DVDs for March 12 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin in 1955 Moscow:

 

Hipsters (****)

Moscow in 1955 is not where one would expect to find an engaging film bursting with color, with dazzling musical scenes, rebellious youth, striking costumes and hilarious hair styles, and a theme about the need for self expression. But this crazy 2008 musical comedy-drama, totally original but reminiscent of a mixture of Chicago, Amelie, West Wide Story and others, now reaches American shores thanks to distributor Kino Lorber. Co-writer and director Valery Todorovsky delivers an energetic work about non-conformist youths in Moscow who adapt Western style clothing and hair styles and listen and dance to forbidden American music. They naturally become targets for abuse and authoritarian repression. A basic love story about outsider Mels (Anton Shagin) falling for hot yet elusive hipster Polza (Oksana Akinshina) goes on too long and feels stretched out, but the director delivers a series of engaging musical numbers, many popping up out of nowhere, and has assembled a talented young cast to complement the Romeo and Juliet figures. Todorovksy imaginatively choreographs her scenes, spliced together with delicate editing to give a constant feel of animation. A real surprise, a real delight.

Not rated, 125 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Life of Pi (***)

 

Winner of the Best Director Oscar Ang Lee directs David Magee’s script from Yann Martel’s allegorical and fantastical novel. A boy, Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), travels with his family from India to Canada. But a shipwreck throws him into a small boat with a group of zoo animals. Quickly, they are all reduced to a computer generated tiger. The two co-exist, an incongruity that supposedly gives Zen-like life lessons to the boy. He eventually grows into the man (Irrfan Khan) who tells the story in flashback. Entertaining pseudo-spiritual diversion with elaborate special effects. The colorful film garnered four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It won four awards.

 

Rated PG, 127 minutes. The DVD comes in all formats, including Blu-ray 3-D, Blu-ray, Ultraviolet, and DVD. Various editions contains varying supplements so check labels. Included are: the 20 minute  featurette “A
Remarkable Vision,” the five minute featurette “Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright,” and the 64 minute documentary “A Filmmaker’s Epid Journey.” Plus: Five deleted scenes, VFX Progressions, stills, storyboards and more.

 

 

 

 

Tristana (***1/2)

This latest release from the Cohen Film Collection, dedicated to reviving and rescuing notable films, showcases the biting 1970 puzzle from Spanish-Mexican director Luis Bunuel. The impish provocateur loved to skewer everything, but particularly delighted in tweaking religious authorities and Franco’s government. He bases Tristana on Benito Perez’ 1892 novel updated to 1920s Toledo. Catherine Denueve stars as Tristana, orphaned and sent to live with a guardian, Don Lope (Fernando Rey). What starts out as abuse of the young woman ends up with her turning the tables on the predatory Don Lope, taking a lover (Franco Nero—seen recently in Django Unchained), and losing a leg. Bunuel blithely mixes his diverse elements to render a satirical look at Spanish norms.

Not rated, 98 minutes. This remastered new Blu-ray disc includes a brief alternate ending and a 32 minute featurette with film scholar Peter Evans analyzing the film.

 

Philo Vance Murder Case Collection: The Bishop Murder Case, The Kennel Murder Case, The Dragon Murder Case, The Casino Murder Case, The Garden Murder Case, Calling Philo Vance

Warner Archives has assembled six films on three discs from the once popular series based on novelist’s S.S. Van Dine’s gentleman detective Philo Vance. The series, developed by several movie studios, ran from 1929 to 1948 or so, with more than half a dozen actors playing Vance at some point. These assembled six films give a good sampling of the actors involved, beginning with the best, the original Vance, a pre-Thin Man William Powell. He appeared four times as Vance and is seen here in the lively The Kennel Murder Case, directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). A pre-Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone played Vance in only the desultory The Bishop Murder Case. The remaining quartet of films featuring the Manhattan sleuth starred Paul Lukas, Edmund Lowe, James Stephenson, and Warren William. The Vance films enjoyed lean scripts and some noted directors, such as Curtiz. Also, up and coming marquee names and faces pop up during the series, such as 28 year-old Rosalind Russell in Casino Murder. The films feature concise and cleverly plotted murder cases, with Vance uncovering the culprit, among many suspects, only at the finale. These six were made between 1930 and 1940. Lengths vary but run 87 minute or less.

 

Collaborator (***)

Actor Martin Donovan makes an impressive writing and directing debut in this involving psychological thriller. He also stars as Robert Longfellow, a faltering New York playwright who returns to his Los Angeles home to stay with his mother (Katherine Helmond), see an old girlfriend (Olivia Williams), a now successful actress, and grudgingly converse with Gus (David Morse), the 57 year-old neighbor he grew up across the street from. Various other sub-plots play out and build up tension along with a personal interest in Longfellow before the final parts of the film devolve into a hostage-crisis. But Donovan mostly succeeds in avoiding the cliches of that genre with deft character portrayals and some unforeseen plot twists.

Not rated, 87 minutes. The DVD contains interviews with Williams and Donovan.

 

The Devil’s in the Details (**)

What begins as a potentially engaging set of encounters between a Navy psychologist, Bruce Michaels (Ray Liotta), and a soldier, Thomas Conrad (Joel Matthews), returning from intense combat, eventually turns into substandard torture porn. Conrad, suffering the effects from combat, counsels with Michaels. Before long, Conrad, in some nefarious scheme by a Mexican cartel to smuggle drugs into the U.S., is kidnapped and tortured, a process director Waymon Boone drags on unnecessarily. 

Rated R, 100 minutes. The disc contains a 12 minute “behind-the-scenes” featurette.

 

Gun Hill Road (**1/2)

Esai Morales, as recently released convict Enrique, looks set to explode at any time throughout this first feature from writer-director Rashaad Ernesto Green. Enrique leaves prison after three years and returns to his Bronx home, where his wife, Angela (Judy Reyes), is scared and leery of him. Meanwhile, his teen son Michael (Harmony Santana) guards his new sexuality, all changes Enrique struggles to navigate without exploding.

