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M O V I E S

all movies graded out of four stars ()

New Releases
In Brief

Poster!

Becoming Jane (PG)
BUY THE: Soundtrack! | Movie Book!
The Nanny Diaries (PG-13)
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Given the popular and critical results yielded by its Shakespeare in Love nearly ten years ago, it's unsurprising that Miramax would want to take a similar tack with another classic author whose work has provided fodder for many a film; even more unsurprising, still, that the subject would end up being Jane Austen. But unlike Stephen Frears's film, Julian Jerrold's tale of young Jane's (Anne Hathaway) family-defying, Pride and Prejudice-inspiring romance with an Irish law student (James McAvoy) fails to capture either the sprightly spirit and poignant pathos of its subject's famous works. Instead, this film confirms the stereotypes about British costume dramas: slow, stoic, and icy cold. For all the talk of wit, it's in tragically short supply, as is any real sign of life, as Hathaway and McAvoy strike no spark together or apart as they go through the formula motions.

The trail blazed by Hathaway's hit of last summer, The Devil Wears Prada, is treaded most slavishly by an adaptation of another chick lit bestseller, Emma MLaughlin and Nicola Kraus's The Nanny Diaries; in fact, simply trade out Hathaway for Scarlett Johansson as the employee, Meryl Streep for Laura Linney as the employer, and the world of fashion magazines to snooty Upper East Side high society, and you have vaguely the same film. However, writers-directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini apply some of the visual invention they displayed in (the vastly different) American Splendor to lend some freshness and style to this story of a slumming college grad (Johansson) who gets more than she bargained for when she takes up a nanny position for demanding, high-maintenance "Mrs. X" (Linney). What really gives the film some unique appeal, though, are its above-the-line stars: the grande dame bit isn't exactly demanding territory for Linney, but she reliably gives her all; and Johansson displays ample warmth and charm in her first true leading lady gig.

Mr. Bean's Holiday (G)
The belated feature film follow-up for Rowan Atkinson's globally popular, mugging man-child finds the character going back to basics of sorts, as the film does not have the straight-ahead storyline of 1997's Bean but instead uses its nominal plotline--Bean wins a trip to the south of France; chaos ensues en route--as a clothesline to hang his trademark slapsticky, virtually silent vignettes. But like any sketch comedy, the episodes are hit-and-miss, and when it comes to something as simple as the basic Bean formula (invariably, his naive clumsiness leads him into some sort of mess, which quickly escalates into full-scale disaster for himself and others), the episodes become all the more repetitive and wearying when stretched to feature length.

The Nines (R)
Greg (Ryan Reynolds) is a television actor sentenced to house arrest after a drug-related car wreck. Or is he really Gavin (also Reynolds), a hot young television writer, whose frustrations with network executives on his latest pilot are detailed by a reality television crew? Or is he really Gabriel (Reynolds again), the lead character in said pilot, whose family trip in the mountains takes a deadly turn? Or is he actually--no kidding--the most powerful "G" of them all? Making his feature directing debut, screenwriter John August revisits the three-story structure he first tackled in the terrific Doug Liman-directed Go, but here he has more on his mind than Tarantino-esque time-looping--namely, the overlapping but not necessarily interlocking dream logic of a David Lynch. But whereas Lynch's (in)famous flights of fancy, even at its most maddeningly inscrutable, feels like his organic manner of expression, August's stabs at surrealism are strained. It's no accident that the section that plays the strongest is the most straightforward, the middle TV writer story, which perhaps in keeping with its obviously indulgent origins is the only one that builds to its own recognizable point. The other two fail to satisfy as individual directing exercises, let alone individual stories, and all three don't congeal into the grand sum profundity that August so clearly is striving to suggest--despite employing valiant efforts by Reynolds (who, between this and Smokin' Aces, is showing that he actually does have some acting chops), Hope Davis, and Melissa McCarthy in all three segments.

