The week’s DVDs begin in 1572 France:
DVDs for August 26 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin in 16th century France:
Queen Margot–20th anniversary director’s cut (****)
The Cohen Film Collection gives a blu-ray debut to Patrice Chéreau’s original vision of his1994 epic (when released in the U.S., it played half an hour shorter). Even with the added footage, Chéreau maintains the rapid pace found in Alexander Dumas’ source novel based on events in 1572 France. Margot (Isabelle Adjani), née Marguerite de Valois, sister to two kings and daughter to another, submits to her Queen Mother, Catherine de Medici (Virna Lisi), and grudgingly marries the King of Navarre, Henry (Daniel Auteuil), the future Henry IV. Ostensibly, this coupling aims to quell the conflict between the Catholic royal family and the Protestant Huguenots. But soon after the wedding, the court initiates the St. Bartholomew massacre, slaughtering a still unknown number of Huguenots who have come to Paris with and for Henry. Conflicts continue to break out, but director Chéreau deftly integrates the love story between Margot and her secret lover, the Protestant La Mole (Vincent Perez), along with numerous other sub-plots, including King Charles IX’s (Jean-Hugues Anglade) murder, voyages to Holland for support, incestuous relationships, and more salacious diversions. Fast, compelling, and beautifully rendered by cinematographer Philippe Rousselot.
Not rated, 159 minutes.
Extras: commentary, a trailer, and a 28 page booklet with several interviews and essays.
High School Confidential (**1/2)
Olive Films brings back for a Blu-ray and DVD release this campy oddity, entertaining in a “Reefer Madness” sort of way. The woefully dated 1958 cautionary drama (it was probably dated in 1958) stars Russ Tamblyn as an obviously over-age rebel who enters a new high school. He makes his mark faster than you can say “21 Jump Street” (hint, hint), with his unintentionally hilarious slang and cocky manner. He immediately weasels his way into the school’s teen hierarchy, befriends the local marijuana pusher (26 year old John Drew Barrymore, father of Drew), nabs the school’s beautiful student (Diane Jergens), and even catches the attention of his teacher (Jan Sterling). The school’s other students all look on the north side of 30. But the sly Tony has secrets, and those secrets slightly elevate the film, even if director Jack Arnold pauses about every ten minutes and has someone deliver a lecture on the evils of marijuana—if you smoke marijuana, you will then take heroin and die. Jerry Lee Lewis sings the title song and appears in the opening sequence.
Not rated, 85 minutes.
Revelation Trail (*1/2)
The recent zombie craze receives a stiff test in this unsuccessful mix of genres. In the Old West, Preacher (Daniel Van Thomas) discovers a new sort of enemy—zombies. He guns them down, some of them anyway, while fighting against other more-worldly demons. With Jordan Elizabeth.
Not rated, 108 minutes.
Extras: commentary, a 39 minute “making of” featurette “Life of the Trail: The Story of the Film,” four brief “behind-the-scenes” featurettes, four brief “On Location” featurettes, a music video, and eight minutes of bloopers and outtakes.
Finally, the week’s TV arrivals:
Now and Again—the DVD edition
The 22 episodes, on five discs, of this 1999 science fiction thriller receive a belated release. Glenn Gordon Caron’s ingenious drama lasted only this single season, despite a plot that promised endless future programs. In the opening episode, John Goodman plays New York insurance executive John Wiseman. He suffers a fatal subway accident, waking to find himself without a body but with a working mind. He can see Dr. Morris (Dennis Haysbert), who explains to Wiseman that his body no longer exists, only his brain, kept alive artificially. This situation leads to Wiseman’s consciousness being shifted into a young, handsome body (Eric Close). But, on threat of death, he can no longer contact his wife (Margaret Colin) or daughter (Heather Matarazzo). So, the new Wiseman helps Dr. Morris, and the U.S. government, fight crime for the remainder of the season, resulting in regular confrontations, conflicts, and plenty of action with regular twists involving some strange characters. Charles Durning narrates.
Not rated, 16 hours and 12 minutes.
Extras: a six minute “on-the-set” featurette, and a 35 minute featurette on Caron’s writing. The near two hour long, four part “making of” featurette “Gimme a Sign: Engineering ‘Now and Again,’” offers segments on “Genesis,” “New Life,” “Remembrance,” and “Timelessness.”
The Walking Dead—season four
Sixteen chilling episodes of cable’s most popular series now arrive on five discs. This season, a virus forces everyone to leave the prison, leading to a fatal new confrontation with The Governor (David Morrissey). Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) hit the road, with Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily Kinney) heading in another direction and Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Tara (Alanna Masterson) in yet another. But they all eventually travel towards the mysterious Terminal. There, the season ends but with an appropriately ominous situation. Every episode contains requisite frights and dangerous brushes with the series’ excellent zombie creations.
Not rated, 696 minutes.
Extras: the fifth disc contains an amazing selection of materials, including commentaries on five episodes, separate “making of” and “Inside the Walking Dead” featurettes running between six and eight minutes on all sixteen episodes. Plus: the six minute featurette “Drawing Inspiration,” eight and nine minute featurettes on prominent characters “Hershel” and “The Governor is Back.” Special effects receives 18 minutes for “Inside KNB EFX,” and eight minutes for “A Journey Back to Brutality.” Also: eight deleted scenes.
Elementary—season two
The 24 episodes of the sophomore season of this clever reinterpretation of the world’s most famous detective returns on six discs. Jonny Lee Miller plays Sherlock Holmes, and Lucy Liu is his live-in partner Dr. Joan Watson. The season begins with the pair in London, but then returns to Manhattan. Eventually, during the season, Holmes suffers through an extended, unwanted visit from his brother, Mycroft (Rhys Ifans). Also, Inspector Lestrade (Sean Pertwee) now capitalizes on his London successes with Holmes and comes to the U.S. in deluded hopes of duplicating them. Watson continues her threat to move out, made more pressing when she becomes personally involved with Mycroft. Otherwise, the season sees weekly mysteries, usually murders offered up by policemen Captain Thomas Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and detective Marcus Bell (John Michael Hill).
Not rated, 17 hours, 11 minutes.
Extras: an eight minute featurette on the first two episodes “Holmes Goes Home,” eight minutes with the series’ writers, a 20 minute featurette “inside” season two, the seven minute “Skill Set” with Miller and Liu with the show’s technical advisers discussing specifically needed abilities and skills, nine minutes with Rhys Ifans discussing his character, a three minute gag reel, a four minute featurette on Sherlock’s pet turtle Clyde, deleted scenes, and more.
Also on DVD: Aftermath, Belle, The Double, Jackpot, The Normal Heart.