Patience pays: the movies you meant to see in 2001 are finally out on DVD. . - Entertainment - movie review

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), July, 2002 by Robert S. Rothenberg

THERE ARE ANY NUMBER of reasons why some people don't troop down to the multiplex on a regular basis. Box office revenues continue to hit record heights--albeit aided by obscenely inflated ticket prices--but a stubborn coterie of naysayers voluntarily pass. This is not to say that they don't like movies, just today's theater experience.

In no particular order, they object to the aforesaid ticket prices; audiences' annoying habit of chattering through films as if they were in their living rooms; viewers turning the auditorium into an exercise in gluttony, staggering down the aisle with monstrous tubs of popcorn, overflowing cups of soda, giant bags of candy, even hot dogs and nachos, plus whatever meals they can smuggle in under the non-too-vigilant eyes of the ticket-takers; the resultant fallout from this feeding frenzy that leaves the floor a veritable Venus flytrap of stickiness determined to root your shoes to the spot; blaring commercials and soundtracks; and, all too often, the mindlessness of the fare Hollywood is shoveling out there.

If you take this curmudgeonly approach, but still love movies, you don't have to forgo the pleasure of watching them. Simply exercise a little patience and wait for the ones you wish to see to be released on video. With the growing trend toward home theaters and the bonus features the studios are throwing into DVD releases, you can enjoy watching films in the comfort of your home, thus avoiding most of the above-mentioned annoyances. (Alas, there are still those in one's family who insist on talking and munching there as well.)

For those of you who have patiently waited the six to nine months it takes most major films to make it to the home market--or wish to view them again, make them part of a permanent cinematic library, and/or want to get the poop on special effects, storyboards, and other bonus features--many of last year's big films are currently in the video stores, awaiting your pleasure.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Warner Home Video, 152 minutes, $26.99) was a 2001 box-office bonanza, topping the charts for weeks on end. Director Chris Columbus faithfully followed author J.K. Rowling's child-mesmerizing work in translating it to the screen, and the kids flocked to see the movie over and over, dragging parents and other adults in their wake, who turned out to be pleasantly surprised to find it had charms for a mature audience as well. Endearing performances by the three juvenile leads--Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron--are complemented by a shrewdly cast collection of some of England's finest character actors, including Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, John Hurt, John Cleese, Alan Rickman, and Robbie Coltrane. Add in brilliant computer-generated imagery, thrills and chills galore, and a literate script that doesn't talk down to its audience, and you have a movie that will satisfy all generations and provide a lure for repeated viewings.

Besides two and a half hours of the picture itself, this dual-disc set is bulging with special features. Many are designed for interactive play in a PC DVD-ROM format, but there are ample treats that can be accessed on a DVD player, including a number of interactive adventures. There are, of course, the standard interviews with the director and producer David Heyman, as well as scene footage rescued from the cutting room floor. The most fun comes from audience participation, as viewers can learn to play the airborne game of Quidditch, cast spells and create potions, take a self-guided tour of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and sneak past Fluffy, the three-headed guard dog, to uncover the secret in the Mirror of Erised. Unlike "The Lord of the Rings," last summer's other blockbuster hit, you don't have to be familiar with the original source to understand what's going on. Just sit back--or on the edge of your seat--and enjoy the ride.

Training Day (Warner Home Video, 122 minutes, $26.98) is the other side of the coin. Grueling and downright nasty, it is definitely adult fare, carried along at breakneck speed by Denzel Washington's over-the-top Academy Award-winning performance as a crooked undercover narcotics cop assigned to train a rookie. Playing against type, Washington is mesmerizing, bristling with charisma one moment, terrifyingly vicious the next, the inevitable explosion ticking away. Ethan Hawke holds his own against this hurricane of a role as the trainee, earning a best supporting actor Oscar nomination, and music luminaries Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Macy Gray do competent jobs in supporting parts, but it's clearly Washington's tour de force performance that carries the film.

An assortment of special features make worthwhile viewing, starting with a well-put-together "Making of ..." documentary and a running audio commentary by director Antoine Fuqua. There are added scenes and an alternate ending, so audiences can judge whether Fuqua and the editor made the right choices. A pair of music videos round out the bonuses.