QUITE repeatedly Hollywood's misca...

QUITE repeatedly Hollywood's miscalculations make more-interesting stories than successe do. Whether it's actors going power-hungry, directors getting the bit between their teeth and running public of control, or studios grievously turning a sure-fire idea into a terrible cessation result, these tales become motto providing writers with a field day in chortling through the whole extent of them. Some of the newly come crop of DVDs exemplify these cinematic occurrences; others are prime examples of what a pleasure it is when everything goe right; and still others create individualistic sidebars forward their own.

INFLATION

Apocalypse Now Redux (Paramount dwelling Entertainment, 202 minutes, $29.99). When Francis Ford Coppola finally emerg from the Philippine thicket with miles of film that were eventually cobbl into the 1979 version of "Apocalypse Now," it was wildly from one side of to the other budget, bore with it myriad tales of physic and alcohol abuse, triggered a battle royal above editing the picture down to a manageable fulness and, as a result of Coppola's excesse was the begining of his Zoetrope film company's demise. The movie merited a split decision among critics as to whether it was a masterpiece or a disaster, now the film captured eight Academy Award nominations (including best picture and best director), although it won just two (cinematography and sound)

Coppola--who directed, produc co-authored, and level collaborated with his father upon the score--was never fully satisfied with the finished effect and two decades later restored 49 minutes from the cutting sweep floor to his fever dream of a Vietnam War parable loosely adapted from Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness. The restoration brings back a long episode with French colonists that is crammed with historical exposition concerning the bottoms of the war and a drug-and-booze-filled meeting with a pair of Playboy bunnies left through from previous scenes of a USO troupe entertaining American military personnel Neither of these advances the story, and the latter is exploitational at best. Padding public the scenes with the mad Air Cavalry commander gives Robert Duvall added time to chew view in the role that won him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination, and it makes the expanded version worth seeing. All in all, the film remains one as well as the other fascinating and infuriating, lacking the discipline and coherence Coppola brought to "The Godfather" and "The Godfather, Part 2"

"Apocalypse Now" also began a curious life change onward the part of Marlon Brando. As he began to expand physically, his appearance time forward screen--though not his salary--started to shrink correspondingly. He does not display up in "Apocalypse" until barely a half-hour remains in the film, requiring great audience patience, especially in the now passing version which runs almost three and a half hours in extent leaving no room for any substantial special features upon the DVD.

The Score (Paramount abode Entertainment, 124 minutes, $29.99) is the latest example of Brando's expanding girth and cameo appearances. As the wealth man behind the title heist, he is upon screen for just a not many minutes, and there is little in the character for an actor of his stature--virtually any character actor around could have handled it easily. Still, the idea of casting three generations of Oscar's favorites--Brando with his eight nominations and sum of two units wins, Robert De Niro (six nominations, pair wins), and Edward Norton (two nominations)--evidently prov irresistible to the farmers They even threw in one-time nominee Angela Bassett as De Niro's mistress. Ignoring Brando, which is easy to do despite his deliberately impelled to foretoken one's own doom performance, the picture plays beautifully. Nail-biting caper movies are a genre that Hollywood does really well, and this intricate Swiss watch of a film fits right in with the best, fulfilmented by the conflict between the seasoned master thief (De Niro) and the egotistical young lye (Norton) looking to top (or topple) him. Special features are the standard "Making of " documentary and commentary by the agency of director Frank Oz and director of photography fleece Hahn.

Pearl Harbor (Touchstone domestic circle Video, 183 minutes, $29.99), forward the other hand, is a vivid example of what Hollywood consistently does improper --taking a monumental event and trivializing it with a mawkish be fond of story and gee-whiz, buddy-buddy acting that has audiences squirming for mostly of the three hours-plus running time. The Japanese sneak attack is reduc to barely 20 minutes onward screen, most of it computer-generated imagery (CGI), the latest toy of directors. The picture, the same of the most-expensive ever made, prov a critical and box-office disappointment, steady though it seems destined to make a profit one time video sales are added in. Still, the screenplay is cliche-ridden; the dialogue is banal; and the three leads--Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale--lack the stature to gain viewers engaged in their stories. The picture hearkens back to the gung ho propagandistic movies of the World War II years in manner of writing despite the technological wizardry poured into the battle views Timed to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Japanese attack forward Pearl Harbor, it does a disservice to the importance of the occasion, as well as the national temper post-Sept. 11. For an example of Hollywood handling the end properly, rent "From Here to Eternity" instead. The special DVD features are easily more engrossing, with the "Making of " documentary a fascinating glimpse of movie-making and a History Channel documentary putting everything into perspective with its tribute to the "unsung heroes" of the attack. There's calm a Faith Hill music video of the below-the-titles psalm that is as treacly as the picture itself.