LITTLE ROCK — Recent DVD releases:
O Lucky Man! (R, 183 minutes), A Clockwork Orange (R, 136 minutes) Malcolm McDowell stars in the masterful 1973 satire O Lucky Man! as innocent coffee salesman Mick Travis, who hits the road and finds cunning and cruelty across the social spectrum. In a totally different role in Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking 1971 nightmare A Clockwork Orange, McDowell plays futuristic hooligan Alex, who journeys from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen and back again.
Grades: Both 93
Dog Bite Dog (not rated, 108 minutes) This ultra-violent crime thriller, presented in a two-DVD set, follows a volatile officer (Sam Lee) as he hunts down a ruthless hit man (Edison Chen, Infernal Affairs trilogy, The Grudge 2) through Hong Kong. Included are making-of featurettes, an interview with director Cheang Pou-Soi, and audio commentary by Chen and Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan. Grade: 80
Mr. Brooks (R, 120 minutes) This cunning crime thriller features a low-key Kevin Costner as Earl Brooks, a successful businessman, husband and father who tries to keep his alter ego (William Hurt) from intermittently rearing up and transforming him into a serial killer. The DVD includes commentary by director Bruce A. Evans, deleted scenes, and featurettes.
Grade: 86.
Home of the Brave (R, 105 minutes) Earnest yet predictable and bland, Home of the Brave follows four National Guard soldiers (played by Brian Presley, Curtis Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel) who find it difficult to adjust to life back in Spokane, Wash., after serving in Iraq. The DVD includes commentary by director Irwin Winkler and deleted scenes.
Grade: 75
Hostel Director's Cut (not rated, 94 minutes) Eli Roth's highly original 2005 horror bloodfest - delivered here in an even gorier version than the theatrical release - follows two college pals who are lured by a fellow traveler to a hostel in an out-of-the-way Slovakian town stocked with gorgeous, available Eastern European women. The two friends easily pair off with exotic beauties. But the price they pay to stay there is far higher than the benefits they receive. DVD and Blu-Ray discsin Mr. Brooks.
include commentary with Roth and producer Quentin Tarantino, five featurettes, deleted scenes, and photo galleries.
Grade: 81
Hostel Part II (unrated, 93 minutes) The violent, almost cartoonish follow-up to the original, presented here in unrated and R-rated versions, accompanies three young American women studying in Rome who head off to an exotic weekend where they encounter others who have a different interpretation of what "rejuvenation" means. DVD and Blu-Ray discs include a blood-andguts montage, 10 deleted scenes, Elvis Mitchell's The Treatment interview with director Roth, an international television special, and commentaries with Roth and producer Quentin Tarantino and others.
Grade: 79
Saw III Director's Cut (unrated, 120 minutes) Moralizing torture master Jigsaw has disappeared with help from his apprentice Amanda, and two people are about to become the latest pawns on his vicious chessboard. This two-disc horror-gore set includes bonus materials such as commentary with actors Shawnee Smith and Tobin Bell, a trivia game, music video and makeup how-tos. Grade: 72
MovieStyle, Pages 43 on 10/26/2007