FREDDY VS JASON DVD TALK REVIEW

The Movie:

Discussed and rumored for many a year, it was inevitable that the two titans of terror, Freddy and Jason, would eventually meet up in a film. A success and something of a revitalization of the franchises, there's even been rumors of future installments (maybe this film's success is what got the long in-development "Alien Vs. Predator" going again at Fox). As the picture opens, Freddy has been banished to hell and remains deeply ticked off about his punishment. What to do? He searches through hell and finally finds Jason, resurrecting him via a nightmare. Jason goes about his business on Elm Street, bringing back memories of Freddy in those who made it through his reign of terror.

Freddy eventually finds enough fear in the kids of Elm Street to return to their nightmares, but it's still a while before he finds enough strength. When he finally does, he realizes that Jason isn't willing to go anywhere, and to have the power all to himself, the two terror icons will have go to battle. Remarkably, the movie spends a great deal of time providing exposition about the past history of F & J, along with what's happened since then. Characters even discuss, in great depth, the "adult cover up" of Freddy, which includes a literal "quarantine" (read: mental hospital) for those who were believed to know about the killer.

Given that the characters are about as one-dimensional as most characters in this genre, it's a little difficult at times to sit through the first half of the picture, which is a series of stops-and-starts that has the characters discussing what's currently going on in the film. The performances aren't half-bad considering - I liked Monica Keena in the little-seen TV series "Undeclared" and she's good as the lead here - but the opening half of the picture occasionally seemed like an awfully long wait to get to the inevitable battle.

I also found some other things to like about the film. Although some of the effects are a little primitive (if creative), "Freddy Vs. Jason" is beautifully shot by veteran cinematographer Fred Murphy ("Stir Of Echoes", "The Mothman Prophecies"), who uses the 'scope framing to the film's best advantage. Veteran Hong Kong director Ronny Yu, no stranger to horror films or action movies, also handles the action nicely. There's little in the way of humor, unfortunately, but a couple of amusing moments (after Jason breaks up a party, a stoner remarks, "Man, that goalie was pissed about something.") are scattered throughout.

Overall, I found this to be a decent diversion for 90 minutes and change; while that doesn't sound like praise, it's not a bad comment coming from someone who was never a hardcore fan of the films or the genre in general to begin with. Given that the film's financial success will likely result in another film, I can only hope that the rumored "Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash" (Ash being Bruce Campbell's character from the "Evil Dead" films) will go forward.


The DVD

VIDEO: "Freddy Vs. Jason" is presented both 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 pan & scan on this release. The anamorphic widescreen edition is another stellar New Line effort, really capturing the film's sleek, slick appearance in all its glory. Sharpness and detail are marvelous, as the picture looks crisp, clean and three-dimensional, with excellent depth and definition to the image. Despite the dark nature of the film, the picture never appeared soft.

Deep, well-saturated colors are visible throughout the transfer, yet the presentation offers them superbly, with no smearing or other concerns. A tiny bit of edge enhancement was present in a couple of scenes, but this was hardly an issue. Light grain was also noticed, but the print remained in excellent condition, with no scratches, marks or other debris. Despite the fact that two versions of the film (ws/fs) are present on the first disc, the picture still looked smooth, with no compression artifacts. This is another winner from New Line.

SOUND: "Freddy Vs. Jason" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1-EX by New Line. The film's soundtrack is a highly aggressive affair, using the surrounds for voices, discrete sound effects, music and general ambience. Rarely are the rear speakers not in play, and they really get going intensely during the action sequences. Those who have the ability to engage a rear back surround channel will also find that it adds greatly to the experience. The score remained crisp and clear throughout, while dialogue was natural and easily understood. To no surprise, the soundtrack also packs some hefty low bass during many scenes.

EXTRAS:

Commentary: This is a commentary from director Ronny Yu and actors Ken Kirtzinger ("Jason") and Robert Englund ("Freddy"). This is an informal, funny little discussion that has the two terror icons joking around about what happened on set and sharing some information about the history (although Kirtzinger is new to playing Jason) of the characters. Yu discusses some of the technical and production issues that went into the main scenes. The commentary does have a few slow moments and a few that go too deeply into praise, but I thought it was an entertaining time.

Production Featurettes: "Genesis: Development Hell", "On Location: Springwood Revisited", "Art Direction: Jason's Decorating Tips", "Stunts: When Push Comes to Shove", and "Makeup Effects: Freddy's Beauty Secrets". The first featurette is the most interesting, as there are some great discussions of how long the film was in development - star Englund talks about meeting a TV producer on a plane who'd happened to take a try at a script draft for the film. Producer Stokely Chafin, director Ronny Yu, New Line President Bob Shaye and others offer their thoughts in interviews throughout. The remainder of the featurettes are more informal, as the camera follows along cast and crew members going through and preparing for their scenes. Interviews with cast and crew - some fun, many informative, a couple quite amusing - are occasionally edited in.

Visual FX featurettes: This 34-minute set of featurettes goes through each of the film's major effects sequences, with the visual FX supervisors discussing each of the elements that went into the scene and showing each of the elements that constructed the sequence.

Camp Hackenslash: A promotional event in Austin, TX, this event had fans from all around gathered for a day before the actual premiere. Nothing much to see here, although sheer goofiness involved is somewhat fascinating.

Deleted Scenes: 19 deleted scenes (including an alternate opening and ending) are included, with optional commentary. The alternate ending is terrible and most of the scenes seem like unnecessary extensions or deletions wisely done to keep the pace up.

Also: "Freddy and Jason go to Development Hell", a reprint of a magazine article; a pre-fight promotional event in Vegas; the film's original theatrical trailer (in 5.1), TV spots, a music video, the trailer for New Line's upcoming "The Butterfly Effect" (in 5.1), a trailer for 2003's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (which has quite the spooky 5.1 soundtrack), a trailer for "Jason Goes To Hell", a trailer for "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare", image galleries and DVD-ROM material, including an "enhanced viewing" mode w/trivia, an editing featurette, sound bites, web links and more.

Final Thoughts: Silly, mindless entertainment, "Freddy Vs. Jason" will appeal to fans of both franchises, but others interested may still find it a decent rental. New Line's DVD provides quite a few bonus features, as well as excellent audio/video quality.

HALLOWEEN RESURRECTION DVD TALK REVIEW

As Halloween: Resurrection kicks off, we're reintroduced to Laurie Strode for the third time. When last we saw our plucky heroine in the abysmally titled Halloween: H20, Laurie had lopped off the head of her mass-murdering older brother, seemingly putting an end fo the long-running Halloween franchise after twenty years and six sequels. H20 performed well enough at the box office to warrant an eighth installment, so exposition and an accompanying flashback reveal that...::gasp!::...that wasn't really Michael after all! Laurie inadvertently decapitated an innocent family man, and, racked with guilt, she's spent the past several years staring blankly outside her sanitarium window. Michael stops by to pay Laurie one final visit, and once Jamie Lee Curtis' contractual obligation is completed, the opening credits roll so that the mediocrity can really begin.

With two full decades of hunting his sister finally having come to a close, Michael strolls home to Haddonfield for a well-deserved rest. Before he can hang up his overalls, Mikey finds his decrepit familial home overrun with college students. Enterprising webcasters Dangertainment have recruited a bunch of bland twentysomethings to spend Halloween night at the Myers house, including such cardboard cutouts as The Wild Party Girl, The Black Guy Who Talks About Food A Lot, and The Smart Girl Who Uses Polysyllabic Words Just In Case Someone Around Her Doesn't Know That She's The Smart Girl. Their pal Sara (Bianca Kajlich) is the character we're supposed to root for because she's the only one aware that the whole thing is a bad idea. Since prancing through a vacant house isn't going to engage Internet viewers for hours on end, Dangertainment producer Freddie (Busta Rhymes) dons a set of blue overalls and Mikey's trademark mask, unaware that the genuine article is also skulking about. As the oversexed fodder is stalked and slashed, Sara relies on Internet penpal Deckard, who tries to remotely guide her through the house and out of harm's way.

