The DVD Filter

Festival Express on DVD

By Logan Hill
Published May 21, 2005

Festival Express Bob Smeaton’s close-up, wild-ride documentary catches Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, and pals on a drunken 1970 concert tour. R; $24.98.

Ali G Indahouse Not so surprising that this isn’t nearly as funny as the ethno-comic Brit’s television show; shocking that it’s as bad as Danny Hoch’s White-boyz. R; $27.98.

Shrek 2 DreamWorks’ disappointing, weirdly celebrity-obsessed sequel. PG; $19.95.

Around the World in 80 Days Jackie Chan’s decent kids’ flop. PG; $29.99.

Paranoia Agent A stylish anime series from genius Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue) about a mythical mean kid who rolls on in-line skates—with a baseball bat. NR; $29.98.

Dr. Strangelove Seems like there’s a new edition of this 40-year-old classic every six months—and that’s fine by us. NR; $34.95.

A Home At The End Of The World Somehow Colin Farrell (as a cherubic sweetie) wasn’t the main flaw in Michael Mayer’s dull adaptation of the Michael Cunningham novel. R; $27.95.

Dottie Gets Spanked An early 27-minute short by Todd Haynes—after the Barbie dolls, before Julianne Moore. NR; $19.99.

Our Pick
What do you get for the movie buff who wants to have everything? The Criterion Collection Holiday 2004 Gift Set, an incomparable compilation of 241 titles on 282 discs, from Criterion’s 260-odd film library. Available on Amazon exclusively for $5,250 (including free shipping!), it ranges from the very first Criterion DVDs of Grand Illusion and Seven Samurai to brilliant new editions of films by Cassavetes, Godard, and Renoir. Sure, it costs more than a used Toyota, but less than a master’s in Film Studies at NYU.