DVD Releases: March 9, 2005


	Ladder 49 Featurettes On The Making Of Ladder 49 One of the possible reasons cops and firefighters often find themselves at odds lies in the perception that Hollywood, and, therefore, much of the public, favors one group of brave men and women over the other. With rare exceptions, movie firefighters are treated like the heroes they are, while movie cops are forced to wallow in the shortcomings of their least reputable peers. Ladder 49 falls into the first category. Completed after the sad events of 9/11, Jay Russell’s fiery drama touches all the appropriate buttons and leaves no cliché unturned. That said, it also offers plenty of thrills for viewers who haven’t overdosed on the Backdraft attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood, which gives away many of the special-effects secrets seen here. John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix play a fatherly captain and gung-ho rookie, respectively. Told mostly in flashback, as Phoenix’s character awaits rescue in the belly of a warehouse inferno, Ladder 49 follows the maturation of the firefighter both professionally and personally. It isn’t an arson mystery, like Backdraft; a star vehicle, like The Towering Inferno; or edgy ensemble piece, like Rescue Me … just a story about how a bunch of guys do their jobs, day in and day out. As that, Ladder 49 works just fine. The bonus pieces are informative and abundant.-- Gary Dretzka

	Exorcist: The Beginning Trailer for the original Exorcist As cursed projects go, Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning hardly ranks among the most offensive or unnecessary such titles. It does have one or two scary moments, including one in which a monkey turns suddenly into a CGI hyena and tears apart a little boy. But, they’re far too infrequent and of too little consequence. As it is, “The Beginning” is kind of interchangeable with a half-dozen other period gore-fests. This one is mildly noteworthy, however, in that it re-introduces us to a much younger Father Merrin (the always competent Stellan Skarsgard), who is in between gigs after leaving the priesthood in despair over an atrocity he witnessed during World War II. Four years after the end of the war, Merrin is lured to an architectural dig in Kenya by -- take your pick -- an artifact collector, emissary of the Vatican, God, the devil or the brothers Warner. We know he’ll survive the ordeal, because 25 years later (in movie time) he’ll be called on to save the world from Linda Blair. The DVD offers few extras. Most noticeably absent is the original Paul Schrader cut, which was canned as being too inert, and was rumored to be part of this release. -- Gary Dretzka

	Woman Thou Art Loosed One of the current debates consuming the post-Oscar moments of America’s film critics is how their views of Diary of a Mad Black Woman could be so at odds with of those expressed at the box-office by tens of thousands of African-American ticket-buyers. The discrepancy boils down to two things: either, 1) the writers “just don’t get it,” or 2) they “get it,” but the movie still stinks. Michael Schultz’ wrenching adaptation of T.D. Jakes’ best-selling Woman Thou Art Loosed fared considerably better among reviewers, and even garnered Independent Spirit nominations for Kimberly Elise and Loretta Devine. Still, its appeal escaped many white reviewers, whose opinion was ignored by those who delivered a Top 10 performance to the producers on the film’s opening weekend. The biggest problem likely came in the frequent appearances by Jakes, a charismatic Dallas-based minister for whom this movie could be interpreted as an infomercial. Elise’s powerfully rendered Michelle is an angry ex-con, ex-prostitute and ex-junkie who suffered much childhood abuse at the hand of her mother’s boyfriend and a variety of other male scumbags. Her story plays out in flashback, from the viewpoint of a cell on Death Row and a revelatory conversation between Michelle and Bishop Jakes. -- Gary Dretzka

