DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith,' the love story Brad Pitt was originally lined up against Nicole Kidman for the leads in Doug Liman's ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith.'' When filming on ``The Stepford Wives'' went too long, Kidman dropped out, and Liman says he wouldn't have made the movie if he didn't get the right star. He got lucky - ``I look like a genius now,'' he says - when Angelina Jolie came onboard, although she had been on a bit of a box-office downer down·er n. A depressant or sedative drug, such as a barbiturate or tranquilizer. (``Lara Croft 2,'' ``Beyond Borders''). `` 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' had to be made as a big, glossy Hollywood movie,'' says Liman, ``because in order for you to understand that it was an allegory - not real - I needed it to star two people with huge personalities playing those roles. The absurdity of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt being your next-door neighbors mirrors the absurdity that two assassins are your next-door neighbors.'' For those of you who 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. the plot of ``Smith,'' it involves two highly paid assassins who have been married for a few years but are clueless clue·less adj. Lacking understanding or knowledge. clueless Adjective Slang helpless or stupid Adj. 1. as to what the other really does for a living - both having cover jobs. They are also having marital problems: The film opens with the pair talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to an unseen marriage counselor. Compounding matters, they are both given assignments to assassinate as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. each other. For those of you who don't know the subplot sub·plot n. 1. A plot subordinate to the main plot of a literary work or film. Also called counterplot, underplot. 2. A subdivision of a plot of land, especially a plot used for experimental purposes. , it involves Pitt's dissolving marriage to Jennifer Aniston and his fascination with Jolie. And throw in the fact that the now-divorced Aniston is now dating one of Pitt's co-stars on the film, Vince Vaughn. Of course, the paparazzi pa·pa·raz·zo n. pl. pa·pa·raz·zi A freelance photographer who doggedly pursues celebrities to take candid pictures for sale to magazines and newspapers. were all over the filming of ``Smith.'' ``Moving the actors around was like moving a president around, other than the times Brad would show up on his motorcycle - then they just couldn't keep up with him,'' says Liman, who directed the indie hit ``Swingers'' and the studio action-thriller ``The Bourne Bourne, town (1990 pop. 16,064), Barnstable co., SE Mass., crossed by Cape Cod Canal; settled 1627, inc. 1884. Bourne Bridge (1935), across the canal, made the town an entry point to Cape Cod and a resort and commercial center. Identity.'' Still, the notoriety had the 40-year-old director and the studio worried. But it turned out to be a positive influence at the box office, Liman admits. The film was one of the true hits of the season and has taken in more than $420 million worldwide. But stars alone weren't going to get people into the theaters, especially during last summer's collection of failures. While some critics were less than enamored en·am·or tr.v. en·am·ored, en·am·or·ing, en·am·ors To inspire with love; captivate: was enamored of the beautiful dancer; were enamored with the charming island. of the film, audiences got ``Smith's'' loopy take on marriage: suspicions, the inability to communicate and feeling that most of the time you're taking potshots at each other. ``I do think audiences are getting smarter - and they want to see something new,'' says Liman, who is behind Fox's ``The O.C.'' and is currently turning his attention to television. ``They want to feel that the studios and the filmmakers are trying something original and not just rehashing something.'' Liman says he got the sense the film worked after screening it for Pitt and Jolie. ``Brad came up to me afterward and said, 'There's a lot of love in that movie ...' so, no matter how much stuff we blew up - and given that the ammunition budget of this film exceeded the entire budget of 'Swingers' - for that to be somebody's first reaction meant that I had done my job, which was that I wanted to make a love story and not an action movie.'' But the director looked for confirmation by discreetly going to preview screenings. ``I would walk out behind couples. She would say to him, or vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. , 'That was really sweet,' after they've just watched Brad and Angie kill about 50 people.'' ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (Fox; $29.98) 'March of the Penguins,' 'Murderball' There is no doubt that the success of the documentary ``March of the Penguins'' is from audiences projecting human characteristics onto the black-and-white flightless flightless see ratite. birds. Maybe the anthropomorphic Having the characteristics of a human being. For example, an anthropomorphic robot has a head, arms and legs. feelings are from watching the cute avians trudge through the Antarctic snow and ice - we've all been out in the cold - or from the seeming familial instincts as the ma and pa penguins go to extraordinary lengths to protect their unborn child (egg) from the harsh elements, including near starvation. On top of that, it's narrated by God, I mean Morgan Freeman, who has played God (``Bruce Almighty'') and has the voice to make you believe you're hearing from on high. Though ``March,'' which follows the penguins through their yearly life cycle, does include facts and science to make it a nature documentary, its aim is more to Disney-fy the whole thing. ``Murderball,'' another documentary out today, is being mentioned along with ``March'' as an Oscar contender. I did not see it, but the film about quadriplegic quadriplegic /quad·ri·ple·gic/ (-ple´jik) 1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by quadriplegia. 2. an individual with quadriplegia. men playing wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby The sport's original name was murderball; in the United States, it is referred to as quad rugby. All wheelchair rugby players are quadriplegic, with a disability affecting both upper and lower limbs. (nicknamed murderball) has been called gripping and intense. ``March of the Penguins'' (Warner; $28.98) ``Murderball'' (Thinkfilm; $29.99) 'Sky High,' 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Princess,' 'Lila Says,' 'Havoc' In ``Sky High,'' Disney tried to do a live-action version of ``The Incredibles,'' and it's almost as entertaining. The film about a family of superheroes Superheroes are fictional heroes who possess abilities beyond those of normal human beings. Superheroes may also refer to:
