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Music From The Movies, Friday May 9th at 7pm

Regina Scruggs gets ready for the summer movies! Get started with The Life Before Her Eyes, the latest score from Oscar-winning composer James Horner. Due this week: soundtracks for Iron Man (score by Ramin Djawadi) and Speed Racer (starring Emile Hirsch, pictured; music by Michael Giacchino). Read her review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and the DVD Frank Sinatra Collection: the Golden Years.

COMING SOON...The most super of Superman soundtrack box sets...The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, plus other summer movie treats…A whole bunch of Frank Sinatra DVDs (first review below) to mark the 10th anniversary of his passing...a second look at First Knight.

****NEW IN THEATERS (by Regina)****

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. (Universal. 1 hour, 52 minutes. Rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity.) Jason Segel (Peter Bretter), Kristen Bell (Sarah Marshall), Mila Kunis (Rachel Jansen), Russell Brand (Aldous Snow), Bill Hader (Brian Bretter), Paul Rudd (Chuck), Jonah Hill (Matthew the Waiter), Steve Landesberg (Dr. Rosenbaum). Directed by Nicholas Stoller. Music by Lyle Workman. Opened 4/18. Enjoyable entry from the ever-busy Judd Apatow factory. After a devastating break-up with his girlfriend, TV sitcom star Sarah, a heartbroken and depressed Peter heads to Hawaii for a little vacation to try to forget her. As only happens in movies and TV shows, he arrives at a breathtaking Oahu resort only to find his former flame is also there, with her new rock-star boyfriend complete with rock-star name, Aldous Snow. A potential distraction for Peter is the lovely Rachel, the hotel’s customer service rep. Along for the ride are Apatow stalwarts Hader (as Peter’s stepbrother and advice-giver), Hill (as a fawning waiter), and Rudd (as a stoner surfing instructor). As Peter, the big, lumbering Segel is affable, and game (he treats us to the Full Monty several times, as you’ve already heard). Funny scenes alternate with some slow stretches; I would have trimmed the movie by about 10 minutes in the second half, as the pace starts to flag. Preceding the movie was an R-rated trailer for producer Apatow’s promising next project, Pineapple Express, due later this summer.

THE VISITOR. (Overture Films. 1 hour, 48 minutes. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language. Directed by Thomas McCarthy.) Richard Jenkins (Walter Vale), Haaz Sleiman (Tarek), Danai Gurira (Zairab), Richard Kind (Jacob), Marian Seldes (Barbara, Hiam Abbass (Mouna)). Music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek. Opens in Houston 4/25. Low-key character study is a simple story of a man who rediscovers himself. Walter Vale is a middle-aged, white widower and professor at a Connecticut college who is going through the motions (this must be the year for that; see Smart People review below). Forced to go to Manhattan to attend a conference, Vale is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his rarely-used apartment. They’re victims of a real estate scam…and they’re also illegals (he’s from Syria, she’s from Senegal). When Vale reluctantly allows the couple to stay, the movie takes a few twists and turns as the relationship between the three evolves, and all realize they have much to learn from each other. Veteran character actor Jenkins is best known as the patriarch on the recent HBO series Six Feet Under, here he gets his first lead in a feature film and plays it beautifully. Nice performances from the supporting cast. Music by Polish composer Kaczmarek, Oscar-winner for Finding Neverland.

SMART PEOPLE. (Miramax Films. Rated R. 95 minutes. Directed by Noam Murro.) Dennis Quaid (Lawrence Wetherhold), Sarah Jessica Parker (Janet Hartigan), Thomas Haden Church (Chuck Wetherhold), Ellen Page (Vanessa Wetherhold), Ashton Holmes (James Wetherhold), Christine Lahti (Nancy). Opens in Houston 4/11. I didn’t get on the Juno bandwagon last year – Ellen Page and the other actors were fine; the script was just overwritten and self-conscious, not deserving of the Oscar it earned – but I was curious to see Page’s next project. Well, her role in Smart People (which was actually filmed first) comes off as Juno lite. Vanessa’s the smart-alecky and badly-dressed daughter of English lit professor Lawrence, a badly-dressed, paunchy widower who’s way past just going through the motions in his classes at Carnegie Mellon – he’s near-catatonic in his daily routines, wallowing in his own misery. Both father and daughter are brilliant but totally clueless in how to relate to each other. In drops the prof’s adopted brother Chuck, who’s perfected the art of mooching; also rocking the boat is former student Janet, who becomes involved with Lawrence. Quaid in particular is good as he executes the prof’s slow thaw from his deep freeze; and you can’t help but like the amiable Church. Debut effort from former TV commercial director Murro is watchable, yet fairly unremarkable in the well-trod genre of dysfunctional-family films.

