A few years back, Jamie Kennedy and a few pals decided to make a documentary about the ways in which comedians deal with rude hecklers. But somewhere about halfway through the movie, the guys decided that hecklers weren't all that interesting, and so they chose to set their sights on ... film critics. Debuting on DVD this week, Heckler spends a lot of time arguing about how pointless film critics are ... but then why does the DVD come plastered with quotes like these?

"Hilarious!" -- Variety

"A Must-See!" -- The New York Sun

"Extremely Entertaining" -- Film Threat

...and my favorite: "Insightful" -- Cinematical.com

Now, I'm not trying to bash the film or Jamie Kennedy (and for those who really want my thoughts on the film -- a film in which yours truly is chastised for having the audacity to write a negative movie review -- you can check out this blog post right here), but doesn't this seem just a little bit whole lot hypocritical? If more than half of your movie is dedicated to the idea that film critics are whiny little jerks who should be ignored ... then how can you plaster a bunch of (relatively) positive blurbs onto your DVD cover?

Perhaps Mr. Kennedy could explain this to us, and it's something I mentioned in the earlier blog piece: If, for example, I think Son of the Mask is an atrocious piece of junk, then I'm a clueless fool -- but if I think Heckler is "insightful," then somehow I'm transformed into a genius? Can't have it both ways, Jamie. Having said that, I don't mind throwing a little publicity towards Heckler, mainly because it's not every day I'm verbally abused in a documentary film. I'm more confused than offended, frankly, because I've been pretty complimentary towards Kennedy over the years. Even if most of the movies he's in are massive crap-heaps.

When Stephen Frears' The Queen came out in 2006, all the buzz emphasized Helen Mirren's icy performance as London's reclusive royal highness. The ubiquitous praise lead to her Oscar win, but it overwhelmed recognition of the movie's secret weapon: Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, quietly pressuring his Majesty to face the public in the wake of Princess Diana's untimely demise. There's a reason why Sheen conveyed the nuances of Blair's role in the event, which transpired a mere three months after the Prime Minister rose to power -- he had practice. The Deal, a fantastic made-for-TV movie Frears directed in 2003, tracked Blair's cunning (and morally questionable) instincts in the years leading up to his position at the top of the Labor Party.

Sheen played Blair in The Deal first, and it's both a superior performance and a superior film. Whereas The Queen had a tabloid hook and only tangentially explored the deeper political ramifications of a reclusive national leader, The Deal delves into precisely how Blair managed to emerge at the top of British politics with a series of calculated maneuvers. Political drama at its finest, The Deal hit DVD in the United States last month, where it has been touted as "the prequel to The Queen." That's not quite fair; The Queen is the sequel to The Deal, and the two movies ought to be seen as a single, wholly fascinating package depicting British politics in the 1990s.

What is the appropriate reaction to have when a movie you love, adore, and cherish is somehow ... improved? I know, it's a strange feeling. I happen to think my all-time favorite film (A L I E N) is much better in its theatrical version than in its extended -- but where Aliens is concerned, I much prefer the longer version! It's something you have to approach on a case-by-case basis, of course, and it's the sort of movie-nerd activity that should be attempted only by those with a lot of free time -- or someone who gets paid to write about this sort of stuff. (Fortunately I am both.)

So it was with MUCH enthusiasm that I sat down with the brand-new Director's Cut of Dark City, a film that I absolutely love a whole lot -- and I know I'm not nearly alone when I say that. Like many of the finest sci-fi films, Dark City was pretty much overlooked for a good long while -- put once it hit DVD and heavy rotation on the cable channels, the sci-fi freaks found a film worth watching and re-watching, to say nothing of analyzing, deconstructing, and debating. And so I happily continue that trend by explaining what the fans will find in New Line's very impressive new Dark City package...

I'll admit it: Most of the indie / foreign horror films that I see at film festivals and then recommend like crazy ... are not exactly "mainstream" titles. My apologies if you watched Inside, Teeth, or Frontier(s) with your mom -- although she'd probably like The Signal. Heck, even my preferences in studio horror fare tend to run towards the bleak, and hats off to The Mist, The Ruins and The Strangers for keeping me on my toes.

