Home Video and DVD Reviews by Bruce Kluger--Us Weekly 2001 (F through M)

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By Bruce Kluger

The Family Man:

Wall Street hotshot and inveterate bachelor Nicolas Cage finds

himself drowning in domestic bliss when a meddlesome angel (Don Cheadle)

transports him to the life that could have been with his college flame (Tea Leoni).

Cag

e delights as the beleaguered homebody lost in a land of car pools and

diapers. PG-13 rating; 126 minutes (Universal)

The Fast and the F

urious:

An L.A. undercover cop infiltrates a gang of rogue

road

racers in an effort to bust up a ring of bad-ass highway hijackers that prey on

big-

rig cargoes. Vin Diesel burns rubber in this low-brow, high-octane actioner

whose

chase scenes continue to thrill long after the story runs out of gas. PG-13;

107

minutes (Universal)

Final Fantasy:

Among the extras on this deluxe double-disk edition of Hironobu

Sakaguchi’s landmark earthlings-versus-aliens saga (hyped as the first film ever to

star an all-computer-generated cast) are an alternate opening sequence, an

interactive making-of featurette, special effects “workshops,” re-editing capabilities,

and a batch of goodies for your PC. Have fun. PG-13 (Columbia TriStar)

Finding Forrester:

Sean Connery is a former literary star-turned-Salingeresque

hermit who enlightens an inner-city hoopster (Jamal Wallace) to the magic of prose.

Director Gus Van Sant’s

Pygmalion

-like fable skillfully bounces from urbane to hip-

hop to two-hanky tearjerker. F. Murray Abraham co-stars as a stuffed-shirt

academic. PG-13; 136 minutes (Columbia TriStar)

From Here to Eternity

(1953): Christmas in Hawaii, anyone? The DVD edition of

Fred Zinnemann’s Oscar-winning WWII chestnut—starring Burt Lancaster and

Deborah Kerr—includes making-of featurettes and commentary galore. The

mistletoe moment: that kiss on the beach. (Columbia TriStar)

Gandhi:

In addition to the usual extras, the long-awaited DVD release of Richard

Attenborough’s 1982 Oscar-winning epic about the spiritual leader of India features

vintage newsreel footage, including clips of Gandhi’s visit to England, film coverage

of his historical fast, and the first-ever talking pictures of the Mahatma. Also on disk:

commentary by Ben Kingsley. PG (Columbia TriStar)

The Gift:

Cate Blanchett is a small town widow whose talents as a card-reading

clairvoyant are tapped by local lawmen investigating a socialite’s murder. Blanchett

lends fresh urgency to a familiar story, as Keanu Reeves oozes evil as the cops’

prime suspect. Co-written by Billy Bob Thornton. R; 111 minutes (Paramount)

Girlfight:

Writer-director Karyn Kusama scores a decisive K.O. with her edgy

portrait

of a Bronx high school girl whose unchecked rage and stubborn sense of

justice

lands her in the boxing ring. Newcomer Michelle Rodriguez goes the

distance as the

angry young woman with the serious hook. R; 110 minutes

(Columbia TriStar)

Glory:

Audio commentary by director Edward Zwick, featurette, deleted scenes. R

(Columbia TriStar)

The Godfather:

Arguably the year’s most coveted DVD package, this daunting five-

disk compilation of Francis Ford Coppola’s Corleone crime family saga includes all

three theatrical features, as well as a 73-minute behind-the-camera chronicle,

additional scenes, screen tests, insights by Coppola and, for those who still can’t

follow along, a “Corleone Family Tree.” A keeper for collectors. R

(Paramount)

he Good Sex Guide:

You’ve heard of Christmas cookies—but Christmas nookie?

