It seems like we were only just sitting in the multiplex and getting transported to its fantasyland, but The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (read my review/buy at Amazon) arrives on DVD today. With its sweeping landscapes and enormous battles, it’s hard to see how this delightful flick won’t be diminished on the small screen, at least in part. On the other hand, some of the most charming aspects of the film are small and intimate, particularly Georgie Henley’s little Lucy and her tender relationship with the faun Mr. Tumnus, played by James McAvoy.

Brokeback Mountain (read my review/buy at Amazon) is actually still playing in some theaters, riding its award-season wave of audience interest, but it arrives on DVD today, too. And not just on DVD. Its emotionality plays extremely well on the small screen, but while some home viewers are increasing their screen sizes with widescreen HDTVs, others are going smaller and watching films on their PCs:

[T]he Oscar-winning gay cowboy drama will help Hollywood embrace the brave new world, becoming the studios' first major title to debut as a download-to-own movie on the same day it's out on DVD.

[from E! Online]

Ironic, isn’t it, that the first film to embrace this brave new day-and-date distribution channel is all about equally and respect for minority perspectives when neither of the services offering legal movie downloads does:

Movielink is utterly dismissive of a significant portion of computer users:

Sorry, but as of May 2, 2005, Movielink no longer supports Windows 98 and ME operating systems. Movielink also does not support Mac or Linux.

In order to enjoy the Movielink service, you must use Windows 2000 or XP, which support certain technologies we utilize for downloading movies.

And so is CinemaNow:

In order to make full use of CinemaNow and be able to watch and purchase all of our different files and products you will need:
•Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
•Windows XP
•Windows Media Player 10
•A 300K or better Internet connection: we recommend a cable or DSL connection.

Bigots.