You loved the movie, what about the DVD?
Find out as we examine the extras on this week's best movie DVDs...
"YEAR ONE"
Stars: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt
Director: Harold Ramis ("Caddyshack")
Format: DVD, Unrated DVD, Blu-ray
What we said: "Unfortunately, consistent laughs weren't discovered until year two."
Extras: DVD: Commentary by Ramis, Black and Cera; deleted, extended and alternate scenes; gag reel; “Line-O-Rama”; “Year One: The Journey Begins” featurette.
Unrated DVD: The above extras plus both the theatrical and unrated versions of the movie; “Sodom's Got'em” and “Leeroy Jenkins: The Gates of Sodom” featurettes.
Blu-ray: All of the unrated DVD extras plus “Year One: Cutting Room” editing abilities; cinechat; movieIQ; digital copy.
Worth watching: Some of the deleted/extended/alternate scenes and parts of the commentary are very funny.
Worth skipping: The pretty basic “Journey Begins” featurette.
Worth adding: It's always nice to have the original trailer.
Buy, rent or ignore: Rent the Blu-ray or unrated DVD; Ignore the DVD.
"MY LIFE IN RUINS"
Stars: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis
Director: Donald Petrie ("Just My Luck")
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray
What we said: "Greek Wedding wasn't high art, or even high comedy, but it had a semblance of charm ... Ruins is just a wreck."
Extras: Commentary by Petrie, Vardalos and writer Mike Reiss; deleted scenes; alternate ending; “Everybody Loves Poupi” featurette.
Worth watching: The commentary is not only insightful but engaging in its own right.
Worth skipping: OK, he's probably a nice guy and all, but the “Everybody Loves Poupi” featurette on Georgoulis just makes us feel insecure.
Worth adding: While the commentary is already entertaining, it would've been even better with Dreyfuss in the mix.
Buy, rent or ignore: Rent.
"ANVIL: THE STORY OF ANVIL"
Stars: Steve Kudlow, Robb Reiner, Lars Ulrich
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Formats: DVD
What we said: "What a sad, funny, inspiring story. Even those who hate metal may appreciate the form when seeing these guys' commitment to each other and to the music."
Extras: Commentary by Gervasi, Kudlow and Reiner; an extended interview with Ulrich; deleted scenes; “'School Love' in Japan with Sacha.”
Worth watching: Getting to see Gervasi's face as he performs the song “School Love” with Anvil in Japan is just priceless.
Worth skipping: As he tends to do, Ulrich rambles a bit too much in his interview.
Worth adding: A second commentary by the other Rob Reiner, a.k.a. the director of "This is Spinal Tap."
Buy, rent or ignore: Rent.
Other DVDs out this week:
— Gee, what a shock: Eddie Murphy isn't funny in "Imagine That" (also not funny on Blu-ray)
— Discover the wild world of Australian exploitation movies in "Not Quite Hollywood"
— Mischa Barton and Bruce Willis star in the direct-to-DVD noir comedy "Assassination of a High School President"
— Even though it never got a theatrical release, there's already a cult following building around the horror anthology "Trick 'r Treat" (also on Blu-ray)
— Have an evil kids double feature with the British thriller "The Children" and a remake of killer baby cult classic "It's Alive"
— Disney kicks off their new line of deluxe Blu-rays with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Diamond Collection"
— Martin Scorsese and Andrew Lloyd Weber share their thoughts on one of the best movie musicals for the new version of "My Fair Lady"
Also on Blu-ray:
"Audition: Collector's Edition"
"Contact"
"Dracula"
"Dracula/Mary Shelley's Frankenstein/Wolf Three-Pack"
"Ghost Ship"
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York"
"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein"
"Miracle on 34th Street" (1947)
"Miracle on 34th Street" (1994)
"The Number 23"
"Wolf"
Also released:
"Crazy as Hell"
"Dark Country"
"The Gate"
"Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics"
"Offspring" (also on Blu-ray)
"Seventh Moon" (also on Blu-ray)
"TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams: Volume 2"
"The Thaw" (also on Blu-ray)
New DVDs: Buy, rent or ignore?
This week: 'Year One,' 'My Life in Ruins' and 'Anvil'
By Paul Semel
Special to MetromixOctober 5, 2009
0 comments
| Add Your Own
Add a comment
Please log in to comment
VIDEO
PHOTO GALLERY
RELATED LINKS
Movie, music, TV & game reviews
» Movie reviews: Avatar, Did You Hear About the Morgans?
» New music: Mary J. Blige, Mudvayne
» TV review: Alice
» Movie DVDs: District 9, (500) Days of Summer
» TV on DVD: Family Guy, Taxi
» Gaming: Avatar