Resurrecting the Champ (PG-13)
BUY THE: Poster!
Josh Hartnett, Samuel L. Jackson, and a cast of other solid pros including Kathryn Morris, Alan Alda, and an all-too-little-seen Harry Lennix effortlessly deliver strong performances, but the straining efforts of director Rod Lurie and writers Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett are all too obvious in this story of an an upstart journalist (Hartnett) happens upon a career-making scoop when he discovers a homeless man (Jackson) is a former champion boxer. The most intriguing element is the Jackson character (especially once the story makes a turn that is sadly divulged by Yari Film Group's tell-all marketing), but he's used more as a tool to achieve other ends than his own: to prop up and spur along the Hartnett character on his journey to self-fulfillment (yes, it's another of those films), and, most stridently, to forcibly wring tears from the audience--and it's hard to have a genuine emotional response when the manipulative mechanics are all too strongly felt.

Self Medicated (R)
Monty Lapica's festival award winner is quite obviously a labor of love for the first-time writer-director-actor. This story of a 17-year-old who falls into substance abuse to cope with his father's death only to then be shipped off to a less-than-reputable rehab facility by his also-addicted mother (Diane Venora), has moments of raw, immediate emotion that underscore the fact that it is inspired by Lapica's own real-life story. However, there is something to be said about taking a step back from the material, and while he gives a decent performance in the lead, Lapica simply looks too old to the point of distraction from the story he's trying to tell. A more seasoned director would have recognized the need for an age-appropriate actor for the story to fully resonate, not to mention a more seasoned writer would steer clear of false, assembly-line contrivances--such as a soul-bearing talk with a random homeless man who happens to be one of those Mystical People of Color who point our lily-white hero in the right direction--that ultimately overpower the elements that do ring true.

September Dawn (R)
BUY THE: Poster! | Soundtrack!
Christopher Cain's docudrama about the Mountain Meadow Massacre of 1857 has been surrounded by controversy for placing the blame for the slaughter of a large California-bound Christian wagon train squarely on Brigham Young (here played by Terence Stamp) and the Mormon church. While the Church of Latter Day Saints do have good reason to complain, they're probably giving this film more attention than it otherwise would receive. The event itself is prime material for a potentially riveting exploration of the rather complex tension between reason and religious zealotry--and the devastating results when the latter wins out--but Cain and co-scripter Carole Whang Schutter choose to play the events in the most broad and trite strokes possible. All members of the Mormon church are portrayed as intolerant hatemongers largely concerned with adding wives to their collection and getting rid of "gentiles"--that is, except for the idealistic eldest son (Trent Ford) of an über-fanatic bishop (Jon Voight, just missing a moustache to twirl) who falls for a sweet, beatifically-lit young lady (Tamara Hope) on the wagon train. Contriving a faux Romeo and Juliet romance as a point of entry for the audience shows how unimaginative the filmmakers are, and how blandly and uninvolving it plays shows how fairly clueless they are in going about their game plan. Some credit is due to Cain for not softpedaling the violence for a PG-13, but one doesn't feel the cost of the carnage on the side of both victim and perpetrator; a rather cheap-looking castration scene is reflective of how exploitative the enterprise instead feels.

Skid Row
The cynical knee-jerk reaction to reading about this documentary in which Pras Michel goes undercover for nine days as a homeless man on L.A.'s Skid Row would be to label it a vanity project or a publicity stunt to drum up interest in the rapper's post-Fugees career. Whatever the initial motivation to do the project, Ross Clarke, Niva Dorell, and Marshall Tyler's film is an eye-opening and necessary look at a large, plain-view problem that most people would simply rather ignore. There are the expected moments where Pras experiences withdrawal from his usual luxuries (namely, he misses his BlackBerry) and discovers how hard it is to make a barely sustainable amount through panhanding (naively, he blows his first day's unusually decent take on a single lunch at the Standard hotel), not to mention the bleak views of drug use and violence. But the main idea that emerges from the film is not of poverty, substance abuse, hunger, or crime--but of isolation, which is the ironically unifying element in this sizable population; connection is the one thing the people crave the most, a fact highlighted by how quickly a number of the denizens open themselves to Pras. The undercover element of the film sometimes gets too much play, as "suspense" over whether his hidden camera or his not-so-incognito camera crew takes away screen time from learning about more of the people he encounters. Thankfully, neither he nor the directors nor any interviewees put forth any sweeping solution ideas; their stated intent is to merely shine a necessary light on the issue, and hopefully enough people will get a chance to see the film to receive the message.

