DVD PICK OF THE WEEK
THE GREEN HORNET (VCI
Entertainment): With a long-gestating,
big-budget Hollywood remake in the
offing (reportedly with Seth Rogan),
what better time to re-release the
original 1940 serial — that’s all 13
action-packed chapters, folks! — that
purported to depict the origin of the
character, based not on a comic book
but on creator Fran Striker’s popular
radio show of the 1930s?
Affable Gordon Jones plays Britt
Reid, the dashing, playboy publisher
of a daily newspaper, The Sentinel. By
night, however, Reid dons the guise
(and a dubbed voice!) of the Green
Hornet, a masked avenger who takes
on the city’s crime syndicate with the
help of his trusty sidekick, Kato (the
inimitable Keye Luke).
Not unlike in contemporary
superhero movies, the Green Hornet
is viewed as a menace by the local
police department, and even by Britt’s
own staff, including Irish-brogued,
gun-toting (!) veteran crime reporter
Michael Axford (Wade Botelier).
Britt’s secretary, Leonore “Casey”
Case (Anne Nagel), is intrigued by
this masked man… and although she
never quite suspects that her own boss
is the Green Hornet, she’s not entirely
predisposed against the crimefighter.
Watching the serial in its entirety
can be a bit repetitive, but in its original
20-minute chapters, the film moves
swiftly and delivers the superhero action
it promises — replete with gun battles
and fistfights, secret passages, last-minute
escapes and other derring-do. (There’s
also a good deal of stock footage and
music cues for those familiar with
Universal’s ’30s films.)
This serial proved so financially
successful that a year later saw the
release of the 15-chapter serial The Green
Hornet Strikes Again!, with Luke, Nagel
and Botelier all reprising their roles but
Warren Hull stepping into the shoes —
and mask — of Britt Reid. ***
ALSO ON DVD
ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment): Before Rodgers and Hammerstein did their number on Margaret Landon’s best-selling book, Irene Dunne played the former and Rex Harrison the latter in director John Cromwell’s 1946 adaptation, dramatizing the friendship between a widowed English tutor and a proud Siamese monarch in the 1860s. This forgoes the songs of The King and I but maintains the charm and humanity of the original story in warm, touching fashion (and is far superior to the non-musical 1999 remake)… even if few of the actors remotely resemble actual Asians. Those include Lee J. Cobb, Linda Darnell and Gale Sondergaard (Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actress). Additional nominations for adapted screenplay and Bernard Herrmann’s score, winner for cinematography (black-and-white) and art direction/set decoration (blackand- white). ***½
BECOMING CHARLEY CHASE (VCI Entertainment): A collection of 40 rare comedy shorts from 1915- ’25 showcasing the talents of writer/ director/actor Charley Chase (1893- 1940), one of the most acclaimed comic personalities of the silent era. This four-disc boxed set retails for $39.99. “ER” —
THE COMPLETE ELEVENTH SEASON (Warner Home Video): The end of the line for the doctors and nurses of County General Hospital, in all 22 episodes from the 2008-’09 (and final) season of the much-acclaimed, long-running NBC-TV prime-time medical drama, created by Michael Crichton (who died just as the 11th season started). Series regulars included Noah Wyle, Maura Tierney, Mekhi Phifer, Sherry Stringfield, Linda Cardellini, Parminder Nagra, John Stamos and Angela Bassett, with an all-star roster of guest stars including Ernest Borgnine, Susan Sarandon, Amy Madigan, Louis Gossett Jr., Wallace Shawn, William H. Macy, Courtney B. Vance (Bassett’s real-life husband) and, of course, the return of such ER favorites as George Clooney, Julianna Margulies and Eriq LaSalle. This boxed set retails for $49.98. “EVERWOOD” —
THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (Warner Home Video): After the unexpected death of his wife, physician and father Treat Williams looks to start over with his children (Gregory Smith and Vivien Cardone) to the title town, in all 22 episodes from the 2003-‘04 season of the prime-time WB series. James Earl Jones picked up an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. This six-DVD boxed set retails for $39.98.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Paramount Home Entertainment). It sure is. A two-disc collector’s set ($24.99 retail) of Frank Capra’s muchbeloved 1946 fable, starring James Stewart as a disillusioned, small-town patriarch who contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve but then gets a reprieve when his guardian angel (Henry Travers) shows up to show him what life would have been like had he never lived. The greatest film I’ve never seen, or so say my friends. A box-office flop upon its initial release, this is arguably the most beloved American film of all time… and a TV staple during the holidays. Five Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Stewart, of course), Best Director, Best Editing and Best Sound Recording. Beware public-domain copies, of which there are (too) many. Rated G.
