A Serious Man (R, 2009, Universal/Focus)
Great movies express powerful emotions — heartbreak, joy, love, anger — in ways that resonate strongly with viewers. But it takes something truly special to convey the dull ache of fading dreams and encroaching irrelevance as masterfully as poor physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) does while his employers debate his value, his wife (Sari Lennick) kicks him out of his own house, his next-door neighbor (Peter Breitmayer) greets him with unsolicited death stares, and his friend of 15 years (Fred Melamed) so politely moves in on his wife. “A Serious Man” flies the dark and dry comedy flag with unbridled pride, but it also leapfrogs past those simple classifications by investing more care into a blank stare or idle twitch of the mouth than most dark comedies invest in their dialogue. Years of watching sympathetic heroes like Larry have trained us to wait patiently for the moment in which the hero angrily decides to reclaim his pride, but while the truth won’t be spoiled here, “Man” makes it clear early on that such conventions are in no way promised. Given how enjoyable each and every moment of “Man” is on its own level, anything less than complete, unnerving (but morbidly hilarious) uncertainty would do anyway.
Extras: Three behind-the-scenes features.

The House of the Devil (R, 2009, Dark Sky/MPI)
There’s a fine line between tribute, parody and something resembling a possible resurgence of an art form, and while it isn’t totally clear where “The House of the Devil’s” original intentions lied, it doesn’t really matter when the result so clearly belongs in column C. “Devil’s” spartan premise arrives straight out of the 1980s: A struggling college student (Jocelin Donahue as Samantha) takes a babysitting job deep in the country despite the fact that the man who interviewed her (Tom Noonan) was both a little rude and a lot creepy. Working in concert with the premise is “Devil’s” overall style, which — from Samantha’s feathered hair to the technology on hand (pay phones in, cell phones out) to the visual presentation — removes all doubt that this is a callback to olden times. But along the way and without changing its tone, “Devil” migrates from arguable sendup to real-deal minimalist horror. Minutes pass in which little happens, but everything about those minutes makes it entirely clear something awful could happen any second now. “Devil” giftedly veers from tease to jolt and right back to tease, and it thrives on creeping viewers out with what it doesn’t say instead of dumping buckets of gore all over the floor. It works beautifully, and it begs the question: Why did this style ever disappear in the first place?
Extras: Director/Donahue commentary, crew commentary, deleted scenes, interviews, behind-the-scenes feature.

More Than a Game (PG, 2008, Lions Gate)
“More Than a Game” tells the story of five basketball players (one of them LeBron James) whose bond — the roots of which began at the grade school level — molded them into one of the most dominant forces ever to blow through high school basketball. If that sounds like an ordinary story with a completely predestined ending, it’s only because cheesy, mostly fictional sports movies have trained us to think it is. But while we all know what has happened to James since his high school days, none of it was written in stone when a film crew followed him and his teammates around over a period of several years. And even if “Game” wasn’t special in any other regard, its document of a professional superstar’s developmental years is unprecedented in terms of detail and intimacy. But James isn’t the only fascinating subject on hand here: His teammates, coaches and mother have some pretty extraordinary stories of their own to tell, and “Game” is democratic in exploring their respective highs and (because this is a documentary and not scripted entertainment) lows. The sum total is considerably more exhilarating than anything a screenwriter can conjure, and while James’ story always will be the exception to the rule, “Game” does the dream proud nonetheless.
Extras: Three making-of features.

The Life and Times of Tim: The Complete First Season (NR, 2008, HBO)
Do you miss “Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist?” Or rather, did you sort of admire that cartoon’s conversational tone and ultra-crude animation but wish Dr. Katz could drop an F-bomb and let his too-hot-for-basic-cable flag fly every now and again? Here’s your show. “The Life and Times of Tim” does not come from the same brain trusts responsible for  “Katz” or the similarly great “Home Movies,” but the stylistic similarities — bone-dry dialogue and delivery, grade school-level artwork and animation that a five-page flip book could outdo — are too unmistakable not to mention. “Tim” veers down its own road by virtue of being on HBO, which means episodes like “Angry Unpaid Hooker,” “Bashko’s Hairy Daughter,” and “Tim vs. the Baby” are possible. Fortunately, while “Tim” certainly benefits from the lack of boundaries, it values dry wit over shock for shock’s sake, so while some episodes collapse beneath their premises, most wind up on the pretty amusing side. And because each half-hour show comes divided into two episodes, the bad ones at least don’t stick around for too long.
Contents: 20 episodes over 10 shows, plus a collection of 10 animated shorts.

Couples Retreat (PG-13, 2009, Universal)
If the thud with which “Couples Retreat’s” theatrical run landed was deserved, it wasn’t due to it being an awful movie, because “Retreat” isn’t awful so much as it is just so-so. There’s even a point, when we’re getting to know everybody, where “Retreat” — which finds four couples (Vince Vaughn, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk) unwittingly at a luxurious resort that’s a front for intensive, mandatory new-age couples therapy — is quite good and quite funny. But “Retreat” expends the bulk of its funny energy during its early going, and once we get to the resort, it’s already in the process of awkwardly coasting on the character quirks it set up in act one. The thinning laughs aren’t helped by the fact that “Retreat” basically runs through all the predictable scenarios one expects from a stock vacation-in-not-quite-paradise film. All that clinging to convention never makes for a terrible film, and there are moments where “Retreat” looks poised to break out as a cutting dialogue about commitment rather than an elongated sitcom with a soppy ending. But it never fully takes that gamble, and what remains feels like a so-so film that, given the talent within, should be miles better than so-so. Jean Reno and Peter Serafinowicz also star.
Extras: Director/Vaughn commentary, alternate ending and deleted/extended scenes (with commentary), three behind-the-scenes features, bloopers.

The Pleasure of Being Robbed (NR, 2008, IFC Films)
So here’s a question: How important is it to you that, during the course of a movie, stuff happens? If the question sounds like a joke to you, it’s probably best to deny yourself the likely displeasure of watching “The Pleasure of Being Robbed,” which follows the plain but disarming Eléonore (Eleonore Hendricks) as she grifts her way through an otherwise directionless New York City existence. That aforementioned ability to disarm — and the live-for-the-moment disposition that accompanies it — makes Eléonore a frustratingly difficult character to dislike, and there’s something weirdly serene about watching her stumble from instance to instance without fear of plot developments, twists, and grand finales getting in the way. On the downside? “Robbed” doesn’t have any plot developments, twists or finales that change things in any lasting, remotely meaningful way from the beginning of the film to its conclusion. “Robbed” is a unique, pretty film that, at 70 minutes long, also is easy to digest. But for a lot of movie watchers, it’s missing too many parts to even rate as a movie at all. If the premise on paper gives you fits, the genuine article likely will leave you with a brief complex.
Extras: Musical commentary track, short films “We’re Going to the Zoo” and “There’s Nothing You Can Do,” three super-short films (shorter than a minute each) made during the making of “Robbed.”

Planet Hulk: 2-Disc Special Edition (NR, 2010, Lions Gate)
Marvel is attempting to turn a corner in its redoubled efforts to produce high-quality animated action movies, and there are numerous points in “Planet Hulk” — the level of animation detail, the overriding presentation, an appetite for blood not allowed on Saturday morning cartoons, a nice quotient of DVD extras — where this effort is evident. But it’s hard to make a ton of lemonade with a lemon like “Hulk,” which shortchanges its main character and relies on a script so formulaic as to undermine all that pretty action taking place when it climaxes. It’s not really the movie’s fault: “Hulk” is based on the multi-issue comic book of the same name, and the comics had considerably more room to develop Hulk and his supporting cast and provide the kind of details that more than offset the generic skeletal plot. An 81-minute movie can’t feasibly do the same, and in this context, “Hulk” just feels like a “Gladiator” knockoff that revolves around a character without dimension. The good looks don’t go unnoticed, but stacked up against the flat setting, characters and dialogue, they’re still overmatched.
Extras: Two crew commentary tracks, two behind-the-scenes features, “Wolverine and the X-Men” episode, “Thor: Tales of Asgard” opening sequence, two motion comics, two music videos, digital copy.

Worth a Mention
— “Doctor Who: The Complete Specials” (NR, 2008-10, BBC): These are tumultuous times for “Doctor Who” fans, who must bid farewell to David Tennant — arguably as popular an actor to inhabit the Doctor’s shoes as any who preceded him — and say hello to Doctor No. 11 Matt Smith, who has some serious shoe-filling to do. Regardless of how that turns out, this set — which contains Tennant-fronted specials “The Next Doctor,” “Planet of the Dead,” “The Waters of Mars,” and the two-part “The End of Time” that sees Tennant passing the torch to Smith — certainly makes for a comprehensive celebration. Extras include deleted scenes (with introduction by Russell T. Davies, who also signs off as lead writer and executive producer), video diaries, commentary, behind-the-scenes features and Comic-Con footage.
— New Archive of American Television DVDs (NR, E1 Entertainment): E1 and the Archive of American Television’s excellent restoration of classic programs hits a new peak with separate releases of the 1954 production of “Twelve Angry Men” with Norman Fell and Robert Cummings, Orson Welles’ 1953 production of “King Lear,” a two-parter featuring the Rod Sterling dramas “The Arena” (1956) and “The Strike” (1954), and a four-disc set chronicling Leonard Bernstein’s Omnibus productions. Each package comes with a companion booklet, while “Lear” also includes backstage footage and a handful of bonus performances.

