COUCH THEATER – DVD PREVIEWS
By DNA SMITH
New DVD Releases for the Week of January 27, 2009
PICK OF THE WEEK
“RocknRolla” – Director Guy Ritchie returns to form with this high-octane British gangster romp. Starring Gerard (SPARTAAA!!!) Butler as a two-bit mook named One-Two who gets involved in a caper involving a Russian painting, a shady accountant (Thandie Newton), competing factions of the underground, a rock star and a dizzying array of interlocking story lines and plot twists. Fans of “Snatch” and “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” will definitely want in on this caper.
ALSO
“The Secret Policeman’s Balls” – For those who grew up in the ’80s, “The Secret Policeman’s Balls” are legendary. These annual comedy and music shows raised millions for Amnesty International and showcased the cream of British comedy and some awesome musical performances.
In this three-disc collection are five of the most famous balls, featuring performances by Monty Python, Billy Connolly, Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean/Blackadder), Hugh Laurie (“House, M.D.”), Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and others. Some of the musical acts featured are a Who’s Who of ’80s music: Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof, Mark Knopfler, Sting and Phil Collins, to name just a few.
“42nd Street Forever” Vol. 4 – The “42nd Street Forever” series is one of my guilty pleasures. They’re compilations of movie trailers from schlocky, grindhouse films of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. From gore to bad sci-fi to blacksploitation and sex romps, every kind of low-budget, horrible film you can imagine is shown well, their trailers at least. And frankly, the trailers are, more often than not, better than the films themselves.
FAMILY
“Mary Poppins: 45th Anniversary Special Edition” – If you already own a version of Mary Poppins, there really isn’t anything “special” about this two-disc Disney release. It’s mostly being used as a promotional tool for the Broadway musical. But if you don’t have a copy of this Julie Andrews classic, then by all means snatch it up – if only for Dick Van Dyke’s legendary horrible Cockney accent. Besides, Disney has a nasty habit of releasing home videos of its films for a limited time and then pulling them off the shelves for years, so you never know when you’ll see it again.
TV SERIES
“Cheers The Final Season
“The Invaders” Second Season
“The Love Boat” Season 2, Vol. 1
“Blossom” Seasons 1 and 2
“Meerkat Manor” Season 4
© 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.