DVD Corner

“America at War” – From A&E and the History Channel, a well-done, 14-disc collection that explores our nation’s war efforts, beginning with the American Revolution and the Alamo and following straight through to our conflicts in the Persian Gulf and our current war in Iraq. Newsreel and archival footage add weight and interest to the already substantial commentary provided by experts in the field, especially by those who lived through some of the more current events. As with any undertaking this massive, there are sticking points. While the Vietnam, Korean and World War I coverage seem unusually truncated, limited to only one disc each, the American Revolution warrants three discs, while the World War II is explored on only two discs. While the quality of the set doesn’t rise to the level of a documentary by, say, Ken Burns, it does an admirable job offering enough insightful angles to allow for one solid, engrossing overview. Grade: B+

“Bee Movie” DVD, HD DVD – The work of drones. Jerry Seinfeld’s pet project is so polished, its edges have been rubbed smooth. Set in New Hive City, the movie follows Barry B. Benson (voice of Seinfeld), a bee fresh out of college who is inspired to get humans out of the honey business, and allow some downtime for the overworked bumbles. Helping him is Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), a florist with boyfriend troubles who agrees to help Barry in his quest to sue the human race for enslavement and thievery. They wind up in court and it’s here, in the film’s second half, that it finally leaps to life. This is due in great part to the human race’s hefty attorney, Layton T. Montgomery (John Goodman, excellent), who is given to marvelous bouts of histrionics, and also to the fallout that springs from the trial, which is dire. After all, what is the world to do if Barry actually wins his case? Has anyone considered the ramifications? Bees already are in dangerously short supply. If they stop pollinating flowers and plants, wouldn’t a worldwide collapse ensue? That’s a serious subject to explore, but in a cartoon that would rather squeeze the life out of every bee pun it can get its hands on, the big monster in this movie isn’t the human race, but those humans who failed to make a compelling film in the first place. Rated PG. Grade: C

“Dan in Real Life” DVD, Blu-ray – Real life? Nah – but the emotions are real, and that’s one reason the movie succeeds. Steve Carell is Dan Burns, a newspaper columnist on the cusp of syndication who is adrift in the wake of his wife’s death. Complicating his life are his three daughters, a handful of teens and tweens growing up faster than Dan would like, and also Marie (Juliette Binoche), the woman Dan falls in love with after they meet by chance at a bookstore. Trouble is, Marie is the new girlfriend of his philandering brother, Mitch (Dane Cook), who claims he never has found anyone as right for him as Marie. There you have it. Since Dan is the kind of guy who can’t help wearing his feelings on his face even though he wants his brother to be happy, the plot complications are revealed and, well, you can see where this is going. The film takes this situation and these characters and places them in the hell of a large family retreat in Rhode Island. There, Dan’s mother (Dianne Wiest), father (John Mahoney), siblings and their families converge for the sort of choreographed, chaotic time families tend to enjoy in the movies. And yet “Dan in Real Life” rises above expectations. A good reason for that is the chemistry Carell shares with Binoche, which is the movie at its best. Though their pairing seems unlikely on paper, what matters is how well they make it work onscreen. They come to their roles with the sense that in middle age, life has taken away plenty from them, but might be ready to offer plenty back. It’s how they get there – or whether they dare to get there – that makes for a satisfying movie that resonates through its otherwise formulaic script. Rated PG-13. Grade: B

“Dr. Dolittle 4-Pack” – The ongoing war between the litter box and fire hydrant set, now with a fourth film added to the mix – the straight-to-DVD “Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief.” The set begins with Eddie Murphy’s 1998 remake, which remains the best of the lot. The second film is the worst, and the third nixes Murphy all together in favor of Kyla Pratt’s Maya Dolittle, who is saddled with talking animals at a dude ranch. In the “Tail to the Chief,” Maya finds herself at the White House, where she and her dog Lucky must keep the first dog on a short leash. All of this is strictly for the tween crowd, but moments are cute. Those expecting new ground will be disappointed; nobody involved in this franchise is willing to toy with the formula. Grade: C+

“Magnum P.I.: Eighth Season” – Aloha, already. It was time to end it – and for many, it seemed they did end it at the end of the seventh season with the episode “Limbo” – but money talks and so they end it here. The fatigue of familiarity brings all of it down several notches from previous seasons, and worse, one suspects the episode “Innocence, A Broad” isn’t the series at its best. Still, the show continues to be carried by Tom Selleck’s formidable charm, not to mention the idea that his character Thomas Magnum continues to find himself in more questionable situations. The give-and-take between him and his friends Higgins (John Hillerman), TC (Roger Mosley) and Rick (Larry Manetti) help to ground the manufactured mayhem. Grade: C

“No Country for Old Men” DVD, Blu-ray – Creepy time down South. This Academy Award-winning, modern-day Western hails from Ethan and Joel Coen, who arm themselves with Cormac McCarthy’s fantastic 2005 book and craft a violent, engrossing movie that never telegraphs or condescends; it keeps its twists and surprises close to its bleeding heart, which in this movie is often hemorrhaging. Set in 1980, the film stars a terrific Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, a Vietnam veteran hunting one day along the Texas-Mexico border when he comes upon a grisly mass murder in the desert. He finds a stash of drugs and, later, $2 million in cash in a black case. It’s when Moss takes the money that everything goes sour for him. Working against him is the psychopath Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem, perfectly chilling in an Academy Award-winning performance), a man determined to track Moss down, get that money for himself – and God help anyone who gets in his way. One person who does get in his way is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones), who completes the film’s deadly triangle by going after Moss and Chigurh. This superb movie is about the sly weaving of skill and chance that unfolds, with the characters crisscrossing in and out of each other’s reach with such mounting heat, they create a knot onscreen that tightens deep in your gut. Rated R. 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.