Month: June 2010

Don McKay (R, 2009, Image Entertainment)
If you like your movies nice and insane and like your movie-watching experience thoroughly unspoiled, stop reading here, because even assigning “Don McKay” a genre infringes on spoiler territory. “McKay” finds lifeless janitor Don (Thomas Haden Church) returning home, 25 years after fleeing an unspecified tragedy, to honor the request of a former high school girlfriend (Elisabeth Shue). Once back, Don immediately finds himself knee-deep in another mess, and it’s like he never left. For roughly half its runtime, “McKay” plays like a self-serious, low-rent thriller starring good actors playing disastrously-written characters trying to wade through a story in which stuff seemingly happens just to happen. But it’s all a long con. An occasional darkly funny moment peeks through as time passes, and then, on the precipice of act three, the dam bursts and “McKay” goes bananas. What initially felt like unintentional parody suddenly feels ingeniously legit, and the film complements the barrage of pitch-black comedy with a similarly fearless unfurling of a mystery that, shockingly, pays off massively during a crazy climax that somehow makes sense in spite of all the insanity flying about. “McKay” still is a bit too messy to make it something everyone will love, and even though the payoff wouldn’t be nearly as good without the bumpy start setting it up, it’s still a bumpy start. But a comeback this fierce within the space of 90 minutes isn’t something you see very often, and if you’re prepared to just go for a ride, hopefully you stopped reading 200 words ago and are preparing to do just that.
Extras: Director/producer commentary, deleted scenes.

Hot Tub Time Machine (R/NR, 2010, MGM)
If you look at the cast (Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, John Cusack, Clark Duke) and then look at the plot (three longtime friends and one nephew attempt to reconnect at the friends’ dilapidated former vacation spot, only to enter a hot tub that sends them back to their prime), it’s understandable if you also assume “Hot Tub Time Machine” is so preoccupied with trying to be funny that the high concept is purely a means to some fresh gags about time travel and the 1980s. But give “HTTM” some credit: In addition to doing exactly what’s expected of it, it actually kind of, sort of tries — if not to reconcile how a faulty hot tub can engender time travel, then at least to pay the butterfly effect some level of respect. In fact, between this and the surprising level of reverence paid to the overlying message — don’t take your friends for granted and don’t let time and distance do it for you — “HTTM’s” need to make people laugh occasionally plays third fiddle. But it makes for a better movie, in no small part because all that respect and reverence pays out during a satisfying end sequence and supremely funny credit roll. And if all you want is to laugh? Fret not: “HTTM” isn’t as rapid-fire funny as, say, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” but when it strikes, it hits hard.
Extras: Theatrical and unrated cuts, deleted scenes.

The Eclipse (R, 2009, Magnolia)
Do you like movies thick with atmosphere? Do you like them so much that you can forgive one that prioritizes mood at the arguable expense of traditional three-act plot values? In “The Eclipse,” widower and father of two Michael (Ciarán Hinds), who aspires to be a writer and is volunteering as a driver during a local literary festival, has begun hearing strange noises and fears he’s being haunted by the dead. Fortunately, he’s driving an author (Iben Hjejle as Lena) who specializes in writing about that very thing, so he finally can get some questions off his chest. But while all the necessary materials are on hand to make “The Eclipse” a perfectly serviceable ghost story, its interests lie elsewhere. Michael’s suspicions about the hauntings and the consequences that follow are of lynchpin importance to “The Eclipse’s” storyline, but they also place a distant second to the deeply personal stories of Michael, Lena and a disruptive second author (Aidan Quinn) whose own interests are clouded by these developments. It’s part drama, part thriller, part character piece and not really overwhelmingly any one of the three, and in the school of neat and explanatory conclusions, the ending is an arguable dropout. But what “The Eclipse” wants to do — which is tell a cutting story about a man chasing some harrowing ghosts that have nothing to do with the ghosts who might be chasing him — it does with considerable skill and admirable conviction.
Extras: Two behind-the-scenes features.

Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles: The First Five Seasons (NR, 2003/2010, Flatiron Film Company)
For those unfamiliar, machinima is what happens when someone takes assets rendered for another purpose — typically video games — and manipulates them, voice acting and all, to tell a story that may have nothing to do with those assets’ original intentions. Most of what results is pretty poorly made, but every now and then, a lot of hard work produces a gem. Until further notice, the gold standard of the art form is “Red vs. Blue,” which takes assets from the “Halo” video game franchise and makes them walk and talk to the tune of a very funny story about smart-mouthed soldiers fighting over land that doesn’t even appear to be worth the trouble. “RvB” has always been freely available to stream either online or via Xbox Live — Microsoft and “Halo” creator Bungie’s support of the project is perhaps the genre’s most inspiring story — but fans should take note anyway: In addition to being a handy way to take the first five seasons with you, this box set completely remasters the first four seasons’ visual assets. Given how dramatically video game graphics have improved since 2003, that’s no small bonus.
Contents: 100 episodes, plus the previously Xbox Live-exclusive miniseries “Out of Mind” and “Recovery One,” deleted scenes, outtakes, alternate endings, hidden tracks, PSAs and various bits of bonus footage from the “RvB” vault.

