DVD Corner

“The Hills Have Eyes II” Well, no, they don’t. If they did and if they could see, they would have read the script, passed on it, and we all would have been better for it. This sequel to Alexandre Aja’s 2006 remake of the 1977 Wes Craven classic makes the latter movie look like playtime for tots. This time, Martin Weisz takes the directorial reins and creates one ugly, violent piece of moviemaking that struggles to sustain energy in spite of all the blood it sheds, all the body parts it lops off, all the savagery it unleashes. The film trips on its own entrails – sometimes quite literally. Watching it, you have to wonder where the fun is in a movie like this? There are no jolts, no flashes of humor, no winking at the audience — just bloodletting that crosses the line. Unrated. Grade: D

“The Incredible Hulk: Complete Second Season” Based on Stan Lee’s long-running 1962 Marvel comic book series, this second season of the popular television show finds Bill Bixby back as Bruce Banner, an emotionally detached research geneticist whose blood is so temperamental, it reacts disastrously when he’s accidentally zapped with a lethal dose of gamma radiation. Instead of dropping dead, as one would expect, Bruce becomes a ticking time bomb waiting to erupt into the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno) the moment he gets ticked off, which is often. Highlights include “The Antowuk Horror,” “Vendetta Road” and “Alice in Disco Land.” Seriously. Grade: B-

“In Good Company: HD DVD” A film that has plenty to say about youth, middle age and relationships, but it’s played too seriously to be a comedy, which is how it was marketed. From writer-director Paul Weitz, the movie follows Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid), a 51-year-old advertising executive facing a midlife crisis when life suddenly decides to have its way with him. The sports magazine at which Dan has worked for years is sold to a conglomerate eager to downsize; his new boss, Carter (Topher Grace), is a 26-year-old naif who knows nothing about the ad world but plenty about corporate buzz words such as synergy; his wife, Ann (Marg Helgenberger), recently has announced that she’s pregnant just when Dan might be in danger of losing his job; and his daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johansson), is behaving in ways that skate very close to betrayal. It’s all a mess, and one that could have become a soap opera if Weitz hadn’t written such a grounded script. True, parts of “Company” are canned and none of it is especially new, but with its strong performances and its focus on relationships, the movie gets the human details right. Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

“Premonition: DVD and Blu-ray” Fresh from her trip to “The Lake House,” Sandra Bullock appears in another movie in which time isn’t on her side. In fact, it’s something of a pest, weighing on her in ways that tend to make the actress look frazzled as the movie unfolds. In “House,” two years separated her from the possibility of having a great love affair with Keanu Reeves. To make their relationship work, they had to rely on the gift of a magic mailbox. In “Premonition,” one week is shuffled like the deck of cards from Hell, with nothing making sense until, at the end, well – still nothing makes sense. The filmmakers have to rely on logic, and logic, in this movie, is not their strong point. With its obvious echoes of “Groundhog Day,” “Premonition” stars Bullock as Linda Hanson, who is living what appears to be an idyllic life with her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon), and their two daughters, when Jim is killed in a car accident. Cue the grieving and the funeral. Thing is, next morning, Jim is beside her in bed. Did the bewildered Linda just have a nasty dream or, as the movie explores with increasing instability, did she have … a premonition! When Jim continues to wind up dead and alive, the jigsaw puzzle begins, with lithium, a psychiatrist, a priest and a mental institution all thrown into the jumbled mix. Perhaps sensing the chaos, Bullock acts as if she’s standing just outside herself, not quite vested in the role, her mind seemingly elsewhere. If she’s thinking about escaping into that magic mailbox, it’s tough to blame her. Rated PG-13. Grade: C-

“Stargate SG-1: Season 10” This is the final season, and a fine improvement over the weaker previous season. The writing is better, the storylines leaner, the characters richer. The show ends its unusually long run with the Asgard race on its way out, and the evil Ori hot to destroy the crew of the SG-1. Too bad the goings get so serious. Sometimes you wish the series would take a cue from “Firefly” and lighten up, but then the action, amplified beyond reason, generates a groundswell of excitement, not to mention admiration. The series ends with the episode “Unending,” a nice twist considering that this show is destined for the only galaxy that really matters in television – reruns. Grade: B

“Waiting …: Blu-ray” Boogers in the burgers, waiters flashing patrons, meat on the floor and then on the plate. That’s the state of the restaurant industry in “Waiting … .” Now out on high-definition Blu-ray disc, this gross-out comedy skewers the industry with such verve, you have to wonder whether writer-director Rob McKittrick now worries about what he’s being served at restaurants. (My guess is that he steers clear of the clam chowder). Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Justin Long star as waiters and cooks at the chain restaurant ShenaniganZ, which lives up to its name in ways certain to steal your appetite. Some jokes hit their mark, but mostly in “Waiting …,” what you’re really waiting for is inspiration. Rated R. Grade: C-