New DVDs: 'Adventureland,' 'Duplicity'

A trio of good smart movies hit the DVD shelves in recent weeks, competing for best in show in these dog days: "Adventureland," "Duplicity" and "Tyson."

"Adventureland" comes from the same guy who busted out with "Superbad," but don't hold it against this dandy coming-of-age movie, set in a low-rent amusement park. 

The movie drew great reviews but failed to find much of an audience, ticketing only $15 million at the domestic boxoffice (compared with $121 million for "Superbad"). Here's hoping the midway movie finds its audience on home video.

The movie pinballs from comedy to drama to romance, propped up by familiar story elements -- basically, a lost young man finds himself with the help of friends wise and foolish, and falls in love along the way. 

The star is Jesse Eisenberg ("The Squid and the Whale") and the leading young lady is current hot property Kristen Stewart ("Twilight"). The film comes packed with good performances.

Director-writer Greg Mottola based the story on his "ridiculous job" working in a Long Island park during the "fateful summer" of 1984. While the movie embraces the decade, especially in its hair and music, Mottola says he guarded against "Adventureland" "becoming a long cheap joke on the '80s."

The music certainly makes a case for the era. 

Mottola says in the DVD extra features that his script specified songs for each scene -- mostly atmospheric rock songs that haven't been overplayed. And so we have the Replacements, Big Star, Husker Du and the Cure -- with Lou Reed imported from the '60s and '70s to provide a few songs and a plot element. It's as if Madonna never existed. Yo La Tengo does the "Adventureland" score. 

The movie sounds solid, especially on the Blu-ray. The video looks good enough, although the production's low budget becomes apparent at times.

Extras on the Miramax DVD and Blu-ray of "Adventureland" include a few (weak) deleted scenes, a hilarious piece on the nads-busting kid, a fashion skit with park vixen Lisa P, and some more dumb ads and videos from the pretend park. (Hint: Watchers of the credits are rewarded.) 

Mottola does the commentary track with star Eisenberg, although it's mostly the director's talk.

"The last thing I'd ever recommend is looking back on your youth and trying to figure it out and make a movie about it," he says, mostly joking.

"Duplicity" writer-director Tony Gilroy has a few good war stories on his commentary track, such as what it's like to shoot superstar actress Julia Roberts on the streets of midtown Manhattan (immediate chaos).

Gilroy's movie repaired Roberts with Clive Owen ("Closer"), in a tale of corporate spies turning on their handlers. "Duplicity" certainly looks all high-tech modern, but its roots are in the caper films of the 1960s, such as "Charade." Some critics found the darkly funny film too smart for its own good, but I had a great time.

Universal Studios' Blu-ray of "Duplicity" is super sharp and dimensional, a showcase presentation. In a show of class, the disc opens immediately with the menu for the film (unlike "Adventureland," which has Disney's usual parade of promos and trailers).

Gilroy's commentary (done with editor and co-producer John Gilroy) serves as the only extra feature.

The brothers talk at length about the film's opening flashback scene, set in Dubai, which resulted from studio execs' notes. Placing the "throwaway scene" at the film's beginning changed the film dramatically, they say, making the story less confusing. Regardless, viewers need to remain engaged to hang with the fast-moving, time-shifting plot.

Director Gilroy talks about his great relief upon discovering that Roberts wasn't too cool for school -- the actress was "so cool, so sweet" and so helpful in finishing the movie.

"Tyson" director James Toback has mostly good things to say about the subject of his in-your-face film about the combustible former heavyweight champ. 

Viewers, though, are left to make up their own minds about the uber-boxer and his elaborate spin on his past. In a way, "Tyson" is as much a self-portrait as a documentary. 

Mike Tyson had just emerged from rehab when filming began. The retired boxer agreed to let Toback make the final call on all content in the movie, which consists almost entirely of the boxer sifting though his past. (The movie was shot before his young daughter died.)

Tyson's voice has an odd, slightly hypnotic quality -- more mature and resonant now -- that stands up to the movie's running time. He sits for the camera (the tattooed face you get used to, honest), sometimes wandering around a swimming pool and an L.A. beach.

No one else appears in the live action scenes. When the film cuts away from Tyson, it's for fight footage, archival news clips and images. All of Tyson's highlights and lowlights are there -- this is no fan movie.

Toback says Tyson often sat in silence while the camera ran. At times, he's on the verge of tears. Otherwise, he's in control, offering explanations, rationalizations and a few general apologies. Toback has humanized Tyson, no small feat.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Blu-ray of "Tyson" comes with a handful of decent extras, centered on Toback, not Tyson. The director also does a commentary track.

Other recent DVDs and Blu-rays of note include Whit Stillman's "The Last Days of Disco" (Criterion), "thirtysomething" (Shout! Factory) and "Surveillance" (Magnolia Home Entertainment).