DVD in stores for 5/17/2006

Doogal (G) Jon Stewart, Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Fallon, William H. Macy, Whoopi Goldberg. Cartoon adventure. Legend tells of three magic diamonds that, if in the wrong hands, can be united to create a force powerful enough to freeze the sun. When the evil sorcerer, Zeebad (Stewart), escapes from his ancient prison, he vows to exact revenge by deep-freezing the earth forever. Determined to save the world, a fellowship of four unlikely heroes band together to foil Zeebad’s villainous plot. Led by the candy-loving mutt Doogal (Kenan Thompson), friends Dylan (Jimmy Fallon), Brian (William H. Macy) and Ermintrude (Goldberg) embark on an epic adventure to save the world. 85 minutes. DVD INFO: Includes a Making-of featurette.

Every Time We Say Goodbye (PG-13) Tom Hanks, Cristina Marsillach, Benedict Taylor, Anat Atzmon. Little-known Tom Hanks romantic drama from 1986. David (Hanks) is an American pilot who joins the RAF before his nation enters the World War II. After his plane is shot down in North Africa, he recovers from a leg injury in Jerusalem, and meets a serene Jewish girl of Spanish descent (Marsillach). The two are attracted to each other but she is convinced that their diverse backgrounds mean it could never work because of her family’s disapproval and the fact that he is a gentile son of a protestant minister. Although they keep running into each other in the small community, they find themselves parting as frequently as they find each other. 98 minutes. DVD INFO: The movie is presented in the widescreen format.

Funny Games (NR) Susanne Lothar, Ulrich Muhe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering. Two psychotic young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic “games” with one another for their own amusement. 104 minutes. DVD INFO: Includes a new video interview with director Michael Haneke.

Napoleon Dynamite: Like, the Best Special Edition Ever! (PG) Jon Heder, Sandy Martin, Aaron Ruell, Jon Gries, Tina Majorino, Efren Ramirez. Cult favorite about a truly eccentric character. Napoleon Dynamite (Heder) is a high-school outcast in every sense of the word. More interested in playing tetherball by himself and drawing pictures of his favorite animal, the “liger” (a combination of a lion and a tiger), Napoleon is ignored by everyone in his tiny hometown of Preston, Idaho. At home, things aren’t much better. His uber-nerd older brother Kip (Ruell) and ultra-vain Uncle Rico (Gries) are too busy with their own obsessions to give Napoleon the time of day. It isn’t until a new student, Pedro (Ramirez), arrives that Napoleon finds friendship and performs an act of brave defiance that makes him a true hero. 90 minutes. DVD INFO: The 2-disc set includes audio commentary by director/co-writer Jared Hess, actor Jon Heder and producer Jeremy Coon; all-new audio commentary by actors Aaron Ruell, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries and Tina Majorino; 5 deleted/extended scenes with commentary by Hess, Heder and Coon; all-new outtakes and additional deleted/extended scenes; audition clips; the featurettes “World Premiere Jared Hess” and “On Location: Napoleon Dynamite”; the original short film Peluca with commentary by Hess, Heder and Coon; “The Making of the Wedding of the Century”; MTV promo spots; plus Napoleon and Pedro sightings: clips from TV appearances.

The Producers (PG-13) Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Farrell, Roger Bart. The film adaptation of the 2001 musical based on the 1968 Mel Brooks film about crooked Broadway producers turns out to be an entertaining and charming work of song-and-dance; not quite classic, but certainly a great way to spend an evening. It’s more or less the stage musical translated directly to screen, but that works out quite nicely. Stick around through the end credits; you don’t want to miss a great extended Easter egg. 134 minutes. DVD INFO: Two separately packaged DVDs are available: One preserves the film in the anamorphic widescreen format, while the other hacks off nearly a third of the picture for the fullscreen (aka pan & scan) version. Shop carefully. Both versions include deleted scenes; Outtakes; Analysis of a Scene: “I Wanna Be a Producer”; plus audio commentary with director Susan Stroman. —PFPP

