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‘Troy’ is a strong, silent type

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Troy Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom Warner, $30

No one would call director Wolfgang Petersen’s epic about the classic hero Achilles a great movie. Some critics didn’t even call it a good movie. But there’s no denying it’s old-fashioned fun entertainment.

Petersen, who directed “Das Boot” and “The Perfect Storm,” is an old hand at action films. Stars Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom and Eric Bana -- handsome and buff, one and all -- handle swords and spears with aplomb and utter painfully silly lines like they were written by Shakespeare.

Warner is releasing the international box-office hit in a two-disc edition. The big question: Why no commentary? Petersen has done voice tracks for DVDs of several of his other films.

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At least the second disc has some better-than-average featurettes on the battle sequences, the historical perspective and the special effects. There’s even an informative “Gallery of Gods” 3-D tour of Mt. Olympus.

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Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle John Cho, Kal Penn New Line, $28

The unrated extended edition of this raucous, tasteless youth comedy features what may be the very first featurette on flatulence.

If a documentary on passing gas is your cup of tea, then you’ll probably bust a gut at this edition of the silly comedy.

Danny Leiner, who directed that other gross-out comedy “Dude, Where’s My Car?,” helmed this vehicle. Two friends -- the quiet, repressed Harold (John Cho) and the wild and crazy Kumar (Kal Penn) -- set out to find a White Castle hamburger restaurant to feed their post-high munchies. Needless to say, their outing doesn’t go according to plan. Along the way they encounter everything from a vicious raccoon to a randy Neil Patrick Harris playing himself.

The disc also includes a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, a gag reel and ribald commentary with the director and his two stars.

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Riding Giants Greg Noll, Laird Hamilton Sony, $25

Stacy Peralta, the director of the acclaimed historical surfing-to-skateboarding documentary “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” examines the world of big wave surfers in his newest film, chosen as the opening night feature at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Utilizing terrific footage from the ‘50s and ‘60s, most of which was shot by amateurs, Peralta puts surfing in its historical and sociological context. Peralta also gleans candid interviews with several famous surfers, including the colorful, larger-than-life Greg Noll and current champion Laird Hamilton

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The extras include deleted scenes, a “making of’ documentary, footage from the Hollywood premiere and two commentary tracks.

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Las Vegas: Season One -- Uncut & Uncensored

James Caan, Josh Duhamel Universal, $59

The big advertising hook for this three-disc collection of the first 23 episodes of NBC’s freewheeling drama is that it includes scenes too hot for network television. But sampling a few of the episodes, none of the scenes looked all that tantalizing or taboo.

But if you have the time and inclination to make it through all 23 episodes, you will probably find a few naked actors and naughty words that didn’t pass the network censor’s scrutiny.

There are commentary tracks on a handful of episodes, including the pilot and the season finale; rough and tumble James Caan is the most enjoyable to listen to. The set also includes a tour of the expansive casino set and a 40-minute documentary on Las Vegas, “Sin City: A Hundred Years of Luck.” Eminently skippable: the “mini-movie” called “Rumble in the Montecito” starring Jon Bon Jovi, John Elway and the show’s cast. It’s nothing more than a promo for AFL football season on NBC.

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Susan King

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Also This Week

“Little Black Book” (Columbia Tristar: $26.96); “Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2” (Columbia Tristar: $24.96).

Top video rentals

1. “I, Robot”

2. “The Manchurian Candidate”

3. “Collateral”

4. “DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story”

5. “The Bourne Supremacy”

What’s coming

Tuesday: “The Village,” “Without a Paddle,” “Silver City,” “A Touch of Pink,” “Paparazzi” and “This Girl’s Life”

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