ClubHooligan.com - Burning it up at both ends

Web posted December 27, 2007

New on Video & DVD

DAVID GERMAIN
The Associated Press

'Eastern Promises' debuts on video

Mortensen and filmmaker David Cronenberg have become an item, collaborating on two twisting crime thrillers back-to-back touching on intriguing matters of identity while keeping the action upfront and original. "Eastern Promises," their followup to "A History of Violence," just picked up three Golden Globe nominations, including best drama and an acting honor for Mortensen. This time out, Mortensen plays an eminently capable Russian mob guy who finds himself torn between his crime allies and the cause of a midwife (Naomi Watts) tracing the truth of an infant that has come into her care. The DVD has a couple of featurettes on the film's London locations and the symbolism behind Motensen's Russian tattoos. DVD, $29.98.

'Rush Hour 3'

After a long rest stop, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan are back in heavy traffic as an international buddy-cop duo. Six years after their last adventure, Tucker's detective Carter and Chan's inspector Lee wind up wreaking havoc in Paris as they chase a Chinese criminal genius and mix it up with both crime gangs and the local gendarmes. The movie comes in a bare-bones single-disc DVD or a two-disc DVD set and Blu-ray and HD DVD high-definition releases. Single-disc DVD, $28.98; two-disc DVD, $34.99; Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, $39.98 each.

'The Kingdom'

Audiences have not been terribly anxious to check out the rush of war-on-terror flicks making their way to the big screen, though this one, done in an action-movie vein, drew bigger crowds than its more issue-driven cousins. Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper star in the thriller about an FBI team that winds up in its own little war as U.S. agents trek to Saudi Arabia to catch the mastermind behind a huge terrorist bombing. DVD, $29.98; HD DVD, $39.98.

'The Heartbreak Kid'

Ben Stiller rejoined his "There's Something About Mary" filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly for a lesser stab at gross-out romance. This time, they remake Elaine May's satiric 1970s tale, replacing its social commentary with the usual Farrelly hijinks and sight-gags. Stiller plays a lonely guy who meets the seemingly perfect woman and marries her on a whim, only to discover they're utterly incompatible on their honeymoon, where he also meets his real true love. The Farrellys offer commentary, while the DVD and HD DVD releases also have deleted scenes, a gag reel and a segment on Stiller and his dad, Jerry, who plays his character's father, as well. DVD, $29.99; HD DVD, $39.99.

'The Brothers Solomon'

Dorky siblings set out to continue their family line in this comedy following the romantic misadventures of two clueless men. Will Arnett and Will Forte star as brothers raised in the remote wilderness, where they never ran across a woman, leaving them social squares with no skills to carry out their dying dad's wish to have a grandchild. Along with deleted scenes, the DVD comes with commentary from Arnett and Forte, while the disc also has a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes. DVD, $26.96.