New on DVD: Romantic comedies ‘Fool’s Gold,’, ‘Definitely, Maybe’
The people behind “Fool’s Gold” ($28 . 9 8 DVD, $35.99 Blu-ray, Warner Home Video, available now) know a cinematic treasure when they find it. The coupling of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey is box office gold, despite the fact that the two stars have such distinct personalities off-screen.
That dichotomy is explored in “Flirting With Adventure,” a very short, but cute, featurette that looks at the chemistry of the ultra-appealing pair. “We fight well, and we flirt very well,” McConaughey says about his on-screen partner.
Director Andy Tennant takes it a step further: “They are oil and water, and that works for them when they’re on the set.”
In the likable romantic comedy-adventure, Hudson and McConaughey star as a couple on the brink of divorce. He’s a career fortune hunter; she’s the sensible one who says enough with the treasure hunts.
Throw in the seductive quest for the ultimate treasure, a cartoonish rapper with a violent streak and other fortune hunters, and you’ve got the makings of an adventure yarn. The DVD includes a gag reel.
• Another romantic comedy, “Definitely, Maybe” ($29.98, Universal, available Tuesday), stars Ryan Reynolds as a father spinning a tale to his daughter (the adorable Abigail Breslin) about how he met her mother. Dad tells her about the three important women in his life — a lovely trio played by Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher and Elizabeth Banks — and she has to guess which one is her mother.
The plot device works quite well, drawing the audience into the story. What I especially liked about this movie is that it doesn’t end when we learn mom’s identity. In fact, there’s a pleasant surprise that closes out the film.
Be sure to watch the movie before the extras, since there are scenes that will give away mom’s identity. Included are a making-of; a look at the production design; deleted scenes; and a commentary with Reynolds and director Adam Brooks.
If you’re planning on buying this, save yourself $5 by downloading an online coupon through www.definitelymaybemovie.com as well as other online locations. • Love of a more serious nature is documented in the emotionally draining “Rails & Ties” ($27.95, Warner, available now). Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden give award-worthy performances as Tom and Meagan, a husband and wife dealing with her terminal illness. When Tom, a railroad engineer, is involved in a tragic railroad collision, an orphan boy enters their lives.
This heartbreaking movie, directed by Allison Eastwood (Clint’s daughter), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release. The DVD comes with additional scenes.
A classic beauty
Lionsgate Home Entertainment has become synonymous with horror films, unleashing a torrent of releases including its popular “8 Films to Die for” as part of the After Dark Horrorfest. But lately the studio has been releasing a fine assortment of collections featuring classic movies and actors.
Last week, I wrote about the studio’s “Meridian” collection that focused on groundbreaking movies. This month, Lionsgate also debuts its new celebrity series that features compilations of movies by world-renowned film stars. It starts off with two of our most beautiful and talented actresses.
“The Sophia Loren 4- Film Collection” ($39.9 8 , available now) showcases four movies available for the first time on DVD: “I Girasoli,” “Attila,” “Madame Sans- Gene” and “Carosello Napoletano.” The movies are in Italian with English subtitles and remind us that Loren was not just a lovely woman, but also a fiery and sensual actress.
In the 15-minute feature “Sophia Loren: La Vida Popolana” (the star of the people), her sons Eduardo and Carlo Ponti Jr., producer Arthur Cohn and film professors discuss Loren’s career, including the four movies in this set.
The thoughts of her sons are especially interesting, as they share with us the impact their father, filmmaker Carlo Ponti, had on Loren’s career (“He created the environment where her talent potential could grow,” Eduardo Ponti says).
Carlo Ponti Jr. makes us laugh with his observation that being in public with his mother was like “being with a Beatle.”
Also available is the “Catherine Deneuve 5- Film Collection” ($39.98). The three-disc set has “Manon 70,” “Le Sauvage,” “Hotel des Ameriques,” “Le Choc” and “Fort Saganne.”
Coming Tuesday
“The Hammer” (Genius/ Weinstein), “ In Bruges” (Universal), “Journey to 10,000 B. C.” (A&E ) , “My Boys: The First Season ” (Sony), “Persepolis” (Sony), “The Spiderwick Chronicles” (Paramount), “10,000 B. C.” (Warner).•
