Audio Video News

DVD: Big Fish—Columbia TriStar
Video: 3
Audio: 4
Extras: 3
The volatile dynamic between fathers and sons is as much a part of our collective experience as the need to tell stories. Big Fish weaves the two elements into one tale about a man who loves to tell and retell the fantastic (and somewhat unbelievable) stories of his life and the son who just wants to know who his father really is. Amidst endlessly entertaining, imaginative vignettes brought to the screen as only director Tim Burton can, Big Fish deftly portrays the quiet familial struggle. Burton and crew strike the perfect balance between both story elements, and the result is a wonderfully sweet, poignant film.

The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is a mixed bag—somewhat intentionally, I suspect. In general, the picture looks good but not spectacular. The real-world sequences tend to use a slightly muted color palette but have solid detail. In Edward's stories, though, the more-fantastic moments get the most vibrant colors but are also softer around the edges, hinting that some details (literally and visually) have been obscured. Dialogue and another memorable Danny Elfman score sound great in the front channels of the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, and there's a healthy amount of creative ambience in the surrounds.

The extras package includes many featurettes about the characters and the filmmaking process, plus an informative commentary track by Burton. The interactive "Fish Tales" feature just gives you the option of segueing to the featurettes while you watch the film. I also found one unrewarding Easter egg through the main menu, but I suspect you'll find more if you're a good hunter.—Adrienne Maxwell

DVD: Stuck on You—20th Century Fox
Video: 4
Audio: 3
Extras: 4
Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear join together, literally, in this Farrelly brothers' film about twin, conjoined brothers. Bob (Damon) and Walt (Kinnear) share an incredible bond, but they encounter some crazy complications when Walt decides he wants to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. This being a Farrelly brothers' film, the movie is funny and sometimes demented, but overall it's a fun ride to take with these two talented actors.

The video is crisp and sharp, making the vibrant background colors pop without becoming too harsh or garish. The Farrellys enjoy using colorful scenes; so the disc is pretty well saturated with bright images, and the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer really does these colors justice.

The video looks better than the audio sounds. The movie is mainly dialogue, and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack reflects that, so the sub work won't make you flinch. A few effects are in the surrounds, and you'll enjoy hearing the movie's soundtrack fill your speakers with music from Cher, Bread, and the Pixies.

Extras include a commentary with Bobby and Peter Farrelly, three behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted and extended scenes. You also get a truly funny blooper reel that certainly made me laugh out loud. It may make you wonder why all moviemakers don't include this bonus with their films.—Amy Carter

DVD-Audio and SACD: Steely Dan—Gaucho (Universal)
This 1980 LP became Steely Dan's multichannel debut when it first appeared as a DTS-encoded CD. Now it's on both SACD and DVD-Audio. The former is a hybrid disc with SACD surround, SACD stereo, and CD stereo soundtracks, while the latter has 24/96 tracks in both surround and stereo, plus a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The SACD and DVD-Audio surround tracks are based on the same surround mix, and they sound more or less identical.

Gaucho's serene surface conceals a whole series of heartbreaks. Years of work, cost overruns, drug-crazed associates, one accidentally erased track, and run-ins with early digital recording technology took their toll. Worse yet, Walter Becker was badly injured in a car accident and couldn't participate in the mix, although you can still spot his occasional guitar and bass parts in the credits along with Fagen's keyboards and vocals.

Despite the 20-year gap, there's an amazing family resemblance between Gaucho and more-recent Steely Dan albums. Lyrics touch on familiar characters like the coke dealer in "Glamour Profession," the underage playmate in "Hey Nineteen," and the gun-toting psychopath in "Third World Man." The most popular demo track is "Babylon Sisters," a sprawling L.A. epic that puts a conflicted playboy and his latest conquest into a car headed "west on Sunset to the sea." With sweet backing vocals and intricate horn charts glowing in the surrounds, you can almost feel the hot kiss of the Santa Ana winds.

Disappointment awaits anyone hoping for a photo gallery of session players with coke spoons up their noses. The DVD-Audio release's only special feature is a sparsely annotated discography.– Mark Fleischmann