ESSENTIAL ART HOUSE: 50 YEARS OF JANUS FILMS
© Criterion
Hope in the HD format war?
By: Brian ThomasDate: Tuesday, January 16, 2007
While news coverage was drawn to the flash of a 108-inch LCD TV at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, a more significant story for home video enthusiasts was unfolding elsewhere. Last year’s dual launch of competing High Definition DVD formats was greeted with underwhelming response, selling only a third as well as expected. Clearly, not only are consumers fed up with the lack of a standard format, as manufacturers have announced new products to attempt some sort of conciliation. Manufacturer LG will be releasing a hybrid player that works with both formats, though how well it works has yet to be determined since the dual technology is complicated, and the players will be more expensive. A move that has gained more support comes from Warner Bros. Home Video, who’ve been issuing their movies on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc. They have developed their own format called Total HD which can be played on both players. It’s not actually a new format at all, but a double-sided disc which holds a format on each side.
This would seem to muddy the waters even further, but retailers seem to be lining up behind the idea, since the software is easier to handle and less risky than stocking expensive machinery, and they’ll be able to display Warner Bros. HD discs in half the space. If all labels decided to adopt the Warners format, which player you decided to buy would become relevant only to a small number of Hi-Def buffs. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that all labels will sign on for the Total HD program – for example, if Sony decides not to play, you’ll still need to buy a Blu-ray Disc player to watch Spider-man in High Definition. But it’s a nice move toward a neutral zone nonetheless, where titles can compete on their own merits rather than on which player people own.
Once the bugs are worked out and the price drops, dual format players would allow consumers to pick out which titles to buy or rent without having to think about which kind of disc they’re on. Imagine that: the format that has the best movies will be the one to survive! On the other hand, a neutral zone may prolong the competition, since both formats will still sell. Meanwhile, we’ll still have the ridiculous situation of a marketplace having to deal with double the technological load. Competition is great for business, but only when there’s a demand. All evidence indicates that most consumers are perfectly content to just watch High Definition video in showrooms for the time being, while waiting for product that fits their budgets.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, deleted scenes from Sid Pink’s creature from Copenhagen flick Reptilicus have shown up on TouTube, including a shot of the monster flying and a disturbing song performance by the comic relief janitor. Will MGM re-release their Midnight Movies DVD in a special edition? And if so, can I get it on Blu-ray Disc?
To promote their new website offerings, the online entertainment resource DotComedy is providing us with 5 packages for our Prize Closet. Each pack contains a copy of The 40 Year Old Virgin on DVD, a DotComedy.com t-shirt, and a pair of American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile gag boxer shorts. To enter, just send an email to which includes your name and address DVD Shopping List, and in the subject line put the word “STITZER”.
SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Since 1956, Janus Films has distributed some of the greatest films from around the world. Founded by theater owner and B-movie star Bryant Haliday (Devil Doll), Janus was originally formed to acquire films to show in Haliday’s New York art houses, but the company soon filled a growing need for these classics in other territories. Many of these films have received deluxe treatment on laserdisc and DVD as part of the Criterion Collection library. This week our spotlight falls on the most expensive DVD set ever released – and likely the most prestigious.
(O) ESSENTIAL ART HOUSE: 50 YEARS OF JANUS FILMS (Criterion) This box set collects only the most essential 48 titles from the Janus library. Includes Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes and Diamonds (1958), L'Avventura (1960), Ballad of a Soldier (1959), Beauty and the Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires on the Plain (1959), Fists in the Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan the Terrible, Part III (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules and Jim (1962), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), Knife in the Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves of a Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules of the Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957) and three documentaries by Saul J. Turell. Plus, a hardcover book and deluxe album packaging.
NEW RELEASES
THE DEATH OF POE © Alpha NIGHTMARE WORLDS © Mill Creek TALES OF VOODOO Box Set © Video Asia
(O) APOCALYPSE (Mill Creek) 20-movie pack includes Alien Contamination, Alien Species, Battle of the Worlds, Cosmos: War of the Planets, Counterblast, The Day the Sky Exploded, The Doomsday Machine, The End of the World, Evil Brain from Outer Space, The Last Man on Earth, Planet Outlaws, Purple Death from Outer Space, Rocky Jones Space Ranger: Menace from Outer Space, Star Odyssey, They, This is Not a Test, Unknown World, War of the Robots, Warning From Space and Warriors of the Wasteland.
(O) BLOOD STAINED TRADEWIND (Image) 1990 Hong Kong triad flick.
(O) BROKEN SWORD (Crash/Koch) Chinese swordplay action comedy.
(O) BURNT RUBBER (Mill Creek) Racing 20-movie pack includes: Bail Out, Big Wheel, Blonde Comet, Born To Be Wild, Burn 'Em Up Barnes (serial apparently counts as 2 movies), The Choppers, Danger on Wheels, Devil on Wheels, Double Nickels, The Fast and the Furious, High Gear, Hot Rod Girl, In Hot Pursuit, Killing Cars, The Petty Story, Speed to Spare, T-Bird Gang, Ten Laps to Go and The Wild Ride.
(O) CANNIBAL CAMPOUT (POPcinema) Hillbilly orphans honor a promise to their dead mom to avoid junk food and only eat fresh meat in this 1988 slasher item. Includes director commentrak, interviews and more.
