As you may already know, dear DreamWorks aficionados, our favourite studio took some time to fully embrace the revolutionary new format that is the sexy Digital Versatile Disc, better known as DVD. As Warner Bros. was leading the way in developing the new format, rallying other studios to its cause, DreamWorks and a few others chose instead to support another format, the now defunct DIVX (Digital Interactive Video Xprlwz erm, sorry I forgot what the X actually stood for maybe Xpensive!!). The concept was similar: another shiny disc of about the same size, offering the same quality in principle. The main difference was that you would have been able to buy the disc (which would not play on a DVD player - you had to buy a DIVX one) for a mere $5. The catch You could only watch it once. After that, for each subsequent viewing you had to pay the equivalent of a video rental via an online facility. Hopefully, sense prevailed over greed, and this dream come true for studios died a quiet death. After all, it couldn't win compared to that other goose with golden eggs (sometimes hidden): DVD. Why charge $5 upfront when you can charge $20 Okay, I'm being a bit cynical here, and I'm not going to complain: like many others, DVD is now my bag, baby, and even though I spend much more on them than I ever did on VHS (in 3 years, my collection is a strong 200+), it keeps me happy in a strange and irrational way, along with my friends and neighbours (see my editorial "Spielberg DVD Experience").

So when Jawad offered me to write a retrospective of all DreamWorks DVDs, I got interested but was faced with a dilemma: to this day, more than 20 DreamWorks movies have been released on the format, and even though I owned them all, there was no way I could fit them all in one piece. So we're going to start by looking at the movies that were released theatrically in 1997, and therefore logically the first ones to be available on DVD once DreamWorks embraced the format. So each month the saga will continue, and to mirror another one exploding in theatres at this very moment, I chose the call the first act "The Phantom Extras" as in the beginning; they were scarce and not always rewarding for fans. But things have changed since then, much in the same way that AOTC is improving on TPM, if you know what I mean So stand back, relax, and let me take you to a wonderful world of home entertainment featuring soldiers, car chases, nuclear weapons, slaves, courtrooms, an old President, a malicious rodent and one of Christopher Walken's most hysteric performances The first DreamWorks year that was 1997. One common point: failure at the box-office!

Note: Reviewed here are the Dolby Digital editions, but all featured titles were la ter rereleased as DTS editions.


September 26th, 1997

DreamWorks released its first baby, The Peacemaker, onto an unsuspecting (and uncaring) world. The studio's debut film failed to stir passions or the box office, ending up with an unimpressive $60 million in North America. This tense apocalyptic thriller directed by Mimi Leder of ER fame deserved more than the sniggers it received. But for some reason the powerhouse coupling of stars George Clooney and Nicole Kidman was not enough to attract the crowds. Well you can still catch it on disc with some scant yet fun extras. The first thing you will notice by inserting the disc in your player is what's become a trademark of DreamWorks DVDs: beautifully animated menus. I know, they're quite the norm now, but in the early days of DVD, it was more common to be greeted by a static and silent menu. Not with this first release of the studio, who scored even higher by including animated transitions between menus, very rare at the time. The beautiful 2.35:1 picture is crisp and sharp, and the movie is presented in 3 audio options: English in 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish and French in Dolby Surround. Watching the movie remains for me an enjoyable experience. It's like a serious James Bond movie, or more precisely, what a Bond movie should be if Ian Fleming's original concept had been faithfully adapted instead of being drowned in gadgets and saccharine over the years. Clooney doesn't take hostages and kills those in his way in cold blood, all in the name of freedom and democracy, while Kidman would prefer a more moderate approach to tackle the nuclear terrorist threat that is the heart of the film. It's difficult to tackle such a topic in light of last years' events so I won't extend much, but it's more than probable that the grisly subject matter and Leder's realistic and bleak treatment put moviegoers off. Where was the fantasy, the light entertainment expected from Spielberg and all Nowhere to be found. The Peacemaker is a "serious" adventure, all the more credible that the villain is not a caricature but indeed painfully (and even worse, understandably) human. Like it or not, this was already an indication that the studio intended to do things differently, as it kept on doing ever since.

