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vidlib@videolibrarian.com
 Updated September 2, 2008 |
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The Carmen Miranda Collection  Fox, 5 discs, 431 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98 
It is a testament to Carman Miranda’s (1909-1955) status as a larger-than-life pop culture icon that she warrants a DVD box set for films in which she isn’t even the star (though without her, they would be merely pleasant diversions). The best film in this five-disc bunch, 1943’s The Gang’s All Here is a splashy Technicolor riot directed by the legendary Busby Berkeley: never mind Alice Faye’s showgirl or James Ellison’s smitten soldier—all eyes are on “The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat,” who plays matchmaker when she isn’t otherwise wowing audiences at a New York nightclub (which, judging by the spectacular production numbers, must have a stage the size of the Roman Colosseum). There’s no denying the camp value of a phalanx of showgirls manipulating massive bananas while Miranda sings, “Some people say I dress too gay/But every day I feel so gay/And when I’m gay I dress that way/Something wrong with that?” Suffice to say, they absolutely do not make ‘em like this anymore. New to DVD, Something for the Boys (1944) is an entertaining “let’s put on a show” musical starring the unlikely trio of Miranda, Vivian Blaine, and Phil Silvers (with hair!) as three cousins who decide to convert the dilapidated mansion they’ve inherited into a home for army wives. From the same year (also making its DVD debut), Greenwich Village stars Don Ameche as a composer who enters the bohemian world of New York’s Latin Quarter, where Miranda works as a fortune teller at William Bendix’s “members only” club. Miranda adds exotic color to two black and white musicals, If I’m Lucky (1946), featuring an underwhelming Perry Como as a crooner recruited to run for governor, and the snappy Doll Face (1946), based on Gypsy Rose Lee’s book about a “burley-q” dancer (Blaine again) who writes a sensational autobiography to legitimize herself with Broadway producers. With her stylized outfits, signature crazy hats, hips-don’t-lie dancing (on platform heels, no less), and comic malapropisms that make fruit salad out of the English language (“You’re making a mountain out of mothballs”), the divine Ms. Miranda is definitely the main attraction. This set contains a cornucopia of extras, including a featurette on Berkeley, audio commentary on The Gang’s All Here, bonus radio shows, and a deleted scene. But the best extra is the feature-length documentary Carmen Miranda: The Girl from Rio, tracing the performer’s remarkable life and one-of-a-kind career. A clip from The Jimmy Durante Show says it all about this ultimate show business trouper: stricken with a heart attack during a musical number, Miranda gamely dances offstage, waving and blowing kisses to the audience. She would die 12 hours later. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)
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Birds of Prey: The Complete Series  Warner, 4 discs, 541 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 
Like, omigod, TV chick superheroes! And, yes, they are as totally dull and shallow as most Hollywood chick superheroes, but hey, they look fantabulous with tight leather, bared midriffs, and vapid stares. Birds of Prey was a short-lived hit on the WB during the 2002-03 TV season, and this set collects all 13 episodes, which follow the adventures of the daughter of Batman and Catwoman—the “metahuman” Huntress (Ashley Scott)--who protects New Gotham City after her dad like totally abandoned it (bummer!). Characteristic of the WB, the show pandered to a level of adolescent angst that even teens would find superficial as Huntress and her roommates—Oracle (Dina Meyer), who used to be Batgirl until the Joker tried to kill her and is now a computer expert confined to a wheelchair; and Dinah (Rachel Skarsten), who is learning how to use her metahuman skills while going to high school—all mope a lot, wallow in self-pity, and occasionally fight crime, with plenty of time left over to fall in love with inappropriate men (each as screamingly dull as the gals), and have gabfests over fears of commitment. DVD extras include the unaired pilot and all 30 episodes of the animated web series Gotham Girls. Not recommended. (M. Johanson)
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Classe Tous Risques  Criterion, 108 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95 
