DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor In some ways, he was the man who wasn't there. While Martin Scorsese's ``The Aviator'' is about Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (born November 11 1974[1]) is a three-time Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor who garnered world wide fame for his role as Jack Dawson in Titanic. ), the film - despite its sumptuous production values Production values is a media term for "production cost." It refers to the professional look, or "polish," of a production. Factors that affect perceived production value may include video and audio quality, lighting, number of errors, and amount and quality of special effects. , a jazzy jazz·y adj. jazz·i·er, jazz·i·est 1. Resembling jazz in form or nature; rhythmical. 2. Slang Showy; flashy: a jazzy car. visual style and solid acting - does little to capture the person behind the larger-than-life tycoon. Although there is an early scene that is used to explain Hughes' people phobia phobia: see neurosis. phobia Extreme and irrational fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation. A phobia is classified as a type of anxiety disorder (a neurosis), since anxiety is its chief symptom. , the story for the most part covers his life from the '20s through the late '40s. In that time the son of a wealthy Texas businessman turned his inheritance into an aviation empire and tried to conquer Hollywood by financing and directing the aerial World War I extravaganza ``Hell's Angels'' (1930), which took up three years of his life and millions of dollars (an astronomical sum for a film then). Along the way, Hughes had romances with the likes of Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett (born May 14, 1969), better known as Cate Blanchett, is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. She has also won various awards, most notably including two SAGs and two BAFTAs, making her one of a few actors who won all ) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale); seemingly played out his fixation with women's breasts in his only other directorial effort, ``The Outlaw'' (1943), with Jane Russell and her ample figure; built the largest plane ever to fly, the Spruce Goose, which had a somewhat bosomy bos´om`y a. 1. Characterized by recesses or sheltered hollows. 2. Having a large bosom; - of a woman. Adj. 1. design; and faced off against rivals like Pan Am, headed by Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin) and a Congressional probe headed by Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster (Alan Alda). We also see Hughes careening The careening of a sailing vessel is laying her up on a calm beach at high tide in order to expose one side or another of the ship's hull for maintenance below the water line when the tide goes out. between recklessness, such as when he tested and crashed an experimental plane in one spectacular scene, and being paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. with fear, as when he is shown locked up in his screening room naked. All this makes for colorful detail. It's a bit odd at first listening to her as Hepburn, but Blanchett comes off credibly as the great actress - and, more than that, adds some spark to the proceedings. Beckinsale, who's been doing action flicks of late, brings a toughness you might might not expect from her. Performances by Alda, Baldwin, John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor known for his ability to act in a dramatic or comedic role with ease. Biography Personal life and Ian Holm give the film the requisite gravitas grav·i·tas n. 1. Substance; weightiness: a frivolous biography that lacks the gravitas of its subject. 2. needed for a biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] . DiCaprio is problematic. Hardly just a pretty boy, DiCaprio long ago established his acting credentials, but as good as he is, he doesn't seem to have the weight, but maybe that was like the real Hughes, a lot of sound and fury signifying ... well, it's hard to say, especially from this film. By the late '50s, Hughes began his long retreat from the world, eventually becoming a recluse in Las Vegas. So as much as DiCaprio, who pushed for the film, wanted to bring the eccentric millionaire to life, the phobias Phobias Definition A phobia is an intense but unrealistic fear that can interfere with the ability to socialize, work, or go about everyday life, brought on by an object, event or situation. , obsessions and grand experiments form more of a fascinating mosaic than a coherent picture. After the real Hughes died, Melvin Dummar claimed that in 1968 he picked up the tycoon as a hitchhiker. Dummar then claimed that Hughes had given him a portion of his estate, producing a written paper to prove it. Courts rejected the claim, but it did inspire the whimsical movie ``Melvin and Howard.'' The two might make for an interesting double bill. ``The Aviator's'' extras include a commentary by Scorsese, film editor Thelma Schoonmaker and producer Michael Mann on the first disc. Scorsese, always interesting to listen to simply because of his extensive film knowledge, does most of the talking. The second disc is crammed with interesting stuff - both about the movie