(O) DIE YOU ZOMBIE BASTARDS! (Image) Heroic serial killer on a quest to save his wife from a supervillain intent on raising a zombie army to conquer the world. Includes commentrak, Making-Of, Hasil Adkins music videos and more.
(O) DOCTOR WHO Complete Second Series (BBC) David Tennant becomes the tenth Doctor on this 6-disc set. Also available bundled with previous season.
(O) EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH (Lionsgate) Box store employees Dane Cook and Dax Shepard compete for new girl Jessica Simpson. With commentraks, featurettes and alternate opening.
(O) THE FLYING SWORDSGIRL (Crash/Koch) Old school martial arts action fantasy.
(O) GRIDIRON GANG (Sony) Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson whips a bunch of juvenile delinquints into a football team in this overwrought urban sports drama. Widescreen and “fullscreen” editions include commentrak, deleted footage and featurettes.
(O) THE GRIM REAPER (Lionsgate) The survivor of a car accident finds that Death doesn’t like being cheated.
(O) IN HER LINE OF FIRE (Genius) Secret agent Mariel Hemingway is on a mission to rescue the Vice President.
(O) KIDNAPPED (Allumination) Armand Assante in a 1995 televersion of the Robert Louis Stevenson story.
(O) KING OF QUEENS Seventh Season (Sony)
(O) LITTLE SHAOLIN MONKS (Koch) Documentary on the lives of the youngest inhabitants of Shaolin Temple.
(O) MAY 6th (06/05) (Koch) Tight Dutch political suspense thriller based on true events from director Theo Van Gogh, who was murdered for his art in 2004. Includes Making-Of, director video diary and more.
(O) MUTUAL OF OMAHA’S WILD KINGDOM Definitive 50 Episode Collection (BCI Eclipse) The top nature documentary TV series of the 1960s.
(O) MY HERO Season 1 (BBC) 2000 sitcom about a young married superhero from another planet.
(O) THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER (Allumination) 2000 televersion of the Mark Twain story.
(O) THE PROTECTOR (Dragon Dynasty/Weinstein) Tony Jaa (Ong Bak) fights to retrieve the elephants stolen from his village and taken to Australia. Thankfully, this 2-disc set includes both the butchered US version and the half-hour longer Thai version, plus deleted footage, Making-Of featurettes and more.
(O) THE RANSOM OF RED CHIEF (Allumination) 1996 televersion of the O. Henry story.
THE RED SKULLS (Tempe) Teenage mutant cannibal street gang action! Includes commentrak, featurettes, outtakes, music video and more.
(O) RITUAL PATH (R&B Films/Koch) Video artist John Banks combines digital landscapes with special effects and music to create a must-own for those wanting to show off their new home theater system – or just anybody who wants an impressive screensaver for their computer. Features guest vocals by Jon Anderson of Yes.
(O) SEVEN SWORDS (Dragon Dynasty/Weinstein) Tsui Hark resets The Seven Samurai to Ching Dynasty China for this 2005 action adventure starring Donnie Yen and Leon Lai. 2-disc set includes commentrak, Making-Of, deleted footage and more.
(O) SPACE ACADEMY Complete Series (BCI Eclipse) 1977 Saturday morning sci-fi series about young students under the tutelage of Commander Jonathan Harris. All 15 episodes on four discs, plus commentraks, featurettes, scripts and more.
(O) TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (New Line) Prequel shows us where Leatherface came from. Unrated edition includes commentrak, deleted footage, behind-the-scenes and more.
(O) 24 Season 6 Premiere (Fox) Forget to record the 2-night four hour season premiere? Now you can pay 15 bucks to see it.
(O) 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (Allumination) 1997 TV movie gives Aronnax (Richard Crenna) a daughter (Julie Cox) and Nemo is played by Ben Cross.
(O) WOODCHIPPER MASSACRE (POPcinema) 1988 horror in which a psycho family disposes of their victims via a big ol’ chipper. Includes director commentrak, interviews, music video and more.
BLU-RAY DISC CORNER
(O) EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH (Lionsgate) With commentraks, featurettes, bloopers, deleted footage and alternate opening.
(O) GOODFELLAS (Warner Bros.) With two commentraks, documentary featurettes and more.
(O) GRIDIRON GANG (Sony) Includes commentrak, deleted footage and featurettes.
(O) RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE (Sony) With commentrak, deleted footage, Making-Of featurettes and more.
(O) SCOOBY-DOO (Warner Bros.) Includes commentrak, deleted footage, Making-Of featurettes, music video and more.
HD-DVD CORNER
(O) CLERKS 2 (Weinstein) Includes three commentraks, deleted footage, bloopers, featurettes and more. THE MUMMY RETURNS © Universal
(O) LUCKY # SLEVIN (Weinstein) Includes two commentraks, Making-Of and more.
(O) POSEIDON (Warner Bros.) With Making-Of featurettes and more.
(O) PULSE (Weinstein) Unrated version plus two commentraks, featurettes and deleted footage.
(O) SCOOBY-DOO (Warner Bros.) Includes commentrak, deleted footage, Making-Of featurettes, music video and more.
(O) THE STING (Universal)
And be sure to check back next week—and every week—for Mania’s DVD Shopping List! And don’t forget Anime Avalanche every Monday!
DVD Shopping List (© 2007 Brian Thomas) is our weekly DVD column. Brian Thomas is the author of the massive book VideoHound’s Dragon: Asian Action & Cult Flicks, available now!
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