You can’t replace Arnold Schwarzenegger – you can only swap in an Oscar winner and hope audiences are blinded by the gold-plated aura.
The new “Predators” film, leading off this week’s DVD and Blu-ray release slate, finds Adrien Brody beating back a wave of alien warriors. The film doesn’t eclipse the success of Ah-nold’s 1987 original, but as B-movie fun you could do far worse.
- “Predators” – The extra “S” in the title says it all, even if the film can’t capture the action excellence of another sci-fi sequel, “Aliens.” Brody stars as a soldier transported to an alien planet to serve as game for the titular Predators. The Blu-ray extras include commentary from producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimrod Antal, Motion Comics vignettes voiced by the film’s cast, deleted and extended scenes and a multi-part package dubbed “Evolution of the Species: Predators Reborn.”
- “Please Give” - Catherine Keener stars as a woman who seems to have it all – and is wracked with guilt because of it. She decides to start giving back to the world, all the while her husband (Oliver Platt) kicks off an affair with a nubile neighbor (Amanda Peet). A smart, probing look at modern times – and social mores. The Blu-ray extras include “Behind the Scenes: Please Give,” outtakes and commentary from writer/director Nicole Holofcener.
- “Holy Rollers” – Fact remains wackier than fiction as this based on true events tale proves anew. Jesse Eisenberg plays a Hasidic Jew who gets wrapped up in a drug smuggling scheme much to the chagrin of his traditional family. The culture clash is considerable, and “The Hangover” star Justin Bartha is on hand to steer Eisenberg’s character toward the dark side. DVD extras include deleted scenes, an interview with stars Eisenberg and Bartha plus commentary from director Kevin Asch, producer Danny A. Abeckaser, Bartha and Eisenberg.
- “Mirrors 2″ -The 2008 shocker with Kiefer Sutherland wasn’t a smash by any measure, but it left just enough conceptual wiggle room for a sequel. This straight to home video affair follows a woman who lurks in reflected images to pay back the men and women responsible for her death. The bonus features include “The Other Side: Making Mirrors 2,” deleted scenes, “Keeping it Real: The Visual and Special Effects of Mirrors 2″ and “Into the Mirror,” the original Korean film in its entirety.
- “Smash His Camera” – Uber-paparazzi Ron Galella gets his close-up in this new documentary that focuses on the nexus between fame, celebrity and privacy. He’s had his jaw broken by Marlon Brandon and been sued by Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and he’s live to tell the tale – and snap pics of our most famous faces. DVD extras include deleted and extended scenes plus commentary from Galella, director Leon Gast, Linda Saffire and Adam Schlesinger.
(Photo: Alice Braga, Welton Goggins and Adrien Brody play warriors trying to survive on an alien-infested planet in “Predators.” Photo credit: Rico Torres)
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- DVDs of the Week: Freddy Krueger’s back … did you miss him?
- DVDs of the Week: SNL skit writ too large
- DVDs of the Week: ‘Cops,’ ‘Losers’ and the ‘Mother’ of all defenders
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