W.E.: Blu-ray
One needn’t be an ardent opponent of all things royal to be sick of watching movies and media coverage of the British sovereigns. Intelligent coverage of the occasional wedding or funeral is to be expected, but, so soon after “The King’s Speech” and the excellent BBC mini-series “Any Human Heart,” Madonna’s almost-paranormal rethinking of Edward VIII’s abdication has all the relevance of another TV show starring a Kardashian. Only “The Life and Times of Pippa Middleton” would have been less welcome last winter than was “W.E.,” a parallel romance in which the ghost of Wallis Simpson provides a link between 1936 Europe and 1998 New York. Abbie Cornish plays Wally Winthrop to Andrea Riseborough’s Wallis Simpson. The lifelong burden of being named after one of the most notorious women in history has resulted in the young American becoming obsessed with an upcoming auction of the duchess’ personal property. Standing among the items on the display floors allows Wally to imagine what the socialite’s life must have been like in the periods before and immediately after the death of Edward’s father, King George V.

As a transplanted American, world-class partier and unabashed material girl, Mrs. Simpson couldn’t have provided a juicier target for Madonna, the filmmaker, and, in fact, she does a pretty good job capturing the woman’s essence. The portrayal of Wally, though, is far more problematic. Beyond her understandable fascination with all-things-Simpson, Wally is married to an abusive jackass, who responds to her sexual advances as if her vagina was the one thing preventing him from prosperity and stardom. After several visits to the gallery, she succumbs to the charms of a Russian security guard (Oscar Isaac), who, without being asked, rescues her from more brutality at the hands and feet of her closet-case husband. By the time this occurs, however, the ugliness of the hyper-violent and barely explained attacks derails any forward momentum in the increasingly murky storyline. Madonna and co-writer Alex Keshisian’s desire to tell the story from Simpson’s p.o.v. remains interesting throughout the movie.

Even through her first two marriages, Simpson was known to have taken lovers, as did Edward (James D’Arcy). No harm, no foul. Indeed, had Edward agreed to certain titular compromises, he could have been king and she would have remained “the woman I love.” The media added a romantically heroic sheen to the decision, without allowing for the possibility that Simpson dreaded the thought of being surrounded by royal twits and blood-sucking photographers for the rest of her life. Madonna doesn’t explore the couple’s reputed sympathy for fascism, both in Germany and England, but it, too, would have become a moot point once Winston Churchill committed troops to the Allied struggle. (Edward wouldn’t have been the first British monarch Hitler would have approved.) In “W.E.,” we can see how Simpson was the true victim in the story, unable to shed the spotlight and rejoin the social whirl, or ever divorce her husband, who was no genius. By contrast, Wally’s story is essentially that of a smart, pretty and modern New Yorker, who married the wrong guy and inexplicably couldn’t leave the cad, even after his true nature revealed itself. Did Simpson put up with such mistreatment, as well, or was Wally merely holding out for a hero? Madonna’s most audacious decision, perhaps, was adding the Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant” to Abel Korzeniowski’s otherwise lovely soundtrack during a party attended by Simpson, Edward and their aristocrat friends. After several hours of heavy partying, Edward discovers to his chagrin that he’s the last man standing. To reignite the guests, he passes around glasses of champagne laced with Benzedrine. Dramatic license or parody? It’s hard to say. I, for one, would have welcomed more such unexpected detours from the narrative. The excellently produced Blu-ray adds “The Making of ‘W.E.,’ Featuring Madonna,” which is too self-conscious to be of any use to anyone except her diehard fans. – Gary Dretzka

Haywire
If “Haywire” hadn’t been entrusted to director Steven Soderbergh and writer Lem Dobbs – also responsible for “The Limey” – it might have lacked the class, polish and velocity to prevent it from going straight to DVD. Essentially an action-thriller based on familiar spy-vs.-spy and kung-fu conceits, “Haywire” follows black-ops agent Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) through Europe and the U.S. as attempts to complete a mission that’s doomed to failure. It’s been determined that Kane will be made the scapegoat in a botched assignment and no expense will be spared to take her out. We, of course, learn of this deceit long before she does, but are never completely clear as to why such a skilled and loyal agent would be sacrificed for someone else’s mistake. It’s enough to know that she’s no longer able to trust her handlers or the leaders of her country. Soderbergh took a calculated risk by hiring MMA fighter Carano to play the protagonist alongside several far more recognizable actors. She’d acted previously in movies and television shows, but only in such fight-genre fodder as “Ring Girls,” “Fight Girls,” “Blood and Bone,” “American Gladiators” and as a key character in a video game. Tall, darkly pretty and muscular, Carano may not be a threat to steal any jobs from Scarlett Johansson, but she seems to know her boundaries and plays within them. Besides, she’d probably dismantle any director who suggested replacing her with a stunt double. Carano is a specialist in the Muay Thai discipline and it, too, adds something different to the almost non-stop ass-kicking.  It’s exciting to watch and the punishment she endures looks pretty realistic.