Rated R, 86 minutes. The DVD contains an interview with director Green.

 

And, finally, for kids this week:

 

Curious George Swings Into Spring

In this full length adventure, George and best buddy Hundley decide to take a closer look at nature. They investigate the season’s new flowers and the fresh arrivals of baby animals. Before the sojourn concludes, they take a canoe ride and George becomes airborne.

Not rated, 57 minutes.

 

Angelina Ballerina: The Mouseling Mysteries, Thomas and Friends: Go Go Thomas, Barney: Play With Barney

In this new trio of unrated titles, mouseling Angelina and friends, in five episodes (61 minutes), try to solve some mysteries; Thomas and friends, in five episodes (58 minutes), learn about being quick and ready as well as other lessons; and Barney stars in four episodes (76 minutes) devoted to the benefits and responsibilities of playing with others. The individual discs include additional games, music videos, puzzles and more.

 

Also on DVD: Fairy in a Cage, Ministry of Fear, Ripper Street, Smashed.

 

 

DVDs for March 5 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin with a modern classic:

 

Schindler’s List–20^th anniversary limited edition (*****)

One of cinema’s masterpieces returns in a fully filled edition offered through all outlets and in every form. Director Steven Spielberg has helped restore his masterpiece from the original print negative for a high definition transfer. Liam Neeson stars as Oskar Schindler, a German bureaucrat, Nazi, and Catholic, who risked his own life and fortune to help countless Jews escape the Holocaust by employing them at his factory. Ralph Fiennes plays the psychopathic concentration camp commander Amon Goeth, and Ben Kingsley appears as Schindler’s confidant accountant. The film won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Rated R, 196 minutes. The newly remastered DVD includes a documentary on Spielberg’s involvement with the Shoah Foundation, and the 77 minute documentary “Voices from the List,” featurning interviews with Holocaust survivors as well as archival footage.

 

The Intouchables (***1/2)

As one of the most successful French films ever, this engaging work mixes high drama, treacly personal interaction and raucous comedy. Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano wrote and directed, delicately weaving their elements to render an entertaining but not maudlin story about two disparate men who bond while opening up each other’s lives. Francois Cluzet plays Philippe, paralyzed, dependent on caretakers, and stuck in a wheelchair. But his wealth enables him to hire endless helpers, which brings him around to hiring Driss (Omar Sy), a rough-edged yet perpetually buoyant African immigrant who always seems up for some kind of scam. But as the two men spend more time together, the more they genuinely respond to each other, not in an expected movie-cute way, but with real friendship and understanding.

Rated R, 112 minutes. The DVD also includes five deleted scenes.

 

How to Survive a Plague (****)

David France directed this moving Oscar nominated documentary about the AIDS epidemic in general but more specifically about how the activist group ACT UP, and later TAG, mobilized behind the scenes to bring help to their community. France mixes interviews with the few surviving heroes along with archival footage showing early organizing meetings in Greenwich Village where dedicated volunteers arranged not only for their signature raucous demonstrations but also for community activism, public relations, and interaction with congress as well as drug companies. What results is a much fuller picture of the group and the people behind the scenes who worked towards changing society’s prejudices and practices.

Not rated, 109 minutes. The DVD includes six deleted scenes.

 

Lay the Favorite (**)

An abundance of talent results in a surprisingly flat film, as usually reliable Stephen Frears (The Grifters, The Queen, Hi Fidelity, and many others) directed from a script from D.V. DeVincenti. An uncharacteristically crass Rebecca Hall stars as Beth, transplanted from Florida to Las Vegas in hopes of a life better than the one she had as a dancer/stripper. She lands a job as a sort of runner for Dink (Bruce Willis), a professional gambler who needs people to place sports bets for him. She learns the trade and develops a crush on Dink despite animosity from his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones). When trouble arises, Beth falls for a tourist (Joshua Jackson) and then re-locates to a Caribbean gambling spa run by a New York shyster, played by a curiously unbilled but reliably over-the-top Vince Vaughn. No real suspense or tension builds about much of anything, and what passes for romance quickly passes. Director Frears usually deals with sophisticated fare and well developed characters, but here his cut rate material about cut rate people sinks him.

Rated R, 94 minutes. The DVD includes 11 deleted scenes.

 

Fast Girls (**1/2)

This British import scores points on several fronts but suffers from an over abundance of sports-movie cliches. Young Shania (Lenora Crichlow) excels in sprint races despite her rough home life and spotty coaching. But she gains a chance to join Britain’s national team when she defeats a rival (Lily James) whose father (Rupert Graves) runs the sport’s governing body. Shania fails to blend in with her relay team, while the two youngsters end up fighting both on and off the track. Director Regan Hall uses Shania’s yearn for running to accentuate her obvious desire to run away from her roots.

Not rated, 91 minutes. The DVD contains six brief “making of” segments.

 

Wreck It Ralph (***1/2)

This Oscar nominee for Best Animated Film from Walt Disney Studios features John C. Reilly as the voice of Ralph, a video game villain who departs from the script in an attempt to establish his good guy credentials. Along the way, he teams up with some unlikely new characters, including Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman). But his departure causes unintended consequences for the arcade he left behind, setting off a series of adventures. Other notables supplying voices include Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Mindy Kaling, Alan Tudyk, Ed O’Neill.

Rated PG, 101 minutes. The DVD comes in all downloads, formats, 3D, and combo packs. Supplements, which vary, include the five part featurette “Bit by Bit,” deleted and alternate scenes, video game commercials for Ralph, the recent Oscar-winning animated short “Paperman,” a “Gamer’s Guide” to the film, and more.

 

Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie

In this first full length movie based on the Warhammer phenomenon, Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Sean Pertwee and others supply the voices for the animated creations who live in the 41^st millennium. A looming battle shapes up for the genetically enhanced Marines, now saviors for the world by default.

Rated R, 77 minutes. The DVD includes a “making of” featurette, and several additional featurettes.

