Funny People was the latest in Judd Apatow's ongoing series of summer comedies, but it was anything but a typical summer comedy: following a successful comedian (played by Apatow's longtime friend Adam Sandler) who reflects on his life after discovering he's going to die, the film offered lots of humor but with decidedly heavier themes lurking beneath the yuks. The film debuts on Blu-ray in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition next week, and the contents are amazing, showing how Apatow combined lighthearted fare with more serious ideas in the service of exploring something substantive.

Cinematical was lucky enough to catch up with Apatow via telephone one recent morning to discuss the process of putting together the film's home video iteration. In addition to discussing the bonus materials, extras, featurettes, and a documentary that's the most thorough and thoughtful ever produced about a comedy production, Apatow talked about finding the right ending for his magnum opus, discovering and deconstructing the process of producing laughs, and front-loading the film's universe with outside content about the supporting characters.

Cinematical: One of the ideas highlighted in the Blu-ray bonus materials was the fact that you knew this was going in a different direction than your previous films. Even knowing that while you were making it, were you surprised by the reactions of audiences and critics when it was released? Or does it matter?

The '90s were a good time to be a teen -- especially if you were itching for more than just the mainstream. Nestled between the John Hughes '80s and the bubbly Disney '00s, the '90s were a time when teen films thrived in tunes-led rebellion. It wasn't all about spunky mainstream music marketing and bubbly personalities. Scores and strangeness got to go a little wild, and Gregg Araki ran with that idea when he made The Doom Generation.

Dubbed Araki's "heterosexual movie," the film starred then-newcomer Rose McGowan as Amy Blue, a tough-as-nails, filthy-mouthed, self-proclaimed virgin in love with one Jordan White (James Duval). Their rather mundane lives are thrown through the ringer when they help out a strange boy named Xavier (Johnathan Schaech), who leads them through an insane road trip of unintended violence. A trip, mind you, that showcases a slew of names from all walks of life -- Skinny Puppy (band), Margaret Cho, Dustin Nguyen (21 Jump Street), Heidi Fleiss (the Hollywood madam), Perry Farrell (Janes Addiction), Parker Posey, Nicky Katt (Dazed and Confused), Zak Spears and Rex Chandler (gay adult film stars), Christopher Knight (Brady Bunch), Lauren Tewes (The Love Boat)...

It is, however, a film spliced in tone. The first three quarters are violent, black comedy, while the last third makes the violence personal as the trio faces off against Neo-Nazis -- a rather apt juxtaposition between pulpy imaginary thrills and violence laced with a sense of reality.

Get dark with The Doom Generation now on SlashControl!

I was unaware that one could trademark a dog, but apparently you can, though it may not hold up in court. Rin Tin Tin Inc., a German Shepherd breeding company named after the dog an American soldier during World War I in France, filed a lawsuit last year against Nu Image and First Look Studios alleging that the use of their breed's name in the kid film Finding Rin Tin Tin: the Adventure Continues was, well, a trademark infringement.

Unfortunately for them, a judge has finally ruled on the matter, coming to the rather obvious conclusion that "This descriptive use of the name is fair because it tells the consumer what the film is about -- the story of the historical dog Rin Tin Tin -- and because it is actually about the historical dog Rin Tin Tin." What I find funny about all of this is not only the fact that an entity who takes their name from a widely-known, long-dead dog actor would sue a film for doing the exact same thing, but that their suit called for retainership of all profits from the film and complete destruction of every DVD of it in existence.

Really? It's not as though Rin Tin Tin Inc. invented German Shepherds or discovered the original dog that would go on to be a film, TV, and radio star (yes, a dog used to have several radio shows). All they thought to do was capitalize on its popularity by making a brand out of the dog's genealogy, which at this point must be severely diluted. I hate to see our legal system put to such frivolous use, but I'm glad to see a judge saw fit to dismiss the suit: I'd hate to live in a world without a single DVD of Finding Rin Tin Tin!

While the wheels on the Wagon Queen Family Truckster are still in motion with regards to a brand new Vacation film as told through the eyes of Clark Griswold's son Rusty and his family (which New Line is currently working on alongside David Dobkin), the original Clark and Ellen Griswold (Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, respectively) will be making a return appearance this February on the small screen as part of a Superbowl commercial for HomeAway vacation rentals.

