March 2006

I love Good Night, and Good Luck (hell, I chose it as my best picture of 2005).  George Clooney brings a trained eye and steady hand both in front of and behind the camera and David Strathairn gave a performance worthy not only of his nomination but should have received the Oscar for his role as Edward R. Murrow.  It’s the most complete and important film of 2005 and hopefully it will find a wider audience on DVD as the country comes to appreciate what great film making can accomplish.

Good Night, and Good Luck
5 Stars

“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box.”

Edward R. Murrow believed that it was the responsibility of television not only to entertain but also to educate and inform.  George Clooney’s film takes the idea that the news should be pure and driven to discover the truth and promote discussion as it’s central theme.  In Clooney’s view this responsibility of journalism is neither antiquated nor dull and for ninety-three minutes the film proves him correct every step of the way.

Yes David Strathairn‘s performance as legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow is the heart and soul of this movie but the film belongs to George Clooney.  The son of anchorman Nick Clooney he grew up in a house that respected journalism in general and investigative news in particular.  To Clooney the project of bringing Murrow’s story to the screen is as much a message about the current state of journalism as pointing out what he calls one of the two most important events of network news.

With the help of people connected with See it Now Clooney set forth to bring the story to Hollywood and what he produces not only tells the important lessons learned from McCarthyism but never becomes preachy and never fails to entertain.  The film is beautiful in black and white and recreates the feel and look of the time period of a 50’s newsroom and the struggle to put on an important piece of journalism against the wishes of sponsors.  Filled with great performances headlined by Strathairn but also including Clooney, Robert Downey Jr, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise and Tate Donovan who all give their very best.  For more on the movie itself check out my original review.

This is a wonderful film that the whole family can enjoy (who would have thunk the best film of 2005 would be PG?).  It educates and entertains as well as giving us an important message.  To do all of these things is good cinema.  To do them all this well is incredible.  The addition of the featurette and commentary track give you an inside look into Clooney’s desire and need to see the film made and his hope that it may inspire discussion and change in today’s news industry.  In ten years no one is going to remember Crash or Brokeback Mountain but this film (along with Spielberg’s Munich) will not only survive the test of time but hopeful will garner the acknowledgement that it so richly deserves.

Isaac Hayes who has provided the voice for Chef for nine years on South Park has parted ways with the show for its “growing insensitivity toward personal religious beliefs.”  Hayes objected strongly to a new episode of the show that pokes fun at Scientology.  In the episode Stan scores a near perfect score on the Scientology test causing the followers to believe he is the second coming of L. Ron Hubbard.  In the past the show has made fun of several different religions, but objections to this episode caused the UK to pull it from air.  Hayes, a Scientologist, objected to this particular episode and decided to sever ties with the show siting his inability to “support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.”  Co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have agreed to let Hayes out of his contract.  So will South Park be the same without Chef’s salty balls?  Only time will tell.

South Park
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MacGyver is back with a Fifth Season and we’ve got the review for the DVD set all ready for ya’.  How good is it?  Is it worth picking up?  For true fans of the show the answer is yes, but for the casual observer I don’t think there’s enough here.  Read on…

MacGyver – Season Five
2 & 1/2 Stars

I was never a big MacGyver fan.  I like the premise (man without gun can invent anything) and how the series was based on the hero outwitting and outsmarting his enemies rather than just punching them or shooting them.  The problem I have with the show is the writing is uneven and too many of the episodes have “important messages” hidden in them. 

For example in just this one season MacGyver takes on the logging industry, poachers, brings peace to Eastern Europe, teaches a girl to talk to her father, highlights the health problems and the need for medicine and medical funding in Bangkok and the freedom movement in China, learns the importance of jury duty, inspires and uninspired kid, and rediscovers the meaning of Christmas.  You can almost hear the announcer the week before “next week on a very special MacGyver.”

MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is a special agent for The Foundation for Law and Government The Phoenix Foundation, a private organization interested in keeping the peace, solving crimes, and helping those less fortunate.  MacGyver is called on to perform all sorts of missions by his boss Devon Miles Pete Thonton (Dana Elcar, the only other regular cast member in every episode) including finding buried treasure and solving any kind of problem with only his brain and ingenuity; MacGyver never uses a gun.

The series is most remembered for MacGyver’s split second inventions and this year has more than it’s share including a plane built from bamboo poles, garbage bags and a cement mixer.  His missions this season range from teaching high school science to fighting Nazis to brokering peace states between two warring nations.  Wow, this guy really can do it all!  One of the problems with the series is MacGyver never has a set job description; while this allows for the writers to do an infinite number of different episodes the show suffers from a lack of continuity and grove you expect from a show in its fifth year.  Why is the same agent spending time doing all these different missions including many which could be done by someone with far less skill and importance?  Well at least it keeps him busy.

