DVD Releases: February 16, 2005

You gotta fight for every breath and tell death to go to hell. - Che Guevara	The Motorcycle Diaries US/Canada Gross: $16.8 million Before experiencing The Motorcycle Diaries for the first time, viewers should try mightily to forget everything they know -- or, think they know -- about Ernesto “Che” Guevara, whose deep, dark eyes and near-mythic mystique have sold more T-shirts and wall posters than any other dead celebrity, with the possible exception of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Absent all the political baggage that arrives with any discussion of such iconography, Walter Salles’ beautifully shot and highly perceptive biopic can be enjoyed as much as a coming-of-age buddy film, as an affirmation of Guevara’s later militancy. Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna are wonderfully convincing as Guevara and Alberto Granado, friends who attempt to circumnavigate South America on a leaky motorcycle before committing to careers in medicine. The Argentines’ epic adventure is alternately hilarious, heart-warming and deeply inspirational. Like the film itself, the bonus material -- which includes a chat with Guevara’s daughter -- remains tightly focused on the events that awakened the young men’s social conscience, absent any discussion of the legitimacy of Marxism. -- Gary Dretzka


	Malcolm X US/Canada Gross: $19.4 million If Spike Lee’s epic biography of the slain civil-rights leader, Malcolm X, had been released last year, instead of 1992, it almost certainly would have been included among the nominees for Best Picture in, this, the so-called Year of the Biopic. Denzel Washington likely would be competing for his third Oscar, Lee still would be enjoying a flourishing career. In a perverse way, however, the inability of Malcolm X to draw huge audiences helped studios maintain the myth that white audiences weren’t ready to “cross over” to serious films about blacks. Too, a big budget is wasted on Lee’s many inarguable talents. Fact is, though, mainstream black audiences weren’t any more anxious to watch a movie about the Black Muslim leader than mainstream whites, and Lee was only guilty of making a pretty terrific movie. Included in this generous two-disc DVD package is commentary by Lee, cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, editor Barry Alexander Brown and costume designer Ruth Carter, as well as the documentaries Malcolm X and By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Malcolm X and 10 additional scenes.-- Gary Dretzka Spike Lee removed any mention of Louis Farrakhan from his film Malcolm X after receiving specific, direct threats from him. Norman Jewison was teh original director, but had to withdraw from the project due to outside pressure demanding that the subject be made by a black film-maker. The speech that plays over the documentary footage of Malcolm's life near the end is read by actor Ossie Davis who wrote and delivered the speech as Malcolm's eulogy in 1965.

	The Notebook US/Canada Gross: $81 million The working principle behind Nick Cassavetes’ The Notebook was to create a tear-jerker that would appeal in equal measure to teens and their parents. Adapted from a novel by Nicholas Sparks, “The Notebook” neatly interlaces two parallel love stories throughout the course of the drama, which spans 60 years of time. The first features a poor Southern boy and his upper-class summer love (Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams), while the contemporary portion employs James Garner and Gena Rowlands to update us on their romance. Too long by at least 15 minutes, The Notebook looks gorgeous and has enough action to hold the attention of male viewers fearful of succumbing to the charms of a “chick flick.”-- Gary Dretzka I am nothing special; of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.

With the Academy Awards less than a month away, the timing couldn’t be better for the release of Warners’ extensive “Best Picture Oscar Collection.” Apart from containing freshly rebundled versions of several classic movies -- and new-to-disc versions of The Life of Emile Zola, The Broadway Melody of 1929 and Chariots of Fire (with some nice extras) -- the collection renews the debate over what elevates one film to Best Picture status, but turns an arguably superior title into an also-ran. The titles include Amadeus (Two-Disc Special Edition), An American in Paris, Around the World in 80 Days (Two-Disc Special Edition), Ben-Hur, Casablanca (Two-Disc Special Edition), Driving Miss Daisy (Special Edition), Gigi, Gone with the Wind (Four-Disc Collector's Edition), Grand Hotel, The Great Ziegfeld, Mrs. Miniver, Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), My Fair Lady (Two-Disc Special Edition), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Two-Disc Special Edition) and Unforgiven (Two-Disc Special Edition). The DVDs can be purchased as a group, for $200, or a la carte. Extras include commentary, vintage shorts and cartoons, and all the usual “special edition” bells and whistles. -- Gary Dretzka

	Fandango US/Canada Gross: $.08 million In 1985, when the mildly entertaining dramedy Fandango made its brief theatrical debut, Kevin Costner was as known primarily as the actor who played the dead guy in The Big Chill. His flashback scenes ultimately were trimmed from the yuppie blockbuster, but Lawrence Kasdan more than made up for that slight by giving Costner a breakthrough role in the revisionist western, Silverado. The rest is Hollywood history. Fandango, in which Costner got second billing (if that) to Judd Nelson, follows a group of college students on a final road trip to Mexico, just days before graduation and a possible all-expenses-paid trip to Vietnam. It was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who would again partner with Costner on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and most of Waterworld, and exec produced by the estimable Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. More significant to Costner’s career and bank account was 1992’s The Bodyguard, which has just been re-released into DVD in a two-disc edition. It comes with the making-of documentary, "Memories of The Bodyguard"; a music-video version of “I Will Always Love You,” from a then-stable Whitney Houston; and the theatrical trailer. Kasdan wrote the screenplay, which originally was intended for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross, but abandoned for fear of offending those few racists who actually buy tickets to sudsy chick flicks. Legend has it that a proposed sequel would have starred co-producer Costner and the late Princess Diana. Now, that’s trick casting. -- Gary Dretzka

