Full Article Text
JANUARY 8, 2011
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH
LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS
Michael Giltz
Freelance writer and raconteur
Posted: July 8, 2010 01:46 PM
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5Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyDVDs: Life on Mars , A Single Man
and The Crazies
What's Your Reaction:
Read More: Buster Keaton , Charlie Chaplin , Christopher Isherwood , Colin Firth , David Attenborough , Dvds ,
Emmy Nominations , John Cusack , Julianne Moore , Life On Mars , Logan Lerman , Movies , Nicholas Hoult ,
Oprah Winfrey , Percy Jackson , The Crazies , Timothy Olyphant , Tom Ford , TV Shows , Entertainment News
LIFE ON MARS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION ($79.99; Acorn) -- If for some reason you haven't
watched the acclaimed UK original Life On Mars, it's all gathered together in one neat package. Released
separately as single season sets, the two runs of Life On Mars are here, with audio commentary, behind
MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST
1 of 2
BIG NEWS: Celebrity Skin | Jersey Shore | Ellen Degeneres | Celebrity Body | Energy Debates | More...
More Dead Birds, Fish
Found Across The World
Camille Grammer's Porn
Past Comes Back To Haunt
Her
Elizabeth Edwards' Will
Revealed
Intestinal Parasites May Be
Causing Your Energy
Slump
Rudeness Is A Neurotoxin
Should The Leader Of The
Free World Dress Like
THIS?
BECK IN TROUBLE?
Dropped From New York
Radio Station, TV Ratings
Fall
Thousands Of Birds Found
Dead In Italy
John Edwards Spokesman
Denies Rumored ProposalLOG IN | SIGN UP
SHARE THIS STORY
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Email Comments 5
Recommend 66K
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Recommend 543
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Like 6K
Recommend 32K
the scenes documentaries and more. The story is disarmingly wacky: a detective is hit by a car in
Manchester and sent back in time to the 1970s where namby pamby things like due process are far in the
future for coppers. A US version was launched -- surely one of the worst ideas in recent TV history. Anidea that worked perfectly in eight episodes, essentially a miniseries, and then duplicated lesssuccessfully in season two in the UK for another eight episodes was going to be expanded to a TV series
that would need to run for four or five years and last some 80 hours to make money? All you really need
is season one, but if you watch that, you're going to be sorely tempted to watch season two anyway, so
enjoy.
A SINGLE MAN ($34.95 BluRay and $27.96 regular DVD; Sony) -- Designer Tom Ford makes an
impressive debut with A Single Man, adapted from the novel by Christopher Isherwood. Ford co-wrote
the script, produced, directed and (naturally) even provided some suits. Ford succeeds and the surprise is
how he succeeds. I expected that at the very least he would have some strong visuals.
But in fact, the strength of the film is not some flashy or gorgeous visual style but the acting. Ford
brought out an award-winning performance from Colin Firth (who got Best Actor in Venice), but then
Firth is always an excellent actor and subtlety is his strong suit. But Julianne Moore is a very good actresswho can be jarringly wrong if cast or directed poorly (see Children of Men ). Moore is especially good
here and perhaps the British accent freed her up. Matthew Goode reestablishes the sex appeal he showedin Match Point. And Nicholas Hoult of the UK TV show Skins is given a showcase for his charms that will
keep many a fan restless with desire for days to come.
The story is simple. Firth is a college professor whose lover of 16 years (Goode) has died. He's mired in
depression and simply lost the will to live. The drama is amped up quite a bit from the novel. In the film,Firth buys a handgun and meticulously plans his own suicide. And while his appreciation for men has
come alive again (cold comfort since the love of his life is gone), the book didn't throw quite so many
handsome young men his way (Firth is even hit on by a would-be actor loitering outside a liquor store).Two people rebuild his desire for life: lifelong pal Moore and the astonishingly pretty and clearly available
Hoult, who somehow manages to maintain a sexual electricity whilst seeming to also appreciate Firth as a
mentor and intellect. (It helps that he always refers to Firth as "sir" in a manner both playful andserious.)
Oddly, my biggest complaint is visual. Having the men Firth is attracted to take on an orange glow
certainly gets the point across, but it hardly seems necessary. And I could have done without the bit ofopera while Firth plans his own death (at least it wasn't Madame Butterfly .) This might have just been
the passion project that Ford was meant to make. But it might also be the start of a promising career. Atthe very least, Ford has a fine eye for casting.