Seemingly no one had high expectations for Halloween: Resurrection. Between forced reshoots, a lengthy string of delays, and a lack of press screenings, even Dimension Films seemed to know they had an unsalvagable turkey on their hands. Like most of the studio slashers produced over the past few years, Halloween: Resurrection is watered-down, inoffensive, and unwilling to take any risks. The body count is paltry, and the majority of the kills are boring, unimaginative, and practically bloodless stabbings. Though Rosenthal siezes every opportunity to try to toss in a jump scare, he's unable to elicit much of a reaction and utterly fails to generate any suspense or tension. The novelty of victims sporting video cameras may have seemed like a good idea in 1999, back when Halloween: H20 was taking in decent box office receipts and the unprecedented success of The Blair Witch Project was on everyone's lips. Especially three years later, it's not enough to carry an already limping film, and the gimmick quickly wears out its welcome.

Busta Rhymes' Freddie joins the ranks of the most unbearable characters ever to grace the silver screen, falling somewhere between Jar-Jar Binks and everything Chris Tucker has ever done. Busta's dialogue is rambling and repetitive, seemingly improvised from start to finish. These are actual quotes: "Who's betta than Wai Chung Lei? Come on, whoopin' everybody ass while he smokin' a cigarette. Aw, shit! Who's knockin' at my door this late? Whoever it is is distractin' me from watchin' Wai Chung Lei whoop some ass!" Toasting Tyra Banks' superfluous character: "This is to us for successfully putting together something collectively so ingenious as a team and a duo that we should definitely be able to secure a lot of food on the table for ourselves as long as everything goes as nicely as it's goin' right now." Terrifyingly enough, the chop socky Freddie was watching in his hotel room is revisited later in the movie. Freddie confronts Michael, flailing his arms frantically and belting out high-pitched squeals like a third-rate Bruce Lee. The cast of characters is unilaterally dull, and despite the prominent shots of Jamie Lee Curtis and Tyra Banks on the cover art, neither of them are of any remote significance to the overall story. Oh, and in case the question is gnawing on anyone's mind, yes, things are left open for a ninth installment. Though Halloween: Resurrection is an awfully low note to end a franchise on, I'd rather have no more sequels than another one as poorly conceived and executed as this one.

The limp and lifeless Halloween: Resurrection may be among the worst studio slashers of recent memory, but its release on DVD is otherwise impressive, featuring excellent audio/video quality and a healthy smattering of supplemental material.

Video: Halloween: Resurrection is presented in anamorphic widescreen at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. With the obvious exception of the low-resolution, noise-riddled video footage, the movie looks phenomenal. The image is crisp and detailed, and, as should be expected from a film so recently making its way out of theaters, it isn't marred by dust or assorted specks. The majority of the movie takes place in the dimly lit Myers house, and detail manages to hold up admirably even under these dark conditions. Not surprisingly, black levels remain deep and inky throughout. The negligible amount of film grain present throughout doesn't present much of a distraction, nor does it seem at all unusual for a Super35 production. As endless as my complaints were about the movie, I'm unable to find much to bitch about with its presentation on DVD. An excellent effort.

Audio: The English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is a powerhouse, teetering on showcase material. Surrounds are utilized frequently and effectively, invariably buzzing with discrete activity and building an immersive experience. As active as the rears are throughout Halloween: Resurrection, they don't come across as gimmicky or unnatural. The LFE also shines, summoning a hellish amount of bass and keeping the subwoofer thumping for most every second of the movie's runtime. The soundtrack creates an appropriately creepy atmosphere and plays a significant part in making the movie's rare effective moments work as well as they do.

Among the other language options provided on this disc are a six-channel French dub, English closed captioning, and subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

Supplements: As lousy as Halloween: Resurrection is, Dimension Home Video pulled out all of the stops for its DVD release. The first option is an extensive gallery consisting of around 75 production stills. Although the majority of the supplements on this disc sport a 'View All' option, navigating through the still gallery does require plenty of button mashing.

The disc's audio commentary pairs director Rick Rosenthal with editor Robert Ferretti. In between occasionally lengthy gaps of dead air, Rosenthal talks about how much he enjoyed working with the cast and seems especially intrigued with the twenty-someodd hours of webcam footage compiled over the course of filming. The emphasis is very much on the production of the movie rather than taking viewers through the entire process from concept to completion. Neither Ferretti nor Rosenthal are particularly energetic, and I found myself drifting off to sleep a couple of times.

There are six deleted and extended scenes that run just over seven minutes total, and the letterboxed footage can be viewed individually or consecutively. The labels are pretty self-explanatory -- "Freddie and Nora In the Control Room", "Contestant Interviews", "Sara and Jenna Dropping Out", "Michael Driving Up to House", "Photo Album", and "Sara & Freddie At Car". Rick Rosenthal has provided optional commentary for each, though he remains largely silent for the duration. Rosenthal's brief comments are mostly limited to saying why the footage was trimmed, but he does note that Busta lifted a handshake of his and made it his own trademark. In the movie's commentary, Rosenthal makes reference to other deleted scenes, including Michael stealing a car and a home movie intro shot on Super8, but neither these sequences nor the Tyra Banks kill are included.

Three alternate endings -- "Original Ending With Deckard", "CSI Hand In Manhole", and "Axe Ending" -- can be viewed with the same set of options, though they're corralled in a separate section of the disc. The CSI ending has a solid, if telegraphed, jump scare, and the axe ending tacks a few extra seconds of footage onto what made the final cut. The less said about the embarrassing Deckard ending, the better. Rosenthal is slightly more talkative when commenting about this footage, though he doesn't express much of a preference or mention why these endings were dropped.

"WebCam Special" is a compilation of some of the video footage partially incorporated into the film, running a lengthy 41 minutes and 19 seconds. Including this extensive amount of footage is an interesting and welcome concept, but I found it awfully tedious to sit through in this case. Not surprisingly, Rick Rosenthal again provides optional commentary, though I'll admit to not having given it a listen.

In the six and a half minute "Tour of Set With Production Designer" featurette, Troy Hansen walks viewers through the Myers house, explaining some of the liberties he took and why certain design decisions were made. "On the Set With Jamie Lee Curtis", which runs right at four minutes in length, is a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage and fluffy interviews with the cast and crew. The four minute head-cam featurette takes a look at the working lipstick cameras worn by the cast and the evolution of the concept throughout pre-production.

There are five brief storyboard comparisons for several of the movie's more intense sequences. The Angle feature available on most DVD players allow viewers to see the footage side-by-side or on their own. These comparisons can also be viewed individually or consecutively.

"Sneak Peeks" includes a promo for 'Dimension Cutting Edge Films" and trailers for Halloween: H20, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the Scream box set, and Gangs of New York. All are full-frame except for the letterboxed Gangs trailer. These are accessible from the main menu and play by default when the disc is inserted. For whatever reason, a trailer for Halloween: Resurrection itself isn't on the disc.

Halloween: Resurrection features static menus and is divided into fourteen chapters.

Conclusion: Halloween: Resurrection is a phenomenal DVD by any conceivable standard. Too bad the same can't be said about the movie. Halloween completists will still gobble it up, but those with more of a casual interest will want to stick with a rental. Rent It.

HALLOWEEN 6 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Movie:

I've not been a fan of the "teen horror" genre that's recently been so popular, and recently has gotten to the point where it's being parodied(the upcoming "Scary Movie"). The only one of these films that I've enjoyed is "I Know What You Did Last Summer"; it wasn't perfect, but the director knew that what the audience doesn't see is usually scarier than what it does see.

