‘Norbit’ weighs in, ‘Messengers’ arrive

The Eddie Murphy comedy “Norbit” (Paramount, $30) and the horror film “The Messengers” (Sony, $29) proved to be critic-proof when they were released theatrically this year, achieving No. 1 status at the box office on their opening weekends despite tepid reviews. Now they’re out on DVD.

Murphy is back to his old tricks -- donning tons of makeup and a fat suit -- to play three roles in “Norbit,” a comedy about a timid young man (Murphy), married to a mean-tempered woman (also Murphy), who has a second chance at love when his childhood sweetheart (Thandie Newton) reenters his life.

Extras include unfunny deleted scenes, a look at Murphy’s transformation, a mini-documentary on stunts and an embarrassingly tacky faux commercial featuring Marlon Wayans’ tap dance instructor.

“The Messengers,” a supernatural thriller set on a North Dakota farm, was directed by acclaimed Asian directors Oxide and Danny Pang. Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller star.

Among the extras is an extensive seven-part “making of” documentary -- the featurette on training the crows is the highlight -- and commentary with Stewart and “friends.”

Far more inspiring are the three documentaries being released today: “Maxed Out” (Magnolia, $27), “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib” (HBO, $25) and “The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair” (Magnolia, $27).

Written and directed by James D. Scurlock, “Maxed Out” is a cautionary and often frightening look at how America has become a nation of debt. Extras include interviews with experts on how people can get out of the downward spiral of making the minimum monthly payment.

In “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib,” writer-director Rory Kennedy offers an unflinching look at the abuse that occurred at the Iraqi prison at Abu Ghraib. Also included on the disc are extra footage and astute commentary from Kennedy.

Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s “The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair” also revolves around the prison at Abu Ghraib. They chronicle the story of an Iraqi journalist and family man who is unjustly imprisoned for allegedly devising a plan to murder the British prime minister.

Also new

“Duck You Sucker” (MGM, $27): Sergio Leone’s final spaghetti Western was severely truncated when it opened in the U.S. in 1972, first under the title “Duck You Sucker” and then later as “Fistful of Dynamite.” This two-disc edition restores the dark Western to as close to Leone’s original vision as possible, and the result is revelatory. Rod Steiger stars as a Mexican peasant thief who teams with an Irish terrorist (James Coburn) to participate in the Mexican revolution. The extras include an interview with screenwriter Sergio Donate; a discussion of Leone’s political leanings with his biographer, Christopher Frayling; a look at the film’s extensive restoration; location comparisons then and now; and solid commentary with Frayling.

The film is also included in “The Sergio Leone Anthology” ($90), which features special editions of “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”

“The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (MGM, $20): Australian Stephan Elliott wrote and directed this delightfully funny 1994 musical about two drag queen performers (Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce) and a transsexual (Terence Stamp) who travel in a pink bus named Priscilla to a gig in the outback. The special edition features a well-crafted retrospective documentary, vintage interviews with Elliott and his stars, deleted scenes and lively commentary with Elliott.

“Meatballs” (Sony, $20): Special edition of Bill Murray’s first comedy -- a harmlessly funny 1979 romp set at a summer camp.

susan.king@latimes.com