Extra 'Office' is worth the time
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, September 02, 2007
If you think you've seen "The Office," think again.
In the third season DVD, out Tuesday, there are so many extras you'll wonder where you've been.
In addition to lots of deleted scenes (enough to craft several whole episodes), the release includes entries in the "Make Your Own Promo" contest, the Dwight Schrute music video and a cute "Kevin Cooks Stuff in the Office."
Using the office microwave oven, Kevin makes quesadillas out of potato chips and squeeze cheese. He also attempts creme brulee but has a little problem. The show-within-a-show is great fun -- like getting a letter from a friend who hasn't written in ages -- and just the bonus you want from a TV package.
There also are "Toby wraparounds" that talk about the world of human resources and an interview with Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" TV creator) that explaisn why he didn't bring the same vampire eye to the Emmy-winning comedy series.
In the deleted section, you'll find plenty of info about Dwight, Michael and Michael's girlfriend Jan. There's some racy stuff, too, and a blooper reel that should please any fan.
Still, the series is the reason to buy Season Three. The episodes (from Phyllis' wedding to the Diwali festival) are filled with the kind of irony any office worker would enjoy. It's a package that's almost as moving as a Dwight bobblehead.
Also: 'Georgia Rule'
Lindsay Lohan is sent to live with her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda) when she proves too difficult for her mother (Felicity Huffman) and stepfather (Carey Elwes). The folks figure Georgia's "rules" will knock some sense in her.
Unfortunately, they don't take. After Georgia gets her a job with a veterinarian (Dermot Mulroney) and she promptly comes on to him, a Mormon boy and just about anyone else in Georgia's sleepy little Idaho town.
While this might have been a fair follow-up to "On Golden Pond," it tackles too many social issues to really get at the heart of mother/daughter/granddaughter relationships.
Director Garry Marshall has a good cast and an OK premise, but his film's script undercuts everything. It's bland, unfocused and beneath the talent performing it.
Worse, Lohan barely tries to act. Relying more on looks (Paris Hilton-type looks), she doesn't invest any energy in anything. She walks through the film when she should walk away with it.
Huffman doesn't do herself any favors, either. She waffles far too much and doesn't give us a real character to hate, like or pity.
Fonda, meanwhile, goes whole hog, even though she's cast in a role that's hardly worthy of her talent. Playing a pursed, cold woman, she tries to approximate father Henry's demeanor in "On Golden Pond." It's an interesting take but, ultimately, a wrong one.
By the time Fonda, Huffman and Lohan come to a conclusion about their relationship, it's clear the ultimate "Georgia Rule" is anything goes.
In the third season DVD, out Tuesday, there are so many extras you'll wonder where you've been.
In addition to lots of deleted scenes (enough to craft several whole episodes), the release includes entries in the "Make Your Own Promo" contest, the Dwight Schrute music video and a cute "Kevin Cooks Stuff in the Office."
Using the office microwave oven, Kevin makes quesadillas out of potato chips and squeeze cheese. He also attempts creme brulee but has a little problem. The show-within-a-show is great fun -- like getting a letter from a friend who hasn't written in ages -- and just the bonus you want from a TV package.
There also are "Toby wraparounds" that talk about the world of human resources and an interview with Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer's" TV creator) that explaisn why he didn't bring the same vampire eye to the Emmy-winning comedy series.
In the deleted section, you'll find plenty of info about Dwight, Michael and Michael's girlfriend Jan. There's some racy stuff, too, and a blooper reel that should please any fan.
Still, the series is the reason to buy Season Three. The episodes (from Phyllis' wedding to the Diwali festival) are filled with the kind of irony any office worker would enjoy. It's a package that's almost as moving as a Dwight bobblehead.
Also: 'Georgia Rule'
Lindsay Lohan is sent to live with her grandmother Georgia (Jane Fonda) when she proves too difficult for her mother (Felicity Huffman) and stepfather (Carey Elwes). The folks figure Georgia's "rules" will knock some sense in her.
Unfortunately, they don't take. After Georgia gets her a job with a veterinarian (Dermot Mulroney) and she promptly comes on to him, a Mormon boy and just about anyone else in Georgia's sleepy little Idaho town.
While this might have been a fair follow-up to "On Golden Pond," it tackles too many social issues to really get at the heart of mother/daughter/granddaughter relationships.
Director Garry Marshall has a good cast and an OK premise, but his film's script undercuts everything. It's bland, unfocused and beneath the talent performing it.
Worse, Lohan barely tries to act. Relying more on looks (Paris Hilton-type looks), she doesn't invest any energy in anything. She walks through the film when she should walk away with it.
Huffman doesn't do herself any favors, either. She waffles far too much and doesn't give us a real character to hate, like or pity.
Fonda, meanwhile, goes whole hog, even though she's cast in a role that's hardly worthy of her talent. Playing a pursed, cold woman, she tries to approximate father Henry's demeanor in "On Golden Pond." It's an interesting take but, ultimately, a wrong one.
By the time Fonda, Huffman and Lohan come to a conclusion about their relationship, it's clear the ultimate "Georgia Rule" is anything goes.
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