Soderbergh took some of the weight off Carano’s shoulders by surrounding her with such marquee talents as Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton and Channing Tatum. Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas also were invited along for the ride, but it doesn’t look as if they were required to spend more than a couple of hours on the set. No matter, because Carano looks as hot in an evening dress as any Bond Girl and women in the audience likely will appreciate the presence of Fassbender and Tatum, who probably did require the help of stunt doubles. The extras include a featurette on Carano’s transformation as an actor and interviews with the male actors. – Gary Dretzka

Joyful Noise: Blu-ray
Todd Graff’s comedy-musical “Joyful Noise” is the kind of movie that continues to be made even though audiences intuitively know exactly what’s going to happen, when, and with what frequency. Nothing that takes place on screen could possibly occur the same way in real life, nor do people interact in ways the characters do. In movies like “Joyful Noise,” amateur choirs and high school orchestras deliver performances that wouldn’t be out of place at Rockefeller Center or the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The impossibly-accomplished-musical sub-genre isn’t anything new, certainly. It’s at least as old as the Andy Hardy movies, with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland staging productions worthy of Busby Berkeley and as fresh as every new episode of “Glee.” By casting Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah in lead roles, the producers of “Joyful Noise” not only knew that fans of Gospel, R&B and country music would find the movie, but they’d also have an inside track attracting faith-based audiences of all colors. After the choir director (Kris Kristofferson) at a small-town church dies unexpectedly, the pastor (Courtney B. Vance) chooses Latifah’s traditionally minded Vi Rose Hill to lead the ensemble over Dolly Parton’s more spirited G.G. Sparrow. The decision is fine with Sparrow, but it doesn’t bode well for future competitions, where the other groups – including one led by superstar Kirk Franklin – could pass for the bands that backed up James Brown and Tina Turner. Further complicating Vi’s life is the arrival of G.G.’s cocky grandson. The teenager (Jeremy Jordan) takes an instant shine to her daughter (Keke Palmer), who returns his attention in kind. While both of them are good kids and wonderful singers, their talents are limited by Vi’s conservative direction. She also attempts to nip their blossoming romance in the bud, fearing her daughter will succumb to the charms of a man like her estranged husband, now a soldier conveniently stationed nearby. These actions serve to drive a wedge between Vi and G.G., as well. In a twist of fate so swift and unlikely that it wouldn’t pass muster in a cartoon, Vi finally comes to realize that her choir wouldn’t stand a chance against flashier, “Glee”-influenced competitors and she hands the reins over to G.G. Naturally, even without practice, the choir performs as if the music and dance moves were built into their genetic code. Like the other show-stopping numbers in “Joyful Noise,” their number terrific. If only there were more of them. The Blu-ray package adds interviews, extended musical numbers, a deleted scene and a live clip of the cast and singers at the Staples Center. –Gary Dretzka

New Year’s Eve: Blu-ray
Considering that the critically thrashed “Valentine’s Day” made more than $100 million at the domestic box office, it was inevitable that director Garry Marshall and writer Katherine Fugate would be asked to do another crowd-pleasing holiday-themed comedy. Once again, it would feature appearances by a couple dozen bankable stars, in roles of varying degrees of length and importance, and play to the broadest possible audience. Because neither picture is particularly memorable or laugh-out-loud funny, they practically define what it means to be an “airplane movie.” While stylishly made, there’s nothing that could possibly offend anyone or require a parent to shield their child’s eyes from the screen. Just as in “Valentine’s Day,” the camera follows a couple of dozen attractive characters as their paths intersect over the course of a day. Everyone is in need of sexual or emotional healing and the coincidental occurrences designed to accommodate them are nothing short of miraculous. Because “New Year’s Day” is set in New York, all roads lead to Times Square, which, for a few hours, at least, becomes the center of the universe for homebound TV viewers and tens of thousands of tourists, pickpockets and revelers looking to score an easy midnight kiss. Prominent among the cast members are Hilary Swank, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Sofia Vergara and Josh Duhamel. Given less to do are Ashton Kutcher, Hector Elizondo, Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Jessica Biel, Cary Elwes, Seth Meyers and another dozen familiar names. As sad as it was inevitable was the hiring of Ryan Seacrest to play himself, as host of “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” His lack of charisma is another reason to mourn the loss of Dick Clark. I’m not sure how Marshall’s been able to lure so many fine actors to join the cast of these movies, but it probably involves embarrassing photographs. The Blu-ray package adds Marshall’s often-amusing commentary, 17 minutes of deleted scenes, a gag reel and short featurettes on making a movie in Times Square, the cast members’ favorite New Year’s memories and the construction of the musical climax with Bon Jovi and Michele. Marshall may be a really nice guy and he’s made some wonderful movies, but let’s hope he decides not to extend the series with an “April Fool’s Day,” “Arbor Day” and a comedy version of “Halloween.” – Gary Dretzka

