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“WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!”

It’s funny, romantic, intelligent, and never crosses the line into crude, vulgar, or sexually explicit. I know that doesn’t sound like most modern romantic comedies, but this one is a real charmer. Kate Bosworth is refreshing and adorable as a pert and pretty working girl-next-door who can’t believe her good luck winning a contest for a date with her dreamboat movie actor. Josh Duhamel, in his movie debut after Emmy-winning daytime TV work on “All My Children,” does a fine job playing the handsome, rich, spoiled screen hunk you can even feel sorry for. Topher Grace holds his own as a fellow who silently loves Kate. It’s a great date movie, and both women and men of all ages ought to enjoy it. From Dreamworks.


“MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD”
Not being a Russell Crowe fan, I still liked this one very much, probably because I like adventure movies about tall ships of the past. Crowe is commander of a British ship on orders to destroy a bigger, faster French warship during the Napoleonic Wars on a voyage that takes him and his crew around South America. Anyone with a Brit accent who looks more man than boy could have played the Crowe role, but these days those requirements are hard to fill, so that must be why the deep-throated Aussie got it. Two young Brit actors are excellent and often steal the show from him: Paul Bettany as the ship’s doctor, and James D’Arcy as a first lieutenant. There’s lots of sea battle action and also insights into life board a sailing ship for months at sea in the early 1800s. From Universal and 20th Century-Fox.

Also recommended this month:

“BIG FISH”
Tim Burton, one of Hollywood’s more creative filmmakers, delves into a troubled father-son relationship and comes up with a movie that is kind of like a whale: there is far less on the surface than there is underneath in the waters of life. If that’s too murky, what I mean is, this is really a much more simple story than it appears. Maybe the novel by Daniel Wallace is more cranial, and maybe you prefer to just go along with Billy Crudup trying to understand if his father, played young by Ewan McGregor and old by Albert Finney, has told him the truth in all the tall stories of his life. It’s better than most, so I recommend you see it. From Columbia Tri-Star.


“GOD IS GREAT AND I’M NOT!”
My best foreign film pick of the month stars Audrey Tautou, that pixyish girl from “Amelie,” this time as a model who follows one love affair from religion to religion. We keep hoping she finds Mr. Right before she runs out of religions. A clever plot nicely told, in French with English subtitles. From Koch Lorber Films.

“UNPUBLISHED STORY”

I always like little-known true stories out of World War II, and recommend this 1942 British drama now on DVD. Richard Greene and Valerie Hobson play British newspaper reporters during the Nazis’ blitz of London. It’s about spies and other baddies, and includes authentic newsreel footage taken during the devastating bombings. One of the entries in the British Cinema Collection from Carlton.

Four Films by Lina Wertmuller

Fellini’s assistant director on “8 ½” made a name for herself in the 1970s directing some clever Italian films, mostly comedies with social undertones and in beautiful color. They all starred Giancarlo Giannini, an actor who can go from slapstick to serious and never lose believability. Any or all of them are highly recommended in beautifully restored DVD editions: “Seven Beauties,” “The Seduction of Mimi,” “Love & Anarchy,” and “Swept Away” in which the Mediterranean never looked so gorgeous.

“THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG”
One of the most beautiful screen love stories, Jacques Demy’s classic 1964 French romance has a hit song by Michel Ledgrand (“I Will Wait for You”), gorgeous scenery, and equally gorgeous young Catherine Deneuve (she’s even more gorgeous today, if that’s possible.) She’s a shop assistant in love with a handsome gas station mechanic (Nino Castelnuovo), and I won’t tell if the star-crossed lovers are united at the end. The dialogue is all sung, which might be a turn-off, but you get used to it. The DVD restoration is fabulous; one of the best. From Koch Lorber Films.



“A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN”
It’s spring and baseball is everywhere, so why not on DVD? Penny Marshall’s 1992 comedy has Tom Hanks coaching a girls baseball team in 1943 with members Geena Davis, Madonna, Rose O’Donnell and others. Imagine the possibilities, and it’s based on a true story of women who blazed the trail for today’s women athletes. From Columbia Tri-Star.

