THE REEL WORLD

THE ONLY FILM AND TV NEWSLETTER WITH NO CRITERIA OR METHOD!

Issue 1 –
February 2009

Welcome to the first issue of what I hope to be a monthly newsletter addressing

whatever is taking my interest at the moment. Unlike other newsletters or zines, it
will not be specific to an actor, TV show or film but a wide variety of things.

But also, if you have any suggestions or want to discuss one of your favourite
movies etc. then e-mail me at the address in the contact box and something can be
sorted out. I would like this to be a community newsletter and would love for
people to get involved. If it grows in popularity then I hope to attract some actors
to do mini interviews too!

Films of the Month STAFF

• In Bruges OK, so I am the staff! It’s just me,

• Head editor extraordinaire, Catherine. By
day an inconspicuous clerical
assistant for an insurance company
Spotlight - Cary Elwes but in my spare time...a total movie
• The Man geek. Horror, sci-fi, comedy,
• The Films western, action, I’ll watch almost
anything. Critics are all well and
good but nothing is better than your
TV Treasury own opinion.
• The Monkees
• Focus Episode - Fairy Tale

Genre Focus - Horror CONTACT ME...

• The Slasher catherine@therealworlduk.com

www.thereelworlduk.com

Delve into DVD Suggestions, comments...all are

• Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog welcome!

• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Blu-Ray)

 FILMS OF THE MONTH

Two hitmen find themselves in hiding after a hit gone

wrong. But while Ken is enjoying some sight-seeing, Ray is
busy soul-searching and desperate to leave Bruges as soon as
possible. But things begin to get out of control when their boss
calls. Midgets, Canadians, cocaine and the Belfry in the Markt.
It can only be that fairy-tale city, Bruges.

Of all the places they could have made a film about,

Bruges isn’t the most obvious choice. But it’s probably one of
the most effective! As well as being a great narrative,
character-driven story, it is also a love-letter to this Belgian
city. It is lovingly shot, writing a lot of the landmarks into the
script. And what a script it is. Nominated for an Academy
Award for the Original Screenplay, it is something akin to
Quentin Tarantino, there is a wicked pace to it and yet it all
sounds so natural and fluid. Amongst the (masses!) of
swearing are some really intellectual conversations about the
most absurd things like attacking someone with a bottle or
Ray’s rant about suicidal midgets. The script has something to
offend pretty much everybody but somehow manages to
remain acceptable thanks to the wonderful innocence of Colin
Farrell’s performance. His disgust at being in Bruges is
absolutely priceless.

I haven’t seen Colin Farrell in a wide array of films but

this is hands down the best performance of his I have seen.
Ray could have been a very confused character for a lesser Director: Martin McDonagh
actor, cold-hearted killer but with a dark past and a guilty Writer: Martin McDonagh
conscience. However, Farrell really pulls off the heartbreaking
scenes just as well as the comedy and it doesn’t feel awkward
or disconnected. Brendan Gleeson makes for an excellent Cast –
counterpart, calm and collected, rather enjoying the sight- Ray Colin Farrell
seeing but his mellow exterior only adds to the intensity of the Ken Brendan Gleeson
character. I have never been much of a Ralph Fiennes fan but
Harry Ralph Fiennes
he was absolutely brilliant as Harry Waters! Such a brash
character, horrible and yet hilarious at the same time. You Chloe Clémence Poésy
never quite know what any character is going to do next and I
think that makes for a very enticing story. Right to the last few
minutes, you are absolutely hooked.

It’s hard to recommend because it seriously is unlike

anything you will have ever seen before. But I think everyone “Maybe that’s what hell is,
should give it a try, I’m sure you will take something away the entire rest of eternity
from it. I’m glad it’s been getting so much attention from the
spent in fucking Bruges.”
awards because it’s not exactly the sort of film that people
would usually want to bring awareness to.
-Ray
And in case you were interested: the word ‘fuck’ and
its derivatives are used 126 times, around 1.18 ‘fucks’ per
minute!
 FILMS OF THE MONTH

Well, I would try to outline the plot but there seriously isn’t
one! It is more like a string of subconscious thoughts and ideas, like a
dream from beginning to end.

