DVD Releases: May 4, 2005


Treasure Clips The Clues Around Us The Declaration of Independence Benjamin Franklin The Freemasons Locations Secrets & Spies The Treasure The Money Pit	National Treasure Worldwide Gross - $337.0 million The nation's critics had a good time bashing National Treasure, a maddening mish-mosh of an action-adventure from director Jon Turteltaub and Jerry Brukheimer, a producer whose only crime is possessing an ability to profit mightily from the largely pedestrian tastes of America's film-going public. National Treasure isn't a great movie by anyone's standards, even Brukheimer's, but, as far as I know, Brukheimer wasn't spotted at any known mall or multiplex, holding a gun to the foreheads of patrons to get them to purchase tickets to National Treasure … or Kangaroo Jack, for that matter. The ancient treasure in question, of course, was gathered by the fabled Knights Templar. The clues to its dubious existence may or may not lie on the back of the Declaration of Independence on display in the National Archives. Naturally, a manic series of chases, break-ins, thefts, cobwebbed skeletons and narrow escapes are required before the mystery is solved by the estimable Nicolas Cage. The film's most unpardonable crime apparently was that it wasn't sufficiently exciting to satisfy dare-devil critics. It also reminded them too much of The Da Vinci Code, and, of course, the hype surrounding that alarming success. Once Disney got over the disappointment of not having a high-octane thriller to sell, it instead elected to maximize the potential of the PG-rating and treat National Treasure as a historically based family adventure/caper. As such, the movie should enjoy a decent afterlife in DVD, if not a Disneyland attraction to call its own. Cage is fine as the genetically coded treasure hunter, and the bonus features aren't bad (I preferred the alternate ending to the more romantic -- bordering on snarky-- one actually used). What I missed most, however, were featurettes explaining the real history and speculation surrounding the treasure, as well as the role played in its disappearance by our Founding Freemasons-- Gary Dretzka The movie suggests that something is written on the back of the Declaration of Independence. It is true that something is written on its back. The writing on the back of the Declaration of Independence reads: "Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776" and it appears on the bottom of the document, upside down.

The Trailers The Poster Photos: Christine Photos: The Phantom Photos: Raoul Photos: The Company	Phantom of the Opera US/Canada Gross - $51.2 million After Andrew Lloyd Webber's staggeringly popular musical adaptation of The Phantom of Opera first made the theatrical leap from London to Broadway, it became something of a Hollywood ritual for the agents of A-list actors and directors to float their clients' names as candidates for the inevitable film version. They needn't have bothered. What must have seemed like a no-brainer 17 years ago, however, proved to be anything but a runaway success upon its awards-qualifier run on Dec. 20, 2004. In what must have been a devastating surprise to everyone involved -- especially Universal -- fans stayed away in droves, as if their unhappiness over the absence of Michael Crawford had manifest itself in an international box-office boycott. How else to explain their indifference? Maybe, it was the lack of big-name stars. The critics certainly weren't kind to the movie, but, then, many critics hated the stage version, too. If nothing else, director Joel Schumacher made the interior and netherworld of the ill-fated Paris Opera look great, far more alluring than could have been possible in any theater outside Las Vegas. And, young Emmy Rossum certainly didn't embarrass herself, as Christine. I suspect the DVD version will do better, if only because it doesn't require such an absolute commitment in time, patience and stamina. (After all, what's to prevent anyone from fast-forwarding through some of the more repetitive songs?) How much better, though, is anyone's guess. -- Gary Dretzka The Hot Button: The Phantom of The Opera is playing well with audiences, but it is fascinating to discuss the various elements that embraced and rejected. Joel Schumacher discusses going to the Paris Opera House and finding out that most of the crew on the operas lived in the space, a bohemian commune of magic and the arts. He built parts of his movie on this notion. But someone recently remarked to me that they knew a lot about the Paris Opera House and that the film had not faithfully recreated it in detail and he didn't understand why. Gerard Butler is alternately "the only real performance in the movie," the possessor of "a terrible voice," "not Michael Crawford" or "perfect." Emmy Rossum's performance is judged a lot differently when people find out that she was a trained opera singer and sang the role herself. Etc, etc, etc…Did you enjoy the show, Mr. Lincoln? 20 Weeks To Oscar: To put it in Oscar terms, if Chicago was the new millennium answer to Cabaret, The Phantom of The Opera is the new millennium answer to Oliver.

