.99
Until Death – $19.99
.45 – $19.99
10 Items or Less – $19.99
Al Franken: God Spoke – $19.99
The Documentaries of Louis Malle – $69.99
The Drew Carey Show: The Complete First Season – $34.99
Harry and the Hendersons Special Edition – $12.99
Jane Eyre – $15.99
Man in the Middle – $12.99
NCIS – The Third Season – $39.99
New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector’s Edition – $59.99
The Odd Couple: The First Season – $27.99
Parenthood Special Edition – $12.99
The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes – $19.99
Slingshot – $15.99
Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away – $12.99
Thr3e – $19.99
WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season – $29.99 – Get 2 Free Months of Napster service PLUS 5 free downloads with purchase
OTHERS
Man On Fire / Out Of Time Double Feature – $13.99
Born To Fight – $19.99
Smokin’ Aces – $19.99
Freedom Writers – $19.99
The Last King Of Scotland – $19.99
Charlotte’s Web (2007) – $19.99
The Pursuit Of Happyness – $19.99
Happy Feet – $19.99
An Inconvenient Truth – $14.99
Jurassic Park Adventure Pack – $13.99
$6.99 DVDs: Entrapment: Special Edition, Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior, Alien vs. Predator, Mad Max: Special Edition, Cocoon / Cocoon: The Return Double Feature, Donnie Darko (1st Pressing), Raging Bull (1st Pressing), Hoodlum, Drum Line, Redemption, Roll Bounce, The Vanishing / Chain Reaction Double Feature, The Last Of The Mohicans, Alien Nation / Enemy Mine Double Feature, The Transporter: Special Delivery Edition, Cast Away, Men Of Honor, White Men Can’t Jump, Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Johnson Family Vacation, Weekend At Bernie’s, Fever Pitch, Club Dread: Unrated, A Walk In The Clouds, West Side Story, Edward Scissorhands, Dr. Doolittle (Eddie Murphy), Like Mike, Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion – Diamondz, Bratz Babyz: The Movie
TARGET
CURRENT RELEASES
The Queen – $17.99
Night at the Museum – $15.99
Night at the Museum SE – $22.99
Déjà vu – $15.99
Code Name: The Cleaner – $15.99
.45 – $25.19
10 Items or Less – $22.49
Al Franken: God Spoke – $20.19
The Documentaries of Louis Malle – $55.99
The Drew Carey Show: The Complete First Season – $27.99
Jane Eyre – $14.99
Man in the Middle – $11.19
NCIS – The Third Season – $39.99
New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector’s Edition – $52.49
The Odd Couple: The First Season – $27.99
The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes – $20.99
Slingshot – $21.99
Thr3e – $17.99
WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season – $25.99
OTHERS
The Simpsons: Season 4 $17.99
South Park: Season 4 $17.99
Firefly: The Complete Series $17.99
One Tree Hill: Season 1 $22.99
Veronica Mars: Season 2 $22.99
Supernatural: Season 1 $22.99
The O.C. : Season 1 / 2 / 3 $22.99 each
The Gilmore Girls: Season 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 $22.99 each
$6.50 DVDs: Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events, Charlotte’s Web (Animated), This Is Spinal Tap (MGM), Supersize Me, Love Actually
$10.00 DVDs: Barnyard, Little Man, Garfield: A Tale Of Two Kitties, World Trade Center, M:I: III
ONLINE BEST OFFERS
(Prices listed include basic shipping charges)
CURRENT RELEASES
The Queen – WalMart.com – $20.34
Night at the Museum – WalMart.com – $18.34
Night at the Museum SE – Amazon – $25.77
Déjà vu – Overstock.com – $19.86
Code Name: The Cleaner – DeepDiscount.com – $19.15
Until Death – DeepDiscount.com – $19.83
.45 – DeepDiscount.com – $13.65
10 Items or Less – DeepDiscount.com – $15.24
Al Franken: God Spoke – DeepDiscount.com – $16.28
The Documentaries of Louis Malle – DVDPlanet – $51.97
The Drew Carey Show: The Complete First Season – Amazon – $27.99
Harry and the Hendersons Special Edition – DeepDiscount.com – $9.49
Jane Eyre – DeepDiscount.com – $14.74
Man in the Middle – DeepDiscount.com – $10.39
Moral Orel, Vol. 1: The Unholy Edition – DeepDiscount.com – $21.52
NCIS – The Third Season – $39.99
New York Yankees 1977 World Series Collector’s Edition – DVDPlanet – $41.97
The Odd Couple: The First Season – $27.99
Parenthood Special Edition – DeepDiscount.com – $14.23
The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes – DeepDiscount.com – $18.29
Slingshot – DVDPacific.com – $14.69
Steven Wright: When the Leaves Blow Away – DeepDiscount.com – $10.05
Thr3e – DVDPlanet – $19.86
WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season – Amazon – $25.99
That’s it for this week. As always, comments and suggestions are always appreciated at Chud1@starvingdogs.biz.