The Screening Room

I'm not a Grey's Anatomy fan, but I've gotten to like Katherine Heigl anyway. She has smarts, an Everygirl attractiveness and a goofy sense of humor that just might make her the Meg Ryan of the decade. I also like the fact that she hasn't found it necessary thus far to get nekkid on the screen, yet she doesn't exude a cloying good-girl aura, either.

That said, I wonder why she chose to do this movie? 27 Dresses (out on DVD today) doesn't give Ms. Heigl much to do from a comedy standpoint, except to (a) parade in a series of horrible bridemaid's frocks and (b) lead a booze-fueled, sing-along version of Bennie and the Jets in a bar.

One of the biggest cheats of 2007, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, arrives on DVD today. Run, don't walk, away from this one, which is likely to gobble up prime display space at the video store. You may recall its big Christmas Day opening and its lavish ad campaign heralding the final showdown between two icons of sci-fi/horror flicks. If you didn't catch it then, you might think you missed something. You didn't.

Ripped from yesterday's newscasts and available on DVD today, Lions for Lambs attempts to be a talker about the Iraq war but winds up a big snoozer instead. The star-studded cast (Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Robert Redford) tries to deliver the goods, all three looking as if they believe the preachy lines they spout, but in the end there are no goods to deliver. Just talk, talk and more talk. It's not so much a movie as it is a panel discussion, the kind one could catch on Fox News or CNN last year, before the elections and the economy claimed the spotlight.

You'll likely see this one given prime display among the new releases at the video stores, and with the three stars featured prominently on the DVD cover, it's tempting not to bite. After all, with Streep, Cruise and Redford, who did double duty as director, how bad can it be? Well, that depends on how bad you think boring is. If you could use a good night's sleep, this film could get you there. If you think a film should engage the viewer and deliver something resembling a plot, stay away.

If you were one of the unfortunate souls who invested in Toshiba's now-defunct HD-DVD high definition disc format -- and you bought your player from Best Buy -- you can now get a consolation prize in the form of a $50 gift certificate.

Read all about it at our tech blog.

I've got a post up over at our technology blog about a new feature on a handful of high definition Blu-ray movies that lets you legally and easily rip a copy of the movie to your computer's hard drive or to your portable video player (such as the iPhone).

It's a capability that the studios were talking about before either Blu-ray or HD-DVD hit the market, and I have to admit I was skeptical they'd ever actually implement it.

So kudos to Fox and Lionsgate for taking baby steps in this consumer-friendly direction, and let's hope this is just the beginning of a trend.

Don't know about you, but I'm pretty underwhelmed by Apple's entry into the let's-beat-Netflix sweepstakes. If you download the latest version of iTunes (available in Windows and Mac formats), you'll discover that, after yesterday's big announcements at the Mac World convention, Apple is now renting movies on its iTunes Music Store. But it all looked lame to me. Virtually none of the titles jumped out at me. I don't know ... maybe you differ? I like the idea; I just can't applaud the execution. At least not now.

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Washington Post writer Jen Chaney breaks down a list of seven exceptional DVD moments from 2007, from Judd Apatow's entertaining commentaries to the thoroughness of Twin Peaks: The Gold Box Edition. Tell us your top picks -- or disappointments -- with this year in home entertainment.

Personally, I have to give props to MGM for its massive Stargate: SG-1 complete series box set. If nothing else, it wins hands down for Shiniest Packaging.

And for Best Use of Extra Space on a DVD: a shout out to BBC for Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series. Video commentaries (especially "The Girl in the Fireplace," with then-coupled co-stars David Tennant and Sophia Myles) that appear as picture-in-picture frames of the episode, and David Tennant's video diaries (think "The Real World" confessional with an actual engaging person inside).

Amazon.com

You'd have to be VERY good this year to get Santa to drop this off at your house. The Warner Mega Classics Collection (released last year) boasts a staggering ... actually, I have no idea how many. And I refuse to count.

It pretty looks like what I imagine the Turner Classic Movies channel vault looks like. Or at least, reminds me of the video store from my childhood. I was pretty addicted to the classics section (only 99 cents to rent!) and American Movie Classics channel (back in the day before TCM). I don't know when I'd ever have time to watch all of these or even store them, but if that's what Santa drops down my chimney, I'd say I've done pretty good.

Want the full list? Click below to keep reading. But I can say that it includes my all-time favorite, Now Voyager. (Movies I've seen in bold. Because I can.)

Screen shot of IMDb.com

IMDb.com really really wants you to know that Twin Peaks is out on DVD tomorrow.

Like, really.

See it if you haven't (Criterion)

Aside from the glorious restored HD transfer, Criterion's new two-disc set offers a bevy of goodies, including a pair of provocative video essays: Jonathan Rosenbaum's Breathless as Criticism, a knowing look at the film's many cultural references and threads of commentary; and Mark Rappaport's Jean Seberg, a snapshot of the tragic star who became an American-in-Paris icon selling the New York Herald Tribune in Breathless. No one can match Criterion's ability to present a portable master class on a vital piece of film history.

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and will end with two more. That's what we call "full circle." Which is appropriate, because we're talking about Stargate. Specifically, Stargate SG-1: The Complete Series, which crossed our desk this week. Actually, "thudded heavily onto" might be more appropriate because this set of all 10 season is nearly 8x8x8. And heavy.

So what does it offer? ...

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With the absence of late fees and the convenience of home delivery, renting DVDs is easier - and harder - than ever. I've got some 60 discs in my queue right now, including a half-dozen seasons of TV shows I need to catch up on. Some get mainlined pretty quickly and sent right back (The Fountain, Match Point), some linger around for multiple viewings (Miracle, Primer) and some languish in unwatched ignominy.

