Category: DVD Review

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New on DVD

New on DVD

WWII in HD
Unrated but contains some graphic violence and adult language    
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
We’ve all seen many World War II documentaries, but I can honestly say that you will be astonished at what lies in this set of 10 episodes chronicling the great war.  Most footage of the war was shot in black and white, but the filmmakers spent two years on a world-wide search of any existing color film that might exist and what they found was that much of it was practically pristine since it had never been seen before.  Gary Sinise  narrates the story of the war, mostly told from the point of view of a dozen individuals that experienced the war first-hand.  While some of the material is extremely graphic and disturbing, this series is visually the most impressive account of the war I have ever seen and one of the History Channel’s crowning achievements.  I started with medium expectations and was completely blown away.  A

Surrogates
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing images, language, and a drug-related scene
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Bruce Willis is a cop in the future where folks don’t ever have to leave their house, but instead they just live their lives through a robotic surrogate that does everything for them.  When a weapon turns up that has the ability to kill humans through their surrogates, Willis must find the inventor of the weapon and stop them before they destroy every human who owns a surrogate.  While Willis is way too old to play this part, it’s still not a bad piece of sci-fi, even if it does get a bit silly at times.  The plot gets a little convoluted in order to try to convince the audience it’s a smart film, but it is overly predictable and does not play as well on a second viewing.  The preachiness is also extremely annoying, especially if you’ve seen it once already.  C

Pontypool
Not Rated but contains graphic violence
Available on DVD
This indie intellectual zombie flick follows a DJ in the small Canadian town of Pontypool where the citizens have suddenly started turning into mindless killing creatures from a virus being spread through language.  For most of the film it’s just he and two employees in the studio trying to figure out what’s going on with a town gone mad.  Eventually the zombies come but it never really gets that scary or violent.  It almost plays out like an old-fashioned radio show that you would get more pleasure listening to than watching.  That being said, there is a radio show version of the story on the DVD.  Overall, it’s pretty funny and fairly intriguing, but I never really got into it that intensely.  B-

Pride & Prejudice
Rated PG for some mild thematic elements
Available on Blu-ray
I usually don’t discuss catalog titles when they become newly available on Blu-ray, but this is one of my favorites so I thought I’d give it a mention.  Joe Wright’s multi-Oscar nominated version of the Jane Austen classic pairs Keira Knightly vs. Matthew Macfadyen as the stubborn lovers, but what makes this film so special is the lovely cinematography of Roman Osin, the spectacular vision of director Joe Wright and the sweeping score of Dario Marianelli.  And if you ever want to show off your new LED or LCD home theater setup just turn to 1 hour and 19 minutes into the film and crank up the volume.  I can’t think of a more awe-inspiring movie sequence you could turn to.  A

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New on DVD

New on DVD

The Invention of Lying
Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual material including and a drug reference
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In an alternate reality where there is no such thing as a lie, Ricky Gervais is having a tough time with his life until he realizes that if he just makes stuff up, people believe whatever he says.  With his new powers, he becomes amazingly wealthy, writes the greatest movie the world has ever known, and invents an all-knowing “man in the sky” who controls the destiny of everyone.  The movie starts out with a clever premise, but Gervais’s agenda of disproving religion becomes such a theme of the movie that it gets to be a huge distraction.  If you’ve ever seen one of his stand-up routines you know that he is one of the most aggressively atheist actors in Hollywood and it doesn’t take long for you to understand that this film is simply a love letter to his own special religion.  If the film could have been funny, then at least I could have said offensive but funny, but for me it was neither.  Instead it was just kind of a sad and pathetic attempt at filmmaking.  D

Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball
Rated R for bloody violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
What was originally pegged as a prequel to the box-office dud Smokin’ Aces is now a straight-to-DVD release as a sequel, although it really bares no connection, aside from one minor character, to the first.  In this film, several assassins are all given the same assignment: kill a soon-to-be-retired FBI desk jockey who know too much.  The Feds put him into hiding, but these assassins, some talented and some just crazy, all converge on the hideout to try to collect on the bounty.  It’s an extremely violent, badly written, poorly acted, b-film that will have most women leaving the room and most men admitting they were right to do so.  The good news – it’s short.  The bad news – it’s poorly paced so it feels long.  But then again, what did you expect from such a film.  That might just be what you are looking for at Blockbuster on a Friday night.  D-

