Hollywood @ Home

DVD reviews: 'M*A*S*H,' 'Ocean's Eleven'

By Paul Chambers
Special to CNN

(CNN) -- One of the greatest American comedies of all time comes to DVD this week: "M*A*S*H," directed by the incomparable Robert Altman, perhaps the best antiwar movie ever made. We'll also check out the original Rat Pack "Ocean's Eleven," the story of Army buddies who pull off a major heist in Las Vegas.

So let's be all that we can be with this week's edition of "Hollywood @ Home." All reviews are on a 10-point scale.

"M*A*S*H" (1970) (Fox Home Entertainment)

"M*A*S*H" is the story of three U.S. Army surgeons (Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould and Tom Skerritt) working in a mobile hospital unit near the front lines in Korea. Director Robert Altman brilliantly avoided references to Korea to make an antiwar argument against Vietnam. Our heroes, working long and hard shifts saving the wounded, defy authority at every turn. Their anti-establishment stance won not only major laughs, but admiration from the moviegoing public, who made "M*A*S*H" a major hit in 1970. Thirty-two years later, "M*A*S*H" is still funny, irreverent and fabulously entertaining. The film and soundtrack restoration rival -- and perhaps even surpass -- the quality of the original theatrical release.

DVD extras: "M*A*S*H" was previously released on VHS in an edited PG version. The new DVD and VHS versions are uncut and in mint condition. The two-disc set includes commentary by Altman, an AMC Backstory featurette and a still gallery. Disc two has two documentaries and a featurette on the 30th anniversary reunion of filmmakers and crew. The documentaries are interesting, but frequently repetitive, often using the same interview and film clips.

Rating: 10

"Ocean's Eleven" (1960) (Warner Home Video)

This is the caper film that launched the Rat Pack's movie career. Frank Sinatra is Danny Ocean, a former U.S. Army sergeant, who gets his old buddies together for a New Year's Eve assault on five Las Vegas casinos. The first hour is anything but exciting as Ocean recruits members of his old Army unit. Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford are part of the team along with Joey Bishop and Henry Silva. When the gang's all assembled, things really start moving. You can't beat the surprise ending. Not nearly as good as last year's remake, but who cares -- it's Sinatra.

DVD extras: The map-of-Vegas feature, which lets you hear from some real people who worked in Las Vegas of the 1960's and you get a real feeling of what these famous hotel-casinos were really like, was entertaining. There's also feature-length audio commentary by Frank Sinatra Jr. and Angie Dickinson. Finally, an excerpt from the "Tonight Show" featuring Dickinson as a guest and Sinatra as the guest host. Guess what comes up? Yeah, "Ocean's Eleven."

Rating: 6

"Jeepers Creepers" (2001) (MGM Home Entertainment)

What Hollywood needs is a truly original horror film -- and this definitely is not it. Two teenagers, brother and sister, are driving home from college on a lonely back road when they see some maniac in a funky-looking truck. Later they see this guy dump what looks like a couple of bodies down a big pipe. Instead of phoning it into the police, they go back and investigate. Well, you can imagine that our hero and heroine start mixing it up with this supernatural creature. If you're hard up for some spooky stuff, then maybe you'll like this horror retread.

DVD extras: Deleted scenes, including an alternate ending that's a little less graphic than the theatrical version. Half a dozen short featurettes are offered on the making of the film. The director's audio commentary is offered along with a photo gallery. Audio is in English 5.1 Surround, French stereo surround and Spanish stereo surround.

Rating: 3

Also new this week on DVD and VHS:

"Queer as Folk" (22-episode first season) (Showtime Entertainment)
"M*A*S*H" (24-episode first season) (Fox Home Entertainment)
"Light Keeps Me Company" (First Run Features)
"Ken Burns' Mark Twain" (Warner Home Video)
"Do You Believe in Miracles?" (Warner Home Video)
"Marcus Garvey: Look For Me in the Whirlwind" (Warner Home Video)

New this week on VHS only:

"Bob the Builder: The Big Game" (HIT Entertainment)
"In Remembrance of Martin" (Warner Home Video)
"The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela" (Warner Home Video)
"Thornbirds 2: The Missing Years" (Warner Home Video)

New this week on DVD only:

"4 for Texas" (Warner Home Video)
"Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" (Warner Home Video)
"Boycott" (Warner Home Video)
"Love Affair" (Warner Home Video)
"Love in the Afternoon" (Warner Home Video)
"Miss Evers' Boys" (Warner Home Video)
"Mrs. Soffel" (Warner Home Video)
"The Object of My Affection" (Fox Home Entertainment)
"The Prince and the Showgirl" (Warner Home Video)
"Robin and the Seven Hoods" (Warner Home Video)
"Stealing Beauty" (Fox Home Entertainment)