Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

VIDEO PREVIEW: Special Effects

'Matrix Reloaded,' complete with slew of extras, makes debut

Although "The Matrix Reloaded," starring Keanu Reeves, above, is still playing at local movie theaters, the DVD version, which is loaded with extras, is being released today.

OK, the effects are bound to look less impressive on the small screen. Especially when "The Matrix Reloaded" (Warner, $22.99 on VHS, $29.95 on DVD) is still playing on not one but two giant-screen Imax theaters in Las Vegas.

That, in part, explains the extras on today's two-disc "Matrix" DVD release, which includes behind-the-scenes documentary footage, highlighted by a close-up of the movie's signature freeway chase involving freedom fighters Neo (Keanu Reeves), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). As for the timing of "Reloaded's" video arrival, it's hardly a coincidence; "Revolutions," the concluding chapter of the "Matrix" trilogy, hits theaters in three weeks.

And in a classic case of counterprogramming, today's other titles represent the independent, offbeat side of the video aisle.

In "Owning Mahowny" (Columbia/TriStar), a mild-mannered Canadian bank employee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) scams millions to finance his gambling addiction in a fact-based comedy-drama that made its local debut at this year's CineVegas film festival. Minnie Driver (as Mahowny's innocently oblivious girlfriend) and John Hurt (a gleefully reptilian Atlantic City casino boss) co-star for director Richard Kwietniowski, who previously directed Hurt in "Love and Death on Long Island."

"The Safety of Objects" (MGM), meanwhile, focuses on suburban neighbors -- including a trio of world-weary mothers (Glenn Close, Patricia Clarkson and Mary Kay Place) and a workaholic ("About Schmidt's" Dermot Mulroney) trying to reconnect with his wife (Moira Kelly) and children -- as they struggle to solve the mysteries of daily existence.

The acclaimed coming-of-age drama "Blue Car" (Miramax), focuses on an 18-year-old girl (Agnes Bruckner), abandoned by her father and neglected by her overworked mother, who turns to her English teacher (David Strathairn) for solace and inspiration, only to find an increasingly ambiguous relationship developing instead. Margaret Colin and Frances Fisher co-star.

And "Naqoyqatsi" (Miramax) reunites filmmaker Godfrey Reggio and composer Phillip Glass for a third installment of their trippy documentary trilogy, preceded by 1983's "Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance" and 1988's "Powwaqatsi: Life in Transformation." This one employs digitally altered images to illustrate the fine line separating competitive and warlike cultures.

Also in the realm of the unseen and/or unknown, the comedy "Interstate 60" (Screen Media/Universal) charts a young man's fantasy road trip. James Marsden, Gary Oldman and Christopher Lloyd lead the cast. And in "Home Room" (Columbia/TriStar), an unlikely relationship develops between two survivors of a tragic high school shooting (played by "Traffic's" Erika Christensen and Busy Phillips of "Dawson's Creek"); "Alias' " Victor Garber rounds out the starring cast.

And with Halloween a little more than two weeks away, today's video roundup scares up a bumper crop of horror titles.

"Wrong Turn" (Fox) strands a group of hapless young travelers (Chris Harrington, Eliza Dushku, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jeremy Sisto, Kevin Zegers, Lindy Booth) in the backwoods, conveniently in the path of mutant cannibal hillbillies with a taste for trapped tourists. Only four teens, meanwhile, find themselves in "The Hole" (Dimension) when they're locked in an abandoned underground group bunker -- and only one of them emerges 18 days later. Thora Birch ("Ghost World"), "Wrong Turn's" Harrington, Keira Knightley ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), Laurence Fox ("Gosford Park") and Embeth Davidtz ("Bridget Jones' Diary") lead the cast.

Also on the chiller list, a high-tech device that influences the past impacts the future of three friends in "Feedback" (MTI). And, in the battle of the horror sequels, Germany's "Anatomy 2" (Columbia/TriStar), with "The Bourne Identity's" Franka Potente, details a ruthless neurosurgeon's human experiments, while shape-shifting creatures return to terrorize hapless humanity in "Mimic 3: Sentinel" (Miramax).

Speaking of seasons, Christmas grabs a share of today's video spotlight with a different cartoon trio: "Christmas With the Simpsons" (Fox, $14.98 on DVD), "Olive, the Other Reindeer" (Fox, $9.98 on VHS. $14.98 on DVD) and "Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Merry Christmas" (Fox, $12.98 on VHS, $14.98 on DVD).

And when it comes to Christmas gifts, plenty of nostalgic TV fans will cheer the retail arrival of "The Johnny Carson DVD Collection" (R2 Entertainment, $69.99), previously available only via the Internet. The three-disc set serves up three decades of highlights from almost 5,000 "Tonight Show" episodes, plus two new shows that were unavailable until now: an Emmy-winning 1992 episode featuring Bette Midler and Robin Williams, plus Carson's return to his Nebraska hometown.