Things you only notice after seeing a great film a few times

A year ago or so my buddy Moya (hi Moya, call me) sent me a copy of the Special Edition Iron Giant DVD. I did a little review on the old blog that I also posted to Amazon.

I already loved the picture (and got off on the widesreen digital transfer) but the bonus features were truly spectacular for an animation fan.

That's "animation," not "anime," pls. note.

At the time, I watched the feature-length commentary, deleted scenes and such right away, but decided not to watch the "branching mini-documentary" version yet. I didn't want to reach a saturation point with a film that I like so much (I still tear up a little at the end).

So today I finally got around to it.

The "mini-documentaries" are as lovely as anything else on the disc. I especially liked hearing from composer Michael Kamen, now sadly deceased. Kamen scored Brazil, the Die Hard movies, Mr. Holland's Opus, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (with lyrics by Eric Idle) and the Lethal Weapon movies (with Clapton & Sanborn).

Looking like a cross between Billy Connolly and Peter Jackson, by most accounts (especially in books about the two Gilliam films) he was a genuine character. A studio minion for Columbia once insisted upon their keeping more than half of the monies he had secured to record the Munchausen score.

"If you saw the size of our payrolls, you'd understand our position." Kamen reached into his pocket and flung a few dollar bills and some change on the desk. "Pardon me," he said, turning to leave. "I didn't know things were that bad."
-Losing the Light, Andrew Yule

It's enriching to hear him talk a little about how he approached a score.

Oh, and one other thing. Near the start of the movie, the title character's crash landing in the sea nearly causes the capsizing of a boat.

The boat's name? The Annabelle.

Things you only notice after seeing a great film a few times.