MCN DVD Reviews: February 18, 2009

The Wrap Up ...

High School Musical 3:
Senior Year Extended Edition

High School Musical 1-3
High School Musical Remix

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High School Musical 3: Senior Year arrives this week in several video iterations, one more elaborate than the other. Disney has also repackaged and remixed earlier installments in the ever-expanding franchise. HSM3 is unique in that it debuted in theaters, rather than on the Disney Channel. It was a move that greatly pleased exhibitors, many of whom felt slighted when the studio began releasing sequels to popular titles exclusively on VHS and DVD. This being the students' senior year, the performers have other things on their minds, besides the big musical: final exams and blue-ribbon competitions; ritual break-ups and farewells; and the anxiety that comes with knowing they're about to become freshman, again. Conveniently, though, the transition also provides director/choreographer Danny Ortega and writer Peter Barsocchini with an opportunity to introduce loyal fans to the next generation of heartthrobs. The extended and Blu-ray versions of the movie includes an optional sing-along track, bloopers, deleted scenes, the featurettes, Cast Goodbyes, Night of Nights, It's All in the Dress, Senior Awards, and profiles of the incoming class. The two-disc Remix Edition adds a Spanish audio track and 34 minutes of new features, including reunion and dance-along material, video remixes, a Spanish version of What I've Been Looking For and the making-of featurette, Bop to the Top. A compilation package of all three installments also is new this week. - Gary Dretzka

Body of Lies

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That any action movie directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, would fail so badly in the marketplace is testimony to the public's antipathy with George Bush's misguided strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan. If the world's foremost military-industrial complex hasn't been able to hunt down and kill the tall and sickly Osama Bin Laden, why should we believe such a task could be accomplished by a trio of perennial Oscar candidates? Of course, Body of Lies wasn't the only victim of war fatigue. None of the dozen or so high-profile war-related movies did much business. Indeed, none could match the intensity and urgency delivered by the many documentaries released on the same subjects. In Body of Lies, Di Caprio's Roger Ferris is a hyped-up street-level spook, to Crowe's laid-back Langley-based handler. They take advantage of the latest high-tech surveillance tools and remain in constant communication via cell phones. Sadly, the target of the international dragnet is every bit as savvy as his better-equipped foes, and he works closer to the ground. Ferris understands this better than anyone else. He concocts a scheme to infiltrate the terrorist's lair, but it's extremely dangerous and runs counter to official policy. Scott, who choreographed the action in Black Hawk Down, maintains the requisite level of excitement and eye-popping action expected of such a projects. The critics didn't buy it, however, and early audiences failed to deliver the word-of-mouth necessary for success. It ought to do a lot better in DVD and Blu-ray, if only because the demands of small-screen audiences aren't nearly as great. The bonus features include commentary, deleted scenes, the featurette Actionable Intelligence: Deconstructing Body of Lies, an interactive debriefing and separate digital disc. - Gary Dretzka

I Served the King of England

Knowing that this wonderfully offbeat import was directed and co-written by Jiri Menzel, whose Closely Watched Trains was one of the shining examples of Czech New Wave cinema, should help potential renters get past any confusion with The Queen and The Tudors. Instead, the title refers to the level of excellence set by an imperious maitre d' at a posh Prague restaurant immediately preceding the German occupation. This standard was adopted, as well, by his less accomplished protégé, Jan Díte, whose dream of becoming a millionaire is only slightly less sustainable than the Czechs' ability to turn back Nazi and Soviet oppressors. As played by the physically gifted Bulgarian-born actor Ivan Barnev, the career waiter/server combines the comic grace of Charlie Chaplin, with the elasticity of Buster Keaton and the wide-eyed ambition of Voltaire's Candide. Even as a youth, selling frankfurters to well-to-do train passengers, Díte understood that the wealthy would fight for lost change and table scraps with the same vehemence as any street urchin. He also took to heart the seemingly contradictory advice: as a waiter in training, You see and hear nothing, but must see and hear everything … and forget nothing. Menzel employs broad satire, surrealistic sight gags, rapturous sexuality, mouthwatering food and drink, and lingering flashbacks - some shot in silent B&W mode -- to trace the waiter's often hilarious rise from beer slinger to owner of the same majestic hotel, brothel and Nazi sex clinic at which he once toiled as a waiter. We also are privy to his subsequent fall from grace, when Soviet stooges purge the countryside of millionaires. Although many beautiful and lusty women fall for his oral dexterity, Menzel demands of Díte that he be conquered by a plain Aryan girl who orgasms to portraits of der Führer. If I Served the King of England will be appreciated most by admirers of Miloš Forman, Vera Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Jan Nemec and Jaromil Jireš, one doesn't need to be a student of the Czech New Wave to have a grand time watching it. - Gary Dretzka

