Just announced -- new "Bonnie and Clyde" upgrade

Warner Home Video has just sent notice that a new two-disc upgrade of "Bonnie and Clyde" is coming Feb. 19. There will be two versions: a Special Edition, retailed for $20.97 list price, with over two hours of extras, including "The Making of Bonnie and Clyde" documentary and Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway wardrobe tests.
An Ultimate Collector's Edition, for $39.92 list, will feature the Special Edition set above, plus a hardcover book with rare photos, a reproduction of the 1967 press kit plus a mail-in offer for a free poster.
Just as an aside, we have to wonder how soon someone will make the lower-priced version include things the higher priced one doesn't.

The many ways to say "Bah! Humbug!"

'Tis the season (don't you hate when a writer says that) for snowflakes, mistletoe and Christmas on TV and video.
And maybe the tale about Christmas that you've all been told more than any other is "A Christmas Carol." No matter where you're reading this, I'm sure there's a production of it within your reach.
Movies and TV have been no stranger to it, certainly. But there certainly are some that are better than others.
Many people (and critics) seem to prefer the Alistair Sim 1951 version. (The cast also includes Patrick McNee, who later played John Steed of "The Avengers", as a young Jacob Marley.)Sim, who died in 1976, was a Scottish character actor who besides appearing in "A Christmas Carol" (also known as "Scrooge"), played Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two of the St. Trinian's films. He also re-created the role of Scrooge in a 1971 animated version of "A Christmas Carol" shown on television.
Most reviewers call Sim's version the most faithful to the book. Personally, I think Sim's version, though quite watchable, is dry and lacking soul.
A version that is somewhat forgotten next to Sim's is Reginald Owen's 1938 version. In the tradition of many MGM films, Owen's is bouncy and has a lot of human touches, making it a nice family film. It was originally intended to star Lionel Barrymore, who played the role of Scrooge annually on radio, but he was forced to drop out of the film because of his arthritis. Gene and Kathleen Lockhart played the Cratchits. The film was indeed a family affair for the Lockharts as a young June Lockhart played their daughter.
For years it remained the most famous film version of the story, and the most lavish, though it only lasts 69 minutes. But its popularity was eclipsed by the 1951 film after it started making the rounds on TV.
In his later years, Owen, interestingly enough, can be seen in a couple of Disney films, "Mary Poppins" (he's Admiral Boom, the commander on the noisy "ship" at the beginning of the film) and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks."
Another that often is underestimated and overlooked, primarily because of its age, is the 1935 version known as "Scrooge" starring Sir Seymour Hicks. Of all the versions out there, this one has be to the scariest. Though early in the film, Hicks plays Scrooge as the usual grumpy old man, when confronted by the demons in his life, he is profoundly terrified. There's no whitewashing of the story here. For those who want the coldest and dreariest version of "A Christmas Carol," this is it.
There are, of course, many others. Two recent TV verisions starred George C. Scott and Patrick Stewart. Scott, whose career included playing the stalwart Gen. Patton, shows a multi-faceted side of his acting talents here and is just charming when Scrooge realizes the error of his ways. Stewart, however, is less effective. He comes off more like his Capt. Jean-Luc Picard character from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" early on and his transformation later is not convincing.
There are countless other versions, too. For us, it isn't Christmas until we've watched "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol." Magoo's version butchers the story, adds incompatible songs and theatrics. But, perhaps for sentimental reasons having seen it since its premiere on TV in the '60s, we love it and consider it one of the best versions.
So what is your favorite? We'll put up a poll and you are welcome to add your comments.

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Check out our DVD Watch "A Christmas Carol" store featuring all the different versions of "A Christmas Carol" on DVD.

Over and over and over ....

