Ferrell hits gold again with NASCAR comedy
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Selected home-video releases:
“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” – Will Ferrell has hit on a Hollywood formula that actually works: Develop an outlandish boob of a character, surround him with other goofballs, give the movie a pretentiously long title, then stand back and count the ticket sales.
After Ferrell’s “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” he scores another comedy hit playing the fastest driver on the NASCAR circuit, who loses it all and has to fight his way back after an arrogant French driver (Sacha Baron Cohen) beats him on the track and his best pal and teammate (John C. Reilly) strikes out on his own.
The movie comes in the theatrical version or an extended cut adding 13 minutes of footage. Ferrell joins director Adam McCay, with whom he wrote the screenplay, and Reilly for fanciful “25 years later” commentary looking back on the movie. $28.95. (Sony)
“World Trade Center” – After the stark docudrama “United 93,” Oliver Stone presented the year’s second big-screen saga centered on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena star as real-life Port Authority policemen who were among the last survivors pulled from the rubble after hijackers rammed jetliners into the twin towers.
A single-disc release ($29.99) features nine deleted and extended scenes with commentary by Stone, plus two commentary tracks for the full film, one by Stone, the other by Will Jimeno, the policeman Pena plays, and some of his rescuers. A two-disc DVD set ($33.99), and two-disc HD DVD and Blu-Ray sets ($39.99 each) also have extensive making-of segments. (Paramount)
“The Devil Wears Prada” – This adaptation of the best-selling novel was an unlikely $100 million hit. Meryl Streep steals the show as the ultimate boss from hell, a ruthlessly condescending editor of a top fashion magazine who becomes both a curse and a sort of perverse mentor for her new assistant (Anne Hathaway).
The DVD is accessorized by 15 deleted scenes, commentary from director David Frankel and collaborators, and a handful of behind-the-scenes features. $29.98. (20th Century Fox)
“Barnyard: The Original Party Animals” – More cute talking animals from Hollywood. This one features the voices of Kevin James, Courtney Cox, Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes and Sam Elliott in the story of a carefree cow who fritters the days away until he’s forced to stand up and defend the other animals on his farm when coyotes try to make a meal of them all. Director Steve Oedekerk and colleagues provide commentary, and other features are included. $29.99. (Paramount)
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” – Last year’s fantasy blockbuster is augmented by fresh visual effects and a longer version of the big battle that closes the film.
The four-disc set has a documentary about C.S. Lewis, the author who created the “Chronicles of Narnia” books, along with extensive background on visual effects and other behind-the-scenes matters. $42.99. (Disney)
“James Bond Ultimate Edition” – Following up on the November release of volumes one and two, the third and fourth sets packing the James Bond flicks arrive on the heels of the latest 007 adventure, “Casino Royale.” Each 10-disc set has five movies in two-DVD editions.
“Volume 3” has Sean Connery as Bond in “From Russia With Love,” Roger Moore in “Live and Let Die” and “For Your Eyes Only,” George Lazenby in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and Pierce Brosnan in “GoldenEye.”
“Volume 4” features Connery in “Dr. No” and “You Only Live Twice,” Moore in “Octopussy” and “Moonraker” and Brosnan in “Tomorrow Never Dies.”
Among extras are commentaries by Moore and some of the films’ directors, vintage features and behind-the-scenes material, and deleted scenes from a few of the movies. $89.98 each. (MGM)
TV on DVD
“The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Final Season,” “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. The Complete First Season” – The eighth and final year of Griffith’s sitcom classic about the wise sheriff of a small town comes to DVD, along with season one of the spinoff that sent Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle character into the Marine Corps. $42.99 each. (Paramount)
“Stacked: The Complete Series” – Pamela Anderson’s short-lived sitcom has the bombshell playing a former party girl who mends her ways and takes a job at a bookstore. The three-disc set has 19 episodes, including five that never aired. $29.98. (20th Century Fox)
“Law &Order: Criminal Intent – The Second Year” – Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe lead the cast in this incarnation of the “Law &Order” franchise that tells crimes from the point of view of victims, perpetrators and witnesses. $59.98. (Universal)
“Full House: The Complete Fifth Season” – Life goes on for the extended family headed by Bob Saget. $29.98. (Warner Bros.)
