In a special sold out event at hundreds of theatres across the US and Canada, the two-part remastered version of The Menagerie, played on the large screen for enthusiastic fans of the Original Series as essentially a feature film (one of the better from Star Trek in a while). dOc attended the showing in Emeryville, California on November 13.

The latest in a recent trend of martial arts-based video games, Red Ninja: End of Honor features gameplay that is all over the place, with shoddy, confusing camera work. The game can be fun, sexy, and very gory at times, but it is far too easy, and features an unengaging story line.

The National Film Preservation Foundation tops itself with another marvelous 50-film set, with an amazing array of extras.

One of the problems with family games is that ones that are easy enough for the children are often dull for the teenagers and adults, while adult games can be frustrating or too difficult for younger kids. This new DVD-based game from b Equal, in conjunction with The History Channel and The Princeton Review, allows everyone 6 and up to play together and test their knowledge of history.

I'm a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh? Brad Schreiber, who teaches humor writing at UCLA, has just published a book on how to be the class clown for fun and profit. A review by our own court jester, Jon Danziger.

At the recent MidCoast Film & Arts Festival, held in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois, DVD producer and film historian David Shepard gave a series of talks on the beginnings of film in the home. Just as the commercial American film industry oddly enough started off in New Jersey, watching films at home had it beginnings in Davenport Iowa.

A long-missing piece of horror film history, thought lost for decades, has finally resurfaced. Best of all, it can now be part of your DVD collection.

Mark Zimmer reports back from the LOTR: The Two Towers Oscar® Party in LA Sunday night.

While the world may be at war, entertainment helps keep the home fires burning, and dOc brings you an on-the-scene report from the Oscar® party for one of the most entertaining pictures of the year: The Two Towers.

Awards season is upon us, but here's a reason not to run out to the fridge when the Best Cinematography Oscar® gets passed out. Benjamin Bergery's Reflections: Twenty-One Cinematographers at Work sheds a generous amount of light on the tightly knit fraternity of directors of photography—they're rarely if ever seen on screen, but with this publication from the American Society of Cinematographers, they're ready for their closeup.

It was coming, and we're glad to see it arrive. Scene It? is a board-based movie trivia game that incorporates a DVD in delivering some of its content including interactive puzzles and movie clips. An interesting concept, one that seemed natural for us, because around here we are big trivia fans—and big DVD fans. While this is a fun and information-packed game, in practice, well, there's still a way to go.

Irish folk music is a genre steeped in tradition, but Chicago harmonica player James Conway lends a new voice to this style with his latest independent release. This collection of time-honored instrumentals takes on a new dimension, and even teaches this old dog a few new tricks.

On September 11th, dOc joined a small group of journalists in a one-on-one tele-conference with actor, director, and producer Jodie Foster to discuss her latest work.Columbia is releasing the taut, suspense thriller, Panic Room to DVD September 17, and the adventurous coming of age drama, The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys on November 5, produced by Foster's Egg Pictures.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of Singin' in the Rain, Warner Bros. Home Video is releasing a two-disc special edition of the picture. Donald O'Connor recently spoke to dOc and other selected members of the print and Internet press about the making of what is often considered the greatest movie musical.

Coming on September 17 on DVD from PBS Home Video is The Civil War—A Film by Ken Burns in a 5-disc box set featuring the entire series plus a quiz, maps, biographies and selected commentary by the filmmaker. Burns took time off from a remarkably busy schedule to attend a teleconference about the DVD release.

Marlon Brando's career has spanned five decades and includes some of the greatest films ever made. In this third and final part of Brando on DVD, the last three decades of his career are examined. Most of the Brando films available on DVD are from this era, including The Godfather, Last Tango in Paris and his most recent film, The Score.

It's alive, alive! Fritz Lang's futuristic masterpiece roars back to the screen after 75 years in an East Berlin vault. A discussion with Martin Koerber, who oversaw the extensive restoration.

April 3, 2002 is Marlon Brando's 78th birthday. Almost universally acclaimed as the greatest American actor, he has fueled his fans—and enemies—with a long life of triumph, controversy and failure. dOc continues its look at the film career of Brando as it comes slowly to DVD. In Part Two, we find the astonishing fact that only one of a baker's dozen of his films from the 1960s has been released on DVD.

The latest update to Apple's DVD Player includes the ability to write scripts for the application and run them from a scripts menu, either in the player or system-wide. This allows for some interesting extensions to the operability of the program in itself, as well as working in concert with other Macintosh applications.

digitallyOBSESSED recently attended a presentation with Fox SVP of Home Video Peter Staddon, Joy Ride co-writer J.J. Abrams, and producer Chris Moore in L.A.

When buying a new computer, there is often the option of adding a DVD-ROM drive along with a CD or CD-RW (rewriteable) drive. There is even the potential of a DVD rewritable drive, although these have not yet hit prime time. The main advantage of DVD-ROM as a storage device is the disc capacity. Once upon a time, the 650MB available on a CD seemed adequate, but in this era of massive files (such as MP3s, QuickTime movies and DVD video) it seems small indeed. Enter the DVD-ROM disc that can contain over four gigabytes of data. Besides, storage, another benefit of a DVD-ROM drive is the capability of playing DVD movies and accessing special features that are designed to work with the computer.

