In this week’s edition of Best DVD Bet, our resident video guy checks out the latest Stephen King frightfest, a wacled cartoon from the good folks at adult swim, a Warren Beatty classic and more.
The Mist (The Weinstein Company, $32.95)
I have a confession to make: I really don’t care for The Shawshank Redemption. I know it’s considered by many folks (particularly those on IMDB) to be the greatest movie ever made, but I’ve always found it manipulative, maudlin and all kinds of cheesy. I bring this up, because my expectations couldn’t have been lower when I popped in the DVD of The Mist, the fouth film (and third Stephen King adaptation) from Shawshank writer/director Frank Darabont. But to my surprise, the guy has produced a pretty nifty—and at times genuinely scary—horror movie in the vein of such old-school creature features as Night of the Living Dead, Carnival of Souls and an above-average Twilight Zone episode. For those who missed it in theaters (and judging by its modest box-office grosses, that was most of you), the film takes place in a small town in Maine which has been overrun by a thick mist. Several townspeople gather in the local supermarket, where they quickly discover that the fog hides an army of deadly insect-like creatures. At two hours, The Mist is a tad overlong, but it’s filled a number of killer set-pieces, most notably an encounter with some giant spiders that will have arachnophobes fleeing the room. I also give Darabont major brownie points for including a black-and-white version of the film on this two-disc DVD, along with the colorized theatrical release. It may be out of vogue these days, but if you ask me, most of the best horror films ever made were filmed in black-and-white. “It’s just another sort of example of the pleasure in what we can offer the viewer on DVD,” Darabont told me in a brief telephone interview. “I think they’re both equally valid choices, but the black and white cut is getting a fantastic response, even better than I thought it would.” According to Darabont, the most satisfying thing about the whole experience of making The Mist was freaking out America’s resident Master of Horror. “Stephen flew in to watch the movie with me and there’s a scene where there’s a long stretch of silence followed by an actor hitting a glass door. And he jumped three feet out of his seat! That was awesome.” Along with the must-see black-and-white cut, the DVD includes a commentary from the writer/director, fifteen minutes worth of deleted scenes and four featurettes that are primarily devoted to the movie’s special effects. I don’t expect to change my opinion on Shawshank anytime soon, but The Mist shows that with the right material, Darabont is a filmmaker to keep an eye on.
Frisky Dingo: Season One (Warner Bros., $19.98)
If you were a fan of Sealab 2021 back in the early days of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block, you owe it to yourself to get caught up on Frisky Dingo, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson’s follow-up to the much-missed Sealab. When it debuted in 2006, Frisky began as a kooky superhero spoof, but it quickly morphed into something much weirder and funnier. It was also very different from Sealab in that it had an intricate season-long storyline that you had to watch exactly in order if you wanted it to make any sense. That’s why it’s so nice to have finally have all 13 episodes collected on DVD. The basic storyline involves the conflict between billionaire playboy/secret superhero Xander Crews and his arch-nemesis, an eight-foot tall albino creature named Killface. But that’s just the jumping off point for a plot to includes bunny knife fights, Lord of the Rings re-enactors and a squadron of very dumb super soldiers dressed in Iron Man-like battle armor. My one complaint is that there are no bonus features included on this bare-bones disc. Commentaries from Thompson and Reed, as well as a roundtable reading of a script, would have been a great addition for Frisky lovers. But don’t let that stop you from checking out one the funniest shows only a few people are watching. And while you’re getting immersed in all things Dingo, you can start TiVoing the show’s second season, which just began airing again on Adult Swim after a four-month hiatus.
Bonnie and Clyde (Warner Bros., $20.98)
Arthur Penn’s controversial 1968 classic influenced every young-gangsters-in-love adventure that came after (check out Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s ‘03 Bonnie & Clyde video for proof). And while time has dated the movie in places—its clumsy treatment of Clyde’s sexuality sticks out like a sore thumb today—it remains a wild ride right up to its brilliantly bloody finale. Even though the ballet of bullets that closes the film has been parodied endlessly since (The Simpsons just did their take on it earlier this year), the original still has plenty of shock value. Plus Bonnie and Clyde features one of the best ensemble casts of any movie ever made. Not only do you have Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway preserved in all their movie-star glory as the titular pair of bank robbers, the film also features Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman and Estelle Parsons in iconic supporting turns and the big-screen debut of Gene “Willy Wonka” Wilder. This 40th anniversary edition boasts a comprehensive making-of documentary that includes reminiscences from Beatty, Dunaway and other major cast and crew members, as well as two deleted scenes and footage of Beatty’s wardrobe tests.
The Kite Runner (Paramount, $29.99)
I made a number of bad calls during the 2007 awards season, but my biggest blunder was calling the film version of Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel The Kite Runner a lock for a Best Picture nomination. In my defense, I saw the film at an early screening surrounded by Academy members and the atmosphere in the room as the credits rolled was absolutely electric. But then the movie arrived in theaters and the people that turned out in droves to buy the book didn’t show up to see it on the big screen. The Kite Runner quietly limped out of theaters a few weeks later with only $15 million in the bank. And when Oscar nomination time rolled around, the movie went completely unrecognized. While I acknowledge my error, I’m not going to reverse myself on the movie, which I still think is one of the better book-to-film translations I saw last year. Credit goes to the terrific cast and screenwriter David Benioff’s faithful, yet streamlined adaptation. Benioff, Hosseini and director Marc Forster chat on an engaging commentary track and two informative featurettes explore the film’s difficult production. I shouldn’t do this, but I’m going to make another prediction: look for The Kite Runner to find the audience on DVD that it missed in theaters.
Also on DVD
Hong Kong director Johnny To has become a favorite for critics and adrenaline freaks alike and rip-roaring action flicks like PTU (Dragon Dynasty, $19.99) prove why. This 2003 feature catapulted the filmmaker to a new level of fame, which has only been enhanced by such acclaimed follow-up features as Election and Exiled. Just released on DVD courtesy of The Weinstein Company’s Asian-themed DVD line, the PTU disc includes an interview with To and the film’s stars as well as a commentary track from an expert on Hong Kong action movies. Walk the Line: Extended Cut (Fox, $26.98) is a new two-disc edition of the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic that handed Reese Witherspoon a Best Actress Oscar for her star turn as June Carter. In addition to an extended cut of the film, which clocks in at 20 minutes longer than the theatrical version, the set includes extended musical sequences, a new crop of deleted scenes and seven—count ‘em seven!—featurettes. Cult-movie-in-the-making Wristcutters: A Love Story (Lionsgate, $26.98) casts Patrick Fugit and Shannyn Sossamon as suicide victims who off themselves only to wake up in a strange kind of purgatory. The film has an offbeat sense of humor that limits its fanbase, but those who love it will really love it. Finally, bad movie fans should run, not walk to check out Kiltro (Magnet, $26.98) a Latin American martial arts flick that features some of the worst English-language dubbing since the days of chopsocky kung-fu epics. Chilean martial arts expert Marko Zaror plays a well-meaning street thug who transforms himself into a great warrior to save the attractive daughter of a local sensei. With its low-budget production values and shaky fight choreography, Kiltro is an instant camp classic.