 

Finally, from this week’s TV offerings:

 

Thorne (***1/2)

This two disc set includes two, three part, stories, “Sleepyhead” and “Scaredycat,” starring David Morrissey as London detective Tom Thorne. The excellent productions focus on two separate series of grisly murders, as Thorne and his close associates must uncover hidden clues, all while harboring some secrets of their own. During it all, their supervisor (Eddie Marsan) bears a grudge against Thorne and associates and aims to bring them down. The pair of dramas provide seemingly authentic analyses of British police work.

Not rated, 274 minutes.

 

H20: just add water—season one

The first season of this popular Australian series, seen on Teen Nick, arrives with further seasons to follow. The series stars three perky 16 year-old girls (played by Claire Holt, Phoebe Tonkin, Cariba Heine) who become accidentally stranded at sea, only to make their way to a mysterious island, with hidden caves and a simmering volcano. But, when they finally return home, they learn their biggest secret: they have become mermaids, a secret played mostly for laughs as the trio struggles to hide their secret.

Rated TV-Y7, 650 minutes. The set also includes a 90 minute TV movie based on season one.

 

Also on DVD: On the Road, Playing for Keeps, Red Dawn.

DVDs for Feb. 26 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin with a huckster:

 

The Master (***)

In this rich psychological drama from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, Oscar nominated Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, an enigmatic cult leader in the early 1950s. Among his budding acolytes are Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix, also Oscar nominated), an unstable ex-serviceman. Eventually, Freddie lands on a cruise ship with Dodd and a large group. Once ashore, Freddy sees Dodd draw gullible weaklings into his mind-control cult that tests participants on their sincerity and submissiveness. Anderson paints impressionistic portraits, giving short glimpses of Freddy’s destructive lifestyle, as well as gradually demonstrating how Freddy’s instability plays into Dodd’s manipulations. The thinly drawn Dodd draws obvious parallels to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology, as followers fawn at his feet while he spouts pseudo-intellectual nonsense. The often beguiling film benefits from its evocative period costumes and its excellent cast, particularly the two leads as well as Amy Adams as Dodd’s wife.

Rated R, 138 minutes. The DVD, in all formats, includes 20 minutes of outtakes and additional scenes, an eight minute “behind-the-scenes” featurette, and the 58 minute 1946 John Huston documentary on returning servicemen “Let There Be Light.”

 

Chicken With Plums (***)

Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, the creators of the Oscar-nominated animated film Persepolis, have made their beguiling live action followup steeped in magical realism and lush romanticism. Mathieu Amalric plays Nasser-Ali Kahn, a depressed violinist whose dreams and daydreams transport him out of himself when his beloved violin is broken. His moribund state can only find relief when aided by the love of a woman, Faringuisse (Maria de Medeiros), but not before he converses with the Angel of Death and learns about his future and the future of his family. The directors keep the mood dreamlike and fanciful.

Rated PG-13, 97 minutes. The DVD includes commentary from the directors, and a 15 minute filmed Q & A session at the Tribeca film festival.

 

Bullet Collector (***1/2)

This Russian import marks the debut of writer-director Alexander Vartonov. The budding talent spent six years making this striking black and white film, one that never received theatrical release in Russia because of its often grim uncompromising approach to his story of a 14 year-old boy who learns brutality from his stepfather as well as from schoolmates who bully him. The boy suffers his abuse early as Vartonov then shifts focus, filming the later parts in a boys’ reformatory. The director has stated that the film pays homage to Truffaut’s 400 Blows, and it does in the final shot, but the early part looks more  out of David Lynch’s nightmarish Eraserhead. The film is a measured yet often stunning voyage through various mental states to render shifting consciousnesses.

Not rated, 121 minutes. The DVD contains a 25 minute “making of” featurette, a three minute deleted scene, and  brief cast audition interviews with three boys. Plus: a 12 page booklet on the film.

 

Othello (***1/2)

Laurence Fishburne stars and turns in a credible performance as the title character, “honorable and valiant” Othello, in Oliver Parker’s 1995 film based on Shakespeare’s play. The director takes his production out of stage bound restrictions and opens them up enough to allow for rapid movement and exciting action. Kenneth Branagh plays “honest” Iago–”a viper,” an “inhuman dog.” Irene Jacob is fair Desdemona–”gentle, true and loving wife.” Nathaniel Parker appears as “handsome, young” Cassio–”fram’d to make women false,” and look for Michael Sheen as Lodovico, “a proper man, a very handsome man.” The film is manufactured on demand from Warner Archives.

Rated R, 123 minutes.

 

Special Forces (**1/2)

In this fairly standard action-caper directed and co-written by Stephane Rybojd, Diane Kruger stars as a French war correspondent nabbed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Lucky for her a crack crew of soldiers, headed by Djimon Hounsou, is out to rescue her. Some good action sequences, and the good guys always win.

Not rated, 109 minutes. The DVD contains five minutes of deleted scenes, and a four minute segment on the character “Marius.” 

 

Freaky Deaky (**)

Because this often craftily plotted caper-comedy finds its origins in a Elmore Leonard novel, it keeps hinting of better things that never arrive. Detective Chris (Billy Burke) lands in the middle of a con job and a potential heist among a group of addled brained schemers, including a pair of wealthy brothers (Crispin Glover, Andy Dick), a bomb loving movie director (Christian Slater), and his predatory girlfriend (Breanna Racano). It’s a shaggy dog story that never barks.

Rated R, 93 minutes. The DVD includes a five minute “making of” featurette.

 

Nobody Gets Out Alive (**)

Routine slasher sordidness based on a man whose daughter dies when hit by a drunk driver. He then comes back to haunt, and kill, numbskull teenagers who dare to venture to go into some local woods. We repeat: do not go in the woods.

Not rated, 78 minutes. The DVD contains contains commentary, seven minutes of outtakes, and a 23 minute “making of” featurette.