Directed by Steve Miner(recently of "Lake Placid"), I didn't feel that "H20" was really a bad picture, or a terribly good one. It just is what it is, a moderately effective horror film on occasion. For a film that only lasts about 90 minutes though, it takes a bit too long to get itself going. The film revolves around Laurie Tate once again, now living under a different name and with a son and boyfriend in California. She's also taken a job as the principal of a private school. Of course, it's almost Halloween and it won't be long before Michael Meyers is back once again.

The performances are generally good, and Curtis plays the character with a hard edge that's fairly enjoyable to watch. Also on hand for the proceedings is teen film regulars Josh Hartnett and Jodi Lynn O'Keefe, as well as Dawson's Creek star Michelle Williams. Director Miner keeps the tension level moving up quite nicely throughout the film, and once it gets going, it really moves solidly towards the final conclusion.

And, of course, there's another in the series listed as "in production", although who knows if it will actually come together. As for this one again, it is what it is. Not terrible, but not anything terribly great, either. A couple of hours of decent entertainment.


The DVD

VIDEO: Released when Buena Vista was still doing non-anamorphic transfers, "Halloween: H20" still looks very good. I don't have any major complaints, just minor details that could have been better. Sharpness is very good, with the exception of a few dark sequences, which seem slightly on the soft side. Detail is good as well, especially during the daylight sequences. The movie occasionally seems ever-so-slightly dark looking, but it could have been that way in the theater, as well.

There's some noticable marks and scratches on the print used, but these are only in isolated instances and not consistently a problem throughout the entire movie. There's the slightest amount of shimmering apparent on occasion, but again, this is not a major problem. Pixelation is non-existent, as well. As with many of the Buena Vista titles that were produced during their non-anamorphic efforts, it's a very nice looking image, but there are areas where it could be improved.

SOUND: Sound can be a horror film's best friend, but apparently the filmmakers haven't learned that for this film, which really misses quite a few opportunities to scare the audience further. Surrounds are really not used terribly often and when they are, they aren't terribly effective in their use. Sound does remain nicely dynamic, though, and the score sounds clear and crisp. Dialogue is clear and easily understood, as well. This isn't a terribly agressive soundtrack, and it could have used more creativity in the audio.

MENUS:: As with many Disney menus, there isn't much at all to the menus - just a film-themed image; no music, no spooky animation, no nothing.

EXTRAS: "Halloween: H20" became infamous after it was released. Originally listed as having quite a nice package of features(well, nice for a Buena Vista title, normal for everyone else), the final disc came and included barely anything. Even the early packaging listed many more features than the disc included. The packaging was corrected, but the price was never changed from the too-high $39.99. There are still a couple of extras, but they are definitely not worth the high price tag.

Unmasking the Horror: A fairly interesting documentary that offers interviews with Jamie Lee Curtis, writer Kevin Williamson, director Miner and many members of the cast who chat about not only the making of this film, but the series as a whole. It's pretty promotional in nature, but hearing the viewpoint of Curtis on what made her decide to do the project as well as the history behind the production makes for a pretty enjoyable viewing.

HALLOWEEN 5 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Movie

After Halloween 3: Season of the Witch proved that the loyal horror fans weren't always that loyal when their favorite stalkers were left out of the equation, series producer Moustapha Akkad went back to the basics: He brought back everyone's favorite "shape," and hired at least four screenwriters to give the boogeyman some fresh backstory.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) introduced the character of Jamie, Michael's little niece, whom (of course) he desperately wants to kill. Part 4 ended with Michael falling into a mine shaft after killing a whole bunch of people. Jamie, meanwhile, ended up going a little loopy in a final� that tried to do a "dovetail" with the prologue of the original Halloween -- but pretty much failed at the attempt.

Just about a year later came Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and the schtick is pretty much the same: Apparently Michael not only survived his mine-shaft plunge, but also spent one full year convalescing in the hovel of a strangely charitable homeless man. Come Halloween Eve, Mike pops up, ungratefully skewers his rescuer, and heads on out to stalk Jamie again.

Jamie, for her part, has been scared mute for the past year, and now resides in a children's hospital. She can also telemagically "see" her uncle's actions, but only when he's killing people. A few of Jamie's twenty-something friends/guardians are (unwisely) planning some sort of Halloween festivities, and you can pretty much fill in all the blanks from here.

Basically, Halloween 5 is not much more than your (very) standard slasher construct: Non-stop chit-chat for 2 acts, and then a bunch of nasty skewering in act 3. And even going by those generic standards, Halloween 5 is a pretty stale affair. Points for trying to adhere to some sort of cohesive "thru-line", and I do appreciate that someone tried to give Michael a mysterious backstory and whatnot -- but even the small portion of Halloween 5's admirable components seem like they were just thrown into the stew for the hell of it.

For her part, little Danielle Harris delivers a sympathetic performance while suffering through some truly arduous "flip out" sequences. (This kid takes more punishment than Wile E. Coyote.) As usual, the always-welcome Donald Pleasance pops up for five or six scenes to rant and rave about the "unstoppable evil" this and "I've looked into his eeeyyyyyeeessss" that. Harris and Pleasance are the only things keeping you awake during the first 50-some minutes of this flick. The script is rote, the direction is drab, and the series spins its wheels through yet another sequel.

As far as the splatterings go...meh. We get a few semi-creative dispatches and half-hearted gore-droppings, but the flick's not dark or intense enough to generate all that much enthusiasm for the nastiness. I can see how the hardcore Halloween-heads can find some small nuggets of fun in this particular sequel, but in my eyes the series ended with the explosion in Halloween 2. (Having said that, I'd still take parts 4 and 5 over 6 and/or 8 any day. You gorehounds know what I'm talking about.)

The DVD

Video: The anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) transfer is really quite solid for a chintzy little sequel of this order. I've read that the previous Anchor Bay release was just dandy, transfer-wise, but this one seems to be freshly remastered, so it's your call.

Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0, with a fine aural presentation overall. Captions are accessible through your hardware, but not click-on-able like your standard subtitles.

Extras: The only new supplement is a feature-length audio commentary with director Dominique Othenin-Girard, and actors Danielle Harris (Jamie) and Jeffrey Landman (Billy). Harris seems sweetly enthusiastic, Landman seems bemused, and Girard is clearly taking this silly slasher sequel a whole lot more seriously than he ought to. Still, fans of the series should enjoy the chat-track, as it includes discussion of deleted scenes, production issues, and "The Man in Black."

Returning from Anchor Bay's previous Halloween 5 release are:

A 7-minute section on on-set footage, which includes one deleted sequence that the fans will enjoy.

The 15-minute Inside Halloween 5, which features semi-recent interviews with producer Moustapha Akkad, cinematographer Rob Draper, and actors Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris and Don Shanks. (Ms. Harris grew up to be quite the doll!)

Rounding out the platter is a collection of trailers for Halloween 5, Halloween, Halloween 4, and Masters of Horror.

Final Thoughts

I'd be happy to call Halloween 5 a guilty pleasure, only there's not a whole lot of fun to be found. Series completists will enjoy the flick, the transfer, and the extras, but c'mon. It's Halloween freakin' FIVE.

HALLOWEEN 4 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Product:
The title says it all. Ten years after John Carpenter redefined the horror film with his sensational slasher suspense film Halloween, series overseer Moustapha Akkad gained creative control of the franchise, and decided to return it back to its slice and dice roots. No more Stonehenge inspired child killing. No more robotic hitmen. And definitely no more of that ear-wormy commercial jingle that seemed to fill every moment of Halloween III: Season of the Witch with it's nursery rhyme redolence ("Three more days to Halloween, Halloween, Halloween�"). Instead, we'd return to Haddenfield, Illinois and Dr. Sam Loomis, and that fatal familial connection between unstoppable slayer Michael Myers and his kinfolk. Everything was in place for a back to basics blockbuster. Unfortunately, the result is one of the worst offerings in the entire Halloween oeuvre.

