Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition - Part 1

This is the first in a series of installments of what is perhaps one of the best DVD collections to come out at the end of last year. And with its re-release this coming Tuesday, May 29, I'm surprised that I've only seen one web site - The Digital Bits - give it a fairly detailed commentary. While Bill Hunt looked at a number of the segments in the set, others got the short shrift. And other web sites only analyzed a couple of the separate DVD releases that entail the 14-disc collection. What I hope to do is give a really detailed breakdown and analysis of everything in the entire set, including those discs that got the short shrift.

There are very few times in my life and years of reviewing different publications, DVD releases, and products where I just come out and give my bottom-line thought right at the start. This is one of those times. Listen up, boys and girls, because I will say this only once: Warner Home Video has done a most spectacular job with its 14-disc release of the "Superman" Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD set! Christmas definitely arrived early for me in my home! There have been only three other titles and/or collections where I've seen such an impressive and staggering array of film and content in a single presentation - Fox's "Alien" Quadrilogy (along with the 20th anniversary single-disc release of the original "Alien"), New Line's "Lord of the Rings" extended trilogy (along with the two-disc theatrical sets), and Warner's equally massive and impressive 10-disc Ultimate "Matrix" Collection (which just hit stores in HD-DVD earlier this week) and its individual releases. After all of this, could the ante be upped any further? At first I didn't think so - color me fooled. I have to hand it to Warner, they know how to deliver the goods when it comes to their compilations, taking its rightful place alongside Fox and New Line as a studio that continually seeks to provide top-of-the-line products for its consumers. With this latest compilation of one of the most loved (if not at times unfairly criticized) franchises, Warner has provided "Superman" fans with a true treasure trove sure to satisfy any fano fthe Man of Steel or its most notable and recognizable portayer, the late Christopher Reeve.

Right away I should tell you that all the "Superman" films in this collection - as well as the documentary "Look! Up in the Sky - The Amazing Story of Superman" - are individually available, while the first four films are also compiled together in the eight-disc Christopher Reeve "Superman" Collection. Dollar-wise, when you start adding up all of the releases, you're actually investing more money for fewer discs. Of course, there is the argument of wanting only specific titles - the four-disc "Superman" Special Edition, the two-disc "Superman II" Special Edition, and the Richard Donner Cut of "Superman II" - and that's an argument I can respect. But by breaking down the cost of each film in the entire 14-disc set, you wind up paying less and getting more in the 14-disc set. As someone who likes to look for good bargains overall and get some added perks thrown in, I had my eye on this set from the word go. (My wife will disagree with me, though!)

In my next installment I will analyze the four-disc "Superman" SE. Until then, have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day holiday! See you next time!

It was 30 years ago today...

Where were you on May 25, 1977?

It's hard to believe that it's the 30th anniversary of the release of the original "Star Wars". Back in the day before CGI, before DVD, before Padawans and midichlorians and a misguided kid named Anakin, before there was even an "Episode IV: A New Hope" subtitle stuck at the beginning, there was simply "Star Wars".

I remember seeing it a short time after the film's release in that summer of 1977. My parents took me, an eager wide-eyed 10-year-old, to the old Deville Cinema (the last of the great single-screen theaters in Jackson, MS) to see it some time after it came out. Granted, I didn't see it on opening day, but we eventually went to see it. For some reason all I remember was falling asleep during the film. The next time I saw it, it was part of Rob Summerlin's 11th birthday.

For so many people my age, that was the iconic film of the 1970's. Granted, it was one of the iconic films of my youth, but not the iconic film - that honor wouldn't fall until a year and a half later with the release of the first "Superman" film at the end of 1978.

So much has happened since then... war, death, love, growing up, moving off, marriage, becoming a dad... and through it all "Star Wars" has remained with us. I always thought of myself in those days being like Luke, the idealistic kid looking for something bigger than what and where he was. And wouldn't you know it... for the Luke in me, there was a Leia... Kelly Catt, who looked a whole lot like Carrie Fisher, the resemblance was at the time uncanny.

Of course, that was 30 years ago. And I had to grow up and put away a lot of childish things, including, of course, "Star Wars". But while a lot of people my age remember where they were 30 years ago when the film first came out - even Kevin Max of DCTalk mentioning his first taste of musical inspiration with the original "Star Wars" double album - for some reason lately I've been thinking about Kelly and what might have... could have... should have been, but wasn't meant to be.

For that brief time I found myself wanting to be that hero, saving the day, falling in love with a beautiful girl, making a difference. Just like Luke Skywalker.

It's funny how life can be cruel sometimes, you know? But then again, had everything gone as I had hoped, my life would have been most definitely different.

I should have gone to see Kelly when she was in the hospital, lying there with a broken leg, to wish her a speedy recovery, but like a damn fool I couldn't. I was forbidden to. I should have. And I should have gone to see her in later years when she got sick, but I didn't.

Is it wrong to say that you miss someone close from your youth, who meant a lot to you? Even though you're married to a woman you love, could you miss someone that you loved from way back then? Granted, I don't want to sound like a Jay Gatsby here, looking to recapture and win the one true lost love of my life at the expense of my own soul, but sometimes you just need to get things off your chest and get rid of that regret once and for all, you know?

Sorry if this seems much more personal and sentimental, but sometimes you just gotta share what's on your heart. And that's what this day, this film in particular, reminds me of.

Kelly, if you somehow get a chance to read this, please e-mail me and let me know how you're doing. I'd really enjoy hearing from you.

The Passion of the Christ - Definitive Edition

Basically in cinema there are three kinds of movies. One is the basic, ordinary kind of movie done in cookie-cutter fashion, churned out for the masses, and there are lots of movies. Then there are films, big in size and scope, epic in nature, or serious in storytelling, and there are quite a number of films. Then there are experiences. This is the category of filmmaking that leaves you simply stunned beyond belief because of its uncompromising nature and the deep effect it leaves in your heart. It could be small scale in budget and scope, or it could be so big that it causes a huge stir of controversy. "The Passion of the Christ" is a film that can only be described as an experience.

It seemed at the time like the last person who could conceive a large-scale, serious retelling of the final hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion would be, of all people, Mel Gibson. Here was the star of such well-known Hollywood vehicles like the "Lethal Weapon" series, "Maverick", "Conspiracy Theory", and the 1990 adaptation of "Hamlet" who began to make a name for himself as an accomplished director with "The Man Without a Face" and his 1995 Oscar-winning epic "Braveheart". And yet he had the idea in mind all along since before "Braveheart". What took so long was the idea of doing it right.

For centuries the portrayal of Jesus' crucifixion has always appeared neat and tidy, from visual paintings to the majority of film productions over the last 50 years. But Jesus' crucifixion, and the hours leading up to it, was anything but neat and tidy, and Gibson was determined to portray it as the Bible accurately described it. As singer-songwriter Todd Agnew states, "Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him." And this is the central problem a number of people have had with "The Passion of the Christ". "Passion", in the ancient Hebrew, translates as "suffering", and anyone who was crucified, including Jesus, suffered for hours from blood loss, the pain of having nails driven into their hands and feet, the tearing of flesh, near paralysis, scourging, dehydration, losing consciousness, public mocking, and in most cases the breaking of bones, all of which led to death. In most of these cases a crucifixion was a deserving punishment for a crime, but in Jesus' case He had willingly chosen that path so that He might bridge the gap between Earth and Heaven, taking on all of humanity's sin and punishment so that He would be the prophesied fulfillment of redemption. And still to this day there are those people who doubt and ask, "Why would anyone willingly give up his own life like that?"

