Angels & Demons

Tom Hanks

Sony

Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon in this exciting sequel to “The Da Vinci Code.” He must decipher ancient clues to find an anti-matter bomb before it blows up the Vatican. Director Ron Howard sends us racing around Rome, which looks like one enormous marble church. The violent thriller collared $133 million in U.S. theaters but cost $150 million. PG-13, 139 minutes; unrated version, 146 minutes. Grade: B. Extras: A. In stores Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Funny People

Adam Sandler

Universal Studios

Sandler doesn’t need to stretch much in playing a version of himself, a famous comedian. Except he gets cancer and feels lonely in his mansion. So he hires an assistant, a hopeful comic played with puppy-like devotion by Seth Rogen. Yep, another bromance. Fame is the drug, and its side effects are many. Director Judd Apatow’s show-biz comedy will please “Entourage” fans until it drowns in a cloying romantic triangle. Unrated, 153 minutes. Grade: B. Extras: B+.

The 2000 Year Old Man

Mel Brooks

Shout Factory

Brooks riffs and ad-libs brilliantly in this hysterical series of classic routines dating back to 1960. His comedy creation is an impossibly old man who has seen it all. He lived two caves from the Bible’s head writer. He married Janice of Troy, Helen’s sister. He sums up the Black Plague: “Too many rats, not enough cats.” Interviewer Carl Reiner serves as the perfect straight man. This “Complete History” set is one DVD and three audio CDs. Grade: A. Extras: B.

See Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner discuss the comedy routine in these Quicktime clips:part two; part three; part four.

Also new on DVD on Tuesday, Nov. 24:

“Angels & Demons Decoded”

After watching the new Tom Hanks thriller, you can dig deeper into best-selling author Dan Brown’s controversial topics with this History Channel program. Learn more about the Illuminati, the Freemasons, Galileo and the Catholic Church. It includes clips from the film and interviews with Hanks and director Ron Howard. 94 minutes. From New Video.

“Life on Mars,” series 2

A police detective in Manchester, England, is struck by a hit-and-run driver and knocked all the way back to 1973. This gritty, smart British TV series, which inspired a short-lived U.S. remake, wraps up its mystery in this satisfying second set. Four discs, eight episodes, 468 minutes. DVD extras: 48 minutes of bonus behind-the-scenes footage, a 45-minute documentary and a 28-minute featurette on the conclusion. From Acorn Media.

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