J. Edgar and Hitchocock classics highlight this week’s DVDs:

DVDs for Feb. 21 by Boo Allen

This week, we begin with the FBI:

J.Edgar (***)
Forget the image of J. Edgar Hoover as a cross-dressing, man-loving sourpuss. Instead, in the new bio-pic
J. Edgar, director Clint Eastwood explains Hoover as a
strangely tortured mama’s boy by rendering a Best Hits version of his
eventful life.
But if the director at least pays homage to the
salacious rumors about the founder and first head of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, so much the better for entertainment
purposes. Eastwood uses Dustin Black’s script and avoids turning out
what could be a Oliver Stone-like barrage of every Hoover rumor to
come along since his 1972 death. A non-stop weekly TV series would be
needed to cover all of that ground.

Eastwood focuses instead on what made Hoover feared
by every president he served under, while also giving time to what
may have brought on his obsessions over communism and anything
tilting left. Hoover was and is a fascinating character, with plenty
to admire but also with much to condemn. Eastwood covers his bases,
even if particular scenes and sequences might not find basis on
verifiable fact.
Leonardo DiCaprio somehow, both emotionally and
physically, convincingly portrays Hoover from 1919 onwards. His
expert transformation draws attention to the latter-day mud-cake jobs
foisted on the mature versions of Hoover’s secretary Helen Gandy
(Naomi Watts) and his ever present colleague and “friend” Clyde
Tolson (Armie Hammer).

J. Edgar unfolds with Hoover dictating his memoirs, looking back on his career, hitting the big
events, starting in 1919 as he tracks down domestic terrorists. He
quickly becomes head of the newly created Bureau of Investigation, a
position giving him the opportunity if not the license to initiate
his career-long trampling of civil rights.

He meets and hires fresh law school graduate
Tolson. In the 1930s, he creates modern forensics and enjoys
successes fighting nationally known criminals such as John Dillinger
and Machine Gun Kelly. But he bumbles the celebrated case of the
Lindberg baby kidnapping. He also develops a fondness for wearing
fine clothing and spending a day at the race track with Clyde.

Eastwood’s narrative never builds to any great
epiphanies or climaxes but instead draws its interest from its main
subject, with all his contradictions and foibles.

Cinematographer Tom Stern bathes his scenes in dark
shadows, a fitting approach for this sepia-tinged production. But,
for such a veteran director, it is surprising that Eastwood leaves
his editors so little footage as to necessitate the film’s abundance
of jarring, criss-cross/ flip-flop editing.

Rated R, 137 minutes. The DVD, in all formats, downloads and combo packs,
offers a comprehensive 18 minute “making of” featurette.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Rebecca (****1/2), Spellbound (****1/2 ), Notorious (****).

Fox/MGM gives Blu-ray debuts to three unrated Alfred
Hitchcock classics, looking better than ever and even filled with
extras. In the Oscar-winning Best Picture Rebecca,
based on Daphne Du Maurier’s novel, a young bride (Joan Fontaine)
feels threatened by the memory of her new husband’s (Laurence
Olivier) deceased wife. Meanwhile, the hovering housekeeper (Judith
Anderson, in an Oscar winning role) bullies and terrifies her.
Spellbound boasted a rare Hitchcock collaboration, with
no less than Salvador Dali, who contributed to dream sequences. A
psychiatrist (Ingrid Bergman) falls for a patient (Gregory Peck), who
might not be all he seems. Notorious boasted of pairing
Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman as, respectively, a U.S. government
agent who persuades a woman to seduce a Nazi chieftain stationed in
Rio de Janeiro. She marries him (Claude Rains) and steals German
secrets, while simultaneously falling for the U.S. agent. Great mix
of romance and Hitchcock’s trademark suspense. All three films hold
commentaries, one or more “making of” featurettes, an audio
interview with Hitchcock, and various radio plays.

Rebecca: 131 minutes. Plus: featurettes on Daphne Du Maurier, screen tests, and more.

Spellbound: 118 minutes. Plus: featurettes on Dali, the film’s use of psychoanalysis,
Rhonda Fleming, and more.

Notorious: 102 minutes. Plus: featurettes on Hitchcock’s expertise with spy movies,
the film’s restoration, and more.

SON OF NO ONE (881/2)

Writer-director Dito Montiel uses split narratives for the story of Jonathan (Channing Tatum), a rookie policeman in Queens, New York who joins the force about the time an investigation looks
into two murders 20 years previous. As a child, Jonathan might have
been somehow responsible for both deaths and now he fears his secret
will be uncovered. Al Pacino plays a retired detective once on the
case, and Ray Liotta is the current officer. With Tracy Morgan,
Juliette Binoche, Katie Holmes.
Rated R, 94 minutes. The DVD, in all formats, offers
seven minutes of deleted scenes.

