Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hidden Treasures http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hidden-treasures_b_66803.html [4/5/2009 8:29:22 PM] APRIL 5, 2009 HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE Make HuffPost Your HomePage Get Email Alerts Twitter: Follow Us BIG NEWS : Angelina Jolie | Madonna | Chris Brown & Rihanna | Paul McCartney | More...</p><p> LOG IN | SIGN UP Michael Giltz | BIO | I'M A FAN OF THIS BLOGGER Email Print Be the First to Submit This Story to DiggDVDs: Hidden Treasures Posted October 2, 2007 | 12:47 PM (EST) Read More: Breaking Entertainment News , Disney, Documentaries , Dvds, Erotica , Gay , Ken Burns, Stand-Up, Breaking Entertainment News It's easy to take DVDs for granted.</p><p> They're small, inexpensive, often loaded with extras and offer great picture and sound far superior to VHS and a lot easier to use than those bulky old laser discs.We just assume that a few months after a movie hits theaters that we'll be able to buy the DVD forabout $20.</p><p> And before the next season of a TV show begins, we know the previous season will popup in a boxed set as well.</p><p> This week's major releases are no exception to the rule: Ken Burns' engrossing The War ($129.99; PBS) is just winding up on public television but is already out in a lavish set; Disney's The Jungle Book ($29.99; Disney) -- one of their most under-appreciated animated films and Walt's last -- celebrates its 40th anniversary; the family friendly Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer ($34.98; Fox) is filled with commentary tracks and making-of videos; Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn are charming if way too far apart in age for the romantic musical Funny Face ($14.99; Paramount); John Cusack's exceptional work in the word of mouth horror hit 1408 ($29.95; Dimension) can be appreciated along with an alternate ending; and TV shows like Entourage ($39.98; HBO), Shark ($59.98; Fox), the almost-cancelled Jericho ($49.99; Paramount) and even the cable hit The Sarah Silverman Program ($19.99; Paramount) are all on DVD as a matter of course.</p><p> All of those releases are expected -- even demanded -- by fans.</p><p> But look at all the titles in the last two weeks that even ardent DVD fans can only shake their heads in happiness over.</p><p> Leading the pack is surely Cinema 16: European Short Films ($29.98; Warp Films).</p><p> Shorts barely existed in the world of VHS, but they're ideal for DVDs where people can skip to their favorites with ease.</p><p> This compilation contains 16 shorts from rising stars and top filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Nanni Moretti, Ridley Scott,Mathieu Kassovitz, Lynne Ramsay, Lars Von Trier and my personal favorite Roy Andersson. (EvenAndersson's feature films are hard to find on DVD.) Outside of film festivals, these shorts wouldsimply be unavailable to almost anyone anywhere in the world.</p><p> Imagine if people could buy novelsbut never read a short story and you'll realize how absurd that is.</p><p> Cinema 16 is simply filled with treasures.</p><p> Another DVD delight is the documentary "film festival" arranged by Docurama, which releases a series of DVDs close to each other, making an event out of small films lacking a high profile.</p><p> Their Popular Stories on HuffPost Fashion Face-Off! 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SNL: Madonna And Angelina In Weekend Update...</p><p> Reality Star Jade Goody Buried In Lavish...</p><p> Robert De Niro Nanny Sues For $40,000 Alex Da Silva, Celebrity Choreographer Accused Of...recent batch includes an ode to a New York chef at Shopsin's called "I Like Killing Flies," a celebration of Alvin Ailey called Beyond The Steps (with a short film extra containing an entire piece of theirs), and my personal favorite Plagues & Pleasures On The Salton Sea , the story of a failed utopia in Southern California that's narrated with relish by John Waters (all $26.95;Docurama).</p><p> Robert Klein is famous enough that his eight HBO comedy specials -- which haven't aged a bit thanks to his timeless concerns - would be expected to come out on DVD ($39.99; SRO).</p><p> But couldwe really expect to get them for $5 each? And no one could expect to find The Catherine Tate ShowSeries One ($29.99; SRO).</p><p> This relatively obscure UK sketch show (to Americans) showcases Tate's chameleon-like ability to play tons of different characters a la Tracey Ullman and come up withabsurd but hard to forget catch phrases like "Am I bovvered?" that will get you far in anyconversation with a Brit.</p><p> Waterbearer Films just released three foreign gay films from the 80s and 90s: Lakki: The Boy Who Could Fly, Friends Forever and the sweet-natured Sebastian (all $29.95).</p><p> You can depend on the Swedes, the Norwegians and the Danish to treat coming out with maturity, but is it really reasonable to expect little-known gay films like this to be readily available? One set that isn't a surprise is The Up Series ($99.95; First Run Features), Michael Apted's landmark documentary series that revisits the same group of people every seven years.