As for the extras, well at the time DVD adopters were happy with 5 minutes-long featurettes and trailers, and that's exactly what we get here.

"From the Cutting Room Floor" is not, as you would expect, a collection of deleted scenes (funnily enough, DreamWorks would use this title for such scenes on future releases), but rather really funny outtakes. Nicole gets stuck in between seats of a moving car, George drops his gun while beating up a suspect, she forgets her lines, he fools around with tissue stuck up his nose It's silly stuff from such big names, and quite refreshing after such a gritty movie. Mimi Leder and her two stars appear as well to pat each other in the back as it is now the tradition, but in this case you can't help but believe them when they describe how much fun they had shooting the movie. It's only a shame this feature doesn't run longer!

"Stunt Footage" presents some B-Roll footage of the chase in Vienna's marketplace, as well as the actual sequence from the film and enables viewers to see how what's real appears much more spectacular on film, thanks to the skill of the editor. The Teaser and Theatrical Trailers do their job, even though you would think that a fledging studio would try to sell its first production more aggressively. You certainly wouldn't be dead excited at the prospect of watching the film after those. A low-key approach indeed! The Production Notes and the Cast & Filmmakers' Bios round off this first release, with 3 Easter Eggs thrown in for good measure: on George Clooney, Nicole Kidman and Mimi Leder's first bio page, select the icon on the right hand corner on top of the screen for short interview snippets.


December 12th, 1997

After a disappointing debut, surely the studio was going to strike back and silence its critics with Steven Spielberg's epic Amistad. Why oh why then was the decision taken to release the film in a handful of theatres across a few selected cities While the first weekend average take per screen was okay, the total box-office when its run was expanded was rather unsatisfying for a Spielberg film: $44 million dollars in the US and Canada. The public failed to turn up maybe because of the lack of buzz (unusual for a Spielberg film), or the fact that those who did go found it too academical and un-Spielberg. That is true and at the same time unfair in my opinion. The film runs more like a history lesson and courtroom drama than the expected large scope epic. While the director was restraining himself to concentrate on the true story aspects of this forgotten chapter of American history, the audience became bored for the very same reason. Amistad is no Schindler's List and never intended to be, bu t I suspect that its failure is partly due to the fact that the audience went in expecting the same kind of emotional involvement. But it was too slow and too static, and while the film offers beautiful images inspired directly by Goya's paintings and some realistic and painfully recreated scenes of savagery towards the slaves, it remained viewed from a distance. It is still in my opinion an entertaining and powerful history lesson, but remains just that, and for that reason was not fully accepted as a Steven Spielberg film.

The film is presented in a perfect 1.85:1 ratio, the only sound on offer being English 5.1 Dolby Digital. As for the extras, this is a case of less is more: listed on the DVD cover are Production Notes, Cast and Filmmakers' Bios, Theatrical Trailer and Behind the Scenes Featurette. Nothing really exciting at first glance, but the latter offers more than expected. Actually titled The Making of Amistad, it takes us backstage for 30 entertaining minutes and gives us the chance to see Spielberg busy on the set. He greets all the extras himself one by one, has an eye for everything, and you do get a sense of his commanding presence on this project. All major players are interviewed, from producer Debbie Allen ("Fame") who struggled to bring this story to the bring screen for twenty years before seeing Schindler's List and deciding to approach Sp ielberg, to the distinguished cast. All testimonies are really heartfelt and interesting. All involved are clearly aware that this was an important milestone in their careers, and are keen to share their experiences. We hear Djimon Hounsou recalling his homeless days in the streets of Paris, his discovery as a model and how he landed the main part in the film. We see Anthony Hopkins' reaction when Spielberg shows him for the first time the stunningly authentic set for his big scene in the Supreme Court. We hear the pride of Morgan Freeman and the Afro-American extras to be involved in the project, and how difficult it was to recreate the cruel scenes their ancestors were subjected to. Matthew McConaughey plays the bongo naked he he, just kidding, but I bet you'd like to see that! Seriously, this is fascinating stuff and clearly too short, but nevertheless a must for fans of the film or the director.


