DVD Picks & Pans: Summer Smorgasbord Dessert Tray

Military.com - Tom Miller

Life's short: have dessert first.  So far this summer, we've ignored that rule.  We've served up all sorts of interesting fare for your hot weather viewing, but it's been more spice than sugar: "Rambo" and "Mannix;" "Jumper" and "Burn Notice."  This week, we thought that we'd tempt you with something sweet.  And, yes, "sweet" is shorthand for chick flick.  Just remember that she sat through an unofficial 236 killings in "Rambo" alone.  The least you can do is endure a too-cute ten-year-old, a little pillow talk and a few cat fights. 
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Definitely, Maybe
DVD-2008 ($29.98, Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

For all those who have been clamoring for a chick flick . . .  Okay . . .  Nobody's been actually clamoring for a chick flick.  But, that doesn't mean we should ignore an entire genre. 

Anyway, if you need something sweet after spending 12 hours with Hank Moody ("Californication"), this is it.  It's sweet but with just enough spice stirred in to keep it interesting.

Will Hayes' (Ryan Reynolds) life hasn't turned out the way he expected.  For one thing, he's not going to ever become president.  He's not even in politics anymore.  He's in advertising.  He's also divorced with a precocious ten-year-old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin). 

It seems that they've been talking about sex ed at Maya's school, and she's asking Dad embarrassing questions.  She also wants to know how he met her mother.  After some resistance, he agrees to tell her.  But, not in a tradition narrative.  Where's the fun—the mystery—in that?

No, he'll recount how he met three women with whom he had serious relationships.  It's Maya's job—a romantic mystery, she exults—to figure out which one became Mom. 

The three very different young women are college sweetheart Emily (Elizabeth Banks), aspiring writer Summer (Rachel Weisz), and rebellious April (Isla Fisher).   Therein lies a rather large hole in the plot that must be ignored for any of this to work. 

How is it that a bright, curious ten-year-old knows so little about her parents that she can't pick her Mom from among three very different women passing through her Dad's life?  It is such an obvious trap that writer/director Adam Brooks doesn't even try to finesse it.  He trusts that the characters are engaging enough that audiences either won't notice or won't care.  He's mostly right, I suspect. 

Not only are the characters engagingly-written, but they're also played by attractive and accomplished actors.  Breslin flashes the winning charm she showed in "Little Miss Sunshine," and Weisz sparkles as the exotic Summer.  But, it's Fisher's turn as the enigmatic, underachieving April that sells the concept. 

Military.com Rating: ** ½

(DVD extras include deleted scenes; commentary with director Brooks and star Reynolds; "Creating a Romance," a look at the making of the film; and "The Changing Times of Definitely, Maybe," a look at the changing fashions on view in the movie.)
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The Other Boleyn Girl
DVD-2008 ($28.96, Sony Pictures) Also available in Blu-ray.

Take one of history's most famous—and momentous—couplings, add two of Hollywood's hottest young actresses and some lavish costumes, and what do you get?  You get this sexy, entertaining, and mostly honest—in its broad outline if not the particulars—historical romance. 

Most of us know that there was a Boleyn girl (Anne, English King Henry VIII's second wife and mother of Elizabeth I) from our World History classes.  The other Boleyn girl was Anne's younger sister Mary.  She just happened to be  Henry's mistress before Henry fell for and ultimately married Anne—but, only after breaking with the Catholic Church and having his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled. 

The outlines of the story are familiar: Henry VIII (Eric Bana) desperately wants a male heir—something that eludes Catherine.  That failure makes her dispensable.  Enter the fashionable, witty, and charismatic Anne (Natalie Portman) who cunningly supplants her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) as the object of Henry's desire. 

Anne bears Henry a daughter—the future Elizabeth I—but no son.  Soon enough, Henry has a new mistress and Anne becomes dispensable.  Charges—likely trumped up—of adultery, incest, and treason are leveled against Anne.  Convicted, she is beheaded. 

Relax.  I'm not giving anything away.  It's in all the history books.  Anyway, what's interesting is the way all this plays out.  And, how the film portrays Henry and the Boleyn sisters.  As for Anne's and Mary's character, the historical evidence is contradictory and inconclusive.  But, whatever the truth, the filmmakers' decision to make Mary a saint and Anne a cunning and ruthless seductress works. 

History is rather clear on the fact that Anne wasn't exactly a beauty.  Her charms, however, were considerable and included exotic eyes, a charismatic personality, and in the case of Henry, a seductive elusiveness.  Miss Portman plays her as exotic, charismatic, seductive, AND beautiful.  Hey, it's not a documentary. 

The story-telling is compelling, even if the emphasis is more on the "romance" than the "historical;" the costumes are gorgeous; and the performances are excellent—especially Miss Portman who handily trumps Miss Johansson in talent and charm. 

Military.com Rating: ***

(The widescreen DVD reviewed is barebones.
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Dynasty—Season Three, Vol. I
DVD-2008 ($35.98, CBS/Paramount Home Entertainment)

This guilty pleasure was one of television's hottest prime-time soaps from 1981 to 1989—9 tumultuous seasons and 220 decadent episodes.  This latest DVD release includes the first 12 episodes of Season Three on 3 discs. 

"Dynasty" revolves around the dysfunctional Carrington clan: a hyper-wealthy Colorado oil family.  The patriarch is suave, handsome Blake (John Forsythe), and he has a new, young (trophy) wife: Krystle Jennings (Linda Evans).  Blake also has a homosexual son, Steven (Jack Coleman) and a ruthless daughter Fallon (Pamela Sue Martin), who dislikes Krystle instantly and tries to undermine her position.  

Then there's Blake's former wife Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins) who arrives on the scene as the second season begins.  Her no-holds-barred rivalry with Krystle quickly becomes the driving dynamic for the show. 

Alexis is deliciously wicked and her scheming drew droves of viewers.  Consistently in Nielsen's Top 20, "Dynasty" reached #5 in its third season and #1 in 1985.  The show also received 24 Emmy nominations and 25 Golden Globe nominations.  Forsythe, Evans, and Collins won Golden Globes for acting, and the program won for Best TV Series—Drama. 

Military.com Rating: ** ½

(This is a barebones set.)
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Military.com DVD Picks & Pans Smorgasbord Ratings Guide
* Have the Rolaids handy
** Two words: fast food
*** Tasty
**** Succulent

 

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Copyright 2012 by Tom Miller