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Extra Credits

The Oscars' peripheral characters get more play on DVD.

By Leo Charney

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Apr. 12, 2006

Crash

In a movie in which almost everyone gets to be both saint and sinner, poor Sandra Bullock is stuck with the one-dimensional racist shrew. How did her character get so tense and uptight? What was she like when she was younger? Did she migrate from the Midwest? Is she a failed aging starlet? Married for money? What does her husband see in her? Show a little love for Bullock, who leapt from dopey America's-sweetheart comedies to this risky (at the time) hot-button drama. Puppethead Matt Dillon got all the comeback spin, but Bullock's vehemently committed performance blazes through the movie's struggle to strap her down.

What's on the DVD: Self-important even in its DVD release, Crash offers two choices: an old one-disc release from last September-note the timing of that release date, future wannabe Best Pictures-with a behind-the-scenes featurette, intro from director Paul Haggis, and commentary track with Haggis, Don Cheadle and co-writer Bobby Moresco. If that's not enough strife and anguish for you, there's now a two-disc "Director's Cut Edition" with the same commentary track and features, plus four more minutes of the movie, deleted scenes, and hours more fluff and filler. I mean, really-how much Crash does anybody need? Single disc: B+ Double disc: B-

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