March 13: Video View column
Bond goes back to basics in “Casino Royale” (Sony; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc; March 13), a gritty action thriller introducing 39-year-old Daniel Craig as 007. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the longtime producers behind the franchise, made an obvious choice to alter the Bond formula. They dropped supporting characters such as Miss Moneypenny and Q and take an old-school approach with this dark-themed installment that lacks the lush production values, snappy one-liners and fancy spy gadgets of the previous 007 epics.
The $102 million project begins with Bond as a young agent who obtains his double-0 status (giving him a license to kill) in a violent black-and-white pre-credit sequence.
In the plot, Le Chiffre (Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen of “King Arthur”) serves as a banker for terrorist organizations and is famous for his card-playing ability. Le Chiffre decides to temporarily take the money of his deadly clients without telling them and then use it in a high-stakes poker game, which he feels he will easily win. After that, he plans to return the borrowed funds and pocket the profit.
Bond’s boss, M (the never-better Judi Dench of “Notes on a Scandal”), who describes the new agent as a “blunt instrument,” figures Her Majesty’s government’s best opportunity to get Le Chiffre would be to have him lose the game and then be marked for death for failing to return the money. M would then invite him to become a protected guest of the British authorities in return for relinquishing sensitive information on international criminals.
She orders Bond to employ his card-shark skills by using millions in government funds to enter the no-limit game of Texas Hold ‘Em and defeat Le Chiffre. Aiding in the operation is Vesper Lynd (Eva Green of “The Dreamers”), a British treasury official assigned to follow the money in the life-and-death game. The twisting relationship between the agent and Lynd makes 007 question his narrow view of women.
Craig’s top physical condition serves him well in “Casino Royale,” which features the actor in numerous running, jumping and fighting scenes. Many of the sequences in the beginning of the PG-13 film, directed by Martin Campbell (1995’s “GoldenEye”), resemble the dazzling action moves in the French import “District B13” (Magnolia; $19.99, DVD; $29.99, Blu-ray Disc; now available), produced by famed French cinematic stylist Luc Besson (“Leon, the Professional”).
Bond fans should still enjoy witnessing the birth of a new 007, especially in the Blu-ray Disc version that delivers sparkling visuals that look even better than the theatrical print. The image is so crystal clear that you can see the perspiration on Craig’s face during the excitingly filmed opening foot-chase sequence.
Craig, who has signed for two more appearances as the secret agent, takes a lean-and-mean approach to the character, much as Sean Connery did in “Dr. No” (1962), the first Bond film.
If he focuses on becoming the best 007 ever, Craig could truly become a cinematic force with a license to thrill.
McQueen on high definition
Any fan of the late, great Steve McQueen may feel like running out and getting a high-definition disc player after hearing this.
Two of McQueen’s best films – 1968’s “Bullitt” and 1972’s “The Getaway” (Warner; $28.99 each) – have been released in both the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats.
That means the two action thrillers starring McQueen haven’t looked as good since they had their Hollywood premieres many years ago. These discs may even look better than those prints.
I watched the superior Blu-ray Disc pressings and was amazed by the intensity of the image in both films. There were some minor scratches and dark spots on the prints, but overall, both “Bullitt” and “The Getaway” looked great.
Fans of the famed San Francisco car chase in “Bullitt” should know that McQueen and his green Mustang have never looked better than on the Blu-ray Disc.
Now Playing!
The following DVD titles either are coming soon or recently landed at a video store near you.
If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the DVD offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web site moviesunlimited.com or amazon.com, unless otherwise noted.
Movies
“Cinderella Liberty” (Fox; $19.99, DVD; March 13) with James Caan (“The Godfather”) and Marsha Mason (“The Goodbye Girl”) in an R-rated tale about a Navy man who meets and falls in love with a prostitute while on a “Cinderella Liberty” pass (one only good until midnight) while his ship is docked in Seattle.
“Death Row” (Starz; $19.99, DVD; now available) with Stacy Keach (TV’s “Prison Break”) and Danny Trejo (“From Dusk Till Dawn”) in an unrated supernatural thriller about ghosts serving an eternal sentence in a penitentiary and attacking film-crew members trying to create a documentary on the history of the prison.
“The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning” (Warner; $27.99, DVD; March 13) with Jonathan Bennett (“Mean Girls”), Randy Wayne (TV’s “Sons and Daughters”) and April Scott (HBO’s “Entourage”) as Bo, Luke and Daisy, respectively, in a direct-to-video sequel to the comedy hit based on the TV show. Willie Nelson returns from the original as Uncle Jesse. It will be available in R and Unrated versions.
“Ghost: Special Collector’s Edition” (Paramount; $19.99, DVD; March 13) with Patrick Swayze (“Dirty Dancing”), Demi Moore (“A Few Good Men”) and Whoopi Goldberg (“The Color Purple”) in a new pressing of the 1990 romantic favorite. Goldberg won an Oscar as best-supporting actress for her performance in the PG-13 picture.
“Harsh Times” (Genius; $28.99, DVD; March 13) with Christian Bale (“Batman Begins”), Freddie Rodriguez (“Bobby”) and Eva Longoria (TV’s “Desperate Housewives”) in an intense R-rated picture about a military veteran going through a mental meltdown as he drinks booze and takes drugs while seeking a career in law enforcement.
