Mark Bourne,
Mar 31, 2008
Here's are some of the new DVDs hitting our shelves this week. Keep checking here at Film.com for in-depth coverage of select titles.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Dreamworks)
"Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd.
His skin was pale and his eye was odd.
He shaved the faces of gentlemen
Who never thereafter were heard of again...."
Who other than Tim Burton was better suited to translate Stephen Sondheim's macabre, powerful stage musical into a macabre, powerful movie musical? Of course Johnny Depp is the barber driven mad by murderous vengeance, and Helena Bonham Carter is the goth-faced baker whose pie shop gets a boost in business when her relationship with Todd gets a bit, well, meaty. The fine supporting cast includes Alan Rickman as villainous Judge Turpin, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Timothy Spall (who makes Sweeney Todd a freaky double-feature with Enchanted).
Paramount gives us Sweeney Todd in a single-disc DVD edition and a Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition. Along with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (which serves Sondheim's music, played by a 96-piece orchestra, very well indeed), the special Collector's Edition is rich with fine bonus extras such as "Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd" (a strong behind-the-scenes documentary), the amusing "Sweeney Todd Press Conference," a documentary about "the real history of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," an interview with Sondheim about the original musical and his work fitting it to a movie screen, an enlightening look at the horror entertainment influences of the Grand Guignol theatrical tradition, featurettes on the movie's scenic design and gory prosthetics, a piece showing Tim Burton and Johnny Depp answering questions provided by Moviefone customers via the Internet, and more.
For fellow Sondheim-aholics, two prior stage performances of Sondheim's musical are also available on DVD.
The Good Night (Sony)
Here's the debut feature of writer/director Jake Paltrow, son of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and younger brother of Gwyneth. Gary (Martin Freeman), a once successful musician, struggles with his career and an inert relationship with his girlfriend Dora (Gwyneth Paltrow). As his work as a commercial jingle writer spirals into ever more degrading depths, his best friend and former band mate Paul (Simon Pegg) seems to find success at every turn. Gary is depressed and dejected until he meets Anna (Penelope Cruz). She is everything Gary wants sexually, artistically, and intellectually -- she is the girl of his dreams, literally. But Gary can only be with Anna in his sleep, which consequently sends him on a quest for more frequent slumber. With the help of a new age guru named Mel (Danny DeVito), Gary shuns reality for the comfort of his dreams even as the troubles of his waking life increase. The DVD adds a feature-length audio commentary from writer/director Jake Paltrow, recorded in his apartment, who discusses the production experience in wintry London and his experiences working with his talented cast, including the way he challenges our perceptions of big sis Gwyneth. Also on deck are a handful of trailers for other indie films.
The Bette Davis Collection (Vol. 3) (Warner Bros.)
No studio puts together boxed sets of vintage classics better than Warner Brothers. Warner has been a good friend to movie buffs and DVD collectors for years now, with thematically grouped editions that come with excellent extras such as the "Warner Night at the Movies" features, astute commentary audio tracks, and more. This latest collection delivers seven more films from the awesome Bette Davis: In This Our Life, The Old Maid, All This and Heaven Too, The Great Lie, Deception, and Watch on the Rhine. One of our favorite DVD reviewers, Glenn Erickson (a.k.a. DVD Savant), has posted full coverage in his usual casual film-smarts style.
Alvin and the Chipmunks (20th Century Fox)
Jason Lee and Cameron Richardson star in this live-action/CGI update of the Boomer cartoon favorite. The movie was poorly received, but young kids may enjoy it (and a movie that also includes both David Cross and Jane Lynch has something going for it). The DVD offers little in the way of extras (a full-frame version on this two-sided disc so doesn't count). We get a short featurette on the making of the soundtrack and that signature Chipmunks sound. There's also "Chip-Chip-Hooray! Chipmunk History" a 12-minute retrospective on the long history of the Chipmunks, featuring an interview with the creator's son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. Finally there's a soundtrack promo, a ccoupleof trailers , and an "Inside Look" on Horton Hears a Who!
By no coincidence, also out today on DVD is a Special Edition of The Chipmunk Adventure.
TV ON DVD
The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder (John, Paul, Tom & Ringo) (Shout! Factory)
On April 25, 1975, John Lennon gave what was to be his last televised interview. As he spoke with Tom Snyder on The Tomorrow Show, no one suspected he was about to take an extended hiatus from public life. And no one could have predicted that Tom would rebroadcast that interview five years later -- in memoriam -- the day after John's tragic death. This tribute to Lennon, which aired December 9, 1980, is one of three conversations Tom had with the former members of The Beatles. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were each enjoying solo careers of varying success at the times of their interviews, and their comments provide further insight into the effects of "Beatlemania," drugs, and their futures.
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives (BBC Warner)
The Emmy-nominated Medieval Lives, by legendary Monty Python star and medieval scholar Terry Jones, finally arrives on DVD. Jones has been leafing through the history books to find out what the medieval world was really like. What he discovered is a treasure trove of extraordinary stories and characters that challenge the tired traditional stereotypes we all grew up with. With the help of animated medieval paintings, these tales bring the Middle Ages vividly to life in all its corruption, violence and greed, courage, enterprise and learning. Anyone who enjoys Chaucer and Rabelais will be familiar with the early humor of the time, but few people know about the dark side of chivalry or that women and serfs were not downtrodden creatures at all. Each episode explores the role and function of a different medieval archetype.
Doctor Who - The Time Warrior (BBC/Warner)
Anticipating the debut of the revived Doctor Who's fourth season this week on the BBC, here's the 1973 four-part story that introduced the Sontarans and companion Sarah Jane Smith to the time-traveling series' mythos. (This will be my first purchase of the week, just so you know.) Also out today is Doctor Who - Timelash.
John From Cincinnati (The Complete Series) (HBO)
A mysterious young man appears in California, winds up taking lessons from a drugged-out former surfing champion and gets involved with his dysfunctional family -- the man's bitter ex-surfer dad, his tough, kind-hearted mom, and his surfing prodigy son.
That '70s Show - Season 8
A usually enjoyable series comes to a weak (and at times desperate and flailing) conclusion. But for completists, this four-disc set adds audio commentaries by David Trainer for four episodes, including the finale, "A '70s Show Flashback: Tommy Chong," "A '70s Show Flashback: Josh Meyers," a "Season 8 in 8 Minutes" montage of clips," "That '70s Set Tour with Director David Trainer," "That '70s Show Through the Years: A Retrospective," and "Episode Promo Spots."
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