Title: ‘Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs’
Tribune rating: **
Synopsis: At times, this third go-round for the prehistoric mammals of the “Ice Age” franchise feels like a sitcom nearing the end of its run. Some characters are settling down and starting families, others are feeling jealous and shut out … it’s all a bit of bummer for a kid flick. The movie improves though, once the titular giant reptiles show up and the “Ice Age” crew discovers a lost world below the ice.
Extras: The special-edition DVD and Blu-ray come loaded with extras, including a commentary track, deleted scenes, interviews with the voice talent and bonus shorts featuring the slapstick character Scrat. (20th Century Fox)
Title: ‘Orphan’
Tribune rating: **
Synopsis: The eccentric horror film “Orphan” stars Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard as a stressed-out couple who adopt a Russian girl, who immediately wreaks havoc on her classmates and new family. For the first hour or so, “Orphan” is a fairly routine “creepy kid” movie, but then the story hits a twist that raises “Orphan” to a new level of camp craziness.
Extras: Anyone who sticks with the movie to the end will want to check out the DVD and Blu-ray’s special features, which include deleted scenes, an alternate ending and a behind-the-scenes documentary. (Warner)
Title: ‘Whatever Works’
Tribune rating: *1/2
Synopsis: Woody Allen dusts off a script he wrote in the ’70s and casts Larry David as a misanthropic genius who falls for a homeless Southern beauty queen played by Evan Rachel Wood. There’s definitely a warmed-over feel to the film. From the May-December romance to the long rants about the stupidity of human beings, “Whatever Works” could be the work of a Woody Allen imitator. But David and Wood are surprisingly vibrant together, and for his first New York movie in years, Allen makes the city look warm and inviting — a place where misfits can find what they need. This is a slight Allen effort, but a charming one.
Extras: As is standard for Allen, the DVD and Blu-ray arrive devoid of special features. (Sony)
