DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES.Byline: Rob Lowman It's not that Sidney Lumet doesn't do comedy, but the veteran director's distinguished career is heavy on drama. ``Serpico'' and ``Dog Day Afternoon'' are as intense as you can get. Even the satirical ``Network'' had a hard bite. So it's no surprise that his latest, ``Find Me Guilty,'' is not exactly fall-down funny, but it's got a wacky underpinning that should have you chuckling. Based on a true story, ``Find Me Guilty's'' hero -- and that's a joke -- is Jackie DiNorscio, the joker in the pack during the longest trial in American history, a 21-month endurance test endurance test n → prueba de resistencia endurance test n → test m d'endurance endurance test endurance n in 1987-88 aimed at the Lucchese crime family The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that controls organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia (or Cosa Nostra). of New Jersey. There were 20 defendants in the case -- all with lawyers -- but Jackie decided to represent himself. ``Have you had any legal experience?'' the judge (Ron Silver Ronald Silver (born July 2 1946) is an American actor, director, and producer. Biography Early life Silver was born in New York City, the son of May (née Zimelman), a teacher, and Irving Roy Silver, who worked in clothing sales. ) skeptically asks Jackie. ``I'm been in prison half my life. Sometimes I think I have too much legal experience,'' he shoots back. Played by Vin Diesel (with hair), Jackie comes across as strangely likeable like·a·ble adj. Variant of likable. Adj. 1. likeable - (of characters in literature or drama) evoking empathic or sympathetic feelings; "the sympathetic characters in the play" likable, appealing, sympathetic , somewhat buffoonish, but not stupid. ``I'm not a gangster; I'm a gagster Noun 1. gagster - someone who writes comic material for public performers gagwriter, gagman author, writer - writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay) ,'' he tells the jury, who laugh. While Jackie insists he's doing the right thing by not ratting out his friends and is wildly entertaining in court (``I didn't hear the punch line punch line n. The climactic phrase or statement of a joke, producing a sudden humorous effect. punch line Noun the last line of a joke or funny story that gives it its point Noun 1. ,'' a court official complains once), both sides are worried. The prosecution frets that the jury likes him too much, and the defense attorneys (along with the other defendants, who'd love to take some extreme action) are concerned that he's out only for himself. One thing that has always marked Lumet's films are strong, often Oscar-nominated and winning performances, and ``Find Me Guilty'' is no exception. Diesel gives Jackie the panache needed to make him the center of the circus. Linus Roache Linus Roache (born February 1, 1964 in Manchester, Lancashire) is an English actor. He is the son of the Coronation Street actor William Roache and actress Anna Cropper, and a past member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. , as the chief prosecutor, plays a moral compass, raging that the defendants are real evil. Peter Dinklage, as the chief defense lawyer, is a commanding presence as a straightforward guy who's trying to do his job, but with no illusions about his clients. Silver's judge is solid, and Annabella Sciorra as Jackie's former wife has an affecting turn. Lumet has ventured into the courtroom before -- ``12 Angry Men'' (1957), ``The Verdict'' (1982), ``Night Falls on Manhattan'' (1997). But those films had stronger dramatic arcs than ``Find Me Guilty,'' which, like the trial, moves forward in fits and starts. Somehow Lumet keeps enough of an edge to keep things interesting as the film winds its way through a Byzantine justice system that seems filled with contradictions and absurdities. And in the end, you're going to hang around just to hear the verdict. Rob Lowman, (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman@dailynews.com NEW FILMS An upper-middle class French family, the Laurents, starts to receive disturbing videotapes showing that they are being spied upon. Then violent drawings begin to show up. What, wonder the couple (Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (born January 24, 1950) is a French actor. He was born in Algiers, Algeria, to French parents who were both opera singers. His starring role in Jean de Florette and Juliette Binoche), who have a 12-year-old son, have they done to make someone want to do this to them? ``Cache,'' by Michael Haneke, an Austrian director working in France, is one of the most thought-provoking films of last year. The questions that the Laurents are asking are the same ones many asked after 9/11. Who are these people who hate them so and why? For the Laurents, it lies in the past, both in the husband's youth and the killing