The Plot:
It's 1988, ten years since Michael Myers went on his infamous Haddenfield killing spree. During what appears to be an unnecessary transfer of the murderer to another mental hospital, he escapes and makes a beeline back to his Illinois home. When Dr. Loomis discovers the situation, he immediately heads in that direction as well. In the meantime, Michael's only living relative, a niece named Jamie, is living with a foster family. Mom and Dad dote on the child, but older "sister" Rachel would rather make time with her boyfriend Brady. Eventually, Michael makes it back to Haddenfield and starts slaughtering people left and right. His goal � destroy his last remaining family member. But Dr. Loomis and the local sheriff hope to save the girl before this rampaging maniac fulfills his foul destiny.

The DVD:
On an accompanying commentary track, and his Q&A during the Making-Of Production Featurette, listed screenwriter Alan B. McElroy (there are three others with story credit as well) proudly proclaims that, with only 11 days left before the WGA went on strike, he successfully pounded out the Halloween 4 script and barely beat the deadline. Perhaps it's the level of personal pride he shows in such an accomplishment that gives him a pass, but technically, one should not be glad that they took LESS time to create a movie. By inference, a quickie writing stint should result in an underdeveloped, scattered narrative that makes very little sense, uses shorthand to establish its situations, and relies on familiarity, not freshness, to entertain its audience. And wouldn't you know it, Halloween 4 fits neatly into all of these categories, and several more that are even more disconcerting. Instead of relaunching Michael Myers as a Jason/Freddy style icon, McElroy and equally ineffectual director Dwight H. Little (noted for such slop as Bloodstone and Steven Seagal's Marked for Death) turned the indestructible psycho in the Shatner mask into a shape shifting plot devices with the ability to freely teleport to wherever the action requires him to be. One moment Michael's killing yet another dog in a house across town, the next he is several miles away, tossing an electrical worker onto a pair of transformers.

While it's unfair to completely blame McElroy and Little for how horribly ineffective this film is, it's difficult to determine any other avenue of fault. Certainly, the casting is rote and routine. Aside from Donald Pleasance's presence, and a quick cameo return by a single character from the original Halloween � Lindsey, now 17 years old and still played by actress Leslie L. Rohland � the rest of the performers are perfunctory and interchangeable. Many champion little Danielle Harris as a right tyke scream queen, and she does have some capable lung capacity (not to mention a sensational level of shriek shrillness). But she's nothing more than a manipulatable pawn in an already problematic storyline. The same goes for Ellie Cornell. More or less taking over for Jamie Lee Curtis in the role of harried teen, Ms. Cornell has a strange blankness to her persona that barely allows a personality to register - not that she's given much to work with. The script has her hung up on a boy who, in her mind, is just moments away from a commitment, marriage, children and a time-share in Florida. Yet once that situation delivers its formulaic comeuppance (who does she see diddling around with the town slut while trick or treating?) Ms. Cornell is just a battering ram for Michael's many attempted murders. Add in Pleasance's pitch perfect scenery chewing and an interchangeable collection of ancillary imbeciles, and there's not a single individual to identify with, no one character to support or root for.

Still, the Friday the 13th franchise got along fine without such three dimensional devices. All they needed were some creative, over the top deaths with lots of gore and the demographic gladly followed those films anywhere. Well, leave it to Little (and the late '80s model of the MPAA) to strip every bit of sluice out of the random murders in this movie. Aside from a single surreal shot of a thumb penetrating a man's forehead (Michael's obviously been lifting while in the asylum � it takes a great deal of upper body strength to run a finger through someone's skull) and a gruesome bit of neck garroting, most of the murders occur offscreen, or at the very least, sans substantive bloodletting. Obviously trying to emulate the first film's limited grue/maximum dread ideal, McElroy and Little are just no match for John Carpenter's post-modern Hitchcock approach. The first film never forgot that somewhere inside Michael's hulking horror form was a confused little kid who used murder as a means of making sense of the world. Here, our blank bad guy is a sub par Shape. Where once we had a truly terrifying boogieman, seemingly incapable of dying, we now have some Biblical concept of "pure evil" that never once instills us with fear and/or loathing. Instead, we simply wait around, hoping someone will die to give the movie a sense of purpose.

To be fair, if you enjoyed the by the numbers nastiness of Halloween II, which took the original's Midwestern mythologizing and ran it through the Camp Crystal Lake clich� machine (single setting, several potential victims), you'll probably like this rather routine relaunch. But for movie macabre purists, there is nothing here to recommend. For a relatively short film (around 88 minutes) the kill sequences seem to go on forever, and director Little just loves the false scare/dopey dream sequence. Add in the random leaps in logic from McElroy's screenplay and the lack of any real linear coherence (time stands still, and fast forwards, as the situations require) and you've got a less than successful installment of what is perhaps the weakest of the '70s/'80s/'90s fright franchises. Frankly, the Halloween films should have followed Carpenter's original series designs. He had hoped to use the name as a label, like The Twilight Zone, to cover a wide range of concepts, from Season of the Witch's Gaelic goofiness to any number of October 31st based badness. Instead, seeing the success of the slasher film, the powers that be went the knife-wielding psychopath route. If done properly, such a scarefest can work, and work well. Here, it's just a device for more derivative, dull disappointment.

The Video:
Released as part of Anchor Bay's Divimax series, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers looks decent, if not definitive. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen image is clean and crisp, but director Little obviously believed in a dark, dense atmosphere which doesn't translate well to the home theater experience. Several scenes are way too shadowy, burying elements that are necessary to getting the full feel of a situation. For example, when Michael's white face appears in the background, the lack of light renders it flat, instead of a focal point. Still, for a low budget sequel made at the height of the direct to video revolution, the transfer here is professional and pleasing.

The Audio:
Anchor Bay ups the tech spec ante by giving the aural elements a Dolby Digital 5.1 polish. There are some interesting directional facets (especially during a last act truck chase) and a nice level of spatial ambiance. We really believe we are on the deserted streets of Haddenfield late at night during the movie's more quiet moments. While the 2.0 Stereo mix is perfectly acceptable, go with the multi-channel offering. It really adds to the limited mood of this movie.

The Extras:
Adding a kind of metaphysical insult to some obvious cinematic injury, one of the worst efforts in the Halloween franchise gets a nice selection of bonus features, beginning with a pair of audio commentaries. First up is a discussion with actors Ellie Cornell and Danielle Harris. Both are relatively happy with their work in the film, and provide nostalgic anecdotes about the long nights, and odd situations they were often placed in. This is followed by another alternate narrative with writer Alan B. McElroy. Explaining his geekdom for the series (he loves Halloween II), the scribe does a decent job of convincing us that he only had the noblest of intentions when he jumpstarted the Michael Myers myth. Yet even with the occasional prodding of Halloweenmovies.com's Anthony Massey, there is still a little too much dead air during this discussion. In addition, there is the 17 minute Making-Of featurette from the previous Special Edition release. Entitled Halloween 4: Final Cut, it offers Akkad, Little and several others speaking about the behind the scenes aspects of the production. We are also treated to a surreal cast panel from the 25th Anniversary Halloween Convention. Made up of 4's Danielle Harris, Kathleen Kinmot and Sasha Jenson and 5's Jeffrey Landman, this fan-based Q&A is a dorky delight. Reminiscent of those sketch show spoofs where overly obsessive followers ask all kind of uber-detailed inquiries, it's fun to watch Harris interact with the audience. As for the rest of the panel members�well, let's just say they seem less than enthusiastic about this trip down monster movie memory lane. Add in some trailers, and you've got a wonderful selection of supplements.

