DVD Releases: July 1, 2005


	Diary of a Mad Black Woman US/Canada Gross - $50.4 million Tyler Perry's screen adaptation of his play, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, required white (and several black) critics to turn themselves into bespectacled pretzels, as they struggled to find something nice -- or, at least, not overly condescending -- to say about a picture they couldn't possibly have enjoyed. Apparently, though, the few kind words weren't enough to satisfy the film's many fans, who heaped abuse on the critics and poured an astounding $50 million into it at the box office. In the wake of his one-star review, Roger Ebert was moved to report, "I have received more e-mails (about my review of Diary of a Mad Black Woman) than about any review I have ever written, outnumbering 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and 'Passion of the Christ' put together. And they were not all the same message, generated by some web site or its followers. Each manifestly came from an individual reader who felt moved to write." It would be too easy to dismiss the public-pundit disconnect on this film to something as simplistic as, "It's a black thing … you wouldn't understand," but it is and I don't. (I wonder how BET viewers would react to a Hee-Haw marathon during Black History Month. Now, that's a white thing.) Perry does provide some necessary background in an interview included in the DVD package. In it, he explains that the most jarring presence in the movie -- that of gun-toting Grandma Madea (Perry, himself, in too obvious drag) -- actually is a familiar and popular character with fans of his previous gospel stage plays, and various Chitlin' Circuit staples. Madea, a composite of several women in Perry's life, already was a well-known force in his theatrical productions. Here, she's called upon to rescue her granddaughter, Helen, who's been thrown out of her palatial home by her husband of 18 years and can't handle instant poverty. There's more, much more thrown into the melodrama to fill the entirety of its nearly two-hour length, and an overtly Christian message of forgiveness and redemption is only a small part of it. Whether Diary of a Mad Black Woman is worth that kind of investment in time will depend on how much one enjoys this kind of emotional roller-coaster, as well as very broadly drawn ethnic and drag humor. The extras are pretty informative, especially for those new to this niche genre. -- Gary Dretzka You can get it one of two ways. You can get it from his checking account voluntarily, or his insurance policy. Involuntary manslaughter. Which one is it gon' be?


	The Pacifier US/Canada Gross - $179 million Once in every action hero's career, it seems, comes a project designed specifically to show their cuddly side to the world. Typically, this requires the actor to baby-sit a group of kids who teach him a thing or two about life in the suburban jungle. In The Pacifier, Vin Diesel is the latest to try his hand at family-friendly comedy, and he succeeds about as well as most of the tough guys before him. He plays a Navy S.E.A.L. assigned to protect the family of a slain scientist, in whose home is hidden a top-secret something-or-other. Needless to say, the kids he's required to guard could teach Al Qaeda a thing or two about hand-to-hand combat. Yeah, right. Unfortunately for adults with young children anxious to see this film, director Adam Shankman's no Ivan Reitman, and The Pacifier won't make anyone forget Kindergarten Cop. Mom and dad will just have to suck it up and pretend they're enjoying it, though, as the kids almost certainly will love it. There are very few surprises here, but the bonus material in this Disney crowd-pleaser are plentiful, and typically well done. -- Gary Dretzka



	The Woodlanders There was a time, not so very long ago, when a movie as exquisitely produced and achingly romantic as The Woodlanders would be accorded the dignity of an art-house release, if only because it was adapted from a novel by Thomas Hardy. After all, his "Far From the Madding Crowd," "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," "Jude the Obscure" and "The Mayor of Casterbridge" have provided British and American studios with source material for almost a hundred years, and, really, how bad could Phil Agland's take possibly be? In fact, it's really quite lovely. Emily Woof plays Grace, a pretty country girl who listens to her father -- instead of her heart -- when she agrees to marry an ambitious doctor. When her husband becomes infatuated with a rich hoochie widow, Mrs. Charmond, Grace finds herself imprisoned by a moral code dictated by divorce laws that allowed for men to cheat on their wives without fear of blame … or alimony. When Grace finally gets the gumption to leave the cad, and embrace the studly woodsman, Giles (Rufus Sewell), naturally it's too late. All of this plays out against a background of some of the prettiest countryside and most colorful wild flowers England has to offer. -- Gary Dretzka

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry Before being elevated to emeritus status in the Hollywood community, Peter Fonda was the go-to actor for movies exploiting such white-trash pursuits as motorcycle worship, recreational substance abuse, street racing and leather fetishism. In Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, Fonda played an aspiring NASCAR driver who gets on the wrong side of the law with bombshell Susan George, who was just coming off Straw Dogs. The great thing about Fonda has always been his willingness to play second fiddle to a hot Charger or Harley hog … and look very cool doing it. This Corman-inspired entree is being released in DVD along with the equally nourishing Race With the Devil, in which an RV belonging to Fonda, Loretta Swit and the late, great Warren Oates is chased through Texas by a band of Satanists. Far better evidence of Fonda's range can be found in The Hired Hand, Ulee's Gold and, of course, Easy Rider. For those who embrace genre pictures of the post-hippie era, these discs provide a cornucopia of extras, including a vintage commercial for Dodge Chargers. -- Gary Dretzka

Cake Boy In Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald's Cake Boy, an often hilarious parody of the celebrity-chef phenomenon much-celebrated in Las Vegas and on the Food Network, a baker of erotic cakes realizes his greatest fantasy in an Iron Chef-style cook-off in Paris. But, then, that's like saying Gone With the Wind was about the Civil War. Before Selwyn Hillis (Fitzgerald) is required to hop a plane to battle Pierre Kaniche (Escalante) in the City of Lights -- the other one -- he must first come to terms with a ruthlessly abusive wife; the taunts of rock-band members, for whom he serves as a roadie; and the misconstrued intentions of a wheelchair-bound stalker. Yup, it's Rocky in an apron. That Bob Odenkirk, author of Run Ronnie Run and Mr. Show, also plays a prominent role should suggest to fans of this sort of thing the kind of humor at play here. Cake Boy, made specifically for DVD, also features the music (and a free soundtrack CD) of No Use For A Name, Yellowcard, The Bronx, Jackson, Audio Karate, Piebald, Useless ID, Hunter Revenge and Ozma. -- Gary Dretzka

