DVD Corner

“Broken Arrow: Blu-ray”: From John Woo, a broken film, though not one without its share of cheap fun. The plot is concerned with the undoing of two men – one played by John Travolta, the other by Christian Slater. Are there two less threatening men in the movies? Not really, and these two know it, which gets to the film’s seriocomic tone – intended or not. Rated R. Grade: C

“Bullitt: HD DVD and Blu-ray”: This 1968 classic uses San Francisco like a toy. It features the best car chase ever captured on film (it runs an unrelenting, unpredictable 11 minutes), with a performance by Steve McQueen as Detective Frank Bullitt that’s just as charged as the action. Robert Vaughn and Robert Duvall factor favorably into the mix, though Jacqueline Bisset fairs less well – she’s only here to provide a sexual distraction. Bisset achieves that, but when she’s asked to speak, there’s a large part of you that just wishes she wouldn’t. Peter Yates directs. Grade: A-

“Casino Royale: DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray”: Daniel Craig isn’t just the best Bond since Sean Connery, he in fact creates a richer, more complex Bond, bringing to the character the sort of depth and nuance that Connery never mined. That isn’t a criticism of Connery, whose genius as Bond is one of pop culture’s great pleasures. Instead, it’s an observation of the way Bond is handled here. “Casino Royale” is an origins movie that considers the brash, younger Bond. It’s designed to infuse him with a back story meant to explain how, in this case, Bond became Bond. The result is enormously gratifying, with the evolution of the film’s relationships giving the final third its fierce (and surprising) dramatic pull. The superlative action scenes don’t hurt, either, nor do the performances or the writing, all of which are smart and compelling, as is this new Bond himself. Rated PG-13. Grade: A

“Emergency! Season Three”: Set in Los Angeles, this ’70s staple follows the efforts of paramedics Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) and John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) as they aid the stricken. A scrambling ambulance ride pulls the rest of the story into the ER, where the smoldering Dr. Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller) and the no-nonsense nurse Dixie McCall (Julie London) tend to the wounded. Thirty-three years later, the show is pure corn for the hungry, just dated enough to be satisfyingly retro. But only just. Grade: B-

“Fast Food Nation”: The movie could have been great, particularly given its source material – Eric Schlosser’s disturbing book about the fast food industry, its filth and underlying corruption. Unfortunately, this fictionalized account crisscrosses so many plot threads, it makes for a frayed narrative. The movie’s biting edge gives it a boost, particularly in its examination of how immigrants are treated in the meat industry and in how we all should question what’s in the burgers we eat and what’s in the meat we purchase at the supermarket. The news isn’t a revelation, but it’s no less stomach turning to realize how easily manure is ground into all of it. With Bruce Willis and Greg Kinnear. Rated R. Grade: B-

“The Getaway: HD DVD and Blu-ray”: From 1972, Sam Peckinpah’s convoluted mess of a heist movie. Steve McQueen stars as a convict whose wife (Ali MacGraw) devises a plan to keep him out of prison – if a Texas politician will release McQueen from jail, they’ll give him half their take from a pending robbery. Beyond the writing, which is without one quotable line (unusual for Peckinpah), MacGraw is a weak link, delivering her lines with the passion of a stick. Still, she has nothing on Sally Struthers’ wreck of a performance, which explains why her career mostly was contained to television. Rated PG. Grade: C

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Blu-ray”: Now in high definition, the biggest screen orgasm of 2005 just got bigger. Flashy, predictable and empty, with a trash plot driving it, the film allows audiences to enjoy it as its stars and director obviously intended – in the privacy of their bedrooms, with the television on and the shades shut. The movie confirms that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have something that transcends performance and goes deeper than chemistry; they’re the real deal. As rote as their roles are in this comedic espionage thriller, it’s clear from the first moment we see them as John and Jane Smith – a bored, supernaturally sexy husband and wife in the bickering throes of marriage counseling – that they like each other plenty and have come to have fun. That attraction and their good time prove transcendent. Rated PG-13. Grade: B

“Revenge of the Nerds: Panty Raid Edition”: Delivers what it promises. Nerds? Check. Revenge? Check. Panty raid? Check. Good movie? Sure, at least in the most qualified sense. This 1984 film about a group of geeks who rise up against a group of jocks at Adams College has sentimental value to spare – it still speaks for plenty. Some scenes are riotous and the cast, including Anthony Edwards, James Cromwell, John Goodman, Timothy Busfield and Curtis Armstrong, is surprisingly good. Includes the featurette, “I’m a Nerd and I’m Pretty Proud of It.” Somebody has to be. Rated R. Grade: B-

“Silence of the Lambs: Collector’s Edition”: Bad shoes, great movie – but what’s left to say about it? Apparently, plenty. This new collector’s edition of the 1991 classic features several worthwhile extras, such as the hour-long documentary “Inside the Labyrinth: Making of The Silence of the Lambs,” the three-part documentaries “From Page to Screen” and “Jonathan Demme & Jodie Foster,” as well as 22 deleted scenes, an outtakes reel and, most amusingly, recipe cards for Fava Bean Risotto and Roast Saddle of Lamb, among other delicacies. The latter is kitsch, but the film, a modern-day classic, easily overcomes it. Rated R. Grade: A