DVD Reviews

Star Trek: Nemesis, directed Stuart Baird, 2002

Like most Star Trek fans, I have mixed feelings about the final big screen adventure featuring the Next Generation cast. Nemesis delivers solid action and a few surprising moments – the Enterprise ramming a Reman warship, Data sacrificing himself to save the crew – but it lacks the heart, soul and depth of the great Trek films, especially the first TNG solo movie, First Contact.

Director Suart Baird, who mostly worked as an action movie editor before landing Nemesis, somehow managed to rob the characters and actors of all the chemistry they'd built up after more than a decade of working together. Inception star Tom Hardy does a decent job of hissing and snarling his way through playing the impossible role of Captain Picard's evil, limey, twentswomething clone despite not looking a thing like Patrick Stewart.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Here's a look at this week's new DVD and Blu-ray releases.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (DVD and Blu-ray)
Thrill to the mediocre spectacle of a boy who learns that he's the spawn of a Greek god in a movie that desperately wants to be the next Harry Potter that's based on a book series that desperately wants to be the next Harry Potter. Pick it up for the slumming supporting cast that includes Sean Bean, Steve Coogan, Pierce Brosnan, Rosario Dawson, Catherine Keener, Joe Pantoliano and Uma Thurman.

Eureka: Season 3.5 (DVD)
And speaking of mediocre spectacle ... OK,OK, I'll play nice ... I actually kind of love this Syfy show. It's a charming and silly little slice of light sci-fi that's perfect for a lazy summer spent on the couch.

Hot Tub Time Machine (DVD and Blu-ray)
Playing more like a half-scripted bachelor party than a feature-length movie, Hot Tub Time Machine offers a few laughs in between all the crude and obnoxious gags that fall flat. The talented cast manages to breathe some life into this half-baked project, which is nowhere near as funny as other popular fantasy/sci-fi comedies like Ghostbusters or even Ivan Reitman's Evolution.

Warehouse 13: Season One (DVD)
The first half of W13's first season is pretty slow-going, with great concepts and guest stars – Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan – being pushed aside in favor of dull procedural plots. But the final few eps give in to the craziness of the show's premise – two agents track down mystical artifacts to house in a mysterious warehouse – and deliver some really fun moments. Season two starts next week on Syfy!

Predator (Ultimate Hunter Edition) (Blu-ray)
Now with sharper-looking mandibles, presumably.

It's a testament to Roger Corman's reputation amongst cult cinema fans that people often think of films he only produced as "Roger Corman films." Corman certainly directed his fair share of films, but he was far more prolific behind the scenes, serving as a producer with a keen eye for finding fresh talent and giving those people their big break. In today's world, where auteur theory rules all, it's rare to find a producer who's known to the casual film viewer -- but Roger transcended that. The films his New World Pictures released from its inception in 1970 until Corman sold it in 1983 are known as much for being Corman movies as they are the products of their individual directors. One of the most famous examples is 1975's cult classic, Death Race 2000 -- a title inextricably linked to Corman, though The King of the B-Movies only produced it.

Paul Bartel was the guy who actually got the director's credit for Death Race 2000 -- a beloved film with camp appeal to spare. Corman clearly made the right choice, though -- Bartel takes what could have been a silly story about a cross country car race where the object isn't to just win, but to score points for running down innocent people in the street and makes it ... well, okay, it's basically still a silly story about a race with pedestrians getting run over at regular intervals. It's fun, though -- and when it comes to films from Corman, that's the key.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's new sci-fi DVD releases:

Avatar (DVD and Blu-ray)
I guess it's time for me to finally go on record about my distaste for all things Pandoran. Yep, it's true, I'm one of the few movie nerds who tuned out and dozed off during Avatar, James Cameron's mega popular, technologically groundbreaking 3D epic. I haven't been so bored by giant cat people since a 1992 screening of Stephen King's Sleepwalkers. But, hey, don't let me stop you from picking up the flick on DVD or Blu-ray on Thursday (Earth Day!). And if your blood runs true blue, you might wanna head over to Amazon to order the two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD combo for under $20.

Minority Report (Blu-Ray)
Steven Spielberg's gorgeous and thrilling futuristic chase flick gets a Blu-ray upgrade with some cool HD features, including a closer look at the movie's surprisingly realistic future tech and gadgets.

The Lovely Bones (DVD and Blu-Ray)
Peter Jackson's slow-burn adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestselling novel was called everything from soulful and chilling to flat and deplorable. For die-hard Jackson fans (or maybe Mark Wahlberg groupies?) only.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's new sci-fi DVD releases:

The Fourth Kind (DVD and Blu-ray)
Milla Jovovich stars in this sci-fi flick that, sadly, doesn't involve her firing two machine guns at once or kicking zombies in the face. But The Fourth Kind makes up for its lack of Resident Evil-style action with some decent chills and genuinely creepy moments. Jovovich plays a psychologist investigating a string of alien abductions in Nome, Alaska. But despite the fun scares, the film mostly falls apart when trying to balance its grainy "actual" footage of alien abduction craziness with its overstylized "reenactments."

Astro Boy (DVD and Blu-ray)
I don't know much about Astro Boy, the mega popular Japanese manga series first published in the 1950s. But I do know that Astro Boy fans were mixed over this derivative if ultimately good-hearted CGI kid's flick.

