By DNA Smith
PICKS OF THE WEEK
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I” (PG-13) — In a shameless attempt to milk every last drop from the Harry Potter cash cow, Warner Brothers decided to split the last installment of the Harry Potter series into two films and release them eight months apart — leaving fans of the series to endure the mostly boring first film that sets up all the actiony goodness for the finale —instead of just making one great movie.
Harry, Ron and Hermoine (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) are on the run from Voldemort’s Death Eaters as they begin their quest to find the five horcruxes that contain the soul of the evil wizard. Sadly, most of the time is spent in a forest where there is a lot of arguing and handwringing, and not much questing.
“Deathly Hallows” isn’t a complete waste of time. There are a few great moments in the film (Hermoine erasing her parents’ memory of her existence is especially moving), but for the most part the film is nothing but a glacial-paced set-up for the July release of the finale that we’ve all been waiting a decade to see.
“The Incredibles” (PG) — Pixar’s brilliant and entertaining 2004 superhero romp finally gets a Blu-ray release.
Mr. Incredible and his super-powered family must hide their identities from the world. As a part of a superhero relocation program, the once-famous hero and his brood now live a dull, suburban life. But their humdrum existence comes quickly to an end when a new supervillain appears — and he holds a massive grudge against Mr. Incredible.
The four-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combo includes not only all the great special features from the original DVD release, but a slew of new behind-the-scenes goodies and a digital copy of the film.
“From Dusk Till Dawn” (R) — Without question, “From Dusk Till Dawn” is the greatest Aztec Vampire Stripper movie ever committed to celluloid. This 1996 grindhouse epic written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez stars George Clooney and Tarantino as the Gecko brothers, two bank-robbin’ desperados on the run who kidnap a minister (Harvey Keitel) and his two children and hold up in a Mexican strip joint.
Little do the brothers suspect that star attraction Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek, performing an unforgettable dance with an albino python) and all the strippers and club employees are bloodthirsty vampires with a need to feed.
TV SHOWS
“Man vs. Wild” Season 5
“H.R. Pufnstuf” Complete Series Collector’s Edition
“Kathy Griffin — My Life on the D-List” Season 4
“Whitney Cummings: Money Shot”
“Snapped” Complete Seasons 1 & 2
“Flipping Out” Season 3
“Rachel Zoe Project” Season 1
“Car 54, Where Are You” Complete First Season
© 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.