I’ve talked to several people who have tried convincing me that the graphic novel on which Whiteout is based is really good.  Having seen the film without reading the source material, I can only assume that either those people are wrong, or the filmmakers completely botched their adaptation.  While there is nothing overtly awful about the film, there is very little worthy of praise.

Kate Beckinsale plays Carrie Stetko, a U.S Marshal based in an Antarctic research station.  The location is by far the most interesting aspect of the film.  Much less interesting is the murder mystery Stetko gets involved in.  What starts out as a potentially intriguing mystery (how DID that body end up abandoned in the middle of nowhere?) quickly escalates into a standard variation on the masked killer chasing people around an isolated setting.

Unfortunately, much of these sequences take place outside and in heavy snow conditions.  While director Dominic Sena (Swordfish) does the best he can to keep things interesting, there is no masking the lack of visual variety.  Not only is everybody bundled up, making it difficult to make out which character is which, all the locations look exactly the same.  There are only so many ways you can shoot endless expanses of white. 

In order to keep things interesting, Sena attempts to shoot in different styles and speeds.  None of it is ever compelling.  When the action moves indoors, things don’t get much better.  He shoots the research station as an endless expanse of hallways and bedrooms without conveying any visual excitement.  While most of the directing falls flat, it especially falls flat in several of Stetko’s flashback sequences. 

Without giving anything away, she had an incident happen to her many years ago that (what a shock) is comparable to the current story.  As the film progresses, the viewer is treated to the same incident over and over again, but with slight additions each time.  For some reason, Sena decides to make us rewatch what we’ve already seen over and over again in order to get to the new stuff.  When all is said and done, the flashback is a pretty short sequence that has been dragged out over the entire film and does nothing to enhance the story. 

The characters are generic and the story uninvolving.  Action sequences are poorly staged, the film is dull visually, and the resolution didn’t provoke a reaction out of me one way or another.  By the end of the film, I had just stopped caring.  One of the very few extras on the Blu-Ray is called “Whiteout: From Page to Screen.”  This is a 12-minute feature where the film is discussed in terms of the graphic novel.  The writer, Greg Rucka, and artist Steve Lieber seem genuinely impressed with the film as an adaptation of their work.  It must be a thrill to see your illustrations brought to life.  I get that.  But if their work is as good as I’ve heard, I just don’t understand how they could have been happy with the way their story is depicted. 

Beyond four minutes of pointless deleted scenes, the only other feature is called “The Coldest Thriller Ever.”  Also running about 12 minutes, it’s exactly what you’d expect.  The Canadian location where they shot the film represents Antarctica very well.  And it was supposedly very cold.  That is pretty much the extent of that documentary. 

Sometimes the most frustrating movies are the most generic and forgettable ones.  There are times when I’d rather watch a bad movie than a movie that I don’t care about one way or the other.  This movie sat on the shelf for a really long time, and it’s pretty obvious why.  There is no reason for it to exist.  My friends have tried convincing me to read the graphic novel, but after watching this film, I have no desire to visit these characters or this world ever again.

It should be pretty easy to determine if “Something, Something Dark Side” is for you.  If you like Family Guy and Star Wars, you’ll probably enjoy it.  If however, you dislike either of those, you probably won’t get much enjoyment out of Seth McFarlane’s spoof of “The Empire Strikes Back.”

Having already spoofed A New Hope in last year’s “Blue Harvest,” the Family Guy gang reunite for “Something, Something Dark Side,” a similar retelling with the Griffins and various Quahog residents standing in for George Lucas’ classic characters.  Having already established Chris as Luke, Lois as Leia, Peter as Han, Brian as Chewbacca, and Stewie as Darth Vader, we now get Chris’ boss Carl (a very minor character in the show) as Yoda, Lois’ dad as the Emperor, Mort Goldberg as Lando, and in a great sight gag, the giant chicken as Boba Fett.

Unfortunately, the jokes themselves are very hit and miss.  There are a few really big laughs (especially in the opening crawl and Hoth sequences), but all too often it feels as if the writers are struggling to come up with ANYTHING to fill in a sequence.  Every shot has some sort of verbal or visual pun taking place, and sometimes the jokes feel desperate (an AT-AT wearing Crocs?  That’s the best they could come up with?).  There are also a large number of jokes that rely on familiarity with pre-existing jokes from the show, and even worse, sometimes the callback to a previous joke is the entire joke. 

