New videos offer viewers chance to kick back, cool off
People seem to agree on two things about the summer: It went by in a flash and was hotter than you know where.
During that torrid time, you may have overlooked some video titles that should be discovered, especially on this Labor Day weekend when most people have some extra time to kick back and cool off.
Here are a few nice movies you might have missed:
“Dragonfly” (Universal; $99.99, tape; $26.99, wide-screen or pan-and-scan DVD):
During his career, Kevin Costner has been kicked more by critics more than Hulk Hogan has been slammed by wrestling opponents.
The 47-year-old actor made some interesting choices in the last few years, including the overlooked Cuban missile crisis drama “Thirteen Days,” but he hasn’t caused any waves at the box office.
Romantics, however, should applaud his atmospheric love story “Dragonfly.” If John Edwards of the popular otherworldly show “Crossing Over” ever wrote a hearts-and-flowers story, it might resemble this bittersweet tale.
Costner plays an emotionally devastated Chicago widower who has never believed in an afterlife. That changes when he starts to feel that his dead physician/wife (Susanna Thompson of TV’s “Once and Again”), who perished in a bus accident while helping poor children in Venezuela, is trying to communicate with him from the great beyond. The despondent spouse goes to incredible lengths to contact the spirit of his late wife, whose body was never found.
There’s something haunting and uplifting about this PG-13 picture, which its director, Tom Shadyac (“Patch Adams”), describes as a “supernatural drama.” Those willing to open their hearts to it should find that “Dragonfly” takes them on a touching journey.
“Iris” (Miramax; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD):
This warmly rendered R-rated drama chronicles the four-decade love affair between novelist/philosopher Iris Murdoch (Judi Dench of “Shakespeare in Love”), who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and died in 1999, and her professor/husband John Bayley (Jim Broadbent of “Moulin Rouge”). Kate Winslet (“Titanic”) and Hugh Bonneville (“Notting Hill”) play Murdoch and Bayley as young adults during this fact-based picture, based on two of Bayley’s novels, “Elegy for Iris” and “Iris and Her Friends.”
Broadbent won an Oscar as best supporting actor for his impressive performance as a loving and caring husband always fascinated by his often-unconventional wife.
The DVD of “Iris” is presented with a wide-screen anamorphic image and contains extras, including a featurette (“A Look at Iris”) and a special program (“Alzheimer’s Association Honors ‘Iris’ and Jim Broadbent”).
“The Rookie” (Buena Vista; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD):
It’s hard to find a better way to end the summer season than with an uplifting baseball tale, especially one based on a true story.
Dennis Quaid (“Traffic”) stars in the G-rated tale about Jim Morris, a middle-aged man who can throw the ball 98-mph and has an unexpected opportunity to play for a big-league baseball team.
The DVD version of “The Rookie,” which can be purchased with an anamorphic wide-screen or pan-and-scan image, features numerous extras. Those include: deleted scenes with introductions by director John Lee Hancock; footage of the real athlete in the featurette “The Inspirational Story of Jim Morris”; and audio commentary by Quaid and Hancock.
“Return to Never Land” (Disney; $24.99, tape; $29.99, DVD):
In this animated sequel, which grossed $50 million during a successful theatrical run, Wendy’s daughter, Jane, refuses to believe in the world of magic and ends up being kidnapped by Captain Hook, who transports the youngster back to you-know-where. The evil pirate, of course, uses Jane to lure Peter Pan into his clutches and is out-smarted once again.
The fairy tale character then has an even tougher assignment, since he must convince Jane to believe in magic or Tinker Bell might perish.
The DVD of the G-rated “Return to Never Land” features extras such as deleted scenes, the music video “I’ll Try” performed by pop singer Jonatha Brooke and an adventure game.
Coming Soon!
The following titles either have been or soon will be released to video stores. (If your local tape outlet doesn’t stock them, tapes can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web sites www.Amazon.com or www.moviesunlimited.com, unless otherwise noted.)
( “Blade II” (New Line; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with Wesley Snipes (“Undisputed”) recreating his role as the half-human/half-vampire super hero from the Marvel Comic.
( “The Outer Limits, Season 1 Boxed Set” (MGM; $79.99, DVD only; Sept. 3) with actors such as Martin Landau and Leonard Nimoy in shows from the 1963 debut season of the fantasy favorite.( “Cause of Death” (Bedford Entertainment; $34.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with Joan Severance (“Black Scorpion”), Patrick Bergin (“Sleeping With the Enemy”) and Michael Ironside (“The Perfect Storm”) in a Baltimore-set thriller about a beautiful woman accused of murdering her husband for the insurance money.
( “Original Sin” (MGM; $9.99, tape; $14.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with Antonio Banderas (“Spy Kids”) and Angelina Jolie (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”) in reduced-priced releases of the erotically charged suspense tale. The DVD will be available in both R and unrated versions.
( “Comic Book Villains” (Studio Home Entertainment; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with Cary Elwes (“Kiss the Girls”), “Michael Rapaport” (“Small Time Crooks”), Donal Logue (“The Tao of Steve”) and Natasha Lyonne (“American Pie”) in a tale about two comic book experts trying to bilk an elderly person out of a collection of vintage titles worth thousands of dollars.
( “Johnny Dangerously” (Fox; $19.99, DVD only; now available) with Michael Keaton (“Batman”), Marilu Henner (TV’s “Taxi”), Joe Piscopo (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”) and Danny DeVito (“War of the Roses”) in director Amy Heckerling’s spoof of gangster films from the 1930s.
( “The Sleepaway Camp Survival Kit” (Anchor Bay; $39.99, DVD only; now available) with Felissa Rose in a special boxed set featuring the trilogy of fright films, “Sleepaway Camp,” “Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers,” “Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland.” Each title is also being sold individually ($19.99 each; DVD only).
( Three reduced titles – “From Hell” with Johnny Depp, “Joy Ride” with Paul Walker and “Donnie Darko” with Drew Barrymore (Fox; $14.99 each, tape only) – in the “New Thrillers” series.
( “Friends: The Complete Second Season” (Warner; $39.99, tape; $59.99, DVD; Sept. 3), featuring 23 episodes of the wildly popular NBC series. Each episode will feature never-before-seen footage.
( Two new installments of “The Honeymooners” – “Volume 23” and “Volume 24” (MPI; $14.99 each, DVD only; (800) 777-2223; now available) – in the “Lost Episodes” series featuring Jackie Gleason. A special package – “The Honeymooners – Lost Episodes Boxed Set #6” ($49.99, DVD only; now available) – contains Volumes 21-24.
( “Janet: Live in Hawaii” (Warner; $19.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with superstar Janet Jackson performing hits such as “Escapade,” “Rhythm Nation” and “When I Think of You” at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
( “Earl Garner in Performance” (Kultur; $19.99, tape and DVD; now available) with the pianist/composer of “Misty” in rare concert footage.
( “Wiggly Safari” (HIT Entertainment; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with Down Under favorite Steve Irwin of “Crocodile Hunter” fame joining The Wiggles during a visit to the Australia Zoo.
( “Mickey’s House of Villains” (Disney; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Sept. 3) with animated evil-doers such as Captain Hook and Cruella De Vil taking over the residence of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and Goofy in a direct-to-video movie featuring more than 150 pen-and-ink characters.