DVD Corner

“Cars”: Flat tire. Pixar’s beautiful-looking yet boring computer-animated movie is the weakest in its collaboration with Disney. You can’t win them all, and this time, the studios don’t even come close. Sandbagged by a joyless mid-section that goes nowhere, this dull movie fails to offer much in the way of wit, energy, heart and entertainment. Some will rent or buy it hoping for the brisk innovation of, say, “The Incredibles” or “Monsters, Inc.,” while others will seek the spirit of the “Toy Story” movies and “Finding Nemo.” “Cars” tries for a mix of both, but since it’s so focused on achieving the best in cutting-edge animation (which it does), it fails to remember what matters – the story and characters – and so it creates the odd movie you forget while watching it. Grade: C

“Creature Comforts: The Complete Second Season”: From Nick Park and Aardman Animation, creators of the celebrated “Wallace & Gromit” series, comes the second season of “Creature Comforts,” in which the claymation animals – Captain Cuddlepuss, Cement the Bloodhound, Fluffy the Hamster, as well as Dog and Cat and many others – are interviewed about their lives. As such, they shed more light on themselves (and on your everyday Brit) than they likely intended. The animation is unusually good, with 12 shorts featured as well as the excellent special episode “Merry Christmas Everybody.” Grade: B+

“Dark Shadows: Collection 26”: At the “great house” Collinswood in Maine’s fictional town of Collinsport, new horrors are evolving – and not just with the acting, which is mesmerizingly atrocious. Worse things could happen, of course, than remaining stuck in 1841 parallel time, which is the case with this final season. You could, for instance, be remembered for this sort of live TV, in which microphones amusingly dip in and out of view while grips scurry and crawl in the background. This is far from the best season, though the show remains a highlight for all the right reasons – as well as all the wrong ones. Grade: B

“Everyday Food, Vol. 1-Fast, Family-Friends Ideas”: Martha’s a no-show, but the table is nevertheless set with five chefs preparing 24 recipes, from shrimp with garlic and lemon (easy) to spaghetti puttanesca (easier). Curious tips abound, including how to choose the best pan for baking and even the apparent necessity of a tofu glossary, which is comprehensive. One does suspect that the DVD could have done just fine without the meringue of the “Meet the Cast” video. Grade: B-

“Forever Knight: The Trilogy, Part Three”: The final season of the underground hit, with vampire detective Nick Knight (Geraint Wyn Davies) again struggling against his inherent need for blood and his absolute need to hold on to whatever humanity he has left. That proves somewhat difficult. The third season is bookended by twists – the first of which involves the unexpected undoing of a major character and the last of which involves Knight himself. Grade: B+

“The Haunted Mansion: Blu-ray”: Just out on Blu-ray disc, here is yet another Disney effort intended to fuel interest in one of its dated theme park rides, with Eddie Murphy appearing as a workaholic real estate agent determined to spend more time with his family. He does so, too, at a haunted mansion filled with the most toothless ghosts seen in a movie yet. The special effects are strong, but none of that matters when the story and the performances are the real horror show. Rated PG-13. Grade: D

“Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis: Blu-ray”: The future of the budding high-definition movement doesn’t only rest in the transfer of movies or television shows (“Smallville” will be the first of the latter). What will be a crucial draw to the medium are such live musical performances as the ones captured in this set, which initially aired on PBS. Hosted by pianist and composer Ramsey Lewis, “Legends of Jazz” gathers together Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Dave Brubeck and others, presenting their music in Dolby TrueHD audio, which is as much a leap forward in technology from standard Dolby surround sound as a high-definition transfer is from a standard picture. Grade: A

“Only Fools and Horses: Complete Series 7”: The series is set in south London – Peckham, to be exact, which apparently is a boilerplate for comedic melodrama – so you know going into it that the goings will get sketchy, and they do. In this seventh and final season of the show, longtime hustlers Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Derek (David Jason) are still struggling to hit it big, with the earthy writing supporting that struggle – as well as their antics. The series is Britain’s best-selling comedy of all time. Grade: B+

“Out of Sight: HD DVD”: Steven Soderbergh’s 1998 film about a charismatic bank robber (George Clooney) who literally charms the pants off U.S. Federal Marshal Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez). Clooney, in a breakout role, is immanently watchable, shaking off his previous failures (“From Dusk Till Dawn,” “One Fine Day”) and realizing the measured cool that would become his screen persona. He succeeds, particularly in his scenes opposite the never-better Lopez, which smack of sexual tension. From Elmore Leonard’s book. Rated R. Grade: A-

“21 Grams: Collector’s Edition”: The title refers to the amount of weight a body allegedly loses at the exact moment of death. Is it the weight of the soul that steals away those 21 grams? Or is it the more scientific expelling of human waste? The film leans toward the more spiritual of possibilities. In it, three seemingly unrelated stories connect around the ramifications of one horrific car accident, with characters played by Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro all affected. What unfolds keeps you just off balance until the storyline slams you with the truth. The actors, especially Watts, expose emotions normally unleashed in private, which makes for an uncomfortably intimate yet riveting movie. Rated R. Grade: A