Thursday, March 17, 2005
But seriously, folks! - Interviews with three "DVD Makers" in this week's "The Onion"
"The Onion" is one of the funniest regular publications in print and on the internet. But in addition to the humor, it also offers, in its "AV Club" section, inciteful reviews of new movies along with coverage of selected DVD releases; each week a DVD is singled out for special treatment in their "commentary tracks of the damned" sidebar.
If you are interested in learning more about the process of releasing movies on DVD, how titles are selected and why certain classics are not yet available, you should definitely read this week's feature article "The DVD Makers" http://www.theonionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=4111&f=&page=1 which has interviews with three individuals "working to bring classic films out of the archives and into living rooms:" George Feltenstein (Senior VP in charge of Warner Home Video's classic catalog) , Lee Ferdinand (a producer for Home Vision Entertainment) and Mike Vraney (founder of Something Weird Video.) These guys truly are "heroes," dedicated movie lovers who are working in the industry - and, I'm sure, sometimes fighting the "suits" - to keep the virtual flood of great DVD releases flowing.
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While on the subject of "The Onion", if you've never read it you definitely should check out their classic article "Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity is Finally Over" from their January 18, 2001 issue. Supposedly about George W. Bush's first inaugual address, at the time the writers believed they were writing a humorous, absolutely worst-case scenario for actions Bush would be taking as President. Unfortunately, the article has become eerily prophetic.
As an example, here's a brief excerpt: "During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years. 'You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration,' said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. 'Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?'"
Although the article is no longer available for free on their web site, there's an annotated version by Dan Chak (via DailyKos) which you can find at http://chak.org/pages/onion/bush_nightmare.html with all of the (unfortunately) fullfilled promises linked to the reality.
What has the world come to when there is more truth to be found in "The Onion" and on "The Daily Show" than in the mainstream media.?
If you are interested in learning more about the process of releasing movies on DVD, how titles are selected and why certain classics are not yet available, you should definitely read this week's feature article "The DVD Makers" http://www.theonionavclub.com/feature/index.php?issue=4111&f=&page=1 which has interviews with three individuals "working to bring classic films out of the archives and into living rooms:" George Feltenstein (Senior VP in charge of Warner Home Video's classic catalog) , Lee Ferdinand (a producer for Home Vision Entertainment) and Mike Vraney (founder of Something Weird Video.) These guys truly are "heroes," dedicated movie lovers who are working in the industry - and, I'm sure, sometimes fighting the "suits" - to keep the virtual flood of great DVD releases flowing.
* * * * *
While on the subject of "The Onion", if you've never read it you definitely should check out their classic article "Our Long National Nightmare of Peace and Prosperity is Finally Over" from their January 18, 2001 issue. Supposedly about George W. Bush's first inaugual address, at the time the writers believed they were writing a humorous, absolutely worst-case scenario for actions Bush would be taking as President. Unfortunately, the article has become eerily prophetic.
As an example, here's a brief excerpt: "During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years. 'You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration,' said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. 'Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?'"
Although the article is no longer available for free on their web site, there's an annotated version by Dan Chak (via DailyKos) which you can find at http://chak.org/pages/onion/bush_nightmare.html with all of the (unfortunately) fullfilled promises linked to the reality.
What has the world come to when there is more truth to be found in "The Onion" and on "The Daily Show" than in the mainstream media.?