of Algerian protesters by Paris police in 1961. Like much of history, the consequences are immediately seen. The translated title of the film is ``Hidden,'' which would have worked better. Haneke is masterful at building up tension. But don't expect it to be relieved at ``Cache's' end, and that's the film's power. There are a number of early films by Haneke that have come out recently -- ``The Seventh Continent,'' ``Funny Games,'' ``Benny's Video'' and ``71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance'' (Kino kino the juice of certain plants, some tropical and some Australian eucalypts, used in medicine as an astringent. Video; $29.95 each) -- that are worth checking out. The title of Eugene Jarecki's ``Why We Fight'' is an ironic comment on a series of films made by Hollywood director Frank Capra for the military during World War II. In that war the enemy was evident and the reasons we fought more clear-cut. The documentary begins with President Dwight Eisenhower's farewell address warning against the growing military-industrial complex mil·i·tar·y-in·dus·tri·al complex n. The aggregate of a nation's armed forces and the industries that supply their equipment, materials, and armaments. Noun 1. . ``The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced mis·place tr.v. mis·placed, mis·plac·ing, mis·plac·es 1. a. To put into a wrong place: misplace punctuation in a sentence. b. power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.'' Jarecki's film interviews those on the left -- author Gore Vidal Noun 1. Gore Vidal - United States writer (born in 1925) Eugene Luther Vidal, Vidal -- and right (the Weekly Standard, William Kristol), but the most interesting conversation is with a retired New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of policeman and Vietnam veteran named Wilton Sekzer, who lost his son (also a cop) on 9/11 and supported the war in Iraq because he believed President Bush's assertion linking the New York terrorist attack with the invasion. When Bush backtracks (the news clip is shown), Sekzer, who had his son's name place on a bomb dropped in Iraq, felt betrayed. While Sekzer's story is personal and can't be seen as any more than that, placed within the context of ``Why We Fight,'' it presents a difficult puzzle. Sekzer -- like many Americans -- wanted to believe in the reasons for the invasion based on the thirst for revenge. Americans have been sold wars before by the military-industrial complex -- some for good reasons, others less so. ``Why We Fight'' -- an imperfect but provocative film -- asks the question, Why are we not more discerning before we buy? Other new films include: Tyler Perry's gun-toting grandma comedy ``Madea's Family Reunion'' (Two of his earlier films are also being released). The silly, comic-book-style violent ``Ultraviolet'' -- believe it or not -- was inspired by John Cassavetes' ``Gloria.'' ``Failure to Launch'' is an aptly named failure of a romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey, as a man of 35 who still lives at home with his parents, and Sarah Jessica Parker, who is hired to get him out of the house. Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom's ``Evil'' is a tale of class warfare and how the powerful will prey on the weak that takes place at a boarding school in the 1950s. MUSIC The 1987 documentary ``Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll'' by Taylor Hackford (``Ray'') was a mixture of rehearsal and performance footage that created a thorny portrait of the musical legend. The concert -- shot in 1986 for Berry's 60th birthday -- shows a cantankerous can·tan·ker·ous adj. 1. Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord. 2. figure concerned about money but whose songs had a simple genius to them, both in the rhythms and lyrics. Among those taking part in the concert were Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt and Etta James. Those interviewed included Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis Noun 1. Jerry Lee Lewis - United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935) Lewis , Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers. Now there is a four-disc expanded 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. version of the film. One of the highlights of the new extras is Robbie Robertson of the Band going through Berry's scrapbook A Macintosh disk file that holds frequently used text and graphics objects, such as a company letterhead. Contrast with "clipboard," which is reserved memory that holds data only for the current session. with him. While Berry remains somewhat of an uneasy figure because of his personal life, there's little doubt where he belongs musically. Lewis says he always thought he was the king of rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. until his mother told him, ``Well, you and Elvis are pretty good, but you're no Chuck