The cluck stops here

New releases on the video scene

By STEVE PERSALL

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 23, 2000

Chicken Run

[Photo: DreamWorks] Rocky (voiced by Mel Gibson) cruises by a billboard for chicken pot pies, which is the ultimate fate for the fowls unable to escape the poultry farm in Chicken Run.

(G) Pure poultry in motion, from the animation team that won Academy Awards for the short subjects Creature Comforts, A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers.

Hens are trapped on an egg farm, plotting their escape like feathered Hogan's Heroes. A cocky rooster named Rocky (voice of Mel Gibson) literally flies into their midst, inspiring the hens to also learn to fly to freedom before the evil farmers turn them into pot pies.

First impressions: "Chicken Run is a delicious comedy inspired by The Great Escape and Stalag 17 with a dash of Schindler's List. An egg farm is exaggerated into a prison camp for laying hens hatching plans for escape. One brave chicken named Ginger leads the good fight like Steve McQueen with feathers. Nobody crosses any roads, but that's just about the only joke ignored by the script.

"All movements in characters, sets and backgrounds are formed by posing clay, rubber or foam models for a camera shot, then slightly bending them into position for the next shot. Models of differing dimensions are constructed for various camera angles. Keeping everything fluid is painstaking work at 24 frames per second, especially in crowded scenes.

"The result is as invigorating to the animation genre as Disney's computerized dinosaurs and toys, with the added valor of requiring more labor. Marvel at the procedure or simply sit back and enjoy the ingenious humor.

"Above all else, Chicken Run is a grand time at the movies, smartly written for all ages to enjoy. Like Babe and Toy Story, the film immediately announces that something special is happening here."

Second thoughts: Still on my short list of candidates for 10 best films of 2000.

Rental audience: kids of all ages, fans of Wallace and Gromit, war movie buffs with a sense of humor.

Rent it if you enjoy: clever chicken jokes, visual, verbal and over easy.

X-Men

(PG-13) The most popular comic book series in Marvel Comics history gets the live-action treatment from director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects).

Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: the Next Generation) plays Professor X, headmaster of a school designed to teach mutants how to harness their powers and deal with a human population distrusting them. One U.S. senator (Bruce Davison) even wants them registered, echoing Nazi actions before the Holocaust.

Professor X's newest pupils include Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), kind of a werewolf with metal claws, and Rogue (Anna Paquin) who can drain the life force from anyone with a single touch.

Those skills come in handy when Magneto (Ian McKellen) sends his bad-tempered mutants to avenge decades of prejudice from humans. X-Men winds up with the obligatory showdown, this time inside the Statue of Liberty, but Singer tempers the violence with uncommon emotion for such an adventure.

First impressions: "Filmmakers typically miss the point about comic books, focusing on the "pow' and "wham' panels for maximum eye-candy effect. Singer gets it right with X-Men. Singer does so many things differently from previous comic-book movies that viewers expecting pure dazzle may be disappointed.

"This type of fantasy is the last place anyone expects to find understatement, yet that is what (the film) approaches. X-Men has its share of artful special effects, but it's the characters that leave the best impressions.

"Singer ... (strips) down the X-Men and Magneto's gang to more human levels. Nobody wears colorful Spandex over dunes of muscle or masks concealing not-so-secret identities. They're ordinary people with powers that make them outcasts, the reason why some people retreat to comic books in the first place. There is plenty to learn about these characters, and sequels can be expected to offer it.

"X-Men succeeds because it makes superheroes seem like you and me. That is, if we could conjure lightning or shoot laser beams from our eyes. Singer (focuses) on one simple, humane fact: It's not easy being a mutant. Don't we all feel that way sometimes?"

Second thoughts: An encore viewing in a theater was equally pleasing. The shortage of big-bang scenes also means little will be lost in translation to home video.

Rental audience: Marvel Comics aficionados, moviegoers who appreciate some brains with their brawn.

Rent it if you enjoy: the X-Men comic book series, Tim Burton's Batman.

DVD: New and noteworthy for digital players: A victorious 'Gladiator'

Ridley Scott's rousing Roman Empire saga was the best movie of the summer, and now it's one of the best DVD values on the market.

We'll get to the movie later. The extra appeal is a second disc with bonus material that would usually inflate the $29.99 list price. (Discounts are available for smart shoppers, including Amazon.com's $17.99 bargain.) For the cost of an average DVD, you get one deserving a fancy "special/platinum/collectors/whatever" title that jacks up the price.