	Dolls Bright Future Last Life In The Universe It’s hard to believe that Dolls -- a lushly shot, delicately paced and achingly sad film from Japan -- was written, directed and edited by Takeshi Kitano (a.k.a., Beat Takeshi), best known here for such bloodbaths as Brother, Violent Cop and Fireworks. Inspired by elements of the classic Bunraku doll theater, Kitano interweaves three deeply poignant and wholly mesmerizing love stories, which unfold over the course of the seasonal cycle and several generations of deeply wounded people. They involve a young couple who wander around the Japanese countryside while bound together by a long red cord; an elderly yakuza, who can’t distinguish the flame of a long-lost love; and a disfigured pop star, as she reaches out to an obsessive fan. All are quite marvelous. Another extremely unusual tale, also set in contemporary Japan, is told in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s near-surrealistic work of speculative fiction, Bright Future. In it, two unmotivated employees of a hand-towel factory essentially change identities and obsessions, after one is thrown into prison for a unspeakable crime. The remaining roommate is entrusted with the care and feeding of a beautiful but deadly jellyfish, which was slowly being nurtured to accept life in a fresh-water environment. After the jailed youth’s estranged father shows up to make sense of the tragedy, he also becomes obsessed with the boys’ jellyfish experiment. When the jellyfish is accidentally loosed into the canals of Tokyo, it’s newfound ability to survive and flourish adds an element of menace to the unfolding drama. Like the jellyfish, “Bright Future” is both a hypnotically graceful and frighteningly dangerous creature to behold. Palm Pictures also recently released into DVD emerging Thai director Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s quirky love story, Last Life in the Universe. An extremely fastidious young Japanese librarian, Kenji -- Tadanobu Asanois, of Ichi the Killer, Bright Future -- is laying low in Bangkok, after his attempt to commit suicide is interrupted by the arrival of his gangster brother and the yakuza assigned to kill him. While in Thailand, fate brings Kenji together with a rambunctious young woman, who is his polar opposite. To Kenji’s dismay, Noi is desperate to move to Osaka, which is the city from which he has just escaped. The rest of the story is open to much interpretation. Photographed by the estimable Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love), Last Life in the Universe will reward patient viewers in ways few American films -- even indies -- are capable of doing, anymore. (The director’s previously reviewed 6ixtynin9, while far more clamorous, is also highly recommended.) -- Gary Dretzka

	Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality No matter how much one tries, it’s difficult to use “gay” and “Hitler” in the same sentence … “homosexual,” maybe, but certainly not “gay,” in any sense of that newly defined word. While it may work fine when describing the characters on Will & Grace, it lacks the gravity necessary to explain the actions ascribed to the fuhrer-to-be by German historian Lothar Machtan. It was from Machtan’s controversial book, “The Hidden Hitler,“ that Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Inside Deep Throat, Party Monster) constructed their follow-up documentary, Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality. Even if true, however, what does one do with that information … of what possible value could it be? Hitler’s thugs exterminated homosexuals with the same zeal as that reserved for Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and other non-Aryan types. Is it fair to blame this on his self-loathing or fear of being un-closeted? Historians of several cultural stripes debate Machtan’s research and its relevance, on screen and off, while Bailey and Barbato contribute some amazing archival photographs and film. What emerges is a profile of rhetorically gifted and quite possibly homosexual politician, who, given the political and socio-sexual movements of the time, could very well have been elected president of any European nation in the ’30s (or, more recently, America), even if his party did worship Wagnerian fetishes and those buff, bare-chested studs featured in Nazi recruitment films. And, as described by her cousin, Eva Braun becomes one of the greatest beards of all time. If it weren’t for the fact that Hitler’s philosophies led directly to the annihilation of millions of human beings, the failed artist’s vague sexual persona and love of homo-erotic imagery might easily be dismissed as a character flaw. But, there is that matter of the Holocaust … and, well, that’s probably why the wide exhibition of this worthy, if discomfiting documentary has been limited to gay-and-lesbian film festivals. Another newly released documentary takes a far more traditional tack in the depiction of World War II’s heroes and villains. Produced by Moriah Films, an arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Unlikely Heroes profiles seven men and women whose contributions to the resistance have gone largely unheralded. Narrated by Ben Kingsley, the documentary is short on archival material but long on spirit. -- Gary Dretzka


