Extra Scoop
'Extras', 'take outs' not always worth viewing
By Jordan Riefe
Special to The Advertiser
This column is written for The Advertiser by Jordan Riefe, a Los Angeles-based writer who is the West Coast radio correspondent for Variety magazine and a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. His film reviews appear in Hotdog magazines, and he is syndicated throughout Europe and Asia.
"Unbreakable" (Touchstone Pictures), 2000
PG-13
107 minutes
Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn
The lone survivor of a train wreck seems to acquire special strength and an immunity to sickness or injury.
"This story, by definition, is an origin story," says producer Barry Mendel. "It's the birth of a comic book hero." The most notable features on this two-disc set are deleted scenes, a 15-minute "making of" documentary, a storyboard/film comparison of the train station sequence and a mini-documentary about comic books and superheroes.
The seven deleted scenes contain mostly character exposition and do nothing to advance the story. While mostly promotional, the "making of" documentary gives some insight into director M. Knight Shyamalan's methods and creative process. Discussing "Unbreakable" and his hit film "The Sixth Sense," the director says, "I wanted to make feature length 'Twilight Zones' where something amazing happens in the last second and you realize you aren't watching what you thought you were watching."
The most memorable feature on the disc is a clip from the short film "Millionaire," which the director made as a child. It's a fight scene shot on home video in what looks like the den of his mom's house. The earnestness of these little boys at play, Shyamalan among them, is both charming and hilarious.
"Dogma" (Columbia Tristar), 1999
R
128 minutes
Linda Fiorentino, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee
Two banished angels try to make their way back into heaven — with apocalyptic consequences. A cynical mortal and the 13th Apostle must stop them.
The film itself is long at 128 minutes, but according to director Kevin Smith, the original cut was over three hours! No wonder, 100 mind-numbing minutes of deleted and extended scenes make up the bulk of the second disc of this two-disc set. Not to be missed is a pigtailed and bespectacled Salma Hayek dancing on a table in a pair of pink panties and bra, followed by Jay and Silent Bob singing their rendition of the theme from "Fat Albert."
Most of the scenes are long and chatty and oftentimes filled with Smith's theories on religion, God and the devil, ad nauseam. An outtake reel offers mostly Affleck, Damon, Janeane Garafalo, etc., breaking up in the middle of a take. Oddly, the most amusing feature on the disc is a plug for Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash, a store in New Jersey.
The first disc contains two separate audio commentaries; one is tech talk featuring Smith, editor Scott Mosier and lackey Vincent Pereira. The second features Smith, Mosier, Pereira, Affleck, Jay Mewes and Jason Lee cutting up for the fans. A set of storyboards covering three key sequences in the movie, the theatrical trailer, cast bios and filmographies round out this almost too comprehensive special edition.
"Dude, Where's My Car?" (20th Century Fox), 2001
PG-13
83 minutes
Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Marla Sokoloff
Two dimwits set out to find their car after a rough night of partying leaves them with no short-term memory and no wheels.
A cute teen film that's not as bad as its title suggests, the "Dude, Where's My Car?" DVD offers an outrageous audio commentary by director Danny Leiner and stars Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott.
When asked about the commentary, Scott said, "I thought I made an ass of myself, I went home (and) I was like, oh my God, what did I do? I was wasted, I was wasted. I think I was like, I have to go get another beer! I came back with a beer in each hand; I was double-fisted."
The trio totally goes for broke on this commentary, talking about working with strippers and offering advice on how to cheat on your girlfriend. Included in the Special Features section are seven extended scenes, most of them nearly identical to their counterparts in the finished film. Also included is a 4 1/2- minute featurette offering brief interviews with the cast. The theatrical trailer and a music video from the band Grand Theft Audio singing something called "Stoopid Ass" round out the disc.
"You Can Count on Me" (Paramount Classics) 2000
R
110 minutes
Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, Rory Culkin
An estranged brother and sister are reunited, causing them to re-examine themselves and their relationships.
"It's a movie about people trying to figure out what to do with life and with tragedy in life," says director Kenneth Lonergan about his award-winning debut film. "You Can Count On Me" won Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and garnered a Best Actress Oscar nomination for its star, Laura Linney. While the film is a top-notch character piece, the disc offers little more than interviews with the actors about their roles and a revealing commentary by the director where he discusses such varied subjects as directing, drama, religion and life. Lonergan also traces the origin of the piece, which started as a one-act play and expanded into a full-blown feature.
RECOMMENDED
"The Claim"— United Artists, 2000, R, with Nastassja Kinsky, Wes Bentley
"Obsession"— Columbia, 1975, PG, with Genevieve Bujold and Cliff Robertson
Correction: The film "The Claim" was released in 2000 on DVD by MGM. Incorrect information appeared in a previous version of this listing.
