About this product: A LAS VEGAS-SET COMEDY CENTERED AROUND THREE GROOMSMEN WHO LOSE THEIR ABOUT-TO-BE-WED BUDDY DURING THEIR DRUNKEN MISADVENTURES, THEN MUST RETRACE THEIR STEPS IN ORDER TO FIND HIM.
About this product: If you like your humor broadside up, hold the subtlety, you'll want to nurse this Hangover with your best buds. The ensemble cast meshes perfectly--it's like a super-R-rated episode of Friends: silly, slapstick, and completely in the viewer's face. When four pals go to Vegas to celebrate the imminent nuptials of one of them, they partake in a rooftop toast to "a night we'll never forget." But they're in for a big surprise: their celebration drinks were laced with date-rape drugs, so when they awake in their hotel room 12 hours later, not only are they hung over, but they can't remember what they did all night long. Oh, and they're missing the groom-to-be.
The film is so cheerfully raunchy, so fiercely crude, that the humor becomes as intoxicating as the mind-altering substances. The standout in the ensemble is Zach Galifianakis, who is alternately creepy and hilarious. Ed Helm (The Office), in addition to his memory, loses a tooth in uncomfortably realistic fashion, and Bradley Cooper (He's Just Not That into You) has deadpan comic timing that whips along at the speed of light. "Ma'am, you have an incredible rack," he blares to a pedestrian from the squad car the guys have "borrowed." "I should have been a [bleeping] cop," he tells himself approvingly.
Director Todd Phillips brings back his deft handling of the actors and the dude humor that worked so well in Old School, as well as the unctuous Dan Finnerty, memorable as a lounge/wedding singer in both films. But it's the nonstop volley of jokes--most cheerily politically incorrect--that grabs the audience and thrashes it around the hotel room. Just watch out for the tiger in the bathroom. --A.T. Hurley
Also on the Disc If the original Hangover was just the hair o' the dog your funny bone needed, then this unrated version, packed with lots of hilarious and raunchy extras, is your drink of choice. This two-disc set includes the theatrical release as well as the unrated version, which extends the original gags (sometimes a bit too far, even for fans of broad, crude humor) and goes to town with risqué scenes that don't bother with double-entendre. The extras are truly delightful and include a great commentary that involves director Todd Phillips and stars Bradley Cooper (Phil), Ed Helms (Stu), and Zach Galifianakis (Alan). All commentaries should be like this--a great conversation with memorable moments and trivia woven into the viewing of the film, so that the commentary itself takes the front seat. There are lots of great behind-the-scenes factoids revealed here, including the fact that it was Galifianakis's idea to wear a jockstrap early in the film as he's getting dressed, giving the audience a full-on shot of his rear. "It was my idea but I regret it to this day," he says. "Though if you look closely, you'll see that the straps of the jockstrap pull up my cheeks and make them shapely." The commentary is just as fun as the film, and it makes the viewer realize The Hangover was a blast to make as well as to watch. Other great extras include a gag/blooper reel, a close-up of "The Dan Band" (the world's worst wedding band), a great clip of actor Ken Jeong's ad-libbed spiels as the crazed Mr. Chow, and an interactive "Map of Destruction" to show where the guys had their misadventures in Las Vegas. But this Hangover is best experienced strictly as an audience member--and this double-disc set is just the ticket. --A.T. Hurley
About this product: House begins its fifth season on a somber note. With his girlfriend, Amber, dead, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) finds his friendship with the cantankerous Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) to be more strained than ever and temporarily leaves the hospital where they work. He eventually returns, which is a good thing, because Wilson is the closest thing House has to a moral compass. The writers of this drama do an admirable job of inserting elements of well-placed comedy into the often-intense vignettes. Otherwise, House wouldn't be such a likable character. In fact, without the humor, he can often be downright despicable, especially to those he supposedly likes the most. Viewers learn that his lack of bedside manner (in and out of the hospital) probably was passed down from his father (R. Lee Ermey, who makes a brief appearance).
All 24 episodes--which originally aired during the 2008-2009 television season--are included in this five-disc boxed set. A few of the episodes are tainted by a soap opera vibe, particularly the ones concentrating on the romance between Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) and Dr. Remy ""Thirteen"" Hadley (Olivia Wilde). Based on the first four seasons, Foreman's behavior seems way off. While love can change a man, it doesn't seem likely that Foreman would change this much--not even for someone as compelling as Thirteen. But House's boss, Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), has a juicy story line involving her quest to have a family. The struggles she goes through to adopt a baby depict how challenging it can be for women--even those who excel at everything else--to have it all. But her story line also shows that she is more resilient than she gives herself credit for. For all its medical jargon and scenes set in the operating room, House really is about relationships more than anything else. That's why when another character tragically dies this season, viewers take the loss to heart. --Jae-Ha Kim
About this product: Created by successful television producer J.J. Abrams (FELICITY, ALIAS), LOST became one of the most popular and critically acclaimed programs of the 2004-2005 season. Utilizing a ripe premise and well-drawn and acted characters, LOST attracted a huge following and was proclaimed the saving grace of a television year otherwise marred by derivative reality programming. The story concerns the survivors of a terrible plane crash, who find themselves stranded on a tropical island with seemingly little chance of a rescue. Medical doctor Jack takes a position of leadership, helping to rally the survivors and prepare them for a period of difficulty as they learn how to survive on the paradisiacal island. But everything is not as it seems, as the island offers potential danger in the form of a large, mysterious creature, and evidence is found that the plane crash may not have been an accident. As they struggle to survive, each of the characters forms alliances and makes enemies, all while dealing with the unresolved issues of the lives they've left behind. LOST distills the difficulties of society down to their essence, exploring these problems with compelling characters and with a setting that's equal parts paradise and mystery.
