DVD Corner

“Cars” on Blu-ray: Flat tire. Pixar’s beautiful-looking yet boring computer-animated movie, now out on Blu-ray disc, is the weakest in its collaboration with Disney. You can’t win them all, and this time, the studios haven’t even come close. Sandbagged by a joyless midsection that goes nowhere, this dull movie fails to offer much in the way of wit, energy, heart and entertainment. The film tries to capture the brisk innovation of, say, “The Incredibles” and the spirit of the “Toy Story” movies, 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. As such, it creates the odd movie you forget while watching it. Rated G. Grade: C

“Hostel II” on DVD, Blu-ray: Eurotrashovich. In this sequel to “Hostel,” we’re back in Slovakia, the dumb American men have been replaced by questionable American women (Lauren German, Bijou Phillips, Heather Matarazzo), and the bloodletting is amplified, with scene after disgusting scene making you question who in Hollywood green-lights this sort of crap. This time out, those behind the series’ death-for-payment scheme are revealed, which cheats the movie of whatever slim mystery it might have had. Given its larger budget, the movie does look better than its predecessor (is that a plus?), but just try finding one well-mounted, extended scene of suspense. Unrated. Grade: C-

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”: So, here’s the joke. Two firefighters – Chuck (Adam Sandler) and Larry (Kevin James) – decide to get married when Larry, a widower, learns that his children won’t be covered by his life insurance policy should he die on the job. Apparently, the only way to right that wrong is to get married, with the film hooking its comedic bandwagon onto one wobbly caboose. Since Larry loves his dead wife too much to consider marriage to another woman, he decides to go for playboy Chuck, a loudmouth creep who reluctantly agrees to become Larry’s domestic partner so they can trick the system. What will they serve at their wedding? How about a big slice of homophobia? Beyond the fact that the movie has critical issues with stereotypes – the Asian community, for instance, also should be thrilled by this mess – the real sin here is that the film isn’t funny, it’s stuck in a time warp, and its forced ending of tolerance and acceptance is so disingenuous, it’s enough to make you want to bend over, pick up the soap the movie drops and hurl it at all involved. Rated PG-13. Grade: D

“Ratatouille” on DVD, Blu-ray: What this magnificent movie captures isn’t just the culinary heart of Paris – itself a feat – but also the hearts of audiences. It does so through one determined, lovable little rat named Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt), who may have been raised to eat trash, poor thing, but who nevertheless dreams big of becoming a master chef and full-on gourmand. Still, how to do so when a rat in the kitchen isn’t exactly as welcome as, say, the beets in a borscht? For Remy, it helps if you have the support of a five-star chef like Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), regardless of whether he’s dead, which he is, as well as a likable, no-talent lug like Linguini (Lou Romano) to stand in as your puppet, which he does – at least for a while. From writer-director Brad Bird, “Ratatouille” is as much a love letter to the City of Lights as it is a valentine to those who enjoy the pleasures of le table. What’s essential to its success is that it understands that for some, good food isn’t just an artistic expression and creation – it’s passion itself. After all, if a mere noodle can bring together Lady and Tramp, imagine what a perfectly prepared Provencal soup, with its halo of herbs, can do for someone who truly appreciates such a subtle sleight of hand. With Janeane Garofalo as the saucy Colette and Ian Holm as the evil Skinner, the movie is at its best with Peter O’Toole’s Anton Ego, a grim food critic steeped in bitters whose character is so nicely defined, he helps to lift this movie straight into contention for the Academy Award. Rated G. Grade: A

“Sicko”: Michael Moore’s documentary wants you to know that the No. 1 health crisis facing Americans today isn’t one of the usual suspects – heart disease or cancer – but the state of our health care system, which is in a state of disaster. Considering that nearly 47 million Americans are uninsured and millions more hold policies designed to screw them out of their benefits, it is, at the very least, a productive system in that it defeats plenty. When it works, it also successfully saves millions. But since Moore believes that everyone in the United States deserves access to health care, the focus here is on all those who have been undone by the system, which is no small number to consider. While there are laughs to be had in “Sicko,” the movie mostly is dead serious in attacking our government’s failure to depart from a system designed for profit – which is the American way. The film isn’t about bashing our doctors or nurses – Moore knows we have among the best in the world. Instead, it’s a movie about raising awareness about a broken system, with the director questioning whether other countries with socialized medicine have it better. Why, he wonders, does socialism remain so feared here? Education is socialized. So are Medicare and Social Security. For the most part, those efforts seem to work – why not health care? Though he errs in not showing the downside of those systems in other countries and he doesn’t allow the insurance companies to respond directly to his concerns, which is a mistake since it could have been their undoing, what he does generate is a provocative, persuasive argument that can’t go ignored. Rated PG-13. Grade: A-

“Stanley Kubrick: Warner Home Video Directors Series”: One of the year’s better new releases is “Stanley Kubrick: Warner Home Video Directors Series,” a swell collection that includes some of Kubrick’s most influential movies. Included are newly remastered versions of 1968’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” 1971’s “A Clockwork Orange,” 1980’s “The Shining,” 1987’s “Full Metal Jacket” and Kubrick’s last film before his death, 1999’s “Eyes Wide Shut.” While it’s curious that Warner decided to go with “Eyes” rather than with “Dr. Strangelove” or “Lolita,” what comes through is nevertheless important – the collection underscores just how alike Kubrick’s movies are in spite of appearing so vastly different on the surface. Viewing the films again reveals what you remember – a sick sort of edge that’s at once fascinating and jarring. Kubrick favored uneasy themes of isolation, estrangement, madness and dehumanization – love isn’t to be just denied in his world, it’s to be crushed. He intellectualized his films to the point that they took on an abstract chill that bullied pop culture while also, reluctantly, embracing its underpinnings. As such, his movies increasingly come off as a sneer, with the director’s own internal estrangement stripping his later movies of the dark humor he favored early on. Beyond the films, the collection’s best selling point is Jan Harlan’s documentary “Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures,” which is rife with insight. Those seeking “Odyssey,” “Orange,” “The Shining,” “Jacket” and “Eyes” on high definition should know that they are just out separately on HD DVD and Blu-ray, with “2001” and “Jacket” easily proving the standouts. Grade: A-

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.