The Theatre Bizarre
The Shrine
Mimic: 3-Film Set: Blu-ray
Arriving hot on the heels of the truly strange Italian “Museum of Wonders,” “The Theatre Bizarre” extends the concept of Grand Guignol entertainment into the straight-to-video and festival-track arena here.  A Pigalle landmark for most of the 20^th Century, Paris’ macabre Grand Guignol Theater – the probable inspiration for the vampire playhouse in “Interview With the Vampire” — attracted fans of graphic and decidedly twisted horror fare, delivered in a naturalistic setting and short-story form. The productions pushed the limits of good taste in the same way as the movies lumped together in the wake of such slasher, splatter, gore and torture-porn epics as “Black Christmas,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Night of the Living Dead” and “Halloween.” Made up to resemble a life-size marionette, cult icon Udo Kier introduces the segments in “The Theatre Bizarre” to an audience comprised of a signal increasingly wary spectator. Each one is directed by a different horror specialist and contains varying degrees of torture, witchcraft, revenge, seduction, instrumentation, slimy creatures and/or fantasy. Among the directors are Douglas Buck (“Sisters,” “Family Portraits”), Buddy Giovinazzo (“Combat Shock,” “Life is Hot in Cracktown”), David Gregory (“Plague Town”), Karim Hussain (“The Beautiful Beast,” “Subconscious Cruelty”), Jeremy Kasten (“The Wizard of Gore”), Tom Savini (“Tales from the Darkside”), Richard Stanley (“Hardware”) and Jeremy Kasten (“The Wizard of Gore”), who handled the framing sequences. They were allotted an equal, if limited budget and the freedom to interpret the subgenre as they saw fit. Believe me when I caution that the material is not for beginners. While cruel and largely gratuitous, the violence (and a bit of sex) also is replete with kinky humor and nightmare visions. True horror buffs, though, will eat up “The Theater Bizarre.”

In the reasonably scary Canadian import, “The Shrine.” director Jon Knautz (“Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer”) avoided stretching his limited budget past the breaking point by borrowing freely from several established genre tropes. Even if the movie bears a passing resemblance to several other horror pictures, though, it avoids easy compartmentalization by shuffling the cards every 20 minutes. After a curiosity-driven American backpacker disappears in Europe, his mother convinces a television news team to investigate. In an entirely implausible setup, the lead reporter decides to ignore her editor’s orders and travel to Poland with a cameraman and assistant in tow. Their research leads them to a secluded rural village, where everyone looks as if they’ve just seen a ghost. The journalists quickly stumble upon a shack with men in Druid outfits standing outside its door. Before they can approach them, however, thugs from the village chase them off the premises. This, of course, only serves to whet the team’s appetite for discovering what lies therein. After pretending to drive away, they double-back to investigate a stream of smoke rising from a nearby grove of trees. Instead of smoke, the team encounters a thick wall of fog, in which they discover statuary and other strange creatures and objects. Even this doesn’t dissuade the intrepid reporters from further investigation. It leads them to a dungeon, where they discover coffins containing bodies of tortured souls, including that of the backpacker, with masks nailed to the heads. The tortures scenes are pretty effective, if only because no one enjoys watching sharp objects being shoved into the eyes humans or animals.  The priests may seem out of place in Poland, but their presence is explained in a satisfying, if unexpected way. The cast includes fresh faces Aaron Ashmore (“Smallville”), Meghan Heffern (“The Fog”) and Cindy Sampson (“Supernatural”). The DVD adds an informative making-of featurette.

