DVD Releases - April 11

After several weeks in a row of Oscar-winning and award nominated films taking up the release schedule, this week’s highlights are a decidedly different bunch of DVDs. Two are clearly meant to generate some interest in an upcoming sequel next month, while the rest ... well, they’re not Oscar winners, that’s for sure. Here’s some of the releases heading your way April 11:

“Fun with Dick and Jane” (PG-13) - A remake of the 1977 film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda, Jim Carrey and Téa Leoni take the leads in this comedy about a couple who turn to crime when both find themselves out of work. There’s probably a good, but depressing drama that could be made of this same concept. And that title would certainly be a bit of a stretch in that case. Then again, it’s probably a bit of a stretch with this particular comedy too.
Extras: Audio commentary with director Dean Parisot and screenwriters Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller, deleted scenes, and a gag reel (see Jim Carrey become unhinged, over and over!).

“In Living Color: Season 5” - Speaking of Jim Carrey, here he is again, in what would be the final season of the sketch comedy show. This is the one that doesn’t have any of the Wayans family involved, but does include a more visible Carrey and Jamie Foxx, as well as Chris Rock. Still, if memory serves, this season was pretty weak overall.
Extras: A big, fat nada, unless you consider it providing all 26 episodes of the season an extra.

“Mission: Impossible - 10th Anniversary Edition” (PG-13) - It’s been 10 years already? Well, for those of you who can’t remember that far back, Tom Cruise starred as super agent Ethan Hunt in this adaptation of the 1960s TV show. The character of Jim Phelps is in the film, but is portrayed by Jon Voight, not Peter Graves. What gives? Graves was great. I loved it when he asked the kid in the plane’s cockpit if he’d ever seen a grown man naked. Umm, I think I might have mixed up my movies.
Extras: Lots of featurettes, as well as a teaser trailer for M:I-3 (how generous of them).

“Mission: Impossible 2 - Special Edition” (PG-13) - The sequel brings on director John Woo, co-stars Thandie Newton and Dougray Scott, as well as a lot of shots of people looking cool shooting guns and blowing stuff up. Oh, and you get to see Cruise do some extreme rock climbing, just because he can.
Extras: Commentary from Woo, several featurettes, a Metallica video and a funny M:I-2 parody featuring Cruise and Ben Stiller.

“An Unfinished Life” (PG-13) - Despite a strong cast of Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez and Josh Lucas, this film directed by Lasse Hallstrom, quietly went in and out of theaters last year, after sitting on Miramax’s shelf for a while. However, I will say making Redford and Lopez father and daughter seems a bit of a stretch. Maybe they should have tried Freeman and Lopez.
Extras: Commentary featuring Hallstrom, producer Leslie Holleran and editor Andrew Mondshein, a making of featurette and a featurette on training Bart the Bear (he’s appeared in several movies, most of which have been better than J. Lo’s recent offerings).