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Taking a look ahead at the week's DVD releases is always dicey for your wallet. Nearly every week, there's a disc that would fit nicely into any size collection. When it comes time to decide what to buy, there are really two determining factors: how much you love the content and the quality of the extra features on the disc. The unreleased studio (film and television) back-catalogue means that every week there's likely something for you.

For games that don't work as movies: Doom (Unrated Widescreen) (2005)

Poor The Rock. First, he's the biggest breakout star from the WWE (yes, even more than Hulk Hogan), and then he spends 2005 making terrible, horrible career choices. Exhibit 1: Be Cool. Exhibit 2: Doom. His promising career suddenly looks significantly less promising. Up next, another video game adaptation (Spy Hunter) and a cartoon adaptation (Johnny Bravo). There is one saving grace...he does have a role in Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly's new Southland Tales, but it better be a homerun or The Rock may end up as just another Hulk Hogan rather than the next Tom Cruise. If you feel the need to punish yourself, the DVD features an "Unrated edition" with exclusive features like a first-person shooter sequence; a featurette on going to basic training with The Rock and a video game demo for Doom 3.

For the continuing career missteps of Ryan Reynolds: Waiting (Unrated Widescreen) (2005)

Like The Rock, Ryan Reynolds keeps tiptoeing around mainstream success. He seems to ride the lightning with roles in sophomoric comedies (not that there's anything wrong with that) and ill-chosen starring roles (The Amityville Horror, anyone?). What Reynolds should be doing is trying to find juicy, comedic supporting roles in movies with real talent in them. Oddly enough, he may be doing a film called Blowback with The Rock that would pair them as cops in a buddy cop action comedy. Maybe that's the right recipe for both of their careers. Waiting, however, is not. Despite the fact that approximately 89% of all Americans have waited tables at one point or another, nothing about this film was able to attract an audience. Unfortunately, the best thing on the DVD looks to be the selection of extra features. Included on the disc are an "all access interactive video commentary"; a featurette on waiting tables; a documentary on restaurant kitchens; deleted scenes; outtakes and alternate takes.

For the continuing career missteps of Cameron Crowe: Elizabethtown (Special Collector's Widescreen Edition) (2005)

Cameron Crowe was on quite a winning streak. After writing and directing Say Anything..., Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, Crowe was not only a critical favorite, but an audience favorite. Though Singles was not particularly successful, it was a good and interesting movie. Then came Vanilla Sky. Not only did Crowe make an inexplicably confusing and dull movie with Tom Cruise (at that point, not yet his Highness, the King of Crazy), he managed to use his reputation to get me to go see it. Now, we have Elizabethtown. Let me just say one thing: Mr. Crowe, you owe me $20. That's $5 for Vanilla Sky (it was a matinee), and $15 for tickets to Elizabethtown for my wife and I. Somewhere within Elizabethtown there are several interesting ideas. He should have picked one and gone with it. The film may be an exact version of his memories of the death of his father (though likely without the job-related sub-plot), but if that's the case, he had one scattered and boring life. Watching Kirsten Dunst throw her endless energy and acting up against the mind-numbingly dull presence of Orlando Bloom and his facial expression, it's hard not to contemplate what a good Crowe film starring Dunst would look like. Despite a number of interesting set pieces and supporting roles (Alec Baldwin, in particular), the film never quite gets rolling, no matter how much Crowe's handpicked soundtrack tries. Overlong by 30 minutes (Crowe is taking lessons on endings from Peter Jackson), the film eventually meets the obvious climax, but not before so many false starts, the viewer has already given up. From the looks of the DVD, Crowe has also given up. Perhaps there's a new, "special edition" coming, but if not, this one sure matches the film in its overwhelming mediocrity. Included on the disc are featurettes on Crowe and the crew, as well as extended scenes and a photo gallery. Surprisingly, the usually forthcoming Crowe is nowhere to be found with an audio commentary, perhaps he didn't feel like atoning for his sins.

...And the Academy Award for best animated film goes to...: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit(Widescreen) (2005)

The best animated film of 2005, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, is also one of the best DVDs so far this year and the DVD Pick of the Week. Featuring Aardman Animation's inestimable Wallace and Gromit, the film follows our heros as they attempt to solve the mystery of their village's missing vegetables, which threatens the town's vegetable growing contest. They discover a huge Were-Rabbit is attacking the vegetable gardens around town and must put a stop to it. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a terrific film, one that kids and adults, previous W & G fans or the uninitiated will love. It's a masterpiece of animation and creativity. One of three Best Animated Film nominees for this year's Academy Awards, it is deserving of every award it receives. Funny, clever and made of clay, the film packs jokes into every available second of film and the viewer reaps the rewards. DVD viewers will also reap the rewards of Aardman's work. Included on the disc are an audio commentary with directors Steve Box and Nick Park (who also co-wrote); several featurettes, including behind-the-scenes featurette and "How to Build a Bunny"; "Stagefright"- an Aardman short film (includes optional commentary); deleted scenes (also with optional commentary); production art and a photo gallery; Clayful activities and four games. It's a great set and one of the best films of 2005.

February 7, 2006

Apartment 12 (2001)
Bambi II (2005)
Daltry Calhoun (2005)
The Dark Hours (2005)
Demon Hunter (2005)
Doom (Full Frame) (2005)
Doom (Unrated Full Frame) (2005)
Doom (Unrated Widescreen) (2005)
Dorian Blues (2004)
Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005)
Elizabethtown (Special Collector's Full Frame Edition) (2005)
Elizabethtown (Special Collector's Widescreen Edition) (2005)
Eros (2004)
Evilenko (2004)
Extreme Dating (2004)
Hollywood Mom's Mystery (2004)
Just Like Heaven (Full Frame) (2005)
Just Like Heaven (Widescreen) (2005)
The Last American Hero (1973)
The Long Shot (2004)
Making Love (1982)
MirrorMask (2005)
Moonlighting: Season Three (4-DVD Set) (1986)
National Lampoon's Adam and Eve (2005)
The Net 2.0 (2005)
Poltergeist: The Legacy (Season One) (5-DVD Set) (1996)
Ride Sweet Die Young (2005)
Samurai 7: Volume 4 (2004)
Sucker Free City (2004)
UFC 54: Boiling Point (2005)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Special Edition) (1988)
Waiting (Full Frame) (2005)
Waiting (Unrated Widescreen) (2005)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Full Frame) (2005)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Widescreen) (2005)
You Stupid Man (2002)