Author: Robert Greenberger

When traveling in SF circles, inevitably you find pockets of people who adore certain books or films or TV series who cannot conceive of how you consider your life complete without having read or watched “Fill in the Blank”. One of the shows that are on the list I’ve heard over the years has been [[[Red Dwarf]]]. The BBC series was said to be a beloved comedy that skewered science fiction tropes and was a delight to watch. So, when BBC Worldwide offered to send me [[[Red Dwarf: Back to Earth]]] for review, I kindly accepted (which is my way of saying, this was a complimentary copy for those keeping track in Washington).

I knew very little about the show and figured I would watch it with an open mind, eager to see what the fuss was all about. The two-disc set, on sale this week, offers the series as three episodes, as it aired this spring in England, or a director’s cut that spares you sitting through the credits more than once, although a few lines referring to the show as being in three parts have been deleted.

Written and directed by series co-creator Doug Naylor, the story opens nine years after we last saw the crew of the Red Dwarf and we learn that things are not going well. They’re running low on water and the water tank is currently housing a threatening squid-like creature. Before you know it, Katerina Bartikovsky (Sophie Winkleman), reappears on the ship and uses the mining equipment to slice a hole between dimensions with the hopes that they can find a human female who will help repopulate the human race (which apparently went extinct millions of years earlier). Instead, they find themselves transported to Earth circa spring 2009 AD and learn that they are all fictional characters slated to die when the three-part series concludes transmission. From there, they seek the series’ creator and the show shifts tone and feel, parodying [[[Blade Runner]]].

Unfortunately, for those of us just tuning in for the first time, very little backstory and context is provided. I have no idea that the truly annoying Cat (Danny John-Jules) is an evolved version of the cat David Lister (Craig Charles) smuggled aboard the ship three million years earlier.  I have no idea why the Red Dwarf seems to be plying an unpopulated universe and why they are so incredibly incompetent.

The humor was too broad for my tastes, I guess, because I never laughed or smirked. I found the self-referential bits in the 21st Century self-indulgent and wasting a great opportunity to tell a good reunion story. The Blade Runner elements felt shoe-horned in because, apparently, the series would periodically parody other films. I was actually bored and fidgety watching this, leading me to conclude the reunion show was aimed squarely at its fan base and was not at all interested in attracting new viewers.

Disc two contains a nice variety of features such as Smeg Ups (lengthy bloopers) which gives you a glimpse of how much green screen work was done to recreate the look of the ship. You get featurettes on the show’s SFX, see the cast sign pictures and chat (boring), the electronic press kit, four behind-the-scenes pieces, trailers, photo galleries and the obligatory Making of [[[Back to Earth]]]. While somewhat engaging, this disc is also more for the fans of the series who can’t get enough Red Dwarf.

Since the miniseries never aired in the United States, this is your chance to see it for yourself and if you loved the series, I guess you’ll like this.

Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary
By Simon Beecroft
96 pages, $21.99, DK Publishing

It used to be that Lego would never feature licensed characters. Instead, you could construct moon bases or pirate ships and make up your own characters to tell tales plucked straight from your imagination. Then came the first license, [[[Star Wars]]], which proved so successful that there is now an entire line of licensed Lego toys which in turn have spawned video games and related merchandise.

Now, DK Publishing this week provides readers [[[Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary]]] which breaks George Lucas’ universe into sections: the Movie Saga, The Clone Wars, Specialist Sets, and Beyond the Brick. A handy timeline upfront shows you the explosive growth of the line with every set properly displayed and identified for completists.

Each section properly displays each figure or vehicle with a handy guide to the number of pieces, their set number and which film the construct relates to. Along the way, the capsule descriptions provide information not only about the figure or vehicle but about their construction and history. You learn some interesting facts and I discovered to my surprise and delight that set 7163 features a Jedi Bob (must find!).

This is a treasure trove of information for the diehard Lego collector but written for those 7 years old and up, it also is engaging and entertaining with information about the characters and their adventures.

The book, as is typical of DK’s output, is a visual treat and the bottom corners feature, respectively, storm troopers and Luke Skywalker so flipping through the pages you get a sense of animation.

Not being a kid anymore, I found the Beyond the Brick section the most fascinating to see the level of detail that went into their construction as Jens Kronvold Frederiksen, Design Manager, has a nice interview about the entire Star Wars line for Lego.  There’s even a final spread about the Lego Star Wars merchandising which is a growing subset of the overall Star Wars phenomenon.

As with any Lego line, there’s something special here. The book comes complete with an exclusive Luke Skywalker minifigure which begs the question if the book is ruined by taking out the toy to play with his compatriots.

Pixarpedia
300 Pages, $40
DK Publishing

I doubt there has been a studio to start out with as long a streak of consecutive hits as Pixar. Not only have they succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, but they have helped rewrite the rules for family entertainment and created an armload of pop culture characters that are likely to endure for decades to come.  The secret, it seems, has been to take iconic themes and figures and distill them down to their essence then tell engaging stories that never lose sight of character.