***WHAT'S NEW ON DVD (by Regina, with Jared Counts)!***

FRANK SINATRA COLLECTION: THE GOLDEN YEARS. (Warner Home Video. Not Rated. B&W/Color.) The Tender Trap (1955, directed by Charles Walters), The Man with the Golden Arm (Otto Preminger; score by Elmer Bernstein), Some Came Running (1958, Vincente Minnelli, Elmer Bernstein), Marriage on the Rocks (1965, Jack Donohue, Nelson Riddle), None but the Brave (1965, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Williams). Years ago, I had a button that said "It's Sinatra's world...we just live in it." Well, Ol' Blue Eyes has been gone 10 years now, and Warner is releasing a total of 22 films in five new collections, with 11 titles new to DVD. The Golden Years is a very good start. One of my favorite openings to any movie is Frank jauntily strolling towards the camera while singing the wonderful title song to The Tender Trap. Written by Sammy Cahn and James van Heusen, it's the perfect song for the Chairman of the Board, and the way we like to remember him. The plot has Manhattan talent agent Sinatra in full swinging bachelor mode…until he meets Debbie Reynolds. The other musical/comedy is the set's only dud: Marriage on the Rocks has Nelson Riddle's musical arrangements, plus Deborah Kerr and Dean Martin as Frank's co-stars, but can't rise above a silly plot about marital mixups. The three dramas here are all very good: Golden Arm has Frank as a drug addict with the truly creepy Darren McGavin as his pusher...and don't forget Arnold Stang. Eleanor Parker and Kim Novak are the women in Frank's life. Great jazz score by Elmer Bernstein. Running teams Frank, Dean, Shirley MacLaine, and Martha Hyer in a good story of small-town hypocrisy, based on the second novel by James Jones (his first was From Here To Eternity). MacLaine was nominated for an Oscar. Frank's only directorial effort is the competent Brave, a World War II drama in which he also starred. Good – and unknown - music by John Williams when he was still "Johnny." Box set extras include trailers and a few new featurettes, the best being "Frank in the Fifties." Ring-a-ding-ding. --Regina

INDIANA JONES (The Adventure Collection). (Paramount. 3 discs. Color. Widescreen. Rated PG and PG-13. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Music by John Williams.) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Just on the off-chance you've been living under a rock, here's a news flash: the newest entry in the multi-million-dollar Lucas/Spielberg franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is opening on May 22nd. It only took 19 years. And surprise, surprise: here's a reissue of the first three films. The only real question is whether this set is worth obtaining. The answer is that it all depends: the set does tout some "all-new special features," such as new introductions by Spielberg and Lucas, storyboards and galleries, and several brief featurettes. The most fun for me were "Indy's Women Reminisce" with Alison Doody, Kate Capshaw, and Karen Allen getting together a few years ago to talk about their roles; and "The Mystery of the Melting Face" which details the special effects wizardry that went into the climactic scene in Raiders. However, most Indy fans who bought the big brown box set five years ago (and some got the extra 4th disc which some stores offered) might want to hold off on this one, since the movies themselves are exactly the same, and we all know there will be another box set this Christmas (in both regular and Blu-ray versions) which will include the new film. The Adventure Collection is best for completists and those who are Indy-less and don't want to wait until the holidays. --Regina

FIRST KNIGHT (Special Edition). (Columbia Pictures. 1995/2008. Color. 1 Disc. Widescreen. Rated PG-13. Directed by Jerry Zucker.) Sean Connery (King Arthur), Richard Gere (Lancelot), Julia Ormond (Guinevere), Ben Cross (Prince Malagant). Music by Jerry Goldsmith. The year 1995 saw a number of sword-wielding epics, Rob Roy and Braveheart among them. Even with its flaws, First Knight is worth a second look. It's a different take on the Arthurian legend; yes, there's still the triangle of Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot, but many will miss the feats of magic and the familiar supporting characters such as Merlin, Morgan le Fey, and Mordred. Instead, the king must battle Malagant, his former "first knight" of the legendary Round Table, who wishes to seize Camelot and surrounding lands for himself. It's a well-told story, directed with assurance by Zucker, and nicely scored by the late Goldsmith, even in a contemporary style. As for the actors, I thought Gere was all right, but too old for Lancelot (he was 46), and it's a bit hard to believe Connery (65 here), as Arthur, talking about finally settling down and marrying for the first time, but one twinkle in his eye and one Scots-tinged line reading, and he's got you. Ormond is beautiful ("She has no bad angles," says Zucker in the commentary), but I've always found her somewhat bland. Cross verges on the cartoonish as the evil Malagant. Beautiful production design by John Box. This "special edition" includes two commentary tracks: one with Zucker and producer Hunt Lowry, and the other focusing on Arthurian legend. There are also deleted scenes (in fragments and some missing audio), and making-of featurettes. --Regina