Considered “my first real feature” by the late director Claude Sautet (perhaps best known for 1992’s arthouse hit En Coeur en Hiver), this 1960 classic thriller--closely adapted from a book by French criminal-turned-novelist José Giovanni--was poorly received by French critics, who were too busy praising the New Wave (Godard’s Breathless had been released a few weeks earlier) to notice Sautet’s originality in a genre with such now-revered classics (also available from Criterion) as Rififi, Touchez Pas au Grisbi, and Bob le Flambeur. While those other films deservedly gained their reputations, recognition of Sautet’s film was delayed by several years (and it only played briefly in America in a poorly-dubbed version re-titled The Big Risk). Criterion’s pristine DVD release follows the 2005 theatrical reissue, and is presented here with a new, fully restored high-definition digital transfer. A story of dishonor among thieves, Classe Tous Risques focuses on Italy-based gang chief Abel Davos (Lino Ventura), trying to return to Paris with his wife and children after a decade of hiding in Milan. Newly-minted Breathless star Jean-Paul Belmondo costars as the young, independent operator assigned as Davos’ guardian, but their route to the City of Light is fraught with betrayals by Davos’ former friends, and the plot thickens as threats appear from all directions. Sautet’s emphasis on absolute realism and all-too-human emotions was just the shot of vitality that French thrillers needed, and in due course Classe Tous Risques was hailed as an exemplary film noir from the period. DVD extras include excerpts from a 2003 documentary on Sautet, an interview with Giovanni, archival interview footage featuring Ventura, and a booklet (with a personal appreciation by critic/director Bertrand Tavernier, a 1962 tribute by director Jean-Pierre Melville, and a reprinted interview with Sautet). Highly recommended. (J. Shannon)
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Classic British Thrillers MPI, 210 min., not rated, DVD: $24.98 
Don’t be fooled by the title: the three vintage British features gathered for this single-disc collection cannot be called “classics” by any charitable stretch. These cheaply made offerings fell into the genre of “quota quickies” (sort of the British equivalent to Hollywood’s B-movies), which offered audiences lazy diversion and little more. The sole interest in this trio of flicks comes from the talent involved in their creation—figures who went on to the proverbial “bigger and better.” Director Michael Powell helmed two of the films here: The Phantom Light (1935), a lighthouse-based murder mystery, and Red Ensign (1934), a study of shipping industry corruption. Neither of these benign films offer any presentiment of the artistic grace that Powell would later bring to his partnership with Emeric Pressburger (in such truly classic films as Black Narcissus and The Red Shoes). The third feature, The Upturned Glass (1947), stars James Mason (prior to his Hollywood movie stardom) as a brain surgeon whose entanglement in an adulterous affair leads him to murder his suspicious sister-in-law. Mason co-produced the film, which was written by his then-wife Pamela Kellino (who also played the sister-in-law), but this family affair is more silly than sinister. Diehard Anglophiles may find some entertainment here, but given these films’ relative obscurity on this side of the Atlantic, this misnamed compilation is optional, at best. (P. Hall)
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Evening Shade: Season One  Paramount, 5 discs, 540 min., not rated, DVD: $39.99 
A laidback series set in a small Arkansas town populated by a gallery of colorful characters, Evening Shade (1990-94) starred Burt Reynolds (fallen from his 1970s heyday), who earned a People’s Choice Award, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe for his well-suited role as Wood Newton, a former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback who returns to his small town to serve as the high school football coach. As the 24-episode 1990-91 first season begins, the team is mired in a 30 games-and-counting losing streak. Complicating matters, Wood’s wife Ava (Marilu Henner) no sooner launches her campaign for prosecutor, when she learns that she is pregnant. Evening Shade was created by Clinton cronies Harry Thomason and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, but the show is a Red Stater’s dream with its celebration of small-town America and the three F’s: family, friends, and faith. In the inaugural episodes, Reynolds seems to have a distracted air, almost as if he’s resentful to be there, but he snaps his one-liners with flip panache, while