 |
Five-star faves
‘Wings of Desire,’ ‘North by Northwest’ get a fresh new look in remastered DVDs12:44 AM CDT on Sunday, November 1, 2009
This week, we celebrate the arrival of some old friends:
Wings of Desire
*****
Rated PG-13, 127 minutes. Coming Tuesday to DVD.
The Criterion Collection has restored, with a high-definition digital transfer, Wim Wenders’ brilliant 1987 meditation on life.
Two angels (Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander) hover over and roam through still-divided Berlin. They hear people’s thoughts, their fears, their desires, while ruminating on being and non-being.
When Damiel (Ganz) becomes enamored of a trapeze artist (Solveig Dommartin), he warily assumes a human form. Cinematographer Henri Alekan provides the captivating alternation of color with black-and-white photography, while Peter Falk appears as a former angel.
The second disc contains abundant, Wenders-approved Criterion Collection extras: a booklet by film critic Michael Atkinson, commentary from Wenders and Falk, the 43-minute documentary The Angels Among Us (2003), on-set footage and a 27-minute interview with Alekan along with excerpts from several of his other films. Plus: nine deleted scenes, seven minutes of outtakes, production notes, trailers and more.
*
North by Northwest: 50th Anniversary Edition (*****) Alfred Hitchcock’s classic is now scanned from the original VistaVision prints for a fresh clearness and crispness.
Cary Grant stars as a Manhattan ad executive who, in a case of mistaken identity, finds himself the object of pursuit by both good guys and bad. Eva Marie Saint plays the duplicitous accomplice. The iconic film contains some of the most memorable sequences ever (the crop duster attack, the chase across Mount Rushmore).
Not rated, 136 minutes.
This DVD, also on Blu-ray, offers screenwriter commentary, a Turner Classic Movies documentary on Grant, a “making-of” featurette, a 58-minute featurette on Hitchcock, a 40-minute segment on the influence the film has had on contemporary filmmakers, and more.
*
Easy Rider: 40th Anniversary Edition (****) The film that changed Hollywood returns in its Blu-ray debut. Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson star in the counter-culture road trip, with all-star soundtrack contributions.
Rated R, 95 minutes.
The DVD contains commentary from actor-director Hopper, a Sony feature allowing immediate on-screen access to tidbits about the film, a 32-page booklet and “Shaking the Cage,” an analytical featurette with Hopper and Fonda.
*
The Dead (***1/2) Making its DVD debut, this 1987 elegiac paean to Ireland marked the last film from legendary John Huston. Based on one of James Joyce’s Dubliners short stories, it co-stars Anjelica Huston, with a screenplay by Tony Huston (who reportedly assisted his ailing father with the directing).
In 1904 Dublin, a group of friends and family meets for a Christmas celebration. After the get-together, a couple (Huston and Donal McCann) return to their hotel and reminisce about lost friends and loved ones.
Rated PG, 73 minutes.
*
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (***) Denzel Washington and John Travolta face off in the remake of a 1974 psychological thriller, with director Tony Scott adding his trademark action to this polished new version.
Travolta plays an ex-transportation department employee who hijacks a New York City subway car and holds the passengers for ransom. Washington is a midlevel dispatcher who unwittingly finds himself handling the hostage negotiations.
Rated R, 106 minutes.
The DVD, also on Blu-ray, offers two commentaries, a 30-minute “making-of” featurette, a 16-minute segment on the NYC subway system, seven minutes on the film’s marketing and five minutes on the characters.
*
New World Order (**1/2) Entertaining documentary from Luke Meyer and Andrew Neel focuses on several obsessive individuals who steadfastly believe in noted conspiracy theories involving the Kennedy assassination, the Bilderberg Conference, the Sept. 11 attacks, and, of course, the New World Order. Viewers probably won’t have their opinions changed but may be impressed by everyone’s sincerity.
Not rated, 85 minutes.
The DVD has about 30 minutes of deleted scenes.
*
Il Divo (****) This fascinating Italian film looks at the life of Giulio Andreotti (Toni Servillo), a seven-term Italian prime minister. Beginning in 1991, the film jumps back and forth to document Andreotti’s notorious career, including his alleged involvement in murders, bribery, the mafia and anything else that could keep his Christian Democratic Party in office. Fascinating portrait of power.
Not rated, 110 minutes.
The DVD contains about an extra hour of supplements: a 31-minute “making-of” featurette, seven minutes on the special effects, 12 minutes of deleted scenes and a 12-minute interview with writer-director Paolo Sorrentino.
*
Staunton Hill (**1/2) Cameron Romero (son of horror master George Romero) directed and delivers some decent frights in this mostly formulaic tale of a group of young people who, after their vehicle malfunctions, stumble onto the Staunton family farm. Before you can say Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the loonies get out their axes and the blood flies. Deliciously gory in a Halloween sort of way.
Not rated, 89 minutes.
*
Disney leads off this week’s offerings for youngsters:
Tinker Bell and the Lost TreasureTinker Bell returns in this second film in Disney’s Disney Fairies series. Here, Tink goes on an adventure and has a falling-out with her friend Terence before finally learning the true value of friendship. Voice cast includes Anjelica Huston, Kristin Chenoweth, Mae Whitman and Jesse McCartney. Rated G, 80 minutes.
The DVD, also on Blu-ray, includes deleted and alternate scenes, a music video, a music guide and more.
*
Scruff: A Christmas Tale Adorable pup Scruff learns the true meaning of Christmas in his personal Dickensian dream.
Not rated, 66 minutes.
*
SciQ, Volume One and Volume Two Two new volumes of this popular Smithsonian Networks educational series for youngsters contain four episodes and cover everything from spies and movie magic to snow and underwater adventures. Rated TV-G. Volume one is 105 minutes; volume two is 79 minutes.
*
Thomas and Friends: Holiday Express In this six-episode DVD, which comes packaged with a toy train, Thomas, Henry, Emily and Peter enjoy Christmas festivities.
Not rated, 40 minutes.
*
Also this week: Food Inc., G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Who Is KK Downey?, It’s a Wonderful Life (Blu-ray).
DR. BOO ALLEN is an award-winning film critic for the Denton Record-Chronicle.
Create A Screen Name
Screen names can only consist of letters and numbers.
Your screen name will appear to everyone.
NOTE: You cannot change, delete,
or edit your screen name once you hit "Save".
RSS
E-Mail newsletters
You must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name