Month: October 2011

Winnie the Pooh (G, 2011, Disney)
What flavor of dread strikes first when you hear Disney has essentially rebooted “Winnie the Pooh” as a new movie in 2011? Do you get visions of computer-rendered Pooh and Tigger, or is your first concern not if celebrities intrude, but how often and how many? Does the notion of Eeyore and Piglet cracking wise with attitude terrify you, or has Hollywood’s trampling of your childhood traumatized you so much that you immediately envision a live-action movie set in New York City? Fear not, gentle reader: This is Disney, which tends to protect its legacy as much as its fans do. The new “Pooh” indeed feels fresh, but only in the way it sidesteps the reboot nightmare and remains so completely and wonderfully true to itself. The animation may flash more polish than it did decades earlier, but that’s a testament to ingenuity and technique more than technology. Pooh and friends look exactly as we remember them, and the words that escape their mouths are as cheerful and clever as they’ve ever been. The only real knock? At only 63 minutes long, it’s short even by animated movie standards. But “Pooh” at least makes good use of its time, effortlessly and whimsically hopping from one adventure to another while spinning yet another epic yarn about a bear’s quest to pour some honey into his rumbling tummy. Funny how that conundrum never gets old when these old friends have so much fun resolving it.
Extras: Animated shorts “The Ballad of Nessie” and “Pooh’s Balloon,” deleted scenes (with director introduction), movie singalong, behind-the-scenes feature.

The People vs. George Lucas (NR, 2010, Lions Gate)
Where did the George Lucas bandwagon veer off the road for you? Was it the Ewoks? Greedo shooting first? The two-hour sinking feeling known as “The Phantom Menace?” Or did you remain strong, only to finally get knocked off by a kamikaze “Nooooo” and a nuke-proof refrigerator? Seemingly every fan of Lucas’ work has a case, and if you need no additional information about the aforementioned references, you’ve likely heard some form of everything “The People vs. George Lucas” has to say. But what is said and how it’s said are two different things, and the way “TPVGL” turns nearly three decades of grievances into a hilarious celebration of rabid fandom, community and even the man on trial is just masterful. “TPVGL” cedes control almost entirely to the fans, liberally blending interviews with a barrage of fan-produced content ranging from songs to spoofs to meticulous recreations to (of course) edits and rewrites. The interviews — again, of random suffering fans and not historians, experts or other people who aren’t irrationally attached to Lucas’ work — are so impassioned as to be tragic and wonderful all at once, and the tributes, spoofs and put-downs (some direct, others passive-aggressive) speak for themselves. Even if you’ve heard it all before, “TPVGL” proves a good story, told well, never wears out its welcome. With the recent dust-up over the “Star Wars” Blu-rays and yet another unfortunate “Nooooo,” here’s hoping a retrial is in the works.
Extras: Filmmaker commentary, “The People vs. Star Wars 3D” from San Diego Comic-Con 2011, interview with “Star Wars” producer Gary Kurtz, poetry slam highlights, music video.

Father of Invention (PG-13, 2010, Anchor Bay)
As goes the soul of Robert Axle (Kevin Spacey) — once the face and brains of Robert Axle Fabrications, now a disgraced inventor, convicted felon, estranged family man and homeless washout — so goes the heart of “Father of Invention.” Fortunately, it isn’t quite as simple as it sounds. “Invention” — with no small thanks to Spacey, who is as good as any actor alive at embodying the ruthlessly charismatic scoundrel — quickly sets the stage for a darkly funny comeback story, offering a glimpse of Robert at the height of his success before the opening credits roll past him at his lowest. It’s little surprise that some form of personal and professional redemption is on the table with the movie so efficiently laying out Robert’s failings, so the gist of what happens thereafter isn’t totally a surprise. What is surprising, however, is how intelligently “Invention” comports itself when the inevitable soul-searching intervenes. It flashes a heart, but it does so thoughtfully and not cloyingly. Better still, it does so at no expense to the darkness that circles continually above. Instead, the two sides of Robert’s heart find a harmony that’s surprisingly buyable, and “Invention” emerges as the best kind of character study — one that’s funny, cutting, easy to root for and far too entertaining to ever feel like a study. Craig Robinson, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville, Camilla Belle and John Stamos also star.
Extra: Behind-the-scenes feature.

A Little Help (R, 2010, Image Entertainment)
Even the best among us need a little help. “A Little Help’s” title, therefore, is modest, because Laura (Jenna Fischer) — alcoholic, struggling mother of struggling 12-year-old Dennis (Daniel Yelsky), one half of a failing marriage that’s about to get a whole lot more complicated — needs a whole heaping ton of help. It’s hard to go into much greater detail than that, because much of what propels “Help” forward hinges on a first-act turn that’s best left unspoiled. So strictly vaguely speaking, here’s what can be said. “Help,” like the woman in need of it, is rather messy — as much a straight-faced drama as it is a dark comedy, a bit scattered in its use of supporting characters, and occasionally slow to give those characters and the storylines they lead the point they sometimes need to justify their screen time. More than not, though, “Help” gets to the point and quite effectively makes that point matter. Its funny and serious sides complement rather than drown each other out, and the final tally — like its main character — is extremely easy to like even with all the warts showing. Unlikely credit for that goes to Laura: She may be a wreck in her own world, but her malleability makes her the movie’s rock. That isn’t an easy discrepancy to illustrate, but “Help” demonstrates how it’s done.
Extras: Interviews, music video.