Like every other rock band that would be part of the original British invasion of the ’60s, the Spencer Davis Group used American blues as its primary foundation. The reason it sounded so fresh to Yank ears was that the blues -- and much of the best R&B -- was segregated from the pop mainstream by racist radio programmers (still is). MVD’s new Gimme Some Lovin: Live 1966 provides ample evidence of the debt owed to American soul music, but, along the way, shows how much of Spencer Davis’ now-familiar “blue-eyed soul” was inspired, as well, by Ray Charles’ exuberant blend of R&B and gospel. The “live” portions of this wonderful disc come from in-studio concert for Finnish and German television, taped at about the time such hits as “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “I’m a Man” and “Keep on Runnin’” were becoming a fixture on U.S. radio. Also amply demonstrated are Steve Winwood’s inherent star quality and musical chops, which soon would be applied to Traffic and Blind Faith. Another legendary ‘60s ensemble represented on a MVD disc is Sun Ra’s Solar Arkestra, which is to contemporary jazz what the Mercury mission was to the space shuttle. In Sun Ra: The Magic Sun, composer and filmmaker Phill Niblock combines an Arkestra soundtrack with abstract cinematograph images of the musicians’ hands and mouths. MVD also recently released for Residents cultists, Icky Flix, which features several new music videos and experimental flims from the enigmatic Eyeballs . Competing in the very bright glare of the ’60s media spotlight, of course, were the Rutles, who looked and sounded remarkably like the Beatles (as filtered through Monty Python and Saturday Night Live). The Rutles 2: Can’t Buy Me Lunch, documents the Pre-Fab Four’s recent reunion tour of America, and updates us on their activities since the 1978 The Ruttles mockumentary. Among the many celebrities who share their feelings on what the group meant to them are David Bowie, Billy Connolly, Mick Jagger, Jewel, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Bonnie Raitt and Robin Williams. Creator Eric Idle, of course, reprises his twin roles as Narrator/Dirk McQuickly. -- Gary Dretzka

	The Brak Show: Volume 1 Sealab 2021 In the realm of TV-to-DVD packages this week, fans of the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim will welcome The Brak Show: Volume 1 and Sealab 2021: Season 2. These animated series defy easy description, except to say that Brak is a mutant feline super-villain, who, after being spun off Spaceghost, now is surrounded by his parents, the giant praying mantis, Zorak, and robot warrior, Thundercleese. Sealab 2021 updated the original Hanna-Barbera series, Sealab 2020, with a more motley crew of underwater scientists, including “a brilliant half-robot scientist, an insane captain and a woman who bares her breasts for little to no reason.” You simply can’t make this stuff up. Also on tap this week are multi-disc packages of the ninth season of Friends, the sixth season of Xena: Warrior Princess, the “Senior Year Collection” of Felicity and years two of Sweet Valley High, Popular and Columbo. -- Gary Dretzka

	Heat: Special Edition After a perusal of Warners' new two-disc Special Edition of Michael Mann's stylish shoot-'em-up Heat, it's easy to see how Collateral works as a prequel to that 1995 thriller (check out the subway platform). Both films can, and do, stand on their own as hyper-violent adult entertainments, of course, but the sexy pairing of Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise recalls Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro's famous pas de deux in Heat. Far more compact and pressure-packed, Collateral probably is the better movie, but the often-exhausting Heat has many great moments, as well. The two-disc Special Edition includes 11 previously deleted scenes, as well as several interesting dissections of scenes from the original.-- Gary Dretzka A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner." Now, if you're on me and you gotta move when I move, how do you expect to keep a... a marriage?

In The Weeds Someday, some enterprising cable network is going to launch a Straight to DVD Channel, dedicated to movies purchased at festivals and film markets, but never released by the distributors that purchased them … Miramax, for example. In the Weeds is a perfect example, as it features a cast of young and attractive actors -- known-quantities Molly Ringwald, Peter Riegert and Eric Bogosian, too -- who might appeal to those teen and early-adult audiences not obsessed with special effects and martial arts. Set in a swank Manhattan bistro, it imagines a workplace in which the wait staff freely gossips, flirts and plots, between pours of overpriced Pinot Noir. Better than the average made-for-TV movie by at least half, it remains a product that would be require far more money to market than it would return in box-office receipts. Nonetheless, the dialogue is fresh and the players are enthusiastic. Apart from that, In the Weeds probably is best suited to Molly Ringwald completists. -- Gary Dretzka

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Ray Pride's Five Best DVDs And Five Best Boxed Sets