|
 Dark
Shadows: The Revival
Dark Shadows, a daytime gothic soap opera about beautiful
governess Victoria Winters and sinister yet sensitive vampire
Barnabas Collins, bewitched television viewers from 1966-1971.
Calls for a revival of the cult classic were so strong Collins
arose from his coffin to star in Dark Shadows: The Revival,
a 1991 primetime remake. Despite the dated early '90s hairstyles
and clothing, the series managed some authentically creepy
atmosphere. A strong cast including Chariots of Fire's Ben
Cross as Collins, a very young Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious
Skin), Jean Simmons (Spartacus), and especially '60s horror
film vixen Barbara Steele (Black Sunday) made this compelling
viewing, although the series was unfortunately killed off
by the network's coverage of the Gulf War. All 12 episodes
are now available in a three-disc set. --
Jeremy Kinser
 Lifeboat
While working on the screenplay (with no less than John
Steinbeck) for 1944's Lifeboat, director Alfred Hitchcock
asked himself who would be the most ironic, shocking, and
outrageous persona to put in the middle of the Atlantic. The
Master of Suspense had but one answer -- Tallulah Bankhead!
A top flight star of the stage, the flamboyant Bankhead was
considered too big for the intimate movie camera. But Hitchock
uses her well and the actress gives her best -- and best-known
-- film performance as a superficial photojournalist. The
film, shot on a single location set and, thus, one of Hitchcock's
more interesting cinematic challenges, follows the survivors
of a torpedoed freighter who find themselves in a leaky raft
with a man who may have sunk their ship. Bonus features include
an informative audio commentary by film professor and Hitchcock
authority Drew Casper and a fascinating documentary about
the making of the film, "Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat:
The Theater of War." One memorable anecdote is shared
by the director's daughter Patricia, who recalls crew members
noting that tempestuous Tallulah was not wearing underwear.
When advised of this situation, Hitchcock observed, "I
don't know if this is a matter for the costume department,
makeup, or hairdressing." Lifeboat is the final of Hitchock's
Hollywood films to debut on DVD. --
Jeremy Kinser
 Saving
Face
Writer/director Alice Wu made Saving Face as a love letter
to her mother, based on her own coming out experiences as
an Asian-American woman. The DVD release highlights the personal
nature of this festival favorite with audio commentary by
Wu, as well as behind-the-scenes and "Sundance Diary"
featurettes. Telling the story of Wil (Michelle Krusiec),
a Chinese-American surgical resident who falls in love with
a beautiful dancer (Lynn Chen), Saving Face takes a fresh
look at otherwise formulaic elements of coming out and cultural
clashes. Joan Chen as Wil's 48-year-old mother, who shows
up at her doorstep alone and pregnant, is a welcome comic
addition.
-- Sarika Chawla
 The
Wizard of Oz
As a true cornerstone of pop culture and responsibile for
numerous catchphrases including the ubiquitous gay code "friend
of Dorothy," the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz hardly
needs description. All you need to know is that the film has
never looked better than in the stunning new digital transfer
and a newly remastered soundtrack on two new bonus-packed
definitive DVD releases -- a two-disc Special Edition and
a three-disc Collector's Edition. More than 13 hours of special
features include a new audio commentary by Oz historian John
Fricke, along with with selected archival audio comments by
some cast members; the original Oz storybook read onscreen
by Angela Lansbury; profiles of the lives and careers of the
supporting cast including Margaret Hamilton; deleted scenes;
composer Harold Arlen's on-set home videos; and five new documentaries,
including "Because of the Wonderful Things it Does: The
Legacy of Oz," in which Oz fan John Waters succinctly
sums up the film's enduring appeal by calling it "the
most mainstream cult movie ever made." --
Jeremy Kinser
|