I’ve always found it frustrating in satires and spoofs when the writers simply reference something and consider that the punchline.  The reference needs to be twisted and manipulated into something new, not simply acknowledged and then dropped.  Family Guy is often guilty of this, and “Something, Something Dark Side” is no exception.

However, it is obvious that the writers are fans of the Star Wars saga, and some of the best moments come from their observations of the world Lucas created.  Whether it’s an unusual piece of costuming, the wires all over the ice in the Hoth caves, or the weird double-piloted Cloud City vehicles, they manage to ridicule the film without ever putting it down.  It’s a delicate balance, and they pull it off well.

Also of note is the animation.  On the commentary track, they mention that this is the last hand-drawn Family Guy episode (on paper).  Visually, every image is a perfect marriage of Family Guy and Star Wars.  The universes combine in a wonderful way, and the artistry is stunning.  As any fan of Empire knows, there are a lot of extravagant setpieces in the film, and they are captured here flawlessly. 

There are a few notable extras on this set.  There is a commentary track featuring several of the cast and crew that alternates between being interesting and a complete waste of time.  They end up just talking to each other almost as much as they talk to the audience, and while there is a lot of insight given in little doses, it’s not really worth the listen.  Much more entertaining are the “Family Guy Fact-Ups.”  As you watch the film, fun little pieces of information pop up; some informative, and sometimes just funny. 

There is also a feature on the painting of the poster art, and an animatic scene to scene with commentary.  These are semi-interesting, but at this point, we’ve seen this sort of thing too many times before.  The most interesting extra is the table read of a rough draft of the first two acts.  I love voice-over acting, and it was fascinating to watch the cast at work, alternating between their many different voices.  There is also a brief clip of the table read for the next film, “We Have A Bad Feeling About This,” a spoof on “Return of the Jedi.” 

I enjoyed the movie for what it was.  It was entertaining and I laughed.  However, I don’t know if I’d call it “good.”  Too many of the jokes fall flat, and too many sequences felt forced.  It’s worth seeing if you’re already a fan, but it’s not going to be remembered as anything more than a fun diversion.  For some reason, Fox decided not to air this as an episode (unlike Blue Harvest), so the only way to see it is on the newly released Blu-Ray.  It would make a good rental, but as a purchase, it’s for the die-hard fans only.

Cutting right to the chase, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia is a masterpiece.  A masterpiece of acting, directing, cinematography, and most importantly, story.  I’ve always viewed the film as a selection of intertwining short stories that end up converging in a surrealistic storm (to describe the literal storm would ruin one of the great moments of the film) of coincidence and fate.  However, Anderson describes the film as one epic story, broken off into separate, but individually vital components of the whole. No matter how you break the structure down, the film works as an emotionally intense and beautifully tragic film.

It’s easy to see how Anderson was able to put together such an amazing cast with so few credits to his name.  Every role is a great one, complex and filled with amazing acting opportunities.  In a film featuring such brilliant actors as Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, etc. the real standout is Tom Cruise.  In my opinion, he gives the performance of his career as Frank T.J. Mackey, a despicably vulgar “self-help” guru who teaches guys how to “seduce and destroy” women.  I can’t think of a more unlikable character that he’s played.  And yet, he finds a way to portray levels to this character I would have never thought possible.  There is a moment, dialogue-free, where he simply stares at the camera, and in doing so, conveys an incredible depth and mixture of emotion.  He won the Golden Globe for his performance, and was nominated for the Oscar.

In fact, the film got three Academy Award nominations in total.  As mentioned above, one was for Tom Cruise, and the others were for Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Song.  None of these nominations were a surprise.  Even the song “Save Me,” was completely worthy of the nomination.  Music played a pivotal role in the film.  Mostly consisting of songs by Aimee Mann, her music added another layer to the film, perfectly resonating thematically with the action on screen.  Her lyrics serve as sort of an outward expression of the character’s internal anguish, and without giving anything away, eventually culminates in a brilliant moment of cathartic release for the entire cast.  Her music plays a literal role in the film, and it’s one of the most original uses of a soundtrack I’ve seen in a long time.

