Anyone old enough to remember when movies didn't begin until the cartoons ended is likely to enjoy Looney Tunes: Golden Collection every bit as much as kids experiencing the animated shorts for the first time. If the word "timeless" can be applied to anything in Hollywood these days, it's the entertainment value in Warner Bros.' library of classic cartoons and its menagerie of wise-cracking characters.
This isn't the first time that many of these shorts have been collected and released in video. I have versions of several in Beta, VHS, laserdisc, and now, DVD formats. But, this release trumps them all for the same reason most DVDs are superior to their ancestors: you get more for your money. And, even though this four-disc set of 56 animated shorts, commentaries and documentary features retails for $65 (still a bargain), it won't be difficult to find it selling for $10 to $20 below that price.
The discs, two of which are dedicated specifically to the work of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, have been diligently restored and remastered. Vintage debut performaces of all the primary Looney Tune characters look sharp, and the crunch of Bugs' carrot has never sounded more sarcastic.
The package arrives a week after the re-release on DVD of Space Jam—featuring Bugs, alongside Michael Jordan and Bill Murray—and two weeks before Looney Tunes: Back in Action opens in theaters, with Brandon Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin and Timothy Dalton. In both movies, the cartoon characters exist in a live-action world, and not surprisingly, more than hold their own against some of the funniest comedic actors of our time. The bonanza continues with contemporary takes on reality TV and unexplained natural phenomenons in Looney s.
Considering that this is the time of year when holiday gift-giving ideas are welcome, it's also worth noting that new editions of the truly precious Walt Disney Treasures collection will arrive December 2. Themes include two new Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck sets, World War II-era On the Front Lines and 1950s Tomorrowland compilations. I'm always surprised at how enthusiastically audiences of all ages respond to cartoons on DVD. Better, though, would be the elimination of the commercials and two or three of the trailers that preceed feature films in our multiplexes, and the addition of one measly cartoon. Is that too much to ask?
You'll Like Me When I'm Angry
Although The Hulk returned more than $130 million at the domestic box office last summer, it was considered a serious commercial disappointment. That's not only because it cost Universal more than $150 million to make and market, but also because it was expected to repeat the huge successes of such comic-book adaptations as Spider-Man and X-Men. As directed by the Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), The Hulk may have been a tad too artistic and ambitious for its own good.
Nonetheless, in its DVD incarnation, it's well worth sampling. Lee delivered on his mission to create something more than a mere summer popcorn flick by casting Bruce Banner's story as a tragic, cautionary tale and love story. Moreover, the bonus material is exceptional. In "Captured Fury," iIllustrators from around the world were asked to create a scene from the movie in comic book form; "Evolution of the Hulk" follows Banner's metamorphosis, from the pages of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comic books to his on-screen presence; and then there's "Hulk Cam," that provides flashing icons to let viewers know when behind-the-scenes footage is available.
Experimental Cowboy
In 1971, Peter Fonda made a quiet and methodically paced western, The Hired Hand, that did almost no business and was quickly forgotten by everyone in Hollywood, except those who actually took the time to see it. Fonda, fresh off his success in Easy Rider, played a farmer who returns home after drifting around the West for several years with a friend (Warren Oates, in a typically splendid portrayal). His wife, who had given up on ever seeing him again, reluctantly allows him to stay on as a hired hand. Given when the movie was produced, it shouldn't surprise anyone to learn that Fonda toyed with the concept of The Hired Hand as being a feminist western, and hinted at the sublimated homosexuality of the two cowpokes. I saw the movie when it first came out, and still can't get Bruce Langhorne's haunting score out of my head.
Treasures From Overseas
Several of last year's most intriguing imports finally have found their way onto DVD. They include 2003 Best Foreign Language Oscar-winner Nowhere in Africa; Andrei Konchalovsky's House of Fools, that is immediately remindful of cult favorite King of Hearts; Bahman Ghobadi's Kurdish-language drama about life during wartime, Marooned in Iraq; and Russian Ark, which uses a single, unbroken, 90-minute shot to wind its way through the Hermitage, and simultaneously explore Russia's tumultuous history.
Confessions From The Closet
The comparison may be strained and more than a bit awkward, but Creative Light's Coming Out Party reminded me of such confessional narratives as The Vagina Monologues and Meema Spadola's documentaries for HBO, Breasts and Private Dicks: Men Exposed. In the nearly 80-minute film, seven gay and lesbian comedians recall the circumstances surrounding their coming out to family and friends. Their memories are at once funny, bittersweet, sad and revealing.