Scott provides audio commentary on an alternate track, and his low-key analysis is an interesting counterpoint to the grandeur and violence in scenes he's describing. He drops in tidbits of historical fact, validating details overlooked in theatrical viewings, with warm words for actor Oliver Reed (Proximus), who died during production.

The director also comments on deleted scenes, lending more depth to that standard DVD bonus than usual. His best matter-of-fact line occurs during a scene in which lions eat Christians in the arena: "I cut this scene out because I didn't think the lion ate the child very well. Too passive." Later, he explains why a grisly hospital scene was left out: "A lot of the stuff we shot we didn't show because it was a wee bit too gruesome. We wanted instead to play it more on (Maximus') face rather than to see what he saw."

Other scenes suggest co-stars Reed and Joaquin Phoenix (Commodus) lost some good scenes, while another was deleted to prevent Commodus' sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) from revealing her loyalties too soon. There are reasons why scenes are trimmed from films, mostly because they're dull. Scott provides good scenes with smart rationale -- and admirable regret -- for their deletion.

The bonus disc also includes a making-of-Gladiator documentary and another focused on the history of Roman gladiators. Composer Hans Zimmer describes his musical inspirations and decisions in another chapter. Young actor Spencer Treat Clark adds a wordy journal of his experiences on the set.

Storyboards, stills, trailers and TV ads, cast and crew information and background notes on the film's production complete the second disc. DVD producers should always be this generous.

Oh, yeah. There's a movie on the first disc, and it's a doozy. Gladiator is one of the great modern movie epics, starring Russell Crowe as Maximus, a Roman general admired by emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Maximus is chosen to take the old man's place on the throne, and his son Commodus (Phoenix) doesn't like that at all.

Commodus makes Maximus a slave, later sold to a wily blood sport promoter (Reed, deserving an Oscar nod). The ensuing arena battles are varied in odds, gender, species and choice of weapons but share an energy that is seldom seen anymore. It's been so long since sword-and-sandal movies were common that it all seems fresh. Gladiator, the movie and the DVD, are victors. We get the spoils.

We're thankful for these movies

REWIND: Videos worth another look

How's Thanksgiving going so far? Well, we hope, but there's always a chance that something -- a pesky relative, kitchen or travel problems or a football score -- will get on your nerves.

Try relaxing with these movies about other folks having it worse than you on Thanksgiving:

The Ice Storm: The Hood family isn't thankful for much. Dad (Kevin Kline) is having a dead-end affair with a neighbor (Sigourney Weaver). Mom (Joan Allen) is tired of his lies. Their son and daughter (Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci) are experimenting with drugs and sex. Now, a Thanksgiving ice storm is rolling in. Ang Lee's autopsy of 1970s family values is better with each viewing.

Home for the Holidays: Deserted for Thanksgiving by her daughter, then fired from her job, Claudia Larson must cope with her wacky family for the occasion. Holly Hunter adds another deliciously neurotic character to her resume. Directed by Jodie Foster with a well-seasoned ensemble cast, especially Anne Bancroft, Robert Downey Jr. and Charles Durning.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Neal Page (Steve Martin) just wants to make it home from a business trip in time for Thanksgiving. Every mode of transportation goes wrong in John Hughes' comedy. The worst is a freight train named John Candy, playing obnoxious shower curtain salesman Del Griffith. The big guy was never better.

Hannah and Her Sisters: Try spending Thanksgiving with Woody Allen -- two, in fact, in the year-long narrative of romance gone terribly wrong. Some people call this a comedy, but I'm not convinced. Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest won Oscars for their supporting roles.

The House of Yes: Parker Posey is a quirky treat for off-beat tastes in this black comedy. She plays Jackie-O, the first hint of her obsession with the former First Lady. Brother (Josh Hamilton) returns home for Thanksgiving, fiance (Tori Spelling) in tow, but no one told her about the siblings', um, close relationship. No Angelina Jolie jokes, please.

Scent of a Woman: College student Chris O'Donnell wants to make some money over the short holiday break. It seems even longer after he agrees to look after a blind, cantankerous veteran (Oscar winner Al Pacino). Their misadventures lead to New York, fancy cars, fine dining, gunplay and a memorable tango with ingenue Gabrielle Anwar. Hoo-rah!

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