While I'm awaiting the next DVD for review, I can't help but think about the accomplishments I've made since returning to Mississippi. For one, I got my teacher's license back. Second, I got a teaching job only a few minutes from where I'm living. Third, I'm getting back on track in some personal areas that I'd rather not discuss here. Let's just say that I'm on the road back to feeling normal once again.
But it's cost a lot in the process.
For one, I've lost a lot of DVDs and books in the process. Among them:
- ALL of the Star Trek and Star Wars DVDs
- the Alien and Matrix sets
- numerous Star Trek and Star Wars books and magazines I brought with me from MS to AL or picked up while in AL
- countless other DVDs that are too many to list here
All in all, it's thousands and thousands of dollars in DVDs, books, and magazines that I'll more than likely never see again. And if I'm even able to find them, it may take another 40 years before I can ever recoup what I lost that Sunday after Thanksgiving in November 2006. My only regret is that April never knew to share in those hobbies and interests of mine, as I did with hers. At least it's just stuff. That can be replaced.
What can never be restored is the trust and love that was the basis of my marriage. For all intents and purposes, it's over. All that awaits me now is perhaps the ugliest battle of my life, filing for divorce and getting Lily. But one way or another, that's a battle that I have no intention of losing.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thoughts on Indy, more with Mike, and the last word on Superman IV...
Well, it's been a while for me, and things have begun to move in the right direction in my life. I signed with the Clinton Public School District and completed the majority of my paperwork, and as of this writing all that awaits me is signing my final contract papers. I'm really excited to be making great money doing what I trained to do, and only five minues from my house! All that remains now at this point is beginning the process to get my daughter moved to Mississippi.
This past weekend I finally had the chance to go see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It's not the most high-brow epic film entertainment in the universe, but it's a good solid two hours of leave your brain at the door, get a Coke and a bag of popcorn, and enjoy Harrison Ford once again returning to one of his most famous roles. There's nice little nods to his past film adventures (including an eyebrow-raising nod to the Ark of the Covenant, and even a tip of the brown felt fedora to "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", to boot!), while further setting up possible sequels to come in the future (you know this is going to be inevitable). And anytime Spielberg and Lucas manage to work in music from Elvis and the Everly Brothers into the film's ambience, amid another exciting John Williams musical score, you know you're in for a treat.
What I loved about the new "Indiana Jones" movie is that it did something for the first time since my broken return to Mississippi: it gave me a period of escape for two hours where I felt nothing but joy and happiness for a little while. That's a good sign indeed.
I've been talking more and more lately with Mike Matessino, the film and score restoration producer extraordinare who gave us his magnum opus soundtrack box set earlier this year with the "Superman" eight-disc CD set. If you rub him the wrong way, you better brace yourself for a cold, shivery feeling. However, go with the straightforward and friendly approach, and you've got a very trusted and reliable source who will accord you with the same respect and friendliness in turn. Anyway, Mike informed me that Film Score Monthly has reissued the "Superman" CD box set in a second edition of 3,000, so I wouldn't be surprised if that edition sells out quickly. Any plans for a third edition, perhaps?
Recently Mike told me of the passing of film and TV composer Alexander Courage, the man best known for giving the world the familiar "Star Trek" theme and some of the original series' most memorable cues. If for nothing else, he'll be remembered for that singular contribution. But Courage's work was not just limited to "Star Trek". Among his most magnificent scores was the complete score to "Superman IV", which made its world premiere release on the "Superman" box set. For years Courage maintained that he didn't feel the need to see the score released, since he had adapted the original John Williams themes for the new film - I know that for a fact because in 2000 I was part of an online chat including Courage, "Star Trek: TNG" composer Dennis McCarthy, and "Matrix" composer Don Davis - and yet the Courage score (which adapted Williams' original "Superman" themes along with three new themes composed by Williams for IV) was one of the most enjoyable and pleasurable aspects of the film.
Sadly, Courage passed away only a couple of months after the "Superman" box set was initially released. But it pleased not only Mike but also Courage himself to know that his score to "Superman IV" would now be enjoyed by legions of fans for years to come. So it makes not only the initial pressing but also the second edition of the box set a bittersweet release, with Courage's passing.
Speaking of "Superman IV", Mike has prepared a thorough article and interview which covers not only the troubled production but also the complexities of assembling the score from the German and British recording sessions. In addition, for the past 21 years, reports and comments of a 134-minute version of the film have continually surfaced, among them from screenwriter Mark Rosenthal and visual effects supervisor Harrison Ellenshaw. The first time I had heard of a 134-minute cut of "Superman IV", it was on Gregory Oshel's now-defunct "Superman" films website, the precursor to Superman Cinema, initially developed by GandalfDC of Great Britain, and Hiphats' Superman Web Central, which is also defunct at this time as well. Over the years reports surfaced of somebody obtaining a video of the 134-minute cut of the film from the SFM Holiday Network, but the variations to the story were always the same: "My uncle/aunt/brother/parents taped the film but lost the tape/recorded over it/can't find it anywhere." I tracked down one rumor that had it in Washington state, and the fellow's name and address were given. Another rumor I tracked all the way to the Netherlands, where it was reported that a 120-minute cut of the film was for sale at a Dutch video store, but the store owners confirmed that it only ran 88 minutes long (comparable to the 89- or 90-minute U.S. release). In 2004 someone from the U.K. tried to auction a bootleg workprint of the 134-minute cut on eBay, with very few details given. That turned out to be another red herring, too, and I'm thankful that I didn't lose any money from that phoney auction. And most recently on the Superman Cinema message board, it was reported that someone had gotten a VCD of the 134-minute cut. That turned out to be a joke went awry, another false sighting/red herring.