Against all odds Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to bring "The Passion of the Christ" to life, which in Hollywood's mindset is certain career and financial suicide, and no major studio would even consider touching or funding his project at all. He and co-writer Benedict Fitzgerald, and co-producers Bruce Davey and Stephen McEveety, were determined to bring to the screen an unflinching yet brutally honest portrayal of how far Jesus went to be humanity's redemption. And with only two significantly recognizable faces in the Hollywood community in lead roles - Jim Caviezel ("Frequency") as Jesus and Monica Bellucci ("The Matrix Reloaded") as Mary Magdalene - Gibson was determined to give the film an equally honest international flavor, casting many European actors in key roles, lending the film an authenticity that most other films of similar caliber sometimes lacked. And just as much as Gibson wanted the right story and look for his cast, he was equally determined to give it the right setting, filming entirely in Italy. To top it off, GIbson would give "The Passion of the Christ" an extra added impetus that nothing else before or since had done: he would film it entirely in Latin, Hebrew, and ancient Aramaic, the actual languages people spoke in Jesus' time. In the Hollywood mindset, that's a lot going against it... but God had bigger plans for this project.

Newmarket Films, an independent film studio, released "The Passion of the Christ" on Ash Wednesday, February 2004, amid overwhelming anticipation and box-office success from filmgoers and the Christian community, and harsh and obvious attack from critics because of its graphic brutality. Like Jesus Himself, Gibson bore the brunt of the attack because of the amount of bloodshed in the film, which had never been so blatant in any previous onscreen portrayal of the life of Jesus. This, then, is the next problem. If Hollywood is so unconcerned and unrelenting about pushing the envelope further and further with its continued reliance upon language, graphic sex, and violence to sell its movies en masse, why then could it not accept "The Passion of the Christ" for its honest portrayal of what happened two millennia prior? Because of the compromises made at the hands of Hollywood filmmakers of potentially offending viewers, which over the decades had become more and more desensitized at the ever-increasing language, sex, and body count in one movie and TV series after another. They thought that the public wouldn't accept anything less than something neat and tidy and reverent in any film or TV portrayal of Jesus. Could a violent, independently produced $25 million foreign-language film be a success? Rubbish, they thought. They were wrong.

Gibson, however, got it right because he stayed honest to the Bible. Of course, he took a few liberties for dramatic effect, including a scene of the Devil further tempting and taunting Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, a lighter scene of Jesus and Mary (Maia Morgenstern) talking some time before He began His three-year mission, and a quick moment of Mary embracing a young Jesus, lending the film a level of speculation of what might have also happened before and during those final hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. But those moments are not as important as getting the core story right, which is what Gibson did. And just as important is the fact that Jesus actually endured that suffering for all of us.

This brings me to the main point of why "The Passion of the Christ" speaks to all of us - it is brutally honest because of our own inner nature of always wanting to do what is right but failing at times. It is brutally honest because like the Bible, here is a story of the one perfect man, fully God and fully man, who took it upon Himself to bear all of the scorn and hate and shame so we wouldn't have to bear it and suffer and die in such a similar manner. It convicts us inside our hearts to get our own act together, to know that we are forgiven of our sins, and to share that message with everyone around us, "He did this for me; He can do it for you, too." Some people reject that message, and some people have rejected "The Passion of the Christ", and they continue to do so to this day. But let me just end this part of my commentary on the film by saying that this is the first time that after the end of a two-hour film that I have ever felt that things were just getting started, simply because of that brief final moment that says it all.

Fox (which ironically was one of the major studios who rejected the film for initial consideration for distribution, yet owns the home video rights to Newmarket Films) previously released "The Passion of the Christ" in August 2004 as a bare-bones single-disc release of just the film. A couple of years later that same bare-bones release had been reissued on DVD from Warner Home Video and Equinox Films. For most of that time I had held off in getting the bare-bones release simply because I knew that a film of this caliber deserved a full and comprehensive DVD treatment. Earlier this year Fox Home Video, in conjunction with its new Fox Faith line, reissued "The Passion of the Christ" in a deluxe two-disc Definitive Edition that came out of nowhere yet truly lives up to that title.

As with the preivous DVD releases, the original 126-minute theatrical release is presented in a crisp-looking anamorphic widescreen transfer that brilliantly reproduces the film in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The colors are rich and vibrant, balancing perfectly in conjunction with the stark black and white photography that permeates and fulfills the atmospheric look of the film. This is because Gibson and director of photography Caleb Deschanel (who shot "The Patriot" and "The Right Stuff") were determined to give the film an authentic look and feel that echoed the classical paintings from centuries past. Sonically, the film is an audio marvel, as it is reproduced in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound in the Latin, Aramaic, and Hebrew languages conveyed in the film. From that ominous lightning bolt at the start of the film when the Icon Productions logo appears on the screen, all the way through the film, the sound is wonderfully balanced throughout. And you have a choice of watching it with optional English or Spanish subtitles or with optional English closed captioning. My wife had difficulty keeping up with the film because of the subtitles, which I have to admit is a common problem for any foreign language film. If you want a real challenge, try watching it without any subtitles, because just the imagery alone will tell the whole story for you.

In addition, the film is presented with five - yes, five! - different audio commentaries on the DVD. The first audio commentary I must make mention of is one I have not seen utilized all that often on home video releases, and that's the optional commentary for the visually impaired. This is a great running descriptive commentary of the action in the film that is a real boon for those with visual impairments. More studios should take advantage of this feature. Next up are a pair of audio commentaries - one with Gibson, Deschanel, and film editor John Wright; and the other with McEveety, Ted Rae, and Keith Vanderlaan - that focus on the production aspects of bringing "The Passion of the Christ" to life. All of the participants involved share their thoughts of working on this film and giving it the right authenticity and feel to its appearance. We then have a most interesting audio commentary with Gibson, Father William J. Fulco, Gerry Matatics, and Father John Bartunek that focuses on the theological aspects of the film. This is especially intriguing to me personally because it centers on Gibson's desires to get everything scripturally accurate for the film, and while some discrepancies do appear throughout the film, all of the theologians agree that Gibson's portrayal of Jesus is spot on with the Bible. Finally we have a running audio commentary with composer John Debney on the creation of the film's atmospheric musical score. Debney is also an engaging listen who relates his desire to create an accurate sound and feel for the film's various settings and the portrayal of its characters. I've only sampled each of these commentaries, to be honest, but you've got to simply listen to each one to get the fullest feel that's presented here on this DVD.

In addition, there is a sixth commentary included on the disc, and that is the optional text commentary. This is presented in "Pop-Up Video" style and runs throughout the original theatrical version of the film, giving viewers further additional information into the Scriptures, as well as production aspects. Anyone who is familiar with the text commentaries on other DVDs, such as the different "Star Trek" series and films, the "Spider-Man" films, and the "Gladiator" extended edition, should be familiar by now with this feature. This text commentary, however, applies only to the original theatrical cut.

