Aisle Seat February Freeze Edition

By Andy Dursin
www.andyfilm.com

Winter continues to roll along up here at our Aisle Seat offices (single digit lows have been commonplace and there's so much ice on the pond one could hold a hockey game -- or two -- on it!), which means things are at last perking up on the DVD front.

For this edition of the Aisle Seat we're skipping the in-depth analysis and going straight to the point as we round up dozens of new February releases, including the latest from Criterion, Fox, Genius, Paramount and Disney Blu-Ray discs. 'Nuff said!

THE ILLUSIONIST (***1/2, 109 mins., 2006, PG-13; Fox): In Vienna circa 1900, Edward Norton plays a magician who packs houses and falls for beautiful Jessica Biel, the fiancee of the country's Crown Prince Leopold (deliciously played by Rufus Sewell). Paul Giamatti essays the police inspector who attempts to unravel the crime stemming from that triangle in this exquisitely shot film from writer-director Neil Burger, here adapting a novel by Steven Millhauser. Dick Pope's cinematography, an excellent Philip Glass score, and top-notch performances from Norton and Giamatti make this mystery (an independent film which grossed nearly $40 million at the domestic box-office) an unexpected surprise. Fox's DVD is relatively light on supplements, including a basic Making Of featurette, a brief interview with Biel, and a director commentary from Burger that compliments an excellent 1.78 (16:9) transfer with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound.

Four outstanding new Criterion discs include remastered versions of a pair of Janus catalog favorites, along with two new additions highlighted by a superlative box set.

The latter comes in the form of PAUL ROBESON: PORTRAITS OF THE ARTIST, a massive, four-disc undertaking collecting some eight films starring the groundbreaking African-American performer.

Included in the set (all in newly remastered, digital transfers) are Robeson's starring turn in 1933's "Emperor Jones"; the silents "Body and Soul" (1925) and "Borderline" (1930); Zoltan Korda's 1935 production "Sanders of the River"; "Jericho" (1937); "The Proud Valley" (1940) and the documentary "Native Land," with Robeson narrating. Also included is the 1979 documentary short "Paul Robeson: Tribute To An Artist" by Saul Turrell, narrated by Sidney Poitier.

Robeson is a fascinating, outspoken figure and Criterion's DVD box set is chock full of remembrances and materials relating to his legacy, including commentaries by historians Jeffrey C. Stewart ("The Emperor Jones") and Pearl Bowser ("Body and Soul"); new musical scores by Wycliffe Gordon ("Body and Soul") and Courtney Pine ("Borderline"); a 1958 Pacifica Radio interview with Robeson; and four new featurettes featuring interviews with Ruby Dee, James Earl Jones, filmmaker William Greaves, cinematographer Tom Hurwitz, film historians Ian Christie and Stephen Bourne, and Paul Robeson Jr., plus film clips from other Robeson features including "Song of Freedom" (1936), "King Solomon's Mines" (1937), and "Big Fella" (1938).

Rounding out the box set is a book sporting an excerpt from Robeson's "Here I Stand," plus essays by Clement Alexander Price, Hilton Als, Charles Burnett, Ian Christie, Deborah Willis, and Charles Musser, a reprinted article by writer Geraldyn Dismond, and a note from Pete Seeger.

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 49TH PARALLEL and Sidney Gilliat's disarming 1946 mystery GREEN FOR DANGER have long been a part of the Criterion catalog, but arrive on DVD here with some additional extras and, more importantly, newly restored transfers.

The 1941 WWII propaganda film "49th Parallel" makes for strange, oddball fun and is occasionally as inventive as the legendary British duo's other works, with the pair trying here to persuade the then-neutral United States to join the Allied fight (by the time the film was released in the U.S., we already had). Criterion's DVD offers the same Bruce Eder commentary from the laserdisc edition, plus the trailer, a BBC documentary on Powell and Pressburger, a 1943 short starring Ralph Richardson ("The Volunteer"), and excerpts from Powell's autobiography audio dictations.

"Green For Danger," meanwhile, is a marvelously witty mystery with Alastair Sim, Trevor Howard, and Sally Gray that Criterion has splendidly remastered here on DVD. Supplements are on the light side (for a Criterion disc), boasting Bruce Eder's laserdisc commentary, a new interview with British film scholar Geoff Brown, and booklet notes from critic Geoffrey O'Brien.

THE BLACK DAHLIA (*1/2, 122 mins., 2006, R, Universal): Brian DePalma's latest misfire is a crushing disappointment since it squanders compelling source material (namely, a James Ellroy novel), atmospheric cinematography from Vilmos Zsigmond and a spectacularly noir-ish score by Mark Isham that's easily one of the composer's finest works. Sadly, Josh Friedman's script -- following a pair of detectives (Josh Hartnett and Arron Eckhart) as they investigate the death of a young actress (Mia Kirshner in a totally thankless role) in early '40s Hollywood -- is an absolute mess that borders on the incoherent, jumping from one plot to another and then climaxing with one of the most convoluted denouements you'll ever see in a movie of this sort! DePalma's eye for visual flair is on-hand as usual, but this one is a turkey that ranks with his biggest failures, and Fiona Shaw's unintentionally hilarious, totally unhinged performance as suspect Hilary Swank's mother must be seen to be fully believed. Universal's DVD offers a few unremarkable featurettes, a fine 16:9 (2.40) widescreen transfer and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. Buy the soundtrack album instead.

