Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors’ Edition)
Paramount
DVD and Blu-Ray

Iron Man was the slam-bang start of a super-hero/action-adventure spring-summer 2008 on the big screen. Finally making films about its characters, its own studio, Marvel Comics, showed you can be essentially true to source material and turn in some genuine, fun film making, with real acting along the way too. Robert Downey, Jr. rules as the ultra-rich egotist-industrialist Tony Stark, whose world view changes once kidnapped by terrorists who’ve already stolen and used many of his company’s weapons against U.S. soldiers and innocent civilians.  He creates the first of several suits of high-tech armor, becoming the Marvel hero. Drawing from various eras of the original Iron Man comics series and also the alternate universe “Ultimate” version, director Jon Favreau — a fan-boy-as-film-pro who gets it down to the Stark-as-son-of-Howard Hughes connection — created the start of a great franchise. It’s not all about the action and whiz-bang effects (the ever-amazing Stan Winston and mechanical marvels, plus CGI), but also the little touches too — Stark’s trial and error with armor upgrades; and the “Iron Man” theme from the old ’60s cartoon played as a Vegas big band, a Bond-like reverb, and as a ringtone too. There’s drama and there’s wry humor (though it’s never nudge-wink cynical at all).  Among the supporting cast — this is really Downey, Jr.’s show — Gwyneth Paltrow, often cold in some past roles, is warm-and-fuzzy cute as Stark’s personal assistant Pepper Potts; Terrence Howard is stoic and loyal as Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes; Jeff Bridges milks rising villainy as Obidiah Stane; and Favreau is driver Happy Hogan, from the comic’s early days.  Some of the deleted scenes should’ve/could’ve been in the film, while others, like a long military color-guard sequence, was justifiably removed or never used. The other bonus features about the comics-to-film transition, character histories, effects, Downey’s screen test and such make for hours of engaging material. In Blu-Ray, this one will blow you away even more, though it’s terrific as a regular DVD too — one of the best films of 2008, period, even if it is “just a super-hero movie.” Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And bring on “Iron Man 2″ in a couple of years! Then Captain America, Thor, The Avengers — it’s the Merry Marvel Movie Marching Society!

The Incredible Hulk (Three-Disc Special Edition)
Universal

(Due October 21st)

This semi-reboot of The Hulk is far more engaging than Ang Lee’s pretentious and messy 2003 outing.  Directed by Louis Leterrier, as with Iron Man (though not quite as good), it all comes down to staying true to respective source material.  In this case, that means Bruce Jones’s very human, more realistic (as much as a not-jolly green giant monster can be) take on Bruce Banner/the Hulk in comics (such as meditation techniques to control his pulse rate/anger).  There are also endearing nods to the ’70s TV show starring Bill Bixby, including the use of composer Joe Harnell’s “Lonely Man” piano theme and a wonderful cameo/passing-of-the-torch in this film from Lou Ferrigno. We find Edward Norton as Banner in Brazil, years after the accident that made him the Hulk, trying to live as anonymously as possible, and also striving to cure his Jeckyl-Hyde affliction. But the U.S. Army is on his trail, in a campaign spearheaded by obsessive General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), so he returns to the States seeking help from old flame and Ross’s scientist daughter Betty, played by Liv Tyler.  Add mean-spirited, Russian-born Brit soldier Emil Blonsky to the mix, plus the emergence of a monster even more vicious than the Hulk, and the smashing begins. The CGI Hulk is still a bit off, though there are moments with Betty Ross that he’s more than a roaring, angry, stomping cartoon insert.  Comics fans will spot foreshadowing of a baddie to come down the road just by the name of another supporting character that turns up toward the latter part of the film. Norton’s Banner is much closer to the one in the comics than Eric Bana’s in the Lee film. The DVD includes numerous deleted scenes (including an alternate opening) that would’ve actually made for an even stronger film, and word is there might be a much longer Director’s Cut down the road. When the same thing was done for Daredevil, it made that movie better as well. The special features disc is solid; plus, this three-disc edition includes (what’s now becoming more standard in availability) a digital copy for your computer — PC or Mac.  Another winner from Marvel Studios overall, even with its flaws.

