DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES.Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor The thing about Bette Davis is that even if she were playing an unlikable character, you couldn't help but be fascinated by her. The actress seemed to play a number of less-than-lovable roles, which may have had something to do with her real-life diva personality. Whatever the reason, that fire is certainly on display in ``The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2,'' a solid companion to the first Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . collection of the legendary actress' films. As Julie Marsden in the 1938 ``Jezebel Jezebel (jĕz`əbĕl), in the First Book of Kings, Phoenician princess who was the wife of King Ahab and the mother of Ahaziah, Jehoram, and Athaliah. ,'' Davis was less than sympathetic as a controlling Southern belle For other uses, see Southern Belle (disambiguation). A southern belle (derived from the French belle, 'beautiful') is an archetype for a young woman of the American Old South's antebellum upper class. opposite Henry Fonda as her unrequited suitor SUITOR. One who is a party to a suit or action in court. One who is a party to an action. In its ancient sense, suitor meant one Who was bound to attend the county court, also, one who formed part of the secta. (q.v.) . The actress won her last Oscar, but the part effectively knocked her out of the upcoming ``Gone With the Wind'' sweepstakes for the role of Scarlett. ``Old Acquaintance'' (1943) finds Davis as a serious novelist who helps out an old friend, who then achieves success with a trashy book. In ``The Man Who Came to Dinner'' (1942), Davis is part of an ensemble cast An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different in a witty comedy based on a Moss Hart/George Kaufman play. In the crime melodrama ``Marked Woman'' (1937), Davis plays a hostess at a shady club run by a mobster. Humphrey Bogart is an ambitious D.A out to clean things up. What she sees and the truth he has to get to clash, and there's no happy ending. And then there's the two-disc special edition of ``What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (1962). Robert Aldrich's classic horror film horror film n → película de terror or miedo horror film horror n → film m d'épouvante horror film horror n , starring real-life cinema rivals Davis (who played the title role) and Joan Crawford, is the story of two aging sisters who were once movie stars in the 1930s, with Crawford's Blanche overshadowing Baby Jane until a mysterious car accident cut her career short. For the next 30 years, Jane takes care of the invalid Blanche, resenting every moment, which comes to a creepy, eerie head. The ``John Wayne -- An American Icon Collection'' from Universal is made up of so-so films from the Duke's career and isn't in the same class as the Wayne collection coning out from Warner next week. ``Seven Sinners'' (1940) does pair up Wayne with Marlene Dietrich, but the comedy never catches fire. ``The Shepherd of the Hills'' (1941) is a serviceable Western from Henry Hathaway, who would direct the Duke again in ``North to Alaska'' and ``The Sons of Katie Elder.'' ``Pittsburgh'' (1941) is another oater oat·er n. Slang A movie about frontier or cowboy life; a western. [From the prominence of horses, known for their taste for oats, in such films.] with Dietrich, Randolph Scott Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American motion picture actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. Cinematic legacy As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, and Shemp Howard Shemp Howard (March 04, 1895 [1] – November 22, 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. Born Samuel Horwitz, he was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Jewish Lithuanian accent. , the ``forgotten Stooge stooge n. 1. The partner in a comedy team who feeds lines to the other comedian; a straight man. 2. One who allows oneself to be used for another's profit or advantage; a puppet. 3. Slang A stool pigeon. .'' ``Jet Pilot'' (1957) has Wayne as a fighter falling for a defecting Soviet pilot played by Janet Leigh. And who can forget ``The Conqueror'' (1956), in which Wayne played Genghis Khan. Just listen to that Mongolian accent, pardner pard·ner n. Regional A partner, companion, or friend. [Variant of partner.] Noun 1. . Oliver Stone's ``Platoon'' (1986) remains a powerful portrait of war. Based somewhat on his own experience during the Vietnam War Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. (he was a volunteer), the film is a political statement that can resonate for both hawks and doves. Stone shows war from the inside out. Conflicting impulses toward life and death, peace and destruction, self-preservation and heroism tug at Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen), who had volunteered out of patriotism. Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger) knows war is hell, and he and his men are pragmatic -- and vicious -- doing what it takes to survive. Sgt. Elias (Willem Dafoe) wants to keep his humanity amid the chaos. Stone is masterful in showing how these men -- thrown together from different social classes -- cope with the terror they all have in common. The film won four Oscars, including best picture and one for Stone as director. There is one death scene accompanied by Samuel Barber's somber ``Adagio a·da·gio adv. & adj. Music In a slow tempo, usually considered to be slower than andante but faster than larghetto. Used chiefly as a direction. n. pl. a·da·gios 1. for Strings'' that is as unforgettable as anything put on film. The 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition includes a commentary by Stone, a commentary with military adviser Dale Dye and deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Oliver Stone. ``The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2'' (Warner; $59.98) ``What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?'' (Warner; $26.98) ``John Wayne -- An American Icon Collection'' (Universal; $26.98) ``Platoon -- 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition'' (MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. ; $24.96) The first movie parody in ``Date Movie'' -- OK, second, because Alyson Hannigan's Julia is already a takeoff of Gwyneth Paltrow's heavyweight babe in ``Shallow Hal'' -- is a joke referencing ``Napoleon Dynamite.'' So you know the level of humor. In the next 12 minutes -- in which Julia is transformed from blob to hottie -- there are at least a dozen movie references (not to mention the dozen or so infantile jokes). By minute 16, there is a version of the fake orgasm scene in ``When Harry Met Sally.'' It's only an 85-minute movie, but to anybody with more than an adolescent sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour , it may seem like the length of ``Gone With the Wind.'' You could pass the time counting the movie references -- from ``Hitch'' to ``Sleepless in Seattle'' to ``My Best Friend's Wedding'' to ``Lord of the Rings'' (not your usual date movie) and even ``King Kong.'' Or you can enjoy the always-game Hannigan, who survived the ``American Pie'' movies. Just bring your 14-year-old sense of humor. John Milius (director of ``Conan the Barbarian'' and screenwriter for ``Apocalypse Now'') has always had a flair for action. His 1997 TV miniseries ``Rough Riders'' is a rousing piece of work, with Tom Berenger playing future president Teddy Roosevelt, who led a motley crew of volunteers against the Spanish-American War Spanish-American War, 1898, brief conflict between Spain and the United States arising out of Spanish policies in Cuba. It was, to a large degree, brought about by the efforts of U.S. expansionists. of 1898. The battle sequences are quite good, especially for television. The film works as a boy's adventure fantasy and a meditation on American imperialism. David Suchet returns as Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in ``Agatha Christie's Poirot Agatha Christie's Poirot is a popular British television series that stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It first aired in 1989 and so far 57 episodes have been aired. -- Classic Crimes Collection.'' The four feature-length stories from A&E are flashier, with more production values than the Poirot mysteries produced in the early '90s, making them less stuffy. Still, it's Suchet's virtuoso portrayal that gives them a real life. Other TV-related discs, including the better-than-average mystery ``Numb3rs,'' are listed below. ``Date Movie -- Unrated Edition'' (Fox; $29.99) ``Rough Riders'' (Turner; $19.98) ``Agatha Christie's Poirot -- Classic Crimes Collection'' (A&E; $59.98) ``Numb3rs -- The Complete First Season'' (Paramount; $54.99) ``Queer as Folk Queer as Folk may refer to:
``Will & Grace: Series Finale'' (Lionsgate; $9.98) ``The Venture Bros. -- Season One'' (Turner; $29.98) ``The Dukes of Hazzard -- The Complete Sixth Season'' (Warner; $39.98) Hear what she feels Evelyn Glennie, who lost most of her hearing while a teenager, is the subject of ``Touch the Sound.'' What makes Glennie so unique is that she is a percussionist. As she explains in the documentary by Thomas Riedelsheimer, ``Hearing is a form of touch.'' Watching the Scottish percussionist perform on various instruments -- from snare drums to marimbas -- is more than inspirational, however. She has a spiritual connection to her music, which clearly comes through in Riedelsheimer's highly recommended film. Glennie, by the way, will be performing with the Pacific Symphony at Disney Hall at 8 p.m. Friday. ``Touch the Sound'' (Docudrama; $26.95) CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Five films are included in ``The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 2'' (2) CHARLIE SHEEN and KEITH DAVID in ``PLATOON'' (3) ADAM CAMPBELL and ALYSON HANNINGAN in ``DATE MOVIE'' |
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