</p><p> The new boxed set includes all seven editions so far, from Seven Up to "49 Up," and DVD is the ideal way to experience this unique and brilliant work.</p><p> You might also expect to find Ten Canoes ($24.99; Palm Pictures), an Australian film that delves into aboriginal culture with charm.</p><p> But you might not expect it to look so beautiful, thanks to DVD's inherent high quality and the care taken in transferring this acclaimed art house movie ontothe format.</p><p> And everyone knows that sex sells: pornography and erotica are always the first genres to test new formats like DVD-ROM, laser disc, DVD and downloadable films.</p><p> So no one should blush at seeingVintage Erotica Anno 1960 ($24.95; Cult Epics), the latest in a series rescuing erotica shorts from obscurity.</p><p> But no one - not even the most sincere optimist - can do anything but smile with surprised delight at finding something like On and Off The Rails: The British Transport Film Collection ($29.95; Kino).</p><p> Fourteen British railroading shorts, including gems like "John Betjeman Goes By Train," "Blue Pullman" and what the liner notes describe with a straight face as "lesser known gems" like This Is York? If anything does, surely this counts as a hidden treasure.</p><p> And guess what? They're delightful.</p><p> What hidden treasures are you still waiting to pop up on DVD? Me, I'm waiting for a boxed set of the Oscar nominated shorts from years past and a serious compilation of Laurel & Hardy shorts from their heyday.</p><p> Comments for this post are now closed Email Print More in Entertainment...</p><p> HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now Style On CBS' "Washington Unplugged" Arianna was on CBS' "Washington...</p><p> Huff TV Arianna Appears on ABC's "This Week" Roundtable With George Stephanopoulos(VIDEO) Arianna was a guest this morning on... "BRUNO" TRAILER!Calamity, African Babies, Chase Scenes And More (NSFW VIDEO) IT'S HERE! 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Comments 12 Pending Comments 0 Buy a link here Sponsored Links "My Teeth Are so White" Read the trick, discovered by a mom, to turn yellow teeth white.</p><p> CathysTeeth.com Spine Surgery Advancement NO Hospital, NO Gen Anesthesia.</p><p> Get Your Life Back NOW! www.LaserSpineInstitute.com I'm Happy I Lost My Job After I got laid off, I found a easy way to make $7k a month online... http://coreyhasmoney.com/ca Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to View Comments: Newest First Expand All Apples See Profile I'm a Fan of Apples permalink I used to have a copy on laser disc of the documentary "Laurel & Hardy's Laughing 20's" which I loved, and even recall seeing at the movies as a support to the general release version of Cinerama's "TheWonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm." I would love to have a DVD copy.</p><p> Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind one of "Brothers Grimm" either.</p><p> It's not that it was a particularly great movie, but I still yearn for those huge 70mm, curved screen presentations, and watching DVDs of 'How The West Was Won,' 'Khartoum,' and even (yikes) 'Krakatoa, East Of Java' helps bring back some of those road show memories.</p><p> Glad you mentioned 'The Catherine Tate Show' which can often be a hit or miss, depending on the character she's portraying, but when it works - like "Am I bovvered?" Lauren or the foul mouthed Nan -the show is a gem.</p><p> Also released today is the British black and white comedy 'The Big Job', which I actually remember seeing in Britain during my youth.</p><p> It stars Sydney James, Jim Dale and several other of the Carry Onregulars.</p><p> I loved it back then.</p><p> I'm sure it looks dated but I'm trying to get a copy of it, all the same.</p><p> And finally, keeping it Brit-side, any word on 'The Fast Lady' with Stanley Baxter and Leslie Phillips, who played the voice of the talking hat in the Harry Potter films? Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink I had lots of laser discs, but not the Laurel & Hardy one.</p><p> I'm jealous.</p><p> They've been putting outtheir later, inferior movies and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before they're unearthed.</p><p> Ithink I might have seen The Big Job as a kid, but I've never heard of The Fast Lady.</p><p> Thelatter is available on its own in the UK and the former as part of a cheap Sydney James boxedset, so if you're willing to pay shipping, you can get them from Amazon.co.uk.</p><p> Yes, you'll haveto play them on a computer DVD player, which can be reset to play that region's titles,assuming you don't own a region-free player which are common overseas but not so commonhere. (Keep in mind you can only change your computer DVD drive back and forth severaltimes before it locks -- I like to keep one drive dedicated to UK dvds just for this purpose.</p><p> And those region-free players are pretty cheap.</p><p> BUt be careful, you'll find yourself lusting after a lot of UK TV and movies you normally wouldn't be able to buy and watch.