March 12, 2010

New on DVD

— ''Pineapple Express'' -- Seth Rogen and James Franco take the high road as potheads on the lam in this action comedy hit. Rogen's a stoner who witnesses a murder and winds up running from a crime gang that targets him and his clueless marijuana dealer (Franco). The movie is available in single-disc and two-disc DVD releases and on Blu-ray, with extended and alternate footage, a making-of segment and commentary with producer Judd Apatow and Rogen, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The two-disc DVD set and Blu-ray disc have both the R-rated theatrical release and an unrated extended version, along with a digital copy of the movie for portable video players. Other extras on the Blu-ray and two-disc DVD set include deleted scenes and about a dozen behind-the-scenes segments.

''Righteous Kill'' -- ''Heat'' adversaries Robert De Niro and Al Pacino reunite, this time on the same side of the law as veteran New York City police detectives tracking a vigilante serial killer whose methods force the cops to re-examine a case they thought they had solved years earlier. The DVD and two-disc Blu-ray set have two background featurettes and commentary with director Jon Avnet. The Blu-ray release also comes with a digital copy of the movie.

''Babylon A.D.'' -- Humanity's future isn't pretty in this post-apocalyptic thriller starring Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh. Diesel plays a mercenary battling his way from Europe to New York City as he smuggles a mystery woman at the center of an Earth-shattering secret. Single-disc and two-disc DVD versions and the Blu-ray release feature a handful of behind-the-scenes segments. The two-disc DVD set and Blu-ray have extra segments on stunts and chase sequences, plus a digital copy of the movie.

''Bangkok Dangerous'' -- Nicolas Cage finds work as an assassin in Hong Kong filmmakers Oxide and Danny Pang's English-language remake of their 1999 thriller. Cage stars as a loner hitman on a job in Bangkok, where his assignment to carry out a series of executions grows complicated as he bonds with a young street tough and a local shopgirl. Two-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets feature an alternate ending, two making-of segments and a digital copy of the movie. A bare-bones single-disc DVD comes with just the movie.

''Disaster Movie'' -- The spoof parade continues as Hollywood keeps trying to cash in by making fun of itself. The latest features Carmen Electra, Matt Lanter and Kim Kardashian as the filmmakers mock hits such as ''Indiana Jones'' and ''Iron Man'' in a comedy filled with earthquakes, tornadoes and other catastrophic events. The movie is available in both the PG-13 theatrical version or an unrated cut. DVD and Blu-ray releases come with half-a-dozen making-of segments plus cast and crew commentary.

''The Wackness'' -- It's the summer of 1994 in Manhattan, and recent high school graduate and weed man Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) is approaching the season with anxiety. His constantly fighting parents are teetering on the brink of financial ruin; Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby), the girl he's crushing on, barely knows he exists; and his only confidant is drug-addled psychiatrist Dr. Squires (Ben Kingsley), who happens to be Stephanie's stepfather -- and Luke's best client. Levine does a good job setting up the atmosphere in New York, and Thirlby, after supporting turns in ''Juno'' and ''Snow Angels,'' is quickly becoming reason enough to see any film she's in. Contains pervasive drug use, profanity and some sexuality. DVD extras: deleted scenes, featurettes, filmmaker's commentary; also available on Blu-ray.

TV ON DVD

''Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0'' -- The remnants of humanity find more enemy Cylons in their midst and forge an uneasy alliance with their foes as they continue their search for mythical Earth. With the final run of the sci-fi series ready to air, the first 10 episodes from the fourth season arrive in a four-disc set, along with deleted scenes, commentary and cast interviews.

''The Tudors: The Complete Second Season'' -- King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) divorces one wife, beheads another, takes on a third and is excommunicated by the pope (Peter O'Toole) in his continuing quest for a male heir. A four-disc set has year two's 10 episodes, along with segments on the Tower of London and Henry's descendants.

''The Waltons: The Complete Eighth Season'' -- With the Depression behind them, the Walton clan learns that eldest son John Boy is missing in action during World War II after his plane is shot down. A three-disc set has all 24 episodes from year eight of the family drama that launched in the early 1970s, along with a retrospective special about the long-running series.

-- From news services

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