December 19th, 1997

Just one week after Amistad, DreamWorks unleashed what is for me the best release of their first year, and certainly one of its funniest films so far: Mouse Hunt. Directed by Gore Verbinski, who would later direct The Mexican and Ring for the studio, as well as certain scenes from The Time Machine, this frantic slapstick comedy stars Nathan Lane and Lee Evans. They form one of the best comic duos since Laurel and Hardy, whose plan to restore and sell a potentially valuable old house is ruined by a tenacious and seemingly invincible mouse. The great Christopher Walken joins the fun as Cesar, the insane pest exterminator who vows to capture the tiny creature and ends up being the hunted one.

Full of gags and impressive CGI and animatronics effects, the films starts fast and never let goes, getting more and more hysterical until the apocalyptic finale. This is the kind of movie that kids and adults will enjoy alike, and calls for repeated viewings. The scenes featuring Walken are absolutely hilarious and have become a cult for my mates and me. Greatly underrated, the film performed okay at the box office, but deserved a much wider audience than its box office suggests, around $60 million. Hopefully it has found a new life on video and TV

For the first time, DreamWorks offers the viewer the choice of watching the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio on one side of the disc, or in 1.33:1 full frame on the other. My preference will always go to widescreen, but I guess kids don't really care, and depending on the size of their TV screen, will probably go for the other option. The English track is presented in a very detailed 5.1 Dolby Digital option; while the Spanish and French versions are available in Dolby Surround.

The extras are once again few but fun. The Teaser Trailer kicks off in fairytale mode before poking fun at the DreamWorks logo and THAT other famous mouse. The Theatrical Trailer is a work of genius and totally unlike any other trailers; while showing little it captures the madness and the hilarity of the film in a brilliant and original way.

"From the Cutting Room Floor" is indeed a collection of 6 deleted scenes this time around. The first one focuses on Lee Evans investigating a strange noise at the office and is based on sound rhythms; it's fun to watch but it's easy to understand why it was cut. The next 3 scenes feature Christopher Walken for more hilarious dialogue and hunt scenes. This guy is mad! The last two scenes are ensemble scenes: more mayhem at the final auction, including some underwater action, and a very short factory photo shoot.

As always, the Production Notes and Cast and Filmmakers' Bios are included.

This concludes our first episode! Next time we'll see that DreamWorks started to understand the full potential of the format by adding more and more juicy extras. We'll have a look at the DVDs of the movies released theatrically in 1998 and 1999, from Paulie to Galaxy Quest. Until then, go see Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron on a huge screen with THX approved sound, and be sure that you'll hear from me when this one is released on disc! The time has come to step in Doc Brown's DeLorean for a trip back to recent times but yet already part of a different century. Shall we say 1999 What interesting happened that year Let's focus on the object of our affection, a certain beautiful studio, I'll let you guess which one! What's in store for us then A psycho killer kicks off the year, followed by a twisted love story, a mysterious letter creating havoc in a sleepy little town, a haunted mansion, a close look at Beauty and a bunch of hapless actors lost in outer space Sounds like fun Hang on to your seats then, as we boldly go where few others have gone before (if any): the place where dreams are born, and more precisely its digital vaults