This two-disk, between-the-sheets instructional is designed for parental play after

the kids are all snug in their beds. A sizzling, soft-core hit from Brit TV, it’s both

naughty and nice. (BFS)

The Great Gatsby:

Mira Sorvino and Toby Stevens headline this uneven but

likeable retelling of Fitzgerald’s saga of passion and destiny set against the

backdrop of Jazz Era high society. Like Redford’s 1974 stab, its grandeur and

opulence often drown out the story’s soul. Still, it’s worth a look, notably for

Sorvino

s spot-on spin as the irrepressible Daisy. Paul Rudd co-stars. NR; 100

minutes

(A&E)

Hamlet:

To rent or not to rent. Director Michael Almereyda’s modern-day spin on

Shakespeare’s twisted soap opera stars Ethan Hawke as the tortured dreamer,

here a young filmmaker suffering the slings and arrows of corporate intrigue—and

a seriously dysfunctional family. Inventively conceived, with the famous soliloquy

delivered

n Bard-worthy fashion

. R; 111 minutes (Miramax)

Hannibal:

You loved

Silence of the Lambs

? Skip this monstrosity. Despite its $100

million-plus box office, Anthony Hopkins’ dumbed-down sequel to his chilling 1991

serial-murder thriller is everything the earlier movie wasn’t: predictable, overblown

and gratuitously violent (stir-fried brains, anyone?). Julianne Moore and Ray Liotta

share in the scenery-noshing. R; 131 minutes (MGM)

Head Over Heels:

Museum art restorer Monica Potter goes ga-ga over fashion

exec

Freddie Prinze, Jr., only to discover he may be…a murderer? Chaos ensues,

highlighted by clumsy supermodels, Russian mobsters and a climactic shootout at a

runway show. Mindless piffle, to be sure, but the reliably charming Prinze manages

to keep it afloat. PG-13; 87 minutes (Universal)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch:

Did someone say Oscar? Writer-director-star John

Cameron Mitchell soars as a gender-bending, East Berlin glam-rocker—and victim

of a clumsy scalpel—who embarks on a pop-punk, psycho-erotic world tour in

search of spiritual fulfillment and his/her wayward man-child protégé. Brilliantly

adapted from the off-Broadway hit, it features a heart-wrenching score by Stephen

Trask. R; 91 minutes (New Line)

The Holiday Classics:

Call them your father’s Christmas specials. This DVD boxed-

set of Rankin/Bass faves

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Frosty the Snowman

and

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

is a glorious nod to the

simple joys of the

pre-

Pixar era

—

and a

downright delightful déjà-vu. (Golden Books)

The Howdy Doody Show:

Sixteen shows in four volumes, including the 1957

Easter

Special and the final broadcast on 9/24/60. NR; $14.99 each (Image)

The Ice Rink:

Jean-Philippe Toussaint’s charming movie-biz send-up zooms in on

the harried director of a skating rink romance, as he copes with his sexed-up starlet

(Dolores Chaplin—Charlie’s granddaughter), his klutzy crew, a panicky producer

and the entire Lithuanian National Hockey Team. In French, with subtitles. NR; 80

minutes (Kino)

I’m the One That I Want:

Korean-American comic Margaret Cho’s live-audience,

stand-up rendition of her sassy memoir extracts laughs from life’s hard knocks,

including skewed spins on sexual discrimination, eating disorders and the notoriety

of tanking in a sitcom. Cho starts slow, then picks up steam—especially when she

rags on her bewildered mom. NR; 96 minutes (Winstar)

In the Line of Fire:

Wolfgang Petersen’s taut 1993 thriller about a haunted Secret

Service agent (Clint Eastwood) trying to protect the President from a crazed

assassin (John Malkovich) gets historical perspective from four separate featurettes

that go behind the scenes at the real-life Agency. Also included: commentary from

Petersen and deleted scenes. R (Columbia TriStar)

Into the Arms of Strangers:

During the run-up to WWII, more than 10,000

children

were saved from Nazi atrocities by a rescue operation called the

Kindertransport.

The DVD edition of Mark Jonathan Harris’ Oscar-winning chronicle

of these efforts

includes bonus interviews with survivors, historical artifacts, photo

galleries and

DVD-Rom access to an online study guide. Judi Dench narrates. PG

(Warner)

The Invisible Circus:

1977: Seven years after the mysterious death of her sister

(Cameron Diaz) while traveling overseas, San Franciscan teen Jordana Brewster

embarks for Europe, retracing her sib’s steps, using postcards as her road map.

