New on DVD

"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" Blu-ray
A courtroom drama first, an exorcism second, all based on the real-life case of Anneliese Michel, a young Bavarian woman diagnosed with epilepsy who later died after undergoing an exorcism--the question is whether it was the Gran Mal seizures that did her in, or the devil. Since that's up for debate, the movie, now out on Blu-ray disc, takes the most commercial approach, with Tom Wilkinson's Father Moore going through the robust motions of an exorcism--in the middle of a thunderstorm, no less, and on Halloween (the real Anneliese died in July). His efforts are in vain. Soon, Emily is a gonner, her eyes rolling back in her head like two poached eggs ready to be pulled from the boiling pot. All of this is manufactured to the point of exhaustion, with the movie erring in never allowing us to come to know Emily herself. Rated R. Grade: C+

“The Mummy” Blu-ray
Also out on Blu-ray is Stephen Sommers’ high-tech remake of Karl Freund’s “The Mummy,” which misses what made the original, 1932 film so effective--its subtlety, its creepy atmosphere, and its moving performance by Boris Karlof. Sommers’ film exchanges all that for a special effects extravaganza, and he loses plenty in the process. Brendan Fraser is Rick O’Connell, a dashing Foreign Legionnaire of the 1920s who discovers the Egyptian city of Hamunaptra. There, he teams with a beautiful librarian named Evelyn (Rachel Wiesz) and her boozy brother (John Hannah) to retrieve a fortune in Egyptian loot. The catch? That fortune is protected by scores of zombies, flesh-eating scarab beetles and an evil mummy named Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo). Sommers’ special effects are top notch and Fraser is solid, but since too much of the movie is an unoriginal pastiche of other movies, it ultimately disappoints. Rated PG-13. Grade: C+

“The Mummy Returns” Blu-ray
Did it have to? This cinematic pinata erupts from the start and continues to erupt until it bursts into a cloud of pixelated sand. The film picks up eight years after 1999’s “The Mummy” left off, with Rick (Fraser), Evelyn (Weisz), and their young son, Alex (Freddie Boath), stuck in a story that’s so painstakingly manufactured to give audiences more of the same, it essentially is the same. The action swirls around control of an ancient bracelet that will allow the newly resurrected Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo)--working alongside his asp-kissing lover, Anck-Su-Namun (Patricia Velasquez)--to do a whole host of evil things, such as brining about “the next Apocalypse.” Yes, the next Apocalypse. Apparently, nobody here is aware that some are still awaiting the first Apocalypse--but I digress. There are so many plots and subplots grinding away here, the film is rendered incomprehensible and it’s hindered from going anywhere. Rated PG-13. Grade: C-

“The Scorpion King” Blu-ray
What saves the film from being just another souped-up box-office hopeful driven by special effects is that it knows what it is--an overblown blockbuster starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a barely clad superhero seeking peace in the Middle East. Good luck with that! Billed as a prequel to "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns," "The Scorpion King" actually is closer in spirit to "Conan the Barbarian.” It stars a well-fed jock, gives him a sword, shoehorns him into a loin cloth, and then follows his battle headlong into evil. The movie is junk food, but it isn’t all salt and grease. It’s surprisingly fun--a big-budget action-adventure cartoon that’s smart enough to wink at itself while also raising an eyebrow at audiences. Rated PG-13. Grade B.

Also new on DVD and Blu-ray disc:
The fifth season of “Las Vegas” is available this week, with Tom Selleck proving a fine addition to the cast as the new owner of the Montecito Resort & Casino. He’s here to smolder and to cause trouble, which he does with ease. Also causing trouble are those twits from the third season of “The Hills,” all of whom, when not flat on their backs, are usually stabbing somebody else in theirs. Lovely people. It’s another pseudo-reality season in which trusts will be tested, mistakes will be made, tears will be shed, hormones will rage, and love will flourish among the most annoying, vacuous people ever to sour the screen. Those seeking a tonic to that show should turn to the series that features the spawn of Batman and Catwoman. It’s “Birds of Prey: The Complete Season,” with Ashley Scott’s Huntress joining Dina Meyer’s Oracle and Rachel Skarsten’s Dinah in fighting crime. You can think of them as the Gotham Girls, and let’s just say it would be swell to see these three take down those harlots from “The Hills.” On a heavier note is the fifth season of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” with Chuck Norris coolly crippling all sorts of corrupt peeps on the wrong side of the law; Clarence Gilyard Jr., Sheree Wilson and Noble Willingham are there to look tough and help, which they do. Less compelling offerings include “Reno 911! Reno’s Most Wanted (Uncensored),” which presumably plucks the bawdiest scenes from that long-running television show (only a few scenes score), and the DVD and Blu-ray release of “College Road Trip,” which finds Martin Lawrence continuing his downward spiral in this bland, risible comedy from Disney. Here, Lawrence is an overprotective dad who demands to travel with his daughter (Raven-Symone) to Washingon, D.C., where she’s set to interview with Georgetown University. Why, you just can’t imagine the calamities that cut loose--seriously. This is, after all, the film that co-stars Donnie Osmond, who naturally has been cast as the White Guy, which in this case means the pandering dork. As spot-on as that casting is, there is little good to say about the movie itself, particularly when it starts to pour on all that uncessary sentimental treacle.