When Hollywood producers come calling at the door of a filmmaker whose first movie was as beautifully constructed, genuinely suspenseful and critically favored as “Chronos,” you’d think they’d have the common sense and decency to allow the director some space to work in peace. That the opposite experience generally is the one most recalled by such international sensations as Guillermo del Toro begs the question as to why anyone would think they could change the system. Even though the Mexican filmmaker’s fingerprints are all over “Mimic,” he almost immediately disowned it because of the meddling of producer Bob Weinstein and other geniuses at Miramax/Dimension. It’s interesting that del Toro subsequently agreed to be interviewed, at length, for the director’s-cut Blu-ray says a lot about the artist and the power of the format to redress past grievances. Still unhappy with the finished product – it’s as good as it’s ever likely to get, he says – del Toro seems mildly appreciative of being given an opportunity to revisit the bugs-vs.-man thriller. Genre loyalists will deliver the final verdict on how well the director’s-cut captures del Toro’s original vision and compares to his future successes. As muddled as it still seems at times, in my opinion it’s clearly an improvement over the dozens of horror titles released each month into DVD and Blu-ray. In any case, New Yorkers now fear bed bugs more than cockroaches content to live in the subway. Mira Sorvino plays Dr. Susan Tyler, the entomologist who developed a genetically engineered cockroach to combat the plague-carrying cockroaches threatening children. The Judas Breed bugs were supposed to have expired naturally in three years, but no such luck. Indeed, they’ve become more dangerous than the critters they helped eliminate. As is his wont, del Toro wastes little time taking the action underground, where the bugs have had plenty of time to breed and grow. They’ve also developed the ability to mimic human form. The battle for survival, which will be fought on the home turf of the enemy, ultimately will require the services of Charles S. Dutton, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Northam, Giancarlo Giannini and F. Murray Abraham. Blu-ray keeps the characters and cockroaches from getting lost in the darkness of the subway tunnels and accentuates the sources of light del Toro does provide. The heightened audio presentation also adds to the shock value. The bonus features include the director’s prologue and commentary, deleted scenes and a gag reel, interviews, storyboard animatics and a featurette on the restoration.

Even if there was no great clamor for sequels to “Mimic,” which just about broke even at the box office, there are only so many good titles from which to choose. Within the horror genre, short titles tend to have the most impact. In the straight-to-video world, as well, memorable titles provide hooks upon which franchise can be hung. This is true even when a sequel has almost nothing in common with the original. “Mimic 2” and “Mimic 3: Sentinel” are paint-by-numbers affairs, with the killer bugs being the constant element. Just as in real life, the Judas Breed cockroaches simply defy eradication. In “2,” the bugs begin to venture forth from the subway, while, in “3: Sentinel,” they appear to be targeting an entire neighborhood for re-location. In an unmistakable nod to “Rear Window,” a man stricken in the original plague documents the advance of cockroaches with a camera mounted in his bedroom. It should be said that some genre buffs consider “3: Sentinel” to be as good, if not better than the mutilated original. I say: you see one movie cockroach, you’ve seem ’em all. Each disc contains several additional bonus features. – Gary Dretzka

Circus Columbia
Kinyarwanda
After the lifting of the Iron Curtain, the American media described an Eastern Europe that was crying out for democracy, MTV and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and desired little more than to be molded into virtual Americans. It wasn’t true then and it certainly isn’t true now. It didn’t take long for the citizens of those beleaguered nations to realize that democracies could be corrupted and exploited from within and without, just as the previous authoritarian regimes had been, and an embracement of capitalism wouldn’t automatically ensure full employment or prosperity. Moveover, in the absence of a balance of power between superpowers, wounds suffered in conflicts long thought settled would be allowed to split wide open, spilling fresh blood over the borders of arbitrarily drawn maps. “Circus Columbia” is set in Bosnia-Herzegovina, circa 1991, a decade after the death of Josip Broz Tito and in the direct wake of the collapse of Yugoslavia’s communist government. Already, western nations were positioning themselves to exploit the inevitable division of the country into smaller democracies. With no one to stop them in their destructive paths, nationalists of Serb, Croatian and Bosnian ancestry were left free to devise strategies to eliminate ethnic minorities from the new nations. If the Serbs garnered most of the headlines – and international censure – it’s only because they were largely in control of the armed forces and struck first. The Croats and Bosnians would commit atrocities of their own, while the spotlight was elsewhere. “Circus Columbia” revisits the brief period of time between the declarations of independence and outbreak of war when some expatriates returned to the homes they left decades earlier and there existed at least a small glimmer of hope for continued peaceful co-existence. Divko Buntic (Miki Manojlovi) is just such a person. After 20 years in Germany, avoiding punishment for a political crime, he returns to his former home in a Mercedes-Benz, with a pretty young woman on his arm and roll of bills in his pocket. While welcomed by some of his former neighbors and friends, others are old enough to recall the reasons for Divko’s flight and his caddish behavior toward the woman and son he deserted. After 20 years, the disagreeable cuss doesn’t appear to have softened much. Divko gets the mayor to evict his wife and son from the home they’ve shared since he split for Germany. In the hands of director Danis Tanovic (“No Man’s Land”), Divko is the prototypical Yugoslavian male chauvinist, incapable of lifting himself off the living-room couch to get cigarettes, pick up his socks or pour himself a drink. While his girlfriend, Azra (Jelena Stupljanin) is at home, cleaning the house and cooking dinner, Divko holds court at a local cafe. He’s convinced Azra that he’ll soon have his estranged wife’s signature on divorce papers, but the disappearance of his beloved pet cat has lift him incapable of any following up on the promise. Lonely and disappointed, Azra attempts to develop a familial bond with her husband’s handsome and genuinely friendly son, Martin (Boris Ler).