This is a movie that defies convention.  Almost impossible to describe, watching Magnolia is an experience.  This is not one of those films you can impartially observe in the background.  It requires patience.  Running three hours and eight minutes, the movie feels long, but it’s never boring.  There is a lot of information to process and it will be nearly impossible to forget.  I haven’t seen the film in years, and as I was watching it again the other night, I found myself remembering almost the entire thing. 

I’m sure it’s pretty obvious by this point, but I am recommending the newly released Blu-Ray.  The biggest extra on the set is the “Magnolia Video Diary,” which is exactly what it sounds like.  The diary begins before the first production meeting, and goes all the way through the entire ordeal of filmmaking.  Most “behind-the-scenes” special features really try to make the process of filmmaking seem glamorous, and that is not the approach here.  They make filmmaking look like the job that it is, and a stressful one at that.  The camera is running through the good moments and the bad, and while a lot of the production looked like fun, a lot of it didn’t.  I personally found this approach to documentation interesting, but I would understand if people prefer the usual glossy behind-the-scenes packages.

Also included are some short deleted scenes featuring Tom Cruise and his “Frank T.J. Mackey Seminar,” and the full “Seduce and Destroy” infomercial seen running in the background of several sequences.  Rounding out the extras are the two trailers and nine television spots, all of which perfectly encapsulate the film, and the music video for Aime Mann’s Oscar-nominated “Save Me.”

Overall, I found this to be a pretty good set of extras for what is a great movie.  The Blu-Ray looks and sounds fantastic, and is a worthy addition to any Blu-Ray collection.  I know I haven’t given a lot of specific plot information, but this is the type of movie worth discovering.  The back of the box describes the film using the words “violence, love, Game Shows, Biblical Floods, coincidence, weather, sing-alongs, self-help seminars and quests for redemption.” That’s about all you need to know.

In January 1990 television history was made as households across the country were introduced to a one-of-a-kind family whose outrageous antics and wild behavior made them an institution of prime-time television and a pop culture staple over the next two-plus decades.  Now, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment celebrates this historic milestone when “The Simpsons” Season 20 Blu-ray and DVD collection arrives January 12, marking the show’s first time ever in high-definition. Series creator Matt Groening has added his own special touch by drawing all-new menus for both the Blu-ray and DVD, creating another keepsake memento for “The Simpsons” fans. Highly collectible packaging will also include a character layout of Springfield’s most favorite characters sure to challenge the ultimate Simpsons fan to name them all.

A show that has remained culturally significant and hugely popular with audiences for over 20 years, the latest DVD collection features every outrageous episode from the 2008-09 season, including the family’s hilarious trip to Ireland, Homer and Ned’s turn as bounty hunters and Bart trading lives with a multi-millionaire lookalike of himself.  The show’s impressive who’s who of guest stars continues with the likes of Denis Leary, Joe Montana, Marv Albert, Mark Cuban, Emily Blunt, Anne Hathaway, Ellen Page, Jodie Foster and Kelsey Grammer, returning for his 11th time as Bart’s nemesis, Sideshow Bob.

The two discs of the set are split between shows that happened before and after the HD switch of the series. And there is a night and day difference between the two. The nine episodes on the first disc, which occurred before switch, are a touch better than the upscaled DVD quality we’re used to. But only slightly. But with the 12 episodes on disc two, the animation is far more distinct and sharp. Outlines are much more crisp, color shading is much more exact and far less fuzzy, and overall the image is just more stable. The more pronounced takeaway is that, going forward, the show will look very good. But if you’re hoping for a noticeable upgrade in the future for earlier seasons, the first disc doesn’t show that as being too promising. You’re probably going to be fine just hanging on to your standard-def DVDs and upscaling them.

“The Simpsons” Season 20 includes a total of 21 hilarious episodes and features “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak” by Academy Award nominee Morgan Spurlock.  Available in collectible packaging for a limited time only, the Blu-ray Disc.

