DVD Corner

“Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory”: Five films, all digitally remastered, all marking their debut on DVD. Included in this boxed set from Warner are 1955’s “It’s Always Fair Weather” with Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse proving the weather is anything but fair; 1946’s “Till the Clouds Roll By,” with Robert Walker selling it (not always successfully) as famed composer Jerome Kern; and 1950’s “Three Little Words” with three big actors folded into the mix – Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Debbie Reynolds. Gene Kelly and Judy Garland appear in her last MGM musical, 1950’s “Summer Stock,” which would prove instrumental to her later concert career – it’s the movie that put her in a fedora and black tights while she sang the iconic “Get Happy.” Finally, there’s the showstopping revue to end all revues, 1944’s “Ziegfeld Follies,” with director Vincente Minnelli whipping the proceedings into a Technicolor froth, Esther Williams swimming, Lena Horne, Judy Garland, Fanny Brice singing, and more than two dozen others nixing any trace of a plot just to put on a monstrous show – one determined to divert audiences from the war. The featurette “Ziegfeld Follies: An Embarrassment of Riches” is a highlight, as is a revealing outtake with Garland singing “D’Ya Love Me?” Judy, of course we did. Now if only you had believed it and loved yourself. Grade: A-

“The Family Stone”: Go ahead – throw the first stone. Throw it right at the screen. Take aim, wind up, and let the rocks rip. “The Family Stone” deserves it. In this unrelentingly fake, cloying dramedy, not one character is likable, particularly Sarah Jessica Parker’s Meredith, who is so rigid and controlling, so self-involved and self-centered, that she bullies the screen with a cloud of pinched gloom that sinks an already shaky production. Her Meredith is a shrew of the first order, a main character for whom it’s impossible to root. The rest of the cast doesn’t help, which is a surprise since many of the actors, including Diane Keaton, Claire Danes and Rachel McAdams, are top-notch. Thing is, in the hands of writer-director Thomas Bezucha, all of them are undone by the story, which involves Parker’s Meredith joining her boyfriend, Everett (Dermot Mulroney), for the holidays with his rampantly dysfunctional family, who want nothing to do with her. As the story unfolds, bitterness is an undercurrent that shakes the movie off course, breeding contempt while romantic quadrangles fester and the familial infighting gives way to an unfortunate revelation that’s meant to bring everyone together. Incredibly, this movie was put up for awards consideration, but why? Was 20th Century Fox blind to what they had on their hands with these Stones, this Meredith, their movie? Are we meant to be moved by the obvious machinations? The cheap twists meant to wring our hearts? Please. When Meredith screams to her sister early in the film that “they all hate me!,” you want to answer back, “Cookie, what’s your point? You make Saddam look like a honey pot – and so do they. Really, all of you monsters should be perfect for each other.” But they’re not perfect, and neither is this film. Rated PG-13. Grade: D

“Hoodwinked”: A riff on the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale, literally re-imagining our innocent, skipping little sweet tart as a street-smart, butt-kicking, take-no-prisoners hard-lass from the ‘hood. The film begins on a high note but doesn’t sustain it, with Red Riding Hood (voice of Anne Hathaway) stopping by her grandmother’s house to find in Granny’s bed a wolf (Patrick Warburton) cross-dressed in Granny’s clothing. Thing is, this Red isn’t so easily fooled and she’s certainly no pushover. She’s still a child, yes, but she’s a child of pop culture and 40-plus years of feminism, with her calculating eyes seeing plenty and an eagerness to protect herself taking hold the moment the opportunity presents itself. This is, after all, a Red Riding Hood not afraid to use a can of Mace. To wit: After noting the Wolf’s big hands, his bad breath and his big ears (“All the better to hear your many criticisms with, my dear”), soon his mask is off, his fangs are bared, and Red is ready to rumble. Before she can, however, in through the window comes the Woodsman (Jim Belushi), who starts swinging an ax and shrieking just as Red’s real Granny (Glenn Close) leaps out of a closet, mysteriously bound and gagged but nevertheless eager to fight. What’s going on here? Initially, a few laughs, but when the movie reveals itself to be an old-school police procedural that relies on an endless string of flashbacks to help assemble the truth of how we came to this point, it falls apart in its pile-up of twists, stretches in logic and unnecessarily dense plot. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

“Inspector Gadget: The Original Series”: Perfectly cheap-looking, hardly original yet nevertheless infectious. This animated series, which began its brief run in 1983, features the late Don Adams of “Get Smart” providing the voice for the clueless, bumbling Gadget, a dopey sleuth with everything up his sleeve, including a few good lines. Along with niece Penny and their clever canine, Brain, these three team up against the evil Dr. Claw, who sounds a lot more menacing than he is. Includes all 22 episodes, not all of which is a “Wowzer,” as Gadget would say, but for its intended audience, Adams’ indelible delivery and the mildly inventive storylines do make the series likable if not remarkable. Grade: B-

“Last Holiday”: A remake of the 1950 Alec Guinness film, with Queen Latifah, of all people, faced with a death sentence. How do you suppose that will go over with the Queen, particularly since her character is told she has only three weeks to live? Latifah doesn’t disappoint, though if it weren’t for her winning personality, this formulaic fluff wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable as it is. Here, as uptight sales associate Georgia, Latifah decides in the face of death to shed her former stiff image to live her life – and to live it large – on a last holiday to Europe. Using the full weight of her life savings, she shops big, eats big, flirts big – hell, she even snowboards big. The movie coasts for too long through a so-so first half, but the second half offers fine redemption. LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu and an unforgettable turn by Susan Kellerman, who nearly steals the show in her freaky performance, go a long way in making this “Last Holiday” well worth the trip. Rated PG-13. Grade: B