DVD Report

''IRON MAN'': Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist playboy with a powerful alter ego.

New Releases | Tom Russo

'Iron' casting is key to movie's strength

It's definitely apt that the extras featured on the two-disc edition of "Iron Man" (2008) include Robert Downey Jr.'s screen test and rehearsal footage. Comics giant Marvel might be one of the Hollywood successes of the decade with its work on "Spider-Man," "X-Men," and other franchises, but never before has one of its movies had casting as perfect as Downey. Armored superhero Iron Man's alter ego, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, has long been established on the printed page as a hard-rocking playboy. And not one who just acts the part as a bit of misdirection, like Bruce Wayne, but who actually lives it. Yet this aspect of the character has always been limited by the imaginations of comics creators - a group not exactly known, generally speaking, for rocking hard. With his hepcat chatter and party hardiness, Downey lends Stark the high-rolling edge he was always meant to have, but never convincingly delivered. (Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow do nice work in less polished roles as Stark's corporate rival and Girl Friday, respectively; military man Terrence Howard is clearly on board with an eye toward the sequel.) Not only does Downey make you believe he's got the test-pilot fearlessness to climb into a flying metal suit, he also conveys a "Cribs"-y appetite for living large that makes it clear Stark won't be giving up that voluptuously staffed private jet anytime soon.

Extras: The package includes more than 100 minutes of production featurettes, as well as a half-hour spotlight on visual effects. Director Jon Favreau ("Elf") is a passionate voice throughout, particularly on the subject of not overdoing the movie's computer-generated element. The requisite primer on the character's comics history could be more accessible, but does reference an alcoholism story line from the comics that fans felt was key to Downey's casting. (Paramount, $39.99; single-disc version, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99)

"L.A. CONFIDENTIAL" (1997)

As a producer notes in retrospective materials, director Curtis Hanson's masterful James Ellroy adaptation had no choice but to rely on actors rather than stars, given its $15 million budget. Pretty fortunate for the filmmakers that those actors were a pre-breakout Russell Crowe, the chameleonic Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey. The movie ranks with "Chinatown" as the standard for throwback noir in part because of career-best work from unexpected corners - notably by character player James Cromwell, morphing from Farmer Hoggett into a sinister LAPD captain.

Extras: Ninety minutes of retrospective material include Hanson's revelation that studio execs pressed him to drop the story's brilliant three-character structure and focus on Crowe. The 2000 TV spin-off pilot with Kiefer Sutherland is also included. (Warner, $20.97; Blu-ray, $28.99; available now)

"FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL" (2008)

Judd Apatow comedy posse member Jason Segel ("Freaks and Geeks," "How I Met Your Mother") helps deliver a movie as hilariously relatable - finally! - as "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," scripting, starring, and literally baring all in a definitive breakup flick. (First-timer Nicholas Stoller directs, with Apatow producing.) Segel's Peter is an everydude TV composer whose celebrity actress girlfriend (Kristen Bell) dumps him for a British rocker (Russell Brand), sending him on a self-pitying Hawaiian getaway - awkwardly, to her resort of choice. There's some laugh-out-loud smut, but as with "Virgin," you know the movie is really working when it wrings humor out of G-rated moments such as Peter forlornly playing the "Muppet Show" theme.

Extras: Unrated footage; cast and crew commentary. (Universal, $34.98; R-rated version, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98)

"RUN FAT BOY RUN" (2008)

Britcom slacker specialist Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead") exaggerates his sloth, amusingly and sweetly, as an "unfit" guy trying to win estranged love Thandie Newton's respect by impulsively running a marathon. David Schwimmer makes his feature directing debut, leaving his comedy imprint by slightly toning down Pegg's usual edge, but also through some nifty stylistic flourishes, such as a visualization of what it means for a long-distance runner to hit the wall.

Extras: Schwimmer, Pegg, Newton, and Pegg's mum supply commentary. (Warner, $27.95; Blu-ray, $35.99; available now)

Jazz DVD | Steve Greenlee

Iconography of the aural sort

Few jazz experiences are more enjoyable than putting on a classic Rahsaan Roland Kirk album and marveling at his ability to play two and three saxophones at the same time. But a record like "Rip, Rig, and Panic" or "Blacknuss" can deliver only so much information. Actually watching Kirk do what he did elevates the experience to a whole new level.

This is why the "Jazz Icons" catalog of DVDs has become so invaluable. With its third series arriving this week, the "Jazz Icons" project from Naxos has quickly become one of the most intimate ways to experience the full artistry of our jazz legends. The seven new DVDs can be purchased individually or as part of a box set, which comes with a bonus disc. This installment features concerts and television recordings from Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Lionel Hampton, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, and Nina Simone, all filmed in Europe between 1958 and 1975.

There is a lot to absorb. The Kirk DVD contains two versions of his showcase tune, "Three for the Festival," from 1963. To watch him blow into three saxophones, essentially playing chords, is to be amazed at his dexterity, not to mention his lung capacity.

Simone's performances are riveting. She sits at the piano, seriousness and anger on her face, and turns social protest into high art. She closes her 1965 set in Holland with a harrowing version of "Mississippi Goddamn," and when she hits the final chord she simply says "That's it," and the concert is over.

