Trust me: an assortment of DVDs, ranging from the latest Academy Award winners to a half-century-old western classic, have one thing in common—they're well worth going out of your way to see. . - Entertainment - movie review

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

WHEN MY KIDS were growing up, I would frequently lure them away from whatever video they were contemplating renting by offering an alternative they invariably had never heard of or, even if they had, wouldn't even consider watching. My siren call was always the same--"Trust me." After agreeing to watch my suggestions, albeit often reluctantly, they actually did begin to trust me, and some of those movies they were introduced to even became personal favorites, to be recommended to others with the same seductive declaration. With the studios releasing more and more of their backlog and affordable DVDs helping to turn a nation of renters into one of collectors, a plethora of pictures are out there waiting for a brand new audience. Thus said, I offer the following films for your viewing pleasure. Trust me!

The Hustler (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 135 minutes, $19.95) received a half-dozen major 1961 Academy Award nominations, but was shut out, primarily by that year's "West Side Story" juggernaut. Nevertheless, this gritty exploration of the seamy world of pool hall hustling remains riveting four decades later, thanks to a marvelous ensemble cast, spearheaded by Paul Newman at his antihero best as Fast Eddie Felson, the titular hustler. Ironically, though he lost the best actor Oscar to Maximilian Schell (for "Judgment at Nuremberg"), Newman would finally capture the award 25 years later playing the same character in "The Color of Money," a far-weaker movie. Piper Laurie is outstanding as the self-destructive woman who finally teaches Felson humanity, earning a best actress nomination (losing to Sophia Loren for "Two Women"), while comic Jackie Gleason is a revelation as Minnesota Fats, prancing around the pool table with uncommon grace as the dandified king of the pool world, and George C. Scott is sardonically evil as a shark-like gambler/promoter. Both of the latter were beaten out for the best supporting actor Oscar by George Chakiris as the Puerto Rican gang leader in "West Side Story," another classic Academy blunder. The video is embellished by the atmospheric black-and-white cinematography of Eugene Shuftan, the sole Oscar winner from the film. Further embellishment comes from the commentary by Newman and Time critic Richard Schickel; a documentary, "The Hustler: The Inside Story"; and a fascinating primer on how to make the trick shots featured in the picture.

Charade (The Criterion Collection, 114 minutes, $ 39.95). Certain directors are so identified with a specific style that movie audiences are often fooled into thinking others' work is theirs. Thus, "Red River" is often cited as the best John Ford western Ford never made--it actually was Howard Hawks. Similarly, Stanley Donen, best known for his glossy musicals, manages to out-Hitchcock Alfred Hitchcock with this stylish, lighthearted murder mystery. Elegantly acted by Cary Grant as a suave, multi-identified seeming villain, Audrey Hepburn as a widow in peril from a gang of cutthroats who have been betrayed by her late husband after a World War II gold heist, and Walter Matthau as the putative CIA representative in pursuit of the loot, this 1963 delight blithely strews red herrings and corpses in viewers' paths right up to the denouement. James Coburn, George Kennedy, and Ned Glass enliven the film as the dastardly trio, and the Paris settings amply support the performances. A new digital transfer makes the movie look brand new, and the soundtrack is pristine. Audio commentary by Donen and screenwriter Peter Stone are welcome, though the rest of the "special" features merely consist of lists of Donen and Stone's career highlights.

Bull Durham (MGM Home Entertainment, 108 minutes, $24.98) is arguably the best sports movie Hollywood ever turned out--admittedly, not a very wide category. Writer/director Ron Shelton got it all right, and the actors actually look like they know how the game is played. Still, it is the acting--Kevin Costner as the veteran minor league catcher Crash Davis, brought in to groom a talented rookie pitcher with a million-dollar arm and a five-cent brain for the "Show" (the majors); Susan Sarandon as Annie Savoy, the ultimate baseball groupie; and Tim Robbins as the ultra-flaky Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLooch, who has to be taught about pitching and life by his costars--that carries the 1988 picture, ably abetted by a fine supporting cast. Sports and the movies never worked better together. The DVD is labeled a Special Edition, and it actually lives up to its billing, especially with the back-and-forth repartee between Costner and Robbins in an audio commentary; another by Shelton; the "Making of ..." documentary; a profile of Costner; and even a music video of "A Man Loves a Woman" featuring singer Joe Cocker.

S.O.B. (Warner Home Video, 121 minutes, $14.95), one of three hilarious Blake Edwards comedies, is the writer/director's revenge on Hollywood for the disastrous reception his "Darling Lili" received in 1970. Eleven years later, Edwards shredded producers, agents, gossip columnists, sycophants, hangers-on, and everyone else within reach in this viciously sardonic send-up of a famed director who produces the ultimate box office bomb, the studio that wants to recut it against his wishes, and the director's maniacal scheme to refilm scenes to make the musical darkly erotic, en route exposing the breasts of his wife/star, universally beloved for her ultrapure roles. Richard Mulligan is wildly over the top as the director; Julie Andrews gamely plays against type as his wife; and William Holden, Robert Vaughn, Shelley Winters, Robert Webber, and a host of others help bite the Hollywood hand that feeds them. Amidst the chaos, Robert Preston, as a pill-pushing, proudly self-proclaimed quack, steals the picture. There are no special features worth mentioning.