New Blu-rays: Oscar winner 'Slumdog Millionaire' and classic musicals 'South Pacific' and 'An American in Paris'

“SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”

“MARLEY & ME”

“TELL NO ONE”

“SEVEN POUNDS”

“SOUTH PACIFIC: 50^th ANNIVERSAY EDITION”

“IL GENERALE DELLA ROVERE”

“HANNAH MONTANA: KEEPING IT REAL”

“LILO & STITCH: 2-DISC BIG WAVE EDITION”

“THE VENTURE BROS.: THIRD SEASON”

“IN PLAIN SIGHT: SEASON ONE”

"THE RICHES: SEASON 2"

“HOPE AND FAITH: SEASON 1”

“THE REAL GHOSTBUTERS: VOLUME 1”

“JIM GAFFIGAN: KING BABY”

 

“SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2008, R for some violence, disturbing images and language

Best extra: A commentary with director Danny Boyle and star Dev Patel (the adult Jamal Malik)

THE SQUALOR OF Mumbai’s slums, the colors of India and the beauty of the Taj Mahal are all captured beautifully, not only in high-definition but by fabulous camera work and cinematography. All this and myriad bonus features on Blu-ray create an in-home feast for sight and sound.

"Slumdog Millionaire" is the rags to riches story of a "dog" from the slums who makes it on India’s version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The storyline is intricately and wonderfully woven around Jamal’s incredible life journey, even though he’s only 18.

The Boyle/Patel commentary is rich with details and should satisfy those looking for information about actors, filming, sets and screenplays.

The remaining hi-def bonus features add life to this year’s best-picture Oscar winner, including a making-of featurette, 12 deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes of the toilet scene (if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know), a short film, "Manjha," and the "Bombay Liquid Dance" music video. Viewers also get a digital copy for PCs or Macs.

“MARLEY & ME”

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2008, PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language

Best extra: "Breaking the Golden Rule Featurette" about the running Hollywood warning: Don’t ever work with children or dogs - that clearly went out the window with this flick

EVEN THOUGH MARLEY the puppy graces the Blu-ray and DVD jackets, viewers need to know that, truth be told, "Marley & Me" is not a story about a puppy.

It’s about the impact this yellow Labrador retriever has on the Grogan family, John (Owen Wilson), his wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston), and their three children. The couple struggles with jobs, identity, child-rearing and their relationship as Marley grows old along the way in a fantastically realistic movie.

The Blu-ray tops the DVD in picture and sound, especially in sunny Florida locations, where much of the film was made.

A nice plus is that all bonus features are in HD although content is only standard. Featurettes include “Finding the right Marley,” 19 deleted scenes with optional Frankel commentary, on the set with Marley, animal adoption options and rules, a gag reel, and a dog-training trivia track that runs the length of the film.

The Blu-ray also includes a DVD copy and digital copy for your computer or portable player.

“TELL NO ONE”

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2006, not rated: contains language, violence and nudity

Best extra: Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is an hour long, fly-on-the-wall documentary, "Tell No One: The B-Side," that eschews typical talking-head documentaries and focuses instead on candid footage covering the film's entire production.

A TRUE HITCHCOCKIAN thriller, this excellent and critically acclaimed French adaptation of the American bestseller by Harlan Coben will satisfy fans of tense action (a foot chase across a busy Paris beltway is particularly harrowing) and labyrinthine plots. "Tell No One" follows a pediatrician whose understanding of his past collapses when he receives an anonymous e-mail that seems to prove his murdered wife is still alive.

The Blu-ray features an excellent hi-def transfer, while the audio tracks are a mixed bag. With any foreign film, English dubs should be avoided – as they should here – presented in a lousy Dolby Digital 2.0. But, you can experience the original French track (with English subtitles) presented in standard Dolby Digital or the desired uncompressed track showcasing sound effects and music from Otis Redding and U2.

Additional extras include extended and deleted scenes and a blooper reel. The exclusive documentary is top-notch where viewers can observe a film being made without being subjection to cast and crew interviews. Highly recommended.

— Josh Boone

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2008, PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sexuality

Best extra: The "Seven Views on Seven Pounds" hi-def featurette runs just under 30 minutes, offering a look at the film's production from seven different points of view including the director, screenwriter, producer, editor, etc.

