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Home (Re)Viewing: ‘Knocked Up’ and lots more
For the first time in quite a long while, the selection of new DVD releases today is not only decent, it’s quite a bit better than decent, for movies both old and new.
Knocked Up: My favorite live-action comedy of the summer comes out in a slew of editions, but fans will want to spring for the two-disc unrated collector’s edition, loaded with fun-sounding extras. My favorite: “Directing the Director” (Capote director Bennett Miller stops by to help (Judd) Apatow get the job done). By the way, I’ve seen this was called the “unprotected” version in some places. That mean we can freely copy it? Full review GRADE: A+
Black Book: Director Paul Verhoeven, having burned out on Hollywood, returned to his roots with this World War II thriller and returned to form, making his best film in years. It’s a bit overlong, but otherwise, the director’s trademark excesses make this one compulsively watchable. GRADE: A-
From the Catalog
The Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland Collection: Long overdue, this 5-disc DVD set brings together all the major musicals this beloved duo made. In a nice bit of (intentional?) timing, the collection comes out only two days after Mickey’s 87th birthday.
Curmudgeons and other people who are generally no fun will carp that these movies are dated, hammy, and they’re all basically the same film with different titles. These aren’t entirely invalid criticisms. After all, the first That’s Entertainment made quite a funny joke about how the plots of these movies are “suspiciously alike.”
Besides, even with a couple of cringe-inducing blackface scenes, all complaints dissolve under the chemistry of Mickey and Judy, who may not have been an item in real life but were clearly meant for each other. If you can watch these two together and not smile, you need corrective oral surgery.
Babes in Arms: Sets the “Hey, let’s put on a show” template. Has lots of big numbers, but I prefer the simplicity of one of Judy’s solos, the too-little appreciated “I Cried for You.”
Strike Up the Band: It didn’t need to run for two hours but there’s great material, particularly the heart-melting “Our Love Affair” and the irresistible “Do the Conga.”
Babes on Broadway: A souped-up version of Babes in Arms. Again, there are many splashy numbers, but the easy charms of Mickey and Judy’s dance to “How About You” win the day. It’s also fun to see Virginia Weidler, the little scene-stealer from The Philadelphia Story, in the cast.
Girl Crazy: My favorite of their films, it’s filled with great Gershwin tunes, and it’s not hard to see why Mickey falls hard for Judy in this one. There are many highlights, but this time, I will go for the big number: the peppy “I Got Rhythm,” rather insanely staged by Busby Berkeley.
Each movie comes with some nice special features, including introductions by Mickey, and there’s a fifth bonus disc that includes 21-full-length Judy numbers. Can you tell I’m a sucker for this sort of thing? Mine!
Also out today
Bug: This chiller didn’t catch on in theaters, but with William Friedkin directing and Ashley Judd starring it has to be interesting at the very least.
Evening: Wow, what a cast: Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, Natasha Richardson, Glenn Close. Too bad the critics clobbered it. The fact that the story is co-written by the author of The Hours, which was made into a turgid, lifeless movie, makes me very wary.
Next: Funny, that’s exactly what most moviegoers said to this Nicolas Cage sci-fi thriller.
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