JOHN ADAMS (HBO Home Entertainment): Paul Giamatti plays the second president of the United States, one of this nation’s greatest statesmen and also one of its principal architects, in this sprawling, criticallyacclaimed mini-series based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller. Winner of a whopping 13 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Mini-Series, Giamatti as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie, Laura Linney (Abigail Adams) as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini- Series or Movie and Tom Wilkinson (Benjamin Franklin) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie, with an additional 10 nominations including Tom Hooper for Outstanding Directing of a Mini-Series, Movie or Dramatic Special, and David Morse (George Washington) and Stephen Dillane (Thomas Jefferson) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie. It won a lot of other awards, too. The special-edition DVD retails for $59.99, the special-edition Blu-ray for $79.98.
JONAS BROTHERS: THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment): For those who simply can’t get enough of Kevin, Joe and Nick, this “deluxe extended movie” of the concert documentary features four additional songs not included in the theatrical version. The single-disc DVD retails for $29.99, the double-disc special-edition for $32.99, and the three-disc combo pack (including both Blu-ray and DVD) for $44.99. Only the latter edition includes the 3-D capability. Rated G.
“MOON MACHINES” (Image Entertainment): This two-disc DVD boxed set ($24.98 retail) features all six episodes from the Science Channel series that examines the technology and hardware — and the people who invented them — that allowed NASA to reach the moon in 1969 (although we haven’t been back in a few decades). The episodes include: “Saturn V,” “Command Module,” “Navigation,” “Lunar Module,” “Suits” and “Lunar Rover.”
MY GEISHA (Paramount Home Entertainment): Shirley MacLaine plays a famous movie star who disguises herself as a geisha girl to win the title role of Madame Butterfly in a production directed in Japan by her husband (Yves Montand). Thanks to cinematographer-turned-director Jack Cardiff (who died in April at age 94) and Edith Head’s Oscar-nominated costumes, this 1962 comedy certainly engages the eye, but it’s also slowgoing, not particularly funny, and forced to coast almost entirely on the charms of its cast, which also includes Bob Cummings as an amorous leading man and Edward G. Robinson as one of the kindliest producers in cinema history. The film’s actual producer, Steve Parker, was MacLaine’s husband at the time. **
“MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XV” (Shout! Factory): The latest installment of the longrunning (1988-’99), award-winning cable-TV series includes four films, each one given its due — and then some! — by the “Satellite of Love” crew: The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy (1958), The Girl in Lovers Lane (1959), Racket Girls (1951) and Zombie Nightmare (1986), which starred Adam West and Tia Carrere (in her screen debut). Bonus features include interviews, mini-posters and more. This four-disc boxed set retails for $59.99.