Alas, the payoff doesn’t live up to the heavy panting that precedes it, though Diaz

generates sparks as the wild-eyed Seventies free spirit. R; 93 minutes (New Line)

(1927): Before there was Julia Roberts, Hollywood gave us Clara Bow, the

stunning and scrappy flapper whose turn here as a spirited lingerie saleswoman

redefined the role of leading lady and earned her the title of “The It Girl.” Co-

directed (without credit) by Josef von Sternberg, the film includes a bonus

documentary that retells the story of Clara’s rocket ride to stardom. NR

(Kino)

It’s a Wonderful Life/Miracle on 34th Street:

One is a valentine to the human

spirit,

the other a sweet Santa saga—packaged together, they’re the perfect

double-bill

for Xmas eve at the VCR. Jimmy Stewart and Natalie Wood soar and

charm,

respectively. (Fox)

Joe Dirt:

Cow farts, doody bombs and a man-eating alligator populate this

hopelessly dim tale of a cracked-skulled, mullet-haired, white-trash janitor (David

Spade) roaming the globe in search of his parents, who abandoned him in a Grand

Canyon trashcan at the age of eight. The film was co-executive produced by Adam

Sandler. There’s a surprise. PG-13; 91 minutes (Columbia TriStar)

John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars:

Martial arts mayhem and high-noon shoot-

outs

juice up this futuristic tale of a mining colony on the Red Planet, in which

escaped

killer Ice Cube and cosmos cop Natasha Henstridge battle deadly Martian

specters

bent on possessing human interlopers. Out of this world? No. But it still

beats

Mission to Mars by a light year. R; 98 minutes (Columbia TriStar)

The Judy Garland Show, Volume Five:

The latest batch from Judy’s popular

Sixties

TV series includes the legendary appearance by newcomer Barbara

Streisand (pre-

Funny Girl

), whose awesome duets with Garland (e.g., “Get

Happy/Happy Days Are

Here Again”) are soured only when “surprise guest” Ethel

Merman tries like hell to

upstage them. Donald O’Connor and the Smothers

Brothers also check in. NR (Pioneer)

Jurassic Park III:

The plot’s the same as the first two installments (e.g., clueless

scientists dodge dinos and learn their lesson) but the DVD edition of the new raptor

romp has bite, with a making-of featurette, 3-D portraits of the film’s featured

creatures, and a visit to a real Montana dinosaur dig with paleontologist Jack

Horner. Sam Neill and Téa Leoni star. PG-13, $27 (Universal)

Just Judy:

Among the beauts belted out on this 28-song DVD medley from Judy

Garland’s landmark TV series is

Over the Rainbow,

as performed by the divine

Miss

G on her 1963 Christmas show. The ideal stocking-stuffer for nostalgic moms

and

gay men. (Pioneer/Classic World)

The Kid:

Successful but socially dysfunctional image consultant Bruce Willis trips

a time warp, befriending the eight-year-old version of himself (Spencer Breslin)

who

teaches him how to play nice—and vice versa. Not as whimsical as Big, but just

engaging, it’s proof once more that Willis is as limber with comedy as he is with

car

chases. Lily Tomlin co-stars. PG; 104 minutes (Disney)

The Ladies Man:

Tim Meadows stretches his skanky radio-sexpert sketch

character

from SNL into a high-octane, low-brow tour-de-force in this feature-length

homage

to the perpetually horny. If you think you’re immune to endless booty gags,

just wait

till the scene with the nun. Will Ferrell and Billy Dee Williams check in. R;

minutes (Paramount)

Lady and the Tramp II:

Scamp’s Adventure: No dead-horse beating here. This

charming follow-up to Walt’s 1955 mutt-meets-bitch classic finds the still fetching

pair of pooches married with pups, the youngest of which has itchy paws and sets

off to see the world. Truly delightful—but, ah, where was the noodle kiss? Alyssa

Milano and Scott Wolf provide the voices. G; 70 minutes (Disney)

Lara Croft:

Tomb Raider:

Call her Indiana Jones with a great rack. Rough-and-

buff

Angelina Jolie is a refined rich Brit turned bunjee-jumping crypt-comber,

bounding

the globe in search of an ancient amulet that can reverse the hands of

time. No

ground-breaking cinema here—just one long, effects-laden video game,

occasionally enlivened by a juiced-up Jolie. PG-13; 101 minutes (Paramount)

The Last of the Blue Devils

(1979): Bruce Ricker’s swinging chronicle of the

1974

reunion of Kansas City music legends Count Basie, Big Joe Turner and Jay

McShann includes a roof-raising rendition of Basie’s signature “One O’Clock Jump”

and an electrifying Turner-McShann interpretation of “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” Also

on disk: audio commentary, outtakes and additional songs. NR (Kino)

