Arts & Entertainment

'Spirited Away' from theater to DVD

Nathan Nix
The Daily Cougar

The marathon of Academy Award-winning films being released on DVD picks up steam this week with the winner of best animated feature film, Spirited Away, one of the most acclaimed animated films ever to come from Japan.

The all-time Japanese box-office champion from celebrated filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki follows a little girl, Chihiro, through a deserted amusement park as she works for the witch Yubaba, who runs the spa for traditional Japanese gods and spirits where Chihiro's parents are being held captive.

Among the DVD's many features is a behind-the-scenes look at the filmis production process in which we are allowed to see the director miming the motions he wants the characters to perform.

Another foreign film being released this week is The Transporter, a high-adrenaline film from Hong Kong director Corey Yuen and co-produced by the legendary French director Luc Besson.

Starring British action idol Jason Statham (Snatch) as high-profile mob transporter Frank Martin, the film follows Martin as he tries to stop the smuggling of Chinese slaves through the French port of Marseilles.

DVD extras include 15 minutes of unrated, previously unreleased fight sequences and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

For those who might have been discouraged from pursuing a career in rock ini roll as a result of viewing the Radiohead documentary Meeting People is Easy, be of good cheer -- musicians do have one of the best jobs on Earth. For proof, look no further than Ryan Adamsi new DVD, Music in High Places -- Ryan Adams (Live in Jamaica).

It is the 14th release in the Music in High Places series, a collection of DVDs that present popular artists such as the Deftones, Shawn Colvin and Alanis Morissette putting on concerts and providing tours of exotic locales such as Bora Bora, Hawaii, Italy and Morocco.

In addition to the two featurettes, "Jamaica -- the Real Story" and "Ryan and Toots," the viewer is treated to live performances ranging from songs off Adamsi breathtaking solo debut, Heartbreaker, up through his current album, Demolition.

Rapper 50 Centis new DVD, The New Breed, will serve as a great compliment to his widely successful debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin. The DVD contains live footage and many other extras, such as an interview with G-Unit rapper Tony Yayo from his jail cell, and includes a bonus three-track maxi-CD featuring new music from 50 Cent and G-Unit.
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