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DVD Shopping Bag: Valentine’s Day Picks
Lady and the Tramp anyone? By
Robert T. Trate
February 07, 2012
Lady and the Tramp Diamond Edition arrives in time for V-day
© Walt Disney Studios
With Valentine’s Day only a week away we thought the DVD and Blu-ray releases would support a greater selection of love stories from multiple genres. The video store (yeah, remember those?) I used to work in had one of those holiday employee pick boards. We would change it every month with our 4 picks and February was always my favorite. Much like the Christmas season it was a chance to twist the titles around or highlight a movie that normal folks didn’t see as a holiday movie. With Valentine’s Day, my boss and my co-workers would list the likes of An Affair to Remember, Love Story, Singles, and Dying Young. These were the titles one would expect to see but we only ever had one copy of anyway.
My choices were always a tad more unorthodox, but titles that I am sure many of you would agree with. They were The Terminator, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Somewhere in Time, and Escape from the Planet of the Apes. James Cameron’s epic about a man who crosses time because he fell in love with a woman’s picture (Somewhere in Time is the exact same story, too). Dracula was Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film about a man who defies god, nature, and time all for the love of one woman who was wronged. My final pick always made people scratch their heads. Yet here was a love story about two beings trying to find a place in a world they did not belong in. Their message was about peace and understanding yet they were only met with hate and aggression. Their love and each other is all they have. Perfect, for Valentine’s Day.
I decided to take this week’s releases and do the same thing. Here are my choices:
Bob’s Valentine’s day picks for 2-7-12:
In case you were unaware, La Jettee is the short film which Cameron’s Terminator is based on. It is clearly the predecessor for Terry Gilliam’s Twelve Monkeys. A man travels through time and falls in love with a woman he recognizes. Each trip back he falls further and further in love with her. Yet he cannot escape time or his own destiny.
2. Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
Robert Donat’s version of the Count of Monte Cristo may not be the best, but the story works perfectly into our Valentine’s Day theme. Edmound Dantes (Donat) loses the woman he loves and is imprisoned for 20 years. He seeks revenge on those who put him there and discovers his love has married his best friend/ worst enemy. It’s a love story and a tale of revenge as well as a prison escape movie. It sounds perfect for Valentine’s Day.
3. The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray]
The DVD Shopping Bag featured the first version of the Phantom of the Opera back in January (see column). Being a huge fan of the novel by Gaston Leroux I have watched multiple versions of this tale. When I was younger I even became a fan of the Broadway show. This performance at the Royal Albert Hall is the best representation of that Broadway show. The only thing that it lacks is a Phantom you believe in. Thankfully, the encore is out of this world.
4. Lady and the Tramp (Three-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy)
Having never watched Disney’s classic love story from beginning to end I was fascinated to see all that was going on here. According to the introduction, Walt Disney had long wanted to tell a story from a dog’s point of view; a fact which is evident in the angles and perspectives in which we see the story of Lady and the Tramp unfold. Now, this is the obvious choice for Valentine’s Day as the scene between Lady and Tramp in the back of the Italian restaurant is now a cinematic staple. What I saw (and this is just for fun) was a little different. Lady, a debutant, is charged with taking care of the young son of a wealthy family. When a thoughtless and ignorant Aunt comes to babysit for a few days, Lady is put into a dangerous world of evil twin Ninjas, meets a sweet talking homeless man, and even spends time on death row. Sounds like a great Maniac worthy Valentine’s Day movie to me.
