New DVDs: ‘Night at the Museum’

REVIEWS

By David Germain

updated 2:53 p.m. ET April 23, 2007

“Night at the Museum”
Ben Stiller seems to make a go of things no matter what job he takes around the holidays. Stiller follows up on his “Meet the Fockers” December smash by teaming with Robin Williams for this blockbuster comedy that helped carry Hollywood through the holidays last year. Stiller plays a divorced dad who takes a night watchman job at New York’s Museum of Natural History and learns that the dinosaur skeletons, wax figures of Attila the Hun and other displays come alive in the wee hours. Williams co-stars as the wax figure of Teddy Roosevelt, who becomes an adviser to Stiller’s character. The movie comes in a two-disc DVD set, a single-disc DVD and a single-disc Blu-ray release, all with commentary tracks from director Shawn Levy and the screenwriters. The two-disc DVD set also has deleted scenes with Levy commentary and a huge range of featurettes. Two-disc DVD set, $34.98; single-disc DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray disc, $39.98. (20th Century Fox) Read the review

“The Queen”
One of last year’s most-acclaimed films arrives in all its royal splendor, with Helen Mirren giving a remarkable performance in her Academy Award-winning role as Queen Elizabeth II. Mirren plays the monarch during the most trying week of her 50-year reign as Elizabeth copes with the unexpected backlash from British subjects over the royal family’s seeming indifference to the nation’s mourning over the death of Princess Diana in 1997. The supporting cast is brilliant, led by Michael Sheen as new Prime Minister Tony Blair and James Cromwell as Elizabeth’s haughty spouse, Prince Philip. The DVD and Blu-ray disc come with a making-of featurette and two commentary tracks, one with director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Peter Morgan, the other with British historian Robert Lacey, an expert on the royal family. DVD, $29.99; Blu-ray disc, $34.99. (Miramax) Read the review

“Deja Vu”

Unknown / Touchstone

Denzel Washington stars in a crime thriller from two of Hollywood’s biggest action masters, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott. Washington plays a federal agent investigating a deadly ferry explosion in New Orleans, who is given access to a secret government lab that provides a window into the recent past so he can observe events leading up to the tragedy — and possibly prevent it. Along with deleted and extended scenes, the DVD and Blu-ray disc have a wide range of behind-the-scenes segments that examine the pyrotechnics used in the ferry explosion, the stunts and special effects, the filmmaking team and the practicalities of shooting in New Orleans. DVD, $29.99; Blu-ray disc, $34.99. (Disney) Read the review

TV on DVD:
“Planet Earth: The Complete Series” — The monumental BBC nature series offers 11 episodes that span the globe to offer a look at the planet’s geologic history, climates, terrains, and vastly different wildlife from sea to land to mountaintop to subterranean realms. Each episode is accompanied by a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the set has a documentary examining the planet’s future prospects. The series comes in a five-disc DVD set and four-disc HD DVD and Blu-ray sets. DVD set, $79.98; HD DVD and Blu-ray sets, $99.98 each. (BBC)

“Tsunami: The Aftermath” — Tim Roth, Toni Collette, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sophie Okonedo lead the cast in this miniseries dramatizing the devastating 2004 tsunami in Thailand. The two-disc set includes two featurettes. DVD set, $29.98. (HBO)

Slideshow   The week in celebrity sightings Ashlee, Pete and many more celebs ring in the New Year, Lindsay heads to the beach, Cloris is rosey and more. more photos

“The Lost Tomb of Jesus” — James Cameron serves as executive producer for this Discovery Channel documentary examining whether a tomb discovered in Jerusalem was Christ’s final resting place — and that of his wife and child. The DVD has a longer director’s cut of the movie and an epilogue with Cameron and director Simcha Jacobovici. DVD, $24.98. (Koch Vision)

“The Odd Couple: The First Season” — Slob Oscar (Jack Klugman) and finicky Felix (Tony Randall) are back in the 1970s TV spinoff of Neil Simon’s play and film about two divorced men sharing an apartment. The first 24 episodes come in a five-disc set, with episode introductions by producer Garry Marshall. DVD set, $42.99. (Paramount)

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