Let's look at the facts:
- Given the reports from Mike Matessino, Mark Rosenthal, and Harrison Ellenshaw, there was indeed a 134-minute cut of "Superman IV" that was initially screened. Based on the status of that print of the film, it was closer to completion than a lot of people assume, given the nearly completed quality of all visual effects and some of the lost music appearing in one of the cut scenes (the "Red Alert" sequence).
- The film was cut to 93 minutes for its international release from Cannon Films, with the tornado and Russian missile sequences intact (though the workprint versions of those scenes appeared on the 2006 DVD release), while those two scenes were cut from the film for its 89-minute U.S. release.
- Over the years dozens of film stills and production photos from the lost sequences continually surfaced on websites around the world, including Superman Cinema and CapedWonder.com, as well as on the initial 2001 DVD release.
- In 2005 confirmed reports placed the master negatives of the film in storage at Deluxe Film Labs in Denham, Middlesex, England.
- When the film was reissued on DVD in 2006, some 25-30 minutes of deleted scenes were issued for the first time.
- I constructed a series of three test reels that reassembled the film's components together into a more cohesive whole (with only two scenes unknowingly misplaced at the time). Based on that assembly, I came up with a running time of just under 116 minutes.
- A few further additional bits and pieces of unreleased footage surfaced on a couple of foreign theatrical trailers and one U.S. TV spot (most importantly a piece of footage of Lex Luthor asking Superman, "Isn't that adorable?", which Mike Matessino correctly identified in the CD box set as deleted from the final film).
- Based on these and other assessments from the DVD and the CD soundtrack release, some 18-19 minutes of footage remain unreleased to the public (if we go with the 134-minute figure).
So now the question is, where is that remaining footage, and does it still exist? For that matter, why does someone always surface on the Internet and claim to have a copy of that now-fabled 134-minute cut of "Superman IV" and yet never offer the proof itself? Not only is Mike Matessino a devoted Superman fan, he is quite possibly the most knowledgeable expert when it comes to the "Superman" films itself. Mike himself believes that the footage is possibly lost forever, and that a complete restoration of the film is impossible (given a chunk of footage from the opening of the Metro Club scene remains unreleased).
So here's my point: There needs to be a formal statement made that states once and for all whether or not the 134-minute cut of "Superman IV" exists (in my view, it more than likely doesn't), and that if it does exist, someone should step forward and offer the rock-solid proof for experts like Mike and independent analysts like me to once and for all confirm. If that person cannot produce the evidence, then he (or she) needs to keep quiet.
That's all I really have to say about it.
This past weekend I finally had the chance to go see "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". It's not the most high-brow epic film entertainment in the universe, but it's a good solid two hours of leave your brain at the door, get a Coke and a bag of popcorn, and enjoy Harrison Ford once again returning to one of his most famous roles. There's nice little nods to his past film adventures (including an eyebrow-raising nod to the Ark of the Covenant, and even a tip of the brown felt fedora to "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", to boot!), while further setting up possible sequels to come in the future (you know this is going to be inevitable). And anytime Spielberg and Lucas manage to work in music from Elvis and the Everly Brothers into the film's ambience, amid another exciting John Williams musical score, you know you're in for a treat.
What I loved about the new "Indiana Jones" movie is that it did something for the first time since my broken return to Mississippi: it gave me a period of escape for two hours where I felt nothing but joy and happiness for a little while. That's a good sign indeed.
I've been talking more and more lately with Mike Matessino, the film and score restoration producer extraordinare who gave us his magnum opus soundtrack box set earlier this year with the "Superman" eight-disc CD set. If you rub him the wrong way, you better brace yourself for a cold, shivery feeling. However, go with the straightforward and friendly approach, and you've got a very trusted and reliable source who will accord you with the same respect and friendliness in turn. Anyway, Mike informed me that Film Score Monthly has reissued the "Superman" CD box set in a second edition of 3,000, so I wouldn't be surprised if that edition sells out quickly. Any plans for a third edition, perhaps?
Recently Mike told me of the passing of film and TV composer Alexander Courage, the man best known for giving the world the familiar "Star Trek" theme and some of the original series' most memorable cues. If for nothing else, he'll be remembered for that singular contribution. But Courage's work was not just limited to "Star Trek". Among his most magnificent scores was the complete score to "Superman IV", which made its world premiere release on the "Superman" box set. For years Courage maintained that he didn't feel the need to see the score released, since he had adapted the original John Williams themes for the new film - I know that for a fact because in 2000 I was part of an online chat including Courage, "Star Trek: TNG" composer Dennis McCarthy, and "Matrix" composer Don Davis - and yet the Courage score (which adapted Williams' original "Superman" themes along with three new themes composed by Williams for IV) was one of the most enjoyable and pleasurable aspects of the film.