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The Escapist (NR, 2008, IFC Films)
Is there room for another no-nonsense prison escape film in a world that’s already seen so many? If it receives the level of care this one receives, then yes, yes there is. “The Escapist” could not play it straighter in the plot department: An aging prisoner (Brian Cox) wants out of a London penitentiary when he learns his daughter is terminally ill, and he’ll form whatever alliances he deems necessary to make it outside. The film steers similarly clear of gimmickry and contrived plot twisting when moving from the planning stage to the eventual attempt. All that energy instead goes toward assembling a roster of deeply engaging characters (Damian Lewis, Seu Jorge, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Liam Cunningham, Steven Mackintosh) who embody characteristics one expects from hardened convicts while still managing to avoid the usual stereotypes and pratfalls that undermine so many prison films. Their interesting respective constructions provide more than enough ammunition for “The Escapist’s” own unique construction, and the little things that formulate these characters translate into the little scenes — shaky alliances, brilliant plans-within-plans, egos butting heads and, of course, things that fall apart — that make this simple but acutely intelligent film so much fun to watch in spite of its modest aims. Just be sure to give it your undivided attention: Though it plays it straight, “The Escapist” jumps between chronologies and continually hinges on minute details, and it expects everyone watching to keep up while it does.
Extras: Deleted scenes, making-of feature.

Surrogates (PG-13, 2009, Touchstone)
Hollywood’s sci-fi wing has continually screwed things up when it comes to imagining a future in which humans exhange their real existences for a virtual reality that inevitably goes awry. So it’s worth noting that “Surrogates,” while no picture of logical impregnability itself, at least manages to screw up less than most of its contemporaries eventually do. As often happens, “Surrogates” gets a little lost when things go awry, and in an attempt to quell the volcano of narrative contradictions that erupts, the film devolves into a typical thriller with sci-fi leanings instead of a sci-fi movie with a few thrills. Predictable twists arrive on schedule, and even if you can’t guess them, you likely will recognize them from any number of other movies. But these problems, while unfortunate, arrive after “Surrogates” has taken us pretty deep into the world it has constructed. And that world — including 14 years of history the film skillfully sums up within its first four minutes — is too intriguing to completely succumb to the formulaic twists and plot gaps that follow. All that scrambling still keeps “Surrogates” from being all it could’ve been, but what ultimately emerges (including an ending that rights the ship and pays off nicely) still provides a more interesting look at a worst-case-scenario future than most movies can assemble without making a much bigger mess. Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe and Ving Rhames star.
Extras: Director commentary, music video.

Pontypool (NR, 2008, IFC Films)
Making a refreshingly original zombie movie was tough enough five years ago, and it would seem to be borderline unimaginable after the recent glut of re-imaginations, spoofs and also-rans. So let’s hear it for “Pontypool,” which pulls it off by simultaneously reinventing and sidestepping the conventions that blazed its way. “Pontypool” overwhelmingly takes place in one room — a smallish-town Ontario radio station — and it almost constantly trains its sights on three station employees (Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle and Georgina Reilly) who are as normal as normal gets in this genre. Spilling the details of how that transforms into an original, slyly funny but legitimately creepy monster movie is to spoil the fun of watching it happen, and explaining the new ideas “Pontypool” puts in play to make it all happen would be similarly counterproductive. So let’s just say, without saying too much, that it works surprisingly well. “Pontypool” divides its priorities between smart, fun character development and a story that gradually but unmistakably bubbles to a boil, and the result could scarcely do more with so little.
Extras: Filmmaker commentary, original CBC radio show, three short films (“Eve,” “Dad Dum” and “The Death of Chet Baker”).

Pawn Stars: Season One (NR, 2009, History)
The History Channel has become thoroughly overrun with reality shows that seemingly have nothing to do with history, so one would be forgiven for dismissing the cheekily-named “Pawn Stars” — which looks in on the day-to-day dealings of a three-generation, family-run pawn shop in Las Vegas — as just another show in legion with those shows about truck drivers and fishermen. But while “Stars” is as much about the personalities of the grandfather, father and son running the store as it is anything else, it nonetheless manages to slip in a pretty hearty education about the services pawn shops provide. Turns out, the pawn shop has a pretty interesting history — and not simply as the vestige for drug addicts and thieving scoundrels that television and movies regularly portray it to be. And because a number of high-end collectors bring their wares to the Harrison family’s shop, any given episode of “Stars” can detour into history lessons about military-grade weapons, music, sports, autographs and pretty much anything else capable of churning out a good antique. The family dynamic is straight out of “American Chopper,” the lessons not far removed from “Antiques Roadshow,” and the sum total educates as much as it entertains.
Contents: 14 episodes, plus bonus footage and two behind-the-scenes features.

The Boys Are Back (PG-13, 2009, Miramax)
Clive Owen is one of those effortlessly likable actors who often makes a movie better than it might otherwise be were someone else at the helm. That’s good news for “The Boys Are Back,” because, all good intentions and heartwarming results aside, it needs the help. “Back” stars Owen as Joe, a twice-married, two-time parent who suddenly finds himself alone with youngest son Artie(Nicholas McAnulty) after wife and mother Katy (Laura Fraser) passes away. That, skeletally speaking, is pretty much the full gist of it, too. Joe struggles with single parenthood, Artie struggles to understand and cope with his mother’s death, Joe’s older son (George MacKay) and first marriage enter the picture, and the story does what stories do. But while “Back” has its share of well-written moments, those moments take the film backward and sideways as often as they do forward. The mood repeatedly shifts from hopeful to dour and back, and too many of those shifts feel like repeated motions under different guises but with similar results. Good performances and a thoughtful script offer some semblance of payoff, and Owen’s presence at the center of it all alleviates some of the frustration brought on by the spinning wheels. But viewers waiting for “Back” to turn a corner and stay on track might be too weary to appreciate it when it finally happens.
Extras: 16-minute behind-the-scenes photographic feature (with optional director commentary), one other behind-the-scenes feature.

Saw VI: Director’s Cut (NR, 2009, Lions Gate)
It’s strangely fitting, however unintentional, that the downward spiral “Saw” has endured since the great first film has been as metaphorically torturous as most of the traps the Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell) sets for his victims in any given “Saw” film. “Saw VI” deserves some credit for being better than the pointlessly awful film it succeeds, and it’s only fair to acknowledge that the sixth “Saw” film to appear in a five-year span is good about bringing back old faces and closing plotlines the previous films opened. Problem is, those storylines are so completely bland that it’s conceivable to have seen all six movies and retain no memory of why Jigsaw’s legacy lives on three films after he died — or even how the first film’s simplicity of message degenerated into a muddy story about legacies in the first place. “VI” strives to recharge its relevance by centering itself around greedy insurance company executives and the health care issue, but if it’s really trying to send a message here (and you get the feeling, some attempts at humor aside, that it is) it’s thoroughly ill-equipped to actually do so. Considering yet another “Saw” movie is in development for yet another October, the posturing about everything coming full circle feels similarly pointless. All “Saw” has left are its trap designs, but past the first scene, even those have run out of gas.
Extras: In a tactic to emphasize the full-circle theme (or, more cynically, in a desperate plea to kickstart the franchise’s DVD sales), Lions Gate includes the superior “Saw I” DVD as a bonus feature. Extras relating to “VI” include filmmakers commentary, writers/director commentary, two behind-the-scenes features and feature about the “Saw: Game Over” maze at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Worth a Mention
— “WWII in HD” (NR, 2010, History): New footage of World War II seems to emerge from vaults on an annual basis, so what makes History’s “WWII in HD” so special? The answer lies in the wholly utilitarian name: The footage is in color, and because it was shot on film and since has been restored, it’s presented here in true high definition. If images of the war fascinate you on any level whatsoever, this seven-hour document is not to be missed. Available both in DVD and, for an experience of the most eye-popping kind, Blu-ray. Extras include two behind-the-scenes features and profiles of the people featured in the footage.
— Latest British TV on DVD: The BBC’s newest wave of DVDs includes the seventh volume of the excellent espionage thriller “MI-5″ (think “24″ without Jack Bauer or the ticking clock, but with considerably more respect for logic). The set includes all eight season seven episodes, plus commentary, a behind-the-scenes documentary and two shorter behind-the-scenes features. Also out: volumes 11 and 12 of “Top Gear,” which for car fanatics has no equal that merits any kind of comparison. “The Complete Season 11″ features six episodes but no extras, while “The Complete Season 12″ includes eight episodes plus commentary, deleted scenes, some extended cuts, an extended interview with London Mayor (and “Gear” guest star) Boris Johnson and a photo gallery.
— “Country’s Greatest Stars Live: Volume One” and “Country’s Greatest Stars Live: Volume Two” (NR, 1978, Shout Factory): With respect to fans of what passes for country today, the best collection of country music to release so far in 2010 probably sits on these DVD sets, which collect 86 performances (35 on volume one, 51 on volume two) from the likes of Johnny Cash, Gene Autry, Merle Haggard and numerous others who descended on the Grand Ole Opry House for a seven-hour tribute in 1978. Glen Campbell, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark (all of whom also perform) handle hosting duties on volume one, while Charley Pride, Tennesse Ernie Ford, Crystal Gayle and Eddy Arnold (same) emcee volume two.

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[Note: This is an abbreviated column. Part of the copy was lost due to misbehaving computers. Apologies to the DVDs affected, at least one of which will be re-reviewed next week.]

Damages: The Complete Second Season (NR, 2009, Sony Pictures)
It isn’t very often a serial drama can spoil entire pieces of a season in the first episode’s first scene and get away with it. But “Damages” doesn’t simply pull this trick off — it perfectly toes the line between teasing and spoiling, giving just enough away to answer some questions before they’ve been asked but opening up so many more doors that it scarcely matters. The balancing act resulted in one explosive first season, and the best news about season two is that “Damages” not only goes back for more, but pulls it off perfectly yet again. Those unfamiliar with season one need only know that, while “Damages” technically is a legal drama, it’s a legal drama in the same sense “Eastbound and Down” is a comedy about a baseball team. There’s a case running throughout the season, and it isn’t insignificant, but the real mess lies inside Patty Hewes’ (Glenn Close) own firm (and, this time, mind). Spoiling more than that would ruin the fun of discovering just how cold-bloodedly well “Damages” dresses down its characters, so if you haven’t seen the first season, consider this your sales pitch. And if you have, here’s the spoiler-free setup: Season two picks up immediately where season one left things, the first scene (six months into the future) is as jarring (albeit on a wholly different level) as season one’s introduction, and despite some new trials and new characters, all that was wonderful about season one is doubly wonderful in its catastrophic wake.
Contents: 13 episodes, plus commentary, deleted scenes, one behind-the-scenes feature, character profiles and, for those who need a memory jog, a thorough (17 minutes) recap of the first season.