The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty years since this show hit the air.  I was in high school when we would watch The Simpsons, Married with Children, and Living Color back to back.  I don’t think any of would have ever thought there was a chance that the show could still be going strong and still creating high-quality comedy over twice my age later.  This twentieth year is full of great political material including George W. Bush’s last year in the White House as well as Obama’s first, Bart trading places with his doppleganger, the family buying a pub in Ireland, and border disputes with a neighboring town.  The material seems almost as fresh as day one and some of the episodes had me laughing myself sick.  The biggest plus of all – this was the first season The Simpsons were made and available in hi-def.  There’s nothing like crappy animation in big, bold, beautiful hi-def!  A

Whiteout
Rated R for violence, grisly images, brief strong language and some nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This will be the last time I discuss this Kate Beckinsale stinker in my column, I swear.  But in case you missed my last mention, this pic follows Kate as a U.S. Marshall in Antarctica hot on the trails of a murderer.  It’s just bad from start to finish and aside from the laughable opening shower sequence, there is not a redeeming quality to be found.  Most comical of all is that while only about 100 minutes, the film seems to last forever due to horrible pacing and the fact that the cold slows the chase and fight scenes down to a freezing crawl.  F

Pandorum
Rated R for strong horror violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When Ben Foster wakes up in his cryo chamber in deep space, he discovers that something is wrong with his ship and that there is an evil on board killing what’s left of the thousands of survivors.  His co-captain, Dennis Quaid, attempts to guide him through the ship by radio to get things going in the right direction again so that they all can survive.  This movie died a quick death in theaters, in large part I think to the fact that they went to market without letting any press in to screen it, but it’s really not a bad film if you are a hard core sci-fi junkie.  It begs the question “what would happen if you put the film The Descent in space?”  Granted, that was already kind of done with the Alien series, but at least here the creatures are somewhat humanoid.  The film is by no means as good or scary as The Descent (you must see if you haven’t already), but it had me going and I liked the twist at the end.  Some of the writing didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but maybe it would in multiple viewings.  B-

Fame
Rated PG for thematic material including teen drinking, a sexual situation and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This update of the original 1980 film follows the lives of a group of students at the New York City High School of Performing Arts as they go through their Freshmen through Senior years.  Some of it is motivational and inspirational, just like the original movie, and some of it is as cheesy and silly as High School Musical.  Personally, I couldn’t stand the inconsistency of the tone.  The film didn’t really know what it wanted to be.  Had it chosen to be more like the French film The Class, it could have been truly great.  Instead it toyed with that but strayed.  Perhaps it went the other direction for box office purposes.  If so, that was a big mistake because the film was a dud and teens weren’t buying.  C

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New on DVD

New on DVD

Inglourious Basterds
Rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Quentin Tarantino’s World War II fantasia tells the story of a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers led by Brad Pitt as they are on a mission in Nazi-occupied France to kill and scalp as many Nazis as they can get their hands on.  This is a bloody entertaining, history-changing good time that is as funny as it is violent.  And it is very violent.  The movie is filled with terrific performances, including that by Christoph Waltz, which may very well be the best performance by any actor this year.  The blu-ray is loaded with special features  including a Nazi-killing trivia challenge you can play with your friends on BD-Live, although noticeably missing is a commentary by the maestro Tarantino.  A