The Crazies (R, 2010, Anchor Bay)
Maybe it’s the billion-plus zombie movies that release annually, or maybe it’s the million-plus stories Hollywood has told about biological agents gone awry. Either way, the plotline of the remake of “The Crazies,” which finds bad drinking water transforming a small town of people into monsters, just doesn’t have the same novelty the original enjoyed in 1973. But that also makes its ability to entertain anyway all the more impressive. “The Crazies” doesn’t avoid horror movie conventions at all, and many of its would-be scares are undone by the same old twists. But even in a world infested with zombie movies, these mutants are an interesting breed because their previous selves aren’t all the way gone and they partially still know who they are. “The Crazies” doesn’t do all it can with that device, but it does something with it, and its use of characters who may or may not be lost provides intrigue in place of the usual sources of suspense. The storyline surrounding the bad water also checks out — not so much because of its revelation, but because of what happens when things get out of hand. The closing scene is thoroughly ridiculous compared to the modest beginnings, but that — and the simple willingness to go big — is what makes “The Crazies” so much more fun than it seemingly had any chance of bring.
Extras: Director commentary, Two episodes of the “Crazies” motion comic, four behind-the-scenes features, storyboards.

Bass Ackwards (NR, 2010, Flatiron Film Company)
Lias (Linas Phillips) isn’t exactly setting the world ablaze: He makes a pittance as a freelance videographer, the friends off whom he’s been freeloading have politely asked him to move out, and the woman he’d been seeing (Davie-Blue) has pushed him
away because oops, she lives with another guy. One semi-random visit to a farm and the acquisition of one old van later, it’s road trip time as Linas drives cross-country to live temporarily with his parents in Boston. If you spotted the whimsical name and await the part where this prototypical road trip movie gets funny, even just quirkily so, you’ll wait forever. Instead, “Bass Ackwards” emphasizes the romance of it all — solitary highway hours, chance encounters with strangers, more self-discovery than some find in four years of college. “Ackwards” is as open-ended as Linas’ journey, and the story isn’t so much a plot as a glance at someone who himself takes a passive approach to the experience. That means some scenes free of dialogue and others shared with characters whose impact on the storyline (term used loosely) is minimal. For some, that also means one boring movie with nothing ultimately gained. So adjust your expectations: “Ackwards” is rich with thoughtful moment-to-moment photography, dialogue and character design, but it’ll land with a thud if you want all those moments to add up to a substantial big picture.
Extras: Phillips/Davie-Blue/cinematographer/film critic commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, bloopers.

Leave it to Beaver: The Complete Series (NR, 1957, Shout Factory)
If you need an introduction to “Leave it to Beaver” — which seemingly has been on the air on some channel in every corner of the country during multiple hours of every day since the beginning of television — you probably need an introduction to television as well. The release timing of this 37-disc set is really odd, because only half of the show’s six seasons are available individually, and folks who purchased the seasons individually will have to wait until September for season four and who knows how long for seasons five and six. That’s bound to engender some hurt feelings, especially if those people miss out on special features exclusive to this set. But if you’re not part of that crowd or simply waited for the inevitability of this release, it’s all good news to you.
Contents: 234 episodes, plus the original pilot episode, two cast retrospectives, theme song composer interview, a Cleavers-fronted special film made for the U.S. Treasury, original promo material.

Beautiful (R, 2009, E1 Entertainment)
Sometimes, everything you need to know about a movie can be found in its musical score. Witness “Beautiful,” which takes place in an otherwise ordinary suburb that houses some very suspicious residents and is reeling from three alleged instances of teenage girls getting abducted. The events of “Beautiful” swirl around several residents but gravitate primarily to an awkward teenager (Sebastian Gregory as Danny) who gets a chance to spend time with his dream girl neighbor (Tahyna Tozzi as Suzy) while she shamelessly pumps him for information about another, shadier neighbor, and the storytelling that results shifts between meandering slice-of-life drama to full-on mystery. But regardless of what mood the movie wants to be in or whether it’s even justified, a foreboding score continually purrs in the background. And even when it appears “Beautiful” is striving for something more than dour melodrama, that single, contagious touch continually drags it back there. The mysteries surrounding the neighbors as well as Danny himself ramp up at a nice pace, and even if you can’t stake a meaningful interest in the characters, there’s something satisfying about how far the debris flies when everything blows up in the film’s climax. Even here, though, “Beautiful’s” presentation of its events undermines those events, giving a story that could have been significantly more memorable a send-off that, appropriate or not, merely reinforces the loss of opportunity.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

TiMER (R, 2009, Phase 4 Films)
In “TiMER,” the concept of finding a soulmate no longer is a concept. Instead, it’s a scientific, commercially viable reality, and anyone 14 or older with $80 to spare can implant a timer on either wrist that literally counts down the minutes until their soulmate comes into view. The logic holes in this idea are predictably gargantuan: What if the other soulmate doesn’t have a TiMER? What if he/she dies? What if you meet someone else in the meantime? But here’s the cool thing about “TiMER:” In addition to trying its hand as a romantic comedy about a soon-to-be-30-year-old (Emma Caulfield as Oona) whose TiMER won’t start, it actually tries its hand at addressing some of these questions as well. Amazingly, by weaving the two objectives into one, it proves surprisingly capable on both fronts. “TiMER” lets the weird concept lead the way, which means it isn’t beholden to the same cliches that deflate so many other romantic comedies that have far less work cut out for them. At the same time, Oona and her sister (Michelle Borth) are funny, perfectly likable people with questions about romance that, impossible inventions aside, are as valid in our world as they are in theirs. Their attempts to reconcile this gap in logic spares us the need to do it for them, and it results in a smart, original and amusing addition to a dead-tired genre.
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes features, bloopers.

