In this week’s very special edition of DVDstruction, we cover a strange time for movies. On the one hand, there’s not much in cinemas as we desperately await this summer’s action blockbusters - starting early May with Iron Man. Yet, on the other, we’re starting to get all those Oscar-baiting dramas from last winter trickling onto DVD and Blu-ray. Never fear, moviegoer - we’re here to steer you through the overacting pap so everything you watch is worth it and entertaining to boot.

Walk Hard - DVD, Blu-ray 
John C. Reilly stars as country singer Dewey Cox in this mock-biography that ruthlessly skewers Walk the Line and Ray. Spanning from early childhood when he accidentally cuts his brother in half during a machete fight gone awry, to the final song of his career, Walk Hard crams in all the stereotypes like drug use and overcoming sensational odds from other overblown biopics without feeling like a lame spoof film.

And like every comedy being released now, the DVD is unrated, meaning a few extra minutes are edited back in that were somehow too naughty originally. Other features include a bunch of deleted scenes, musical performances and making ofs.

There Will Be Blood - DVD
Like last week’s musical-slasher, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Paramount has also cancelled the HD-DVD version of arguably one of the best movies to come out of Hollywood in years and without a Blu-ray release in sight. While we’re left with standard def 1 and 2-disc flavors of Blood, we do get an egomaniacal, Oscar-winning Daniel Day-Lewis clawing his way to the top of an oil monopoly, juiced solely on competition and one mighty mustache.

Over the course of the lean 160 minute runtime, Day-Lewis clashes with a corrupt preacher, ditches his son on a train and screams about his love for milkshakes. Extra features on the 2-disc set are lean - 15-minute making of, trailers, a deleted scene and curiously, a silent film from 1923 chronicling the oil business.

The Water Horse - DVD, Blu-ray 
The true story of a boy and his beast, The Water Horse features that adorable little British kid from Millions raising an egg that inevitably becomes the Loch Ness monster. While Horse is a heartwarming family dramedy and not the raging bloodfest we wished it was, it does have the honor of not sucking hard critically. Hell, if you have any young kids around, this’ll probably entertain them during your poker game, cock fight or whatever it is grownups do.

Extras include some deleted scenes and a crapload of making-of featurettes. The Blu-ray release comes with one of those “virtual” games that are standard on children’s DVDs now.

Other notable releases this week:

Lions for Lambs - DVD
Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise get all preachy about wars in the Middle East.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen - DVD, Blu-ray
Visionary director Terry Gilliam dazzles us visually in this cult fave about Munchausen and his many tall tales.

The 6th Day - Blu-ray
Arnold Schwarzenegger, clones, the future, ‘nuff said.

P2 - DVD
No, this isn’t the sequel to “P.” A scary parking attendant stalks a wealthy businesswoman in a parking garage. Boo!

Day of the Dead - DVD
A lame remake of the 80s horror classic of the same name, Ving Rhames, Nick Cannon and Mena Suvari (what happened to her?) are terrorized and/or eaten by zombies.

Apr 8, 2008