Splinter (R)
Two reliable acting pros, Tom Sizemore and Edward James Olmos, do what they do best in this gritty crime drama: Sizemore gets ample opportunity to deliciously, appropriately, chew the scenery as a cop of questionable integrity, and Olmos lends his dignified gravitas to the role of a police captain. If only Michael D. Olmos's (Edward's son) film focused on them. Instead, the main concern is the mystery surrounding the murder of a gang leader, which is investigated by both Sizemore's straight-arrow rookie partner (Resminé Atis) and the gang leader's brother (Enrique Almeida, who co-wrote the script with the director and Adrian Cruz), who not only was there when it happened, the killshot bullet is lodged in his skull and has rendered him partly amnesiac. There's some promise in the central idea, but any audience investment it could have generated is done in by the performances either awkward (Almeida) or downright amateurish (Atis). The terrific animated main titles and some clever visual flourishes such as a cheeky western-style standoff with a floating plastic paper bag as an ersatz tumbleweed show Olmos to be an interesting stylist, and one is interested in what other, better films he can make in the future.

Superbad (R)
BUY THE: Poster! | Soundtrack!
This raunchy teen comedy isn't the "supergood" laugh-a-second spectacular the hype would lead you to believe; a more apt title would be "just right." Director Greg Mottola and writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg take a fairly thin premise--one very long night in which less-than-cool best friends Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, who share a very believable buddy rapport) attempt to deliver booze to a party and hope to get lucky with their respective objects of desire--and milk it for what it's worth, no more, no less. Ribald repartée is the engine that drives the script, and the lead duo are nimble with the often-foul one-liners and fearless with the go-for-broke comic situations--as are Rogen, Bill Hader, and newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse in an amusing side story in which Seth and Evan's ultrageeky acquaintance Fogell, a.k.a. "McLovin" (Mintz-Plasse) takes an unexpected night-long joyride with two less-than-upstanding cops (Rogen and Hader). The pace does flag a bit as it goes along, making the film somewhat feel as long as the characters' night, but the performers' energy and impeccably assembled '70s funk soundtrack carry the film to a satisfying, surprisingly touching finish.

In Current Release

• The Bourne Ultimatum (PG-13)
• Chak De! India
• El Cantante (R)
• Hot Rod (PG-13)
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (PG-13)
• The Invasion (PG-13)
• The Last Legion (PG-13)
• Marigold (PG-13)
• No Reservations (PG)
• Rush Hour 3 (PG-13)
• Stardust (PG-13)
• Underdog (PG)
• Who's Your Caddy? (PG-13)

Future Films

• This Christmas (opens November 21)
• Why Did I Get Married? (opens October 12)

D V D & V I D E O

all movies graded out of four stars ()

The Astronaut Farmer (PG)
Movie: ; Disc:
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Never mind that this fairly straightforward story of a southern farmer (Billy Bob Thornton) who obsessively pursues his dream of launching into outer space is a departure for the eccentric fraternal filmmaking pair of Michael and Mark Polish--its unironically square, Capra-esque, shamelessly feel-good Americana vibe is a departure from this very time period. But what could easily have come off as preposterous or, worse yet, downright corny is made rather poignant and genuinely uplifting and inspiring, thanks to the unwavering, unwinking commitment of the Polish Brothers and their actors. Thornton and Virginia Madsen do standout work, and more importantly share a very natural husband-wife rapport,that gives the film a solidly realistic emotional bedrock for the more fanciful elements of the story--which are, in turn, sold by the very impressive effects work. Everyone involved has full belief in the universal core of the material--a dreamer and his family--and the pure sincerity makes even the most skeptical of viewers believe that a simple farmer can, indeed, launch a rocket into space.

