NEW ON HOME VIDEO This week's releases

"The Pink Panther": Steve Martin once wisecracked that comedy is not pretty. Neither was his take on Peter Sellers' bumbling Inspector Clouseau in this lame revival of the slapstick franchise. Beyonce Knowles and Kevin Kline co-star in this update that sends the nitwit French detective on a globe-trotting quest to solve a murder and recover the stolen Pink Panther diamond. The DVD has 11 deleted scenes and an alternate opening sequence, all with commentary from director Shawn Levy. DVD, $28.95. (Sony)
"16 Blocks": Bruce Willis and Mos Def team with "Lethal Weapon" director Richard Donner for a grittier, more measured take on the mismatched-buddies crime tale. Willis is a detective with a gimpy leg and a broken spirit whose routine assignment to escort a jailed witness to court turns into a deadly battle against a corrupt cop (David Morse) and his henchmen. The movie also comes in a separate release with both the DVD and high-definition HD DVD version. DVD, $28.98; DVD and HD DVD disc, $39.99. (Warner Bros.)
"Aquamarine": "Splash" for the young-teen and preteen girl crowd. Sara Paxton stars as a mermaid on the run, who has left home to avoid marrying against her wishes and ends up befriending two 13-year-old landlubbers (Emma Roberts and Joanna "Jojo" Levesque), offering to grant them one wish in exchange for their help in finding true love. Along with deleted scenes, the DVD has commentary from the cast and director Elizabeth Allen. DVD, $29.98. (20th Century Fox)
"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang": Shane Black, the screenwriter who created the "Lethal Weapon" series, teams with that franchise's producer, Joel Silver, for a wildly inventive twist on Hollywood detective tales that's part spoof, part homage. Robert Downey Jr. stars as a petty thief mistaken for a wannabe actor up for a film role as a detective, who's paired with a real-life private eye (Val Kilmer) to learn the moves, only to find himself hurled into a genuine murder potboiler. Writer-director Black teams with Downey and Kilmer for commentary, and the DVD includes a blooper reel. DVD, $27.95. (Warner Bros.)
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