This brings me to the final bonus feature on Disc 1 of this release, and that is the 121-minute unrated "Passion Recut", which was released to theaters in the spring of 2005. This is an interesting addition, since most feature films that are re-released to theaters or issued on DVD are usually extended longer versions with additional footage, but this is one film that ran six minutes shorter than its original release. This version was prepared with the intention of silencing those critics who had originally decried the film for its seemingly excessive violence and bloodshed, yet still wanted Gibson to maintain the integrity of the film's central core and make it more family-friendly. Like the original theatrical cut, "Passion Recut" is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen, 5.1 sound, and optional subtitles, closed captioning, and commentary for the visually impaired. None of the other previously mentioned commentaries are accessible through "Passion Recut". While this is a first in my book, seeing a shorter edited re-release accompanying the longer original cut, it's an interesting feature nonetheless.

Moving onto Disc 2, we have a wide selection of additional bonus features that round out the entire experience. All of these extra features have been divided into three main sections: Filmmaking, The Legacy, and Galleries. First off, in the Filmmaking section, we have the feature-length documentary "By His Wounds We are Healed: The Making of 'The Passion of the Christ'", which runs approximately 100 minutes in length. In this comprehensive documentary we have new interviews with Gibson, Caviezel, Deschanel, Debney, and various cast and production crewmembers discussing their thoughts and reflections on making a project that was uncompromised by Hollywood production standards. Gibson's presence is highly evident all over the new commentaries, interview segments, and production video shot on location in Italy, as he completely immersed himself into wanting this project done right. No amount of detail went unnoticed, from the script's development to the photography, visual and sound effects, makeup, and music; from the artistic inspirations for the film to the lighter moments that transpired on the set (given Gibson's penchant for practical joking and humor); to the deeper emotional suffering Caviezel experienced in immersing himself into the part; and finally to the guerrilla marketing campaign in churches prior to the film's release. This insightful documentary can be viewed in a "play all" form or through each of the 21 individual chapters. It's one of those rare documentaries that will leave you simply stunned and all the more appreciative of a true creative vision.

From there we have a "Below the Line" panel discussion, running 14 minutes in length, and featuring several members of the production crew talking about bringing "The Passion of the Christ" to life. It's an insightful commentary that looks at how they sought to honor Gibson's vision and bring it to the screen.

The third and final part of the Filmmaking section focuses on two deleted scenes cut from the film that run four and a half minutes in length and occur just before and during Jesus' walk on the Via Dolorosa. The second, "Don't Cry", focuses on Jesus' encounter with some of the women who according to the Gospels wept for Him. The first, however, simply entitled "Pilate", is the more intriguing of the two cut scenes, as it features Pontius Pilate declaring to the crowd that Jesus' blood would be on his hands. Upon viewing this scene, it becomes clear that Gibson made the wise artistic decision to remove this scene from the film and move Pilate's line to the crowd, thereby sticking to the account recorded in the Book of Matthew.

The next section on the DVD, The Legacy, is a collection of five featurettes running over an hour in length that look at the different inspirations for Gibson and company to make the film. The first featurette, "Through the Ages" (12:00), features interviews with scholars and art critics on the historical artistic portrayal of Jesus and the crucifixion over the centures. The second featurette, "Paths of a Journey" (9:30), narrated by Salome Jens, takes a look at the actual Via Dolorosa and the 13 Stations of the Cross as held by Catholic and Episcopalian beliefs. The third featurette, "On Language" (13:00), analyses the usage of the Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages and their place in history and the film's development. Next is "Crucifixion: Punishment in the Ancient World" (17:00), the longest of the featurettes, which eximes the brutality of crucifixion over the centuries, how many like Jesus had been crucified for any crime in particular, and how Simon Peter had asked to be crucified upside down. Finally there is "Anno Domini" (10:00), also narrated by Jens, which is a look at what happened to those closest to Jesus in the years following His death, burial, and resurrection.

From there we move to the final section, Galleries, which is mainly a collection of different still galleries pertaining to production artwork and paintings, Biblical references, descriptions of the different actors and their characters, and on-set photographs shot during production. Another gallery is comprised of two theatrical trailers and two TV spots for the film, while the final gallery is a detailed listing of DVD production credits.

I really cannot think of anything else that could be included in this DVD set. Other DVD releases have focused on Diane Sawyer's 60-minute interview with Gibson for ABC News, as well as a look at the impact of the film on viewer's lives. Probably the only thing that is left is the 60-minute documentary that aired on the PAX Network at the time of the film's release, but once you've seen "By His Wounds" on this DVD, you've really got all the meat there is. I also remember seeing a number of locally produced TV spots incorporating footage from the film into various churches' promotions for the film and attendance at services, which would have made for a nice montage of how different churches got into the act of promoting the film - the local church I attended at the time of the film's release had at least three such spots. Finally, there is a trailer for this DVD, which was not included on this release but oddly was included on the Fox Faith DVD release of "One Night With the King" in cross-promoting the film and touted as part of a trailer gallery, but that's another argument for another time.

Bottom line, the Definitive Edition of "The Passion of the Christ" is just that - definitive. Simply put, you can't get much more thorough than this content-wise, and it doesn't get any better than this film-wise. I for one am glad that I held out for this release that's packed to the brim. And this is one experience that definitely deserves repeated viewing and sharing with those around you. Kudos to Fox Home Video and Fox Faith for a DVD release that is a must-add to any serious DVD collection!

See you next time!

Wal-Mart, Trek, and Heroes at the end of the week...

Earlier this week Wal-Mart unleashed a boatload of DVD titles at the low price of $7.50 each. This includes a number of popular titles, including "Clueless", "Aliens", and the SE's of the first four "Star Trek" films. After several months, catching up with the first two "Star Trek" films again on DVD (as of today) has been quite enjoyable - I've missed these guys! I don't know how much longer this deal will last, so get 'em now at this low price before they're gone. Tomorrow it'll be III when I get the oil changed in my car, which leaves only IV. Hopefully they'll roll out the remaining "Trek" titles in time at the same low price...

Speaking of "Trek", Paramount plans to reissue "Star Trek: The Next Generation" on DVD in a complete series box set this September 4, just in time for the series' 20th anniversary. Has it really been 20 years? I can remember sitting in Dale Jewell's house in south Jackson back home in Mississippi checking out the preview reel and the behind-the-scenes promotional reel... not to mention choosing between checking out the two-hour premiere and dancing the night away with Laura Ann King at an off-campus swap.... the memories it brings back.

I have no idea what Paramount plans to include in the complete TNG box set, whether it will simply be a repackage of all seven existing DVD season sets, or if they'll include some all-new extras. We'll see in the coming weeks. (They should do likewise for the other series!) All I know is that I hope to have a review in September, which I can promise will be more emotional and reflective than usual.

I've been hearing about this series "Heroes" that started last fall on NBC and is coming out toward the end of August on DVD. Being a fan of the "Superman", "Batman", and "Spider-Man" films, and also having seen the "X-Men" trilogy, naturally, this series intrigues me. I may have to check it out. Thoughts?