Best Documentaries on DVD for May

“DEGAS AND THE DANCE” follows French impressionist painter-sculptor Edgar Degas on his lifelong passion for ballet. More than half of his paintings and virtually all of his sculptures are on the subject, most of them showing ballerinas in rehearsal rather than performance. The documentary includes re-creations of scenes from many of the paintings, narration by Frank Langella, and Brian Bedford reads from Degas’ writings. Check this out for a very enjoyable cultural evening of art and classic dance. From Koch Lorber Films.

“ABC News Presents: Peter Jennings Reporting The Kennedy Assassination - Beyond Conspiracy” and Jennings “Reporting the Search for Jesus” were both TV documentaries that are now on DVD. Jennings stays an objective newsman reporting on both subjects, without injecting opinion, but he rather a cold dish of rehash. By no means definitive, the documentaries are nonetheless all good food for thought and discussion. From Koch Vision.

“LIFE AND DEATH IN THE WAR ZONE” takes you inside the Iraq War as NOVA shows how U.S. combat support medics prepared for war and then treat the casualties. Grim stuff, but a reality check and an eye-opener on what sacrifices our service men and women are making in one of the most controversial and clay-pigeon wars America has ever been in. Definitely something to think about at election time. From WGBH Boston Video.

“PLANET EARTH” is three fascinating documentaries on one DVD, exploring the most important scientific developments of the 20th Century, studying climate, the solar sea, and the fate of the Earth. Terrific educational viewing for families, and highly recommended for educators and their students. From Ardustry Home Entertainment.

From TV to DVD

 

“RED GREEN’S HINDSIGHT IS 20/20” is Canadian comedian Steve Smith’s outlandish bearded country character residing at Possum Lodge, in a television special now on DVD. It’s almost impossible to describe the plot - if there is one - but it is very funny and an hour well spent, if only because the Edmundton Sun said “Red Green has a fan base as rabid as a foaming raccoon.” Now, they can even say that about fans of Tom Cruise or Gwyneth what’s-her-name. Doctors say we should laugh at least four times a day. Red Green will easily provide that daily minimum. From Acorn Media which continues to release some of the best to watch on DVD. (Love those Brits, Canucks, and Aussies!) Thanks, p.r. man Brian Clucas, for telling my master about the goodies and sending them to us. I love curling up in his lap and watching them, all 71 pounds of me!

“HEAT OF THE SUN” is another excellent PBS-TV series from the Brits, now in a 3-DVD boxed set from WGBH Boston Video. Trever Eve plays a London detective who has made a mistake so he is sent to head law enforcement in a town in Nairobi. His exile is our gain. Each of the three two-hour mysteries is engrossing, and typically British intelligent crime-solving. If you like mysteries with strong plots and character development without a lot of blood, you’ll like this one a lot.

“DR. QUINN, MEDICINE WOMAN: Season Three”
Jane Seymour continues her frontier doctoring in the third season of the TV series which ran near the top of the charts for six years and was a Golden Globe and five-time Emmy winner. Season three’s 25 episodes are in an 8-disc DVD boxed set, highlighted by Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn’s wedding episode. Guest appearances include those by Johnny and June Carter Cash. From A&E Home Video and NewVideo.

For Puppies and Kids

“THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE”
A favorite at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, this delightful animated film is now on DVD and a treat for the family. It also got two Oscar nominations for best animated feature and original score. It’s about a lonely boy adopted by his grandmother who grows up to enter the famous cycling race, the Tour de France. I won’t tell you more, but it’s a hoot for kids and adults. From Columbia TriStar.

I bet you didn't know, but besides reviewing movies, I sing opera. Click here to see and hear me rehearsing the Barcarolle from "Tales of Hoffman."

Maybe you would like to visit my master's web site with highlights of his huge collection of old movie magazines, Bijou Follies
Two more web sites I recommend are: Errol Flynn and Jeffrey Hunter