The probability of something like the movie's course of events actually taking place, however, is quickly debunked by NASA astronaut David Scott in a brief "conversation" featurette with him; however, he's just as quick to defend the film's flights of factual fancy in the name of old-fashioned entertainment. "How to Build a Rocket: The Making of The Astronaut Farmer" is a half-hour behind-the-scenes featurette that was obviously made for air on pay cable, but it's a solid making-of documentary that goes beyond the normal promo-minded special in offering a rather extensive look at all angles of the production. Similarly, the token gag reel also includes amusing outtakes from the talking-head EPK shoot in addition to bloopers from filming. Oddly excluded from the disc, however, are any trailers or TV spots.

Specifications: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame; English 5.1 Surround; English, French, and Spanish subtitles; English closed captioning. (Warner Home Video)

The Hit
Movie:
BUY THE: DVD!
Writer-director Ryan Combs deserves some credit for attempting to make a film centering on a character in the hip-hop music industry who wants to make a positive impact in the inner city community. That core idea is probably how he was able to snag no less than Blair Underwood for the lead role of Hen (an apparent holdover from Combs's 1999 film Straight Out of Compton, in which the writer-director played the character), a former street hustler-turned-music mogul who wants to unite other rap record labels into a confederation apart from the big distribution conglomerates so as to keep their profits and make charitable contributions. A silly subplot about two up-and-coming rappers (DeRay Davis and Erick Nathan) who are unknowingly seeing the same woman (an amateurish Daya Vaidya) eats up valuable screen time from the always-commanding Underwood. Then again, he doesn't have much of anything to work with here; he easily outclasses everything else in this production by miles, whether his co-stars or Combs's direction and script, which for all of its declared noble intentions ends up devolving into gangster/mobster cliché, becoming no different from similar urban crime dramas that litter the video shelves--which goes a long way toward explaining why this film, which carries a 2004 copyright, is only seeing release now.

Specifications: 1.85:1 letterbox; English stereo. (Codeblack Entertainment)

Kung Fu Hustle Axe-Kickin' Edition (R)
Movie: ; Disc:
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Stephen Chow's absolutely insane comic tribute to classic martial arts films and stars finally sees an official American release in its original, undiluted Hong Kong form, as this single-disc special edition restores splashes of blood and other bodily excretions that were digitally released from the 2005 stateside theatrical release. Unlike the cases of a lot of Asian imports, the differences between the original and edited versions are fairly minimal, leaving the main drawing card for this DVD to be an assortment of new supplements. A couple produced by Comedy Central--a very brief interview segment with Chow and outtakes from this interview--are nothing special, but far more substantial are separate featurettes focusing on the film's fight choreography, period production design, and costume design, and a storyboard comparison for the hilarious knife-throwing sequence early in the film. Two features retained from the original DVD release round out the disc: a half-hour chat with Chow conducted by Asian Cult Cinema writer Ric Meyers, who does ask some insightful questions once you get past the fanboy fawning; and a "Clean Out Pig Sty Alley" DVD-ROM game.

Specifications: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen; Cantonese/Mandarin and English 5.1 Surround; French Dolby Surround; English and French subtitles; English closed captioning. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Pathfinder
Movie: ; Disc:
BUY THE: Poster! | DVD! | Soundtrack! | Graphic Novel!
According to one of the numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes on the DVD, Marcus Nispel's Vikings-vs.-Native Americans adventure was originally conceived as a completely silent film, and watching the final film, one wishes that the concept were allowed to arrive on screen intact. One also kind of gets the sense that Nispel himself shares the sentiment, as he (with the spectacular aid of cinematographer Daniel C. Pearl) expends most of his energy crafting exquisite, eloquent, and powerful images that alone do a more than adequate job of telling this simple story of a Norse-born, Native American-raised man (Karl Urban) helping his adoptive family defend their land and themselves from barbaric Viking invaders. All basic interest, to say nothing of excitement, is sapped whenever the big, brutal battle sequences come to a halt and inane dialogue takes over. A romantic subplot between Urban and the female lead, Moon Bloodgood, feels even more forced than most love stories in action films; instead of adding emotional stakes to the mayhem, it's a tedious distraction that kills any momentum the film comes close to building.

