Avast, mateys! This week, pirates trawl the DVD shelves, and they come laden with booty — bonus feature booty (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End)! We’ve also got the foul-mouthed, nerdy-sweet antics of high school buddies (Superbad), a space-war telefilm to geek out over (Battlestar Galactica: Razor), and more.
Tomatometer: 46%
In Gore Verbinski‘s third (and final?) Pirates of the Caribbean flick, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), and the crew of the Black Pearl must head to the far reaches of the earth to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones’ locker. But behold, the dichotomy; even scribes who enjoyed this nearly three-hour trilogy-capper admit that the bounty of storylines makes for a confusing time. Thankfully, you now have two discs of bonus features to help flesh out the mythos! These extras give us Keith Richards on set, the special effects team behind the scenes, two deleted scenes, and an interactive look at the eight pirate lords.
Tomatometer: 87%
Greg Mottola’s sweetly raunchy Superbad, the pseudo-biographical tale of two hormonal best buddies, starring Michael Cera and Jonah Hill (and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), earned an 87 percent Certified Fresh stamp from critics and solidified producer Judd Apatow’s emergence as the King Midas of the rated-R comedy. If you really need another reason to pick up your copy (and make sure to get the Unrated and Extended version!), here it is: the bonus menu, chock full of bloopers, celebrity pals, table readings, audition tapes, fake behind-the-scenes documentaries, audio voicemails to Cera from Hill, the two stars dancing, a “Snakes on Jonah” prank, the infamous junket from hell interview by director Edgar Wright, and our personal favorite, more penis drawings!
Tomatometer: N/A
Battlestar fans, get your geek on! The Sci Fi channel’s uproariously beloved space saga about the last remaining humans in the galaxy kicked off season four with this two-part mini-film, following the early days of the Cylon War. You might have caught it as the first two episodes of the current (and final) season, but the DVD version of Battlestar Galactica: Razor includes an extended cut, sneak peeks at Season 4, a commentary track, cast favorite episodes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more.
Lady Chatterly
Tomatometer: 74%
This French adaptation of D. H. Lawrence’s 1928 novel won a Cesar award (the Gallic Oscar) for Best Picture, and critics agreed; even with a three-hour runtime, this sensual, transcendent tale of a married aristocrat woman seeking sexual fulfillment with her gameskeeper is Certified Fresh. Did someone say date night?
Arctic Tale
Tomatometer: 63%
Kids can learn the inconvenient truths about nature and the environment in this National Geographic-like nature documentary, innocuously narrated by Queen Latifah. Follow baby walrus Seela and little polar bear Nanu as the natural enemies grow into adulthood (aww!) if you can stand the original pop soundtrack by the likes of Aimee Mann and Brian Wilson (meh…).
24 Season Six
Tomatometer: N/A
Poor Jack Bauer never gets a day off. Like every “day” on 24, Season Six features explosions, assassination attempts, and Oval Office intrigue; more awesomely, it also involves the Chinese, the Russians, more Bauer family fun and the gruesome, splendid sight of watching Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) kill a terrorist with a bloody bite to the neck!
Tomatometer: 35%
Writer-director Ethan Hawke‘s semi-autobiographical relationship drama was agonizingly pretentious to most critics, but boasts the acting talents of Mark Webber, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and — go figure! — Ethan Hawke.
Tomatometer: 34%
While Scarlett Johansson has dared to take on many a bold role, this misstep — a too bland social satire about upper class parents and working class nannies — is one of her lowest-rated films in over a decade. Considering The Island, that ain’t too impressive.
Happy renting, everyone!