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (Warner Home Video): George Lucas was the executive producer of this animated feature that continues the Star Wars saga and focuses on the escalating conflict between the Jedi, including Anakin Skywalker (voiced by Matt Lanter) and the Separatists, under the command of Count Dooku (voiced by Christopher Lee, reprising his live-action role), with crafty Chancellor Palpatine (voiced by Ian Abercrombie) waiting and watching on the sidelines. Other voices include Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. There’s plenty of action, but a needlessly convoluted storyline may baffle all but the most die-hard Star Wars devotees. Available as a singledisc DVD ($28.98 retail), a two-disc special edition ($35.99 retail), or as a Blu-ray disc ($35.99 retail). Rated PG. **
WE’RE BACK! A DINOSAUR’S STORY (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): Steven Spielberg was the executive producer of this cutesy, scattershot 1993 animated feature, adapted by Hudson Talbott’s best-selling children’s book by no less than John Patrick Shanley, in which a group of dinosaurs travel through time to New York City. The animation’s not bad, but the story feels rushed and incomplete. The familiar voice cast includes John Goodman, Martin Short, Walter Cronkite, Julia Child, Jay Leno, Rhea Perlman and Yeardley Smith. Rated G. *½
“WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN: DEADLY ENEMIES” (Marvel Animation/LionsGate Home Entertainment): A selection of five episodes from the popular, animated Nicktoons Network series based on the popular Marvel Comics character. Steve Blum provides the voice of the title character, and this special-edition DVD retails for $14.98. Mark Burger can be heard Friday mornings on the “Two Guys Named Chris” radio show on Rock-92. Copyright 2009, Mark Burger!
ALSO ON DVD
ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment): Before Rodgers and Hammerstein did their number on Margaret Landon’s best-selling book, Irene Dunne played the former and Rex Harrison the latter in director John Cromwell’s 1946 adaptation, dramatizing the friendship between a widowed English tutor and a proud Siamese monarch in the 1860s. This forgoes the songs of The King and I but maintains the charm and humanity of the original story in warm, touching fashion (and is far superior to the non-musical 1999 remake)… even if few of the actors remotely resemble actual Asians. Those include Lee J. Cobb, Linda Darnell and Gale Sondergaard (Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actress). Additional nominations for adapted screenplay and Bernard Herrmann’s score, winner for cinematography (black-and-white) and art direction/set decoration (blackand- white). ***½
BECOMING CHARLEY CHASE (VCI Entertainment): A collection of 40 rare comedy shorts from 1915- ’25 showcasing the talents of writer/ director/actor Charley Chase (1893- 1940), one of the most acclaimed comic personalities of the silent era. This four-disc boxed set retails for $39.99. “ER” —
THE COMPLETE ELEVENTH SEASON (Warner Home Video): The end of the line for the doctors and nurses of County General Hospital, in all 22 episodes from the 2008-’09 (and final) season of the much-acclaimed, long-running NBC-TV prime-time medical drama, created by Michael Crichton (who died just as the 11th season started). Series regulars included Noah Wyle, Maura Tierney, Mekhi Phifer, Sherry Stringfield, Linda Cardellini, Parminder Nagra, John Stamos and Angela Bassett, with an all-star roster of guest stars including Ernest Borgnine, Susan Sarandon, Amy Madigan, Louis Gossett Jr., Wallace Shawn, William H. Macy, Courtney B. Vance (Bassett’s real-life husband) and, of course, the return of such ER favorites as George Clooney, Julianna Margulies and Eriq LaSalle. This boxed set retails for $49.98. “EVERWOOD” —
THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON (Warner Home Video): After the unexpected death of his wife, physician and father Treat Williams looks to start over with his children (Gregory Smith and Vivien Cardone) to the title town, in all 22 episodes from the 2003-‘04 season of the prime-time WB series. James Earl Jones picked up an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. This six-DVD boxed set retails for $39.98.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Paramount Home Entertainment). It sure is. A two-disc collector’s set ($24.99 retail) of Frank Capra’s muchbeloved 1946 fable, starring James Stewart as a disillusioned, small-town patriarch who contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve but then gets a reprieve when his guardian angel (Henry Travers) shows up to show him what life would have been like had he never lived. The greatest film I’ve never seen, or so say my friends. A box-office flop upon its initial release, this is arguably the most beloved American film of all time… and a TV staple during the holidays. Five Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Stewart, of course), Best Director, Best Editing and Best Sound Recording. Beware public-domain copies, of which there are (too) many. Rated G.
