Arr! (from jwz - I would send you the link to his blog, but at the moment it contains brain-scarring items, so I'm doing you a favour. Trust me)
Someone needs to tell Mr. Dean that the Soviet Union ceased to exist about thirteen years ago. Apart from that mistake, he's definitely my favourite candidate so far. Interestingly enough, he's attempting to run on the same platform as President Bush did in 2000: an outsider who hasn't been infected with the Washington disease. Not long until Iowa and New Hampshire now…
Best of 2003: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (Criterion DVD)
Not all DVDs are equal. Quite often, important, cult, or unknown films are released on DVD with little more than an adequate transfer of the film, and if you're lucky, a selection of trailers. The Criterion Collection is a DVD label that is dedicated to producing definitive versions of important classic and contemporary films, and this year they got their hands of Terry Gilliam's underrated 1998 adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's insane text. Three audio commentaries, a new high-quality transfer, plus deleted scenes with commentary by Terry Gilliam. And that's just the first disc. The second is crammed with storyboard designs, production shots, pictures from the film's shooting, letters from Thompson to Johnny Depp, a short film on HST's visit to the set, seven TV spots plus the theatrical trailer, and an account of the fight that ensued over the script credits. That's pretty thorough. But it doesn't stop. There's another section dedicated to the book, with rare footage of Oscar Acosta, excerpts from an audio adaptation, a Ralph Steadman art gallery, and a 50 minute BBC documentary on HST filmed in 1978. The attention to detail is amazing - the case has a dual-colour slipcase featuring a classic Steadman drawing, and it comes with a booklet that reprints some of HST's articles from "The Great Shark Hunt". You need this. One warning, though, once you hop on the Criterion bandwagon, it's hard to stop…