DVD Corner

“Agatha Christie Classic Mystery Collection”: Some collection. This boxed set from Warner includes eight films – “A Caribbean Mystery,” “Murder is Easy,” “Murder with Mirrors,” “Dead Man’s Folly,” “Murder in Three Acts,” “Thirteen at Dinner,” “The Man in the Brown Suit” and “Sparkling Cyanide” – all based on Christie’s popular novels, which have sold 2 billion copies to date. Helen Hayes and Peter Ustinov tend to the mayhem, while Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Stapleton and Faye Dunaway are among those happy to generate their share of it. Christie fans will consider the collection a gift, which isn’t so far from the mark. Grade: A-

“Curious George”: What, exactly, does little monkey George have to be curious about? World affairs? Not quite. In this animated movie aimed squarely at children, there are plenty of other concerns to keep George curious – and busy. Based on the books by Margaret and H.A. Rey, here is a movie that resists changing George into something he never was in an effort to appeal to a broader audience. He retains his identity, which is important since young fans of the books might take something from the idea that even in Hollywood, you can come away unchanged. Features the voices of Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore and Eugene Levy. Rated G. Grade: B

“The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift”: Embraces the idea that this series should only ever be about fast cars, faster car races, fast women and lobotomized, testosterone-soaked men, with just enough menacing villains glowering in dark rooms to make things entertaining. The plot is beautifully uncluttered – 17-year-old Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) can’t stay out of trouble in the States, so he’s shipped to Tokyo, where he gets into trouble with an underground circuit of young men and women who “drift” dangerously through the busy streets and winding hillsides of Tokyo. The film has no pretensions, which is a relief, and it courts plenty of cheap melodrama, which is a release. It delivers precisely what its target audience wants, it does it well, and on those terms alone, the movie succeeds. Rated PG-13. Grade: B

“How Art Made the World”: From the BBC, an absorbing, comprehensive documentary hosted by Dr. Nigel Spivey that connects the present to the past through Spivey’s insightful interpretation of some well-known and lesser-known works of art. Covering five continents and 100,000 years – so, yes, this was a rather small undertaking – Spivey explores, among other things, man’s need to create the image of absolute perfection of man through art, art’s response to death, and how visual art has the power to politically influence society (not always for the better). What comes through isn’t just how art made the world, but how it continues to shape it. Grade: A

“Martha’s Halloween Ideas”: The treat is Martha, who in the best sense is made for Halloween. The ideas in this collection are as creative as you’d expect. Need makeup tips? Martha indulges, using herself as the model for fright. Curious about pumpkin carving, pumpkin owls, pumpkin creatures? Pay attention – Martha knows her way around a knife. Those with a penchant for shrunken heads, baby chicken costumes, clothespin bats and glow stick spiders will be relieved. All are methodically covered. Grade: B+

“Seabiscuit: HD DVD”: A sugar cube of good intentions that melts into mediocrity. Now on HD DVD, this heavy-handed yet well-acted tale is based on Laura Hillenbrand’s excellent bestseller. Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper join the horse Seabiscuit in forming a formidable team of Depression-era underdogs. The race scenes are swift, and William H. Macy is a standout, but the movie falls short of the spellbinding book, which didn’t romanticize the past into a form it didn’t have, as the movie does, but respected it and honored it, which the movie doesn’t. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

“Space Cowboys: HD DVD and Blu-ray”: The film is a treat, balancing its elaborate special effects with a sharp, rousing story that builds tension while at the same time mounting a terrific comedy. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner star as four pilots of a certain age who are informed by NASA that a giant, Soviet-era communications satellite is hurtling out of orbit and straight toward Earth. It’s up to them to repair the satellite and direct it back into orbit. The film has several key surprises, an enormously charismatic cast, and a final 45 minutes that are genuinely riveting. Rated PG-13. Grade: A-

“Swordfish: Blu-ray”: On Blu-ray, Dominic Sena’s “Swordfish” looks undeniably great – it’s crisp and clean, with the high-definition image more intoxicating than the story itself. Sena uses the first third of the movie to toy with the action genre and mock its conventions before giving in and playing by the rules; he cops out, which is a shame since the first half of the film is peppered with wit and style. Hugh Jackman, a proudly topless Halle Berry and John Travolta channeling the Quaker Oats man round out the film, which is about stealing $9.5 billion from a DEA slush fund. In the end, it’s more concerned with pyrotechnics and car chases than cleaning up its increasingly murky plot. Rated R. Grade: C

“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride: Blu-ray”: Seventy-six minutes of Tim Burton in his sandbox. He’s playing here, having fun, and mostly his efforts come through. Peppered with outstanding animation and several song-and-dance numbers that could hardly be considered traditional, Burton and co-director Mike Johnson send up death with affection and wit. The ending is the film at its best, eschewing expectations in ways that give these clay creatures the sort of humanity the movie otherwise might have lacked. With fine voice work by Johnny Depp as timid Victor and Helena Bonham Carter as the dead lass who comes to love him, the film is a fun, effective creep-out. Rated PG. Grade: B+