The Hangover
Rated R
Pervasive Language, sexual content including nudity, and some drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
One of the biggest success stories of the year has been this little comedy with no big stars about a bachelor-party-gone-wrong that made $277 million U.S. and $462 Worldwide.  In The Hangover, three groomsmen take the soon-to-be-wed to Vegas for a little fun, but the next morning the room is smashed, their is a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and no sign of the groom.  To make matters worse, none of them have a clue what happened over the last twelve hours.  This movie is so funny the laughter was actually painful.  Zach Galifianakis is so on fire here as the crazy future brother-in-law that I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he pulls an Oscar nomination out of the role.  The rest of the ensemble play their parts perfectly as well making it so you might have to turn up the volume a bit so you don’t miss some of the lines due to laugh/coughing.  Special features are thick and include a great picture-in-picture commentary with the actors and director Todd Phillips.  A

G-Force
Rated PG for some mild action and rude humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
A group of specially trained guinea pigs attempt to save the world from a crazy billionaire.  Most kids didn’t even like this made exclusively for kids Disney flick starring way too many talented people to be this bad.  Zach Galifianakis, who was so good in The Hangover, should probably see about a new agent after this film.  It’s just a miserable way to spend 25 bucks or 90 minutes.  F

Julie and Julia
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on two books, My Life in France by Julia Child and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell, Julie and Julia follows the life of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) as she learns to cook in France, teach cooking, and become the legend she is today, as well as Julie Powell (Amy Adams), who in the modern day cooked all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 365 days.  Child’s story is a joy to watch and I wish that more of the focus was put on her.  In fact, I would have loved to have seen a movie just about her.  But the Powell story line was still innovative and interesting, yet just a touch too whiny for my taste.  The DVD has a commentary and short doc, but the blu-ray has a bevy of special features that make it worth the extra price including some great cooking lessons and a feature where friends and family remember Julia Child.  B+

Taking Woodstock
Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexual content, drug use, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) directs this comedy about the events that led up to Woodstock.  It doesn’t have much to do with the music, but rather with the logistics of the event, told from the eye of a young city councilman whose family’s motel is hosting most of the out-of-town visitors.  The problem with the film is that it’s just a mess from start to finish.  There are some interesting ideas, but too much felt improvised and what little plot there was didn’t feel strong enough to warrant an Ang Lee film.  C-

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New on DVD

New on DVD

World’s Greatest Dad
Rated R for language, crude and sexual content, some drug use and disturbing images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
If you’ve wondered why comedian Bobcat Goldthwait hasn’t been doing a lot of stand-up lately, it’s because he’s been writing and directing some very edgy indie comedies, of which World’s Greatest Dad is the latest.  In it, Robin Williams is the father of possibly the world’s worst teenager when a freak accident gives him the greatest opportunity of his life.  This is a twisted, wrong comedy that is offensive in every way possible and yet still very funny and incredibly insightful.  Williams shows that he can still act when given the right material and he puts in his best performance in over a decade.  While the cheesy moments of the picture take away from the crux of the story, the film still works and manages to be very enjoyable.  A-

Public Enemies
Rated R for gangster violence and some language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Michael Mann missed the mark in this biopic about legendary gangster John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale.  It’s badly shot, poorly edited, and way too long.  To make matters worse, the hero, even though he is a villain, does nothing to cause us to cheer him on.  It makes me wonder if the subject matter warranted the big screen treatment.  C

Knut and Friends
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
There is nothing cuter than the little polar bear that almost didn’t make it when his parents in the Berlin Zoo rejected him.  This film chronicles the life of Knut, as well as a wild polar bear family and two wild brown bear orphans trying to survive their first year.  As adorable as it all is, the narration and the music is obnoxious to the point where I wanted to turn off the volume and add my own soundtrack.  B-

Lost: The Complete Fifth Season
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This last season of the hit TV show Lost was the trippiest yet with a time-travel plot line that was as cool as it was confusing.  On this set is recap of seasons 1-4 in case you’ve forgotten or need a crash course (no pun intended).  Also included are an enormous amount of special features including documentaries, deleted scenes, commentaries, and bloopers. Now I can hardly wait for the final season this spring!  A

