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Find out as we examine the extras on this week's best movie DVDs...
“SEMI-PRO”
Stars: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin
Director: Kent Alterman
Formats: Single-disc DVD, Two-disc DVD, Blu-ray
What we said: "Everything about it is semi: semi-funny, semi-idiotic and semi-conceived after a long night of Bud Lights and viewings of 'Talladega Nights.'"
Extras: Single-disc DVD: Previews.
Two-disc DVD: “Love Me Sexy: The Story Behind the One-Hit-Wonder,” “Recreating The American Basketball Association,” “Four Days In Flint” and “The Man Behind 'Semi-Pro'” featurettes; behind-the-scenes footage with Bill Walton, Bob Costas and Dick Pepperfield; “Love Me Sexy” music video.
Blu-ray: All of the Two-disc DVD extras plus “Bill Walton Visits The Set” footage; “Super Agility Trainer” interactive game.
Worth watching: The footage of basketball star Walton and TV icon Costas chatting with the movie's fake commentator Dick Pepperfield (actor Andrew Daly).
Worth skipping: The “Super Agility Trainer” game. It's a lot more fun to play “NBA 2007,” “NBA Live 07” or “NBA 2K7” on your PS3.
Worth adding: Commentary by Ferrell, Harrelson, Benjamin, Walton and Costas.
Buy, rent, or ignore: Rent the two-disc or Blu-ray versions; Ignore the single-disc.
“DIRTY HARRY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION”
(Includes: "Dirty Harry Collector's Edition," “Magnum Force Deluxe Edition,” “The Enforcer Deluxe Edition,” “Sudden Impact Deluxe Edition” and “The Dead Pool Deluxe Edition”)
Stars: Clint Eastwood
Directors: “Dirty Harry”: Don Siegel (“Escape From Alcatraz”); “Magnum Force”: Ted Post (“Beneath The Planet Of The Apes”); “The Enforcer”: James Fargo (“Every Which Way But Loose”); “Sudden Impact”: Clint Eastwood (“Unforgiven”); “The Dead Pool”: Buddy Van Horn (“Any Which Way You Can”)
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray
What we say: One of the better anti-heroes, Officer Harry Callahan spent five movies trying to stop crime by shooting first and asking questions later (if there was time). Granted, these flicks didn't finish as good as they started, but considering how strong they started...
Extras: “Dirty Harry”: New commentary by filmmaker, critic and Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel; “The Long Shadow of 'Dirty Harry,” a look at the film's impact on cinema; “Dirty Harry: The Original” featurette, in which Eastwood and others look back at the character; “Dirty Harry's Way” promo short; interviews with Eastwood, the writers and stars of the series, and others; “Clint Eastwood: The Man From Malpaso,” a 1993 TV special about Eastwood's life and career.
“Magnum Force”: New commentary by writer John Milius; “The Politics of 'Dirty Harry',” a featurette in which writers, filmmakers, and social scientists discuss Harry's unique approach to crime; “The Hero Cop: Yesterday and Today” featurette.
“The Enforcer”: New commentary by Fargo; “The Business End: Violence in Cinema,” a featurette on violence in movies; “Harry Callahan/Clint Eastwood: Something Special in Films” featurette.
“Sudden Impact”: New commentary by Schickel; “The Evolution of Clint Eastwood,” a featurette surveying Eastwood's cinematic career.
“The Dead Pool”: New commentary by producer David Valdes and cinematographer Jack N. Green; “The Craft of Dirty Harry,” a featurette on the production people who worked on the films.
Exclusive to the boxed set: Feature-length documentary “Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows”; a hardcover book about the movies; a wallet with a metal badge and ID card; five lobby posters; poster-sized map of San Francisco dealing with Harry's hunt for the Scorpio; never-before-seen production correspondence.
Worth watching: The real world-related featurettes “The Politics of 'Dirty Harry'” and “The Business End: Violence in Cinema,” which put the films into a cultural context.
Worth skipping: The badge in the “Ultimate Collector's Edition.” No one will fall for it (trust us, we checked).
Worth adding: Commentaries by Eastwood; a look at the upcoming “Dirty Harry” video game; a sixth movie in which Harry investigates what happened to "Dead Pool" guest stars Guns n Roses' missing “Chinese Democracy” album.
Buy, rent, or ignore: Buy. It's the easiest way to enjoy the entire series and it'll look cool on your shelf.
“THE EYE”
Stars: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey
Directors: David Moreau and Xavier Palud (“ils”)
Formats: Single-disc DVD, Two-disc DVD, Blu-ray
What we said: "'The Eye' never aspires to be anything more than slick sleepover fodder, but at least that qualifies as a step up for Alba."
Extras: Single-disc DVD: None.
Two-disc DVD and Blu-ray: “Shadow World: The Paranormal Past,” “Becoming Sydney” featurette; “Birth of the Shadowman” featurette; “Dissecting A Disaster”; deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; a digital copy of the movie.
Worth watching: The “Shadow World: The Paranormal Past” featurette, which explores real-life cellular memory and other parapsychological incidents related to organ transplants.
Worth skipping: The “Birth of the Shadowman” featurette, at least until after you watch the movie, since it exposes the film's bad guy for who he really is: a lanky special effects guy in need of some sun.
Worth adding: A commentary by Alba and Posey about what it's like being the damsel in a horror movie.
Buy, rent, or ignore: Rent the two-disc or Blu-ray versions; Ignore the single-disc.
Other DVDs out this week:
- Asia Argento runs from an abusive past in "Boarding Gate"
- The story of Joy Division's Ian Curtis never looked as good as in "Control"
- Demi Moore and Michael Caine star in a caper movie that's hardly "Flawless"
- War isn't as funny as it was in “300” when you “Meet The Spartans” (also on Blu-ray)
- Comedy goes on the road with “Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show”
- He drinks your milk shake…in high-def with the Blu-ray version of “There Will Be Blood”
- A raft of recent releases finally hit Blu-ray, including: "Aeon Flux," "Bee Movie," "Black Rain," "Black Snake Moan," "Blades of Glory," "Cloverfield," "Coming to America," "Disturbia," "Dreamgirls," "Flags of Our Fathers," "The Italian Job," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," "Mission: Impossible," "Mission: Impossible II," "Mission: Impossible III," "Next," "Payback," "The Recruit," "Sahara," "Shooter," "Signs," "Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow," "Sleepy Hollow," "Trading Places," "U2 - Rattle & Hum," "The Untouchables," "The Warriors," "We Were Soldiers" and "World Trade Center"
- Plus select war classics on Blu-ray: “A Bridge Too Far,” “Battle of Britain,” “The Longest Day,” “Patton,” and “The Sand Pebbles”
Other titles:
"Amost an Angel"
"American Crude"
"City Slickers" Collector's Edition
"Diva" (Meridian Collection)
"Mandingo"
"The Onion Movie"
"The Possession of Joel Delaney"
"The Red Violin" (Meridian Collection)
"Student Bodies"
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