DVD REVIEWS OF NEW RELEASES.Byline: Rob Lowman There is a famed story about the 1946 film ``The Big Sleep,'' which -- as anyone who has seen it knows -- has a very convoluted plot. At one point during its making, the director, Howard Hawks  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. , and the screenwriters were confused as to who killed one of the characters. So they sent a wire to the author of the novel the film was based on, Raymond Chandler Noun 1. Raymond Chandler - United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959) Chandler, Raymond Thornton Chandler , asking who was the murderer. Supposedly, Chandler wired back, ``I'm damned if I know!'' Did it matter to the movie or novel? Not a lick. Good hard-boiled detective stories aren't about plots. They are about the clever dialogue and narration, the characters -- tough, colorful guys and gals, and moral (or sometimes immoral) choices. The plot doesn't matter that much, either, in writer-director Shane Black's entertaining deconstruction of the detective story, ``Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,'' which also happens to be the title to a book of film criticism by Pauline Kael. So as you may imagine ``Kiss Kiss'' is heavy with references to private-eye movie conventions. (The movie has five chapters, by the way, all taken from Chandler's titles). The story -- as much as you need to know -- is narrated by Harry (Robert Downey Jr.), a petty NYC NYC abbr. New York City NYC New York City thief who blunders into a movie screen test and is flown out to Hollywood. It isn't long before the girl of his high-school fantasies appears (Michelle Monaghan Michelle Lynn Monaghan (born March 23 1976) is an American actress. Biography Early life Monaghan was born in Winthrop, Iowa to Sharon, who runs a day care center out of the family's home, and Bob Monaghan, who worked in a factory and was also a part time ), he's taking detective lessons from Gay Parry (Val Kilmer) and investigating two seemingly unrelated mysteries. ``Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' lives in its own world, filled with fun. If you don't go along with it, it will seem confusing and silly. But Downey is such a fascinating actor to watch, especially in offbeat off·beat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor. roles like this. Black, who made his splash at a young age with his script for ``Lethal Weapon,'' keeps the action moving, the surprises coming and the dialogue slick. ``Don't worry,'' Harry tells the audience toward the end, ``I saw `Lord of the Rings.' I'm not going to end this 17 times.'' Rob Lowman (818) 713-3687 robert.lowman(at)dailynews.com. ALSO OUT TODAY In ``16 Blocks'' -- a taut action film directed by Richard Donner (``Lethal Weapon'') -- Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is an American actor and singer. He came to fame in the late 1980s and has since retained a career as both a Hollywood leading man and a supporting actor, in particular for his role as John McClane in the Die Hard series. plays a broken-down New York police New York Police may refer to:
adj. Relating to, involving, or representing different races: interracial fellowship; an interracial neighborhood. opposites forced together to survive (Willis even did it before in ``Die Hard 3'' with Samuel L. Jackson “Samuel Jackson” redirects here. For the senator from Indiana, see Samuel D. Jackson. Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning actor. ). But Donner keeps ``16 Blocks'' on a tight schedule, so there isn't much time to think -- even when the logic is suspect. Just sit back and enjoy the action ride -- and Willis, who to his credit isn't afraid to look old and tired, can still bring life to his character. Jonathan Demme's ``Neil Young -- Heart of Gold'' proves to be more than a mere concert film. Shot last year during two shows in Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium The Ryman Auditorium is a 2,362-seat live performance venue located at 116 Fifth Avenue North in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., and is best-known as the one-time home of the Grand Ole Opry. , onetime home of the Grand Ole Opry Grand Ole Opry, weekly American radio program featuring live country and western music. The nation's oldest continuous radio show, it was first broadcast in 1925 on Nashville's WSM as an amateur showcase. , the first half of the film focuses on Young's album ``Prairie Wind,'' while the second has older songs, including ``I Am a Child,'' which he wrote at the beginning of his career with the Buffalo Springfield, and ``Old Man.'' Earlier in the year, Young -- who has had his own brushes with tragedy -- underwent two operations for a brain aneurysm brain aneurysm Cerebral aneurysm Neurology A dilated and weak segment of a cerebral artery, often located in the circle of Willis at the base of the brain, which is susceptible to rupture; BAs may be caused by birth defects or follow poorly controlled HTN Clinical . What emerges during the performances is the veteran rocker's personal relationship to the songs, giving them resonance and poignancy. Demme -- who already made one of the great rock concert