THE SCREENING ROOM

ON DVD: “Dark Shadows,” “Downton Abbey,” “People Like Us,” “Funkytown,” And More!

 

It’s nostalgia day on home video: Johnny Depp and Tim Burton resurrect a foppish 350-year-old vampire in Dark Shadows (above). Jane Fonda returns as an aging hippy in the family drama Peace, Love & Misunderstanding. And openly gay thespian Richard Chamberlain plays, well, an aging hippy, in We Are The Hartmans. Plus: Funkytown does the Hustle with a tale of queer ambition and lust set in the disco years. And the first two seasons of the addictive British period drama Downton Abbey come to stores in a special collected edition.

It seems like old times!

 

http://youtu.be/2M3moEeErr8

Downtown Abbey Seasons 1 & 2
($64.99 Blu-ray, $59.99 DVD; PBS)

The totally addictive upstairs-downstairs drama set at the turn of the century and peppered with historic events (the sinking of the Titanic, the start of WWI) entranced gay viewers with its glamourous mien, gorgeous male characters and, of course, Dame Maggie Smith. Totaling 912 minutes, Seasons One and Two are collected here, along with the bonus Christmas episode and a handful of featurettes. Season Three—which reportedly includes some love action for our favorite evil gay butler, Thomas (Rob James-Collier)—airs stateside in January.

 

http://youtu.be/WZOKn8IJlYQ

Dark Shadows
($35.99 Blu-ray, $28.99 DVD; Warner)

Based on a cult 1960s soap opera from the UK, Tim Burton’s high-budget supernatural comedy stars Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins. Cursed by a jealous witch and buried “alive” for more than a century, he awakes in 1972 to culture shock, a host of ridiculous descendants, and that troublemaking witch. Burton blends his colorful high-production values (a la Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), with his trademark quirkiness (a la Ed Wood), and enough vampiric gore to satisfy True Blood fans. Extras include “Focus Point” featurettes and five deleted scenes.

 

People Like Us
($39.99 Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo, DreamWorks)

Cutie Chris Pine (Star Trek) is a slick young salesman whose big deal fizzles the day his father drops dead. To top it all off, he learns he has a grown sister (Elizabeth Banks) he knew nothing about. Bonus material includes “Number One With A Bullet: The Story Behind People Like Us,” improv takes from Banks and Pine, deleted scenes, bloopers and commentaries with director Alex Kurtzma, writer Jody Lambert, Pine, Banks and co-star Michelle Pfeiffer.

http://youtu.be/FnQWthKQBd0

We Are The Hartmans
($24.99 DVD, Virgil Films)

Richard Chamberlain plays Hartman, the hippy-dippy owner of a small-town rock club that serves as a haven for alternative, eccentric and queer folks. When Hartman suffers a heart attack, his family arrives to sell the venue, sparking off an uprising by its regulars. A quirky and scrappy effort, featuring music by over a dozen indie bands and lots of appearances by queer and drag personalities.

 

http://youtu.be/J_X-eRpJsoM

Funkytown
($24.99 DVD, Wolfe)

Set in Montreal’s disco era, Funkytown follows Tino (Justin Chatwin), a closeted aspiring dancer who becomes involved with TV celebrity Jonathan (Paul Doucet). It’s like 54 meets Boogie Nights and Saturday Night Fever, with a Quebecois accent and whole lot of queer accents.

 

http://youtu.be/IvLHeOFbSNE

Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
($29.99 Blu-ray, $24.99 DVD; MPI)

Jane Fonda heads up a fantastic cast that includes Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Olsen and Kyle MacLachlan, in this drama about an aging, pot-growing hippy who reunites with her long-estranged Republican daughter and teenage grandkids. Scant extras include a making-of featurette.

 ALSO OUT:

 2: Voodoo Academy (Rapid Heart, $19.98)

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