Although the film was far from a hit, not to mention it obviously wasn't a pet project for the studio (the film's release was pushed back more than once), Fox has assembled a nice DVD treatment for the film--or, rather, treatments, as the R-rated theatrical cut and a longer (by 7 minutes) unrated director's cut are available separately. Both editions feature a serviceable commentary track by Nispel and about ten minutes worth of understandably excised scenes with optional Nispel commentary. The unrated disc has six behind-the-scenes featurettes, all clocking in at around the five-minute range. While these segments, covering a variety of aspects of the production from the conception, shoot, design, and stunts to Nispel on the set and a spotlight on actor Clancy Brown (who plays the villain), are fairly informative, they don't cut too much deeper than your standard EPK promo materials--and, indeed, these segments originally appeared at the MySpace Trailer Park page to promote the theatrical release. More interesting and insightful is the four-minute concept trailer that Nispel and producer Mike Medavoy used to drum up investor interest. Shot in a day, this impressive short does play up what would be the final product's best qualities: powerful images and brutal action. Needless to say, the concept trailer features not one word of dialogue.

Specifications: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen; English DTS; English 5.1 Surround; French and Spanish Dolby Surround; English and Spanish subtitles; English closed captioning. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

TMNT (PG)
Movie: ; Disc:
BUY THE: Poster! | DVD! | Blu-Ray! | HD DVD! | Soundtrack! | Video Game!
This spring's hit CG animated take on Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's venerable cult comic creations Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was, in my estimation, the first big-screen iteration of the brand to truly deserve to carry the name. Whereas the jokey live action franchise of the early '90s never passed up an opportunity to pander to the kiddies at the expense of the original source material's gritty and mature atmosphere, director Kevin Munroe finds the right balance between all-ages accessibility and hard-hitting martial arts action.

Munroe's enthusiasm for the property and this particular film comes through in his informative feature commentary, and Warner Home Video has taken similar care in assembling this fully-loaded platter, which includes both the widescreen and full-frame versions of the film. A selection of deleted scenes include a comic-book style alternate open and an extended ending in which Casey Jones (voiced by Chris Evans) proposes to April (Sarah Michelle Gellar); all of the excised footage is in varying stages of completion and is accompanied by commentary by Munroe (which, unfortunately, cannot be turned off). There are also storyboard comparisons and test footage for a couple of key sequences as well as brief but not insubstantial featurettes on the imaging and animation style and the voice cast. Much like the film proper, the DVD package should please kids and adult fans alike.

Specifications: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full frame; English, French, and Spanish 5.1 Surround; English, French, and Spanish subtitles. (Warner Home Video)

TV Sets

Poster!

Dallas specifications: 1.33:1 full frame; English Dolby Digital mono; English subtitles. Dynasty specifications: 1.33:1 full frame; English, Spanish, and Portuguese Dolby Digital mono; English, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles; English closed captioning. (Dallas: Warner Home Video; Dynasty: CBS DVD/Paramount Home Entertainment)