One of the hot topics in the realm of DVD is the inclusion of DVD-ROM content in disc extras. Some of the features that can be found on these discs include web links to online material, screenplay viewers, trivia games, photo galleries, desktop wallpaper and episode guides. A leader in the field of developing this technology on the personal computer is InterActual Technologies of San Jose, CA. dOc conducted an interview with John Sheppard, Marketing Manager, about InterActual Technologies and DVD-ROM content and where the potentials could lead.

Recent releases of two classic Marlon Brando films on DVD could renew interest in this foremost of American actors whose career spans five decades and includes some of the greatest performances in some of the greatest films ever made. On the Waterfront (1954) and The Young Lions (1958), bring to a total of five the number of films starring Brando from the 1950s that are available on DVD; the missing seven include some fascinating film work. This first of a three-part series examines the actor's films from that decade and the impact of his work on Hollywood in that era.

Many widescreen films with hard-coded subtitles have recorded the subtitles below the picture area in the black area of the bottom letterboxing bar. Makes good sense for 4:3 TV watchers...But what Happens when you get your cool new 16:9 HDTV...

Most of our films are eventually going to be archived as digital High Definition transfers. In many cases, the film elements are either so deteriorated or expensive to maintain that the HD master made from them may be the only (and last) chance to preserve the film. These digital transfers should therefore utilize the maximum resolution possible within the High Definition specification.

You’ve got a progressive-scan DVD player? Great! But if you’ve got an HDTV to go along with it, you’ll probably find that your HDTV will automatically lock into full 16:9 mode when it senses anything higher than 480I via its component inputs. This means you’ll have a great time watching 16:9 (anamorphic) DVDs, but don’t expect 4:3 letterboxed DVDs to look right.

"When you compare high-definition to DVD's maximum resolution... the high-definition looks better (and more 3-dimensional), but not in a night-and-day 'trash your DVD collection' kind of way."

"...when we introduce a new DVD format for hi-definition video signals, we shouldn't limit it..."

...DVDs are not married to the 4:3 aspect ratio of NTSC television. They can be encoded as 16:9, which is the same aspect ratio of HDTV.

Following the recent controversies over PC and Mac compatibility with popular DVD releases, our intrepid reporter installs a DVD drive on his PC and takes a glance at the DVD-ROM material on a few discs. What resulted was an eye-opening run through the various offerings and various potentials that are inherent in web-enabled DVDs.

With their second celebrity chat in a row, Home Theater Forum (run by Ron Epstein and Parker Clack) welcomed director John Landis on October 24, 2001 in a session that saw him address questions about his films, his tastes in film and his opinions about movie making.

At the dOc's choice of online forums, Home TheaterForum (run by Ron Epstein andParker Clack), over 120 Home Theater Forum members met with Peter Becker, President of Criterion Company, and Jon Mulvaney, the company's Customer Liaison, in a lively Internet chat session on October 23, 2001. The discussion ranged from suggestions for possible Criterion releases to the status of current releases on the schedule.

Confusion reigns on Mac web sites with the shipment of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Many Macintosh users are complaining that one or both of the discs play poorly on their computers. Although many fingers have been pointed at Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox and the DVD producing company, this is one occasion where all roads lead to Cupertino and Apple Computer's continuing difficulty with implementing a stable DVD Player for their highly-touted computers.

The man who brought us Pink Flamingos, Serial Mom, and Hairspray took some time to show off a new print of an earlier film, Female Trouble, at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles. After the show, he sat down with Kevin Thomas for a little Q&A. dOc reviewer Daniel Hirshleifer was there to see the film in all its trashy glory.

I've seen this movie - haven't you? Nobody wins anything. The ground is scorched forever, and nothing brings all those children that have died back into our arms: not our government, not our values, not our celebrities or glorious blue-light specials. NOTHING.

What can we learn from a film made 67 years ago by the son of an Impressionist painter?

Lucasfilm Ltd invited the top online DVD sites and other press to the official presentation of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace DVD at Skywalker Ranch. VP of Marketing for Lucasfilm, Jim Ward said, "We do care about DVDs. It took a long time to put together value-added materials that people will want to watch. We did not use technology for technology's sake. we wanted the best things for fans and not wacky stuff. Just what was cool."

I was praying that the theater would burst into flames, the projection booth explode, just so I could run out screaming....

Just listen to a room full of filmmakers at CUFF and you'll realize that there's more than just movies being discussed: genuine opinions are tossed into the ring; they want to be heard and experienced, not glorified.

Some things only happen once in a lifetime; losing your virginity, seeing Halley's Comet (for most people), or a freak electrical storm that causes the brakes on a truck to thin out, causing it to run over the "Missouri Baby-Shaking Expo." I had one of those experiences on Thursday, August 9th, 2001: the night that some of my friends and I got to chat with John Cameron Mitchell, the writer, director, and star of Hedwig And The Angry Inch.

