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 Matt Damon, left, George Clooney, Alexander Siddig as Prince Nasir, and his bodyguard in the political drama Syriana. |
George Clooney physically remade himself in the 30 days leading up to the first day of shooting on Syriana, the film that would earn him his best supporting actor Oscar.
"It's been interesting, because you're completely anonymous," Clooney says on the Syriana DVD, out tomorrow in separate full and widescreen editions.
"I've tried other disguises and they haven't worked. But, if you put on 30 pounds and grow a beard and shave your hairline back, you can walk into any restaurant in town and not get a table. That's what we do in films. That's our job, to transform ourselves."
Spiked with his self-deprecating humour, Clooney's account of his transformation into a fictionalized version of former C.I.A. operative Robert Baer fuels the intrigue attached to Syriana. Clooney did such a good job that you forget this is the movie star once named "the sexiest man alive." Clooney rightly says: "The star of this film is the screenplay that (Stephen) Gaghan wrote."
It was the director's beautifully crafted screenplay -- with its insights into the oil industry, terrorism, refugees, politics and family -- that attracted a sterling ensemble comprised of Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, William Hurt and Christopher Plummer.
Two featurettes on the DVD, one a conversation with Clooney, the other a provocative life lesson on the responsibility each citizen has towards oil consumption, up the stakes. But Syriana could have used even more.
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CARTOON TIME: Pixar co-founder John Lasseter has vowed to revive Disney animation. Perhaps he can stem the tide of mediocrity in sequels such as Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure. This overly sentimental and musically inept family flick from 2000 is back on DVD tomorrow, in a widescreen disc with limited extras. Among them is a making-of doc that contrasts Walt Disney's work alongside the original animators with the new team. Unfortunately, that draws attention to how lightweight the sequel is.
HUSKY HEAVEN: Frank Marshall's Eight Below tells an Americanized version of human and dog heroism. The story follows the exploits of an Antarctic guide and sled dog trainer who tries to rescue eight of his superb animals left abandoned for six months due to a vicious storm.
The fairly sappy story has real heart, thanks to Paul Walker in the lead and because the adventures of the dogs are so well told. The DVD arrives tomorrow in separate full and widescreen editions. There are two commentaries, plus deleted scenes, but the best extra is a featurette showing just how Walker bonded with the dogs.
WALKER RUNNING: For a different side of Paul Walker, check out Wayne Kramer's Running Scared. It arrives on DVD tomorrow in a widescreen-only edition with extras. They include Kramer's commentary, a making-of doc and a replica of the graphic novel that inspired the noirish film. It is over-the-top but stylish.
FASTER, MORE FURIOUS: It is Paul Walker's week. To mark the weekend release of The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, there is a slick new box set offering the first two movies in the series, which starred Walker, plus a bonus disc of more extras than seen before. The key here is a 28-minute takeout on the making of Tokyo Drift.
If you already have both the Tricked Out Edition of the original and the widescreen version of 2 Fast 2 Furious, then don't buy this box. The extra disc is not enough to warrant the double dip.