Video Reviews: 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Narnia'

'Brokeback Mountain' (R) The critically-acclaimed romance drama "Brokeback Mountain" has finally arrived on DVD, and while it's rightfully earned its kudos for delivering a compelling social statement, from a cinematic standpoint, know this: It's a good -- but not great -- movie. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star as Ennis and Jack, two Wyoming ranch hands who begin a forbidden love affair in the 1960s.

Not only are they denying each other love, they deny it to others: In an effort to suppress their feelings, Ennis and Jack each marry and have families -- moves that only heighten their frustrations. Over the next 20 years, their affair continues, with only tragic consequences awaiting them.

While it took several critics' organizations by storm, I personally feel the film is overrated in comparison to films like "Crash" (which upset "Brokeback" for the Best Picture Oscar) and "Munich" (which should have won the Best Picture Oscar).

But that's not to say that "Brokeback" doesn't have lot of good things going for it. To start, with master filmmaker Ang Lee at the helm, it has an atmosphere that can't be denied. The cinematography is beautiful and the performances he captures are quite heartbreaking -- especially from the stoic Ledger and quietly tense Michelle Williams. The actress masterfully plays Ennis' wife, a woman suffering in silence knowing where her husband's true feelings lie.

But here's the double-edged sword: By Lee allowing the time for the characters to develop, the film moves at a snail's pace.

However, addressing the film's tragic love story element is the trickiest task. That's because, for one, "Brokeback" would come off as Hollywood formula if it weren't for the fact that it involved two men.

On the other hand, what makes this storyline so "different" is the very element of homosexuality, making it a fresh love story that filmgoers aren't so used to. Therein lies the social relevance. Should people being afraid to express who they are and declare that they're a same-sex couple in the year 2006 still even be an issue? Sad to say, it still is.

While "Brokeback" is far from the best film of the year, at the very least, it confronts that issue. And any film that attempts to thaw any type of intolerance is a winner in my book.

DVD Features: Production featurettes, including interviews with Lee and screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

'The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (PG) Fans of the classic C.S. Lewis "Chronicles of Narnia" book series will love the faithful film adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which ranks as easily one of the best family films of 2005.

Like Lewis contemporary J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is a classic tale of good versus evil, where the Pevensie children -- Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) Peter (William Moseley) and Susan (Anna Popplewell) -- help the creatures inhabiting the mystical world of Narnia battle the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton).

The film works for the most part on all levels. The cast of relative unknowns who play the Pevensie children all have enough presence to make their characters believable as they make their way through the wardrobe closet into Narnia; and the world and creatures of Narnia, thanks to the same special effects team that brought the film versions of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy to life, are visually spectacular.

The film at its heart is a Christian tale, although its messages are very subtle and not preachy. Liam Neeson was a perfect choice to voice Aslan, the Lion, a Christ-like figure in Narnia. Hopefully the film is the first of many more "Chronicles" to come.

DVD Features: The two-disc set includes more than 10 hours of features, including audio commentary by Henley, Skandar, Moseley, Popplewell and director Andrew Adamson; commentary by producer Mark Johnson and others; production featurettes, bloopers, a 3-D Narnia map and a fascinating look at Lewis's work. (Walt Disney Home Entertainment)

Also New This Week: "Star Trek Fan Collective: Time Travel," "9 to 5: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying Hypocritical Bigot Edition" and the Mel Brooks Box Set Collection ("Blazing Saddles," "Young Frankenstein," "Silent Movie," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "To Be or Not to Be," "History of the World, Part 1," "The Twelve Chairs" and "High Anxiety")