Final Thoughts:
Though it's ineffectual scares and lack of a cohesive narrative would easily warrant a Skip It, the new Divimax version of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers will receive a Rent It recommendation. It's more of a nod to the overall series than a clear indication of this film's particular entertainment value. There will be some who latch onto young Danielle Harris, turning her into an unlikely horror icon (considering how little she does) and there will be others who like the blood free (not to mention suspense free, logic free, characterization free, etc.) conceits of the filmmaking. Yet the sad fact is that, outside of the occasionally clever premise (Halloween H20's return of Laurie Strode, Halloween 6's Thorn cult), there was no real reason to continue on with this film franchise. While it may be macabre heresy to say it, Michael Myers is just not that effective as a scare symbol. In fact, more people remember Carpenter's masterful musical theme and the acting of Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance than they do the importance of The Shape as a continuing character. As Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers bears out, this was one killing machine that should have been dismantled and mothballed long ago.

HALLOWEEN 2 DVD TALK REVIEW

One of my fondest childhood memories is of me sitting in front of the family television with the first two Halloween movies and a pad of legal paper, keeping a running tally of how many witless teenagers Michael Myers offed. For the longest time, I seemed to enjoy Halloween II more than the original, due in large part to the higher body count and the claustrophobic hospital scenes. I didn't really grow to appreciate the original until years later, as blasphemous as I'm sure that sounds. After well over a decade of watching a severely cropped version taped off of late-night television, I finally experienced Halloween II uncut and in widescreen for the first time last summer after picking up the DVD release from Universal's Goodtimes label. The quality of the letterboxed presentation was surprisingly decent for a budget release. In the months that have passed since, I've upgraded to a television that can perform the much-vaunted anamorphic squeeze, and I leapt at the opportunity to eke out additional resolution from two of my favorites from the long-running Halloween series. To help psyche me up for Anchor Bay's 16x9-enhanced re-release of Halloween IV (my current favorite, slated on October 9th release), I decided to give Universal's anamorphic presentation of the first Halloween sequel a peek. The disc was originally announced as a loaded special edition, but the version resting comfortably on my DVD rack isn't nearly as much of an improvement over the Goodtimes release as I was anticipating.

Halloween II picks up immediately where the original film stopped. Tormented babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, but you knew that) has been taken to a hospital after a savage attack by Michael Myers, who returned to wreak havoc on the sleepy town of Haddonfield after spending fifteen years silent and immobile in a mental institution. Despite being shot six times by Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), his former caretaker, Myers disappears into the night, fully prepared to raise a little more hell. As a hysterical Laurie recovers in a hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, Myers sets out to finish what he started... Sure, that's not much of a plot summary, but since when has a hack-and-slash film required a complex setup?

And to think there was a time when I was genuinely terrified by Halloween II! Despite the higher body count, not a single one of the kills matches any of the attacks from the original. The amount of grue is kept to a bare minimum, and few of Myers' assaults last for more than a few seconds, with several even taking place off-screen. Part of what made Halloween so effective was that the few kill scenes were protracted, extending at least a good half-minute beyond the quick-cut "stab! You're dead!" attacks here. There are more employees in the hospital than there are patients, apparently. Aside from Laurie, Mikey, and a ward full of newborns, the only other people in the hospital are a security guard, two nurses, a doctor, and Laurie's ambulance drivin' buddy Jimmy (Lance Guest). It's not rocket science to figure out who all meets a gruesome end at the hands of Michael Myers. Much of what goes on doesn't seem to make much sense at all, and although I didn't mind as a child, the revelation that Laurie is Mikey's long-lost little sister bugs the heck out of me now. Most of the characters are superfluous, and Pleasence's constant hamming doesn't add as much to the movie as it did to the other entries in the Halloween series. I used to rank Halloween II as my second favorite, behind part four, but now...yikes. I think I enjoyed part five more than this. Halloween II is a nice nostalgic blast, but I can't really envision it spending the countless hours in my player that Halloween IV has enjoyed. The presentation from Universal, only an incremental improvement over the 1998 bargain bin mainstay, doesn't make me any more enthusiastic about recommending this disc to all of you fine people out there in cyberspace.

Video: I picked up the non-anamorphic Goodtimes disc last summer and was reasonably pleased with the quality, especially given that company's far from stellar reputation. This anamorphic Universal release improves upon the previous disc, but the difference isn't spectacular enough to warrant a purchase for those without 16x9-capable sets. As my VVega does the anamorphic squeeze trick, the increased resolution of this new version is noticeable and appreciated. Colors seem bolder than the Goodtimes disc, and black levels and shadow delineation are better defined as well. Very light grain is noticeable throughout, and certain portions, most notably during some of Jimmy's visits to Laurie's hospital room, are excessively grainy. The image overall isn't disappointing, but it's not a considerable improvement over the previous disc that costs seventy percent less. As with the Goodtimes release, Halloween II is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

Audio: I didn't do any extensive A/B comparisons between the stereo surround tracks on the Goodtimes and Universal discs, but I couldn't really notice any appreciable differences between the two from what minor testing I did. I didn't detect any hiss or distortion, and none of the audio elements have the sort of flat quality so often present in movies of this age and budget. There's a decent bass kick accompanying portions of the score and some of the boomier effects, and the ambiance from the matrixed surrounds is sporadic but generally effective.

Supplements: Though numerous features, including a commentary, were slated for a special edition release, the end result doesn't offer anything more interesting than cast/crew bios, assorted production notes, and a heavily worn full-frame trailer. Certainly a missed opportunity.

Conclusion: Whether or not Universal's DVD release of Halloween II is worth a purchase is entirely up to you. It's tough to highly recommend, since the roughly comparable Goodtimes disc runs in the $5-$6 range, and a special edition seems likely at some point in the not too terribly distant future. Unless you have a 16x9 television, it's tough to justify the extra expense. Why get this release of Halloween II when you can snag the previous one and Halloween: H20 at Wally World for the same price? Tepidly recommended.

HALLOWEEN DVD TALK REVIEW

There were popular 'instant cult' horror films in the 70s, but the only one that was constantly being recommended to me by all kinds of people was Halloween. After a screwball student film-turned theatrical release (Dark Star) and an overachieving ode to Howard Hawks (Assault on Precinct 13), young John Carpenter made this modest horror film, and came into his own. Halloween is successful because the resourceful director created his own totally controlled little cinematic world, with a simple but universally identifiable story. Also, Halloween's young cast actually resembled and behaved like reel teens. An astronomical success, it unfortunately spawned decades' worth of imitations and wannabes ... for sheer influence, this 70s show is more potent than even Star Wars.

Synopsis:

Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) witnesses the asylum escape of Michael Myers, a lunatic who killed two people as a small boy fifteen years earlier. Myers returns to his hometown on Halloween night, and while preparing for a night of slaughter, becomes infatuated with teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), a dateless charmer with two faster friends, Annie (Nancy Loomis) and Lynda (P.J. Soles).

Twenty-five years later, Halloween still looks impressive. The horror content is now on the tame side, but the film wasn't all that explicit even in 1978. What we remember, as in most Carpenter films, is the assured, professional build-up that interests us in his characters, and presents the tale with the kind of authority that says, 'this is important.' If he's not an A-grade director, then or now, it's because his stories never conclude as interestingly as they begin. Commercially, this is no flaw, as those thrills he does induce were way more than sufficient. But Halloween is now more an interesting milestone in horror, than a completely satisfying picture.

In 1978, Halloween had it all. It dipped into the practically untapped motherlode of teen fear, the kind Stephen King told us stemmed directly from summer camp 'campfire' stories about shapeless, meaningless boogeymen. One of the most effective moments in American Graffiti had been a dark scene out on some rural road, where the teen heroes talk themselves into a scary fit. The only effect was a soundtrack of subtle, eerie sounds; the scene reminded us of the dumb AIP teen films of the 50s (especially Invasion of the Saucermen), only it worked. Even though horror films were aimed at teens and little kids, nobody really picked up on the commercial potential until Carpenter came along five years later.

Halloween broke the mold - in a way it was the ultimate film-student 70s picture: made for kids, by kids. These teens break the rules, get drunk, get naked, yet are still lovable because they care for children and each other. A studio has more of a problem achieving this with career contract players.

