DVD REVIEW OF NEW RELEASES OLD L.A. LIVES IN `ASK THE DUST'.Byline: ROB LOWMAN Earlier this year, Robert Towne's script for ``Chinatown'' (1974) was deemed by the Writer's Guild of America to be No. 3 on the list of the 101 greatest screenplays ever written. Towne returned to Depression-era Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. to direct his adaptation of John Fante's novel ``Ask the Dust.'' Ironically, to create L.A. of the '30s, Towne had to shoot the film in Capetown, South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. , and rely on CGI CGI in full Common Gateway Interface. Specification by which a Web server passes data between itself and an application program. Typically, a Web user will make a request of the Web server, which in turn passes the request to a CGI application program. . The results, however, are marvelous, especially for us who love the look of old Los Angeles. Caleb Deschanel's cinematography cinematography: see motion picture photography. cinematography Art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves the composition of a scene, lighting of the set and actors, choice of cameras, camera angle, and integration of special evokes with ambers and shadows the dusty town the city was then. But while the look of the film grabs you, more problematic is the story of a struggling writer, Arturo Bandini Track listing
The Italian-American Arturo and Camilla are both outsiders in Anglo-dominated city -- ``spicks,'' to use the derogatory slang of the time, a slight that Towne emphasizes. But they both want to move up in world: he as a great writer (H.L. Mencken has published his stories); she eyes marrying a rich man. Romance is inconvenient, which makes them pick and poke at Verb 1. poke at - to push against gently; "She nudged my elbow when she saw her friend enter the restaurant" nudge, prod jog - give a slight push to elbow - shove one's elbow into another person's ribs each other, and while neither are accepted in the world they crave, they are not very understanding of each other. It's a thorny story with thorny issues, which Towne never quite gets a handle on. But there is much to like about the film, including a wonderful turn by Donald Sutherland -- who starred in another L.A. Depression-era story, John Schlesinger's 1975 ``The Day of the Locust'' -- as Arturo's older neighbor, and a moody score by Ramin Ramin (Gonystylus) is a genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees native to southeast Asia, in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, with the highest species diversity on Borneo. Djawadi and Heitor Pereira. (By the way, film critic Richard Schickel voices Mencken.) And Hayek and Farrell both possess a simmering presence that reflects their characters desires and frustrations. ``Ask the Dust'' may not have the resonance of Roman Polanski's ``Chinatown,'' but as an imperfect romance, it's memorable. Rob Lowman (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman@dailynews.com TELEVISION Clint Eastwood's Rowdy Yates was not the main character of ``Rawhide'' when it premiered in January 1959. That was Eric Fleming's Gil Favor, the trail boss of the seemingly endless cattle drive the show's cowboys were on. Rowdy was Gil's second in command -- and the cute one. ``Rawhide Rawhide series depicting cowboys as cattle-punchers along the Santa Fe trail. [TV: Terrace, II, 235] See : Wild West ,'' which began with the classic song sung by Frankie Lane
Another show with a classic theme was ``Secret Agent,'' which starred Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan then went on to do one of the more interesting series ever produced for network television, ``The Prisoner,'' which premiered in June 1968. It didn't last -- only 17 episodes. In a way it was almost a spinoff of ``Secret Agent,'' with McGoohan playing Number Six, a former government spy who is being held at a top-secret enclave on a remote island for presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. knowing too much. The prison isn't so much a prison as it is a small resort community (each has their own bungalow), except that that the residents are monitored and never get off the island unless they disappear. Kafkaesque is the word usually associated with ``The Prisoner,'' but the series, now available in one set, is a trip. At least he wasn't in his pajamas pajamas Noun, pl US pyjamas pajamas npl (US) → pijama msg; piyama msg (LAM . We're talking here about Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (born April 9, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois), also referred to colloquially as Hef,[1] is the founder, editor-in-chief, and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises[2]. He is the majority owner of Playboy Enterprise Inc. , who hosted ``Playboy After Dark Playboy After Dark Playboy After Dark was Hugh Hefner's second syndicated TV series. His first series, Playboy's Penthouse ran in syndication from 1959-60. As with the first series, Playboy After Dark resembled a cocktail party in which Hefner would casually chat with his ,'' a sort of informal cocktail party (really filmed on a soundstage) that aired starting in 1969. Among those who dropped by were Sonny and Cher, the Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker, Deep Purple, The Byrds, Linda Ronstadt, and, of course, there were plenty of Bunnies and