Next go-around I'll have a review of a big DVD title, one I'm surprised other websites haven't thought of reviewing at all. I guarantee you this... it'll be my longest one to date. And then I'll follow it up with the first installment of a series of blogs on the "Superman" Ultimate Collector's Edition, which will return to stores May 29th.

Have a great weekend, everyone out there! And feel free to post your thoughts on anything and everything I've shared thus far. I'd love to hear from you out there. Later!

MASH: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

Over the years, there have been only two series finales that have had such impact upon me. One is "All Good Things", the final episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" which first aired in May 1994. The other, which is the subject of my review this week, is "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen", the epic series finale of "MASH", one of television's most successful and long-running comedy-dramas. When it first aired on February 25, 1983, the series finale garnered a then unheard-of viewership of over 106 million American households, a record that still stands to this day in the annals of TV history.

This would not have been possible had the cast and production crew of "MASH" agreed to one more season, provided that they would bring the series to an effective end like no other. While the actual Korean War (or police action, as it was often called) lasted only three years, and nearly everyone was glad to see it end, "MASH" ran for 11 seasons, and nobody wanted it to end. While some series lost their creative energy and originality over multiple seasons (and, in some cases, series - i.e., "Star Trek"), the crew of "MASH" were determined not to let the same thing happen to them, which resulted in the epic final episode.

In the summer of 1953, the Korean War is on its last legs, and both sides are hoping to get in as many final shots as possible before the eventual cease fire. At the 4077th, things were almost as chaotic. Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda, who directed and co-wrote the finale) had finally snapped and was committed to a mental hospital. BJ Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell) finally received his discharge papers and was looking to head home. Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit) was torn between her continued military service and a possible stateside civilian career. The ever-stodgy Charles Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) found himself successfully apprehending four Korean prisoners of war while wearing his bathrobe, only to discover with them a shared appreciation for classical music, his only refuge from war. And Klinger (Jamie Farr), who for all the years of the series looked for every way possible to be discharged via Section 8, found himself in love and forced to make a crucial decision.

Everyone couldn't wait to go home, yet nobody wanted to leave the extended family of the 4077th. And once the final shots rang out, everyone was affected and in some cases scarred by the experience, forever changing them in the process. And we, the viewers, were equally affected and changed by this final episode, realizing that this would be the last time we would see them together like this. And who could forget that final kiss between Hawkeye and Margaret? It was like high school or college - in my case, quite literally, as "MASH" began when I started first grade and ended in my junior year of high school. And nothing that came afterwards - not a year-long marathon of nightly reruns during my freshman year of college, not syndication across different networks, not DVD, not even the ill-fated spinoff "After MASH" (which continued the adventures of Klinger, Colonel Potter [Harry Morgan], and Father Mulcahy [William Christopher] working together in a stateside VA hospital) or the rarely seen spinoff pilot "Walter" (with Gary Burghoff reprising his role of Radar O'Reilly as a police officer in peacetime Iowa), neither of which will probably appear on DVD any time soon - would ever match that feeling of the final episode or of "MASH" as a whole. And like the end of school, nothing was ever the same again.

Ironically, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" was the first episode of "MASH" issued on VHS in the mid 1980's from Fox Home Video. It would be seen three times on CBS in 1983 and would remain unseen until the 1990's in syndication, though in a slightly edited form with footage and dialog cut from one critical moment in the episode. After that, it would periodically appear in syndication until FX, and later Hallmark Channel, picked up the rerun rights to the series.

This marks the third time that "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" has appeared on DVD from Fox Home Video. Previously it was issued as part of the final season DVD set released this past year, as well as part of the massive 36-disc "Martinis and Medicine" complete series box set. Over the years fans had been extremely concerned at the lack of extras on each set, apart from the option of viewing each episode sans the canned laugh track. Fans were further concerned at the fact that extras finally appeared only in the box set, and that it seemed like a waste of $200 to shell out double-dipping the entire series just to get the extras. Fortunately, Fox Home Video heard the fans' concerns and, in a true show of respect, has reissued "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" on DVD, this time as a separate release complete with all of the extra features from the box set. This may mean double- or even triple-dipping on the final episode, but at least it's presented at a much more affordable price for those fans who had shelled out some $300 on the season sets.

The 120-minute DVD presentation of "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" is nothing short of incredible. It's presented in its original broadcast aspect ratio, with your choice of English or French mono sound and optional English or Spanish subtitles. It's no 5.1 extravaganza to be sure, but then again such an effort is not needed here. It looks and sounds even better than in its original broadcasts. That for me is good enough right there!

The remaining discs are reserved for the bonus features that originally appeared in "Martinis and Medicine", which total approximately six hours in length. First off are three full-length TV documentaries - the 45-minute A&E Biography special "MASH: Television's Serious Sitcom"; the 70-minute CBS special "Memories of MASH", hosted by Shelley Long (who appeared in one of the episodes as one of Hawkeye's many brief romantic flings); and the 90-minute "MASH 30th Anniversary Reunion". Each one of these programs rightfully belong in such a DVD retrospect of the series, and while the material and conversations sometimes overlap, each program nonetheless provide interesting insight into what went into the production of a series that started on shaky ground but eventually went on to earn a staggering 99 Emmy nominations and a worldwide audience of millions of fans. It's interesting to watch these three programs and realize just how many recognizable film and TV stars dropped in at the 4077th over the years - including Leslie Nielsen, Burt Young (Paulie from the "Rocky" films), Ron Howard, Teri Garr, a pre-"Dirty Dancing" Patrick Swayze, George Wendt (Norm from "Cheers"), Laurence Fishburne (yes, all you "Matrix" fans out there, Morpheus himself!), George "Goober" Lindsey (who could ever forget "Roy Dupree from the 8063 - see, it rhymes"?), and Rita Wilson (before she became better known as Mrs. Tom Hanks), among others. And that's just for starters.

From there we have a collection of new and vintage features, many of which have not been seen by the public at large. First off is a collection of bloopers from the series, showing the cast members flub their lines, miss their marks, and, in the spirit of the early episodes, pull practical jokes on one another. Next we have a series of cast interviews and production footage shot on the last day of filming on "MASH". Ironically, while "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" was the last episode telecast, it was not the last episode to be shot, as the documentaries chronicle how production on the epic finale was moved forward in the middle of the season and shot under tight security, and the final episode filmed was the final half-hour segment focusing on the 4077th's development of a time capsule of memories from their time in Korea. (And to think that had this final episode been filmed today, it would have been spoiled all over the Internet months before its airing!) In addition, we also have a collection of public service announcements filmed with the cast members, as well as a collection of "My Favorite MASH" episode promo spots from the series' run. It's vintage footage and outtakes like these that stand out as pure gold.

But that's not all. We also have a "Just the FAQs" trivia game, a "Jocularity" compilation featurette, and a "Fan Base" featurette, all of which provide entertaining looks back at highlights of the series' run as well as a look at the fans' appreciation for the series. And we even have the complete script from an unproduced episode, "Hawkeye on the Double". After reading through this script, it becomes highly evident that after 11 years, you can easily see it in your mind how it could have looked on screen had it been filmed.