The twentieth season of The Simpsons is difficult to get overly excited about. The show may have lost much of the hilarious satire and comedic bite from its first decade, but it’s still enjoyable, and flashes of brilliance sneak in just often enough to continue giving you hope. But as far as a collection for purchase, there are a lot of trade-offs with this set. Not all of the episodes really take advantage of the high definition format, bonus materials are nonexistent, and there aren’t really any “must have” episodes. For more die-hard fans of the show, the episodes here are presented as well and as complete as they’re going to get, so there’s no practical reason to avoid it, other than simply the hope of “more” in a few years time.

Blu-Ray Disc Content
Disc One:
    o    Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes
    o    Lost Verizon
    o    Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
    o    Treehouse of Horror XIX
    o    Dangerous Curves
    o    Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words
    o    Mypods and Boomsticks
    o    The Burns and the Bees
    o    Lisa the Drama Queen
    o    Additional Bonus Features Include:
        •    “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak by Morgan Spurlock”

Disc Two:
    o    Take My Life, Please
    o    How The Test Was Won
    o    No Loan Again, Naturally
    o    Gone Maggie Gone
    o    In The Name of the Grandfather
    o    Wedding for Disaster
    o    Eeny Teeny Maya Moe
    o    The Good, The Sad and The Drugly
    o    Father Knows Worst
    o    Waverly Hills
    o    Four Great Women and a Manicure
    o    Coming to Homerica

DVD Content
Disc One:
    o    Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes
    o    Lost Verizon
    o    Double, Double, Boy in Trouble
    o    Treehouse of Horror XIX
    o    Dangerous Curves
    o    Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words

Disc Two:
    o    Mypods and Boomsticks
    o    The Burns and the Bees
    o    Lisa the Drama Queen
    o    Take My Life, Please
    o    How The Test Was Won

Disc Three:
    o    No Loan Again, Naturally
    o    Gone Maggie Gone
    o    In The Name of the Grandfather
    o    Wedding for Disaster
    o    Eeny Teeny Maya Moe

Disc Four:
    o    The Good, The Sad and The Drugly
    o    Father Knows Worst
    o    Waverly Hills
    o    Four Great Women and a Manicure
    o    Coming to Homerica
    o    Additional Bonus Features Include:
        •    “The Twentieth Anniversary Special Sneak Peak by Morgan Spurlock”

10 Years ago, 10 Things I Hate About You introduced the world to an amazing group of up-and-coming actors including Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger. Several years away from becoming the household names they are today, nobody expected this cast to elevate what looked to be a forgettable little high-school comedy to the prominence it rightfully found. Thanks to their hilarious and emotional portrayal of teenage life through a Shakespearean filter, the film has rightfully become a classic.

Subtly namechecking characters and dialogue from Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” 10 Things uses this gimmick to tell the story of two sisters, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) and Kat (Julia Stiles). Bianca closely resembles your average teenager, in one of the most stereotypical roles of the film. A little contradictory in her behavior, she alternates between perky blandness and over-the-top emotion, much like a teenager. Kat however, while still a stereotype, rings far truer in her portrayal. Seemingly filled with hostility, she alienates everyone she meets, and wants nothing more than isolation from the cliches of the teenage world. Noting this contradiction, their dad (in a hilarious performance by Larry Miller) creates a new rule. Bianca may date only when Kat does.

All this leads to the expected misunderstandings and emotional growth typical of a film like this. But unlike other films of the genre, all of this feels real. As “bad boy” Patrick Verona, Heath Ledger is completely believable, bringing depth to what could have been an otherwise shallow portrayal of teenage rebellion. His performance is incredibly subtle, and it’s almost impossible to identify the moment where he evolves into someone genuinely worth rooting for.

Helping guide the audience through the inevitable complications is Cameron James, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (the film’s biggest draw at the time thanks to his work in 3’rd Rock From the Sun). His instant infatuation with Bianca fuels the story, and while most audiences are more likely to remember the Kat and Patrick relationship, Cameron and Bianca’s back-and-forth love story proves just as strong.

