Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - (Page 34) REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com I SPORTS NIGHT: THE COMPLETE SERIES — 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Street 9/30 Shout! Factory, Comedy, $69.99 eight-DVD set, NR. Stars Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause, Josh Charles, Robert Guillaume, Sabrina Lloyd, Josh Malina. I DUTCH LIGHT Prebook 9/30; Street 10/28 Microcinema, Documentary, $29.95 DVD, NR. tunning presentation and thoughtful commentary bring us the magic of Dutch Light, the storied inspiration for artists for hundreds of years from the Old Masters forward. Is it a perception, an observation, a style, an illusion? Did art imitate life or is life ceasing to imitate art? Was Dutch Light ever real, and if it was, was it lost or does it still exist? Those are the questions posed and answered from perspectives of art, art history, science, philosophy and environmentalism. S Furthering the discussion is American artist James Turrell, who says Dutch Light is closest to the light in Arizona’s Painted Desert, where he’s worked for more than 30 years and has an observatory in a volcano crater dedicated to studying the light under the expansive desert sky. The sky is a key part of the discussion, as some commentators suggest the source of Dutch Light is the sky that rolls endlessly to the North Sea — did Holland’s reclamation of the Zuider Zee for farmland over the course of the 20th century destroy a reflection off the former waterway that created the special light? All together and surrounding a long series of exposures of the reclaimed area, we’re asked to consider analyses of artists, compare the light captured photographically to virtual gallery tours of historic paintings, and decide for ourselves whether the reclamation forever changed the celebrated light. The program is political without being insulting, offering a broad swath of views that could not possibly have been fully represented without faithful and seductive photography. Dutch Light is a surprising and amazing film, full of life, light, philosophy, hope and the varied perspectives that make us think again — everything that makes a documentary great. Great for anyone not put off by partial subtitles — but they wouldn’t get it anyway. – Holly J. Wagner W BLU-RAY SPOTLIGHT I THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE Street 9/30 MPI/Dark Sky, Horror, $29.98 DVD, ‘R.’ I OSS 117: CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES Street 9/30 MPI, Comedy, B.O. $0.3 million, $24.98 DVD, Unrated. lthough The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released in 1974, the horror classic still serves up scares. Even after the recent remake and its prequel, the original has stood the test of time. This Blu-ray debut is essentially the ultimate edition released on DVD in 2006. That two-disc set came packed with extras, which makes this version worth picking up if you didn’t purchase the DVD. The only BD exclusive is a featurette with actress Terri McMinn looking back after 35 years. It’s nice to have something new, but it’s not enough to warrant an additional purchase for fans who snapped up the 2006 DVD. Other extras from that 2006 DVD include two feature-length audio commentaries, a pair of documentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes and a blooper reel. In terms of visuals, this high-definition widescreen version of the film looks great, as it was taken from the 16mm original. From the outset, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a low-budget production. But director Tobe Hooper actually used his limited resources to create a horror experience that seems more real because of the you-are-there film style. Many of the film’s scares come off camera, but the experience as a whole is so intense and shocking that your mind paints a bloody picture. The recent remake, which had a large budget, showed much more gore than this controversial film. It speaks volumes that Hooper’s film remains riveting today, even though technology has allowed any horror concept to come to life through CGI. Texas Chain Saw Massacre created the splatter film. Its many sequels were forgettable, but the original has never looked better than on Blu-ray. – John Gaudiosi S eemingly coming out of nowhere but just in time to capitalize on the theatrical release of the latest James Bond movie, this French production has stealthily dodged all cultural radar and is poised to make a well-deserved big splash in the American home entertainment market. In a perfect world, OSS 117 will attract a stateside audience, people will love it, tell their friends, everyone will see it and the film will develop the strong word of mouth and adulation that it so richly deserves. OSS 117 is a must see. An odd mix of sequel, remake and spoof, the film is a period piece and an update of a long-dormant, little-known series of spy films that, believe it or not, predates the Bond franchise. Author Jean Bruce first introduced suave ladies man secret agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath (alias OSS 117) in a 1949 novel. The character made it to the big screen in 1956 and spawned six sequels (featuring a number of different actors in the lead role), the final one in 1970. None were released in the United States. While the original series played it straight, going for espionage, cloak-and-dagger thrills, action and, of course, beautiful women, the new film does all of the above but tempers it with both a savage, subtle, satirical wit and moments of gut-busting humor. Set distinctly in the 1960s and benefiting from staggeringly accomplished production design and cinematography, it is frequently hard to believe that this film was actually produced in the 21st century. Clearly from the “Austin Powers,” “Get Smart” and “Naked Gun” school, “OSS 117” is way at the head of the class and, big surprise, there are not one, but two, sequels already in the works. – David Greenberg riter Aaron Sorkin’s witty look behind the scenes of a sports news show modeled on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” has attracted a sizable fan base over the years, and this 10th anniversary boxed set is a tremendous improvement over Disney’s perfunctory bare-bones DVD set from 2002. The retrospective extras really go a long way to highlight some of the strengths of the series, while examining some of the reasons it didn’t last as long as it could have. Certainly network interference didn’t help. ABC’s decision to impose a laugh track is the source of endless discussion throughout the commentaries and featurettes on the DVD, and is almost universally lambasted by the show’s cast and crew. Producers gradually reduced the presence of the distracting canned laughter and eliminated it entirely in the show’s second (and final) year. The lingering question for Sorkin is whether the show was as good as it could have been. After finding some success with film scripts (most notably A Few Good Men and The American President), Sorkin in 1998 turned to television, and took a while to feel out the medium (he’d find better success a year later with “The West Wing”). Sorkin’s scripts usually find themselves populated with smart characters who are experts at their jobs and aren’t afraid to speak their minds with pithy dialogue. “Sports Night” is no different. However, the show would often focus too much on the characters’ romantic lives, an issue that sunk Sorkin’s third show, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” This isn’t so much of a problem when the characters are interesting, as they are here (and were not on “Studio 60”), but it pushes the sports-related material to the background. As the focus is on a workplace family and the interpersonal relationships of the characters, the writing of the sports material is almost too generic. One of the DVD’s more interesting featurettes offers a comparison behind the scenes at “SportsCenter,” in which some of the good folks at ESPN discuss the similarities between their real show and the fictional “Sports Night.” – John Latchem Home Media Magazine September 28–October 4, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 Contents News High-Def News Electronic Delivery News TV DVD Best Buy/Hastings Health & Fitness Reviews Pipeline Top 20 DVD Sellers Research Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Best Buy/Hastings (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Health & Fitness (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Health & Fitness (Page 33) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Reviews (Page 34) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Reviews (Page 35) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Reviews (Page 36) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Reviews (Page 37) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 38) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 39) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Research (Page 40) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Research (Page 41) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 42) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 43) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 44) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 45) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 46) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 47) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 48) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - September 28 - October 4, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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