‘Basic Instinct 2’ slinks onto DVD

REVIEWS

By David Germain

updated 4:53 p.m. ET July 10, 2006

“Basic Instinct 2”
It took years of studio maneuvering for this sequel to Sharon Stone’s hit thriller to arrive and barely a single weekend for critics and audiences to laugh it out of theaters. With original co-star Michael Douglas a no-show, British actor David Morrissey has the misfortune of stepping into the role of dupe for Stone’s icy carnal predator, playing a criminal psychologist lured into her latest game of kinky sex with a body count. The DVD comes in the R-rated theatrical cut or an unrated edition that adds a couple of minutes of footage. The unrated disc also has 10 deleted scenes with more explicit, though not very titillating, sexual footage, and an alternate ending barely distinguishable from the theatrical version. Director Michael Caton-Jones provides droning commentary, and the DVD has a making-of featurette. DVD, $26.96. (Sony) Read the review

“Grand Prix”
Exotic locales, razzle-dazzle camera work and speedy cars overshadow the big-name cast and the thin story in director John Frankenheimer’s fast and furious 1966 tale of Formula 1 drivers tearing up the roads — and sometimes their vehicles. James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand, Toshiro Mifune and Jessica Walter lead the cast in this soap opera on wheels, which follows the wins, losses and love affairs of a handful of drivers. For its 40th anniversary, the movie debuts on DVD in a two-disc set with a widescreen digital version well-suited to huge high-definition televisions. The set comes packed with four new documentary segments on the movie’s production and sound design, the state of Formula 1 racing in the 1960s and a raceway featured in the film. DVD set, $20.97. (Warner Bros.)

“Yi Yi”
Taiwanese filmmaker Edward Yang spins a mesmerizing, epic-length drama of ordinary lives with his celebrated story of family life in Taipei from 2000. On the surface an intimate tale of everyday happenings on the domestic front over the course of a year, the film builds to a sprawling portrait of happiness, heartache and hidden desire. With its fresh digital transfer, the new DVD version represents a vast improvement over the so-so image of a previous release. Yang provides audio commentary, accompanied by critic Tony Rayns, who also contributes an interview about Taiwanese cinema. DVD, $39.95. (Criterion)

“Koko: A Talking Gorilla”
The 1978 documentary from director Barbet Schroeder is a remarkable portrait of a non-human primate. The film tells the story of gorilla Koko, a resident of the San Francisco Zoo who was taught American Sign Language in an experiment to determine the cognitive abilities of apes. The documentary raises powerful questions about animal rights and the nature of intelligence, the captivating central figure bringing a real sense of human drama to the undertaking. The DVD has a new interview with Schroeder. DVD, $29.95. (Criterion)

TV on DVD:

Darren Michaels / Showtime

“Weeds: Season One” — The razor-sharp comedy takes its outrageous premise — a suburban widow (Mary-Louise Parker) making ends meet by becoming her community’s kingpin of marijuana sales — and turns it into an insightful satire on the household secrets lurking behind American domestic facades. The two-disc set has the first 10 episodes, plus commentary with cast and crew and a clever featurette featuring co-star Romany Malco examining the realities of the weed. DVD set, $39.98. (Lionsgate)

“30 Days” — Morgan Spurlock, director and star of the fast-food documentary “Super Size Me,” oversees the ultimate-makeover series, centering on people who spend a month living drastically different lives. The first six episodes come in a two-disc set, focusing on Spurlock and his fiancee scraping by on minimum-wage jobs, a devout Christian who tries to live as a Muslim, a homophobic Christian who moves in with a gay man and a mom who goes on a drinking binge to connect with her party-hearty teen daughter. DVD set, $26.98. (20th Century Fox)

“Perry Mason: Season 1 — Volume 1” — Court is back in session as Raymond Burr’s classic series comes to DVD. Burr plays defense attorney Mason, who takes on seemingly impossible cases and proves his clients’ innocence. The five-disc set has the first 19 episodes from the 1957-58 season. DVD set, $54.99. (Paramount)

“The Ellen Show: The Complete Series” — Following up on “Ellen,” her 1990s sitcom, Ellen DeGeneres starred in this short-lived comedy about a woman whose Internet company goes belly up, leaving her back in her hometown among quirky old relations and friends. All 18 episodes, including six that never aired, are packed in a two-disc set. DVD set, $29.95. (Sony)

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