Before they started incorporating sappy romance plotlines into their films, director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer made straightforward crowd-pleasing action flicks that knew their audiences. While there have in the past been some very good action films to mix in drama or comedy, judging from the reaction to Armageddon and Pearl Harbor, Bay and Bruckheimer when working together should stick to the winning style of The Rock. This engaging 1996 action film starring Nicholas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris receives 2-disc treatment from Criterion a la Armageddon. The Rocks's DVD set topples Armageddon in terms of feature quality (this one's anamorphic and with a killer DTS track) and extras (documentaries, a Bruckheimer interview, an episode of "Movie Magic", an outtakes reel, and more) make the second disc seem more worthwhile than the latter.
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This, the second of the four New Line Platinum Series releases to make the cut, is another offbeat P.T. Anderson film, with an interweaving style similar to Magnolia. Except that for Boogie Nights, we are set in the 70's world of adult films. Mark Wahlberg, Heather Graham and Burt Reynolds and P.T. regulars Julianne Moore, Macy, and Reilly head the ensemble cast. Full-length documentary, deleted scenes, a music video and more await you on Disc 2. With commentary from Anderson.
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An ensemble cast is effectively used in Magnolia, P.T. Anderson's offbeat 1999 drama which weaves together different storylines poignantly. Standout performances include Tom Cruise, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, and in one of his last roles, Jason Robards. Enigmatic, moving, and perhaps a little overlong, Magnolia is quality filmmaking which is crucial to telling these vignettes of our day. The 2-disc New Line Platinum Series set contains the music video from Aimee Mann's Oscar-nominated "Save Me", deleted scenes, trailers & TV spots, and a full length making-of documentary.
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Python's finest hour finally gets the DVD treatment it demands, and what a set it is. Spread over 2 discs, the array of extras is staggering, as the Python boys exploit the DVD medium like no others. Pop in the disc and you are greeted with the wrong film (Bob Monkhouse in Dentist On The Job, to be precise), a voice-over confirms the error and the projectionist changes the reel to allow the correct movie to begin (compare this 'playing-with-the-format' with the parallel grooves in the vinyl on the Matching Tie & Handkerchief LP). Great commentaries too: one for people who don't like the film and a Shakespearean translation version. Innovative stuff. Beyond this you have the Matrix-like spoof feature, 'Follow The Killer Rabbit', superb 'conventional' documentaries and...one of the most wonderfully inventive comedy films ever, brilliantly debunking the Dark Ages and Arthurian Legend. Laugh till your legs and arms fall off.
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