Movies/TV on DVD/VHS

P.S. Your Cat Is Dead

A fantasy of countless gay men (with one of the best chests in Hollywood), Steve Guttenberg shows a different, sophisticated side with the DVD/VHS release of his dark comedy P.S. Your Cat Is Dead. The star of such films as Diner, Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, and the Police Academy series, Guttenberg wrote, directed, and stars in this long-awaited film version of the cult smash novel and play by the famed Pulitzer Prize-winning gay writer James Kirkwood, co-writer of A Chorus Line, who died of AIDS in 1989.

P.S. Your Cat Is Dead is the story of two desperate men—one gay, one straight—who meet on a fateful New Year’s Eve. Rex Reed described it as having “one of the most unusual friendships since Joe Buck met Ratso Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy.” The play is still being performed in theaters nearly 30 years after its Broadway premiere. Yet it fell into development limbo for decades until Guttenberg chose it for his simultaneous return to the big screen and his directorial and screenwriting debut.

Guttenberg plays Jimmy Zoole, a struggling actor whose life is falling apart: his best friend recently died, his career is on the skids, he’s been repeatedly robbed, his beloved cat is in the hospital, and his girlfriend is leaving him. The last straw comes when he discovers a burglar (Lombardo Boyar, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Bernie Mac Show) hiding under his bed. Pushed to his wit’s end, Jimmy takes the intruder hostage by hog-tying him to his kitchen counter and cutting off his pants, and begins to extort revenge. Undaunted, the wily burglar turns the tables on the distraught Jimmy, and so begins a riveting interplay filled with unexpected twists.

TLA Releasing gave the film a national art house release in early 2003 and now offers it on DVD/VHS. The DVD features commentary by Guttenberg and cast members, behind-the-scenes interviews, alternate endings, and more. Available at www.tlavideo.com and major retailers. More info: www.tlareleasing.com. —Troy Carrington

The Thorn Birds

Based on Colleen McCullough’s best-selling novel, the world premiere of The Thorn Birds astounded over 130 million viewers during its four-night run on television in 1983, making it the second-highest-rated series of all time. The landmark mini-series garnered six Emmy awards, including ones for Barbara Stanwyck (lead actress), Jean Simmons (supporting actress), and Richard Kiley (supporting actor). Golden Globe awards included ones for Richard Chamberlain (lead actor), Barbara Stanwyck (supporting actress), Richard Kiley (supporting actor), and Best Mini-Series or Television Movie.

Provocative, sexy, and scandalous, this captivating tale of forbidden love chronicles 60 years in the lives of the adventurous Cleary family and Meggie Cleary’s (Rachel Ward) forbidden, life-long love affair with the family’s priest (Chamberlain).

The 2-disc DVD collector’s set is available just in time for Valentine’s Day. —TC

On_Line

Set amidst the bustle and frenzy of New York City, On_Line is a 21st-century take on the classic romantic comedy. The film centers on John (Josh Hamilton, Urbania, “Serge” in Absolutely Fabulous) and Moe (Harold Perrineau, Oz, Woman on Top), two friends who operate Intercon-X, a live erotic website, and the array of hilariously mismatched relationships that arise in and around the site. Out gay actor John Fleck (Carnivale) stars as Al Fleming, a New Yorker who connects with a young gay college student (Eric Millegan) living in the closet in the Midwest. Meanwhile, Intercon-X creator John is mending a broken heart with a real-life date with a woman he has met through his own website.

In an era when webcams and Internet-dating sites are revolutionizing the social scene, On_Line director Jed Weintrob explores the paradigm of contemporary relationships in an increasingly high-tech world. On_Line utilizes state-of-the-art digitial technology, split screens, and streaming webcam video.

The DVD (which includes a wide array of bonus features) and VHS will be available February 17 from Wolfe Video (1-800-GET-WOLFE or www.wolfevideo.com). —TC

South Park: The Complete Third Season

For the few of you who don’t know, South Park is an adult-oriented animated series that is set in a small town nestled in the Colorado Rockies and features the misadventures of four eight-year-old boys whose everyday lives regularly intersect with world events and include elements of the paranormal, the mythic, and the divine. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, South Park is an award-winning, critically acclaimed series that is breathtakingly irreverent and ruthlessly funny.

Season Three begins with the episode titled “Rainforest Schmainforest.” Mr. Mackey punishes the boys (Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny) by forcing them to join the “Getting Gay with Kids” choir, which is going to Costa Rica to help save the rainforest. While on a tour of the rainforest, the choir group gets lost when a snake kills their guide. They soon discover the evils of the rainforest, which changes the choir group’s message.

Halfway through the season, Kyle and Stan’s fathers experiment with their homosexual tendencies in “Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub.”

Remember the film The Red Badge of Courage? One of the third-season episodes is “The Red Badge of Gayness.”

If you’re a South Park fan, the third season is a must-have. Available in DVD format only from Comedy Central ( www.comedycentrak.com). —TC

Class Trip

Nicolas is an insecure child plagued by visions of disasters and horrible accidents. In his dreams and daydreams, he sees his father in a car crash, his brother abducted, and his own classmates shot at by men in white masks. His peers tease him or simply ignore him. Even Nicolas’s teachers are frustrated by his lack of social skills. His paranoid father is of little help. Nicolas disconnects from the world around him.

On a class trip to the ski country, Hadkann, the class bully, befriends Nicolas and becomes intrigued by his dreams. When Nicolas takes ill, the line between reality and hallucination blurs as his startling visions begin to come true. When police find a dead child in the woods, Nicolas knows there is a connection between his crime and his visions, and with Hadkann’s help, he sets out to find it.

Class Trip, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, is on Picture This! Entertainment’s ( www.picturethisent.com) label “Tales from the Orphanage.” Whereas its Picture This! Home Video label caters to a gay/lesbian audience, Tales from the Orphanage presents dark and creepy coming-of-age films for all audiences, gay and straight alike. Available in DVD format only. —TC

Mitch Hedberg: Mitch All Together

A perennial Houston favorite, when Mitch Hedberg visits our city, his shows are typically packed full with ardent fans. This was not the case when he taped his Comedy Central Presents special, making it even funnier. The edited version is full of laughs ahoy, but the real comedy (of errors) lies in the full, unedited version. The crowd that’s been bussed in has no idea who Hedberg is and is not accustomed to his original style and dry, so-laid-back-he-might-be-high delivery. As a result, Hedberg has to goose the crowd every now and then to get a decent response. “I gotta do a half hour. You gotta like me more than that.” The audience then indulges his next joke with an applause break. Among his many hilarious commentaries is his fear of HIV testing. “Waiting for the results is frightening. So I don’t get the regular AIDS test anymore. I get the roundabout AIDS test. I call my friend, Brian. I say, ‘Brian, do you know anybody who has AIDS? No? Cool. ’Cuz you know me.’” The DVD also includes his set on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend and a CD of some more of Hedberg’s creative material. Available in DVD format only. From Comedy Central Records ( www.shop.comedycentral.com). —Eric A.T. Dieckman

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