WILL SMITH GIVES one of his best performances in the flawed but fascinating "Seven Pounds." The actor ventures into uncharted terrain as Ben, an IRS agent who does both cryptic (the movie opens with a 911 call where he reports his own suicide) and terrible things (verbally abusing a blind man), only to have his true and noble intentions revealed in the final reel. "Pounds" keeps Smith's motives hidden far too long but Gabriele Muccino, who also directed him in "The Pursuit of Happyness," gets an incredible performance and manages to really touch us in the finale.

The Blu-ray comes with a very nice hi-def transfer, capturing the film's beautiful cinematography. Contrast is rock solid throughout without a blemish in sight on the print. The Dolby TrueHD track is adequate as well; dialogue is the film's main focus, keeping the track front and center for the most part.

Muccino, with a heavy and often hard to discern accent, discusses his attraction to the story and some production details in his commentary.  Aside from the "Seven Views" featurette, shorter extras explore casting, Ben's mysterious jellyfish, and look at the printing press that plays a role in the film.

Blu-ray also includes a digital copy for iPods.

— Josh Boone

“SOUTH PACIFIC: 50^th ANNIVERSAY EDITION”

Best extra: Feature-length commentary from members of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization engages, entertains and informs.

BLU-RAY SERVES UP a special treat up for fans of the musical with its two-disc edition of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic. First of all, the picture is gorgeous. Characters and settings are well defined; color is superb, offering a lush, Technicolor appearance with a fine patina of film grain. Even when a solid color gel washes up over some of the songs, detail is exceptional. Color is no longer muddy or washed out.

Sound is majestic with a lossless soundtrack in addition to four- and two-channel Dolby Digital tracks. All the better to sing along with. (Go ahead. You’re home – there’s no one to hear or stop you!)

The extras are spectacular, too, starting with a feature-length commentary from Ted Chapin and Gerard Alessandrini of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization (lots of cool facts and anecdotes), a karaoke-style “Singalong” and “Songs Only” option on the first disc that allows viewers to move directly to their favorite numbers.

Disc two provides the lost “Road Show” version of the film. It is slightly longer and has its own commentary by musical historian Richard Barrios. Additional extras include the hi-def documentary, “Passion, Prejudice and the South Pacific,” a making-of featurette, vintage stage excerpts from Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza, Broadway’s Ensign Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque, Mitzi Gaynor’s screen test for Nellie, and an interview by Diane Sawyer with James Michener, 1947 Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Tales of The South Pacific” on which – you guessed it – the musical is based.

Set during World War II, the story follows two pair of star-crossed lovers, Nellie (Gaynor) and her older widower, Emile (Rossano Brazzi), and U.S.M.C. Lt. Joseph Cable (John Kerr) and his island lovely, Liat (France Nuyen). Adding spice to the mix is Seabee Luther Billis (Ray Walston) and native queen Bloody Mary (Juanita Hall). Nearly every song is a classic. Some humorous – “Bloody Mary (is the girl love”), “Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair,” “Honey Bun” – to the mystical and lovely “Bali H’ai” and iconic “Some Enchanted Evening.”

Best extra: “Anatomy of a Dancer,” a 90-minute standard-def documentary on the life and career of Gene Kelly

NO SURPRISE HERE. The Warner Bros. ultra-restoration project is stunning on Blu-ray. Using the original Technicolor three-strip process and painstaking realignment of the red, blue and green negatives, the clarity is unmatched with none of the shadowing colors that plagued the classic musical for years. Compared to the DVD released last fall, the hi-def imagery literally jumps of the screen – especially if your HDTV is 50-inches or larger.

The Blu-ray includes all of the extras from the two-disc DVD, including a commentary narrated by Patricia Ward Kelly, Gene Kelly’s third wife and biographer. It features rare audio clips from producer Arthur Freed, director Vincente Minnelli and Kelly.

The simple story of ex-GI Jerry Mulligan (Kelly) was kicked around at a Saturday night poker/pool game between Freed, Ira Gershwin and friends. The producer says he always wanted to make a movie using George Gershwin’s classic composition “An American in Paris.” (Ira Gershwin was the lyricist; brother George wrote the music.) By the middle of the night, Freed and Gershwin shook hands, agreeing not to cut a single second from the piece which would become the foundation of Hollywood’s greatest onscreen ballet. The rest of the movie would be stocked with Gershwin greats – 22 in all including “Embraceable You,” “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and “I Got Rhythm.” Freed then had to decide between Fred Astaire or Kelly to play the lead in the post-World War II Paris story.