1 of 5
Dylan Ratigan
Free Market Fraud
Sen. Jon Tester
Tester Pushes to Reform Senate
Rules With Greater Transparency,
EfficiencyDON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS
HOT TRENDS
TOP VIDEO PICKS
Kourtney K.'s Stunning
Bikini Bod
1 of 8
camille grammer lady
gaga natalie portman
pregnant raven-
symone snooki naked To Rielle Hunter
More Celebrity News at People.com
More Celebrity News at Popeater.com
Like 4K
History Channel Won't
Show Katie Holmes
Miniseries The Kennedys
READ MORE
Nick Lachey and Vanessa
Minnillo to Guest Star on
Hawaii Five-0
READ MORE
Lindsay Lohan's Post-
Rehab Gift: a $25,000
Necklace
READ MORE
Lea Michele's Diva
Behavior Strikes Again
Petra Nemcova Engaged to
British Actor
Stephanie Seymour Caught
Kissing Her Son?
THE CRAZIES ($39.98 BluRay and $29.98 regular DVD; Overture) -- I am NOT a horror film buff. I
like being scared sometimes but I'm no fan of gore. Horror just isn't my thing. Still, whenever a horror
film gets especially good reviews or seems to be clever about more than just finding new ways todismember teens, I take a chance. The Crazies proved exactly what I hoped for: a smart, nifty little horror
film that always stayed one step ahead of our expectations. One sign of the movie's ability to deliver was
the set-up: in the first act, we're told everything: yep, a pandemic of some sort is loose, driving people
into maniacal monsters, it's the fault of the government and the government very much wants to cover itup. We don't spend half the film wondering what's going on or figuring out the conspiracy. Instead TheCrazies lays its cards on the table and then works hard to maintain our interest. It's helped immeasurably
by Timothy Olyphant of the late and still very much lamented Deadwood and the current fine tv hit
Justified . He's the local lawman who does what he must to protect his family and battle both the crazies
and the federal troops sent in to wipe out the evidence. Loads of fun, even if you're not the type who likes
to squirm. It should have been a bigger hit; don't miss it now.
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF ($39.99 BluRay and $29.99
regular DVD; FOX 2000) -- The first and probably last in a would-be franchise, Percy Jackson posits a
modern world where the creatures of Greek mythology are in fact very real. Our teen hero discovers he's
the son of Poseidon and must recapture lightning and return it to Zeus before the gods go to war with
earth and all its inhabitants crushed underfoot. Chris Columbus -- who made bland fidelity the drivingtemplate of the Harry Potter movies -- is similarly dull here. And with a far smaller budget: much of the
movie looks more like an extended episode of Xena: Warrior Princess and minus that show's cheeky
humor. Logan Lerman is ok as our hero, but he can't create magic out of nothing. And I know he's better
than this: just check out his TV series Jack & Bobby. Interestingly, just as this film was underperforming
at the box office, Lerman was making the short list of would-be Peter Parkers. He would have been a verygood choice (though Andrew Garfield is excellent too) but with this movie as a calling card, it's nowonder he was passed over.
Jane Krakowski Reveals
Baby Bump
Bristol Palin's New RadioGig?
MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW
HOT ON FACEBOOK
HOT ON TWITTER
Death & Dying
CPAC
Katie Holmes
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Wikileaks
PollsterHUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGESNatalie Portman: I Was
'Barely Eating' During
'Black Swan'
368 Comments
PHOTOS: Ellen DeGeneres
& Portia de Rossi's Exotic
Vacation
186 Comments
PHOTOS: Raven-
Symone's Dramatic
Weight Loss
479 Comments
Camille Grammer's Porn
Past Comes Back To
Haunt Her
938 Comments
Beastie Boys Rapper
Beats Cancer
83 Comments
Ashton Kutcher: Training,
Paranoid About Real Life
'End Of Days'
903 Comments
LIFE ($69.99 on BluRay or regular DVD: BBC/Discovery) -- The creators of Blue Planet continue to
deliver some of the most eye-popping nature documentaries ever seen. Everything they do is demo-
worthy if you're trying to impress friends with your new giant TV screen and even BP executives would
have a renewed appreciation for our fragile, beautiful planet and its remarkable diversity. Let me add that
Oprah Winfrey is great, a titanic force I admire very much. But not as a narrator and certainly not as a
substitute for David Attenborough. Attenborough is the Rolls Royce of narrators, especially nature
documentary narrators; even David McCullough and John Gielgud would think twice before letting
themselves go toe-to-toe with him. Which is a roundabout way of politely saying that you should be all
means avoid the Oprah Winfrey version of this DVD and stick with the Attenborough version which isvastly superior. Mind you, it's silly of them not to include both narrations in the same set and just let
people choose rather than release two separate sets. But they have and your choice is clear. Also out is
Oceans ($39.99; BBC) and the provocative How The Earth Changed History ($34.99 BluRay; BBC),which correctly demonstrates the vast influence that forces like wind and seas have had on the rise and
fall of civilizations.
