The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount, $29.99 for DVD, $36.99 for two-disc DVD, $39.99 for Blu-ray) - This fantasy adventure is based on the best-selling children’s books. Given that the movie grossed more than $160 million worldwide, you have to wonder if producers are kicking themselves for putting all five books into one film rather than milking the property for a sequel or two or three.
The film, which follows a family that moves to a new estate and discovers a secret faerie world, was filled with memorable special effects, but critics were more impressed by the transformation of young star Freddie Highmore. The now-16-year-old British actor managed not just a suitable American accent for the flick, but did it creating two characters. He plays identical twins Jared and Simon, who, along with big-sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger), stumble upon a field guide to magical creatures. Mary-Louise Parker plays their mother, and David Strathairn is the late owner of the estate who gives the film its name. Nick Nolte, Seth Rogen and Martin Short play an ogre, a hobgoblin and a brownie, respectively.
It’s great that Paramount is releasing its films in Blu-ray after the demise of HD DVD. This is the kind of film that merits the high-definition treatment. Most of the extras are in high-def, too, including the making-of, deleted scenes and examinations of the fantastical Spiderwick world. A slew of extras are available on the Blu-ray and two-disc DVD special editions, while the single-disc DVD just has a few of them.
Rebus, Set 3 and The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 3 (Acorn, $49.99 each) - No one does a mystery like the British, and no one does dark mystery like Ian Rankin and Ruth Rendell. Mr. Rankin, who is, to be precise, Scottish, is Great Britain’s best-selling crime writer; one of every 10 crime novels sold in that nation features Mr. Rankin’s creation, Inspector John Rebus. Like many fictional sleuths, Rebus likes to drink and play by his own rules. What sets “Rebus” apart, though, is the back-and-forth between this older man (played by Ken Stott) and his younger female partner, Siobhan Clarke (Claire Price). She’s as much fascinated as frustrated by the man. The four-disc set includes four episodes of the long-running series.
Ruth Rendell’s novels focus on the why of the mystery rather than the who. Sometimes the murderer is known from the first pages. This three-disc set include five mysteries from the master of psychological crime, also known as Baroness Rendell of Babergh.
Kelly Jane Torrance
My Blueberry Nights (Weinstein Co., $19.91) - Wong Kar Wai’s romantic road movie, nominated for the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007 and released in theaters in April, arrives on DVD Tuesday. With an all-star mix of American and British actors - Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Grammy-winning pop sensation Norah Jones in her big-screen debut - “My Blueberry Nights” is Mr. Wong’s first English-language film.
Miss Jones plays Elizabeth, a brokenhearted New Yorker who sets out on a road trip across America after a bad breakup, presumably in search of oblivion. Jeremy (Mr. Law) runs a cafe in New York where Elizabeth’s ex-boyfriend was seen with another woman. Before her journey, Elizabeth becomes a regular at the eatery, and she and Jeremy get to know each other.
Mr. Wong’s effort, adapted from a short movie the filmmaker originally shot in a diner in China, did not receive good reviews. The DVD’s 30 minutes of extras include a Q&A with Mr. Wong, a making-of featurette and a stills gallery. The award-winning director discusses, among other things, his sense of visual beauty and his decision to work without a final script in order to stay flexible during the production.
The extras add a little depth - but not enough to redeem this visually ravishing but artificial and, ultimately, shallow film.
Melissa Bounoua
City of Men (Disney, $29.99) - The backdrop - Rio de Janeiro’s slums, gang violence and drug traffickers - takes center stage in this movie, which tries to say something significant about fatherhood but feels more like a documentary about the general hopelessness of city slums.
The movie centers on a pair of 18-year-olds, Ace (Douglas Silva), a new and reluctant baby daddy, and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha), who’s searching for his own father. The two are relatively likable and innocent characters in this volatile environment. Yet in the end, their own desensitization to the violence and any intimate relationship wears thin.
The special features - a too-short 15 minutes’ worth - show the thoroughness with which the production team went about their business, making sure things like the various gunshots literally rang true. The team even had real-life on-site drug lords look at takes to make sure they were accurate.
As a documentary, “City of Men” could have worked. However, as a piece of fiction, it’s in dire need of a good writer to make Ace and Laranjinha more compelling, self-aware and evolving characters. If the two people at the heart of the tale have nothing to say, then why have protagonists?
Gabriella Boston
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