Although the war for independence in Croatia has begun to make headlines throughout the former Yugoslavia, Divko and most other Bosnians not wearing a uniform can’t imagine their multicultural society being torn apart by violence, nationalism and religious intolerance. Of course, the calm before the storm wouldn’t last much longer. Already, teenage boys are being recruited to serve militias of their own ethnic backgrounds and the army is coming apart at its seams. Just as the conflagration is about to erupt a friendly army officer convinces Martin and his mother, Lucija (Mira Furlan), that it’s time to get out of Dodge and head for Germany. Up until this point, viewers were free to take away from “Circus Columbia” as much dark humor and satire as they could mine. Nothing that happened after the first shells were lobbed could be considered remotely amusing. It would stay that way for another three years. As in “No Man’s Land,” Tanovic is reluctant to fix blame on any one Bosnian tribe. The backgrounds of the characters aren’t made clear, perhaps, because everyone within reach of a gun had an itchy trigger finger and there soon will be plenty of blame to share. The decision works to the advantage of the story’s narrative. Knowledge of the intricacies of the Bosnian conflict isn’t necessary for any enjoyment of “Circus Columbia,” but the film’s full flavor won’t cut through the surface of the dark comedy without it. The acting throughout is exemplary and the Bosnian locations – I’m guessing, closer to Croatia than Serbia – add a distinct air of authenticity.

At about the same time as the Bosnian War was consuming the attention of the international media, an even greater transgression against humanity was percolating in the central African nation of Rwanda. It would boil over during a 100-day period of unfathomable violence, later determined to be genocide. If the slaughter of Tutsi men, women and children by Hutu militias was slow to make the front pages of western newspapers, the horror would subsequently be well documented in such films as “Hotel Rwanda,” “Shake Hands With the Devil,” “Beyond the Gates” and “Munyurangabo.” Most striking, perhaps, was the barbaric nature of the slaughter, which largely was accomplished through the use of machetes, spiked clubs, gasoline and cheap handguns. “Kinyarwanda” assumes the point of view of characters we might have seen in earlier films huddling in churches and crawl spaces or standing alongside a military transport or checkpoint. Freshman director Alrick Brown uses the budding romance of a Tutsi girl and a Hutu boy as connecting tissue to separate through-lines involving a woman army officer, hoping to eradicate the militias preying on innocent people; a mullah risking his own life to shelter refugees; a priest who’s lost his religion in the wake of the atrocities; a man and woman of mixed religious background whose marriage is being pulled apart by other people’s prejudices; and several militia members required to acknowledge their crimes in the reconsolidation process that followed the genocide. “Kinyarwanda” is based on accounts from survivors – Tutsi and Hutu, alike — who took refuge at the Grand Mosque of Kigali and the madrassa of Nyanza. The cast includes professional actors and amateurs who experienced the tragedy first-hand. If, at times, it feels as if what’s happening on screen is tearing holes in your heart, there also are scenes in which characters display great courage and generosity and other values attributed to a kind and just God … wherever He might have been vacationing in 1994. – Gary Dretzka

She’s Not Our Sister
Since it rebranded in 2010, the cable service GMC (a.k.a., Gospel Music Channel) has broadened its entertainment menu to include more than a half-dozen original movies it promotes as being “uplifting” and “family oriented.” All deal one way or another with moral issues affecting young and attractive middle-class African-Americans. Members of the clergy help the characters make decisions about love and romance, but, just as often, they provide comic relief. While comparisons can be made to similarly targeted productions from Tyler Perry’s entertainment factory, the GMC movies tend to have a sharper edge and sexier looking stars. “She’s Not Our Sister” is typical in that it leavens its sermonizing with much broad humor, flirtatious behavior and songs. In it, three sisters have different reactions to the death of their estranged father. Their mother has already died, but it isn’t likely she’ll make any great effort to reunite with the man when and if he passes through the pearly gates. It isn’t long after the funeral that the sisters sense something isn’t kosher. It isn’t until they’re told to gather for the reading of the old man’s will that they learn of his multimillion-dollar estate and the presence of a half-sister who must have been born within days of one of the sisters. When their step-sister is introduced to them, two of the sisters open their arms to her, while the oldest treats her like damaged goods. The will stipulates that the women share the money, but only after living under the same roof for a few months. You can probably guess the rest of the story. The attractive cast includes Azur-De, Tony Grant, Christian Keyes, Jazmin Lewis, Drew Sidora and Clifton Powell. – Gary Dretzka

