Lilja's Library

by Hans-Ake Lilja

  Lilja’s final words about The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer (DVD)

  So, is this enough to buy the DVD? Well, if you’re a big fan of the movie itself or want it to complete your King / Ridley collection, then I definitely think you should get it. If you didn’t like the movie or just thought it was a one-time watch, this DVD doesn’t add that much, I’m afraid.

  ****

  Riding the Bullet (DVD)

  Posted: May 5, 2005

  I have just watched the Riding the Bullet DVD, and in my review I will focus on the extra material and the look and feel of the DVD itself. If you want to know what I thought about the movie itself, you can read that in my review from when it aired on USA Network.

  So, on to the DVD. There is quite a lot of extra material on this one. All of the extras are quite short, but they are all interesting and well worth a look. Here is what you get:

  Documentaries:

  David’s Makeup (2 minutes)

  u Here we get to see how they use makeup to make David look like a corpse. They guide us from the early stages to the last one, where he looks like a zombie. It’s quite fun to watch how he is transformed from a nice-looking fellow to a walking (driving) dead.

  Alan’s Artwork (1 minute)

  u As you’ll know if you have seen the movie, the main character, Alan, draws dark sketches in a sketchbook. All of the drawings you see in the movie are done by no other than Bernie Wrightson, who is known from many different King books. Personally, I think they are really cool and wouldn’t mind having one on my wall. In this documentary you get to hear Bernie himself talking about the illustrations.

  Picture Cars (1½ minutes)

  u Here the crew tells us about finding the right cars for the movie. Since the movie was set in a specified time, they had to find cars to match that year, which wasn’t always easy.

  A Cemetery Shoot (3½ minutes)

  u Here we get to see how a shoot from the movie is done. As you probably understand from the documentary’s title, it’s one of the scenes from the cemetery. As always it’s cool to see how a scene is made, even though this may not be the movie’s most exciting scene.

  Fury Crash (5 minutes)

  u Here is another scene. This one is important to the plot of the movie. Here we get to see how George Staub crashes his car into a wagon. The wagon is cut in two and the car explodes. A really cool scene that is actually pretty exciting.

  Shooting at Thrill Village (3 minutes)

  u And yet another scene. This one is even more important to the movie. This is the scene in which a young Alan and his mother are in the line for the Bullet at Thrill Village. It ends with Alan chickening out and his mother being mad at him for making her stand in line for so long and then backing out when it’s his turn. This scene also includes a dream sequence where Alan is thrown from the roller coaster. It’s a nice scene that is well done.

  Storyboard Comparisons (3½ minutes)

  u Storyboards are really cool. I didn’t even know they existed before DVDs entered my life. Here you get to see the storyboard, which is a drawing of the scene, and the actual scene beside each other. You can then see how they wanted the scene to be and at the same time how it actually turned out.

  The rest of the extra material:

  Artwork Gallery

  u Here you get to see all of the sketches Bernie Wrightson did for the movie. It’s a lot of sketches, but as I said earlier they are really, really cool! Please take the time to check them out.

  Trailer

  u Well, this is the trailer for the movie. It’s a well-done trailer and it’s fun to see.

  Commentaries

  u The movie also has two different commentary tracks—one with Mick Garris and one with the cast and crew.

  In one of the commentary tracks Mick Garris shares his thoughts on the movie, and in the second one he is joined by actor Jonathan Jackson, his DP Robert New, Producer Joel Smith and F/X Supervisors Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger. It’s always nice to listen to what the filmmakers had in mind when they did the movie and other comments on what happens. Take the time to listen to this!

  Layout

  u The layout of this DVD is like something you would expect for Creepshow. It’s in the same style as those old EC comics. It works really well and it looks so nice!

  Lilja’s final words about Riding the Bullet (DVD)

  OK, so that is what you get if you buy Riding the Bullet on DVD. Oh, and this one is uncut, not like the one that aired on TV. I like the movie, so getting this DVD is obvious to me!

  ****

  Quicksilver Highway (DVD)

  Posted: May 16, 2005

  Tomorrow, May 17, Anchor Bay Entertainment releases Quicksilver Highway on DVD. This movie is really a collection of two shorter films. The first one is about a hand that revolts against its owner and the second is about a pair of chattery teeth.

  The first story, the one about the revolting hands, has the title The Body Politic and is based on a story by Clive Barker. It’s the story about a cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Charles George, whose hand rebels against him and then leads all other hands to a mass suicide. I agree that the description can sound a bit silly when you just read it like this, but when you see Matt Frewer’s interpretation of Dr. Charles you’ll see that it’s everything but silly—funny sometimes, but not silly.

  The second story, Chattery Teeth, is about a traveling salesman named Bill Hogan, played very well by Raphael Sbarge, who buys a pair of chattery teeth. Chattery teeth are those big teeth that have feet and when you wind them up they keep opening and closing their teeth, chattering, while they jump up and down. When Bill leaves the place where he bought them he gets hijacked by a fellow who tries to rob him. This results in him driving the car in the ditch. And, while hanging from the roof, trapped in his seatbelt, seeing the assailant approaching with a knife, he gets help from an unexpected hero…

  Quicksilver Highway originally aired on Fox in 1997 and was then meant to be the pilot of a new series. Unfortunately, the series never happened.

