February 2005 DVD Reviews & Video Reviews

Foyle's War - Set 1

Acorn Media Publishing

Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 or as low as $39.63 from Amazon.com!

Foyle's War is a brilliant series that combines murder mysteries with vivid images of the daily trauma in the life of British citizens during World War II. The major thing to note of this brilliant mystery series is that the lead detective is a mild character. His name is Detective Chief Christopher Foyle who is played by Michael Kitchen who is perfect in this role.

The time is World War II and the setting is the English countryside. Foyle is a police detective. He doesn't drive, so he has been assigned a driver from the army. Her name is Samantha (called Sam, of course). Honeysuckle Weeks plays Sam and she will capture the heart of the viewer with her prototypical spunk and perfect English beauty.

Chief Inspector Foyle investigates the serious crimes on his territory that are sometimes directly related to the war effort and spies, but all have the war and its effect on the civilian population as a backdrop.

The first title in this set is "The German Woman." An aristocratic Austrian woman is murdered while she is out horseback riding. There is a swastika painted on a tree near the body.

Naturally, with the Blitz of London in full measure and the immediate aftermath of Dunkirk, there is enormous hatred of anything connected to Germany and the German people. Many possible suspects have turned up. It seems the whole small village hated the woman because she "seemed" German, and so many people might have wanted to kill her.

The puzzling plot brings Foyle, his driver Sam, and his constable into the picture. Foyle finds his constable in an army hospital hospital. He's a returning soldier who has lost a leg. We also meet Foyle's son, who is a pilot in the R.A.F., much to his father's concern.

The second DVD in the set features a story called "The White Feather." In this story, Foyle uncovers a group of Nazi sympathizers who are convinced the Germans are going to win the war and invade England any day now. The group is meeting at a hotel that is run by this old couple and their son. The owner's wife is shot during a meeting of these Nazis, and that brings in Foyle. In this tale the background is especially realistic about a memorable period of the War and how not all Britiains were 100% behind the war, even if they hated the Nazis.

There are two more great tales to enjoy in the series and a bunch of DVD special features that include interviews with the director and writer, and lots of production photos.

The thing to remember about Detective Chief Foyle is that Kitchen is perfect for the part of this quiet and efficient detective. Foyle doesn't ruffle easily and is never intimidated by the aristocracy. He appears to be slow and not particularly bright until he finds the culprit.

Shrek 2

Dreamworks
DVD
Suggested Retail Price: $19.99 or as low as $4.00 from Amazon.com!

In the much-anticipated sequel, Princess Fiona becomes and orge and marries Skrek. Donkey is still living with the couple. One day they all decide to visit Fiona's parents. Well, the parents are not at all happy about their daughter looking like does now that she is also an ogre and even less happy with their new son-in-law. Even though Fiona says she is very happy, they manage to get her changed back into a beautiful princess by the end of the picture. Shrek has to come to the rescue so he also manages to change his appearance. Before the King and the Queen can marry their daughter off to Prince Charming, who is really charming, all is saved and the town ogres return to their original forms, and maybe now they can live happily ever after.

The character voices haven't changed. Mike Meyers portrays Shrek, Cameron Diaz is the lovely Princess Fiona, and Eddie Murphy does his usual funny trip as the Donkey. A new character is introduced in Shrek 2, a cat dressed in boots named, TA-DAH "Puss-In-Boots," and he fits nicely into this offbeat menagerie.

I have always been a fan of the original author of this amusing tale, William Steig. The folks at Dreamworks have added some bells and whistles for this second film, but its mostly the same sixth grade schoolyard humor - fart gags, as well as a lot of jabs at Disney characters that made the original such a big hit with the Great Unwashed.

I find it hard to warm up to belching ogres, but Shek is popular and Shek 2 is a passably entertaining but utterly predictable tale.

Bill Plympton's The Tune

New Video Group

Suggested Retail Price: $26.95 or as low as $18.06 from Amazon.com!

There is a plot in this first full-length animated film from a master of the animated short, Bill Plympton. This film was released in 1992, and now you can get it on DVD. Now for the plot. The story is about Del, a songwriter. Dell works for a nasty boss, and he is in love with the boss' secretary. His assignment is to write a hit tune. While he is struggling, he finds himself in a fantasyland where the population serenades him with all kinds of tunes. There's an Elvis impersonator who is a dog, a cab driver and more, all of whom sing to him in different styles.

Bill Plympton is an amazingly clever and innovation animator. He is an artist who brings us a stream of consciousness through animation.

This is certainly not Disney fare, or even the Warner Bros. characters type of animation. Its very much the sort of thing you'll find only at animation festivals or what they used to show on Cartoon Network's Adult Swin. It is artfully different, and it will give you a new reason for enjoying the field of animated films.

Extras include Plympton's commentary and a documentary about "Twisted Tunes," another of his efforts. There is a photo gallery and some music tracks, too, as well as even more bits including a trailer for Plympton's "Hair High," a new short.

The Sid Caesar Collection - The Buried Treasures - 50th Annivers

New Video Group

Suggested Retail Price: $49.95 or as low as $33.49 from Amazon.com!

There are 19 of the Sid Caesar shows included in this DVD boxed set. If you're not old enough to have seen the television show called "Your Show of Shows," you should know that this is what Americans all laughed at during the 1950's when families crowded around the family TV set. Sid's writers and regular cast members are all of legendary calibre. The writers include names like Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon to name a few. The regular cast was made up of a core group of enormously talented performers: Sid Cesar, Imogene Coca, Nanette Fabray, Carl Reiner, and Howard Morris.

Sid was the star and his talent was incredible. He and his castmates could re-enact a famous movie. They could also talk in double-talk, mimicking German, Russian, Chinese, or another language, but basically just gibberish. Of course, the famous routine of "The 2000 Year Old Man" performed by Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner is still funny today. In fact, the Sid Caesar shows are still funny today. Very funny!

The bonus sections on this set include Neil Simon talking about one of his hit plays. Sid talks about his earliest memories of performing in the Catskills.

The Sid Caesar Collection - The Fan Favorites

New Video Group

Suggested Retail Price: $49.95 or as low as $33.68 from Amazon.com!

This companion set to the other Sid Caesar Collection was put together from shows chosen through an Internet poll. The fans favorites will be yours also. Emmy winning comedian Sid Caesar was one of the greatest comics of all time. Extras on these DVD's include interviews with the former cast members. Also there are biographies of each cast member and writer. These writers made up the cream of American comedy, and the stories that came out of the room in which they did their funny deeds is worth a book.

The sketches include "A Pantomime St Coney Island," "The Beauty Contest," "The Professor On Magic," and many more of the old favorites that fans all know and love.

The shows hold up pretty well, and its always amazing to see these great performers who did all of these shows live in front of a studio audience. These are the orignal ancestors of shows like Saturday Night Live and Mad TV.