This 1968 movie starring The Monkees was pretty much

doomed from the outset. The series had been cancelled by NBC and
so audiences were not as present as they may have once been. And
then when it came to marketing the film, the distributors failed to
mention that The Monkees actually starred and it is also a far reach
from their innocent TV show.
This film often splits Monkees fans down the middle for this
reason. This is a more realistic (yes, that’s what I said!) portrayal of
the Monkees as people rather than characters. Although they don’t
get a credit, they helped write some of the script idea wise, if not
dialogue wise. While some of it is just plain fun (Micky giving up on a
scene halfway through) and some just plain weird (the dandruff
advert), it is actually a really interesting interpretation on how they
felt as a band around this time. The film mainly centres around their
constant attempts to escape some sort of box, a symbol of their
manufactured TV image and how they can’t break out of it. It ends
with them running away from everyone and basically committing
suicide to escape and yet still end up in a box and put into storage. It’s
actually quite a depressing tale, cleverly (or some might say
sporadically) disguised as just a bizarre result of 60’s psychedelia. Each
Monkee has their own sub-story which parodies their TV personality.
It includes pretty much every genre you could possibly imagine and
turns it on its head.
Director: Bob Rafelson The soundtrack is also different to their earlier music and
may take a few listens to appreciate. I wasn’t too fussed on a lot of it
Writer: Bob Rafelson, Jack Nicholson my first time round. I knew Porpoise Song from when I was a kid and
always loved that, it is a fantastic theme and is sung beautifully by
Cast – Micky. Circle Sky is another one of my favourites, they class it as one
of their best rock songs and As We Go Along is a nice gentle ballad
Michael Nesmith Mike that unexpectedly slows the pace down halfway through. Can You Dig
It and the Ditty-Diego War Chant are also worth a mention. The latter
Micky Dolenz Micky
is a rather scathing song set to a cheerful tune on how The Monkees
Peter Tork Peter were perceived by the public and critics and their attitude towards
David Jones Davy that.
The film may not have been a hit at the time but it has
certainly attracted a cult following. I think you may be more inclined
to like it if you are a fan of the band and not just the TV show. I would
also say it is worth multiple viewings because there is a distinct
possibility that you will have been too bewildered in the first instance
“Hey, hey we are The Monkees, to actually take anything in! I speak from experience here...
you know we love to please, a
manufactured image, with no
philosophies. We hope you like Look out for quick cameos from Jack Nicholson and Dennis
our story although there isn’t Hopper. And lastly, the random title? My favourite reasoning was that
one. That is to say there’s it was in case there was ever a sequel the tagline could read “From
many that way there is more the people that gave you Head.” Genius.
fun!”

The Monkees
 SPOTLIGHT
In this section, I aim to focus on someone relating to cinema
and TV. Not necessarily an actor, maybe not even crew but
someone that works in the industry. This month, I have
decided to start with actor, Cary Elwes.