Hung: The Complete First Season (NR, 2009, HBO)
High school teacher Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane) wasn’t exactly comfortable when all he had was a low-paying job, a divorce and two teenage kids (Charlie Saxton and Sianoa Smit-McPhee) to worry about, so you can imagine how unwelcome it was when a fire reduced his house to ash. “Hung’s” first episode contains the particulars, but the nutshell is that Ray has turned to male prostitution because (a) it pays and (b) it’s the only talent he can conjure that could turn his fortunes around. One look at “Hung’s” concept might inspire visions of a television series stretching itself around the suburban gigolo gimmick and running out of material to fuel it by episode four. But much like “Weeds” and “True Blood” aren’t really about drug dealers and vampires, “Hung” isn’t really about suburban prostitution. Ray’s new job obviously plays a central role, but the show is every bit as much about his suburban disillusionment, his ex-wife’s (Anne Heche) soulless second marriage, his kids’ adventures in adolescence, his makeshift madam’s (Jane Adams) lousy personal life, and the happenings of everyone else who gets tangled up in this story. The attention to detail paid to every character — even the bit ones who show up for an episode or two — is impressive, and “Hung’s” ability to touch nerves without losing its sense of humor, while predictable by the standards of cable’s best shows, is commendable nonetheless.
Contents: 10 episodes, plus commentary, two behind-the-scenes features and Ray and Tanya’s personal ads.
— Also available this week from HBO: “Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season” (NR, 2009): Includes 12 episodes, plus commentary, two behind-the-scenes features and a ONEXONE PSA directed by Matt Damon.

Youth in Revolt (R, 2009, Sony Pictures)
A need to escape some deadbeat behavior on behalf of mom’s newest live-in boyfriend has resulted in an impromptu not-quite family vacation for not-even-close-to-ladies man Nick Twisp (Michael Cera). The good news? It’s pushed him right into the view of Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), and the few days they spend together before parting has sent Nick out of his mind. Not figuratively, either: He’s created a suave alter-ego only he can see and whose orders he must follow to ensure he can wreak just enough rebellious havoc to bring Sheeni back to him. This all would be a horrible mess if “Youth in Revolt” was trying on any level whatsoever to sell this concept with a straight face. But judging by its need to explain how the alter ego can do all the things he does (it doesn’t) or which Michael Cera is saying what and who can hear what (it doesn’t), making it all make sense isn’t really a concern. And that’s just fine, because it’s all just an excuse to enjoy the classic comedy device of a gutless dweeb stepping outside his own limitations to amaze everybody. “Revolt” is a legitimately funny collage of strange characters doing nearly-random things for reasons that rarely justify what’s going on, and the sheer likability of so many purportedly unlikable people communicates its messages about taking chances and thinking with heart over head in ways more conventional movies couldn’t possibly achieve.
Extras: Cera/director commentary, deleted scenes, deleted/extended animation sequences (makes sense after you see the movie), audition footage.

Green Zone (R, 2010, Universal)
If you ever wanted to have a debate about whether movies are better off creating their own universes instead of loosely weaving fiction around true events, then “Green Zone,” which recites a dramatized account of all that went wrong in the fruitless search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, is as good a launching point as any. “Zone” tells the story from the perspective of mission leader and U.S. Army officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon), and because history has already spoiled the turn this search took, it goes almost without saying that the real suspense comes from Miller’s crisis of confidence in his superiors than any question of whether his team will find anything. Damon and director Paul Greengrass have played on similar playgrounds before with the “Bourne” movies, and “Zone’s” action scenes and polished production take pages from that franchise’s playbook. But Jason Bourne was working with his own backstory and in his own world, while Miller, for all his merits, simply exists as a vessel for Greengrass’ thoughts on the war. The entire movie, in fact, operates from a certain point of view, using some characters (Amy Ryan) as pawns and painting others (Greg Kinnear) with simple strokes for the benefit of the argument. Even if you agree with Greengrass’ perspective, it’s still impossibly distracting, and it takes the air out of what, under other circumstances, would have been a perfectly great thriller.
Extras: Damon/Greengrass commentary, deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes features.

The Maid (NR, 2009, Oscilloscope)
It stands to reason that a longtime live-in maid would grow attached to the couple who hired her and the children she helped raise. But Raquel’s (Catalina Saavedra) attachment to her employers has reached a complete other plane after 23 years of service, and when the family decides to bring in a second maid to give their prized employee a little breathing room, everything — from Raquel’s cripplingly awkward social composure to her alleged favoritism of some children over others to her antagonistic opposition to anyone encroaching on her territory — spills onto the floor. “The Maid” piggybacks on Raquel’s desperation and disposition to operate on a few different levels: Sometimes, particularly when the competition walks in, it’s a bone-dry comedy, while other times it’s an unflinching picture of a woman who has no idea what she’s doing despite having done the same thing repeatedly for so long. The whole presentation is a bit wobbly — repetitive at times, needlessly meandering other times — but it fits because the woman at the center of the whole thing does quite a bit of teetering herself. A film never hurts itself by serving its character instead of convention, and that’s something “The Maid,” despite not being the funniest comedy or the most cutting drama you’ll see this year or even this month, understands better than most. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Extras: Behind-the-scenes feature, storyboards, director photo gallery.< /p>