All Things Fall Apart (**1/2)

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson plays a star college
football player who succumbs to temptations that look to ruin his
future. Fortunately, he rebounds in time with help from friends and
family. Standard redemption story directed by Mario Van Peebles. With
Ray Liotta, Lynn Whitfield.

Not rated, 111 minutes.

I Ain’t Scare of You: A Tribute to Bernie Mac

Friends and co-workers of the late comedian give
interviews and testimonials about him. Such diverse talents as Don
Cheadle, Cameron Diaz, Ali LeRoi, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, Steven
Soderbergh and others talk about Mac and working with him.

Not rated, 61 minutes.
And now, the horror, the horror:

The Devil’s Rock (**1/2)

On the day before D-Day, June 5, 1944, two Allied
soldiers stealthily enter a compound on a remote Channel island.
There, a German team holds a demon captive, one that can shape-shift
and one that could change the course of World War II. The absurd
premise has its lurid highlights.

Not rated, 86 minutes. With
commentary, five behind-the-scenes featurettes, eight minutes of
extended scenes, eight minutes of outtakes, five minutes on the
effects, and more.

The Dead (***)

This horror movie, claimed to be the first filmed
entirely in Africa, is an effective zombie-thriller from Howard and
Jon Ford. In addition to zombie-frights, its The Fugitive
Kind-like story focuses on a white pilot, downed when fleeing
an infected area, forced to team up with a black soldier to reach
safe territory. Along the way, they share some decently frightening
confrontations and unexpected obstacles.

Rated R, 105 minutes. The DVD includes a five minute
“behind-the-scenes” featurette, and a single deleted scene.

The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (*)

This loopy sequel features a gnomish main character who
works in a car park, where he abducts his victims. Later, he takes
them to a deserted warehouse where he uses a film of the original
Human Centipede to create his new human centipede, but
with twelve people. Double yuck.

Not rated, 91 minutes. The DVD contains a 13 minute
interview with the director, a nine minute on-set tour, and brief
segments on deleted scenes and on the effects.

VIPS (**1/2)

This Brazilian con-man flick is based on a true story,
that of Marcelo (Wagner Moura). He grows up in a battle with reality,
eventually scamming his way into flying a dangerous yet lucrative
drug route. He flies without a license and passes himself off as a
rich man connected to an airline owner. He also has imaginary
conversations with his long dead father, who was once a pilot.
Entertaining if eventually pointless.

Not rated, 96 minutes. The DVD also includes interviews
with six of the cast and crew.

Track 29 (**)

Current Oscar-nominee Gary Oldman stars in this creaky
1988 comedy-drama as a young Englishman set adrift in the U.S. to
find the teen mother (Theresa Russel) who abandoned him for adoption.
A young and flamboyant Oldman goes over the top and is never slowed
by cinematographer-turned-director Nicolas Roeg. Dennis Potter (“The
Singing Detective”) wrote the odd screenplay.

Rated R, 90 minutes.

And, finally, from this week’s TV offerings:

Family Matters—second season

In the 25 episodes of this 1990’s comedy series, the
Winslow family of Chicago has various comical adventures, with many
involving audience favorite Steve Urkel.

Not rated, 581 minutes.

Storage Wars—volume two

In this quirky series set in Southern California,
auctioneers Dan and Laura Dotson sell off various storage units to
the familiar cast of characters. In the 14 episodes, on two discs,
the participants bring their own stories with them, which often prove
to be the main source of entertainment.

Not rated, 300 minutes.

Borgia: Faith and Fear—season one

In this series of 12 episodes on three
discs, the Bogia family, and the series, boasts a full cast of unsavory,
colorful yet true characters. At the center stood Rodrigo Borgia
(John Doman) who went into the priesthood, took a vow of celibacy,
and then fathered seven children, including after becoming Pope
Alexander VI. In the time of “The Bad Popes,” he followed
infamous Innocent VIII (ever-weird Udo Keir). Well written and
photographed and with a good overall cast.

Not rated, 675 minutes. The DVD includes a comprehensive
37 minute “making of” featurette along with 16 cast and crew
interviews of 107 minutes.
Also on DVD: J. Edgar, Nurse Jacky—season three, Puss
In Boots, Tower Heist, The Way, Weeds—season seven,