Home Media Magazine - June 8-14, 2008 - (Page 20)

REVIEWS Edited by John Latchem I JOHN ADAMS Street 6/10 HBO Video, Drama, $59.99 three-DVD set. Stars Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Stephen Dillane, Tom Wilkinson, David Morse. I magine the pressure on John Adams as he entered the court of King George III as the United States’ new ambassador to England. So soon after the American Revolution, one of its architects must confront his former monarch, who just a few years prior would have seen Adams hanged if given the chance. The scene is a pivotal moment in this epic miniseries produced by Tom Hanks and based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography. The throne room drips with awkward tension as we realize the king is under equal pressure. Each man chooses his words carefully so as to not unravel what is clearly a fragile peace. The miniseries, as directed by Tom Hooper (Elizabeth I), is filled with such indelible re-creations of American history. Over the course of seven episodes, viewers learn how a penchant for justice led the unassuming lawyer and farmer from Massachusetts to not only help forge a new nation, but also become its second president. The portrait begins with Adams (Giamatti) defending the British soldiers accused of murder in the Boston Massacre in 1770, and ends with Adams’ death July 4, 1826 (a few hours after Thomas Jefferson). Much is made of Adam’s friendship and political rivalry with Jefferson (Dillane), who is portrayed as somewhat foppish and idealistic after spending too many years in revolutionary France. Events are portrayed from the perspective of Adams, who is anchored in his temperament by the unwavering support of his wife, Abigail (Linney). On DVD, the miniseries becomes a valuable educational tool. A trivia track called “Facts Are Stubborn Things” gives viewers more information about on-screen events as they watch the miniseries. With the focus primarily on Adams and Jefferson, many incidents of historical relevance are re-cast for television. For example, the miniseries completely downplays Alexander Hamilton’s role in breaking the election deadlock of 1800, leading to Jefferson’s presidency. The DVD also is as much a tribute to McCullough as it is Adams, profiling the famed historian in the fun hour-long program David McCullough: Painting With Words. Keen viewers will recognize McCullough’s voice as the narrator of Ken Burns’ The Civil War. – John Latchem I KING Street 6/10 A&E, Documentary, $24.95 DVD, NR. clips of massive police beatings, firehose assaults and protest marches make the era real again, in all its promise, brutality and shame. E very fifth-grader in America has heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famed “I Have A Dream” speech at least once. Most of our understanding of his life is reduced to that speech and a series of major events in which he was involved, including his assassination. But there is so much more to his story. This two-hour History Channel portrait examines King’s life through people who were closest to him — his children, fellow pastors and their families — and those whom he influenced — the likes of former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and activist entertainer Harry Belafonte. Comments from contemporary personalities such as Clinton, U2 frontman Bono and actor Forrest Whittaker help make this doc accessible to audiences of today. It’s easy to forget, 45 years later, how violent and terrifying the worst moments of the Civil Rights movement were. News Tom Brokaw narrates and interviews many of the commentators, who offer context as well as personal memories of historic events. Rice recalls that one of the girls killed in an Alabama church bombing was a kindergarten classmate. A more-touching, and jarring, reminder of reality is a comment made by his son Martin Luther King III: “We only remember him as children.” The movie stops short of sainting King but definitely focuses on the most positive aspects of his character. This account neatly avoids mention of King’s personal flaws, including well-documented extramarital affairs. Still, it includes a good historical record of the conditions that drove the Civil Rights movement, and often drive rebellions in other parts of the world. The sole bonus feature, “Voices of Civil Rights,” is built of interviews done in 2004 with regular folks (and a few celebs) telling personal experiences, divided roughly by periods that led to major events. It gives insights beyond the newsreels that make the era more real by illustrating the casual acceptance that gave way to violent defenses of racism. I MAD BAD Prebook 6/13; Street 7/15 Maverick, Action, $24.98 DVD, NR. Stars Denton Blane Everett, Vincent Riverside, Landon Dunning, Anna Zielinski. ast cars and fast times rule Mad Bad, an action-packed youth drama with rebellion as its dominating force. Gino is a mostly likable but thoroughly tough young man recently released from prison, now trying to make his way in life. Seeking a job as an auto mechanic, Gino instead finds himself on the wrong side of the law again — stealing cars and selling them to a broker for big cash. Meanwhile, he also seeks to repair his relationship with his sister, an angry, beautiful young woman who vents through rock ‘n’ roll, fronting her own band and earning an ever-growing following of worshipful admirers. The sister wants nothing to do – Holly J. Wagner with Gino, implying that he long ago F betrayed her, but Gino sticks around despite her objections, and soon begins funneling his ill-gained cash into boosting her career, without her knowledge. Something must give, though, and Gino finds himself facing the same kind of big trouble he had worked — but not nearly hard enough — to avoid. Mad Bad, in the tradition of a number of recent drag-race or mean-streets features, is packed with loud music and rough action, though it offers more bark than bite, with more threats of violence and mayhem than the actual thing. It’s a too-simple drama of wayward behavior and ill-begotten redemption, but will likely rev up its intended audience: young males looking to relate to its fast cars and scenarios with beautiful women. Other viewers might enjoy watching handsome and confident rock musician Vince Riverside playing Gino. – Dan Bennett 20 Home Media Magazine June 8–14, 2008

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Home Media Magazine - June 8-14, 2008

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