Page 24 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • June 27, 2012
DVD releases
(continued from Restaurant page) is based on the 1980s TV drama that starred a young Johnny Depp as an undercover cop. This self-deprecating movie has great fun making jokes about the lack of Hollywood writers to come up with original ideas or the omnipresent car chase. The biggest gag is the two undercover cops, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, guys who are considerably north of age 18. Both actors have fun parodying their own images. Tatum, in particular, shows a genuine flair for comedy. The film’s R rating means that there are numerous references to body parts, insults, drug gags, assorted forms of lawlessness, and language unsuitable for Sunday school. The chemistry between Tatum and Hill works nicely here, and anchors the film’s comedy. Blu-ray and DVD extras include deleted scenes, four behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, and audio commentary with the director, Tatum, and Hill. “Little Lord Fauntleroy” (Kino Lorber) is the 1936 adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel. After the death of her husband, the patient Mrs. Errol (Dolores Costello) raises Ceddie (Freddie Bartholomew) in New York with much good will, but little money. Unexpectedly, Ceddie is summoned to England to become heir to the fortune of the Earl of Dorincourt (C. Aubrey Smith), his estranged grandfather, and take the title of Lord
Fauntleroy. But there are problems: The Earl refuses to allow Mrs. Errol into his home, and then another boy claims to be the true heir. Producer David O Selznick (“Gone with the Wind”) has taken great care with the look and casting of the picture. Bartholomew manages to shoulder the film, with the benefit of strong supporting performances by Smith, Costello, Henry Stephenson, character actor Guy Kibbee, and Mickey Rooney as one of Ceddie’s Brooklyn pals. There are no extras on the Blu-ray “Little Lord Fauntleroy” release. “Bullhead” (Image Entertainment) was nominated for this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Domineering cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts) became reliant on steroids and hormones following a childhood trauma. After he initiates a shady deal with a notorious Mafioso meat trader, circumstances lead him down a twisted road of vengeance and torment. When an investigating federal agent is assassinated and a woman from his troubled past resurfaces, Jacky must confront far-reaching consequences and whether the real meaning of manhood is hormonal or emotional. The film is in Dutch and French, with English subtitles. Bonus Blu-ray features include a making-of featurette; interviews with director Michael R. Roskam and Matthias Schoenaerts; “The One Thing to Do,” a 2005 short film by Roskam starring Schoenaerts; and a collector’s edition booklet with introduction by director Michael Mann.