Movies on DVD

Does the DVD have anything worthwhile on it or are all the extras just fluff?

RATING LEGEND:

R = rating out of 5 with 5 being excellent and 1 being very poor

• (m) rating for the movie & (x) = rating for DVD extras

V = number of times I've viewed the movie

LORD OF THE RINGS: Fellowship of the Ring - 2 DVDs

J.R.R. Tolkein’s classic fantasy trilogy is brought to life with the first installment The Fellowship of the Ring. The acting is phenomenal and the movie consistently gives me tingles of excitement when I see it or even the preview for The Two Towers. The casting was excellent – even though, as many fans have complained, Liv Tyler is so-so as Arwen.
This film does justice to the extraordinary imagination of Tolkein. For literary buffs the presence of many classical and mythical themes will be familiar and yet they do not come across as tired or clichéd.
I have only two complaints: 1) the musical score tends to be overplayed and overly dramatic at times; 2) the movie was only three hours long. Luckily for the latter an extra 30 minutes are being released on a November DVD set that will have an original musical score for the additional scenes.

R - (m) 5 & (x) 3
V – 6

Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone - 2 DVDs

First, I must admit I enjoyed the Harry Potter series in book form. That said, I found that movie too long and flat. I have a number of gripes about the movie and its DVD release. Gripe #1: the computer animation of Fluffy and the Troll stood out too much as computer-generated. Gripe #2: the DVD extras may be fun for children but they are mostly unimaginative, hard to operate and incredibly boring. Gripe #3: Malfoy's role as Harry's nemesis was underplayed. Furthermore, Crabbe and Goyle are only mentioned and make practically no appearance.

Nevertheless, the actors did an admirable job of playing their characters and the movie remained true to the book (minus several cut scenes). Also Quidditch was actualized in a fairly exciting way.

Despite a few perks, I cannot recommend the first installment of Harry Potter. The DVD is a waste of money unless you have small children who are avid Potter fans - though even then they should just read the book and not waste their imagination on a mediocre movie.

R - (m) 2.5 & (x) 1
V – 2

DONNIE DARKO

Donnie Darko was an over-looked film that warrants a rental. Donnie is boy who is schizophrenic - though it is never explicitly stated. The film is surreal because it follows Donnie's perspective which is increasingly compromised by hallucinations. The film is dark and bizarre with its entourage of odd characters and events. This is one that you may want to watch again and again just to understand it better and peel back its layers.

Intriguingly enough, aspects of physics, causality and time travel are cleverly woven into the film. The viewer follows Donnie's viewpoint and in the end you are left wondering what was real.

Admittedly, it has been some time since I've seen this movie so I intend update this review at a later date. Also I do not remember viewing the DVD extras so that rating has been omitted.

R - 4
V - 1

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