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New on DVD

New on DVD

Terminator Salvation: Director’s Cut
Rated R for some violence and brief nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Christian Bale is the adult John Connor, the leader of the resistance against the machines.  When he discovers that the man he is supposed to send back in time to protect his mother and become his father is in trouble, he seeks to find him and bring him to safety.  To complicate matters, his father is being escorted by an unpredictable terminator.  This new director’s cut still has a lot of scratch-your-head fuzzy logic and some crumby writing, but it is a vast improvement from the theatrical release for one main reason – it’s not made for teenagers.  I was so upset that the Terminator franchise was allowed to be PG-13 and this new version, while not as strong as the first three films, at least has a more similar tone.  Also, if you are a blu-ray owner, you will love the special viewing mode Warner Brothers has built here, similar to what was seen in The Watchmen.  B-

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Rated PG for mild action and brief language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this sequel to the hit comedy, Ben Stiller discovers that Jebediah and Octavius have been shipped off to the Smithsonian and thus attempts a rescue.  Unfortunately, the Smithsonian comes to life as well and chaos ensues.  There are too many great adult comedians in this film (Steve Coogan, Christopher Guest, Ricky Gervais, Bill Hader, etc…) to offer nothing for adults, but yet that is exactly what it does.  The humor, the effects, the wit, and the tone are all family-based.  They like to act clever when there is an occasional double entendre, but I just can’t see how anyone without kids and over the age 15 would appreciate this.  Then again, that may be just fine for Twentieth Century Fox who made almost a half a billion dollars with the pic.  Obviously there is an audience, but it’s not me and I’m OK with that.  That being said, I still think there is smarter, more challenging material (such as anything made by Pixar) out there for children that won’t cause the adults to lose brain cells.  C

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New on DVD


New on DVD

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: It’s a Very Sunny Christmas
Unrated but contains adult content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Danny DeVito and gang at the FX original series It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia are premiering a not-fit-for-cable special premiering on DVD and Blu-ray this Christmas featuring the guys and girl from the worst bar in Philly as they celebrate Christmas in the worst ways they possibly can.  All they really want is nice, pleasant Christmas tradition to call their own when they realize that all of their traditions are less than desirable.  This 45 minute special, directed by Fred Savage, contains some some-splitting laughs including a set piece with DeVito that made me laugh so hard I had to press pause until I could catch my breath.  The gag was a copy from Ace Ventura 2, but worked so much better at a Christmas party than at a wild game park.  This is such an offensive show, and there is neither a redeeming quality amongst a single one of the characters, nor a full brain between them for that matter, and because of that, the comedy works so much better like this when they aren’t censored.  A

Funny People 
Rated R for language and crude sexual humor throughout, and some sexuality
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When famous movie star George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is diagnosed with cancer, he hires a young comedian (Seth Rogen) to write jokes for him, live with him, and basically take care of him.  Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) was on quite a roll until this gamble didn’t pay off in theaters.  It’s not that it’s a bad film.  Quite the contrary.  In my opinion, the box office didn’t hit because of two reasons: they don’t like to see Adam Sandler as a jerk and they don’t find cancer comical.  It’s a tough sell.  Those who saw the film were rewarded with an overall heartwarming experience with as many tears as laughs and Sandler’s image was only slightly tainted.  One thing Apatow is excellent at is making sure his DVDs are full of extras and this one is the most packed yet.  I watched for what seemed like hours and still didn’t get through it all.  And I found it most of it enjoyable.  Whether it be the new unrated edition, the hour’s worth of deleted scenes, hour’s worth of extended scenes, stand up comedy, or other miscellaneous documentaries, this thing is loaded down and well worth the dollars spent.  If you are a fan of stand up comedy, I will go as far as to say this is a must own.  A-

Four Christmases
Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon can’t leave for vacation when their flight is canceled due to weather.  But when a bad turn of luck puts them on TV discussing their misfortune, their four sets of divorced parents see them and demand Christmas visits over the next day.  You might read the premise and say “Wow – that sounds pretty funny – how can they screw that one up?”  Well they did, and big time.  This is one of the dumbest movies that came out last year, with every silly turn feeling more and more forced.  By the time Vaughn plays Joseph in the church play, most of you will have returned the disc to Blockbuster.  Or at least you’ll wish you had.  If you think at that point “It has to get better.”  It doesn’t.  Just get in the car.  Or better yet, don’t pick it to begin with.  F