Captain America: The First Avenger: Limited 3D Edition (PG-13, 2011, Paramount)
Take a good sniff and you’ll doubtlessly catch a whiff of obligation at some point in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” which functions as much as a lead-in for next summer’s “Avengers” movie as it stands alone as its own creation. (Should you not detect it early, Marvel Studios using its customary post-trailer sequel tease as a nakedly literal commercial for “Avengers” should part the clouds.) Fortunately, this may not be as problematic as it probably sounds. “America’s” storyline is pretty paint-by-numbers even by the standards of obligatory superhero origin stories, and it never quite has as much fun as did the coming-out parties for fellow Avengers Iron Man and Thor. Next to those characters, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a bit bland and a little too straight-laced. But when Rogers gets down to business as Captain America, those personality deficiencies don’t much matter. “America” doesn’t innovate much here, either, and its arguable best story turn takes place right as the movie ends. (They want you to see “Avengers,” remember?) Still, any time an alternate-history second World War and a few superhero powers mix it up under the loving glow of a big budget, there’s bound to be plenty to enjoy. Go into “America” with exactly that mindset, and you’ll likely come away satisfied.
Extras: Director/crew commentary, two “Avengers”-related features, deleted scenes, six behind-the-scenes features.

A Serbian Film (NR, 2011, Invincible Pictures)
Ask 100 film studio executives how to make a shocking movie, and 99 of them likely will give you a recipe that has blood, death and nudity all mingling freely. Thus, it’s no surprise “A Serbian Film” — which takes a threadbare plot about a porn star (Srdjan Todorovic) working against his will and wraps it around a mess a murderous, bloody taboos run wild — has garnered attention as the most shocking movie ever to get this close to the mainstream consciousness. But while “Film” earns many adjectives — vile, repugnant, unscrupulous are three that work rather well — there really isn’t much here that’s even courageous, much less shocking. Horror filmmakers have been in a relentless battle to one-up each other since “Saw” made it profitable to sell torture and gore to the masses, and while the acts that take place in “Film” are so insipid that even describing them on paper is tasteless, their arrival was as inevitable as whatever happens next to top them. Shocking movies can shock audiences on levels way beyond buckets of blood and body parts, and no genre is immune from producing a movie that can drop someone’s jaw for a profound, substantial reason. “Film” takes gross to new frontiers, but applies no real vision to get there. More than shocking, it just feels stupid. In Serbian with English subtitles. No extras.

Worth Mentioning
— “Luther 2” (NR, 2011, BBC): Miniseries rarely (if ever) get sequels, but if the television gods can provide only so many exceptions to their rules, let’s thank them for making this one of them. “Luther 2” brings us back into the case files and crumbling psyche of John Luther (Idris Elba), a morally dubious detective who remains acutely tormented by the murder of his wife (to say nothing of the absolute mess of depravity, hard luck and bittersweet semi-closure that accompanied the original series). On paper, “Luther 2” isn’t quite as manic: There are two cases spread across four episodes instead of the first series’ six over six. But when both the killers and the cop are of darker mind than before, and when the quality of storytelling remains this engrossingly high, there’s no sign in sight of this show (now confirmed for a third series) slowing down. Includes four episodes, no extras.
— “Robot Chicken: Season Five” (NR, 2011, Adult Swim): That whole thing TV studios do where they release shows on Blu-ray and DVD after they’ve aired? That’s so quaint. “Robot Chicken’s” fifth season set includes 20 episodes, but only 11 of them have aired so far. If you’re not ready to let go of old habits, you can rest assured the nine episodes will still air and you need not buy them to see them. But if you enjoy these sets and are ready to live in the future, Adult Swim’s best show — and the holiest union ever between stop-motion animation and old toys — is ready to accompany you. All 20 episodes include commentary. Additional extras include deleted scenes, more than 50 deleted animatics, seven behind-the-scenes features, a “Blue Rabbit” MP3 singalong and a big helping of funny promotional bits and pieces.
— “Barney Miller: The Complete Series” (NR, 1974, Shout Factory): Apparently no one at Sony Pictures realized the inarguably classic “Barney Miller” made it past the third season, which is where the run of single-season DVD sets ended nearly two years ago. Happily, this 25-disc set — packed in a reasonably slim box with the iconic Squad Room Detectives office door adorning the front — should make up for lost time. All 168 episodes from all eight seasons are included, as is the complete first season of “Fish,” the the Abe Vigoda-fronted “Miller” spinoff. Other extras include commentary, new interviews, the original series pilot and a 40-page companion book with liner notes, photos and an episode guide.