Yup, Chase and D'Angelo will be reprising their characters for a commercial that US Weekly says will pay homage to the 1983 original film, National Lampoon's Vacation. Says Chase, "To this day, people ask me, 'When is the next Vacation movie?" So I'm sure everyone will get a kick out of seeing the Griswolds and their misadventures once again." D'Angelo adds, "Clark and Ellen have one of the most enduring marriages ever to come out of Hollywood. I am thrilled that HomeAway is reuniting Chevy and me." Aside from Chase and D'Angelo, the TV spot will also reportedly feature an exact replica of the iconic station wagon featured in first film.

Though it's not exactly a big-screen reunion for the original Griswold parents, it'll be fun to see them back together again for what I hope will be an entertaining Superbowl spot. And, hey, I guess after watching that we'll know whether or not we want them back for cameo appearances in the next Vacation movie, too.

This week, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Leon: The Professional on Blu-ray, and because I have the best job in the world, I got to watch it for this column. The truth is that this was a formative movie for me, not only augmenting my budding cinephilia in terms of attention to and interest in strongly visual filmmakers, but in understanding the technical and artistic value of widescreen cinema. Before the film was released on widescreen VHS and later, DVD, I watched the pan-and-scan version when it was first released on video and almost got sick from the cropping and scanning of director Luc Besson's balletic camerawork.

Thankfully, I never have to watch it via that sort of butchered presentation again, and even if you don't think the movie is a masterpiece, at the very least, SPHE's new Blu-ray offers a gorgeously rich transfer that fully celebrates Besson's cinematography. But even though this is a film I've revisited several times since its original release in 1994, I was curious to see how well The Professional would hold up some 15 years later – which brings us to this week's "Shelf Life."

One of the first big information breaks on the secrets of James Cameron's Avatar came back in June when the director himself took the stage at E3 during Ubisoft's press conference to talk about the upcoming video game based on the film. In his now notorious talk, Cameron drained the energy out of the room by going on and on about the plot of the game, which mirrors the movie's, revealing so much information that Joystiq remarked "we no longer feel obligated to see it when it hits theaters." What they were shown of the game, however, was stunning. Ubisoft had been plugging away at it for over two years and it showed in the lush, player-interactive world of Pandora.

And now you too can get a first hand look at the Avatar game without having to hear Cameron spoil the movie. That is if you have a PC that meets the minimum system requirements which are, not unsurprisingly, quite beefy. ShackNews picked up on the PC demo for the game, which will be available in full for the 360, PS3 and Wii on December 1st, from the German Coca-Cola Zero site of all places, and now they're hosting it for nerds the world over to try out. Being a worldly nerd, I grabbed the 1.6gig demo and gave it a play through. It was fun, but more surprising was how much context it gave the images we've seen so far from the mega-budget production.

Read the rest of our preview over at SciFi Squad

Those of you wondering whether you'll be able to toss a District 9 DVD or Blu-ray onto your Christmas Wish List are in luck, as the film is set to debut in stores on December 22 (up from the previous release date of December 29th). Makes sense to release it BEFORE Christmas rather than four days AFTER Christmas since it was one of the biggest movies of the summer. We're looking at a two-disc set that will feature 1.85:1 1080p AVC video accompanied by a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. As far as extra features go on the Blu-ray release, check it:

-- movieIQ
-- cinechat
-- Joburg From Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9 - Interactive Map
-- Director's Commentary
-- Koobus Big Gun
-- The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log Three-Part Documentary
-- The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker's Log - Chapter 3: Refining District 9
-- Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus
-- Innovation: Acting and Improvisation
-- Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9
-- Alien Generation: Visual Effects

Read the rest and find out why it's set to make Blu-ray history over at SciFi Squad

Star Trek
In rebooting the franchise, J.J. Abrams faced the daunting challenge of pleasing long-time Trekkies and roping in new viewers who think 'Live long and prosper' is a slogan for an insurance company. This is not your father's Star Trek, but he'd probably like it too (begrudgingly). Buy it. Also on Blu-ray (see Todd Gilchrist's review for more on that edition.)

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon

Bruno
I'm not a big fan of the 'ridicule the clueless' school of humor, so I turn to Cinematical's review by Todd Gilchrist: "curiously ineffective, a sort of middling effort that fails to liberate itself from the stereotypes that provide the character's foundations, even if it also doesn't deliberately or harmfully reinforce them." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon

My Sister's Keeper
Despite a relentless barrage of scenes evidently designed with the sole goal of jerking tears, Nick Cassavetes' My Sister's Keeper did not make me cry. It is, however, one of the most glorious-looking terminal cancer pictures I've ever seen. Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Abigail Breslin, and Alec Baldwin star in a film I found entirely unsatisfying. (See my review for more.) In addition, fans of the novel by Jodi Picoult may not appreciate the changed ending. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon

Also out: How to Be (with Robert Pattinson), Wild Child (with Emma Roberts).