 

Africa

This riveting six part BBC series, hosted and narrated by David Attenborough, explores the vast African continent. A team of filmmakers, led by producer and creator Michael Gunton, veer from usual tourist haunts and capture such exotic subjects as fighting chimpanzees, acrobatic frogs, hordes of rhinoceroses gathering, and more. They also travel through jungles, the beautiful and picturesque Bale mountains, an underground lake, and bleak deserts and barren valleys. The series makes perfect family entertainment as it can be picked up and dropped at any point for visual and intellectual engagement.

Not rated, 360 minutes. The two disc DVD set includes seventy minutes of five interviews with the crew, including Gunton and Attenborough. Plus: five minutes of outtakes, and two deleted scenes. The Blu-ray comes on two discs and also includes additional supplements, such as “making of” featurettes.

 

And now, something for the kids this week:

 

Phineas and Ferb: The Perry Files: Animal Agents

Twelve episodes of this popular Disney series arrive with a decided emphasis on animal adventures. The members of the OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym), including Phineas (voice of Vincent Martella), Ferb (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Candace (Ashley Tisdale), set out to fight crime in the tri-state area.

Rated TV-G, 168 minutes.

 

Barney: Barney Loves You, Thomas and Friends—Full Steam Ahead Gift Set.

These three disc sets contain three unrated episodes each of about 45 to 60 minutes featuring the two popular children’s series. And each disc also holds individual bonus supplements, including read-along and sing-along options, as well as games, puzzles and more. The Thomas set also includes a packaged toy train.

Barney: 144 minutes, Thomas: 140 minutes.

 

Also on DVD: Border Run, Chasing Mavericks, Girls Against Boys, Holy Motors.

DVDs for Feb. 19 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin in Iran:

 

Argo (***1/2)

Ben Affleck directed this Best Picture Oscar nominee, and he also takes the lead role in the true story of a C.I.A. operative who secretly travels to Iran in 1980 in the guise of producer of a bogus science fiction film. Once in Tehran, he must extract six Americans hiding in the home of the Canadian Ambassador. Affleck squeezes drama from the chaotic and harrowing crowd scenes, yet the consistently taut and suspenseful film surprises with its abundant dark humor. The excellent supporting cast includes Tate Donovan, John Goodman, Clea Duvall, and Oscar nominated Alan Arkin.

Rated R, 120 minutes. The DVD comes in all formats and downloads. Supplements include commentary,  full length picture in picture notes, a 17 minute segment with Affleck discussing the actual events of the film, another 11 minute segment with Affleck and a former CIA agent examining the affair, and an excellent, comprehensive 47 minute featurette on “Escape from Iran: The Hollywood Option,” which gives a first hand account of the extraction.

 

The Ballad of Narayama (****)

The Criterion Collection brings to Blu-ray the darkly enigmatic 1958 jewel from often overlooked director Keisuke Kinoshita. Prolific in his time in various genres, Kinoshita here examines Japan’s attitude towards the aged. But he does it with his own stylized approach, rendering a film shot entirely in a studio amid colorful and striking sets. The story centers on an aging grandmother, Orin (Kinuyo Tanaka), burdened with the expectation of relieving her son and his fiancee of a burden when she turns 70 by venturing to the peak of Mount Narayama. The mountain serves as symbolic euthanasia, a benignly described destination that all older people must eventually visit. The old woman’s rejection and ultimate voyage play out as society’s biting indictment, yet one filled with wonder and an appreciation of life.

Not rated, 98 minutes.

 

The Thief of Bagdad (***1/2)

The Cohen Media Group has announced the release of the Cohen Film Collection, a collection of more than 700 cinematic nuggets that span the full range of the medium. Here, they have rescued and given a Blu-ray release to the rousing 1924 silent classic starring Douglas Fairbanks as Ahmed, secret suitor to a Bagdad princess. With surprisingly striking production values and with a contemporary score by Carl Davis.

Not rated, 149 minutes. The DVD includes the 17 minute featurette on the film “Flight and Fantasy: The Thief of Bagdad.”

 

Undefeated (***)

The 2011 Oscar winning documentary presents an inspirational story of a downtrodden Memphis high school football team, the Manassas Tigers. Volunteer coach Bill Courtney arrives in time for filmmakers T J Martin and Dan Lindsay to capture the team’s transformation. Martin and Lindsay also concentrate on three inner-city players who struggle to succeed.

Rated PG-13, 114 minutes. The DVD, in all formats, includes commentary, six deleted scenes and a nine minute “making of” featurette.

 

The Package (**1/2)

Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren star in this standard action-thriller set in Seattle. Austin plays a bouncer who, in order to satisfy a debt, must deliver a mysterious package to a mobster (Lundgren). Instead, emotions and tempers rise, setting off a series of battles of various sorts by director Derek Kolstad.

Rated R, 95 minutes.

 

Mimesis (***)

Astute horror fans might find familiar this clever work from director and co-writer Douglas Schulze, as his on-screen characters are stuck into a situation eerily yet intentionally similar to the plot of horror classic “Night of the Living Dead.” The group of seven, all mostly unknown to each other, wake to find themselves at a rural farm house after a night of revelry, wearing different clothes and unfamiliar with their surroundings. When they learn that zombies are outside, threatening to munch on them if they leave, they realize that each is taking a real life part similar to a movie role. But Schulze, like the creators of the snarky “The Cabin in the Woods,” has more hidden tricks, as, not surprisingly, not everything, or everyone, is what it or he seems.

Rated R, 95 minutes.

 

Cyclist (**1/2)

Beautiful Utah mountains make palatable this routine drama that amounts mostly to a celebration of cycling. K.C. Clyde plays Phil Nash, a bike messenger who loses his job and his girlfriend, enough simultaneous trauma to drive him towards his ultimate dream of bike racing. With new friends and a fresh start, he tackles the task laid before him by writer-director and obvious cyclist enthusiast John Lawrence.

Not rated, 89 minutes. The DVD contains deleted scenes.