Ralphie May: Too Big to Ignore
I’d love to see NBC dedicate a season of “The Biggest Loser” to such fat-bordering-on-obese comedians as Ralphie May, Gabriel Iglesias, Lavelle Crawford, John Pinette, Brian E. Kiley and Mo’Nique. Even if none of them lost a pound, it could be the funniest show on TV. The winner would be awarded trainer Jillian Michaels to eat for dinner, deep-fried or pan-seared. Ralphie May, whose fourth Comedy Central special, “Too Big to Ignore,” has just been released on DVD, would have a distinct advantage over the other contestants in that he’s already shed 400 pounds. Given that he lists Sam Kinison as one of his comedy heroes, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his material, while often hilarious, is undeniably raunchy. As difficult as it might be to imagine anyone who weighs 400-plus pounds and stands 5-foot-9 making love – the father of two is married to comedian Lahna Turner – the bits involving oral sex are particularly outrageous. This isn’t to say May uses his weight as his primary vehicle for comedy, because his stuff is all over the board. His quirky hip-hop delivery opens the door for much homeboy humor, which he ladles out in surprisingly nimble fashion. A caution to viewers allergic to the N-word: he’s uses it unsparingly in a funny bit about his idea for eliminating the stigma surrounding such slurs, by replacing them with the flavors of popular cookies. (It works better on stage than in print.) – Gary Dretzka

Men in Black/Men in Black II: Blu-ray
Clueless: Blu-ray
With the arrival of “Men in Black III” right around the corner, the folks at Sony thought it would be a good time to re-release the 1997 original in Blu-ray and send out the 2002 sequel in hi-def, as well. Sure, why not? Based on a fairly obscure comic book, “Men in Black” took the world by storm with its delightful array of aliens and hilarious parody of government spooks and conspiracy theorists. Frank the Pug might have had something to do with its popularity, as well. Although it didn’t exactly embarrass itself at the box office, almost no one will admit to enjoying “Men in Black II” nearly as much as “MiB.” It was widely condemned for being uninspired and absent the same spark that lit Barry Sonnenfeld and Ed Solomon’s original collaboration. Waiting 10 years for a third installment almost certainly was a good idea, no matter the critical response to the new movie. The real question is whether Sonnenfeld can return to the same form he displayed in “MiB” and “Get Shorty,” some 15 years ago. He takes a back-to-the-future approach in “MiB III,” but with four writer’s names attached to the screenplay, it’s anyone’s guess how it will turn out. Nevertheless, newcomers to the franchise are advised to do some homework ahead of time. “MiB” looked and sounded very good in its original Blu-ray incarnation and the bonus features remain pretty much the same, as well: alternative and extended scenes, visual and audio commentaries, galleries, a trivia game and “Ask Frank the Pug”. Technically, the “MiB II” presentation represents an upgrade from the DVD. The bonus package adds several leftovers from the special widescreen edition, including director’s commentary, an alternate ending and blooper reel, behind-the-scenes and creature featurettes, scene deconstructions and a music video. Both offer UltraViolet capability, discount coupons for “MiB III” and previews of the video game.

“Clueless” stands proudly alongside such pitch-perfect movies about the peaks and valleys of the American high school experience as “Breakfast Club,” “Blackboard Jungle,” “Mean Girls,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Rock ’n’ Roll High School,” “Rushmore,” “Cooley High,” “Election,” “Stand and Deliver” and “Heathers.” A delicate balance between classroom scenes and outside action was maintained throughout and each addressed issues specific to their time and cultural milieu. In “Clueless,” Alicia bowled everyone over with dead-on impression of a Beverly Hills teenager able to turn being spoiled into a team sport, with friends who mimicked the ostentatious mannerisms of their mothers, whose only goals in life are to maintain their girlish figures and shop until they drop. Her Cher Horowitz could easily have grown up to Carrie Bradshaw,” in “Sex and the City,” and her circle of friends might have served as an inspiration for the cliquey rich kids in “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl.” Thirteen years earlier, Amy Heckerling had turned “Fast Times at Ridgemont Times” into a modern classic. Two and three decades later, it’s still fascinating to see how much their characters would evolve into actual teenage archetypes, on and off the screen. The fine cast includes Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Elisa Donovan, Breckin Meyer (channeling Jeff Spicoli), Dan Hedaya, Wallace Shawn and Paul Rudd. The only new bonus features here are the “Clue or False Trivia Game” and hi-def trailer/teasers. Otherwise, they package is the same one included in the “Whatever! Edition.” – Gary Dretzka