Page One: Inside the New York Times (R, 2011, Magnolia)
The New York Times made headlines over the weekend with reports of more rebalancing and position reductions, so just in case “Page One” wasn’t one of the year’s timeliest documentaries, that little tap should clinch it. As the title implies, “One” takes us inside the bowels of the Times’ newsroom, where we watch a culture of newspaper people wrestle with Wikileaks, a suspicious “official” announcement of the Iraq War’s conclusion, and the shameful corporate crash and burn that torched numerous colleagues at the Tribune Co. If you have a nose for the stories behind those stories, you need not be told that the movie, while free of narration or editorial intrusion, doubles as a referendum on the riddle of monetizing and saving an institution that for a generation has been as free as the air we breathe (and taken about as much for granted). “One” darts between observing the newsroom, profiling its faces and letting them air their views on their industry’s wildly uncertain future, and it results in a movie that scrambles to cover lots of ground in little time. But what “One” sometimes lacks in terms of graceful transitions, it redeems in the field of time management. Few insubstantial moments intervene between the fast start and abrupt finish, and the film’s insights, energy and passion are both eloquent and furious. If you distrust the media, this won’t shake your biases. But if you value a free press that has the resources needed to tell the story right, “One” offers assurance that regardless of how the business shakes out, there are capable people on the ground fighting relentlessly to carry it through.
Extras: Three short features on the state of the industry, a feature on journalists’ reaction to “Page One,” deleted scenes, filmmakers/featured people Q&A, feature with Baghdad Bureau Chief Tim Arango (who is featured in the movie) and photojournalist João Silva, who lost both legs while on assignment in Iraq.

Aftershock (NR, 2010, China Lion/New Video)
In case you aren’t familiar, the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that kicks off “Aftershock” is a real disaster, and one responsible for claiming 250,000 lives. “Aftershock’s” dramatization of the quake is visually incredible, but lest you assume the movie mines tragedy for eye candy, know also that it’s brief and takes place pretty early in a runtime that spans 136 minutes. The bulk of “Aftershock’s” storyline zooms in on a single family and hinges on what happens after a mother (Fan Xu) is forced to make the call on a rescue that can save only one of her two trapped children. If that sounds needlessly sensational as well, rest assured (again) that the depiction of her choice’s consequences — set over a 32-year period that follows the lives of all involved — is anything but tacky. To the contrary, “Aftershock” develops and treats its characters with lavish care, and while it doubtlessly could shave off a minute here or there, it’s hard to accuse the movie of wasting the time it affords everyone involved. A tribute to the quake’s victims closes the movie, and while there’s always a discord between fiction and the real-life tragedy it strives to remember, this is an especially tasteful attempt that neither sacrifices nor bows to entertainment value in the process. In Mandarin with English subtitles. No extras.

The Captains (NR, 2011, Entertainment One)
“The Captains” could have been so many unfortunate things — dry, self-indulgent, detached, insular. Instead, William Shatner’s behind-the-curtain look at the actors who shared the “Star Trek” Starship Captain’s chair (Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, Chris Pine) is the complete opposite of every word listed above. Shatner takes “The Captains'” reins in front of as well as behind the camera, and the adventure brings him face to face with all five fellow captains, who seem as genuinely tickled to discuss their bond with him as he is with them. The freewheeling conversations naturally touch on the distinctions that come with being part of “Star Trek” lore. But “The Captains” has few rules beyond that, and the talks regularly bounce between serious, heartfelt and funny as Shatner and friends discuss personal sacrifice, the drive to act, death, music and whatever else comes up. Every actor gets his or her due, but ultimately, it may be Shatner himself who opens up most. His once-reluctant, now-enthusiastic embrace of Captain Kirk comes out literally during conversation, but his affinity for “Star Trek,” its fans and the way the phenomenon changed his life appears most potently in the questions he asks and the hilariously earnest way he interacts with fans between stops. Your enjoyment of the movie likely will be enhanced by an affinity of your own for the franchise, but it cannot be emphasized enough how optional that is. In this celebration of life and everything in it, “Star Trek” merely is a means to an end.
Extra: Behind-the-scenes feature.

Lucky (R, 2011, Phase 4 Films)
Say this for Lucy (Ari Graynor): She may be shallow by pursuing and eventually marrying longtime admirer Ben (Colin Hanks) only after he won the lottery, but she sure takes it in stride upon discovering her new husband is a murderer. In fact, when she discovers Ben is a serial killer responsible for a string of recent killings, her second reaction (following disappointment, of course) is to help keep the bodies hidden. None of this is a spoiler if you come into contact with “Lucky’s” box or trailer, and even if you’re hardcore about not having anything whatsoever spoiled for you, the best parts of this tale remain preserved for your discovery. “Lucky” marches to a seriously weird beat — an implausible movie that recognizes its own implausibility, recognizes that you see it too, and revels in the farcically messy bed it’s made while inviting you to revel in its revelry. If you can play along, it’ll pay you back with one of the more stupidly enjoyable serial killer stories you’ve ever seen (if, of course, you’ve ever seen one before). You might also come away with a new name for your favorite actresses list. Graynor plays her character’s absurd mannerisms to the nines, and “Lucky” would be vastly inferior without her energy.
Extras: Director commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, music video.