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New on DVD

New on DVD

Gone with the Wind: 70th Anniversary Edition
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
It’s amazing how beautiful a film can look after 70 years when it is as well preserved as this one has been.  And now five years after the last special edition, they have made an even more impressive print.  So should you discard your last set for this new one?  That depends.  If you have blu-ray – absolutely, although I wish they would have released a smaller set, minus the book, that would fit in my collection a little easier.  Also, the two disc DVD set looks nicer, but only includes the same old commentary we’ve listened to before.  So if you are a big fan or a blu-ray collector, it’s probably worth the upgrade, otherwise, save your bucks.  A-

Bruno
Rated R for pervasive crude and strong sexual content, graphic nudity and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Sacha Baron Cohen really went all out in regard to pushing the limits of decency and good taste as Bruno, a German fashionista determined to be an American celebrity.  That being said, it is still incredibly funny, and if you watch with the commentary, which I highly recommend, you’ll find out just how brave he really was making this film.  There were a few moments in the film where I was certain his life was in real danger due to his stupidity, and sure enough, I was right.  Also on the disc are the deleted scenes, some of which were not allowed in the film due to being too objectionable.  That was hard to imagine before seeing them.  B+

Thirst
Rated R for graphic bloody violence, disturbing images, strong sexual content, nudity and language
Available on DVD
This Korean vampire film from Oldboy writer/director Chan-wook Park tells the tale of a selfless priest that receives vampire blood during an infusion and is sentenced forever to a new diet.  This is a very violent, very sexual twisted little film, and it’s one of my favorite so far this year.  It has a dark sense of humor with a perverse creativity.  In a quiet home you don’t get the benefit of an inappropriately laughing audience, but it’s still enjoyable just the same.  A

Farscape: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
When an astronaut is hurled across the universe, he finds himself in the middle of an intergalactic conflict.  Dealing with strange alien creatures and dangerous mercenaries, he survived four seasons in this cult-classic Jim Henson Productions TV show which is finally getting an all-in-one box set in time for the holiday.  Sci-fi geeks everywhere will be celebrating.  B

Rome: The Complete Series
Unrated but contains graphic violence, language, sexual content and nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
While it only lasted a mere two seasons on HBO, this highly regarded epic sword and sandals series is my absolute favorite television show.  Through the two season, the stories of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony, Cleopatra, and Octavian are all told from the point of view of two Roman soldiers, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson).  With brilliant writing, acting, and tremendous production, Rome is an event that we were lucky to have seen and one that we may never see the likes of again.  This new set doesn’t add too much on the DVD side, but the blu-ray has lots more to offer, not to mention an even more beautiful way to look at the ugliness that was Rome.  A+

Fight Club: You Are Not Special Edition
Rated R for disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior, sexuality and language
Available on Blu-ray
This groundbreaking film starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton is now ten years old and just as anti-social as ever.  Director David Fincher had a very fun time putting this blu-ray together, which should make it a very popular addition to many libraries.  You don’t watch a film like this for it’s stunning look, although the high def does add to the enjoyment, but the vast amount of special features, including a recent night out with Mel Gibson and some shocking deleted scenes, make this a great set to check out.  A

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New on DVD



New on DVD

Up
Rated PG for some peril and action
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Pixar’s epic adventure of an elderly man that attaches thousands of helium balloons in order that he might realize his lifelong dream of traveling to South America, makes its home video debut in grand fashion this week.  Truly one of the most spectacular films to be released this year, Up is an emotionally impactful picture that plays as well with multiple viewings as it does on the first.  What’s more, it is a film that pretty much everyone will love, children, parents, grandparents, doesn’t matter.  This film hits a chord with its entire audience which is one of the reason why it is one of the top grossing films of all time at almost $300 million domestic box office.  I highly recommend getting the 2 DVD or blu-ray special editions due to the great special features found on them, including several documentaries showing the intense attention to detail and a wonderful look at man’s best friend.  Also out this week is a new blu-ray release of Monsters, Inc (still my personal favorite Pixar flick), and a new Cars collectors set including two die-cast collector cars. A+