Raised in a Catholic family, Cary is the son of an

interior designer and a portrait painter. He attended school in
England but moved to the US after graduating. There he
studied acting and has built up a varied and successful career.
As well as having an interest in acting, he also enjoys history
which is shown in his frequent appearances in period dramas.
His first real role was in the drama Another Country.
A lot of his early work (and to a certain extent, his more
Born: Ivan Simon Cary Elwes
recent films) have been minor roles. However, after director
Rob Reiner saw his performance in Lady Jane he wanted him Date of Birth: 26th October 1962
to be in his new film, an adaptation of William Goldman’s
Place of Birth: London, England
book The Princess Bride. This would prove to be one of Elwes’
most popular performances while also breaking new ground Height: 6’
for him acting wise. This was Cary’s first attempt at comedy
First Film: Yesterday’s Hero
and he pulls it off wonderfully, Westley is so dead pan and
(1979)
Cary’s dry and sharp delivery really adds to the heroic but
warm feel of the character. Not only that but it demanded a Most Known For: Westley, The
lot out of him physically, having to perform a lot of his own Princess Bride (1987)
stunts and a truly mesmerising swordfight with Mandy
Patinkin’s Inigo Montoya.
his commentary on the special edition
This role brought him to a lot of people’s attention
DVD with Leigh and director James Wan,
and it opened the door for him as a leading man and a
it’s absolutely hilarious!
comedic performer. Over the course of his career he
seamlessly jumps from dramas like Glory and The Crush to He has also appeared in TV,
outrageous comedies like Hot Shots! and Robin Hood: Men in probably most notably the final series of
Tights. The X-Files as FBI agent Brad Follmer.
But he was still relegated to bit parts in blockbusters Chris Carter, the series creator, said that
such as Twister and Liar, Liar. Then, in 2004, indie horror film, he created the part specifically with Cary
Saw, had him pretty much carry a whole film with co-star and in mind.
writer, Leigh Whannell. The film got a lot of acclaim and
brought Cary a lot of attention, especially when he went on He is also a staunch supporter of
to sue the producers for obstructing his contract. But several causes, including helping Native
nevertheless, it showed audience what a great dramatic actor American Peoples and protecting the
he is, if a little overacted at the end. I also highly recommend environment.
 THE TOP 1
5
RECOMMENDED My favourite performance of his, Westley is
the epitome of the storybook hero. Romantic,
PERFORMANCES funny, swashbuckling, a true rogue. Cary gets
to use his own accent and illustrates his use of
comedic prowess to perfection. It’s a
These are just my choices, not what I would call his best character (as well as a film) that will just
warm your heart. The Princess Bride (1987)
performances. Have I missed one of your favourites? Let
me know and I’ll add it to next month’s issue!

2 3
One of Cary’s most comedic roles, Lt Kent
Dr Lawrence Gordon is neither a good nor bad Gregory is a serious character who does very
character and the conflict within him is stupid things in a very stupid film. It’s his
portrayed very well in the performance. dead pan expression and serious attitude that
Considering it mainly consists of him stuck in makes him so funny. It’s a part that actors
a room for an entire film, he is very dream to play, where they can just go wild.
compelling and you do sympathise for his Shame he didn’t return for the more
situation. Saw (2004) entertaining sequel. Hot Shots! (1991)

One of those classically

irritating characters
that you just can’t
stand! Jonas Miller is
almost pantomime in

4 his style, very over the

top, almost making
you want to boo and
hiss. Sadly, I feel the
What would usually have been a bad character character wasn’t made
was given a bit of heart thanks to Cary and the