Within (NR, 2009, Bigfoot Entertainment)
Take everything about “Within” and recast its two main characters — one (Mia Ford as Rachel) who can see the evil in others, the other (Sammi Hanratty as Michelle) a carrier of said evil — as adults, and the movie would be ripe for the picking. The path the story takes is a bit muddy — sometimes on a collision course with predictability, other times dragging its feet and occasionally repeating itself. The run-up to the ending tries to do a little too much, a few loose ends remain loose after the credits, and even on the condition that it’s a TV movie, the shoestringiness of the budget can mostly but not completely be ignored. But Rachel and Michelle aren’t adults: They’re little kids, one or both of them is in practically every scene, and their ability to personify the agony, cruelty and familial tragedy that has overwhelmingly blighted their respective childhoods is haunting enough to make the aforementioned flaws feel insignificant. “Within” doesn’t dabble in gore or jump scares, but instead engenders some seriously acute empathy that lends a deeply unsettling air to nearly every scene. For all it could do better, it does that ridiculously well, and it’s a talent — and, by extension, a feeling — depressingly few horror movies even recognize, much less utilize.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

Bad Teacher (R, 2011, Sony Pictures)
There’s a trace of a great scene roughly 30 minutes into “Bad Teacher” when disinterested teacher Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) tells the class kiss-up to “stop dressing like you’re running for congress.” She replies she’d rather be president, to which Elizabeth asks if that’s what she wants or if that’s what her parents want. The student shrugs, and with that little shrug, “Teacher” flashes the talent it needs to be a story about a reluctant, subversive teacher who becomes the best thing that ever happened to her students. Unfortunately, the shrug is the peak of a molehill instead of the foot of a mountain. Like Elizabeth herself, “Teacher” would rather skate by doing the bare minimum, mercilessly mauling us with a gag about Elizabeth being a failed gold-digger whose only drive is to find her way out of the classroom and back into another rich man’s heart. The joke is flat once and outright obnoxious many attempts later, and when the half-baked story goes for its predictable lap of redemption, the whole thing is so pointless and contrived that you might contemplate stopping the movie and just playing out the last act in your head. Consider following that thought: It takes less time, requires little effort, and there’s a decent chance it’ll be funnier than what “Teacher” came up with. Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake and Lucy Punch also star.
Extras: Deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes features, outtakes.

Turkey Bowl (NR, 2011, Tribeca Film/New Video)
“Turkey Bowl” finds 10 (mostly) old friends convening for an annual touch football game that doubles as a chance to kick back and reconnect. But if this is their idea of kicking back and reconnecting, how in the world do they survive the other 364 days in between? “Bowl” has a point to make, and if you can relate to the plight of trying to keep friendships intact when being a grown-up makes that so much trickier than it used to be, it makes a point you probably can understand. Unfortunately, it only truly does so with about seven minutes left, and only after spending nearly an hour engaging in the most miserably surly touch football game perhaps ever played. During the course of what should be a meaningless game (and, for us on the outside, most definitely is meaningless), old friends scream at each other about missed routes, one player viciously chews out her spouse for talking down to her, and some of the regulars trade jabs with the newer players — sometimes because they play poorly, sometimes because they play a little too well. Does an hour of crabby strangers on a beautiful day intrigue you? Because that’s what you get. At 64 minutes, “Bowl” is awfully short, but it’s not hard to see why, and if these friends get along so poorly that they disband the instant the game ends, what’s the point of anyone, viewer included, showing up in the first place?
Extra: Deleted scenes.

Worth mentioning
— “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (PG-13, 2011, Disney): A screener wasn’t available by cutoff time for review purposes, but at this point you likely already know if you’re hungry for 136 more minutes of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) or if you’ve had enough. (Ian McShane joins the cast, if that helps tip you off the fence.) Extras in the Blu-ray/DVD combo edition include director/producer commentary, iPad/PC “Second Screen” content, bloopers and Lego animated shorts featuring Lego-fied versions of the “Pirates” characters.
— “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition” (G, 1971, Warner Bros.): Warner Bros. has produced some gorgeous anniversary sets this fall, and while review product wasn’t available for up-close examination, the 40th anniversary edition of “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” keep the quality bar high. In addition to DVD and Blu-ray versions of the restored original film, the set includes a new director interview and a new feature on Roald Dahl. Tangible bonuses include a Wonka Bar-shaped pencil tin and a 144-page book containing photographs and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. A single-disc DVD reissue also is available.

