Audio Video News

More Marilyn . . . Well, sort of. It's been over 50 years since this quartet of modestly sophisticated comedy/dramas hit the silver screen to entertain post-WWII America. In those early years of the soon-to-be-booming 1950s, audiences might have had inklings that a certain young, blonde starlet might have a big decade ahead of her. More likely, ticket buyers were eager to see Claudette Colbert (Let's Make It Legal), Ginger Rogers and Fred Allen (We're Not Married), Monty Woolley and Thelma Ritter (As Young as You Feel), or June Haver and William Lundigan (Love Nest). You'd have no way of knowing that, however, from 20th Century Fox's packaging of these cinematic time capsules that capture an intriguing era of Hollywood movie-making that's forever gone. Marilyn Monroe's second-tier presence in this foursome of flicks is clearly the marketing angle that 20th Century Fox feels will mint new cash from old celluloid.

DVD: Popeye 75th-Anniversary Celebration Collector's Edition—Koch Vision
Video: 1
Audio: 2
Extras: 0
Cartoon connoisseurs are to be forgiven if they foolishly believe that a three-disc package entitled Popeye: 75th-Anniversary Celebration Collector's Edition might contain a minute or two of archival-worthy, eye-popping Popeye animation. After all, the beautifully designed case jacket proclaims the set offers "85 of the original King Features Syndicate cartoons" that have been "Digitally Remastered with Enhanced Audio and Visual Quality!" You'd also be excused if you didn't immediately realize that the eight hours of 4:3 video accompanied by glorious Dolby Mono sound was culled from those two watershed years of made-for-TV Popeye creativity: 1960 and 1961.

DVD: City of God—Buena Vista
Audio: 3
Video: 4
Extras: 4
The outskirts of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro stand in stark contrast to the festive, colorful city known for drawing tourists from around the world. In squalid, dangerous slums, children grow up relying on the protection of drug lords to survive, learning early on that the city's police force is not to be trusted. City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles, follows one young boy who eventually finds his way out of his miserable living conditions by taking photographs of the violence within.

DVD: Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London—MGM/UA
Audio: 4
Video: 4
Extras: 2
If your kids are fans of the first Cody Banks movie, do yourselves a favor and just keep popping that puppy into the player. Steer clear of this strained and largely humorless sequel. What's the problem? Cody 2 has too much "spy" and not enough "kids." CIA operative Banks, now 16, is acting like a grown-up secret agent, which robs this film of the charm that Frankie Muniz displayed while learning the ropes in the first movie. There's zero chemistry between him and his female counterpart/love interest, Hannah Spearritt; and all the dads out there would probably agree that we'd rather watch statuesque Angie Harmon play Banks' "handler" than pudgy Anthony Anderson (even though Anderson tries to be funnier).

DVD: Purple Rain 20th-Anniversary Edition—Warner Brothers
Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
The artist currently (and formerly) known as Prince experienced quite the career resurrection in 2004. The year began with his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he followed that up with his biggest album and tour in ages. With the purple one's place atop the pop world once again secure, Warner Brothers has found the perfect time to release the 20th-anniversary, special-edition DVD of Purple Rain.

DVD: Dallas: The Complete First and Second Seasons—Warner Brothers
Video: 3
Audio: 2
Extras: 2
Dallas' premiere in 1978 helped to usher in a new television genre: the prime-time soap opera. It had been tried before, but the amazing success of Dallas spawned an instant wave of imitators. Flamingo Road, Falcon Crest, and Dynasty all soon hit the airwaves in an attempt to cash in on the craze. The attentive viewer will notice something similar about these shows: All of the characters are filthy rich. Yes, it seems that America loves to watch shows about miserable wealthy people. They say that money can't buy happiness, but I bet you'll have some trouble convincing Aaron Spelling of that fact.

DVD: Walking Tall—MGM/UA
Video: 3
Audio: 3
Extras: 3
It's hard to fathom why a DVD for a movie that runs a scant 73 minutes, not counting credits, would even have deleted scenes. After all, it's not like there wasn't room in the film. Still, we find three of them on the disc for Walking Tall, a silly but rather guilty pleasure for anyone wanting to see a good (fact-based) revenge story or the Rock whup some ass with a four-by-four cedar stick. You don't get to know any of the characters, and others are forgotten about altogether, but the fight scenes are well executed, and there are a few explosive moments.