Deep Pockets Recommends...
by Brian Eggert
March 2009 Recommendations
The below DVD and Blu-ray picks from Deep Pockets includes this site’s top home video recommendations for March 2010, everything from modern masterpieces to landmark classics. Click the Amazon.com link, preorder away, and help support Deep Focus Review. To see a full directory of upcoming titles, check out the Calendar or visit Deep Pockets for a more complete shopping list.
March 2:
Hayao Miyazaki on Home Video
This March at Deep Focus Review is Hayao Miyazaki month. In the coming weeks, each film by the Japanese master animator will receive its own in-depth review, and among them two films will receive extensive Definitive entries. Walt Disney Company, the North American distributor of Miyazaki on home video, has also decided to make it their unofficial Miyazaki month. Available today, March 2, are new 2-disc “special editions” of the previously available titles Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro in standard DVD releases. No word on when the Blu-rays for those titles are coming. Also making its debut on DVD and Blu-ray is Miyazaki’s 2009 feature Ponyo, the film that was scandalously passed up for a Best Animated Feature nomination at this year’s Oscars.
The discs for Castle in the Sky, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and My Neighbor Totoro will include a new “The World of Ghibli” featurette exploring the studio's animated creations, a behind-the-scenes trip to Ghibli, new documentaries, and interviews with Miyazaki. Ponyo will feature the same assortment, but with the added bonus of a storyboard for the entire film. Each title has undergone top-notch digital restoration, and the discs contain
both the English and
Japanese-language audio and subtitle options.
With any luck, the future will bring expanded versions of Disney’s current, relatively barebones editions of their other Miyazaki titles: The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. The sole Miyazaki film that Disney does not own the rights to, the great Princess Mononoke, is owned by Miramax, so perhaps the Weinsteins will re-release that film sometime down the road as well. Disney has done a spectacular service to American audiences by showcasing Miyazaki the way they have. By making his films readily available on home video, they have demonstrated how much he influences their studio’s work, and how monumental his presence remains to the medium of animation. If you haven’t discovered his films yet, this month is the perfect opportunity to start. (Order Ponyo (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) from Amazon.com)
Toy Story & Toy Story 2 (1995 and 1999, Blu-ray)
Speaking of Miyazaki, in Hollywood there’s no greater admirer of his work than John Lasseter, Pixar chief and director of Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Lasseter personally supervised the English dubs on Miyazaki’s body of work in the States. Now his own two classics are being rereleased in DVD/Blu-ray combo packs, complete with a whole slew of new features. The most exciting aspect of these releases is that the Toy Story films will be available on Blu-ray for the first time. Anyone who has seen Ratatouille or Up or WALL•E on Blu knows there’s simply no other way to watch a Pixar film, save for the theater. All of the visual skill Pixar puts into their projects just come alive in high-def. That being said, Pixar needs to get moving on Blus of Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, their last two titles not yet available in the format.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Spike Jonze’s touching look into the raw emotions of childhood will either connect with you on a profound level, or it will leave you feeling indifferent. Your ability to relate to the material depends on your childhood. For me, Where the Wild Things Are was an incredibly resonant piece of art that presents exactly what it means to feel confused and frustrated with the process of growing up. For you, it might feel like a boring 90-minute romp into a children’s book, something you’re unable to identify with at all. Jonze expands on Maurice Sendak’s book in just the right way, fabricating a plot but never losing the same tone. And as the intentionally grainy film isn’t likely to benefit from a Blu-ray presentation, the standard DVD should be just fine for most consumers. (Order Where the Wild Things Are [Blu-ray]
March 16:
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The success of The Princess of the Frog seems somewhat dwarfish standing next to giants like Hayao Miyazaki and Pixar, but it’s a pleasurable Disney animated feature, their first in years. The story and animation are serviceable, and the studio proved that hand-drawn animation is still a marketable medium. And Disney finally breaks some of their self-imposed boundaries by presenting a mixed race marriage in the story, however ambiguous those races may be. Though the real reasons to seek out this title are the wonderfully catchy songs Randy Newman wrote for the movie. Just as he did with the Toy Story films, he offers music that sounds like nostalgic classics. They are, of course, original songs. But they’re instantly memorable. And when was the last time a Disney movie had a memorable song? (Order the The Princess and the Frog (Single Disc Blu-ray)
March 23:
The African Queen (1951) DVD of the Month
Though it’s officially Miyazaki month at Deep Focus Review, I cannot help but acknowledge the long-awaited arrival of John Huston’s The African Queen on DVD and Blu-ray by naming it the “DVD of the Month”. One of the great classics of American cinema, the 1951 film has long been under restoration at Paramount Pictures. Since the digital format began more than a decade ago, classic film buffs have been clamoring for this title, and now it’s finally here making its debut on DVD, and in high-def to boot! Set against the backdrop of WWI in Africa, it’s the adventurous tale of a drunken riverboat captain taking a prudish missionary down the river to demolish a German warship, and their growing friendship and love along the way. Star Humphrey Bogart won his only Best Actor Oscar for his role, and Katherine Hepburn was nominated for her performance. The accolades are much deserved and the wait for this DVD was well worth it, as this is one of the most charming, romantic, exciting films to come out of the 1950s. (Order The African Queen [Blu-ray]
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Wes Anderson’s unforgettable, hilarious, and original stop-motion animated film Fantastic Mr. Fox was one of 2009’s very best. Sadly, it was released along with about twenty other titles around Thanksgiving Day and was lost in the shuffle. Luckily, it received a Best Animated Feature nomination at this year’s Oscars, which will hopefully remind audiences that this film is out there. Based on the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, Anderson’s film not only breaks ground in terms of its visual style, but in the style of its writing. The adaptation lives and breathes the essence of what it means to be a Wes Anderson film, all this despite the rumors that he directed the film via email. If you missed this one in the theaters, here’s your chance to discover an instant classic. (Order the Fantastic Mr. Fox [Blu-ray]
March 30:
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Guy Ritchie’s first entry in an inevitable franchise of blockbusters, Sherlock Holmes made considerable noise at the box-office last year, largely due to the presence of its star. Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stuffy detective suited the actor more than the role. But how charming the actor proves to be in the role regardless, particularly when paired next to Jude Law’s Watson. This first film was about setting up the characters more than it was about a mystery, although Mark Strong’s villain role does wonders for the atmosphere of the scenario and Gothic London setting. I can’t wait for a more in-depth mystery in the sequel. Until then, this rousing adventure-mystery should look great on Blu-ray. (Order theSherlock Holmes [Blu-ray]