Also new this week: Mystery Science Theater 3000: XVII and Clash of the Gods: The Complete Season One.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's new sci-fi home video releases:

2012 (DVD and Blu-ray)
Watch Roland Emmerich destroy the world with some spectacular CG magic in this fun and bloated schlockbuster starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet and a whacked-out Woody Harrelson.

Where The Wild Things Are (DVD and Blu-ray)
Director Spike Jonze and novelist Dave Eggers cook up a raw, spirited and innovative flick about a rowdy kid and his imaginary monsters, based on Maurice Sendack's beloved kid's book.

Alice (DVD and Blu-ray)
Syfy's hit-and-miss quasi-sequel to Lewis Carrol's classic tale is worth a rental, if only for Primeval's Andre Lee Potts' charming performance as the clever Hatter. Banking on this week's theatrical release of Tim Burton's Alice, the 1966 Alice in Wonderland starring Peter Sellers as the King of Hearts also hits stores today, along with the 1933 version with Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and W.C. Fields.

Cold Souls (DVD)
Paul Giamatti is great (no surprise there) and David Strathairn is hilarious in this dark, twisted and meandering indie that sees Giamatti (playing himself) putting his heavy soul in deep-freeze storage.

Clash of the Titans (Blu-ray)
The campy '80s stop-motion classic gets the high-def treatment, just before the slick new CG version hits theaters.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's sci-fi DVD releases:

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (DVD and Blu-ray)
You can always count on DC's animated DVD flicks to deliver solid superhero action, but early word says Crisis packs brains and brawn. A superstar cast (James Woods, Mark Harmon, Gary Cole, Firefly's Gina Torres) voices the classic comic characters as they battle with their evil doppelgangers in a parallel dimension.

The Box (DVD and Blu-ray)
Director Richard Kelly's latest mindfrak isn't quite as ambitious or as messy as Southland Tales, nor is it as compelling or as charming as Donnie Darko. Instead, The Box offers a tense genre tale that spirals out of control as Kelly packs on his trademark mix of dark wit, absurd moments and outlandish surprises.

Flash Forward: Season One Pt.1 (DVD)
It looks like this ambitious ABC drama didn't turn out to be the next Lost after all. Still, the first half of Flash Forward's season one offers a compelling mystery, some genuinely thrilling moments, and even some dark humor in almost every episode. Catch up in time for its return to TV on March 18.

The Crazies (Blu-ray)
Catch George Romero's original '70s pandemic creepshow before the remake hits the big screen. The director does commentary on the Blu-ray.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's new sci-fi home video releases:

Halo Legends (DVD and Blu-ray)
Fans of the popular game franchise won't want to miss this set of anime shorts set in the world of Halo and produced by Japanese animation studios. The rest of us? I think its OK to skip it (and maybe pop in that copy of Batman: Gotham Knight for old times sake). There's a ton of new anime hitting stores today, including Claymore: The Complete Series on Blu-ray, the second half of Bleach Uncut: Season 4, and the Heroic Age complete series set, also on Blu-ray.

Small Wonder: The Complete First Season (DVD)
A scientist creates a creepy little Cylon girl and brings it home to live with his family. Instead of killing it with fire, they're charmed by her monotone computer voice and her ability to shoot sparks out of her ears. Hey, it was the '80s. How were they supposed to know that she'd grow up to start a war and wipe out humanity in the name of the one true god?

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's notable sci-fi home video releases.

Stargate Universe: 1.0 (DVD and Blu-ray)
Relive or catch up with the first ten hours of Syfy's latest Stargate series with this three-disc set (two disc on Blu-ray), featuring commentaries from the cast and crew and behind-the-scenes video diaries.

Running Man (Blu-ray)
Watch Ahnold crush the competition as a contestant in a brutal futuristic game show in this late '80s favorite, remastered and updated with a 7.1 DTS-HD soundtrack.

The Phantom [Blu-ray]
Every flop has its fans, as proven buy this new high-def release of 1996's The Phantom, starring Billy Zane as the purple-clad do-gooder and a pre-Zorro Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Check out this week's notable sci-fi home video releases.

Zombieland (DVD and Blu-ray)
From its witty opening scene to its bloody final act, Zombieland packs plenty of fun, surprises and enough gory lunacy to satisfy even the most jaded zombie movie addict. Pick it up tonight, have a blast, and start anticipating the sequel along with the rest of us.

Doctor Who: The Complete Specials (DVD and Blu-ray)
Relive David Tennant's last act as The Doctor with the final four specials bundled together in one package. They're sold separately too, so you can pick up your favorites and leave the stinkers on the shelf.

Planet Hulk (DVD and Blu-ray)
I'm not convinced that this release – or any of Marvel's recent animated DVD movies – is worth a buy. Still, watching cartoon Hulk smash up a bunch of giant space monsters sounds like a mighty good time, doesn't it? Plus the special features (available on the two-disc edition) include some cool-looking comic-to-screen docs and Marvel motion comics.

Universal Soldier: Regeneration (DVD & Blu-ray)
And speaking of a mighty good time ... Jean-Claude Vane Damme and Dolph Lundgren strap on the ol' cyborg armor for ninety minutes of frontal lobe-numbing action. The latest Universal Soldier flick is sure to be a straight-to-DVD favorite.