'Eros' DVD hard to love

In a throwback to the anthology films of the 1960s and 1970s, "Eros" gives three filmmakers a chance at showcasing their talents as a collective whole covering one major topic: love. Not just any kind of love; we're talking about eroticism and passion. Hong Kong mastermind Wong Kar-Wai and Hollywood maverick Steven Soderbergh are brought together in tribute and homage to the film's third and final filmmaker, legendary Italian auteur Michelangelo Antonioni. \nKar-Wai gets the ball rolling with "The Hand," an erotically charged tale between a prostitute (Li Gong) and her obsessive tailor (Chen Chang). This segment is "Eros'" strongest piece as Kar-Wai is playing his cards the same way he always does. Movement is smooth and quiet, everything floats gracefully within the frame and the mood, like all his films, is top-notch. You could say this segment is a nice warm-up for what Kar-Wai would end up doing with "2046," but had he cast regular Tony Leung, "The Hand" could reach unknown heights. \nFor being the most inexperienced of the three, Soderbergh fairs rather well placed in the middle with "Equilibrium." Nick Penrose (Robert Downey Jr.) has a dream he simply cannot get off his mind which leads him to the office of Dr. Pearl (Alan Arkin), a man much more concerned with peeping at the woman in the window across the street than giving psychiatric advice. Having only really covered such subject matter with the likes of "Sex, Lies and Videotape" and "Solaris," Soderbergh goes all out experimenting with black and white and color and ultimately creating a humorously surreal ride.\nFor being the great filmmaker that Antonioni is, his segment, "The Dangerous Thread of Things," is lacking greatly. A man (Christopher Buchholz) and woman (Regina Nemni) have a falling out as he begins taking interest in a mysterious nude woman found wandering the beach resort. The story simply goes nowhere nor does the mood change. At age 93 though and having made masterpieces such as "L'Avventura" and "Blow-up," I'm not holding anything against Antonioni for this disappointing effort. \nThe DVD is a major disappointment. It poorly dubs Antonioni's segment in Italian even though it was originally shot in English and also is shorter than the theatrical version. In the extras department, there is barely anything. The fancy theatrical trailer and Antonioni's short film, "Michelangelo Eye to Eye," which is really only worth watching if you're a fan of his work. \nFor what it is, "Eros" is an okay viewing experience -- a chance to see great short works from Kar-Wai and Soderbergh and an Antonioni short worth passing over.