Ready Let's enter the date 11/01/99. The DeLorean is enveloped in darkness immediately, as this was when DreamWorks released its first horror movie: In Dreams, directed by Neil Jordan. This mega-flop ($12 million at the U.S. box-office) is gravely underrated and deserves to be rediscovered at once, at least if you like venturing in dark places. Annette Bening gives a masterful performance as Claire Cooper, whose dreams become increasingly linked to the mind of a serial killer the day he decides to make her own daughter his next victim. Robert Downey, J r. plays the madman with a guilty pleasure, while Aidan Quinn and Stephen Rea, a Jordan favorite, try to understand what the hell is happening. The film is far from being a masterpiece, but is nevertheless a gripping experience, if you can forget some plot holes. Some vivid and powerful imagery helps to create an unsettling viewing experience, and Jordan doesn't hesitate to break a few taboos to achieve that. But be warned: it's not exactly a cheerful movie; in fact its darkness is probably what caused its failure at the box-office to such a degree. So if that's your bag, baby, what are you waiting for Just go and watch it on DVD tonight! If after the film you want to know more, you will be sorely disappointed as the single layer disc holds only the (very good) Theatrical Trailer, plus Production Notes and the Cast and Filmmakers' Bios. Shiver and shake while I enter the next date and jump start to

March 19th, 1999. As the car lands next to a crowded airport, I see Sandra Bullock and Ben Affleck exiting a damaged aircraft. That's it, I have been sent to witness a scene from Forces of Nature, DreamWorks's first attempt at a romantic comedy and not an entirely successful one either, I hate to say! Bronwen Hughes directs, and while providing quite a lot of romance, forgets to do the same for comedy. The film is far from being hilarious, and the audience must have spread the word since its domestic box-office gross dried up after $53 million. For fans of the two leads however the DVD is worth a look. A short Behind the Scenes featurette is included, as well as a collection of deleted scenes that don't really add anything to the movie, except maybe for an alternate ending involving our two heroes and a volcano, as unlikely as that sounds The obligatory Trailer, Production Notes and Cast and Crew Bios are also on offer. Let's input a new date

We are now flying full speed to our next destination: May 19th, 1999. In a bold move to try to offer an "adult" alternative to the Star Wars mania that was then grabbing the world with Episode I, DreamWorks releases The Love Letter, Kate Capshaw's baby project. Apart from being remembered as Willie Scott from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Capshaw is also Mrs. Spielberg and agreed to bring this project to her hubby's studio despite being reticent at first. The film is a charming little romantic comedy, much better than Forces of Nature, but the power of the Force was just too great and the film remains to this day the studio's biggest flop ($8.3 million only, oops!) It didn't deserve to bomb like this, so here is your chance to rediscover it on DVD. Directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan, the film focuses on the small New England town of Loblolly By The Sea where nothing exciting ever happens. But then one day, an anonymous love letter arrives from nowhere and is going to stir things up, as everybody wants to believe it has come for them from the secret person in their hearts. Sweet and funny, with great support from Tom Selleck, Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Everett Scott, it's no masterpiece but you won't be bored either. A long section of Deleted Scenes is worth checking out, as DeGeneres proves her comic timing and her capacity to improvise funny lines. Apart from that, there is smply a Trailer and the usual Bios and Production Notes.