films of all time, ``Stop Making Sense'' -- captures the intimate, reflective feeling of the event, as Young is joined on stage by old friends like Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (b. April 2, 1947, Birmingham, Alabama) is a country, folk and alternative rock musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and . The second disc of the 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. includes some interesting material, including Young performing in 1971 on Johnny Cash's show. THE CLASSICS When Sara (Victoria Tennant) asks Steve Martin's Harris in ``L.A. Story'' what they would do on a date, he tells her, ``I was thinking of taking you on a cultural tour of L.A.'' ``That's the first 10 minutes, then what?'' she shoots back. The amusing Martin-scripted film directed by Mick Jackson reminds you that while some things change in the City of Angels, others remain the same -- like the weather. But ``wacky'' TV weatherman Harris loses his job when it pours after he pre-taped the weekend report predicting sunshine, putting uncertainty into his previous sunny life. Like most Angelenos, he hasn't a clue what to do. One direction he takes is to a friendly Valley girl named SanDeE (Sarah Jessica Parker) who spins and has real breasts. But ``L.A. Story'' goes beyond its considerable bounty of jokes about Southern California. Martin gives the movie and the city some heart. The 15th-anniversary disc includes never-before-seen footage of previously unseen cast members John Lithgow and Scott Bakula. ``Valley of the Dolls'' was laughable trash, and ``Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' was trashy laughs. The '67 ``Valley of the Dolls Valley of the Dolls portrays self-destruction of drug addicted starlets. [Am. Lit.: Valley of the Dolls] See : Drug Addiction ,'' based on Jacqueline Susann's novel, is a pill- popper's delight. The 1970 ``Beyond'' was made by Russ Meyer, the king of campy soft-core sex films (mild by today's standards), from a script by Roger Ebert. Yes, that Roger Ebert, who does commentary on the film. TV SERIES Season one of ``Dharma dharma (där`mə). In Hinduism, dharma is the doctrine of the religious and moral rights and duties of each individual; it generally refers to religious duty, but may also mean social order, right conduct, or simply virtue. & Greg'' brought yoga instructor Dharma (Jenna Elfman) and conservative attorney Greg (Thomas Gibson) together. The love-at-first-sight romance of opposites upset their families and friends. The odd-couple of a show succeeded because of the likability factor of its stars plus a solid supporting cast, including Mitch Ryan and Susan Sullivan as Greg's parents. ``Medium'' and ``The Dead Zone'' are better-than-average shows about people with psychic powers -- and interesting main characters played by Patricia Arquette and Anthony Michael Hall, respectively. RECENT FILMS ``Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang'' (Warner; $27.98) ``Neil Young -- Heart of Gold'' (Paramount; $29.99) ``The World's Fastest Indian'' (Magnolia; $26.98) ``The Pink Panther'' (Columbia; $28.95) ``16 Blocks'' (Warner; $28.98) ``Aquamarine'' (Fox; $29.99) ``Dave Chappelle's Block Party (Universal; $29.98 -- rated or unrated) ``Green Street Hooligans'' (Warner; $27.98) ``The Sisters'' (Anchor Bay; $26.98) OLDER FILMS ``Valley of the Dolls'' (Fox; $26.98) ``Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' (Fox; $26.98) ``Betty Grable Collection; Vol. 1'' (My Blue Heaven/The Dolly Sisters/Moon Over Miami / Down Argentine Way) (Fox; $59.98) ``L.A. Story -- 15th Anniversary Edition'' (Live/Artisan; $19.98) ``Cemetery Man'' (Anchor Bay; $19.98) ``The Princess Bride'' (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 -- ``Buttercup'' or ``Dread Pirate'' editions) TELEVISION ``The Dead Zone -- The Complete Fourth Season'' (Lionsgate; $34.98) ``Dharma & Greg -- Season One'' (Fox; $39.98) ``Frasier -- The Complete Eighth Season'' (Paramount; $38.99) ``MacGyver -- The Complete Sixth Season'' (Paramount; $38.99) ``The Rockford Files -- Season Two'' (Universal; $39.98) ``Dead Zone -- The Complete Fourth Season'' (Lionsgate; $34.98) ``Cheers -- The Complete Eighth Season'' (Paramount; $38.99) ``Medium -- The Complete First Season'' (Paramount; $54.99) ``Good Neighbors -- The Complete Series 4'' (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. Warner; $29.98) ``This Is America, Charlie Brown'' (Paramount; $19.99) ``Dora the Explorer Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A pilot episode for the series aired in 1999, and Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. -- Animal Adventures'' (Paramount; $16.99) ``Walker; Texas Ranger -- The Complete First Season'' (Paramount; $49.99) ``Coach -- The First Season'' (Universal; $34.98) ``Beavis & Butt-Head -- The Mike Judge Collection'' (Paramount; $38.99) ``Stargate SG-1: Season 8'' (MGM; $49.95) CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) KILMER, left, and DOWNEY in ``KISS KISS BANG BANG.'' (2) no caption (``16 Blocks'') (3) no caption (``Neil Young - Heart of Gold'') (4) no caption (``L.A. Story'') |
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