New On Video: 'Two Towers' Extended Edition, 'T3'

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' Extended Edition (PG-13): Fans who are aching to see the final "Lord of theRings" installment "The Return of the King" will surely extend a royal welcome to extended version of "The Two Towers" -- a spectacular four-DVD set that features a myriad of bonus features and, best of all, adds 43 minutes of film footage to director Peter Jackson's already epic modern classic.

Like Jackson's extended version of "The Fellowship of the Ring" a year ago, "The Two Towers" extended edition broadly expands the film's in-depth narrative.

The film continues the story of Frodo Baggins' (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee and their (Sean Astin) quest to destroy the One Ring of Power. Early in the film they are joined by the creature Gollum (creepily voiced by Andy Serkis), the former owner of the ring whose motivations of guiding them to Mordor are suspicious at best.

Also picked up in "The Two Towers" are Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli's (John Rhys-Davies) search for hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), who have been snatched by the Urak-hai army by the orders of Saruman.

But the course of their journeys change when Merry and Pippin escape into the forest and encounter the Ent Treebeard (John-Rhys Davies), and Aragorn and company encounter the reborn wizard Gandalf the White (Ian McKellen), who travel to the kingdom of Rohan where King Theoden (Bernard Hill) has fallen under Saruman's spell.

Like "Fellowship," some of the additions are subtle while others are much more prevalent.

Perhaps the most noticeable addition is the "Fellowship" character of Boromir (Sean Bean), who was not in the theatrical version of "The Two Towers." Here he's seen in flashback, as his brother Faramir (David Wenham) recalls Boromir before he goes to join the Fellowship of the Ring.

Other scenes are extended, like the battle of Helm's Deep and the Ents attack on Saruman near the conclusion of the film. Also examined in depth is Aragorn's background, where we also come to discover a startling fact about the human's lifespan.

"The Two Towers" extended edition plenty of bonus material for both die-hards and the casual fan of the films.

For new fans, there's an informative discussion with literary scholars about how conversations between authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis -- and their frustration about the lack of stories they liked to read -- became the catalyst for the authors to create their masterworks "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," respectively. In fact, Treebeard actor John Rhys-Davies (who also plays Gimli) addresses the suggestion that Tolkien was thinking of Lewis' voice when describing the voice of the character.

Interesting, though, is how scholars and filmmakers aren't afraid to be critical of the books. One Tolkien historian describes the original "Rings" book (which was three volumes combined) as "too damn big." Jackson's also lends his observations about how difficult it was to convert "The Two Towers" into the film.

Also adding their insights to the documentaries are Jackson and actors like Christopher Lee, Viggo Mortensen and John Rhys-Davies. Jackson and several of the actors also lend their participation to the commentary section of the film, which is presented on the first two discs.

The third and fourth discs are dedicated to historical documentaries about the book, "making of" documentaries about the film, a complete section dedicated to the pivotal creation of Gollum (oddly, his skinny look was inspired by rock icon Iggy Pop) and production featurettes created for the film's official Web site. A special boxed set is also available of the extended edition DVD set, including another Gollum-inspired DVD and statue of the creature. (New Line Home Entertainment).

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines' (R): It's not unusual for actor-turned-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to utter the words "I'll be back" on the big screen; but in the case of the "Terminator" movies, he comes "back" in a big way.

Schwarzenegger is no doubt back in his element "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," director Jonathan Mostow's energetically entertaining follow-up to series creator James Cameron's original 1984 classic and brilliant 1991 follow-up "T2: Judgment Day."

Not only does Mostow fill the gargantuan shoes James Cameron by preserving the classic continuity of the first two films in the series with its incredibly dazzling visuals and brilliant tongue-in-cheek wit, he fully realizes the potential of the film legacy by taking the story to new and unexpected heights.

The action picks up 10 years after "Judgment Day," as John Connor (Nick Stahl), having narrowly averted a nuclear apocalypse, is destitute and living on the street. With his mother, Sarah (played by Linda Hamilton in the first two films), dead and his destined role as a future leader vanquished, he leads a virtually non-existent life. Worst of all, he's still haunted by horrifying visions of doom.

Enter the T-X (Kristanna Loken), a faster, sleeker female version of the Terminator that's sent back from the future to finish the job that her predecessors couldn't complete.

That's because, as Connor comes to learn by an obsolete T-101 Terminator sent back to protect him (the assembly line of the future makes all the "good" models look like Schwarzenegger), that he and mom didn't prevent Judgment Day 10 years earlier, they merely postponed it. That's a serious problem considering that the T-X is not only virtually indestructible in physical combat; she has the power to control other machines -- including the ones that can destroy mankind.

Reluctant of the formidable task that lay ahead of him, John sets out once again to rid the world of Judgment Day, with the T-101 and Kate Brewster (Claire Danes) -- a veterinarian who plays a pivotal role in his future -- along for the fight.

In many respects, the first part of "Terminator 3" is more of the same of "Terminator" and "T2." The story more or less goes into cinematic rewind for the first half of the film, as TX sets to snuff out every possible human link of defiance to ensure the rise of the machines.

While the atmosphere of "Terminator 3" feels strikingly familiar at first, the film really comes into its own in its latter half as we begin to witness the origins of Skynet, the defense system of machines that is central to the plot of the entire "Terminator" film experience.

The slam-dunk though, comes with some nightmarish, yet cinematically welcome "Twilight Zone"-like implications that leave as many questions as there are answers. The open-ended conclusion may frustrate viewers who like their packages complete, but should for the most part leave fans of the series begging for more.

The best thing about "T3" is that Schwarzenegger is very willing to poke fun at himself several times during the film, providing for some insanely funny moments.

DVD Features: The two-disc "T3" set is loaded with multiple bonus features, including a cool visual effects lab where you can build your own effects sequence. Also included are a gag reel, multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes, an introduction by Schwarzenegger as well as commentary tracks featuring Schwarzenegger, Stahl, Danes, Loken and Mostow. (Warner Bros. Home Video)

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd' (PG-13): You shouldn't be too shocked by this observation -- "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd" is, for the lack of a better word, dumb.

That's not to say the prequel to the 1994 Jim Carrey-Jeff Daniels hit "Dumb and Dumber" is a flat-out bad movie, it's just dreadfully unoriginal comedy that relies almost solely on body function humor and stupid dialogue for laughs for its mercifully short duration. If you like that kind of humor, you're apt to have a good time; others will grow tired of it in a big hurry.

Eric Christen Olsen and Derek Richardson play Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne, respectively -- the roles originated by Carrey and Daniels in the first "Dumb" movie, directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly. The film is set back in the '80s when, as the title suggests, Harry meets Lloyd.

After a crashing introduction to one another the two blissfully ignorant teens become fast friends -- the dumb duo quickly become the target of scheme concocted the shady school principal (Eugene Levy) and his lunch lady lover (Cheri O'Teri).

"Dumb and Dumberer" is about as juvenile a movie as juvenile gets, which means it's sure to be a hit for the pre-teen and young adult set. That's because for all its faults, it still does manage to achieve what it sets out to do for its target audience: create laughs by being as gross as possible.

To put it in perspective, think "Revenge of the Nerds III" as compared to its original, and that's what you get with "Dumb and Dumberer." And needless, to say, spawning sequels from the original "Nerds" was a dumb move.

DVD Features: Commentary tracks featuring Olsen, Richardson and Miller; two "making of" documentaries and deleted and alternate scenes. (New Line Home Entertainment)