How to Spend $20

By Eric Hughes

February 9, 2010

A Serious Man flirts with A Serious Skank.

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Disc includes: Gag reel, audio commentary, Open Hours: Making Of featurette, Visualizing the Stunts featurette, MovieIQ

For people who can't get over how tall Vince Vaughn is: Couples Retreat

Beyond stellar casting, the allure of Couples Retreat is troubling. How this one managed more than $100 million at the domestic box office is anyone's guess. A friend of mine made the hilarious comment back when this thing opened big - a $34.2 million opening weekend! – that people like to watch Vince Vaughn talk fast. It certainly worked for movies like Four Christmases, whose comedy is on the spottier side and is, in fact, pretty forgettable. And yet that little ditty did even better than Couples Retreat, accumulating $120 million in domestic receipts.

Couples Retreat has the aforementioned Vaughn, along with Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and others trekking to a tropical locale. Once on the island, the friends realize that Bateman and Bell, who are close to divorce, aren't the only ones participating in couples therapy. They all are.

One positive thing I will add, however, is the sensational A.R. Rahman did Couples Retreat's soundtrack. Rahman, as you may recall, was the genius behind Slumdog Millionaire's soundtrack. He likely had the time of his life in February 2009 when "Jai Ho" won Best Original Song and the film won Best Original Score at the Oscars. For Couples Retreat, Rahman's jams aren't as manic as they were for Slumdog. Couples Retreat's are slower and, as expected, more island-y.

Disc includes: Alternate ending, deleted/extended scenes with commentary, gag reel, Therapy's Greatest Hits featurette, Paradise Found: Filming in Bora Bora featurette, Behind the Yoga featurette, audio commentary




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For people who are a sucker for songs by Carolian Liar: The Time Traveler's Wife

Rounding out the week is The Time Traveler's Wife, a chick flick that did profitable business for New Line when it was released in August. At $18.6 million over three days, it opened way behind District 9 and a few million shy of G.I. Joe's second weekend, good enough for third place. When all was said and done, it ended its run $24 million higher than its reported $39 million budget.

Based on a 2003 novel of the same name, The Time Traveler's Wife was a no-go from me from the get-go. I find it hard to stand Eric Bana in the first place (though I'll admit he was tolerable in Funny People). The fact that The Time Traveler's Wife isn't just an Eric Bana movie, but rather an Eric Bana movie where he, as the title suggests, time travels, kept this one securely off my must-see list.

Disc includes: An Unconventional Love Story featurette, The Time Traveler's Wife: Love Beyond Words

February 9, 2010

Blu-ray
Bad Company: Hard Rock Live
Bronson
Couples Retreat
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic
Dare
Drop Zone
Hard Rain
I Hate Valentine's Day
Neil Diamond: Hot August Night NYC
Nova: Becoming Human
The Phantom
Pretenders: Live in London
The Running Man
A Serious Man
Serious Moonlight
SG-U Stargate Universe: 1.0
The Stepfather
The Time Traveler's Wife
XIII: The Conspiracy

DVD
Army Wives: The Complete Third Season (Widescreen)
Bad Company: Hard Rock Live
Bronson
Coach: Seasons 1 & 2 (Back-To-Back)
Coldplay: Up Close & Personal
Couples Retreat
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic
Dare
Doors: From the Outside Unauthorized
Emma (Widescreen)
Free Style (Widescreen)
Gary Unmarried: The Complete First Season
I Hate Valentine's Day
Jag: The Complete Series (Set)
JAG: The Final Season
Madonna: Do You Think I'm Sexy?
Neil Diamond: Hot August Night NYC
Nova: Becoming Human
Penguins of Madagascar, Operation: DVD Premiere
People Speak (Special Edition)
Pride and Prejudice (Collector's Edition)
The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 2 Volume 2
A Serious Man
Serious Moonlight
SG-U Stargate Universe: 1.0
The Stepfather
The Time Traveler's Wife
Vega$: The Complete First Season
Vega$: The First Season, Volume 2


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