'Meet the Robinsons'
Lewis, the boy genius in "Meet the Robinsons," has a slightly more complicated time-travel itinerary than Marty McFly. Unlike the kid in "Back to the Future," Lewis goes forward to find out what went wrong and then back to try to make it right.
It might not be the easiest narrative for the Pixar set to grasp, but it might not matter. "Meet the Robinsons" has more eye candy than a Toys "R" Us holiday catalog and enough wacky characters to keep folks glued to the screen.
Lewis is an orphanage kid who invents a time machine that is swiped by Bowler Hat Man, an evil villain who would make the future look like a Tim Burton film. If Lewis can get it back, the world will look more like Dr. Seuss' vision of The Jetsons with flying cars, pop-up buildings and, in Lewis' case, an extended family of lovable freaks.
At times, you might have to remind yourself that you're not watching an episode of "Jimmy Neutron" -- right down to Jimmy's sidekick, Wilbur. The difference is, Lewis has the darker backstory pushing his compulsion to invent.
In the extras, which include deleted scenes and interviews with the principals and musicians, the film's very earnest director Stephen Anderson talks about the source material -- the book "A Day With Wilbur" -- and how being an adopted child who didn't know his real mom compelled him to tell a story with a motto of "keep looking forward."
-- Scott Mervis, Post-Gazette Weekend Mag editor
'Mr. Brooks'
Kevin Costner plays the title role in this stylish psychological thriller about a man and his murderous alter ego. Earl Brooks is a philanthropic pillar of his community, a loving husband and father with a beautiful wife, a nifty house, a successful business -- and a dark secret (is there any other kind?). He is spurred on by Marshall (William Hurt), the Jekyll to his Hyde.
The story is a good one, but it's the two lead performances that make the film work. Costner's normally flat tone and reticence are an aid rather than drawback here. If you're like me it will be Hurt, an intense actor with many superb portrayals to his credit, who will steal your focus. Aside from Dane Cook as young blackmailer and detective Demi Moore, the dubious subplot concerns Mr. Brooks' nubile daughter, Jane (Danielle Panabaker), who may or may not have inherited a few of Daddy's undesirable genes.
The DVD includes deleted scenes, including an alternate opening, an on-the-set piece and commentary.
-- Barry Paris, Post-Gazette film critic
'The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones'
Turns out there's a reason why "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" is being released on DVD as "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones" ($129.99, Paramount Home Entertainment). This is not the TV show you watched on ABC in the early 1990s. Executive producer George Lucas edited the show into a series of 90-minute movies, cobbling two episodes together for each. Lucas also ditched the bookend recollections by an elderly Indiana Jones (George Hall), retaining the stories about young Indy as a boy (Corey Carrier) and as a teen (Sean Patrick Flannery, "The Dead Zone").
None of this tinkering makes the episodes any less boring than I remember. The writing largely suffers in its attempts to entertain and educate -- comparative religion, slavery and the usefulness of languages are all subjects in the first film. But the DVD deserves kudos for its bounty of newly-produced educational extras, as many as seven on some episodes. These lengthy featurettes explain the history behind the stories. A bonus interactive disc lets you read Indy's journal and see how his adventures line up with the historical timeline.
This release is the first of three "Young Indiana Jones" collections. Volume Two will be available Dec. 28 with the third volume, featuring an episode with a Harrison Ford cameo, out next year in time for the new big-screen Indy flick.
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
'Season One, Route 66, Volume One'
When you travel with Buz Murdock (George Maharis, right) and Tod Stiles (Martin Milner) along "Route 66'' you know Buz eventually will pop some guy in the face. Buy the show on DVD ($29.98) and you'll wind up waiting for Buz's right cross, nearly as frequent and casual as a "Hi, Bob'' in "The Bob Newhart Show.''
Though you'll dig the Corvette convertible that zips through the United States circa 1960, you may wonder why these guys liked the road when so many of their stops put them amid crazies and thugs. Of course, it could be the beautiful women they rescue from various degrees of peril at every stop. Look for a young Suzanne Pleshette, among others.
