In this article: "Crash" "Thank God It's Friday" "Casanova" More DVD Insiders

DVD Insider

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DVDs are loaded with commentaries. But you won't hear these voices anywhere else. Our handpicked insiders offer a unique perspective on three of today's hottest titles.

Crash course
Rev. Al's sermon on this recent Oscar-winning drama

THE PLOT: Race, class and fates collide in this pressure cooker of a film that walked away with 2005's Best Picture award. The movie, which features a powerful ensemble cast, interweaves a series of tense racial encounters in contemporary Los Angeles.

INSIDER'S CREDENTIALS: Famous for fiery oration, impassioned protesting and his distinctive do, the Rev. Al Sharpton has been a staple in grass-roots activism since he was a teen. The Pentecostal minister is a radio talk-show host and the co-founder of the civil-rights organization the National Action Network.

OVERVIEW: "The real message of the movie is redemption. The way everyone transforms themselves gives you a sense of hope. And the way immigrants were treated also was timely, because when the movie came out they had no idea [immigration] would be such a critical national issue. I've probably seen this movie 10 times. I haven't seen any other movie, except for The Ten Commandments, as much."

* Scene 4: Not the Vehicle -- A racist cop (Matt Dillon) molests the wife (Thandie Newton) of an affluent black man (Terrence Howard) after pulling them over.

"Every day these things happen. I don't know if we see as much turnaround as we see [later] in Dillon's character, but we all hope that people will turn around."

* Scene 15: Friend of Mine -- Howard's character flies into a rage after being carjacked and then pulled over again by police.

"I am not a [victim of racial profiling anymore] because I am mostly known where I go. But when I was younger, I walked into department stores and people watched where I was going, and I've been in cars that were pulled over based on the color of the riders. That is offensive. When I started the fight against racial profiling, it was because successful businessmen, entertainers and athletes who lived outside of the black community went home at night and police pulled them over like, 'What are you doing in this neighborhood?' "

* Scene 23: Free to Go -- A carjacking thug (Ludacris) denies personal profit and spares a van full of illegal immigrants a terrible fate by setting them free.

"This scene is real. I've seen young kids grow old and have to deal with the realities of life, and it kind of tempers them. All of us go through that. And to see it onscreen kind of makes you do a self-analysis, because all of us [see a little of ourselves] in that character."

-- Rebecca Louie

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Where'd you get those moves?

An upbeat dance judge on the disco classic "Thank God It's Friday"

THE PLOT: Jeff Goldblum and Donna Summer (whose song, "Last Dance," won an Oscar) star in this 1978 disco-musical about the late-night escapades of motley clubgoers at L.A.'s premier hot spot, The Zoo.

INSIDER'S CREDENTIALS: Carrie Ann Inaba is a judge on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and a seasoned choreographer. She also has appeared in numerous TV shows ("In Living Color"), movies ("Austin Powers in Goldmember") and music videos (Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon-Bon"). After watching the movie, Inaba says, she played the DVD again as a soundtrack while getting dressed the next morning.

OVERVIEW: "I'm a dancer, and I used to go to clubs all the time. Watching ["TGIF"] was like going back to the clubs. It's hard for a director to capture the essence of dance, but I think Robert Klane captured how it feels to be surrounded by dancers at a club."

* Scene 8 -- Marv (Chick Vennera), a leather-clad disco fanatic, teaches Ken (John Friedrich), a shy guy with two left feet, how to dance while they're in the club's parking lot.

"I related to Marv teaching Ken how to dance because I work with people who don't dance or are afraid to dance. What he does is almost exactly what I do with people. You have to show them it's in their body. All they have to do is have a good time and somewhat move to the music."

* Scene 11 -- As the Commodores play, couples gather on the dance floor for the big contest judged by DJ Bobby Speed (Ray Vitte).

"Some of the people DJ Bobby Speed cut I thought were great -- like the foursome doing the synchronized train movements; they were quite original. I like when people try different things. [Too bad] I couldn't phone in to The Zoo and tell him what I thought like the audience can on our show."
-- Robin Sillau

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Oh, lover boy ...

A celebrity sex therapist examines the period romp "Casanova."

THE PLOT: Casanova (Heath Ledger), 18th-century Venice's most famous swashbuckling lover, spends his days in the pursuit of pleasure. But when he meets headstrong feminist Francesca (Sienna Miller), the one woman who seemingly can resist his charms, Casanova launches an elaborate scheme to steal her from her betrothed.

INSIDER'S CREDENTIALS: Dr. Drew Pinsky has been dispensing relationship and sex advice for more than 20 years. The former USA WEEKEND columnist hosts a nationally syndicated radio show and a cable series.

OVERVIEW: "The troubling part is that women are portrayed as cartoon characters. In almost every scene, they are overcome by some male [trait] that makes it impossible to withstand his allure. It's like a Hai Karate cologne commercial from the '70s."

* Scene 1: Opening Credits/Irresistible -- Casanova seduces a young woman, in part, by feeding her a sensual array of foods, including fruit dipped in cream.

"Aphrodisiacs are nonsense. Some people like to get down and dirty, and food is part of that, but it's not as though eating some food is going to take someone who's not sexually aroused and [stimulate her]."

* Scene 3: Marriage Plans -- After Casanova is nearly hanged for his exploits, he's advised to wed the most virtuous girl he can find.

"Prior to the advent of antibiotics, sexuality carried with it a potential death sentence. People got syphilis and died; people got plain old urinary infections and died. So to have sex was a big deal in terms of the risk you were taking."

* Scene 9: Carnevale -- The people of Venice attend a lively festival where everyone is masked.

"The subtext here is sex with strangers. That's where the masks go in people's fantasies."

-- Reed Tucker