Fandango is among a short pile of titles released for the first time on DVD by Warner Bros. They include the too-wacky-for-its-own-good Aussie export, Yahoo Serious; Norman Jewison’s Other People’s Money, with Danny DeVito as a Gordon Gekko-like corporate raider; George Burns’ by-the-numbers sequels, Oh, God! Book II and Oh, God! You Devil; the endearing-alcoholic fantasy, Arthur 2: On the Rocks; the Macaulay Culkin comic-book caper, Richie Rich; and Chain of Fools, which features an all-star cast of indie actors (including Steve Zahn, Jeff Goldblum and pre-Frida Salma Hayak) and the directorial debut of someone or something named Traktor. -- Gary Dretzka

	Fully Baked and Blackball Despite the estimable presence of Dave Chappelle and cameos by legendary potheads Snoop Dog and Willie Nelson, Half Baked -- even in its special “Fully Baked Edition” -- won’t make anyone forget Cheech & Chong’s counter-culture classic, Up in Smoke. But, for those who prefer to watch their movies through a marijuana haze, Tamra Davis’ sloppy effort more than fills the bill for cheap stoner laughs. The plot, not that it matters, involves the efforts of a trio of bong buddies to rescue a friend jailed for feeding junk food to a diabetic police horse. (You now know the best gag in the picture). The extras include an alternate ending, 10 deleted scenes, “Granny's Guide to Bakin'“ and director’s commentary. In a similar vein, the generous souls at International Lampoon have released into DVD here the British lawn-bowling comedy, Blackball. That’s right, lawn bowling … which is not to be confused with dodgeball, which is exactly the movie (Dodgeball, that is) the distributors of Blackball are hoping audiences will think they’re renting. With the exception of Vince Vaughn and a little round ball, however, the films have very little else in common. It’s probably also worth noting that Blackball was directed by Mel Smith, who was responsible for the very bad “Bean” and High Heels and Low Lifes, and very good The Tall Guy. It co-stars Paul Kaye, James Cromwell, Johnny Vegas and, yup, even Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton. -- Gary Dretzka
Alison Mclean’s wildly uneven psycho-sexual thriller, Crush, has been sitting on a shelf somewhere in New Zealand for more than a dozen years now. If Strand gets any traction at all from the DVD, it will come from the subsequent marketability of Marcia Gay Harden, who sandwiched this role in between Miller‘s Crossing and Used People (not to mention, a Kojak movie-of-the-week). Set in the gorgeous geothermal badlands of New Zealand, Harden plays a mysterious American woman who literally crashes into the lives of literary critic, a rural novelist and his swiftly coming-of-age daughter. The seductions get creepier and creepier, as the story rushes toward its loudly telegraphed conclusion. Mclean would go on to direct episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, Sex and the City and Carnivale, as well as the feature Jesus’ Son and documentary Persons of Interest. The disc includes an extremely bizarre early short from Mclean, Kitchen Sink. -- Gary Dretzka

	Miami Vice Although the pastel colors have faded a bit since Miami Vice was in its heyday, this handsome DVD revival makes an excellent case for the show’s place in pop-cultural history. Legend has it that NBC Entertainment chief Brandon Tartikoff agreed to green light the Miami-based cop drama based solely on the two-word pitch: “MTV cops.” Back in the coke-fueled '80s, Miami Vice looked and sounded different than anything else on prime-time TV. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the hot cars and Armani fashions only served to glamorize the dealers, pimps and players who were the bane of Crockett and Tubbs’ existence. The bonus features include the series’ two-hour pilot, an introduction by creator Michael Mann and featurettes "The Vibe of Vice," "Back Story: Miami Vice,” "The Fashion" and "The Music." For my money, though, the most fun comes in watching the parade of special guest stars. -- Gary Dretzka The secret to success, whether it's women or money, is knowing when to quit. I oughta know: I'm divorced and broke.

	Deadwood In its first season on HBO, “Deadwood” scorched the landscape with some of the most inventive cussing ever hear on television … or anywhere, for that matter. After a couple of episodes, however, the brilliance of David Milch’s story of decay and decadence in the Old West overwhelmed even the profane poetics. In Al Swearengen, Ian McShane has created one of the medium’s most deliciously villainous characters. Molly Parker, Brad Dourif and Timothy Olyphant also are excellent. This arrival of this DVD package precedes the series’ second season on premium cable. -- Gary Dretzka
When the Showtime series Penn & Teller: Bullshit! -- a.k.a. “Penn & Teller: Bullsht!” and “P&T: BS!” -- was nominated for a pair of Emmys last year, one wondered how the censorial types at the FCC would react to hearing the title announced as the winner … or P&T’s acceptance speech. The point was made moot by the show’s dual loss and the categories’ not-ready-for-prime-time status. Still, as this second-season compilation demonstrates, there’s no questioning the show’s ability to poke holes in such sacred cows as P.E.T.A., anti-aging miracle treatments, the funeral industry and 12-step programs. As hosts. the boys are as delightfully cynical as ever. -- Gary Dretzka*

Also new to the TV-to-DVD marketplace are collections of the first seasons of the wonderful workplace sitcoms, *Murphy Brown* and *Night Court, both of which are better than any such series currently on the air. The equally long-running Full House, also new to DVD, will go down in infamy as the show that not only launched the careers of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, but also made John Stamos’ Uncle Jesse a pop-cultural icon for today‘s generation of young achievers. Unfortunately, the special bonus features aren’t all that special. -- Gary Dretzka*

MCN's 2004 DVD Year In Review
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Digital Nation: Gary Dretzka's Best DVDs of the Year
Ray Pride's Five Best DVDs And Five Best Boxed Sets