DVD corner

“Eyes Wide Shut,” Blu-ray, HD DVD: Stanley Kubrick’s last comment on the world takes place in the bedroom of “Eyes Wide Shut,” a film that stars the then-married Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise as a married couple struggling with the ramifications of sexual fantasy. The movie is about how sexual fantasies, when revealed, have the power to alter relationships. Structured as a thriller, it follows Dr. Bill and Alice Hartford, a glamorous Manhattan couple who seemingly have it all until Alice shares with Bill one of her sexual fantasies. The revelation sends Bill – and this relationship – into a tailspin. Fiercely jealous, Bill takes to the streets, where his own sexual desires are fueled with the help of prostitutes and a swanky masked orgy. The film is pointlessly long and features performances that are too rigid, but it nevertheless has strokes of genius. As you’d expect from Kubrick, this is a cerebral film that works on several levels – the illusory, the real, the ethereal and everything that falls in between. It is, in fact, Kubrick’s close examination of what falls in between – and how that relates to human relationships – that makes his 13th and final feature film worth seeing. Rated R. Grade B+

“How I Met Your Mother: Season Two”: A sitcom too far on the fringe to be fully mainstream, which is part of its appeal. The show bills itself as “a love story in reverse” and occupies a niche left in the wake of “Friends,” which it fills well. The show follows five friends living in New York City, with Ted (Josh Radnor) looking back on his life and telling his two kids how he met their mother 25 years earlier. That might sound like a sappy premise, but for the most part, the show resists it. Fine performances follow from Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders, all of whom make for one of the better ensemble casts on television. Grade: B

“Inside Man,” HD DVD: An enjoyably convoluted heist movie from Spike Lee that’s underscored with deliberate racial tension. The director’s mind, steeped in post-Sept. 11 New York City, wraps around a handful of characters who are never quite who they appear to be. For that matter, you sometimes have no idea who they are at all. For instance, to discover exactly what it is that Jodie Foster’s chilly Madeline White does would take somebody from the inside (her role is never fully explained), but my, how she bristles with evil. Denzel Washington and Clive Owen co-star, with “Inside Man” glossing over its plot holes with wit and charisma. Rated R. Grade: B+

“The Invisible,” DVD, Blu-ray: Curiously enough, “The Invisible” isn’t worth seeing. The film follows Justin Chatwin’s Nick Powell, a high school boy beaten and left for dead who awakens to find that he might be dead. Or almost dead. Actually, he exists on death’s periphery, able to roam and seek out those who tried to take his life while his body lies in a bloody heap waiting for someone to rescue it. Will they do so in time? And what of his assailants, particularly the cruel Annie (Margarita Levieva), who caused this to happen to Nick in the first place? Could it be that there’s something more to her, that she and Nick are soul mates and that – good grief – he’s falling in love with her? It would be great to report that this isn’t so, but it is so, and it’s ridiculous. Rated PG-13. Grade: C-

“Shark: Season One”: Structurally, the series is a rip-off of “House,” though with a legal backdrop. James Woods is Sebastian Stark, a famous, Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney whose life is changed when he successfully defends an abusive husband who, upon his release, goes home and kills his wife. Let the self-loathing and public loathing begin, with Stark eventually getting the opportunity to start over again when the mayor suggests he mold a group of new district attorneys, all of whom can benefit from his years of experience, most of the cutthroat variety. This is Woods’ first lead role in a television series and, given the title and what you know about the actor’s aggressive onscreen persona, he predictably bullies the show from the rest of the cast and makes it his own. That’s a good thing, since this strictly by-the-numbers series needs all the spit and fire Woods can muster. Grade: C+

“Veronica Mars: Complete Third Season”: With Veronica out of high school and now a freshman at Hearst College, a new chapter begins for the series that unfortunately must end – the CW canceled the show, a shame since it was its best show. For the most part, this third and final season of “Mars” nixed the long story arcs found in the previous two seasons in favor of shorter storylines and, in some cases, episodes that could stand on their own. As such, gumshoe Veronica (Kristen Bell) seems busier than ever, working to uncover any number of crimes unfolding on campus, starting with the identity of the Hearst College rapist. Swirling in the subplots is Veronica’s love life, her friendships and a hive of minimysteries. This sharply written show doesn’t just nail the college experience the way it did the high school experience, it also has a deep understanding for the years that accompany it. That’s just one reason it was such a necessary part of the television universe, and why it will be missed. Grade: B+

“Warner Holiday Collections”: From Warner, proof that it’s never too soon to start marketing the hell out of holidays. I’m joking – it isn’t. Still, there is a gem to be had in “Christmas Television Favorites,” the nostalgic new collection that features several popular holiday classics. Included are “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” as well as these from Rankin-Bass: “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year,” “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland,” “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and the feature-length “Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July.” Also in the set – and available for sale separately – is “The Year Without a Santa Claus.” Seeking more preholiday fare? Warner also has released “Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale,” an original, feature-length movie, as well as “A Flintstones Christmas Carol,” which finds Fred agreeing to be Scrooge in a Bedrock production of “A Christmas Carol.” While “Christmas Television Favorites” tends to be for every member of the household, regardless of age (admit it!), the other two are better-suited for the youngest of tots. Grades: “Christmas Favorites”: A-; “Tom and Jerry”: B; “Flintstone’s”: B-

“War and Civilization”: It may not have the polish, depth or style of a Ken Burns documentary, but Stephen Trombley’s eight-part series does give a reasonably thorough overview of the past 3,000 years of warfare. There’s much to be reviewed here, and while this 1998 series covers too much ground, it does a decent job of offering a generalized overview. Walter Cronkite narrates, with Trombley using military historian John Keegan’s research to flesh out the evolution of armed conflict. Everything from Greek phalanx warfare and Alexander the Great to Attila the Hun, the fall of the Aztec empire, the Crimean War, the Civil War, World War II and the Cold War (and beyond) are covered. Sound ambitious? It is. It also can be exhausting, its re-creations sometimes crudely manufactured, but the newsreel footage always is compelling, and the final statement Trombley makes about our depressing, inherent need to enter into war stirs the series straight into the present. Grade: B-

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.