The Last Station (R, 2009, Sony Pictures Classics)
If you saw that very popular YouTube video earlier this year that mocked all the storytelling motions Oscar-nominated movies go though to get that nomination, you might find yourself flashing back to it while watching “The Last Station.” “Station” is a dramatized account of the last days of cherished Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), and it hits every note — strong acting from a loaded cast, dedication (or at least presumed dedication) to authenticity, amusing exchanges that that make you like the characters early, sweeping scores and emotional exchanges to hit more powerful notes later — that award-worthy period pieces and biopics tend to hit. But “Station” also has a bit of a problem with focus. Part of the story is told with Tolstoy’s mindset and ideologies in mind, as if to be a story about a man spending his final days and shaping his legacy to fit his terms. But the story presents itself every bit as much from the perspectives of his wide-eyed assistant (James McAvoy) and the wife (Helen Mirren) who is fighting the prospect of loss and the threat of her husband giving their fortune away before he dies. Eventually, by being everyone’s movie, “Station” become no one’s movie, which allows the conflict over old writings and wealth seize control instead. That, in spite of all the talent and great little moments “Station” has, leaves the effort feeling a bit empty when it’s all over. Paul Giamatti also stars.
Extras: Plummer/Mirren commentary, director commentary, Plummer tribute, deleted scenes, outtakes.

Worth a Mention: Fans of Funny Animation Edition
— “Johnny Bravo: Season One” (NR, 1997, Cartoon Network Hall of Fame): Even if Cartoon Network’s new Hall of Fame DVD imprint is just a means for it to release its older catalog with a little more pre-installed fanfare than it might otherwise receive, all signs point to it being a very good thing anyway. “Johnny Bravo’s” first season is the first set out the door, with “Courage the Cowardly Dog” waiting on deck for a July release. Contents include all 13 episodes, plus commentary, a behind-the-scenes feature, pencil tests for two episodes and a Seth MacFarlane temp track.
— “Family Guy: Volume Eight” (NR, 2009, Fox): Speaking of MacFarlane, here’s another helping — in uncensored and extended form — of the show that made him famous. Includes 15 episodes (with commentary on most), plus deleted scenes, karaoke, one behind-the-scenes feature and a miniature, 44-page replica script for the “Road to the Multiverse” episode.
— “American Dad! Volume 5” (NR, 2009, Fox): Also speaking of MacFarlane, here’s more MacFarlane. Includes 14 uncensored episodes (commentary on all), plus deleted scenes, “The Power Hour” drinking game and trivia for the “Bar Mitzvah Hustle” episode.

Mary and Max (NR, 2009, IFC Films)
There probably is no way to talk about “Mary & Max” without immediately mentioning the thoroughly awesome display of claymation animation it puts on from start to finish. If ever there was doubt the medium had legs in a world overrun by computer animation, then “Max,” which dotes on the kind of unflattering details and muted color palettes most computer-animated films wouldn’t even flirt with, settles it. But for all the amazing things “Max’s” visual exterior does, it’s merely following the lead taken by the script, which tells the story of what happens when a friendless girl in Australia becomes pen pals with a socially disastrous old man in New York. “Max” is a sweet look at what makes friendships like these just as potentially valuable as the more traditional varieties, but it’s just as much a darkly funny (and sometimes just plain dark) look at misfortune, the harshness of strangers and how people living amongst so many other people still can find themselves hopelessly alone. “Max’s” story regularly meanders as both characters narrate their letters and a narrator provides the go-between moments. But while Mary’s and Max’s situations remain in flux, 92 minutes of meticulously-chosen words ensure their shared story stays on point, and it’s kind of staggering how far that story goes in that time. For all it would appear to lack by way of contemporary effects and bombast, “Max” is as much an epic as any other film that’s chased that title this year. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Barry Humphries and Eric Bana lend their voices.
Extras: Director commentary, short film “Harvie Krumpet,” two behind-the-scenes features, alternate scenes, casting call footage.

The Book of Eli (R, 2010, Warner Bros.)
The setting of “The Book of Eli” follows the post-apocalyptic wasteland template so faithfully that it doesn’t even merit explanation. But the item at the center of all that copying and pasting — a King James Bible, tucked under the arm of a traveling loner (Denzel Washington as Eli) and believed to possess enough spiritual power that another man (Gary Oldman) has sent an army of raiders to find it by any means necessary — gives “Eli” just enough intrigue to elevate its first half beyond the realm of complete also-ran banality. “Eli” pads itself in hopes of providing the manhunt with the substance and gravity it needs to engage early and pay off later, and the overwhelming result is a mix of good scenes that undermine themselves with all that borrowed imagery and not-so-good scenes that simply feel like remixed reincarnations of stuff we already saw. So it’s no small feat when “Eli” caps that uninspired run-up with an inspired ending that both invalidates so much of what preceded it and makes large chunks of it worth re-watching — and much more enjoyable — under closer study the second time around. It’s hard to recommend a movie that really only gets great at the very end, especially when truly enjoying it might entail revisiting the stuff that wasn’t so hot the first time around. But given how ordinary “Eli” initially appears, a comeback like that is a pretty commendable achievement. Mila Kunis also stars.
Extras: Animated short “A Lost Tale,” deleted scenes.