The disc also includes a 30-minute hi-def documentary with archival interviews with Minnelli and Kelly, and a new interview with French co-star Leslie Caron, who was discovered by Kelly when she was barely 18. Drew Casper, a USC film professor and Minnelli biographer, also shares insights about the climactic ballet, which he describes as a show of “color and light that takes your breath away.” And, on Blu-ray that’s so true.

Blu-ray widescreen, 2000, unrated director’s cut and theatrical cut, PG-13 intense sequences of violent action and some language

“THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK: UNRATED DIRECTOR’S CUT”

Blu-ray widescreen, 2004, unrated director’s cut and theatrical cut, PG-13 intense sequences of violent action, language, some nudity and mature content

Best extra: Each disc features a new Blu-ray exclusive U-Control interactive feature.

WE DIDN’T REALLY need a director’s cut for “Pitch Black,” the sci-fi sleeper of 2000 that introduced Vin Diesel’s super rogue Riddick. It was – and is – an outstanding film that gained its following via its initial DVD release.

The plot concerns a ship transport that crash lands on a desert-like planet inhabited by nasty flesh-carving critters. Harry Knowles framed it best: “Picture ‘Aliens’ without the ordnance, shelter or android help – then imagine a bunch of humans and aliens scrambling for survival and you’ve got ‘Pitch Black.’”

It is simple, it is suspenseful and you dare not look away until the final moment.

The new Blu-ray offers the best picture it can. “Pitch Black” would have been great drive-in fare some years back as the film grain, weird lighting and budget-level effects demonstrate. You can’t clean all that up – but why should you? The primitive conditions work, just like Riddick himself, to create a gem.

The soundtrack is an impressive improvement. The score is rich with ethnic rhythms, dialogue comes across well, and then there are all those effects – meteor showers, crash landings, scary noises, a storm and lots of running.

Diesel returns for “The Chronicles of Riddick” with a bigger budget and a labored script. Here the Gigeresque Necromonger Empire is taking over planets and, like many evil invaders, won’t be satisfied until all are converted or killed. They’ve been unstoppable until encountering Riddick!

While still entertaining – and boasting co-stars such as Dame Judi Dench and Karl Urban – “Chroncles” is soon mired in its own importance. Director David Twohy, who co-wrote both films with Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat, loses himself and the audience in detail. He changes Riddick’s character, too. The gritty is-he-good-or-is-he-bad guy of “Pitch Black” becomes a predictable hero with predictable results.

That said, all the money put into the picture and audio shines in this Blu-ray presentation. Alien planets look fantastic as do flesh tones, costumes and sets. Colors are rich; contrast is sharp and distinct. Sound is also outstanding and may have your neighbors knocking on the ceiling when played at full-strength.

Aside from the new U-Control features, myriad extras are carried over from previously released HD format discs and include making-ofs, introductions and commentaries from Twohy and much more.

“IL GENERALE DELLA ROVERE”

DVD widescreen, 1959, unrated

Best extra: Interview with Isabella Rossellini

THE MOST COMMERCIALLY successful of Roberto Rossellini’s films, and winner of the top award at the Venice Film Festival, “Il Generale della Rovere” was the director’s least favorite.

Starring his good friend and colleague Vittorio De Sica and loosely based on a true story, “Generale” is set in 1944, when the Nazis occupied northern Italy and Italian sentiment was decidedly anti-German. De Sica plays Bardone, an attractive con man with a serious gambling habit. He’s arrested by the Germans but, thanks to his having sweet-talked one of the officers, is assigned to impersonate a legendary (but, unbeknownst to the public, already dead) general in the resistance in prison so Bardone can inform on the rebels to the Nazis. Ironically, this gives the ne’er-do-well an opportunity to develop a conscience, even redeem himself.

This Criterion disc has many excellent extras, such as interviews with all three of Rossellini’s children, as well as a couple of film scholars who provide insightful context and perspective to “Generale.” Renzo Rossellini was assistant and second-unit director for his father’s film and shares many fascinating anecdotes about its making.

