new on DVD: ‘Disturbia,’ ‘I Think I Love My Wife,’ ‘The Muppet Show,’ more

Holy moly, it’s surely the depths of August when absolutely every theatrical release on DVD is a stinker.

Skip it:

• Disturbia [buy it]. From my review:

The world is in a heightened state of paranoia. We are solemnly informed of this by a character in Disturbia as if it’s a newsflash, but what it really is is an excuse: People are worried about, you know, stuff. Terrorists or serial killers could live next door to you. These kids today, oy! what can you do with them? Suburbia is stifling. Privacy’s gone — heh — right out the rear window. So it’s topical, see, to wrap them all up in one thriller aimed at junior high school kids. Sure, it’s scary and entertaining, but it’s important, too. Why, the kids could watch this for homework, it’s so relevant.

• I Think I Love My Wife [buy it]. From my review:

I am not the audience for this flick. I don’t need a tortured justification that the choices I made are the “right” ones no matter how unhappy I am about them. I don’t need the release of laughing at my own suffering. Cuz that’s what Wife is: a pat on the back, half consolation and half approval, for everyone who did what we’re “supposed” to do, and got married and consequently got miserable. Just one more example of Hollywood reinforcement of the status quo, cuz imagine the chaos if we all stopped doing what we’re “supposed” to do. It might be mass happiness instead of mass conformity.

• Are We Done Yet? [buy it]. The horror, the horror…

• TMNT [buy it]. It takes itself so darn seriously that you can’t even lose yourself in its goofiness…

• Private Fears in Public Places [buy it]. Also known as Six Characters in Search of a Reason Why I Should Care…

Stuff from TV is all good, though. The Dresden Files: The Complete First Season [buy] has problems but it still one of the more imaginative new shows of the past year. And who doesn’t love The Muppet Show? Season Two is now on DVD. [buy]