Tomorrow’s Marquee New Releases
Here’s a preview of the “standout” titles debuting tomorrow on DVD and Video:
Monster’s Ball- Everyone knows Halle Berry won the Oscar for this movie, and now you will actually be able to rent it and make up your own mind as to whether she deserved it or not. Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger also star.
Frank Herbert’s Dune- David Lynch’s feature film version of Dune was a hallucinogenic mess that even fans of the book had trouble following. This far more staid but effective TV version gets the details of the book right – even if it doesn’t have the visionary oomph you’d hope for. Starring William Hurt and a decent Alec Newman as Paul Atreides, the miniseries was a huge hit for the SCI FI Channel, which is naturally making a sequel. The only problem? Author Frank Herbert’s follow-ups quickly became pretentious, eco-philosophical tracts with nary a hint of the original’s cogent power.
Black Hawk Down- Director Ridley Scott juggles dozens of participants, who we barely know anything about and all look exactly the same. Unfortunately, that’s all he does, since the men involved mostly remain ciphers. Starring Josh Hartnett and Ewan McGregor among others, not that you’d notice.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Boxed Set- Errol Flynn will always be Robin Hood. Christopher Reeve will always be Superman. Johnny Weissmuller will always be Tarzan. Right? Don’t count on it. You may think an actor owns a role forever, but if Jeremy Brett can supplant Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, then anything is possible. This boxed set gathers the first 13 episodes of Brett’s triumph, which also feature David Burke as the ideal Watson. The picture image isn’t ideal here, but everything else is and Baker Street Irregulars should pounce.
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