  Aaron Quicksilver, played by Christopher Lloyd, presents these two stories in a wraparound fashion. Quicksilver is a Creepshow-looking kind of guy, but real instead of animated. He is a collector of rare objects and dark tales, as the cover of the DVD says, and here he shares two of them with us.

  There is also some extra material on the DVD, and the most interesting one is an interview with Matt Frewer (10 minutes) who plays Dr. Charles George in The Body Politic. It’s nice to hear how some of the scenes were shot and what he thought about the fact that several of his co-stars were actually hands…

  There is also a storyboard gallery. This is nice, but unfortunately there are not storyboards from Chattery Teeth, King’s story. It would have been nice to have some from both films, but maybe they didn’t do any for Chattery Teeth.

  The movie also has commentary tracks, and these are really interesting. Both Mick and Cynthia Garris comment on the movie. For those of you who don’t know, I can tell you that Cynthia is often in Mick’s movies and is somewhat of a frequent visitor in Garris/King adaptations. She is the woman in the bathtub in Garris’s version of The Shining and she is also in Sleepwalkers, The Stand and Riding the Bullet, to name a few. Here Cynthia plays the wife of Dr. Charles George in The Body Politic and joins Mick with comments once her part comes on.

  As a last treat the Quicksilver Highway DVD also has the movie’s script on the disc. You have to read it on a computer though, but it’s worth it. It’s so nice to get to read the script. It gives you another dimension of the movie. You get one step closer to the filmmaker’s vision.

  Lilja’s final words about Quicksilver Highway (DVD)

  This is a really neat little collection that I definitely urge you to get on DVD. It’s not as scary as it is funny, and I say that as a good thing. It seems like the filmmakers, cast and crew enjoyed making this one, and I’m sure you will enjoy watching it. I know it’s not all King, but I still urge you to go out and get i
t tomorrow when it’s released.

  ****

  Children of the Corn / Creepshow 2 (DVD)

  Posted: May 22, 2005

  In September of last year Anchor Bay released DiviMax editions of King’s Children of the Corn and Creepshow 2. DiviMax means that it has been mastered with a high definition (HD) film transfer process that provides state-of-the-art picture quality.

  This week I got a copy of each from Anchor Bay and here I’ll review both of them in the same review. I’m assuming that all of you have seen these movies since they are from the 1980s and will therefore concentrate on the extra material from the DVDs in this review.

  Even so, after seeing them I made some reflections. Children of the Corn is a lot better than it gets credit for. Personally, I believe it’s because of all the sequels that have followed. The original is an OK movie though.

  Creepshow 2 was done a long time ago, way back in 1987, and this becomes very clear in the documentary Nightmares in Foam Rubber. This is a really nice documentary that shows how the special effects for the movie were done, and let me tell you, it’s not the same technique as they used on The Lord of the Rings movies. The documentary is about thirty minutes and in it Howard Berger and Greg Nicotero talk about how they did the different special effects. I really liked this one and, as I said, it shows that Creepshow 2 wasn’t done yesterday. This doesn’t mean it’s not interesting though. It’s the opposite; very interesting to hear how they did what they did with a fraction of the knowledge they have today.

  Other features on the Creepshow 2 DVD consist of two different trailers, a still gallery that has behind-the-scenes photos and storyboards. These storyboards are really interesting. They are like small art in itself. Some of them I would put on my own wall in a heartbeat. You can also read the screenplay and listen to commentaries from the director Michael Gornick and the DVD producer Perry Martin.

  The Children of the Corn DVD also has some extra material. There is a new documentary called Harvesting Horror: Children of the Corn about how the movie was done. We get to see how some of the special effects were done as well as hear stories from John Franklin (Isaac) and Courtney Gains (Malachai).

  There are also commentaries from director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin and Courtney Gains. And, as I have said in other DVD reviews, you should really take the time to listen to the commentaries on DVDs. They give you a totally new perspective of the film.

  There is also a still gallery with posters, stills, original title sequence art and storyboards. And, as with Creepshow 2, the script is also included. The one really bad thing with the Children of the Corn DVD is the trailer. It’s probably one of the worst trailers I have ever seen. I know it’s from 1984, but still…

  Lilja’s final words about Children of the Corn / Creepshow 2 (DVD)

  I definitely think that you should get these DVDs. The really neat thing about them is that they’re two of the older King movies, but they still have a lot of extra material. Many older movies have a trailer in the best case scenario and that’s it. Here you get a lot of interesting stuff and some of it was recorded when the DVD was released in 2004, which gives the perspective of time on the movie. They will fill their places in your collection well.

  ****

  Desperation (DVD)

  Posted: September 18, 2006

  The DVD edition of Desperation is out. You can read what I think of the movie itself in my review from when it aired on TV. Here I’ll focus on the extra material that’s on the DVD.