Ping Pong Playa

This slight, silly comedy from Oscar-winning documentarian and veteran television director Jessica Yu doesn't stray very far from other movies in which talented young athletes are required to get over themselves before they can get ahead in life. Here, though, the name of the game is ping-pong, and the field of play is a table in a gymnasium, located in a predominantly Asian-American corner of southern California. Co-writer Jimmy Tsai plays Christopher "C-dub" Wang, a hip-hop-obsessed slacker who would love to join Yao Ming in the NBA, but first must defend the family honor in a prestigious table-tennis championship. Much of the family-oriented humor in Ping Pong Playa derives from the juxtaposition of Wang's playa persona with the generally nerdy pursuits of other kids in the affluent suburb. The bespectacled bookworms look up to C-dub as much for his bravado and rebellious streak, as for his athleticism. In the same vein, it's fun to watch the attempts of C-dub's African-American best friend (Khary Payton) to learn Chinese and blend into the community of over-achievers. To her credit, Yu makes it easy for viewers to look beyond certain genre clichés and harmless ethnic stereotypes. - Gary Dretzka

The Boondock Saints: Blu-ray

The mythic stature of Troy Duffy's ultra-violent cult phenomenon, The Boondock Saints, gets another boost with the release of a Blu-ray edition. For the uninitiated, the 1999 vigilante blood fest describes the Old West justice administered by two Boston brothers (Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus), who consider it their God-appointed duty to rid the world of mobsters and other scumbags. No one in the neighborhood seems particularly upset by the elimination of such bad citizens. Heck, even the FBI agent assigned to their case - for no good reason -- is mostly ambivalent to their crusade. That's pretty much the limit of the narrative. Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith's fascinating 2003 documentary, Overnight, revealed the outrageous behind-the-scenes machinations that led, first, to Duffy getting a pile of money (and a real L.A. tavern) to finish the $15 million project and, second, to the onetime bartender's colossal fallout with Miramax execs. In addition to the theatrical version of the film, the Blu-ray package includes a director's cut of the film, outtakes, deleted scenes, a copy of the script and interactive features. A sequel to The Boondock Saints is expected to be released later this year. . - Gary Dretzka

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

It's never a good sign when a film's director and star publically disavow any responsibility for the shape in which a movie is delivered to consumers. Robert Weide and Simon Pegg remained silent when How to Lose Friends … was released theatrically, and downplayed any problems in the commentary taped for the DVD. Since then, however, both men have urged audiences to boycott the DVD, arguing that the U.S. distributor reneged on a promise to include deleted scenes and other evidence of what the movie might have been. And, yes, this final product truly is a mess. How to Lose Friends … is based on the memoirs of British journalist Toby Young. By all indications, Young is among the most ego-maniacal, unethical and repugnant writers working the international celebrity beat, where bad behavior practically comes with the territory. Pegg's portrayal of Young is appropriately unflattering, even if the rough edges ultimately were sanded down for public consumption. The movie's primary through-line involves the rising-star writer's dogged pursuit of a beautiful, but deadly flavor-of-the-month actress (Megan Fox), whose career arc roughly matches that of the writer. It's easy to see why MGM was afraid of the movie as written. Pegg's Sidney Young is as unpalatable a character as they come, and, even a fresh coat of varnish couldn't hide his scars. Young's only salvation comes in the reflected ugliness of the industry and celebrities he covers. Pegg gives the thankless role his best effort, and How to Lose Friends … isn't without its funny moments. With no one to cheer, however, the movie remains a tough sale.

In the anemic coming-of-age comedy, Palo Alto, CA, Tom Arnold plays a bus driver and mentor to a group of college freshmen home on Thanksgiving break and anxious for some fun. The film was a team effort of aspiring filmmakers from around the U.S. In Nanny Insanity, a couple in need of immediate household help finds relief, of a sort, in the form of a well camouflaged kinky Russian dominatrix. This movie is primarily for anyone wondering whatever became of Rowdy Roddy Piper. - Gary Dretzka

Quarantine
Igor
Feast III: The Happy Finish
Alien Raiders
Screamers: The Hunting

Quarantine is an American remake of the Spanish thriller, Rec. In it, a news crew follows a fire-fighting team into an apartment complex previously sealed off by the government. Recovered footage explains what happened to the doomed reporters and firefighters, and why the residents were isolated from the rest of us in the first place.