A RAISIN IN THE SUN. (Sony. 2008. 2 hours, 11 minutes. Rated PG-13. Widescreen. Color. Directed by Kenny Leon.) Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald, Sanaa Lathan, John Stamos. Music by Mervyn Warren. Acclaimed Broadway revival of famous Lorraine Hansberry play receives television movie adaptation, with the stage cast and director intact. An African-American family in 1950s Chicago awaits an insurance check of $10,000 after their father's death; each has a different idea of what to do with the money. Good overall, with Rashad as matriarch Lena Younger, and McDonald her daughter-in-law (who both won Tonys) the standouts; Combs and Lathan are Rashad's son and daughter. Lathan overcomes her obvious beauty to portray a real character, a young woman who's looking to find herself, while Combs as the money-hungry son has a few moments, but won't erase memories of Sidney Poitier's dynamic performance in the 1961 film version. Poitier's movie is worth seeking out if you've never seen it; there's also a 1989 American Playhouse version with Danny Glover. Extras here include a making-of featurette. –-Regina

THE TRUE STORY OF CHARLIE WILSON. (A&E Home Video. 2008. Color. 94 minutes. Directed by David Keane.) Documentary is interesting companion piece to the Oscar-nominated Charlie Wilson's War, which starred Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts as the real-life Texas Congressman, outcast CIA agent, and Houston socialite who joined forces to mastermind a $300 million covert arming of the Afghan Mujahideen and their subsequent defeat of the invading Soviet Army in the late 1980s. Documentary covers much the same ground as the feature film, of course, but also adds archival and current footage from the real Wilson and Herring, expert interviews, and dramatization. The real Wilson comes across as quite the charmer; you believe his reputation as the booze-and-broads, "good time Charlie." (Leaving public office after 24 years, he became a lobbyist; now retired at 74, he lives in Lufkin and received a heart transplant last fall.) -–Regina

THE BIG GAY SKETCH SHOW (the complete unrated first season). (Logo/Paramount. 2 discs. 6 episodes. Not Rated. 131 minutes. Full screen. Various directors.) Comedy series from the Logo channel, which was launched by MTV Networks and is geared to the gay & lesbian audience. Talented 8-member cast capably works material that ends up a mixed bag, as do most shows of this type. Most successful are the bits based on classic TV series (The Facts of Life, All in the Family, and The Honeymooners get lampooned). Recurring characters range from the good (Little Fitzwilliam, the English boy who wants to be a girl), to the OK (Logo Life Tips with Chad Michael and Michael Chad), to the lame (The Gay Werewolf was OK one time). Also skewered are current TV icons (Rachael Ray and Tyra Banks). Look for the clever "Lesbian Speed Dating" and "Elaine Stritch" as the new Wal-Mart greeter. The real Stritch pops up in Season Two, also being released on April 29. Rosie O'Donnell is the executive producer of the series. --Regina

THE KITE RUNNER. (DreamWorks Home Entertainment. 2007. Color. Widescreen. Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material including the sexual assault of a child, violence and brief strong language. Directed by Marc Forster.) Khalid Abdalla, Homayoun Ershadi, Shaun Toub, Atossa Leoni, Saïd Taghmaoui. Music by Alberto Iglesias. Based on a best-selling novel, this movie is heartfelt, and makes its political points without hitting you over the head. Two young Afghan boys, inseparable friends, suffer through the Soviet invasion of the late 1980s while dealing with the prejudices of their own people. A fateful act tears them apart, and one emigrates to America to become a writer; years later he embarks on a dangerous journey back to his homeland to try to right the wrongs of the past. All the actors, including the children, are impressive. Sensitively directed by Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland); Oscar-nominated music by Iglesias. Worthwhile. Special features include commentary by Forster, featurettes, and a trailer. --Regina