The New DVD 6

Another slow week for DVDs. I only have a couple on the list, which is nice for the pocketbook, but I'm not overly excited about my picks this week.

Star Trek: Insurrection (Special Edition): I have nothing against Insurrection but it is pretty much an okay offering in a string of all right films based on the Next Generation television series. Me, I'm more of a fan of the original cast films, so my bias lies elsewhere.

Still, like I said, it was an okay film and one I enjoyed when I went to see it in the theatre with my buddy Brad however many years ago.

The DVD, on the other hand, looks to be one of the better offerings in the new Special Edition format that each film is getting. Although Insurrection is the first of the new films to have no audio commentary track to speak of, but there are some nice featurettes, interviews (dubbed as hours of commentary by the advertisements - right) and deleted scenes - something that always pricks up my features hungry brain.

I'm not truly inspired by this DVD but I'm also not without interest. It's value priced like all of the Star Trek Special Editions so it may find its way into my collection regardless of my so-so feelings about the thing.

The Machinist: I never managed to catch this movie when it was in theatres here so I'm looking forward to getting a chance to catch this one on DVD. I've always liked Christian Bale as an actor and everything I've heard about this movie gives me the impression that, while it won't be a tour de force, it will be a strange, compelling little story that will have me humm-ing and haw-ing well after the credits roll.

Like most Paramount DVDs, the features are sparse, but there is a commentary by director Brad Anderson, a making-of featurette and some deleted scenes so it may well be worth picking up if it gets under my skin the way I think it might. Amazon has it priced at $20.99 (US) which isn't too bad for what you're getting.

That's all that caught my interest this week. I picked up a couple of older DVDs this week as well - Paramount's Sunset Boulevard Special Edition and the 2-Disc Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - so I may comment on those in my regular blogging, or maybe if there's another dead week next time.

mike