There's no question I'm a big fan of DVDs. They've opened up a whole new world. They've freed the home viewer of the movie theater (to the theater owner's dismay).
And unlike VHS tapes, they've brought extra information in the form of special features to consumers.
But you know what I absolutely hate about DVDs? The re-packaging syndrome. The same movies over and over and over again. Yes, we're starting to see movies on their third cycle now.
Some of it is understandable. And legitimate. For example, a reissue from a better master is always a welcome thing, especially when the master originally used was in very poor condition. The reissue of "The Wizard of Oz" in 2005 was a great example of a re-release that made sense.
But now, some DVD manufacturers are reissuing just to add special features. Sure, the package will promote a remastered film, but unless you have a high-tech monitor, you're usually not going to notice the difference.
I won't count Blu-Ray or HD versions. Those are legit, though how many of your old DVDs will you replace?
Or even worse ... anniversary editions. The 50th anniversary edition of "70 Million Miles to Earth"? Why?
It all comes down to money, of course. Let's get the consumer for what we can, especially at the holidays.
Consumers, though, should be hesitant about this stuff. Don't buy a new package just because you can.
Let us know what DVDs you've seen or bought that shouldn't have been reissued.

Here's what's coming up ...

11/27/06 - Waitress
11/27/07 - Futurama the Movie: Bender's Big Score
11/30/07 - Heroes of War Collection - Frontline Combat
12/4/08 - Saturday Night Live - The Complete Second Season
12/4/07 - 24 - Season 6
12/4/07 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
12/4/07 Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection 3 - Still Laughing
12/4/07 - Battlestar Galactica: Razor
12/11/07 - Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald Volume 3
12/11/07 - Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit -
12/11/07 - Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic
12/11/07 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
12/11/07 - Frasier - The Complete Tenth Season
12/11/07 - Lost - The Complete Third Season
12/11/07 - Bourne Ultimatum
12/18/07 - Blade Runner - Ultimate Collector's Edition
12/18/07 - Blade Runner - Complete Collector's Edition
12/18/07 - Blade Runner - The Final Cut
12/18/07 - Halloween
12/31/07 - Two-Lane Blacktop
1/1/08 - Naked Prey
1/1/08 - This Sporting Life
1/1/08 - Miss Julie

"Truthiness," justice and the American Way

I feel sorry for the people who had to choose what to leave out of "The Best of the Colbert Report" (Paramount). You want it to be so much longer!
Even at almost three hours long, the single disc compilation, released Nov. 5, barely covers the reasons why "The Colbert Report" is one of the sharpest and funniest shows on TV.
Colbert, by his own admission, owes much to Bill O'Reilly, "Papa Bear," as he called him (to his face) in a fantastic interview Colbert did on the Fox News Channel last year. O'Reilly's guest spot on "The Report" is on the DVD.
But Colbert, in addition to lampooning O'Reilly's overblown sense of self-importance,
has a keen sense of comedy. His "Know Your District" series, in which he profiles all of the members of the House of Representatives, aren't composed of your usual political interviews. In his interview with Massachusetts' Barney Frank, he steps around the usual subject of interviews with Frank and says, "You like .... dogs?"
And the guy is hip, too. The final segments on the disc feature a "Rock and Awe" competition where Stephen shows his (somewhat) musical chops. He has a lot of fun lampooning both politics and rock here. (He manages to get Henry Kissinger, of all people, to kick off the competition. Amazing!)
One of the best sections of the disc is the appearance of Barry Manilow on his show. You wouldn't think a guy like Manilow would even be in the same room as Colbert, but apparently the two have a genuine friendship. Even funnier is the fact that Manilow won (Colbert likes to say "stole") the Emmy that Colbert was nominated for. When Manilow came on the show, Colbert managed to get Manilow to sign a "peace treaty" (duly notarized) in which the two would share custody of the Emmy and even sings Manilow's trademark "I Write the Songs" with him.
And when Willie Nelson comes on the show, Colbert lampoons him for Nelson's Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor competing with his. When Willie sings, "On the Road Again" at the end, Stephen, of course, joins in. Is a music CD next?
"The Best of the Colbert Report" was put out to capitalize on the current white-hot popularity of the show.
And unlike most TV compilations these days, it's very moderately priced. Colbert obviously knows his audience. And they certainly know him.

