Zodiac's barebones DVD and Jake 'owns' Hollywood?

In a little over two weeks the DVD of Zodiac hits the shelves in the US - as well as winging its merry way over the oceans into the multiregional DVD players of the world. But it's a crying shame to learn that what we're going to get on 27 July is a 'make do', bare bones edition, with absolutely nothing extra on it at all - no commentary, no deleted scenes, no features - nothing. This ensures that - unless you have better will power than me - many of us will end up buying two versions of this DVD, at least.


This is what one disappointed reviewer (at DVD Review) has to say: "I was totally fired up after seeing the movie to learn more about the real Zodiac murders and was eagerly looking for the Special Features section only to find none. Wow, what a bummer. Here we have a remarkable film based on real events and the studio lets its customers down by adding not a single feature. In fact, to add insult to injury, the first thing you'll see when selecting the "Previews" section of the disc is a trailer for an upcoming "Zodiac: Director's Cut" version, complete with commentary track, featurettes and interviews with some of the original investigation members. Everything you're hoping for. Of course I am all excited about that, but the fact that Paramount makes you buy this version only to tell you that another, fatter version is coming in 2008 deserves a slap on the wrist. Studios should put their cards on the table and tell people about these plans in advance, giving their customers the chance to decide which version they want to purchase instead of trying to sucker them into buying titles multiple times."


I'm sure I'm not the only one here with a mini collection of Brokeback Mountain DVD issues, all of which have been disappointing. Films such as Brokeback Mountain and Zodiac deserve better. At least, with Zodiac, there is reason to hope that the forthcoming 2008 version will be superb - the studio has certainly given itself enough time to do justice to this meticulous film - and we already know that Jake Gyllenhaal has recorded a commentary. Yet, this initial release doesn't even have any packaging to speak of and little effort appears to have been put into the ghastly cover - the whole thing smacks of indecent haste and a marketing scheme to recover extra revenue for this film (so obviously suited to a DVD format) through multiple DVD releases.


Elsewhere, Stuff magazine released its power list. Its list of Power Guys Under 30 puts Justin Timberlake at no. 1, Tom Brady (New England footballer) at no. 2, LeBron James (Cleveland basketballer) at no. 3, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook.com founder) at no. 4 and at no. 5 is 'silver screen stud' Jake Gyllenhaal who, according to Stuff, 'basically owns Hollywood'.


Basically owns Hollywood? I'm not certain what they mean - how can a young actor aged just 26 own Hollywood? If they mean that Jake is now in a position where he is offered, and can take his pick from, all of the best roles for young men in the movie industry, then I think that's probably a fair statement. The sportsmen in the list have been praised for breathing new life into their teams and representing their sport to the highest ability; Zuckerberg has captivated countless masses with Facebook, arguably revolutionising the way many people think of and use the internet; Timberlake has, I suppose, crossed genres and media (although I would challenge the no. 1 position). Jake at an equally young age has surpassed other actors of his generation with a succession of hugely influential, different, challenging and difficult roles, continually testing himself and drawing a response from filmgoers and critics. Arguably, more is expected from this young actor than from any other of his generation. Talk about pressure.


Thanks to readers for their helpful tips! Includes pictures from IHJ.