	The Chorus US/Canada Gross - $3.4 million Nominated for a pair of Academy Awards, The Chorus is the latest in a long line of movies that demonstrate both the redemptive power of music and positive influence a teacher can have on a child headed toward oblivion. Set in a particularly nasty reform school in post-war France, The Chorus does for singing what Music of the Heart did for violins, Mr. Holland's Opus did for high school music programs and Stand and Deliver did for calculus. Sure, it's over-familiar, but The Chorus isn't likely to disappoint anyone who likes this sort of thing. -- Gary Dretzka

	The TV Releases Enterprise The Partridge Family This week’s most significant TV-to-DVD arrival is Star Trek Enterprise: The Complete First Season. For those of us who’ve lost track, Enterprise was the fifth live-action television series in the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 22nd Century, a hundred years before James T. Kirk took command of the Enterprise, it follows the exploits of the crew led by Capt. Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), as it became the first to navigate deep space. Typically, it comes in a handsome chrome-like container, with two hours worth of extras for devout Trekkies. The release coincides with the airing of the series’ final episodes on UPN, and an aborted rescue mission by fans willing to donate money to keep it alive. The other noteworthy TV-to-DVD title scheduled for release this week is the complete first-season collection of The Partridge Family, which was a companion series to The Brady Bunch, also on ABC in the early ’70s. The gag required that Shirley Jones haul her family of bubble-gum rockers around the country in a multi-colored bus, and put up with their antics on the road. Among the kids who emerged from the series as stars were David Cassidy, Susan Dey and Danny Bonaduce. The three-disc package includes commentaries by Jones and Bonaduce, a music sampler and featurettes. The complete second season of The Golden Girls also is new to DVD. Like almost everything else on DVD, it is what it is.-- Gary Dretzka

Go Further Actor/activist Woody Harrelson and Ron Mann (Twist, Grass) get star billing in Go Further, a docu-mercial for environmental awareness and Simple Organic Living. Together with another half-dozen or so practitioners of various New Age disciplines, they hopped on board a bio-fueled bus for a 1,300-mile road trip along the left coast, spanning Seattle, Santa Barbara and several colleges in between. The idea is to make anyone who's ever looked longingly on a hamburger or glass of milk feel as if they've committed a felony. If these deeply earnest Merry Hempsters weren't so damn self-righteousness, vitriolic and naïve (Consumers are ready to revolt! … as if), the importance of their very relevant message might have come through a lot clearer. As it is, Go Further will play much better among already-committed college students, who've yet to embark on careers in Fortune 500 companies, than anyone who might require something more from a meal than fiber. Not surprisingly, though, the scenery's nice, and the soundtrack features the music of Natalie Merchant, Bob Weir, Anthony Kiedis and Dave Matthews. -- Gary Dretzka

Waydowntown US/Canada Gross - $.02 million Waydowntown, Gary Burns' undeservedly obscure take on the absurdity of everyday life in the contemporary workplace, is a cross between Mike Judge's work-sucks comedy, Office Space, and the Dilbert my-boss-is-nuts comic strip. Set among the intricately tunneled-and-tubed environment of downtown Calgary -- although, it could just as easily have been Minneapolis -- the offbeat satire involves a group of young cubicle dwellers who wager a month's salary on who can stay indoors the longest. We viewers arrive on Day 24, when things start getting really weird. The film's narration is provided by Tom (the fabulously named Fab Filippo), a pot-smoking office trainee, provocateur and aspiring superhero. Wisely, since all such jobs share certain generic absurdities, Burns purposefully avoids providing more precise descriptions. Waydowntown isn't anywhere near perfect, but what its lacks in overall consistency and technical chops, it more than makes up for in pure chutzpah. -- Gary Dretzka