Totally Fed Up* In Mysterious Skin, indie mainstay Gregg Araki already has given us a film that, come December, likely will find its way to the top-10 lists of many critics. That film's thoroughly self-aware teenage hustler, played with great skill by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, would have felt right at home with the disenfranchised kids in Araki's early Slacker-like drama, Totally Fed Up.* Released in 1993 and newly available in DVD, the film profiles a half-dozen gay and lesbian teens as they share their pain, joys, hopes and anxiety with each other and, occasionally, directly with the audience. Even a dozen years removed from its creation, Totally Fed Up* packs a lot of punch, and is of a piece with Araki's entire body of work. -- Gary Dretzka

Cafe Au Lait Mathieu Kassovitz' noisy romantic comedy, Cafe Au Lait (1993), takes us a corner of Paris where Muslims, Jews, Christians, blacks, whites, native French and immigrants live side-by-side, and, despite all the usual animosities, somehow manage not to kill each other on a daily basis. Sexy Julie Mauduech plays Lola, a mixed-race Christian who has her hands full juggling a triangular affair with a pugnacious Jewish hip-hopper and the very proper son of an African diplomat, a Muslim. The young men fuss, fight and hurl racial epithets at each other at the drop of a hat, but agree to an uneasy truce when Lola announces that she's pregnant. The film's central dilemma involves the guessing game surrounding the paternity of the child, which is kept secret until the end. More annoying than amusing, though, is Kassovitz'obsession with Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It. It is a homage that works far less often than the director -- who also plays Felix, the bike messenger and may-be father --probably would care to admit. Nonetheless, the film is energetic, and the Paris street scenes are very convincing. -- Gary Dretzka

Carlos Mencia: Not for the Easily Offended This DVD's title, Carlos Mencia: Not for the Easily Offended, pretty much sums up what fans of the up-and-coming stand-up comedian can expect in this no-holds-barred live performance. The Honduran-born, L.A.-raised Mencia is best known, perhaps, for his participation in the 2001-02 Three Amigos tours, which also featured Pablo Francisco and Freddy Soto. Mencia's material is inspired primarily by the hypocrisy he observes in every corner of his day-to-day life, whether its in a security line at the airport or picking up the kids at school. As such, he's probably never at a loss for new material. Especially caustic are his takes on ethnic stereotypes, race relations, patriotism and capitalism. It's funny stuff, but extremely rough and profane … for those with delicate ear, anyway. The bonus material was gathered in off-stage appearances at radio stations and during playtime at the local golf course. If the networks ever decided there's room for more than one Hispanic sitcom at a time, Mencia probably will find a home on TV. -- Gary Dretzka

Tall Tales & Legends When the history of original programming on cable television and home video is written, Shelley Duvall deserves a chapter of her own. Back in the infancy of those mediums, the tall, lanky Texan moved effortlessly from such early Robert Altman classics as Nashville, McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Brewster McCloud, to hosting Faerie Tale Theater, Tall Tales & Legends and Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories. In many households, Duvall became as recognizable as Mr. Rogers and Madonna. She was a generous host, as well, in that she typically reserved the marquee billing on these shows for some of the '80s biggest movie stars, many of whom weren't particularly known for their work in children's projects. Koch has just released into DVD several more titles in the Tall Tales & Legends series, including Casey at the Bat, with Elliott Gould and Carol Kane; Pecos Bill, with Steven Guttenberg and Rebecca DeMornay; and Davy Crockett, with Mac Davis and McLean Stevenson. Koch has also just sent out a batch of new titles in its fine collection of P.D. James mysteries, featuring Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh. Produced as mini-series throughout most of the '80s and '90s, by Anglia Television, the Brit bafflers include A Mind to Murder, A Taste for Death and Cover Her Face. Roy Marsden plays in the enigmatic series. -- Gary Dretzka

Femi Kuti: Live at the Shrine Bette Midler: The Divine Bette Midler If you've never experienced the infectious rhythms of Afrobeat music, Palms's Femi Kuti: Live at the Shrine would be a terrific place to start your journey. The live DVD/CD collection includes footage from a recent concert in his hometown of Lagos, Nigeria. In addition to the wonderful music, which is a hypnotic hybrid of jazz, R&B and traditional African music, Raphael Frydman's camera goes into the streets of Lagos to capture the environment that inspired both Femi and his father, Fela Kuti. Among the bonus features, too, are interviews with the artist himself. The significance of the setting comes in knowing that the African Shrine is a weekly gathering place for Femi's loyal fans and a place where those opposed to Nigeria's outrageously corrupt government officials could share their anti-government and pan-African feelings. Kuti and his band, Positive Force, begin a North American tour on July 6. There's very little about the Divine Miss M that the American public doesn't already know, after countless TV specials and performance videos. But, Shout Factory's Bette Midler: The Divine Bette Midler does a nice job in tying nearly 40 years of show-biz life into one tidy package. The DVD package, which debuted as an A&E Biography last year, is short on music but long on interviews, reminiscences with friends and fellow entertainers, and biographical material, much of which was trimmed from of the television presentation. Now that long-ago collaborator Barry Manilow has a showroom of his own in Las Vegas, it shouldn't be long before Bette gets one, as well. -- Gary Dretzka

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