Star role for Blake, and it’s not in court

Robert Blake hasn’t worked in film since 1997, but starting today fans and curiosity seekers can see the veteran actor -- acquitted last week of murdering his wife -- in the DVD release of “Electra Glide in Blue.” In the offbeat 1973 MGM thriller, generally considered one of Blake’s best films, he plays a good-natured ex-Marine turned Arizona motorcycle cop who dreams of becoming a homicide detective.

Blake, who received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, did not participate in any of the DVD’s extras, for obvious reasons. The film is being released with little fanfare; more attention went to the previous DVD releases of Blake’s popular TV series “Baretta” and the film “In Cold Blood.”

The disc ($15) includes an introduction and commentary by director-composer James William Guercio.

This week’s DVD releases also include two of the year’s Oscar contenders, a vintage movie serial and a legendary detective series from the 1970s.

“Finding Neverland” (Miramax, $30): Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best film and actor -- it captured an Oscar for its delicate score -- “Finding Neverland” chronicles how Scottish playwright James Barrie (Johnny Depp) was inspired to write “Peter Pan.” Kate Winslet, Radha Mitchell, Julie Christie, Freddie Highmore and Dustin Hoffman also star. Marc Forster directed.

Extras on the DVD include commentary from Forster, screenwriter David Magee and producer Richard Gladstein, as well as deleted scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes. But the highlight is the outtake reel, featuring Hoffman’s outrageous shenanigans and Depp and Forster’s innovative attempts to keep the four young actors in the film giggling during a dinner sequence.

“Being Julia” (Columbia, $26): Annette Bening won a Golden Globe for best actress and received an Oscar nomination for her vivacious turn in this old-fashioned romantic comedy set in 1938 England about an aging London stage actress -- bored with her career and husband (Jeremy Irons) -- who has a fling with a young American. Among the extras are two standard production featurettes, deleted scenes and commentary from Irons, Bening and director Istvan Szabo.

“Bridget Jones -- The Edge of Reason” (Universal, $30) Disappointing sequel to the 2001 hit comedy “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” with Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant returning. There’s a tepid “Who’s Your Man Quiz,” a few wan featurettes and pedestrian commentary from director Beeban Kidron. The only saving grace is a clever interview between journalist Bridget Jones and Firth as himself.

“Fat Albert” (Fox, $30): Comic Bill Cosby’s rotund animated creation hits the big screen in this live-action comedy, which finds the stars of the vintage “Fat Albert” cartoon series popping out of the TV set after a sad teenage girl (Kyla Pratt) sheds a tear on the remote control. Kenan Thompson of “Saturday Night Live” plays the title role. The extras include a few extended scenes and a comedic featurette. Director Joel Zwick (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) and producer John Davis are featured on the commentary track.

“The Final Cut” (Lions Gate, $28): Uneven sci-fi thriller that fails to engage despite a cast that includes Oscar-winners Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino. Among the extras on the disc are production documentaries, storyboard-to-film comparison and better-than-average commentary from first-time writer/director Omar Naim.

“MTV’s Pimp My Ride -- The First Season” (Paramount, $30): The cable network’s car makeover series arrives on DVD in this funky three-disc set that includes deleted scenes and bloopers, a music video and a visit with Blink-182’s Travis Barker and his 1954 custom Cadillac Coupe de Ville.

“Kojak -- Season One” (Universal, $30): With USA Network premiering an updated version of the 1970s crime series Friday with Ving Rhames as the lollipop-loving New York detective, Universal has released the 1973-74 season of the original CBS series starring Telly Savalas. Though “Kojak” creaks a bit around the edges, the stories are taut and the Emmy Award-winning Savalas is still fun to watch.

“Doogie Howser, M.D. -- Season One” (Anchor Bay, $40): Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley co-created this dramedy series, which premiered on ABC in 1989, about a whiz kid who becomes a doctor before his 16th birthday. Baby-faced Neil Patrick Harris was a charmer as Doogie. The digital edition includes new interviews with Bochco and Harris.

“The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries -- Season One” (Universal, $40): Premiering in 1977, this ABC mystery anthology featured Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson as intrepid teen detectives Frank and Joe Hardy with Pamela Sue Martin as the plucky young female sleuth.

“Batman and Robin -- The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection” (Sony, $30): Though made on a shoestring budget, this 15-episode serial packs a lot of action -- and punches -- and is a must for fans of the Batman comics. Robert Lowery, who may have been the heaviest actor to play Batman, is a hoot.

“Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” (MGM, $15) Sam Peckinpah’s most personal film, released in 1974, is also one of his most difficult to watch. Warren Oates stars as a down-on-his-luck American playing piano in a grungy bar in Mexico who discovers that some rich men are willing to pay an enormous bounty for a guy he knows. Peckinpah scholars Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons, David Weddle and moderator Nick Redman offer insightful commentary.

What’s Coming:

March 29: “Closer,” “Vera Drake,” “After the Sunset,” “Seed of Chucky” and “National Lampoon’s Gold Diggers”

April 5: “Sideways,” “Spanglish,” “Elektra,” “Primer” and “Jay Z-Fade to Black”

April 12: “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “Bad Education,” “The Woodsman,” “Criminal,” “Suspect Zero” and “Dig!”

April 19: “Meet the Fockers,” “House of Flying Daggers,” “Love Song for Bobby Long,” “Birth” and “Undertow”

April 26: “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “Blade: Trinity,” “The Assassination of Richard Nixon,” “Darkness” and “Emile”

May 3: “National Treasure,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Chorus” and “Enduring Love”

May 10: “In Good Company,” “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou,” “Racing Stripes,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” “The Merchant of Venice” and “Alone in the Dark”

May 17: “Kinsey,” “The Sea Inside,” “Son of the Mask,” “White Noise,” “Tarnation” and “Team America: World Police”

May 24: “The Aviator” and “A Very Long Engagement”

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DVD sales

Rankings for the weekly period that ended March 13 represent data compiled from a variety of major retailers, including Amazon.com, Best Buy, Blockbuster and Circuit City.

1. “Ladder 49” (widescreen)

2. “Bambi: Special Edition”

3. “Friends: Ninth Season”

4. “The Notebook”

5. “Woman Thou Art Loosed”

6. “The SpongeBob SquarePants Move” (wide)

7. “Napoleon Dynamite”

8. “Flight of the Phoenix” (wide)

9. “Exorcist: The Beginning” (wide)

10. “Ray” (wide)

Source: DVDExclusive.com

Los Angeles Times