The Three Amigos: Uncensored Stand-Up Like videos based on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Original Kings of Comedy, Original Queens of Comedy, Three Tenors and Three Irish Tenors, among others, C.B. Harding’s The Three Amigos: Uncensored Stand-Up features a trio of highly talented comics, who’ve joined forces to raise the profile of the individual performers. (O.K., Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti’s profiles already were plenty high, compared to the other tenor.) Here, the line-up includes stand-up comics Carlos Mencia, Pablo Francisco and Freddy Soto. They’re funny, but not as outrageously so as they’re capable. I’ve heard better from each performer on the uncensored comedy stations of XM and Sirius radio, which could explain why this 4-year-old film received zero distribution. -- Gary Dretzka

Pocahontas Disney’s animated version of the Pocahontas legend took many by surprise, with its decidedly anti-colonial and pro-environment subtext, and a romance that was anything but fairy-tale. Absent were such trademark touches as talking animals, characters introduced primarily as vehicles for comic relief and big set pieces. Nevertheless, Pocahontas is a worthwhile addition to the Disney canon, with catchy songs, appealing visuals and strong voicing (American Indian actress Irene Bedard and activist Russell Means, plus Mel Gibson as John Smith). Even without the added goodies, this two-disc package offers viewers a much better experience than that provided in Disney’s inadequate 2000 video edition. A misplaced song from the original is re-integrated into the storyline, and, of course, there’s the usual array of deleted scenes, interactive games and making-of featurettes. As always, kids are cautioned against using any Disney movie as a study tool. -- Gary Dretzka

World War II Collection: Battlefield Europe Controversial Classics Collection The parade of boxed sets from the Warners library continues unabated with World War II Collection: Battlefield Europe. This time, the titles include The Battle of the Bulge, Battleground, The Big Red One: Special Edition, The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare. Of these, perhaps, the most noteworthy is the newly restored version of Samuel Fuller’s wartime diary, The Big Red One, which was sliced-and-diced before its original incarnation, in 1980. Simply put, The Dirty Dozen and Where Eagles Dare are two of the most entertaining action movies of all time, while William Wellman’s Battleground created a template for all succeeding movies about the Battle of Bulge, except maybe Battle of the Bulge (1965), whose exciting combat scenes are diminished by wildly inaccurate history. If such names as Henry Fonda, Robert Ryan, Clint Eastwood, Richard Burton, Van Johnson, George Murphy, Lee Marvin, Richard Jaeckel, Telly Savalas, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Jim Brown appeal to you, then this is boxed set should be just the right ticket. Don’t expect much in the way of extras, though. Warners’ Controversial Classics Collection, on the other hand, offers plenty of bonus features, in addition to some fine viewing. Due out next week, the package includes such new-to-DVD titles as Advice and Consent (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964) Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), Blackboard Jungle (1955), A Face in the Crowd (1957), Fury (1936) and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932). The controversies alluded to in the title of this seven-disc package include prison injustice, racial tension, juvenile delinquency, homosexuality, mob violence, and corruption in Washington, the military and media. Any teenager who hasn’t seen Blackboard Jungle, especially, is in for a treat.-- Gary Dretzka

The Last Shot Writer-director Jeff Nathanson’s refreshingly unpretentious inside-Hollywood comedy, The Last Shot. is one of those based-on-a-true-story stories that could just as easily have been turned into a documentary, and work every bit as well as the feature it inspired. With only a wee bit of fudging, The Last Shot describes an actual FBI sting that not only fooled the Rhode Island mob, but also stunned the very real pair of indie filmmakers who thought their production was being financed by a group of dentists. Alec Baldwin is fine as the FBI agent, who, before being bitten by the producing bug, was able to hoodwink both the local Teamster boss and the filmmakers (Matthew Broderick, in a composite role), neither of whom were in on the gag. Even better are Joan Cusack, Toni Collette and Calista Flockhart, who breathe new life into a trio of warhorse Hollywood stereotypes. Don’t miss the bonus features, which expand on the FBI’s role in the actual sting. -- Gary Dretzka

MCN's 2004 DVD Year In Review
Doug Pratt's Ten Best - Multiplatter And Single Platter
Digital Nation: Gary Dretzka's Best DVDs of the Year
Ray Pride's Five Best DVDs And Five Best Boxed Sets