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE ($39.99 BluRay and $29.99 regular DVD; MGM) -- Yes, the title is the
best thing about it. What's surprising is that we expected anything else, but that's the power of JohnCusack, whose personal projects like Grosse Point Black and High Fidelity have proven winners in the
past. Here, a group of buddies step into a hot tub and are thrown back into the 80s, thus given another
chance to not let their lives sink into disappointment and resentment. Unfortunately, the tone is sour, the
humor smug and mean-spirited, and the insights gained barely amount to more than the fact that knee
huggers were a bad idea.
CES 2011
Twitter
LA Restaurants
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »
FOLLOW HUFFINGTON POST
VAN DER VALK SET 2 ($39.99; Acorn) -- If you've read and reread the Swedish thrillers about that
girl with the dragon tattoo and are just waiting for the film versions, why not head over to urbane
Amsterdam? There you'll find the 1970s detective Van Der Valk, who loved a good drink almost as muchas he loved breaking the rules and tracking down killers. The second season of the show is filled withdead bodies, gritty realism and the irrepressible Van Der Valk, who reveled in tweaking authority (as copshave from time immemorial) and his lovely French wife. Fun for ardent mystery buffs but with the
dramatic limitations of most cop shows pre-Hill Street Blues.
THE CLOSER SEASON FIVE ($39.99; Warner Bros.) -- Kyra Sedgwick just got another Emmy
nomination for her portrayal of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson. Is it okay to say her character makes me
laugh almost every time she's on screen, and not always on purpose? Sedgwick is playing a Georgia
woman, but her accent is so broad and scenery chewing I just stand back in respect and awe. Johnson hasquirks of course -- no self-respecting TV cop can go to work without quirks. In her case they're an affinity
for candy and an ability to slap down a suspect in interrogation and "close" the deal, ie. get a confession
or useful information. Invariably, each episode contains twists and turns but none as captivating asSedgwick's palpable sense of fun. Oh her staff has quirks too. Nice try, but no one's going to outshineJohnson. Silly procedural fun, with modest personal storylines making it useful but not essential for
enjoyment to watch it all in oder.
Comments 5 Pending Comments 0View FAQ
Andy Samberg,
Johnny Knoxville To
Star In...
HuffPost Review:
Season of the
Witch...
Why Isn't the Oprah
Winfrey Network
More...
Camille Grammer's
Porn Past Comes
Back To...
STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. ($34.95 BluRay and $29.95 regular DVD; Kino) -- I don't have the time for
an Ultimate Death Match between Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin (Roger Ebert is squarely in the
Keaton camp, I believe). But of course the real truth is that you need both. And once you have The
General (you do own The General , don't you? ), then you need Steamboat Bill Jr., another silent comedy
extravaganza with one of the most famous sequences in film: the shot where the front of a house
collapses around Keaton and he walks away seemingly oblivious. No blue-screen there of course and it
just takes your breath away when you see the stunts he pulled. The Kino BluRay has massive amounts of
outtakes, multiple scores, documentaries and more. Essential, which makes it sound dutiful when it
should sound like the exceptional entertainment it really is.
*****
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also
available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
NOTE: Michael Giltz is provided with free copies of DVDs to consider for review. He typically does notguarantee coverage and invariably receives far more screeners and DVDs than he can cover eachweek.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
Related News On Huffington Post:
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From Texas to Georgia to New York, independent bookstores have been
running day camps for children based on the adventures of protagonist Percy
Jackson...
More in Entertainment...
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View All
599 Fans
347 Fans
147 Fans
9 FansJulianne Moore was good in "Children of Men"!
Hey! I liked the US version of Life on Mars. Darn good acting and a great story. At least they closed
up the storyline once they knew they were cancelled. A great show though...
Watch the UK one. No comparison - HONESTLY! Just try it.