Passing Strange (NR, 2009, IFC Films)
With respect to all the exquisitely shot, A-list-laden musical-to-film conversions that have hit the screen since it became fashionable to do so again, “Passing Strange” takes them all to school, by taking the concept back to the basics. “Strange,” like most recent musical films, comes on the heels of a Broadway hit — in this case, a fantastically lively coming-of-age story about a young black musician (Daniel Breaker) who discovers himself while trotting the globe in the 1970s. But rather than reinvent the production as a splashy film with Hollywood superstars, director Spike Lee just shoots the actual production with the original cast. The so-simple-as-to-be-perfect approach not only gives us “Strange” in the same manner that made it a hit in the first place, but it also allows the cast to do proper justice to a script written for a live audience instead of a camera. That live audience, in turn, provides a special energy that most musical films carelessly toss away in their migration to screen. “Strange” is an outstanding collision of classic coming-of-age storytelling and staggeringly good live music, but the ability to enjoy it in this incarnation — not only as the audience did, but virtually in a seat alongside them — adds a priceless component the rest of the genre should not be so quick to dispose. Original cast members Stew, De’Adre Aziza, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge, Rebecca Naomi Jones and Breaker star.
Extras: Behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, theatrical promo.

Big Fan (R, 2009, Vivendi)
“Big Fan’s” dependably funny leads (Patton Oswalt and Kevin Corrigan) and package design suggest a wacky comedy in the offing, and the premise — Paul (Oswalt) is an obsessive New York Giants fan who toils in a lousy job, expends all his aspirational energy perfecting calls to the local sports station, and seems destined to live with his mother (Marcia Jean Kurtz) all his life — doesn’t change the perception. But while assumptions say one thing about what’s in store, the tone established from the moment “Fan” flashes the title card says something else entirely. Make no mistake: “Fan” has funny moments that are presented as literal comedy, and Oswalt and Corrigan each have chances to flash the talent for which they’re best known. But more than amusingly funny, “Fan” is darkly funny, and more than that, it’s just plain dark — a harsh dissection of the hopeless endeavor of caring so profoundly for something upon which you have no effect and for players who, if they even know you’re alive, couldn’t care less in return. “Fan” takes liberties to tell an extreme case of this phenomenon, but it resonates hard nonetheless. The cheery exterior is bound to trick a few real-life Pauls into watching this and having some unflattering epiphanies about themselves, but it’s hard to knock a movie for ambushing viewers when the ambush is so much better than the assumption. Michael Rapaport and Jonathan Hamm also star.
Extras: Two behind-the-scenes features, NPR “Fresh Air” segment, outtakes, downloadable poster.

The Invention of Lying (PG-13, 2009, Warner Bros.)
The unsung everyday utility of a well-told lie previously received a very funny close-up in “Liar Liar,” and now, with “The Invention of Lying,” we finally get a look at the other side of the coin. This time, in a world closely resembling ours, no one ever tells a lie — it’s biologically impossible for reasons “Lying” smartly refuses to attempt to explain — until a lowly jobless screenwriter (Ricky Gervais as Mark) triggers an internal switch and tells the world’s first lie. No one calls him out on the fib, of course, so the lies keep coming until Mark establishes a new reality that falls more in line with his fantasies. In the process, though, “Lying” gradually falls out of line with what’s typically expected from a comedy: Its explorations of a fibless planet are clever and considerably well-reasoned given how impossible the whole notion seems, but outside of one outstanding scene featuring Gervais doing what he does best and a confused public playing along perfectly, the result is more think-out-loud fascinating than laugh-out-loud hilarious. That absolutely isn’t criticism, by the way: “Lying” seems to knowingly go this route for the sake of its premise, and it’s too bad more comedies don’t opt out of their obligation to make viewers’ sides hurt when the alternative track would make for a better movie. With that said, of course, here’s your warning: If laugh-out-loud hilarity is your endgame, this likely isn’t your movie. Jennifer Garner, Louis C.K., Jonah Hill and Rob Lowe also star.
Extras: A “prequel” documenting the dawn of lying, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, outtakes, Karl Pilkington (Gervais’ best friend) feature, video podcasts.

No Impact Man (R, 2008, Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Colin Beavan’s challenge in “No Impact Man” — survive, along with wife Michelle and their young daughter, in New York city for one year without making any dent whatsoever on the environment — is a cool idea that, while an extreme case for the sake of setting an example, has value as self-discovery (for them) and fascinating entertainment (us). The only problem? Not to be mean, but it’s Colin. “Man” kicks off on a lively note while it introduces the family and sets up the experiment, and the possibilities reach another plane when we really get to know Michelle, whose consumptive lifestyle makes her concerns about suddenly living in the dark and without a fridge empathetically easy to understand. But once the experiment kicks into gear, that lively tone starts putting up walls. Be it due to selective editing or something else, Colin’s likable beginnings give way to a portrait of a worst-case-scenario activist prone to childish behavior and an inability to see even his wife’s side of things. The people Colin enlists to reach the next level often are even worse: If they look so coldly down on someone trying to advance their causes, one can only imagine what they think of the rest of us, and those thoughts are bound to push regular viewers away rather than bring them in closer. The conclusion of the story brings with it an arguable sense of accomplishment for the family, but all that potential alienation makes it awfully difficult for the story of their endeavor to claim a similar victory.
Extras: Sundance Film Festival audience Q&A, bonus footage, Freeganism feature, bike activism feature, fruit vinegar recipe, clean (swear-free) audio track for educational use.

Worth a Mention
— Gamer (R, 2009, Lions Gate): A review of “Gamer” wasn’t possible for purposes of this column, because the first 20 minutes of the film were so gratingly awful that the will to keep watching was crushed like a bug. Maybe the remaining 75 minutes of the movie, which trots the umpteenth “convicted criminals fighting for freedom in a living video game” plotline of the last few years, redeems everything. You’re free to find out on your own time. Michael C. Hall, Gerard Butler, Kyra Sedgwick and Alison Lohman, among others, comprise a cast that’s way too good to be slumming it like this. Extras include commentary and two behind-the-scenes features.

Posted in DVD

In The Loop (NR, 2009, IFC Films)
Let’s not waste time: “In the Loop” was the funniest collision of dry wit, satire and F-bombs to hit theaters in 2009 … and 2008, 2007 and possibly every year since the events that undoubtably formed its inspiration — the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq — took place. The war and principal characters in “Loop” are works of fiction, and between the film’s refusal to name a Middle Eastern country and its inclusion of some of the best Facebook and Google Earth references in a movie thus far, all indications point to this being current events in a universe parallel but not factually identical to ours. That’s fine, too, because “Loop” is a conversation about war the same way “The Big Lebowski” is a commentary about competitive bowling. There’s a call for war here, a call for restraint there, leaks spilling out everywhere and the eventual cramming of factual square pegs into ideologically round holes, but “Loop’s” primary objective is to present distinguished generals, small-time British ministers, press secretaries and everyone in between as petulant, petty, insecure overgrown children who lose control of their adulthood when they don’t get invited to the secret meeting at the secret clubhouse. “Loop’s” sharply hysterical script is as judicious as it often is vulgar, too, so no matter what views you have going in, some seriously vitriolic and very funny vindication awaits. Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Gina McKee, Chris Addison, Anna Chlumsky, Steve Coogan, Mimi Kennedy and David Rasche, among others, comprise one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory, if not ever.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, TV spot.

The Hurt Locker (R, 2009, Summit Entertainment)
It’s seemingly been done a thousand times and a thousand ways over the last few years, but there’s always room for one more movie that depicts the absurd impossibilities of modern combat when that movie captures it as skillfully as this one does. “The Hurt Locker” follows a team of soldiers (Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce) whose primary objective centers around the disarmament of explosives — roadside explosives, could-be car bombs, huge caches of potent homemade weapons for which there is no instruction manual for proper disassembly — and whose job takes place in the view of citizens, children and the occasional enemy combatant indistinguishably standing in the same crowd. Discussions and productions about the Iraq War often have a tendency to lob numbers and technology around in a way that makes 21st century warfare sound like child’s play for desk jockeys and satellites, but “Locker” splashes cold water over that nonsense every time a soldier overturns yet another jumbled mess of wires that are one mistake away from leveling them while the enemy very possibly watches them work from a second-story window. If that’s easy, then everything’s easy, and viewers who see “Locker” for what it is — neither pro- nor anti-war, but a dramatized document of a real, seemingly impossible job some are tasked with completing to perfection — will be pressed hard not to come away with their appreciation renewed. That it so effortlessly adds up to one of the best action and suspense films of last year is, while certainly no accident, a nice bonus. Ralph Fiennes and David Morse also star.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, behind-the-scenes feature, stills gallery.

Moon (R, 2009, Sony Pictures Classics)
For three years, astronaut and contractor Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has lived and worked almost completely alone, mining the dark side of the moon with only an artificially intelligent robotic companion named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) providing any semblance of companionship. The assignment alone is enough to break most normal men in a fraction of the time, so Sam’s ability to keep it together — albeit helped along by the occasional video e-mail from his wife (Dominique McElligott) and child on Earth — is pretty remarkable. Or hey, is it? Saying any more about “Moon’s” plot trajectory would be to spoil the film to an unreasonable degree, so let’s just say that while the film’s lonely energy is pretty striking in its own right early on, enough stuff happens to take that loneliness places and satisfactorily fill the 97-minute runtime. Whether it takes a weird, scary, humorous, chilling, creepy, trippy or some other adjective-y turn won’t be specified here, nor will any specific instances to illustrate “Moon’s” gift for digging deep into the heart of its character and the crushing loneliness that’s closing in on him. If you like smart science fiction that touches on familiar themes in wholly original ways, spare yourself the spoilers, take a leap of faith and check it out.
Extras: Writer/director/producer commentary, additional crew commentary, short film “Whistle,” two behind-the-scenes features, two Q&A sessions.