Flicka 3: Country Pride
Novelist Mary O’Hara introduced the Wyoming wonder-horse Flicka in a Western trilogy, custom-made to be adapted by several generations of filmmakers, spanning the 1943 “My Friend Flicka” and the new DVD original, “Flicka 3: Country Strong.” It’s been more than half-century since the original protagonist, Ken McLaughlin, made his last appearance on the back of the tempestuous mustang mare. Roddy McDowell originated the character and was succeeded in the saddle by fellow child star Johnny Washbrook. Between TV and the movies, O’Hara’s source material seemingly was exhausted long ago. Fox revived the series in 2006, electing to put girls in Flicka’s stirrups for the first time. Alison Lohman would be followed by Tammin Sursok and Kacey Rohl, with singer Clint Black acting as the horse’s trainer. In “Flicka 3,” Black’s character is hired by the owner of a stable that caters to the jumping and dressage crowd. (She’s played by his real-life wife, Lisa Hartman.) The ruling clique at the stable treats Rohl as nothing more than the girl who mucks out the stalls. In fact, she’s a talented rider and Flicka is a natural jumper. In a subplot right out of “Mean Girls,” Rohl is bullied by riders jealous both of her skills and her rising status in horsy society, and angry that one of the cute guys has taken a liking to her. Naturally, there’s a showdown between Rohl and her snobby nemesis, with the future of her mom’s stable at stake. In a return to the director’s chair, Michael Damian manages to overcome the many inherent clichés built into such family dramas. The actors are a game lot and the British Columbia locations are close enough to the non-mountainous stretches of Wyoming to pass. – Gary Dretzka

Masterpiece Classic: The Mystery of Edwin Drood: Blu-ray
American Experience: Jesse Owens
Nova: Secrets of the Sun
Charles Dickens left countless readers in the lurch when, after completing just 6 of 12 chapters in the serialized novel, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” he suffered a stroke and died. In the ensuing 142 years, several playwrights and screenwriters have attempted to conjure an ending that would honor Dickens’ memory and satisfy amateur sleuths. The first two film adaptations appeared in 1909 and 1914, before the movies talked, with others showing up in 1935 and 1993. The new “Masterpiece Classic” version, with a new ending by Gwyneth Hughes, was broadcast on England’s BBC 2 earlier this year in two parts. Matthew Rhys plays John Jasper, the opium-addled choir master who may or may not have killed the title character (Freddie Fox) in a fit of jealous rage. Jasper has developed a crush on his much younger student, Rosa Bud, who is engaged to be married to his nephew, Drood, Conveniently, his descent into madness coincides with the arrival in Cloisterham of twins, Helena and Neville Landless, from Ceylon. All are potential heirs to the Drood fortune, and stepbrothers Edwin and Neville take an instant dislike to each other. This provides a convenient alibi for Jasper if and when he takes action to eliminate his perceived competitor for Rosa’s hand. Meanwhile, the lovely flower has begun to fear Jasper, and for good reason. Hughes’ ending not only allows for a solution to Drood’s disappearance, but also a spooky visit to crypts below Cloisterham Cathedral overseen by the drunken stonemason, Durdles, who only thinks he knows where all of the bodies are buried. The BBC production is as suspenseful as it is intellectually satisfying.

It is a chapter of American history thoroughly engrained in the collective memory of every student who’s passed through the public-school system over the past 70 years. In an early, pre-war victory in the Allied effort to destroy the Nazi menace, Jesse Owens personally burst Adolph Hitler’s bubble on the issue of Aryan supremacy in sports. Hitler had intended to use the 1936 Berlin Olympiad as a showcase for Germany’s athletic prowess, but he hadn’t reckoned on the ability of Owens and teammate Ralph Metcalfe to dominate every race in which they were entered. The “American Experience” biodoc chronicles every step in Owens’ march to Berlin, as well as the more revelatory events that followed on his home turf. We’ve been taught as Americans to hold sacred Owens’ triumphs in Berlin. What Owens knew then and most Americans have forgotten – or never learned – is that one of his and Metcalfe’s gold medals might have gone to Jewish teammates if USOC president Avery Brundage hadn’t acquiesced to Hitler’s demands that Jews be forbidden from competing against Germans. Owens would be greeted as a hero when he returned home from Europe but none of the rewards he was promised ever materialized. To avoid bankruptcy, he agreed to race against horses at fairs and tracks. Neither could he avoid other humiliations associated with being a person of color in America at the time. Racists in America accomplished what Hitler couldn’t by denying Owens the fruits of his hard work and courage. The documentary is informed by interviews with historians, relatives and people who watched Owens perform at the Games.

