By now, tens of thousands of DVDs have been released, with hundreds of thousands yet to come. Video stores make their nut each week by loading up on recent releases, whose shelf lives are only a few days longer than they were in the megaplexes. When interest in a title wanes, store owners try to sell as much of the surplus as possible.
This formula was adopted from studio distribution executives who, in the wake of Jaws and Star Wars, decided it was wiser to saturate the market on a single weekend than rely on platform openings. The only people not happy with this arrangement were exhibitors suddenly forced to compete with theaters in a nearby mall showing the same pictures.
This week, for example, video stores nationwide are overflowing with copies of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and a three-disc box, The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy. In a couple of weeks, you'll be able to pick up the epic fantasy for peanuts.
Not surprisingly, most distributors have opted to sit this week out, giving clear sailing to LOTR: TROTK … just as the studios did last December, when it was released into theaters. Only the disappointing Welcome to Mooseport is being thrown to the wolves. The less said about that picture, though, the better.
Making the world safe for Birkenstocks
With terrorism so much a part of our lives, it's worth reflecting on all the political turmoil during the late '60s and early '70s, when homegrown radicals used bombs to punctuate their positions on the Vietnam War, capitalism and racism. Sam Siegel and Bill Green's low-key documentary, The Weather Underground, also new this week, describes how rich and impatient college students created a splinter cell of street fighters and explosives experts.
Though the documentary is riveting, the best that can be said of its subjects is that no innocents were killed in their sole suicide bombing, just fellow Weatherpeople.
Call them Euro-Bavarian neocons
The most interesting collection to arrive in the last few weeks is from Disney, which has added to its invaluable Walt Disney Treasures series, The Chronological Donald (1934-1941), Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Vol. 2, Tomorrowland and On the Front Lines. The latter is especially interesting as a historical document, representing the studio's contribution to the effort in World War II. Much of the material wouldn't fly today, but 60 years ago, no one was particularly interested in seeing politically correct depictions of our enemies.
Be the first on your block to see it
With the presence of such estimable actors as Joseph Fiennes, Elisabeth Shue, Dennis Hopper and Sam Shepard, the intensely earnest drama Leo makes its U.S. debut on DVD. Set in the Deep South, Amir and Massy Tadjedin's story is loosely based on characters in James Joyces' Ulysses. Fiennes plays a paroled murderer seeking redemption through his writing, while Shue is a widow who takes her pain out on her son. This kind of movie plays best at festivals, on cable and on DVD, where fine acting makes up for a lot of sins.
It slices, it dices
When Public Media Inc. first offered fans of martial-arts movies chapters of the classic Japanese film and TV series, Zatôichi the Blind Swordsman, it couldn't have known how popular it would become. After all, not only was Zatôichi an expert swordsman, but he also was one hell of a masseuse. With the addition of Zatôichi's Vengeance, Zatôichi and the Chess Expert and Zatôichi's Cane Sword, there are now 15 episodes in circulation. Not to be missed, as well, is Public Media's series of noir-ish Japanese crime films by Masahiro Shinoda and Seijun Suzuki. And, an updated version of Zatôichi will screen at this year's CineVegas Film Festival.
And the band played on
Rhino used to own the market on re-issues of popular and niche music, but lately, Music Video Distributors has raised the bar on deliciously eclectic DVDs. Among its new titles are Iggy Pop: Kiss My Blood (Live in Paris), Goth: the Ultimate Collection (Spahn Ranch, Pigface, Throbbing Gristle, et al), Hip Hop Time Capsule: The Best of RETV 1992, Rise: Story of Rave Outlaw Disco Donnie, Story of the Blues: From Blind Lemon to B.B. King, Survival Research Laboratories: Ten Years of Robotic Mayhem and a post-I Spy detective thriller, Hickey & Boggs, starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby, and directed by Walter Hill.