This just in: ‘Anchorman’ commentary adds lunacy

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (unrated edition and “Wake Up, Ron Burgundy”)

Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate

DreamWorks, $40

Though not as focused as “Elf,” Will Ferrell’s “Anchorman” has many scenes of inspired lunacy and sweetness.

He plays a macho, inept San Diego news anchor who finds his mega-masculine world turned upside down when the TV station hires a beautiful woman (Christina Applegate) to be a reporter.

Ferrell surrounds himself with a stellar supporting cast including Paul Rudd as a womanizing roving reporter, David Koechner as a crass sportscaster and Steve Carell as an utterly clueless weatherman.

The movie is being released in its original theatrical version and in a two-disc uncut edition with a “lost movie” titled “Wake Up, Ron Burgundy,” which is culled from deleted and extended scenes.

The first disc includes bloopers that are actually funny, 22 deleted scenes, Burgundy’s audition for ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and a breezy making-of documentary. There’s also a trippy music video featuring the cast performing “Afternoon Delight.”

But it’s the outrageous audio commentary that really makes this disc zing. It’s definitely not for the kiddies. Ferrell and co-writer-director Adam McKay stretch the boundaries of what language is permissible in an audio commentary for an “unrated” movie. Popping up in the commentary is singer Lou Rawls -- and even he asks why he was invited to participate.

The second disc contains “Wake Up, Ron Burgundy,” the 90-minute feature cut together from discarded footage. It includes a major deleted subplot involving a group of bumbling bank robbers, outtakes and raw footage from “Wake Up,” cast auditions and rehearsals, funny public service announcements, footage of Burgundy receiving awards, clips from Burgundy’s appearance at the MTV Movie Awards and even more deleted scenes.

*

Garden State

Zach Braff, Natalie Portman

Fox, $30

Zach Braff, the engaging star of the NBC series “Scrubs,” makes an impressive debut as a writer-director with this subtle comedy-drama. Braff plays a struggling actor who after nine years returns to his home in New Jersey to attend his mother’s funeral. During his stay, he meets a winsome young woman (Natalie Portman), rekindles a friendship with a high school buddy (Peter Sarsgaard) and tries to deal with his prickly father (Ian Holm).

The DVD includes a well-crafted making-of documentary, outtakes and bloopers, 16 deleted and extended scenes, sweet commentary with Braff and Portman and more technical comments from Braff, director of photography Lawrence Sher, editor Myron Kerstein and production designer Judy Becker.

*

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory

Sony, $30

If you love action movies based on video games, then you’ll probably groove to “Apocalypse,” the sequel to 2002’s “Resident Evil.” But if video games are anathema to you, it’s best to look elsewhere. This time around, Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory and Oded Fehr battle bloodthirsty zombies, bloody devil dogs and other nefarious baddies.

The big question is, why does such an average film warrant a two-disc set? Do we really need 20 deleted scenes, six making-of featurettes, outtakes and three commentary tracks?

*

Wicker Park

Josh Hartnett, Rose Byrne

MGM, $27

Josh Hartnett is cute and talented, but he can’t seem to pick the right vehicles. This confusing romantic thriller -- a remake of the 1996 French hit “L’Appartement” -- came and went in a flash from movie theaters this summer.

A nonlinear thriller, “Wicker Park” finds Hartnett as a young corporate executive in Chicago who starts lying to his girlfriend when he thinks he sees the love of his life (Diane Kruger), who had abandoned him on the streets of the Windy City.

The meager DVD includes a gag reel, deleted scenes and commentary.

At least the commentary between director Paul McGuigan and Hartnett is unpretentious.