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (**1/2, 132 mins., 2006, R; Dreamworks/Paramount): Clint Eastwood's first half of his WWII double-bill is a tedious, somber account of three "heroes of Iowa Jima" who hoisted the flag in the indelible Joe Rosenthal/AP photograph, leading to a public relations parade -- and numerous adjustment issues -- when they returned home from the war. Eastwood's meditation on the nature of war, heroism and its exploitation offers some strong sequences but it's a long, somewhat disjointed film broken into various segments (the war, its aftermath, and present-day sequences), capped off by unappealing, desaturated cinematography from Tom Stern and a lethargic score written by Eastwood himself that grows increasingly tiresome as the film progresses. Well-intended but nowhere near as dramatically effective as one hoped it would be, "Flags Of Our Fathers" was a box-office disappointment that's been recently released on DVD in a plain, bare-bones presentation from Dreamworks. The 16:9 (2.35) transfer is fine and the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack layered with effects, but no supplements are on-hand of any kind.

FAMILY TIES, Complete Season 1 (1982-83, 530 mins., Paramount): There are no special features to be found in this four-disc assembly of "Family Ties"' first season, but it's still a very welcome sight to see this long-running '80s sitcom favorite on DVD at last. Gary David Goldberg's family comedy wasn't afraid to tackle more dramatic story lines, and did so with an honesty that doesn't date the program as just another sitcom with "Very Special" episodes. The ensemble performances of parents Meredith Baxter (Birney) and Michael Gross as the ex-hippies raising a group of markedly different kids (Justine Bateman, Tina Yothers, and conservative-leaning Michael J. Fox) make the show an enduring favorite, and Paramount's DVD offers viewers a chance to see the series' original, unedited broadcast-length programs for the first time since their initial NBC broadcasts. Again, no supplements are on-hand -- hopefully Paramount will be saving all of those for the Season 2 release!

LOOKER (**1/2, 90 mins., 1981, PG; Warner): Michael Crichton's sorta-sci-fi flop finds L.A. plastic surgeon Albert Finney playing Sherlock Holmes when a group of his former clients begin to turn up dead, their involvement with a tech firm run by James Coburn and associate Leigh Taylor-Young being the only evidence stringing the murders together. With its wide scope cinematography, electronic Barry Devorzon score, and engaging performances from Finney, Coburn, and Susan Dey (as one of Finney's clients and potential love interest), "Looker" is a glossy slice of early '80s entertainment, though the movie's jumbled plot remains as much of a mystery now as it was then. Chrichton is on-hand here to provide a commentary and an on-camera introduction (deservedly taking kudos for the movie's prescient observations about computers, special effects, and the media), but Warner missed the opportunity here to fix the movie's problems by failing to include footage -- added to ABC's network TV broadcast -- that apparently explained the premise! That said, this is still a fun DVD from Warner, with the 16:9 (2.35) transfer only appearing rocky when the occasionally banged-up print shows its age (and it does here and there throughout). The 2.0 Dolby Surround sound is just fine, and the original trailer is also included.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Special Edition (****, 1966, 120 mins., G; Sony): Director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Robert Bolt collaborated with a cast that's second to none (Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Orson Welles, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, John Hurt) for this marvelous, moving, award-winning 1966 film. Bolt's script (adapted from his own play) chronicles the battle between King Henry VIII (Shaw) and Sir Thomas More (Scofield), who's put into a difficult position when the King requests approval from the Catholic More to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. Winner of six Oscars (including Best Picture), this new DVD edition of "A Man For All Seasons" boasts a top-notch 16:9 (1.66) widescreen transfer with a particularly strong 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, preserving Georges Delerue's wonderful score. A 20-minute featurette on the real Sir Thomas compliments a DVD that's perfect for ANY season! (February 20)

THE HITCH HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (**1/2, 2005, 109 mins., PG; Buena Vista): You need to be an aficionado of Douglas Adams' work to fully appreciate this well-intentioned but frantic adaptation of his beloved novel. Touchstone's new Blu Ray DVD looks smashing in 2.35 widescreen and boasts an uncompressed 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, supporting a superb score by Joby Talbot (gotta love the opening song, too!). Extras are reprieved from the standard DVD edition and include deleted scenes and two commentary tracks: one from Sean Salle (Adams' colleague and the film's executive producer), and another with assorted members of the production team. Note that some extras from the previous DVD (including a DTS track and a Making Of featurette) have been tossed out of the Blu Ray edition.

DEAD MARY (*1/2, 103 mins., 2006, Genius Entertainment): Dominique Swain continues to be an attractive, talented young actress who simply can't find the right vehicle. The one-time "Lolita" has dabbled in all sorts of genres but has never found her niche, popping up lately in "Ghost Whisperer" guest-starring gigs and as the lead in "Dead Mary." Sadly, Swain's presence is about the only attractive element of this misbegotten horror flick, which follows a group of would-be college friends on a bad weekend in the country. Genius' DVD does its best to make this run-of- the-kill offering more exciting than it is (the back cover description in particular), but it's bland, deadly boring direct-to-video filler. Genius' DVD includes a 16:9 (1.85) transfer with 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, a music video and a Making Of featurette.

STREET FIGHT (2006, 81 mins.; Genius): Excellent, compelling documentary recounts the 2002 Newark, New Jersey Mayoral race, as a pair of African-Americans vie for the seat: Cory Booker, a young Yale Law graduate, and the incumbent Sharpe James, who unleashes every nasty political trick in the book to keep him out of office. Outstanding work from director Marshall Curry makes "Street Fight" a smart DVD choice for political savvy viewers. Highly recommended!