Of all the 70s wunderkids, Carpenter is the most formally-obsessed. Clearly a fevered student of the nuts'n bolts auteur-worship interview book Hitchcock/Truffaut, he also worshipped Howard Hawks and was determined to find a style of his own. Assault on Precinct 13 played like a direct Hawks imitation with diversions, but in this picture Carpenter found his own prowling, SteadiCam (or Panaglide) look. Halloween's slow, cruising camera favors wide masters with action in both the horizontal and depth plane. The extra width gives us information instead of witholding it, and we soon become busy collaborators in the movie experience, looking for important new clues in the periphery. Given this kind of freedom, we're more susceptible when Carpenter chooses to get visually dictatorial in his tense scenes. The scares are very old-fashioned: hands and people enter the screen without warning, unexpected action comes from some calm corner of the frame.

Some of Carpenter's distinctive touches, though effective, haven't aged all that well. His synthetic keyboard score is really a minimal rhythm-and-tone track that fills in the vacuum of sparsely written scenes. The 'power chords' that accompany Michael Myers' repetitive shock appearances soon grow tiresome, although they certainly kept audiences entertained when the film was new. And his spare, minimalist approach makes for easily understood storytelling, but the picture gets pretty thin, once one is past the popcorn scare show years.

Yet for what it is, Halloween remains a fun ride. Jamie Lee Curtis is a captivating, charming heroine to spend our time with - she surely launched a thousand feminist film theses on women in slasher pix. Her girlfriends compensate for being too old by acting appropriately vapid, but not stupid or obnoxious. P.J Soles and Nancy Loomis are both likeable individuals. The thankless role goes to token adult star Donald Pleasance. He has to carry all the heavy-duty dialogue, and sell us the hardcore horror notion of the villain's unkillable lunatic vendetta.

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Anchor Bay's 25th Anniversary Divimax Series Edition of John Carpenter's Halloween is the first video version Savant's seen, although he's aware that the show has a long history on home video. The first quality collectable edition was an expensive Criterion laserdisc set. The picture on this DVD version is bright, colorful and punchy in the night scenes, with very little grain. The 'Divimax' monniker is a proprietary name for Hi-Definition premastering, which has been common for several years, but I have no complaint with the way the DVD looks, so more power to them.�¹ On my monitor, some of the black levels around Mike Myers' mask eye-hole mattes have some distracting patches where the black levels aren't smooth, but I've long since learned not to judge fine points of video transfers on an uncalibrated home projection TVs. Savant's not the source for exacting tech data on waveforms and bit rates, and chasing absolute perfection leads to high blood pressure anyway.

All the tech aspects of the DVD look far better than adequate to these eyes - not having the experience of seeing Halloween on previous releases. This two-disc set comes in a shelf space-saving normal-thickness keep case. The first disc has a commentary with the director, producer Debra Hill, and star Jamie Lee. The second has one long docu done for television that's only a couple of minutes shorter than the feature itself. It contains a wealth of info, but be prepared to re-view practically the whole picture in clip form. Since the majority of the filmmakers were so young, they're all still here to tell us the tale, and other than a third-act feeling of repetition, it's a good show for Halloween fans. A second ten-minute show uses footage of producer Hill and P.J. Soles revisiting the L.A. area locations, but itself is a free-standing overview of the film, and is a real slog after the already long main feature doc.

The rest of the goodies are listed below; they're all in great condition and well researched. A DVD-Rom feature gives us not only an original screenplay, but a selection of screen savers. �²

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On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, Halloween rates: Movie: Very Good Video: Very Good Sound: Excellent Supplements: Commentary with John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Producer Debra Hill, trailers, Halloween - A Cut Above The Rest docu. Shorter featurette On Location - 25 years Later, TV Spots, Radio Spots, Poster and Still Gallery, Talent Bios Packaging: Keep case Reviewed: August 17, 2003

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES SEASON 2 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Show:

When Desperate Housewives began airing in 2004 it captivated audiences with its wit and charm. Marc Cherry's dark satire about life in suburbia hit the ball out of the park with its first season. The show went to the Emmy's with a decent round of nominations and anticipation grew for the second season which started on September 25, 2005. Those fans eagerly waiting the show's sophomore year were sadly met with disappointment; the pop found in the first season just wasn't there right at the start.

While the season got better around the half way point, the first part was kind of drab. It's very difficult to put a finger on what went wrong. The writing was still very good, the acting was as enjoyable as ever and the atmosphere still sizzled with a certain guilty pleasure-like sensation. Most all of the characters returned as well, except the ones that kicked the bucket of course. So what was it that made the second season less enjoyable? In my opinion it was simply a season without focus for the majority of its episodes.

In the first season there was a singular plot that was stretched over the course of the 23 episodes; the mysterious circumstances surrounding the suicide of Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong). It was a singular event that drew all of the main characters together for a common cause and really created a bond that translated well from screen to viewer. In the second season the plots that run through are exclusive to the characters they impact. Without a bridge to connect them the characters began to appear isolated in a manner unbefitting of what we came to expect. Because of that the sophomore season felt a tad disjointed.

If you watched the first season then you know how dramatically it ended. One of the characters had a gun pointed to their head, another died, a new neighbor moved onto Wisteria Lane, and someone was sent to jail for a long time. In the grand scheme of things you really don't get more dramatic than that, especially since everything was left as a cliff-hanger. The final episode left you on the edge of your seat and craving more. And that's exactly where things get started in the second season.

Almost immediately the dark and twisted nature of Desperate Housewives comes back into full swing. Mike Delfino (James Denton) has just returned from taking Paul Young (Mark Moses) out to the middle of nowhere to find Zach (Cody Kasch) and Susan (Teri Hatcher) in the precarious position the first season left them in. After the dust settles Susan discovers exactly what kind of relationship Mike and Zach have and that's something she can't live with. She eventually changes her tune, but that's only typical for her emotionally charged personality.

This season sees a lot of ups and downs for Susan and Mike. At one point they're discussing marriage and at another they want nothing to do with each other. I'm sad to say that whenever the two are together the drama is so forced and comical that there is very little chemistry. Susan's character becomes a gibbering goofball every time she is on screen. Sure it's cute and charming now and then, but when it is a constant part of her character she comes across looking like an emotional train wreck and entirely unstable.

With her husband Rex having just passed away it's only natural that Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) would wait until it was acceptable to inform her friends of her new love interest. She goes through the motions of being a grieving widow and as time passes she begins to spend more time with George (the pharmacist responsible for poisoning Rex). His obsession with her only gets weirder and weirder as the season progresses, though eventually the both of them are brought in to be questioned about possibly poisoning Rex. Naturally Bree is mortified that the police would think she killed her husband, but then again she doesn't know how dark George's soul really is.

Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) has gone back to work and her husband Tom (Doug Savant) has made the sacrifice to stay home with their kids. To say that Lynette isn't exactly pleased with her new job would be an understatement. Her boss is a real beast about everything and the owner has the attention span of a poodle. But overall things go well for the couple until something from Tom's past comes up just a little beyond the halfway point of the season.

With Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira) in jail, Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is trying desperately to get him out. Dealing with the aftermath of her infidelity and pregnancy she does whatever is necessary to get her man back. She begins to imagine life as a mother and realizes that there are more important things in life than chasing after 18 year old gardeners. Seeing their banter while Carlos is incarcerated was easily one of the biggest joys of this season.

Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) is just plain old Edie in this season. She goes out of her way to harass Susan and is still the voice of reason for Wisteria Lane. While the other ladies keep their thoughts to themselves she's the first to lay it all out in the open. I've always enjoyed that about her character though she seems much more confrontational this time around.

Alfre Woodard joins the cast this season and plays a mysterious woman with a secret she tries to hide from everyone. As Betty Applewhite she tries to fit into the neighborhood but winds up sticking out like a sore thumb. She keeps everyone at arms length and sadly that includes the audience. Woodard gives a good performance as Applewhite but the character's "secret" wasn't all that fascinating. She's definitely a good villain to add to this already busy show, but somehow I feel the character could have been better.

