COUCH THEATER — DVD PREVIEWS
By DNA Smith
PICKS OF THE WEEK
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” — Brad Pitt stars as the titular Button, a man who lives his life backward. He is born as a tiny elderly man and lives out the rest of his adventurous life aging in reverse. Pitt delivers a great performance and the makeup and special effects are top-notch. This film has so many elements that could have made it a timeless classic, but unfortunately “Benjamin Button” is undermined by a horrible Hurricane Katrina plot device and far too many similarities to “Forrest Gump.”
“Twilight Ultimate Collector’s Set” — The blockbuster “tween” vampire and sexual-abstinence parable finally hits home video. Kristen Stewart stars as Bella Swan, a young girl who moves to a new town and meets up with the sullen, pasty Edward (Robert Pattinson), who turns out to be a vampire who abstains from sucking her blood and resolves to protect Bella from other creatures of the night who have a taste for the red stuff.
Oh sure, you could pick up the bare-bones DVD, but for the Twihard in your family only this release will do. Not only do you get the Special Edition Blu-Ray edition of the film, which includes a ton of special features, but you also get an individually numbered jewelry box, a wristwatch, charm bracelet, six glossy photo cards, a bookmark and a CD of the film’s soundtrack.
TV SERIES
“Gavin and Stacey: Season One” — The award-winning BBC sitcom tells the story of a nice guy from England and a chick from Wales as they try to overcome their family’s cultural differences while maintaining a long-distance relationship. It’s like a more warm-hearted and realistic version of “Dharma and Greg,” and well worth a look.
MORE TV
“Crusoe: The Complete Series”
“Boston Legal” Season 5
“Doctor Who: The E-Space Trilogy”
“Lipstick Jungle” Season Two
“McLeod’s Daughters” The Complete Eighth Season
“October Road” The Complete Second Season
“Jon and Kate Plus Ei8ht” Season 4 — The Wedding, Volume 1
“Dexter” The Complete Second Season
“That Girl” Season Five
“Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict” Season 1
“Jake and The Fatman” Second Season
© 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.