Amreeka (NR, 2009, National Geographic/Virgil Films)
The talking points for “Amreeka,” in which a Palestinian mother (Nisreen Faour as Muna) and son (Melkar Muallem as Fadi) act on a chance to leave the West Bank, move in with family in downstate Illinois and take advantage of all that entails, aren’t hard to guess. But here’s what “Amreeka” gets right that a lot of films with similar intentions get wrong: It lets the ignorance fly from both sides, and it does so without preaching or abandoning its sense of humor. Yes, Fadi gets picked on at school by kids who call him a terrorist, and Muna feels shame and disgust when she realizes what 10 years of banking experience halfway around the world does for her resume in Illinois. But for every observation about Americans’ oft-misguided uneasiness regarding Palestinian immigrants, “Amreeka” fishes out a complementary and completely believable misconstruction about American culture courtesy of Fadi, Muna and family. Throw in some not-so-surprising generational gaps — a phenomenon that knows no border — and add a little humor, and suddenly “Amreeka” is so democratically steeped in silly misconceptions that nearly everyone emerges on the same footage once all is said and done. Transforming a film about immigration and Arab culture into a film about a typical American family is no trivial thing, but “Amreeka” very credibly nails it. Hiam Abbass, Alia Shawkat, Yussuf Abu-Warda and Joseph Ziegler also star.
Extras: Short film “Make a Wish,” deleted scenes, outtakes.

Goliath (NR, 2008, IFC Films)
There are indie films, and there are really indie films. And then there are films like “Goliath,” which gets the “indie” tag more as a warning to unassuming passersby than a badge of honor. “Goliath” hits the ground running with a spectacular first scene involving our unnamed main character (David Zellner, who also writes and directs), a funeral, some pent-up anger and a voicemail to a soon-to-be-ex-wife (Caroline O’Connor) gone agonizingly wrong. From there, the downward spiral continues as we learn about our hero’s unenviable job status and the sudden realization that even his cat, Goliath, seems to have stepped out on him and gone missing. But “Goliath” never quite reaches back for the same relatable insanity of that first scene, instead opting for an energy that isn’t necessarily energetic at all. Some scenes carry on for atmosphere’s more than necessity’s sake, and while “Goliath” has some more very funny scenes in its 80 minutes, there also are numerous instances in which it seems to just stop and stall. Some will find value in these stalls and the way they so subtly illustrate our subject’s crumbling psyche. But others will just wonder what the heck is going on, and a select few will wonder if Zellner simply forgot to cut some scenes down in the editing room. “Goliath” wasn’t made with the latter two crowds in mind, and it deserves kudos for taking roads far less traveled than most movies about general hopelessness do, but that doesn’t mean those latter crowds’ points lack merit. See it if you’re in the mood for something experimental, but take heed if you aren’t.
Extras: Cast/crew commentary, deleted scenes, filmmaker Q&A, behind-the-scenes feature.

Post Grad (PG-13, 2009, Fox)
These are severely dark times for college graduates, jobseekers and anyone trying to get a grip on some kind of fulfilling career path, and dark times deserve some dark comedy that champions those teetering on defeat and reenergizes their fight as only epiphanic art can. Unfortunately, and instead, we get this — a cutely amusing comedy about a new college grad (Alexis Bledel as Ryden) who cutely falls on her face while also treading though the same rotation of scenarios you’ve already seen done better in any number of movies about quirky parents (Jane Lynch, Michael Keaton), a platonic relationship (Zach Gilford) that’s begging to reach the next level, and the academic rival (Catherine Reitman) who ekes past our heroine for class valedictorian status and does it again in their squeaky-clean incarnation of the real world. “Post Grad” never really stoops to offensively bad levels, and in another era, it would stand as a perfectly OK light comedy about amusing themes Hollywood has mashed into paste. But in terms of artistic expectations and general discontent, this most certainly isn’t that time, and “Grad” looks so much worse than it actually is for missing the point by such an absurd margin.
Extras: Deleted scenes, job tips, outtakes, two behind-the-scenes features, two quiz games, music video.

Posted in DVD

50 Dead Men Walking (R, 2008, Phase 4 Films)
There’s an element of predictability to “50 Dead Men Walking,” and it isn’t simply because (a) the film’s first scene takes place 11 years after nearly the entirety of the rest of the movie or (b) its main character (Jim Sturgess as Martin McGartland) also wrote the autobiography upon which the film is semi-loosely based. “Walking” tells the story of Martin, a small-time hooligan whose exceptional thickheadedness and local ties sends him down a path that has him infiltrating the Irish Republican Army for the British police. And like most movies about thick skulls doing dirty work for purportedly clean people, “Walking” goes through a few motions in which Martin finds himself in way over his head and doing things he never dreamt of doing as a humble troublemaker. Naturally, there’s a girl (Natalie Press) in there to complicate matters as well. But what “Walking” lacks in revolutionary plot development, it redeems everywhere else. Characters benefit from intricate development, which naturally affords some importance to situations we’ve otherwise seen before. “Walking” further complements these scenes with intelligently blunt writing and imagery that’s harsh enough to make an impact without overdoing it or taking away from all the little things the film does in the interim. That it’s based on a true story — and, as such, provides some unique insight into the roots of a maddeningly senseless conflict — is no small bonus, either. Ben Kingsley, Kevin Zegers and Rose McGowan also star.
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

Falling Up (NR, 2009, Anchor Bay)
We all have one, and everyone’s is different. So what’s your tolerance for new stories that don’t really tell a story that’s all that new? Your particular threshold will likely determine how much capacity you have to enjoy “Falling Up,” in which a penniless wannabe-nurse-turned-temporary-doorman (Joseph Cross as Henry) charms a sweet but very possibly spoiled rich girl (Sarah Roemer as Scarlett) who lives in the 5th Avenue building where he works. That outline alone probably fills viewers’ heads with images of what’s to come, and in most cases — be it the scene where Scarlett’s parents (Mimi Rogers, Jim Piddock) condemn the courtship or Henry’s family (Rachael Leigh Cook, Annette O’Toole) gives him the pep talk about character over class stature — “Up” disappointingly doesn’t disappoint. The good news is that with those clichés comes a good, satisfactorily unique group of characters to go through those motions, along with a handful of bit characters (Snoop Dogg, Joe Pantoliano, Sam Page) who possess scene-stealing powers. Their particular quirks, and “Up’s” likably smart script, make the film fun to experience despite the safe, well-worn roads it continually takes us down.
Extra: Behind-the-scenes feature.

The United States of Tara: The First Season (NR, 2009, Showtime)
What does it say about “The United States of Tara” when the woman (Toni Collette) whose name makes it into the title might be the least interesting character on the show? Is might be condemnation of the concept, which finds Tara fighting to achieve wife-and-mom normalcy despite suffering from a multiple-personality disorder that has her embodying the spirit of a teenage girl, a male trucker and a Stepford wife. At least early on, the concept feels like anything from a tiring gimmick (once the novelty of each character wears off) to a losing battle (it’s hard to resolve differences between four characters when only one appears at a time) to a convenient plot device to drag out at will. Eventually, though, it becomes apparent that the most interesting thing about “Tara” isn’t the sideshow in the middle, but the comparatively normal husband (John Corbett), son (Keir Gilchrist), daughter (Brie Larson) and sister (Rosemarie DeWitt) who must deal with these transformations while also handling a multitude of far more relatable issues in their own lives. “Tara” bounces between comedy and drama with so much regularity as to be neither, and it has a tendency to drag when an alternate personality wears out its welcome. But between those annoying moments, it tells a pretty good story about some surprisingly good characters. And as the season trucks along, the balance seems to improve, signaling good episodes ahead for season two.
Contents: 12 episodes, plus commentary, two behind-the-scenes features, the first episode of season three of “The Tudors,” and DVD-ROM content (podcast interviews, the first two episodes of season two of “Californication,” another episode of “The Tudors” and another behind-the-scenes feature.)

The Final Destination (R, 2009, New Line)
“The Final Destination” — which apes some bizarre new trend of signaling a film franchise’s painfully overdue end by using a barely modified version of the first film’s name — would appear to go somewhere, you know, final. But is that really possible for a series that kills its entire cast during each outing and otherwise spins its creative wheels? Like the first three films, “Destination” begins with one character’s (Bobby Campo) premonition of violent impending death, and it proceeds with him and a select supporting cast of friends and other characters escaping with their lives while everyone else dies exactly as he envisioned. Death doesn’t like this, and so Death sets out to kill each character in the order he or she should have died in the opening disaster. And around and around the wheel of misfortune goes until, per usual, Death gets its way. The only reason to see “Destination” at this point is to see what wacky kills the filmmakers have devised, but outside of one unintentionally funny death early on, it feels like a phoned-in exercise this time around. So all we’re left with are characters we couldn’t care less about, dialogue that’s more wince-worthy than the gore, a story that’s already been told the same way three times and an ending that, at this point, is as predictable as rain falling after grey clouds assemble. None of it merited a fourth movie, much less one so profoundly “final,” and the 3D effects are simply pitiful in light of the spectacle “Avatar” is putting on in theaters right now.
Extras: Deleted scenes, 3D glasses.

Worth a Mention
— “The Philanthropist: The Complete Series” (NR, 2009, NBC): NBC sent this one to die by airing it in June, and sure enough, eight episodes later, die it did. What’s that? You never even heard of “The Philanthropist?” Yeah, no kidding. James Purefoy, Neve Campbell, Michael K. Williams and Jesse L. Martin star. No extras.
— “Chuck: The Complete Second Season” (NR, 2008, Warner Bros.): Proof that not every good show that appears on NBC is doomed to a short life. Includes 22 episodes, plus deleted scenes, bloopers, two behind-the-scenes features, Web mini-features, tips for being awesome, and “John Casey Presents: So You Want to Be a Deadly Spy?”

