DVD 12/15/09: Inglourious Basterds, The Hangover, Sita Sings the Blues, G-Force, Herb & Dorothy, Taking Woodstock, Lost S5, Tudors S3, Robot Chicken S4, Yankees World Series DVDs
Inglourious Basterds: 2-Disc Special Edition (R, 2009, Universal)
Brad Pitt’s name may sit at the top of the marquee, and “Inglourious Basterds” may have marketed itself as a crazed revenge comedy that sets a ragtag group of nuts on a path to drive Adolf Hitler off a ledge, but neither of these facets have any presence whatsoever in the 21-minute opening scene that, in another film, could pass for the kind of climax from which Oscar buzz is manufactured. “Basterds” does eventually venture without apology into madcap revenge country, and Aldo Raine’s (Pitt) band of vengeance-hungry lunatics absolutely lives up to the marketing’s billing. But “Basterds” is a story of two missions instead of one, and that first scene sets the pace for what ultimately emerges as a sensational ensemble production in which any number of characters arguably steal the show. The odd juxtapositions of disparate moods may strike some as confused, and “Basterds’” need to squeeze every last possible drop of character development out of its every scene will drive some impatient viewers crazy. But if the film wastes any of its 153 minutes, it doesn’t waste many, and while the winding journey makes “Basterds” an experience like few other, the payoff at the end is pretty spectacular in its own right. Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth and Diane Kruger, among numerous others, also star.
Extras: Extended/alternate scenes, roundtable discussion with Pitt, director Quentin Tarantino and film critic Elvis Mitchell, an uncut copy of “Nation’s Pride” (makes sense once you’ve seen the movie), digital copy.
The Hangover: Unrated (R/NR, 2009, Warner Bros.)
It’s always fun when a movie begins in the middle of the story, gives viewers a few minutes to assess the damage, and then flashes back to the beginning to show how it all became that way. It’s especially fun when, in the case of these not-quite heroes (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis), the characters are so hung over from the previous night’s bachelor party that they, too, have no idea what happened — or why the groom (Justin Bartha), whose wedding is mere hours away, has gone completely missing. There’s no good reason to spoil any of the surprises viewers and characters alike have in store, nor is there any good reason to allude to where “The Hangover” goes once the past catches up to the present. It’s shamelessly illogical and stupider with each twist, and on paper and without the aid of the cast and the script that brings them to life, it might as well be another awful straight-to-video National Lampoon film. Fortunately, a bad script is about the only problem these guys don’t have. The hype machine did not lie this time: This film is hilarious.
Extras: Theatrical and unrated cuts, bonus photos from the missing camera (will make sense once you see the film), a performance of “Fame” by The Dan Band (same), improv with co-star Ken Jeong, bloopers, digital copy.
Sita Sings the Blues (NR, 2008, FilmKaravan)
“Sita Sings the Blues,” which rather confidently describes itself as the “greatest break-up story ever told,” isn’t as remarkable for the story it tells so much as the lengths it went to tell it — mixing contemporary, divergent animation styles with blues music recorded close to a century ago and releasing the finished product online for free to circumvent a web of licensing issues surrounding the aforementioned music. All those hoops were worth it, though: “Blues” jumps back and forth in time to correlate a slice of a 3,000-year-old Sanskrit epic with a modern-day not-quite equivalent in Manhattan, and it uses every tool at its disposal to pull it off. The different illustration styles bring with them different storytelling techniques — from some sharply funny commentary between Indian shadow puppets to all those musical numbers, which may as well been recorded with this film in mind — and “Blues” manages to tell a perfectly cohesive (and yes, great) love story without forcing the parts to play nice with each other.
Extras: Director commentary, animated short “Fetch,” 25-minute behind-the-scenes interview, DVD-Rom content.
G-Force: Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack (PG, 2009, Disney)
It’s pretty clear which department worked harder during the making of “G-Force,” which cobbles together a rather trite tale of corporate hijinks and high-stakes espionage for the sole purpose of presenting us a collection of rodents who not only speak brilliant English, but possess enough intelligence to play ball with the country’s most elite special agents. The story is little more than a means to an end — every cranny of “G-Force’s” plot has been tested over time in an uncountable number of spy thrillers — and the rest of the script isn’t a whole lot more inspired. (Get ready for not one, not two, but three fart jokes!) But to criticize “G-Force” for its inability to turn special agent guinea pigs into poetry is, of course, to miss the point. This isn’t a Pixar film; it’s fodder for younger kids who will laugh at the slapstick and pay no mind to the pitiful attempts to humor parents with the occasional flat gag or plot twist. Most importantly, it looks good: The computer-animated critters look perfectly credible among their live-action surroundings, and while the script doesn’t give them much in the way of clever lines to say, they’re no less lovable when playing the hand they’ve been dealt.
