A wide variety of films have been released on DVD this week, ranging from recent films to not-so-golden oldies.
"Hidalgo" (Touchstone, 2004, PG-13, $29.99). This desert Western, supposedly based on a true story, is a rousing old-fashioned adventure, with Viggo Mortensen perfectly cast in a Gary Cooperish role as a laconic cowboy.
He accepts a challenge to race his mustang across the Ocean of Fire, 3,000 miles of Arabian desert, which makes him the first non-Arab to do so. And he finds that his competitors don't always play fair. But it helps that he's taken under the wing of a powerful sheik (wonderfully played by Omar Sharif).
It's extremely predictable, and the final third has a few too many lapses in logic. But the energetic direction (by Joe Johnston, of "October Sky" and "Jurassic Park III"), along with Mortensen's endearing performance, help smooth over most of the rough spots.
Extras: Separate widescreen and full-frame editions, making-of featurettes, trailers, language options (English, French, Spanish), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"Zorro Rides Again" (Image, 1937, b/w, not rated, $29.99). Noah Beery Sr. lends some heft to this 12-chapter Republic serial, though his scenes are a bit static. The veteran character actor plays the chief villain whose efforts to sabotage the construction in Mexico of the California-Yucatan Railroad are thwarted by Zorro (John Carroll).
Set in the modern day (1930s), the use of airplanes and autos, as well as horseback heroics, lift this serial a few notches above the norm, with typical cliffhanger sequences getting a boost from the stunt work of Yakima Canutt, perhaps the most revered stunt man in film history.
But does Zorro really have to sing?
Extras: Full frame, 12 episodes.
"Zorro's Black Whip" (Image, 1944, not rated, b/w, $29.99). This 12-chapter Republic serial is a real oddity. The only place there is a reference to Zorro is in the title. The hero here, dressed in a Zorro-like masked outfit, is called "The Black Whip," and the story is set in Idaho!
Actually, "The Black Whip" — a crusading newspaper man — is killed by bad guys in the first chapter. Then his sister takes over for the rest of the film, aided by an undercover federal agent (who also briefly dons the "Black Whip" persona).
Again, great stunt work by Yakima Canutt gives each chapter's cliffhanger an enormous boost.
Also on this disc is "The Bold Caballero" (1937), a more traditional Zorro film, which was filmed in color but is in black and white here. The most unique thing is that the chief Mexican bandit is played by veteran comic character actor Sig Ruman, who makes no attempt to hide his German accent!
Extras: Full frame, 12 episodes, "The Bold Caballero," chapters.
"The Princess Diaries: Special Edition" (Disney, 2001, G, $29.99, two discs). This re-issue of the Disney hit is just in time for the release of the sequel next week. Coincidence?
Despite the winning presence of both Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews, this movie suffers from a severe case of the contrived cutes and is way too long. Worse, too many comic scenes fall flat in the story of an awkward San Francisco teen who finds she's actually the princess of a small (fictional) European country.
But, hey, what do I know? Young girls love it.
The bonus features include both widescreen and full-frame versions of the film, deleted scenes (most of which should have remained deleted) and the usual interviews and outtakes.
Extras: Widescreen and full-frame options, making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, trailers, DVD-ROM applications, language options (English, French), subtitle options (English, French, Spanish), chapters.
"The Black Hole" (Disney, 1979, PG, $19.99). The first PG movie from the Disney company is a "Star Wars" rip-off of enormous proportions, but it's campy fun if you're in the mood. And what an odd amalgam of stars — Maximilian Schell (as a mad scientist in space who wants to explore a black hole), Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, Yvette Mimieux, Joseph Bottoms and Robert Forster. Silly and goofy, but enjoyable on a cartoon level.
Extras: Widescreen, making-of featurette, trailer, language options (English, Spanish), subtitle options (English, French), chapters.
"The Reckoning" (Paramount, 2004; R for violence, sex, language; $29.99). A 14th-century priest (Paul Bettany) who has broken his vows with a parishioner runs off to join a traveling troupe of actors (led by Willem Dafoe). And the next town finds them in the midst of a Middle Ages murder mystery. Interesting performances are not enough to redeem the film, however.
Extras: Widescreen, trailer, optional English subtitles, chapters.
"Ned Kelly" (Universal, 2004; R for violence, brief nudity; $29.98). Heath Ledger stars as an Irish bank robber in 1880s Australia who becomes a sort of Robin Hood in this remake of a Mick Jagger film. Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths and Geoffrey Rush also show up — but none of them really get a handle on their characters in this dark, talky Aussie Western. A bonus featurette about the real Ned Kelly is more interesting than the film.
Extras: Widescreen, making-of featurettes, trailers, language options (English, Spanish), subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com