And then watch the UK sequel, Ashes to Ashes, to find out how it should haveended (spoiler alert: they are NOT actually on Mars).
There are More Comments on this Thread. Click Here To See them All
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FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH
LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS
Michael Giltz
Freelance writer and raconteur
Posted: July 8, 2010 01:46 PM
BIO
Become a Fan
Get Email Alerts
Bloggers' Index
0
3
views
0
5Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyDVDs: Life on Mars , A Single Man
and The Crazies
What's Your Reaction:
Read More: Buster Keaton , Charlie Chaplin , Christopher Isherwood , Colin Firth , David Attenborough , Dvds ,
Emmy Nominations , John Cusack , Julianne Moore , Life On Mars , Logan Lerman , Movies , Nicholas Hoult ,
Oprah Winfrey , Percy Jackson , The Crazies , Timothy Olyphant , Tom Ford , TV Shows , Entertainment News
LIFE ON MARS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION ($79.99; Acorn) -- If for some reason you haven't
watched the acclaimed UK original Life On Mars, it's all gathered together in one neat package. Released
separately as single season sets, the two runs of Life On Mars are here, with audio commentary, behind
MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST
1 of 2
BIG NEWS: Celebrity Skin | Jersey Shore | Ellen Degeneres | Celebrity Body | Energy Debates | More...
More Dead Birds, Fish
Found Across The World
Camille Grammer's Porn
Past Comes Back To Haunt
Her
Elizabeth Edwards' Will
Revealed
Intestinal Parasites May Be
Causing Your Energy
Slump
Rudeness Is A Neurotoxin
Should The Leader Of The
Free World Dress Like
THIS?
BECK IN TROUBLE?
Dropped From New York
Radio Station, TV Ratings
Fall
Thousands Of Birds Found
Dead In Italy
John Edwards Spokesman
Denies Rumored ProposalLOG IN | SIGN UP
SHARE THIS STORY
Get Entertainment Alerts
Email Comments 5
Recommend 66K
Like 719
Recommend 543
Like 587
Like 7K
Like 520
Like 6K
Recommend 32K
the scenes documentaries and more. The story is disarmingly wacky: a detective is hit by a car in
Manchester and sent back in time to the 1970s where namby pamby things like due process are far in the
future for coppers. A US version was launched -- surely one of the worst ideas in recent TV history. Anidea that worked perfectly in eight episodes, essentially a miniseries, and then duplicated lesssuccessfully in season two in the UK for another eight episodes was going to be expanded to a TV series
that would need to run for four or five years and last some 80 hours to make money? All you really need
is season one, but if you watch that, you're going to be sorely tempted to watch season two anyway, so
enjoy.
A SINGLE MAN ($34.95 BluRay and $27.96 regular DVD; Sony) -- Designer Tom Ford makes an
impressive debut with A Single Man, adapted from the novel by Christopher Isherwood. Ford co-wrote
the script, produced, directed and (naturally) even provided some suits. Ford succeeds and the surprise is
how he succeeds. I expected that at the very least he would have some strong visuals.
But in fact, the strength of the film is not some flashy or gorgeous visual style but the acting. Ford
brought out an award-winning performance from Colin Firth (who got Best Actor in Venice), but then
Firth is always an excellent actor and subtlety is his strong suit. But Julianne Moore is a very good actresswho can be jarringly wrong if cast or directed poorly (see Children of Men ). Moore is especially good
here and perhaps the British accent freed her up. Matthew Goode reestablishes the sex appeal he showedin Match Point. And Nicholas Hoult of the UK TV show Skins is given a showcase for his charms that will
keep many a fan restless with desire for days to come.
The story is simple. Firth is a college professor whose lover of 16 years (Goode) has died. He's mired in
depression and simply lost the will to live. The drama is amped up quite a bit from the novel. In the film,Firth buys a handgun and meticulously plans his own suicide. And while his appreciation for men has
come alive again (cold comfort since the love of his life is gone), the book didn't throw quite so many
handsome young men his way (Firth is even hit on by a would-be actor loitering outside a liquor store).Two people rebuild his desire for life: lifelong pal Moore and the astonishingly pretty and clearly available
Hoult, who somehow manages to maintain a sexual electricity whilst seeming to also appreciate Firth as a
mentor and intellect. (It helps that he always refers to Firth as "sir" in a manner both playful andserious.)