Most entertaining is the interview with Isabella who, although she was only seven when “Generale” was made, recalls her father’s negative feelings about it, which had to do with being “caught by its respectability.” Unlike his previous neorealist films in which he used few, if any real actors or sets, this one was a conventional production. Isabella also discusses some of the film’s most blatant in-jokes, such as references to De Sica’s own gambling problems and his real birthplace.

“HANNAH MONTANA: KEEPING IT REAL”

DVD full-screen, 2008, TV-G

Best extra: "Miley’s Makeover: Hannah Gets a New Look" with shorter, blonder hair, and some clothes that hearken to the 1980's.

HANNAH MONTANA CAN drive? Oh, how fast Miley Cyrus’ teen years are going right before the public’s eyes, not only in the tabloids and online, but in her hit Disney Channel Show, "Hannah Montana."

This standard-def disc contains four episodes, and one bonus episode, which is about her driving, and getting into a bit of trouble while getting her license.

The bonus feature about Miley’s makeover is interesting because it features two of the star’s fashion consultants. Fans get to see Miley’s wardrobe as she goes through one of her sold-out shows. To say the least, her taste is eclectic.

Also, you can download a free ticket for the Hannah Montana’s movie that premiers Friday at your local multiplex.

“LILO & STITCH: 2-DISC BIG WAVE EDITION”

DVD widescreen, 2002, PG for mild sci-fi action

Best extra: A commentary with writers/directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders and producer Clark Spencer

BEFORE THERE WAS "Aliens vs. Monsters," Disney had Stitch, an alien experiment gone awry from another galaxy. Stitch escapes to the paradise of Hawaii, where he learns about family from a little girl named Lilo.

If you don’t own this beautifully rendered flick, now might be the time with the release of the two-disc, big-wave edition.

This time around, the movie has a feature-length commentary with DeBlois, Sanders and Spencer, the men who know how the film started and why it ended up the way it did. It’s a fast-paced, fact-filled listen.

Other bonuses mirror the original DVD release, including deleted scenes, "Your Ohana" music video, the "Lilo & Stitch Island Adventure Game," "DisneyPedia" on Hawaii and its islands and "I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You" music video.

Instead of having mini documentaries divided up talking about music, story boarding, story ideas, and the like, the second disc contains a mega-long documentary on the making-of the film. It doesn’t miss a beat.

Unfortunately, this DVD isn’t on Blu-ray; there is no rhyme or reason as to why Disney releases some of its movies on high-definition, and others not.

Nonetheless, "Lilo & Stitch" is a great story about friendship and family between unlikely characters, and, with Elvis singing a lot of the soundtrack, you can’t miss.

Blu-ray widescreen and DVD widescreen, 2008, not rated – but this is from Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Expect the usual. Animated, yes, but not for children.

Best extra: Series creator Jackson Publick and co-writer/editor/voice actor Doc Hammer provide 286 minutes of commentary for all 13 episodes in this two-disc collection.

EVER STUMBLE INTO the middle of a conversation and wonder what you’ve missed? That’s the experience of viewing “The Venture Bros.: Third Season.” You’re going to be a bit lost without the backup of seasons one and two.

But there are still laughs to be had from this Adult Swim takeoff on the old “Johnny Quest” show. Most of the set-ups are long, shaggy dog-like tales that pack a big punch line. Animation has a flat vintage look that looks fine in techno-marvel Blu-ray color. Sound is also good, offering an optional Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track.

Fans will also groove to the bonus 20-track CD featuring J.G. Thurwell’s music: “Brock Graveside,” “Node Wrestling,” “Mississippi Noir,” and the “Venture Bros. Theme.”

Additional extras include deleted scenes.

DVD widescreen, 2008, not rated but contains action violence, drug use and some sexual content

USA NETWORK CONTINUES to bring interesting characters to our TV screens such as Adrian Monk, Shawn Spencer and “Gus” Gustor (“Psych”), and Michael Westen (“Burn Notice”). They keep other favorites like Det. Robert Goren – about to be joined by Det. Zack Nichols (Jeff Goldblum) – onscreen where mundane networks can’t. U.S. Marshall Mary Shannon, played by Mary McCormack, is a great addition to USA’s lineup. She’s the focal point of “In Plain Sight,” which debuted last summer. Season two begins April 19 – a double-premier night with the latest season of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

Mark your calendar. That’s going to make a can’t lose USA night.

