include("/home/scifim44/public_html/gr/includeSkin.php"); ?> echo $skinOverlay; ?>
echo $skinsCSS; ?>
E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial Special Edition (VCD)
Movie: * * * * My wife cries every time she sees the movie. "I know that E.T. isn't
really dead," she sobs. "But I can't help myself." Same here.
I figured what the movie's success is: the people in it, and by that I mean
the kids obviously because this is a kid's movie after all, seem very real.
They talk and act like real kids do, not just like what adults (read:
Hollywood) think they should be like. Despite the spaceships and aliens at
the start of the movie, this is not a special effects movie at all. Instead
it is a very human one. Warm and funny, this movie has become hugely
influential throughout the years (see the recent Signs for example)
and is a definite classic. Now I have a confession to make: I didn't particularly like E.T.
the first time I saw it as a young boy. That is because - damn it! - I also
wanted a little alien as a friend! I was jealous and hated that little boy's
guts! Seriously! I only warmed to the movie when I saw it again about seven
years ago - who can believe that it's been 20 years already! And of course
when I saw this much-hyped "special edition" again. Much has been made of Spielberg's tampering with this "special
edition" - of how he digitally replaced handguns wielded by
plainclothes policemen pursuing the kids during the movie's climactic chase
with walkie-talkies. That is minor, but while this sort of Politically
Correct self-censorship isn't too much of a biggie, it does ruin one of the
movie's funniest lines. (Hint: it goes "you're not going as a…"
and was replaced with the September 11 WTC attacks in mind.) Otherwise it doesn't affect one's enjoyment of the movie as such. Even
the scenes involving a computer-generated E.T. doesn't irk as much as
Spielberg's pal George Lucas' fiddling around with the Star
Wars - Special Edition did a few years back. THE DISC: This is the official VCD (Video CD), which can be
ordered via Malaysian-based Eureka-Movies.Com
on the Internet. Unlike a lot of VCDs it has scene access (every ten
minutes) and a very basic start-up menu. (You access scenes unlike on DVD by
pressing next, or "1", "2", "3", etc.) There
are no extra trailers or featurettes. The movie is presented in full-screen
mode. The sound is clear bar one an inexplicable incessant scratching sound
(like that on an LP - those big black things with holes in them, kids). But
this isn't too distracting really. Otherwise, even though MPEG compression
(even that used with DVDs) handle night scenes badly, E.T. which has
a lot of them remains quite watchable. These scenes, though not perfect up
close, look surprising good for the VCD format. Some daylight and other
scenes have a clarity and vibrant colour that belie the movie's age and
looks really excellent. WORTH IT? The two discs come in one of the snazziest packages I've
yet seen for VCDs. No standard jewel cases, but a fancy hard carton and
plastic fold-open keep case. Very nice. Doesn't look cheap at all, which it
is really. At Eureka-Movies
it'll cost you half ($10.97) of what the VHS cassette ($22.98) will cost you
and about a third of what the standard issue DVD ($29.98) will cost you.
(Prices quoted are Amazon.com list prices.) RECOMMENDATION: With this sort of savings you can buy the kids two or
more movies on VCD at Eureka-Movies.com
this Christmas (Ice Age? Spider-man?).
VCDs should play on your DVD player, but if they don't then you can always
play them on your home PC. If you order now I'm sure that they'll be at your
doorstep in time for X-mas. Kids always prefer quantity to quality (will
they really watch all those "making-of" features on the DVDs?) and
these discs will never wear like your standard VHS tape, even though you
might secretly wish them to. NOTE: Do kids still like E.T. or are they that cynical yet?
I don't know and should hope not: but now that I have the movie on disc, the
only thing remaining is for my two-month old baby daughter to grow old
enough to watch it one day. I am sure she will also hate that little boy's
guts for having a cute little alien pal . . .
Click
here to receive our free weekly e-mail newsletter.
|
|