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DVD reviews: ‘Semi-Pro,’ ‘The Eye’

Also new: ‘Dirty Harry,’ ‘Meet the Spartans,’ ‘Weeds: Season Three’
/ Source: The Associated Press

“Semi-Pro”Maybe Will Ferrell should have appended a long subtitle to this box-office dud, which failed to score with audiences the way his “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” did. This time out, Ferrell plays a former pop singer who’s now the owner and player for a flashy but second-rate American Basketball Association team with an uncertain future as the league merges with the NBA. The movie comes in a bare-bones single-disc release or two-disc “Let’s Get Sweaty” editions on DVD and Blu-ray. Among the extras are behind-the-scenes featurettes and a segment on the ABA, plus Ferrell’s music video for his character’s hit song. Single DVD, $28.98; two-disc DVD set, $34.99; two-disc Blu-ray set, $39.98. (New Line) Read the review

“Dirty Harry”Clint Eastwood is back to make your day again as all five of his “Dirty Harry” cop thrillers return to DVD and debut on Blu-ray high-definition disc. Eastwood introduced the character of San Francisco inspector Harry Callahan in 1971’s serial-killer tale “Dirty Harry” and reprised the role in “Magnum Force,” “The Enforcer,” “Sudden Impact” and “The Dead Pool.” The original film comes in a two-disc DVD set or a single-disc Blu-ray release. The others are available separately as single DVDs or in a seven-disc DVD or five-disc Blu-ray “Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector’s Edition.” The films are accompanied by extensive cast and crew interviews in new and vintage documentary segments, while each includes commentary with such people as critic Richard Schickel, “Magnum Force” screenwriter John Milius and “Enforcer” director James Fargo. The boxed set comes with the documentary “Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows,” a 40-page book and a replica of Harry’s wallet with police badge and identification card. “Dirty Harry” two-disc DVD set, $20.97; single-disc sequels on DVD, $14.97 each; “Dirty Harry” seven-disc DVD collector’s set, $74.92; “Dirty Harry” single-disc Blu-ray release, $34.99; “Dirty Harry” five-disc Blu-ray collector’s set, $129.95. (Warner Bros.)

“Meet the Spartans”The Hollywood craze for releasing dumb spoofs of its own hits continues with this comic knockoff that takes its cue from the blockbuster “300,” centering on a last-stand siege in which a small band of Spartan soldiers held off hordes of Persian invaders. The filmmakers behind previous parodies “Epic Movie” and “Date Movie” are at the helm of this one, which was brutalized by critics, and the cast includes spoof queen Carmen Electra and Kevin Sorbo (TV’s “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”). Available in an unrated edition on DVD and Blu-ray disc, the movie comes with cast and crew commentary, a gag reel and a few making-of segments. DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98. (20th Century Fox)

“The Eye”

Image: Jessica Alba in \"The Eye\"

The U.S. remake of the Japanese horror hit landed with a thud among fans of fright flicks. Jessica Alba stars as a blind woman who has her sight restored by a surgical eye transplant only to find herself seeing terrifying visions, sending her on a quest to find out whose eyes she inherited and what the images mean. The movie comes in a single-disc DVD or two-disc DVD and Blu-ray sets, with extras that include deleted scenes and four behind-the-scenes featurettes. Single-disc DVD, $29.95; two-disc DVD set, $34.98; two-disc Blu-ray set, $39.99. (Lionsgate). Read the review

TV on DVD:

“Weeds: Season Three” — Mary-Louise Parker and her pot-peddling pals are back in the sly comedy about a suburban widow who becomes a hot new dealer on the marijuana circuit to pay the family bills. The three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray sets have all 15 episodes from season three, plus commentary and featurettes. DVD set, $39.98; Blu-ray set, $39.99. (Lionsgate)

“Rescue Me: The Complete Fourth Season” — Denis Leary returns in the drama centered on workplace and personal challenges among firefighters at a New York City firehouse in the post-Sept. 11 world. The four-disc set has all 13 episodes from the fourth year, along with deleted scenes and documentary segments. DVD set, $49.95. (Sony)

“The Dead Zone: The Final Season” — A three-disc set packs the last 13 episodes of the series inspired by Stephen King’s novel, starring Anthony Michael Hall as a car-crash victim who wakes from a coma to discover he has gained psychic abilities to see past and future events. The sixth and final season is accompanied by commentary and behind-the-scenes segments. DVD set, $34.98. (Lionsgate)

“Mannix: The First Season” — The crime show that debuted in the late 1960s stars Mike Connors in the title role as a tough, old-fashioned private eye. The first 24 episodes come in a six-disc package, accompanied by an interview with Connors and co-star Joseph Campanella, who also provide commentary. DVD set, $54.99. (Paramount)

“CHiPS: The Complete Second Season” — Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox resume their patrol as California motorcycle cops in the crime show from the 1970s and ’80s. The four-disc set has year two’s 22 episodes, along with interviews from Estrada. DVD set, $39.98. (Warner Bros.)

“The Incredible Hulk” — Timed to the June 13 release of the new big-screen adventure “The Incredible Hulk,” the TV series starring Bill Bixby as the scientist with the angry green alter ego returns in a five-disc set with all 23 episodes from season three and a four-disc set packing all 18 episodes from season four. DVD sets, $39.98 each. (Universal)