You are reminded of those relatively simple and obvious lessons while reading DK Publishing’s [[[Pixarpedia]]], which was released some weeks back.   Written with their core audience in mind, it’s geared for 9-12 year old readers and is a treasure trove of information about every feature and short film they have produced along with details on each character seen in the films.

The book is divided into thirds with the bookend sections about the studio. You can trace their progress from a small company owned by George Lucas to its sale to Steve Jobs and its explosive growth. The final third, Behind the Scenes, provides cast and crew credits and assorted trivia tidbits about each film along with sidebars spotlighting members of the company with career capsules.  It’s amazing how many shout outs there are for beloved movies and people) especially Mickey Mouse) hidden in each film. You are shown many, but certainly not all, of them in this section.

The largest third is the movie by movie section that provides information about the major and minor characters. Unlike too many DK books, the visual design is clean and colorful, easy to read and chock full of detail. Sprinkled throughout are “Did you Know?” bullets with factual information that supplements each film. You get a plot summary, character descriptions, lavish looks at the sets and lots of fun reading.

Paging through the oversized book is a treat and overall, you come away with a greater knowledge about the characters than you might have imagined possible. At the end of this portion, there are pages dedicated to the themes that carry through the films and its their dedication to these simple dictates, like “You’ve got a Friend in Me”, that places their output head and shoulders above the competition.

Truth be told, I was never a big fan of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A lot of that has to be ascribed to my dislike of Adriana Caselotti’s voice as the title character. The songs remain wonderful and the animation a delight. I do have to give Walt Disney a lot of credit for ignoring the nay-sayers who felt people would never sit through a feature-length animated film. Of course back then, people were still figuring out what audiences would or would not do. Back then, no doubt, some still regretted adding sound.

The basic children’s fairy tale was simplified for the 1937 film, starting with the excising of Snow’s mother in favor of just presenting the wicked stepmother. When the Queen tries to do away with Snow White, it took her three attempts which Walt cut down to just the poisoned apple. On the other hand, Walt’s idea of having the Prince’s kiss wake her up is superior to a piece of apple being dislodged from her throat. It would have been nice if the Queen was forced to watch her step-daughter happily marry the Prince, wearing red-hot iron shoes as her punishment.

Wisely, Walt simplified the story to fit it in the constraints of then-current film-making. Additionally, he played up the part of the Seven Dwarfs, giving each a distinctive personality that have become memorable. In the story, after she sought shelter in their home, they agreed to let her stay with them in exchange for her services as cook, maid, and, laundress.  Instead, Snow here takes it upon herself to do the cleaning first, ingratiating herself to the dwarfs before meeting them. Of course, that allows for the animators to let the forest creatures come to her aid set to song.

Still, it’s a charming story, simply told; an experiment that paid off handsomely, catapulting Walt’s studio ahead of all other animators.

Now, the studios’ crown jewel is coming to Blu-ray, going on sale tomorrow. The Blu-ray edition has two discs, one for the film and one for the copious extras. Also included is a standard DVD version so this combo pack is the one to buy for now and the future. While the standard disc contains extras, the supplemental Blu-ray disc has them and much more.

The original film has been meticulously restored and the lush color and design has never looked better. The sound is crisp and the imagery a wonder. Clearly, this is the best the film has ever looked.

Blu-ray owners will enjoy having the Magic Mirror act as the Disney Smart Navigation interface. The mirror guides you through both discs and has enough intelligence ot know if you’ve played this before and whether to resume where you left off. BD Live adds to his functionality and practical use such as time and weather information.  If you don’t like the letterbox bars, you can switch to Disney View which features new art extensions prepared by Toby Bluth, complete with some new information about their creation.

Extras include Backstage Disney: Hyperion Studios, an exhaustive look at the original home for Disney and his animation team complete with virtual tour of the first house that Walt built. A ton of archival material has been unearthed for presentation to diehard fans with every department well represented. Along the way you will watch two Silly Symphony cartoons from the early days and be treated to commentary and tours from current animators including Pixar’s Andrew Stanton. You learn much about how it all began through a series of short features but it requires effort to poke and prod through every doorway and department within the virtual studio.

Snow White gets its due in “The One That Started It All” that offers up some new information and insights.

One of the more interesting featurettes is Snow White Returns. Recently uncovered archival material indicates Walt may have been toying with a sequel and we spent nearly 9 minutes reviewing the data. Deleted scenes include the “Soup Eating Sequence” and the “Bed Building Sequence”.

Resurrected from previous editions are “Dopey’s Wild Mine Ride” game, “Heigh-Ho”, a karaoke sing-along and “Disney Through the Decades”, “Animation Voice Talent” (featuring Caselotti). Unfortunately, some of the 2001 edition features are absent.

This belongs in every videophile’s library and under the Christmas tree of children from coast to coast. The charm and whimsy endures as witnessed in this beautiful collection.