Berry.'' Anyone who has been lucky enough to catch one of Richard Thompson's ``1000 Years of Popular Music'' concerts knows how fun and funny they are. The singer-songwriter actually does play music beginning with the 11th century all the way to Britney Spears. < The DVD of the concert -- with Thompson on guitar and vocals, Debra Dobkin on percussion, and Judith Owen adding vocals-- includes two audio CDs. Schools should get their hands on the History Channel's ``10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America.'' The 10 dates are, of course, arbitrarily chosen, and while others may pick other moments, the 10 one-hour documentaries focus on crucial times in American History. Two of those dates are covered in ``Scopes: The Battle Over America's Soul'' (about the sensational 1925 ``Monkey Trial'' in Tennessee, pitting Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan over the teaching of evolution) and ``Einstein's Letter'' (about the physicist's 1939 letter that urged President Franklin D. Roosevelt to develop nuclear weapons before the Nazis. Other events include the California gold rush  The California Gold Rush 1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. in 1849; the bloody battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South), fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on during the Civil War; the assassination Assassination See also Murder. assassins Fanatical Moslem sect that smoked hashish and murdered Crusaders (11th—12th centuries). [Islamic Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 52] Brutus conspirator and assassin of Julius Caesar. [Br. of President William McKinley in 1901; and Elvis Presley's electric appearance on ``The Ed Sullivan Show'' in 1956. The episodes are all done in a lively manner, with Jeffrey Wright, Martin Sheen, Joe Morton and Campbell Scott among the narrators. Fans of John Landis' 1981 film ``An American Werewolf werewolf: see lycanthropy. werewolf In European folklore, a man who changes into a wolf at night and devours animals, people, or corpses, returning to human form by day. in London'' will want to check out ``Deer Woman,'' which was part of Showtime's ``Masters of Horror'' series. Set in the Pacific Northwest and involving a series of grisly murders, Landis shows the same horror-comedy cheek in ``Deer Woman'' that he did in ``Werewolf.'' THE PRICE TAGS NEW FILMS ``Cache (Hidden)'' (Columbia; $26.96) ``Find Me Guilty'' (Fox; $29.98) ``Madea's Family Reunion'' (2006) (Lionsgate; $29.98) ``The Tyler Perry Collection -- Madea Goes to Jail'' (Lionsgate; $29.98) ``The Tyler Perry Collection: Why Did I Get Married?'' (Lionsgate; $29.98) ``Ultraviolet'' (Columbia; $28.95) ``Failure to Launch'' (Paramount; $29.95) ``Imagine Me & You'' (Fox; $27.98) ``Blue Collar Comedy Tour The Blue Collar Comedy Tour began in January 2000 when Jeff Foxworthy started touring with three of his comedian friends, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy. Foxworthy had already established himself as a well-known, Grammy-award winning stand-up comedian, best known -- One for the Road'' (Paramount; $24.99) ``Why We Fight'' (Columbia; $24.96) ``Annapolis'' (Disney; $29.99) ``Evil'' (Magnolia; $26.98) ``Leroy & Stitch'' (Disney; $26.99) MUSIC ``Chuck Berry -- Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (Image; $49.99) ``1000 Years of Popular Music'' (Cooking Vinyl; $28.98) TELEVISION ``10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America'' (A&E; $39.95) (History Channel) ``Civilisation -- The Complete Series'' (BBC/Warner; $79.98) ``Strangers with Candy -- The Complete Series'' (Paramount; $54.99) ``Monk -- Season Four '' (Universal; $59.98) ``Commander in Chief -- The Inaugural Edition, Part 1 (Episodes 1-10)'' (Disney; $29.99) ``Columbo -- The Complete Fifth Season'' (Universal; $39.98) ``Masters of Horror Masters of Horror is an American television series created by director Mick Garris for the Showtime cable network. New episodes premiere every Friday at 10pm EST throughout the season. : John Landis -- Deer Woman'' (Anchor Bay; $16.98) ``Masters of Horror: Lucky McKee -- Sick Girl'' (Anchor Bay; $16.98) ``Tracey Takes On-- The Complete Second Season'' (HBO Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) A form of oxygen therapy in which the patient breathes oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Mentioned in: Ozone Therapy ; $34.98) ``Roseanne -- The Complete Fourth Season'' (Anchor Bay; $39.98) ``Slings & Arrows -- Season 1'' (Acorn; $29.99) ``Alice --Television Favorites Compilation'' (Warner; $9.98) ``Damon Wayans: Still Standing'' (Fox; $19.98) CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) VIN DIESEL in ``FIND ME GUILTY'' (2) no caption (``Cache'') (3) no caption (``Why We Fight'') (4) no caption (``Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll'') |
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