The week’s DVDs begin in Norfolk, England:
DVDs for June 24 by Boo Allen
This week we begin in Norfolk, England:
Alan Partridge (***)
Fans, and maybe only the fans, of the not-for-everyone antics of Steve Coogan will find humor in this madcap comedy in which Coogan reprises the role that initially brought him fame. He plays the title character, a Norfolk, England radio disc jockey-talk show host who is, essentially, a poorly informed, well meaning boob (think: Steven Colbert). When a big corporation takes over his station, it looks like either he or fellow DJ Pat Farrell (always apoplectic Colm Meaney) will be fired. When Alan maneuvers for it to be Farrell, he, Farrell, takes hostages at the radio station for a stand-off. Director Declan Lowney squeezes the situation for laughs, many flat, but many side-splitting hilarious.
Rated R, 90 minutes.
Extras: a 12 minute “making of” featurette and brief segments “behind-the-scenes” and “A Look at Alan Partridge.”
300: Rise of an Empire (**1/2)
This follow-up to the 2007 hit 300 travels much the same path, with its ancient Greek soldiers squaring off against the invading Persians. But this time it’s mostly on the water while still being filmed in a striking tableau, with sepia colored backgrounds mixing in with the impressive special effects and slow motion blood-letting. Game of Thrones bad girl Lena Headey returns as Spartan Queen Gorgo and to deliver narration about Greek warrior Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) facing off against Persian King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro). Sultry Eva Green plays Artemsia, who pushes the Persians into battle. Noam Murro directs with ample flair from a screenplay from Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad from Frank Miller’s comic book “Xerxes.”
Rated R, 103 minutes
Extras: the four part featurette “The 300 Effect” has about half an hour of featurettes on “3 Days in Hell,” “Brutal Artistry,” “A New Breed of Hero,” and “Taking the Battle to Sea.” Also: The 23 minute “Real Leaders and Legends,” “Woman Warriors” (12 minutes), “Savage Warships” (11 minutes), and “Becoming a Warrior” (5 minutes).
Winter’s Tale (**1/2)
Noted screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) makes his directing debut challenging by adapting Mark Helprin’s treacly, and loopy, romantic fantasy novel. In the first few minutes alone, Tale jumps from the present to the 1890s to 1914. Finally, in 1914, after prolonged and labored exposition, Peter (Colin Farrell) meets tragically doomed consumptive Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay). Meanwhile, mean demon Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) chases Peter around New York City. Stuff happens and jump ahead 100 years when Peter still roams Manhattan’s streets. And Pearly still chases him. But this time, Peter finds refuge with Virginia (Jennifer Connelly) and her boss Willa (Eva Marie Saint), whom Peter knew in 1914 and must now be 108. This outline of this Oscar-laden film (Goldman, Crowe, Connelly, Saint, William Hurt) only hints at all the craziness and pseudo-philosophizing that takes place. Somehow, however eye-rolling, the film is never boring.
Rated PG-13, 118 minutes.
Extras: 12 additional scenes, the six minute featurette “Winter’s Tale: A Timeless Love,” and nine minutes on “Characters of Good and Evil.”
Enemy (**1/2)
Jake Gyllenhaal re-teams with Prisoners director Denis Villeneuve for a dark, dramatic mystery with plenty of twists. Javier Gullon supplied the script based on a novel by 1998 Nobel Laureate Jose Saramago. The tale uses a time worn device, that of a double, a twin, usually initially unknown. Gyllenhaal pulls this double duty, playing a depressive college professor, Adam, and Anthony, an aspiring actor full of energy and guile. Adam accidentally discovers Anthony and then quietly tracks him down. His motives remain opaque, as he seems content merely in stalking. Meanwhile, Adam’s girlfriend (Melanie Laurent) and Anthony’s pregnant wife (Sarah Gadon) notice changes in their men. Villeneuve slows his narrative down, taking time to create a sense of dread and paranoia. Entertaining if at times slow-going.
Rated R, 90 minutes.
Extras: an 18 minute “making of” featurette.
Almost Human (**1/2), Haunt (**)
IFC Films releases a pair of bare-bones horror flicks under its “Midnight” banner. Joe Begos, the director of Almost Human (not rated, 80 minutes), shows knowledge of the genre, with references to several pod people films, The Shining, and even The Human Centipede. Strange things happen one night (blue lights, loud noises), resulting in the disappearance of several people. A few years later, one (Josh Ethier) returns, greatly changed. This alteration becomes more apparent when he tries to re-connect with his old girlfriend (Vanessa Leigh). Only intervention from former best friend Seth (Graham Skipper) can save several people from becoming pod robots. With an abundance of teen angst, Haunt (not rated, 85 minutes) never sheds its lugubrious atmospherics. It also suffers from over-use of genre cliches: lights flickering, shrieking music, dark figures dashing in front of the screen, a creepy old haunted house. A family moves into a house supposedly haunted by its past inhabitants, a murdered family. The young son meets a strange nearby neighbor girl. The two investigate the house’s history and before long they have conjured up the lost spirits. Unfortunately, few frights come with the invited.
Almost Human extras: brief on-set interview and a four minute short film.
Haunt extras: cast and crew interviews, a two part featurette, a “behind-the-scenes” featurette, and more.
This is America Charlie Brown
These eight remastered “Peanuts” TV specials, on two discs, look ahead to July 4th as they celebrate by taking a trip through American history. Charlie Brown and the gang meet the Pilgrims, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Irving Berlin, Scott Joplin, the Wright brothers and many other famous Americans.
Not rated, 195 minutes.
Finally, from the week’s TV arrivals:
Mama’s Family—season four
This popular spin-off from “The Carol Burnett Show” proved durable on its own by this forth season which ran from 1987 to 1988. Vicki Lawrence again plays Mama, who complains daily about Vint and Naomi (Ken Berry and Dorothy Lyman) living in the basement. Also, Bubba (Allan Kayser) goes to school, Thelma watches too much home shopping TV, and Mama appears on “Jeopardy!,” with an appearance by Alex Trebek.
Not rated, 655 minutes.
Extras: interview with Beverly Archer, a “Mama’s Family” cast reunion, a featurette on “Mama’s Family Tree,” and more.
Comedy Bang! Bang!–second season
This instant cult series offers a goofy array of personalities and performers who sit for staged interviews, while comedy sketches break out around them. Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts host. The series attempts constant improvisation in its 20 episodes, on four discs. The season sees appearances from such luminaries as Jim Gaffigan, Jessica Alba, Aziz Ansari, Zoe Saldana, Andy Richter, David Cross and many others.
Not rated, 451 minutes.
Extras: commentaries, deleted and bonus scenes, cast and crew interviews, an acting lesson with Herb Roost, and much more.
Also on DVD: Pandora’s Promise, Some Velvet Morning, Two Lives.