July 23rd, 1999. We land this time in front of a spooky mansion called Hill House. The Haunting is upon us. Oh boy. I'd like to tell you that this is a masterpiece, a terrifying take on the tired haunted house genre; that Jan De Bont directed a masterpiece of horror, tension and suspense. But then I'd be lying big time. One of the few complete disappointments from the s tudio, this terrible remake did horrify me on its release, but for the wrong reasons Being a big fan of the original Robert Wise black and white classic, which without showing anything managed to chill the audience to the bone, I was expecting great things of this project. A huge budget, magnificent sets, and a cast to die for: Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Owen Wilson and Lily Taylor could only mean good, right Not quite. A spectacular misfire, the film is less scary than most comedies. Nothing much happens while the characters try unsuccessfully to hide their boredom. Check out Liam Neeson's consistent bewildered look, and you'll see what I mean. A lot of people have been blaming Jan De Bont for this treason to the original film and its source, the classic Shirley Jackson book. And rightly so: his decision to bombard the screen with un-scary CGI ghosts has undoubtedly ruined the film, but let's not forget the awful script by David Self. How and why this script was ever approved will remain one of the movie industry's biggest mysteries ever. If you do buy the DVD, check out the hilarious "Making of" featurette. What makes it so funny is that the whole cast and crew seem absolutely convinced that this is going to be one of the scariest movies of all time. Comparisons are made with The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, etc Pleeease, have you read your script properly For those purely interested in the film-making process, this program does offer some interesting moments, as well as presenting a few spooky real-life stories about ghosts and haunted houses. Catherine Zeta-Jones, hosting, makes a fool of herself however by repeating continuously how scary the film is, and manages to put in doubt the reality of her acting talents by attempting to close the show with a "scare" that is frankly laughable. Oh dear, at least you can watch 2 trailers after that, and they are surprisingly good: the Teaser evokes a dark gothic fairytale and does create an anticipation, while the full Trailer manages to make the film look good, by hysterically cutting together in epileptic-like flashes the few images of the film that could look scary taken out of context. At least that proves how good the marketing department is at DreamWorks! The film managed to attract enough viewers in its first week to ensure a healthy $91.2 million box-office, but a disastrous word of mouth prevented it from going any further. Why not try the original instead Let's fly away from this unhealthy place to everyday suburbia a few months later, for the studio's best offering of the year.

American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, opened on October 2nd, 1999 to rave reviews and the public followed, making a hit of a story most studios would have been too scared to back up. Not DreamWorks! After reading Alan Ball's fantastic screenplay, Steven Spielberg decided to have production starting immediately, without changing a word of it. The rest is history: British theatre director Mendes ended over a masterpiece for his first attempt at directing a feature film, and the cast seems touched by grace, doing a masterful job at bringing to life this collection of dysfunctional characters. Hilarious and moving, the film became an instant classic while taking home $130 million, as well as 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), and Best Screenplay. A must-own! After watching the film, you can really look closer at the making of the film, thanks to a large special features section. Mendes and Ball team up for an insightful film commentary, and the whole cast and crew are expressing their feelings about the project in the Behind-the-Scenes featurette (even Spielberg pops in). The Storyboard presentation with commentary by Mendes and cinematographer Conrad L. Hall won't be of interest for everybody as it is a bit too technical, but is still a nice addition. Trailers, Bios, Notes are also present, and a DVD-ROM section enables you to read the sc reenplay while watching the corresponding film footage and storyboards. If you haven't done so already, stop reading and go buy it now! Yes, it's that good.

I have just been told that I could enter one last date in the DeLorean before returning it to Doc Brown, so let's fast forward to Xmas Day, 1999, release date of Galaxy Quest, a hilarious spoof take on the Star Trek series. Moderately successful at the B.O. ($71.4 million), the film mixes clever humor with jaw-dropping special effects. A special mention must go to Sigourney Weaver, obviously having lots of fun playing a caricature of a blonde bimbo, while Tim Allen is spot on as the alcoholic and clueless "Captain" of the Galaxy Quest team. The film follows the adventures of the cast of a cancelled sci-fi series (including a hilarious Alan Rickman), as they are mistaken for real space heroes and beamed into outer space by a bunch of naive aliens for a final battle with their aggressive oppressors. A hoot from start to finish, this film will have you in stitches, and is supported on DVD by cool extra features including a "On Location in Space" featurette, very funny Deleted Scenes, Trailers for this and other upcoming DW titles, Bios and Notes. You can as well activate the mysterious and pivotal "Omega 13", but only after having watched the film, so that the ending won't be spoiled for you. And you can as well watch the film dubbed in the alien Thermian language, should you have some relatives visiting from that far side of the universe.

I am now running out of power and I have to return this marvellous time machine to its rightful owner, which is good timing really as this was the last '99 DreamWorks release. So I'll let you run to the nearest shop to check out the above-mentioned titles for now, and until next time, live long and prosper!

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