 

And now, something for the kids:

 

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss—Collector’s Edition

This impressive collection of Dr. Seuss TV specials holds such favorites as “Green Eggs and Ham,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “The Cat in the Hat,” “The Lorax,” “Horton Hears a Who!” and more.

Not rated. The set includes a documentary on Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), four bonus Dr. Seuss classic cartoons, four interactive puzzles, a featurette on how the Grinch made it to Hollywood, and more.

 

The Red Hen . . . and more cooking stories

Scholastic Schoolbook Treasures presents these four tales centered on cooking from Caldecott Award winning father and daughter team Ed and Rebecca Emberley. In the title piece, Red Hen has help from friends cat, rat, frog and others to help bake a cake. Lily Tomlin and Michael McKean pitch in with the narration.

Not rated, 56 minutes. The disc also holds a cake recipe and read-along captioning.

 

Babar—the movie

In this full length animated treat, the King of the Elephants joins his friends to thwart Ratases and rescue future Queen Celeste.

Rated G, 98 minutes. The disc also includes the Babar TV episode “Monkey Business.”

 

And finally, from deep in the TV vault comes a classic:

 

Naked City: 20 Star Filled Episodes

The first face on-screen in the first episode, of twenty, on the first disc, of five, of this revered police drama that ran from 1958 to 1963 is that of Robert Morse, known nowadays as Senior Partner Bert Cooper on “Mad Men.” About fifteen minutes later, an unbilled, and impossibly young, Dustin Hoffman appears. William Shatner stars in the second episode, Peter Fonda and Martin Sheen in the third. And so it goes throughout these selected episodes that showcase the finest acting talent that was then available in New York, a fertile time of the Actors Studio and Lee Strasberg’s Method classes. The weekly ABC series starred Paul Burke, Horace McMahon, and Harry Bellaver as the trio of working detectives who would break cases while showing fatherly concern for those they arrest, mostly men. Unlike today’s police procedurals, each episode would usually focus on one crime and one individual, giving the series ground-breaking psychological depth.

Not rated, 972 minutes.

 

Also on DVD: Fun Size, Game of Thrones—second season, Prison, Sinister.

DVDs for Feb. 12 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin with Bond, James Bond:

 

Skyfall (***1/2)

James Bond returns with Daniel Craig again bringing new life to the exploits of 007. Bond takes it personally this time when his boss M (Judi Dench) and Britain’s spy agency MI6 come under attack. Javier Bardem plays Silva, the villainous ex-agent pitted against Bond, who must find his nemesis and capture him. But once apprehended, Silva shows the infinite resourcefulness of Bond villains to prolong the misery long enough for Bond to return to his ancestral home, Skyfall. Bond eventually finds and brings back Silva, but that only sets the stage for further action and adventure. Director Sam Mendes delivers on the action but also takes time and care to create a personal drama, making this Bond film unlike its predecessors. With an excellent seasoned cast that includes Albert Finney but one also filled with new faces that presage future Bond films: Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris.

Rated PG-13, 143 minutes. The DVD includes a fourteen part “making of” featurette, a pair of commentaries, and a look at the “Skyfall” premier.

 

The Sessions (****)

Writer-director Ben Lewin based this touching film on a personal acquaintance, Mark O’Brien, played here by John Hawkes. The thirty eight year-old lies almost continuously in an iron lung, but he has natural longings. He wants to experience the delights and treasures of most men his age, which naturally includes sex. Through an intermediary, he recruits Cheryl (Oscar nominated Helen Hunt) to become his “sexual therapist,” a misleading title that hardly explains how she opens up his life. She does so with sensitivity, care, humor, and intelligence, provided by Lewin with a masterly touch. 

Rated R, 95 minutes. The DVD contains deleted scenes and featurettes on “The Women Who Loved Mark O’Brien,” John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, Ben Lewin, and “A Session with the Cast.” Plus, an ultraviolet copy of the film.

 

 

Bully (***)

This hard-to-watch yet engrossing documentary depicts brutal acts of bullying of a cross section of adolescents of four boys and one girl from different parts of the country. But what makes it so painful is that in addition to the bullying, director Lee Hirsch stays with his subjects as they recoil into their inner selves, trying, and often failing, to cope with their situations. One case ends in suicide and another plays out with the child taking a gun on board a bus. Hirsch also documents some of the efforts to help remedy the aggression. Adults could possibly be easily enraged at the injustices—where are the parents, the teachers, the school authorities?

Rated PG-13, 99 minutes. The DVD, available in all formats, includes 12 deleted scenes.

 

White Zombie (**1/2)

Kino Lorber, through Kino Classics, re-masters and gives a Blu-ray debut to this 1932 oddity starring a leering Bela Lugosi as “Murder” Legendre, the zombie overseer on a Haitian plantation. With brother Edward producing for their own company, Victor Halperin directed, showing a surprising technical facility with diagonal split screens and diagonal wipes. Halperin, however, avoids the gore and rapidity of today’s zombie treats and keeps to the genre’s traits of the era with an often funeral pace in telling the story of a plantation owner (Robert Frazer) entertaining an engaged young couple (Madge Bellamy, John Harron). The young bride dies after the wedding but quickly re-appears in the form of a catatonic zombie, setting up the finale.

Not rated, 67 minutes. The new Blu-ray also includes a “raw,” unpolished, version of the film, giving a contrast to this remastered edition. Plus, a nine minute casual interview with a journalist circa 1932 with Lugosi in his Hollywood home.

 

 

 

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (***)

This engrossing documentary examines Diana Vreeland, the fashion editor for 25 years at Harper’s Bazaar. The prickly icon followed that impressive run with additional forays as editor-in-chief at Vogue magazine and then as head of the Art Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Director Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Diana Vreeland’s grand-daughter-in-law, combines archival footage and interviews and readings from private papers.

Rated PG-13, 86 minutes. The DVD also includes x minutes of extra interviews.

