Films In Review

Capsule Reviews and New Mayhem Added to Monty Python's Classic

By Greg Walton

Review Film Critic

MONSTERS, INC.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman provide voices for a couple of scary monsters that make their living harvesting screams from unsuspecting children. Funny, charming, and unbelievable to look at, Pixar's film puts "Shrek" in its place without resorting to fart jokes and nosepicking.

Don't wait for your kids to bug you, see it now! Grade: A

THIRTEEN GHOSTS

Now that Halloween is over this remake will move to the dark corner of video shelves everywhere, a frequent rental for teenage slumber parties and nights when the new release you wanted was already checked out. Not as bad as you'd think, but not good enough to remember. At least the ghostly effects and cool set design gave some guy in the credits a good addition to his resume. Grade: C-

DVD REVIEWS

STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (DIRECTOR'S CUT)

THE FLICK: It's next to impossible to write about "Star Trek" in any of its various TV and film incarnations without getting in a few jabs at its fan base - which is largely made up of post-nasal drip dweebs who wear footie pajamas to bed and wake up with wet sheets dreaming about sexy blue-skinned alien women who look beyond their greasy hair and bad skin (see, I couldn't even make it through the first sentence!).

But when the series finally hit the big screen in 1979 after years as a syndicated cult hit, even the Trekkie legion was underwhelmed. Not surprising, since the film - which concerns the assault on Earth by a mysterious alien presence known simply as VGER - had very little to do with the characters that made the TV show such a success.

"Star Trek: The Motion Picture" is straight up science fiction in which Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty and the rest are all secondary to the story. This makes the film much more accessible to the general public (those who attribute the quote "Live long and prosper" to Ronald Reagan) but a bit of a letdown to those who were expecting a meaningful ensemble reunion (they'd have to wait for "Wrath of Khan" to get their fix).

That said, the new "Director's Cut" is a pleasurable re-experience all the same. Director Robert Wise takes a much more spiritual approach - a curious combo of "2001" and "Close Encounters" - and lets the special effects linger at a dreamy pace set to Jerry Goldsmith's perfect musical score.

The new version enhances some of those effects that were rushed, incomplete, or just plain ugly in the '79 release, all matched very well to existing materials.

THE FEATURES: Besides the aforementioned new effects sequences (which occur mostly in environmental wide shots), Disc 2 of the set includes an hour worth of documentaries that trace the origins of Star Trek's move to motion pictures - rare screen tests of the abandoned "Star Trek: Phase II" television show, Leonard Nimoy's reluctance to strap on the pointy ears, and lots more.

Several trailers and a handful of additional scenes, most pulled from the TV version of the film, go along with slide show of the original storyboards used to re-create the "Director's Cut."

But the best part of the set are the commentary tracks - one traditional, one text from Trek historian Michael Okuda. Track one combines recollections from Wise, Goldsmith, actor Stephen Collins, and FX gurus Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra. Seamlessly edited, everyone is well prepared and delivers a mind-boggling amount of information in what running time the film allows.

FREE TIME: Two commentaries, three documentaries and other goodies add up to around 7 hours plus.

FINAL SCORE: Don't let the Star Trek mythology intimidate you. This "Director's Cut" is a great chance to dip your toe into some solid science fiction and see what all the fuss is about. For fans, all that's lacking is more input from the Enterprise crew. But do we really need to hear anything more from William Shatner? I don't think so.

Grade: A-

MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL: SPECIAL EDITION

THE FLICK: The Monty Python troupe epitomizes two particularly British adjectives - "Silly" and "Brilliant" - adjectives that don't go particularly well together but, like peanut butter and chocolate, are smashing if combined in the right proportions.

Although there are a few "Ni!"- sayers out there, the acclaim for "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" is almost universal (except for Croatia, where they leave off the "brilliant" and consider it just plain "silly").

Imagine a film where coconuts are used as cavalry, livestock are weapons of mass destruction, and the French are rude, smelly foreigners with ridiculous accents. No, it's not a documentary; it's a farce of epic proportions starring the likes of John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin as knights of King Arthur's court on a quest for the Holy Grail.

An extension of Python's BBC sketch comedy show, the film strings together related medieval routines with brief animated interruptions. How hard you laugh depends on how many times you've seen the film. A line like "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries" has to have time to sink in for the full guffaw effect. But it's also an opportunity to watch director Terry Gilliam ("12 Monkeys" & "Brazil") dip his big toe into the visual goofiness that would later develop into inspired lunacy.

Things to do while watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail:"

1) Spot how many actors play different roles (Michael Palin talks to himself practically the entire movie).
2) Enjoy a cold beverage.
3) Learn all the words to the silly "Camelot" song.
4) Plant, tend, and design a shrubbery.
5) Collect your toe nail clippings and sell them as fine jewelry.

THE FEATURES: Here's where Columbia's new edition really separates itself from past DVD releases of the film. Most of the fun of Python is sharing a choice punchline with a friend or two and the disc does a great job of relating that experience. From the title animations that mimic Gilliam's cutout interludes to the smart-ass attitude inherent in every extra feature, the DVD makes you feel like you're always in on the joke.

Disc One has two commentary tracks - directors Gilliam and Jones offer a more scene specific technical breakdown while Cleese, Idle & Palin (recorded separately but edited together as near as I could tell) share horror stories from Scotland. The rarely used subtitle feature gets a fun facelift with "Subtitles for people who don't like the movie," which translates the dialogue into a Shakespearean mess, or you can read the script while watching the film. Of course, the film itself is revamped with 5.1 digital sound and a widescreen transfer "with pink frilly edges."

Disc Two starts off with a few sing alongs (which will help you complete #3 of "things to do while watching the movie"...see above), some critics' reviews, photos, storyboards, and a short version of the Camelot sequence in "Lego-mation." But the meat and potatoes come in the form of two documentaries. First, a 45 minute piece called "The Quest for the Holy Grail Locations" that follows Palin and Jones across the countryside to castles and caves that have become tourist hot spots thanks to the film. More entertaining is a 20- minute BBC newsreel that captures the Pythons on-location and in full armor. And just for laughs there's an 8-minute translation of the Japanese version of "Holy Grail" complete with Japanese to English subtitles.

Things you'll learn by watching the Special Edition DVD.

1) The Japanese translation of "shrubbery" is "bonsai."
2) British supergroups Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd put up money for the film.
3) Terry Gilliam is an insane monkey-man.

FREE TIME: With commentaries, subtitles and a special "Follow the Killer Rabbit" feature that cues the viewer to get even more facts out of the film, the disc has almost endless replay value. To squeeze out every joke would take around 10 hours.

FINAL SCORE: The retail price is somewhere around 30 dollars, but for fans it's priceless. Just don't forget to watch the educational film "How to use your coconuts" for further instructions on full equine motion.

Grade: A