Collapse (NR, 2009, FilmBuff/MPI)
Alarmist documentaries about the pending downfall of our civilization are common enough to largely achieve the exact opposite of their intended impact, so it’s a shame that the one that’s actually worth seeing is bound to go ignored because it has the most alarmist name of all. “Collapse” isn’t even really about societal collapse so much as a period of harsh transition, and the film — which is little more than a feature-length interview with former cop and reporter Michael Rupport — isn’t so much a discussion of pending disaster as a look at the mess that’s already in progress. Rupport predicted the 2008 economic collapse years before it happened, he has the paper and video trail to back it up, and he does an enviable job here of breaking that and so much more down into plain-spoken English and the kind of mathematical cause and effect we all learned in elementary school. The sum of his words, which bounce between empirical and personal and interweave powerfully by film’s end, feels more like a mental toolkit for this shift, already in progress, than some proclamation to run for the hills. Rupport has some unsettling observations about what happens when populations, supplies and certain currencies peak out, but “Collapse” ultimately feels more empowering — maybe even personally liberating — than scary when he lays it all out. How’s that for different, and how unfortunate does that name look now?
Extras: Post-film update, deleted scenes.

Adopted (R, 2009, Phase 4 Films)
Genuine human discomfort caught on camera can be funny, and if you haven’t known that forever, you might have learned it by watching “Borat.” Pauley Shore appears to be in pursuit of the same comedic end in “Adopted,” a mockumentary in which he ventures to Africa and auditions a few kids to be his adopted child and, more importantly, give him a status symbol normally reserved for the likes of Madonna and Angelina. But a strange and arguably fortuitous thing happens en route to Shore making everyone around him uncomfortable: He appears to rattle himself as well. Nothing about Shore’s premise is factual, and it isn’t always clear who is playing along and who the marks are. There also are a few instances where Shore goes for shock and — particularly during a painful bout of attempted standup comedy — misses on every level. But in spite of everything and regardless of how much coaching the kids got, they’re pretty clearly having a ball. Their enthusiasm gives them license to steal the movie, but it also seems to give Shore an onscreen complex about the message he might wish to send through this experience. Even when “Adopted” doesn’t elicit laughs, it exceeds expectations on other levels, and a disclaimer near the credits makes it pretty clear that, whether it began there or creeped up there during filming, the subject matter is closer to Shore’s heart than the premise first implied.
Extras: Deleted scenes.

Alphonso Bow (NR, 2010, Nut Bucket Films)
“Alphonso Bow” is almost entirely a movie about two friends (Jeffrey Pierce as Alphonso, Michael Dempsey as Frank) talking over lunch in a diner. If that sounds like pretentious art film country, here’s the good news: It isn’t. “Bow” has a sense of humor, both in general and about itself, and while the references the two friends make to “Waiting for Godot” and “My Dinner With Andre” aren’t exactly subtle, they at least make it clear where this one’s head is at. More debatable is whether the conclusion of the conversation also is a wink through the fourth wall. “Bow’s” winding conversation, which dances with everything from women to religion to aliens to Franks’ playwright dreams, is more than lively enough to carry a film. But part of its energy comes from the Pierce’s delivery, which plays like a cross between a George W. Bush impersonator and a used-car salesman, and by film’s end, it has become a bit much. When Frank finally applies the brakes to the conversation, it’s hard not to wonder if it isn’t a means to “Bow’s” end so much as a tacit acknowledgement of that worn-out welcome. Content of extras unavailable at press time.

Control Alt Delete (R, 2008, E1 Entertainment)
“Control Alt Delete” literally takes place in a time gone by — specifically, during the run-up to Y2K, where harried programmers like Lewis (Tyler Labine) are scrambling to prevent the pending techpocalypse while also dealing with timeless office politics as usual. But “Delete” also figuratively takes place in another era — a time when scriptwriters all waltzed down the same tired road
to make the same tired observations about computers, programmers, the Internet and all that culture entailed before it ensnared the mainstream. The good news is that cheap computer jokes aren’t really the point of “Delete,” which is more about Lewis’ disastrous dating acumen and a literal lust for computers that sends any hope of reversing his fortune hurtling toward the abyss. (Use your imagination.) The bad news is that “Delete” trips over itself in this realm as well. Lewis is too strange to be likeable, his co-workers mostly are half-sketched cartoon characters, and when the script doesn’t look and sound older than the technology on display, it’s repeatedly damaged by awkward interactions, scribbled-on-a-napkin dialogue and a central repeating bit that’s humorously wince-worthy the first time but just gets creepy — and not in any good way at all — each time thereafter.
Extras: Interviews.

Shutter Island (R, 2010, Paramount)
Sometimes, the best special feature a DVD offers is the capacity to pause the film. That arguably holds true on multiple levels for “Shutter Island,” which finds U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) hiding an ulterior motive and suppressing personal demons while investigating a missing persons case in an ocean-locked hospital for the criminally insane. The details of Teddy’s motive, as well as the return favor the hospital has for him, are best left unspoiled, but the net result transforms “Island” from a slightly interesting mystery into a genuinely unnerving horror story about the state of Teddy’s mind. “Island” dresses its central mystery inside piles of imagery that may or may not be real, and occasionally and unfortunately, it complements that imagery with needlessly ham-handed music and the repetition of devices that don’t always need return visits. That makes “Island,” at 137 minutes long, at least 20 minutes longer and several pounds heavier than it needed to be, and it gives way to moments where the film is looking busy accomplishing nothing. But “Island” possesses an equal tendency to catch viewers sleeping and sneak in the occasional foreshadowing verbal exchange or visual cue that eventually pays out to those watching closely. So keep that pause button handy: You might crave a timeout from the heaviness, but you also might find yourself needing to look twice at the innocuous details that come back around during a last-act reveal that’s both open to interpretation and very darkly satisfying. No extras except on the Blu-ray version, which has two behind-the-scenes features.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Seventh Season (NR, 2009, HBO)
A lot of people got back to talking about “Curb Your Enthusiasm” again once word got out that it, and not some disastrous NBC cash grab special, would be the home of the “Seinfeld” cast reunion. Sure enough, the foursome find their way back to Jerry’s old apartment. But because we’re in Larry David’s universe instead of Jerry Seinfeld’s, we’re treated to a thoroughly entertaining show about the show, starring the “Seinfeld” cast as the cast rather than the characters, and the multi-episode sendup of bad reunion specials is so much more appropriate for this crowd than the real thing would have been. Also good news: The rest of the season, which — despite never wavering from its relentless theme of Larry being the world’s most accomplished bridge arsonist — finds “Curb” as sharply observant and freshly funny as it’s ever been. The “Seinfeld” reunion starts in episode three and casually plays out alongside the rest of the season, and opportunities abound for David and individual “Seinfeld” cast members to play off each other in scenes that have nothing to do with the reunion and don’t need any novelty whatsoever to work. The restraint needed to regularly step completely away from the reunion storyline is impressive, and while the reunion arc is perfectly conceived, many of the season’s best moments have nothing to do with it.
Contents: 10 episodes, plus four behind-the-scenes segments (all related to the “Seinfeld” storyline).