After the jump: Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray, and Collector's Corner.

The franchise comeback story of the year, if not the decade, is Star Trek, which arrived in theaters with an amount of buzz that could only be matched by a metric ton of tribbles, and eventually grossed almost $400 million worldwide. This week Trek debuts on Blu-ray in a 3-Disc Special Edition, and the set includes enough extras and special features that one can expect the series to continue on successfully for the foreseeable future – even if it's only because you can't get it out of your head.

Though it's unnecessary to revisit the merits of the movie itself – by now you're either with J.J. Abrams' reinvention of the series mythology or you aren't – it looks absolutely wonderful in high definition, emphasizing every last lens flare and visual flourish injected into its agile, lyrical cinematography. The color quality itself is just positively luminous, but augmented by the sound design, which offers a muscular 5.1 TrueHD mix, you're completely immersed in the film; in fact, so great is the sound on Disc One that even the menu screens rumble with house-shaking bass.

As for the encyclopedia of bonus materials.....

It has taken me a long, long time to warm up to Daniel Day-Lewis. Despite first meeting him in the tender and gentler characters he played in A Room With a View and The Age of Innocence, he was always that terrifying Method guy who sharpened knives on set and ate his own kills. I don't want to say I was scared of him, but I found him brilliantly off-putting, which is why I never saw The Boxer until this past weekend.

Directed by Jim Sheridan, The Boxer delves into the last gasp of the Troubles in Ireland. Former IRA member Danny Flynn (Day-Lewis) is released from prison on the verge of the 1998 peace treaty. He simply wants to get back to his life, resume a boxing career, and live in peace. But his former IRA allies are busy plotting last ditch efforts of violence, and they're furious at his neutrality. To make matters worse, he meets up with Maggie (Emily Watson), the girl he left behind, and who is now married to his imprisoned best friend. As a prisoner's wife, Maggie is held to a high standard, and their fragile relationship endangers them both.

This is a tragic, tense, romantic, and underrated movie that has really fallen through the cracks in lieu of Day-Lewis' flashier performances in The Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood. Naturally, this film had Day-Lewis dropping everything to become a boxing expert, but it's his performance out of the ring that's really stunning. Danny is a kind and uncertain man, just trying to do the right thing in a situation that's politically and personally fraught with danger. Also, he's sexy as hell in it. You can't say that about Daniel Plainview, can you?

Watch The Boxer for free on SlashControl

Everyone loves a good seasonal discount, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing some insane discounts this particular holiday season, especially when it comes to DVDs. Case in point: If you're one of the seven people who don't currently own The Dark Knight on DVD, make sure to head over to Target because they'll be selling the film -- which was released in 2008, mind you -- with a bargain-basement price tag of $3.99. The move comes not long after it was announced that Target, Walmart and Amazon were at war with one another -- hacking and slashing their DVD prices in an attempt to win the most holiday shoppers. While all three retailers were originally planning to sell popular upcoming titles like Star Trek, Night at the Museum 2 and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for only $10, Target has now upped the ante by offering The Dark Knight for a measly $3.99 ... and, reportedly, the Blu-ray for $12.99.

Other 2008 films Target plans to sell for $3.99 include Sex and the City and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Personally, I can't wait to see how far these guys go while trying to one up the other. If Target will sell The Dark Knight for $3.99, will Walmart give it to you for two bucks? Or maybe Amazon will send a Batman and Joker performer to your house to re-enact the entire film live in person for, like, a dollar? That'd be cool.

Definitely keep your eyes peeled on some of these deep DVD discounts and let us know what the best buys are in the comments section.

UPDATE: It's important to note that this is indeed part of a two-day Black Friday sale beginning on November 27th at 5am. For more details, head here.

[via ICv2, Comics Alliance]

Paramount Home Entertainment has employed an interesting tactic in 2009 releasing certain films on standard-definition months ahead of their debut on Blu-ray. This was the case with the first three Friday the 13th films, and now it's the case with Galaxy Quest; I don't have the numbers in terms of either awareness or sales, but I wonder how many dutiful consumers pay attention to both editions and choose to wait, as opposed to buying one only to see it become obsolete just a few short months later. In any case, what's most important is that most of all of the films released this way thus far are fan favorites, and especially Galaxy Quest is a classic in its own right, all of which is why the new Blu-ray release is the subject of this week's "Making The (Up) Grade."