As these stories worked themselves out and the season got more into its run things became better all around. It was almost as if feedback about the show made a difference and at one point it was almost like someone hit a switch. The second year went from being mediocre or decent to nearly meeting all of the expectations I came into the season with. The lack of a big mystery to tie everything together still made the episodes here feel like they were lacking something, but overall I was pleased.

In the end the second season of Desperate Housewives just feels a little too surreal for its own good. The chemistry that the first season had was replaced by a sense that the writers lost their sense of direction. Thankfully that was remedied part way through, though it still leaves the season feeling a tad uneven compared to the first. If you enjoyed the original season you'll still have a good time with this one; just not as much. I was beginning to get worried as I made it to the third disc that the entire season was going to fizzle. Fortunately it didn't, but let's just hope that the writers learned from their mistakes and come back with an all around stronger third season.

The DVD:

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Video:

Once again Desperate Housewives receives a fantastic looking 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Somehow the show doesn't look quite as good as it does during broadcast but that's the difference between HD and non-HD. Overall the image is very impressive with a vibrant color palette and clear picture quality. There were a few points where I noticed some grain in the video and a couple more where edge enhancement crept in. The image also remained moderately sharp from start to finish though there were a few scenes that seemed softer than others. At the end of the day Wisteria Lane is still nearly as beautiful as ever.

Audio:

Also back for Desperate Housewives in the presentation department is a slick 5.1 surround English track. Because the show is a dialogue based drama with little action the rear channels only kick in with ambient noise or music. Otherwise there is a good degree of directionality to the audio but certainly nothing that will rock your bass. Just like the first season of the show, the second comes to life with a soundtrack that adds to its surreal nature. Optional English subtitles are included on this release as well.

Extras:

The first season of Desperate Housewives was presented on DVD with great care. Supplemental material was packed onto each disc and consisted of documentaries, featurettes, and commentaries. Fans and newcomers alike were treated well with the material though if you had never seen the show before the arrangement of bonus features meant that you'd be hit with some major spoilers early on if you watched the extras on the first disc. Luckily the second season took the displaced content and packed it all onto the sixth disc in the set.

Compared to the first season, the second DVD release is rather on the light side. For starters there are some trailers for other DVDs, a commercial for the second season that summarized the entire first season into the span of a minute, and the Desperate Housewives video game. Marc Cherry sits down with his mom to discuss his childhood and the inspirations he found for the show. This was a cute little feature and gave a more personal look at the series than we usually see this day and age.

On the meatier side of things there is a look behind the scenes at the writing and directing process. The feature clocks in at over sixteen minutes and consists of a lot of fluff material but there is some decent information provided. Some commentary from the actors and parts of the crew also help to round out the feature. I got a kick out of "Desperate Role Models". In that extra different housewives from over the decades of television chime in on each of the ladies from the show and talk about what they think of the characters. There are a few good laughs but most of those are derived from the clips provided from the show.

Marc Cherry picks out a few of his favorite scenes from this season and gives commentary for them. Sadly this is the only commentary that you'll be getting this season unlike the previous one. Oh, and Marc, I agree, I loved the nun fight scene as well! A couple of unaired storylines appear on the sixth disc as well (one for Susan and one for Lynette) as well as eleven deleted scenes. "Fashion and Couture" is all about the fashion aspect of Desperate Housewives while "Juicy Bites" rounds things out with the actresses talking about their favorite naughty bits from the season.

Final Thoughts:

The isolated feel that came from each of the characters doing their own thing with no interaction just feel gave the season the feel that I was watching five different shows. I know that the first season did pretty much the same thing, but the balance between the main story and that was better. In the second season there really is no singular plot that brings every one together until a little past the mid way point. Therefore it starts out feeling a little awkward. Now, while I had my reservations at first, the second season did win me over by the end.

The DVD receives a fine presentation with video that isn't quite HD quality, but more than acceptable, and a surround mix that compliments the show. The extra features this time around were a little lighter than the first DVD release though there are still a few decent tidbits to take a look at. In the end I'm going to recommend the second season of Desperate Housewives, but not as highly as I did the first season.

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES SEASON 1 DVD TALK REVIEW

The Show:

In 2004 ABC reinvigorated itself with a couple of bombshell shows you may have heard of called Lost and Desperate Housewives. While the two are completely separate concepts, they both captivated America last season and have become a popular topic for discussion around the water cooler. Lost tells a story about a group of people that survive a plane crash on a remote island and Desperate Housewives takes a leering look at American suburbia.

To say that the show is unique is rather an understatement and it's really hard to peg what type of genre it is. It takes a little bit of a soap opera, mixes in concepts like Sex In The City and American Beauty plus blends in plenty of comedy and unpredictability. This melding of concepts crafts a vastly original show that tells the tale of scandal and intrigue while sugar coating it with an all American frosting.

It has gripped TV viewers so much so that the show itself and the term "desperate housewife" have been used commonly and across other forms of media. Everyone from Dr. Phil to Opera to even the NFL have spoofed it and I've even heard spots on local radio stations. Heck, the First Lady made a crack at the President how she was a desperate housewife. It has been a while since audiences were this captivated by a show and it makes you wonder what the keys are to it's success.

First of all Desperate Housewives is the epitome of guilty pleasure television. Everybody and their grandmother in the show has an affair or some dark deep secret they hide from their loved ones and friends. Each episode brings about new revelations about characters that you think you've been coming to know. It's shocking to see the lengths that some seemingly normal people will go to when faced with an abnormal situation. To put it simply; watching this show will make you feel dirty, but in a good way.

The second chemical that makes this magic potion work is some fantastic writing. Its easy to write off a mystery by simply not dropping many clues and leaving a lot of questions, the writers for Desperate Housewives know how to string you along in a big way. Nearly every episode ends on a cliff hanging note that will leave you dying to find out what happens next. It's almost like watching a train wreck and you simply can't avert your gaze. Thankfully the show doesn't take itself too seriously and that's probably what saves it the most.

The final piece of the puzzle that brings it all together here is definitely the acting. With names like Teri Hatcher, Nicollette Sheridan, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross and Steven Culp you can't go wrong. In fact the entire cast does such a marvelous job with the script that each character adds something to the show. Later on in the season Harriet Sansom Harris and Alfre Woodard even join the roster although we won't see much of Woodard until the upcoming season two. Overall this is one of the more charmingly acted shows I have watched in a long time and the characters will really stick with you.

The roster of characters relevant to the plot is pretty vast since the show bounces back and forth between different storylines. The bulk of Desperate Housewives centers on five leading ladies that find themselves trapped in the mundane life of the suburbs. Each of these characters has a lot of depth and are very easy to get to like, even if they do some pretty loathsome things at times.

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) is a bitter divorcee who lives with her daughter Julie (Andrea Bowen) and illustrates children's books for a living. After a rough separation from her husband Karl a year ago she still hasn't put herself back on the market. That all changes when a stranger named Mike Deflino (Jamie Denton) moves into the neighborhood and pulls the tall, dark and handsome routine. As she competes with Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) for Mike's attention things start to heat up for her.

Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) is basically Wisteria Lane's Martha Stewart and on the surface is perfect in every way. Her house is immaculately clean, her cooking is renowned and her prudish behavior is unrivaled. She is literally the very definition of a Stepford Wife but even as much of a neat freak as she is there is some dirty laundry in her closet. She finds herself in a failing marriage with her husband Rex (Steven Culp) and has earned the ire of their children Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) and Danielle (Joy Lauren).

The next wife on Santa's naughty list is Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria). Gabrielle is easily the most self centered and materialistic character I have ever seen on a TV show. She's a gorgeous ex-model who married a power hungry jackass named Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) because he buys her everything she wants. Unknown to Carlos though, all Gabrielle seems to want is their teenage gardener.