Sadly, Courage passed away only a couple of months after the "Superman" box set was initially released. But it pleased not only Mike but also Courage himself to know that his score to "Superman IV" would now be enjoyed by legions of fans for years to come. So it makes not only the initial pressing but also the second edition of the box set a bittersweet release, with Courage's passing.
Speaking of "Superman IV", Mike has prepared a thorough article and interview which covers not only the troubled production but also the complexities of assembling the score from the German and British recording sessions. In addition, for the past 21 years, reports and comments of a 134-minute version of the film have continually surfaced, among them from screenwriter Mark Rosenthal and visual effects supervisor Harrison Ellenshaw. The first time I had heard of a 134-minute cut of "Superman IV", it was on Gregory Oshel's now-defunct "Superman" films website, the precursor to Superman Cinema, initially developed by GandalfDC of Great Britain, and Hiphats' Superman Web Central, which is also defunct at this time as well. Over the years reports surfaced of somebody obtaining a video of the 134-minute cut of the film from the SFM Holiday Network, but the variations to the story were always the same: "My uncle/aunt/brother/parents taped the film but lost the tape/recorded over it/can't find it anywhere." I tracked down one rumor that had it in Washington state, and the fellow's name and address were given. Another rumor I tracked all the way to the Netherlands, where it was reported that a 120-minute cut of the film was for sale at a Dutch video store, but the store owners confirmed that it only ran 88 minutes long (comparable to the 89- or 90-minute U.S. release). In 2004 someone from the U.K. tried to auction a bootleg workprint of the 134-minute cut on eBay, with very few details given. That turned out to be another red herring, too, and I'm thankful that I didn't lose any money from that phoney auction. And most recently on the Superman Cinema message board, it was reported that someone had gotten a VCD of the 134-minute cut. That turned out to be a joke went awry, another false sighting/red herring.
Let's look at the facts:
- Given the reports from Mike Matessino, Mark Rosenthal, and Harrison Ellenshaw, there was indeed a 134-minute cut of "Superman IV" that was initially screened. Based on the status of that print of the film, it was closer to completion than a lot of people assume, given the nearly completed quality of all visual effects and some of the lost music appearing in one of the cut scenes (the "Red Alert" sequence).
- The film was cut to 93 minutes for its international release from Cannon Films, with the tornado and Russian missile sequences intact (though the workprint versions of those scenes appeared on the 2006 DVD release), while those two scenes were cut from the film for its 89-minute U.S. release.
- Over the years dozens of film stills and production photos from the lost sequences continually surfaced on websites around the world, including Superman Cinema and CapedWonder.com, as well as on the initial 2001 DVD release.
- In 2005 confirmed reports placed the master negatives of the film in storage at Deluxe Film Labs in Denham, Middlesex, England.
- When the film was reissued on DVD in 2006, some 25-30 minutes of deleted scenes were issued for the first time.
- I constructed a series of three test reels that reassembled the film's components together into a more cohesive whole (with only two scenes unknowingly misplaced at the time). Based on that assembly, I came up with a running time of just under 116 minutes.
- A few further additional bits and pieces of unreleased footage surfaced on a couple of foreign theatrical trailers and one U.S. TV spot (most importantly a piece of footage of Lex Luthor asking Superman, "Isn't that adorable?", which Mike Matessino correctly identified in the CD box set as deleted from the final film).
- Based on these and other assessments from the DVD and the CD soundtrack release, some 18-19 minutes of footage remain unreleased to the public (if we go with the 134-minute figure).
So now the question is, where is that remaining footage, and does it still exist? For that matter, why does someone always surface on the Internet and claim to have a copy of that now-fabled 134-minute cut of "Superman IV" and yet never offer the proof itself? Not only is Mike Matessino a devoted Superman fan, he is quite possibly the most knowledgeable expert when it comes to the "Superman" films itself. Mike himself believes that the footage is possibly lost forever, and that a complete restoration of the film is impossible (given a chunk of footage from the opening of the Metro Club scene remains unreleased).
So here's my point: There needs to be a formal statement made that states once and for all whether or not the 134-minute cut of "Superman IV" exists (in my view, it more than likely doesn't), and that if it does exist, someone should step forward and offer the rock-solid proof for experts like Mike and independent analysts like me to once and for all confirm. If that person cannot produce the evidence, then he (or she) needs to keep quiet.
That's all I really have to say about it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Good news and bad news...
Why is it that anytime somebody wants to share good news with another person, there's always bad news to go along with it? I'm not alone, thankfully.
The good news I have to share is that I have landed a job at last! I'll be teaching over at Sumner Hill High School in Clinton in the fall. I'll have four classes of English and a class of public speaking, so I'm excited about finally landing on my feet once again with a job! I'm now waiting for the paperwork to come in from the central office so I can complete it and be ready for the new school year.