It’s pretty amazing how well this film holds up after all of these years. The film does feel dated, but that’s part of the charm. I absolutely love the soundtrack, which is pure 90’s nostalgia, and the film even features performances from a couple of bands, including Save Ferris. The supporting cast, including Allison Janney as the world’s worst guidance counselor, and David Krumholtz as Cameron’s best friend are also top-notch. There really isn’t a weak link in the group.

Unfortunately, with the exception of an audio commentary track from the writers and cast, there is only one extra. The packaging implies that there are more extras than are featured, such as Deleted Scenes and Heath Ledger’s screen test. However, these are just aspects of the single bonus documentary entitled “10 Things I Love about 10 Things I Hate About You: 10 Years Later.” It’s a really solid look back, and provides quite a lot of interesting insight from the cast and crew. Alternating between interviews from the time of filming and interviews of today, this feature provides a pretty comprehensive look back. As promised, there are several deleted scenes (some quite funny), and Heath Ledger’s screen test, which simply reinforces what a terrific actor the world has lost.

It’s a good documentary, but for a Tenth Anniversary release, I was hoping for more. However, it’s still a terrific movie, and it has never looked or sounded better. Featuring now-classic moments such as Heath Ledger’s song-and-dance on the bleachers, and a superb Julia Stiles poetry reading (which gives the film it’s title), 10 Things I Hate About You is one of the better high-school movies I’ve seen, and a must-own for any fan of the genre.

This season, Chuck is in luck: The government’s new Intersect II is ready for espionage service. And that means the old Intersect (Chuck) can go back to his old life. But if Chuck goes, he’s gone: Casey has orders to off him. Fear not fans, Chuck survives to battle perilous plots, enemy agents and Buy More’s obnoxious new assistant manager in 22 comedy-and-action-packed Season Two Episodes in a Deluxe 6-Disc Set. Here’s some of what’s up: Sarah’s past is revealed, Morgan almost grows up, Captain Awesome and Ellie plan the Big Day, and one butt-kicking, techno-gadgeting, Chuck-dangling-several-stories-above-the-pavement adventure after another rockets our unlikely hero into nonstop action – as long as no one needs help setting up e-mail!

Chuck is a series that follows the misadventures of a computer techno-geek who accidentally downloads the entire CIA/NSA secret database into his brain and must be watched over by government agents until that data can be retrieved. The series debuted in 2008 and was one of the series hit hardest by the writers’ strike which saw the series air only 13 episodes. Then NBC decided to shelve it until 2009 with a full season ordered.

The first season has Chuck leading a double life working at the Buy More, while also helping agents Walker and Casey on missions — when Chuck sees people in the database, the Intersect flashes and gives him that information. To complicate matters, Chuck is falling for Sarah, who also is having feelings for Chuck but won’t get involved with him since they are co-workers. While Sarah likes Chuck and is willing to work with him, there’s also Agent Casey who is a gruff, no-nonsense, military type who would just as soon shoot Chuck as protect him. As the series progresses Casey starts to warm up to Chuck, but would still shoot him — just not as quickly.

When the series returns for the second season, Intersect 2.0 is almost ready which means Chuck is no longer necessary. Casey has orders to kill Chuck once the new Intersect is proven to work. Luckily for Chuck that’s not the case and he’s still very much necessary. The season builds upon the first season, fleshing out Sarah and Casey’s back story, seeing Chuck trying to become a spy, delicately balancing the work/friendship relationship between Chuck and Sarah, Chuck still trying to balance working for the Buy More and being a spy, and more.

(Chuck Meets the new Boyfriend: Episode: T7262 Chuck Versus the Best Friend)

Chuck is shot in 16mm as opposed to other shows which shoot in 35mm, so it will never look as good as those shows. It is also has some background noise, but besides the noise issues it does look good; the colors are steady and the tones look fine. You can clearly see the difference between this and a standard DVD. The 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack sounds good, with dialog being easy to recognize and the music and background noise coming through clearly.

The Extras: Extras include: “Truth, Spies and Regular Guys: Exploring the Mythology of Chuck.” This behind the scenes featurette is broken into two parts, “The Secret Agents” and “The Agents’ Secrets,” which each run about 10 minutes and feature interviews with the cast and creators. “The Secret Agents” is more character-focused, discussing the relationships of the characters and the situations they find themselves in throughout the season, while “The Agents’ Secrets” delves into the technology, conspiracies, and the spy aspect of the show.”Dude in Distress” covers some of the big stunts and special effects seen throughout the season and what it took to create them.