 

A Late Quartet (***)

New York’s Fugue String Quartet has a crisis in this melodrama that examines the touchy relationships that build after four artists perform together for 25 years. Yaron Silberman co-wrote and directed this often overwrought but still engaging look at an aging cellist (Christopher Walken) who must retire when he develops the on-set of Parkinson’s. It sets off jealousies and unexposed rivalries with the group’s first violinist (Mark Ivanir), second violinist (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his wife, the violist (Catherine Keener). Before long, other complications arise, such as replacing the cellist, an affair, a jealous daughter, and more. Much of the dialogue centers on classical music, its history, how to make it, and its beauty. Sometimes the talk grows technical but not so much that the personal dramas are ever overshadowed.

Rated R, 105 minutes. The DVD includes “Discord and Harmony,” an eight minute “making of” featurette.

 

Seeds of Destruction (**1/2)

Qualified praise goes to this Syfy channel release because, for what it is, the cheesy horror flick succeeds on its own terms. Although based on an outrageous premise, the narrative is complex, with several plot lines running throughout, all related to the main problem of runaway seeds. The seeds in question are no less than those used in the Garden of Eden. Yes, that Garden of Eden. Now taken from a recovered urn, the seeds fall to earth, creating a wide network of giant roots, plants and other scary herbivores that threaten to overrun the country. Naturally, with national security on the line, stern looking federal agents and beautiful scientists must confer to stop the deadly menace—and all with a straight face. With Adrian Pasdar, Stefanie von Pfetten, Jesse Moss, James Morrison.

Not rated, 91 minutes.

 

Duck Dodgers: Dark Side of the Duck

In the first season of this 2003 TV series, Daffy Duck is Duck Dodgers, earth guardian and intergalactic hero. The amiable but combative Duck fights Martians, including the Queen (voice of Tia Carrere), with his laser gun which looks a lot like a duck. The season’s 13 episodes come on two discs.

Not rated, 298 minutes. The collection also holds the bonus cartoon “Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century.”

 

And, from this week’s TV files:

 

Family Matters—season three

The third of nine seasons of this once popular series arrives, with Jaleel White reprising his role as the goofy, likable Steve Urkel, the youngster who amuses and confuses his family. This season sees him in the school play, entering a rope climbing contest, falling harder for Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams), sleepwalking, inventing a robot, and more. The season’s 25 episodes come on three discs. With Reginald VelJohnson, Darius McCrary, Jo Marie Payton.

Not rated, 568 minutes.

 

Also on DVD: The Man With the Iron Fists, Perks of Being a Wallflower.

DVDs for Feb. 5 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin in a wartime Soviet Union:

 

Ivan’s Childhood (***1/2)

The Criterion Collection gives a Blu-ray release to Andrei Tarkovsky’s stunning 1962 debut film with a high-definition digital transfer from the fine grain master positive. Cleaned up for sound and picture, the striking black and white film shimmers in its depiction of a grim Soviet outpost during World War II. There, a strikingly skinny but brave 12 year-old boy, Ivan (Nikolai Burlyaev), works as a reconnaissance scout for the army as they face a Nazi brigade in close combat. He swims a wide river and goes behind enemy lines, giving him a hot temper along with a well earned arrogance. When superiors try to send him back to military school, he escapes to return to his unit. Tarkovsky made this film fresh from Soviet film school when war films were still in vogue, but his deft handling of material shows a mature hand as well as glimpses of his future masterpieces. He teams with cinematographer Vadim Yusov to render a film consistently striking in imagery, composition, and visual tropes.

Not rated, 95 minutes. The disc also holds a 31 minute interview with film historian Vida T. Johnson and brief interviews with Vadim Yusov and an adult Burlyaev.

 

Little White Lies (***)

Best Acting Oscar winners Marion Cotillard and Jean Dujardin appear in this French comedy-drama written and directed by acclaimed artist Guillaume Canet (The Intouchables, Tell No One). Set mainly on Cap Ferrat on the sunny Mediterranean coast, the film chronicles a group of friends gathered for a vacation. But old friends bring up old grudges, and old romances that won’t die come back to life. What was scheduled as a fun, leisurely respite turns into a stress filled Riviera cauldron. Canet prolongs the misery long enough to make viewers want to leave as much as the guests want to. With Francois Cluzet, Gilles Lellouche.

Not rated, 154 minutes. The DVD includes a nine minute “behind the scenes” featurette.

 

And for kids this week:

 

Peter Pan (****1/2)–Diamond Edition

Of the many film versions–animated, live and even silent–of James M. Barrie’s timeless children’s tale, this 1953 version from Walt Disney ranks at the top. Now celebrating its 60^th anniversary with a Blu-ray debut, the still remarkably colorful film marks one of the few times that the Disney factory had all members of the famous animation team, the so-called “Nine Old Men,” working on the project. Bobby Driscoll voices Peter Pan, and the Darling family sports a cast well known at the time, including Hans Conreid as both Captain Hook and Mr. Darling. Tom Conway narrates.

Rated G, 77 minutes. The DVD comes in all available formats and combo packs. New features include commentaries and featurettes on the “Nine Old Men,” a “Disney Intermission,” and an introduction from Diane Disney Miller. Plus: deleted scenes and songs, a “making of” featurette, a segment with Tinker Bell, and much more.

 

Elmo’s World: All Day with Elmo

Elmo returns in eight episodes that follow the popular Sesame Street character around for a full day. Kids can wake up, go to school, exercise, and even brush their teeth and prepare for bed with Elmo as they follow him. Counting, learning healthy habits and elevating self-confidence are just a few of the life lessons.

