On DVD: ‘State of Play’ deserves a look

Crowe and Affleck in a scene from 'State of Play'

If it had been released even a decade ago, chances are Kevin Macdonald’s State of Play (Universal), which is being released Tuesday, would have been a blockbuster hit rather than a mild commercial disappointment.

It had a blockbuster cast with Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Rachel AcAdams and Ben Affleck, and some timely subject matter (political and sex scandals, the impact of corporate control over media). But unfortunately despite strong acting and a topical storyline, it didn’t prove a big winner during its theatrical run.

One problem was no doubt its emphasis and focus on daily newspapers during an era when readership has plummeted and their influence is waning. But the film is a reworking of the British six-hour television series that featured the adventures of an investigative journalist probing affairs of the state.

The film changes the locale to Washington D.C., where longtime reporter Cal McAffrey (Crowe) and his editor Cameron Lynne (Mirren) as well as a junior writer Della Frye (McAdams) are covering Capitol politics.

Stephen Collins (Affleck), a friend of McAffrey, is involved in a scandal. At first it looks like just another politician trying to cover up an affair, but it quickly becomes something else altogether. McAffrey and Frye find themselves involved in something that not only threatens the future of the paper, but their own lives. Meanwhile they’re also the targets of a vengeful Senator (Jeff Daniels), and must turn to a PR type (Jason Bateman) for answers and assistance.

Any similarities between State of Play and other chronicles of newspaper types fighting for justice like Northside 777 or All The President’s Men is intentional, as McDonald (whose previous films have included the acclaimed The Last King of Scotland) publicly acknowledged his fondness of old-style newspaper saga productions.

Hopefully State of Play will find an audience in the DVD universe larger than they enjoyed during their theatrical run, because it’s one of Crowe’s best outings in quite a while.

Sugar’s sweet

Baseball season is winding down, but it’s still the right time for the inspiring work Sugar (Sony), which also makes its DVD debut Tuesday. While a fiction production, co-directors/writers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck included tales of real players to fortify their narrative about a Dominican baseball prodigy pegged for Major League stardom and the exploitative route he’s forced to travel in order to possibly attain it.

Miguel “Sugar” Santos ( Alegnis Perez Soto) is identified early by advance scouts as having superior baseball skills. Like many of his comrades, Sugar’s English ability is nonexistent and his life experiences have been limited to what he’s seen in his neighborhood.

But as a ‘can’t miss’ target, he’s put on the fast track to the big leagues. This includes being placed with a minor league team in Iowa, and with a family whose prior experiences with Latinos hasn’t been that great.

Sugar doesn’t evolve like a traditional sports film, and it’s ending is quite shocking and surprising, as well as unexpected. But it offers a vivid and accurate look at the way baseball handles its Dominican recruits, and reveals the struggles and problems many face trying to become successful not only as athletes, but as adults.

TV on DVD

The six-disc boxed set CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – The Complete Ninth Season (Paramount), which will be released Tuesday, covers perhaps the most troubled and controversial year in the long-running series’ history.

Main star and co-founding producer William Petersen left in the 10th episode, and was replaced by Laurence Fishburne. Petersen’s loss came after they’d already lost two other main characters, one of whom Sarah Sidle (Jorja Fox) will now be making a limited return next season.

But the biggest problem came in the form of a near revolt by many longtime CSI fans. While everyone acknowledges that Fishburne is an outstanding actor, few were very happy with the changes to the show or the decision to make him the focal point of most episodes once Petersen departed.

How that’s addressed next year, and also how the writers respond to the dilemma of finding a way to adequately compensate for the loss of a hugely popular figure, will determine whether the show continues to grow, hits a standstill or even (wait for it…) may be canceled.