From Paris with Love (R, 2010, Lions Gate)
Say, did you like “Training Day?” And did you like it enough that a hokier, logically questionable take on it sounds like something you’d enjoy? If so, it’s probably in your best interest to check out “From Paris with Love,” which finds a fresh-faced undercover CIA agent James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) teamed up with grizzled wackjob loose cannon Charlie Wax (John Travolta) for an assignment whose details remain somewhat cloudy to him. “Love” feels slightly like a cartoon from the moment Travolta walks on, and by the time the film’s big twist sends it tumbling toward a completely strange ending, it feels like a smart thriller for stupid people. But is that such a bad thing? “Love’s” action doesn’t disappoint, Travolta’s bananas performance makes for one outrageously fun character, and while the storyline swims in some stupid waters, it isn’t due to cringeworthy dialogue or lifeless storytelling. “Love’s” ultimate destination has some gaping plot holes and a weird case of detachment on one character’s part, but the journey that gets us there is pretty fun. In this realm, that’s better than the other way around.
Extras: Director commentary, three behind-the-scenes features.

Power Kids (R, 2010, Magnet/Magnolia)
Wun (Nantawooti Boonrapsap) is a normal little kid except for two things: He lives and trains (along with his older brother and several other kids) at a Muay Thai academy, and his heart is failing him. The good news? A nearby hospital has a new heart for him. The bad news? The same hospital is under siege by terrorists, and if the kids can’t rescue the heart quickly, Wun won’t survive. So yes, this is a movie about young, ragtag martial artists taking on armed and dangerous adults. And yes, movies like that tend to reduce the adults to complete imbeciles while the kids say such unbelievably, cutesily obnoxious things that you still feel tempted to root for the bad guys. But “Power Kids” goes the complete other way. The criminals are credibly nasty, the kids genuinely likable, the action legitimately great. And while the dialogue (to say nothing of the super cheesy English dub) isn’t exactly great, the story is a terrific mix of excitement, comedy, sweetness, darkness and, particularly during the final act, legitimate surprise. The tale of the tape is no less absurd, but “Kids” at least makes it fun to play along and let the imagination take over. In Thai with English subtitles, but the aforementioned English dub is available as well.
Extras: Two behind-the-scenes features.

Oceans (NR, 2008, BBC Earth)
Give BBC Earth points off for releasing the comparatively ordinary “Oceans” a scant week after releasing “Life,” which very likely will stand alone as the best nature DVD release we see all year. “Oceans,” by contrast, isn’t eight hours of impossibly high-definition footage of sea creatures all alone in their element. To the contrary, its arguable primary subject is people — specifically, an expedition that includes divers, a biologist, a maritime archeologist and the grandson of Jacques Cousteau. But that arrangement is to the series’ benefit rather than detriment. “Life” already covers one terrain rather magnificently on its own, and by incorporating a heavy human element, “Oceans” lets its people tell stories, from their own firsthand perspective, that “Life’s” footage and narrator can’t feasibly tackle. The only place “Oceans” feels like “Life” is in the best way it can: At eight hours long, it’s nothing if not comprehensive, and by electing to tell the stories it wants to tell instead of conforming to needless structures and themes, it doesn’t let those minutes go to waste.
Contents: Eight episodes, no extras.

Ghostwriter: Season One (NR, 1992, Shout Factory)
Age hasn’t been terribly kind to “Ghostwriter,” a PBS cult classic that had young teenager Jamal (Sheldon Turnipseed) and his friends communicating with a ghost whose writings they could see but their parents and other adults could not. The show’s special effects already looked creaky when they originally aired in 1992, the kids can’t really act, and all that was annoying about fashion in the early 1990s is on full, low-definition display here. But “Ghostwriter” wasn’t made for obnoxious DVD reviewers when it first aired, and beyond those who grab this for nostalgic purposes (a point helped along by Shout Factory’s typical attention to fan service packaging), it still isn’t for adults. And where it really counts — in the realm of educational entertainment — “Ghostwriter” still has it. The cases that play out over multiple episodes are clever, opportunities abound for viewers to pla
y along and solve the riddles, and the slowly-unfolding mystery of the ghost’s identity might, 18 years on, satisfy a new generation of kids more than the “Lost” finale satiated their parents. (Of course, that mystery is to be continued in season two.)
Contents: 34 episodes, plus a 12-page liner notes booklet that doubles as a casebook for note-taking.