MGM's Igor gives the venerable hunch-backed lab assistant an opportunity to prove he can cast evil spells and create mutants with the best of mad scientists. The voicing talented included John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Jennifer Coolidge, Arsenio Hall, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard and Jay Leno.

In the realm of straight-to-DVD creature-features, Feast III re-introduces fans of gore to the hungry monsters who systematically have been devouring the human race in two previous installments; Alien Raiders describes what happens at a small-town supermarket after it is invaded by a band of masked scientists on the trail of E.T.'s less friendly kinfolk; and Screamers: The Hunting is the sequel to the 1996 original, which was based on a Philip K. Dick short story. This time around, it's Lance Henriksen's turn to battle the killer robots.- Gary Dretzka

Dead Like Me: Life After Death
Wild at Heart: Series One
Christopher Titus: Love is Evol
Crime 360: The Complete Season 1
Sputnik Mania
Primal Fear
D.E.A. Detroit: Season One
Gym Teacher

One of the tougher acts for producers of television series to pull off is the resurrection of a popular show years after the airing of its final episode. Not all series go out in a blaze of glory, as did such long-running hits as Cheers, Seinfeld and The Fugitive. Some just end, never to be heard from again. One of the ancillary benefits of the TV-to-DVD trend has been the availability of unaired episodes of shows cancelled before they could find an audience, thus offering closure to short-changed fans. Dead Like Me was one of the shows that signaled Showtime's intention to go toe-to-toe with HBO in the domain of original programming. Critics liked the show, but Showtime's marketing team wasn't yet up to the task of drawing attention to the network's crown jewels. Today, Dead Like Me might have had a shot at television immortality. The feature-length sequel, Life After Death, attempts to comfort fans made unhappy by the show's early demise. In it, George Lass (Ellen Muth) and her fellow reapers get a new boss, who wants his team members to grease the skids for people making the transition from life to death, without wasting time on explaining how they got there. The loosening of guidelines causes some reapers to fall back into old habits, and others to adopt new ones. Life After Death was released theatrically last month in Canada, but arrives here on DVD. It includes a pair of featurettes, commentary and a trailer for the new season of The Riches.

If the title, Wild at Heart, sounds familiar, it's only because it served as the inspiration for the short-lived CW series, Life Is Wild. The Brit original, which lasted three seasons longer than the American knock-off, followed the family of veterinarian Danny Trevanion to their new digs at a South African game preserve. As the vet administers to animals and humans on the savannah, the stitched-together family struggles to overcome past tragedies and make a new life together.

Divorce hits some people harder than others. For comedians, it can be a blessing and a curse. Sam Kinison channeled his pain into a primal scream at once hilarious and frightening to behold. It was a staple of his act. Christopher Titus also wears his pain and disgust on his sleeve, and, while not nearly as outrageous as Kinison in full dudgeon (would that even be possible?), the material is consistently funny and capably delivered. The DVD adds quite a bit more than was shown on TV on Valentine's Day, of all holidays.

The History Channel's Primal Fear takes common fears and phobias, and examines them through the prism of science and history. It describes how countless generations of human beings have dealt with their terror of being buried alive, bitten by a snake or becoming the victim of a seemingly random act of violence. It also explains how reactions to near-death experiences have changed and evolved. History also has sent out Sputnik Mania, a two-disc set that re-creates the hysteria, paranoia and fear that accompanied news that the Soviet Union had beaten the U.S. into space. Anyone who lived through that period will get a rush of nostalgia, while their kids and grandkids will learn how chilly things got during the Cold War.

Fans of shows about the forensic sciences will enjoy Crime 360, A&E's attempt to compete with such popular series as CSI and Bones. The show uses advanced CGI technology, 3-D laser scanning and 360-degree photography to demonstrate how crimes are solved in the real world. Spike's D.E.A.: Detroit tags along as an elite squad of undercover agents tackle drug-related crimes in one of the world's most unsafe cities.

David Alan Grier, Amy Sedaris and Christopher Meloni plays the adults, to Nathan Kress' super geek, in this inspirational Nick movie about overcoming obstacles while going for the gold. Meloni plays a former Olympian whose job it is to create a championship team out of thin air.

Other new TV-to-DVD titles are The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Third Season and Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Fifth Season. - Gary Dretzka