'Funny People'It's hard to believe, but Judd Apatow, the mega-filmmaker who has changed the face of Hollywood comedy, has only directed three films. Having made his mark in television ("Freaks & Geeks," "Larry Sanders") and some screenwriting, Apatow finally exploded into the theatrical world on the back of 2005's "The 40 Year Old Virgin." "Knocked Up" would follow in 2007, and then in 2009, "Funny People," a decidedly more mature comedy that straddled serious dramatic elements. Now arriving on DVD and Blu-ray, will the pic -- which stars Adam Sandler as a dying comedian who mentors younger upstart Seth Rogen -- finally grab a wider fanbase than it found in cinemas?

"Funny People" features a strong audio and video transfer, and comes in both theatrical and unrated versions. Extras are plentiful as well, with the two-disc edition featuring filmmaker commentary, on-set diaries, gag reels, deleted and extended scenes, featurettes on subjects like stand-up, vintage prank calls and more (including a great discussion with Seth and Judd from Charlie Rose). Read More...

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Tom Hanks in 'Angels & Demons'To some, the “Da Vinci Code” was an international blockbuster that made $758 million all over the world. To others, it was a disappointing translation of the bestselling book that currently stands at a lowly 25 percent approval rating on RottenTomatoes. So, when super-screenwriter David Koepp (“Spider-Man,” “Jurassic Park”) was brought in to adapt “Angels & Demons” into a sequel, did the “Da Vinci” filmmakers offer any notes based on the criticisms they received from that second group?

“No,” insisted Koepp. “They don’t really give you notes in relation to the first film, especially since I wasn’t there. I didn’t have anything to do with the first film. Ron [Howard] and his collaborators probably had conversations among themselves about what they wanted to do differently, as you would on any sequel. But since I didn’t have anything to do with it, I was dealing with this as its own thing.” Read More...

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