“The Holiday” (Sony; $28.99, DVD; March 13) with Cameron Diaz (“Charlie’s Angels”), Kate Winslet (“Little Children”), Jack Black (“King Kong”) and Jude Law (“Breaking and Entering”) in a PG-13 romantic comedy about two single, looking-for-love women from different sides of the globe who meet on the Internet and decide to swap houses for the Christmas season.
“John and Mary” (Fox; $19.99, DVD; now available) with Dustin Hoffman (“Rain Man”) and Mia Farrow (“Rosemary’s Baby”) in an unrated drama (1969) about a furniture designer and an art gallery assistant who meet in a singles’ bar, sleep together and then spend the next day contemplating their one-night stand.
“The Manitou” (Anchor Bay; $14.99, DVD; now available) with Tony Curtis (“Some Like It Hot”) and Stella Stevens (“The Poseidon Adventure”) in a campy 1978 fright film in which a malevolent Native American spirit is reborn inside a massive tumor.
“Maria Schell: My Sister Maria” (TLA; $24.99, DVD; now available) with actor Maximilian Schell directing an unrated documentary on his sibling, a German actress who appeared in films opposite Oskar Werner, Gary Cooper and Marcello Mastroianni but was plagued by debt, depression and loneliness that resulted in suicide attempts.
“National Lampoon’s Spring Break: Unrated” (Salient Media; $26.99, DVD; March 13) with Nikki Ziering (“American Wedding: American Pie 3”) in a light look at booze cruises and tequila slides around the world.
“The Other Side of Midnight” (Fox; $19.99, DVD; March 13) with Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”), John Beck (“Audrey Rose”) and French actress Mary-France Pisier in an R-rated romantic melodrama (1977) about the members of a love triangle destroyed by their infidelities.
“Pope John Paul II” (Universal; $19.99, DVD; March 13) with Jon Voight in the title role of the beloved Catholic Church leader. The film was made in cooperation with the Vatican and the filming locations included St. Peter’s Square and the Sistine Chapel.
“Shortbus” (ThinkFilm; $27.99, DVD; March 13) with Sook-Yin Lee and Paul Dawson in the controversial unrated film in which writer-director John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”) uses graphic sex scenes while telling a story about people searching for connections, orgasm and freedom in New York City. Mitchell leaves nothing to the imagination.
“The 300 Spartans” (Fox; $14.99, DVD; now available) with Richard Egan (“Demetrius and the Gladiators”), Ralph Richardson (“Dragonslayer”) and Diane Baker (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”) in the unrated Cinemascope action favorite (1962) about the brave warriors fighting thousands of Persian invaders at Thermopylae.
Cinema collections
“The Ernest Hemingway Collection” (Fox; $69.99, DVD; now available), featuring film adaptations of five of the writer’s novels. They are: “Adventures of a Young Man” with Paul Newman; “A Farewell to Arms” with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones; “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” with Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward and Ava Gardner; “The Sun Also Rises” with Tyrone Power, Gardner and Errol Flynn; and “Under My Skin” with John Garfield and Micheline Prelle. “A Farewell to Arms” ($14.99), “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” ($19.99) and “The Sun Also Rises” ($19.99) are also available individually.
“Literary Classics Collection” (Warner; $59.99, DVD; now available), featuring five titles making their disc debuts. They are: “Billy Budd” with Robert Ryan; “Captain Horatio Hornblower” with Gregory Peck; “Madame Bovary” with Jennifer Jones; “The Prisoner of Zenda” with the 1937 version starring Ronald Colman and the 1952 version with Stewart Granger; and “The Three Musketeers” with Gene Kelly. The titles will also be available individually ($19.99 each).
Documentary
“Favela Rising” (Genius; $24.99, DVD; March 13) with Matt Mochary and Jeff Zimbalist co-directing an unrated documentary about Anderson Sa, a social revolutionary who helped to clean up Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum by using hip-hop music and Afro-Brazilian dance to reach community members. (A favela is a Brazilian squatter settlement.)
“Paper Dolls” (Strand; $24.99, DVD; March 13), a look into the lives of some Filipino immigrants who go to Israel to work as caretakers during the day and then spend their nights as drag queens.
Television
“Stargate: Atlantis – Season 2” (MGM; $49.99, DVD; now available) with Joe Flanigan (“The Other Sister”) and Torri Higginson (“The English Patient”) in a five-disc set with 20 episodes of the fantasy series about the settlement of a brave new world. The third season of “Stargate: Atlantis” begins April 6, 9 p.m., on the Sci Fi Channel.
Children/Family
“Families of Australia” (Master Communications; $29.99, DVD and VHS; now available), a documentary that provides a child’s point of view of life Down Under. The title is part of the “Families of the World” series.
“Going to School in India” (Master; $29.99, DVD; now available), a documentary designed for children between the ages of 5 and 11. The title shows the emphasis parents in India put on education.
“iZ and the Zizzles” (Fox; $14.99, DVD; March 13), an animated adventure that follows the title characters as they prepare to audition in front of executives of a top record label in New York City.