“Chuck Versus the Webisodes” are webisodes featuring the Buy More staff which originally aired on NBC’s website and are now available to those who didn’t see them.

“Chuck Versus the Chuckles” is a seven-minute gag reel that has dialogue screw-ups, goofing-off, and more.

Spread out over the four discs are deleted scenes which run over 40 minutes. Most are just extended scenes that were cut for time, or an alternate take of an aired scene; but there is a scene or two that add to the episode that were also cut for time, and are great to view now.

“Chuck: A Real-Life Captain Awesome’s Tips for Being Awesome” features Ryan McPartlin in his Captain Awesome persona giving advice on topics like what to do when you run into an ex, how to pick a nickname, and more.

“John Casey Presents: So You Want to be a Deadly Spy?” looks like old newsreel footage and, similar to the Captain Awesome featurette, offers advice from John Casey (Adam Baldwin), and at times covers the same topics as Awesome does, yet from a different point of view.

Chuck’s future was somewhat in doubt due to NBC giving Jay Leno the 10PM time slot Monday thru Friday; fans rallied and the show was renewed for a 13-episode third season. Then NBC decided to add six more episodes for a total of 19, and while the creators had the choice of expanding upon the 13-episode arc, they’ve decided to treat the additional episodes as season 3.5 and fans will get two story arcs this season. Now due to the Jay Leno Show vacancy there are five additional hours available for the 2010-2011 season. This makes Chuck getting renewed for a fourth season a little more probable.

Nick and some friends head to the racetrack for the weekend to watch a car race. , when the terrifying accident flies into the audience at 180 mph. People will splatter and be ripped apart, one girl gets her head knocked off by a flying tire, massive explosions, and eventually the entire stadium collapses onto the rest of the audience. Then Nick discovers it was just a vision that’s about to happen, and he gets himself and about 12 other people ejected from the stadium. But Death returns to finish off the survivors, with the freak accidents being more brutal than ever.

After a strange premonition causes friends to abandon their day at the speedway, just before a crushing pileup hurtles cars into the bleachers, they believe that they have cheated Death.  But Death is only getting started.   While the group thinks they have a new lease on life, unfortunately for Nick and Lori, it is only the beginning. As Nick’s premonitions continue and the crash survivors begin to die one-by-one–in increasingly gruesome ways–Nick must figure out how to survive before he, too, reaches his final destination.

In the Final Destination series, however, Death is seen as much more of a whiny “must-win” high school jock type of a character. He frequently neglects to tell his participants a) that they are playing, and b) the rules of the game. He squashes them all mercilessly — and, should one (or more) of his contestants inadvertently win the game, Death becomes a passive-aggressive little bitch and changes the rules just so that he can win.

At first, one must wonder if Death really has it in for anyone. Take the folks in the latest Final Destination entry for example (which has dispensed with a tried-but-true, well established numerical system and opted to use the modern-day we-know-nothing-about-the-English-language-because-we-text-message-each-other-via-weird-non-words-interlaced-with-digits formula, adding a previously superfluous article into the mix — hence this one is entitled The Final Destination). From tobacco-chewin’ mechanics to sultry soccer moms, and from recovering alcoholics to preppy college-aged kids in love: Death has won another shopping spree and is out to squeeze as many souls into his cart as possible.

On Blu-ray, the movie receives a more-than-adequate 1080p/VC-1 transfer, presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Colors are bright and distinguishable, especially during the film’s many bloody moments, and black levels are solid all the way through. The disc boasts both a flat 2D version of the film as well as a anaglyphic 3D presentation, to which two pairs of glasses are included in the packaging. The 2D version is a lot easier on the eyes than the 3D one, as a majority of the effects simply don’t seem to work all that well. This, of course, is nothing new: we haven’t seen a good home video presentation of 3D since…well, ever.

The 82-minute film is so ultimately nihilistic towards its own existence that its claim to camp fame becomes effectively lost in the tons of human jelly it washes onto the screen.

