DVD includes early signs of director’s interest in aliens

“Signs”

Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix

Touchstone, $30 for DVD; $23 for VHS

On the DVDs of his previous films, “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable,” writer-director M. Night Shyamalan included one of the films he made as a youngster. And he continues the tradition in the digital edition of his latest box office hit -- an uneven, ultimately disappointing sci-fi alien thriller. This time around, the excerpt is from Shyamalan’s first alien feature, which he made as a teenager. Shyamalan, who also appears in the film, created his alien by putting a Halloween mask on small robot toy. It’s a hoot.

The disc also includes several deleted scenes and a comprehensive documentary on the making of the movie. Although Shyamalan is front and center in the documentary, he does not supply a commentary track.

*

“The Good Girl”

Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal

Fox, $28

“Friends” star Aniston finally got a movie role that fits her like a glove in this entertaining comedy-drama written by Mike White and directed by Miguel Arteta. Aniston is totally believable as a 30-year-old stuck in a dead-end job at a retail shop and unhappy in her marriage to a pothead painter (John C. Reilly). She finds a soul mate in a new co-worker (Gyllenhaal), a sensitive young man named Holden. The two enter into a hot affair that threatens her marriage.

The DVD features some interesting deleted scenes with commentary from Arteta and White, an alternate ending, and a gag reel. However, Arteta and White’s commentary track ends up being quite a snooze. Aniston, though, is much livelier in her scene-specific movie commentary.

*

“Martin Lawrence Live -- Runteldat”

Martin Lawrence

Paramount, $30

In this ribald, outrageous comedy concert film, the popular Lawrence says all critics are scum and he doesn’t care what they say about him. So he probably won’t be upset when he learns that this review isn’t positive. Although Lawrence has many fans, there are those who find his humor sophomoric, crude and mean-spirited. The digital edition includes a passable making-of documentary, a deleted scene and so-so commentary from director David Raynr, producer Michael Hubbard and executive producer Robert Lawrence, who is the comic’s brother.

*

“Girls! Girls! Girls!,” “Fun in Acapulco”; “Paradise Hawaiian Style”; and “Easy Come, Easy Go”

Elvis Presley

Paramount, $20 each

In celebration of Presley’s 68th birthday, Paramount has released four musicals on DVD that he made for the studio in the 1960s. Don’t look, though, for any extras. In fact, these bare-bones discs don’t even include trailers. The quality of the films also is uneven, with 1963’s “Fun in Acapulco” the best of the lot and 1967’s “Easy Come, Easy Go” a definite dog. Produced by Hal Wallis, each film follows a similar pattern: The King works on or near the water and is the object of several women’s affections. Hot tempered, Elvis always gets into fistfights but always manages to find time to sing in nightclubs. And in three of the films, he’s teamed with obnoxiously cute children who can’t carry a tune in their duets with Elvis.

-- Susan King