Worth a Mention
— “Jim Henson’s Dog City: The Movie” (NR, 1989, Lions Gate): The Emmy Award-winning movie, which combined gangsters, film noir and dog puppets at long last, finally gets the DVD treatment as part of Lions Gate’s entirely welcome dive into the vault of Henson’s lesser-known but no less stellar projects. Extras include concept art and behind-the-scenes galleries.
— “Sing-Along Travel Kit: The Wheels on the Bus” (NR, 2010, Scholastic Storybook Treasures): If putting a DVD on for the kids in the back seat and having them stare at a screen like zombies while the great outdoors passes them by isn’t quite your thing, this set, which includes sing-along versions of the titular story and 14 other short stories, might make for a more active compromise. The kit also includes a standalone soundtrack CD, 34-page activity book, some crayons and a few travel tips for adults.
— “The A-Team: The Complete Series” (NR, 1983, Universal): Obviously, this is a cynical ploy by Universal to further cash in on the big-screen “A-Team” reboot that itself appears primed to cash in on fans’ memories of the show. On the other hand: How awesome does this thing, which comes housed in a box that looks like the A-Team van, look? Includes all 97 episodes on 25 discs, plus a retrospective and an interview with series creator Stephen J. Cannell.
— “Bob Hope: Thanks for the Memories” (NR, 1938-48, Universal): Includes six Hope movies: “Thanks for the Memory,” “The Cat and the Canary,” “The Ghost Breakers,” “Nothing But the Truth,” “Road to Morocco” and “The Paleface.” Extras include footage of live Hope performances, sing-alongs, a retrospective and photo galleries.

Life (NR, 2009, BBC Earth)
The title of “Life” — an 11-episode look at, yes, life — would suggest a series with delusions of being the end-all, be-all, definitively definitive look at the world’s staggering collection of species in their respective habitats. In reality, though, the title simply grants “Life” license to shift between vignettes without necessarily bowing to any sort of obligatory pattern. One minute might bring an incredible look at the bouncing pebble toad’s amazing survival trick, while the next might provide insight into the social mores of hippos (and what happens when an outcast violates them). If the randomness sounds like a bad thing, it’s not: The massive length of “Life, which was filmed worldwide over a period of more than eight years, affords it a treasure chest of stories to tell and footage to show, and the loose structure values variety and unpredictability over order for order’s sake. It also allows “Life” to tell the stories it wants to tell and do so at paces that best suit each segment. That, in turn, allows the series to let its incontrovertible selling point — eight-plus hours of see-it-to-believe-it footage of all manner of species completely in their element — to shine as brightly as it can. High-definition technology brings “Life’s” creatures home in staggering detail, but no amount of gadgetry would amount to anything if the people handling those cameras weren’t as incredibly skilled (and, most likely, angelically patient) as they so clearly are here.
Contents: 11 episodes, plus deleted scenes, making-of video diaries and an optional audio track that removes the narrator but keeps the music.

New York Street Games (NR, 2010, NY Street Games Productions)
We’ve all heard the bemoaning by adults who reminisce about childhoods spent outdoors instead of in front of televisions and computers. Cynically, that would appear to be the point of “New York Street Games,” which rounds up celebrities (Ray Romano, Whoopi Goldberg, Keith David, Regis Philbin, C. Everett Koop and more) and street game aficionados to reflect on days spent in the street with nothing but other kids, a Spaldeen ball and their imaginations to make time fly. Happily, though, it isn’t. Instead, our subjects delve into giddy detail while describing the wild rules and customs of such creations as stoopball, ringoleavio, and punchball, and the only thing more convincing than their genuine love of those games is the sense of community that permeates throughout these otherwise disconnected interviews. The spirit of the games — be it the ingenuity that conceived them, the inclusive nature that turned city blocks into neighborhoods, or the inspiring efforts to reintroduce them to today’s kids — is completely infectious. By the time some of the subjects turn to handwringing, no explanation is necessary for their angst to resonate. “Games” is heavier on interviews than action, and the film is likely to resonate with parents more than kids. But in an inspired touch, the DVD includes a 26-page illustrated booklet that details every game’s rules. Get a ball, find some blacktop, and what’s old is new and exciting again.
Extra: The aforementioned rulebook.

My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story (NR, 2009, Docurama)
Sometimes, a movie’s title demands an explanation. And sometimes, as with “My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story,” the title says so much about the movie that even reviewing it seems kind of stupid. “Dog” collects some famous (Glenn Close, Edie Falco, Richard Gere) and not-so-famous (but often more illuminating) people together to share stories about what their dogs mean to them, and the result is as evenhanded as a kindergartener’s review of a candy store. For dog lovers, though, this is a preaching to the choir of the best kind. “Dog” isn’t an educational documentary so much as a virtual gathering with friends you didn’t know you had who love their dogs as much as anyone moved to watch this probably does, and while we’ve been conditioned to suspect the true colors of celebrities when cameras are rolling, those suspicions just don’t fly here. The only knock is that, at 50 minutes long, “Dog” ends too quickly, but the additional 17 minutes of entirely worthwhile deleted scenes help mitigate that somewhat.
Extras: Deleted scenes/interviews, filmmaker bios.

