Handling Crises in Different Ways

New Line is launching its new infinifilm DVD line with “Thirteen Days” ($27), Roger Donaldson’s engrossing semi-documentary about the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.

Kevin Costner stars as President John F. Kennedy’s trusted advisor Kenny O’Donnell; Bruce Greenwood plays JFK; and Steven Culp is RFK.

According to New Line, infinifilm attempts to take viewers “beyond the movie” and offer in-depth explorations of a film’s subject matter and themes.

And the digital edition of “Thirteen Days” is chockablock with goodies. It won’t take you 13 days to watch everything, but you’ll need to carve out some time.

Besides a nice wide-screen transfer of the film, there’s also an infinifilm version--a sort of pop-up video version--that offers viewers the opportunity to stop the action to watch deleted scenes, learn how special effects were created, and listen to historical experts discuss the Cuban missile crisis.

The digital edition also includes an informative 48-minute documentary, “The Roots of the Cuban Missile Crisis,” and a decent behind-the-scenes featurette, titled “Bringing History to the Silver Screen.”

There’s nice historical audio that features JFK himself, plus the real O’Donnell, Sergei Khrushchev (Nikita’s son) and Pierre Salinger. Another audio track includes incisive commentary from director Donaldson, Costner, writer David Self, executive producer Armyan Bernstein and executive producer Michael De Luca.

Also featured is a multi-angle visual effects scene deconstruction, deleted scenes with commentary, the trailer, talent files and a biographical gallery of historical figures.

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Brendan Fraser is the star of one of this year’s biggest films, “The Mummy Returns.” He’s also the star of one of the year’s biggest disappointments--”Monkeybone,” a snoozy fantasy combining live action and animation.

Although “Monkeybone” disappeared quickly from theaters, Fox is releasing a special-edition DVD ($26).

Directed by Henry Selick (“The Nightmare Before Christmas”) and written by Sam Hamm (“Batman”), the offbeat tale finds Fraser as a repressed cartoonist sent into coma after suffering a brain injury in a freak accident. While in the coma, Fraser and Monkeybone, his overtly sexual alter ego, wake up in a nightmarish way station called “Downtown.” Bridget Fonda plays Fraser’s doctor girlfriend, and Whoopi Goldberg is Death.

The DVD includes 18 minutes of extended and deleted scenes, a feature on the live-action/animation process, trailers, talent files, an interactive still gallery and passable commentary from Selick.

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Fox’s new “Die Hard” DVD collection ($30 each; $80 for the set) is quite fun. Bruce Willis made the leap from TV to movie star with his performance as the wisecracking detective John McClane in 1988’s “Die Hard.” The two-disc special edition features extended scenes, deleted lines and outtakes, gag reels and a featurette. There’s also the screenplay and articles about the film from American Cinematographer and Cinefex magazines.

Special effects supervisor Richard Edlund provides commentary, as does director John McTiernan and production designer Jackson DeGrovia (who offers a lot of interesting tidbits).

The special edition of 1990’s “Die Hard 2” features two behind-the-scenes documentaries, four deleted scenes, a look at the film’s bad guys and a visual effects breakdown. Trailers, storyboard to film comparisons, a stills gallery and director Renny Harlin’s self-effacing commentary round out the disc.

The disappointing 1995 “Die Hard With a Vengeance” features three documentaries, an alternate ending, a study of three stunt sequences, an interview with Willis, a gag reel, trailers, storyboard sequence and a commentary from McTiernan.

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The Criterion Collection has recently released some fab films on DVD.

For fans of screwball comedy, there’s the beautifully restored 1936 farce “My Man Godfrey” ($40), starring William Powell and Carole Lombard. The handsome DVD includes the theatrical trailer, rare outtakes, stills and the 1938 “Lux Radio Theatre” broadcast starring Powell and Lombard. Film historian Bob Gilpin supplies the informative but rather dryly delivered commentary.

Those who love melodramas will enjoy the gorgeous Criterion versions of Douglas Sirk’s delicious melodramas: 1956’s “All That Heaven Allows” ($40) and “Written on the Wind” ($30).

“All That Heaven Allows” reunites Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, the stars of Sirk’s 1954 hit, “Magnificent Obsession.” This time, Wyman plays a widow who falls in love with her handsome gardener (Hudson) and becomes the subject of town gossip. The digital edition features a 1979 BBC documentary on Sirk, an essay on Sirk by the late German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder and a stills archive.

“Written on the Wind” ($30) is Sirk’s best flick. This deliciously addictive wallow stars Hudson as the earnest, hard-working friend of drunken, impotent playboy Robert Stack (in an Oscar-nominated performance). Dorothy Malone steals the film in an Oscar-winning turn as Stack’s nymphomaniac sister, who is willing to destroy anybody in order to get Hudson. Lauren Bacall also stars.

The DVD features the trailer and an extensive Sirk filmography.

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Kino on Video is brushing up its Shakespeare with the DVD release of two silent dramas based on the Bard’s classics: “Richard III” and “Othello” ($30 each).

The 1912 “Richard III,” which was restored by the American Film Institute, is the earliest surviving American feature film. The restored “Richard” looks glorious and features an evocative new score by Ennio Morricone. The disc also includes a new documentary, “Rediscovering Richard.”

“Othello,” from 1922, features a wonderful performance from legendary German actor Emil Jannings as the tragic, jealous Moor. The disc also includes four restored silent Shakespearean shorts.