Watch “Nova: Secrets of the Sun” in Blu-ray and you may never leave your house in daylight hours again. The Sun is one scary star. Thanks to new spacecraft and Earth-based telescopes, scientists are getting more adept at predicting the effects of solar storms and other phenomenon on our electrical grids and communications systems. The images sent back from probes as they approach the gaseous surface are nothing short of awe-inspiring, as frightening as they are beautiful. I suggest watching “Secrets of the Sun” before or after reading Ray Bradbury’s “The Rocket Man.” – Gary Dretzka

The Dick Van Dyke Show: Carl Reiner’s Favorites
Kojak: Season Four
Sesame Street: Singing With the Stars
Bubble Guppies
If hope ever did spring eternal, it would be in the dark hearts of network programming executives who keep throwing defective spaghetti against a wall believing it will stick. Even the shows that make the cut look anemic compared the hits of yesteryear and, of course, premium cable. The ratio of hits to misses probably hasn’t changed much over the last 50 years, but, given the continuing deflation of ratings and share points, it’s safe to argue that creativity has been devalued, as well. While it would be difficult to argue that “Kojak” is a better show than “CSI” or “Law & Order,” there’s no question that no one creates TV cops in the same mold as Telly Savalas, anymore. With all due regard for the producers of “Modern Family,” “Community,” “30 Rock” and “The Office,” it’s become almost impossible to build an ensemble show around a star like Dick Van Dyke and sell it to audiences of all ages. When network executives began parsing audiences into distinct demographic segments and targeting content at the viewers that advertisers valued most, it was an invitation for less-valued viewers to join the niche world of cable and satellite. Not only did “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and other classic sitcoms appeal to audiences of all ages, but, on DVD and retro networks, they still do. The measure for success once was 100 episodes, the number that assured syndication. Now, even shows that didn’t last an entire season find an afterlife on DVD and niche cable. While it’s true that “The Dick Van Dyke Show” is no stranger to the DVD marketplace, it continues to profit those anxious to sell its individual parts. Out of 158 episodes, series creator/writer/producer was asked to pick 20 of his favorites for this Image Entertainment compilation. Collectors already will have most of them on tape and disc, and it’s likely they’ve been memorized by diehard fans, but newcomers will find in “Carl Reiner’s Favorites” a convenient entry point to the show, which also starred Mary Tyler Moore, Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. The 500-minute collection would be worth the price of admission to aspiring actors if only to study the elasticity of Van Dyke’s physical comedy. Among Reiner’s favorites are “Never Name a Duck,” “The Attempted Marriage,” “Hustling the Hustler,” “Gesundheit,” “Pink Pills for Purple Patients” and “No Rice at My Wedding.”

Among the guest stars on the first episode of “Kojak: Season Four” is Richard Gere. It isn’t a huge role, but it’s fun to watch him at this stage in his career.  You can almost see the gears moving in the future superstar’s head as he honed his craft and screen persona simultaneously. Such dramatic series, especially those from the 1970s, became a crossroads where stars of the past and future often met. Savalas’ giant Greek personality dominated the show, of course, but there was also something else of interest to enjoy. When Kojak wasn’t bouncing insults off the heads of his motley crew of detectives, he would suck on lollipops and invent new catchphrases, like “Meow, baby.” Crimes and chases that wouldn’t have worked nearly as well if shot in L.A. worked wonderfully in the streets, alleys, rooftops and business of New York. Watching it after all these years, it makes me wonder how a cop show starring Larry David would look.

For parents, one of the trademark attractions of “Sesame Street” was the likelihood that a celebrity or popular entertainment might show up unexpectedly and join Elmo and the other Muppets in song and dance. In the latest compilation, “Sesame Dance: Singing With the Stars,” the gang is joined by such luminaries as Alicia Keys, the Dixie Chicks, Andrea Bocelli, Adam Sandler and other performers on such songs as R.E.M.’s “Furry Happy Monsters” and “What I Am.” The DVD adds a karaoke sing-along feature, activity tips for parents, a downloadable book and CD.

Nickelodeon’s “Bubble Guppies” is designed to help pre-schoolers prepare for an immersion in social skills, science, math and literacy. A diverse collection of animated characters – who look more like mermaids and goldfish than guppies — dedicates itself to finding snacks and providing adventures for Bubble Puppy. The set includes the TV movie, “Bubble Puppy’s Fin-tastic Fairy Tale,” karaoke videos, an interactive game and song selection. – Gary Dretzka

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