"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" stands out as a true television classic, and if you're a serious "MASH" fan or even just a casual fan of classic television programming, this DVD is a great way to remember one of the most defining moments of TV history. And if you have to have only one episode of the series on DVD, this is definitely the one to own. Highly recommended!

See you next time!

The Adventures of Superboy - Season 1

Just recently the Home Theater Forum hosted its latest online chat with representatives from Warner Home Video on upcoming TV series and animated titles slated for DVD release. Among the titles mentioned by participants was "The Adventures of Superboy", the 1988-92 series that saw its first season released on DVD last summer. When asked about possible future releases of the remaining seasons, Warner reps stated that "Superboy" was not in the works any time soon - which is a real shame. Since that announcement, I figured it's time to go back and take a look at this underrated release.

In 1988 the Superman franchise was struggling to keep its head above water. The third and fourth "Superman" feature films, as well as "Supergirl", were critical and commercial box office disasters. The "Superman" franchise had changed hands, as the struggling Cannon Films now had the rights to the series and had begun considering a fifth installment. In the meantime, the animators at Ruby-Spears were looking to bring Superman back to television as an animated series (which would run for 13 installments). But Alexander and Ilya Salkind, the producers who brought the first three "Superman" films to life, had one more card up their sleeve, as they had the rights to the Superboy character as well. Prior to 1988, the only times Superboy had seen the light of day had been in the 1960's, in a 30-minute TV pilot produced by Whitney Ellsworth and starring John Rockwell (which didn't sell), and in animated form in 1966 from Filmation Studios as part of "The New Adventures of Superman" (which is set for DVD release later this year). Could the Salkinds pull it off and make their mark in television the same way they had done in films? By producing a pilot film entitled "Countdown to Nowhere" (which would be slightly re-edited and aired as the fifth episode of the season), "Superboy" was about to take flight. Many of the creative personnel who had worked on the "Superman" films returned to produce "Superboy", and directors like Jackie Cooper (Perry White from the films and himself a veteran TV director) and David Nutter (who would later helm episodes of "Lois and Clark" and "Smallville") directed a number of installments in the first season.

At the time, original series produced for syndication were something relatively new to the market, and at the top of the heap was "Star Trek: The Next Generation". Its success paved the way for many other series to bypass the main networks and run solely in syndication, relying on national and local advertisers for funding and promotion. When "Superboy" premiered in the fall of 1988, it became an instant hit and one of the most popular half-hour syndicated series of its time. Viacom, a TV distributor best known for syndicating older series to local stations, syndicated "Superboy" throughout its four-year run from 1988 to 1992 (in 1990 it would also handle the syndication rights to the extended version of "Superman IV").

The premise of "Superboy" was interesting, as it sought to answer a question posed in the first "Superman" film: what could have happened in the years between the time Clark Kent left Smallville at age 18 and emerged as Superman at age 30? Ilya Salkind posited one notion that could have happened: he, like any other youth, would go to college. During his freshman year at Shuster University in Siegelville, Florida (an obvious tip of the hat to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), Clark Kent (portrayed by John Haymes Newton) balanced his time between studying journalism, writing for the Shuster Herald, and saving the community as Superboy. Along for the ride were Lana Lang (the ever-fetching Stacy Haiduk), who had a crush on Superboy, and T.J. White (Jim Calvert), son of Daily Planet editor Perry White, here playing the Jimmy Olsen-like photographer sidekick for the Herald. At times, however, Clark, Lana, and T.J. had frequent run-ins with Lex Luthor (Scott Wells), here portrayed as a rich, snobby upperclassman who looked to line his pockets with as much money as possible through more than questionable means.

Many of the initial plots of the first season of "Superboy" were relatively simplistic, as nearly all of the stories had to fit within and be resolved by the end of the half-hour, though a number of plots were revisited throughout the season and, later, the series. A number of these plots pitted Superboy against local hoods attempting to get rich quick through shady means, including Lex Luthor at times, or saving Lana from disaster. By the second half of the season, as the series grew in its ratings, the plots began to grow significantly and explore the Superman mythology, introducing Kryptonite and Mr. Mxyzptlk, the fifth-dimensional prankster. One of the running themes of Luthor's attraction toward Lana emerged into a showdown between him and Superboy at the end of the first season, which would continue throughout later seasons.

Newton's portrayal of a more mature Clark Kent and Superboy steered away from the feature films and echoed elements of the George Reeves series of the 1950's, with a confidence then rarely seen in the character. Because of the popularity of the series, the Salkinds considered a "Young Superman" spinoff feature film with Newton in the title role. But just as plans for the film and the second season began to emerge, the Salkinds soon found themselves without an actor for the lead role. To this day, reports vary between a salary dispute Newton had with the Salkinds for a salary increase for the second season, and a reported run-in Newton had with the law which led to his being fired from the series during its hiatus in 1989. Whatever the reason, the first season of "Superboy" was Newton's only turn at bat, and the cape would be passed on to Gerard Christopher when the series returned in the fall of 1989. (Newton would later go on to star in the syndicated TV version of "The Untouchables" and continue working in TV films and series billed simply as John Newton.) Jim Calvert and Scott Wells would also depart the series at the end of the first season (I don't think I ever saw them in anything again), leaving only Stacy Haiduk as the sole cast member to return. Now the Salkinds had a challenge worthy of the last son of Krypton.

Since its final run in 1992, "Superboy" was not seen anywhere on television, though it was briefly considered for a return telecast on the Sci-Fi Channel in later years (which didn't materialize). When I caught this series during its run, I often missed a number of episodes simply because of poor scheduling on the station's part. And in the wake of other Superman incarnations throughout the last 15 years, "Superboy" got lost in the shuffle somewhere and was nearly forgotten.

Thankfully, Warner Home Video stepped up to the plate and offered the first season of "The Adventures of Superboy" in a nice four-disc collection. All 26 of the first season episodes are presented in their original broadcast form in Dolby Digital 2.0 sound, with your choice of French or Spanish subtitles. Because the series was shot on videotape, it echoes many of the others series that were also shot on video at that time, as it looks soft and fuzzy at times in terms of image quality. Almost as bad are some of the visual effects, which when compared to latter-day CGI efforts looks dated and cheesy. And certainly the flying effects have improved in later years. But you can't blame the Salkinds for giving it all they had in this first season.

Included on this set are two audio commentaries with Ilya Salkind and John Haymes Newton on "Revenge of the Alien - Part 2" (the season's lone two-part segment) and "Meet Mr. Mxyzptlk". Here Salkind and Newton reflect on their work on the first season of "Superboy" and discuss story points and production considerations. Having these audio commentaries is nice, but I wish their thoughts, along with Calvert and Haiduk, were included on other episodes as well.

Disc 4 contains the bulk of extra features included in this first season set, but sadly there's not a lot of love given to "Superboy". First we have "Superboy: Getting Off the Ground", a 12-minute featurette that takes a look back at the making of the first season. We have new interviews with Salkind, Newton, Haiduk, and Calvert, as they reflect on their attempts to bring "Superboy" to life. Salkind has the lion's share of stories about wanting to continue the Superman franchise with his first venture into television, while Newton, Haiduk, and Calvert reflect on their friendships during that first season. Sadly, Haiduk and Calvert have lost much of their youthful luster due simply to the passage of time, and only Newton looks as youthful yet mature enough to handle playing an older Superman. It's all too brief, punctuated by on-set photos and clips from the first season, but it's a nice retrospective look.

