Six made-for-TV movies based on sordid real-life incidents are being released on DVD this week by MPI at $9.98 each, under the umbrella title "The True Stories Collection." As you might expect, some are better than others, but all are sincere and manage to sustain interest, especially if you're a fan of the stars.
"If Someone Had Known" (1995) casts Kellie Martin as a teenage girl who marries an abusive husband (Ivan Sergei), but she's afraid to tell anyone, especially her police-detective father (Kevin Dobson).
"The Unspoken Truth" (1995) is another abusive-husband drama, this time with Lea Thompson marrying James Marshall against her parents' wishes. In this case, she also helps him cover up a murder, which lands them both in prison.
"High Lonesome" (1995, a k a "A Father for Charlie") benefits from a strong performance by Louis Gossett Jr. as a black man in a small town during the 1930s who is persecuted until he's befriended by a young white boy (Joseph Mazzello).
"The Disappearing Act" (1998, a k a "When He Didn't Come Home") stars Patty Duke as a mother who is convinced her son was murdered by his fiancee (Kelly Rowan), though the young woman puts on a good front.
"A Change of Heart" (1998, a k a "A Father for Brittany") has Andrew McCarthy as a man whose wife (Teri Polo) discovers she is dying of cancer in the midst of their adoption of a young girl. He eventually must sue for parental rights as a single father.
"Black & Blue" (1999) stars Mary Stuart Masterson as a young mother who's gone into hiding with her 9-year-old son, attempting to elude her abusive husband (Anthony LaPaglia), a police detective.
Other films new to DVD this week include a made-for-TV family film, Steve Martin's first starring film and a pair of theatrical disappointments.
"Wilder Days" (Paramount, 2003, PG, $14.99). This made-for-cable-TV movie has similarities to Tim Burton's "Big Fish," which was released the same year, though it's not quite as magical. Still, "Wilder Days" is a pretty good family-friendly yarn about an estranged father (Peter Falk) and son (Tim Daly) who can't see eye to eye regarding the tall tales Dad has told all his life. Daly's son (Josh Hutcherson) tries to bring them together, while helping Falk prove that the stories may not be as exaggerated as Daly thinks. Falk and Daly are both quite good, as is Hutcherson.
Extras: Widescreen, chapters.
"The Jerk: 26th Anniversary Edition" (Universal, 1979; R for sex, language; $19.98). Steve Martin is a very funny fellow, but his first starring film, directed by Carl Reiner, is certainly a mixed bag. A mishmash of skits developed from Martin's "wild-and-crazy" stand-up material (his youth as a "poor black child," cat juggling), some of which are very funny and some that are just silly or sleazy or both. The story has dim-bulb Navin Johnson heading for the big city and running into one weird character after another, but also finding love with Bernadette Peters. Fans won't be deterred, of course, but this reissue DVD is disappointing in its bonus features; none feature Martin or Reiner!
Extras: Widescreen, two comic featurettes, trailer, text production notes, language options (English, Spanish), subtitle options (English, French), chapters.
"The Upside of Anger" (New Line, 2004; R for language, sex, violence, drugs; $27.95). This comedy-drama starts off well, a look at an angry single mother (Joan Allen) who has been deserted by her philandering husband and left with their four grown daughters. She is then reluctantly romanced by a neighbor, a slovenly ex-baseball star (Kevin Costner) who hosts a radio talk show. There are some very nice moments in the first half, but then it starts to go downhill, culminating with a terrible twist ending that undermines everything that has gone one before.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary (Allen and director Mike Binder), deleted scenes, making-of featurette, trailers, subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
"King's Ransom" (New Line, 2005, PG-13, $27.95). Is there anything worse than a bad comedy? Not really. And they don't come much worse than this kidnapping farce with one flat gag after another. Anthony Anderson, Jay Mohr and the rest of the cast throw themselves into the material, but it's a train wreck.
Extras: Widescreen, audio commentary (with Anderson, Mohr and director Jeff Byrd), deleted scenes, bloopers, making-of featurette, trailers, subtitle options (English, Spanish), chapters.
E-mail: hicks@desnews.com