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DVD extras include 12 minutes of deleted scenes.
Movie: *
Extras: *1/2
ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATIONS (1979). After the phenomenal success of 1977's universally acclaimed Roots, CBS TV and author Alex Haley re-teamed to continue the saga that traced the family lineage that began with "the African, Kunta Kinte." In this second miniseries, the story begins right after the Civil War and concludes with Haley (James Earl Jones) making his groundbreaking pilgrimage to Africa; in between, we witness as members of the family are subjected to racism and the resultant societal blockades even as they prove themselves in matters involving education, business and even world wars. Until the powerful final episode with Jones as the grown Alex Haley, the later segments aren't nearly as engaging as the earlier ones, though stellar performances maintain interest throughout. Marlon Brando won an Emmy Award for playing George Lincoln Rockwell, the head of the American Nazi Party, but his victory was basically because he was, well, Marlon Brando; more noteworthy performers include Stan Shaw and Dorian Harewood as family heads of different generations, Henry Fonda as a politician who disguises his prejudices under a thin veil of Southern gentility, and Jones as the angst-ridden – and ultimately triumphant – Alex Haley.
The only DVD extra is a disappointingly short behind-the-scenes featurette.
Series: ***1/2
Extras: *1/2
TWIN PEAKS (1990-1991). Was there ever a greater betrayal by an artist toward his fans than what David Lynch did (or, more specifically, failed to do) when it came to wrapping up this envelope-pushing (if short-lived) TV series? Probably not, but up until the final cop-out, Twin Peaks burned brighter than most other shows that spring to mind. Basically prime-time television for people who don't like prime-time television, Twin Peaks was one of the most heavily hyped shows of its decade, and for the first season and at least half of the second, it more than lived up to the advance buzz. Not since "Who shot J.R.?" had television asked a question as compelling as "Who killed Laura Palmer?" Lynch's startling series brought big screen innovation (and the director's patented eccentricities) to the boob tube with a murder mystery that found FBI Agent Dale Cooper (an excellent Kyle MacLachlan) sleuthing in the title town, a place as notable for its oddball citizenry as its killer cherry pie. The first season was far more focused than the second, which meandered after Laura's killer was IDed and abruptly canceled with countless plotlines still unresolved. And rather than doing the right thing for the faithful and giving them a two-hour flick to wrap up the show, Lynch instead elected to film an unnecessary prequel (the theatrical release Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me).
Twin Peaks' DVD history has been spotty, given that different companies held the rights to the different seasons (as well as the pilot), but this new Definitive Gold Box Edition is what everyone's been waiting for. It contains every episode from both seasons as well as two versions of the pilot: the U.S. network episode and the self-contained international cut. Extras include a 105-minute retrospective documentary, four deleted scenes, reminiscences from Lynch, MacLachlan and others, the 1990 Saturday Night Live spoof, Julee Cruise's music video for "Falling," hilarious commercials (shown only in Japan) with characters plugging Georgia Coffee, and 12 postcards.
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