We also have a six-minute video of John Haymes Newton's screen tests for Superboy and Clark Kent. This one really brought a smile to my face, simply because Newton is seen testing for the role in none other than Christopher Reeve's Superman movie costume (which would make one more appearance during a second season segment involving Bizarro). Newton's test for Clark Kent is also interesting to watch, as he approaches the role with the same kind of maturity that he gave to Superboy. This is also all too brief, but it's a nice inclusion in this set.

The set is rounded out with trailers for the "Superman: Brainiac Attacks" direct-to-DVD animated film, the six-minute teaser for the Bryan Singer/Kevin Burns documentary "Look! Up in the Sky - The Amazing Story of Superman", and the Superman "Hero" trailer, all of which made the rounds on the different Superman-themed DVD releases in 2006.

Missing from this set are the original unaired version of the pilot episode "Countdown to Nowhere", which is very similar to the final presentation but without the bookend scenes included in the episode; production footage and outtakes from the first season; any and all preview trailers used to promote the series; and further commentaries with Newton, Haiduk, and Calvert on other episodes. Where Warner really delivers in a nice DVD presentation of its TV product, they really skimped on the opportunity for more extra features.

It's really sad that Warner Home Video announced that there were no plans to release the remaining seasons of "The Adventures of Superboy" on DVD. This is because of the reported low sales given to this first season set, and, as you know, sales translates into demand for later season sets of a series, particularly a very long-running series. I'm also thinking this announcement has something to do with the legal problems that DC Comics has had with the heirs of Siegel and Shuster and their claim to the Superboy character, which also has had a lot to do with the Superboy animated segments from the 1960's and the 1961 pilot film being kept off DVD in an official format. This kind of announcement only opens up the doors for bootleggers, and that only results in money lost from a studio. My advice to you is write to Warner Home Video and express your concerns for seeing the remaining seasons of "Superboy", as well as the 1960's animated segments and the 1961 pilot film, formally issued on DVD in an official format and given a lot of love and treatment it rightfully deserves.

See you next time with more DVD reviews and thoughts! Have a happy Mother's Day, and don't forget to call your mother!

A couple of additional thoughts...

I just read on The Digital Bits that Warner Home Video is finally going forward with the DVD release of Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" in a 2-disc special edition on August 14. I'm a serious "Hamlet" buff ever since graduate school, when my teacher, George Pittman, got me into "Hamlet" because of Mel Gibson and Franco Zeffirelli. This one looks like it's gonna be another must-add to my collection!

HTF had its latest chat with Warner Home Video last night on lots of upcoming TV releases in the coming months - here's the URL: http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/050807htfchat.html.

One thing that left me a bit disappointed with the chat was the mention that no further seasons of the "Adventures of Superboy" series from 1989-1992 (featuring Gerard Christopher) were planned. While it wasn't mentioned, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why. First off, when the first season finally came out on DVD last summer, reportedly the sales were very low, and as you know, sales tallies determine whether a series' later seasons will arrive on DVD. Second, there's the continuing legal problems DC Comics has been having with the heirs of Siegel and Shuster over the rights to the Superboy character (which has also prevented the release of the Filmation animated "Superboy" segments from the 1960's onto DVD).

News like this only encourages the bootleggers to pirate DVD copies of the series and make a killing off them on eBay. If you truly care about a DVD product, and you want to see a legitimate release of the remaining "Superboy" seasons, write to Warner Home Video and express your thoughts. I know I will.

And on that note, I'm outta here! :)

Rocky Balboa

"Everyone thought this was a joke, including me. Nobody's laughing now."

When I first heard about Sylvester Stallone's plans to bring his signature character back for one more round, I like many other people were skeptical about the concept. Over the course of 15 years and five films, Rocky had been there, done that, and fought just about everything and everyone that crossed his path. Back in 1990 I felt that the series had ended where it rightfully deserved, bringing Rocky and his family back home to Philadelphia to live in peace.

Flash forward to 2006. Stallone's acting and directing careers were in a slump, despite some well-received roles in smaller films that did little to further his career, and his reign as box office champion was long since over. But then there was the mention of "Rocky Balboa", the sixth entry in the series Stallone began in 1976 with the first Oscar-winning "Rocky". Just the mere mention of the title sent eyes rolling, including mine, I have to admit - another example of the old adage "Everything old is new again" come to life. George Lucas had done it, Steven Spielberg was promising to do it again, and even the "Superman" and "Batman" franchises had ventured down that road once again as well. Couldn't there be something new?

When the film hit the theaters in Christmas 2006, theatergoers were absolutely stunned silent, because here was a movie that, despite all of the odds, was actually very well written, produced, and directed. And when no less than Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, and WAY-FM (one of the top contemporary Christian radio stations in America which interviewed Stallone) give "Rocky Balboa" high praise and recommendation, it must really be that good.

In this new film, Rocky is sad and lonely. His beloved Adrian (Talia Shire, in flashbacks from earlier films) has been dead three years from cancer, and he spends every day at her gravesite mourning her death. Desperate to fill the hole in his heart, he has opened up Adrian's, a popular Italian restaurant decorated with memorabilia from his celebrated career, where among the fine dining he entertains patrons with tales of his classic fights. He tries to keep the bond alive with his son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia of "Heroes", who bears a very strong physical resemblance to Stallone), a struggling corporate ladder executive who is seen only for his name and fights to emerge from his father's shadow. His down-on-his-luck brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young), as irascible as he ever was, follows Rocky around the familiar haunts from the first film and tries to convince Rocky to quit living in the past but to no avail.

But he's still the people's champion with a heart of gold who freely gives without asking for anything in return. Among those he serves as a benign benefactor are Spider Rico, one of his former opponents who has become a Christian and works in his restaurant in return for free meals; Marie (Geraldine Hughes), a woman Rocky once knew years before who works as a waitress in a seedy bar, whom Rocky befriends and gives a good job at his restaurant; and Marie's teenage son Steps (James Francis Kelly III), whom Rocky takes under his wing and serves as a surrogate father.

Through it all, Rocky cannot seem to fight the one thing that's keeping him down: the anger and grief inside his own heart over losing Adrian. He allows "the beast", as he calls it, to dominate and suppress him from living and moving forward, and it seems he has no way of saving "the stuff in the basement" - that is, until he hears of a virtual championship bout against Mason "The Line" Dixon (played by real-life heavyweight boxing champion Antonio Tarver), pitting both men in the prime of their careers against each other in a CGI fight. When the computer declares Rocky the winner, that decision spurs him to see whether he really does have one more fight within him. He decides to fight locally and everyone from Paulie to Robert to the boxing commission dismisses his request as an old man's foolish joke to reclaim his pride. But Rocky sees it as something more: the perfect opportunity to make a difference once again and fight the beast consuming his heart.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Dixon isn't getting any respect in the ring, not fighting with everything he has inside him, and that bothers him inside. When he hears of the CGI fight, he and his promoters decide to give Rocky the chance to really prove it in the ring in an exhibition, which some unjustly call an execution. What emerges is a fight that Dixon sees as the perfect opportunity to claim the respect and honor he rightfully deserves, to see what he's really made of inside, for his career to grow in the right direction. For Rocky, what starts out as a cynical joke to many (even set to the tune of Frank Sinatra's "High Hopes") emerges as the real fight he has longed for over the past trhee years. For everyone around Rocky, it becomes the perfect metaphor for their own lives, to see their own self-worth inside their hearts and live victoriously.