Other highlights of this season include two episodes where MacGyver helps out a young girl (Mayim Bialik, TV’s Blossom), one where he reunites his longtime friend Jesse Colton (Richard Lawson) with the kid he fathered during Vietnam, a dream episode that takes place during the old west,  MacGyver’s arch-nemesis Murdoc (Michael Des Barres) returns for an episode looking for help, and a two episode series opener that centers around a hidden treasure that includes a medieval laser.

 

Longtime fans of the show will surely want to add this set to their collection.  Casual viewers may want to check it out, but it was a little too uneven and too preachy for my tastes.  There are some good episodes but when the show starts moralizing and teaching everyone a lesson it gets a little too hard to swallow.  It might be a better show for younger audiences and makes an okay “good for the whole family” type of show.  I just wish it was a little more consistent in both the writing and storytelling and the show didn’t try so hard to shove a message down your throat every other episode.

We’re here to let you know what’s out there for your entertainment dollar.  Every week a new batch of DVD’s gets shipped out and thrown onto the shelves.  This week we’ve got two of my top five films of 2005 and believe it or not they’re both on Aaron’s top five too.  Also out this week are season sets of MacGyver, I Dream of Jeannie and Murder She Wrote.  Take a peek inside for the full list.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Good Night, and Good Luck – My #1 movie of 2005 and Aarons’ #4 (take a look at my list here, and Aaron’s list here) retells the on-air war between Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy (who plays himself through a series of newsclips).  Beautifully shot and in black and white that perfectly sets the mood and helps recreate the era.  Clooney does double duty as director and co-star in this movie that was good enough to be nominated but never took home any gold.  Not to be forgetten is David Strathairn’s Murrow and great supporting performances by Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, and Frank Langella.  The DVD contains commentary from Clooney and producer/screenwriter Grant Heslov.  Read original reviews here, and here, and here.

A History of Violence – Aaron’s #5 film of 2005 and my #3 involves a violent event in a small town that causes the past to come crashing down on an entire family.  David Cronenberg directs this violent tale starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello in an Oscar worthy performance, Ed Harris and William Hurt.  For me the most haunting film of the year (and that includes Spielberg’s Munich) and some of the best filmmaking in every meaning of the word in this or any year.  The DVD contains commentary from Cronenberg, deleted scenes, a collection of featurettes, and a documentary.  Read the original review.

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio – Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Laura Dern star in this “true” story about a mother raising ten kids off of jingle-writing contests.

Townes Van Zandt – Be Here to Love Me – Documentary on the life and career of the amazing songwriter includes interviews from Zandt before his death and friends Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson and more.  The DVD includes performances of Van Zandt and commentary from director Margaret Brown, cinematographer Lee Daniel and musician Joe Ely and interviews with artists featured in the documentary.

Collections:

The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Movie Collection – Four disc collection of Miss Marrple (Margaret Rutherford) that includes Murder She Said, Murder at the Gallop, Murder Most Foul, and Murder Ahoy.

TV:

MacGyver – The Complete Fifth Season – MacGyver returns hunting for buried treasure, stopping poachers, learning the true meaning of Christmas, fighting Nazis, and more.  All 21 episodes on 6 discs.  (Read the DVD review here)

Murder, She Wrote – The Complete Third Season – Angela Lansbury continues as author and murder investigator Jessica Fletcher when people keep dying around her in 22 episodes.  I think it’s creepy and a little suspicious that people keep dying when she’s around.  This years guest stars include George Clooney, Tom Selleck, and Courtney Cox.

Columbo – The Complete Fourth Season – The bumbling genius detective continues to track down criminals including guest villains Dick Van Dyke (”Negative Reaction”), Robert Conrrad (”An Exercise in Fatality”), and George Hamilton (”A Deadly State of Mind”).

I Dream of Jeanie – The Complete First Season – An astronaut finds a genie and becomes her master though her magic gets him into more trouble than he barganed for.  All 30 episodes are available in two different collections: one in the original black and white, and a colorized version.  The pilot episode includes commentary from the show’s cast and the DVD also contains inteviews with Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, and Bill Daily.

Babylon 5 – The Legend of the Rangers – Two-hour television movie spin-off from the original show focusing on the Rangers and their contact with a previous unknown alien race.

Sleeper Cell– Nine episodes including the two-hour finale on three discs tell the story of FBI hunting down terrorist cells in this 24ish action drama.  Incuded in the set are deleted scenes, featurettes, and commentary fom executive producers Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.