On January 5, Disney DVD will release the beloved and heartwarming classic, Winnie the Pooh: a Valentine for You Special Edition. This Valentinethemed animated collection features three Winnie the Pooh stories including a new-to-DVD adventure (“My Hero) a fun bonus feature (“Catch the Love Bug” game), Pooh-themed Valentines cards inside each DVD plus all features from the original.

In Un-Valentines Day, it’s that warm and wonderful time when Pooh and his pals like to show how much they care. But Rabbit wants to cancel Valentine’s Day because last year, he was up to his ears in the flood of cards that littered the Hundred Acre Wood. Reluctantly, everyone agrees — until someone anonymously sends Pooh a pot of honey. Suddenly, the Valentine rush is again out of control, much to the delight of all — including Rabbit. In A Valentine for You, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Rabbit see Christopher Robin making a valentine for a girl and find he’s been bitten by a “Smitten” and is lovesick. Worried that he’ll no longer have time for them, and hoping a second bite from the love bug will cure him, they set out on a wild adventure to capture the Smitten. My Hero is a new-to-DVD adventure that shows the lesson of two friends truly helping each other. When Piglet saves Tigger’s life, Tigger decides to repay the favor by being Piglet’s servant. But Tigger’s new job causes Piglet more harm than good. When Tigger saves Piglet’s life, his obligation to be the servant is erased and all is back to normal.

“A Valentine for You” tells the unusual tale of Pooh and his friends in search of a “smitten,” or a love bug, in order to cure Christopher Robin of his first crush. The tale is unusual in its lack of a sensible story. The transitions which send our friends on their search make little sense, as do the turn of events once the smitten is captured. Though the very young may enjoy the tale like a shiny new toy, parents may find that said toy will not keep the young ones entertained long.

Recommendation: There simply may not be enough material here to warrant the purchase, and certainly not enough new material for those who own the previous release. If it’s on sale, it’s hard to go wrong with anything from the Hundred Acre Wood.

BONUS FEATURES
*”Catch the Love Bug Game” – Flying “Love Bugs” are on the loose in the Hundred Acre Wood and
it’s up to the viewer to catch as many as possible
*Pooh-themed Valentine’s Day cards

In every school there’s one girl, every girl wants to be friends with…and every guy would die for.  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents a “student body” with a ferocious bite when Jennifer’s Body arrives on unrated Blu-ray Disc (BD) and DVD December 29.  Sexy temptress Megan Fox (Transformers) is hotter than hell as Jennifer, a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader who takes evil to a whole new level after she’s possessed by a sinister demon. Steamy action and gore galore ensue as the male student body succumbs to Jennifer’s insatiable appetite for human flesh. Now it’s up to her best friend (Amanda Seyfried; Mamma Mia!) to stop the demonic diva’s reign of terror before it’s too late!

Fueled by the satiric wit of Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno), the sexy horror directed by Karyn Kusama (Aeon Flux) features a strong supporting cast of young Hollywood stars including Adam Brody (“The O.C.”), Johnny Simmons (Hotel For Dogs) and Chris Pratt  (Bride Wars) as well as J.K. Simmons (Juno) and Amy Sedaris (“Strangers With Candy”).  Killer bonus features include an unrated extended cut packed with more sex and terror in addition to writer and director commentary, deleted scenes, gag reel, video diaries, a Megan Fox PSA and much more.

The Blu-Ray version is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen with DTS-HD Master Audio and includes two discs. The first disc is a digital copy for your computer. The second disc includes both the theatrical and extended versions of the film, plus all of the bonus features. The video quality of the disc is a little grainy, but with most of the scenes shot with limited lighting the quality didn’t matter as much. There were some issues with the sound mixing. The dialogue was much too quiet compared to the music. I had to have the remote control in hand throughout the film as the music would suddenly just start blasting at full volume from my stereo system. I even checked the settings of my equipment just to make sure it wasn’t my fault. The actual sound quality seemed just fine, but I must confess that I am not a big fan of any of the songs on the soundtrack.

The Bonus Features include:

A commentary by director Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody on the theatrical version only and a commentary by Kusama on the extended version.

