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New releases on DVD, Blu-ray
"Darling Companion"
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Updated: September 10, 2012 10:04AM
NEW THIS WEEK
“Re-Animator” Blu-ray debut ★★★½
Rated: No MPAA rating
Stars: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton
Chicago theater director Stuart Gordon gave the horror genre a colossal jolt in 1985 with this wildly gruesome, darkly comic exercise in galvanic grand guignol, inspired by the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Brilliant yet unorthodox medical student Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) goes Dr. Frankenstein by attempting to revive the dead without any redeeming motive whatsoever. Not for the squeamish. Extras include commentary by Gordon and cast, extended and deleted scenes and the documentary “Re-Animator Resurrectus .”
ALSO NEW THIS WEEK
“The Five-Year Engagement”
An engaged couple (Jason Segel, Emily Blunt) keep running into delays on the way to the altar. Nicholas Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) directed the comedy and co-wrote the script with “Sarah Marshall” collaborator Segel. Rated R for sexual content and language.
“High School”
A high school valedictorian (Matt Bush) samples one puff of marijuana then learns about a mandatory drug test at his school that will destroy his college scholarship. His solution: Find a way to get the entire student body and faculty high the day before the test. John Stalberg (“Mr. Dramatic”) directed the comedy. Rated R for pervasive drugs and language, crude and sexual content, some nudity.
“Killer Klowns From Outer Space”
The title pretty much says it all in this 1988 horror comedy about aliens who look like clowns terrorizing a small town. Directed by special effects designer Stephen Chiodo. Rated PG-13. Extras include commentary, two deleted scenes and bloopers.
“Mad Monster Party”
Baron von Frankenstein decides to retire as head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters and decides to break the news at a monstrous bash. The 1967 animated TV special, making its Blu-ray debut, featured the voices of Phyllis Diller and Boris Karloff and a groovy soundtrack including “Do the Mummy.”
“Piranha 3DD”
The prehistoric school of bloodthirsty piranhas are back and this time, no one is safe from the flesh-eating fish as they sink their razor-sharp teeth 3D-deep into visitors of summer’s best attraction, The Big Wet Water Park. Packed with ferocious flesheaters and scantily-clad young victims. Rated R for sequences of strong bloody horror violence and gore, graphic nudity, sexual content and some drug use.
“Safe”
A young girl being hunted by gangsters for a priceless numerical code in her memory is protected by a former cage fighter (Jason Statham) whose life was ruined by the same bad guys. Boaz Yakin (“Prince of Persia”) directed the thriller. Rated R for strong violence and language
RECENT RELEASES
“Darling Companion” ★★½
Rated: PG-13 for some sexual content including references and language
Stars: Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Richard Jenkins, Dianne Wiest
Unlike the lost pooch motivating the plot of this baby-boomer update from Lawrence “Big Chill” Kasdan, “Darling Companion” never entirely loses its way. But the emotional territory it sniffs out is mildly diverting at best. Kline and Keaton are appealing as upper-middle-aged/upper-middle-class marrieds re-evaluating their relationship after self-absorbed hubby loses empty-nest-traumatized wife’s beloved dog in the Rocky Mountains. A handful of warm, fuzzy love stories, a thin veneer of snappy one-liners and heaps of gorgeous scenery maintain interest — but only superficially.
“The Pirates! Band Of Misfits”
Rated: PG for mild action, rude humor and some language
Stars: Hugh Grant, Salma Hayak, Jeremy P iven
This highly entertaining animated family-comedy adventure suffers only by comparison with earlier works from England’s Aardman Animations (“Chicken Run,” “Wallace & Gromit”). This somewhat moral tale of a pirate captain (Grant) willing to sacrifice all he holds dear to win a Pirate of the Year award is intelligent, frequently funny and far more satisfying on all levels than standard-issue animated fare. The only thing lacking is that indefinable something extra which can only be supplied by inspiration.
“Think Like A Man”
★★½
Rated: P-13 for sexual content, some crude humor and brief drug use
Stars: Chris Brown, Kevin Hart, Gabrielle UnionIn one sense it’s an extended infomercial for comedian Steve Harvey’s bestselling relationship advice book, “Think Like a Man,” also works reasonably well as a romantic comedy with a variety of women playing head games with the men in their lives after Harvey gives them the down-low on male psychology. But that’s mostly due to an appealing cast and the ensemble chops of director Tim Story. Extras include deleted scenes and a blooper reel.