5
the most of and feels a
original script. Jerry is the man standing little disjointed. And
between Fletcher and his son, but the problem let’s not go into that
is he’s a nice guy! He’s not perfect and he accent...
certainly can’t do ‘The Claw!’ but you can’t help
but feel a bit bad for the guy. Liar Liar (1997) Twister (1996)
 TV TREASURY
THIS MONTH WE’RE
LOOKING AT...
In 1966, Bob Rafelson created a TV show about 4
young musicians that all live together and have random
adventures while trying to make a living. Thanks to the
success of The Beatles movie A Hard Day’s Night the idea
was able to come to fruition with the help of producer
Bert Schneider. And so was born The Monkees.
Casting was open to the public and after
auditioning hundreds of applicants it was whittled down
to the four: Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and
Davy Jones. Michael and Peter were the musicians while
Micky and Davy were the actors.
Things started off fine when they were just doing
a TV show but fiction started to seep into reality when
one of the songs from the show, Last Train to Clarkesville,
became a number one selling single. The problem? The
Monkees weren’t actually allowed to play on their own
songs, they had very little control over their material.
Micky sang on most of the songs, Michael wrote the
occasional one and lobbied for Peter to play guitar on
Papa Gene’s Blues but even that was met with distain by
their music producer, Don Kirshner. Michael took it the
hardest and really led the fight for them to have control of
their music, going so far as to punch a hole in a hotel wall
and saying to Kirshner’s lawyer “That could have been
your face!” The result was that Kirshner got fired and they
were given more creative control of the music and by
proxy, the TV show.
This is apparent by the total change of style when
comparing the first and second seasons. The music
became more individual, the clothes got much cooler and
it generally became more sporadic and unrehearsed.
But while they were hitting the charts with what
most fans would class their greatest album, Headquarters,
and touring the world, NBC was making plans to pull the
plug on the show after its second season in 1968. They
still continued with other projects, making albums and
their movie Head (featured in Films of the Month) but
when Peter left the group in 1968, it was the beginning of
the end for them as a band too. They called it quits later
that year and went their separate ways.
But then, in the early 70’s the series was
repeated on TV garnering a lot of viewers and boosting
their popularity once again. I don’t know how many times
it’s been repeated, I think it’s probably around about
every 10 years or so which is great because it picks up
each generation. I watched them in the mid 90’s when I
was about 9 and fell in love with them then, music and TV
wise. All these years later, my respect and love of them
has probably increased and the TV series is amazingly just
as watchable as it was when I was younger.
The first season is much more innocent and light-
hearted, lots of running around and having fun to some
great tunes. They were much more like young boys in that
season. By season 2, it became less about them being a
band than just being four guys who have the most bizarre
experiences. The romps (musical interludes) are always
enjoyable and the random Kellogg’s adverts part way
through always make me smile. One of my favourite parts
is when they run short and talk to the guys after the show.
It’s a really cool insight into them as people rather than
the characters, because that’s what they are in the show,
characters. Although, I feel that season 2 showed a bit
more of them as themselves, the Monkees have always
said that Peter had the hardest acting job because he was
nothing like the character.
 FOCUS EPISODE
“That's the grooviest chick I ever saw!” - Mike
For the focus episode, I thought I’d pick one of the
more off-kilter episodes. As I said earlier, season 2 was quite
a bit different to the first and I think Fairy Tale illustrates
that perfectly.
The basic plot of the episode revolves around Peter
the peasant trying to rescue the not-so-fair Princess Gwen
from being tortured and killed with the help of his good
friends Mike, Micky and Davy.
Interestingly, in this episode, even the characters of
The Monkees are playing characters with all but Peter
playing multiple roles. Most apparent is the dual roles of
Mike the Cobbler and Princess Gwen, played hilariously by
Michael Nesmith! The fantastic thing about these two roles
is Mike’s totally conceited infatuation with the Princess,
making for the funniest aspect of the episode in my opinion.
Micky takes on the roles of Micky the Innkeeper, Hansel and
a very scary Goldilocks while Davy plays Davy the Tailor,
Little Red Riding Hood and Gretel. Peter, being the hero of
the piece, plays just the one role. Even director James
Frawley gets in on the fun as the dragon of the moat. Peter
Tork says in the commentary that he is surprised that
Michael was so gung-ho about the Gwen character and I
have to admit I was too but in Michael’s commentary, he
says that he really wanted to play it to spice things up and it
was probably the most fun he ever had on the show!
One thing that stands out straight away is the use
of sets, or the lack of I should say. It’s believed that one
episode went so over budget that they had to cut down a lot
for this but Peter says that it was a real attempt at breaking
away from the sitcom model that they’d used previously. I
think it is effective and the minimalist sets enhance the
pantomime feel to it. Incidentally, these sets were also used
for numbers such as Valleri and Words in past episodes.
This episode also does what a lot of others did but
not to such an extent: breaking the fourth wall. At one point
they are piling items like chairs and plates onto a table and
th
FAIRY TALE
(original air date – 08/01/1968)
Season 2, Episode 16
then start bringing in set lights and other equipment. By the
end of the episode, everyone comes out of character and
the whole thing is chaos! Princess Gwen refuses Peter’s
proposal by revealing himself as Michael (much to Peter’s
surprise!). Then going on to claim that he’s already married
and mentions Phyllis and Christian, his wife and son. I find
this interesting because it’s assumed that all four of The
Monkees are single guys so this statement is totally out of
character in that Michael isn’t even playing Mike. He was
the only one married at the time.
Also at the end, they mis-name themselves which
