DVD Extras

In continuing to bring you multi-tiered platform content, Single Malt Cinema now presents a series called "DVD Extras". I watch alot of dvds...and now-a-days with blu-ray, the content of dvds is changing. Which dvd do you buy? Films come out with 3-4 versions and with the intent of getting you to eventually double dip and buy 2 or 3 versions of the same film (I have 3 versions of Fight Club). I research Amazon, Dvdtown, Blu-ray, Digital Bits, Jo-Blo Dvd, Ratethatcommentary ,and Criterion Cast, as just a few sites that really help to get the right dvd and the dvds that have the best versions, most versions, and best extras, like commentary.

This portal should be used as a place to entice you to go to those other sites...they do a great job...I just like to bring you some of the best of the extras from dvds. Today I have two that come to mind.

1. The Wrestler Blu-ray - only the blu-ray has extras..the best of the extras is in a making of video diary of the set...Mickey Rourke I guess is a lazy actor and the actress playing his daughter is just really good and brings it on every take (Evan Rachel Wood)...at one point, Director Darren Aronofsky is so pissed with Mickey's performance...he steps into the camera...and slaps the shit out of Mickey and tells him he's terrible and the actress is killing him...O man...it's at a very emotional time in the film and is great that they left this on the dvd.

2. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Blu-Ray:...again the blu-rays are special these days...post Katrina NOLA looks like a wasteland on Blu-Ray (also see The Road Blu-Ray)...in this extra...it's a video diary...Werner Herzog explains the film a bit...why he is the one that works the clap board and shows how he got bit by an Iguana...the best though is Val Kilmer hamming it up for the videographer...at one point Herzog reprimands Val...but then Val tells him straight up that he was doing it for the video/dvd...and to cool off because he knows he is a ham...and you cant stop a ham from hamming it up...another point is when Nicholas Cage says pretty much that he picks movies based on something that Bill Murray once said "I don't want an audience saying after one of my films 'that was good', I want them to say...'WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT'...funny stuff.

Extra Extra Out.

Contact Greatness

Arial font is the closest we will get to Helvetica...this post is in Arial font...I chose it because it is closest to Helvetica...Microsoft has not gotten the rights to Helvetica and therefore we now have Arial in its place...the glory that is the perfect font, Helvetica has been emasculated by a God, greatness is hard to define, but I find great beauty and wonder in fonts, I use them to express a feeling and when I see Helvetica I see freedom and universality, not so much creativity, and then when I see Arial...I see an anti-god, I see an imposter, a false prophet, so easily it is to spot sometimes...as it is with actors..how easily were we all fooled by the likes of Ben Affleck, or by Jim Carrey...these were promised to be great (by some) and then got paid and screwed all of us...I actually thought Matt Damon was the jerk until Ben showed his true colors (but that's for another post)...

When you see greatness and then attempt to come close to it, it is a scary thing...take for instance this blogspot...I just found out I have an account on it...it was for one reason, to contact greatness about 4 or 5 years ago. I opened this account when I found out that Darren Aronofsky was abandoning MySpace (I got a myspace account just to see his page)...and the great Director turned to blog spot...he updated us on The Fountain as it was released and then on the "new project"...The Wrestler...then as time faded no more updates...I opened an account for the chance to see the posts and by chance contact him...I even was one of the first to get on blogspot and open an account and post a thanks to him for his great films, this of course was a sad and desperate attempt to be heard by an icon of mine...there have been other attempts...I posted a blog thanks and shout out to the great Frank Vincent on his personal web site...(no reply)...and then the one moment that a celebrity actually emailed me back was the great Vincent Gallo..I wanted to know a bunch of crap...he probably saw right through me...but he emailed me anyway about 3 years ago..to let me know what I wanted...did he shoot The Brown Bunny in order as the film progresses its road journey from New Hampsire to California?...and what roads did he take?...as if I will someday take the vacation of a life time and recreate the road experience of Vincent Gallo on his journey...(email me if you want to come with...and I can give you his reply personally and we can hit the road...dead bugs and all...but I promise no blow jobs in dingy white and brown motels once we get to California)...

Anyway..the dream is that of Icarus..to fly too close to greatness is to get burned...too bad I am mostly like Sysiphus...I fail but keep trying.