In the meantime, I'll have to do some work in the interim through the summer months until the school year starts. Whatever that is, I'll be glad to get something, anything, to do until the school year begins.
Now the bad news... My wife said yesterday that she wants to file for legal separation and child support. This is not acceptable. I want to be able to get Lily moved from Alabama to Mississippi, and whatever it takes, I will do it. If it costs me my marriage, I can live with it - I think. I talked with a buddy of mine I've known for 20 years, and he made some practical suggestions. What I'll have to do is follow up with those suggestions and go from there.
Right now I'm at wits' end with this whole separation anxiety. All that matters to me is working once again and being with Lily once again.
The good news I have to share is that I have landed a job at last! I'll be teaching over at Sumner Hill High School in Clinton in the fall. I'll have four classes of English and a class of public speaking, so I'm excited about finally landing on my feet once again with a job! I'm now waiting for the paperwork to come in from the central office so I can complete it and be ready for the new school year.
In the meantime, I'll have to do some work in the interim through the summer months until the school year starts. Whatever that is, I'll be glad to get something, anything, to do until the school year begins.
Now the bad news... My wife said yesterday that she wants to file for legal separation and child support. This is not acceptable. I want to be able to get Lily moved from Alabama to Mississippi, and whatever it takes, I will do it. If it costs me my marriage, I can live with it - I think. I talked with a buddy of mine I've known for 20 years, and he made some practical suggestions. What I'll have to do is follow up with those suggestions and go from there.
Right now I'm at wits' end with this whole separation anxiety. All that matters to me is working once again and being with Lily once again.
Monday, May 19, 2008
The rumors are true...
Wouldn't you know it? Four days before the release of the highly anticipated "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", I happened to find the hardcover novelization of the film (along with reprints of the 12 Indy novels from the 1990's and the novelizations of the first three films) at Wal-Mart. Naturally, I couldn't resist taking a peek at some of the pages of the book, since it's going to be a while before I pick up the novel at all.
Of course, they (being, naturally, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg) kept the major surprises of the new film's story until the final quarter of the film. And then of course there were the rumors that were rampant for months. Now it can be told once and for all:
Mutt Williams IS indeed the son of Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.
How he got the last name of Williams is beyond me. I can only surmise that Marion married someone sometime later whose last name was Williams, though she still kept her maiden name, while she kept the Williams surname for her and Indy's son.
Somehow I'm not too surprised, given all of the rampant rumors over the months. And then there was the mention that Mutt would be Indy's son reported months before in one of the teen tabloid magazines that my stepdaughter happened to pick up. Oh, and you'll get to see a wedding at the end of the film, too!
So those are the big things we'll get to see in this new movie, along with a rousing adventure from start to finish. Somehow I feel like I've let myself down in the same way that I ruined it for myself about the big spoilers in "Return of the Jedi" from 25 years ago.
So sue me. Then again, you can't sue something that's publicly out there for everyone to consume, especially this close to game time. Nickel give you a dollar that someone's already spoiled that information elsewhere by now.
See you this Thursday at the starting line!
Of course, they (being, naturally, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg) kept the major surprises of the new film's story until the final quarter of the film. And then of course there were the rumors that were rampant for months. Now it can be told once and for all:
Mutt Williams IS indeed the son of Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.
How he got the last name of Williams is beyond me. I can only surmise that Marion married someone sometime later whose last name was Williams, though she still kept her maiden name, while she kept the Williams surname for her and Indy's son.
Somehow I'm not too surprised, given all of the rampant rumors over the months. And then there was the mention that Mutt would be Indy's son reported months before in one of the teen tabloid magazines that my stepdaughter happened to pick up. Oh, and you'll get to see a wedding at the end of the film, too!
So those are the big things we'll get to see in this new movie, along with a rousing adventure from start to finish. Somehow I feel like I've let myself down in the same way that I ruined it for myself about the big spoilers in "Return of the Jedi" from 25 years ago.
So sue me. Then again, you can't sue something that's publicly out there for everyone to consume, especially this close to game time. Nickel give you a dollar that someone's already spoiled that information elsewhere by now.
See you this Thursday at the starting line!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Raiders of the Lost Ark: Not-so-"Special" Edition
You knew it was inevitable. Paramount has a storied history of milking its franchises for multiple dips on every conceivable home video format known to man whenever something really big happens. They're especially bad when it comes to the "Star Trek" franchise - I can't tell you how many times it seemed inevitable to upgrade from VHS to laserdisc to DVD over the years. (BTW, I happened to find used copies of the Original Series' third season and Deep Space Nine's fifth and seventh seasons over at a local GameStop, along with an affordable used copy of Battlestar Galactica Season 2.0, so all that awaits me is scraping up enough money to get those DVD sets and begin rebuilding my DVD collections!) I remember shelling out $200 back in 1993 just to double-dip on getting the first six "Star Trek" films in a limited edition box set just to get a six-pack of trading cards and a watch - big whoop! And of course, I'm equally guilty of multi-dipping for the films and series on DVD.