happens in several episodes and they address the audience
directly to bid their farewells. Also included is the repeated
plea of ‘Save the Texas Prairie chicken’ as their existence
was being threatened by their homes being destroyed.
One of the few (if not the only) episode without a
romp, the episode ends with a standalone rendition of
Daily Nightly. Written by Michael Nesmith and performed
by Micky Dolenz, this is one of my favourite songs of theirs.
The song apparently has to do with the Sunset Strip riots
although Peter doesn’t understand the lyrics (and if I’m
honest, neither do I!) One gripe I have about the song
though is the Moog! I hate that thing and much prefer the
song without it. The episode also has a noticeable lack of
the laughter track which is not at all missed.
Peter claims this is one of his favourite episodes
and wishes the series could have gone on longer had it
been able to be more like this. I have to agree.
 THE HORROR,
THE HORROR
Because horror is such an extensive genre, I
have decided to split it up into different sub-genres. This
month’s focus will be: THE SLASHER.
Many people believe that the slasher genre was
properly started by Alfred Hitchcock in 1960 with his
masterpiece, Psycho. Even though colour was now very
popular, Hitchcock still chose to make it black and white
to make it more effective. Considering the age of the
film and that most people know the crucial scare, it is
still a very effective film. Many people, when they first
saw it, were outraged at the violence of it but most of it
is down to the imagination. When you watch the shower
scene properly, the knife never penetrates the skin and
that vivid blood you saw was chocolate sauce. The mind
is a brilliant thing and can often make things worse than
anything filmmakers can show. But I feel this element of
the slasher was never explored as not long after this
film, when they became more popular, the violence
beca
became the main
draw.
What I like
most about Psycho is
how all the characters
play out. Norman Bates
is a fascinating villain
because he is a sweet
guy but with a lot of
issues! It’s very rare
now that you have a
villain that the story
focuses on, it’s usually
just a quick “YOU!?”
rev
revelation at the end. When writers do decided to give
the villains a backstory, audiences usually frown upon it.
With the likes of Halloween and Friday the 13
th
being made in the 1970’s and early 80’s with very low
budgets, people realised that the main draw for these
films was not the story, the dialogue, not even the main
characters but these murderous psychopaths! And not
just that, but the deaths themselves, the more elaborate
the better.
Halloween is a good slasher film, in my opinion,
because the main character is likeable and it has a very
creepy score and heavy atmosphere. Friday the 13 on
th
the other hand is truly awful. The acting is bad, the
villain is sloppily handled and even most of the deaths
are dull. The best scare of the film occurs right at the
end and is totally undone by a cop-out ‘dream’ moment.
If the credits had rolled at that scare, I wouldn’t have
felt too bad. A Nightmare on Elm Street is another
excellent slasher because it changes the boundaries and
m
makes things a lot scarier. Unfortunately, it hasn’t dated
well and is nowhere near as effective as it could be. The
thought of being attacked in your sleep really is a daunting
prospect. And yet the villain of these films, Freddy Kruger, is
one of the most loved (yes, loved!) horror characters
around. Over the course of the films, he ends up becoming
more of the anti-hero and the main characters (always
teenagers) are just there as fodder.
Slashers tend to spawn a lot of sequels, the villains
becoming more supernatural so they cannot be killed. They
take on a life of their own. More recently, a lot of the
classics are getting the remake treatment. Rob Zombie
th
remade Halloween, Friday the 13 has been re-invented
which does take my interest. Even Nightmare is coming
back some time in the future. But apart from these sequels
and such, there was a lull in the slasher genre in the 1980’s
to mid 90’s. But that all changed with a film called Scream.
Directed by Wes Craven, a veteran of horror films
himself, this was designed as a spoof of the slasher but ends
up being a brilliant slasher in its own right. It is more of an
homage than a spoof with characters referring to all the
classics. It also set up the rules of the horror and how to
survive like: don’t have sex, never say ‘I’ll be right back.’ etc.
It was poking fun at the genre while revelling in it. This film
re-invigorated people’s attitude towards the slasher, itself
producing 2 sequels. But again, it was all about the death
scenes. Scream has some really imaginative deaths and set
the bar pretty high for people to beat. But as well as the
gross-out element, it also brought back the real shock that
had been missing from later films. The opening of Scream as
most people know, sees Drew Barrymore’s character get
killed. This says to the audience, anything can happen here
and that’s what I love about horror films. When you can
never tell which way something is going to go. I just hope
that in the near future, slasher films go back to taking an
interest in the good guys as well as fleshing out the villains,
it makes for a more riveting experience.
Some people worry that films like these affect
people’s behaviour and lead to tragedy like the Jamie
Bulger case. A young boy that was murdered apparently
due to the other boys having just watched Child’s Play. I
understand where people are coming from but I don’t see
how these films can be solely blamed. Mary Whitehouse
was the main advocate in banning video nasties but she
wasn’t popular for it. In a way, it is wrong to watch films
where people get killed, often viciously, and derive pleasure
out of it but it is believed that it provides more of an outlet
for people’s anger. It’s better to see it fictionalised in a
movie than to have it done for real. I do believe that people
are becoming desensitised to some of these films which is
worrying but I think it is a far cry from being dangerous. I
think the slasher can bring out some of the most interesting
characters and ideas.
 DELVE INTO
Every month, I will pick two DVD’s (most likely from my own collection, unless you recommend something!) and
do a mini feature on the...well, features. It will include a brief synopsis on the movie/series but the focus will be
on the extras. All DVD’s will be standard definition unless stated otherwise.