About this product: When a television series opens its new season with a lead character crawling out of his grave after escaping Hell itself, one cannot help but wonder: how will the rest of the episodes ever follow that? In the case of Supernatural's fourth season, the answer comes from above with the introduction of Misha Collins's Castiel, an angel dispatched to rescue Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) from infernal torment and reunite him with brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) for a very special mission. That quest--to stop the demonic Lilith from opening the 66 seals required to bring Lucifer to Earth and launch the Apocalypse--forms the backbone of the 22 episodes, which takes some fairly adventurous risks with the core of the show. Chief among these is the rift that deepens between Dean and Sam as they attempt to work together, despite their divergent destinies; also agreeable is the season's tonal shift away from its previous Monster of the Week format (though that's still intact for many episodes) and toward a single, more ambitious story and thematic arc. The sea change deepens the show's drama, intensifies the level of suspense and stakes in each episode, and pushes it several big steps away from its teen-friendly origins. Of course, there's still plenty of the show's trademark irreverence and humor to be found, especially in the clever "Monster Movie," which pits the brothers against a Shapeshifter that takes the form of classic movie fiends, and "The Monster at the End of This Book," where Sam and Dean discover a comic book with plot lines very similar to their own lives. By the time Supernatural's fourth season reaches its cliffhanger ending with "Lucifer Rising" (the title neatly sums up the plot), viewers should be fairly hungering for the next episode--a good sign that a veteran series is still hitting its stride.
Extras on the six-disc set include commentary for three episodes: "In the Beginning," with executive producer Eric Kripke and writer Jeremy Carver; "When the Levee Breaks," with director Robert Singer and writer Sara Gamble; and "Lucifer Rising" with Kripke. Extended scenes are also available for several episodes, and the features are rounded out by a trio of somewhat ponderous featurettes on the concepts of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell, as depicted in scenes from the show and discussed by its writers, theologians, paranormal investigators, and the like. Clocking in between 10 and 25 minutes apiece, the docs feel padded and somewhat undernourished in the information department. However, they're unlikely to detract from one's enjoyment of this stellar season. --Paul Gaita
About this product: Track Listing: 1. The Call 2. Fields of Gold 3. When You Believe 4. The Coast of Galiçia 5. The New Ground - Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears 6. Non C’è Piú 7. True Colours 9. Galway Bay 10. Goodnight My Angel 11. O, America! 12. Níl Sé’n Lá 13. The Last Rose Fantasia 14. The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress 15. My Lagan Love 16. Amazing Grace 17. Pie Jesu 18. Slumber My Darling / The Mason’s Apron 19. Danny Boy 20. You Raise Me Up 21. Finale / Mo Ghile Mear
About this product: Who would have predicted that the departure of series creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough would have given Smallville a surge of super-strength in its eighth season? Give a good part of the credit to saying out with the old--series veterans Michael Rosenbaum (Lex) and Kristin Kreuk (Lana), whose dreary romantic coupling dragged down previous seasons--and in with the new. The new include entirely fresh faces Cassidy Freeman as LutherCorp heir apparent Tess Mercer and Sam Witwer as paramedic Davis Bloome, and experienced players getting increased face time, such as Justin Hartley's Green Arrow joining the opening credits and Erica Durance receiving much more exposure than in season 7. In particular, with Lana having said goodbye, Lois (Durance) and Clark (Tom Welling) are given ample time to start building the relationship we know is inevitable, and their clumsy fumblings are the highlight of the season (their fake engagement is particularly funny). Chloe (Allison Mack) and Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore) grow closer, but the brooding danger of Davis reveals something much worse than a mere lovers' triangle. Clark starts to embrace his destiny by protecting Metropolis at invisible super-speed, earning him the groan-worthy nickname of "The Red-Blue Blur," and comic-book characters making their series debuts are the geek-favorite group the Legion of Super-Heroes (Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad) and Dr. Emil Hamilton (Alessandro Juliani of Battlestar Galactica). The season sags when Durance is absent for stretches, and the season finale isn't nearly what it could have been, but it was still more than enough to rescue the series from what seemed to be the brink of cancellation and head strong into its ninth season. --David Horiuchi
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