The Ringer (PG-13) Johnny Knoxville, W. Earl Brown, Brian Cox, Katherine Heigl, Jed Rees. Tepid comedy from the Farrelly Brothers (There’s Something About Mary). Desperately to raise money, Steve Barker (Knoxville) sets out to fix the Special Olympics by pretending to be one of the mentally-challenged athletes. The premise may sound outrageous, but the movie is tame and lame. Knoxville and a few other non-disabled (well, less-disabled) actors play retarded alongside a number of actors who really are mentally-challenged. The film wants to be both funny and sweet, but fails to pull off either. 100 minutes. DVD INFO: Includes audio commentary by director Barry W. Blaustein, screenwriter Ricky Blitt, producer Peter Farrelly, and actors Johnny Knoxville, Edward Barbanell and John Taylor; 16 deleted scenes; “Let the Games Begin - A Look at The Ringer” featurette; a Special Olympics featurette; plus a message from Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver. —EJO

Something New (PG-13) Sanaa Lathan, Simon Baker, Mike Epps, Donald Faison, Blair Underwood. If love is an adventure, it’s one yet to be embarked upon by Kenya Denise McQueen (Lathan). A beautiful L.A. career woman, Kenya works as a senior manager at a prestigious accounting firm, and is on the verge of making partner. But she has yet to find her own partner and a fulfilling personal life. It’s not that she’s stopped looking; her (mental) checklist is at the ready. After another Valentine’s Day spent working late, Kenya agrees to a blind date with Brian Kelly (Baker), a sexy and free-spirited landscape architect who turns out to be not exactly what she’d pictured for herself. 100 minutes. DVD INFO: Two separately packaged DVDs are available: One preserves the film in the anamorphic widescreen format, while the other hacks off nearly a third of the picture for the fullscreen (aka pan & scan) version. Shop carefully. Both versions include an introduction to the film by Blair Underwood; plus the featurettes “The Making of Something New” and “The Do’s and Don’ts of Dating.”

When a Stranger Calls (PG-13) Camilla Belle, John Bobek, Molly Bryant, Madeline Carroll, Katie Cassidy. A young high school student’s babysitting gig ends in a nightmare when she receives mysterious phone calls at the house to check on the children, only to find them dead. Years later, the traumatized woman must fight for her life when the stranger starts calling for her. 83 minutes. DVD INFO: Includes audio commentary by the director and cast; audio commentary by the writer; the featurette “The Making of When A Stranger Calls”; plus deleted scenes.

The White Countess (PG-13) Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Lynne Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave. Sadly, the last Merchant/Ivory film (Producer Ismael Merchant died in 2005). The film really works with the story a blind American diplomat (Fiennes) and a Russian countess turned dance hall girl (Richardson) in 1934 Shanghai growing closer together. When political turmoil rips through China, the film almost turns into a Far East Casablanca (minus the love triangle). Fortunately, not enough to spoil the entire film. 138 minutes. Matt Socey. DVD INFO: Audio commentary by director James Ivory and Natasha Richardson; “The Making of The White Countess” featurette; a behind the scenes featurette; plus a tribute to Ismail Merchant. —EJO

ALSO ON DVD

Super-duper unrated extended versions of CON AIR, CRIMSON TIDE and ENEMY OF THE STATE.

TV on DVD

HILL STREET BLUES: SEASON 2, THE BIG VALLEY: SEASON 1, GROUNDED FOR LIFE: SEASON 2, HOME MOVIES: SEASON 4, MONARCH OF THE GLEN: SEASONS 3 AND 4, and THAT GIRL: SEASON 1. NOTE: Some studios have the nerve to market box sets of TV series containing episodes that were trimmed down by several minutes each for airing in syndication. Before laying down your money, make sure the box set includes the words “original and uncut.”