DVD Corner

Each week, BDN film critic Christopher Smith will review the latest DVD releases

“The Adventures of Superman: Fifth and Sixth Seasons”: The recent movie “Hollywoodland” questioned whether George Reeves killed himself with his own speeding bullet, such was his dislike for being typecast as Superman, which he thought was beneath him. And yet this 1950s series for which he is best known remains a landmark. With such episodes as “The Town that Wasn’t” and “The Gentle Mobster,” the show was influenced by the noir movement of the day, with hardened criminals and hard-boiled reporting the mainstay. It might not appeal to fans of the recent “Superman Returns” or the glossy “Smallville,” but for those who appreciate the occasional throwback, this conclusion to the series won’t disappoint. Grade: B

“The Green Mile: Special Edition”: A poignant, three-hour excursion in old-fashioned storytelling based on Stephen King’s best-selling, serialized novel. The film’s soul rests with its cast, spearheaded by Tom Hanks’ superb performance as Paul Edgecomb, an unassuming man in charge of Death Row in a Louisiana penitentiary during the Depression. With the exception of the loathsome Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison), a sadistic guard eager to watch inmates “cook up close,” Death Row in director Frank Darabont’s world is a close-knit community of likable guards (David Morse, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn) bonded by death and, through the miraculous healing powers of inmate John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), the miracle of life. Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”) proves a perfect match for King’s better works. Includes an unremarkable 90-minute documentary on the making of the film. Grade: A

“King Kong: HD DVD”: What’s ironic about Peter Jackson’s “Kong” is that in spite of being a movie in which size matters, the script and the actors shrink against the technical chaos, becoming almost secondary to the work being done by computers. The film’s best parts come when it just stops, when beauty (Naomi Watts) and the beast can – oh, I don’t know – share some down time together and appreciate a sunset. At least during these moments you feel the weight of their odd bond, which is critical if Jackson is going to bring audiences to their knees during Kong’s climactic fight atop the Empire State Building. If it’s spectacle you want, the movie succeeds. But if it’s something that recalls the original film you’re seeking, in this case, ’twas overkill that killed this beast. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman – Fourth Season”: Teri Hatcher, before the desperation set in. Dean Cain, before the desperation really set in (his career hasn’t exactly leaped tall buildings since). Together, however, for a time in the ’90s, these two were it, romantically squabbling onscreen while offscreen, with their egos threatening to kill the show. Eventually, they did, but perhaps just as significant in the show’s demise was the decision for Lois and Clark to get married. That mistake sucked the romantic tension from the show, which this marginal fourth season underscores. Grade: C+

“Six Feet Under: Complete Series”: The point of “Six Feet Under” always has been that while there might be peace for the dead, there is little peace for the living. Here is a show that deals directly with issues few want to face – and not just death. Sexuality is explored, as is infidelity, familial turmoil, drug abuse, secrets, lies, revenge, love. As always, the acting is exemplary. This 24-disc DVD collection features all 63 episodes and many extras, including the commemorative book, “Six Feet Under: In Memoriam.” For all those still mourning the end of the series, there is consolation in the digitized world of DVD, where life and its dramas can unspool as often as you like – and nothing really dies so long as you can hit rewind. Grade: A-

“The Phantom of the Opera: Blu-ray”: The music of the trite. Joel Schumacher’s decadent, unabashedly over-the-top movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s equally audacious “The Phantom of the Opera” is about as far removed from Rupert Julian’s 1925 silent classic as it could be, but that’s no surprise. This bastardization of Gaston Leroux’s story stars Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Miranda Richardson, Patric Wilson and an unforgettable Minnie Driver as the Italian diva, Carlotta, whose approach to the material is just right. Why try to be sane in a production so obviously insane? Here, she exists purely to mince, pout, scream, claw. Some will be grateful for the effort. Rated PG-13. Grade: C

“The Last Samurai: Blu-ray”: Even if this uneven romp in Japan isn’t particularly good, John Toll’s cinematography looks smashing in high definition. The film’s landscapes, sets, costumes and interiors are clean and crisp, thus allowing audiences to lose themselves in them even if they can’t do so quite as easily with the melodramatic story. Here is a film at war with itself. It’s torn between what it wants to be – a big, sweeping epic – and what it can’t be because of the dramatic limitations of its star, Tom Cruise. Watching him in this role is embarrassing. You fear he might be the first actor ever to pass out onscreen from overacting. Rated R. Grade: C

“West Wing: Complete Seventh Season”: An improvement over the sixth season, this seventh and final season of the popular show has a full agenda – not the least of which is wrapping up all the loose ends as one administration ends and a new one begins. The politics are enjoyably absurd, way off the map, which is a plus – it makes the series feel timely. Grade: B