‘Spider-Man 3’ arrives just in time

Though reviews were mixed, “Spider-Man 3,” due on DVD on Tuesday, proved the Marvel Comics movie franchise still has legs. The Sam Rami-directed action-adventure is the No. 1 film of the summer and the top box office draw of the year, raking in $336.5 million domestically. The film also broke the opening-day record, taking in $59.8 million in its first day of release last May.

And it appears that this cash cow will continue -- a “Spider-Man 4” is on the horizon, and a “Spider-Man” musical will be heading toward the Great White Way with a score by U2’s Bono and the Edge. Julie Taymor of “The Lion King” and “Across the Universe” fame is set to direct.

The new double-disc DVD features six hours of extras, including bloopers, 10 featurettes and audio commentary with Raimi and the cast.

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Funny man from TV’s early years

Spike Jonze is the iconoclastic Oscar-nominated director of “Being John Malkovich” as well as the equally quirky “Adaptation.” But Spike Jones was the wacky, square-jawed comic bandleader of the City Slickers, whose outrageous antics have inspired the likes of Frank Zappa, Ernie Kovacs, “Weird Al” Yankovic and even George Carlin.

The Slickers’ hit songs included “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” “Cocktails for Two” and “Hawaiian War Chant.” Besides using traditional instruments, the group “played” flit guns, bird calls, tuned cowbells and auto horns as they sneezed, hiccuped and belched out the music. A four-disc set “Spike Jones: The Legend” arrives Tuesday on DVD. Included on the disc are four of his earliest shows for NBC -- “The Colgate Comedy Hour” from 1951 and “All Star Revue” from 1952. There’s also a CD of two NBC radio pilot shows from 1945. Among the guests appearing on the TV series are Liberace, Jim Backus and Billy Eckstine. A very young Mike Wallace was the announcer.

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Jackie Chan in a time-travel caper

Though it screened at the 2005 Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals and opened internationally in theaters that year, Jackie Chan’s “The Myth” never was released in American theaters. Instead “The Myth,” which received four Hong Kong Film Awards nominations, including best picture and best original song, is quietly making its U.S. debut Tuesday on DVD.

Those expecting a buddy comedy like Chan’s “Rush Hour” blockbusters with Chris Tucker will be disappointed. “The Myth” is an oddball, time-traveling epic directed by Stanley Tong. The action star plays a contemporary archaeologist who gets involved in a plot to steal treasure from the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, as well as a brave general who served emperor Quin Shihuang in ancient times.

-- Susan King