Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Flynn”s best flicks out on DVD

On any list of the top action stars in Hollywood history, Errol Flynn has to rank at or near the top.

From the beginning of his career, which actually started in his sixth film, 1935’s “Captain Blood,” the 26-year-old Australian-born Flynn displayed the looks, the cockiness, the ability with a sword and, most of all, the charisma that an action star needs.

That’s why any true film fan should take note of the “Errol Flynn Signature Collection,” a six-disc DVD package that includes five of Flynn’s most famous films and a bonus documentary. The films, all of which are introduced by Leonard Maltin and include new making-of featurettes, newsreels and cartoons, are: “Captain Blood” (1935; 1:39), “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex” (1939; 1:46), “Dodge City” (1939; 1:44), “The Sea Hawk” (1940; 2:07) and “They Died With Their Boots On” (1941; 2:20) and “The Adventures of Errol Flynn (2005).

The only disappointment: Where is 1938’s “The Adventures of Robin Hood”? The good news is that you can purchase it in a special two-disc DVD edition that has lots of extras such as the Maltin introduction, newsreel, cartoon, a making-of featurette and more. (1:42).

“House of Flying Daggers”

•••

Renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou has lightened up a bit since the days in which he made such political films as “Red Sorgum” and “Raise the Red Lantern.” But maybe he’s lightened up a bit too much. “House of Flying Daggers” has less impact than his previous martial-arts offering, “Hero,” and is only a pale reflection of Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” The story Zhang follows involves a 7th-century Tang Dynasty government agent (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who goes undercover to follow a blind dancer (Zhang Ziyi), hoping that she will lead him and his partner (Andy Lau) to the home of the rebel force called, appropriately enough, The House of Flying Daggers. The visuals are amazing, whether we’re talking about daggers that have minds of their own, actress Zhang doing the “echo dance” or men fighting so long that the seasons pass without their taking a pause. Director Zhang may be having just fun, but he makes it look effortless. (DVD, VHS; 1:59; rated PG-13 for sequences of stylized martial arts violence, sexuality)

“Birth”

•••

After her husband dies, a New York socialite (Nicole Kidman) is approached by a young boy (Cameron Bright) who claims to be her husband reincarnated. The story, unfortunately, doesn’t add up to much. But the style of filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (“Sexy Beast”) is intriguing, which proves that sometimes style can trump a lack of substance, and Kidman is always good at roles that require her to adopt the deer-caught-in-the-headlight look. (DVD, VHS; 1:40; rated R for nudity, sexuality)

“Meet the Fockers”

••1/2

Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) brings his fiancée (Teri Polo) and her parents (Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner) home to meet his parents (Barbra Streisand, Dustin Hoffman). It’s only natural, since there are so many competing personalities – ultra-supportive Fockers, De Niro’s ultra-uptight ex-CIA agent Jack – that pandemonium ensues. Most of it involving Hoffman and Streisand is funny. The rest is as painful to endure as the film’s too-obvious title is crass. (DVD, VHS; 1:48; rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, brief drug reference)

1“After the Sunset”
2“Finding Neverland”
3“Closer”
4“Ladder 49”
5“The Incredibles”
6“Fat Albert”
7“Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason”
SOURCE: www.billboard.com

Now available: “Birth,” “House of Flying Daggers,” “Meet the Fockers,” “Dynasty: The Complete First Season,” “A Love Song for Bobby Long,” “Errol Flynn Signature Collection” (DVD only).

Available Tuesday: “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” “Blade: Trinity,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.”.