I really have to admit, Stallone has pulled it off with "Rocky Balboa". While some of the other films in this series, not to mention the "Rambo" movies, have been for the most part formulaic, this one is far from formulaic. First off, Stallone is in monstrously fantastic shape at 60 - I only hope I look as good as he does at 60! His storytelling and filmmaking has aged gracefully, and he has a much more focused eye and heart now than ever before. Rocky's speeches are so from the heart, you'd think they were coming from Stallone's own heart, mirroring his desire to make a meaningful comeback in the cinema. His message of perseverance producing inner joy and peace is well told, so that by the time Rocky gets to the big fight, it doesn't matter whether or not he wins against Dixon, because he has already won the more important fight of getting rid of the anger and grief that consumes and threatens to overtake him. Tarver, like Stallone, brilliantly holds his own and underplays his character of Mason Dixon, growing throughout the film and emerging as a latter-day Rocky Balboa in the process. The blend of handheld photography, CGI, basic video, and high-definition video (for the climactic fight) are skillfully melded into one form that's perhaps better than anything Lucas or Spielberg have done in recent years. And Bill Conti's classic score is eloquently underplayed through the bulk of the movie, accompanying not only the essential "Rocky" moments (working out and going through the fight) but also the more important emotional elements, this time a perfect fit to both Rocky's crises at heart and his eventual triumph. And it's an equally perfect metaphor for anyone looking to conquer their inner demons and aspire to their greater dreams of success in life.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has delivered a solid DVD presentation of "Rocky Balboa" (also available in HD-DVD and Blu-Ray). The 102-minute film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen format and in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, with your choice of English, Spanish, or French subtitles. The print is a visual and audio knockout, wonderfully crisp both on a standard monitor and on a HD receiver, especially during the final 30 minutes of the film. The colors are warm and rich, nicely juxtaposed with the starkly balanced blacks and whites, very reminiscent of Ridley Scott's "Gladiator". This is a great little touch that Stallone has brought to the table, adding to his maturity as a filmmaker.

Sony has alson added a nice collection of extras to this single-disc DVD release. First off is a very interesting and engaging audio commentary with Stallone. He discusses the need to return to Rocky's world one more time for this new installment, which mirrors his own battle to re-emerge as a more confident and nuanced filmmaker. He also focuses on the themes of anger, grief, respect, and perseverance he presents throughout the film, as well as his decision to blend standard photography, clips from past films in old-school video format, CGI for the virtual fight, and HD for the climactic fight, which he describes as the perfect sendoff not only for the character but also for the series. Those of you who thought Stallone was boring and formulaic will definitely toss your opinions by the wayside after hearing this audio commentary.

We have several interesting documentaries on this disc, produced by J.M. Kenny (best known for his work on recent DVD titles, among them Warner's "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"). As opposed to the typical DVD fluff, this is pretty substantial and well-produced material. First off is the 18-minute "Skill vs. Will", which chronicles the filming of "Rocky Balboa". Stallone, Young, Ventimiglia, Tarver, and Hughes, among others, discuss the importance of producing this final installment, offering their thoughts of being part of an American original. Next up is "Reality in the Ring", which chronicles the choreography Stallone and Tarver undertook to make the final film fight look as real as possible. What's just as interesting here is that instead of the ten days they'd hoped to shoot the fight, they had only six, which raised their stakes of getting the fight to look right - and as Stallone reveals, every punch delivered in the fight is painstakingly accurate.

We also have the six-minute "Virtual Champion", which looks at the creation of the CGI fight. We see early CGI tests for the fight and Stallone's uncompromising desire to make it as real and accurate as possible. We also see Stallone and Tarver undergo CGI modeling and production to make Rocky and Dixon look as accurate as possible in CGI. And as an added treat, Stallone offers up the complete, unedited final version of the virtual fight (which we saw in bits and pieces in the film), a very nice touch indeed for the fans.

But that's nto all. We have an all too brief collection of bloopers, showing Stallone and the cast flub their lines and miss their marks during filming. In addition, there is a hidden Easter egg in the special features section on the DVD of a makeup featurette, showing how Rocky and Dixon's makeup was accurately achieved for the film.

Finally, we have several deleted, extended, and alternate scenes cut from the film. Some of these moments just simply didn't belong, as they would have slowed down the film's pacing and taken away from the central core of the story. Three of these moments allow for further character insight into Paule, including his love of painting, his relationship with his girlfriend, and an extended moment of Paulie breaking down and mourning Adrian's death - the latter of which just didn't fit within the balance of Rocky going through the same grief, emerging as repetitious to the essence of the film's core. We also have an alternate version of Rocky and Marie meeting in the bar, originally filmed with more character interaction but pared down to its starker bare elements that make the final version work more effectively. Another cut moment of Rocky's sparring session (set to classical opera) just didn't seem to fit within the framework completely, because it's not as convincing as Rocky's uplifting workout set to Conti's classic "Gonna Fly Now". And then there's the alternate ending of the movie - I agree, this version was rightfully cut, because it wouldn't have served neither Rocky nor Dixon any character growth and justice to the film. Stallone made the wise artistic decision here, choosing to end Rocky's emotionally fulfilled journey in the final film with two simple words: "Let's go." I only wish Stallone had served some optional audio commentary with these cut scenes, to sweeten the package just a little more.

Surprisingly, the film's original theatrical trailer is not present on this disc, though there's a wide array of other Sony films and DVD titles, including "Spider-Man 2.1", "Spider-Man 3", "Casino Royale", "Are We Done Yet", "The Pursuit of Happyness", and the special edition DVD of "The Natural", among others.

There's a line that serves the whole concept of the film perfectly. During the final fight Robert says to his father, "Everyone thought this was a joke, including me. Nobody's laughing now." That single line drives home the whole theme of "Rocky Balboa" as a movie and as one man's journey to excise his anger and hurt to face the rest of his life with dignity. After seeing this on DVD, I can see why. It truly is that good.

Random tidbits at the end of the week

Well, as this week comes to an end, I've got a few little random tidbits to share with you...

First of all, Warner Home Video has just launched a new website for their upcoming direct-to-DVD release of "Superman: Doomsday", coming this September. This adaptation of the popular 1992-93 storylines "The Death of Superman", "Funeral for a Friend", and "The Return of Superman" should really be an exciting visual feast for the eyes in animated form. While it won't squeeze in every single story element from a year-long tale into 75 minutes, it should be quite interesting nonetheless.