This month’s DVD choices are:

 Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Blu-Ray)

This internet phenomenon shows no signs of slowing

down with the release of this excellent DVD. Originally broadcast
online only, this short film can now be viewed in one sitting and
great quality.

It tells the story of a wannabe villain and his quest to get

into the Evil League of Evil while trying to win over his
Laundromat crush, Penny. But the ‘heroic’ Captain Hammer is
there to foil him at every turn. An interesting take on heroes and
villains where we cheer for the underdog villain. And all of that to
an excellent array of songs. Thankfully, all the cast have great
voices and put a lot of emotion into the songs.

Commentary! The Musical was much talked about when

it was first announced a few months before the DVD release. A
commentary sung by the cast and crew...hm. It sounded
interesting but more of a gimmick rather than something that
would actually work. Amazingly, it does work. Very well in fact. It
may not give much insight into the film but that’s not the point of
it. The songs are as good as the ones from the film and are much
more amusing. Neil and Nathan have a lot of conflict in the
commentary, resulting in Nathan’s solo “Better than Neil”. Joss’
guilt trip about DVD extras, “Heart Broken” is fantastic (as well as
reflective) and it also allows the rest of the cast to shine like
Groupie #2’s “Ten Dollar Solo”. I was also amazed at how well the
Title: Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog writers can sing. Jed Whedon’s song “Ninja Ropes” is one of my
favourites. In fact, I don’t think there is a single song in the
Director: Joss Whedon commentary or the film that I don’t like, that is a remarkable
achievement. Not to mention the fact that they managed it all
Cast: Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, Felicia themselves.
Day The proper commentary is a welcome addition so we
can get a proper insight into the whole process. Considering
Format: DVD-R (this was independent, people) there are so many people on the commentary, it doesn’t feel too
crowded.
Extras: Commentary! The Musical, Cast and There are 3 featurettes which are about 15 minutes in
Crew commentary, featurettes, Evil League of total. There’s still a lot of good detail in there though and some
Evil applications nice behind the scenes footage of making the film, the music and
what happened after its release.
Other: Subtitles, 5:1 Surround Sound, Considering it’s such a cheaply made DVD, even the
Widescreen menus are well laid out and interactive. If you want to know
where the easter eggs are, go to the last page!
Region: 0 (viewable in all DVD players)
 DELVE INTO

This is a film that I can watch over and over again.