Desperate Housewives The Complete Third Season: The Dirty Laundry Edition
Disc:
BUY THE: Poster! | DVD! | Soundtrack! | Book! | Cookbook! | Video Game! | Board Game!
While one waits for the resolution of the big season three cliffhanger--no, not if neighborhood slut Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) survived an apparent suicide attempt; the big mystery is if the disturbingly gaunt-looking Teri Hatcher will eat a sandwich and gain an ounce or two--now's a good time to revisit the whole 2006-2007 creative rebound from the wildly uneven, overpopulated, and underthought season two. (Seriously, how could creator/executive producer Marc Cherry add someone as terrific as Alfre Woodard as a series regular and leave her virtually unconnected to the core cast with virtually nothing to do before hastily writing her out?) From the get-go, the most glaring mistake of the 2005-2006 season is righted: the new character at the center of the focal plot arc, mysterious dentist Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), is firmly entrenched in the existing canvas by doing no less than marrying one of the titular housewives, namely the widowed Bree van de Kamp (Marcia Cross). Cross's sensitive real-life pregnancy necessitated that storyline--another murder mystery--to be resolved well short of season's end, but there's plenty more "dirty laundry" to savor: whether Susan Mayer's (Hatcher) divided affections between new fiancé Ian Hansworth (Dougray Scott) and amnesiac old flame Mike Delfino (James Denton); freshly divorced Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) being romanced by now-wealthy former neighborhood kid Zach Young (Cody Kasch, in a nice use of the show's history) and then sinking her hooks into a mayoral candidate (John Slattery); Edie falling for Gabi's ex-hubby Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira); Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) feeling a growing attraction to her restaurant's new chef (Jason Gedrick) while her husband Tom (Doug Savant) recuperates from a back injury; and, in the season's best episode, Tom's drama with his annoying babymama (Kiersten Warren) comes to a bloody end at a supermarket. Cherry also has the sense to cut short certain elements that don't work: namely, the bland character of Edie's "hunky" teen nephew Austin (Josh Henderson), who is sent packing midseason--but not without leaving behind the seeds (in every sense) for some juicy future storyline involving Bree and her daughter Danielle (Joy Lauren).

There are no commentary tracks on any of the episodes, but Cherry does talk over the brief collection of fairly inconsequential deleted scenes. More detailed thoughts on the season by Cherry and the cast are given in two brisk but insightful featurettes, "Desperate Moments: Reflections on a Season" and "Cherry-Picked: Marc Cherry's Favorite Scenes." Behind the scenes looks come courtesy of a routine blooper reel and two featurettes: "Here Comes the Bride," which covers the design of the season's three wedding ceremonies; and On Set with Eva." The latter may seem like worthless celebrity fawning judging by the title, especially considering Longoria's off-screen engagement and nuptials garnered substantial press during this season, but it's an amusing and honestly overdue spotlight on the cast member who is the most unsung in terms of acting ability and fierce comic prowess. The best supplement, though, points out how this good set could have been a great one: a featurette in which a highly amused Cherry takes his first look at footage from the first episode of the Argentinean novela version of the show, Amas de Casa Desesperadas. Considering this is not so much an adaptation than a verbatim, Van Sant-style shot-for-shot redo, it would have been wonderful to include the entire pilot episode of this version with optional Cherry commentary track. (Are you listening, producers of the future season four set?)

Specifications: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen; English 5.1 Surround; Spanish Dolby Surround; English subtitles. (Buena Vista Home Entertainment)

The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season
Disc:
BUY THE: Poster! | DVD! | Soundtrack!
Like the series proper, Fox's series of DVD season sets for the animation institution The Simpsons is remarkably consistent in its excellence; the tenth go-round is no exception. The 23 episodes that make up the 1998-1999 season do have their share of highlights on their own, from the first non-Halloween themed anthology episode ("Simpsons Bible Stories") and the family going to Tokyo to a memorable "Treehouse of Horror" tale about a killer toupée and Homer becoming a found artist to the final appearance of the late Phil Hartman as Troy McClure.

Given the reliably high quality of the show--and how producing it is a year-round operation--creator Matt Groening and company would be forgiven for giving a bare minimum effort to the supplements, but, again, they have maintained the high bar they set from season one. A studio tour is the theme for the box art, liner notes, and menu design, and while they are amusing and impressive to general audiences, they are even more so for those of us familiar with the Fox studio lot, on which the designs are based. There are commentaries on all of the episodes, all of them featuring executive producer/show runner Mike Scully, most of them featuring Groening, and one including guest star Mark Hamill. Deleted scenes and multi-angle looks at animatics and storyboards are included for nearly all of the episodes. Disc four of the set houses most of the special features, most intriguing of which is a look at the design process for the animated disc menus. TV ads for Butterfinger and the Australian snack chip CC's, a sketch gallery, a montage of the hilarious crank calls to Moe's Tavern over the years, and a deleted musical number from The Simpsons Movie round out another superlative set.

