Between the first Tuesday in November and the next-to-last one in December, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released approximately 800 DVD titles. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but that's what it felt like late last year as UD's reviewers dove from one mammoth DVD release to another, continuously providing you the type of candid and comprehensive critiques you've come to expect of this site while trying to stay aware of other responsibilities that demand one's attentions around the holidays, like families and such.
There are a few major holdovers we've still got to tackle in this new year, but in the meantime, we've got perhaps the most informative, entertaining, and thorough reviews of five Buena Vista DVDs that reached stores between late November and early January. As usual, there is no all-encompassing shared trait among the subjects aside from their recent release dates and lesser status. There are two new compilations of "Power Rangers Mystic Force", the 2006 incarnation of the interminable action-driven boy-targeted series. On two separate DVDs, there are three low-budget films produced by Roger Corman -- The Cry Baby Killer, The Little Shop of Horrors, Grand Theft Auto -- that provided a showcase for the young talents of Jack Nicholson and actor-director Ron Howard. Finally, there is The Night Listener, an R-rated suspense thriller starring Robin Williams that is among the latest offering of Disney's indie branch Miramax.
The movie merits its R rating which is attributed to "language and some disquieting sexual content." The former refers to a somewhat steady flow of the F-word, while the latter covers the brief, hazy, and surreal depiction of the pornographic productions scarring the movie's boy. "Grey's Anatomy" Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh appears in a supporting role as a housekeeper who's apparently well-versed in psychology and forensics.
Picture and sound are both without incident; the fairly dark visuals hold up fine while the subdued soundtrack only shows signs of life in Peter Nashel's intermittent score and the occasional well-realized multiple-phone rings. The disc includes the featurette "The Night Listener Revealed" (11:40), which interestingly addresses the real-life inspiration as much as it tackles the journey to film the roman � clef novel. There is also a weak 3-minute deleted scene which director Patrick Stettner introduces as "our mistake" -- that's accurate, but it ignores the missteps that made it into the film. Fans may think a commentary by the author, the director, and/or the star would have been an obvious, welcome inclusion, but somehow, life seems too short for all the commentaries being served up today.
With The Night Listener, Robin Williams again proves himself adept at handling drama and the general public again proves itself less than interested. For a simplistic, somewhat suspenseful movie, this one makes for a passable rental for adults, though anyone fooled into expecting Williams' more familiar hyper shtick will be in for a surprise far greater than the scripted twists found here.
![The Power Rangers use their cell phones to summon magic forces. [Standard text messaging rates may apply.]](images/m-p/prmf15.jpg)
out of 5
by Armistead Maupin � 