Oddly, my biggest complaint is visual. Having the men Firth is attracted to take on an orange glow
certainly gets the point across, but it hardly seems necessary. And I could have done without the bit ofopera while Firth plans his own death (at least it wasn't Madame Butterfly .) This might have just been
the passion project that Ford was meant to make. But it might also be the start of a promising career. Atthe very least, Ford has a fine eye for casting.
1 of 5
Dylan Ratigan
Free Market Fraud
Sen. Jon Tester
Tester Pushes to Reform Senate
Rules With Greater Transparency,
EfficiencyDON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS
HOT TRENDS
TOP VIDEO PICKS
Kourtney K.'s Stunning
Bikini Bod
1 of 8
camille grammer lady
gaga natalie portman
pregnant raven-
symone snooki naked To Rielle Hunter
More Celebrity News at People.com
More Celebrity News at Popeater.com
Like 4K
History Channel Won't
Show Katie Holmes
Miniseries The Kennedys
READ MORE
Nick Lachey and Vanessa
Minnillo to Guest Star on
Hawaii Five-0
READ MORE
Lindsay Lohan's Post-
Rehab Gift: a $25,000
Necklace
READ MORE
Lea Michele's Diva
Behavior Strikes Again
Petra Nemcova Engaged to
British Actor
Stephanie Seymour Caught
Kissing Her Son?
THE CRAZIES ($39.98 BluRay and $29.98 regular DVD; Overture) -- I am NOT a horror film buff. I
like being scared sometimes but I'm no fan of gore. Horror just isn't my thing. Still, whenever a horror
film gets especially good reviews or seems to be clever about more than just finding new ways todismember teens, I take a chance. The Crazies proved exactly what I hoped for: a smart, nifty little horror
film that always stayed one step ahead of our expectations. One sign of the movie's ability to deliver was
the set-up: in the first act, we're told everything: yep, a pandemic of some sort is loose, driving people
into maniacal monsters, it's the fault of the government and the government very much wants to cover itup. We don't spend half the film wondering what's going on or figuring out the conspiracy. Instead TheCrazies lays its cards on the table and then works hard to maintain our interest. It's helped immeasurably
by Timothy Olyphant of the late and still very much lamented Deadwood and the current fine tv hit
Justified . He's the local lawman who does what he must to protect his family and battle both the crazies
and the federal troops sent in to wipe out the evidence. Loads of fun, even if you're not the type who likes
to squirm. It should have been a bigger hit; don't miss it now.
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF ($39.99 BluRay and $29.99
regular DVD; FOX 2000) -- The first and probably last in a would-be franchise, Percy Jackson posits a
modern world where the creatures of Greek mythology are in fact very real. Our teen hero discovers he's
the son of Poseidon and must recapture lightning and return it to Zeus before the gods go to war with
earth and all its inhabitants crushed underfoot. Chris Columbus -- who made bland fidelity the drivingtemplate of the Harry Potter movies -- is similarly dull here. And with a far smaller budget: much of the
movie looks more like an extended episode of Xena: Warrior Princess and minus that show's cheeky
humor. Logan Lerman is ok as our hero, but he can't create magic out of nothing. And I know he's better
than this: just check out his TV series Jack & Bobby. Interestingly, just as this film was underperforming
at the box office, Lerman was making the short list of would-be Peter Parkers. He would have been a verygood choice (though Andrew Garfield is excellent too) but with this movie as a calling card, it's nowonder he was passed over.
Jane Krakowski Reveals
Baby Bump
Bristol Palin's New RadioGig?
MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW
HOT ON FACEBOOK
HOT ON TWITTER
Death & Dying
CPAC
Katie Holmes
Harry Reid
Wikileaks
PollsterHUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGESNatalie Portman: I Was
'Barely Eating' During
'Black Swan'
368 Comments
PHOTOS: Ellen DeGeneres
& Portia de Rossi's Exotic
Vacation
186 Comments
PHOTOS: Raven-
Symone's Dramatic
Weight Loss
479 Comments
Camille Grammer's Porn
Past Comes Back To
Haunt Her
938 Comments
Beastie Boys Rapper
Beats Cancer
83 Comments
Ashton Kutcher: Training,
Paranoid About Real Life
'End Of Days'
903 Comments
LIFE ($69.99 on BluRay or regular DVD: BBC/Discovery) -- The creators of Blue Planet continue to
deliver some of the most eye-popping nature documentaries ever seen. Everything they do is demo-
worthy if you're trying to impress friends with your new giant TV screen and even BP executives would
have a renewed appreciation for our fragile, beautiful planet and its remarkable diversity. Let me add that
Oprah Winfrey is great, a titanic force I admire very much. But not as a narrator and certainly not as a
substitute for David Attenborough. Attenborough is the Rolls Royce of narrators, especially nature
documentary narrators; even David McCullough and John Gielgud would think twice before letting
themselves go toe-to-toe with him. Which is a roundabout way of politely saying that you should be all
means avoid the Oprah Winfrey version of this DVD and stick with the Attenborough version which isvastly superior. Mind you, it's silly of them not to include both narrations in the same set and just let
people choose rather than release two separate sets. But they have and your choice is clear. Also out is
Oceans ($39.99; BBC) and the provocative How The Earth Changed History ($34.99 BluRay; BBC),which correctly demonstrates the vast influence that forces like wind and seas have had on the rise and
fall of civilizations.