Horrible Bosses (R/NR, 2011, New Line)
The title doesn’t lie: Nick, Dale and Kurt (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis, respectively) have horrible bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell, respectively). They’re so horrible, in fact, it occurs to our three anti-heroes that the risks associated with having them killed might be better than the much safer soul erosion that accompanies continuing to work for them (or, apparently, looking for a new job). Logic and other such intrusions have no place in “Horrible Bosses,” and that works just fine, because from almost the first minute, the movie embarks on a relentlessly funny circus of terrible people and terrible ideas that never grows tired despite a manic energy and plan that predictably goes haywire before going haywire again (and again). All that energy would be tiresome if “Bosses” fell flat even momentarily, but even when it engages in some wholly obligatory slapstick, it does so with a little more edge and ingenuity than we usually get. Best of all, “Bosses” goes out swinging as fiercely as it did when it barged in. There’s a character with an unprintable name (played by Jamie Foxx) who owns many of the movie’s best scenes, but it’s Day who snags the absolute best moment right before the closing credits roll in.
Extras: Extended cut, deleted scenes, four behind-the-scenes features.

The Trip (NR, 2010, IFC Films)
Actor/writer Steve Coogan (played loosely by Steve Coogan) certainly had the right idea when he agreed to a limited-run stint as The Observer’s food critic. What better way is there to take your girlfriend to a string of nice restaurants than on someone else’s dime? What a shame, then, that she can’t make it. Fortunately, Steve’s loss is our gain when friend and collaborator Rob Brydon (played, of course, by Rob Brydon) comes along instead. Regardless of what the name implies, “The Trip” isn’t really about the trip, and it certainly isn’t about the assignment. Arguably, it isn’t about anything. There’s a narrative tiptoeing around the movie that touches on many of the life themes that come to mind during a journey like this, and the way it’s pieced in adds a nice layer of poignancy to the movie. But overwhelmingly, “The Trip” is simply Steve and Rob playing alternate-dimensional versions of themselves and rattling off one semi-improvised and very funny conversation after another about cremation, bad impersonations, comedy’s common ground with duck fat lollipops and whatever else pops into mind during the long drive from stop to stop. “The Trip” has since become a television series centered around the same premise, and it’s easy to see why: Even in semi-character, Coogan’s and Brydon’s friendship is palpably authentic, for worse as well as better, and chemistry like that makes the funny bits that much funnier and the sweet moments that much sweeter.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature, appetite-whetting food preparation footage, photo and poster galleries.

The Tree of Life (PG-13, 2011, Fox)
There are no wrong answers when it comes to debating the worth of a movie that strives to be worthy, but that doesn’t mean some aren’t more fun to argue about than others. None this year may merit more debate than “The Tree of Life,” which doesn’t so much tell a story about a troubled father/son relationship as it does incorporate that relationship into a larger picture of… well hey, that’s up to you. Do the disconnected pictures of family life feed into the film’s visions of nature, the stars and various other representations of a bigger picture, or are those scenes meant to be distilled down to life as we know it — small, intimate and often personally driven by a mere handful of the billions of people who fill a massive planet that itself is a drop in the universe’s bucket? And then there’s option C, in which you dismiss “Life” as a pretentious wreck of a film that uses a lot of beautiful imagery to say a whole ton of nothing. A million more interpretations lie in between these three, and if the measure of a movie’s success is its ability to make people talk after it says its piece, it’s hard to dismiss “Life” as a failure even if there is plenty of ground on which to dismiss it elsewhere. If you see it, best not to do so alone. But if you do, take notes, because there will be an exam later. Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn star. No extras.

Terri (R, 2011, Fox)
When you see high schooler Terri (Jacob Wysocki) for the first time — in his overweight, disheveled, awkward, poor, wears-pajamas-to-high-school glory — what expectation might you have for his story? Is this another “Precious”-style sob story about an unpopular kid who, in addition to battling numerous personal issues, must also carry the ailing uncle (Creed Bratton) who should be caring for him? Or this another “Napoleon Dynamite” story about a bunch of live-action cartoon characters who act weird just because? Turns out, neither is the case, because in a shockingly un-Hollywood development, Terri is actually something akin to normal underneath his quirky exterior. He’s unpopular but not a sad-sack bully target, awkward but well-spoken and rather refreshingly forthright, and unafraid to make a minor spectacle of himself if it takes the heat off someone who can’t handle it. As a movie, “Terri” is unevenly paced and about as neat as its namesake in terms of conventional plot development. But as a coming-of-age character story about a guy whose most shocking trait is how relatable he is, “Terri” is an unabashedly pleasing ode to the notion that — in the words of Asst. Principal Fitzgerald, played by John C. Reilly — “life’s a mess, and we’re all just doing the best we can.” How’s that for some comforting honesty? Olivia Crocicchia also stars.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

Submarino (NR, 2010, Entertainment One)
Together, brothers Nick and Ivan had a hard childhood, enduring an alcoholic mother and the death of a baby brother who fell into their care. Apart as adults, the road hasn’t smoothed out, with Nick (Jakob Cedergren) fresh out of prison and Ivan (Morten Rose) in the throes of a drug habit that’s ravaging his relationship with the son (Gustav Fischer Kjærulff) he has to raise alone following the death of his mother. “Submarino’s” portrayal of the childhood years is brief, but it’s stirring enough to establish that relationship and lay its heart on the ground floor before burying it beneath a rockpile of cold, grown-up reality. Good thing, too, because the picture of that reality is almost too bleak for the movie’s own good. If “Submarino” has a serious flaw, it’s that the brotherly reunion on which the film hinges is, when it finally summons the bond from those early scenes, almost cruelly brief. Then again, maybe that’s by design. “Submarino’s” storytelling remains gripping even when the bleak-o-meter is at full rage, and whether its handling of the reunion makes it that much more meaningful or simply aggravates you, the way the relationship comes full circle is supremely gratifying. In Danish with English subtitles. No extras.