Playmates. An earlier version of the show aired in 1959, called ``Playboy Penthouse'' -- shot in black and white -- with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald Noun 1. Ella Fitzgerald - United States scat singer (1917-1996) Fitzgerald , Sammy Davis Jr. and Lenny Bruce. Highlights of the show on this three-disc set include 51 musical performances, six full shows and a new 45-minute interview with Hef. The shows are like a dug-up time capsule, which means some things seem really cool, and others just seem quaint and silly. OLDER FILMS Criterion has restored Michael Powell's ``A Canterbury Tale.'' The 1949 film, a retelling re·tell·ing n. A new account or an adaptation of a story: a retelling of a Roman myth. of the Chaucer stories set amid the turbulence of World War II, met with disfavor at the time but since then has been championed by a number of people, including Steven Spielberg. The two-disc set includes commentary by film historian Ian Christie, excerpts from the American version, with Kim Hunter, and documentaries. British director Powell (``The Red Shoes,'' ``Black Narcissus'' and ``Peeping Tom'') was disappointed by the ``A Canterbury Tale's'' reception, but he lived to see the film -- which in some ways is a lyrical tribute to his home country of England -- begin to receive its due after it was first restored in 1977. Docurama is releasing a collection Oscar-winning or -nominated documentaries -- ``The Docurama Awards Collection, Vol. II.'' Among the five winners are the 1986 ``Broken Rainbow,'' narrated by Martin Sheen, which told the story of 12,000 Navajos forced from their ancestral lands because of energy exploration, and the 1992 ``In the Shadow of Stars,'' which looks behind the scenes of the often bizarre and competitive world of opera. Other titles are ``Marjoe'' (1972), ``Who Are the Debolts'' (1978), ``Doing Time'' (1992) and ``Sister Rose's Passion'' (2004). The 12 titles create a diverse and at times fascinating collection, especially for those who love documentaries. NEW FILMS ``Final Destination'' started with a mildly clever premise of a bunch of teenagers who escape death in a plane crash, only to have the Grim Reaper catch up to them in some very gruesome ways. The first sequel -- which starts with a spectacular auto pileup the teens survive in that one -- then drove the premise over the edge at full-throttle. So by ``Final Destination 3,'' which involves a roller coaster going off its tracks, the the idea is pretty tiring -- unless you enjoy watching teens offed. That may explain why New Line has a ``new interactive feature that lets YOU decide the fate of the characters.'' Oh, boy -- I think. Fans of ``The Daily Show's Rob Corddry will delight in ``Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story.'' The mockumentary, about a disgraced paintball paintball Sports medicine A sport in which marble-sized gelatin capsules filled with a nontoxic dye are shot at speeds of 300 kph/200 mph Warning: champion (Corddry) seeking redemption, played at film festivals and in a few cities but never received a general release. Though improvisationally hit and miss, the laughs are pretty funny when on target. THE PRICE TAGS NEW FILMS ``Ask the Dust'' (Paramount; $29.99) ``Final Destination 3: Special Edition'' (New Line; $28,98) ```Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story'' (Shout! Factory; $19.98) ``The Benchwarmers'' (Columbia; $29.95) OLDER FILMS ``A Canterbury Tale'' (Criterion; $39.95) ``Docurama Awards Collection'' (Docurama; $199.95) ``Will Rogers Collection, Vol. 1'' (Fox; $59.98) TELEVISION ``Playboy After Dark'' (Moranda; $39.98) ``The Prisoner -- Complete Series Megaset 40th Anniversary Edition (A&E; $139.95) ``JAG judge advocate general (J.A.G.) n. a military officer who advises the government on courts-martial and administers the conduct of courts-martial. The officers who are judge advocates and counsel assigned to the accused come from the office of the judge advocate -- The Complete First Season'' (Paramount; $64.95) ``Animaniacs, Vol. 1'' (Warner; $44.98) ``Pinky and the Brain This article describes both the animated television series, and the characters from that series. Pinky and the Brain (sometimes abbreviated PatB or P&tB) are cartoon characters who have starred in the American animated television series , Vol. 1'' (Warner; $44.98) ``La Femme Nikita -- The Complete Fourth Season'' (Warner; $99.98) ``The Boondocks -- The Complete First Season'' (Columbia; $49.95) ``Rawhide -- The Complete First Season'' (Paramount; $49.99) ``Tales From the Crypt -- The Complete Fourth Season'' (Warner; $39.98) ``Dark Shadows DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. Collection 25'' (MPI MPI - Message Passing Interface ; $59.98) ``Miami Vice -- Seasons One and Two'' (Universal; $59.98) ``Jane Eyre'' (Acorn; $39.99) ``All Creatures Great & Small -- The Complete Series 6 Collection'' (BBC/Warner; $79.98) ``Chappelle's Show -- The Lost Episodes (Uncensored)'' (Paramount; $24.99) KIDS ``Choose Your Own Adventure -- The Abominable Snowman'' (Goldhil; $19.98) ``MEE-SHEE the Water Giant'' (Screen Media; $19.98) CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) Old L.A. lives in `Ask the Dust' (2) no caption (``Rawhide'') (3) no caption (``The Prisoner'') (4) no caption (``Final Destination 3'') |
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