NEWS

DVD Pick of the Week: The Day the Earth Stood Still

Written by Chris Beaumont
Published December 02, 2008

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews. It is my opinion based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations upon them are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

The Day the Earth Stood Still: 2-Disk Special Edition. With the remake just around the corner this is a perfect opportunity to put out a new version of the classic science fiction film on DVD (and Blu-ray). This is a great film that everyone needs to see. If you have not, here is your opportunity to do so prior to seeing the remake. A flying saucer arrives with an alien who wishes to gather all of the world's governments together to tell of his mission. This leads to problems, of course. This is a fantastic film with a great cinematic robot in an edition complete with a number of new features, as well as holdovers from the last release (new features are noted as such):

  • Commentary by Robert Wise and Nicolas Meyer
  • New: Commentary by Film & Music Historians John Morgan, Steven Smith, William Stromberg and Nick Redman
  • New: Isolated Score Track
  • New: The Mysterious, Melodious Theremin
  • New: The Day The Earth Stood Still Main Title Live Performance By Peter Pringle
  • New: The Making of The Day the Earth Stood Still
  • New: Decoding “Klaatu, Barada, Nikto”: Science Fiction as Metaphor Featurette
  • New: A Brief History of Flying Saucers Featurette
  • New: The Astounding Harry Bates Featurette
  • New: Edmund North: The Man Who Made the Earth Stand Still Featurette
  • New To Disc: Race To Oblivion: A Documentary Short Written And Produced By Edmund North
  • New To Disc: Farewell To The Master: A Reading By Jamieson K. Price Of The Original Harry Bates Short Story
  • New: Interactive Pressbook
  • Fox Movietonews from 1951
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Advertising Gallery
  • Behind-The Scenes Gallery
  • Portrait Gallery
  • Production Gallery
  • Spaceship Construction Blueprints
  • Shooting Script
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. This is not a bad movie nor is it a good movie. It is a very mediocre movie. The screenplay is loaded with clunkers, not to mention the pacing/story, or lack thereof, issues. I am sure fans of the novel will have plenty to complain about, while others will enjoy the flash of it all. I was not able to get behind it, yet I am not inclined to completely pan it. There are much worse films you could be subjected to. In other words, it is not worth owning.

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Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about entertainment when he isn't sitting in a movie theater. He is known around the office as the "Movie Guy" and is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Interests include science fiction, horror, and metal music. His writings can be found at Draven99's Musings and Draven99's Media Center.
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DVD Pick of the Week: The Day the Earth Stood Still
Published: December 02, 2008
Type: News
Section: Video
Filed Under: Video: Film and TV Business, Video: News
Part of a feature: DVD Pick of the Week
Writer: Chris Beaumont
Chris Beaumont's BC Writer page
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