Little Screen
Published Friday August 1st, 2008
This week's new releases, by Jay Bobbin of Zap2it, are rated on a scale of one to four, with * equivalent to a poor rating and **** meaning excellent.
NIM'S ISLAND
***
Oscar winner Jodie Foster also gets star billing, but young Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") supplies the real spark in this fantasy-adventure about a girl desperate to find her father, who has disappeared from the tropical island where they reside. She tries channeling her favorite literary character, a brave adventurer, and ends up in the company of his phobia-ridden creator (Foster) instead. Gerard Butler ("300") plays dual roles in the tale, which will appeal to younger viewers the most. DVD extras: four "making-of" documentaries; audio commentary by Foster, Breslin and directors Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett.
GET SMART: SEASON 1
***
Now that Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway's movie update has met with success, the original 1960s sitcom developed by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry -- and previously available on DVD only by direct order -- makes its way to stores. Don Adams became a television icon as unwittingly inept, shoe-phone-using Maxwell Smart, alias Agent 86 for the spy organization CONTROL. Barbara Feldon plays his partner, Agent 99, and Edward Platt is their chief (as in "Sorry about that ... ").
LONESOME DOVE
****
An Emmy-winning classic gets a DVD upgrade in a new "2-Disc Collector's Edition" that offers author Larry McMurtry's wonderfully scenic Western saga in widescreen and surround sound. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are superb as Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, ex-Texas Rangers whose cattle drive leads them to colorful characters and perilous situations. The large, impressive cast also includes Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Rick Schroder, Robert Urich, Chris Cooper and Anjelica Huston.
STARSHIP TROOPERS 3: MARAUDER
**
In case you don't remember there was a "Starship Troopers 2," it went straight to video, as does this third chapter in the saga of futuristic military officers and the big bugs they battle.
Some key elements of the original film are back in play, including star Casper Van Dien and screenwriter Ed Neumeier (also the director here), as Col. Johnny Rico (Van Dien) heads up a rescue mission on a strange planet. Catherine Oxenberg (Mrs. Van Dien in real life), Jolene Blalock ("Star Trek: Enterprise") and Amanda Donohoe co-star. DVD extras: two "making-of" documentaries; audio commentary by Van Dien, Blalock, Neumeier, producer David Lancaster and visual-effects supervisor Robert Skotak; music video.
THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG
****
One of the films that helped TV movies come of age, this powerful 1982 adaptation of Norman Mailer's best seller recalls the true story of convicted killer Gary Gilmore (superbly played by Emmy winner Tommy Lee Jones), who campaigned for the death penalty for himself.
Mailer also wrote the television version, which traces the last months of Gilmore's life. The first-rate supporting cast includes Christine Lahti, Rosanna Arquette and Eli Wallach.
I GOT THE FEELIN': JAMES BROWN IN THE '60S
***
The title pretty much says it all for this compilation of performances by the music legend known as the Godfather of Soul. Footage is included from his 1968 shows at New York's Apollo Theater and the Boston Garden, and the documentary "The Night James Brown Saved Boston" offers additional perspective on the special role he played at the time of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. Brown's sequence from the movie "The T.A.M.I. Show" is another element of the set.
Coming soon:
SMART PEOPLE
Aug. 12
Dennis Quaid plays a college professor whose zest for life is renewed when he gets romantic with a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker). Ellen Page ("Juno") also stars.
CAMP ROCK
Aug. 19
The Jonas Brothers star in this recent Disney Channel movie about -- as the title suggests -- a music camp, where Joe Jonas' character falls for an aspiring singer (Demi Lovato).
HANNAH MONTANA AND MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT
Aug. 19
On video as in theaters, Cyrus' music performance is presented with a 3-D effect.
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY
Aug. 19
Suddenly fired from her job, a governess (Frances McDormand) links up with an actress (Amy Adams) and experiences a whole new world.
PROM NIGHT
Aug. 19
Brittany Snow plays the target of a stalker on what should be one of the happiest occasions of her life, in this remake of the Jamie Lee Curtis thriller.
STREET KINGS
Aug. 19
Keanu Reeves plays a police detective suspected of killing a peer to cover up alleged corruption. Forest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie ("House") also star.
Oldies but goodies -- If your local video store is fresh out of the newest titles, give these attractions a try:
STARSHIP TROOPERS
1997
***
Young military recruits find their mettle tested by giant bugs in director Paul Verhoeven's vivid fantasy. Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris star.
SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
1960
***
John Mills and Dorothy McGuire play the heads of the shipwrecked clan in this Disney adventure. James MacArthur and Tommy Kirk also are in the "family."
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
1983
****
A mother and daughter (Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger) struggle with their challenging relationship in this Oscar-winning comedy-drama, part of a new "I Love the '80s" collection.
n Little Screen appears in Life & Times each Friday.
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