THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS HANCOCK 2008; $24.95-$39.95, PG-13/UR
Will Smith plays a homeless, alcoholic and amnesiac Superman who gets no respect because of all the property damage he racks up while saving the day. If they’d stuck with that super-antihero angle, this would have been a classic for the ages, but the filmmakers went in a different direction, making it a fun, if ordinary, comicbooker. Jason Bateman tries to makeover the big, smelly doof, while his wife — uber-sexy Charlize Theron — has her own agenda.
SPACE CHIMPS 2008; $29.95, G
A simple, fun CGI monkey/space-movie with dreams of something bigger. Party-guy/Slacker Ham III, descendant of the first ape-astronaut, is stuck on an intergalactic mission for publicity purposes. Can he find the courage to face evil alien dictator Jeff Daniels before another planet falls? With a surprising number of Baby Boomer pop references that the G-rated audience probably ignored — including one priceless David Bowie reference.
24: REDEMPTION 2008; $26.95, UR
Taking advantage of the writer’s strike, Kiefer Sutherland and company took a TV season off and traveled to South Africa to make this feature-length movie. Here he fights to save a generation of children from being trained as killers/used as pawns in an endless civil war. With Cherry Jones as Madam President, Jon Voight and Tony “Candyman” Todd.
A COLBERT CHRISTMAS: THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL 2008; $19.95, UR
Stephen Colbert sparks up the electric fireplace and welcomes friends Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart and Toby Keith in his own inimitable style.
BACHELORMAN 2004; $26.95, R
David DeLuise stars with one of our favorite actors, Missi Pyle (Scarlett Lacey from “Sarah Silverman”), in this clever and funny Battle of the Sexes. The best date movie we’ve seen in years.
CONJURER 2008; $24.95, R
A first-rate indie ghost story set in rural Georgia that’s worth your time. A married couple, recovering from a personal tragedy, settles into a quiet old farmhouse to escape their past. But the quiet outside only seems to stir the unquiet within each of them as progressively odd and frightening things begin to happen.
FRED CLAUS 2007; $28.95-$35.95, PG
Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti are having a ball as Fred and Nick “Santa” Claus, respectively. Fred, a slacker and family outcast who has spent his life in the shadow of his successful brother, hits bottom and moves to the North Pole. The two are fun, and the supporting cast, including Miranda Richardson, Rachel Weisz and Kathy Bates, are cool, but critics dumped on this thing unmercifully. It’s no “Christmas Carol” or anything, but it beats the hell out of the last two Tim Allen “Santa Clause” movies.
GOMER PYLE U.S.M.C.: COMPLETE SERIES 2008; $189.95, UR
A long-overdue complete release of the classic Jim Nabors’ “Andy Griffith Show” spinoff, inspired by “No Time for Sergeants” — the same play that made Andy Griffith a star. Gomer, of course, is an over-friendly, talkative, naive country bumpkin whose wide-eyed innocence constantly frustrates his superior, played by Frank Sutton.
JUST SEX AND NOTHING ELSE 2005; $29.95, UR
This surprisingly funny romantic comedy — surprising because we don’t usually think of Hungarians as either funny or romantic — is a minor gem. A smart, attractive woman has simply had enough of Budapest men, so she decides to have a baby and raise it alone. Her efforts to meet, bed and abandon a series of would-be daddies are priceless and universal.
MEET DAVE 2008; $29.95, PG
Eddie Murphy’s latest outing is better than, say, “The Haunted Mansion,” but it’s no “Beverly Hills Cop.” Here he plays the commander of a crew of tiny aliens — and their human-looking “ship” — who falls in love with an earthling. With Elizabeth Banks and Gabrielle Union.
MOSES AND AARON 1975; $29.95, UR
Little known outside of classical music circles, this work by libretto Arnold Schönberg is from a stage production filmed in Europe and Luxor, Egypt. The dissonant score, built around a single 12-tone row, is powerful and compelling in precisely the same way that Philip Glass isn’t.
PINK PANTHER ULTIMATE COLLECTION 2008; $199.95, UR
Wow! What a concept! An 18-disc combo of not only the entire Pink Panther movie collection — from Peter Sellers to Steve Martin — but every freaking PP cartoon as well! A collector’s dream.
TALES OF PHANTASIA 2008; $19.95, UR
An animated adventure, based on the popular Nintendo RPG. When a reckless conqueror releases the evil Demon King, destined to rid the universe of Men, six survivors band together as the Heroes of Space and Time to prevent Armageddon.
THE GAY BED & BREAKFAST OF TERROR 2008; $29.95, UR
This queer take on “Sweeney Todd,” updated as a drag/camp mad-slasher parody, is an instant cult classic with a sexy/crazy cast, particularly Mari Marks, the mincemeat-muffin-making mom to comely comedian Georgia Jean.
TWO TIGERS 2007; $26.95, R
A pair of stunning cover-girls, Andrea Osvárt and Selena Khoo, star as the titular tigresses in this “La Femme Nikita”-inspired tale of a professional assassin and a call girl who, despite their seeming cold-blooded natures, are prepared to fight to the death when it comes to affairs of the heart. Sexy babes and great action scenes — what more could you want?
WAR OF THE INSECTS 1966; $16.95, UR
Our buds at Sinister Cinema are a great source for rare and obscure treasures. They recently recovered this once-lost guilty pleasure, a ridiculous Japanese sci-fi thriller wherein all the world’s insects gang up on the human race and decide to wipe us off the map. Makes “Godzilla” look like “Gone With the Wind.” Also known as “Genocide”; originally “Konchu daisenso.” Get on their catalog list at SinisterCinema.com or ask for their wares at any locally owned vidstore.
Other DVDs of Interest BEVERLY HILLS 90210: THE SIXTH SEASON $59.95, UR CASE CLOSED: SEASON 3 $49.95, UR FAMILY AFFAIR: THE COMPLETE SERIES $159.95, UR SASAMI: MAGICAL GIRLS CLUB: SEASON 2 $39.95, UR THE DORIS DAY SHOW: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, SEASONS 1-5 $159.95, UR
A more complete listing and free vids at www.videotapeworm.com
This article appears in November 19, 2008.