“Runaway Jury”
Fox, $27.98
WHO’S IN IT: John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman
RECAP: A John Grisham legal thriller about the lengths to which jury consultants will go to stack a jury in their favor.
BEST EXTRA: A feature on old friends Hackman and Hoffman, who worked together for the first time.
SECRETS REVEALED: The detailed courtroom set drew subtle design inspiration from not just Southern iconography but other classic courtroom thrillers.
FEATURE TO SKIP: The Making of “Runaway Jury” is just a promotional fluff piece.
TRIVIA: Not only did Hackman flunk out of acting school, but when he and fellow aspiring actor Hoffman were looking for work, they used to sit at night on the roof of the New York building they lived in and play bongos.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: “12 Angry Men,” the classic Henry Ford jury drama.
RATING: 4 REMOTES
“Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator”
Palm Pictures, $24.99
WHO’S IN IT: Mark “Gator” Rogowski, Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero
RECAP: The documentary tracks Rogowski’s rapid rise through the ranks of professional skateboarding, his early celebrity and ultimately his arrest for rape and murder.
BEST EXTRA: A host of footage from several skate videos, featuring Gator at his most arrogant (and sometimes at his most nude).
SECRETS REVEALED: Gator once punched out a police officer, then politely waited for him to get up and arrest him.
FEATURE TO SKIP: Gator’s creepy transcribed confession to the rape and murder feels too invasive.
TRIVIA: Gator was obsessed with MTV host “Downtown” Julie Brown.
More Top Picks Best Wireless Headphones For Studying
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” the great documentary about the origins of California’s skate scene.
RATING: 3 REMOTES
COMING SOON
In stores next week:
– “Chappelle’s Show–Season 1”
– “Matchstick Men”
– “The Missing”
– “Queer as Folk–The Complete Third Season”
———-
Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Drew Sottardi ([email protected])