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“GREAT EXPECTATIONS”

My pick of the best new movie on DVD of the month is the British Masterpiece Theatre production of the Charles Dickens classic, a new telling of the old story about poor Pip learning about love and revenge while climbing the social ladder from orphan to gentleman. I still prefer the 1946 black and white version by David Lean, but it’s a pleasure to see the same story in color and sets and costumes of the period in such greater detail. Ioan Gruffudd, who has starred so well as Captain Horatio Hornblower in that series, does a fine turn as adult Pip, and Charlotte Rampling plays a very mean Miss Havisham up to the hilt. The new girl playing Estella, Justine Waddell, is no Jean Simmons, but does well enough in the role. The DVD is from WGBH Boston Video. Max’s rating: Two paws up and some shakes of the tail.



SHARPE’S SERIES
My master and I have been happily swashing and buckling for weeks watching Sean Bean as British officer Richard Sharpe out-fighting and out-loving in and between battles of the Napoleonic Wars in the 1800s. Series four concludes the exciting adventures with three DVDs whose excitement is definitely up to the best of the previous stories. Titles are Sharpe’s Revenge, Sharpe’s Justice, and Sharpe’s Waterloo. “Dishy guy, period costumes, battalions of extras, horses, panoramic outdoor settings… what’s not to like?” says the Montreal Gazette. They got it right, and then some. I can only hope for more Sharpe. From Carlton and BFS Video. Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of “Woo woo’s!”

Mysteries of the Month

The Brits come through with three super mystery sets on DVD this month:

“AGATHA CHRISTIE’S POIROT - Set 10”
Ah, here comes David Suchet again as the Belgian sleuth with the funny mustache, bowler hat, and spats, in set 10 of the we-hope never-ending series. Three hour-long episodes from the popular Brit TV series set in pre-World War II England keep you amused and guessing who killed whom. Bonus materials include bios of Christie and Suchet. From Granada and Acorn Media.

 

“MIDSOMER MURDERS - Sets 3 and 4”
More contemporary mysteries set in British villages with John Nettles as a chief detective who tracks down killers and other villains in some most unlikely places. I love these atmospheric mysteries with the emphasis on who and why dunit rather than blood and burning rubber. The guest stars as villains and heroines are often some of the best actors and actresses in Brit movies and television. Two boxed sets of five discs in each set, from Acorn Media.

 

“INSPECTOR LYNLEY MYSTERIES - Set 2”
Haven’t had enough mystery? Nathaniel Parker returns as Inspector Lynley in four new mysteries that are as different as they can be, and all fascinating. The boxed set of four DVDs is from WGBH Boston Video.

Also recommended this month:

“IN THE SHADOWS”
This new movie may have come and gone in the multiplexes without much notice, but it’s a romantic drama worth watching. A lot goes on, from substance abuse to a young woman unhappy in love who cares for a terminally ill woman.
The rambling plot somehow jells for a happy ending. Joely Richardson shines as the thirtysomething sick woman. It’s from Ardustry.

“TWENTY BUCKS”
Not much good comedy on DVD this month, but a cut above most of them is this caper that follows the adventures of a $20 bill from one person to another. It’s the familiar “Tales of Manhattan” plot with paper money instead of a suit of dinner clothes, with Linda Hunt, Brendan Fraser, and others. It’s good fun for a night without thinking much. From Columbia Tri-Star.

OLDIES RESTORED ON DVD

It’s finally here… THE STAR WARS TRILOGY… on DVD in astonishingly sharp restored DVD editions. The 4-disc boxed set is beautiful in itself, so lovingly produced and inviting you to re-enter George Lucas’ fantastic world of the first three episodes that set new standards in sci-fi filmmaking: “A NEW HOPE,” “THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK,” and “RETURN OF THE JEDI.” Disk 4 has so many extras it would take pages to describe. Don’t rent this set - buy it. Keep it as one of the hallmarks of your DVD library so your kids or grandkids can be swept up by it as we were when the movies first came out. An absolute treasure from 20th Century-Fox.

 

“THE ROSE TATTOO”
This heavy-breathing drama from Tennessee Williams was nominated for eight Oscars in 1955. Remember 1955? That was before everything we’re scared or unhappy about today.
So take a two-hour break and return to those gentler times with this classic. The story actually isn’t all that gentle, as volatile Anna Magnani chews up the scenery as a widow not sure about the truck driver hunk who drove into her life, played by then-young Burt Lancaster with a short haircut and an open satin shirt. Where is the tattoo and who wears it? We’ll never tell. From Paramount.

“IT’S A SMALL WORLD”
One of the “Brainy Baby” series introducing kids to different languages. It’s a fun way for kids to learn about people, animals, and cultures of foreign lands. From The Brainy Baby Company.

Documentaries

 

Best docu DVD of the month is APOLLO 13: TO THE EDGE AND BACK, the true story of the catastrophic flight of the Apollo 13 space craft and NASA’s heroic efforts to bring the astronauts back alive. James Lovell and the crew hear an explosion in their space craft that robs them of most of their oxygen, food, and water while they’re 200,000 miles from Earth. First-hand accounts from the pilots, their families, and those of mission control document the exciting adventure. From WGBH Boston Video.

 

A close runner-up for best docu DVD this month is a NOVA special, MEDIEVAL SIEGE. It re-creates the efforts of Scotsmen inside Stirling Castle who prepare for and endure a siege against the army of England’s Edward the First, 200 years before the invention of the cannon. It’s especially exciting to see how the Scots dreamed up a mechanized catapult that sent warfare into a new direction in the 13th century. From WGBH Boston Video.

For Kids and Puppies

 

Halloween DVDs are all over the shelves this month, but my pick of the best new movies is the Worst Witch set. It will remind kids of Harry Potter in that a girl named Mildred Hubble attends Miss Cackle’s Academy of Witches and gets into all kinds of adventures. There are two sets of DVDs, each containing two discs, one with 6 half-hour episodes and the other with 7. There’s enough magic, fantasy, and spooky goings-on to entertain most kids. From Granada and BFS Video.

THE KREW
I like this new release on DVD in which four teenagers join a former CIA operative to help kids make good choices. The KREW stands for Kids Rescuing Everyone Worldwide. It’s about safety in many different forms, such as creating secret parent-child passwords, how to handle the situation if a stranger approaches you on the street, and the dangers when strangers communicate with young people on the Internet. Good work, Ardustry.

“ZOOper PHONICS” is a DVD that takes kids to a zoo where fanciful animals help them to learn all about letter sounds. Pre-reading concepts are taught through computer animation of bears, dolphins, monkeys, etc. Music is not rock, thank heaven, but instead foot-stomping, hand-clapping marches from Johann Strauss, John Philip Sousa, and others. It’s from the award-winning Babyscapes series of educational DVDs. They also offer a new set of DVDs and videos introducing kids to classical music, teaching colors, shapes, numbers, ABCs, and letter sounds. Classical music for kids? Hooray! Someone finally has the courage to try to introduce kids to music worth hearing.

 

BONES TO PICK

I wagged my tail at the news that Michael Eisner will be leaving as head of Disney Studios, even though he’ll still be there until a year from now, continuing to do his worst for movies for kids and the family. I only liked about 2 percent of the new movies he inflicted on us over the past decade or more. Too noisy, too much action, terrible computerized music that all sounded the same in each movie, and light years behind the great classic animated movies Walt Disney gave us when he helmed the studio. Eisner seems to confuse movies with computer games. I can only hope that whoever chooses the next stories and production values will watch BAMBI, DUMBO, PINOCCHIO, SNOW WHITE, and the other Disney classics and see how the master did it.

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