January 22nd, 2008DVD Releases (2008.01.22)
Torchwood Season 1 is out on DVD today. It probably goes without saying that this is our Pick of the Week (I just made that up and will probably never use it again), but just in case, check out slots 7 and 1 in our Ten Best Gay and Bisexual Men in Sci Fi list over at After Elton.
Other stuff you could get:
Saw IV (Unrated Widescreen Edition)
Saw 4 (Blu-ray)
I’m not really a fan of the Saw franchise, though, I admit, I only paid attention to the first one. I’ve got no problem with the gratuitous violence and particularly gruesome ways of biting it, it’s just that I prefer a little symmetry with my slasher flicks. Se7en, for instance, whether you liked it or not, had that built in seven-deadly-sins motif to give it unity. Saw just seemed to be killing people in interesting ways for the hell of it. Do not want.
This series is buried somewhere in the folds of my memories, like Alien Nation, Superman III, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I like one of those, and now I feel compelled to rent Swamp Thing on Netflix to see which side it falls on. Rent.
I haven’t seen this Danish series yet, though Series One has been in Netflix Queue Hell for a while. Besides being directed by Lars von Trier (I like) and being Danish (I like), Wikipedia says:
The series is set in the neurosurgical ward of Copenhagen’s Rigshospitalet, the city and country’s main hospital, nicknamed “Riget”. “Riget” means “the realm” or “the kingdom” and leads one to think of “dødsriget”, the realm of the dead. The show follows a number of characters, both staff and patients, as they encounter bizarre phenomena, both human and supernatural. The show is notable for its wry humor, its muted sepia colour scheme, a sort of “Dogme”-lite shooting style with added jump cuts, and the appearance of a chorus of dishwashers with Down’s Syndrome who discuss in intimate detail the strange occurrences in the hospital (without ever being involved in the story themselves).
(I like.) A definite rent.
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:52 am
If you’ve seen the original Saw, and you can manage to make it through Saw II (which is much less worthwhile but necessary), then you might find that Saw III really starts to explain why what’s going on is going on and draw you into the series plot. If you like Saw III, you’ll really like Saw IV. If you don’t like Saw III, yeah, don’t watch any more.
January 22nd, 2008 at 7:02 am
Thanks, Ron! I was sort of fishing for someone to say that so I had an excuse to try again.
I feel like I ought to like it, but am just missing something that I might catch the second time around.
January 22nd, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Yup. Each movie pretty much has a core theme, which makes it difficult to become interested in the later ones based purely on the first and (even less easily) the second.
The first simply serves to introduce Jigsaw. The second serves to introduce a few more important characters. The third explains how Jigsaw achieves what he does and why it is important. The fourth explains what motives Jigsaw has for doing what he does.
The tie-ins and story are very end-heavy. Then again, you may see all four and still decide that you don’t like them. Me… I’m just waiting for Saw V. Heh.