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DVD LOUNGE CATCH UP SPECIAL EDITION PART 2! Two And A Half Men! Alien Autopsy! Human Target! Modern Family! HIMYM! The Experiment! And More!

Here’s another batch of reviews to whet your palate or dvd queues for the weekend!

DVD RELEASES THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 20th, 2010

Alien Autopsy 
Warner Home Video/Running Time 91 Minutes

A strange film featuring the British comedy team of Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (as video pirate Ray Santilli  and his friend Gary Shoefield), Alien Autopsy is nevertheless extremely entertaining.  A “supposed” behind the scenes look at the discovery, exploitation and accusation of the legitimacy of the Alien Autopsy: Fact of Fiction film footage (which aired on Fox in 1995). With a style and tone that’s reminiscent of Edgar Wright, Alien Autopsy is half comedy, half mockumentary.  And that is where some of the problems lie.  The film doesn’t seem to be sure what it is, and to make matters even more confusing, the real life Santilli and Shoefield appear at the end as themselves.  Is the film a parody?  I’m unfortunately not sure.  But, if you dig conspiracy theories, early Peter Jackson or Edgar Wright films, this is one to check out.  Extras include “making of” featurette, commentary, outtakes, deleted scenes, and an alternate opening.  Recommended.

Castle: The Complete Second Season
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment/Running Time 1032 Minutes

Nathan Fillion’s Richard Castle is one of the few smirking crimefighters on television, a small, but important group that includes such iconic characters as Jim Rockford and Thomas Magnum.   And like Rockford and Magnum, Castle is smart, charming and although, never cartoon-ish, has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.  In many ways, the second season is even stronger than the first, capitalizing and building upon the relationships and chemistry between crime novelist Castle and Detective Kate Beckett (the beautiful Stana Katic).  The series falls into a classification that I call “comfort television,” where you can sit back and be entertained.  And Castle definitely entertains; With sharp dialogue, excellent banter, and clever plotlines, Castle: The Complete Second Season is excellent from beginning to end.  Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes, bloopers, and a “for beginners” guide explaining the first season.  Highly recommended.


The Experiment
Sony Pictures/ Running Time 96 Minutes

It’s a shame when Academy Award winning actors Adrian Brody and Forrest Whitaker star in a film that doesn’t get a theatrical release, but nevertheless, it’s a film worth seeking out.  Based on the 2001 German movie, Das Experiment, this remake parallels the real life behavior science experiment, the Stanford Prison Experiment where approximately a dozen young men were recruited to role play guards and inmates in a prison scenario under the watchful eye of researchers and observers.  The experiment was a failure and ended after several days as the volunteers were taking their roles too seriously and the researchers became participants rather than observers.

In The Experiment, Brody plays Travis, an unemployed free spirit who is lured in by the promise of $1000 a day for a two week behavioral experiment.  There he meets and befriend fellow participant Michael (Forest Whitaker) and they along with the other participants are told the rules of the study.  Once it begins, Travis is in the position of prisoner and Michael becomes a guard.  It doesn’t take long for the tension to begin to escalate and soon, the volunteers are taking their roles a little too seriously and soon the situation gets out of control.  There are no extras (Boo!) except for trailers for other Sony pictures

The Experiment is at times a frightening look at the human condition and the psychological and physical damage that one person can inflict purposefully on another.  It’s a hard film to watch and an even harder one to look away from.  Recommended.


Gamera vs. Guiron / Gamera vs. Jiger (Double Feature)
Gamera vs. Gyaos / Gamera vs. Viras (Double Feature)
Shout! Factory/Running Time 165 Minutes/176 Minutes

Shout! Factory unleashes two Gamera double features which are must haves for kaiju fans or connoisseurs of pop culture.  Visually, the films look great (better than I ever remember), but at this point, the franchise had started to wane and they are far less exciting than previous releases.  That being said, kudos to Shout! Factory for making sure that the children of Earth (and the thousands of Gamera fans who aren’t children) have their protector readily available on dvd, and either disc is perfect for a weekend afternoons worth of entertainment.  Extras on both discs are limited to production galleries. 

How I Met Your Mother: Season Five
20th Century Fox/Running Time 638 Minutes 

The once great series suffered considerably with this season.  The once magical tale of Ted Mosby’s search for his bride had become dull and drawn out with far too many zigs and zags.  The season in particular also suffers from a number of stunt guest stars (Tim Gunn and Jennifer Lopez, for example) which only serve as a distraction from the main cast.  There are a few gems this season, notably “Doppelgangers”, “Robin 101”, “Jenkins” and “Girls vs. Suits”.  How I Met Your Mother has been extremely solid for the first four seasons, and despite this disappointing and uneven season, I’m in it for “the legend…wait for it….dary” haul.   Extras include featurettes, music videos, bloopers and trailers.