  Unfortunately, there isn’t that much extra material on it. What’s here is very interesting though, but I would like to get more. Earlier there were talks about a behind the-scenes-view, but it seems Lionsgate dropped that one.

  The main item here is something called “Postcards from Bangor, ME.” This is made up of short interviews with King and Garris in which they talk about the movie, different aspects of the movie versus the book and how they transformed the book to the screen. These clips are very good and could easily have been three times as long without getting boring…probably even longer.

  We also get a commentary track with Garris, Ron Perlman (who plays Collie Entragian in the movie) and producer Mark Sennet. The commentaries are very entertaining and the chemistry between Garris and Perlman is superb. They joke with each other and seem to have a lot fun doing this commentary. It was also the first time Perlman saw the entire movie and that gave the commentary a nice touch.

  Besides that there is also a trailer for Desperation, but that’s it. Hopefully Lionsgate will release a special edition of the movie down the line with the behind-the-scenes feature and even more interviews. This is a good movie and it deserves more extra material.

  Lilja’s final words about Desperation (DVD)

  If you didn’t catch it when it aired on ABC you definitely need to check out the DVD release. And even if you did check it out on TV you will need to get a copy for your collection. It’s definitely worth its place there.

  ****

  1408

  Posted: August 24, 2007

  1408 is the story of Mike Enslin (John Cusack), the author of many books like Ten Haunted Lighthouses and Ten Haunted Houses. Enslin travels around the U.S. staying in places that are supposedly haunted and then writes about his experiences, acting as a critic and rating each location on a scare scale.

  When we first meet Enslin, he is working on his latest book, Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms. So far he has not experienced anything extraordinary during his career, but then again he hasn’t stayed at the Dolphin Hotel—until now.

  Against the hotel manager’s (Samuel L. Jackson) admonitions, Enslin checks in to room 1408, and that’s when the nightmare begins.

  During his short stay in the room Enslin experiences more supernatural things than he has ever believed possible…and this is a man who makes a living from staying in supposedly haunted locations. Now he finds himself in a battle for his life.

  Both Jackson and Cusack portray their characters very well, and since most of the story takes place in a single room (much like in Misery) that is very important. We also get to see Mary McCormack as Enslin’s wife, Lily, and Jasmine Jessica Anthony as their daughter, Katie. They, like Cusack and Jackson, give the audience what they can expect and then some…

  1408 is brought to the screen by Swedish director Mikael Håfström, and he is really giving it all he’s got. The story has been expanded from King’s novel, but in a nice way that doesn’t really add any surprises or disappointments. It’s more as if Håfström has stretched the story so that what’s already in there only gets a bit more filling. Well done!

  Besides all this, there are also a lot of special effects in the movie, and I’m very pleased with how they are done; everything from water coming out of a painting to ghosts jumping out of windows looks very believable. I really enjoyed watching 1408.

  Lilja’s final words about 1408

  1408 is one of the best King adaptations in a long time, and my guess is that no one will be disappointed after seeing it. In other words, whatever you do, don’t miss this one!

  ****

  1408 (DVD)

  Posted: October 2, 2007

  Today the DVD edition of 1408 hits stores in the U.S. The studio is releasing two versions of the DVD: a one-disc edition and a two-disc director’s cut edition. Below is my review on the content of both versions of the DVDs.

  The single disc edition contains the theatrical version of the movie, John Cusack on 1408, Inside Room 1408 and the theatrical trailer. The two-disc edition contains both the theatrical version of the movie and the director’s cut of the movie along with a larger special features section. Personally, I like the director’s cut edition a little better. I prefer the ending that the director’s cut provides, which is a little sadder and a little darker. Another good part of the two-disc disc edition is that you can choose which ending you want to see—it’s up to you!

  The differences between the d
irector’s cut and the original theatrical version are a few additional scenes and, as I mentioned, a different ending. The additional scenes add more on Mike’s relationship with his father and his family. Some of the scenes that are a bit longer also explain more of the story for the audience.

  One scene that I enjoyed in its longer version is the scene where Mike is being haunted by Kevin O’Malley’s ghost in the vent above the room. Here we get to see more of O’Malley, and even though director Håfström admits to be glad that they cut this scene, I prefer the longer version.

  All in all, the director’s cut is eight minutes longer, at 112 minutes compared to 104 minutes, than the theatrical version. Personally, I prefer the longer version, but I can also see why some parts were shortened or cut. If you listen to the commentary track you’ll get more background on these reasons from Mikael Håfström, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

  The extra features on the two-disc edition are a couple of webisodes, a trailer for the movie, five deleted scenes and the documentary The Secrets of 1408 - A Behind-the-Scenes Look (only the webisodes and trailer are on the single disc). We also get a very interesting commentary track (to the longer version) by director Mikael Håfström and writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. This commentary is interesting because the trio discuss the deeper meaning of what happens on the screen as well as why some scenes were cut from the shorter version.

  Lilja’s final words about 1408 (DVD)

  If you’re getting this DVD, I strongly urge you to get the two-disc edition. Sure, the price is a little higher, but compared to what you get it’s well-invested money…take my word for it.