‘Hancock’ insipid despite Smith

Fri., Nov. 28, 2008

From staff and wire reports

‘Hancock’

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Some ideas seem like can’t-miss propositions; the conceit of Will Smith playing a drunken bum of a superhero is one. Unfortunately, director Peter Berg is never able to take the conceit much past mere concept. And his movie, despite the best acting efforts of Smith, Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron – not to mention some pretty impressive special effects – ends up following a storyline that, besides making no sense, steeps itself in the kind of insipid melodrama that even daytime television would shun. DVD, which is available in Blu-ray, includes making-of featurettes. (1:32; rated PG-13 for action violence, language, rude humor)

– Dan Webster

“It’s Bad For Ya!”

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Even as his act reflected, as he aged, more of a Twain-like misanthropic vision, George Carlin could still do social-commentary comedy with the best of them. During a career that spanned eras ranging from Ed Sullivan to Jimmy Kimmel, Carlin pioneered such routines as “Stuff” and “The Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television.” He’s far more F-word rage-filled in this HBO comedy special (his 14th) than purely funny, but he’s still worth listening to, especially since this was his last show – celebrating his 70th birthday. (Carlin died on June 22, a month after turning 71.) DVD, available on Blu-ray, includes the featurette “Too Hip for the Room.” (1:09; not rated)

– Dan Webster

“Mamma Mia!”

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If you set the phone book to the music of the Swedish pop group ABBA, you’d get people to sing along. Director Phyllida Lloyd, adapting the successful stage play of the same name, gives us the story of a young woman (Amanda Seyfried). Hoping to meet the father she has never known, she invites three men (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgaard) to her wedding – without telling her mother (Meryl Streep), who just happens to be the ex-lover of each one. Brosnan, especially, can’t sing, but Streep can, and Seyfried is a sensation. DVD includes commentary by ABBA co-founders Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, making-of featurettes, bonus music video. (1:49; rated PG-13 for sex-related comments)

– Dan Webster

“Space Chimps”

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Hollywood clearly isn’t above, uh, monkeying around to fill the nation’s hungry movie screens. This animated knockoff, featuring the voices of Andy Samberg, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels, Patrick Warburton and Kristin Chenoweth, focuses on a team of mismatched chimps who are sent into space to find a missing probe. To succeed, they must find their inner astronauts to survive. This, indeed, is a film only the very young could embrace, much less love. DVD, which is available on Blu-ray, includes making-of featurette, photo gallery. (1:21; rated G)

– Dan Webster

“Fred Claus”

Santa Claus’s jealous brother (Vince Vaughn) comes to visit and cause trouble at the North Pole. “About as funny as a sack of coal.” (1:56; rated PG for mild language, some rude humor)

– Jack Matthews, New York Daily News

“Meet Dave”

An alien spaceship comes to Earth in the shape of … Eddie Murphy? “Even as time-wasters go, this is a waste of time.” (1:30; rated PG for action, bawdy and suggestive humor, some language)

– Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Also available: “Beautiful Ohio,” “The Line,” “Still Life”