American Pickers: The Complete Season One (NR, 2010, History)
Be jealous, shopaholics and collectors: Not only have Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz found a way to spend their days traveling the country and buying stuff most didn’t even know was for sale, but they make a pretty cool living by occasionally turning that stuff around for pretty amazing profit. Mike and Frank are pickers, and “American Pickers” rolls camera as they visit garages, sheds and storerooms full of antiques and novelties most would consider trash and that their owners have long treated as such. “Pickers” works as a television show because the stuff the guys find often is ridiculous, and it works as a History Channel show because of the stories and historical connotations many of the items have. But it works as entertainment because Mike and Frank have exactly the kind of charisma one needs to knock on complete strangers’ doors, ask to go through their stuff, and successfully haggle with them before hitting the road with a truckload of their possessions. They love their profession, they’re fun to watch as result, and the folks they meet in the process — many of whose stories “Pickers” shares alongside those of our pickers — are pretty fascinating as well. The show occasionally raises an eyebrow when segments show what feels like lowballing of regular folks who may not understand the value their stuff potentially has, but the pickers don’t hide behind pretense and the stuff likely would stay indefinitely buried otherwise, so it’s a fleeting grievance.
Contents: 12 episodes, no extras.

Alice in Wonderland (PG, 2010, Disney)
It was a mere matter of time before someone with lots of money brought “Alice in Wonderland” back to the big screen as the adult-oriented fever dream so many have interpreted Lewis Carroll’s book as being. It probably also was a matter of time before that someone was Tim Burton. And therein lies the problem not only with the movie, but also its director: It’s all just a little too predictable. Millions upon zillions of dollars’ worth of special effects technology have made the new “Wonderland” some kind of visual spectacle, and it’s hard to argue with pitting Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) against Helena Bonham Carter (as the Red Queen) one more time. But beyond the amazing visuals and talents and energies of some reliably great performers, little about “Wonderland” rises beyond being exactly what one expects it to be. At worst, when it beats viewers atop the head with its adult leanings or goes through the motions for special effects’ sake — obligations that contradict each other when the film decides late that it wants to be all things to everyone — “Wonderland” feels pretty soulless. That’s problem the comparatively saccharine animated film, to say nothing of the technologically-deficient book, never had. Mia Wasikowska (as Alice), Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover and Matt Lucas, among others, also star.
Extras: Three behind-the-scenes features.

The Eastwood Factor: Extended Version (NR, 2010, Warner Bros.)
It’s hard to ignore the slightly self-back-patting tone of “The Eastwood Factor,” which chronicles Clint Eastwood’s astounding resume (35 films in as many years) at Warner Bros. Studios. Morgan Freeman — who has collaborated with Eastwood on a number of films and who most recently was as responsible as anyone for bringing his latest directorial project, “Invictus,” to screen — handles narration duties, and when he describes “Invictus” as “the most inspi
ring movie Clint Eastwood has ever made,” it’s enough to wonder where the objectivity lines are drawn. Then again, it probably doesn’t really matter. “Factor” studiously bounces from one Eastwood project (“Dirty Harry,” “Bronco Billy”) to the next (“Unforgiven,” “Gran Torino”), and it makes few bones about being anything more than a fond celebration of his career to this point. Fortunately, Eastwood himself didn’t get that memo: He has numerous opportunities to discuss his own work, and he’s candid, humble and occasionally self-deprecating enough to offset whatever self-congratulatory designs everyone else might have had. Just make sure you’ve seen whichever of these movies you wish to see before putting this one on. “Factor” assumes you have, and it isn’t afraid to spoil the endings of most of them in its process. No extras.
— Also available: Warner Bros. goes a little Eastwood crazy this week with the availability of several rereleases on top of “Factor.” The “Essential Eastwood: Director’s Collection” box includes “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Mystic River” and “Unforgiven,” while “Essential Eastwood: Action Collection” includes “Firefox,” “Heartbreak Ridge,” “Kelly’s Heroes” and “Where Eagles Dare.” The Blu-ray “Clint Eastwood Collection” includes 10 films (including everything from the “Director’s” set), and a handful of double features (including “Dirty Harry/Magnum Force”) are available alongside individual catalog releases in Blu-ray form. In other words, basically everything. Fox also crashes the party with the Blu-ray debut of “The Man with No Name Trilogy,” which includes “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For A Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.”

Worth a Mention:
— “Elvis 75th Birthday Collection” (NR, Fox): It’s going to get a little confusing later this summer when Warner Bros. releases its own “Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection” box set, but for now, the racket is all Fox’s. The seven-disc “Birthday” box includes seven films: “Love Me Tender,” “Flaming Star,” “Frankie and Johnny,” “Wild in the Country,” “Follow That Dream,” “Kid Galahad” and “Clambake.” No new extras.
— “MLB Bloopers: Baseball’s Best Blunders” (NR, 2010, MLB/Shout Factory): You won’t find last week’s footage of Kendry Morales breaking his leg during a walk-off grand slam celebration gone abysmally wrong. But while the 2010 season creates fodder for future volumes, there’s more than enough recent material to fill these 90 minutes, which do for today’s players what the mountain of baseball bloopers VHS tapes did for players in the 1970s and 1980s. Extras include random bonus segments that cover fun with gum, fun with mascots and, among other things, fun with Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.
— “Aqua Teen Hunger Force 7” (NR, 2009, Adult Swim): Either you need no introduction to this volume’s availability or you’re shocked there’s a seventh volume’s worth of episodes to put on shelves. Either way, the 11 episodes on “Aqua Teen Hunger Force 7” include the live-action episode, which also receives the behind-the-scenes feature treatment.