By By Randy Williams Newdvdreleases
‘Blades of Glory’
Two rival Olympic ice skaters (Jon Heder and Will Ferrell) are stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from singles competition. Their long fall from grace at the top of their sport is halted when a loophole is discovered that allows them to perform as a pair. The contrasting personalities slowly put aside their differences, training under “Coach” Craig T. Nelson to return to championship form. Famous names from the sport including Nancy Kerrigan, Peggy Fleming and Scott Hamilton add authenticity, as does veteran Olympic broadcaster Jim Lampley. Special features include deleted scenes, a gag reel, alternate takes and a making-of presentation. Ferrell, a sports information major at USC, has starred as a race car driver (“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”) and soccer coach (“Kicking & Screaming) and will be featured in a film about basketball in “Semi-Pro” next year. (Paramount) ‘Kansas City Confidential’
A disgruntled cop (Preston Foster) sets up a flower delivery man (John Payne) as the fall guy for a bank robbery. This classic bit of film noir is greatly aided by spellbinding performances from the scary mugs of a trio of thugs: Lee Van Cleef, Neville Brand and Jack Elam. Tightly directed by B-movie veteran Phil Karlson, this clever, gritty crime caper from 1952 is presented with A-level quality and will remind genre fans of related recent films like Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”. (MGM) ‘Back to School: Extra Curricular Edition’
Bug-eyed comedian Rodney Dangerfield plays millionaire Thornton Melon, who enrolls in college with his misfit son, who is not clear about the importance of a “good education.” Shot primarily at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, Dangerfield is joined by Adrienne Barbeau and Sally Kellerman. Sam Kinison plays a professor in one of the final movie appearances of the late funnyman. Many bonus features include a tribute to the late Dangerfield, a look at the film’s production and some twisted views of the story’s diving sequences. (Fox) ‘Friday Night Lights: Season One’
Inspired by the best-selling book and theatrical film hit, the debut season of the television series and its look at the emotional dynamics of small-time life using Texas high school football as the backdrop now comes to DVD. The five-disc package contains all 22 episodes. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, cast commentaries and a making-of special. Peter Berg, one of the show runners and the director of the film version, is also the cousin of the author from which it is all based, H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger. (Universal) ‘The Odd Couple: Season Two’
Two divorced men — sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) and fastidious photographer Felix Unger (Tony Randall) — share a New York City apartment, where their divergent ways of living sparks constant mirth. Based on the Neil Simon play, this 23-episode, four-disc presentation of season two, which was filmed before a live audience (the premier season used the same apartment as the movie version, but used a single-camera format and laugh track), also stars Penny Marshall, whose brother Garry developed the popular series. Klugman and Randall would both win Emmys for their roles during the show’s five-season run. (Paramount) RANDY WILLIAMS
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.