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DVD of Ben Stiller film features commentary, mockumentary, outtakes
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Sunday, Nov 16, 2008
When Tropic Thunder premiered, I thought the often-improvised feel of the movie indicated there was plenty of edited-out material that would make for a fat DVD.
But the DVD offerings are even more impressive than I expected.
Dream-Works Home Entertain-ment is offering the movie in a standard DVD of the theatrical version ($29.98) and in a ''director's cut'' that runs 13 minutes longer than the big-screen presentation ($34.98 on standard-format DVD, $39.98 in high-definition Blu-ray).
Beyond that, look for extras like a mockumentary about the making of the movie within Tropic Thunder, deleted scenes and an alternate ending (which is more like an extension of the movie's actual ending, with more footage from the Oscar acceptance speech). There's also a public-service announcement meant to mollify some of the activists who took issue with the movie's portrayal of an intellectually challenged character.
But if you really want to get deeper into the comic insanity of Tropic Thunder, look for the commentary track by director-star Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr.
In the movie, Downey plays Kirk Lazarus, an acclaimed Australian actor who — in the movie within Tropic Thunder — is playing an African-American character, Lincoln Osiris. On the DVD commentary, Downey speaks as Osiris up to the point where Lazarus drops the Osiris guise in the movie; Downey then speaks as Lazarus until the very end of the movie, when Downey is briefly heard as himself. It's virtuoso nuttiness, and you can tell that Black and Stiller are at times astonished.
Speaking of Downey, the DVD also includes a trailer for The Soloist, the movie starring Downey and Jamie Foxx, based on Steve Lopez's book; part of the film was shot in Cleveland. But the DVD has the movie premiering in November; it has now been moved to March.
Speaking of bad timing in DVD labeling, there's another complete Monty Python's Flying Circus box set hitting stores on Tuesday, and part of the bait for fans who already have all the shows is an offer of discount tickets to Monty Python's Spamalot. The offer, the package notes, is good from Jan. 6 to March 24. The problem: The show's final Broadway performance is Jan. 18.
Getting back to movies, stores on Tuesday will also have several configurations of the charming animated movie WALL-E, from a single-disc version ($29.99) up to a three-disc set with the movie, extras and a digital copy ($39.99), as well as Blu-ray packages.
The movie, about a trash-removal robot working on an abandoned Earth, is as appealing on a TV screen as it was in theaters. DVD extras include Presto, the animated short shown with WALL-E, along with BURN-E, a funny new short; deleted scenes; audio commentary; making-of segments; and more. My lone objection to the three-disc package is the container itself, which was a bit awkward to open and remove discs from.
With the holidays not far off and no apparent decline in the appetite for product bearing the words High School Musical or Hannah Montana, Disney has repackaged items with DVD games of HSM and Hannah Montana ($29.99), as well as the complete first season of Hannah Montana (26 episodes, four discs, $39.99).
I tried out the game disc of HSM, and it was passably amusing, with trivia challenges, a basketball-shooting game, dance instruction and other elements. It also lets you choose the number of players for a game and to play as one of the core HSM characters.
Down the DVD road: Tyler Perry will get a DVD triple play on Jan. 13. That will see the release of his movie The Family That Preys, his play The Marriage Counselor (with the DVD shot during a Cleveland performance) and the third volume of his TV comedy House of Payne.
Quick releases: Comedy Central will air A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All on Nov. 23; the DVD version will be in stores two days later. It promises bonuses like ''a book-burning Yule log.'' Also on the 23rd, Fox will have a two-hour 24 movie. And it, too, will be on DVD the following Tuesday, with footage not included in the TV version.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://heldenfels.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
When Tropic Thunder premiered, I thought the often-improvised feel of the movie indicated there was plenty of edited-out material that would make for a fat DVD.
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