So it should come as no surprise that Paramount is going the double-dip DVD route with the "Indiana Jones" trilogy, given its recent three-volume release of the "Young Indiana Jones" series and the upcoming theatrical release of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (man, is that film gonna rock or what!). Each of the first three Indy films have been released in newly-packaged and relabeled "special" editions, as well as a three-disc Adventure Collection.
The problem I have is that Paramount, as well as Wal-Mart and who knows how many other retail outlets, have publicly promoted that this is the "first" time that the "Indiana Jones" films have been released on DVD in a special edition. Let me see a show of hands out there... how many of you recall, say, about five years ago when the Indy trilogy was first released on DVD in a four-disc (or five-disc, if you got it at Best Buy) boxed set edition? How many of you went ape nuts over that DVD set? Count me among them - if my dad were still alive, he'd have loved that set (and the "Young Indy" volumes) as well. So why should Paramount publicly say that this is the "first" time these films are coming onto DVD? Makes no sense. I'll bet you that you could go into almost any video store and still find that four-disc box set on sale. Publicly promoting this trilogy as coming out "for the first time" is a major misnomer, and their PR department should know better than that.
As for the films themselves, each film's transfer is identical to the previous DVD set, in full anamorphic widescreen format, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and optional subtitles in English, Spanish, or French. So visually and sonically you're getting the same transfer that was afforded the films back in 2003.
What's new is the collection of extras included with each disc. Since I just picked up the "Raiders" disc, I'll go with the bonus content on this one (the "Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade" DVDs were not available for review at this time). Starting off the disc is a preview trailer for the upcoming "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" at the head of the disc. Remember how I griped about there being a lack of a trailer for the new film on the "Young Indy" sets? Well, this definitely satisfies my taste (along with the different TV spots I've been picking up along the way on USA, Sci-Fi, Spike, and other channels). Also included on this set is a new introduction to the film with series creators Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, which runs approximately 5-10 minutes. (Remember how, the last time that the trilogy was issued on DVD, it contained "new" interview segments with Spielberg, Lucas, and Harrison Ford? Here we go again...)
The remainder of the discs' supplements include a 12-minute feature called "The Indy Trilogy: A Crystal Clear Appreciation", which looks back at the first three films while offering some new interviews on the set of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Another feature is "Snakes Alive!" (10 minutes), which looks at the Well of Souls sequence, while "The Melting Face" (4 minutes) shows how actor Ronald Lacey's face was modeled to melt in the final film. Storyboards galore accompany this disc - for "Raiders" there's some 400 storyboards alone! Finally, we have a preview trailer for Lego's upcoming "Indiana Jones" game for Playstation 3 and XBox 360, along with a playable PC demo. (Just the thought of a Lego Indiana Jones game makes me want to shell out $400 to buy a system!)
Still missing in action from this DVD release are a pair of vintage documentaries from 1981 - "Great Movie Stunts" (narrated by Harrison Ford) and "The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark", both of which were issued on VHS from Paramount in the 1980's. For "Temple of Doom", there are two documentaries from 1984 - "Heroes and Sidekicks" (narrated by William Shatner) and "The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and a 60-second teaser trailer for "Temple of Doom" (first included on the very first VHS release of "Raiders") - that have never been released on VHS or DVD at all! Finally we have a 45-minute documentary, "Great Adventurers and their Quests" (narrated by Dennis Weaver), from 1989 that looks at the making of "The Last Crusade" and profiles some real-life Indys and their adventures. Where are all of these documentaries when the DVDs first came out? Where are they now? Still MIA, I'm afraid. (Thank goodness I recorded these onto DVD+R discs, turning my five-disc collection into an eight-disc box set blowout!)
So the bottom line is this: Is it worth shelling out the extra bucks to double-dip for around 30 minutes of extras on each disc? Well, if you got the set last time, then you could replace the film-only discs with these new releases. The main casualty from the original set is the bonus fourth disc of documentaries and featurettes on the making of the original trilogy. If you didn't get the set last time, it's worth getting the discs. It's really hard justifying the need to double-dip just to put a few extra bucks into Luca$'s cash-cow pockets to get a few new bonuses this time around. What would have made these new releases really worth it would have been to include feature-length running audio commentaries with Lucas and Ford (since Spielberg doesn't like audio commentaries) and much-ballyhooed deleted scenes (which we got hints at in the BTS footage on the first DVD set but still not represented at all, along with the remaining deleted footage from the original "Star Wars" trilogy), along with something extremely more substantial than what we get here in these new single-disc releases. Or maybe I should just hardwire my DVD player up to a computer and do my own podcast commentary on this film.
Indy may say, "It's not the years, it's the mileage," but in this case your mileage definitely varies.
So it should come as no surprise that Paramount is going the double-dip DVD route with the "Indiana Jones" trilogy, given its recent three-volume release of the "Young Indiana Jones" series and the upcoming theatrical release of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (man, is that film gonna rock or what!). Each of the first three Indy films have been released in newly-packaged and relabeled "special" editions, as well as a three-disc Adventure Collection.