Posted in DVD

Facing Ali (R, 2009, Lions Gate)
“Facing Ali” was a 300-plus-page book before it was a 100-minute film, and it takes only a few minutes with this incarnation before it becomes obvious this could, maybe should, have been a mini-series. “Ali” runs through the landmark moments of Muhammad Ali’s career by sitting down with 10 of the fighters who faced off against him, and the energy with which it bounces between subjects and storylines is absolutely breathless. The fighters range from iconic (George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes) to those only fans of the sport are likely to be intimately familiar with (George Chuvalo, Sir Henry Cooper, Earnie Shavers), but all 10 get a chance to say their piece — not only about Ali, but about their own lives and the events that brought them into the same ring as the arguable greatest fighter of all time. No one minces words — about Ali, about themselves or even about the brutality of their chosen profession — and “Ali” bounces from loving celebration to harsh dissection and back without discrimination and with unbelievable grace. The amount of content jammed inside is matched by some of the prettiest cinematography ever to grace a documentary,  and if there’s a failing here, it’s that so much of the material “Ali” touches on would be so much fun to explore in considerably greater detail. Fortunately, there’s a book for that.
Extras: Three behind-the-scenes features, animated trivia cards.

Paranormal Activity: Limited Collector’s Edition (NR/R, 2007, Paramount)
The sorry state of horror films, and the oppressive patterns they’ve fallen into over time, are hard at work against everything “Paranormal Activity’s” first 80-plus minutes attempt to do. These minutes — which come courtesy of a camcorder Micah (Micah Sloat) has set up to document and hopefully trap the source of a lifetime of hauntings girlfriend Katie (Katie Featherston) has experienced — aren’t scary, aren’t gory, and don’t do much in terms of doing the things horror films typically do. That will prove no small issue for a lot of viewers, especially because once the payoff really kicks in, the show practically is over. Many who heard the ill-devised hype about “Activity” — that it’s the scariest film of the last deacde or that it reinvents modern-day horror — are likely to come away just as miffed as so many did 10 years earlier when “The Blair Witch Project” elicited the same claims for using the same playbook. But the misleading hype isn’t the movie’s fault. More than just make people wet their pants ad nauseam, “Activity” attempts to tell an honest-to-goodness story, and by devoting all those minutes almost exclusively to its two main characters, it pretty thoroughly does that. By the time things reach a crescendo, you’ll either be so impatiently ready for it as to be underwhelmed or so caught up in the atmosphere as to be genuinely unnerved — not terrified, not thrown out of the seat, but pleasantly uncomfortable —by tricks filmmakers could do half a century ago. To “Activity’s” credit, it gives those willing to play along every chance in the world to experience the latter.
Extras: Unrated cut with new ending, a trading card with a film cell, a number, limited-edition t-shirt (no kidding). If the swag doesn’t interest you, the regular edition also has the alternate cut.

A Perfect Getaway: Unrated Director’s Cut (R/NR, 2009, Universal)
Newly-married Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) don’t exactly come off as the roughing-it types, so their choice of a very-nearly-isolated Hawaiian cliffside as a honeymoon spot would seem an odd choice. That goes as well for their near-decision to give two shady hitchhikers (Marley Shelton and Chris Hemsworth) a ride around the island and their choice to buddy up with another couple (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez) that wastes no time firing off alarm bells. Oh, and another couple recently was murdered on the island, the killers (one male and one female according to a very grainy surveillance photo) are still loose, and let’s say it again, no one else is really around. What could go wrong? With essentially three twosomes of importance in the picture, there are only so many ways this can go without jerking logic around for the heck of it, so only those looking for a fight can pick on “A Perfect Getaway” for being semi-predictable and going one of those ways. Fortunately, and to its immense benefit, “Getaway” answers the multiple choice question with nearly half the movie left to go. That gives it plenty of time to explain itself and give its cast some extra dimension before shutting its intellectual side down and engaging in a pretty fun dash to the finale. Everything it does has been done before, of course, but so what? “Getaway” does it well — and, in doing so, credibly engenders some real suspense in spite of all it has working against that possibility.
No extras beyond the availability of the theatrical and director’s cut, which adds an additional 10 minutes to the runtime.

9 (PG-13, 2009, Focus/Universal)
The computer-animated “9’s” wonderful attention to visual design is all the more striking given the post-apocalyptic constraints inside which it must work. The same holds true of its characters — a band of rag dolls who, for reasons not yet explained when the film begins, have been given life by their creator right around the same time machines wiped humanity out of existence. A lifeless planet and a collection of burlap dolls never looked so good, and it’s a shame “9″ feels a need to rush itself along and give us only 80 minutes of its time to take this world in. The characters are unique and strikingly capable of conveying genuine humanity in spite of their almost comical appearance, and their fight to survive against a stray machine that outlived the war has the capacity to matter if given the time to explain why it does matter. But that’s where “9″ really stumbles: The time between our introduction to the main character (named 9), his reunion with the other dolls and the series of events that lead up to the big conclusion flies right by, and the film wastes numerous opportunities to slow down, pad a few extra minutes onto the runtime and add some additional dimension to these characters. By the time the film gives us its biggest jolt of character development, we’re halfway through the climax, and by the time it ends, “9″ feels only half-finished — an awfully pretty movie with deeply likable characters that nonetheless feels a little empty when all is said and done.
Extras: Filmmakers commentary, the 11-minute original “9″ short (with optional commentary), three behind-the-scenes features.

Vampire Killers (R, 2008, The Weinstein Company)
A few years ago or a few years from now, a movie like “Vampire Killers” — in which two directionless blokes (James Corden and Mathew Horne) unwittingly find themselves taking on a gang of murderous lesbian vampires —  might, even left as is, be better than it is right now. The premise and general tone are silly, our accidental heroes are likable enough, and everything is generally pleasant to look at. But all of that adds up to mild praise at best, and outside of a funny line or two, “Killers” never really rises beyond those mildly pleasant levels. A comedy about off-kilter monster killers might feel more special if “Shaun of the Dead” and “Zombieland” hadn’t pushed the bar so high so recently or if zombie and vampire movies, television shows, books and video games weren’t being produced in excess the way they have been these last couple of years. But they have, and “Killers” is here now, and while it’s perfectly acceptable entertainment for those somehow hungry for more, that’s about all it is. MyAnna Buring also stars. No Extras.

Jennifer’s Body: Unrated (R/NR, 2009, Fox)
Say this about “Jennifer’s Body’s” stab at contemporary horror: It definitely stands out from the crowd. Whether it does so for any good reason, though, is another matter entirely. The events that drive the film are best unspoiled: When “Body” begins, one formerly normal high school girl (Amanda Seyfried as Needy) is in an insane asylum and the other (Megan Fox as Jennifer) looks like a zombie, and the film’s promise to detail how things got that way provides it plenty of fuel on which to coast. But “Body” never quite coasts. It flirts with formulaic teen horror, but it also appears to be making fun of those same conventions in a sloppy attempt at dark humor that falls too flat. Certain plot turns repeat themselves to the point of predictable, but between those moments the film zigs and zags between moods and character developments without even bothering to allude to the fact that some of this inconsistency merits some explanation. The schizophrenia — combined with dialogue, bit characters and one love scene that’s so bad as to be ironic but isn’t really presented that way — send “Body” meandering aimlessly to a climax that, for all the film’s cooler-than-thou disposition, just doesn’t do that early promise any justice. There’s something of a payoff by the time we return to present day, but so much air has left the room by then that it can do only so much. Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody, J.K. Simmons and Amy Sedaris also star.
Extras: Writer/director commentary on the theatrical cut, separate director commentary on the extended cut.

Worth a Mention
— Glee: Season 1, Volume 1: Road to Sectionals (NR, 2009, Fox): The first season is still underway, but if for some reason you need these first 13 episodes now but have no use for the nine that remain … wait, what? Fox already said it’s releasing a complete season set in 2010, so you’d be smart to just wait for that unless plans change. For those who don’t care or have some financial stake in the show that merits purchasing this, this set also contains audition footage, a couple musical numbers and four behind-the-scenes features. The director’s cut of the pilot episode is here as well.
— “Taxi: The Final Season” (NR, 1982, CBS): It took an eternity in DVD release time, but “Taxi” fans finally can complete their collection with this set. Includes 24 episodes, plus vintage promotional spots.

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District 9: 2-Disc Edition (R, 2009, Sony Pictures)
The first sign that “District 9″ isn’t just another movie about just another alien invasion appears almost immediately: As the film opens, the invasion not only has already happened, but is 20 years in the past. When we step into the picture, the mothership hasn’t moved an inch in two decades, the aliens (derogatorily referred to as “prawns” because of their appearance) have long settled in as second-class citizens of Earth, and the mission at hand has members of Multi-National United (imagine a privatized United Nations) evicting the exploding alien population out of Johannesburg’s District 9 and into something resembling an internment camp. It doesn’t take a genius to imagine the metaphorical connotations potentially in play here, and “D9,” which is shot partly like a documentary and partly like a traditional feature film, doesn’t flinch in running its fiction through those filters. What emerges is something that’s absolutely fantastical in its construction of alien technology, language and makeup, but simultaneously, intelligently grounded in the realities of a powerful alien race descending on an equally formidable human race that doesn’t know whether to destroy it or observe it for its own betterment. Similarly, the heretofore-unspoiled result of the eviction makes for a wondrous marriage of science fiction and parallel-dimension discourse, and it corners the market on how to create a character (Sharlto Copley as MNU operative Wikus Van De Merwe) who can go from heroic to detestable and back and forth without ever stepping outside of who he is. Similar kudos are in store for “D9’s” special effects, which enhance the film’s realism to an unquantifiable degree rather than bog it down into yet another mess of computer graphics run amok. Forget the rumored sequel — there’s enough engrossing fiction and eye candy for an entire television series.
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, three-part making-of documentary, four additional behind-the-scenes features.