The Accidental Husband
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief strong language
Available on DVD
Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is as happy as can be thinking he is about to get married, until he discovers his wife received advice from a radio talk show host (Uma Thurman), convincing her to leave him.  In order to get revenge, he convinces a friend to hack into the city records, and creat a fake marriage between he and the radio show host, keeping her from getting to her fiance (Colin Firth).  This straight to DVD romantic comedy has its moments, but due to predictability and not being very funny, it’s a tough pill to swallow.  Apparently, the premise was realistic according to a making-of feature on the disc, but it seems so outlandish and frankly a fiance that leaves for the silly reason as the one in the beginning here would warrant good riddance rather than revenge. C

Discovery Atlas: Complete Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this series, Discovery Channel travels to eleven countries, including France, Japan, Mexico, and India, and shows a unique perspective of each country by looking at its people, colors, and flavors and what makes them special.  This is not your typical travel documentary and what I like most about it is that instead of showing the similarities between their world and ours, it shows what makes their part of the world truly magical.  Information-wise the content is great, but aesthetically, the look is stunning.  If you are a world traveler, this might be one you might want to add to your collection. A

The Echo
Rated R for violence, disturbing images and brief language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
An ex-con moves into his deceased mother’s apartment in New York City where he discovers that there is a ghost haunting the unit, and his life is in danger until he can figure out the spirit wants.  While not a great film, the pic does what a horror film is supposed to do – it scares.  And it’s not the “boo” scare either, but rather a nice, lingering creepiness that helps you forget the bad acting and lack of rational thought from the script. B-

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New on DVD

New on DVD

North by Northwest: 50th Anniversary Edition
Not Rated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this Hitchcock classic Carey Grant is Roger O. Thornhill, a mild-mannered advertising executive who is mistaken for an undercover agent named George Kaplan.  This case of mistaken identity sets him off on a dangerous adventure around the country with some of the most memorable set pieces in movie history such as a plane attacking him in a cornfield with nowhere to hide and the grand finale at Mount Rushmore.  If you have seen this film you will probably agree that this is one of the most entertaining films ever made.  If you haven’t seen it then shame – get it!  This new edition is loaded down with special features including a commentary by screenwriter Ernest Lehman, a brand new documentary on Hitchcock and a music only score featuring the composition of Bernard Hermann.  A+

The Maiden Heist
Rated PG-13 for some strong language, nudity and brief fantasy violence
Available on DVD
Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, and William H. Macy are security guards for a museum determined to steal pieces that they can’t live without when they discover that the exhibit is moving to Europe.  This is one of those of the films that you hate not to like.  The three have good enough chemistry, but the script is just not that great and the film lacks the energy needed to keep the pacing up.  I’m not sure why Sony decided to go straight to DVD with this one being that it might have had a small art house crowd, especially amongst older audiences.  C

Rocky: The Undisputed Collection
Available on Blu-ray
This collection of all six Rocky films on blu-ray sounded a little hoakie at first, but after digging in I forgot just how fun the Rocky franchise has been.  The first Rocky was a truly ground-breaking film and the second a great compliment.  But then how can you not love Rocky taking on Mr. T and Dolph Lundgren in 3 and 4 as well?  The films were total formula but the formula works.  Rocky 5 was a stinker, but 6 was tight and to the point.  Containing both brilliance and cheese in the same box set, this is a terrifically entertaining set of fight pics.  A-

Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This IMAX documentary film about how mummies were discovered and created is a fascinating and stunningly filmed look at a world very few people will be familiar with.  Using historical recreations to dramatize the ancient Egyptian world and modern science to unravel the mummies’ secrets (no pun intended) the film should provide an interesting educational experience for kids and adults.  What’s most surprising is how much is packed into only 39 minutes of film.  The only negative is they tried too hard to show how the mummies of old were helping medicine of today and the link seemed a little weak.  If anything, it wasn’t interesting enough to put into an IMAX presentation.  B