Now I'm faced with two choices: send the films back, unwatched, after wasting nearly a month of new films. Or, hold on to them a little longer because I am omgtotally going to watch them now, for reals. Right.

So what's your queue drama? Is it ambitiously overflowing or pathetically empty? Are you constantly sending discs back to find out just how many "unlimited" is in a single month? Or does that copy of The Bourne Identity have a two-inch layer of dust on it? Vent - it's good for the soul.

Take me to Lower Greenville or suffer my wrath: Robocop digs on Dallas (MGM/Fox/Orion)

The producers chose Big D to play "New Detroit" for its tripped-out techno skyline and sleek architecture. The coolest parts of the movie play the skyscrapers against the more industrial streets of West Dallas (actually one chase looks like it was shot down on Industrial or nearby, not far from Reunion Tower, which sticks its head up in the near distance). In another scene, The I.M. Pei-designed Fountain Place (otherwise known as that beveled glass building downtown) can be spotted in all its modern glory. (Incidentally, the building opened in 1986, one year before Robocop came out).

So: What's your favorite movie that made good use of our fair burg?

... Boy Culture .
Now don't freak out about the subject matter. It's not nearly as graphic as it could be. And, honestly, Derek Magyar and Darryl Stephens make delightful eye candy no matter what they're doing.
What surprised me was how good the movie actually is. It's a pretty cool love story as well. I was all drawn in with the ups and downs of X, the main character, and his room mates.
Hey, did I menition the eye candy thing? Good flick, snappy dialogue, believable characters, but did I mention the eye candy?

Hang on, Deckard. There's more where that came from. (Warner Bros.)

So it's just been announced that there will be (after years of speculation) a definitive "final cut" of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (recently added to AFI's 100 best films list) coming in December. Other options will include a two-disc version (with the new cut plus a three-and-a-half-dour documentary called "Dangerous Days," about the grueling production), a four-disc version (the aforementioned materials plus three other cuts and another disc of bonus material), a 5-disc ultimate collector's edition (which includes a "workprint" version and more features), as well as HD-DVD and Blu-ray incarnations. Phew. It's more Blade Runner than anyone can probably handle. At least in one sitting.

Donald Sutherland opens wide and ruins my childhood (United Artists)

I'm happy to report that Kaufman's film holds up quite well on the new Collector's Edition DVD, which comes with cleverly designated "pods" of special features. The '50s Red Scare brainwashing fear that fueled the 1956 original somehow works for the '70s Me Decade. Back then, though, I just knew it freaked me out. (Yet another variation, The Invasion, is due out next week).

Which brings us to the question: What childhood movie watching experience gave you the Willies? More important: Have you recovered yet?

Ok, so I bought 300 on DVD yesterday for $19.96, and it came with a "final super-swank director's cut" of Alexander.

Alexander was on the Big List of DVDs I Want. But "I Want" tends to translate to "only if I come across them in a big bi somewhere for about $5." So you see, attaching it 300 made me spend about $5 on Alexander than I normally would have. Smart marketing based on the convenience factor and the Ancient Story Told with Pretty Boys with Swords factor. But annoying nonetheless.

I never would have thought that two of the best movies I've seen this year are foreign and star German movie star Sebastian Koch (whom I had never heard of before)! Koch plays a Nazi officer in the emotionally complicated Black Book, out of theaters now and heading to DVD Sept. 25. And I just watched a DVD of The Lives of Others in which he plays an East German playwright under surveillance by the East German police before the Berlin Wall came down. As much as I now like Koch, the most fascinating character in The Lives of Others is played by Ulrich Muhe as the guy who does the surveillance. There's a remarkable arc in which he starts out as a pitiless Javert-like inspector for whom everything is black and white. As he spies on the playwright, he is slowly and subtly changed by him. It is truly a remarkable story. It will be released Aug. 21 and I really recommend it.

Sometimes you just want to stay home. The movie theater doesn't have what you're interested in. Or it's packed. Or you don't feel like paying 9 bucks a pop to see stuff blow up. So you go to Hollywood Video (or, God forbid, Blockbuster) or even some local libraries to rent a DVD. You get an hour or so into your movie and the screen freezes. How many times has this happened to you? Frankly, I'm sick of paying money to rent a scratched-up DVD. Are stores going to have to go back to "Be Kind" stickers? Instead of reminding customers to rewind, remind them that DVDs are not:

-Frisbees
-knife sharpeners
-coasters

Remember. These are movies. People who rent it want to see the whole thing. So take care of the DVDs you rent.

Postscript: What have you faithful blog readers found as alternatives to chains? Netflix? Premiere Video? Let us know.

NetFlix is the best thing ever. I have decided. Of course, it might be just the act of getting DVDs in the mail. But I have managed to broaden my movie horizons. Chris Vognar will be proud of me. I have added The Seventh Seal to my queue. It's like the 80th flick in line, but still. It was an important gesture.

Besides, 300 came out on DVD yesterday, and Leonidas get my attention first

So, after years of putting it off, saying I'd eventually get around to it, I finally buckled down and watched the incredible Sunset Blvd. last night. It wasn't at all what I had expected. I expected some noirish touches and have a lot to do with lost fame, but I had no idea it would be a pitch-black comedy, a May-December romance (sort of), and a deep, rich study of delusional behavior. It's got to be one of the most original, fascinating and downright bizarre movies I've ever seen. And Gloria Swanson's performance has got to be one of the all-time greats. I think my favorite Wilder picture will always be Double Indemnity, but he's got so many great works. Having said that, and given all the love for the recent DVD release of Ace in the Hole (which I'm still dying to see), I'd like to make a bid that, for his body of work, Billy Wilder is the greatest director of all time. Would anyone like to refute this? I'd love to hear your answers.

Yes, it's a girl thing. Women have one Thing we look for when we're in a store, mall or on