DVD Corner

“Alien vs. Predator/Alien vs. Predator-Requiem”: Blu-ray – Two reasonably well-crafted, B-horror movie cheapies from Fox. If you’re up for this sort of thing and willing to roll with each film’s illogical punches, the movies provide a visceral ride, featuring a lively pairing of two infamous screen monsters – the aliens from the “Alien” franchise and the predatory beasts from the “Predator” franchise. In this way, the set evokes the past, specifically the time in which Universal routinely merged its classic horror franchises. In Fox’s case, they do so without a trace of humor and more gore, but what price pop art? What unfolds is just what you expect – overblown and ripe, with everyone here given so little to work with, the performances are almost pantomime. Not that those coming to it will care. It’s the monsters that matter, and while at this point those creatures are eligible for AARP, they nevertheless have retained a good deal of their bite. Unrated. Grade: B-

“Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory, Vol. 3” – A peppy, uneven collection of nine films, some digitally remastered, all making their debuts on DVD. Included are 1955’s “Hit the Deck,” with Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds and Ann Miller hitting notes that lift almost as high as their legs; 1954’s “Deep in My Heart,” with Gene Kelly and his brother Fred in their only screen appearance together; and 1954’s “Kismet,” in which Vincente Minnelli attempted to capture on film the 1953 Broadway musical version of Edward Knoblock’s play. His movie is so overheated, it nearly combusts, with Ann Blyth, Howard Keel, Vic Damone and Dolores Gray giving it their all – and testing our endurance in the process. Two additional Jane Powell movies are found in 1950’s “Nancy Goes to Rio” and “Two Weeks in Love,” with Busby Berkeley staging the latter. Rounding out the set are four Eleanor Powell films – “Broadway Melody of 1936,” in which 15-year-old Judy Garland sings “Dear Mr. Gable,” and “Broadway Melody of 1938,” with Powell as a shoe-snapping horse trainer. Powell also stars in 1936’s “Born to Dance,” which is fitting since she taps herself into a grinning, hypnotic frenzy, and 1941’s “Lady Be Good,” in which Powell is paired opposite Robert Young and Ann Sothern – and nearly steals the show. Grade: B+

“The Invisible Man: Season One” – From the Sci-Fi Channel, a series in which imprisoned thug Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca) is offered a deal he can’t refuse. His brother will help bust him out of prison so long as Darien agrees to take an experimental drug called Quicksilver, which promotes invisibility. Not wanting to remain in the pokey any longer than necessary, Darien decides to go for it, which leads to all sorts of complications when his brother is knocked off and Darien is left with something called “Quicksilver Madness.” Strange times and invisibility ensue. While it’s doubtful that H.G. Wells would recognize much of this, there’s no denying that this short-lived, well-written show made an effort to create something satisfying from its source material, and mostly succeeded. Grade: B

“Juno” DVD, Blu-ray – Ellen Page is Juno MacGuff, a precocious, ultrahip 16-year-old high school student who has sex with the shy but bright Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). On a sad-looking, dilapidated chair, they have their moment, which initially appears unremarkable until two months and four days later, Juno realizes just how remarkable it really was. Faced with the news that she’s pregnant, this wise-cracking kid now must decide whether to abort the child or offer it up to parents who might come to love and nurture it, such as wealthy suburbanites Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman). From Diablo Cody’s punchy, Academy Award-winning script, Juno eventually finds herself dealing “with things way beyond my maturity level.” As her hormones rage and her belly balloons (“I’m a planet!”), her emerging vulnerability takes the movie down a notch from the quirky humor it favors during its electric first half. As such, it becomes more human and real – and also one of last year’s best films. Rated PG-13. Grade: A-

“Lars and the Real Girl” – Fake girl, real problems. This unusual film follows 27-year-old Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling), a shy, God-fearing man who orders a life-size sex doll through the Internet and eventually accepts her not only as a real person, but also as his new girlfriend, Bianca, a half-Brazilian, half-Danish missionary. Good for Lars, you say? Not so fast. The trouble is that, for Lars, none of this is a joke. He expects everyone in his life to accept Bianca as a living human being, which not only sounds screwy given Bianca’s rubbery mouth, corked gaze and strawlike wig, but also, as far as this movie is concerned, painfully manufactured and a wee bit creepy. And yet in spite of its awkward opening moments, in which it isn’t clear whether the film is intended to be a comedy or a drama, the movie eventually unfolds with such grace and seriousness, it nudges you into acceptance of the absurd. It takes time for that to happen – this is a movie that grows on you – but when you come to believe what Lars believes, the movie can be disarmingly powerful. With Paul Schneider, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and the terrific Kelli Garner. Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

“Matlock: Season One” – Andy Griffith’s career – reborn. After years of slogging through humiliating guest appearances on such shows as “The Love Boat,” “Fantasy Island” and “Hotel,” Griffith took a cue from Raymond Burr’s “Perry Mason” and realized one of his greatest career successes in a similar show that ran from 1986 to 1995. The first season includes the two-hour pilot, “Diary of a Perfect Murder,” as well as 23 additional episodes, most of which focus on one culprit, such as “The Stripper,” “The Cop,” “The Sisters,” etc. Griffith’s easy Southern charm is in stark contrast to the grisly crime series pop culture now favors, but for many, that’s exactly what will sell it. Grade: B+

“The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep” DVD, Blu-ray – Based on Dick King-Smith’s novel (he wrote “Babe”) comes this fine reimagining of the legend of the Loch Ness monster. The location is the coast of Scotland, the time is World War II, and the action involves what happens when young, lonely Angus MacMorrow (Alex Atel) finds a sizable egg that hatches into a peculiar creature Angus names Crusoe. While Crusoe grows – and grows – and grows – these two form a fierce friendship, which naturally is threatened by those who fear all that Angus has come to love. On high-definition, the cinematography is especially noteworthy (the movie was shot in New Zealand). As Angus’ parents, Emily Watson and Ben Chaplin tackle the cliches, and overthrow them. As for the family’s befuddled dog, which has issues with Crusoe, well, he deserves his own movie. Rated PG. Grade: B

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, video podcasts, iTunes portal and archive of hundreds of movie reviews. Smith’s reviews appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@

weekinrewind.com.