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Friday, June 20, 2003

By Barbara Vancheri, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

If you are hankering for the Hulk, there is no shortage of retro favorites:

	Everyone liked the Hulk, including Fred Rogers, who visited the set of “The Incredible Hulk” in 1979 to meet TV stars Bill Bixby and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. Click photo for larger image.

"The Incredible Hulk: Original Television Series Premiere" (Universal): This is the pilot that explains how and why Dr. David Banner came to unleash his inner Hulk. While researching subjects who developed superhuman power during crises (something he sadly lacked when his wife was trapped in a fiery car), Banner zaps himself with gamma radiation to boost his strength. But he unwittingly gives himself an overdose, resulting in his transformation into the Hulk when angry or frustrated.

A colleague (Susan Sullivan) tries to help him, all the while dodging a tabloid reporter hot on the Hulk's trail. The idyllic opening with Banner and his wife is dated and corny, but the rest of the movie is not bad, especially if you have a soft spot for 1970s TV music and storytelling style. And it explains a lot about Banner and his angry alter ego.

The release also includes "Married," a two-parter that won Mariette Hartley an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series. She's a Hawaii-based psychiatrist who offers Banner hope of controlling the Hulk. Turns out she's in the final throes of a fatal disease, but he uses his medical background to try to help her, as she attempts to assist him with hypnotherapy. That twist provides the rare opportunity for Bixby and Ferrigno to share the screen.

	Video Bits "Just Married" -- Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy play newlyweds whose storybook European honeymoon turns into a nightmare. "Narc" -- Ray Liotta is at the top of his game as a narcotics officer on the trail of a cop killer in an intense film also starring Jason Patric and Busta Rhymes. "Deliver Us from Eva" -- "The Brothers" writer-director Gary Hardwick is behind this romantic comedy starring Gabrielle Union and LL Cool J. "Heaven" -- Cate Blanchett is an ordinary woman who takes divine justice into her hands in this film directed by Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run") and written by Krzysztof Kieslowski. "Interview With the Assassin" -- An unemployed cameraman is approached by an older neighbor, who claims to be the real killer of John F. Kennedy, in this movie that was part of the 2002 Three Rivers Film Festival. "Tully" -- Anson Mount plays Tully, a heartthrob with a shy young brother and reclusive father plus a long-buried secret that threatens his family and their farm. "Me Without You'" -- This romantic comedy about the friendship of two girls over three tumultuous decades in England was nominated for a 2002 BAFTA Award for best British film. It stars Michelle Williams and Anna Friel. Also: "Dracula II: Ascension," sequel to "Dracula 2000" in which medical students come across the world's most powerful vampire; "Pipe Dream," a romantic comedy starring Martin Donovan as a plumber and Mary-Louise Parker as an aspiring screenwriter; "Family Reunion," a comedy about the renewal of family feuds during an annual summer reunion; "Frost: Portrait of a Vampire," a direct-to-video movie based on the horror comic book "Jack Frost"; "Dad on the Run," screwball comedy set in the Paris night world and based on the real-life experiences of director and first-time dad Dante Desarthe; and third season of "Stargate SG-1."

Today's romantic leads don't spend much time staring into a microscope at mitochondria, as Bixby and Hartley do here, and a bachelor pad the Hulk storms is straight out of the bad old days. As silly as it all seems, it's convincingly acted and includes a wedding where the happily ever after is in much doubt.

DVD, which has a look at Ang Lee's big-screen "Hulk," plus an introduction by Ferrigno, and audio commentary from director Kenneth Johnson, carries a suggested price of $19.98. Moviegoers who save their "Hulk" ticket stubs can get a rebate with a form enclosed with the DVD. VHS version, which has the pilot and "Married" but no extras, is priced at $14.98.

"The Death of the Incredible Hulk" (Fox): Just as the title implies, the franchise players burned bridges with this one. Banner is working as a janitor in a government-research lab where the staff assumes he's a dedicated but slow-witted fellow. Little do they know that, at night, he's slipping into the lab and assisting the experts with their research.

He is caught and befriended by the head of the lab and his wife, but nefarious forces are afoot once more. Just when David thinks he's found a way to try to reverse the Hulk curse, a spy interferes and sends him back on the run. The title, by the way, is not a cheat. Suggested retail price, $14.98.

"The Incredible Hulk Returns" and "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk" (Anchor Bay Entertainment): This time, David Banner has developed a "gamma transponder" that he hopes will rid him of his inner green monster. As he's about to cure himself, an old friend surfaces and asks for help with Thor, a Viking warrior he has summoned.

Thieves target the invention and kidnap Banner's girlfriend (Lee Purcell). If that weren't enough, the nosy reporter Jack McGee (Jack Colvin) is trying to prove Banner is the Hulk.

Bixby directed "The Trial," which not only features a cameo by Stan Lee but a story line in which the wrongly jailed Banner is defended by a blind attorney whose alias is Daredevil. They then join forces to bring down the Kingpin (John Rhys-Davies).

This two-disc collection, also featuring an 84-minute documentary chronicling Ferrigno's return to competitive bodybuilding, has a suggested price of $29.98.

"The Incredible Hulk" (Buena Vista): This grab bag includes a couple of episodes from the 1996 animated series, plus bonus features including commentary and an interview with Stan Lee who suggests a great comic book can be better than a mediocre TV show or movie. "There's something so nice about a comic book," he says.

There's not enough nice about this DVD, which features a couple of very noisy, tiresome cartoons. In this take on the Hulk, Bruce was in the desert when a reactor blew, turning him and other creatures into "gamma mutants." When Bruce morphs into the Hulk, he can leap into the air like Superman and grab the tail of a helicopter in motion.

If the cartoon isn't your style, the disc also has a bonus episode from the 1966 series "Marvel Superheroes." Given the choice, and betraying my age, I'll take Bixby and Ferrigno over cartoons any time. DVD is $19.99, VHS, $14.99.

Barbara Vancheri can be reached at bvancheri@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1632.