The problem I have is that Paramount, as well as Wal-Mart and who knows how many other retail outlets, have publicly promoted that this is the "first" time that the "Indiana Jones" films have been released on DVD in a special edition. Let me see a show of hands out there... how many of you recall, say, about five years ago when the Indy trilogy was first released on DVD in a four-disc (or five-disc, if you got it at Best Buy) boxed set edition? How many of you went ape nuts over that DVD set? Count me among them - if my dad were still alive, he'd have loved that set (and the "Young Indy" volumes) as well. So why should Paramount publicly say that this is the "first" time these films are coming onto DVD? Makes no sense. I'll bet you that you could go into almost any video store and still find that four-disc box set on sale. Publicly promoting this trilogy as coming out "for the first time" is a major misnomer, and their PR department should know better than that.
As for the films themselves, each film's transfer is identical to the previous DVD set, in full anamorphic widescreen format, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and optional subtitles in English, Spanish, or French. So visually and sonically you're getting the same transfer that was afforded the films back in 2003.
What's new is the collection of extras included with each disc. Since I just picked up the "Raiders" disc, I'll go with the bonus content on this one (the "Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade" DVDs were not available for review at this time). Starting off the disc is a preview trailer for the upcoming "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" at the head of the disc. Remember how I griped about there being a lack of a trailer for the new film on the "Young Indy" sets? Well, this definitely satisfies my taste (along with the different TV spots I've been picking up along the way on USA, Sci-Fi, Spike, and other channels). Also included on this set is a new introduction to the film with series creators Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, which runs approximately 5-10 minutes. (Remember how, the last time that the trilogy was issued on DVD, it contained "new" interview segments with Spielberg, Lucas, and Harrison Ford? Here we go again...)
The remainder of the discs' supplements include a 12-minute feature called "The Indy Trilogy: A Crystal Clear Appreciation", which looks back at the first three films while offering some new interviews on the set of "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Another feature is "Snakes Alive!" (10 minutes), which looks at the Well of Souls sequence, while "The Melting Face" (4 minutes) shows how actor Ronald Lacey's face was modeled to melt in the final film. Storyboards galore accompany this disc - for "Raiders" there's some 400 storyboards alone! Finally, we have a preview trailer for Lego's upcoming "Indiana Jones" game for Playstation 3 and XBox 360, along with a playable PC demo. (Just the thought of a Lego Indiana Jones game makes me want to shell out $400 to buy a system!)
Still missing in action from this DVD release are a pair of vintage documentaries from 1981 - "Great Movie Stunts" (narrated by Harrison Ford) and "The Making of Raiders of the Lost Ark", both of which were issued on VHS from Paramount in the 1980's. For "Temple of Doom", there are two documentaries from 1984 - "Heroes and Sidekicks" (narrated by William Shatner) and "The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and a 60-second teaser trailer for "Temple of Doom" (first included on the very first VHS release of "Raiders") - that have never been released on VHS or DVD at all! Finally we have a 45-minute documentary, "Great Adventurers and their Quests" (narrated by Dennis Weaver), from 1989 that looks at the making of "The Last Crusade" and profiles some real-life Indys and their adventures. Where are all of these documentaries when the DVDs first came out? Where are they now? Still MIA, I'm afraid. (Thank goodness I recorded these onto DVD+R discs, turning my five-disc collection into an eight-disc box set blowout!)
So the bottom line is this: Is it worth shelling out the extra bucks to double-dip for around 30 minutes of extras on each disc? Well, if you got the set last time, then you could replace the film-only discs with these new releases. The main casualty from the original set is the bonus fourth disc of documentaries and featurettes on the making of the original trilogy. If you didn't get the set last time, it's worth getting the discs. It's really hard justifying the need to double-dip just to put a few extra bucks into Luca$'s cash-cow pockets to get a few new bonuses this time around. What would have made these new releases really worth it would have been to include feature-length running audio commentaries with Lucas and Ford (since Spielberg doesn't like audio commentaries) and much-ballyhooed deleted scenes (which we got hints at in the BTS footage on the first DVD set but still not represented at all, along with the remaining deleted footage from the original "Star Wars" trilogy), along with something extremely more substantial than what we get here in these new single-disc releases. Or maybe I should just hardwire my DVD player up to a computer and do my own podcast commentary on this film.
Indy may say, "It's not the years, it's the mileage," but in this case your mileage definitely varies.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Battlestar Galactica S3 - first thoughts
Well, I just finished going through my DVD set of the third season of "Battlestar Galactica", and I'm just really stunned beyond belief. No wonder this show keeps getting better and better in its storytelling!
Of course, part of the problem I had with this set was the fact that, having watched the "Razor" spinoff film a few months back, then catching up with the series during its fourth season upon my return to Mississippi, some of the major plot points had already been spilled to me without my watching the third season in its entirety (sorry, guys!), especially with Baltar (James Callis) being let off the hook for his crimes against humanity; Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) mysteriously returning from the dead; and Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Colonel Tigh (Michael Hogan), Kara's husband Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco), and presidential advisor Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma) all revealed to be four of the final five Cylons! Add to it the suggestion that, between S3 and "Razor", Kara is allegedly destined to be the doom of the entire fleet, and you've got an interesting mix that leads into the final episodes of the series.