So what's my point? There's one particular indie that is absolutely NOT a gorehounds-only affair. I actually expect quite a (relatively) mainstream groundswell of support once Gregg Bishop's Dance of the Dead hits DVD -- and according to good ol' Bloody-Dee, that DVD will arrive on October 14. Yes, the movie is about a prom that's been overrun by zombies, leaving only the dateless outcasts to save the day, and sure, it's got some gore, some salty language, and some playful sexiness -- but dang if the Dance of the Dead doesn't feel like something Spielberg might have done as a newcomer. (And actually liked horror movies.) It's quick and colorful and jaunty and amusing -- and I think that's the first time I've ever used the word "jaunty" in any capacity. Anyway, toss a red circle around this title. It's not just for the horror fans. (No less than eight Cinematical staffers saw and really enjoyed it.)

And hey, get this! Lionsgate is absolutely GUSHING horror flicks on October 14! Not only the Dance will hit DVD on that date, but seven more titles as well: Brotherhood of Blood, Dark Floors, The Last House in the Woods, No Man's Land: The Rise of the Reeker (cool!), Room 205, The Substitute, and something Russian called Trackman (that looks pretty wild). Now that sounds like a Halloween party!

I've lost count of how many times these movies have been released on DVD, but (wow) I don't own any of 'em yet, so here's a perfect excuse. DVDActive has the (very thorough) information on Universal's upcoming "Legacy Series" editions of (ready?) Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, Vertigo, and Psycho! Each package is a two-disc affair, complete with all sorts of goodies both old and new. (Yes, I love film historian audio commentaries. Sue me.)

Street date for all three releases is October 7, and if you'd like a complete listing of what each disc offers you can click one of these: Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho. Also from Universal Home Video on October 7 ... it isn't Hitchcock, but it sure is awesome: Orson Welles' 1958 mega-classic Touch of Evil, which is a whole lot more than one impressive tracking shot, believe me. Like the Hitch titles, Touch will come complete with all sorts of new bells and whistles. Plus all four of the DVD covers are all sorts of retro-cool. Can't wait to dig through these discs.

It seems fairly certain that Hancock will do decent business when it hits theaters this week, if only because Will Smith rarely stars in a dud these days -- especially when it's his face selling the movie before all else. Whether or not the film has staying power after opening weekend, however, remains to be seen, but Sony Pictures clearly has a lot of faith in its potential: Last week, the studio revealed its intentions of releasing the film online sometime after its theatrical run and before its DVD release, but only to users with Sony Bravia TV sets. It's a bold maneuver, one that assumes its core base of consumers actually have an interest in Hancock -- but the movie will make a profit either way, so it's a reasonable choice for this intriguing experiment.

Left in the dust by Apple's iPod, Sony continues to struggle in its search for a piece of the digital revolution. Company head Howard Stringer recently told the New York Times that the strategy for releasing Hancock "vanishes the memory of the failures of the Sony Walkman." Well, maybe. While on-demand technology has changed the way audiences consume their media, they don't like paying more money than necessary. Asking your audiences to buy a special device in order to access what, at this point, amounts to one movie -- well, that's asking a lot. But it's still a step in the right direction.

What do you think?

The UK production of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) is a bit like the US production of The Wizard of Oz from one year earlier. On the surface, it looks like a seamless blend of fantasy storytelling, special effects and stunning color, but underneath it was a patchwork collaboration of many hands, coming together in a combination of spit, duct tape and luck. These days, The Thief of Bagdad is usually catalogued alongside the movies of director Michael Powell (I Know Where I'm Going, The Red Shoes, etc.), but he was only one of three credited directors and at least two more uncredited directors. The saving grace is that The Thief of Bagdad had a driving force behind it: producer Alexander Korda. Korda was a Hungarian immigrant who, along with his brothers Zoltan and Vincent, took the British film industry by storm with his combination of business savvy and boyish glitz. No matter who filmed what footage, Korda would be the one to call final cut. And despite some sluggish spots, the result is still dazzling, enough to enchant entirely new generations of dreamy children.