JOHN ADAMS (HBO Home Entertainment): Paul Giamatti plays the second president of the United States, one of this nation’s greatest statesmen and also one of its principal architects, in this sprawling, criticallyacclaimed mini-series based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller. Winner of a whopping 13 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Mini-Series, Giamatti as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie, Laura Linney (Abigail Adams) as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini- Series or Movie and Tom Wilkinson (Benjamin Franklin) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie, with an additional 10 nominations including Tom Hooper for Outstanding Directing of a Mini-Series, Movie or Dramatic Special, and David Morse (George Washington) and Stephen Dillane (Thomas Jefferson) as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie. It won a lot of other awards, too. The special-edition DVD retails for $59.99, the special-edition Blu-ray for $79.98.
JONAS BROTHERS: THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment): For those who simply can’t get enough of Kevin, Joe and Nick, this “deluxe extended movie” of the concert documentary features four additional songs not included in the theatrical version. The single-disc DVD retails for $29.99, the double-disc special-edition for $32.99, and the three-disc combo pack (including both Blu-ray and DVD) for $44.99. Only the latter edition includes the 3-D capability. Rated G.
“MOON MACHINES” (Image Entertainment): This two-disc DVD boxed set ($24.98 retail) features all six episodes from the Science Channel series that examines the technology and hardware — and the people who invented them — that allowed NASA to reach the moon in 1969 (although we haven’t been back in a few decades). The episodes include: “Saturn V,” “Command Module,” “Navigation,” “Lunar Module,” “Suits” and “Lunar Rover.”
MY GEISHA (Paramount Home Entertainment): Shirley MacLaine plays a famous movie star who disguises herself as a geisha girl to win the title role of Madame Butterfly in a production directed in Japan by her husband (Yves Montand). Thanks to cinematographer-turned-director Jack Cardiff (who died in April at age 94) and Edith Head’s Oscar-nominated costumes, this 1962 comedy certainly engages the eye, but it’s also slowgoing, not particularly funny, and forced to coast almost entirely on the charms of its cast, which also includes Bob Cummings as an amorous leading man and Edward G. Robinson as one of the kindliest producers in cinema history. The film’s actual producer, Steve Parker, was MacLaine’s husband at the time. **
“MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: VOLUME XV” (Shout! Factory): The latest installment of the longrunning (1988-’99), award-winning cable-TV series includes four films, each one given its due — and then some! — by the “Satellite of Love” crew: The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy (1958), The Girl in Lovers Lane (1959), Racket Girls (1951) and Zombie Nightmare (1986), which starred Adam West and Tia Carrere (in her screen debut). Bonus features include interviews, mini-posters and more. This four-disc boxed set retails for $59.99.
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (Warner Home Video): George Lucas was the executive producer of this animated feature that continues the Star Wars saga and focuses on the escalating conflict between the Jedi, including Anakin Skywalker (voiced by Matt Lanter) and the Separatists, under the command of Count Dooku (voiced by Christopher Lee, reprising his live-action role), with crafty Chancellor Palpatine (voiced by Ian Abercrombie) waiting and watching on the sidelines. Other voices include Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu. There’s plenty of action, but a needlessly convoluted storyline may baffle all but the most die-hard Star Wars devotees. Available as a singledisc DVD ($28.98 retail), a two-disc special edition ($35.99 retail), or as a Blu-ray disc ($35.99 retail). Rated PG. **
WE’RE BACK! A DINOSAUR’S STORY (Universal Studios Home Entertainment): Steven Spielberg was the executive producer of this cutesy, scattershot 1993 animated feature, adapted by Hudson Talbott’s best-selling children’s book by no less than John Patrick Shanley, in which a group of dinosaurs travel through time to New York City. The animation’s not bad, but the story feels rushed and incomplete. The familiar voice cast includes John Goodman, Martin Short, Walter Cronkite, Julia Child, Jay Leno, Rhea Perlman and Yeardley Smith. Rated G. *½
“WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN: DEADLY ENEMIES” (Marvel Animation/LionsGate Home Entertainment): A selection of five episodes from the popular, animated Nicktoons Network series based on the popular Marvel Comics character. Steve Blum provides the voice of the title character, and this special-edition DVD retails for $14.98. Mark Burger can be heard Friday mornings on the “Two Guys Named Chris” radio show on Rock-92. Copyright 2009, Mark Burger!
