|
 Howl's Moving Castle
The follow-up to Hayao Miyazaki's 2003 Oscar-winning Spirited
Away, Howl's Moving Castle, although equally as stunning
as its predecessor, didn't fare as well at the box office.
Now available on DVD, Howl's Moving Castle should
be seen for animation fans, or anyone who appreciates
great filmmaking. In a year without a film from Pixar
as competition, Howl's Moving Castle probably would have
won the Oscar™, if not for Wallace & Gromit:
Curse of the Were Rabbit. I'm a huge fan of Wallace & Gromit,
but Howl's truly deserved the Academy Award. Incorporating
Miyazaki's usual themes of redemption, perseverance,
forgiveness, love, amazing machines, and airplanes, the
stunning animation transports you to another world. Miyazaki
is the last major animator working in traditional cel
animation, and this film will please children and adults
alike with its beauty and depth. The DVD's bonus features
are minimal, but one standout is Miyazaki's tour of Pixar
with studio head John Lasseter, who holds Miyazaki in
the highest regard. Although the English dub featuring
the voice talents of Lauren Bacall, Blythe Danner, and
Jean Simmons is good (although Billy Crystal's over-the-top
performance as Calcifer is inappropriate), the film also
deserves to be viewed in Japanese with English subtitles.
-- Joseph S. Amster
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete First Season
To capitalize on the ratings success of ABC's top-rated
Bewitched, NBC developed I Dream of Jeannie about another
beautiful blonde asked to keep her powers in check. As
the title character, Barbara Eden hid her navel, blinked
her eyes, and enchanted television viewers for five seasons,
all the while wrecking havoc on the life of her mortal
master (Larry Hagman). All season one's 30 episodes
are available in the series' original black-and-white
presentation, as well as in a really unappealing colorized
version -- the flesh tones don't look remotely
human. Bonus features: Audio commentary by Eden, Hagman,
and co-star Bill Daily, who mostly namecheck the supporting
cast and comment on how attractive they all looked in 1965. -- Jeremy
Kinser
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Movies Collection
Oscar-winning British character actress Margaret Rutherford
was ideally cast as Agatha Christie's crime-solving
elderly busybody Miss Marple in a series of films made
between 1961-65. Murder She Said, Murder at the Gallop,
Murder Ahoy, and Murder Most Foul -- all shot in
crisp black-and-white and featuring jaunty musical scores
that play up the humor inherent in Christie's
mysteries -- are making their DVD debut as part of
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple Movies Collection.
Also available separately is the Marple-less Ten Little
Indians, a rather plodding adaptation of Christie's
popular And Then There Were None. The film is noteworthy
for its gimmicky two-minute break to allow the audience
to guess the killer's identity. Bonus features:
Trailers.
-- Jeremy Kinser
Police Woman: The Complete First Season
In 1974, Angie Dickinson, of a certain age but still undeniably
sexy, ditched a so-so career on the big screen to blaze
trails as one of TV's first female cops in the
hit series Police Woman. As Sgt. Pepper Anderson, Dickinson
donned some really tight blouses, fought crime, and inspired
a slew of other Ô70s female detective shows ranging
from campy Charlie's Angels to the no-nonsense
Cagney & Lacey. Ang also finds time to engage in
some will-they-or-won't-they rapport with hunky
co-star Earl Holliman. Nearly as much fun as the period
fashions and hairstyles is the veritable who's
who of vintage stars (Larry Hagman, Bob Crane, William
Shatner, even gymnast Cathy Rigby, among others) making
guest appearances. All 23 episodes are here including
the pilot that ran on Police Story. Bonus features: Audio
commentary by Dickinson and Holliman, who curiously spend
much of the time bickering politely on whether actor
Mark Harmon played college football. -- Jeremy Kinser
|
