“Evan Almighty: DVD, HD DVD”: A Steve Carell vehicle that drives the actor into a wall. This ecologically minded, so-so sequel to the superior “Bruce Almighty” stars the ever likable Carell as Evan Baxter, who has been ordered by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark, because, you know, a devastating flood is coming. Carell isn’t the problem here – he’s doing his hirsute best. Instead, it’s the crude, predictable execution of the premise that drains the movie of laughs, with the filmmakers essentially taking one of the Bible’s better-known stories and lacing it with poop jokes. How that will go down at the Pearly Gates is their problem. As for audiences, neither the talented Carell nor a divine intervention – designed by Hollywood or otherwise – can lift this movie above mediocrity. Rated PG. Grade: C

“Patch Adams: HD DVD”: A contrived mix of melodrama and sentimentality shot through with Robin Williams’ exhausted style of comedic shtick. This 1998 movie came on the heels of Williams’ “What Dreams May Come,” “Jack” and “Father’s Day,” leaving plenty wondering what had happened to the actor’s former biting edge? There was a time when he was pop-culture’s edge, but by the mid- to late 1990s, he made an unfortunate decision to court more tears than laughs, and thus, with each ensuing film, he became a deeper, more cloying caricature of himself. All those decisions come to a head in “Adams,” which features Robins as a former psychiatric patient turned medical student who believes it’s laughter that the sick and dying need, not medicine. While a case could be made for that, it isn’t made here. Rated PG-13. Grade: D

“Reign Over Me: DVD, Blu-ray”: The idea that Adam Sandler was director Mike Binder’s go-to guy for a movie that uses the events of Sept. 11 as its emotional backdrop feels about as right as a weekend call from the doctor’s office. Still, here the actor is as Charlie Fineman, a former dentist who lost his wife and three daughters in one of the planes that crashed on Sept. 11 and who now exists in a haze of denial, not unlike the actor himself. Over the course of his 18-year film career, Sandler has played a wealth of characters, not one of whom has come close to preparing him for a role that demands, above all else, the ability to tap into an unimaginable vein of rage and grief. The idea that he’s paired opposite Don Cheadle as fellow dentist and former roommate Alan Johnson is no help. Cheadle’s gifts as an actor are on full display here, and they consistently underscore Sandler’s weakness as a dramatic actor. Rated R. Grade: C-

“The Replacement Killers: Blu-ray”: A high-gloss thriller that features Chow Yun-Fat in his first American role. He’s John Lee, a professional hit man who has made the mistake of not following through on a direct order by Los Angeles-based drug lord Terrence Wei (Kenneth Tsang). Knowing there will be repercussions for that which will result in the death of his Shanghai family, Lee goes to Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino) for a forged passport that will get him out of the states and into Shanghai before Wei’s men can act. Director Antoine Fuqua fails to develop Lee and Coburn into fully realized characters, but he does succeed in creating a stylish, unrelenting thriller that doesn’t cross into complete implausibility. His characters say as little as possible, choosing elegantly choreographed action sequences over words. Probably a shrewd move. Rated R. Grade: B+

“Robot Chicken: Season 2 – Uncensored”: A farm animal of a different sort – to say the least. This bawdy series from the Cartoon Network appears after the tots are tucked in bed and the network can unleash some of its more adult fare. Thing is, thanks to YouTube, where the series flourishes, this enjoyably twisted show has drawn a rush of fandom from those outside its target audience. Go figure. It can be every bit as dark as “South Park,” with creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich employing stop-motion animation to put one’s giggles into motion. Purely juvenile, with its brief, funny yet repetitive story lines almost always offering a kick in the pants. Literally. Grade: B

“Surf’s Up: DVD, Blu-ray”: In the wake of “March of the Penguins” and “Happy Feet,” Hollywood serves up another helping of penguins in the computer-animated “Surf’s Up.” This time out, the tuxedoed critters are featured in a movie in which the blistering cold of the Antarctic is replaced by the blistering heat of a tropical island. There, they ride towering waves – and run up against some towering egos – in heated competitions. The movie is the slightest of the recent penguin lot – it only wants to entertain, but turns out to be enough. The film follows the teenage penguin Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) through the difficulty of his father’s death and his dream of becoming a champion surfer. Helping him to that end are his friends (Jon Heder, Zooey Deschanel) and especially Big Z (Jeff Bridges), a surfing legend who reluctantly agrees to train Cody to win against the reigning surfing champ, Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader). Bridges’ laid-back performance is a highlight, but so was the decision to shoot the film like a mock documentary. It’s an approach that allows for spontaneity, such as when the characters suddenly bark out their feelings and frustrations at the cameras, or when three baby penguins neatly steal the show with their clever asides. Rated PG. Grade: B+

“28 Weeks Later: DVD, Blu-ray”: For horror buffs, the movie to see now. This tense sequel to Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” opens with a shock of promise and, for the most part, it sustains it. Somewhere outside London, in a farmhouse sealed against the legions of virulent, blood-hungry zombies carousing for flesh not far beyond its doors, are a gathering of men and women living in near darkness. They survived the scourge that collapsed much of mainland Britain in the first film and now are awaiting some sign that the rage virus, as it’s known, has passed so they can move among the living. That is, of course, assuming anyone else is alive, which this group of frightened folks doesn’t know. But when a young boy comes hammering on the door, they quickly realize they aren’t alone and let him in. Trouble is, the boy was being chased by legions of the undead, and by letting him in, they now join him in being a target. Let the feasting and the fight for survival begin, with Robert Carlyle, Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton, Jeremy Renner and Rose Byrne all wading through the entrails, the lot of which are enthusiastically spilled. Rated R. Grade: B

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.