Preston was born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith in Honolulu, Hawaii. as his wife, Josie Stronghold/Jetstream. But teenage son Will (Michael Angarano Michael Anthony Angarano (born December 3, 1987) is an American actor. Biography Personal life Angarano was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Doreen and Michael Angarano. ) doesn't have any super powers, though he has convinced his parents otherwise. Though ``Sky High'' never gets heavy, it smartly looks at teen issues - living up to parents' expectations, peer pressure. And its being a Disney family The family of Elias Disney (son of Kepple Disney and Mary Richardson):
``Balzac and the Little Chinese Princess'' takes place during China's Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s. It involves a seamstress (as in the original title - not a princess) who enjoys reading the French novelist Honore Balzac, whose work is at odds with the monstrous times when many Chinese were sent off to camps for re-education. Adapted by Dai Sijie from his novel, the film is a portrait of a dark time illuminated by the candlelight of art. Set amid the Arab communities of Marseilles, France, ``Lila Says'' is the story of a sexually precocious young blond, blue-eyed woman told from the point of view of the 19-year- old son of Lebanese immigrants. Its minor culture clash Culture Clash is the name of:
Barbara Kopple, best-known for her documentaries, directed the straight-to-video ``Havoc,'' which was from a screenplay by Stephen Gaghan (``Traffic'' and ``Syriana''). Starring Anne Hathaway (the ``Princess Diaries'' films), this story of bored rich girls from Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). and their encounter with drug dealers in East L.A. attempts to be gritty but instead comes across as an exercise in artificiality. Nothing strikes you as real here - except the nudity of Hathaway and co-star Bijou Phillips. ``Sky High'' (Buena Vista; $29.99) ``Balzac and the Little Chinese Princess'' (Empire; $26.98) ``Lila Says'' (Columbia; $29.95) ``Havoc'' (rated and unrated versions) (New Line; $19.98) 'The Frighteners,' Legends of the Fall' His 1996 film ``The Frighteners'' convinced me that Peter Jackson was the right person to direct the ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy. After his eerily creepy 1994 ``Heavenly Creatures,'' starring Kate Winslet in the true story of two adolescent girls whose wild imaginations turn to murder, Jackson made this wild, special-effects-laden ghost story with Michael J. Fox as Frank, a man whose wife was murdered and who now finds himself talking to the dead. To make ends meet, Frank enlists his ghostly buddies to haunt houses and gets hired as a ghostbuster to get rid of them. But when the spirit of a mass murderer comes around, things get really weird. ``The Frighteners'' died at the box office, but Jackson's fun-house ride shows a lot of verve, which came through in ``Rings.'' Jackson, who introduces the film and added back 14 minutes, says that after making ``The Frighteners,'' he was stuck with all this special-effects equipment, which is why he thought of ``Rings.'' Smart choice. Check out ``The Frighteners'' while you wait for his ``King Kong.'' Ed Zwick took Jim Harrison's novella novella: see novel. novella Story with a compact and pointed plot, often realistic and satiric in tone. Originating in Italy during the Middle Ages, it was often based on local events; individual tales often were gathered into collections. of the fading Old West, ``Legends of the Fall,'' and tried to turn it into an epic. It had more sweep than real depth, but the 1994 film confirmed that Brad Pitt was a star and boasts some affecting moments. ``The Frighteners - Unrated Director's Cut'' (Universal; $26.98) ``Legends of the Fall- Deluxe Edition'' (Columbia; $19.94) `The Family Guy,' 'Unknown Chaplin: The Master at Work,' 'The Execution of Wanda Jean,' 'Empire' It's true that ``The Family Guy'' can be hit and miss, but the hits are such zingers For other uses, see . Zingers are an American snack cake made by both Dolly Madison and Hostess, two iconic American snack food brands owned by Interstate Bakeries Corporation. that it's worth it. ``Vol. 3'' represents the animated series' return to network television after it was axed a few years earlier. After it became a hit in reruns on the Cartoon Network and with 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. sales soaring, Fox brought it back. The Griffin family, including goofy dad Peter and diabolical baby Stewie, return in fine - if for some, occasionally offensive - form. Peter leads off the first episode by naming all the shows that were canceled on Fox after ``Family Guy'' was taken off. Sometimes it seems its aim is more to offend somebody than to make a joke, but more often than not, it does both. Which is why, for those of us who enjoy these potshots, the show is worth it and is funnier than any sitcom on the air. Fans of the Little Tramp will find ``Unknown Chaplin: The Master at Work'' an interesting documentary from film archivists Kevin Brownlow and David Gill, filling in some of the spots overlooked in some bios and giving a glimpse into how the great comedian and director worked out his creative ideas. ``The Execution of Wanda Jean,'' which first aired on HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy and is directed by Liz Garbus, is a stark documentary about an African-American woman who killed her female lover in Oklahoma City and was then sentenced to death and executed. The women, though, likely had mental problems, which was not brought out in the trial. Garbus' intent is not an exoneration The removal of a burden, charge, responsibility, duty, or blame imposed by law. The right of a party who is secondarily liable for a debt, such as a surety, to be reimbursed by the party with primary liability for payment of an obligation that should have been paid by the first party. of the woman but an examination of how the death penalty can be meted out arbitrarily. Despite some decent performances - including those of Jonathan Cake, Colm Feore and James Frain - ABC's ``Empire'' pales in comparison to HBO's ``Rome,'' both as an epic and in sheer plausibility. ``Family Guy, Vol. 3'' (Fox; $39.98) ``Unknown Chaplin: The Master at Work'' (A&E; $24.95) ``The Execution of Wanda Jean'' (New Video Group; $26.95) ``Empire'' (Buena Vista; $29.99) Rob Lowman, (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) BRAD PITT and ANGELINA JOLIE in ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2) no caption (penguin) (3) no caption (``The Family Guy'') |
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