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Managing Editor Love variety in motion pictures? That's what we've got in this week's DVD column. Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life Max Allan Collins is a man of many talents. He's an acclaimed mystery novelist, the man who took over writing the "Dick Tracy" comic strip from creator Chester Gould, and the author of the graphic novel that was adapted onto the screen as the Tom Hanks' film "The Road to Perdition." Collins is also a filmmaker having written and directed several productions. His latest effort is this recreation of the one-man play he wrote about the life and career of Eliot Ness, the prohibition agent whose team dubbed "The Untouchables" brought down notorious mobster Al Capone. Ness' exploits have inspired several television series and a movie, but Collins was attempting to separate the fact from the fiction with an effective performance by veteran actor Michael Cornellson. Told on the last day of his life in 1957 and from his modest kitchen table, Ness outlined his exciting life. Collins originally staged the material as a play and kept the same sets and, I'm sure, much of the staging. Filmed plays are always risky propositions, but this film works well because of the script and the performance. Cornellson's Ness is essentially a beaten man who doesn't really want to cash in on his glory days as a gangbuster, but seems pleased that someone cares. If you're into tales of vintage organized crime, this film is well worth your viewing. Log onto www.vcient.com for more information. Alive Day Memories The Iraqi War has been the subject of a number of solid documentaries that all try to show the war from the street level. Films such as "Gunner's Palace" and "The War Tapes" are superb, but no film I've seen brings the horrors of war home with such impact as "Alive Day." Produced by "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, the film is a series of interviews with 10 injured American service men and women. The film reports there have been 27,000 wounded military personnel and there has been a survival rate of 90 percent. Many of these injuries, though, have involved amputations, traumatic brain injuries and severe post-traumatic stress syndrome. As an interviewer, Gandolfini is almost invisible. The film focuses on the soldiers and Marines and their stories. Their stories provide the film with a politically neutral tone. None of them openly criticize the Bush Administration, and several said they would like to continue in the military if they could. By not having an overt political agenda, the stories are even more heart breaking. I can't imagine anyone watching this film and not questioning the wisdom that guided this country into this war. This film has scenes of extreme real life violence and is definitely something children should not watch. For more information, go to www.hbo.com/aliveday. Mind of Mencia: Third Season Uncensored One of Comedy Central's highest rated shows, "Mind of Mencia" features comic Carlos Mencia in a show that could be easily seen as a Latino version of "Chappelle's Show." Like "Chappelle's Show," much of the material deals with race and depending upon whether or not you're comfortable with racial humor will either make this show funny or repulsive. Despite material that is frequently tasteless, what makes Mencia interesting to me is that he is one of the few Latino voices on English-speaking television. I know his brand of humor is frequently just above that of "Hustler" magazine, but when he is talking about race and political correctness, I'm interested. For more information, log onto www.comedycentral.com. |