Left Luggage:

A standout at the 1998 Berlin Film Fest, this thoughtful exploration

cultural identity follows the spiritual journey of a young Jewish nanny caring for a

retarded child in a Hassidic household, and her struggle to embrace her own

heritage. Isabella Rossellini and Maximilian Schell star. NR; 100 minutes (Fox

Lorber)

Legally Blonde:

Reese Witherspoon headlines this witless, overly teased tale of a

vapid (but smart!) sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back to boy

who dumped her. Alas, like the stereotypical ditz it seeks to debunk, the story is just

plain dumb—though Reese’s pieces of it are, admittedly, fun to watch. PG-13; 95

minutes (MGM)

The Legend of Bagger Vance:

Golf great-turned-drifter Matt Damon is reborn on

the lush greens of Savannah fairway heiress (and former flame) Charlize Theron,

thanks to the spiritual coaching of mystery caddy Will Smith. Director Robert

Redford drapes the links-as-life allegory—oddly rejected by the critics—with

trademark grace and beauty. PG-13; 127 minutes (DreamWorks)

Little Nicky:

As the heavy metal-headbanging youngest son of the Devil, Adam

Sandler rises from Hell to track down his evil older brothers, who are bent on

corrupting New York (lotsa luck). Fans of Sandler’s goofy voices and adolescent

antics won’t be disappointed: this ain’t what you call brain-candy. Harvey Keitel is

Satan. PG-13; 84 minutes (New Line)

The Little Vampire:

Move over Anne Rice. This tangy confection stars Jonathan

Lipnicki (Jerry Maguire) as a little boy uprooted to Scotland, where he befriends a

family of the undead. It’s sweet stuff without the syrup, though some scenes may

have a bit too much bite for the pre-school set. PG; 94 minutes (New Line)

Live Nude Girls Unite!:

Feminism bumps up against the bump-and-grind in this

award-winning chronicle of a San Francisco labor dispute, in which local strippers

protest salary reductions, exploitation by porn websites and employee favoritism

based on breast size. A fascinating behind-the-curtains peek and film fest fave that

boasts plenty of body- and soul-baring. NR; 70 minutes (First Run)

Lucky Numbers:

John Travolta plays a dim local weatherman who schemes with

his

station’s trampy lotto ball girl (Lisa Kudrow) to fix the state lottery—in their favor.

Mob shenanigans and gratuitous murders bog down an otherwise fresh idea,

though Kudrow hits the jackpot as the embodiment of white trash. R; 105 minutes

(Paramount)

The Luzhin Defence:

Pinballing from chain-smoking madman to glassy-eyed

zombie, John Turturro captivates as a chess genius who, socked away at an Italian

resort for a national championship, falls for a Russian socialite (Emily Watson).

Director Marleen Gorris plots her story with gameboard precision, and the stars

couldn’t be better. Based on Nabokov’s novel. PG-13; 106 minutes (Columbia

TriStar)

Made:

Swingers Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn return, this time as a pair of

bickering West Coast wannabes, hired by mob boss Peter Falk to run a dicey

errand in NYC. Favreau’s script (he also directed) is riotous mishmash of mishaps,

and Sean Combs shines as the Gotham gangster saddled with the boneheaded

bag boys. Famke Janssen co-stars. R; 95 minutes (Artisan)

The Magnificent Seven

(1960): Based on Akira Kurasawa’s

The Seven Samurai

(1954),

John Sturgess’ sharpshooting tale of a band of gunfighters who defend a

Mexican

village is the quintessential oater, with trigger-happy action and memorably

rugged

performances by, among others, Yul Brenner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen

and

Charles Bronson. The disk includes a new making-of documentary, audio

commentary, photo gallery and collectible souvenir booklet. NR

(MGM)

Malèna:

Sicily, WWII: Monica Bellucci electrifies as a sullen but sultry war widow

whose daily strolls through town square incite gossip among villagers and

unchecked adoration from a 13-year-old boy. Oscar nominations went to Lajos

Koltai’s sensual cinematography, and the rapturous score of Ennio Morricone.

Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (

Cinema Paradiso

). R; 92 minutes (Miramax)

The Matrix: Revisited:

The sequels aren’t due for years. Until then, this DVD

encyclopedia of all things Matrix should tide fans over, with new scenes from the

original 1999 blockbuster, behind-the-camera footage, updated commentary,

background on the movie’s fight choreography and Oscar-winning effects, and a

preview of an anime project based on the film. Franchise, anybody? NR

(Warner)

Me, Myself & Irene:

Gross-out masters Peter and Bobby Farrelly (

There’s

Something About Mary)

return with the warped tale of a state trooper whose Jekyll-

Hyde personality disorder lands him in hot water with corrupt cops and in bed with

fetching fugitive Renee Zellweger. More scatological than a bathroom wall at Grand

Central, it takes pot shots at dwarfs, albinos, Mensa members and cows. R; 117

minutes (Fox)

Meet Joe Black:

If at first you get bum reviews, try DVD. This two-disk edition of

Martin Brest’s dubiously received 1998 grim reaper love story (starring Brad Pitt)

loads up on bonus material, including script-to-scene capabilities, a photo gallery

and the full

length 1934 feature film,

Death Takes a Holiday

, starring Fredric

March,

on which

Joe Black

was based. (Universal)

Meet the Parents:

Ben Stiller defines exasperation as a male nurse whose trip

home to meet his girlfriend’s folks has one snag: her Dad (Robert DeNiro) despises

him. Slapstick abounds—from peeing cats to burning backyards—as Stiller and

DeNiro pull off the funniest on-screen pairing since Felix and Oscar. PG-13; 108

minutes (Universal)

Men of Honor:

Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as Carl Brashear, who took on military

racism and a tyrannical commanding officer to become the first black American

diver in the U.S. Navy. Director George Tillman, Jr. (

Soul Food

) plumbs the depths

of melodrama with bends-inducing results, though Cuba and Bob have some nice

fiery face-offs. R; 129 minutes (Fox)

The Mexican:

The DVD release of Gore Verbinski’s bumpy comedy—about a

bumbling bagman (Brad Pitt) juggling his south-of-the-border assignment,

unforgiving mob boss and high-maintenance girlfriend (Julia Roberts)—features

deleted footage, including a wedding vignette and additional scenes with Roberts

and sensitive hit man James Gandolfini, which is easily the film’s funniest

relationship. R (DreamWorks)

Miss Congeniality:

To infiltrate a beauty contest in search of a mad bomber, ill-

mannered FBI agent Sandra Bullock must undergo a Pygmalion-like transformation.

Nice try. Sandra’s toned gams notwithstanding, the cardboard characters and

implausible plot twists keep this mindless dud off the winner’s ramp. Candice

Bergen, as the scheming pageant director, logs in perhaps the stupidest role of her

career. PG-13; 109 minutes (Warner)

oulin Rouge:

Nicole Kidman electrifies as the scarlet-maned main attraction at

the

notorious Parisian cabaret, plying her talents—all of them—in pursuit of amour.

Alas, director Baz Luhrmann’s frantically paced, pop-operatic dance spectacle is

more soufflé than cassoulet—but who cares? Nicole is magnifique. Ewan McGregor

and John Leguizamo co-star. PG-13; 97 minutes (Fox)

The Mummy Returns:

Ten years after their first blockbusting romp, beautiful bone-

diggers Brendan Fraser and Rachael Weisz tangle anew with the testy spirit of an

ancient Egyptian priest, while trying to rescue their whip-smart nine-year-old son.

Once again, the plot’s skeletal, but the effects are mind-blowing. WWF star “The

Rock” cameos as the dreaded Scorprion King. PG-13; 130 minutes (Universal)

The Mummy Ultimate Edition:

The special-edition DVD of the 1999 tombs-and-

treasure adventure story (starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz) beefs up an

otherwise ho-hum offering with storyboards, a photo gallery, script-to-scene

capability (first you read it, then you watch it) and a peek back at the real-life

pharaohs. The disk also includes a mummy game for the PC. (Universal)

A Muppet Family Christmas:

At last on DVD, Jim Henson’s 1987 TV special is a

Yuletide free-for-all, featuring visits by fuzzy frolickers from

Fraggle Rock

and

Sesame Street

. Trivia buffs take note: An early Elmo appears in the background,

but doesn’t speak. (Columbia TriStar)

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