It had previously been adapted by BBC Radio into the audio drama "Superman Lives" and by writer Roger Stern into the best-selling epic novel "The Death and Life of Superman". (It was also considered as a potential movie during the 1990's by a certain writer whose crap shall remain in the toilet where he belongs - thank goodness that crappy script was never made!) It also spawned the sequel "Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey", which explored Doomsday's frightening origins.

Has it really been 15 years since Superman fought Doomsday to the death? The link to the new website is http://www.warnervideo.com/supermandoomsdaydvd/ - check it out and mark your calendars for September! I'll have a review of it when a copy becomes available for review.

I was recently in the video stores and happened to see something I never thought I'd actually see on DVD: Season 2 of David Lynch's cult classic series "Twin Peaks". While I'm glad that it's finally out on DVD, I hope that the box set containing the entire series and the original pilot episode (issued in the Asian market as a Region 0 DVD) comes out very soon. I also hope that they've got the clearance issues with Lynch and Warner Home Video to release the alternate European theatrical cut (with a 15-minute alternate ending that was never used in the series) as part of the set as well. There's just been way too many hands all over this series... Artisan, Paramount, Warner, New Line (for the separate DVD release of the prequel movie)... it just boggles the mind. I definitely need more than a donut and a damn fine cup of coffee for this one.

Question for Paramount Home Video and George Lucas: "Young Indiana Jones" on DVD - WHEN????? And why not include the original TV broadcasts with the George Hall-narrated bookends? If that's left out, it's just another notch in Luca$' "creative rethinking" that robs the fans of its memories.

Finally, you just have to check out this web link: http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=1678. What will the Asian market bootleg next??? What, DVDs and CDs aren't enough? This is just way too funny to pass up.

Well, next Tuesday I'll be back with a full-length DVD review of Sylvester Stallone's surprising box office hit from this past Christmas, "Rocky Balboa". Simply put, if you've not seen it, you owe it to yourself not to miss this film on DVD.

That's it for today. Have fun checking out "Spider-Man 3" this opening weekend, faithful True Believers! See you again on Tuesday!

Everyone's Hero

Welcome back to this week's Blog! Sometimes when a movie is released to theaters, it arrives to very little fanfare and box office reception, sometimes disappearing within a matter of weeks without being given the chance to survive. But thank goodness for home video and DVD! Without this format, some movies would go completely unnoticed. And in this day and age, I'll very rarely go to the movies except once, maybe twice, a year at most; I'll usually wait until the DVD before checking it out. One such movie that deserves a chance is the recent Fox Home Entertainment animated release "Everyone's Hero", the final work from the late Christopher Reeve.

"Everyone's Hero" is the story of Yankee Irving, a 10-year-old boy growing up in New York in 1932. He's small for his age, and nobody around him gives him a snowball's chance of proving himself. He has a love for baseball, but in his neighborhood he's always the last one picked for sandlot baseball. Even with the love of his parents, he still seems insecure and unable to prove himself...

...until one day he learns that Babe Ruth's prized baseball bat has been stolen during the World Series. So Yankee Irving takes it upon himself to embark on a cross-country journey to retrieve Ruth's stolen bat from an unscrupulous character and get it back to the "Bambino" before it's too late. It's on his travels that Yankee discovers the meaning of hope and perseverance against all odds. It's funny, lighthearted, and filled with warmth and heart. If this story is quite familiar, it should. We can all relate to Yankee Irving at one point or another in our lives. And it certainly relates to the odyssey Christopher Reeve embarked on in the last decade of his life.

Reeve, who served as one of the film's three directors and six executive producers, brought this film to life from a story by Howard Jonas and a screenplay by Robert Kurtz and Jeff Hand. Reeve began working on "Everyone's Hero" in late 2003, partnering with IDT Entertainment, a digital telecommunications company venturing into its first foray of film production and CGI animation. Reeve saw the first development of the film's story and storyboarding process, working tirelessly to put his heart into the film. After Reeve's untimely passing in 2004, Colin Brady and Daniel St. Pierre continued moving the vision forward, honoring Reeve's original ideas and vision. With the artists at IDT, they brought the film to completion for its 2006 release.

The talented voice cast bringing the characters to life also had many personal and professional connections to Reeve - among them his wife Dana Reeve (who also served as one of the executive producers); friends William H. Macy, Rob Reiner, Mandy Patinkin, Robert Wagner, Richard Kind, and Whoopi Goldberg (who starred in Reeve's 1997 directorial debut "In the Gloaming"); and in addition to Brian Dennehy, Raven Symone, Jake Austin (as young Yankee Irving), Forest Whitaker, and real-life New York Yankees manager Joe Torre - making "Everyone's Hero" a wonderful ensemble piece.

IDT and Fox have brought "Everyone's Hero" to DVD in a nice little presentation that both kids and kids at heart will enjoy. The film is presented as a DVD-18, with one side carrying the film in a full-frame format and the other side in its original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. As a CGI film, the transfer is nothing less than sharp and crisp throughout. The audio is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby 2.0 sound, with optional English, Spanish, and French subtitles and English closed-captions. On a standard monitor or an HD monitor, this film is going to look and sound really great.

The DVD also contains several additional features - not terribly a lot by comparison to, say, any Pixar or Disney offering, but then again, not a lot is needed. On each side of the disc is a running full-length audio commentary with Colin Brady, Daniel St. Pierre, Robert Kurtz, and Jeff Hand, who discuss working with Reeve and the animators at IDT, honoring Reeve's vision and carrying it forward after his death.

We also have two behind-the-scenes featurettes on the disc, one per each side. The first one is "The Little Guy's Journey: The Making of 'Everyone's Hero'". This featurette takes a standard look at the development of the film and features interviews with the cast and crew, and we get to see the work in progress, from pencil animation to storyboard development, from rough work-in-progress animatics to their final forms, to the cast's performances and nuances into their characters.

The other featurette, "Remembering Chris", is the more touching of the two, as cast and crew discuss their memories of working with and knowing Christopher Reeve. Here we get to see video footage from 2004 of Reeve directing and overseeing the first storyboard developments and story ideas for the film. Those particularly closest to Reeve - especially Dana Reeve (who would follow her husband in death in 2006), Kind, Wagner, Macy, Goldberg, Reiner, and Patinkin - offer heartfelt anecdotes and personal memories of knowing him over the years. Other cast members and production crew have high praise for Reeve and his uncompromising vision, remaining firmly committed to honoring his vision and standards for the film after his death and seeing his heart all over the film upon its release. It's extremely bittersweet to know that the footage of Reeve in this featurette is among the last video of him before his death.

The DVD is rounded out with the original theatrical trailer for "Everyone's Hero", also presented in anamorphic widescreen format, along with a preview trailer for the upcoming "Care Bears" movie and several generic Fox Kids and Fox DVD titles.

"Everyone's Hero" is a wonderful little film and a perfect final coda to the lives and careers of Christopher and Dana Reeve, to whom the film is dedicated in their memories. As he stated in his autobiography "Still Me", the real heroes are not the larger-than-life figures who move great mountains, but the ordinary people who fight each day to make a difference. That definition certainly defined the Reeves, and it certainly defines Yankee Irving in this movie. This DVD definitely belongs in every family's film library. If you've not seen it, check it out.

I'll have more notes and thoughts later this week, followed by another full-length review next week. See you then!