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Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Volume Five continues the tradition of the first four volumes and shows once more why these cartoons aren't just for kids. ("The Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection, Vol. 5," released at the same time, condenses the Golden Collection to cartoons aimed at children.)
In the four-disc set, the first features Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, the second features Looney Tunes versions of fairy tales, the third spotlights the work of Bob Clampett and the fourth features vintage shorts. The special features include some of the brilliant music-only tracks that were Looney Tunes trademarks, tributes to Chuck Jones and Robert McKimson and vault rarities, including Private Snafu.
What's great about these sets is you don't have to feel guilty anymore about liking these cartoons. That's fine with us.
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"No End in Sight" (Magnolia Films) is the most recent film breakdown of the buildup to the war in Iraq by the Bush Administration. The film clearly and distinctly shows how faulty reasoning played an immense part in toppling Saddam Hussein and invading Iraq. One of the most surprising, but maybe not shocking reasons, given the current situation there, is that those in the Bush administration lacking military experience pushed for the invasion and the only ones that had it -- Colin Powell and Richard Armitage -- had reservations.
"No End in Sight" comes at a time when the majority of Americans are disillusioned by the war. As a result, it probably won't change a lot of minds. But a little education can't hurt.


DVDs

Give Netflix a try

After pondering the idea for some time, we decided to give Netflix's free trial a go. (Click through the banner at the top if you want to try.)
For those who haven't tried it, they have plans starting at $4.99 a month. We chose the $8.99 plan, which allows you to get one DVD at a time, plus watch 19 hours of movies on line a month.
So far, we've gotten "Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends" and "The Best of the Colbert Report." We like the convenience, especially watching DVDs (stuff that's just been released, too) without leaving home.
And the queue, which you set up to decide which films you'll get, is pretty unique and a nice idea. You never have to tell them to send you something. They send you what's in your queue automatically when you return the previous one you've rented.
If you're a Netflix subscriber, add your comments.

Wanted on DVD!

The list of most wanted on DVD gets smaller and smaller all the time. Still, there's a few things we'd love to see out on DVD. Here they are in no particular order:

1) "American Hot Wax" -- Great 1978 rock film starring Tim McIntyre as legendary disc jockey Allen Freed and co-starring Jay Leno, Fran Dreschler, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry. Why this one isn't on DVD is anyone's guess, but we suspect it has to do with music rights.

2) "The Devil and Miss Jones" -- No, this isn't the porn film, but the 1941 comedy starring Charles Coburn, Jean Arthur, Spring Byington and Bob Cummings. It was originally released on VHS, but has yet to appear on DVD. Why? (It happens to be one of our favorite old films, too.) (Note: "The More the Merrier," which re-teamed Arthur and Coburn two years later, is on DVD and available through Amazon.com.)

3) "Let It Be" -- This 1970 Beatles film may never show up on DVD if the rumors we've heard are correct. This was not a favorite film of the four Beatles. And even though two of them aren't around to prevent it, their widows want to respect their wishes. Still, we've heard that the film has been restored and maybe, just maybe it'll get released. But for now, don't hold your breath.

4) "Batman" -- That's the Adam West-Burt Ward TV series we're referring to. It has yet to show up, though the 1966 feature film, which isn't as good as the series, has been on DVD for several years and priced very inexpensively. West was asked about this possibility a few years ago and said he knew nothing about it happening. A shame.

5) "The Green Hornet" -- The companion TV series is also not on DVD. A great show. Why isn't it there?

6) "Quick Draw McGraw" -- Hanna Barbera has released many of its core cartoon characters on DVD, but not Quick Draw and Baba Louie (or our fave, El Kabong).

7) "Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow" -- Patrick McGoohan starred as Dr. Syn in this 1964 Disney adaptation, shown on "Wonderful World of Color" and separately. McGoohan's character gave us nightmares as a young boy. We'd love to see this one released.

8) "The Monkey's Uncle" -- Released on VHS, the 1965 film starred Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk and featured a great theme song featuring Walt Disney's teen star Annette and the Beach Boys. We'll guess again it's music rights, but this one needs to be out. Walt would have wanted it.

Know of any DVDs you'd like released? Let us know and we'll feature them in an upcoming column.

And if you're interested in discussing this or other DVD issues, join our Yahoo DVD Watch discussion group.

