Video Reviews: 'Cold Mountain,' More

'Cold Mountain' (R)
It's hard to figure out why the Oscar voters gave the cold shoulder to "Cold Mountain," a powerful Civil War-time romantic drama that easily ranks among the best films of 2003.

Jude Law stars as Inman, a Confederate soldier who discovers love with Ada (Nicole Kidman) just as he embarks on his service in the Civil War.

First loyal to the cause of the war, an injured Inman soon discovers that the brutalities of the war no longer represent who he is, so he flees the service by foot to return home to Cold Mountain, N.C., to be with Ada. Unfortunately, Ada has fallen on hard times and worse yet, she presumes Inman is dead because her letters to him have gone unanswered.

It shouldn't come as a big surprise that "Cold Mountain" is loaded with brilliant performances, from a breathtaking beautiful Nicole Kidman to Law, who commands the screen with his burning glaze and charisma.

But stealing the show from everybody is Renee Zellweger (the film's only Oscar winner out of seven nominations), who turns in a bizarre, yet engaging performance as Ruby, Kidman's no-nonsense farm hand. Also look for satisfying performances from Brendan Gleeson as Ruby's estranged father; Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a disgraced minister who finds himself on the run with Inman; and Natalie Portman a desperate farmwoman who is struggling to care for her sick baby.

A sprawling, beautifully shot film of epic proportions, "Cold Mountain" also showcases the superb talents of director Anthony Minghella, who previously won a Best Director Oscar for "The English Patient" and directed Law in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." But with the beauty of the film comes some brutal violence, so viewers should consider themselves fair warned.

DVD Features: The 2-disc set includes commentary by Minghella and editor Walter Murch; "Climbing Cold Mountain," a documentary; "Words and Music of Cold Mountain," a Royce Hall special concert; an examination of the film's musical influences and more. Also new on DVD, a special edition release of "The English Patient." (Both titles -- Miramax Home Entertainment)

'Bad Santa' (R) Ho-Ho-Holy smokes! Santa Claus has never been naughtier than he is in "Bad Santa," a wickedly funny comedy that will have you seeing red and surely blushing a bit, too.

Billy Bob Thornton stars as Willie, a lifetime loser who miserably slogs 30 days a year playing Santa Claus, all as part of a ruse to rob shopping malls. A chain-smoking, hard-drinking womanizing grump that tosses out F-bombs at the speed of light, Willie, at least has a kernel of a conscience: he's a mixed-up dude and he knows it.

Because of that, he puts effort into straightening out his life. But it seems that by the time the holidays roll around, Willie inevitably falls off the sleigh and goes back to his to decadent ways. That is, until he meets a forgiving bartender (Lauren Graham) and a shy, overweight boy (Brett Kelly) who, despite Willie's outright nasty demeanor, manage to overlook his deeply rooted flaws. But do they have the power to turn his life around?

As you could quite imagine, "Bad Santa" is definitely not for the kids. In fact, it's sure to even offend some adults. Directed by Terry Zwigoff ("Ghost World," "Crumb"), "Bad Santa" is a politically incorrect movie to the nth degree, which in an odd way, is very refreshing. Sure, it's very naughty behavior we're seeing here, but it is original for this day and age. Plus, it all adds up to being a satisfying tale of redemption.

Thornton is perfect as a fall-down-drunk-mean-as-a-snake Willie, not only for the shockingly harsh insults he dishes out, but for the subtle change from a bad into a not-so-bad Santa.

As harsh as the dialogue can be at times, "Bad Santa" has amazingly poignant moments, too. The most heartfelt ones come in scenes between Kelly and Thornton. As "The Kid," as he is billed in the credits, Kelly has incredible presence. In fact, his heartbreaking role is pivotal to the film's success.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Tony Cox is a hoot as Willie's partner in crime Marcus, a dwarf elf to Willie's Santa. Cox delivers his razor-sharp lines with no mercy and is easily is the source of all the best laughs in the film. Bernie Mac is hilarious, too, as a mall manager that tends to overlook Willie's outrageous behavior in front of the kid customers.

