With a big election finally in the rearview, it's time to relax a bit and try to get life back to some sort of semblance of normal.

What better way to get there than taking in some of the fresh releases on DVD this week.

Dr. Videoport Jones is on hand to offer his prescription for the good and that not so good.

Get Smart

Videoport Jones: "Don't quit the day job at ('The Office' job?) big Steve. It's not that I think Steve Carrell isn't funny (the dude's an original, and hilarious), or that this movie isn't funny (it sort of is, in fits and starts). It's just that he's, seemingly, got very poor script selection skills. I mean, big props for 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' (which I maintain is one of the funniest films in twenty years), and 'Anchorman' (which may in fact BE the funniest film in 20 years), but, apart from some nods in the direction of 'soulful, slightly sad, yet still funny' indie fare ('Little Miss Sunshine,' 'Dan In Real Life'), Stevie's gotta step off of the big, would-be blockbuster comedy gravy train before he ends up, well, where Jim Carrey currently resides. 'Evan Almighty' (speaking of JC) was one of the most deserved flops of all time, and now this...another TV-show-to-movie adaptation? Really necessary? I dunno, it made me laugh a few times, but mostly when Carrell was doing something Carrellian, rather than Maxwell Smartian, and Dwayne 'you WILL NOT call me the Rock anymore, on pain of snap suplex' Johnson had his usual effortless charisma working for him, but the whole thing was just...there. So call Apatow, Steve, stay with 'The Office' forever, please, and hire a better agent."

Justin: "I've got mixed feelings on this one, and you mostly nailed it there. One one hand I was a big fan of the original show, thanks to syndication (since, you know, I wasn't alive when it originally aired.). But I had to wonder if the oddball, dimwit, bumbling secret agent schtick really still worked. In this case at least it looks like the answer is a maybe? Probably not a waste of time, but perhaps not something you'd go out of your way to see. Carrell is the big draw here and Anne Hathaway brings the eye candy, but in the end the formulaic-ness of the whole thing kinda weighs it down. I'm with you that Steve needs to get on some better decision making and soon. I can't complain with him for wanting to do movies like 'Little Miss Sunshine,' but it seems like crazy pendulum swings when you go from that to the aforementioned (and awful) 'Evan Almighty.' Michael Scott can't last forever, and when he goes away, where will Carrell be?"

Kung Fu Panda

VPJ: "Jack Black is a big, cuddly, arse-kicking teddy bear. He also voiced the title character in this movie. Zing. But seriously, some zippy animation, a serviceable script, some big stars (Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, David Cross, Jackie Chan) lending voice to some cartoon critters, and some cute, but sub-Pixar, animation, and you've got a passable time waster for the grown ups and a laugh riot for the young (and the stoned)."

Justin: "Sometimes you are ruthlessly efficient, my friend. Seriously, you don't waste time cutting right to the meat. I'll admit this one did seem appealing, but part of the over-commercialization kind of turned me off. Now that's aimed at the kids, and I don't have one screaming to go the theater, so it's a push. Still, I could probably be convinced to watch this, or not change the channel if it came on cable. Also, as big a Pixar fan as I am, and I know you are too, sometimes I think you set the bar too high for animation. Pixar sets it pretty high itself, but Dreamworks looks to have done some pretty nice work this time as far as the CG is concerned."

Futurama: Bender's Game

VPJ: "Now we're talkin' animated gold. The third in the four direct-to-DVD 'Futurama' movies we're gonna get from this now un-defunct comic franchise is the best one yet, with plot elements as diverse as Dungeons and Dragons, a planet-wide fuel shortage, a parallel universe where Hermes is a confusingly-alluring hermaphroditic centaur, the Lord of the Rings, and lots and lots o' the nerdiest math and science jokes imaginable. The show is great, Bender's the coolest robot ever, the voice actors are brilliant, the animation's imaginative and witty, and, well, just watch it, okay?"

Justin: "I've come to the realization that 'Futurama' is really a show that gets better on repeated viewings. I'm resisting the overused wine analogy here, but I think it is true. Even though it had the 'The Simpsons' brand behind it, this show never got the same attention or love. (At least not initially) So I'm really happy it's found new life. If this one is as funny as 'Bender's Big Score,' and 'The Beast with A Billion Backs,' then count me in. Viva Bender Bending Rodriguez!"

Death Defying Acts

VPJ: "One of those movies you never saw on the radar, (I mean, I did, but, then, I'm a professional), this period romance, thriller, thingy stars Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta Jones as, respectively, Harry Houdini and the supposed psychic, slinky, sexmonster who tries to entrap him in a scheme while he makes a tour of England in the 20's. Now, because I haven't seen this one yet (I mean, I'm a professional, but I'm not fanatical about it) I'm going to go off on a few tangents. One, Pearce is a good actor with terrible instincts; he was made an instant star in 'LA Confidential' but squandered his capital with ill-considered 'star vehicles' like 'The Time Machine.' Wise up, or go back home Down Under. Second, and even more tangentially, everyone should read 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon, which features Houdini as a marginal character, but is a cracking good read, with serious geek/comic nerd appeal. Oh, and it won the Pulitzer. Geeks unite."

Justin: "Yeah that was a serious geek tangent there. I'm gonna agree with you, but let me make a few asides as well. First, what the heck is the deal with Guy Pearce. Aside from 'LA Confidential' and 'Memento,' you're right. What happened there? Is he hard to cast? Does he not fit the mold for certain roles? Or is it our old friend and frequent target, the bad agent? Is he being fed terrible projects by someone looking to get a paycheck? Tough to say. This one sounds marginally interesting, but already reminds me of a couple other magician movies made recently, including 'The Prestige,' which started fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman. And to second, yes, 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' is an excellent novel and one of the best works of fiction I've read in probably the last 10 years. That's a movie I'd like to see right there."

Project Runway - Season 4

VPJ: "What? This is about clothing or something? (I need to ask, since I would never watch this in any conceivable universe...)"

Justin: "OK, now I have not watched this show. I need to make that point. And I also want to say that I think the slide to cheap, uninspired reality TV shows is the death of TV as we know it, especially on the Bravo network, which is home to Project Runway and a bajillion other reality shows. That said, this show seems to have carved out a comfortable little niche for itself and its personalities. Again, I have not watched it (conversely, I have gotten sucked in by its counterpart 'Top Chef' from time to time. But that's because I like to cook), but I know Tim Gunn, a designer/iconoclast that appears on the show, and he's gotten a spin off that I find funny at times. This is a muddled endorsement at best. I hate the reality TV boom, but when it works I guess even I can get suckered. Blergh."

Finally this week, a note from Jonesy:

"And, just to cement my geek cred, I'd like to trumpet to the heavens the recent acquisition of four new episodes of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' (bringing Videoport's collection to about 60 episodes or so of this utterly hiLARious series). In case it matters, this collections includes the installments 'The First Spaceships on Venus,' 'Laserblast,' 'Werewolf,' and 'Future War,' which Mike, Joel, and the 'bots transform into comedic fried gold."

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