DVDs continue to tempt film buffs, with all kinds of extras on all kinds of movies released week after week. Extras that I suspect would bore most movie watchers.
Heck, sometimes the extras even bore film buffs. (Some directors were never meant to do commentaries!)
But there are times when the studios get it right, such as the supplemental materials on "Superman," "The Magnificent Seven" and "Spartacus," all new and in stores now — and "Some Like it Hot," scheduled for next week, and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" the following week. (Where did my wife hide the credit cards?)
The "Superman" DVD, for example, has loads of things that even casual fans would enjoy, ranging from three mini-documentaries on various aspects of the film to "audio outtakes"!
My favorite is the collection of screen tests, as we see a skinny, mop-haired Christopher Reeve doing scenes with a number of high-profile actresses, each trying out for the role of Lois Lane — Anne Archer, Lesley Ann Warren, Stockard Channing. . . . And it's easy to see why Margot Kidder won the role; she blows everyone else away (no easy feat against Channing, by the way).
The film itself is a pristine, widescreen "director's cut." There are several brief scenes that were cut before "Superman" went into theaters in 1978 that have been reinserted here. (For those who wonder what exactly has been added, the individual scenes can also be accessed.) There are also a couple of outtakes that were not reinserted (although they were part of the version shown on network television.)
And genuine "Superman" freaks can go for the box set, which includes the three sequels. Those have no extras (except each film's trailer), but they are also pristine widescreen transfers.
As for the films themselves, "Superman" and "Superman II" hold up very well: exciting, funny and rip-roaring entertainment all the way around.
But if "Superman III" and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" were disappointing when they were initially released, time has really been unkind. Neither film holds up particularly well, with far too many silly subplots and characters . . . though both films have isolated moments worth seeing.
Some other films, however, can be quite frustrating — even when you're just renting — because they don't take advantage of what DVD has to offer. For example, Billy Bob Thornton's "All the Pretty Horses," with Matt Damon.
During its theatrical release, most critics felt "Horses" was choppy and incoherent, as if much of the film's exposition had been left on the cutting-room floor. And darned if Thornton himself didn't say that's exactly what happened; he had made a much longer, more coherent film, but the studio made him cut it to two hours.
So now that "All the Pretty Horses" is on DVD, is it restored to Thornton's vision so we can judge for ourselves? Nope. It's the same choppy, incoherent film it was in theaters. (Probably to squeeze more money out of Damon's fans with a "director's cut.")
And while we're at it, how about other notoriously trimmed movies? Such as "The Way We Were," which is on DVD with some nice extras (including commentary by director Sydney Pollack and a making-of documentary).
During a Deseret News interview 16 years ago, Robert Redford said "The Way We Were" had so much footage trimmed away that "there's a whole movie out there in somebody's vault," primarily expansion on the subplot about the '50s Hollywood blacklist.
Hey, Mr. Pollack — let's go find that lost footage and issue a restored "director's cut" of that film. Redford and Streisand fans would go nuts.
OK, it's a new medium. It's still in its infancy. And a lot of classics are still missing in action, from the "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" trilogies to any number of golden oldies.
And despite some titles being released at more reasonable prices, DVDs in general still cost too much — in some cases, ridiculously so. (Good grief — "Spartacus" retails at $50!)
And the studios continue to price DVDs higher than VHS tapes when both are issued on the same date! What's that about?
Not that those of us who are hooked on discs don't buy them anyway . . . but if they were cheaper, we'd buy more.
E-MAIL: hicks@desnews.com