Zookeeper (PG, 2011, Sony Pictures)
In the imaginative movie gimmick power rankings, “animals who talk like people” rates somewhere between “direct-to-DVD sequel” and “from the writers who brought you ‘Batman Forever'” in terms of raising hopes for greatness. At least in the case of this gimmick, the harmless cutesiness somewhat compensates for the lack of imagination. Superficially, “Zookeeper” is exactly what you probably suspect it is: a rather familiar story about a down-on-his-luck zookeeper (Kevin James as Griffin) who, with the help of some zoo animal friends who only just revealed their ability to speak fluent and sardonic English, sets out to change that luck. As an elevation of the art form, it is no such thing — predictable as can be, more contrived than predictable, and more impressive for its talking animal special effects than any chance taken with the script. But “Zookeeper” also has its share of amusing moments, likable animals (and humans) and good intentions that don’t get swallowed alive by dance numbers or the other insulting audibles Hollywood calls when it can’t think of a way to respect kids’ intelligence. Cynics can see through it, of course, but if this is for kids — and it probably is, even if some of Griffin’s storylines will fly over their heads — it has enough to like to make it worth recommending. The cinematic needle shifts not one bit, but talking animal movies have turned out many times worse than this one does.
Extras: Deleted scenes, six behind-the-scenes features, bloopers, playable demo of the “Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One” PS3 game (Blu-ray/combo pack only).

Worth mentioning
— “Planet Earth: Six-disc Special Edition” (NR, 2006, BBC Earth): The BBC’s stunning nature special launched a thousand Blu-ray and HD-DVD player purchases as the first home video product that truly begged to be seen in high definition. This new iteration (available on DVD as well as Blu-ray, in regular packaging or in a nifty globe-shaped limited edition box) finds the nine-plus-hour series looking as stunning as ever, and includes four new programs — “Great Planet Earth Moments,” “Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth,” “Secrets of the Maya Underworld,” “Elephant Nomads of the Namib Desert” — that nicely complement the original series’ 11 episodes. Also included: producer commentary, an option to watch the series without the narrator, one behind-the-scenes feature and a sneak peak at the upcoming Discovery “Frozen Planet” special.
— “Jem and the Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series!” (NR, 1985, Shout Factory): Between their magnificent “Transformers,” “G.I. Joe” and even “M.A.S.K.” sets, Shout Factory has done right by the memories of everyone who grew up in the 1980s wanting to be an action hero. This time, though, the kids who sang into their hairbrushes get their nostalgic due as well. “Jem and the Holograms” packs all three seasons and 65 episodes of the cartoon into an appropriately glitzy box. That adds up to 10 discs’ worth of memories to sift through. But the 11th disc may be the set’s arguable star, thanks to a trio of behind-the-scenes features that span 99 minutes altogether and divide their time between cast, crew and fan interviews and recollections. Other extras include a toy commercials collection, animated storyboards, video jukeboxes for each season and DVD-ROM content (a “Jem” writers bible and pages from Hasbro toy catalogs, a licensing kit and a feature in Rock Rap Magazine.)
— “Casper the Friendly Ghost: The Complete Collection 1945-1963” (NR, 1945/63, Shout Factory): It doesn’t receive the visual fanfare that adorns the “Jem” set, but this humble three-disc collection will touch just as many (if not more) nostalgic nerves. The set includes all 55 theatrical shorts that appeared between 1943 and 1959, as well as all 26 episodes of the 1963 television cartoon. Extras include commentary on selected shorts and episodes, interviews, a comic book cover gallery and a terrific liner notes booklet.
— “Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1” (NR, 2009-11, Adult Swim): It’s supremely lazy to tell people that if they like X, they’ll like Y as well. But honestly? If you like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” you’ll like “Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1,” because it’s the exact same show with a new name and theme song. A two-parter that comprises the first two episodes sets up a new storyline set nine years into the future, but by episode three, we’re right back where we used to be. So don’t let the new name fool you, and buy (or avoid) with confidence. Fittingly, in addition to the seven episodes that comprise the “first” season of “Squad,” this set also includes the “final” 10 episodes of “Force” as well. Also included: the thrilling third chapter in the live-action “Terror Phone” series.

