‘Mamma’ has looks and hooks
Mamma Mia!
Universal, $29.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.98
On stage, “Mamma Mia!” is pure, kitschy entertainment, stringing together ABBA songs behind a loose plot about a bride-to-be and the three men who might be her father. On film, the shaky connection between the story and the music proves more distracting, and the lack of professional singers and dancers is a hindrance, despite an exuberant performance by Meryl Streep as the young woman’s mother. Still, it looks and sounds especially good in Blu-ray, where the island locales shine like the sun.
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Generation Kill
HBO, $59.99
Just four months after “The Wire’s” final episode, creators David Simon and Ed Burns returned to HBO with their seven-hour adaptation of Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright’s book about the initial months of the American invasion of Iraq. Like “The Wire,” “Generation Kill” is deliberate in its pacing and storytelling, and it builds to a thoughtful, moving conclusion. The DVD set includes commentaries, deleted scenes and looks at the production and the real-life mission.
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The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Universal, $29.98/$34.98; Blu-ray, $39.98
Brendan Fraser returns as adventurer Rick O’Connell in this belated addition to the “Mummy” series. This time, armies of the undead are amassing in China, where they’re commanded by martial arts wizards played by Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. Mostly, “Tomb of The Dragon Emperor” serves up the usual hash of corny derring-do.
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