New DVDs: Buy, rent or ignore?

This week: 'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian' and 'Terminator Salvation'

By Paul Semel

Special to Metromix
November 30, 2009

New DVDs: Buy, rent or ignore?
Photos:
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" "Terminator Salvation" "Angels & Demons" "Funny People"

You loved the movie, what about the DVD?

Find out as we examine the extras on this week's best movie DVDs...

"NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN"
Stars: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson
Director: Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”)
Formats: DVD, “Monkey Mischief” Two-disc DVD, DVD/Blu-ray Combo
What we said: "As it turns out, 93 main characters is too many."

Extras: DVD: Commentary; deleted scenes; alternate ending; gag reel; “Curators of Comedy: Behind the Scenes with Ben Stiller,” “Cherub Bootcamp” and “Phinding Pharoah with Hank Azaria” featurettes.
“Monkey Mischief” DVD: DVD extras plus “Show Me the Monkey” featurette; “Monkey Slap Game”; “Abel and Dexter's Flights of Fancy” game.
DVD/Blu-ray: All of the “Monkey Mischief” extras plus more deleted scenes; “Museum Scavenger Hunt Game”; six featurettes: “Historical Confessions: Famous Last Words,” “Secret Doors and Scientists,” “Caveman Conversations: Survival of the Wittiest,” “Museum Magic: Entering the World of the Photograph,” “Director 201 with Shawn Levy” and “Gangster Levy”; “Fox Movie Channel Presents” featurettes.

Worth watching: Some of the deleted scenes are funny, as is the gag reel.
Worth skipping: Between the commentary and the other featurettes, the “Fox Movie Channel” stuff is redundant.
Worth adding: A “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” t-shirt, which they sell on the Smithsonian's website along with a Talking Einstein bobblehead, bullet space pens and an adorable stuffed animal squid.

Buy, rent or ignore: Rent.


"TERMINATOR SALVATION"
Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin
Director: McG (“Charlie's Angels”)
Format: DVD, Blu-ray
What we said: "A tough, strong movie, loaded with exciting action sequences ... Thing is, some muscular beings have brains, and 'Salvation' isn't one of them."

Extras: DVD: A digital copy of the theatrical version.
Blu-ray: The digital copy plus the theatrical and director's cut versions of the film; “Maximum Movie Mode,” eleven picture-in-picture featurettes; “The Moto-Terminator” featurette; “Re-Forging the Future” set tour; BD-Live content includes viral videos from the “Resist or Be Terminated” alternate reality game, issue #1 of the “Terminator Salvation” prequel comic and the first episode of the “Terminator Machinima Series.”

Worth watching: “The Moto-Terminator” will show you how to convert your Ducati motorcycle into a killing machine.
Worth skipping: The digital copy of the underwhelming “Terminator Salvation” prequel comic.
Worth adding: The BD-Live content should just be on the Blu-ray, along with the rest of the “Machinima” series (even though it's available on its own DVD for just $6.01). This kind of content shouldn't be downloadable. What happens when Skynet crashes the servers, how will we watch them then?

Buy, rent or ignore:
Ignore the DVD; Buy the Blu-ray.


Other DVDs out this week:
— Watch Michael Cera be uncomfortable talking about love with his "girlfriend" Charlyne Yi in “Paper Heart” (also on Blu-ray)
— Sigourney Weaver and Kate Bosworth co-star in the direct-to-DVD drama "The Girl in the Park"

Also on Blu-ray:
“Criterion Collection: Gimme Shelter”
“The Green Mile”
“Gremlins”
“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”
“The Mask of Zorro”
“Secondhand Lions”
“Snatch”

Also released:
“Gunslinger Girl Il Treatino”
“Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVI” (including “The Corpse Vanishes,” “Warrior of the Lost World,” “Santa Claus Conquers the Devil” and “Night of the Blood Beast”)
“Poker Run”
“Silent Night Deadly Night Box Set” (including “Silent Night Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out,” “Silent Night Deadly Night 4: Initiation” and “Silent Night Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker”)
“Sticks and Stones”

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