Submarine (R, 2010, Anchor Bay/The Weinstein Company)
As pointed out by an amusingly snarky letter to the audience that opens the film, “Submarine” is a biopic about Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts). Don’t feel bad if you don’t know who he is, because in addition to being a work of fiction, Oliver is just another teenager whose popularity is middling, whose dating acumen is shoddy and whose attempts to save his parents’ fading marriage leaves so very much to be desired. If that sounds positively ordinary, again, don’t fret: Oliver himself agrees with you in the opening scene. He’s just another guy with another story that probably happened a million times before and since. But if “Submarine” proves anything, it’s that the story you tell is no match for the way you tell it. Oliver’s snideness and self-awareness cascade down the entirety of “Submarine,” but its application is as unmistakably heartfelt and well-meaning as it is detachedly funny — like a friend who insults you while baring his soul before simultaneously hugging you, thanking you and threatening to eviscerate you if you ever tell anyone any of this ever happened. “Submarine” ends on as structurally ordinary a note as it begins, but the absolutely splendid storytelling that takes us from A to A.1 is so spot on that nothing about it feels remotely pedestrian. Paddy Considine, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige and Sally Hawkins also star.
Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes feature.

Prohibition (NR, 2011, PBS)
Prohibition in America needs no introduction: There was a movement, there was an amendment to the United States Constitution, and then there was national history made with the advent of another amendment whose sole purpose was to repeal that original amendment. But baseball and the Civil War needed no introductions either when Ken Burns turned his sights on them, and the hallmarks of those lengthy documentaries are present in “Prohibition,” which registers few dull moments in its shorter but still impressive six-hour runtime. Did you know, for instance, that the income tax you surrender every payday is a direct brainchild of the prohibition movement, providing the government a means of taxation to compensate for the lost windfall from alcohol sales? (And don’t you wish that could be repealed too?) “Prohibition” is full of little revelations like that, but it’s Burns’ and Lynn Novick’s ability to mine history for characters that makes this so entertaining. The era between ratification and revocation marked a bizarre episode of lawlessness and disorder on both sides of authority, and the faces “Prohibition” gives to the period bring it to life in a fashion that’s both grandiose and deeply personal. Why can’t all history lessons be this much fun?
Extras: Bonus scenes, interview outtakes, behind-the-scenes feature.

The High Cost of Living (NR, 2010, Tribeca Film/New Video)
When Nathalie (Isabelle Blais) loses her unborn baby in a car accident, she flees her marriage and life so swiftly as to even put off the delivery of the child. It’s during this hiding spell that she has a chance encounter with Henry (Zach Braff), a drug dealer whose conscience compels him to take Nathalie in and care for her every need. What Nathalie doesn’t know, though, is that Henry’s conscience is of the guilty rather than well-meaning variety, because their chance encounter actually happened days earlier when Henry caused that accident before fleeing. Messy, right? Nothing detailed above constitutes a spoiler, as “The High Cost of Living” chronologically shares these details relatively quickly. Rather, the big mystery rests with what happens when something in this ill-conceived friendship has to give. “Living” is a highly untidy dissection of all the weird things people think and do in the wake of tragic mistakes, and its careful construction of the situation is such that you might root for and condemn it at the same time. It isn’t always fun to watch, but that’s more a testament to how deeply it cuts than any qualms with its approach. That it holds that note past the inevitable give and into the credits is admirable. You may or may not like how “Living” ends, but you’d be hard-pressed not to appreciate its choice.
Extra: Braff interview.

Adventure Time: My Two Favorite People (NR, 2010, Cartoon Network)
Though Cartoon Network tends not to insult the intelligence of younger viewers the way some other networks do, there’s still a sizable gap between the cartoons it supplies for kids and the maniacal, anything-goes bloodbath it calls Adult Swim. “Adventure Time,” meanwhile, feels almost like a gateway drug for older kids and teenagers standing on the precipice of the dark side. The premise — a boy and his magical talking dog going on adventures — could scarcely be sweeter, and if you detailed their adventures in outline form, the unicorns, puffy creatures, talking toy elephants and other colorful friends they meet along the way would be unbearably precious. But while the surface is sweet, there’s a delightfully twisted madness teeming below it. “Time” never engages in the kind of foul, bloody darkness that often typifies Adult Swim’s cartoons, but a lighter side of that same deranged sense of humor is completely in play. The net result is pretty safe for younger consumption, but it also makes “Time” one of Cartoon Network’s better shows for adults as well as kids. The energy that’s normally spent toward offending people works instead in the service of some hilariously weird adventures, and the likability of Finn the boy, Jake the dog and everyone they meet is off the charts as result.
Contents: 12 episodes, plus a collection of fun facts about your favorite characters.

The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway (NR, 2011, Image Entertainment/HBO)
It’s entirely fitting for Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) to resurface in the same place — before a live audience — that was his home before there were any movies or television shows to launch him into pop culture immortality. With that said, though, here’s hoping you especially loved that television show, because “The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway” is nothing if not 89 minutes of winks, nods and blown kisses in “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse’s” direction. “Broadway” sort of has a storyline coursing through it — or at least, there are things mentioned early on that receive some follow-up later. But “Broadway’s” true objective is to find any possible means to cram “Playhouse’s” every icon — from Chairy to Magic Screen to Penny to Pterry to the foil ball and so on — onto the stage. As you might expect, it’s probably more fun to see such blatant nostalgia live and in the company of a few hundred other people who are  as excited as you are to see Conky and The King of Cartoons in person. But if you can’t be there, “Broadway” is still a trip — a totally inane one, yes, but a fun and funny one anyway. Reubens is as crafty as ever at sneaking just the right about of subversive humor into all that hyperactivity, and Pee-Wee’s reaction to signing into the Internet for the first time is, all by itself, justification for this revival.
Extra: Cast commentary with Reubens.

