New on DVD and Blu-ray: ‘Five-Year Engagement’ and Clint Eastwood’s Redeeming Qualities

Another film producer by the Judd Apatow Laff Factory, 'The Five-Year Engagement' reunites 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' director Nicholas Stoller with star (and co-writer) Jason Segel, as Segel's slacker keeps pushing his marriage to career-minded academic Emily Blunt back... and back... and back. Like most Apatow-produced movies -- and ironically -- 'The Five-Year Engagement' goes on a bit long. The Blu-ray, working form the "more is more" category, adds even more deleted scenes, improvisations and alternate takes to commentary. But it's Segel and Blunt's portrait of love -- real and messy, funny and strained -- that really keeps the film at its best when it stays on its voyage with them.

Long before Frank Marshall became the super-producer behind 'The Sixth Sense,' 'The Bourne Identity' and too many other hits to count, he directed some fine films-- and one of the best and brightest-shining of them, 'Arachnophobia,' is now on Blu-ray. A classic creature feature with just the right ratio of giggles-to-gross-outs (especially with John Goodman as the Travis Bickle of Exterminators), 'Arachnophobia' has a great cast of pros (Jeff Daniels is the lead, for one), The breezy B-movie feel of it make it a film woven like a spider's web -- delicate and featherweight and just that tiny little bit icky. ...

I'm sure we all remember the plot to 'Mercury Rising,' the Bruce Willis action film. And I'm also sure we've thought, "I'd prefer 'Mercury Rising' if it took place in New York, if the kid was cuter, if the Russian Mob/Triads/NYPD were involved and if Bruce Willis spent more time beating people up like Jason Statham and were, in fact, just Jason Statham." Our prayers, it seems, have been answered. Astonishingly shameless -- and directed by Boaz Yakin, previously given to indie dramas with less throat-punching -- 'Safe' is a nicely-packaged piece of action-movie pleasure much improved by Statham's rugged, dogged charm.

Drawn out of what he thought was retirement, Clint Eastwood travels across the globe to take on an impossible and dangerous mission when his old friends -- who may be new foes -- require his particular skill set one last time. ... But aside from the headlines last week, Clint Eastwood makes great movies, too. One of them, 1975's 'The Eiger Sanction,' is now on Netflix Watch Instant. A two-fisted actioner, it has a plot remarkably like the above, and is full of Clint doing the kind of black-turtleneck retro-styled derring-do that never goes out of style. ...