The six-disc set has more extras than the episodes themselves - more audio podcasts, deleted scenes galore, a 70-minute extended cut of the episode "Unfinished Business", original DVD audio commentaries, three bonus podcast commentaries with actor Mark Sheppard (who played Baltar's defense attorney in the final three episodes of the season), and no less than 20 video blogs from SciFi.com! Could you pack anything else onto this set that hasn't already been thought of?
Now we're approaching the final batch of episodes for the entire series. Still one question remains: Who is the final Cylon? There's not a lot of suspects left among the main cast. My choice is among the top three leading suspects - Kara Thrace (after all, she died and supposedly returned at the end of the third season); President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), who's currently dying of cancer; and, unbelievably, the big man himself, Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos). What would his agenda be? No doubt a surprise twist that would leave everyone saying, "Oh s---!" Or could it be someone else we haven't thought of?
Whatever your guess, the third season of BSG is a major addition to undoubtedly the best series on TV. Watching these final episodes on the SciFi Channel gives me that same feeling I had back in 1994 when I knew the end of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was approaching its end: I'm definitely gonna miss this series. That's why man made DVD.
Look for the full review soon!
Of course, part of the problem I had with this set was the fact that, having watched the "Razor" spinoff film a few months back, then catching up with the series during its fourth season upon my return to Mississippi, some of the major plot points had already been spilled to me without my watching the third season in its entirety (sorry, guys!), especially with Baltar (James Callis) being let off the hook for his crimes against humanity; Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) mysteriously returning from the dead; and Chief Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Colonel Tigh (Michael Hogan), Kara's husband Samuel Anders (Michael Trucco), and presidential advisor Tory Foster (Rekha Sharma) all revealed to be four of the final five Cylons! Add to it the suggestion that, between S3 and "Razor", Kara is allegedly destined to be the doom of the entire fleet, and you've got an interesting mix that leads into the final episodes of the series.
The six-disc set has more extras than the episodes themselves - more audio podcasts, deleted scenes galore, a 70-minute extended cut of the episode "Unfinished Business", original DVD audio commentaries, three bonus podcast commentaries with actor Mark Sheppard (who played Baltar's defense attorney in the final three episodes of the season), and no less than 20 video blogs from SciFi.com! Could you pack anything else onto this set that hasn't already been thought of?
Now we're approaching the final batch of episodes for the entire series. Still one question remains: Who is the final Cylon? There's not a lot of suspects left among the main cast. My choice is among the top three leading suspects - Kara Thrace (after all, she died and supposedly returned at the end of the third season); President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), who's currently dying of cancer; and, unbelievably, the big man himself, Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos). What would his agenda be? No doubt a surprise twist that would leave everyone saying, "Oh s---!" Or could it be someone else we haven't thought of?
Whatever your guess, the third season of BSG is a major addition to undoubtedly the best series on TV. Watching these final episodes on the SciFi Channel gives me that same feeling I had back in 1994 when I knew the end of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was approaching its end: I'm definitely gonna miss this series. That's why man made DVD.
Look for the full review soon!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Everything would happen on a Monday...
Well, you know how much Mondays sometimes suck. That's only because everything that could possibly happen on a Monday has happened thus far today.
First off, I had a good interview with the principal at a middle school here in Mississippi for an English teacher's slot on staff. That would be a wonderful way for me to get my feet back on solid ground here, given my experience as a teacher (not to mention my work in Alabama in curriculum development and management). I'm supposed to hear something by the end of this week, so that would definitely be a step in the right direction.
But I was lucky enough to have even made it to the interview in the first place today. Earlier I'd been battling a serious case of diarrhea and had to go to the store to get some medicine to counteract it. On the way out of the driveway, my car died out on me for no uncertain reason. From what I could tell, the engine just up and died on me. I'm thinking and hoping that it's not the timing belt. That happened two years ago in Huntsville when I was on the way for a routine checkup - the car just up and died for no reason, and it turned out to be the timing belt as well. Anyway, it meant calling for a tow truck to haul my car over to the local Chevron station to find out what the problem is. No word on it yet.
As if that weren't enough, I got a callback from DirecTV asking me to come in for an interview this Wednesday - in Huntsville! This after putting in many months before for a job there, and only now after I've relocated back to Mississippi do I get a call to interview for DirecTV in Huntsville! Turns out that they called the house, April gave them my mother's phone number in Mississippi, and called me here for the job interview. I really don't know if I could go back to Alabama, knowing that it would give Lois many more opportunities to raise hell toward me and accuse me of a bunch of false malarky for no uncertain reason. I've already endured enough hell from Lois, not to mention feeling betrayed that April would support her every false accusation and not stick up for me one time. I'm not going back. My mother agrees with me.
And I've got another interview tomorrow with a temp staffing agency in Jackson, where I'm to bring my driver's license and Social Security card to fill out the I-9 paperwork and do the standard drug testing (which of course I"ll pass with flying colors). I'm hoping that I'll get something - anything - soon so I can get back on my feet working once again. Then I'll go back to Alabama and get Lily moved here.