What's Already Available: Paramount originally released Galaxy Quest on DVD in May of 2000, and in addition to the film, the single-disc release featured deleted scenes, an "On Location in Space" feature, a Thermian-language audio track, cast and crew bios, and production notes.

Paramount's Deluxe Edition was released on May 12, 2009, and featured a new transfer as well as several new bonus features, including "Historical Documents: The Story of Galaxy Quest," "Never Give Up. Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector," "By Grabthar's Hammer, What Amazing Effects," "Alien School - Creating the Thermian Race," "Actors in Space," "Sigourney Weaver Raps" (yes, you read that right), deleted scenes, the Thermian audio track, and the theatrical trailer.

What's In The New Set:

If you were anxious for another free dose of Sergio Leone after last week's suggestion of For a Few Dollars More, you're in luck! The third and final installment of the Dollars / Man With No Name Trilogy just happens to be up on SlashControl right now. I can't think of a better gang to spend Friday the 13th with than The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is an epic, dizzying adventure set in the middle of the Civil War, and circles around three unsavory fellows and their hunt for a fortune in Confederate gold. It's probably the most famous and the most popular of Leone's westerns and Ennio Morricone's soundtracks. Every moment of this film is iconic. But the best part of the film isn't the sweeping battles, the mournful soldiers, or the explosive shoot-outs; it's the hateful alliance between Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and Tuco (Eli Wallach). I heard once that Eastwood and Wallace shared a single room and a single bed that they used in shifts in order to maintain their thorny attitude toward each other. I'm not sure if it's true, but it would certainly explain a lot.

Incidentally, though it's the last installment, Ugly actually comes first in the Dollars trilogy, something supported by the fact that Blondie obtains his signature look by the film's end. I'm pretty sure that first flip of the serape is what inspired a million "Let's delve into his origin!" stories, and certainly must have led Steven Spielberg to giving Indy's fedora an origin.

Go stand off with The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly on SlashControl

It's no secret that video retailer Blockbuster had a rough quarter. Their profits are dipping, stores are closing -- suffice to say things aren't looking good. But, the company is looking for new ways to compete with services like Netflix and Redbox and so they're getting into the digital content game. But, as some critics have pointed out, the results so far are lackluster to say the least. Blockbuster and NRC/MOD systems have announced the pilot of digital media kiosks where customers use an SD memory card to download movies and TV to take home to play on their TV with the aid of a proprietary device (provided to participants of the trial). But the kicker has to be that the content would be DRM protected and customers pay $1.99 for a movie that must be viewed within 30 days and is only viewable for 48 hours.

The digital download service is just the latest in Blockbuster's new strategy to hold on to customers by offering something other than the brick and mortar experience. Some of their other ideas have included DVD subscription services and DVD kiosks. Blockbuster is hoping these new services could reduce the effect that illegal downloading has cost their bottom line as well as open them up to new tech-savvy customers. I understand that Blockbuster needs to fight off the pirates like everybody else, but I doubt that products bogged down with DRM are going to persuade your average pirate to go legit. But on the upside, at least Blockbuster's latest scheme would mean that there's nothing to return, and you don't have to deal with receiving damaged or scratched discs -- but in the grand scheme of things, that ain't much.

If Blockbuster wants to live to fight another day, I think they are going to have to come up with something a lot better than this, don't you?

Remember how James Franco shocked everyone last month with news that he was going to spend a number of weeks on the ABC soap opera General Hospital? Well, it seems to be a little more than just a random urge. Movieline had their suspicions about Franco's reasoning and spoke to Carter, who has collaborated with the actor on a number of projects from photo shoots to idiosyncratic filmmaking.

According to Carter: "It was an idea that I posted to him, and it's tied to another film that he and I are working on now." It's a "feature film that's gonna be pretty abstract, for a larger audience," and when asked about whether he's had input on Franco's involvement with the show: "Well, that's actually stuff that's really unfolding now, because we're shooting it. Hmm, what can I say? Again, it's a fine line between a job that James is doing at General Hospital that's a very serious thing..." "General Hospital -- or a soap opera in general -- is part of the film we're working on, but it's not a giant part of the narrative. It's not going to affect the way the film turns out to be." Beyond grabbing a handful of elusively vague answers about what this upcoming film will be, the interview delves into their artistic relationship and past collaborations.

So there you have it -- this was all for a film project that's not quite discernible at the present time. For now, hit the jump and check out a sneak preview of Franco's soap opera action. ...And yet another terrible use of Gary Jules' Mad World.