We get close-up looks at two very different pianists. Bill Evans, introspective as ever, turns in beautiful renditions of "'Round Midnight" and "Someday My Prince Will Come" in a Swedish club in 1970, his head bowed straight down the entire set. Oscar Peterson works up a sweat as he takes his trio through a raucous version of Duke Ellington's "C-Jam Blues."

The Rollins set from 1965 in Denmark is filmed beautifully, the saxophonist and his sidemen shot against solid black. Rollins leads a typically rousing take of his signature calypso, "St. Thomas," and then listens intently to the other musicians. When the tune concludes, he checks his watch, perhaps wondering how many more songs he could fit into the remainder of his set. You don't get that kind of information from a CD.

Extras: Additional footage of Rollins, Kirk, and Simone on the bonus disc. (Naxos, $19.99 each; $119.99 for the box set)

Documentary | Wesley Morris

'The American way of torture

Alex Gibney's military-torture documentary, "Taxi to the Dark Side," is one of the most powerful, carefully researched investigations of the moral-legal side effects of current US policy in Afghanistan and Iraq. The winner of this year's Oscar for best feature documentary, it's terrifying in a way that sneaks up on you.

The soldiers Gibney interviews in the early minutes of his film don't appear to know what happened to Dilawar, an Afghan cab driver who died in a prison at Bagram Air Base in 2002 on their watch. The first we hear of "blunt-force trauma" to Dilawar's legs comes from a coroner's report.

"Taxi" shrewdly starts with the prisons and glimpses into Dilawar's life. As a few of these men argue, though, their behavior was bad, but they've been singled out for doing their bosses' bidding. So the movie's dismay rises and expands to the top of the chain of command - from the floors of Bagram and, crucially, Abu Ghraib and the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, up to the Pentagon, which allegedly sanctioned the cruel and unusual means of interrogation.

"Taxi" raises two questions. One is the value of human rights, which John McCain brings up during a Senate hearing we're shown. To put a perfectly fine point on things, the film shows emotional footage from McCain's own POW days. The other question concerns the effectiveness of torture, however defined. Blunt-force trauma isn't only an explanation on a coroner's report. Here it's the toll this movie's information takes on us.

Extras: Director's commentary (Velocity/ThinkFilm, $27.98)

ALSO THIS WEEK

"CHAPTER 27" (2008)

Jared Leto ("My So-Called Life") gives an unsettling, immersive performance as John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman - and gives the film an edge over a competing portrait, the worthwhile but flawed "The Killing of John Lennon."

Extras: Production featuerette. (Genius Products, $19.95)

REISSUES

"CAN'T HARDLY WAIT" (1998)

Sheesh, as if all the John Hughes reissues weren't enough to make you feel old, even this '90s high school party diversion is getting 10-year-reunion treatment. A fun cast of names who got bigger (notably Lauren Ambrose), and some who didn't.

Extras: Original and reunion commentaries by the cast and filmmakers; flashback trivia; featurettes. (Sony, $19.94; Blu-ray, $28.95)

FOREIGN

"BEAUFORT" (2007)

There are echoes of "Jarhead" in this Oscar nominee about Israeli soldiers on a strange sort of standby as they get the order in 2000 to abandon and destroy a Lebanese fortress they've occupied since 1982.

Extras: Production featurette; deleted scenes. (Kino, $29.95)

TELEVISION

"SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK ELECTION

COLLECTION" (2008)

"I'm Just a Bill" and other history- and government-themed faves from back in the day are repackaged with a new "Presidential Minute" short - complete with "dirty tricks" reference and alternate, Palin-skewering ending.

(Disney, $19.99; available now)

"MY THREE SONS": THE FIRST SEASON, VOLUME ONE (1960-61)

Fred MacMurray's prototypical TV dad Steve Douglas coolly dispenses wisdom to the boys (although maybe the way he chomps on that tobacco pipe is a secret-stress giveaway). The 18-episode set includes original takes-a-village sidekick Bub (William Frawley) and original eldest son Mike (Tim Considine). (Paramount, $42.99)

"SPORTS NIGHT": THE COMPLETE SERIES (1998-2000)

Writer Aaron Sorkin previewed the distinctive TV voice he'd bring to "The West Wing" with his very timely pumping up - and deflating - of the ESPN smirky-sportscast model.

Extras: Profiles of Sorkin, as well as stars Felicity Huffman, Peter Krause, Robert Guillaume, and castmates. (Shout! Factory, $69.99)

"TRIAL & RETRIBUTION": SET 1

(1997-2000)

"Prime Suspect" creator Lynda La Plante puts a British spin on the "Law & Order" format. Familiar faces passing through the legal system include Rhys Ifans, Richard E. Grant, Hugh Dancy, and Simon Callow.

Extras: La Plante interview and biography. (Acorn Media, $59.99)

"THE STARLOST": COMPLETE SERIES (1973-74)

This very '70s Canadian sci-fi import aimed for "2001" cred by casting Keir Dullea, but fell short. Still, interesting for its "WALL-E"-ish element of space colonist descendants who've forgotten that their "world" is actually a massive starship. (VCI Entertainment, $49.99)

Capsules are written by Tom Russo and titles are in stores Tuesday unless otherwise specified.