Deleted Scenes: most of these scenes were deleted for good reason, but there is a scene in the girls’ locker room that should have been left in. It’s actually pretty important as it helps make sense of why Needy is afraid of Jennifer going to the dance, and why Jennifer goes after Chip.

Gag Reel: there’s just a couple of bloopers and then it becomes a music video mixed in with random footage.

“Jennifer’s Body: The Dead Pool” is an in-depth discussion and behind-the-scenes look into the film’s climax where the two girls fight one another in a pool to save Chip’s life. Not only does it discuss the motivation, but it also shows you how all of the special effects were done.

Video Diaries of the cast members as they run around with handy cams taking uneventful home videos.

“Megan Fox is Hot” is not really a feature, but 30 seconds of Megan Fox close-ups from the movie.

“Megan Fox Peer Pressure PSA” starts off as a serious PSA announcement about peer pressure in school that talks about how you should be yourself and then completely changes gears when you realize it’s being told from Jennifer’s demonic point of view.

“Fox Movie Channel presents Life after Film School with Writer Diablo Cody“: three film students do a serious interview with the writer. They discuss how she became a writer, her life as a stripper, and what it was like to win an Oscar.

Overall, Jennifer’s Body is kind of a blah film as it feels like everyone is just going through the motions. The acting is pretty uninspiring and Megan Fox’s performance is just terrible. The storyline is just a regurgitated version of prior horror genre films that did a better job of telling the story the first time around.

A surprisingly mundane effort from Mike Judge, Extract seems to be one of those movies that the filmmakers believe has more going on under the surface than is really there.  Judge populates his film with a typically eclectic group of quirky characters, but then doesn’t give them anything to do.  In one of the Blu-Ray extras, he expresses a belief that there is a subtlety to the characters and the story.  To me, the script goes beyond subtlety into pointlessness. 

With a story revolving around a disenfranchised factory owner (they make food flavor extracts) who hires a well-meaning gigolo to seduce his wife, giving him an excuse to sleep with a new hire who is actually a con artist, Judge has crafted a humorously convoluted setup.  On paper, this sounds like a perfect story for his sensibilities.  Unfortunately, the laughs are few and far between.  The movie’s not necessarily boring or bad; it’s just not funny.

Considering the terrific cast he assembled, I was really surprised at how lackluster everything was.  Jason Bateman is terrific in the lead as Joel. Very similar to Michael Bluth, his character from the sadly cancelled Arrested Development, Bateman plays Joel as a frustrated everyman.  He’s desperate to move onto the next phase of his life and to rekindle an all-but-dead physical relationship with his wife, played by the unusually restrained Kristen Wiig (SNL).  Also featuring great performances from Ben Affleck as his stoner best friend, David Koechner as the obnoxious next-door-neighbor, JK Simmons as his co-worker, and Mila Kunis as the con-artist love interest, there’s no reason that this movie wasn’t more entertaining than it was.

As I sat there watching the story play out, I never felt invested in what was happening.  It was as if Judge was just going through the motions, getting us from Point A to B to C with no real motivation for the progression, beyond the fact that that is what stories do.

With a history that includes Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, Office Space, and the highly underrated Idiocracy, this is probably Judge’s most straightforward project to date.  All of these other works contain a scathing satire often hidden just under the surface.  That satire is what elevates his material beyond what it appears to be.  Extract plays it safe, to the detriment of the entire film.
I suppose if this exact movie was made by a first-time writer/director, I might be more forgiving.  It would be just as bland and forgettable, but it wouldn’t be so frustrating. However, this is Judge’s film, and he didn’t reach the bar he has set for himself.

Reinforcing the mediocrity of the film is the newly released Blu-Ray.  Beyond a few “extended scenes” that barely add more than an occasional sentence, and a completely pointless deleted scene, there is only one extra. Entitled “Mike Judge’s Secret Recipe Featurette-The Ingredients for a classic Mike Judge film,” this feature runs about ten minutes, and interviews the primary cast while showing the actual factory they used to film the movie.  And that’s it. 

This lack of material is indicative of the apparent lack of enthusiasm in the entire production. Nothing stands out about this movie, and this is why it will be quickly forgotten, destined to become just a footnote on the resumes of everybody involved.