This week, we begin with the Master of Suspense: Rebecca (****1/2) Not rated. 131 minutes. Spellbound (****1/2) Not rated. 118 minutes. Notorious (****) Not rated. 102 minutes.
Fox/MGM gives Blu-ray debuts to three Alfred Hitchcock classics, looking better than ever and even filled with extras.
In the Oscar-winning best picture Rebecca, based on Daphne Du Maurier’s novel, a young bride (Joan Fontaine) feels threatened by the memory of her new husband’s (Laurence Olivier) deceased wife. Meanwhile, the hovering housekeeper (Judith Anderson, in an Oscar-winning role) bullies and terrifies her.
The DVD includes featurettes on Daphne Du Maurier, screen tests and more.
Spellbound boasted a rare Hitchcock collaboration, with no less than Salvador Dali, who contributed to dream sequences. A psychiatrist (Ingrid Bergman) falls for a patient (Gregory Peck), who might not be all he seems.
The DVD includes featurettes on Dali, the film’s use of psychoanalysis, Rhonda Fleming and more.
Notorious boasted of pairing Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman as, respectively, a U.S. government agent who persuades a woman to seduce a Nazi chieftain (Claude Rains) stationed in Rio de Janeiro. She marries him and steals German secrets, while simultaneously falling for the U.S. agent. Great mix of romance and Hitchcock’s trademark suspense.
The DVD includes featurettes on Hitchcock’s expertise with spy movies, the film’s restoration and more.
All three films hold commentaries, one or more “making of” featurettes, an audio interview with Hitchcock and various radio plays.
*
The Son of No One (**1/2) Writer-director Dito Montiel uses split narratives for the story of Jonathan (Channing Tatum), a rookie policeman in Queens, N.Y., who joins the force about the time an investigation looks into two murders from 20 years prior. As a child, Jonathan might have been somehow responsible for both deaths and now he fears his secret will be uncovered.
Al Pacino plays a retired detective once on the case, and Ray Liotta is the current officer. With Tracy Morgan, Juliette Binoche and Katie Holmes.
Rated R, 94 minutes.
The DVD offers seven minutes of deleted scenes.
*
All Things Fall Apart (**1/2) Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson plays a star college football player who succumbs to temptations that look to ruin his future. Fortunately, he rebounds in time with help from friends and family.
Standard redemption story directed by Mario Van Peebles. With Ray Liotta and Lynn Whitfield.
Not rated, 111 minutes.
*
I Ain’t Scare of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac Friends and peers of the late comedian Bernie Mac give interviews and testimonials about him. Such diverse talents as Don Cheadle, Cameron Diaz, Ali LeRoi, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Steven Soderbergh and others talk about Mac and working with him.
Not rated, 61 minutes.
*
And now, the horror, the horror:
The Devil’s Rock (**1/2) On the day before D-Day, June 5, 1944, two Allied soldiers stealthily enter a compound on a remote Channel island. There, a German team holds a demon captive, one that can shape-shift and one that could change the course of World War II. The absurd premise has its lurid highlights.
Not rated, 86 minutes.
The DVD holds commentary, five “behind the scenes” featurettes, eight minutes of extended scenes, eight minutes of outtakes, five minutes on the effects and more.
*
The Dead (***) This horror movie, claimed to be the first filmed entirely in Africa, is an effective zombie thriller from Howard and Jon Ford. In addition to zombie frights, its The Fugitive Kind-esque story focuses on a white pilot, downed when fleeing an infected area, forced to team up with a black soldier to reach safe territory. Along the way, they share some decently frightening confrontations and unexpected obstacles.
Rated R, 105 minutes.
The DVD includes a five-minute “behind the scenes” featurette and a single deleted scene.
*
The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence (*) This loopy sequel features a gnomish main character who works in a car park, where he abducts his victims. Later, he takes them to a deserted warehouse where he uses a film of the original Human Centipede to create his new human centipede (yuck), but with 12 people (double yuck).
Not rated, 91 minutes.
The DVD contains a 13-minute interview with the director, a nine-minute on-set tour, and brief segments on deleted scenes and on the effects.
*
VIPs (**1/2) This Brazilian con-man flick is based on a true story, that of Marcelo (Wagner Moura). He grows up in a battle with reality, eventually scamming his way into flying a dangerous yet lucrative drug route. He flies without a license and passes himself off as a rich man connected to an airline owner. He also has imaginary conversations with his long-dead father, who was once a pilot. Entertaining if eventually pointless.
Not rated, 96 minutes.
The DVD includes interviews with six of the cast and crew.
*
Track 29 (**) Current Oscar nominee Gary Oldman stars in this creaky 1988 comedy-drama as a young Englishman set adrift in the U.S. to find the teen mother (Theresa Russell) who gave him up for adoption. A young and flamboyant Oldman goes over the top and is never slowed by cinematographer-turned-director Nicolas Roeg. Dennis Potter (The Singing Detective) wrote the odd screenplay.
Rated R, 90 minutes.
*
And, finally, from this week’s TV offerings:
Family Matters — The Complete Second Season In the 25 episodes of this 1990s comedy series, the Winslow family of Chicago has various comical adventures, with many involving audience favorite Steve Urkel.
Not rated, 581 minutes.
*
Storage Wars — Volume 2 In this quirky A&E series set in Southern California, auctioneers Dan and Laura Dotson sell off various storage units to the familiar cast of characters. In the 14 episodes, on two discs, the participants bring their own stories with them, which often prove to be the main source of entertainment.
Not rated, 300 minutes.
*
Borgia: Faith and Fear — Season One It’s easy to see why the notorious Renaissance-era Borgia dynasty for a series of 12 episodes, on three discs. The family, and the series, boasts a full cast of unsavory, colorful, yet real, characters. At the center stood Rodrigo Borgia (John Doman) who went into the priesthood, took a vow of celibacy, and then fathered seven children, including after becoming Pope Alexander VI. In the time of “The Bad Popes,” he followed infamous Innocent VIII (ever-weird Udo Kier). Well written and photographed and with a good overall cast.
Not rated, 675 minutes.
The DVD includes a comprehensive, 37-minute “making of” featurette along with 16 cast and crew interviews of 107 minutes.
*
Also available Tuesday on DVD: J. Edgar, Tower Heist, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Nurse Jackie — Season Three, Puss in Boots, The Way, Weeds — Season Seven
DR. BOO ALLEN is an award-winning film critic for the Denton Record-Chronicle.
