THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS
EVAN ALMIGHTY
2007; DVD $29.95-39.95, PG
TV funnyman Steve Carell is still looking for his breakout role. This isn’t it, but it’s still a fun little kidflick with lots of silly monkeys and such. In this sequel to Jim Carrey’s “Bruce Almighty,” Steve portrays a simple Everyman trying to cope with day-to-day life when God (Morgan Freeman) tells him to build an ark and gather all the animals in the world. With Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, Molly Shannon and more.
SURF’S UP
2007; DVD $28.95-38.95, PG
A wonderfully hip and entertaining computer-animated tale of surfing penguins — the 436th CGI penguin movie of 2007 by our count — that avoids all the Disney-esque clichés, succeeding with a great script and lively characters. Shia LaBeouf is Cody, a hot-shot young surfer out to make a name for himself in his first pro competition. Lots of slapstick and spaced-out hippy/surfer references, and voice work by Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods and others make this a real treat. Bring it on, Pecker Face!
28 WEEKS LATER
2007; DVD $29.95-39.95, R
Sequel to the surprise indie hit “28 Days Later.” After the zombie virus has burnt itself out in London, the U.S. Army (don’t ask) is given the job of restoring order and repopulating the city with survivors, keeping them quarantined at all costs. Within this mess, several smaller chase-and-survival subplots merge while the virus flares up again within the containment area, causing the Army to launch a fire-strike, guaranteed to kill the infected and clean alike.
FLIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: OUTBREAK ON A PLANE
2006; DVD $19.95, UR
Imagine “Snakes on a Plane” done with zombies, and you get the gist of this dumb-but-fun low-budget Mad Scientist indie Halloweener. Enjoy.
FOX HORROR CLASSICS COLLECTION
2007; DVD 27.95, UR
This boxed set contains three great spooky-creakers from the ’40s: “The Lodger,” “Hanover Square” and “The Undying Monster” (1942). The latter is the perfect “good old horror film,” lovingly restored by Fox, with James Ellison, Heather Angel and John Howard in the atmospheric tale of a werewolf-cursed family, filmed on sets left over from Basil Rathbone’s “Hound of the Baskervilles.”
HOMIE SPUMONI
2006; DVD $24.95, R
A fun Goomba-goes-Black joint about a stereotypical Italian-American guy (Donald Faison) who finds out that his real parents are African American, leading to a comic identity crisis. Won’t change your life, but worth a look.
JERICHO OF SCOTLAND YARD: THE COMPLETE SET
2003; DVD $49.95, UR
All four superb mysteries from the WGBH series starring Robert Lindsay as a police inspector of post-war London, circa 1950. If you liked “L.A. Confidential,” you’ll love this. Includes “‘A Pair of Ragged Claws,” “The Killing of Johnny Swan,” “To Murder and Create” and “The Hollow Men” and all the usual bonus goodies.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3-D
2006; DVD $26.95, R
An all-new 3-D imagining of the seminal George Romero tale starring Sid Haig. Comes with four pairs of 3-D glasses, tons of bonus goodies and hundreds of scenes where things jump out of the screen and land in your lap — warm, squishy and still-wriggling.
POLTERGEIST
2007; DVD $19.95, PG
25th Anniversary Edition of this excellent shocker that shows just how much fun you can have in a PG movie (well, after they appealed the original “R” rating, anyway). Lots of scary fun as JoBeth Williams, Zelda Rubinstein and Craig T. Nelson try to get little Heather O’Rourke out of the TV set.
RAIDERS OF THE DAMNED
2005; DVD $22.95, R
We love Richard Grieco movies! After making a splash in TV’s “21 Jump Street,” he pretty much went into the crapper. Case in point: this pointless — if fun — rotter about a post-WWIII apocalyptic wasteland overrun by cannibalistic zombies, filmed in Colorado Springs. Gangs of Big Dumb Fun.
REIGN OVER ME
2007; DVD $28.95-38.95, R
Adam Sandler — who has made some of the best and worst movies we know — adds one to the “plus” column in this tale of a man who loses touch with reality after losing his family. Spotted on the street by harried and overworked old friend Don Cheadle, they re-form their bonds and learn trademarked Lessons About Life. With Jada Pinkett Smith and Liv Tyler.
RISE: BLOOD HUNTER
2006; DVD $24.95, R/UR
Lucy Liu goes slumming as a vampire’s reluctant victim who joins forces with Michael Chiklis to rid the world of the blood-sucking parasites. Carla Gugino and Robert Forster co-star for the producers of “The Grudge.” Includes the final screen appearance of “Mako” (Iwamatsu), who died in 2006. Neat fact: His 2007 role as Splinter in “TMNT” was actually a compilation of snippets from previous “Turtle” outings.
STARGATE SG-1: THE COMPLETE SERIES COLLECTION
1997; DVD $329.95, UR
This series started off strong, with Richard Dean Anderson and Don Davis taking up their “MacGyver” posts around hardware left over from the “Stargate” movie. Michael Shanks, Christopher Judge and the adorable Amanda Tapping filled out the attractive cast for Showtime. But after several successful seasons, it was sold to the SciFi Channel, which, as with most things, proceeded to fuck it up. Still, there’s enough fun in this well-remembered series to enjoy watching for years to come. Join us, won’t you?
THE GIRLS OF TATTOO U
2007; DVD $14.95, UR
A completely exploitive — and entertaining — look at scary, nekkid girls getting tattooed and pierced in very delicate places, filmed at Providence’s “Kabloom” studio. Stars Sammie, Taryn and … Insomnia!
THE SEX MOVIE
2006; DVD $29.95, UR
An insanely cheap ($15,000) gay look at life that proves the only thing you need to make a good movie is a good script. Four friends reunite one evening at home to drink some wine and discuss the compromises of adult life. Then someone slips some porn on the TV.
WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END
2007; DVD $26.95, UR
Punk-rocker/talk-show host/Renaissance man Henry Rollins pops up in this excellent direct-to-video sequel that has absolutely nothing to do with the gore-drenched original, other than a passel of inbred cannibalistic hillbillies. Which reminds us, we need to get new Christmas Cards made …
OTHER DVDS OF INTEREST
BEN 10: SEASON 2
2005; DVD $19.95, UR
CREATURE COMFORTS AMERICA: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE
2007; DVD $29.95, UR
FAMILY TIES: THE SECOND SEASON
1982; DVD $38.95, UR
GIRLFRIENDS: THE SECOND SEASON
2000; DVD $36.95, UR
A more complete listing and free vids at www.videotapeworm.com!