Extras: The combo pack includes Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy editions of the film. Three behind-the-scenes features are available only on the Blu-Ray disc, but everybody gets deleted scenes, a fourth behind-the-scenes feature, a “Blaster’s Boot Camp” DVD game and three music videos.
Herb & Dorothy (NR, 2009, Arthouse Films)
Not every good documentary is for everyone who loves a good documentary, and it’s worth noting that if you don’t see a little bit of yourself in Herb and Dorothy, you may not feel so strongly about the film that bears their name. “Herb & Dorothy” tells the remarkable story of a married couple who, with very little financial means, has managed over time to assemble an art collection for the ages. Herb and Dorothy, for their part, are as likable as their story — funny, blunt, self-deprecating and married far too long not to be completely, plainly honest with and about each other. The film, for its part, plays it pretty straight, letting Herb, Dorothy and some of the professionals who have crossed their path over the years compile the story without help. That, along with a few scenes in which the couple works its savvy magic, are all the film needs to inspire would-be collectors who wish to emulate their success. But “H&D’s” power doesn’t really travel beyond that realm, and if Herb and Dorothy’s exploits don’t intrigue you on paper, the straightforward nature of the film won’t change that.
Extras: Deleted scenes, festival appearance and theatrical premiere footage.
Taking Woodstock (R, 2009, Universal)
It’s safe to assume creative liberty and selective memory are in play in “Taking Woodstock,” which draws on the Elliot Tiber memoir of the same name to dramatize the true story of Woodstock’s humble conception and eventual explosion, but it’s not like the actual events of the story need much help to engender interest. That should come as great relief to “Woodstock,” which doesn’t so much fail to tell the story as it does just kind of stumble clumsily through the process of doing so. A promising start introduces the principal players (Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Dan Fogler, Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber) in colorful ways, and the film displays an inviting level of folksiness during its amusingly modest beginnings. But as the tenor of the event shifts from fun to business and “Woodstock” tries to straighten its face, it reveals a tendency to ramble, repeat itself and dwell on story points that didn’t receive enough attention early to really matter later. The light humor gives way to an uncomfortable mix of had-to-be-there nostalgia and melancholy, and the normally hysterical Demetri Martin’s portrayal of Tiber reduces him to a wet blanket bore. “Woodstock’s” nice attention to imagery might touch a nerve in those who were there or there in spirit 40 years ago, but any chord beyond that sits far out of reach.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.
Worth a Mention
— New seasons of top-notch TV: “Lost: The Complete Fifth Season” (NR, 2009, ABC) includes all 16 episodes of what arguably was the most revelatory season thus far, as well as commentary, deleted scenes, four behind-the-scenes features, an expository Dharma Initiative feature and bloopers. “The Tudors: The Complete Third Season” (NR, 2009, Showtime) includes eight episodes, plus cast interviews, a “Tudors” timeline and the first two episodes of Showtime’s new show, “The United States of Tara.” “Robot Chicken: Season 4″ (NR, 2008, Adult Swim) includes all 20 episodes (with commentary on all), plus two years’ worth of Comic-Con panel footage, deleted scenes, deleted animatics, alternate audio, video blogs, behind-the-scenes footage and, as always, some of the best package design in the business.
— New York Yankees DVDs: Too poor to buy a World Series championship via the free agency market? How about some World Series championship DVDs instead? “World Series 2009: Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees” (NR, MLB/Shout Factory) features MLB’s typically pristine narration of the six-game series, while “New York Yankees 2009: Season of Pride, Tradition & Glory” (NR, MLB/A&E) covers the entire season in detail. The crown jewel, though, is the eight-disc “New York Yankees 2009 World Series Collector’s Edition” (NR, MLB/A&E), which includes all six World Series games and the final game of the American League Championship Series in their entirety. All three editions feature bonus footage covering various milestones and celebrations, and the eight-disc set includes optional audio tracks featuring the Yankees’ radio play-by-play team.