Last August, Patrick Walsh made mention of the fact that A) there was to be a prequel to The Scorpion King (itself, he noted, already a prequel to a sequel to a remake), and that B) Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson would not be returning to his role as ancient warrior Mathayus.

Well, in the meantime, it seems that the filmmakers did indeed find somebody to "reflect the charisma and comedic elements of the character created by The Rock, especially in his warm, relaxed and humorous relationship with Layla, the young girl whom he has grown up with, and with whom he experiences a growing sexual tension" in former Power Ranger Michael Copon.

Nothing against Mr. Copon, but if the recently revealed cover art over at DVD Active seems to be any indication, then Universal's marketing team is (wisely) shifting their focus upon baddie Sargon, played by Ultimate Fighting Champion Randy Couture. It may be difficult to judge Couture's acting ability from his recent turn as a fight commentator in David Mamet's Redbelt, but something tells me that director Russell Mulcahy (Resident Evil: Extinction) and company were more concerned about his range of motion over emotion when it comes to swinging swords and the like.

For those precious few of you out there actually looking forward to this, The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior is scheduled to hit shelves on August 19th, mere weeks after a certain other franchise continuation conveniently hits screens.

To mark the tenth anniversary of Frank Sinatra's death on May 14, Warner Home Video has unleashed such a massive volume of Sinatra DVDs that viewers will need to break out the hernia belts. There are 22 discs in all, with 11 titles new to DVD, and five box sets. One box set, The Rat Pack Ultimate Collector's Edition comes with a special deck of "Rat Pack" cards, reproductions of lobby cards, a pressbook and on-set photos, as well John Sturges' Sergeants 3 (1962), available for the first time. The high point of these discs is the DVD debut of Vincente Minnelli's Some Came Running (1958), a devastating widescreen melodrama about an army veteran and would-be writer (Sinatra) who returns to his small town.

A goofy dame (Shirley MacLaine) has followed him home, and a boozy gambler (Dean Martin) befriends him, perhaps ruining his chances with the local schoolteacher (Martha Hyer), probably the only one who understands his literary aspirations. Some Came Running is part of the Frank Sinatra: The Golden Years box set, which also includes Otto Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm (a public domain title here available in its official release), None But the Brave (directed by Sinatra himself), The Tender Trap and Marriage on the Rocks (co-starring daughter Nancy). Then we have The Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly Collection, with three discs, Frank Sinatra: The Early Years with five discs, and the four-hour 1992 "Sinatra" TV mini-series. To help with the celebration, Frank's youngest daughter Tina agreed to an e-mail interview with Cinematical. (See related story.)

With five nominations, it looks like Superbad will be the star of the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, and its three jubilant male leads -- Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse -- deserve the kudos. But one major talent behind the whole affair has stayed relatively anonymous while these young up-and-comers bathe in the spotlight: Director Greg Mottola. The erstwhile independent filmmaker, responsible for some of the best installments of Arrested Developed and Undeclared, launched his career a solid decade before the rise of Judd Apatow with a charming little low budget comedy called The Daytrippers. Starring Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Liev Schreiber, Parker Posey and a host of other fantastic character actors, the film follows a wildly dysfunctional family over the course of a single day, as Davis, playing a worrisome housewife, tries to track down her unfaithful husband (Tucci).

Mixing warm humanity with pitch-perfect screwball timing, Daytrippers marked the sort of debut that told you a filmmaker had a big career ahead of him. After a modest premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, it landed at Cannes, barely got a theatrical release and promptly vanished thereafter. Mottola turned to TV work, and slipped out of the film scene for a good ten years. These days, it's no easy task to track down Daytrippers on DVD -- you can nab second-hand copies on Amazon for decent rates, but not a single retail outlet carries it. Aside from the occasionally airings on cable, the movie has vanished.