Fun ‘Upside of Anger’ comes to DVD

REVIEWS

By David Germain

updated 7:55 p.m. ET July 25, 2005

“The Upside of Anger”
A great cast led by Joan Allen and a surprisingly goofy Kevin Costner helped make this domestic comic drama one of the year’s indie-film successes. Allen plays a woman who turns bitter and boozy after her husband vanishes, presumably with another woman, leaving his wife to tend to their four feisty daughters (Erika Christensen, Keri Russell, Evan Rachel Wood and Alicia Witt). Costner plays an ex-ballplayer who becomes Allen’s unlikely drinking buddy and bedroom partner. Allen and writer-director Mike Binder, who also co-stars, team for commentary, and the DVD has deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. DVD, $27.95. (New Line) Original theatrical review

“The Errol Morris DVD Collection,” “Errol Morris’ First Person: The Complete Series”
Two boxed sets present some of the finest documentaries for the big and small screen. “The Errol Morris DVD Collection” gathers three documentaries from the Academy Award-winning director of “The Fog of War.” The key title is 1988’s “The Thin Blue Line,” Morris’ riveting exploration and re-enactment of the 1976 slaying of a policeman, a film that prodded investigators to reopen the case and helped free an innocent man. The set also features 1978’s “Gates of Heaven,” a tale of animal owners in crisis over their beloved companions buried in a California pet cemetery, and 1982’s “Vernon, Florida,” a portrait of the eccentric folks of a small Southern town. The three-disc “First Person” set has all 17 installments of Morris’ TV documentary series, profiling such unusual people as an autistic slaughterhouse designer, a woman with a history of dating killers and a woman who cleans up murder scenes after the bodies are gone. “Errol Morris DVD Collection,” $49.96; single DVDs, $19.98 each. “First Person” DVD set, $39.98. (MGM)

“The Boston Red Sox: 2004 World Series Collector’s Edition”
Here’s the story of 11 days in October in all their unedited glory. This mammoth 12-disc set packs the entire storybook run of the Boston Red Sox in their comeback triumph over the New York Yankees and World Series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals last fall to end an 86-year championship drought. Each of the first 11 discs contains a full game, the seven-game American League Championship Series in which the Red Sox stormed back to win from a 3-0 deficit, and the four-game cakewalk in the World Series. Each game is accompanied by comprehensive statistics, and disc 12 packs on-field wireless recordings with players, a documentary on the series, postgame celebrations and interviews and chats with celebrity fans such as Ben Affleck and Denis Leary. DVD set, $129.95. (A&E)

“XXX: State of the Union”

Columbia Pictures Michael Roof, Ice Cube, Xzibit and Scott Speedman in "XXX: State of the Union"

Maybe they should have called it “YYY,” as in why, why, why was this sorry sequel made? The movie’s no worse than Vin Diesel’s original, but Ice Cube was the unfortunate victim of a box-office dud as he stepped in as a new extreme agent enlisted by a spymaster (Samuel L. Jackson) to stop a White House coup orchestrated by the defense secretary (Willem Dafoe). The DVD has commentary with the filmmakers and visual-effects crews, deleted footage, an interview with Cube and a handful of background segments, including a behind-the-scenes look at the movie’s climax aboard a bullet train. DVD, $28.95. (Sony) Original theatrical review

TV on DVD:

“3rd Rock From the Sun: Season 1” — The offbeat extraterrestrials return with the sitcom starring John Lithgow as head of a team of aliens disguised as a human family to study earthlings. The four-disc set has 20 episodes, plus cast interviews and outtakes. DVD set, $39.98. (Anchor Bay)

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Second Season” — Year two of the beloved ’70s show arrives in a three-disc set packing 24 episodes of Moore’s TV newsroom comedy. Co-stars Ed Asner and Gavin MacLeod offer commentary on two episodes, and the set includes a new featurette and a karaoke sing-along track for the theme song. DVD set, $29.98. (20th Century Fox)

“The Brady Bunch: The Complete Second Season” — Here’s the story of the second season with one of TV’s favorite instant families. The four-disc set has 24 episodes, including such highlights as oldest brother Greg’s move to his own “bachelor pad” and elder sister Marcia’s fight for women’s lib. DVD set, $38.99. (Paramount)

“Gilligan’s Island: The Complete Third Season” — Gilligan and his fellow castaways wrap up their three-season tour in a three-disc set containing the final 30 episodes, which include the gang’s musical version of “Hamlet.” Series creator Sherwood Schwartz offers an introduction and commentary for one episode. DVD set, $39.98. (Warner Bros.)

“Star Trek: Enterprise — Season 2” — The prequel series to Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi creation boldly goes a few more light-years. The seven-disc set has 26 episodes and extras that include profiles of co-star Jolene Blalock and LeVar Burton of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” a frequent director on the spinoff shows. DVD set, $129.99. (Paramount)

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