Imperial Valley News

Hollywood, California - Out on Home Video - Film Reviews by Lisa Miller: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, 24: Redemption, Law & Order: Season Six, Wanted: Regular or Collector’s Edition, Step Brothers, The X-Files: Fight The Future, Jingle All the Way, The Shawshank Redemption, La Femme Nikita.

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, DVD or Blu-Ray (2008) Directed by Andrew Adamson, Starring: Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Peter Dinklage, William Moseley, Sergio Castellitto, Warwick Davis, Voices of Liam Neeson, Eddie Izzard - Disney/Rated PG/Fantasy/144 min.

Though the first “Narnia” parlayed its $180 million budget into a $750 million take, the second installment saw costs slashed to just $100 million. The effects can be seen in lesser CGI and the reduced roles of Tilda Swinton’s evil White Witch, and of Narnia’s leonine savior Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson). Having returned to Narnia, young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley), won’t rest until she finds the great lion. Alas, he doesn’t appear until the 2 and 1/2-hour epic is nearly over. Narnia, a magical kingdom populated with talking animals, has fallen under the influence of men. Looking as if he stepped out of fairytale, Prince Caspian is targeted for death by his uncle. Unintentionally awkward, Ben Barnes’s Caspian lacks heroic charisma while the scheming King Miraz, his murderous uncle, fails to project significant menace. Lucy and the other three Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes), return to Narnia’s alternate universe to fight alongside the prince, but rescuing the film from its doldrums is a job for Peter Dinklage’s Trumpkin, the grumpy Red Dwarf. Eddie Izzard voices a noble mouse, rendered fearsome by his pint-sized sword and grandiose speechifying. Given its emphasis on violent battles and bloodletting, the PG-Rating secured by both “Narnia” chapters is stunning. Themes of hope and faith are important to the story, but children under 10 may find the action more disturbing than inspiring.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe, DVD or Blu-Ray (2008) Directed by Chris Carter, Starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly, Alvin Joiner - Fox/Rated PG-13/Thriller/104 min.

Thanks to its stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, this second “X-Files” movie slightly improves on the first. Both have grown as actors, exhibiting wider emotional ranges and better timing. Fifteen years since the television show’s inception, the careworn pair has arrived at a place of mutual understanding and acceptance that is tested when Mulder and Scully agree to help the FBI to find a serial killer. Creator Chris Carter peppers the story with coincident parallels, such as a forced connection between the murderer and the experimental treatment Scully hopes might save her patient -- a dying child. Working at a Catholic hospital, Scully butts heads with the priest serving as its administrator. Father Joseph Crissman (Billy Connolly), a priest and convicted pedophile claiming to have psychic visions, offers to help Mulder and Scully track a murderer whose creepy homicides are ill-served by the killer’s over-the-top motivation. There may be a future for “X-Files” movies featuring Mulder and Scully trying to lead normal lives while solving tough crimes. Having all but jettisoned the show’s alien conspiracies, the film’s focus on clarifying the pair’s personal involvement is long overdue and welcome. Carter has finally recognized they are interesting people we’d like to know better.

24: Redemption - Director’s cut (2008) Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Robert Carlyle, Jon Voight, Cherry Jones, Powers Boothe, Colm Feore, Gil Bellows - Fox/Not Rated/Action/100 min.

The DVD adds 10-minutes cut from the broadcast version of this 2-hour, made-for-TV movie, a well-executed story returning Kiefer Sutherland to the role of reluctant hero, Jack Bauer. Having left his counter-terrorism unit three years earlier, Bauer settles in the fictional African nation of Sangala, helping his friend Carl (Robert Carlyle) run a school for orphaned boys. A subpoena, demanding Bauer’s testimony before congress, has caught up to him, as has a warlord’s plan of capturing young boys to use as sacrificial lambs in toppling Sangala’s fragile democracy. As the clock ticks in real time, US President-elect Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) arrives to her inaugural ceremony unaware that a vile US businessman (Voight) is financing the warlord’s operation. Highlighting atrocities America has essentially ignored, the tense action hints at the geopolitics likely to inform “24: Season Seven.” Bring it on! DVD features: cast and crew commentary, broadcast version and director’s cut with over 10 minutes of additional footage, Making-Of Documentary, Featurettes: Children of War, 24 Season 6 in Four Minutes, 24 Season 7 First Act, Trailers and trailer farm, DD 5.1 SS English language tracks, French or Spanish subtitles, widescreen.