Specifications: 1.33:1 full frame; English 5.1 Surround; French and Spanish stereo; English and Spanish subtitles; English closed captioning. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)

Ugly Betty The Complete First Season: The Bettyfied Edition
Disc:
BUY THE: Poster! | DVD!
Exactly one year ago, some American television networks came to the conclusion that the future of stateside television lie in homegrown versions of the sudsy south-of-the-border staple known as the telenovela. Flash forward twelve months, and the network that built its entire lineup on the genre, upstart MyNetworkTV, has completely overhauled its schedule to be completely novela-free after suffering disastrous ratings; while ABC has a Golden Globe-winning, multiple Emmy-nominated, Thursday night tentpole in its adaptation of the much-celebrated (and -remade) Colombian novela Yo Soy Betty, la Fea (I Am Betty, the Ugly). Why did Ugly Betty become an instant runaway success where other shows failed? The reasons are quite clearly spelled out in the 23 episodes spread across Buena Vista's six-disc "Bettyfied Edition." Mere five-nights-a-week primetime scheduling does not a true novela make, nor does direct translation necessarily mean duplicating the genre's success in the American market--which Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta quite obviously took to heart. Certain sensibilities and the storytelling pace has been adapted to the stateside weekly television norm but without sacrificing go-for-broke outrageousness and addictive twists of novela plotting--which have been embraced with equal parts heart and knowing tongue-in-cheek. It's a very delicate balance, and the main reason this intentionally overheated stew works is front and center on the box art: America Ferrera, who as the titular ugly duckling staffer at high fashion magazine Mode, brings the bespectacled, braces-sporting, walking fashion disaster Betty Suarez to life in every sense. Fearless in both tackling physical comedy and emotional vulnerability, Ferrera's Betty is a likable, fun, and relatably real center to all the outrageously amusing artifice around her.

Fans will not be disappointed by Buena Vista's jam-packed set. Commentaries by various principals ranging from Horta and pilot director Richard Shepard to cast members Vanessa Williams (who plays Mode's resident scheming viper Wilhelmina) and Eric Mabius (as Betty's womanizing boss Daniel) are provided on four episodes; with the exception of a disappointingly sluggish track in which Mabius is joined by a very tired-sounding executive producer/guest star Salma Hayek (whose passion for the project comes through nonetheless), these are as fun and funny as they are informative, exuding a live-wire energy that matches the show proper. A 20-minute reel of understandably deleted scenes is a nice treat, but grouping them all on the final disc is a bit of a baffling decision; it would have made more sense to have the scenes grouped with the episodes from which they were cut. A four-minute blooper reel is vaguely amusing but largely of the you-had-to-be-there variety. Best of all, however, are the behind the scenes featurettes. "Becoming Ugly" is a succinct but comprehensive look at how the show was adapted to American television; thank the television gods that the original approach--a half-hour-sitcom--was abandoned in favor of the one-hour dramedy-soap it is now. "À la Mode: The Style of Ugly Betty" is fairly self-explanatory, covering the quirky costume and equally distinctive production design of the series. Easily the most fascinating of the featurettes is "Green Is the New Black," a revelatory and downright astonishing look at the extensive use of green screen compositing on this show; one would have never guessed that just about all the scenes that do not take place in either the Mode offices or Betty's house are shot on all-green soundstages, with meticulously constructed CGI sets added in post. I guess Hayek picked up a few handy technical shortcuts and tricks after doing all of those movies with Robert Rodriguez.

Specifications: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen; English 5.1 Surround; Spanish Dolby Surround; English, Spanish, and French subtitles. (Buena Vista Home Entertainment)

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