REVIEWS

By David Germain

updated 7:00 p.m. ET Sept. 3, 2008

“Baby Mama”
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler team up for a Hollywood rarity, a female buddy flick that actually found an audience. Fey plays a business executive who can’t have kids but decides she desperately wants a child, and so is paired with a surrogate mother (Poehler) who behaves like a juvenile herself. A stellar supporting cast is highlighted by Sigourney Weaver, Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear and Romany Malco. The DVD and Blu-ray release come with an alternate ending and other deleted scenes and a couple of behind-the-scenes featurettes with cast and crew interviews. Fey and Poehler also join writer-director Michael McCullers and producer Lorne Michaels for commentary. DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98. (Universal) Read the review.

“The Forbidden Kingdom”

Chan Kam Chuen / AP

Martial-arts superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li join forces for the first time with this fantasy adventure set in ancient China. The movie casts a modern teenager (Michael Angarano) back in time, where he is trained by Chan and Li to fulfill his destiny by stopping an evil warlord. The movie comes in a single-disc DVD with just the movie or two-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets that include deleted scenes with commentary from director Rob Minkoff, who also offers commentary for the full film. Other extras include a “Kung Fu Dream Team” featurette on the matchup of Chan and Li, along with segments on shooting in China. Single DVD, $29.95; two-disc DVD Set, $34.98; Blu-ray set, $39.99. (Lionsgate) Read the review.

“The Fall”
This ambitious visual marvel took four years to shoot in 18 different countries, presenting a series of globe-trotting fantasy adventures that spring to life from the tales told by a hospitalized stuntman (Lee Pace) to cheer up a 5-year-old girl who’s a fellow patient back in the early days of Hollywood. The DVD and Blu-ray discs have deleted footage, two making-of featurettes and two commentary tracks, one with Pace and one with director and co-writer Tarsem. The Blu-ray release also includes a gallery of photos from the film. DVD, $24.96; Blu-ray, $38.96. (Sony) Read the review.

“The Big Lebowski: 10th Anniversary Edition”
A decade later, the Dude still abides. As a prelude to Joel and Ethan Coen latest dark comedy “Burn After Reading” comes this anniversary edition of their 1998 tale that hurtles part-time bowler and full-time slacker Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) and his best buddy (John Goodman) into a kidnapping-and-ransom adventure that all started with a case of mistaken identity and a soiled scrap of carpet. The two-disc DVD upgrade has a nice range of background segments, including one examining the Dude’s strange fantasy sequences. The set also comes with a selection of photos Bridges shot on the set. A limited-edition gift set comes in a bowling-ball shaped package. DVD set, $19.98; Gift set, $34.98. (Universal)

TV on DVD:

“Grey’s Anatomy: Season Four” — Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Sandra Oh and Katherine Heigl return in the medical drama about the public practices and private lives of hospital residents. A five-disc set has the fourth year’s 16 episodes, plus deleted scenes, commentary and making-of featurettes. DVD set, $59.99; Blu-ray set, $96.99. (Disney)

“Smallville: The Complete Seventh Season” — Young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) continues to grow into his destiny as Superman, joined this season by his cousin, Supergirl. Year seven’s 20 episodes come in a six-disc package, with commentary on two, deleted scenes and a couple of background segments. DVD set, $59.98; Blu-ray set, $79.98. (Warner Bros.)

“Ugly Betty: The Complete Second Season” — America Ferrera is back on the job as a bright, cheery but inelegant employee at a fashion magazine, where her co-workers are tall and trim with cover-girl looks. The five-disc set has the season’s 18 episodes, accompanied by deleted scenes and a blooper reel with introductions by the actors as they explain what went wrong in the scenes. DVD set, $59.99. (Disney)

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3” — The schemers, plotters and other low-lifes at Paddy’s Pub belly up to the bar for more indecorous laughs in the comedy whose cast includes Danny DeVito. All 15 episodes from year three are packed in a three-disc set, which also has commentary and featurettes. DVD set, $39.98. (20th Century Fox)

“CSI: Miami — The Sixth Season” — David Caruso and his ace forensics crew hunt up clues and sift through more evidence while battling with personal trauma. Year six’s 21 episodes are included in a six-disc set, along with commentary and cast and crew interviews. DVD set, $72.99. (Paramount)

“Medium: The Fourth Season” — Patricia Arquette continues to hear dead people and predict the future, handy skills as she helps prosecutors solve crimes. A four-disc package has year four’s 16 episodes, plus deleted scenes with commentary. DVD set, $61.99. (Paramount)

“Wings: The Seventh Season” — Tim Daly and Steven Weber are brothers running a small airline on Nantucket Island, whose airport is loaded with eccentrics, among them a local cabbie (Tony Shalhoub). The four-disc set has the seventh year’s 26 episodes. DVD set, $42.99. (Paramount)

“Gulliver’s Travels” — Ted Danson stars in the title role of this adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s tale that traces the 18th century adventures of a man whose journeys take him to a land of tiny people, a race of giants and a realm of talking horses. DVD, $14.95. (Genius)

“Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre” — A seven-disc package collects 26 fairy tales presented by Duvall, including “Cinderella,” “Hansel and Gretel” and “Little Red Riding Hood” and featuring stars such as Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Susan Sarandon. The set also comes with a storybook and a fairy-tale card game. DVD Set, $99.98. (Koch Vision)

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