Law & Order: Season Six (1995) Created by Dick Wolf, Starring: Sam Waterston, Benjamin Bratt, Richard Belzer, Jerry Orbach, Christopher Meloni, S. Epatha Merkerson, Mariska Hargitay, Jill Hennessy Guest Star Jennifer Garner, Michael Imperioli, Peter Sarsgaard - Universal/Not Rated/Drama/1211 min.

One of TV’s longest running shows, “Law & Order’s” ability to observe American culture is owed to the leap of faith taken by its parent network. This intelligent, highly rated series spent four years waiting for viewers to catch on. They did -- in a big way -- prompting spin-offs and upper dial cable networks to make a the show’s reruns a staple. In year six, old and new sensibilities collide when longtime New York City Homicide Detective Lenny Briscoe (Orbach) is paired with young Hispanic, Rey Curtis (Bratt). Cases are expertly juggled by the show’s winning format. During each episode’s first half, Briscoe and Curtis investigate crimes and arrest perpetrators who are subsequently handed over to the District Attorney’s office for prosecution. The next half-hour follows Assistant A.D.A.s, Jack McCoy (Waterston) and Claire Kincaid (Hennessy), as they seek justice for the people -- despite inevitable complications. The show’s conceit is compressing months of investigation and legal wrangling into a tidy format allowing hot-button issues to take center stage during discovery and resolution. By challenging both liberal and conservative values, “Law & Order” smartly takes on everyone and we like it. 5-Disc DVD Boxset features: Bonus episodes from “Homicide: Life on the Street,” DD 2.0 Stereo English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.

Wanted: Regular or Collector’s Edition, DVD or Blu-Ray (2008) Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, Starring: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann - Universal/Rated R/Sci-Fi/110 min.

Mark Millar’s graphic novel is adapted with plenty of razzle dazzle by visually astute director Timur Bekmambetov, but the film’s brutality overwhelms. McAvoy appears as Wesley Gibson, a worker learning his father had a secret life with the Fraternity, a society of assassins. They bend space and time to carry out their missions, claiming to save lives by ridding the planet of bad apples. Group overseer, Sloan (Freeman), directs the beating-up of Wes that is intended to help him locate his dormant powers while fellow operative Fox (Jolie), perfects her steely stare. As Wes progresses, he begins to suspect things are not as they seem. The film aspires to a “Matrix-y” alternate reality, but a telegraphed plot diminishes its storytelling power. DVD features: DD 5.1 SS or DVS DD 2.0 Stereo English, DD 5.1 SS French or DD 5.0 SS Spanish language tracks, widescreen. 2-Disc Collector’s Ed. DVD features: same as above plus: Alternate Opening, deleted scenes, Making-of Wanted: The Game, Extended Scenes, featurette: Ground-breaking Visual Effects: From Imagination to Execution, Origins of Wanted: Bringing the Graphic Novel to Life, Through the Eyes of Visionary Director Timur Bekmambetov, Stunts on the L-Train, Special Effects: The Art of the Impossible, “The Little Things” Music Video, Mash-U, Wanted Digital Copy, 4 Collectible Postcards, Wanted: Motion Comics, Lenticular Scene in an Acrylic Frame. 2-Disc Blu-ray Features same as 2-Disc DVD except: BD Live: My Wanted commentary, Exclusive Content, My Scenes Sharing, My Chat, U Control: Motion Comics, Scene Explorer, Assassin Profiles, Picture in Picture.

Step Brothers: Rated or Unrated, DVD or Blu-Ray (2008) Directed by Adam McKay, Starring: John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Jenkins, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn - Sony/Rated R/Comedy/105 min.

Ferrell and director Adam McKay penned their script from a story conceived by Ferrell and costar Reilly, cast as Brennan and Dale. They play spoiled 40-year-olds, still living at home when their respective parents (Jenkins and Steenburgen) fall and love and get hitched. The boys go to war -- but hate gives way to bro-mance when they join forces to thwart a parental decree that they get jobs and move out. Crass dialog and gross out jokes comprise the mean underbelly of this otherwise sweet, Judd Apatow-produced laugh-a-thon. DVD features: cast and filmmaker commentary, Clips Line-O-Rama, Music Video Boats ‘N Hoes, DD 5.1 English or French language tracks, widescreen. 2-Disc Unrated DVD features same as above plus: deleted scenes: Where Are My Condoms?, Featurettes: Dinner Table, Mr. Jeener-Spy, Job Interviews - Pan Gringe, Therapy Sessions, Sibling Rivalry, Scoring Session. 2-Disc Blu-Ray features same as above except: DD TrueHD 5.1 English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai language tracks, Chinese or Korean subtitles.