South Park: Cult of Cartman - Revelations
Comedy Central

South Park’s obnoxious little tub o’ personality, Eric Cartman, certainly merits this special “best-of” episodes set, though honestly, it’s more like the recent best.  There are plenty of laughs along with a few “ooohs” to remind us that idiocy and dogma can be very funny indeed. The two-disc set includes the outrageous “Scott Tenorman Must Die,” a goofy little tale about unknowing patricide cannibalism, guest starring Radiohead; there’s the theme park for just Eric, “Cartmanland”; Cartman as a robot in “AWESOME-O”; he saves the day in “The Death of Eric Cartman”; and the two-part “Cartoon Wars” goes after Family Guy.  But if they really wanted to issue an ultimate Cartman anthology, you need real South Park classics like first few seasons that included the space alien “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe,” “Starvin’ Marvin,” “Cartman’s Mom is a Dirty Slut,” and “Still a Dirty Slut” episodes, and one of my faves — the alternate universe Cartman with a beard (a tribute to the original Star Trek’s “Mirror Mirror” with a bearded Spock) in “Spookyfish.”  Win a Cartman set! Tell us your favorite Cartman episode and send that and your info to dvdgiveaway@buzzine.com.

Slacker Uprising
Brave New Films

Michael Moore has never been an unbiased documentary maker, but really, most aren’t anyway, are they? There’s always a point of few. Roger and Me and Bowling for Columbine may still stand as his best work, but Slacker Uprising finds him coasting a bit, relying on too much star-power in cameos.  Shot in the last big election year, 2004, he tries to get slacker youth motivated to register to vote and then actually vote for the Kerry-Edwards ticket through offerings that include clean underwear and ramen noodles (whoopee).  You might recall this was the year of the Vote for Change Tour, so we also get appearances from R.E.M., Eddie Vedder, Rage’s Tom Morello, and actors and celebs that include Lord of the Rings‘ Viggo Mortensen, Gloria Steinem, and Roseanne Barr (oh, now she’s a motivator of youth, ain’t she?).  Sure, there are some laughs and revealing moments, as when ticket-off Republican officials and businessmen bribe colleges as much as $100K to cancel Moore’s appearances. Don’t get me wrong — I’m in the same political pages overall as Moore, actually, but this is just a fair documentary and too often, well, dull.

New York Yankees: Essential Games of Yankee Stadium (Steelbook)
A&E

The ongoing Essential Games baseball DVD series hits some grand slams here, as we get to the immortal Yankees, surely one of baseball’s greatest clubs ever (and non-sports-nut me, I was a Dodger fan as a kid and I’m still a little proud this year).  This six-disc set features landmark games chosen by readers at Yankees.com, and they ought to know.  Those games include the 1976 ALCS game 5 versus the Kansas City Royals and the Yanks headed to their first World Series in 12 years; the 1977 World Series game 6 versus…tah-hah, The Dodgers (one of baseball’s all-time great rivalries, from Brooklyn to L.A. days for the Dodgers), as Reggie Jackson knocks out three home runs to make the Yankees champions; flashing forward, there’s also the ‘95 ALDS game 2 versus the Seattle Mariners, going 15 innings; the 2001 World Series game 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks; and, in another great face-off, 2003’s ALCS game 7 versus the Boston Red Sox. Bonus features include highlights from other ALCS and World Series games. Send your info and write Yankees in an email to dvdgiveaway@buzzine.com and you just might score a copy.

From the C-List:

Kill Switch
First Look

Are all Steven Seagal films the same story? Not quite, though close. A law enforcement type is a hard-core tough-as-nails rule-breaker who still is the one needed to take down the bad guys who deserve it.  Sure, the names and cities change, but it’s sort of a brand — cops/martial arts. This film, written by Seagal, finds him as Detective Jacob Stillwell taking on a serial killer named Lazerus in the mean streets of Memphis. Some of the dialogue is sure to make you wince, and Seagal’s acting style hasn’t changed much over the decades either. Plus, the “Lord have moicy” lines remind me of L.A. DJ Jim Ladd. Yeesh.  Not a B-movie, but a C-movie at best, though you can win one for a limited time by sending your info to dvdgiveaway@buzzine.com. Don’t forget to reference Seagal, though.

Cyborg Soldier
First Look

This is the kind of B-movie the Sci-Fi Channel should run instead of those lame-ass monster movies they keep throwing into programming as filler. Not that this is great — in fact it’s kind of dumb, but it’s watchable in a laugh-a-bit kind of way. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin stars as I.S.A.A.C. (stands for Intuitive Synthetic Autonomous Assault Commando), a one-time prison inmater turned into a semi-robotic super-soldier now on the run.  He hooks up with Tiffani Amber Thiessen (y’know — Saved By the Bell, Beverly Hills, 90210) as Deputy Lindsay Rearden (yeah, that’s believeable…) with the military on their trail because of all they know about the robot solider scheme. What we never truly learn is why Franklin was chosen among so many in prisons all over, what he’s really about, and why he’s rebelling against programming and so on. If it sounds interesting to you, try to win a copy by sending your info and a Cyborg message title to dvdgiveaway@buzzine.com.

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