and Hughes. ``The Aviator - Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner; $29.95). `Brian Wilson Presents Smile,' 'Volcanoes of the Deep,' 'Voyage to the Planets and Beyond,' 'Pooh's Heffalump Movie' ``Smile,'' the legendary abandoned Beach Boy album, finally was heard in a new form last year, when Brian Wilson finally finished the project some 37 years after it began. The two-disc ``Brian Wilson Presents Smile'' tells the story of the madness surrounding the singer-songwriter's attempt to put out the album, which he considered his finest work, in documentary style on the first disc and shows Wilson triumphantly performing the songs in concert at Disney Hall last year on disc two. If you don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. already - and even if you do - the documentary, first shown on Showtime, does a credible job in explaining how Wilson's attempt to put out his ``Sgt. Pepper'' blew up in his face and sent him spiraling down a road of drugs and depression that took him years to recover from. The concert is fun, especially for fans, but even non-Wilson fans can appreciate the story and the joy that came with succeeding. Originally an IMAX IMAX Noun a film projection process that produces an image ten times larger than standard movie, ``Volcanoes of the Deep'' offers a fascinating look at the strange creatures living some 12,000 feet below the ocean near an undersea volcano. For those of you who want to go in the opposite direction, there's ``Voyage to the Planets and Beyond.'' The BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. series, from part of the team of ``Walking With Dinosaurs Walking with Dinosaurs was a six-part television series produced by the BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the UK in 1999. The series was subsequently aired in North America on the Discovery Channel, with Branagh's voice replaced with that of Avery Brooks. ,'' creates a faux documentary using computer generation that follows a crew of five on a six-year space flight to the planets in the solar system. Informative and visually interesting, the two-part special is a fun way to learn about the planets. ``Pooh's Heffalump Movie'' is a likable enough family film from Disney. The messages are positive and simple, and the Carly Simon songs are pleasant. No one will mistake it for ``Shrek,'' but younger kids should enjoy it. ``Brian Wilson Presents Smile'' (Rhino; $29.98). ``Volcanoes of the Deep'' (Image; $19.99). ``Voyage to the Planets and Beyond'' (BBC; $19.98) ``Pooh's Heffalump Movie'' (Disney; $29.99). 'The Phantom of Liberty,' 'L'Argent' Criterion is releasing Luis Bunuel's 1974 ``The Phantom of Liberty'' (1974), a comic surrealist film that shows that at 75 the filmmaker was as mischievous as ever. In what amounts to a series of vignettes, Bunuel looks at different people and their inability to deal with freedom and sexuality. (Have things changed?) Another film worth checking out is Robert Bresson's 1963 film ``L'Argent.'' It begins with phony bills being passed from person to person. Eventually, the story - inspired by a Tolstoy tale - becomes a meditation on how money influences and can even destroy people. (Have things changed?) ``The Phantom of Liberty'' (Criterion; $29.95) includes a video introduction by screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere and a new essay by culture critic Gary Indiana. ``L'Argent'' (New Yorker; $29.95) includes commentary by film scholar Kent Jones, a clip of writer Marguerite Duras speaking about Robert Bresson and two video interviews with Bresson. 'The Job,' 'Rescue Me,' more TV Out this week is the ill-fated Denis Denis, king of Portugal: see Diniz. Leary comedy ``The Job.'' In it, Leary played a rough-and-tumble cop who drank and smoke and juggled a wife and mistress. It had no laugh track and was often very funny - so ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. canceled it after 19 episodes. Now you can get the last laughs. The first season of Leary's current series, ``Rescue Me,'' will be out on June 7. It's a drama in which Leary plays a New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. fireman who is separated from his wife and three children. A versatile actor-comedian, Leary excels in both roles. Luckily, he'll be back in ``Rescue Me,'' which has been renewed by FX, on June 21. Other television-related DVDs are listed below. ``The Job'' (Columbia; $49.90) on four discs. ``Rescue Me'' (Columbia; $49.95) on three discs. ``Chappelle's Show - Season 2'' (Paramount; $36.99) includes all 14 uncensored episodes. ``M*A*S*H - Season Eight'' (Fox; $39.98). ``The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Second Season'' (Paramount; $38.99). ``NewsRadio - The Complete First & Second Seasons'' (Columbia; $39.95). ``Batman - The Animated Series, Volume Three (DC Comics Classic Collection)'' (Warner; $44.98). ``Law & Order - The Third Year (1992-1993 Season)'' (Universal; $59.98) includes a tribute to Jerry Orbach. ``Samurai Jack - Season 2'' (Warner; $29.98). Rob Lowman, (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photo Photo: (1) LEONARDO DICAPRIO in ``The Aviator'' (2) DENIS LEARY in ``Rescue Me'' |
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