NewDVDs TOP
What Washington is watching
5
“Shutter Island” (with Leonardo DiCaprio, above)
1
“From Paris With Love”
“Edge of Darkness”
2 3
“Dear John” “It’s Complicated”
4 5
SOURCE: Redbox, for the week ended June 13.
Great ways to putter away Father’s Day by Jen Chaney
It happens every year, just before Father’s Day. Somehow you completely forget to get some- thing for dear old Dad, resulting in a last-minute scramble and the procurement of a cliche pre- sent that falls in the Boring Necktie category. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If your dad is the kind of guy who likes to kick back in his re- cliner and watch television — and what man isn’t? — then a DVD or Blu-ray release may make the ideal Father’s Day gift. Here are some op- tions, all recently released — any one of which could make a nice complement to a more tradi- tional offering or a perfectly pleasant present all on its own. For the avid golfer: In addition to that 12- pack of Titleists, consider giving a copy of the golf comedy that keeps on giving, three decades after its initial release: “Caddyshack,” which made its debut on Blu-ray ($24.98) last week. For the film buff: If swords, sandals and Kirk Douglas in a toga are just Dad’s speed, present him with the 50th-anniversary edition of “Spar- tacus” ($26.98) on Blu-ray. Or, if his tastes run more toward the edgy and indie, there’s the Cri- terion Collection edition of Jim Jarmusch’s “Mystery Train,” the multi-storyline salute to Stax Records that’s out this week on DVD and Blu-ray ($39.95). For the classic television aficionado: Age- wise, does Dad fall in the Generation X category? Then watch his eyes light up at the sight of “The A-Team: The Complete Series” ($149.98), pack- aged in a case that bears a striking resemblance to the van from the ’80s action series. And if he’s a baby boomer, provide instant gratification with “Leave It to Beaver: Season Three” ($39.97) on DVD this week, or give him a rain check for “Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series” ($199.99), due out June 29. For the baseball fan: Couldn’t secure tickets for a Nationals game featuring superstar Ste- phen Strasburg? Surely Pops will be equally hap-
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PHOTOS, FROM LEFT: WARNER BROS.; REUTERS; FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Dad can laugh at Rodney Dangerfield as Al Czervik in “Caddyshack”; relive the ’80s with Mr. T and George Peppard in the original “A-Team” series; and rock with Elvis in “Clambake.”
py — fine, politely grateful — to receive “MLB Bloopers: Baseball’s Best Blunders” ($14.93), a 90-minute compendium of moments when things on the diamond got rough. For the western man: If Dad is most at home on the range, there’s “The Virginian: The Com- plete First Season” ($79.98), the ’60s series star- ring Lee J. Cobb, or the Criterion Collection’s ex- cellent edition of “Stagecoach” on DVD and Blu- ray (both $39.95). For the rocker dad: Give your father free rein
to crank the volume with “U2: 360 at the Rose Bowl,” a performance captured during the band’s most recent tour on DVD ($19.98) and Blu-ray ($26.98), or “Elvis 75th Birthday Collec- tion” ($39.98), seven of the King’s feature films, including “Love Me Tender” and “Clambake.” The post-apocalyptic option: Your bestseller-
obsessed father has already put Justin Cronin’s “The Passage” at the top of his Amazon wish list. So round out the literary bleakness with a copy of “The Road” (DVD $27.96; Blu-ray $34.95), the wrenching but well-done adaptation of the Cor- mac McCarthy novel that features excellent per- formances from Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as a father and son clinging to each other for survival. Lastly, in addition to the tie: If Dad will be disappointed if you don’t add to his collection of neckwear, then by all means, go the tie route. But shake it up a little by adding a season of “Mad Men,” a show filled with guys always dressed to impress. Season 2 — with its DVD case featuring a pressed-shirt and tie — will make the connec- tion most obvious.
jen.chaney@
wpost.com
ALSO OF NOTE
THE BOOK OF ELI R, 2010, $28.98; Blu-ray, $35.99
DUE TUESDAY
Matt Damon charges through the thriller Green Zone; The Last Station is a worthy stop; the Spanish- language The Maid cleans up; Remember Me falls flat; and the bawdy She’s Out of My League is surprisingly sweet.
The basics: Denzel Washington is (what else?) our hero in this post-apocalyptic drama. He’s on a mis- sion to save a mysterious book he carries in his backpack as he travels the wrecked landscape. Gary Oldman makes a great villain trying to get his hands on that book. The lowdown: As usual, the ever-cool Washington makes this movie, which is so bleak and violent at times that you might wonder what’s the point of sticking with it. But the last third is worth it, with the twist at the end more than slightly satisfying. The extras: Not much on the standard DVD: only additional scenes and a featurette titled “Lost Tales: Chapter 1 (Carnegie’s Story).” The Blu-ray has far more extensive extras, including commen- tary from Washington and the directors.
YOUTH IN REVOLT R, 2009, $28.95; Blu-ray, $34.95
DAVID LEE
Mila Kunis and Denzel Washington star in the post-apocalyptic film “The Book of Eli.”
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ON WASHINGTONPOST.COM More DVD reviews and information.
The basics: In Miguel Arteta’s adaptation of the C.D. Payne novel, Michael Cera plays miserable, dweeby teenager Nick Twisp, who meets the girl of his dreams (Portia Doubleday) in a trailer park and vows to do whatever it takes (arson, cross-dress- ing) to win her over. The lowdown: Yes, we’ve seen Cera in this role be- fore, and, yes, the story sounds familiar. But this movie has a quirky, refreshing feel, and its absurd- ist humor mostly works. And playing Nick’s alter ego, the suave Francois Dillinger, Cera breaks free of his usual mannerisms. The extras: Commentary with Cera and Arteta, de- leted and extended scenes; extended animated se- quences; and audition footage that disappoints (Zach Galifianakis in particular).
— Amy Hitt
THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010
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