also generously ceding the spotlight to the stellar ensemble of estimable character actors, including Hal Holbrook as Ava’s father (and crusty publisher of the local newspaper), Ossie Davis as Blue (sage owner of the local barbeque hangout, whose Our Town-esque narration frames most of the episodes), Charles Durning as the family physician, Michael Jeter as the wimpy-looking math teacher who signs on as Wood’s new assistant coach, and Elizabeth Ashley as Ava’s southern diva aunt Frieda. Evening Shade boasts its own easygoing rhythm, but also share the same smart and sassy humor the Thomasons brought to their Designing Women. Still, this was never exactly must-see TV, and its value today is essentially nostalgic. Optional. (D. Liebenson)
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The Extra Girl / The Gusher Kino, 82 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 
Arguably the most gifted comedienne of the silent era, Mabel Normand was one of the popular stars in the talent pool of pioneering slapstick writer-producer Mack Sennett. The pair had a close relationship (and nearly married) during their productive partnership at Sennett’s Keystone company, and as Normand’s comedy skills developed, she directed (or co-directed) several shorts, including some in which she co-starred with fast-rising star Charlie Chaplin. Presented as part of Kino’s Slapstick Symposium series, this DVD offers two films from the early and late stages of the Sennett/Normand partnership. The Extra Girl (1923) was Normand’s final feature-length showcase, released at a time when her career was in decline due to connections to Hollywood scandals and her diminished popularity. Yet, this energetic feature finds Normand in fine form playing Sue Graham, a small-town girl who chooses Hollywood over a pair of would-be suitors, convinced that she has what it takes to be a movie star. Sue is joined in California by her hopeful parents, after which The Extra Girl flirts with serious melodrama when a scheming oil-company investor tries to bilk her family out of their hard-earned savings. Of course, all ends happily, and along the way Normand proves her pluck, especially in some genuinely hair-raising scenes involving a foul-tempered lion (scenes that would be unthinkable for the well-insured, well-protected actors of today). The decade-earlier companion short The Gusher (1913), produced and directed by Sennett as Normand’s star was rising, finds the actress paired with frequent Keystone costar Ford Sterling in a 14-minute romp set on the oil fields of California. Again, Normand has two would-be suitors, one cheating the other during an oil-well transaction, but when the well unexpectedly turns out to be a gusher, Normand and |
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Monsterquest: The Complete Season One History Channel, 4 discs, 611 min., not rated, DVD: $44.95 
Collected in a four-disc box set, the 13 episodes of this 2007-08 first season of the popular A&E series follow modern-day “monster hunters” who employ state-of-the-art technology to evaluate evidence that could prove the existence of various legendary creatures thought to dwell in Earth’s dark corners. Monkey men, werewolves, sea monsters—all come under the microscopes of intrepid explorers and scientists in these informative and entertaining shows that present factual data, but aren’t above enticing viewers with some good old-fashioned sensationalism (the most colorful part of any episode is the early segment in which that week’s creature is profiled). Practically every installment features on-camera testimony from seemingly credible eyewitnesses who swear they’ve seen something unexplainable, and while the producers’ hype is occasionally laid on a bit thick, for the most part Monsterquest plays fair with its viewers, and the scientific methods depicted are quite fascinating. Episodes include “America’s Loch Ness Monster,” “Gigantic Killer Fish,” “The Real Hobbit,” and my personal favorite, “Russia’s Killer Apemen,” on Stalin’s plan to cross-breed apes and humans. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette. Recommended. (E. Hulse)
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The Odd Couple: The Fourth Season Paramount, 4 discs, 562 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 