Click to join dvdwatch

Things to come

Here are highlights of what's coming down the pipeline:

11/6: The Best of the Colbert Report (Paramount)
11/6: Help! (The Beatles)
11/6: Up the Down Staircase (WB)
11/6: The Cosby Show: Season 5 (Universal)
11/6: Barry Manilow: The First Television Specials (Rhino)
11/13: Ocean's Thirteen (WB)
11/13: Paul McCartney: The McCartney Years (Rhino)
11/13: Ravi Shankar: Concert for World Peace
11/13: Perry Mason: The Second Season, Vol. 2 (Paramount)
11/13: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition (WB) 11/13: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Limited (WB)
11/13: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition) (WB) 11/13: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Limited Edition (WB)
11/13: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Extended Edition (WB) 11/13: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Limited Edition (WB)
11/13: Johnny Cash Christmas Specials from 1976 and 1977 (Shout Factory)
11/13: Shrek the Third (Paramount)
11/20: Mission Impossible: The Complete Third Season (Paramount)
11/20: Love American Style: Season 1, Vol. 1 (Paramount)
11/20: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete Seventh Season (Paramount)
11/20: Hairspray (WB)
11/20: Bill Maher: The Decider (HBO)
11/20: Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same Special Edition (also Limited Collector's Edition)
11/20: Santa Clause III: The Escape Clause (Buena Vista)
11/20: The Wild Wild West: The Complete Third Season (Paramount)
11/27: Happy Days: The Complete Third Season (Paramount)
11/27: Laverne and Shirley: The Complete Third Season (Paramount)
11/27: Mork and Mindy: The Complete Third Season (Paramount)
11/27: The 2007 World Series (Shout Factory)
12/4: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
12/4: Best of Gallagher, Vol. 3
12/4: Diagnosis Murder: The Complete Third Season
12/11: High School Musical 2 (Disney)
12/11: Walt Disney Treasures: Chronological Donald Vol. 3, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic
12/11: Gomer Pyle: The Third Season (Paramount)
12/11: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (WB)
12/14: Emergency: Season Three (Universal)
12/14: Murder She Wrote: The Complete Third Season (Universal)
12/14: Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - The Third Year (Universal)
12/18: Stardust (Paramount)
12/18: Rawhide: Season two, Volume 2 (Paramount)
12/18: Mod Squad: Season One, Volume 1 (Paramount)
1/8/08: The Waltons, the Complete Sixth Season
1/15/08: Alex Haley's Queen
1/22/08: ER, the Complete Eighth Season
1/22/08: Hawaii Five-0, the Third Season (Paramount)
1/22/08: The Odd Couple: the Third Season (Paramount)
2/5/08: Beauty and the Beast: The Third Season (Paramount)
2/5/08: You've Got Mail: Deluxe Edition (Warner Home Video)
2/12/08: Joan Crawford Collection Vol. 2 (Includes A Woman’s Face, Flamingo Road, Sadie McKee, Strange Cargo, Torch Song)
2/12/08: Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season (WB)
2/26/08: The Smurfs, Season 1, Volume 1 (WB)

America's favorite family

By now, it all seems a bit remote. But back in the 1950s, the Nelson family -- Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky (later Rick) -- were the type of family we all wanted to be.
They seemed to have it all -- a nice house in a respectable neighborhood, a husband and head of the household who spent a lot of time at home (and was never was seen going to work), a wife who was a dedicated homemaker and mother, and two sons, well-behaved boys who respected their elders.
They weren't the Ricardos with the crazy redhead. Or the Cleavers with the goofy, mischievous kid. Or the Brady Bunch with the rambunctious family.
They were the cool, calm and collected Nelsons. They were a comfort zone for TV fans of that decade.
That becomes very clear when watching "The Nelson Family Presents The Best of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (Shout Factory) and "The Essential Ozzie & Harriet Collection" (Mill Creek Entertainment), two recent releases spotlighting the venerable series.
Fans will want to pick up both, and for different reasons.
"The Nelson Family Presents The Best of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" from Shout Factory is the first authorized release of shows from the series. The four-disc set features 24 of the show's 435 episodes in chronological order taken from the show's masters. The set includes commentary on a few episodes by David Nelson, the only member of the televised family still living, and Sam Nelson, a member of the Nelsons rock group and the son of the late Rick Nelson. It also includes some Nelson home movies, a trivia quiz and a documentary on the family.

