MCN Columnists
Douglas Pratt

The Ultimate DVD Geek By Douglas PrattPratt@moviecitynews.com

DVD Geek: The Complete Metropolis

By Douglas Pratt - Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Viewers can finally appreciate the beauty and the fury of Metropolis as it was meant to be experienced and enjoyed. The footage is fairly easy to spot, because the traditional footage is immaculately presented in full screen format, solidified by the lovely BD presentation with smooth, sharp contrasts and barely a scratch, while the restored footage is still quite battered and is slightly windowboxed, though perfectly viewable. It’s not ideal, but it’s worth having, without hesitation.

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DVD Geek: The Last Of The Mohicans, The Director’s Definitive Cut

By Douglas Pratt - Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Mann exhibits a dazzling command of the knowledge he gained while preparing the film and shares many historical insights, from esoteric trivia to far-reaching explanations of the political conflicts both among the Europeans and the indigenous Americans. And his sense of perspective is always exceptional. “The past is a lot closer than we think.”

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Quote Unquotesee all »

“One of the things I wish I could do in my life would be to watch this film through somebody else’s eyes. I just can’t. I still see it as just a giant mess, and other people are seeing that it has a shape. That’s really exciting, because I still have a hard time seeing it clearly.”
~ Sarah Polley’s Greatest Wish About Stories We Tell

“Anyway, Hitchcock eventually saw a rough cut of High Anxiety. He enjoyed it. But he said nothing after it. He just left. I [thought he] wasn’t happy. The next day, about 11 o’clock in the morning, I get this enormous, beautiful case of Chateau Haut-Brion 1961. That was almost 20 years old [at the time]. I mean, it was priceless. And there were magnums six of them, in a wooden case. Haut-Brion. I mean, oh my God. I’ve still got three of them left waiting. I keep all the good wines.”
What kind of occasion is worthy? When will you know it’s time to go into number four?
“A real, real occasion. I won’t drink it just because it’s a family occasion. I’ll drink it with guys that know what a good wine is and care about, you know, exquisite wines. I have a couple of friends that know what a good wine is.”
~ Mel Brooks, Foodie