You know how you go out in public and sometimes you see a parent with more kids than they can handle that are completely out of control? That is pretty much the exact description of Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) and no matter where she goes she has her demon children in tow. She gave up her high powered career for the joys of parenthood and longs to be back in the boardroom. Lynette easily has the most aggressive personality of the group and always seems to open her mouth at times that she shouldn't. It's through Lynette and her kids that issues like schools pushing for children to be put on medication to calm them down are put on the table.

It's ironic that Edie Britt who is considered the town tricycle (yes, meaning everyone's had a ride) is the only character that wears her heart on her sleeve. She seems to be the only one throughout the entire season that doesn't have something to hide from others whether it be an opinion or action. Often times many of the other characters in the show can seem two-faced or have ulterior motives behind their actions. Edie says what's on her mind to whomever, whenever and doesn't seem to carry any secrets in this season.

Almost immediately the dark tone of the show is started in the very first episode with the suicide of Mary Alice Young. She was a big part of the group of friends on Wisteria Lane so her sudden death rocked the neighborhood and prompted many questions. As the girls dig deeper and try to understand why their friend did what she did, a mystery surfaces that only leads to more questions and violence when a strange letter is found.

Mary's suicide isn't the only odd thing going for this street and many more situations pop up that are nearly as gruesome as the truth behind her death. Over the course of the season you'll see parents going to any length (even breaking the law) to protect their children, several people cheating on each other and generous amounts of blackmail and extortion fly around. Another interesting thing about Desperate Housewives is that nearly every character seems to be expendable and a couple will even die through the course of the season.

Yes, behind the show's bright bubbly exterior there is a definite dark undertone that creeps below the surface. Thankfully it doesn't take itself too seriously and there are plenty of quirky moments to ease the tension. My only real complaints with the show is that with so many intersection plotlines and mysteries, several of them get pushed aside until its convenient for the story. With so many characters to look at they each get equal camera time but it also means that it takes longer to get to know them. This isn't a completely negative thing and it certainly gives Desperate Housewives a pacing of it's own but it certainly feels like some situations are dragged out longer than they need to be just to string you along.

The ending of season one ties up just about all of the loose ends that were left unkempt for much of the 23 episodes. There are still a few areas that were never fully explored but with season two around the corner maybe those will carry over. With the cliffhanger ending episode that holds the lives of two main characters in the balance it will be interesting to see how things play out in the second go around. As it stands the first season of Desperate Housewives is very entertaining and even though it may not be for everyone the show is definitely worth a look.

The DVD:

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Video:

Desperate Housewives is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it has received anamorphic widescreen treatment. The show looks absolutely fantastic on DVD and the image quality seems to be slightly better than it's broadcasting. The video remains sharp, clean and very vibrant throughout the season and even though there are a couple of occasional moments where some grain or minor edge enhancement is noticeable, the picture is flawless.

The surreal world of Wisteria Lane and Fairview comes to life in colorful fashion and eye popping clarity. The look of the show is one of the things that gives Desperate Housewives it's unique quality and everything has a bubbly artificial feel to it, almost like its too good to be true. The brightness of the show definitely offsets the dark situations the characters find themselves in and adds to a level of strangeness to it all.

The Audio:

Desperate Housewives gets some high quality English 5.1 Dolby Digital audio worked into the mix and it sounds wonderful. The channel balance is very engrossing and it takes great use with the rear channels for sound effects and background music. Most of the dialogue comes from the front channel but there is a decent use of directionality at play and at no time does the sound become muffled or distorted. The only thing I noticed was that at times it seemed the volume dipped lower in a couple of parts but I didn't find it to be that noticeable or frequent. There are subtitles but you should be aware that they are "captioned for the hearing impaired". They aren't too overbearing but you will have to watch stuff like [giggles] and [whispers].

The audio direction for the show is essentially like another character all in itself. Depending on the situation the music will be anything from low-key to bouncy to sinister sounding. There isn't a wide variety of music used in the show but it's used well enough to get the point across.

The Extras:

Over the course of the six discs included on the first season of Desperate Housewives there is quite a few special features that are definitely worth taking a look at. For the most part every disc offers a similar theme of special features like extended episodes and deleted scenes with optional audio commentary though there are some featurettes scattered throughout the season.

In all there are approximately seven extended episodes spread across these discs and they focus on the episodes that are on that disc. Each of these offers material from the cutting room floor that didn't make it due to time constraints. For the most part these are all character interactions and developmental bits that weren't essential to the whole story but do offer some insight into the characters. You could watch only the extended versions of the episodes but its not crucial to watch both.

A selection of deleted scenes is available on many of the discs as well and they vary in length and significance. Some of these are classic moments that should never have been cut but had to be for one reason or another. Scenes like Edie strutting her stuff in lingerie for Mr. Shaw are a prelude to the NFL fiasco that made headlines. Others like Gabrielle and her mother-in-law in Bree's kitchen are hilarious compared to the final cut of the scene. They aren't all that great but there are a few gems that are definitely worth a look and its unfortunate that they got cut from the show all together.

There is also a generous amount of commentary tracks that include either just creator Marc Cherry or director Larry Shaw and Marc. I personally preferred the ones with two commentators because there is at least some banter and double the insight into the production of the show. It's interesting to hear about how certain scenes were shot or why things were done a certain way. There are even more than a few jokes cracked if you enjoy your commentaries with a touch of humor.

The ladies of the show get together for a commentary for their favorite scenes of the season. Each of them picks two scenes and if you have the audio commentary on you'll hear them discuss what they liked about that particular moment in the show. It was nice to hear a different take on a part of the show from the actors point of view compared to the directors.

Desperate Housewives Around the World is a fun eight minute feature that talks about how the show has been received by the global audience. They talk about the different languages it has been translated into and the impact that it has had on television. Along the same vein is an amusing distraction that features a scene with Bree's dinner party but with everyone speaking a different language with each conversation. It's just a cute look at the popularity of the show.

Dressing Wisteria Lane is a twelve minute look at the design of Desperate Housewives. Everything from the neighborhood to the costumes is discussed here and there are some nice behind the scenes shots. The cast goes through the personalities of the characters and talk about what they think of them. There's some pretty funny stuff here and all of it comes from the ensemble of actors that are interviewed.

Oprah Winfrey makes a visit to Wisteria Lane in a cute little feature that introduces the characters and concept. Her and her husband move into the neighborhood and interact with the residents. Oprah wanders the street looking to borrow a cup of sugar and finds herself caught in the middle of some scenes that take place during the show. It's a neat promotional type featurette and has some personality.

Along with a twenty five minute behind the scenes featurette there is also a ten minute extra on the secrets of Wisteria Lane. These both provide some great behind the camera shots and some candid moments as well as an in depth look at the show. A cute five minute blooper reel also makes it onto this set and is pretty funny stuff.

There is also an interview featurette entitled A Stroll Down Wisteria Lane but for the love of God don't watch it until you have finished the series. This feature is a discussion about the final episode and completely unravels the mystery of the first season. Whoever the genius was that put it on the first disc definitely made a mistake.

Final Thoughts:

The DVD box set offers up a fantastic visual and audible presentation along with a plethora of extra features. It would have been more convenient if most of the features were packed onto one disc instead of a little here and there but it's not that bothersome to go back after you watch the season and check out the extra content. Again, just heed my advice though and do not watch the A Stroll Down Wisteria Lane on the first disc until you actually finish the season. If you do it will completely ruin just about every mystery and plot twist for you. Aside from that little quirk and the overlapping disc design of the case this set gets high marks.

I really enjoyed Desperate Housewives and can understand what all the fuss is about. The concept is hip and mysterious, the characters are devious yet loveable and overall the show has such an upbeat atmosphere that its hard not to like. There are a couple of flaws with the first season but mainly its petty complaints about stretched out plots and forgotten storylines. Overall this is first class television and this first season is remarkably entertaining. Very Highly Recommended