FROST/NIXON (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): Director Ron Howard’s excellent screen adaptation of Peter Morgan’s awardwinning play was one of last year’s best films — with five Academy Award nominations (including best picture) to show for it — but unaccountably got lost at the box-office following a strong limited opening.
A smoothly executed combination of speculation and fact, the story follows the circumstances surrounding the television interviews conducted in 1977 by British talk-show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) with former US President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella, who earned an Oscar nomination as best actor).
The peerless and perceptive performances of Langella and Sheen, reprising their stage roles, complement each other wonderfully, and there’s strong back-up work from Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones (as Hollywood agent “Swifty” Lazar), Rebecca Hall, Patty McCormack (briefly seen as Pat Nixon) and Ron’s brother, the always-welcome Clint Howard.
This is one of those rare films in which all the elements come together perfectly, and definitely warrants a watch. Additional, and well-deserved, nominations for Howard’s direction, Morgan’s adapted screenplay and the editing. Rated R. ****
ALSO ON DVD
BLONDES HAVE MORE GUNS (Troma Team Video): A “Pistol-Packin’” edition of producer/director/co-screenwriter George Merriweather’s 1995 first feature (and, to date, his last), in which a hardboiled detective (Michael McGaham, in his first — and, to date, last — starring role) investigates a rash of murders in Los Angeles. This low-rent, lowbrow spoof seems at first to be in the best (and worst) Troma tradition, but wears out its welcome before too long. Rated R. *½
CHANGELING (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): Angelina Jolie scored an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for her performance as a griefstricken mother whose child disappears but then returns to her… except its not her son. Producer/director Clint Eastwood’s award-winning and shockingly factbased drama is sometimes hampered by a stately pace, but the 1930s’ period detail and the performances (including those of John Malkovich, Michael Kelly, Colm Feore and Jeffrey Donovan) register strongly. Additional Oscar nominations for cinematography and art direction/set decoration. Rated R. ***
“CRUSOE” — THE COMPLETE SERIES (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): All 13 episodes from the 2008-’09 (and only) season of the award-winning, prime time NBC-TV adventure series inspired by Daniel Defoe’s classic adventure novel about a sailor marooned on a tropical island. Philip Winchester plays the title role, with Tongai Arnold Chirisa as Friday. Sam Neill and Anna Walton also star. This boxed set, which also includes a copy of Defoe’s book (which is always good for a read), retails for $29.98.
EL CORTEZ (Monarch Home Video): Lou Diamond Phillips portrays an emotionally troubled hotel clerk swept up in shady doings in this standard-issue film noir. Also on hand: Glenn Plummer, James McDaniel, Tracy Middendorf, Bruce Weitz and Peter Onorati. Rated R. **
“EXO SQUAD” — SEASON 1 (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): All 13 episodes from the 1993 season of the animated, Saturday-morning sci-fi series, set in the 22 nd century, when the future of the galaxy is at up for grabs in an ongoing war between humans and the superior clones they originally created as slave labor. This DVD retails for $16.98.
GASOLINE ALLEY AND FRIENDS (VCI Entertainment): Frank O. King’s newspaper comic strip, also a popular radio show, comes to the big screen in screenwriter/ director Edward Bernds’ Gasoline Alley (1951) and its immediate sequel, Corky of Gasoline Alley (also ’51), both starring Scotty Beckett, Jimmy Lydon and Don Beddoe. This special-edition DVD ($29.99 retail) includes four additional, featurelength comedies: As You Were (1951) with William Tracy and Joe Sawyer, and its 1952 sequel Mr. Walkie-Talkie; Stop That Cab! (’51) with Sid Melton, Iris Adrian and Marjorie Lord; and Leave It to the Marines (also ’51) with Melton and Mara Lynn.
HOLLYWOOD: THE DARK SIDE — DEATH AND SCANDAL (Little Dizzy Home Video): This simple-minded documentary breezes through a number of high-profile Hollywood tragedies — including James Dean, Natalie Wood, George Reeves, Sal Mineo, Bob Crane, Dorothy Stratten, et al — but in shallow (and occasionally inaccurate) fashion. A bonus documentary, Rock ‘n’ Roll Deaths, does likewise with the likes of Buddy Holly, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, Keith Moon, John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, etc. *½
“KNOTS LANDING” — THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (Warner Home Video): All 18 episodes from the 1980-’81 season of the long-running, prime-time CBS soap opera (spun of from “Dallas”), exploring the lives and loves of the residents of a California cul-de-sac. Donna Mills joins the cast as the scheming seductress Abby Cunningham, joining series regulars Don Murray (who departed at the beginning of the third season), Michele Lee, Ted Shackelford, Joan Van Ark, John Pleshette and Julie Harris. For crossover appeal, “Dallas” regulars Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy do guest stints. This four-disc boxed set retails for $39.98.
“THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WYATT EARP” — THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE (Infinity Entertainment Group/Falcon Picture Group): Hugh O’Brian stars as the legendary lawman in all 35 episodes from the 1955-’56 season of the popular, primetime ABC-TV Western series, detailing adventures both factual and fanciful. Other regulars included Mason Alan Dinehart III (as Bat Masterson), John Anderson (as Virgil Earp), Denver Pyle, Douglas Fowley and Lloyd Corrigan (as dime novelist Ned Buntline). This boxed set retails for $39.98.
“LIPSTICK JUNGLE” — SEASON TWO (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): All 13 episodes from the 2008-’09 (and final) season of the prime-time NBC-TV drama created by Candice Bushnell (who created “Sex and the City”). The regular cast includes Brooke Shields, Andrew McCarthy, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price. This DVD boxed set retails for $29.98.
MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL (LionsGate Home Entertainment): Director Howard Deutsch’s engagingly raunchy comedy stars Dane Cook (also a producer) as a bachelor who specializes in dating girls and behaving so badly that they return to their ex-boyfriends — who paid him to do it for just that reason. Then he meets his match in Kate Hudson, the ex-girlfriend of his cousin (Jason Biggs). Although Hudson is saddled with a standard role, this is one of Cook’s better comedies and makes great use of its Boston locations. The sequence where Cook systematically sabotages a wedding is an absolute scream. Rated R (also available in an unrated version). **½
NORTH STAR (Warner Home Video): Executive producer Christopher Lambert stars in this 1996 adaptation of the Western novel by Will Henry (AKA Heck Allen), set during the Alaskan Gold Rush of the 1880s, playing a half-Indian is targeted by a vicious mining boss (James Caan) who rules the town of Nome. Catherine McCormack plays Caan’s mistress, whose abduction by Lambert sets into motion an arduous pursuit across the wintry landscape. Filmed in Norway, which is certainly appropriate for so rugged a tale, with good performances by Caan and Burt Young (as his right-hand man). Rated R. **½
REPOSSESSED (LionsGate Home Entertainment): Linda Blair sends up her most famous role in this meek 1990 spoof, playing an all-American housewife possessed by the Devil. Leslie Nielsen plays the exorcist and Ned Beatty a smarmy TV evangelist. Lots of cameos, too (Army Archerd, Jack LaLanne, Robert Fuller, Jake Steinfeld, Jesse Ventura and “Mean” Gene Okerlund) — but this is a missed opportunity. Rated PG-13. *½
THE SPIRIT (LionsGate Home Entertainment): Gabriel Macht portrays the title role in screenwriter/director Frank Miller’s long-awaited adaptation of the Will Eisner comic series, that of a former police officer who returns from the dead and does battle with the forces of evil in Central City — in particular the maniacal crime kingpin “the Octopus” (a scenery-chewing Samuel L. Jackson). Much looser and farcical than some audiences expected, which likely hindered its box-office fortunes, but quite enjoyable on its own terms — and the ladies in the cast (Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Jaime King and Paz Vega) are very easy on the eyes. Miller also appears in a cameo as a doomed cop. Available as a single DVD ($29.95 retail), a two-disc special edition ($34.98 retail), or a Blu-ray disc ($39.99 retail). Rated PG-13.
***
A WOMAN CALLED GOLDA (CBS DVD/Paramount Home Entertainment): In her final performance, Ingrid Bergman won an Emmy Award (outstanding lead actress in a limited series or special) and a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Israel’s first female prime minister in this 1982 miniseries that also won Emmys as Outstanding Drama Special and for its editing. The all-star cast includes Leonard Nimoy, Ned Beatty, Anne Jackson, Jack Thompson, Robert Loggia (as Anwar Sadat) and Judy Davis (as the young Golda). Additional Emmy nominations for supporting actor (Nimoy), supporting actress (Davis), sound mixing and music composition. This DVD retails for $29.98.
THE WRESTLER (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment): In Darren Aronofsky’s excellent, award-winning character study, Mickey Rourke scored a major comeback — and an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor — for his tremendous turn as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, an over-the hill professional wrestler trying to put his life back on track. Marisa Tomei also earned an Oscar nomination (best supporting actress) playing a neighborhood stripper. Filmed in beautiful New Jersey. One of 2008’s best films. Rated R. ***½
YES MAN (Warner Home Video): Jim Carrey plays the title role in this adaptation of Danny Wallace’s best-seller, as a disenchanted everyman who takes the advice of self-help guru Terence Stamp and says “Yes” to everything. Zooey Deschanel plays the musician Carrey falls for, and the 18-year age difference is distracting at times. Carrey is able to earn some laughs with his patented physical shtick, but too often this plays like a retread to his 1997 hit Liar, Liar. Available as a single-disc DVD ($29.98 retail), a two-disc special edition ($34.99) or a Blu-ray disc ($35.99). Rated PG-13. **
Mark Burger can be heard Friday mornings on the “Two Guys Named Chris” radio show on Rock-92.
Copyright 2009, Mark Burger