And the "Indiana Jones" trilogy is being re-released on DVD tomorrow in separate discs to hype up the forthcoming "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" film on the 22nd. This past weekend channels left and right have been running a slew of Harrison Ford films to hype the new movie - "Witness", "Patriot Games", "Working Girl", and of course "Star Wars" and the "Indy" trilogy (the latter four just yesterday alone!). All they're doing is stripping the fourth disc off the previous box set release and including a few new featurettes, including a trailer for the upcoming Lego Indiana Jones game for XBox 360 and Playstation 3. I don't know if it's worth shelling out the bucks just to get a few new features. The original box set was pretty comprehensive. And still MIA are the original five TV documentaries from the 1980's on the making of the trilogy - oddly enough, the "Raiders" and "Last Crusade" documentaries were issued on VHS, but the "Temple of Doom" docs weren't, and none of them were released to DVD in an official capacity! To further add insult to injury, where's the original "Temple of Doom" teaser on the DVDs? Nowhere to be found but only on the head of the first VHS release of "Raiders". Thankfully I was able to transfer all of that material, as well as a collection of DVD trailers and a feature on soundtrack deconstruction (using "The Last Crusade" as an example) onto DVD+R for my collection, expanding that set to eight discs. And now there's several new TV spots for the new DVD releases and the upcoming film that I've got - looking forward to getting those burned to disc soon!
Gotta run for now... the dog's getting his vaccine shots. Maybe I'll get the "Indy" DVDs tomorrow, maybe I won't. Is it worth shelling out the buck again? Your guess is as good as mine. My buddy Andy Dursin at the Aisle Seat doesn't think so.
First off, I had a good interview with the principal at a middle school here in Mississippi for an English teacher's slot on staff. That would be a wonderful way for me to get my feet back on solid ground here, given my experience as a teacher (not to mention my work in Alabama in curriculum development and management). I'm supposed to hear something by the end of this week, so that would definitely be a step in the right direction.
But I was lucky enough to have even made it to the interview in the first place today. Earlier I'd been battling a serious case of diarrhea and had to go to the store to get some medicine to counteract it. On the way out of the driveway, my car died out on me for no uncertain reason. From what I could tell, the engine just up and died on me. I'm thinking and hoping that it's not the timing belt. That happened two years ago in Huntsville when I was on the way for a routine checkup - the car just up and died for no reason, and it turned out to be the timing belt as well. Anyway, it meant calling for a tow truck to haul my car over to the local Chevron station to find out what the problem is. No word on it yet.
As if that weren't enough, I got a callback from DirecTV asking me to come in for an interview this Wednesday - in Huntsville! This after putting in many months before for a job there, and only now after I've relocated back to Mississippi do I get a call to interview for DirecTV in Huntsville! Turns out that they called the house, April gave them my mother's phone number in Mississippi, and called me here for the job interview. I really don't know if I could go back to Alabama, knowing that it would give Lois many more opportunities to raise hell toward me and accuse me of a bunch of false malarky for no uncertain reason. I've already endured enough hell from Lois, not to mention feeling betrayed that April would support her every false accusation and not stick up for me one time. I'm not going back. My mother agrees with me.
And I've got another interview tomorrow with a temp staffing agency in Jackson, where I'm to bring my driver's license and Social Security card to fill out the I-9 paperwork and do the standard drug testing (which of course I"ll pass with flying colors). I'm hoping that I'll get something - anything - soon so I can get back on my feet working once again. Then I'll go back to Alabama and get Lily moved here.
And the "Indiana Jones" trilogy is being re-released on DVD tomorrow in separate discs to hype up the forthcoming "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" film on the 22nd. This past weekend channels left and right have been running a slew of Harrison Ford films to hype the new movie - "Witness", "Patriot Games", "Working Girl", and of course "Star Wars" and the "Indy" trilogy (the latter four just yesterday alone!). All they're doing is stripping the fourth disc off the previous box set release and including a few new featurettes, including a trailer for the upcoming Lego Indiana Jones game for XBox 360 and Playstation 3. I don't know if it's worth shelling out the bucks just to get a few new features. The original box set was pretty comprehensive. And still MIA are the original five TV documentaries from the 1980's on the making of the trilogy - oddly enough, the "Raiders" and "Last Crusade" documentaries were issued on VHS, but the "Temple of Doom" docs weren't, and none of them were released to DVD in an official capacity! To further add insult to injury, where's the original "Temple of Doom" teaser on the DVDs? Nowhere to be found but only on the head of the first VHS release of "Raiders". Thankfully I was able to transfer all of that material, as well as a collection of DVD trailers and a feature on soundtrack deconstruction (using "The Last Crusade" as an example) onto DVD+R for my collection, expanding that set to eight discs. And now there's several new TV spots for the new DVD releases and the upcoming film that I've got - looking forward to getting those burned to disc soon!
Gotta run for now... the dog's getting his vaccine shots. Maybe I'll get the "Indy" DVDs tomorrow, maybe I won't. Is it worth shelling out the buck again? Your guess is as good as mine. My buddy Andy Dursin at the Aisle Seat doesn't think so.
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