August 1, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 17 Mini-series tells saga of America’s longest-running feud by Dennis Seuling “Hatfields & McCoys” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), a mini-series that aired on the History Channel earlier this year, tells the story of the ongoing, nearly epic struggle between two families living in West Virginia and Kentucky in postCivil War days. The show was a ratings winner, primarily because it has a script and production values more common in a feature-length, big-screen motion picture. Directed by Kevin Reynolds, it stars Kevin Costner as “Devil” Anse Hatfield and Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy, the patriarchs of the warring clans. The escalating story of the feud is covered nicely, beginning with disputed logging rights and moving on to the theft of a pig, a series of minor slights and taunts by younger members of the clans, legal judgments deemed one-sided (the local judge was a Hatfield), and Hatfield’s desertion from the Confederate army during the Civil War. Spread over four hours and 30 minutes, the series explores the feud and its ramifications in detail and satisfyingly characterizes the many individuals who played a significant role. Director Reynolds does a first-rate job of bringing the era to life and showing how a romantic involvement between members of the two clans gave the feud a Romeo-and-Juliet air. Costner and Paxton are both strong as the leaders and show how the ongoing hostility took a toll on their health and marriages. After 20 years of hatred, distrust, and revenge, both men had become weary and longed to end the feud with their honor intact. Standouts in the supporting cast are Powers Booth as Judge Valentine Hatfield, Boyd Holbrook as William “Cap” Hatfield, Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy, and Tom Berenger as Jim Vance, Devil Anse’s uncle. “Hatfields & McCoys” shows that, with the right project, audiences will flock to a mini-series, a genre once extremely popular on network TV and now pretty much the province of cable stations. Bonuses on the two-disc Blu-ray and DVD editions include “The Making of Hatfields & McCoys” and the music video “I Know These Hills” featuring Kevin Costner. “ATM” (IFC Films) is a thriller that begins at a company Christmas party. Insecure investment banker David (Brian Geraghty) asks co-worker Emily (Alice Eve) if she would like a ride home. Emily, who has been David’s secret crush, agrees, but David’s pushy, wisecracking friend Corey (Josh Peck) winds up joining them as they leave. When Corey asks them to make a late-night stop at a free-standing, glassenclosed ATM in a dimly-lit parking lot, what had been a romantically promising night for David turns into a nightmare as a mysterious man in a hoodie and mask appears. He might just be waiting to use the machine, but when he suddenly and brutally kills an innocent passerby, the three realize they are trapped. The mysterious stranger is in the mold of the nondescript Michael Meyers of “Halloween,” but rather than merely stand in doorways or commit gruesome murders offscreen, the villain here is more graphic in his dastardly deeds. Director David Brooks creates a chilling atmosphere -- figuratively and literally -- as temperature plays a significant role in the hapless trio’s attempt to make it through a grueling night in freezing weather. There is an effective score to heighten suspense, but the film runs out of steam long before the final credits roll. The Blu-ray contains both the R-rated theatrical and unrated director’s cut versions. “Surviving High School” (A&E Entertainment) is a two-disc DVD set containing four Lifetime original movies focusing on the highs and lows of high school life for today’s teens. The casts include familiar TV faces, such as Raven-Symone, David Charvet, Boti Bliss, Lisa Vidal, Sharon Lawrence, and Alexa Vega. “Odd Girl OUT” deals with girl aggression and bullying. “Augusta, Gone,” based on a true story, follows a teenager who spins out of control when she turns 15 and turns to drinking and drugs. “The Perfect Teacher” is about a beautiful spoiled girl with eyes for her math teacher, who vows to see that they end up together. “For One Night,” inspired by the real-life story of an African-American teenager who shook up a small town where high school proms had been racially segregated for decades, is about two women, a student and a reporter, who attempt to reverse the long-standing racist tradition. “Strike Back” (HBO Home Entertainment) is an imported British series that has been shown in the United States on pay cable’s Cinemax. With its graphic violence and gratuitous sex, the show is an amalgam of James Bond movies and TV’s “24.” Michael Stonehenge (Philip Winchester), a British sergeant, and Damian Scott (Sullivan Stapleton), a former U.S. Delta Force operative who was discharged on the eve of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, are members of a top secret intelligence agency known as Kevin Costner stars as ‘Devil’ Anse Hatfield in the TV mini-series ‘Hatfields & McCoys.’ Section 20. Stonehenge, Scott, and the rest of Section 20 crisscross the globe on the trail of a deadly Middle-Eastern terror mastermind named Latif (Jimi Mistry), who is planning a major attack involving a cache (continued on Crossword page)