Human Target: The Complete First Season
Warner Home Video/Running Time 528 Minutes 

One of the best shows of last season was this sleeper series on Fox, loosely based on the DC Comics character.  Mark Valley plays Christopher Chance, a private contractor/security expert/bodyguard for hire who integrates himself within a client’s life to protect them where normal channels cannot.  Aided by his associates Winston (Chi McBride) and the not so trustworthy Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley), Chance is the one who can help when no one else can (like a one man A-Team).

The Human Target is a throwback show similar to the eighties comfort shows that I adored like Knight Rider or The Greatest American Hero and  works on several levels for a modern audience.  First, it’s cast.  Valley, McBride and Haley are all doing fantastic work.  Second, it’s a fun show.  From the pilot on, there’s no lack of excitement.  The banter is great and the fight scenes are as solid as any feature film.  Third, the show actually pulls off the bait and switch.  What first appeared to be a fairly standard “case of the week” slowly slipped in a mythology revealing the actual themes of the series, identity, freewill, destiny, friendship and redemption.  The Human Target is pure entertainment and should not be missed.  Extras include commentaries, featurettes and deleted scenes.


The Hunger: The Taste of Terror
E1 Entertainment/Running Time 181 Minutes

This is an odd collection featuring the first three episodes of the first two seasons of the 90’s cable series, The Hunger, and like most anthology series, is uneven.  The first three episodes are hosted by Terence Stamp and the other three feature David Bowie.  None of these episodes are particularly memorable, but they do feature the likes of Daniel Craig, Balthazar Getty, Karen Black, Eric Roberts,  Lena Headey, Kate Vernon and Giovanni Ribisi.  The entire set feels like a second rate Tales From The Crypt, and if you’re a fan of anthology horror shows, you might dig a rental. There are no extra features.

The Legend of Bruce Lee
Lionsgate/Running Time 183 Minutes

This is a tough one. Despite the package, Bruce Lee does not star in this film, rather it’s a three hour condensed version of a 50 hour television biography that aired in China. If nothing else it’s well edited and somewhat entertaining, though pales in comparison to the Bruce Lee biography film, Dragon.  There are no extras.  Recommended for martial arts fans or Bruce Lee completists only.


Modern Family: The Complete First Season
20th Century Fox/ Running Time 513 Minutes

Without a doubt, Modern Family is the best new sitcom in some time. With a large and talented ensemble which blends a realistic extended and blended brood, Modern Family phenomenally captures many of the small moments that are often overlooked on television. Using a documentary style similar to The Office, each episode embraces the sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, but always honest moments. In addition to the sharp writing, the series shines with it’s actors, who are all excellent. Extras include deleted/extended/alternate scenes, deleted family interviews, featurettes, and a gag reel. Modern Family is witty, charismatic and should be watched, shared and enjoyed. These flawless 24 episodes are worthy of my highest recommendation.

Two and a Half Men: The Complete Seventh Season
Warner Home Video/Running Time 484 Minutes

Two and a Half Men has been a favorite of mine since it launched, and The Complete Seventh Season is no disappointment.  This season chronicled many changes with the characters; Jake (Angus T. Jones) is now a teenager, Charlie (Charlie Sheen) is recoiling after his girlfriend Chelsea left him by reverting to the debauched lothario that he once was and Alan (Jon Cryer) tries to hide his romantic desperation while he looks for companionship.  Harshly unsentimental, Two and a Half Men is also ridiculously funny.  The dialogue is sharp and the supporting cast which includes Conchata Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Marin Hinkle, Ryan Stiles, Jennifer Bini Taylor, Melanie Lynskey, and Jane Lynch is among the best on television. Extras include a featurette and gag reel. Highly recommended.

The Black Cauldron: 25th Anniversary Special Edition
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment/Running Time 80 Minutes

I never saw The Black Cauldron growing up which is why most likely I didn’t particularly care for it. Without a nostalgiac connection, I just found the film to be dull and the characters uninteresting. The animation is top notch and the voices and music are great, but the movie itself did nothing for me. That being said, if you are a fan of fantasy or are contemplating a purchase or a rental for a young viewer, it is definitely a must have. The Black Cauldron is a handsomely produced disc, but for me, it’s representative of the kinds of animated stories that Disney doesn’t do well (I feel the same way about The Sword in the Stone). Extras include a deleted scene, gallery, trailer, games and a bonus cartoon.

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