DVD of the week

Criterion has put out an absolutely beautiful two-disc set of Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho. Rewatching the film within the context of Van Sant's recent work (Elephant and Gerry), which marked a return to his art-house roots, shows how much of a restless talent he has always been (a fact that can be forgotten in the face of Finding Forrester and Good Will Hunting). And yes, it is still sad to consider what River Phoenix could have become had he not overdosed.