What it doesn't include, though, is the full length versions of the shows with commercials. That's where "The Essential Ozzie & Harriet Collection" (Mill Creek Entertainment) comes in. This charming set rounds up 100 shows, almost a quarter of the series, on 12 discs. Unlike the Shout Factory set, the shows are complete and many include the original commercials, some of them done by the Nelson family members themselves. (Hearing Harriet rave about Aunt Jemima Pancakes or Kodak now-vintage cameras is wonderfully charming and adds an interesting historic perspective since, in the case of the Kodak cameras, those cameras have long been abandoned by more modern cameras.)
While the Shout Factory release is authorized and is the better quality of the two, the Mill Creek set is very watchable, with only occasional rough glitches. The overall difference in quality between the two overall is minimal.
The dilemmas faced by the Nelsons were never more earth-shaking than Ozzie trying to remember if he had to go bowling that night or trying to hide a present from Harriet.
Still, in the cool, calm and relatively collected '50s, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" reflected what we all wanted to be. That dream would be shattered in the turbulent '60s, but at least while Ozzie and Harriet were on the screen, all was right in the world.
In 2007, it seems like a fairy tale or life in a fantasy land. And maybe that's what keeps the series still enjoyable, even though we know life will never be that simple again. It was once upon a time -- or at least this series made it seem that way.

We're back: We've been away from doing this for a few months. Life intervened, so to speak. But we're back and have several reviews in the works we hope you'll enjoy. We'll try to post something at least every two weeks and maybe more often. We hope you'll keep us in your favorites and add your comments on reviews. We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Serials for breakfast

We've been getting into serials of late. Their age makes them curios, but they're a lot of fun, too.
The one that's been holding our interest of late is Holt of the Secret Service. It stars Jack Holt, a steel-jawed character actor with a long resume from Shirley Temple ("The Littlest Rebel") to Gable's "San Francisco" to Bogie (a bit part in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre"). Here he plays a Secret Service agent who goes undercover to catch a group of counterfeiters. Evelyn Brent plays a fellow agent who poses as his hard-edged wife. The 15-part serial throws a bit of humor in, as well.
But the crown jewel of serials is Flash Gordon. And the set to get is Flash Gordon: Box Set (Space Soldiers/Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars/Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe) (3DVD), a triple-DVD set that just dropped $20 to the price of a single DVD. All three Flash Gordon serials with Buster Crabbe are included here and they are an incredible kick. Charles Middleton is outstanding as Ming the Merciless, who you'll sneer at from your living room. This one's a no brainer to get and we highly recommend it.

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Here are highlights of upcoming interesting releases:

July 17 - "Gunsmoke - The First Season" (Paramount)
July 17 - "The Incredible Hulk - The Complete Second Season" (Universal)
July 24 - "That Girl: Season 3" (Shout Factory)
July 24 - "Woody Woodpecker and Friends (Universal)
July 24 - "Zodiac" (Paramount)
July 31 - "Game Shows Of The 50s: Beat The Clock / I've Got A Secret" (Alpha)
July 31 - "Hawaii Five-O: The Second Season" (Paramount)
July 31 - "Popeye the Sailor, 1933-1938 - Volume 1" (Fleischer cartoons set)
Aug 3 - "Blue Hawaii," "Easy Come, Easy Go," "Fun in Acapulco," "G.I. Blues," "Girls Girls Girls," "King Creole," "Paradise Hawaiian Style," "Roustabout" (Paramount)
Aug. 7 - "This Is Elvis" (Warner Bros.)
Aug. 7 - "Flash Gordon: Saviour of the Universe Edition" (Universal)
Aug. 7 - "The Muppet Show - The Complete Second Season" (Buena Vista)
Aug. 21 - "House - Season Three" (Universal)
Aug. 28 - "The Odd Couple: The Second Season" (Paramount)
Aug. 28 - "Samurai Jack - Season Four" (Warner Bros.)
Sept. 4 - "Game Night Collection" (nine baseball movies) (Paramount)
Sept. 4 - "Desperate Housewives - The Complete Third Season (Buena Vista)
Sept. 11 - "Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Third Season" (Buena Vista)
Sept. 18 - "Superman Doomsday" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 2: "The Jungle Book: 2 Disc Platinum Edition" (Disney)
Oct. 2 - "Funnyface: 50th Anniversary Edition" (Paramount)
Oct. 9 - "Roots: The Next Generations" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 9 - "Roots: The Complete Collection" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 16 - "The Jazz Singer - The 80th Anniversary Edition" (Warner Bros.)
Oct. 23 - "Meet the Robinsons" (Disney)
Oct. 30 - "Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5" (Warner Bros.)