09:20 AM CDT on Sunday, July 2, 2006

By Boo Allen / Film Critic

Two films from two guys about two guys:

The Matador

**1/2
Rated R; 96 minutes.

The Libertine

**1/2
Rated R; 114 minutes.

These two seemingly unrelated new releases share more than a common distributor. They also signal the arrival of two of the first releases from the fledging new Weinstein Company, Bob and Harvey’s growing baby after their celebrated split from Disney. But the films themselves also share the common denominator of two main, handsome, accomplished actors who have jumped at the chance to dress down — that is, to disguise their good looks, which have probably always crept into conversations both about them and of their acting careers. After a successful run as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan stars in The Matador as a scummy, weasel-like hit man. The talented Irishman slithers into the skin of this unkempt alcoholic who wears his gold chains proudly as he strives to climb into the upper middle-class life of Danny Wright, his conservative new friend, played by Greg Kinnear.

The locales change often as Brosnan’s Julian Noble travels the globe in his profession before ending up in Denver with Danny and his wife, Hope Davis. It’s a lively shaggy dog story with plenty of action, gunplay and unexpected plot twists.

In The Libertine, Johnny Depp does his best to hide those famous cheek bones in his portrayal of infamous 17th century sybarite John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester. The real Wilmot rotted away at age 32 of a venereal disease, and here, director Laurence Dunmore wants to impress upon his viewers Wilmot’s fall into moral and physical degradation.

He succeeds but makes his film hard to watch in the bargain. The film’s excellent yet dark production designs and its murky cinematography add a visual acuity to Dunmore’s interpretation of Wilmot. Depp seems to enjoy his role of drinking, whoring and scandalizing the royal court of King Charles II (John Malko­vich). Samantha Morton plays the actress Wilmot trains in acting before falling in love with her.

The Matador — The DVD includes a seven-minute “making of,” with brief interviews with Brosnan and director Richard Shepard. The biggest addition comes in the form of about a dozen deleted scenes, with commentary by Shepherd, who does the same on the film by himself and then again with Kinnear and Brosnan.

The Libertine — The DVD offers commentary by director Dunmore, along with a 36-minute “making of” featurette, “Capturing the Libertine.” The highly entertaining segment documents the film’s road to completion, starting with the film’s genesis with screenwriter Stephen Jeffreys, also author of the source stage play. Scenes from on-set filming, including from Wales and the Isle of Man, show it to be a rough, rainy, muddy endeavor. Also: 10 deleted scenes.

*

Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (**) Randall Miller wrote and directed this story that’s long on sentiment but short on believability. John Goodman plays Steve Mills, who, while on the way to meet an old friend, has an accident that causes him to cross paths with Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle). Frank takes Steve’s place, setting up his fateful meeting with Meredith Morrison (Marisa Tomei). From there, a contrived, predictable romance plays out. Mary Steenburgen appears as the title dance instructor. It’s one cliche after another, complemented by false melodrama.

Rated PG-13, 103 minutes. Also on DVD.

*

Seed of Faith Brian Messner wrote this documentary from 2005 about Pope John Paul II, which includes footage from his early years in Poland.

Not rated. Also on DVD.

*

Money Power Respect Jamal Hill wrote and directed this urban drama about Levi (Kyell Schell), a young street hustler who faces the inevitable right vs. wrong choices. With Ronni Graham and Sergio Gay.

Rated PG-13, 95 minutes. Also on DVD.

*

Commander in Chief — Season 1 Is the country ready for a female president? Obviously not a fictional one, as we learn in the week’s top TV-series-to-DVD. Geena Davis won a Golden Globe for this now-cancelled, yet critically acclaimed drama in which she plays U.S. President Mac­ken­zie Allen.

This set of two discs includes the first 10 episodes, the ones that see Allen jump to the presidency from the vice president’s spot when the current office holder dies. Once there, she encounters constant opposition, mainly from the Speaker of the House (Donald Sutherland). With Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Harry Lennix, Kyle Secor and Ever Carradine. In Dolby Digital 5.1.

*

Also on VHS and DVD: Cheech Marin and Friends, Santeria.

*

Also on DVD: Band of Brothers, Last Quarter, My Tutor, Pirates, Roy Roger and Tales of Courage.