"Juno"
(Credit: Fox)
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Find out as we examine the extras on this week's best movie DVDs...
"JUNO"
Stars: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman.
Director: Jason Reitman (“Thank You For Smoking”)
Formats: Single-Disc DVD, Two-Disc DVD, Blu-ray
What We Said: Not as hysterical but much more rewarding than "Knocked Up," allowing kids to be kids, adults to be adults and each to spend a little time as the other.
The Extras: Single-Disc Version: Commentary by Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody; deleted scenes with optional commentary by Reitman and Cody; gag reel; gag take; cast & crew jam; screen tests.
Two-Disc Version: All of the above plus “Way Beyond Our Maturity Level: Juno, Leah, Bleeker” featurette; “Diablo Cody Is Totally Boss” featurette; “Jason Reitman For Shizz” featurette: “Honest To Blog! Creating Juno” featurette; a digital copy of the movie.
Blu-ray Version: All of the above plus “Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere: 'Juno'”; “Fox Movie Channel Presents: Casting Session: 'Juno'.”
Worth Watching: The commentary track, in which Reitman talks about making the movie while Oscar-winner Cody makes the kind of wise-ass remarks that made this film so funny.
Worth Skipping: Nothing—it's actually all pretty interesting and not the usual generic making-of type stuff.
Worth Adding: Featurettes on the Moldy Peaches and the movie's soundtrack.
Buy, rent, or ignore: Buy the Blu-ray or Two-Disc; Ignore the Single-Disc.
"LARS AND THE REAL GIRL"
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson
Director: Craig Gillespie (“Mr. Woodcock”)
Format: DVD
What We Said: The cast...is more perfect than anything you can order on the Internet.
The Extras: Two featurettes: “A Real Leading Lady” and “The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl”; the deleted scene “Bathtub”; the theatrical trailer.
Worth Watching: “A Real Leading Lady,” a tongue-in-cheek featurette on Lars' blow-up doll love interest that has the cast and crew playing along just like the characters in the film do.
Worth Skipping: The deleted scene, which is kind of creepy. Not because the doll is in the tub, but because Lars gets in without taking off his clothes. Ew, wet clothes.
Worth Adding: A featurette on the history and making of "Real Dolls."
Buy, rent, or ignore: Rent.
"ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: REQUIEM"
Stars: Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale.
Directors: Colin and Greg Strause
Formats: Single-Disc DVD, Two-Disc DVD, Blu-ray
What We Said: Despite what the harsher R-rating recommends, it's not really advisable that anyone over the age of 17 see this movie.
The Extras: Single-Disc DVD: Two commentaries: one with producer John Davis and co-directors Colin and Greg Straus, the other with creature effects designers/creators Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, Jr.
Two-Disc DVD: The two aforementioned commentaries; digital copy; five behind-the-scenes featurettes; seven galleries; trailers.
Blu-ray: All of Single-Disc DVD extras plus both the theatrical and unrated versions of the movie; interactive picture-in-picture reference guide.
Worth Watching: The featurettes “Crossbreed: The PredAlien” and the gallery “Designing the PredAlien,” for those itching to make their own Alien/Predator hybrid.
Worth Skipping: The galleries “Designing the Predator” and “Designing the Alien.” After seven collective movies, we know what they look like.
Worth Adding: The Two-Disc DVD extras onto the Blu-ray version; a featurette on the original “Aliens vs. Predator” comic books and video games.
Buy, rent, or ignore: Rent.
Other DVDs out this week:
Dark but riveting Philip Seymour Hoffman/Ethan Hawke thriller "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (also on Blu-ray)
Allegedly "feel good" baseball drama "The Final Season"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" co-star Jeff Garlin's low-key romance "I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With"
Uwe Boll's latest maligned video-game adaptation "In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale"
French gore-fest "Inside"
Oscar nominated doc "War/Dance"
Older titles:
"Alien Nation, Ultimate Movie Collection"
"Blast of Silence" (Criterion Collection)
"The Bridge on the River Kwai, Collector's Edition"
"Commando" (Blu-ray)
"Lawrence Of Arabia, Collector's Edition"
"Mannequin/Mannequin 2: On The Move"
"A Passage To India Two-Disc Collectors Edition" (also on Blu-ray)
"Predator" (Blu-ray)
