Home Media Magazine - December 2-8, 2007 - (Page 22) REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: RAZOR Street 12/4 Universal, Sci-Fi, $26.98 DVD, NR. Stars Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, Tricia Helfer, Michelle Forbes, Stephanie Chaves-Jacobsen. T I SUPERBAD Street 12/4 Sony Pictures, Comedy, B.O. $121.5 million, $28.95 DVD, $34.95 two-DVD set, $43.95 Blu-ray, UMD $24.94, Available in ‘R’ and unrated editions. Stars Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher MintzPlasse, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader. T he tales of McLovin and Co. began with the imagination of a pair of screenwriters named Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, when they were 13. Rogen, of course, achieved fame with the hit comedy Knocked Up, directed by Judd Apatow, who produced Superbad. The collaboration has all the makings of a cult comedy troupe, a propaganda furthered by the Superbad DVD. The two-disc set includes a scene from their next effort, Pineapple Express. Superbad follows three high-school losers looking to hook up at one last party before college, which is pretty much the same plot as every movie about high-school losers trying to lose their virginity before college. The cast and crew even note this during a commentary in which they he third season of “Battlestar Galactica” ended months ago with a cliffhanger that won’t be resolved for several months more. Just in time to ease the effects of “Battlestar” withdrawal comes “Razor,” an awesome standalone film that fills in some gaps while shining new light on other story elements. An edited version first aired on Sci Fi Channel a few weeks ago, but the DVD director’s cut is really the way to go (although the broadcast version is offered on the DVD as well). “Razor” delivers everything we’ve come to expect from “Battlestar Galactica” — action tempered by serious human drama. It tells the story of Kendra Shaw, a bright-eyed young officer scarred by war. Through her eyes we see the story of the Battlestar Pegasus and its commander, Admiral Cain, both of which played a central role in the second season. Their arc is presented as a counterpoint to the story of the Galactica, and as an example of how easy it is to cross the line when no one is watching. The flashbacks tend to overshadow the regular action (at one point we even get a flashback within a flashback), but with so much story to tell it’s to the credit of the creative team that the episode manages to maintain any cohesiveness at all. The commentary with executive producer Ronald D. Moore and writer Michael Taylor sheds a lot of light on the creative process and how much the final episode changed between the script and the editing bay (anyone interested in more details can download podcasts of the writers room sessions at scifi.com). In terms of series continuity, the telefilm (which doubles as a two-part episode) takes place late during the second season and will no doubt have regular viewers scrambling for their Season 2.5 DVD sets. As a special treat for fans, “Razor” includes a number of homages to the original 1978-79 “Galactica” series. A scene at the 1:18 mark will have hardcore fanboys cheering. – John Latchem constantly compare their movie to American Pie. Superbad sets itself apart by having fun with the formula, and generally being as vile (yet still hilarious) as possible. It comes as no surprise that the DVD turns it up a notch. In addition to alternate takes of some of the nastiest lines of dialogue, listening to the movie’s commentary is like enjoying the film with some drinking buddies. The best scenes involve a pair of bored cops (Rogen and Hader) who would just as soon join in on a caper than arrest the perp. Hader shows a lot of the versatility that makes him so good on “Saturday Night Live.” Their adventures continue in “Cop Car Confessions,” a series of sketches on disc two in which Rogen and Hader crack wise with a lineup of celebrity cameos in a takeoff of HBO’s “Taxicab Confessions.” – John Latchem I CZECH DREAM Street 12/4 Arts Alliance America, Documentary, B.O. $0.02 million, $24.98 DVD, NR. In Czech with English subtitles. T wo Czech film students, armed with a bad idea and a whole lot of nerve, contrived a massive hoax for their senior project: Stage a fake megastore opening. And they didn’t half-ass it either. The store was named Czech Dream, and it duped thousands. Filming their entire process, Vit and Filip began by making themselves over as executives, getting conservative haircuts and, with the help of Hugo Boss, buying the appropriate wardrobe. Next they contacted a graphic designer to come up with a logo. Then they hired an advertising team. Then a marketing team. Then a shopping psychologist, etc. All of their preparation was geared toward a fictitious “grand opening,” for which they built a 100-meter facade with nothing behind it. By the time of the big day, they had saturated the city of Prague with fliers, posters, and radio and TV spots, and would-be shoppers were adequately convinced. But when the gag was finally exposed, few were amused. One can easily imagine the kind of argument that might be given for doing this — a study in media manipulation, a critique of the power of advertising — but nothing coherent ever emerges. Vit and Filip refuse to explain their motives. Instead, they include a lot of after-the-fact TV footage in which their effort is unfavorably compared with the Czech Republic’s expensive national ad campaign advocating EU membership. This is, at best, a flimsy justification. On film, their stunt might prove funny to the very young or the very cynical, but for most it will appear as it did to the many shoppers who showed up for nothing: a senseless and mean-spirited joke. – Eddie Mullins 22 Home Media Magazine December 2–8, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://scifi.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.