THE FALCON returns in this week’s DVDs:
DVDs for Nov. 15 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin with The Falcon:
The Falcon: Mystery Movie Collection: volume one
The Gay Falcon, A Date with the Falcon, The Falcon
Takes Over, The Falcon’s Brother, The Falcon Strikes Back, The Falcon
in Danger, The Falcon and the Co-Eds.
On-Demand Warner Archives releases the first volume, on three discs, of a
collection of one of the most entertaining, if quirkiest, vintage
series. Slated to fill the B feature on double features, The
Falcon first appeared in the early 1940s and starred, for
four films, silvery-voiced English actor George Sanders. He
eventually graduated to a long Oscar-winning career usually playing
cads and villains. But here, he showed a lighter side as amateur
Manhattan sleuth Gay Lawrence, the irreverent, woman-loving Falcon.
With the fourth film, The Falcon’s Brother, he handed
off the role to his real life older brother Tom Sanders, known as Tom
Conway. Brother Tom then took the role for nine more films. The seven
films assembled here, all unrated and running slightly more than an
hour, deliver a packed hour of light comedy and mystery, usually in
the form of The Falcon being accused of murder and then having to
clear his name.
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection—volume one
Warner Home Video has assembled this most excellent
fancy anyone? Anyone? collection of fifty of the best cartoons,
or vintage shorts if you prefer, from their library. The three disc
collection features more than 60 remastered classics. Disc one
features three Oscar winners among the 25 ‘toons from animation
legends Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Fritz Freleng, Bob Clampett and the
others who created Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck Porky Pig, and various
Warner heroes. Disc two showcases many of those characters who
appeared less frequently, and, in some cases, only once. Disc three
holds more than five hours of supplements, including interviews with
the animators and separate documentaries. The set, on Blu-ray, also
offers treasured memorabilia like a collectible glass, a certified
litho cel, a 52 page booklet and much more. This potential holiday
gift is not just for kids.
Going Places (***)
In 1974, young French actors Gerard Depardieu and
Patrick Dewaere starred in this road trip saga by noted Gallic
director Bertrand Blier. Depardieu became and remains internationally
famous, while Dewaere committed suicide at 35 after portraying a
character in a film who commits suicide. In Going
Places, now released on DVD and Blu-ray by Kino
Classics, they play a pair of charismatic low-life criminals. They
unintentionally embark on a road trip solely to escape the police
after going on a joy ride. They end up committing petty criminal
acts, get shot, break into a vacant house, and force themselves on
various women (including Jeanne Moreau, Isabelle Huppert, and Miou
Miou–with whom Dewaere had a child). During it all, they remain
quintessential anti-heroes, giving a showcase to the actors’ talent
and abundant charisma.
Not rated, 118 minutes.
Rio Sex Comedy (**1/2)
Several narratives collide in this comedy centering,
mostly, on the free-spirited sexual attitudes of Brazilians.
Writer-director Jonathan Nossiter also throws in undisguised
commentary on the prevalence of and reliance on plastic surgery.
Charlotte Rampling plays a plastic surgeon on the loose; Irene Jacob
is a documentary film maker, and Bill Pullman appears as a reluctant
U.S. Ambassador.
Not rated, 113 minutes. The DVD, also on Blu-ray,
includes 13 deleted and extended scenes.
The River Why (**1/2)
A young fisherman (Zach Gilford) leaves his feuding
parents (Kathleen Quinlan, William Hurt) and goes to live in an
Oregon forest, near prime fishing territory. He meets a mysterious,
beautiful woman (Amber Heard), and they bond over their love of
fishing. Director Matthew Leutwyler gives David Duncan’s novel the
lush treatment, with plentiful shots of the sun and water, pans of
the forest, and other languorous displays of natural beauty.
Rated PG-13, 104 minutes. The DVD, also on Blu-ray,
includes seven cast and crew interviews.
Dear Santa (**1/2)
Jason Priestly directed this syrupy sweet tale about a flighty single
woman, Crystal (Amy Acker), who finds a letter from Santa from young
Olivia (Emma Duke). Olivia’s mother has died and she asks Santa for a
new wife for her father Derek (David Haydn-Jones)–Mr. Perfect,
except that he has a controlling girlfriend. Ultimately, girlfriend
and Crystal battle for Derek’s affections. But Crystal spends time
with Olivia, helps at Derek’s soup kitchen, and eventually becomes
the charming, less materialistic person Derek finally recognizes.
Not rated, 92 minutes.
And, finally, from this week’s TV releases:
American Restoration: Volume One
In each of these 16 episodes, on two discs, Rick Dale,
series star and owner of Rick’s Restoration in Las Vegas, and his
team recover lost or forgotten items and then restore them on screen
to their former glory. They stumble across an entertaining mix of
objects to renew for profit, including old bicycles, Hershey’s
dispensers, toy trains, street lamps, model ships and more.
Not rated, 352 minutes.
Farscape: The Complete Series
All 88 episodes of this multiple Emmy Award-winning series, which played
on the SyFy channel, arrives on 20 discs. The series ran from 1999 to
2003 and featured an entertaining mix of effects specifically
designed for science fiction adventures. The Jim Henson Company
created a new genre of puppetry to complement the CGI and the
standard effects. When John Crichton (Ben Browder) enters a faraway
section of the galaxy, he unwittingly becomes a crew member of an
alien starship. Adventures ensue. With Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe,
Gigi Edgley.
Not rated, 68 hours, 6 minutes. The huge collection, now
debuting on Blu-ray, holds a treasure chest of supplements, including
commentaries, deleted scenes, new documentaries, old documentaries,
interviews, and hours more.
World War II in HD: Collector’s Edition
Cable channel History brings to Blu-ray and HD their
excellent, comprehensive four disc documentary about World War II.
This series included new, previously unaired footage, and it
concentrated on 12 people involved in the war. The approach brings
the war to life, giving it a personal immediacy to go along with the
excellent accompanying footage.
Not rated, 616 minutes. The set includes two full length
documentaries (“The Battle for Iwo Jima,” and “The Air War”)
and two behind-the-scenes featurettes on finding and preserving the
extra footage.
Also on DVD: Evil Dead 2, Larry Crowne.