Icy police thriller ‘Insomnia’ to put chill in air as it weaves murder story
The icy police thriller “Insomnia” (Warner; $22.99, tape; $26.99, DVD) will put a chill in the air as it weaves a multi-layered tale revolving around a murder investigation. The R-rated picture, which arrived in video stores earlier this week, stars Al Pacino (“Heat”) as a veteran investigator dispatched to Alaska to uncover the person responsible for the bizarre murder of a young woman. That by-the-book plot soon goes into uncharted territories once the culprit (Robin Williams of “One Hour Photo”) uncovers a dark secret about the officer and threatens him with the information.
Hilary Swank (“Boys Don’t Cry”) co-stars as a rookie officer who hopes to learn from Pacino’s character and discovers issues in the world of crime and punishment are rarely black and white.
Directed by 31-year-old filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who enjoyed huge success with “Memento,” “Insomnia” is a remake of a stark Norwegian thriller and uses the plot as a meditation on the correct – though often painful – choices that must be made when confronting evil.
The DVD of “Insomnia” offers commentary by Nolan, a featurette (“A Conversation With Christopher Nolan and Al Pacino”), a documentary (“In the Fog”) on the film’s cinematography, the theatrical trailer and more.
Absorbing ‘Creatures’
Thanks to the success of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” one of the early works of New Zealand director Peter Jackson – “Heavenly Creatures” (Miramax; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD) – has been re-released.
British actress Kate Winslet (“Titanic”) stars in the haunting fact-based drama about two female teen-agers who begin an intimate relationship and are willing to go to murderous extremes to stay together. At the time, their 1954 deadly deed was considered the most sensational crime in New Zealand’s history. Melanie Lynskey co-stars in the 1994 import, which is presented with a wide-screen anamorphic image (which preserves the carefully constructed theatrical aspect ratio) on DVD.
The gripping “Heavenly Creatures” received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay. (Trivia note: After being released from prison, Winslet’s character moved to Scotland, changed her name to Anne Perry and became a writer of best sellers such as “Traitors’ Gate.”)
A slick ‘Swingers’
The 1996 feel-good favorite, “Swingers” (Buena Vista; $19.99, DVD only), has been re-mastered and pressed with six hours of bonus material as part of the “Miramax Collector’s Series” line.
The fun-to-watch R-rated picture follows some friends (including Jon Favreau of TV’s “The Sopranos” and Vince Vaughn of “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”) as they try to be as cool as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin while visiting cocktail lounges and feeding lines to members of the opposite sex. Heather Graham (“From Hell”) is featured in the comedy, which has gained a huge audience due to its popularity on video.
The special edition of “Swingers” contains extras such as commentary by Doug Liman (who recently enjoyed success with “The Bourne Identity”), an original documentary (“Making It in Hollywood”), deleted scenes and more.
Staying ‘Alive’
The true story of a rugby team whose members survived 72 days in the Andes mountain when their airplane crashed en route from Uruguay to Chile during the early 1970s is told in “Alive” (Touchstone; $19.99, DVD only).
The 1993 film features Ethan Hawke (“Training Day”), Vincent Spano (“Texas Rangers”) and Illeana Douglas (“Ghost World”) in the involving melodrama that follows the players as they’re forced to feed on their dead teammates to survive. Frank Marshall, who gained most of his fame from producing Steven Spielberg films such as the “Indiana Jones” series, directed the 127-minute picture, adapted from the best seller by Piers Paul Read.
The extras on the “Alive” DVD include a featurette (“Return to the Andes”) with survivor Nando Parrado and a documentary (“Alive: 20 Years Later”) introduced by Marshall.
Bond is back
After being on moratorium for 18 months, seven 007 titles – “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” with Sean Connery, “The Man With the Golden Gun” and “The Spy Who Loved Me” with Roger Moore, “Licence to Kill” with Timothy Dalton and “GoldenEye” and “Tomorrow Never Dies” with Pierce Brosnan – will be back in stores.
On Oct. 22, MGM will re-release the titles on VHS ($9.99 each) and DVD ($19.99 each). A special boxed gift set ($124.99, DVD only) will also be available.
Why are the popular spy pictures being re-released now? To get 007 fans in the mood for – you guessed it – “Die Another Day,” which will feature the return of Brosnan as Bond and open Nov. 22.
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.)
( “American Idol: The Search For A Superstar” (Ventura; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; now available) with Doylestown’s Justin Guarini and the other contestants in the official video that offers access to the finalists, their performances and behind-the-scenes activities.
( “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” (Universal; $19.99, tape; $22.99, DVD; $69.99, “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” DVD; Oct. 22), the 5-inch disc debut of Steven Spielberg’s favorite. It will be available for 10 weeks and then be placed on moratorium.
( “Mr. Deeds” (Columbia TriStar; $22.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder in a remake of Frank Capra’s “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.”
( “Big Trouble” (Touchstone; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; now available) with Tim Allen (“Galaxy Quest”) in an offbeat comedy based on the novel by Dave Barry.
( “Little Richard” (Artisan; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with the one-named Leon (“Cliffhanger”) in a biography of the rock-and-roll legend.
( “Liberty Stands Still” (Lions Gate; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with Wesley Snipes (“Blade II”) and Linda Fiorentino (“Men in Black”) in a thriller about an heiress to a gun-manufacturing corporation who is being threatened for making weapons.
( “Baran” (Miramax; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Oct. 22), director Majid Majidi’s critically acclaimed tale about the struggles faced by Afghan refugees settling in Iran.
( “Y Tu Mama Tambien” (MGM; $99.99, tape; $26.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with Maribel Verdu in Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s tale about an older woman who introduces two teenagers to sex.
( “Monsoon Wedding” (Universal; $99.99, tape; $32.99, DVD; now available), director Mira Nair’s acclaimed film about parents in India who worry about whether their daughter will be happy in an arranged marriage and then encounter extra stress due to the financial burden caused by the lavish ceremony.
( “Faithless” (First Look; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Oct. 22), a drama written by Ingmar Bergman and directed by Liv Ullmann about a writer recalling a love affair from long ago.
( “Scotland, PA” (Showtime; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with Maura Tierney (TV’s “ER”) and Christopher Walken (“Pulp Fiction”) in a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”
( “Borstal Boy” (Strand; $79.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Oct. 22) in director Peter Sheridan’s tale about a 16-year-old Irish youth caught transporting explosives into England during World War II and then sentenced to five years in a British reform school.
( “Lucky Break” (Paramount; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with James Nesbitt (“Bloody Sunday”) and Olivia Williams (“The Sixth Sense”) in a British comedy about some prison inmates who stage a musical to camouflage an escape plan.
( “Gangster No. 1” (MGM; $39.99, tape; $31.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with Paul Bettany (“A Beautiful Mind”) and Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange”) in an edgy British import about a ruthless East End London mobster who murders his way to the top of a crime syndicate.
( “Hellraiser: Hellseeker” (Dimension; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Oct. 22) with Doug Bradley returning in the horror series created by Clive Barker and appearing as the Pinhead character who’s obsessed with unleashing the demonic legions of hell on Earth.
( “Star Trek III: The Search For Spock – Special Collector’s Edition” (Paramount; $24.99, DVD only; Oct. 22) with Leonard Nimoy (who also directed) in a digitally remastered pressing of the popular film in which the crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise blast off to find Mr. Spock.
( “Baby Beethoven: Symphony of Fun” (Buena Vista; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Oct. 22), a production of The Baby Einstein Company that blends toys, puppets and art works with classical themes composed by Ludwig van Beethoven to introduce infants to music.