DVD Corner

“Hulk” Blu-ray: Unlike this summer’s “The Incredible Hulk,” Ang Lee’s 2003 version is a long-winded disappointment that only finds its footing at the end – but by that time, it might as well be wearing clogs. This is a movie whose few gripping moments and technically superb set pieces are quashed by a mother lode of bad choices, not the least of which is Lee’s decision to give us a character we never really come to know, or, for that matter, give a damn about. With much of the film framed to look like the pages of a comic book, “Hulk” isn’t lacking in style; Lee has the sense to keep the action interesting, at least when there’s action to be had, and he has the sensibility to make his slightly cartoonish-looking Hulk (Eric Bana) appear graceful, particularly when he leaps across vast terrain and becomes airborne. Still, until the energetic final 30 minutes, the film is too restrained for its own good and it’s never as complex as the computer code that generated it. Rated PG-13. Grade: C-

“Leatherheads” DVD, Blu-ray: A revisionist screwball comedy that works hard to capture the look and feel of another time while also reflecting elements of our own time. Set in 1925, when professional football was in its infancy, director George Clooney’s film is shot in warm, buttery hues, but it finds its noteworthy flash of color in its female lead. She’s the very blond and red-lipsticked Lexie Littleton (Renee Zellweger), a reporter for the Chicago Tribune charged to seek out the truth about Carter “The Bullet” Rutherford (John Krasinski), Princeton’s star football player who may or may not be the former war hero he claims to be. Along the way, Lexie connects with Clooney’s Jimmy “Dodge” Connelly, who is trying to convince Rutherford to join his own scrappy football team. For a steep price, Rutherford agrees to does so – and ticket sales for Dodge’s team soar. Toss in a romantic triangle among Lexie, Rutherford and Dodge, and you have a familiar premise that stumbles when Clooney segues into slapstick. But given the film’s strong cast, its otherwise well-written script and the real chemistry between Clooney and Zellweger, “Leatherheads” mostly scores. Rated PG-13. Grade: B-

“Madagascar” Blu-ray: It isn’t a lion, a zebra, a giraffe or even a hippo that should have been the focus of “Madagascar.” It should have been a herd of sheep, gently hopping from one little cloud to the next, quietly lulling you into the inevitable coma the movie induces. Not unlike so many computer-animated tales that forgo plot in favor of pixels, “Madagascar” is so concerned with getting the incidentals right – the texture of a lion’s mane, the wiry fuzz of a coconut – that it forgets what really matters, the characters and the story. For all of its easy jokes about poo and flatulence, the movie itself is the thing that stinks. Rated: PG. Grade: D

“Pirates of the Caribbean: 3-Movie Collection” Blu-ray: Its presence on the scene begs a question. Since each title in the “Pirates” franchise already has been released separately on Blu-ray, what’s the point of buying a boxed set beyond the convenience of its packaging? Turns out there isn’t one, particularly since each title in the set is identical to what you’d purchase in its stand-alone edition. That’s a missed opportunity on Disney’s part – it limits the set’s appeal – but for those who don’t own any of the films on Blu-ray, here’s your chance to have them all. About the movies: The first film in the franchise is the most appealing; the second supersizes what worked in the original to the point that it becomes less a movie and more a spectacle (albeit a reasonably entertaining one); and the third film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” is a disappointment that turned this particularly world flat. Throughout, Johnny Depp’s performance as Capt. Jack Sparrow remains a delight – he comes off as a drunken gypsy drag queen fallen on hard times. His is the sort of inspired, campy performance that says to hell with convention and turns even the weak third movie into something that has one very special element in its possession – him. Rated PG-13. Grade: B-

“Shrek the Third” Blu-ray: Features impressive animation and a few bright spots of humor, but mostly, “Shrek the Third” is unimaginative moviemaking served cold to the masses. After the death of King Harold (John Cleese), it’s revealed to Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and Shrek (Mike Myers) that Shrek is next in line to the throne. It’s a job Shrek doesn’t want – he is an ogre, after all – and so off he goes with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas, a highlight) to find the next in line to the throne, Prince Artie (Justin Timberlake), and also to take his mind off the fact that Fiona is pregnant. For a villain, the film offers up the weakest imaginable – Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) – whose shaggy blond blowout is the most threatening part of the movie. Filled with the easiest sort of laughs – fart and poop jokes – “Shrek the Third” is so base, it underscores just how far we’ve come since Disney’s groundbreaking “Toy Story” hit theaters in 1995. In this movie, much like in the above-reviewed “Madagascar,” the focus is on creating believable expressions and hair that moves, not laughs that sustain and suspense that builds. Rated PG. Grade: C

“Speed Racer” DVD, Blu-ray: This unbearable movie from the Wachowski brothers forgot to bring the speed, it forgot to bring the fun and it forgot to remember that restraint, even in an action movie, can make individual scenes of action more exciting if moments of calm are there to set them off. That isn’t the case here. This empty, annoyingly overwrought movie roars with dizzying flashes of color, sound and light, but given the film’s bloated running time (135 minutes!), its dim script, junk performances, absolute lack of momentum and boring characters (played by Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, John Goodman, Paulie Litt, Susan Sarandon and a chimpanzee), the movie’s engine doesn’t just stall – it catches fire and explodes in your face. The Wachowskis wrote the script from the popular 1960s “Speed Racer” cartoon series, itself a delicate concoction of corny throwaways wrapped around appealingly crude anime that existed best in the painted realm of another’s imagination – not theirs. What unfolds is a muddled plot that should have matched the winding loops and curves of the tracks upon which Speed (Hirsch) races, but it doesn’t. This is a movie that’s so unimaginative when it comes to its storyline and its underdeveloped characters, that it tarts up the tedium with nightmarish, quick-cut editing, and ongoing eruptions of color and bombast meant to distract us from the fact that there’s nothing here. Too bad the Wachowskis failed to pull that off, too. Rated PG. Grade: D-

WeekinRewind.com is the site for Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s blog, DVD giveaways and archive 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.