The week’s DVDs begin in the Yemen river:
DVDs for July 17 by Boo Allen
This week, we begin in the Yemen river:
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (***1/2)
It is often stated that the prospect of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is
as unlikely as a man landing on Mars. And as impossible as both events might seem, this new romantic comedy, to
its credit, at least makes the fishing part sound plausible. Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules)
directs and shows a firm hand on knowing when to surf between satire and cynicism. By bringing a political element into it, and with its British roots, Salmon Fishing vaguely resembles 2009’s inspired In The Loop,
but without that mordant film’s unhinged characters or machine gun dialogue.
As is, however, Salmon Fishing succeeds on its own, telling the story, based on Simon Beaufoy’s
screenplay from Paul Torday’s novel, about how an obscure British
government official, Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), becomes snared in
a seemingly hopeless scheme, all to make the presiding party in power
look good.
Jones is approached one day by Harriet (Emily
Blunt), a public relations agent representing Sheik Muhammed (Amr
Waked ), a fly-fishing aficionado, like Alfred Jones. The sheik wants
to coordinate his building a dam in his native Yemen with stocking
the river with salmon. Everyone agrees it is crazy and would take
untold amounts of money.
But, because it would help Anglo-Arab relations,
the gears kick in mainly because of the determination of governmental
press liaison Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott-Thomas). Maxwell,
beautifully played over-the-top by Scott-Thomas, represents the
film’s strongest link to In The Loop, as she is played
as a conniving, foul-mouthed, but consistently hilarious figure.
Beaufoy’s script does not shortchange reluctant romantics Harriet and Alfred, as they trade so many barbs, their
future coupling seems in doubt, particularly since he is married and
she has a boyfriend. But well written romantic comedies find their way
around such obstacles, and Hallstrom guides his players through their
various subplots until it all ends just about where you knew it
would.
Rated PG-13, 111 minutes. The DVD includes the 13 minute “making of”
featurette “Miracles Happen,” complete with cast and crew
interviews, and a three minute conversation with the source novelist
Paul Torday.
Nobody Lives Forever (***1/2), The Conspirators (***), Three Strangers (***)
Warner Archives releases three unrated films from Jean
Negulsco, a Romanian exile who came to Hollywood and became a
versatile, top notch director. He eventually helmed over eighty films
and won a Best Director Oscar for Johnny Belinda.
Pioneer Method actor John Garfield stars in Nobody Lives
Forever (1946, 100 minutes) as a one-time
hardened con-man who returns from World War II to Manhattan to find
his girlfriend (Faye Emerson) has cheated and abandoned him. He flees
to Los Angeles to fall into a scam revolving around his romancing a
rich widow (Geraldine Fitzgerald). (Was
ever woman in this humor wooed? Was ever woman in this humor
won?–anyone? Anyone?) Negulsco delivers a taut morality tale
from the script from legendary writer W.R. Burnett, who contributed
to such fare as The Great Escape, Scarface, High
Sierra, and The Asphalt Jungle. The Conspirators (1944,
101 minutes) reunites some of the cast for Casablanca
for a similar story. Paul Henreid plays a Dutchman during World War
II who escapes to neutral Portugal after killing German soldiers and
bombing important German military sites. In Lisbon, he meets
mysterious Irene (Hedy Lamarr), who joins him working with a gang of
spies, including Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Nergulesco keeps
the drama going which only slows when Henreid and Lamarr pause for
the obligatory romance. John Huston and Howard Koch wrote the
screenplay for Three Strangers (1946, 93 minutes), a
choppy drama that builds in excitement. The titled threesome
(Geraldine Fitzgerald, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre) come together
and eventually share a sweepstakes ticket. Director Negulesco then
takes their individual stories and reveals how a possible large sum
of money might, or might not, change their lives. Before the finish,
murder, adultery, and theft all play parts in the outcomes of
strangers who have unwittingly become entangled.