The Hour (NR, 2011, BBC)
Entirely too many television critics predictably and lazily compared “The Hour” to “Mad Men” when it premiered earlier this year. But while the clothing and smoking may look familiar, “The Hour” — the story of three journalists’ (Dominic West, Romola Garai, Ben Whishaw) rocky attempts to elevate British television journalism to a new plane of respectability — rips off “Mad Men” about as much as “Bull Durham” ripped off “The Natural” by taking place on a baseball field. For starters and arguable finishers, “The Hour” doubles as a conspiracy thriller, sending young reporter Freddie Lyon (Whishaw) down a deep rabbit hole after a childhood friend’s apparent suicide starts looking more like murder by some pretty powerful hands. Freddie’s dueling concerns initially make for a similarly shaky show while it scrambles to establish its main characters’ personalities and two pretty distinct storylines. But once “The Hour” starts breathing a little easier, the picture improves considerably. The excitement surrounding the show-within-the show’s formation makes a great foil for the dread engendered by an investigation that only gets uglier, and the relatively small main cast has plenty of room to establish their own dynamic as these stories develop. There’s no good reason to spoil how much ground either storyline covers during these opening episodes, but let’s just vaguely say that a pretty good table ultimately gets set for the now-official second season.
Contents: Six episodes, plus two behind-the-scenes features.

Fast Five (PG-13/NR, 2011, Universal)
If you’re wondering how a story about underground street racing can span five movies, here’s your answer: It can’t. “Fast Five” brings back a greatest hits cast (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang, among others) from the preceding four “The Fast and the Furious” movies, and it does its finest work when this cast is behind the wheel and saying nothing to no one. But in a nod to a film having to tell a story that probably wasn’t supposed to exist until the previous movie proved too profitable to leave be, our heroes’ troubles go well beyond illegal street racing. Instead, “Five” repositions the gang as international fugitives who are slick enough to pull a heist on a South American drug lord while simultaneously ducking North American federal agents. Right. The need to explain this sends “Five” past the two-hour mark, and that’s a shame, because every time a character opens his or her mouth, you’ll likely contort yours while cringing at some truly sorry dialogue and exposition. But “Five’s” on-road action is pretty awesome, and the absolutely stupid premise allows it to go that much crazier. If you love a good car chase and/or wreck, you may want to stomach the bad to see the good. Just keep the fast-forward button handy, because there’s a lot of it. Dwayne Johnson also stars.
Extras: Extended cut (which adds a whole minute to the film — see if you can figure out which one!), director commentary, deleted scenes, three behind-the-scenes features, bloopers.

Worth Mentioning
— “Ben-Hur: Fiftieth Anniversary” (G, 1959, Warner Bros.): Though the set’s attempt at anniversary math leaves much to be desired, “Ben-Hur’s” 50th anniversary collection (available in Blu-ray and DVD versions) gets little else wrong. The movie benefits from the same 1080p-ready digital transfer “Citizen Kane” received a few weeks prior — which means it still spans two discs even on Blu-ray. New bonus content includes the feature-length documentary “Charlton Heston & Ben-Hur: A Personal Journey,” a 128-page hardcover replica of the journal Heston kept near and during the film’s production, and a 64-page hardcover collection of production art, photos and miscellaneous materials. Features from previous “Ben-Hur” special editions — including the 1925 silent film, two other behind-the-scenes documentaries, Oscar telecast highlights, newsreels and more — also return for this set.
— “Managing Menopause Naturally” (NR, 2011, True Mind): September was National Menopause Awareness Month and October 18 is World Menopause Day, and while neither occasion really inspires much gift-giving, a DVD like this could certainly make an exception to that rule. The 80-minute “Managing Menopause Naturally” dually explores traditional and holistic methods for managing menopause, and it includes insights from the likes of Andrew Weil, Marcey Shapiro and several others in the field.
— “Queer as Folk: The Original U.K. Series: The Complete Collection” (NR, 1999, Acorn Media): Perhaps the finest compliment one can pay the American version of “Queer as Folk” is that it wasn’t incessantly compared to the British original when it ran on Showtime. If you’re a casual observer of the show, you may not even realize there was another version before Showtime aired theirs. Either way, if you’re curious, this set rounds up the first six episodes of the British series — starring Aidan Gillen of “The Wire” fame — and includes commentary, deleted/extended scenes, interviews, a behind-the-scenes feature and a 20-page liner notes booklet. There’s also a preview of the second series — which also means the title of the set is, while technically accurate, a little misleading. There were two separate “QAF” series in Britain even though they aired in subsequent years and starred the same cast, and rather than ask why, just realize you’re only getting what by any other name is the first season. Correction: The second series, which spans two episodes, is included in this set. Apologies for the confusion and misleading information.