“Meet the Fockers,” Universal, $29.98
WHO’S IN IT: Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand
RECAP: “Meet the Fockers” tries to top “Meet the Parents,” but its recycled jokes and easy laughs come up woefully short.
BEST EXTRA: In the goofy mock behind-the-scenes feature focusing on Jinx the Cat, Stiller–master of the deadpan–calls Jinx more intimidating than DeNiro.
SECRETS REVEALED: It took six different prototypes before the filmmakers were happy with DeNiro’s off-putting breast-feeding tool, the “Manary Gland.”
FEATURE TO SKIP: The 10 minutes of outtakes are a little too much, considering the cast seems to be having more laughs than their screw-ups warrant (though to be fair, you don’t often get a chance to see DeNiro lose it).
TRIVIA: Little Jack was actually played by two different babies: twins that took turns.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: Any film from the prime of DeNiro, Hoffman or even Streisand, to show how far down these actors have slummed with this silly flick.
RATING: 2 REMOTES
“House of Flying Daggers,” Sony, $28.95
WHO’S IN IT: Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau
RECAP: A game of tug-of-war between a blind girl (Zhang) and would-be allies and enemies (Kaneshiro and Lau), with plenty of twists, amazing fight sequences and scene after gorgeous scene.
BEST EXTRA: The commentary track with director Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi reveals an infectious sense of humor as the two recall anecdotes from the shoot and the tricks and stunts made invisible.
SECRETS REVEALED: While set in ancient China, much of the film was actually shot in the Ukraine, with a Russian-speaking crew.
FEATURE TO SKIP: The “Lovers” music video is only good for practicing your karaoke.
TRIVIA: Zhang Ziyi studied dance for six years, which helped not only when it came to fight scenes, but also when she had to re-enact a traditional Chinese dance.
IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: “Hero,” Yimou’s previous film, almost as stunning as “Daggers.”–joshua klein is a redeye special contributor.
RATING: 4 REMOTES
COMING SOON
In stores next week:
– “The Assassination of Richard Nixon”
– “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”
– “Undertow”
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
