‘Goblet of Fire’ lights up on DVD

REVIEWS

By David Germain

updated 3:12 p.m. ET March 6, 2006

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
The whiz kid and his conjuring classmates cope with the usual problems of puberty — who to ask to the enchanted school dance, which dragon they’ll battle in the big sorcery showdown, whether they’ll have their necks wrung by the minions of darkness. The fourth blockbuster in the fantasy series pits Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) against old nemesis Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and casts Hermione and Ron (Emma Watson and Rupert Grint) under the spell of first love. A single-DVD edition has just the movie, while a two-disc set adds a batch of deleted scenes, interviews with Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, and a series of featurettes and games centered on Harry’s challenges in the Triwizard Tournament: His dragon tussle, underwater adventure and conflict inside a maze. Two-disc set, $30.97; single DVD, $28.98. (Warner Bros.) Read the review

“Jarhead”

Universal

The Persian Gulf War is the setting for this “Full Metal Jacket”-lite exploration of the insanity of combat. Jake Gyllenhaal leads the cast as a Marine sniper slugging his way through the first U.S. war with Iraq, accompanied by his Marine comrade (Peter Sarsgaard) and his sergeant (Jamie Foxx). The film comes as a single DVD or in a two-disc set, each packing deleted scenes with an introduction by director Sam Mendes, who also offers commentary for the full movie. Anthony Swofford, whose memoir was the basis for the film, and screenwriter William Broyles Jr. team for a second commentary track. The two-disc set adds featurettes about real Marines who served in the war and video diaries created by cast and crew during the shoot. Two-disc set, $39.98; single DVD, $29.98. (Universal) Read the review

“Just Friends”

New Line Cinema

Ryan Reynolds stars as a once tubby teen, now a trim, successful music exec, whose visit home has him chasing the old high-school girl of his dreams (Amy Smart), jousting with a rival (Chris Klein) and baby-sitting a pop diva (Anna Faris). The DVD has deleted scenes with commentary from director Roger Kumble, screenwriter Adam “Tex” Davis and producer Chris Bender, who team with other crew members for commentary on the full movie. Other extras include nine making-of featurettes and a music video. DVD, $28.98. (New Line) Read the review

“Prime”

Universal

Uma Thurman discovers that dating your therapist’s son can be bad for your mental health. The romantic comedy stars Thurman as a 37-year-old divorced woman who falls for a 23-year-old artist (Bryan Greenberg), only to learn that his mom also is her shrink (Meryl Streep). The DVD features 10 minutes of deleted footage and outtakes, along with a behind-the-scenes segment with writer-director Ben Younger, who joins producer Jennifer Todd for commentary. DVD, $29.98. (Universal) Read the review

“Howl’s Moving Castle”

Walt Disney Pictures

An Academy Awards contender for best animated feature, Hayao Miyazaki’s wild fantasy features the voices of Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal and Lauren Bacall in the tale of a hat-shop girl who’s transformed into a 90-year-old woman and embarks on an adventure with a dashing wizard in his mobile home. The two-disc set includes a visit by Japanese animation master Miyazaki, creator of the Oscar-winning “Spirited Away,” to Pixar Animation, which oversaw the English-language version of the film. Also available in new two-disc sets are Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro,” whose English-language version features vocals by Dakota Fanning and her sister, Elle, playing siblings with a forest spirit as neighbor, and “Whisper of the Heart,” about a girl’s adventures with a magical cat, whose screenplay was written by Miyazaki. DVD sets, $29.99 each. (Disney)

“The Shaggy Dog,” “The Shaggy D.A.”
Two Disney family favorites arrive on DVD just in time for the Tim Allen big-screen update. Fred MacMurray stars in 1959’s “The Shaggy Dog” as a dad whose teenage son (Tommy Kirk) mutates into a goofy sheepdog. Dean Jones stars as the grown-up human-canine hybrid in 1976’s “The Shaggy D.A.,” about a man whose candidacy for district attorney is disrupted by his metamorphosis. “The Shaggy Dog” DVD has a shortened colorized version of the movie and the original black-and-white theatrical release, which runs 10 minutes longer. Both movies have commentary from cast members. DVDs, $19.99 each. (Disney)

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