Released in New Formats and Editions

The X-Files: Fight The Future, Blu-Ray (1998) Directed by Rob Bowman, Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Martin Landau, Blythe Danner, Armin Mueller-Stahl - Fox/PG-13/Sci-Fi/122 min.

Scully’s (Anderson) crisis of faith comprises the centerpiece to this story of a government conspiracy to unleash a plague on mankind. Though Scully has left the FBI to practice medicine, Mulder (Duchovny) begs her to return and prevent the ominous “they” from winning, pleading “you make me a whole person.” A threat on Scully’s life reinforces her importance to Mulder and though the plot is unwieldy, fans will be appreciate the big-budget special effects. Blu-Ray features: commentary by Creator Chris Carter and Director Rob Bowman from 1999, Picture-in-picture commentary by Creator Chris Carter, Director Rob Bowman, Co-producer/Writer Frank Spotnitz and Producer Daniel Sackheim, Alternate Bee Sting Scene, Gag Reel, Featurettes: Making-of, visual effects, scoring, 4 Trailers, In-Movie Features via BD Remote Direct Access: Real-time Index, BonusView commentary, Behind The Camera, Storyboards and Concept Art, Multiple Angles BonusView Mode: Still Galleries, DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English DD SS 5.1 French or Spanish language tracks, Korean, Mandarin or Cantonese subtitles, widescreen.

Jingle All the Way, Blu-Ray - Directed by Brian Levant Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Curtis Armstrong, Sinbad, Phil Hartman - Fox/Rated PG/Comedy/88 min

Resurrected on Blu-Ray for seasonal DVD viewing, “Jingle All The Way” pits neglectful dad Howard (Schwarzenegger) against a mailman (Sinbad) and other last minute shoppers frantically trying to secure the latest gotta-have sold-out toy for their kids. Phil Hartman appears as Howard’s creepy neighbor, but not nearly as creepy as this film’s agenda stating gift-giving is the hallmark of good parenting. 2-Disc Blu-Ray features: Extended version of the film, 6 deleted scenes, featurettes: Making of a Hero, Super Kids, Turbo Man Behind the Mask, Trailer, DTS Master Audio 5.1 English or DD SS 5.1 French or Spanish language tracks, widescreen.

The Shawshank Redemption, Blu-Ray (1994) Directed by Frank Darabount, Starring Morgan Freeman, Tim Robbins, Clancy Brown, William Sadler, Bob Gunton, James Whitmore, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston - Warner/Rated R/Drama/142 min.

Tim Robbins turns in a terrific performance as a wrongly convicted murderer sent to Shawshank prison in 1949. Sadly the cliche storyline suffers from a complete lack of plausibility. Beaten by sadistic guards, Robbins’ character proves vengeful and resourceful, but as is typically the case in a Stephen King story, the superficial characters are insufficient to support a feature length film. Digipak Blu-ray features: director commentary, Comic Spoof: The Starktank Redemption, Documentaries: Hope Springs Eternal, A First Look Back At The Shawshank Redemption, Interview: The Charlie Rose Show Segment, Trailer, Stills and Collectibles Galleries, Collector’s Bonus Book, Dolby TrueHD English 5.1, or DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 French or Spanish language tracks, Chinese, Korean or Portuguese subtitles, widescreen.

La Femme Nikita, Blu-Ray (1990) Directed by Luc Besson, Starring Jeanne Moreau, Anne Parillaud, Tcheky Karyo, Jean-Hugues Anglade - Sony/Rated R/Action/117 min.

Tough drug-addict Nikita is retrained to serve her country as an assassin. The story is made ridiculous thanks to many slips from director Luc Besson, whose fails to create a credible narrative. Remade as “Point of No Return” starring Bridget Fonda, the superior redo benefits from Fonda’s restrained performance. Blu-Ray features: Features BD Live Enabled, DD TrueHD 5.1 English, French language tracks, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese or Spanish subtitles, widescreen