DVD Corner

“Dallas: Complete Ninth Season” – Proves once again that where there’s oil, there’s drama. The ninth season of “Dallas” features the usual doses of death, destruction, barbed tongues, backbiting, lawsuits, missing people, and the return of Bobby (Patrick Duffy), who bit the dust at the end of the last season but who nevertheless shows up in Pam’s shower at the end of this season. Yes, this is the infamous dream season, which set pop culture ablaze back in the day. Barbara Bel Geddes was out sick for the eighth season, but in her return here as Miss Ellie, she remains mostly unflappable, once again setting herself on autopilot to grimace her way through the fireworks, the alcoholic benders and all those appealing little tantrums and adulteries. Grade: B

“Eureka: Season Two” – Weird science. A sketchy cross between “Northern Exposure,” “The Twilight Zone,” “The X-Files” and “Twin Peaks,” “Eureka” borrows liberally from each, but it fails to come into its own. Set in the Pacific Northwest nowhere of Eureka, where the government has tucked away some of the world’s smartest scientists, the series stars Colin Ferguson as Jack Carter, a U.S. marshal who, along with his irritable daughter Zoe (Jordan Hinson), continues to learn more about the locals, not to mention their unusual experiments. The problem? The show wants to be too much to too many, and the characters, as such, struggle to find their groove. Grade: C+

“Men in Black” Blu-ray – No dressing down needed here. Eleven years out, Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1997 comedy holds up. Now available on high-definition Blu-ray disc, the film takes the premise that Earth has been invaded by aliens who not only resemble us, but who also live among us. The government fears two things – the people of Earth will learn about these beings, and a dangerous tribe of aliens will slip through the cosmic immigration net in an effort to take over Earth. To prevent each scenario from happening, the top-secret operation Men in Black is formed – which is a good thing since Earth recently has been invaded by an alien determined to take over the world. Though the film suffers from an ending that falls short of its terrific buildup, the solid performances from Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Linda Fiorentino more than make up for it. Rated PG-13. Grade: B+

“Penelope” – Here is the movie in which Christina Ricci is saddled with the face of a pig. But don’t cry for her just yet. While everything else about her character’s face suggests something of a pig hybrid, Ricci’s Penelope appears just human enough to see how beautiful Penelope would look if her wealthy family hadn’t been cursed by a witch so long ago. The good news is that the curse can be lifted if Penelope meets a suitor of similar class who is willing to marry her. That’s proving difficult to do, especially since every man who lays eyes on her throws himself out a window. In spite of its predictability, plenty goes well here. James McAvoy is nicely cast as a shady gambler working for tabloid journalist Lemon (Peter Dinklage); Catherine O’Hara is a hammy, chaos-creating treat; Reese Witherspoon is likable in a small role; and then there’s Ricci, who reminds us here why we should just forget about her slight performance in “Speed Racer” and ask that Hollywood offer up more of her, please. Rated PG. Grade: B-

“Shutter” DVD, Blu-ray – Based on the popular 2004 Thai horror film of the same name, the movie follows too many other Asian-horror imports, from “The Ring” to “The Grudge” and beyond, in that what worked in the original is lost here in translation. Joshua Jackson and Rachael Taylor are Ben and Jane, a recently married couple who leave the United States for Tokyo, where they plan to enjoy a festive honeymoon. It all goes sour when Jane accidentally runs over pale Megumi (Megumi Okina), a woman who disappears from the scene of the accident but who nevertheless starts to make appearances in other, more unnerving ways. Why? Apparently, Megumi has something critical to say to Jane, but just what that is, we’ll leave for you. “Shutter” isn’t the worst horror movie of late – it isn’t, after all, as bad as “The Eye.” But in spite of squeaking out a few individual scenes of horror, none of those scenes compensates for a movie that barely has an imagination of its own. Rated PG-13. Grade: D

“Step Up 2 the Streets” DVD, Blu-ray – This sequel to 2006’s “Step Up” finds Briana Evigan’s orphaned Andie cutting loose with some kick moves at a club. She catches the eye of Chase (Robert Hoffman), who is so impressed by Briana’s crazed “crunk” that he maneuvers her into Maryland’s coveted School for the Arts. And that’s where trouble begins. Who wants to bet that abrasive Andie isn’t exactly a seamless fit amid her stuffy new peers? And that by going to school, she’ll have a falling out with the members of the 410, a street dance team known for causing dancing chaos in public? Also, could it be that drama awaits Andie and Chase as they grow closer? And what of Chase’s own dreams – might they flourish as he and Andie “step up 2 the streets” for a dance showdown? It doesn’t exactly take a handful of tossed tea leaves to figure out how this one turns out, so the good news is that the movie only really lags when its characters are asked to speak and act – not dance. In spite of its rhythmless script, they mostly do the latter well. Rated PG-13. Grade: C+

“Transformers Animated: Transform and Roll Out” and “Transformer Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection” – Look beyond each set’s workmanlike animation and younger fans of the Transformers will find well-executed shows that do what they’re intended to do – satisfy and then entice those eagerly awaiting next year’s live-action release of “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.” Each collection features a typical story of good vs. evil, and right away we’re on familiar ground. In “Animated,” the all-powerful Allspark is at the root of a plot that pits the good Autobots against the evil Decepticons. Detroit factors ingeniously into the story, and Optimus Prime and Megatron naturally enter into a rather lively battle. In “The Ultimate Collection,” seven discs comprise an impressive set that involves the potential ruin of planet Cybertron, which itself has a surprise in store should some helpful cyber keys be found in time. Who wants to bet that they will be found? But that’s not the point. The point here is solid, escapist fun for young people, and each set comes through with just that. Grades: “Animated:” B; “Ultimate Collection”: 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.