(500) Days of Summer (PG-13, 2009, Fox)
Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) doesn’t exactly handle the rocky path a relationship takes with a level head, but he can’t help it — he’s a romantic. Problem is, new coworker Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is not, and the wild effect her presence has on perfectly coolheaded males spells disastrous days ahead for poor, insta-smitten Tom. The literally-titled “(500) Days of Summer” doesn’t make us wait to confirm our suspicions: Jumping back and forth in time using the nifty trick of numbering the 500 days to always let us know where we are in the timeline, “Summer” immediately takes us to what appears to be a breakup before whisking us backward, forward, in between and wherever else it feels like taking us. The result not only is considerably more coherent than it sounds on paper, but also shrewdly astute in picking apart the comedy, tragedy and unexplainable grey areas that accompany that terrible and wonderful thing we call a relationship. “Summer” runs on the power of grey areas, in fact: It constructs its characters with complete care but never paints them into corners, and different viewers with different perspectives can view Tom and Summer in vastly different ways without upsetting the integrity of the story. And if you just want to kick back and enjoy it? Don’t worry: “Summer’s” pain and insight are real, but so are the dark laughs it provides. Geoffrey Arend and Matthew Gray Gubler also star.
Extras: Writers/director/Gordon-Levitt commentary, deleted/extended scenes.

Extract (R, 2009, Miramax)
It’s always nice when a film hits the ground running, as “Extract” does in introducing us to seductive small-time con Cindy (Mila Kunis) in its first, and arguably funniest, scene. “Extract” also manages a few nice laughs when shifting its attention from Cindy to main character Joel (Jason Bateman), who, in the tradition of sorry Mike Judge-created characters, is the owner of (a) an unexciting extract manufacturing business, (b) a next-door-neighbor (David Koechner) who won’t leave him alone and (c) a marriage (Kristen Wiig as wife Suzie) that might be even less exciting than the job and neighbor. Joel’s and Cindy’s stories eventually collide, and spoiling these and other developments would deny “Extract” its element of surprise — which, frankly, is something it cannot afford to lose. “Extract” is loaded in the cast department, rich with characters and full of story to tell, but beyond the occasional funny line, it rarely rises beyond modest amusement to approach anything close to laugh-out-loud funny levels. Judge’s comedies definitely have a certain underlying tone in common, and “Extract” is no different, but anyone waiting for Joel to unload on his life the way Michael Bolton did on the printer in “Office Space” will find themselves still waiting by film’s end. Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins Jr., Dustin Milligan, Beth Grant and Gene Simmons also star.
Extra: Mike Judge feature.

All About Steve (PG-13, 2009, Fox)
Here’s a tip for all you single folks out there: If you think there’s a chance you might want to fake your way out of a blind date while it’s in progress, do some due diligence and plan your lie ahead of time. That’s an idea television cameraman Steve (Bradley Cooper) didn’t consider before experiencing a date with Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock), a small-time crossword designer who knows a ton of trivia but lacks any knowledge regarding how to keep that trivia and other verbal waterfalls from continually spilling out her mouth. Steve constructs a quick lie about having to travel across the country, the instantly-smitten Mary accidentally calls his bluff and follows him, and voila, we have a comedy. As movies go, “All About Steve” is a lot like Mary: It’s an improbable mess and far more cloyingly cute than it is laugh-out-loud funny, but it also contains enough fleeting moments of brilliance — a sharply-written monologue about love, an even sharper dressing down of Mary’s life by a deaf child trapped in a mineshaft, some pointedly funny jabs at Emmy-starved television reporters — to make it easy to like in spite of its many flaws. Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong, DJ Qualls, Katy Mixon, Howard Hesseman and perennial scene stealer Keith David also star.
Extras: Kim Barker/cast commentary, deleted/alternate scenes, bloopers (with commentary), Cooper and Jeong sing a capella (with commentary), two behind-the-scenes features (one of which very nicely parodies behind-the-scenes features), photo gallery (with companion rap by Mary Horowitz), episode of Fox Movie Channel’s “Life After Film School.”

Blind Date (NR, 2007, E1 Entertainment)
An unthinkable tragedy has driven a tumultuous wedge into Don’s (Stanley Tucci) and Janna’s (Patricia Clarkson) marriage, and the couple has resorted to engaging each other through a series of mock blind dates in hopes of repairing their relationship. Each date finds Don and Janna in character as different people, and each date purportedly peels away just a little bit of the bottled-up honesty and emotion that’s keeping the couple at arm’s reach from one another. Problem is, the walls that divide Don and Janna don’t just divide Don and Janna. “Blind Date” starts out with great promise by immediately offering us some insight into who our characters really are, but once the couple falls into its land of make-believe, we only fleetingly see it return to reality. Studious viewers can take away subtle insights from each encounter, but the sensation of distance never really dissipates between Don and Janna or them and us. Their frustration becomes our frustration, the film’s wheels keep spinning in place, and while everything about “Date’s” casting, script and visual presentation has polish to spare, it’s hard to be truly moved or entertained when the entertainment so stubbornly keeps pushing the viewer away.
Extra: Tucci/Clarkson commentary.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (PG-13, 2009, Anchor Bay)
Award-winning television journalist C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) has been slumming it with puff pieces since moving to the big city, but when he hatches a theory that unstoppable District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) is planting forensic evidence at crime scenes to win his cases, he sets out to prove it in a way only a preposterous movie could love — by getting himself falsely accused of murder. What could go wrong?! Besides C.J.’s plan, most everything, actually. “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” is a polished, pretty film that, at least on the surface, has all the ingredients it needs to be a prototypically textbook legal thriller. But it’s hard to shake the notion that the premise “Doubt” presents — and, later, the twists and unbelievably abrupt character personality transformations it employs for purposes of toying with viewers — are feasible in a world with characters as sharp as our intrepid reporter and district attorney supposedly are. You can see the cracks in both characters’ plans from the minute the plans are presented, and the only thing worse than that is the insultingly silly twist ending that, for all the wrong reasons, outdoes all that preceded it. Joel Moore, Amber Tamblyn and Orlando Jones also star.
Extras: Director/Metcalfe commentary, two behind-the-scenes features.

Posted in DVD

Inglourious Basterds: 2-Disc Special Edition (R, 2009, Universal)
Brad Pitt’s name may sit at the top of the marquee, and “Inglourious Basterds” may have marketed itself as a crazed revenge comedy that sets a ragtag group of nuts on a path to drive Adolf Hitler off a ledge, but neither of these facets have any presence whatsoever in the 21-minute opening scene that, in another film, could pass for the kind of climax from which Oscar buzz is manufactured. “Basterds” does eventually venture without apology into madcap revenge country, and Aldo Raine’s (Pitt) band of vengeance-hungry lunatics absolutely lives up to the marketing’s billing. But “Basterds” is a story of two missions instead of one, and that first scene sets the pace for what ultimately emerges as a sensational ensemble production in which any number of characters arguably steal the show. The odd juxtapositions of disparate moods may strike some as confused, and “Basterds’” need to squeeze every last possible drop of character development out of its every scene will drive some impatient viewers crazy. But if the film wastes any of its 153 minutes, it doesn’t waste many, and while the winding journey makes “Basterds” an experience like few other, the payoff at the end is pretty spectacular in its own right. Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth and Diane Kruger, among numerous others, also star.
Extras: Extended/alternate scenes, roundtable discussion with Pitt, director Quentin Tarantino and film critic Elvis Mitchell, an uncut copy of “Nation’s Pride” (makes sense once you’ve seen the movie), digital copy.

The Hangover: Unrated (R/NR, 2009, Warner Bros.)
It’s always fun when a movie begins in the middle of the story, gives viewers a few minutes to assess the damage, and then flashes back to the beginning to show how it all became that way. It’s especially fun when, in the case of these not-quite heroes (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis), the characters are so hung over from the previous night’s bachelor party that they, too, have no idea what happened — or why the groom (Justin Bartha), whose wedding is mere hours away, has gone completely missing. There’s no good reason to spoil any of the surprises viewers and characters alike have in store, nor is there any good reason to allude to where “The Hangover” goes once the past catches up to the present. It’s shamelessly illogical and stupider with each twist, and on paper and without the aid of the cast and the script that brings them to life, it might as well be another awful straight-to-video National Lampoon film. Fortunately, a bad script is about the only problem these guys don’t have. The hype machine did not lie this time: This film is hilarious.
Extras: Theatrical and unrated cuts, bonus photos from the missing camera (will make sense once you see the film), a performance of “Fame” by The Dan Band (same), improv with co-star Ken Jeong, bloopers, digital copy.

Sita Sings the Blues (NR, 2008, FilmKaravan)
“Sita Sings the Blues,” which rather confidently describes itself as the “greatest break-up story ever told,” isn’t as remarkable for the story it tells so much as the lengths it went to tell it — mixing contemporary, divergent animation styles with blues music recorded close to a century ago and releasing the finished product online for free to circumvent a web of licensing issues surrounding the aforementioned music. All those hoops were worth it, though: “Blues” jumps back and forth in time to correlate a slice of a 3,000-year-old Sanskrit epic with a modern-day not-quite equivalent in Manhattan, and it uses every tool at its disposal to pull it off. The different illustration styles bring with them different storytelling techniques — from some sharply funny commentary between Indian shadow puppets to all those musical numbers, which may as well been recorded with this film in mind — and “Blues” manages to tell a perfectly cohesive (and yes, great) love story without forcing the parts to play nice with each other.
Extras: Director commentary, animated short “Fetch,” 25-minute behind-the-scenes interview, DVD-Rom content.

G-Force: Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital Copy Combo Pack (PG, 2009, Disney)
It’s pretty clear which department worked harder during the making of “G-Force,” which cobbles together a rather trite tale of corporate hijinks and high-stakes espionage for the sole purpose of presenting us a collection of rodents who not only speak brilliant English, but possess enough intelligence to play ball with the country’s most elite special agents. The story is little more than a means to an end — every cranny of “G-Force’s” plot has been tested over time in an uncountable number of spy thrillers — and the rest of the script isn’t a whole lot more inspired. (Get ready for not one, not two, but three fart jokes!) But to criticize “G-Force” for its inability to turn special agent guinea pigs into poetry is, of course, to miss the point. This isn’t a Pixar film; it’s fodder for younger kids who will laugh at the slapstick and pay no mind to the pitiful attempts to humor parents with the occasional flat gag or plot twist. Most importantly, it looks good: The computer-animated critters look perfectly credible among their live-action surroundings, and while the script doesn’t give them much in the way of clever lines to say, they’re no less lovable when playing the hand they’ve been dealt.
Extras: The combo pack includes Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy editions of the film. Three behind-the-scenes features are available only on the Blu-Ray disc, but everybody gets deleted scenes, a fourth behind-the-scenes feature, a “Blaster’s Boot Camp” DVD game and three music videos.

