New DVDs: 'Pleasure Factory,' 'War Games: 25th Anniversary Edition'

"PLEASURE FACTORY." (2007. NOT RATED. STRAND RELEASING. $24.99.)

"Pleasure Factory" may sound like a porn title, but, in fact, it's an old-fashioned melodrama by director Ekachai Uekrongtham set in Singapore's red-light district, known as Geyland. There isn't much dialogue, but what there is is in a mix of languages with English subtitles. Several stories more or less intertwine: A young soldier on leave loses his virginity to a very pretty, Chinese-born prostitute; his buddy says he wants to find a girl, too, but is keeping his real desire for his friend a secret; a teen-age girl is inducted into her mother's profession; and another prostitute promises to go to bed with a street musician if he sings her a song. All of these people are either looking for or dispensing "pleasure," but the customers are all looking for love and the prostitutes are beaten down by a pervasive feeling of emptiness in their lives. The actors are competent, although with so little dialogue, it's not always easy to tell. Uekrongtham shot the entire film in Geyland, which gives the film a strong sense of verite. In the end, what keeps it earthbound is its dependence on stock characters and predictability. A bit more character development and a bit less melodrama would have led to a much better film.

-- David Wiegand

"WAR GAMES: 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION." (1983. PG. MGM. $14.98.)

Despite clunky computers, dial-up phones and outdated technology, "War Games" stands the test of time. With crisp dialogue, good acting and a fine story, the movie brings home its point that nothing can replace the human experience. The movie builds up its suspense with a fine techno-funk score, and the audience is on the ride until the end. Matthew Broderick plays David, a teen-age hacker (when the term was not yet associated with criminal activities) who unwittingly sets off a computer (WOPR) into beginning a countdown to start a nuclear war. He's a bit of a loner, though he's personable and witty and has the same dreams and fears of a normal teen-ager. This and other characterizations allow the movie to avoid a darker motif. Dabney Coleman plays the arrogant programmer, who can't believe an underachieving kid has acted alone, and meets resistance from Barry Corbin as the skeptical general whose worst fears of the WOPR come true. There's a defining scene in the war room in which director John Badham gets a close-up of John Wood's penetrating eyes that elicits the awe and disquietude of his creation -- a creation that, even today one needs to remember, is just a machine in a world that still needs human compassion and understanding. Extras include commentary by Badham and the film's writers, and several new featurettes.

-- Leba Hertz

"CANNON: SEASON ONE, VOLUME ONE." (1971. NOT RATED. PARAMOUNT. $36.98. FOUR DISCS.)

By the early '70s, there had been so many detective shows on TV that new ones needed a gimmick. "Cannon" (1971-76) offered a balding private eye with a large waistline, the result of his delight in good food and booze. Los Angeles detective Frank Cannon (William Conrad) likes to cruise around town in a Lincoln Continental -- a big car for a big guy. Cannon makes light of his size, but he surprises the villains with his quickness. And he isn't just a bon vivant: He's an ex-cop who developed a thirst for justice after the deaths of his wife and son. Among guest stars in this set, which offers 11 episodes and the two-part pilot, are Vera Miles, Tom Skerritt, Kim Hunter and Roy Scheider. Conrad had an interesting career: His resonant voice was familiar to older viewers as that of Marshal Dillon on radio's "Gunsmoke" and he had extensive TV and movie acting credits. He was also a talented musician and had a strong resume as a small-screen director. TV executives clearly loved Conrad as a crime fighter: He returned to the tube to portray a Los Angeles district attorney in "Jake and the Fatman," and later played the orchid-loving detective Nero Wolfe. (Trivia for animation buffs: Before "Cannon," Conrad was the narrator of "The Bullwinkle Show.") The only extra here is episodic promos.

-- Walter Addiego

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)