DVD Corner

“Blood Diamond” Blu-ray: A movie about the blood violence, enslavement of adults and children, and mass murder involved in the business of mining diamonds. Set in 1999 during Sierra Leone’s civil war, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Danny Archer, a South African diamond smuggler hustling jewels across the border to Liberia, which allows the army to purchase arms for their war. But when the army storms into one village and divides fisherman Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) from his family, the plot contrives to nudge him toward Archer, who agrees to help him in exchange for the 100-carat diamond Vandy found (and hid) while working in the diamond fields. Smoldering in a romantic subplot is Jennifer Connelly’s Maddy Bowen, an idealistic journalist who believes that if people knew the brutality with which some diamonds are obtained, they wouldn’t buy them. So, yes, she’s annoyingly naive. As for the movie, it looks great in high-definition and DiCaprio is strong, but the story nevertheless is sunk by formula and a bloated running time. Rated R. Grade: C+

“Breach” DVD and HD DVD: This spy vs. spy thriller generates a quiet grip, gently tightening its plot until the noose of intrigue it weaves becomes impressively unshakable. That’s no small feat, particularly since the movie’s outcome is so well known going into it. Set on the cusp of 2001, the film stars Ryan Phillippe in a fine performance as Eric O’Neill, the real-life surveillance operative who was instrumental in bringing down Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), the senior FBI counterintelligence agent who sold security secrets to the former Soviet Union and then to Russia over the course of two decades. The movie is as much about how Hanssen was brought down as it is about the man himself, with Cooper nailing the role – he’s terrific here – while Laura Linney offers glum, rigid support as FBI agent Kate Burroughs. Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

“Cars” Blu-ray: Flat tire. Pixar’s beautiful-looking yet boring computer-animated movie, now out on high definition, is the weakest in its collaboration with Disney. You can’t win them all, and this time, the studios haven’t even come close. Sandbagged by a joyless midsection that goes nowhere, this dull movie fails to offer much in the way of wit, energy, heart and entertainment. It’s so focused on achieving the best in cutting-edge animation (which it does), it fails to remember what matters – the story and characters – and so it creates the odd movie you forget while watching it. Rated G. Grade: C

“Deadwood: Complete Third Season”: HBO’s excellent drama, set in late 1800s South Dakota, mines a stellar third and likely final season, with Deadwood itself struggling with the ramifications of becoming a town. As such, violence, power plays and deception are rampant, with Timothy Olyphant’s Seth Bullock and Ian McShane’s Al Swearengen (lovely use of the language, that man) once again stealing the show. Taut and atmospheric, the series generates real tension between its clashing characters. Includes all 12 episodes and the fine featurette, “The Education of Swearengen and Bullock.” Grade: A

“Hellboy” Blu-ray: Before “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Guillermo del Toro made his name with “Cronos,” “Mimic” and then “Hellboy,” a comic-book thriller that stars Ron Perlman as the giant red beast with blunted horns, a right arm the size of a semi, and a big, swinging tail meant to underscore Hellboy’s virility, which is substantial. Perlman has the sort of wit, warmth and personality that can punch through the thickest layers of latex and makeup. His swagger is the best reason to see the movie, which finds Rasputin (Karel Roden) naturally seeking to end the world. The movie is at its best when it focuses on Hellboy’s romantic dilemma. Embarrassed by how he looks yet unfailingly in love with Liz (Selma Blair), he feels conflicted about how to move forward, believing she couldn’t possibly love anyone who looks as grotesque as he. That plotline has been recycled to death in literature and the movies, nevermind the superhero genre. Still, in this otherwise overblown special effects extravaganza, it gives the film a pulse it otherwise would have lacked. The film’s new high-definition transfer doesn’t hurt either. Rated: PG-13. Grade: B

“Rescue Me: Complete Third Season” DVD and Blu-ray: The strange, rambling hybrid that is Denis Leary turns out to be perfect for the strange, rambling hybrid that is “Rescue Me,” a dramedy about firefighters that shouldn’t work as well as it does, but it does. The plots are dense, chaotic and swift, every bit as wired as Leary himself. The show’s energy and its fearlessness grab you. Here, as firefighter Tommy Gavin, a man with more problems than he or anyone around him can bear, Leary never has been better, particularly since in this season, his character convincingly faces himself in the wake of his son’s death. Grade: B

“The Third Man: 2-Disc Special Edition”: Carol Reed’s 1950 classic noir stars Joseph Cotton as Holly Martins, a naive American trying to track down an old college friend named Harry Lime (Orson Welles) in post World War II Vienna. Good luck to Holly. When he arrives in Vienna, he learns that Harry has been murdered, leaving in his wake a gorgeous, loyal girlfriend named Anna (Alida Valli), who may or may not know more about Harry’s death than anyone. Not that Anna is talking. What ensues is distinctly British, mischievous and off-beat, with a wonderfully bizarre zither score by Anton Karas and cinematography by Robert Krasker that smacks of German expressionism. Infused with Hitchcockian undertones, the film wants to keep you at arm’s length, and it succeeds. It’s meant to be isolating, with long stretches spoken in German without subtitles. That choice will be off-putting to some, but it’s actually rather brilliant. It allows you to feel Holly’s isolation as he roots around the rubble of Vienna for Harry, snubbed by a country that’s not his own. Features an excellent, 90-minute documentary on the making of the film. Grade: A