Say Anything: 20th Anniversary Edition
Rated PG-13
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
It’s hard to believe that twenty years have passed since this classic high school romance hit screens.  John Cusack was just an unambitious teenager who wanted to date the smartest girl in school, played by Ione Skye.  The two had an unbelievable chemistry, which played against a Peter Gabriel soundtrack that most of us around my age can still recite even now.  This new edition holds up great.  The movie looks like a period piece that was made yesterday, except with a starry-eyed Cusack.  The disc is full of special features including an engaging trivia track that plays while you are watching the film and a great interview with director Cameron Crowe.  A

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New on DVD

New on DVD

Whatever Works
Rated PG-13 for sexual situations including dialogue, brief nude images and thematic material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Larry David, pretending to be Woody Allen in this Allen film, is an old curmudgeonly man with a negative disposition and a terrible outlook on life.  One night he meets a young naive girl from the south played by Evan Rachel Wood who convinces him to let her live in his house until she can get up on her feet.  The two are polar opposites but have an almost neutralizing effect upon one another as the relationship goes from unfriendly to friendly to fatherly to possibly something else.  Starting out you could swear that this was going to be nothing but an uncomfortable yet funny comedy about a jerky old man set in his ways, but over the course of the film it lightens up rather quickly and turns a direction that you just don’t see coming.  At the very least it’s unpredictable.  At the most it’s rather funny and at times hilarious.  Larry David doesn’t have to be anyone but himself here and that’s just fine for this character.  While none of the acting is outrageously great, Wood and her mother, played by Patricia Clarkson, are both a hoot.  And for those of you that insist that you can’t put up with more than thirty minutes of Larry David at a time – good news – he disappears in the second act for a very large chunk of the movie.  And with this ensemble you don’t even miss him.  B+

Orphan
Rated R for disturbing content, some sexuality and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
When a couple loses their third child during birth, they decide to adopt a young Russian girl to make up for the loss.  Unfortunately for them, the new addition is a saint to their face, but a demon behind their backs and a real danger to their family.  I was hesitant to see this one after star Vera Farmiga’s last creepy child movie Joshua was such a let down.  I have to admit that this one is a much better attempt at the genre though.  While the husband, played by Peter Sarsgaard is annoying in his ignorance, Vera and the little girl, played by Isabelle Furhman put on a nice little show with plenty of scares and chilling scenes.  Please take note of the R on this one though as this is a very violent, dark film with a little child doing things she shouldn’t be doing.  I can easily see folks grabbing it off of the shelves thinking it to be a PG-13 and wondering what they got themselves into.  B

Prisoner: The Complete Series
Available on Blu-ray
This popular British series follows a former top-secret operative who is abducted and thrown into a place known only as “The Village.”  Village residents are given numbers instead of names and each is held captive because of the knowledge they possess.  Now known only as Number Six, he battles to protect himself, discover the identity of Number One, and hopefully escape.  The convoluted plot and innovative style earned this TV show cult status in the 60s and now that it is being released on Blu-ray with a transfer from the original film elements and a newly remixed 5.1 surround track, it stands to attract its audience back and maybe pick up some new fans along the way.  The five-disc set includes way more special features than I had time to dive into, but should make any fan very happy.  Overall, I can see why folks liked this show and I’m actually anxious to see what AMC does with the new miniseries The Prisoner it is premiering in November.  A-

Dogfights: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
The History Channel recreates some of the most famous aerial dogfights from past, present and future in this 10 disc box set.  In Season One, they take a look back at the sky battles that took place in Guadalcanal, Korea, and Vietnam.  In Season Two, they take a look back at the great fights of World War One, where dogfights began, through Desert Storm.  Finally in Dogfights of the Future, they take a look at what our boys in uniform will have in store.  Overall, this is 23 hours of time-killing guilty pleasure that will have you glued to your TV in fascination.  It’s almost weird the addictive power this show has, and how fun it is to watch, even if you are like me and know nothing at all about planes.  A-