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ARTS
WEDNESDAY
SEPTEMBER 12, 2001
11
11
DVD MADNESS FOR THE KIDS
'Memento' delivers as a vivid
film, lacks as a strong DVD
'The Goonies' are
still good enough
By: Jeff Dickerson
Daily TV/New Media Editor
In a year ripe with mediocrity,
Christopher Nolan's indie thriller
"M e e n t o"
stands high above
Memento the garbage heap
DVD that is the year
Columbia Tristar 2001 of Holly-
wood. Quietly
hitting theaters in late March, "Memen-
to" played on a few hundred screens in
limited areas and made an instant
impact on the audience. Despite the
lack of advertising, "Memento" drew
bigger numbers each weekend through
tremendous word of mouth. After six
months in theaters, the film is still in the
top 60 and has now reached $25 million
domestically.
Guy Pearce stars as Leonard Shelby,
a man who suffers from a rare form of
short term memory loss which forces
him to jot down endless notes in order
to maintain his lifestyle of revenge and
investigation. The supporting cast
includes the wonderful Joe Pantoliano,
best known as Cypher in "The Matrix"
or the other Fratelli brother in Richard
Donner's '80s classic "The Goonies."
The only other notable cast member is
Carrie Anne Moss, another star of the
Keanu Reeves vehicle, "The Matrix."
In the audio and video departments,
the DVD features what you might
expect from a current film. No visible
problems in the presentation; colors are
rich with no defects in the print.
"Memento" is a rather quiet movie, and
the sound mix handles it well through-
out the duration of the film.
Let's face it, the most important char-
acteristic of a good DVD is the abun-
dance of extra materials. The producers
of the DVD incorporate the backward
structure of the film in each of the
menus. When an item is selected on
screen, flashes of other menus pop up
before going to the intended destina-
tion. When you return to a previous
menu the selections are sometimes
backwards in the style of the film. The
fancy transitions do not excuse the lack
of extras which include only a 30-
minute interview with Christopher
Nolan from the Independent Film
Channel, a trailer and tattoo gallery.
Columbia Tri-Star purchased the
rights to the Newmarket film and has
released an acceptable DVD, fans of the
film will certainly be wondering if a
special edition is in the works. While
the DVD is somewhat of a let down, the
film is so good it warrants the $20 price
tag. For those who have seen "Memen-
to," see it again. For those who have not
yet experienced the best movie of 2001,
go out and buy the DVD.
By Lyle Henretty
Daily Arts Editor
"The Goonies" may just be the last
great children's movie that adults liked
as much as the kids. It has adventure,
The Goonies:
Special
Edition DVD
Warner Bros.
romance, terror
and the patented
"Truffle Shuffle."
The 1985 film
centers on a
group of outcast
kids looking for a
little fun on the
is enabled, the viewer is treated to a
wide-screen view of the cast as they
look now. This is a special treat for fans
who grew up on the film, though it is
slightly depressing to learn that Chunk
has slimmed down significantly.
Other features include a short docu-
mentary of behind the scenes footage,
showing a tired Donner sarcastically
contemplating suicide, as well as
writer/producer Steven Spielberg look-
ing suspiciously like Howard Stern.
The disc also includes a ridiculously
long version of Cyndi Lauper's
"Goonies R Good Enough" video fea-
turing wrestling luminaries "Captain"
Lou Albano, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and
Andre the Giant.
Along with a standard preview, the
deleted scenes sadly add little to the
disc: Most of the scenes are banal, and
the much touted "octopus" scene looks
cheesy and was clearly deleted from the
movie for a reason. All in all, this disc
is a must-have for fans, but those that
buy it will probably wish it had a little
more.
eve of the demolition of their pic-
turesque New England town. When
they follow a family of convicts into an
abandoned restaurant, they begin an
adventure that leads them into hidden
caves, pirates and a freaky piano made
of bones.
The commentary track is done by
Director Richard Donner ("Superman,"
"Lethal Weapon") and the entire gaggle
of Goonies, from Jeff Cohen (Chunk) to
the self depricating Corey Feldman
(Mouth). When the commentary feature
'Bride' DV inconceivably good
r
By Lyle Henretty
Daily Arts Editor
Throughout the new special edition DVD version of "The
Princess Bride," Director Rob Reiner and various cast mem-
The Princess
Bride: Special
Edition DVD
MGM
bers compare the film to "The Wizard
of Oz." They claim similarity not sim-
ply because the movies mix broad
humor with fantastical settings and
colorful backdrops, but also because
both films bombed at the box office.
Though, as repeated television show-
ings and strong word-of-mouth made
taries. The first involves the director and cast looking back
on filming and musing on how the film was received, anec-
dotes from the set and grumblings about the studio. The
other two were shot and intended for publicity. While they
seem repetitive, they are amusingly dated relics. The pre-
views include four TV spots and a trailer that gives away
most of the movie.
Reiner and the author of the book/screenwriter, William
Goldman, both contribute individual commentary tracks.
Both men love to tell stories and are completely taken with
the film, so the tracks are more entertaining than they are
informative. The extras are capped off by a look at some of
Elwes personal home videos from the set. As video cameras
were just becoming mainstream (the film was released in
1987) Elwes uses his toy much to the delight of his hambone
castmates.
The eminently enjoyable film looks better than ever in
wide screen, making the rolling hills of the English country-
side into a character unto itself. The crisp Dolby sound
enhances the adventure and the romance by stepping up
Mark Knopfler's pitch-perfect score. (The sound also allows
you to realize how garbled Andre the Giant actually sounds.)
Seeing this film as it was originally intended is a joy for those
who have long-since worn out their home video copies.
Cou rtev of Warner Bros.
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"Wizard" an American classic, home video and die-hard
fans spouting familiar phrases ("I do not think him is what
you think him is") has elevated "Princess" to the upper eche-
lons of American film.
The story is of Princess Buttercup's (Robin Wright Penn)
attempt to hold onto her true love (Cary Elwes) and thwart
the evil-doings of Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon)
and his six-fingered side-kick Count Rugen (Christopher
Guest). She is aided by swordsman Iningo Montoya (Mandy
Patinkin) and giant Fezzik (Andre the Giant).
The disc's extras are plentiful, including three documen-
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Courtesy of MGM
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