Mary Shannon works for the U.S. Witness Protection Program (WITSEC), finding new identities and homes for innocents and criminals who have made deals to testify. Stories are complex, loaded with drama, humor, action and plenty of additional interesting characters including a sterling cast of co-stars: Fred Weller, Paul Ben-Victor, Lesley Ann Warren, Nichole Hiltz and Cristian de la Fuente. What you’ll like about Mary is that she’s tough, she’s determined, quirky and vulnerable without being a pain about it.

Catch the first 12 episodes on three discs in this first season set. It will bring you up to date for the second season premier. Usually, a first season set includes cast and crew interviews, making-of features and other items. But all we get here are deleted scenes for each episode and, while interesting, it would be nice to hear some of the standard material we’ve grown used to.

Still, the show is good and worth your time.

"THE RICHES: SEASON 2"

DVD widescreen, 2007, not meant for viewers younger than 13 due to substance abuse and disturbing content

Best extra: "Eddie Izzard Revealed," the two-disc sets only featurette

GET IT WHILE IT’S hot, the final, seven-episode season of "The Riches," the critically acclaimed Fox series starring Izzard (Wayne Malloy) and Academy-Award nominee Minnie Driver (Dahlia Malloy).

Unfortunately, economics and poor viewership kicked this strange, thought-provoking drama off TV but it lives on DVD.

The lone, short bonus feature was filmed before the series was declared dead last fall and Izzard talks about being committed to the project for seasons to come. He’s not hurting for work, though. The British stand-up comedian has his comedy act and other movies in the works. Driver also is busy - with her first born.

With things not wrapped up in a fine package, maybe "The Riches" will be resurrected down the road. Maybe.

“HOPE AND FAITH: SEASON 1”

DVD widescreen 2003-04, not rated

Best extra: The featurette “Family Dynamic: Creating Hope & Faith,” where creator/executive director Joanna Johnson explains how she started doing a TV show. She had been a soap opera actress, which is a key theme of the show.

“HOPE & FAITH” aired on ABC TV from September 2003 to May 2006. It was a show about a homemaker, Hope Shanowski, who is married with three children. Hope’s life is changed when her sister, Faith Fairfield, a soap opera star — who is killed off of her show — moves in. The two sisters are complete opposites: Faith is lazy and a “diva,” despite her new surroundings. Hope is grounded, down to earth and the stabilizing force of the family.

An interesting point, which is made in the bonus featurette, is that the show was based a little on the life of creator Joanna Johnson, a cast member of “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

The show stars Faith Ford (Hope), Kelly Ripa (Faith) (Faith Fairfield) and Ted McGinley as Hope’s husband, Charley. Guest stars include Tony Curis, Dean Cain, Robert Wagner, Regis Philbin (Ripa's co-host on "Live with Rigis and Kelly"), Kathie Lee Gifford, Jenny McCarthy, Jaclyn Smith, Louise McCafferty, and Mark Coneuelos (Ripa's husband).

To accommodate Ripa’s “Live with Regis and Kelly” schedule, the show was filmed primarily in New York City.

The DVD also includes an almost obligatory “blooper reel.” The show’s pilot episode, one of the season’s funniest, is also included.

— Cliff Redding

DVD widescreen, 2007, R for nudity and language

Best extra: Short film: “7:35 de la manana”

TIME TRAVEL IS a tricky thing to deal with on film. There are temporal hopping flicks that take a less-sober approach that have done well among “regular” movies: “Back to the Future,” “Terminator,” “Austin Powers” trilogies, “Army of Darkness,” “Black Knight,” and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” For those few films that take the idea completely seriously – and do so well – there’s an almost cult-like following: “Donnie Darko,” “Groundhog Day,” “Run Lola Run” and “12 Monkeys.” In between is a true nether-region. Unfortunately, no matter how hard it tries; “Timecrimes” just can’t make it to either side.

Following an Oscar nomination in 2005 for a short film (which didn’t win, but picked up seven top European awards), writer/director Nacho Vigalondo got the go-ahead to shoot a feature film. “Timecrimes” looks great, the actors are fantastic, and the plot is far more action-driven than most European films. Even the continuity, a tough but intrinsically important point with time travel, is perfect. So what fails? Structure. There’s too much of it. It oozes out of every scene and drags down every line. You can almost see the crew off-camera, counting steps in millimeters, which makes each plot development seem forced and predictable.