The Odd Couple’s richly entertaining fourth season goes a tad overboard with the stunt casting. Just two months after their epic “Battle of the Sexes” drew the largest live TV audience for a tennis match, Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King squared off against each other at the ping-pong table in the episode “The Pig Who Came to Dinner.” Ballet superstar Edward Villella performs in “Last Tango in Newark,” while Marilyn Horn plays a baker with an operatic voice (singing selections from Carmen) and an unrequited crush on Oscar in “Vocal Girl Makes Good.” “The Songwriter” features legendary disc jockey Wolfman Jack and entertainer Jaye P. Morgan, who performs the ever-popular Felix-penned ditty, “Happy and Peppy and Bursting with Love.” And Playboy emperor Hugh Hefner drops in for the flashback episode “One for the Bunny,” in which a jealous Felix is undone when he must photograph his future wife, Gloria, for a possible Playmate spread. But there is nothing odd about the chemistry between Tony Randall and Jack Klugman—Best Actor Emmy nominees in each of this series’ five years—who are thoroughly at home in their roles. Among the best from this 1973-74 fourth season’s 22 episodes are the ones that go back to the basic premise of Neil Simon’s warhorse source play: namely, can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy? In “The Insomniacs,” Felix cannot get to sleep (“I’m up as a pup”) despite Oscar’s best efforts. In “Cleanliness is Next to Impossible,” Felix hypnotizes the unwitting Oscar into becoming a neat freak after Oscar’s new girlfriend calls him sloppy. Zinger-queen Brett Somers (Klugman’s real-life spouse) returns as Oscar’s ex-wife, Blanche, in flashback episodes that continue to play havoc with Felix and Oscar’s back story (so now they were in the Army together?). Randall, Klugman, and company (including Penny Marshall as Oscar’s secretary, Myrna) clearly relish playing to their enthusiastic live audience, and each episode here contains a classic moment or bit of comic business that continues to bring down the house. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)
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Witchblade: The Complete Series Warner, 7 discs, 1,122 min., not rated, DVD: $69.98 
B-movie foolishness translated to the small screen, Witchblade plays like the demon child of Roger Corman and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It’s the not-very-believable comic-book-adapted story of hardboiled New York detective Sara “Pez” Pezzini (Yancy Butler), who periodically leaves mundane crime scenes to her fellow officers when serious evil needs a whupping. See, Pez secretly wields the Witchblade, an ancient, living weapon that must be deployed against supernatural enemies. With partner Jake McCartey (David Chokachi) to back her up, Sara takes on assorted demons that plague the city, hoping to find the one responsible for killing her father. Witchblade eked out 24 episodes of wildly varying quality over two seasons (2000-02). An interesting subplot involves Jake’s recruitment by cops who act as vigilantes when they go off duty, but this storyline seems out of place when juxtaposed with Sara’s battles against occult adversaries. Still, the combination of gritty cop procedural and fantasy/horror/adventure won this show some loyal adherents, and rumor has it that this release is a response to fervent and persistent lobbying from passionate fans (although a projected 2009 feature film may also be a factor). DVD extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes and casting sessions. Not recommended. (E. Hulse)
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Xanadu: Magical Music Edition  Universal, 96 min., PG, DVD: $19.98 (audio CD included) 
Xanadu, a remake of the 1947 fantasy Down to Earth, didn’t kill the American movie musical, but it certainly didn’t do roller disco any favors. A guilty pleasure with enough of a cult following to inspire a recent Broadway musical, Robert Greenwald’s Xanadu is—if nothing else—one of a kind. Michael Beck is woefully miscast as a compromised artist who is kissed by a roller skating muse (Olivia Newton John), and later teams up with a former big band musician (the legendary Gene Kelly) to open up the eponymous ‘40s/’80s nightclub where the Andrews Sisters meet Electric Light Orchestra. Xanadu was Kelly’s last film, and unlike, say, Errol Flynn in Cuban Rebel Girls, he survives with his dignity intact (almost 70 here, Kelly even does one number on roller skates). The soundtrack, which is also included here on a bonus audio CD, does conjure up the occasional “Magic,” and the film boasts a nifty animated sequence courtesy of Don Bluth. DVD extras include the retrospective featurette “Going Back to Xanadu,” which offers a clear-eyed assessment of the film that is more entertaining than the movie itself. Not recommended. (D. Liebenson)
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