'The Simpsons Movie' hits and misses

Little more than a super-sized episode of the long-running animated sitcom, "The Simpsons Movie" (Fox, PG-13, 2007): doesn't come close to the show's best moments -- but since it's "The Simpsons," it doesn't mean the movie isn't worthwhile. To the contrary, there's an exceptionally nice balance of hit-or-miss humor, and the jokes come so fast that the clunkers barely register between the good ones.

Sadly, most of the supplements are pretty weak, including some lazy digs at "American Idol." Those familiar with the show's packed DVDs, however, already know that the creators' commentary tracks are legion, and it's here that the disc doesn't disappoint. Matt Groening and crew even pause the action on occasion to point out a fleeting gag or two, something "Simpsons" fans have been doing themselves for decades.

also new this week

"Halloween" (Dimension, 2007, Not Rated): Rob Zombie's pretty pointless remake of John Carpenter's slasher masterpiece "Halloween" arrives just in time for the holidays, albeit the wrong holidays. While nowhere near as annoying as Gus Van Zant's shot-for-shot remake of "Psycho," Zombie's "Halloween" is still largely disappointing. Retaining the basic plot of the original, Zombie's adds a backstory which makes its murderous antagonist Michael Myers slightly sympathetic, but that sympathy goes out the window once he starts killing every man, woman and animal within arm's reach, the bloodletting several distracting times what's displayed in the relatively subtle 1978 version. This cut at least allows Zombie to restore a few bits that didn't make it into the theatrical version, but unfortunately the film's flaws go deeper than that.

"Once:" (Fox, 2007, R): Not many folks actually saw "Once," a charming romance about two kindred musician souls busking on the streets of Dublin, but in its own way the simple Irish film was every bit a hit as its distant Hollywood cousins. That may not be the case if you look at the movie from a cash standpoint -- "Once" has taken in a mere $9 million to date -- but certainly on an emotional level it's hard to imagine this modest little story failing to win over anyone that watches it. You certainly couldn't say that of "Pirates of the Caribbean." (By the way, that "R" is not a typo. There's not a single moment of sex or violence in the film, just a couple of fleeting "f" words delivered in a thick brogue, so don't let the rating scare you off. "Once" is a movie for just about anyone.)

"Blade Runner: The Final Cut" (Warner Bros., 2007, R): "Blade Runner" may be the greatest cult film ever made, a movie that's grown in estimation with each year since its inauspicious theatrical debut. Frequent re-releases haven't hurt, and for once neither has the director Ridley Scott's tinkering, which each time has made the movie a little bit better. If you buy the five-disc version of "Blade Runner" on DVD, you not only get the latest, greatest cut of the movie, but each of the four previous cuts as well, and those starved for stories behind the making of one of the most influential sci-fi flicks of all time won't be disappointed by the set or its packaging, which doesn't even skimp on the origami unicorn. (Ask a fan. They'll explain it to you.)