The “Making Of” and “Makeup Effects” featurettes are untranslated, although there’s a technique of flashing between the filming of the scene and the final printed scene that’s neat. There are very short interviews with actors, Vigalondo and a producer; it’s interesting to hear how different those involved feel “Timecrimes” is from other European films. There are five featurettes about the interactive Internet game based on the movie.

Lacking proper funding for typical promotion, producers created a sub-story about a whistleblower and put it online; the back-story has taken on a life of its own. By far, “7:35 de la manana” is one of the best extras ever. Vigalondo, who also wrote and directed, takes on the lead role in his oddball musical short (no wonder he garnered such praise). It’s disappointing that the creative, edgy attitude of the short didn’t make it into “Timecrimes.”

“THE REAL GHOSTBUTERS: VOLUME 1”

DVD full-screen, 1986, not rated

Best extra: That there are 30 episodes of the animated series in this five-disc set.

BACK IN THE MID-’80s, everyone knew who they were gonna call if there was something strange in the neighborhood – the Ghostbusters. ABC capitalized on the movie’s success with a Saturday morning cartoon that followed the group’s adventures after those in the film. It was soon picked up for syndication and aired Monday through Friday as well. Volume 1 of “The Real Ghostbusters” includes the entire first season of the network show and part of the first syndicated season. It’s an impressive 30 episodes, and most are still pretty enjoyable even though I’m far past the age of footy pajamas.

With old shows like this, it’s easy to skimp on (or skip) extras. So kudos to this DVD set for making an effort, even if, honestly, some of the extras aren’t that interesting. There are introductions for almost all of the episodes by various people involved with the show. Sometimes they give interesting tidbits about making the episode or how it came to be, but too often it’s a far more mundane “Hope you like this episode!” There are also “innovative on-camera Visual Commentary Tracks” for a number of episodes. This means you get to see the people hooked up to the mike while they comment. The commentaries themselves aren’t bad, but the visual aspect is wholly unnecessary – except for making the occasional bald joke make sense.

There’s a featurette called “Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts: Creating ‘The Real Ghostbusters’” that talks about how the show came to be, some of the casting changes and other aspects of the series. If you can ignore the super cheesy voiceover at the start and the bad sound quality, it’s got some interesting insight.

There are also image galleries of design art, some isolated music and effects tracks, and DVD-ROM scripts and storyboards if you’re into that sort of thing.

Overall, it’s nice to see the proton packs still have juice in them.

“JIM GAFFIGAN: KING BABY”

DVD widescreen 2009, not rated

Best extra: Fans should enjoy the fact that Comedy Central has loaded this DVD with bonus features. First, are three episodes of "Pale Force," Gaffigan's "Ambiguously Gay Duo"-style cartoon feature for "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."

“JIM GAFFIGAN: KING BABY” IS FUNNY. And in a time where so many comics rant and rave and curse, Gaffigan’s “relatively” clean material is refreshing. He doesn’t curse and his humor makes you think about people like Bob Newhart. Updated, of course, but it all works. And it’s mainly inoffensive.

Gaffigan, who makes a huge deal out of his being “lazy,” works the audience like a seasoned professional in “King Baby.” He talks about food (bacon is a favorite), escalators, napping, ketchup and Waffle House restaurants.

Extras include four episodes of "Our Massive Planet," an Internet series that matches up wildlife footage with faux-interview audio of Gaffigan as a “scientific expert.”

Next up is a "Never-Aired British Interview," which is played mostly for laughs. His "XM/Sirius Interview" is a bit more informative. This video of the recording of his interview for the "Unmasked" show (in front of an audience at Comix) is insightful. "Atlanta: Meet and Greet on Demand" features funny interviews with Gaffigan plus footage of his extensive meet-and-greet contacts with fans and their reactions to him.

Completing the disc are several of the promotional spots for Gaffigan’s Comedy Central tours, aired during the channel's "Friday Night Stand-Up" blocks. The commercials for "The Sexy Tour" lack bite. The spots for "The Beyond the Pale Tour" are funnier, though, especially the first one in which he reads his "fake books."

— Cliff Redding