Susan Granger’s dvd/video update for week of Friday, March 27th:
In Disney’s animated “Bolt,” a spunky little white hound (voiced by John Travolta) has spent his entire life working on television as a ‘superdog,’ repeatedly saving his devoted co-star (voice by Miley Cyrus) from danger. So when he’s accidentally shipped off to New York City, he’s stunned and confused to discover there’s a real world out there. Like “Homeward Bound” and “Incredible Journey,” Bolt discovers that with friendship and love, you don’t need superpowers to be a hero.
“Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter” with Night Owl’s autobiography “Under the Hood” are dramatic origin stories essential to the “Watchmen” feature film based on the graphic novel, with stars Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan appearing as their “Watchmen” characters in a live-action, documentary-style special.
All three previous titles in the adrenaline-pumping “Fast and Furious” film series are packaged together in a new edition, also available in Blu-Ray, punctuated with intense full-throttle action, high-speed stunts and full-on pedal-to-the-metal intensity, as Vin Diesel rules the turbo-charged streets of Los Angeles.
Direct-to-video, there’s “Revenge of the Boarding School Drop Outs,” a snowboarding comedy with Tom Green (“Road Trip”) and Dave England (“Jackass Movie”), and “Side Effects,” a light-hearted look at love and the modern woman, starring Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”). Comedian Rob Schneider makes his directorial debut and stars in “Big Stan” about a nebbish swindler who hires a martial arts master (David Carradine) to teach him self-defense after he’s found guilty of fraud.
For family fun, Smithsonian presents a backyard safari, “Critter Quest,” as Peter Schreimer unearths the fuzzy, squirmy, slimy, gilled, winged and multi-legged creatures who live right outside your door, whether you’re in the country, city or suburbs.
PICK OF THE WEEK: While action-packed “Quantum of Solace” is the 22nd installment in the James Bond franchise, it’s the first sequel, taking up an hour after “Casino Royale,” as #007 (Daniel Craig) discovers that mysterious Mr. White (Jasper Christensen) is just a cog in a complex global criminal conspiracy.