“The Bourne Identity: Explosive Extended Edition”
Universal, $29.98
WHO’S IN IT: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper
RECAP: In an effort to drum up interest in this summer’s “Bourne” sequel, Universal has rereleased “The Bourne Identity” as a misleading and hardly more explosive–“extended” version.
BEST EXTRA: An alternate opening (which turns the movie into a flashback) and ending (which tries to rope secret agent Bourne back in) are included in the bonus features, but neither is incorporated into the actual film.
SECRETS REVEALED: The alternate opening and ending (with less killing and a more subtle tone) were shot in response to Sept. 11.
FEATURE TO SKIP: Alas, it’s been skipped for you, as this version drops director Doug Liman’s excellent commentary track.
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TRIVIA: Liman’s father, Arthur, was a key investigator in the Iran-Contra scandal.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: “Memento,” a much less glamorous take on amnesia.
RATING: 1 REMOTE
“The Dreamers”
Fox, $29.98
WHO’S IN IT: Michael Pitt, Eva Green, Louis Garrel
RECAP: Three very attractive young people convene in a Paris apartment for a series of erotic mind games, as directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, cinema’s master of the same.
BEST EXTRA: “Bertolucci makes ‘The Dreamers,’ ” a better than average making-of that features some surprisingly interesting behind-the-scenes interviews.
SECRETS REVEALED: Bertolucci says that he films all his movies in sequence, chronologically.
FEATURE TO SKIP: The music video of his version of “Hey Joe” by Pitt and his band the Twins of Evil.
TRIVIA: The homoerotic nature of author/screenwriter Gilbert Adair’s original novel was toned down, since he felt the movie had more than enough sexual shenanigans to keep viewers occupied.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: “Last Tango in Paris,” Bertolucci’s similar boundary-pushing ’70s masterpiece, starring Marlon Brando.
RATING: 3 REMOTES
COMING SOON
In stores next week:
– “The Big Bounce” (widescreen)
– “The Human Stain”
– “Starsky & Hutch” (widescreen)
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Kris Karnopp ([email protected])