'Snicket's' fortunate DVD release

When I bought the DVD for "A Series of Unfortunate Events," there were some special features left in the bag. When I pulled off the sticky plastic taping, there were special features stuck to it. When I opened the DVD case, special features fell out and got all over my living room.\nOn the two-disc set, there are at least 20 special features. Some are crap, but those that are good make this a must-have for both fans of the movie and fans of the movie making process. \nThe movie itself is a delight. It tells the story of the three terribly unfortunate Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Their parents are killed in a mysterious fire and they are sent to live with the evil Count Olaf, who makes it clear that he is out to get their money.\nJim Carrey's screen tests, which constitute a large portion of the features on the first disc, are hysterical. Director Brad Silberling and the actor go through a question and answer banter session in order to try out the new costuming. "Eighty percent of the material in the movie comes from these improv sessions. People asked me 'how do you control Jim Carrey?' You don't control Jim Carrey," Silberling said in an interview. \n"Orphaned Scenes" contains deleted scenes and outtakes, including one of Kara Hoffman, who played Sunny Baudelaire, falling asleep during a take. Many of the deleted scenes feel a lot like the scenes in the movie, but with minor alterations. It was sometimes hard to understand why a given scene would be removed, although I have a feeling time constraints were a factor. \nSeveral other features detail the process of capturing sound on a film set or the tricks behind getting the musical score just right.\nBut the best feature, far and away, was the documentary about the computer generated elements of the movie. Sunny, the infant Baudelaire, is often in strange situations, but I simply assumed that they used blue screen or some kind of clever shooting. When I realized that the entire baby is computer generated, my jaw hit the floor. When I realized just how much of her screen time is computer generated, I nearly fell off my chair. Screw Gollum from the "Lord of the Rings" series. Sunny Baudelaire just became the leading lady of computer generated characters. The feature details the whole sweaty process of creating a lifelike baby, from the motion capture process to the challenge of moderating the blue undertones that are unique to a baby's skin. It's simply amazing.\nBuy the one-disc set if you liked the movie, but if you loved the movie or you simply love the process of making a movie, splurge and get the two-disc set.