‘Heights’ Elevated by DVD Features

Though Barry Levinson won the 1988 Oscar for best director of “Rain Man,” it is his films about his native Baltimore--”Diner,” “Tin Men” and “Avalon”--that represent his best, most heartfelt work.

His latest Baltimore-based drama, “Liberty Heights,” released last fall, doesn’t disappoint. It’s a charming, funny, dramatic and inspired tale of a Jewish family living in the Maryland city in the mid-1950s.

Warner’s DVD of “Liberty Heights” ($25) has some nice features, including an isolated music score featuring great vintage rock songs, the theatrical trailer, a deleted scene, interviews with the cast and Levinson, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. The stars--Joe Mantegna, Ben Foster, Adrien Brody--aren’t all that inspired in their interviews, but Levinson is great.

The movie, he says, is based on incidents that happened to him or friends, and stories that are Baltimore legend. The diner used in the film was the same one from his other Baltimore films. Levinson had originally found it in a New Jersey graveyard for old diners and brought it to Baltimore 20 years ago for “Diner.”

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New Line has gone all out with its “Platinum Series” version of the wan hip-hop comedy “Next Friday” ($25). Ice Cube stars in, produced and wrote this sequel to the 1995 comedy, “Friday.” In this installment, Ice Cube leaves the ‘hood to go live in the suburbs with his irresponsible uncle, who recently won the lottery, and his goofy son (Mike Epps).

The digital version includes a wide-screen transfer of the film, the theatrical trailer and a feature about the making of Ice Cube’s “You Can Do It” video.

The animated menus are far more clever and funny than this rather crass movie--a spoof of a commercial touting the joys of living in the suburbs. Click on a drawing of a house nestled in a cul-de-sac and you’ll find a funny gag reel of outtakes. Click on a direction sign and you’ll move to another part of the suburb.

Among the many extras to check out are the alternate ending, Epp’s audition tape, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and rather pedestrian commentary from director Steve Carr and Ice Cube.

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One of the biggest sleeper hits of 1985 was the quirky, funny, mistaken-identity comedy “Desperately Seeking Susan” (MGM, $20), which starred Rosanna Arquette, Aidan Quinn and an up-and-coming young singer named Madonna. Fifteen years after its release, “Susan” is still desperately enjoyable to watch, thanks to the performances and Susan Seidelman’s hip direction.

The DVD of “Susan” is a must-have for the film’s legion of fans. There’s the original theatrical trailer and both the full- and wide-screen versions of the film. Here too is the original ending, which was given thumbs-down by preview audiences--and you can see why. It really changes the romance of the movie. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that this ending finds Roberta (Arquette) and Susan (Madonna) on an exotic adventure.

Audio commentary is provided by director Seidelman, producers Sarah Pillsbury and Midge Sanford, and Barbara Boyle, who was then a production executive at Orion, the studio that made the film. They are funny and articulate guides through the making of the movie.

Seidelman says that because the film is about identity, she decided to open “Susan” in a beauty shop, where the unhappy housewife Roberta was having her hair done with her best friend (Laurie Metcalfe). The original opening found Arquette and Metcalfe shopping for clothes in a department store.

The director also sees “Susan” as a variation on “Alice in Wonderland,” with Roberta the Alice character and Susan the White Rabbit who leads her on a surreal adventure.

Though Ellen Barkin was being touted to play Susan, it was Seidelman who pushed for Madonna. Then a New York-based club singer, Madonna had never starred in a feature film. But Seidelman was impressed with her attitude and spirit and believed she could bring them to the role. Madonna was flown to Los Angeles and met with Boyle, who, after watching several of her music videos, wasn’t convinced she had the acting chops for the movie. So Boyle told her to return to New York and meet with actress Lee Grant, who, in turn, would give Madonna the name of an acting coach. If Madonna studied with the coach for a month, they would give her a screen test. Madonna did exactly what Boyle instructed, and the rest is history.

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Anchor Bay Entertainment is offering the 1977 cult comedy fave, “Kentucky Fried Movie,” on DVD ($25). Written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker--who three years later hit pay dirt with “Airplane!”--and directed by John Landis, “Kentucky Fried Movie” is funny, uneven and tasteless.

“Kentucky Fried Movie” is based on several of the sketches the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team did at their Kentucky Fried Theater, which was located on Pico Boulevard during the ‘70s. There are spoofs of coming attractions--”Catholic High School Girls in Trouble” and a very long satire of Bruce Lee movies. There are way too many naked women on display--remember, this is a John Landis movie.

Though the cast is made up of mostly unknowns, a few famous faces appear, including Donald Sutherland as a clumsy waiter, Henry Gibson as a spokesperson for a very strange charity and Bill Bixby as a pitch person for a new headache medication. Tony Dow of “Leave It to Beaver” fame pops up too.

The disc features talent bios, a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and funny on-set home movies the Zuckers made to send to their parents to let them know they were actually making a movie. The wild audio commentary is provided by Landis, the Zuckers, Abrahams and producer Robert K. Weiss.