Not rated, 122 minutes

 

Stone Soup . . . and other stories from the Asian tradition, and Stories about African American Heritage featuring March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World

Scholastic Schoolbook Treasures releases two titles examining different heritages and traditions. Stone Soup (not rated, 43 minutes) contains four animated tales with Asian themes, with the title story from author/illustrator Jon J. Muth, who also sits for an interview on the supplements. Other segments include “The Five Chinese Brothers: A Red Riding Hood Story from China,” “Lon Po Po,” and “The Stonecutter.” B.D. Wong narrates. The disc also contains read-along captioning and the aforementioned Muth interview. The three disc set March On! (not rated, 200 minutes) features thirteen animated stories from various renowned authors and illustrators. The title disc, written by Christine King Farris and narrated by Lynn Whitfield, holds stories about African American history. One disc concentrates on Duke Ellington, and one highlights African folk tales: “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.” The prestigious cast of narrators includes Samuel L. Jackson, Forest Whitaker, James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, and Michael Clarke Duncan.  The set also holds read-along captioning, discussion questions and interviews with various authors and narrators.

 

And, finally, from this week’s TV offerings:

 

Southland—the complete seasons two, three, and four

Warner Home Video has now made it easier to catch up for anyone who has missed the recent seasons of television’s best and most praised police drama. The 26 episodes of three seasons have been assembled onto six discs along with bounteous supplements. The series breaks ground with its authentic portrayals not only of life behind the badge but life in some of the more dangerous sections of Los Angeles. Breaking in rookies, having a drug-addicted partner, and carrying on a forbidden romance all figure into the on-going drama that fill each episode, while several running dramas run throughout the series. Each episode contains a complete whodunit. The series is filmed in a gritty, saturated hue, always filled with inventive camerawork and imaginative angles that help capture the sense of life on the streets. The excellent cast includes Michael Cudlitz, Regina King, Ben McKenzie, Kevin Alejandro, Shawn Hatosy, Clifton Collins Jr. and others.

Not rated, 1094 minutes. The collection also offers a total of nine deleted scenes and one alternate scene, a 20 minute “Crime Tour” from season two, select scene commentary for season two, and the 16 minute featurette “Backing the Badge,” with cast and producers examining the series after season two.

 

Also on DVD: Alex Cross, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Deadfall, Flight.

DVDs for Jan. 29 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin somewhere in Europe:

 

This Land is Mine (***)

On Demand Warner Archives releases this unheralded 1943 unrated feature that boasts a remarkable pedigree. After Jean Renoir had directed his masterpieces Grand Illusion and Rules of  the Game, he came to the U.S. to escape the Nazis. While here, he turned out a limited yet varied assortment of films. In This Land (103 minutes), he follows the jingoistic script by legendary scribe Dudley Nichols (Stagecoach, and Oscar winner for The Informer). The story takes place “Somewhere in Europe” in an anonymous small town occupied by Germans. A timid, cowardly school teacher, Albert (Charles Laughton), lives with his mother (Una O’Conner) but is secretly in love with Louise (Maureen O’Hara), his neighbor and fellow teacher. But she is engaged to a collaborating local industrialist George (George Sanders). When several acts of sabotage make the Nazis repress the citizenry further, Albert stumbles but then rights himself when he finally has a chance to show bravery. Nichols and Renoir often pause for speeches about democracy, liberty, freedom and the tyranny of the Nazis, but they deliver some solid entertainment even while painting with the broad strokes of the war-time era.

 

Cherry Tree Lane (*)

It is somehow comforting to see that the British film industry can also turn out pure pieces of junk. In this psychological-thriller, of sorts, written and directed by Paul Andrew William, a staid middle-aged couple, Christine and Michael (Rachael Blake and Tom Butcher), eat their dinner when three young thugs break in, supposedly looking for the couple’s son. The trio ties up the couple and then abuses them both orally, physically and sexually for the next hour. In between, the assaults combine with snippets of inane dialogue that offer no insight and no further plot development until the threesome receive their inevitable comeuppance, delivered in expected violent fashion. The film’s only redeeming quality is its blissful brevity.

Not rated, 77 minutes.

 

The Wild Bill Elliott Double Feature—Fargo (***), The Homesteaders (***1/2)

Warner Archives also releases this manufactured-on-demand unrated double bill, on a single disc, both directed by Lewis Collins. They star once famous movie cowboy Bill Elliott. At one stretch during the 1940s and 1950s, Bill ranked as one of moviedom’s top ten cowboys for fifteen years. But he was not exactly wild as, at some point in most of his movies, he usually pauses long enough to state some variation of his recurring theme of “I’m a peaceable man.” In fact, Bill usually adapts a taciturn, sullen demeanor, one best fitted to wiping out the bad guys when the time comes. In Fargo (1952, 69 minutes), Bill travels from Texas to the Dakota territory when his brother dies during a brewing range war between cattlemen and farmers. He arrives just in time to cool tempers while still landing in a few scrapes and fistfights yet avoiding his trademark backward-draw twin revolvers. The Homesteaders (62 minutes) debuted 1953, the same year as the French thriller Wages of Fear. Considering how fast studios like Monogram Pictures turned out these oaters, it’s hard to overlook the plot similarities between the two. Here, Wild Bill plays an Oregon farmer right after the Civil War. In order to blow up rocks and clear the fields for himself and fellow farmers, he buys a shipment of so-called bad dynamite from the army. He then hires a troop of undisciplined soldiers just released from the army stockade. They must transport the delicate cargo through Indian territory and, if they succeed, they look to clash with a gang determined to steal the cargo. Poor Bill then navigates among these foes, providing for taut entertainment.

 

The Love Section (**1/2)

In this fairly standard romantic-comedy, Lawrence Adisa, who also wrote the screenplay, appears as Ali, a moderately successful real estate agent. But more importantly, he is a single man who loves the ladies. He loves them, and he then he leaves them. He hits unknown territory, however, when he meets Sandrine (Davetta Sherwood), a single mom who wants more than a one night stand. Suddenly, Ali questions himself and his habits. With Mekhi Phifer, Brian Hooks, and directed by Ronnie Warner.

Not rated, 100 minutes.