Herb & Dorothy (NR, 2009, Arthouse Films)
Not every good documentary is for everyone who loves a good documentary, and it’s worth noting that if you don’t see a little bit of yourself in Herb and Dorothy, you may not feel so strongly about the film that bears their name. “Herb & Dorothy” tells the remarkable story of a married couple who, with very little financial means, has managed over time to assemble an art collection for the ages. Herb and Dorothy, for their part, are as likable as their story — funny, blunt, self-deprecating and married far too long not to be completely, plainly honest with and about each other. The film, for its part, plays it pretty straight, letting Herb, Dorothy and some of the professionals who have crossed their path over the years compile the story without help. That, along with a few scenes in which the couple works its savvy magic, are all the film needs to inspire would-be collectors who wish to emulate their success. But “H&D’s” power doesn’t really travel beyond that realm, and if Herb and Dorothy’s exploits don’t intrigue you on paper, the straightforward nature of the film won’t change that.
Extras: Deleted scenes, festival  appearance and theatrical premiere footage.

Taking Woodstock (R, 2009, Universal)
It’s safe to assume creative liberty and selective memory are in play in “Taking Woodstock,” which draws on the Elliot Tiber memoir of the same name to dramatize the true story of Woodstock’s humble conception and eventual explosion, but it’s not like the actual events of the story need much help to engender interest. That should come as great relief to “Woodstock,” which doesn’t so much fail to tell the story as it does just kind of stumble clumsily through the process of doing so. A promising start introduces the principal players (Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Dan Fogler, Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber) in colorful ways, and the film displays an inviting level of folksiness during its amusingly modest beginnings. But as the tenor of the event shifts from fun to business and “Woodstock” tries to straighten its face, it reveals a tendency to ramble, repeat itself and dwell on story points that didn’t receive enough attention early to really matter later. The light humor gives way to an uncomfortable mix of had-to-be-there nostalgia and melancholy, and the normally hysterical Demetri Martin’s portrayal of Tiber reduces him to a wet blanket bore. “Woodstock’s” nice attention to imagery might touch a nerve in those who were there or there in spirit 40 years ago, but any chord beyond that sits far out of reach.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

Worth a Mention
— New seasons of top-notch TV: “Lost: The Complete Fifth Season” (NR, 2009, ABC) includes all 16 episodes of what arguably was the most revelatory season thus far, as well as commentary, deleted scenes, four behind-the-scenes features, an expository Dharma Initiative feature and bloopers. “The Tudors: The Complete Third Season” (NR, 2009, Showtime) includes eight episodes, plus cast interviews, a “Tudors” timeline and the first two episodes of Showtime’s new show, “The United States of Tara.” “Robot Chicken: Season 4″ (NR, 2008, Adult Swim) includes all 20 episodes (with commentary on all), plus two years’ worth of Comic-Con panel footage, deleted scenes, deleted animatics, alternate audio, video blogs, behind-the-scenes footage and, as always, some of the best package design in the business.
— New York Yankees DVDs: Too poor to buy a World Series championship via the free agency market? How about some World Series championship DVDs instead? “World Series 2009: Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees” (NR, MLB/Shout Factory) features MLB’s typically pristine narration of the six-game series, while “New York Yankees 2009: Season of Pride, Tradition & Glory” (NR, MLB/A&E) covers the entire season in detail. The crown jewel, though, is the eight-disc “New York Yankees 2009 World Series Collector’s Edition” (NR, MLB/A&E), which includes all six World Series games and the final game of the American League Championship Series in their entirety. All three editions feature bonus footage covering various milestones and celebrations, and the eight-disc set includes optional audio tracks featuring the Yankees’ radio play-by-play team.

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World’s Greatest Dad (R, 2009, Magnolia)
Spoilers are called spoilers for good reason, and this is a spoiler-free zone. Every now and then, though, something like “World’s Greatest Dad” comes barreling along and thoroughly complicates the moralistic integrity of sending innocent viewers into a film unspoiled. So let’s just put it this way: “Dad” starts off under modest pretenses as a dryly, somewhat darkly funny comedy about poetry teacher Lance Clayton (Robin Williams), whose inability to publish a novel matches well with his respective failures to cultivate enthusiasm from his students and raise a teenage son (Daryl Sabara as Kyle) who isn’t an abrasively poison-mouthed pervert. But then, something pretty major happens, and “Dad” migrates from darkly dry comedy to a pitch-black farce that will doubtlessly be too dark for some to rationalize as comedy at all. Spoiling exactly what brings on that migration absolutely would flatten the impact of “Dad’s” mood shift, and those who like their comedies nice and burnt are best advised to just jump in, because “Dad” is fearless in its mission and fiendishly smart about making fun of the mess into which it has gotten itself. It might be the smartest comedy of 2009, and it ranks up there with Williams’ very best performances. If you’re prone to offense, though, there’s a chance the events that transpire here will have you reaching for the stop button. You’ve been warned, if not spoiled.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes features, outtakes, music video.

The Cove (PG-13, 2009, Lions Gate)
The insurmountable irony surrounding documentaries that advocate the well-being of endangered animals is the stigmatic burden they present to viewers who don’t already support their intentions in the first place. But here’s the thing about “The Cove,” which lifts the veil on the horrific practice of trapping, capturing and killing dolphins in Taiji, Japan: It isn’t a lecture, and it isn’t designed to make you feel helpless and lousy about the fact that you just bought a box of fish sticks the day before. It can’t really afford a high horse, anyway: The crew tasked with infiltrating Taiji is led by Richard O’Barry, who takes responsibility for popularizing dolphin captivity through his work as a dolphin trainer on the television show “Flipper.” His crisis of confidence, and the resulting scramble to make it right and absolve his guilt, is the linchpin around which “The Cove” tells its story, and the crew’s attempts to duck authorities without any protection whatsoever makes for engrossing drama regardless of message. “The Cove” does its message proud, though: Beyond the good intentions, it empirically shoots down the notion that the practice has practical merit or enjoys any level of cultural significance. More importantly, the film leaves viewers with a sense that it’s part of a larger organism and not some isolated springboard viewers must activate to keep alive. Not everyone who sees “The Cove” has the means to act on it, and the film’s convincing promise of positive change ahead is a very welcome lift for those who only can watch.
Extras: Director/producer commentary, “The Cove: Mercury Rising” documentary short, deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes features.

Julie & Julia (PG-13, 2009, Sony Pictures)
For those unfamiliar with the book of the same name, the “Julia” in “Julie & Julia” represents world-renowned chef and author  Julia Child, who scratched and clawed her way to a book deal that eventually resulted in the atomically successful publication of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Julie Powell, on the other hand, is a New York City government employee who has never finished a project she started until, one day in 2002, she decides to execute all 524 recipes from Child’s book inside of a single year and blog about the experience. Both women’s respective ventures and all they entail provide the basis for “Julia,” which jumps between timelines and naturally uncovers numerous parallels between the two despite the difference of a few decades and the fact that neither has been in the same room as the other. As biographical studies, it’s perfectly sufficient light entertainment, and fans of either woman’s work might find some enjoyment purely in that regard. But “Julia’s” true light shines in its portrayal of the work more than those doing it. The struggle to create something people will absorb, treasure and remember is something millions have undertaken and few have overcome, and seeing it play out here — in two eras, through two media but on the backs of the same overriding principles — is enough to inspire anyone in a rut to pull a Julie of their own and give it another go. For the right crowd, that’s far more valuable than whatever entertainment value “Julia” otherwise provides everyone else.
Extras: Writer/director commentary, behind-the-scenes feature.

Public Enemies (R, 2009, Universal)
On paper, “Public Enemies” seems like a tired idea — the umpteenth attempt to color the facts of John Dillinger’s (Johnny Depp) life, only this time with a big budget and an A-list cast and director (Michael Mann) in tow. In practice, it doesn’t upset those expectations, but whether that’s a problem or not likely comes down to individual taste. Dillinger’s life has already hit some degree of stride when “Enemies” begins, so the film doesn’t attempt to play the all-encompassing epic card. “Enemies” similarly resists the temptation to recite Dillinger’s story from an unorthodox perspective or with an overly stylish bent, but instead chooses the refreshingly conventional route of telling part of the man’s story in polished but straight-faced detail. It doesn’t necessarily provide an unprecedented education in doing so, and the approach finds the film occasionally dragging a shootout a tiny bit past its welcome to fulfill whatever expectations of sizzle some might have going in. Ultimately, though, all that polish and talent goes to good use: Depp’s portrayal benefits from having room to breathe, and Dillinger’s muse (Marion Cotillard) and primary adversary (Christian Bale) arguably benefit even more for the same reason. “Enemies” breaks no ground whatsoever, but it does entertain, and if a fun story told by actors who clearly are enjoying themselves is good enough, then this more than suffices.
Extras: Director commentary, four behind-the-scenes features, digital copy.
— Conveniently-timed companion material: “Crime Wave: 18 Months of Mayhem” (NR, 2008, History): A 94-minute document of Dillinger’s romp through the 1930s. Also included on the disc: “Biography: Bonnie and Clyde: The Story of Love & Death.”