The 39 Steps (****)
The Criterion Collection has revived and polished Alfred
Hitchock’s 1935 classic shaggy dog adventure based on John Buchan’s
rousing novel. Robert Donat starred as the hounded and beleaguered
Richard Hannay, a character type Hitchcock would often return to: the
innocent man wrongly accused. When it looks like Hannay has committed
murder, he flees London and heads north on the train, winding up in
the Scottish Highlands. He uncovers the workings of a spy ring, but
no one will believe him, even the initially reluctant beautiful woman
(Madeleine Carroll) Hannay drags along. Rapidly paced and beautifully
rendered, the film not only presages future Hitchcock masterpieces
but also excels on its own.
Not rated, 86 minutes. The amply stuffed single disc has
a new high-definition digital restoration with uncompressed monaural
soundtrack. Supplements include: commentary by Hitchcock scholar
Marian Keane, the 24 minute featurette “Hitchcock: The Early
Years,” a 40 minute segment on “The Cinema of Alfred Hitchcock,”
a 24 minute “visual essay” on Hitch from Leonard Leff, 28 stills
from the production designs, a complete 1937 audio broadcast of “The
39 Steps” from the Lux Radio Theatre, and 22 minutes of audio clips
of Francois Truffaut’s seminal interviews with Hitch. Plus: a 16 page
booklet on the film.
And, finally, from this week TV arrivals:
Storage Wars: Volume three
Auctioneers Dan and Laura Dotson return in these 16
episodes, on two discs, of cable channel A+E’s popular reality
series. Bidders arrive at warehouses and storage units to bid for
what they hope to be hidden treasures. Veterans such as father and
son team Darrell and Brandon Sheets, store owner Jarrod Schultz,
antique collector Barry Weiss and others all turn up in hopes of
uncovering riches.
Rated TV-PG-L, 352 minutes. The collection also holds
additional footage.
IRT: Deadliest Roads—season two—the Andes
Intrepid truckers return for more white knuckle thrills
in this adrenaline-rush of a series. In thirteen episodes, on four
discs, the fearless group of three American drivers—Lisa, Rick and
Hugh–cross the icy roads of the Andes mountain range, often coming
perilously close to the edges.
Rated TV-14, 572 minutes. The collection also offers
bonus footage.
Dan Vs.–season one.
The 22 episodes of this animated series arrive on three
discs. Rebellious and paranoid Dan (voiced by Curtis Armstrong)
weekly seeks justice in his own bizarre way. Other voices includes
Paget Brewster, Dave Foley, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross.
Rated TV-PG, 485 minutes. The collection also offers the
featurette “Burgerphile—the Animatics Version.”
The Inbetweeners—complete series
Damon Beesley and Iain Morris created and Chris Hardwick
hosted this British series of 18 episodes, on three discs, that
followed four boys as they experienced all the ups and downs of
teenagers. They grapple with weighty issues such as finding a job,
contemplating marriage, and pursuing college, while also obsessing
over females. A film based on this series arrives here this fall.
Rated TV-MA, 432 minutes. The set boasts of ample
supplements, including commentaries, video diaries, cast interviews,
outtakes and deleted scenes, and “making of” and
“behind-the-scenes” featurettes.
Sanctuary—fourth season
Amanda Tapping plays Dr. Helen Magnus in this final
season of the hit, special effects-laden Syfy series. With colleagues
Will (Robin Dunne), Henry (Ryan Robbins), and Bigfoot (Christopher
Heyerdahl), she confronts the hidden enemies disguised among us.
Not rated, 585 minutes. The collection includes
commentary, deleted scenes, bloopers, and several featurettes: “A
Day in the Life of Amanda Tapping,” “Fugue: Making a Musical,”
“Behind-the-Scenes,” “Robin Dunne Directs Homecoming” and
more.
Also on DVD: Get the Gringo, Intruders, Lockout, Three Stooges.