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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, February 15, 2008

Ben Affleck's directorial debut worth catching

By Bruce Dancis
McClatchy-Tribune News Service

  • "Gone Baby Gone"

    Miramax Home Entertainment, rated R

    Ben Affleck's directorial career gets off to a solid start with this 2007 thriller about a pair of Boston detectives (Casey Affleck, Ben's brother; and Michelle Monaghan) trying to find a missing girl. Affleck also co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Stockard, based on Dennis Lehane's novel. Amy Ryan received a best supporting actress nomination for her portrayal of the girl's mother.

    The DVD comes with a commentary by Ben Affleck and Stockard, short features on the Affleck brothers and the casting of the film, and deleted scenes.

  • "Becoming Jane"

    Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, PG

    Anne Hathaway stars as early 19th-century novelist Jane Austen in a romantic costume drama that resembles something Austen might have written — like "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice" or "Emma."

    Bonus features include the documentary "Discovering the Real Jane Austen," a collection of pop-up facts and footnotes, deleted scenes and an audio commentary with director Julian Jarrold, writer Kevin Hood and producer Robert Bernstein.

  • "We Own the Night"

    Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, R

    Family conflict reigns in this action-thriller set in 1988 New York City about two brothers — one (Joaquin Phoenix) owns a Brooklyn nightclub out of which members of a Russian mob operate, while the other (Mark Wahlberg) is a New York cop fighting said mob. Robert Duvall plays their father, who happens to be the deputy chief of police.

    Extras include a commentary by writer-director James Gray and three features: "Tension: Creating 'We Own the Night,' " "Police Action: Filming Cops, Cars and Chaos" and "A Moment in Crime: Creating Late '80s Brooklyn."

  • "No Reservations"

    Warner Home Video, PG

    For culinary cutes, you're better off with "Ratatouille" than this remake of the German film "Mostly Martha." Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as a hard-working master chef who has difficulty coping with her new responsibility — raising her niece (Abigail Breslin) after her sister dies — and her new sous chef (Aaron Eckhart). The only extra feature is a 22-minute episode of the Food Network's "Unwrapped" about the making of this film.

  • "The Stanley Kramer Film Collection"

    Five discs, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, not rated

    Stanley Kramer was one of Hollywood's most socially conscious producer-directors in the 1950s and '60s, examining previously undercovered subjects such as racism, the Holocaust and the threat of nuclear war. Although this five-film collection leaves out some of his best work ("Judgment at Nuremberg," "Inherit the Wind"), it does package "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967), the celebrated film about interracial romance starring Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn; "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T" (1953), a fanciful film written by Dr. Seuss; "The Wild One" (1953), starring Marlon Brando as the leader of a motorcycle gang; "The Member of the Wedding" (1952), starring Julie Harris as an adolescent tomboy; and "Ship of Fools" (1965), a drama about Jews, Nazis and others on a 1930s transAtlantic voyage.

  • "Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Presents: Academy Award Animation Collection, 15 winners-26 nominees"

    Three discs, Warner Home Entertainment, not rated

    A long title for a collection of short films, this set brings together a bunch of Oscar-winning and nominated shorts, starring such characters as Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Superman, Droopy, Tom and Jerry, and Speedy Gonzalez. A DVD special feature, "Drawn for Glory," examines the history of the Academy Awards' animation short subject category.