Dog Eat Dog (NR, 2008, IFC/MPI)
Colombian kingpin El Orejón’s (Blas Jaramillo) power is so vast and his respect for human life so minute that when he wants to demonstrate his gifts to street-level soldier Eusebio (Óscar Borda), he asks Eusebio to point out a random person on the street and immediately orders the person’s execution for no reason beyond his ability to do so. It’s probably best not to cross a guy like that, but what happens when a series of events leaves Eusebio and cohort Victor (Marlon Moreno) without much choice? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Purely on paper, “Dog” regularly trades on familiarity with regard to story conventions and basic character outlines. Victor, Eusebio and their supporting cast mates develop nicely, but they’re pieces of plays we’ve seen before. Fortunately, the story “Dog” tells and the method by which it tells it are different matters entirely. The stiflingly gritty cinematography is dense with ugly images and unflattering portrayals of characters doing awful things under terrible conditions, and yet it’s executed tastefully — conveying the unbridled ugliness of a murder without leaning on gore or even necessarily showing the act as it happens. What “Dog” chooses to show and not show speaks to how carefully the entire production appears to have been assembled, and its ability to exercise restraint without expensing intensity pays off in the form of characters whose fates matter, a story that’s absorbing in spite of its simple scope and an ending that pays off the film’s buildup rather handsomely. In Spanish with English subtitles. No extras.

Better Off Ted: The Complete First Season (NR, 2009, Fox)
The title is apt, because how many of us wouldn’t enjoy being in Ted Crisp’s (Jay Harrington) shoes? He’s witty, easy on the eyes, and has the coolest job in the world as the head of research and development at Veridian Dynamics, which devises and creates everything from weaponized pumpkins to energy bandages using technology, brainpower and product development timetables that exist only in the land of fiction. The capacity to create pretty much anything means “Better Off Ted” can pretty much make whatever rules it needs to do whatever it wants in any given episode, and its comedic style — think “Scrubs” or “Andy Richter Controls the Universe” without the daydreams, or better yet, imagine a modern-day “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose” if you’re familiar with that one — is in perfect lockstep. “Ted’s” first couple of episodes jump into the anything-goes waters a little awkwardly, but once it finds its groove and lets its characters develop over multiple episodes, it’s about as smart and funny as anything else on television today. The exceptionally gifted ensemble cast (Malcolm Barrett, Jonathan Slavin, Portia de Rossi, Andrea Anders and Isabella Acres), of which any member is capable of stealing any given episode, doesn’t exactly hurt matters, either.
Contents: 13 episodes, no extras.

Worth a Mention
— “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Special Edition” (PG, 2009, Warner Bros.): A review copy wasn’t ready as this one went to press, but six movies in, your mind probably is already made up as to whether you’re sticking with it to the finish or not. For whatever it’s worth, the runtime — 153 minutes — hypothetically allows “Half-Prince” a little more wiggle room than the frazzled “Order of the Phoenix” (a 900-plus-page book compressed into a 138-minute movie) received. Extras include deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes features, a J.K. Rowling “year in the life” feature, a sneak peak at “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and a digital copy.
— “Coraline: Limited Edition Gift Set” (PG, 2009, Universal): If you somehow passed on “Coraline’s” recent home video debut but love the film enough to splurge on it — or, you know, if you’re gift shopping — this set, which includes the Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy editions of the film, is a beauty from the box on down. With that said, if you lack a Blu-ray player, a good chunk of the bonus content is off-limits to you. Blu-ray-only features include a making-of documentary, picture-in-picture behind-the-scenes material, two other behind-the-scenes features and deleted scenes. The DVD edition includes director/composer commentary. The package also includes four pairs of 3D glasses to watch the optional 3D video track (available on both discs), a companion art booklet and four postcards that are too pretty to actually mail.

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Paper Heart (PG-13, 2009, Anchor Bay/Overture)
Charlyne Yi (Yi, playing an endearingly awkward parallel-dimension version of herself) is so convinced she’s incapable of loving anyone, she’s become the subject and emcee of a documentary in which she attempts to comprehend how others can do what she feels she can’t. But whatever plan she had goes off the rails when she attends a party with her filmmaker (Jake M. Johnson as Nicholas Jasenovec), meets Michael Cera (Cera), and Michael Cera takes an inexplicably sudden liking to her. Though it unfurls Yi’s story in the same fashion a genuine documentary would, “Paper Heart” also takes the kind of creative liberty that’s possible when the film knows we know these scenes are works of fiction. That’s not a bad thing, because the script is intelligently funny, the characters are clumsily lovable, and the story straddles an playfully hopeful line between cutely Hollywood and credibly authentic. But “Heart” actually shines brightest when, between these scenes, it has Yi interviewing regular people about how they met and fell in love. Sometimes, the stories feel too good to be true. Other times, “Heart” illustrates them using a so-cute-it-might-drive-you-crazy style that’s evocative of a grade school diorama. In all cases, though, the line between fiction and documentary blurs just enough to inspire some weird hope that these accounts are 100 percent truthful and real. Even if it turns out they aren’t, “Heart’s” disposition makes it fun to believe they are.
Extras: Deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes features, interviews, Yi musical performance, music video.

Terminator Salvation (PG-13, 2009, Warner Bros.)
Considering it isn’t a traditional sequel so much as an offshoot, “Terminator Salvation” arrives with a narrative head start few films of its nature have. The post-apocalyptic last stand between man and machine, following Skynet’s nuclear pounding of most of humanity, is a battle that has been teasingly dangled in front of “Terminator” fans since the first movie debuted 25 years ago, and “Salvation” has an entire feature film’s worth of time to dwell on its every last important detail. But with the can’t-miss plot comes a can’t-avoid caveat: “Terminator” has liberally played with time travel over the course of three movies and a two-season television series, and because all those hours ultimately alluded to the gist of what supposedly happens here, a good deal of the story feels predestined to the point of inevitable. “Salvation” would be foolish to rearrange the timeline and alienate its core audience just to pull off some contrived surprises, so there’s an overriding feeling of anticlimactic returns after waiting a quarter-century for the unabridged story. With that said, though, the movie makes the most of the hand it’s dealt — and, in terms of character development and a few story-within-the-story elements that fill in the unknowns that remained, manages a surprising amount of mileage in doing so. (Without spoiling too much, it’s pretty amazing what — and who — computers can render the way they can today.) Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood and Anton Yelchin, among others, star.
Extra: Digital Copy. Warner apparently wants you to purchase the Blu-Ray edition (review not available at press time), which contains a director’s cut of the film and three behind-the-scenes features in addition to the digital copy.

Pale Force (NR, 2005, New Video NYC)
With so much comic genius materializing over 16 years of “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” it’s kind of a shame there aren’t 50 more DVD collections like this already out there. But “Pale Force,” which chronicles the animated adventures of two pale superheroes (super-stud Jim Gaffigan and childishly weak sidekick Conan O’Brien) and their battle of attrition against archenemy Lady Bronze (voiced by Eartha Eartha Kitt), is as good a place as any to start. Being a “Late Night” skit rather than a standalone cartoon leaves “Force” with some predictable caveats: Each of the 21 “episodes” runs only a few minutes long, and as such the storytelling and humor flies by at a frantically overcaffeinated pace. Throw in the kind of animation typically reserved for an experimental Adult Swim or Flash cartoon, and the resulting explosion is a mess of purposely low-brow construction and brilliantly, stupidly funny storylines that serve their purpose with hit-and-run efficiency. Consequently, watching all 21 episodes in succession is a somewhat exhaustive experience despite the 84-minute total runtime. But that isn’t the fault of “Force,” which was never written with extended viewings in mind, and as long as you enjoy Conan’s brand of comedy and have enough restraint to hit the pause button whenever necessary, this is impossible not to recommend.
Extras: Gaffigan’s “Pale Force”-related appearances on “Late Night” (don’t mind the box, which mislabels it as “The Late Show”), deleted scene, rough sketches.

Toi & Moi (NR, 2006, Koch Lorber)
The bright colors, the corny character poses, the chipper title. If movies were judged strictly on outer appearances, “Toi & Moi” almost certainly would have to be a cutely silly film about relationships and the adorable misunderstandings they endure. On some level, it is that — at least, when the film enters the imagination of short story author Ariane (Julie Depardieu), who refashions the real-life trials of her and her sister Lena’s (Marion Cotillard) love lives into fanciful, digestible magazine fiction. But Ariane and Lena’s realities aren’t quite so neat, and when you tally it all up, neither is “Moi,” which rather believably manages to offset those fleeting moments of harlequin sunshine with a reality that’s muddy and authentic without resorting to cheap depressive tactics. Ariane and Lena are kind of a mess, but they’re a likable mess that in no way feels alien to the fleeting messes many of us have made of our own personal lives at one point or another. Some of the story turns are predictable and certain endgame hooks, perhaps intentionally, are telegraphed well ahead of time. But all of it exists for the benefit of its two main characters’ separate constructions, and considering how Ariane and Lena turn out, it’s a job well done. In French with English subtitles. No extras.

Death Warrior (R, 2009, Lions Gate)
Everything you need to know about what “Death Warrior” is doing here sits right there on the box — the Tapout logo, the gallery of mixed martial arts stars (Hector Echavarria, Quinton Jackson, Georges St. Pierre, Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans) in the cast, and, for the few who pick this up and don’t know, a notice that the cast consists primarily of world-class MMA stars. Is it enough around which to make and market a film? It’ll have to be. “Warrior’s” storyline is ripped right out of the fighting movie and/or video game playbook: An underground consortium has placed a member of each fighter’s family in jeopardy, and the fighters must fight dirty and battle to the death to keep their loved ones alive. There’s something of a “Running Man” twist at play as well, but no matter: The object is to see fighters pound each other without rules running interference, and the plot certainly provides the means. Unfortunately, a mountain of trouble stands between means and execution, including laughably stock dialogue, titillation straight out of late-1980s Cinemax, a soundtrack that veers between torturously bad faux-metal and background music typically reserved for sex hotline commercials, and the kind of dramatic chops only a film full of untrained actors can deliver. Even the fighting suffers: It looks great, but it’s predictably scripted and thus cannot compare to the unpredictable real thing. “Warrior” is so clumsy as to be an ironic blast fun for a night of so-bad-it’s-good cinema, but that’s about the only level on which this can seriously merit recommendation.
Extras: Two behind-the-scenes features, interviews, MMA training footage.

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