Home Theater: SCTV: Volume 3 and My Own Private Idaho

By Bob Grimm

SCTV: Volume 3

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It was in the early '80s when my sister called my attention to some weird late night show that was cracking her up. It had a bizarre, fake television station format that offered absurd programming such as parodying "The Merv Griffin Show" and "The Andy Griffith Show" simultaneously. At her urging, I checked it out, started laughing my guts out, and became an SCTV disciple.

The greatest remake of Sinatra's Ocean's Eleven did not star George Clooney and Brad Pitt; it starred John Candy and Eugene Levy. One of the funniest movie parodies you will ever see is in the generous Volume 3 of Shout Factory's ongoing blessing to the world, the release of SCTV to DVD. Maudlin's Eleven starred the SCTV cast in a remake of the film, each cast member playing his SCTV alter ego (Levy as Bobby Bitman the standup comedian, Joe Flaherty as talk show host Sammy Maudlin). The result is beyond funny.

That can actually be said for the majority of this set, which contains nine episodes. This was a transition time for SCTV because Bob and Doug McKenzie (played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) had grown to immense popularity and were getting set to leave the building. The team brought in Martin Short to prepare for the void, and he made his mark with his characterizations of Mr. Rogers and Jerry Lewis.

Other highlights include the Preteen World telethon, where Moranis, Candy and Levy attack Chilliwack's Gone So Long while playing 11-year-olds. Hall and Oates star in Chariots of Eggs, which combines certain elements of Mariel Hemmingway's Personal Best with Chariots of Fire. Brilliant and very, very weird.

Special features: Best feature would be a 1997 sit-down with a large part of the cast. This one is notable for the participation of Rick Moranis, who has seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth in recent years. There are a couple of interesting episode commentaries.

River Phoenix at his finest

My Own Private Idaho

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The last time I saw this film, River Phoenix was still alive, yet to have his infamous date with the pavement outside of Johnny Depp's Viper Room. While I hadn't forgotten that I regarded it as a masterpiece, I certainly grew fuzzy on some of the details that led to my love for it. Seeing it again on its DVD debut, I'm reminded how remarkably beautiful and creative Gus Van Sant's movie is.

This will always be remembered as the high point of River Phoenix's tragic career, unless you are a major Stand By Me fan, or have strange and inexplicable affections for Little Nikita. As Mike, the narcoleptic street hustler searching for his mother and painfully in love with best friend Scott (an uncharacteristically vibrant Keanu Reeves), his touching performance reveals that there's just no telling what he could have done with his career had he stayed alive.

By including portions of Shakespeare's Henry IV into his narrative about Oregon street hustlers, Gus Van Sant took a big risk that works. When the characters drift in and out of Shakespearean text, Van Sant somehow makes it appear natural in the modern setting. His film is also a landmark for gay cinema, one of the first to portray gay men without stereotyping. The infamous campfire scene where Mike reveals his love for Scott is historic for its honesty and sensitivity.

Throw in the fact that this one is remarkably shot, and actually uses Slim Whitman on the soundtrack, and you're basically looking at one of the more unique movie experiences of the last quarter century.

Special features: Van Sant sits down for a long interview with filmmaker Todd Haynes. There's a pile of deleted scenes, an interview with Rain Phoenix (River's sister) and a nice behind-the-scenes retrospective. The package also comes with a commemorative book containing articles and interviews.