April 2, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • Page 25 ‘Anchorman 2’ features more hijinks from Burgundy Paul Rudd, Will Ferrell, David Koechner, and Steve Carell in ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.’ by Dennis Seuling “Anchorman 2: The Legend Contin- ues” (Paramount) continues the misad- ventures of news reporter Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), now working with wife Veronica (Christina Applegate) at a New York radio station. When the station’s veteran anchor (Harrison Ford) decides to retire and selects Veronica to replace him, Ron is fired. After an unfortunate gig at Sea World, he gets an offer from a new experimental 24/7 news program to anchor and assemble his own team. So Ron pulls together his old Channel 4 team — investigative reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports reporter Champ Kind (David Koechner), and weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell). Though it largely rehashes gags from the earlier film, is short on clever dia- logue, and often strains to get laughs, a few sequences shine. When Ron’s team is relegated to the 2 to 5 a.m. time slot, for example, they fill air time by chatting about ridiculous topics, presenting inane “soft news,” and showing complex, inde- cipherable graphics. Ferrell’s efforts to be funny are uneven, but he is in top form sitting behind the news desk. Ferrell’s numerous improvi- sations amp up the chuckles as he offers asides to the scripted news or improvises with his colleagues. Kristen Wiig plays Chani, a roman- tic interest for Brick. The two are great together. Both have the same off-center look suggesting they don’t fully compre- hend the real world, but forge ahead none- theless. The three-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack contains both the unrated and theatri- cal versions and the “super sized” R-rated version with over 90 minutes of deleted, �������������� ����������� ���� ��� ��������� ������������ ����� �������������������� ���������� ������������ ������������������ extended, and alternate scenes. Bonuses include commentary by the director and cast, gag reels, cast table reads, four behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a digi- tal HD copy. “Meet Him and Die” (Raro) is about a robbery that goes wrong for hapless crimi- nal Massimo (Ray Lovelock), who breaks into a jewelry store only to have the steel shutters immediately slam down and lock him inside until the police arrive. He is sent straight to jail, quickly befriends a big-time crime boss, and the two inmates make a successful escape. The plot has a twist when it is revealed that Massimo is not who viewers think he is, but the audi- ence never learns the true background of these criminals or what motivates them. This 1976 police action thriller also stars Elke Sommer and Martin Balsam and is directed by Franco Prosperi. The film is in Italian, with English subtitles. A book- let containing production information is included in the Blu-ray release. “Knights of Badassdom” (Entertain- ment One) follows three best friends (Peter Dinklage, Steve Zahn, Ryan Kwanten) who are dedicated LARPers (live action role players) as they take to the woods to reenact a dungeons and dragons-like sce- nario fresh out of the Middle Ages. Trou- ble arises after they unwittingly conjure up serious evil in the form of a blood-lust- ing succubus. Their courage and loyalty are put to the test as fantasy and reality collide on the Fields of Evermore and the friends attempt to vanquish the evil they have summoned in an all-out epic battle of make-believe wizards, demons, and assorted mythical creatures. The humor derives mostly from con- temporary expressions, slang, and off- color language interspersed with Old English. Though initially amusing, the joke soon wears thin and the movie doesn’t have enough substance to sustain interest. The tone is confusing. The partici- pants take their role- playing seriously, but director Joe Lynch seems to waver between making fun of the folks who want to extend their adolescence into adulthood (continued on Crossword page)