It never fails to make me laugh and it has an excellent
story with top performances. I’m surprised it doesn’t get
as much praise as it deserves.
Harry is a shoplifter, a down and out that
accidentally finds himself in Hollywood. There he meets
Perry who is to give him an insight into the life of a private
detective. Along the way, he meets up with Harmony, a
girl he knew from school. But rather than a nice meet up,
she brings Harry a world of trouble and all three of them
are thrown into a whirlpool of lies, deceit and corruption.

Sadly, the standard edition of the DVD as a Region

2 doesn’t come with any extras however the Region 1
comes with the same extras as this Blu-Ray edition.
The commentary is pretty crazy, to be honest.
You don’t learn a whole lot about the making of the film
but it is still entertaining nonetheless to hear the three of
them just generally chat. Val Kilmer starts a bizarre game
Title: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang at the beginning of the commentary and does actually
uphold it to the end. I am intrigued to know if anything
Director: Shane Black ever came of it! Downey Jr. and Black provide most of the
information and there is the occasional nugget of detail.
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Most of it is just random observations that are
Monaghan entertaining but not hugely helpful. Definitely worth
listening to though.
Format: Blu-Ray
The only other extra is the gag reel. I’m a big fan
Extras: Commentary with Downey Jr., Kilmer of gag reels and this is a good ‘un. Not very long but with
and Black, Gag Reel
lots of short clips of the cast messing around and messing
up frequently. You get the impression that it was a lot of
Other: Subtitles, 5:1 Surround Sound, fun to make. Most of the outtakes are of Val and Robert,
Widescreen more often than not messing each other up.

Region: 0 Not a huge amount of extras really, a ‘making of’

would have been welcome and maybe some insight from
Michelle Monaghan but other than that it is still a good
DVD. It’s worth having just for the film, it’s very
rewatchable. As for the quality, I don’t think this is the
sort of film that really benefits from the Blu-Ray
treatment. It’s quite a dark film (visually) so the quality
isn’t noticeable. I feel it works best with very bright films
and animations, although I am yet to be convinced with
the whole high definition DVD fad yet, it still seems
unnecessary to me.
 ...AND THE REST
The most interesting ‘FBI’ warning I’ve ever seen!
There are other easter eggs to be found but these
are the main three.
Many thanks to the people at drhorrible.net for the
easter egg locations.
Both films of the month, In Bruges
and Head, are available on DVD in
Region 2.
The Monkees Season 2 is also
available on Region 2 but comes in a
limited edition set on Region 1. Both
versions come with the
commentaries mentioned.
EASTER EGGS
1. From the scene selection, go to Act II
and click on fictional chapter ‘Moist
Dries Up’. A countdown will start, press
six and then enter for some outtakes.
2. Start the film, skip to chapter 6. As
soon as the Act II title appears press
enter. At the countdown, press 5 and
enter for Joss playing Captain Hammer.
3. During the featurette for ‘The Music’,
when Felicia mentions Mariah Carey,
press enter, then 5 and enter again for a
closer look at the ELE.
Well, that’s Issue One!
Hope you enjoyed it and learned
something along the way. If you didn’t like
something about it, let me know! It’s the
only way it will get any better. If I have
some incorrect information or you would
like to add something, drop me an e-mail.
Want to see something featured in an
upcoming issue, drop me an e-mail. There
is no method to my madness so whether
the topic is old or new, obscure or well-
known, it doesn’t matter!
catherine.@thereelworlduk.com
www.thereelworlduk.com