Overall Rating: ****
A History of Violence @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a quiet family man that runs a diner in a small town. When two murderous thugs come in to the diner and start to attack a customer, Tom springs in to action killing them both. Tom is quickly elevated from average joe to hometown hero. The media coverage, however, brings Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) to town. Carl is a mobster claiming that Tom is really Joey Cusack, a hit man from Philadelphia. Fogarty’s persistence not only threatens Tom but his wife, Edie (Maria Bello) and their children. Does Tom have a real history of violence, or is he just a small town hero caught in a case of mistaken identity?

Review:
This was a pretty solid movie. I enjoyed it more than I thought it was. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. From what I’ve learned about David Cronenberg (the director) since I watched this movie, it seems that I got slightly lucky. Cronenberg has a tendency towards the graphic and perverse, but this movie was almost untouched by that particular problem of his. This movie is violent, not as much gore as you would expect, but still a lot. The thing is, the story requires it. Violence is at the core of this movie. It would be pointless if it didn’t look real.
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Ok, so maybe it’s not a conspiracy, but I’ve observed a disturbing trend in recent dvd releases. Here are a few movies I’ve recently purchased on dvd: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, King Kong, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe. Anyone know what’s wrong with all of these dvd releases? Its quite simple, the initial release had three different versions available. The first version is Full Frame, with little or no special features. The second version is Widescreen, also with little or no special features. Finally, there is a third version, the special edition, which is typically two discs, widescreen, and full of special features. You might be asking why I’m whining. The problem is that the special edition, is almost 75-100% more expensive than the other two.

Here is a simple example, I went out and picked up The Chronicles or Narnia today. Circuit City sold the single disc widescreen edtion for $13.99 (retail $19.99), which is what I bought. My friend also asked me to pick up a copy for her, except she wanted the two disc special edition. I picked it up for $24.99 (retail $34.99). I checked the special features on my dvd. The only real bonus feature (outside of commentary tracks) that I got was a four and a half minute blooper reel. Not really mind blowing is it? I think that illustrates what is bothering me.

The amazing thing about dvds was the extras: the deleted scenes, the documentaries, and the special effects deconstructions. Now you have to pay extra to get what you used to get for the standard retail price. I find it hard to believe that the movie industry is hurting so much that they need to resort to this kind of pricing scheme. It seems like a cheap attempt to gouge movie fans. Being a movie fan (and avid dvd collector), I’m getting a little peeved. Its true that its their product, and they can charge whatever they want, but doesn’t it seem wrong? Taking standard extras, slapping them on a second disc, and then charging double for it seems unfair to me. If you want to reserve all extras for the special editions, then reduce the retail price of single disc and sell the two disc edition for the standard $19.99.

Sorry for the editorial, I’m just disappointed with dvd distributors. I’ll have a review in a few days.