You gotta love this stuff, embrace it, keep it sprouting up all over before we forget what it was like when directors were producers by choice and the medium of film was as accessible and hip as new digital video.

I think there's still talent in them thar hills. Not everyone's a sell out. But if important, big named directors do it, cross the line for some sort of kitschy thrill, what does the future hold?

If you love the dicey side of cinema, wanna see the filmmakers before they're rich and famous (you can even talk to them, feed them if you want - although some might follow you home), then grab your friends (festivals are best experienced in groups of ten or more) and follow the directions at www.cuff.org and see for yourself why CUFF is in its 8th year strong!

Yeah, sure - it was hard getting over Oz's name being in the same league with the likes of Brando, De Niro, and Norton, but all that's forgotten when Marlon smiles for the first time and introduces yet another character that somehow charms the hell outta you. He really is THAT good: a "top dog" talent that redefines technique, and proves that it isn't the amount of screen time you have, but what you do with it that determines your cinematic worth.

There's a higher level of storytelling working through this gifted ensemble as I walk in the footsteps of these fantastic celluloid characters; I understand the importance of their choices, good or bad.

...if the movie has to be explained by brilliant cinephiles holding the blueprints to the true meaning of this or that ("Well, in Kubrick's original draft, yadda, yadda, yadda...."), then kids, the film fails miserably. Don'tcha think?

A child, real or not, pleading for the love of his mother could soften the hardest shell, crack the toughest tough-guy, and let's face it, the wounded young, a theme that plays well in movies, happens to be Spielberg's forte.

With The Pledge, Sean Penn has found a glorious voice, and his commitment to the craft certainly elevates him above the mediocre mix of Hollywood directors. A defiant pioneer that puts the emotional peril back into cinema, Penn never gives the viewer the predictable or banal.

Getting to see A Clockwork Orange on the big screen these days is a rare occurrence. To see it with Malcolm McDowell in attendance is a once in a lifetime experience. Daniel Hirshleifer managed to get a ticket to this sold-out show at the American Cinematheque (www.americancinematheque.com). Read his thoughts and recollections of the night.

Maybe he could have communed with nature, and the abundance of life (not shown for some reason) on the island. I know - wishful thinking. I wanted something more spiritual than another product-endorsed, demi-god known as Wilson.

The movie Titanic also took liberties with the truth: flashlights and loogies in 1912 were just the tip of the candy-coated iceberg. But still, you didn't find yourself wanting to "get that iceberg" when the boat sinks into the North Atlantic.

The moment we do that which is our nature - raise our hands to question where we're going - a bullet could rip through the air to silence us, take away our freedoms.

So while we elude our sum and substance, we often occupy ourselves by assessing others - and what stands on either side of that arbitration is what I believe to be the essence of all art; we simply take from this vat of good and evil to create our own personal, galvanized interpretations.

Long after Rita had married a stockbroker named Ted, way after my bell-bottoms were used for patching straight-legged jeans and paint rags—now in 2001, I'm watching what my subconscious didn't want to see, and know why mom and dad where sadly hugging in the livingroom back in '72.

Last fall, dOc launched the official website for Heartbeat, a 28-minute short film by M. Hollingsworth Perry. Since then, the film has played at several film festivals, and recently was selected as the Opening Film for the first Beverly Hills Film Festival. What follows is a "filmmaker's diary" of Mr. Perry's trip deep into the (dark) heart of Hollywood.

But it's too late now—I've seen it with my own eyes, and I still can't shake the children screaming when the lights go out, weeping in their prison cells and wondering "what went wrong?"

I've often heard Bamboozled compared to Network. Please don't.

When I see this sorta bigotry flashing across the screen, I have to get up, toss my popcorn in the trash and say the gig is up - I'm gone!

"...these orange-clad environmentalist portrayed as bothersome wimps, interrupting the work of 'real men'—they're the 'un-cool', the 'flies' buzzing around the heads of our heroes and relegated to the position of 'clowns of the sea.'"

Should publications define popular culture in academic, social terms; define what is vital to society, adds to or expands its awareness rather than what can be translated into profits?

The ceremony is no different than a standard company banquet held at some rinky-dink roadside hotel, and after a usually bad beef dinner and cartons of table wine, plaques are awarded to the best sales person—lots of applause, speeches given—fun was had by all.

"My brother and I believe that a great film should last 500 years. It's been 30 - only 470 to go!"
--Albert Maysles, co-director

A full review of everything here would challenge the length of Lord of the Rings. But from a cursory view of this set, I can tell you that I recommend this set to anyone with the slightest interest in early film as highly as anything I've ever recommended.

"While there are those that never rent (millionaires or hermits?), there are some DVD consumers who either have self-control (I hate you all) or have not yet come to grips with their obsession, who buy only the titles they must have. These people will probably not be affected. The rest of us..."

"Hollywood blockbusters, imported and dubbed, are taking increasingly larger shares of revenue away from native (Indian) productions, and that‚s causing some panic."