Shot entirely on location, the black and white show didn't stick to the historic Chicago-to-Los Angeles U.S. Route 66, the better to include gothic characters of the Deep South. The DVD is more interesting as a time capsule and a precursor of later fame than it is great entertainment. The extras aren't much: Still shots trace the evolution of the Chevrolet Corvette, and contemporary commercials include most of the first cast of "My Three Sons'' salivating over the Chevrolet Biscayne.
-- Brian O'Neill, Post-Gazette staff writer
'Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season'
Die-hard fans want more behind-the-scenes details than most DVD releases deliver, but "Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season" ($59.98, Warner Home Video) is truly satisfying. It offers a glimpse at what might have been, the 12-minute mini-episode for a potential fourth season of "Veronica Mars" that fast-forwards from Veronica as a college student to Veronica as an FBI agent. An 18-minute interview with creator Rob Thomas and supervising producer Dan Etheridge gives only six minutes of commentary on the rejected concept -- "Mars" was canceled in May -- with the balance of the time devoted to a rehash of the season four preview.
Other extras include Thomas and Etheridge discussing the show, including the revised theme song and scenes Thomas disliked. There's an obligatory gag reel and previously available Web features are labeled as such (a refreshing touch of DVD honesty). Some of these shorts cause motion sickness (the 30-second set tour), but others are hugely entertaining (actors Chris Lowell and Kristen Bell interviewing each other).
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
'Absolutely Fabulous: White Box'
The never-say-rehab "Absolutely Fabulous" ladies are back with "Absolutely Fabulous: White Box" ($14.98). This DVD release features the 2004 "White Box" Christmas special, where Edina gets a disastrous kitchen makeover that catapults her into regression therapy. Guest stars include Laurie Metcalfe and Nathan Lane.
There are almost two hours' worth of extras, including two series highlights collections: "How to Be Absolutely Fabulous," featuring a hilarious outtakes segment, and "Absolutely Fabulous: A Life," another best-of collection mixed with Eddy's misadventures in a secondhand store while filming a documentary on her life.
The most interesting of the extras is "French & Saunders; Modern Mother and Daughter," a short comedy sketch that inspired the series, featuring Saunders as Eddy and series co-writer Dawn French as her daughter.
-- Adrian McCoy, Post-Gazette staff writer
DVD bits
"Hostel: Part II": Writer-director Eli Roth has his grisly formula down pat. Take a couple of young Americans traveling in Europe and plunk them into some sort of seriously sick setting. This time around, the cast includes Heather Matarazzo, Lauren German and Bijou Phillips.
"Home of the Brave": Lots of documentaries are being made about the war in Iraq, but this is a drama examining the physical and psychological toll the war takes on four soldiers. Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel are among the stars.
"SAW III: Director's Cut": The third piece of this over-the-top horror trilogy gets even gorier with this two-disc director's cut from Darren Lynn Bousman, loaded with extras.
"The Company": Alfred Molina, Chris O'Donnell and Michael Keaton star in this three-episode Cold War spy drama that originally aired on TNT.
"Fido": Zombies have been domesticated in this biting film starring Billy Connolly as one of the undead, named Fido. See 'Fido' is the best zombie spoof ever!.
"The Sopranos," season 6, Part 2: The final nine episodes of the HBO series comes with a feature on "Cleaver," the film that Christopher pitched in Hollywood; a piece on "Music of The Sopranos"; and audio commentaries from Steven Schirripa, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler and Steven Van Zandt.
Special editions: "2001: A Space Odyssey"; "A Clockwork Orange"; "Eyes Wide Shut"; "Full Metal Jacket"; "The Shining."
More TV on DVD: "The Adventures of Aquaman," complete; "The L Word," season 4; "NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service," season 4; "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season 2, Volume 3."
First Published: October 25, 2007, 8:00 a.m.