| Walking through the video store you have your choice – repackaged TV, movies that were in the theatre 30 minutes ago and reissues of movies that were just reissued. You might have to dig a little deeper.
· All the King’s Men (1949, dir. Robert Rossen, Sony Pictures Classics) – The Sean Penn-starring remake, loosely based on the life of Louisiana governor Huey Long, just opened the Toronto film fest. Before that Oscar bait hits the multiplex, check out the original. It took home the best picture Oscar.
· Backdraft: Special Edition (1991, dir. Ron Howard, Universal) – You check that door for heat? An incendiary cast including Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland and Kurt Russell fight fire with fire in this good-looking adventure that fails to spark.
· Brazil: Three Disc Collection (1985, dir. Terry Gilliam, Criterion) – Back in print, this is the definitive version of Gilliam’s Orwellian satire. Comes complete with the original theatrical cut and the ill-advised studio version.
· The Boris Karloff Collection (Universal) – Gear up for Halloween with a box-set from the original master of horror. Karloff stars in Tower of London (1939), The Climax (1944), The Black Castle (1952), The Strange Door (1951) and Night Key (1937).
· Dracula: Special Edition (1931, dir. Tod Browning, Universal) – Celebrating 75 years of blood sucking, this two-disc edition features Bela Lugosi as the pale-faced Count. Universal is also releasing a two-disc edition of James Whale’s classic Frankenstein (1931).
· Godzilla: Gojira Deluxe Collector’s Edition (1954/1956, dir. Ishirô Honda, Sony Wonder) – This great-looking package offers the original subtitled Japanese cut of Godzilla as well as the Americanized version King of the Monsters with Raymond Burr injected into the action. The big green guy’s first adventure comes complete with commentaries, trailers and more.
· Hard Candy (2006, dir. David Slade, Lion’s Gate) – When a 14-year-old girl meets a man twice her age, nobody, especially the audience, is prepared for what comes next. This thriller is worth checking out, not only for the off-putting subject matter, but for the breakout performance by Canadian Ellen Page.
· Lady Vengeance (2005, dir. Chan-wook Park, Tartan) – In this stylish thriller from the director of Old Boy, a woman who spent 13 years in prison for a crime she didn’t commit goes searching for retribution. Park’s name is synonymous with artful, violent Korean cinema.
· The Little Mermaid: Two-disc Edition (1989, dir. Ron Clements and John Musker, Disney) – A mermaid loses her voice and gets legs and a boyfriend in the process. There’s a singing crab. This Disney "classic" is back for a "limited time."
· Lucky Number Slevin (2006, dir. Paul McGuigan, Weinstein Company) – Starring Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley, this convoluted con is wildly entertaining and one of the best films of 2006 so far.
· The Maltese Falcon: Three-disc Edition (1941, dir. John Huston, Warner Bros.) – Cheaters! Sure Humphrey Bogart is amazing as Sam Spade in this classic noir mystery, but padding the collection with the 1931 version starring Bebe Daniels and Satan Met a Lady (1936) with Bette Davis is a cheap ploy.
· Pet Sematary (1989, dir. Mary Lambert, Paramount) – Loading this DVD up with lame behind-the-scenes featurettes doesn’t save the film version of Steven King’s back-from-the-grave chiller from overwrought melodramatic acting. You would be better off checking out Cronenberg’s reissued take on King’s The Dead Zone (1983), instead.
· Scarface: Platinum Edition (1983, dir. Brian DePalma, Universal) First you get the money, and if you can’t get the money you just re-release Scarface for the umpteenth time. DePalma makes another cash grab by reissuing Body Double (1984), too.
· Snakes on a Train (2006, dir. The Mallachi Brothers, Asylum) – Speaking of cash grab… When a Mayan curse causes snakes to hatch inside a woman’s belly she hops on a train to L.A. Chaos ensues.
· Star Wars (1977/2004, dir. George Lucas, Fox) – And as if Lucas hadn’t bilked enough hard-earned money out of his fans, he puts out the classic editions of his epic space opera, after vowing that he wouldn’t. Thirty-year-old males all over North America roll their eyes, curse and shell out again.
· Stick It (2006, dir. Jessica Beddinger, Touchstone) – The writer of Bring it On sets her sights on the competitive world of teen gymnastics and makes a surprisingly entertaining, but fluffy film in the process.
· Taps (1981, dir. Harold Becker, 20th Century Fox) Fresh off his Oscar for Ordinary People Timothy Hutton joins Sean Penn, Tom Cruise and George C. Scott for this critically acclaimed military drama.
· Twilight Zone: The Complete Collection (1959, Image) – The best TV series ever made is collected on 28 DVDs. Rod Serling’s mysterious primetime experiment was well-written, brilliantly crafted and features some then up-and-comers in the cast such as William Shatner and Robert Redford, who went on to be stars. Easily worth the $300 price tag. |
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