</p><p> Computers India Barack Obama Michelle Obama Sports Olympics Housing Crisis Fox News Cars MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Books by this author A cabin of one's own: New England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine) by Michael Giltz Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein.</p><p> In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine) by Michael Giltz Breaking Entertainment News DisneyDocumentariesDvdsEroticaGayKen BurnsStand-Upchemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of...</p><p> HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Bloggers Index Read All Posts by Michael Giltz Related Tags Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:30 PM on 10/02/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:35 PM on 10/02/2007This Blogger's Books from Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hidden Treasures http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hidden-treasures_b_66803.html [4/5/2009 8:29:22 PM] brownearthling See Profile I'm a Fan of brownearthling permalink Where is The Whoopie Boys with Paul Rodriguez? Where is the TV show Friday's with Michael Richards? Jeckyl and Hyde Together Again?? Break em out of the vault! Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Despite the flood of TV shows, there are still plenty missing -- sketch shows like Fridaysmight be missing because of music rights, the same reason The Wonder Years isn't out.</p><p> I'm still waiting for seasons three-seven of Hill Street Blues, the most influential TV show of all time.</p><p> But I can't complain since Police Squad finally came out recently. jmpurser See Profile I'm a Fan of jmpurser permalink Just in case there's someone out there who hasn't tried this, do yourself a favor, and get a televisionseries you like on DVD.</p><p> Rent it from netflix, you don't have to buy it.</p><p> The experience of watching "tv" on dvd is so much superior to the commercial filled, bug crowded, time dependent format that it's like a whole different show.</p><p> Amazing.</p><p> I canceled my cable and pick up entireseries off neflix now. moober See Profile I'm a Fan of moober permalink This is what I do as well.</p><p> After watching a whole season of The Wire, I thought, 'How doesanyone follow this intricate show with a full week between episodes?'.</p><p> But there are some show i have to watch week to week so I can hold my own at the 'water cooler', like Top Chef and Damages.</p><p> Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink I agree.</p><p> It's getting to the point where I have no patience waiting a week to see a newepisode.</p><p> Most TV shows benefit greatly from being watched over a short period of time (oneor two a night) rather than stretched out over six months.</p><p> The bette the show, the bigger thebenefit.</p><p> This isn't quite as true for sitcoms, I find.</p><p> Don't ask me why.</p><p> But I don't just useNetflix.</p><p> I've been DVRing the entire season of Mad Men on AMC and in about a week or twoI'll devour it all at once.</p><p> Lots of people with cable do the same with DVRs, HBO on Demand etc.</p><p> It is indeed the best way to watch TV.</p><p> CriminallySane See Profile I'm a Fan of CriminallySane permalink Shorts? I am old enough to remember when a short - generally but not always a documentary - was standard pre-feature fare in theater runs.</p><p> Ahh, the old days...</p><p> Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Oh, those days of yore.</p><p> Now the twist is this: Wes Anderson's new movie The Darjeeling Limited has a short about 12 minutes long that serves as a sort of prequel.</p><p> Instead of tackingit onto the movie, they just put it on iTunes for free, so anyone can download and watch it.</p><p> Iwatched it after seeing the movie, which helped me catch a quick moment I wouldn't haveappreciated otherwise.</p><p> Similarly, Bruce Springsteen just put the first single from his newalbum for free on iTunes which makes perfect sense: he wants people to hear the song andrather than spend payola on radio play, he can just put it out there for anyone to playwhenever they want.</p><p> It's a bold new world.</p><p> CriminallySane See Profile I'm a Fan of CriminallySane permalink And for people like me, who have no use for Itunes? Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 02:31 PM on 10/02/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:08 PM on 10/02/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:28 PM on 10/02/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:15 PM on 10/03/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:11 PM on 10/02/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:07 PM on 10/02/2007 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:13 PM on 10/02/2007Michael Giltz: DVDs: Hidden Treasures http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-hidden-treasures_b_66803.html [4/5/2009 8:29:22 PM] HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE ARCHIVE Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type Comments are closed for this entryThere are More Comments on this Thread.</p><p> Click Here To See them All You must be logged in to reply to this comment.</p><p> Log in or Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:31 PM on 10/02/2007