Also among the stellar cast is Thornton's longtime friend John Ritter (the two worked together in Ritter's sitcom "Hearts Afire" and later Ritter co-starred in Thornton's "Sling Blade), in his last screen performance as Mac's uptight assistant. He's great as usual, and you can't help but mourn for his talents after seeing him on screen one last time. His talents will be sorely missed.

DVD Features: Behind-the-scenes featurette; deleted and alternate scenes, outtakes and more. Also available is "Badder Santa," an unrated version of the film that includes five extra minutes of footage, a gag reel and more. (Miramax Home Entertainment). TV On DVD: New on DVD is the first two seasons of the underrated sitcom "Just Shoot Me," a sharp-witted comedy which enjoyed six years on the air before it came to an unceremonious ending in 2003. Chronicling the daily exploits of the owner (George Segal), his daughter (Laura San Giacomo) and the employees of a fashion magazine (David Spade, Wendie Malick and Enrico Colantoni), the four-disc set includes 31 episodes, commentary by the creator and producers, an "Always in Fashion" featurette and more. (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment)

'Saddles' Star Still Blazing Trails 30 Years Later

If the name Burton Gilliam doesn't immediately ring a bell, then the veteran actor's toothy grin in Mel Brooks' classic Western spoof "Blazing Saddles" certainly will brighten your memories.

After all, he's the railroad boss' flunkie, Lyle, who sets the movie a-blaze from his very start, spewing out racist lines at the late Cleavon Little and his band of fellow workers.

The movie celebrates its 30th anniversary with a release of a special edition DVD this week (Warner Bros. Home Video), and Gilliam told me in a recent interview that, despite the film's satirical tone, it was just as tough for him to say the lines 30 years ago as it is today.

"Here we were out there building this railroad out across the old West and here I was with a lot of black and Chinese people, giving them a bad time and calling them everything in the world -- I was not comfortable with that from the get go," Gilliam said. "But Cleavon took me out over the desert and said to me, 'That's OK, that's your character talking to my character. You're not talking to me. It's OK."

Unfortunately, Gilliam said, Little's words were not quite enough. After seeing Gilliam still having trouble saying the lines, Brooks called the actor out for a desert chat of his own.

"He said, 'Listen, I know that you're having a lot of trouble with these words because of what you're having to say, but don't worry about it. Jimmy Stewart -- he could never say no more than one or two lines at a time and you know how great of an actor he is. So don't worry about it. If you have to do one or two lines at a time, that will be fine because you have what I want,'" Gilliam said. "I flew threw my lines after he told me that. It wasn't any problem at all."

Gilliam said after the production wrapped for the day, he went to thank his director for the pep talk -- but got a big surprise.

"I said, 'Thanks for telling me about Jimmy Stewart' and he said, 'What? You didn’t believe that? Jimmy Stewart can go through a hundred lines without blowing any of them.'"

After "Blazing Saddles," Gilliam went on to star in 40 more films over the years, including "Fletch," "Back to the Future III" and "Honeymoon in Vegas." He also has appeared on 190 television shows including "The Dukes of Hazard," "The A-Team," "Knight Rider" and "Evening Shade," as well as 190 commercials.

Yet, for all his success, he says that "Blazing Saddles" defined his career.

"I had 'Paper Moon' before 'Blazing Saddles,' but 'Blazing Saddles' is what really started it all," Gilliam told me. "I was a fireman when I did 'Paper Moon,' so there was nothing to win or to lose. But with 'Blazing Saddles' -- that started a whole new career for me."

Choosing to reside in Texas over Hollywood, Gilliam said he's still approached by fans of "Blazing Saddles" and his other projects -- and he loves every minute of it.

"When I go out in public, there's somebody no matter where I go who'll come up and say something, but it's not like the hassles of being a star," he said. "Brad Pitt? He can't even walk around a block. I wouldn't want that. I want his money more than his popularity."

The main thing is, Gilliam says, he loves doing what loves the best -- acting.

"I love the business that I'm in and I love people," Gilliam said, enthusiastically. That's what I do best. I love to communicate to people. And if they want to laugh, boy they got the right guy -- and I'll laugh right along with them."