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE ($39.99 BluRay and $29.99 regular DVD; MGM) -- Yes, the title is the
best thing about it. What's surprising is that we expected anything else, but that's the power of JohnCusack, whose personal projects like Grosse Point Black and High Fidelity have proven winners in the
past. Here, a group of buddies step into a hot tub and are thrown back into the 80s, thus given another
chance to not let their lives sink into disappointment and resentment. Unfortunately, the tone is sour, the
humor smug and mean-spirited, and the insights gained barely amount to more than the fact that knee
huggers were a bad idea.
CES 2011
LA Restaurants
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »
FOLLOW HUFFINGTON POST
VAN DER VALK SET 2 ($39.99; Acorn) -- If you've read and reread the Swedish thrillers about that
girl with the dragon tattoo and are just waiting for the film versions, why not head over to urbane
Amsterdam? There you'll find the 1970s detective Van Der Valk, who loved a good drink almost as muchas he loved breaking the rules and tracking down killers. The second season of the show is filled withdead bodies, gritty realism and the irrepressible Van Der Valk, who reveled in tweaking authority (as copshave from time immemorial) and his lovely French wife. Fun for ardent mystery buffs but with the
dramatic limitations of most cop shows pre-Hill Street Blues.
THE CLOSER SEASON FIVE ($39.99; Warner Bros.) -- Kyra Sedgwick just got another Emmy
nomination for her portrayal of Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson. Is it okay to say her character makes me
laugh almost every time she's on screen, and not always on purpose? Sedgwick is playing a Georgia
woman, but her accent is so broad and scenery chewing I just stand back in respect and awe. Johnson hasquirks of course -- no self-respecting TV cop can go to work without quirks. In her case they're an affinity
for candy and an ability to slap down a suspect in interrogation and "close" the deal, ie. get a confession
or useful information. Invariably, each episode contains twists and turns but none as captivating asSedgwick's palpable sense of fun. Oh her staff has quirks too. Nice try, but no one's going to outshineJohnson. Silly procedural fun, with modest personal storylines making it useful but not essential for
enjoyment to watch it all in oder.
Comments 5 Pending Comments 0View FAQ
Andy Samberg,
Johnny Knoxville To
Star In...
HuffPost Review:
Season of the
Witch...
Why Isn't the Oprah
Winfrey Network
More...
Camille Grammer's
Porn Past Comes
Back To...
STEAMBOAT BILL, JR. ($34.95 BluRay and $29.95 regular DVD; Kino) -- I don't have the time for
an Ultimate Death Match between Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin (Roger Ebert is squarely in the
Keaton camp, I believe). But of course the real truth is that you need both. And once you have The
General (you do own The General , don't you? ), then you need Steamboat Bill Jr., another silent comedy
extravaganza with one of the most famous sequences in film: the shot where the front of a house
collapses around Keaton and he walks away seemingly oblivious. No blue-screen there of course and it
just takes your breath away when you see the stunts he pulled. The Kino BluRay has massive amounts of
outtakes, multiple scores, documentaries and more. Essential, which makes it sound dutiful when it
should sound like the exceptional entertainment it really is.
*****
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
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9 FansJulianne Moore was good in "Children of Men"!
Hey! I liked the US version of Life on Mars. Darn good acting and a great story. At least they closed
up the storyline once they knew they were cancelled. A great show though...
Watch the UK one. No comparison - HONESTLY! Just try it.
And then watch the UK sequel, Ashes to Ashes, to find out how it should haveended (spoiler alert: they are NOT actually on Mars).
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