ACTION / ADVENTURE / KUNG FU/ THRILLERS / WESTERNS
Anonymous Starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, David Thewlis
Anonymous [Blu-ray] Starring Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson
Count of Monte Cristo Starring Robert Donat
Poolboy: Drowning Out the Fury Starring Danny Trejo, Kevin Sorbo, Jason Mewes and Alanna Ubach
The Reunion Starring John Cena, Ethan Embry, Amy Smart and Boyd Holbrook
The Reunion [Blu-ray] Starring John Cena, Ethan Embry, Amy Smart and Boyd Holbrook
Yakuza Weapon [Blu-ray/DVD Combo] Starring Shingo Tsurumi, Mei Kurokawa, Takashi Nishina
Yakuza Weapon Starring Shingo Tsurumi, Mei Kurokawa, Takashi Nishina
ANIME
Akira
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 (201
Gasaraki Complete Series DVD Collection
K-ON! DVD [Anime Legends] Starring Cristina Vee, Stephanie Sheh, Karen Strassman
K-ON! DVD [Anime Legends] Starring Cristina Vee, Stephanie Sheh, Karen Strassman
Mobile Suit Gundam Complete Collection 2 (Anime Legends)
Mobile Suit Gundam Uc
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: The Complete Second Season
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: The Complete First Season
Sengoku Basara 2: The Complete Series Limited Edition (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Starring Robert McCollum, Kazuya Nakai, John Swasey
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings The Complete Series (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) Starring Robert McCollum, John Swasey and Johnny Yong Bosch
Tales of the Abyss Part 3
Tales of the Abyss Part 4
Xam'd: Lost Memories - The Complete Collection [Blu-ray]
Xam'd: Lost Memories Complete Collection
CARTOONS
Lady and the Tramp (Diamond Edition Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging)
Lady and the Tramp (Three-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy)
Lady and the Tramp (Diamond Edition Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo in DVD Packaging)
Star Wars Lego: The Padawan Menace [Blu-ray]
CLASSICS
A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) [Blu-ray] Starring Janet Gaynor, Frederic March and Adolphe Menjou
A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) Starring Janey Gaynor, Frederic March and Adolphe Menjou
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World [Blu-ray] Starring Sid Caesar, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett and Spencer Tracy
COMEDY AND LOVE Mania Style
Casino Royale (1967) [Blu-ray] Starring David Niven, Woody Allen, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat [Blu-ray]
Fish Called Wanda [Blu-ray] Starring John Cleese and Kevin Kline
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I (Two-Disc Special Edition) Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part I [Blu-ray] Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall Starring Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Hadley Fraser
The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray] Starring Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Hadley Fraser
Throw Momma From the Train [Blu-ray] Starring Danny DeVito and Billy Crystal
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (Three-Disc Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / UltraViolet Digital Copy)
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) Starring Kal Penn and Danny Trejo
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + UltraViolet Digital Copy) Starring Tom Lennon, Danny Trejo, John Cho and Kal Penn
Criterion Collection
La Jetee/Sans Soleil (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
HORROR
Ashes Starring Brian Krause, Kadeem Hardison, Richard Gant
The Bunnyman Massacre Starring Cheryl Texiera, Matthew Albrecht, Alaina Gianci
Day of the Dead 3D [Blu-ray] Starring Ving Rhames, Mena Suvari, Nick Cannon and Michael Welch
Deadly Spawn: Millennium Edition [Blu-ray] Starring Tom DeFranco Charles George Hildebrandt
Dorm of the Dead Starring Aaron Sosa and Ryan DeLuca
Filth to Ashes Flesh to Dust Starring Anton Troy and Nicholas J. Leinbach
Filth to Ashes Flesh to Dust [Blu-ray] Starring Anton Troy and Nicholas J. Leinbach
Machete Joe Starring Ernie Hudson, Erica Gimpel, Paul Campbell and Gordon Greene
Return to Horror High/Return of the Killer Tomatoes Starring George Clooney and Vince Edwards
Stormhouse Starring Patrick Flynn, Grant Masters and Grahame Fox
Super Shark Starring John Schneider, Tim Abell, Jerry Lacy and Jimmie Walker
MODERN CLASSICS on BLU-RAY
Dangerous Liaisons [Blu-ray] Starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich
Love Story [Blu-ray] Starring John Marley, Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
Metal Shifters [Blu-ray] Starring Kavan Smith and Nicole de Boer
Metal Shifters Starring Kavan Smith and Nicole de Boer
Time Traveller-Girl Who Leapt Throught Time Starring Riisa Naka, Anna Ishibashi, Narumi Yasuda and Mayu Kitaki
TV LAND
Father Dowling Mysteries: The First Season Starring James Stephens, Tom Bosley, Tracy Nelson and Mary Wickes
Laramie - The Second Season - 33 Hour long episodes Starring John Smith and Robert Fuller
Masterpiece Classic: Downton Abbey Season 2 (Original U.K. Unedited Edition) Starring Maggie Smith
Downton Abbey: Season 2 (Original U.K. Edition) [Blu-ray] Starring Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern
New Tricks: Series 6 Starring James Bolam and Alun Armstrong
Police Woman: Complete Second Season Starring Angie Dickinson, Charles Dierkop and Ed Bernard
Robert Trate writes three weekly columns for Mania: the DVD Shopping Bag, the Toy Maniac, and The Geek Life. Follow Robert on Twitter for his for Geek ramblings, Cosplay photos and film criticisms.
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I know I'm going to sound like a total wuss but Love Story gets me every time. When I hear the theme music, I think that "love means never having to say your sorry."