 

And, finally, from this week’s TV offerings:

 

The Men Who Built America

This eight part mini-series, on three discs, ran on cable channel History, and it examines the lives of some now legendary industrialists: Cornelius Vanderbilt, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford. The series uses dramatic re-enactments to examine points in the men’s lives that led to their eventual successes. Along the way, an amazingly impressive list of current day financial figures and renowned entrepreneurs testify to the men’s legacies: Russell Simmons, Jim Cramer, Alan Greenspan, Steve Wozniak, Mark Cuban, Jack Welch, Donald Trump, Steve Wynn and others. Various historians also add background and valuable information on the men. As the series approaches modern times, more archival footage, newsreel and clips appear. Peripheral figures such as Thomas A. Edison, Nikola Tesla, William Jennings Bryan and others play roles. A major fault with the series, however, comes with the needless repetition of footage in each episode.

Not rated, 360 minutes. The collection also includes a total of seven brief featurettes spread among the three discs. They further examine points of interest, such as “Monopoly” and “Traits of a Titan.”

 

Also on DVD: The Awakening, Downton Abby—season three, Paranormal Activity 4, Seven Psychopaths.

DVDs for Jan. 15, 2013 by Boo Allen

 

This week we begin in the Eternal City:

To Rome With Love (***)

Woody Allen continues his European tour with this slight, breezy but ultimately enjoyable romantic-comedy romp centering mostly on four people or couples whose lives intertwine while in Rome. An American architect replays his youth, an average Roman man suddenly becomes famous, a young couple from Italy’s rural area visits the big city and finds surprises, and an opera singer is discovered in an unlikely place. But wait, there’s more. Allen always assembles excellent casts while also showcasing young talent. With Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill, Roberto Begnini, Carol Alt, Flavio Parenti, and Allen appears as one of the parents of the young American students.

Rated R, 112 minutes. The DVD, in all formats and varieties, includes the nine minute “making of” featurette: “Con Amore: A Passion for Rome.”

 

Frankenweenie (***1/2)

Tim Burton co-wrote and directed this imaginative stop-motion treat that centers on a boy, Victor Frankenstein (voice of Charlie Tahan), who grieves so much when his dog Sparky dies that he follows in the tradition of his Frankenstein ancestors and uses his scientific skills to bring the pooch back to life. Unfortunately, his school-mates pressure him into showing them how he did it, leading them to perform the same procedures on their own dead pets. As a result, creepy monsters in various forms prowl the town, a prolonged sequence that could be frightening for the youngest audiences. Avid film fans will appreciate how Burton slides in winking homages to many horror classics.

Rated PG, 87 minutes. The DVD comes in all formats and in various combo packs. Supplements, which vary according to the version so check labels, include a brief original short “Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers,” a five minute featurette on the Frankenweenie touring exhibit, a 23 minute “making of” featurette, a music video, and a 30 minute original live action short which was Tim Burton’s progenitor for the full length movie.

 

The Possession (***)

This slowly evolving tale of devilry takes its cues from the archetype of the possession genre, The Exorcist. But one of the unexpected twists in the frequently chilling horror flick from Danish director Ole Bardenal (Nightwatch) is that when the time comes to drive a demon from the body of young Emily Brenek (Natasha Calis), it’s done by an Orthodox Rabbi. The possession itself comes when Emily buys a mysterious box at an estate sale. When she opens it, a Dibbuk, a “dislocated spirit,” enters her body. Eventually, her strange, erratic and often violent behavior alerts her divorced parents Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick) who finally decide to bring in the rabbi.

Rated PG-13, 92 minutes. The disc also contains a 13 minute featurette focusing on the lore behind the Dibbuk’s box.

 

Love Me (**1/2)

Teen angst and a potentially creepy killer combine in this routine rendering of the new boy (Jamie Johnston) entering school, and falling for the hot girl (Lindsey Shaw), who is then warned off by her friends—seems like the new boy might have been involved in the disappearance of another girl. Suspicion mounts. Or not.

Rated PG-13, 97 minutes. The DVD includes a seven minute “behind-the-scenes” featurette, and a six minute featurette with cast interviews from the set.

 

 

And now, for some stand-up comedy:

 

Joan Rivers: Don’t Start With Me (**1/2)

Joan Rivers and Don Rickles are perhaps the only two performers in the world with audiences who want to be insulted. And Rivers certainly hits all the targets in this filmed performance that also offers a few personal glimpses, that is if one actually exists for the constantly performing Rivers. Nearing eighty, the animated Rivers prowls the stage, feigning sex acts, mimicking corpses, and spouting out epithets to everyone.

Not rated, 69 minutes.

 

Harland Williams: A Force of Nature (**1/2)

Manic comedian Harland Williams is too much for a simple auditorium to hold him and his stand-up act. So, for this recorded performance, director Tom Stern captures Williams as he has ventured into the Mojave desert to deliver his zaniness, seemingly alone and straight into the camera as he screams, yells, jumps around, and fills the desert with his bellowing sounds.

Not rated, 54 minutes. The DVD includes a brief “nature interview” with more of Williams talking straight to the camera.

 

And now, something for the smallest among us:

 

Thomas and Friends: Muddy Matters

In these five episodes, and a bonus segment, Thomas the Tank and his friends land in the dirt when they try to be helpful.

Not rated, 58 minutes. The disc also holds a music video, puzzles and a game.

 

And, finally, from this week’s TV offerings:

 

The Hour 2

This excellent period drama from the B.B.C. originally looked like it was going to last for only one six part mini-series. Surely it would be too hard to re-assemble the fine, well known ensemble cast. But back they all are to tell the story of the British broadcasting team in 1957 who now must deal with the intricate plottings of police corruption bleeding over into affairs of national security. Bel (Romola Garai) proves to be a ferocious producer despite the rampant sexism, Freddie (Ben Whishaw) returns from America, and Hector (Dominique West) looks to jump at a lucrative competitor’s offer before being derailed by a possible sex scandal. And Peter Capaldi (In the Loop) joins the cast as the Head of News. Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) created and wrote the well executed drama.

Not rated, 160 minutes. The two discs hold six episodes along with a 12 minute “behind-the-scenes” featurette with ample cast and crew interviews.

 

 

Also on DVD: The Man Who Knew Too Much, Taken 2, Won’t Back Down.