By Peter Covino

Lifestyle Editor

Sometimes you don’t need a big 50-inch HD TV to enjoy the wonders of Blu-ray.

Last week, the old laptop died. Unlike the Sony Vaio that preceded it, the Toshiba has been a faithful companion. I never even dropped it on my big toe like the first Toshiba laptop I owned.

Alas, it’s time had come. I really wasn’t thinking Blu-ray. Nor was I thinking a 17-inch screen for the laptop. (The one I dropped on my toe was also, very painfully, 17-inches). But there it was, on sale, an “entertainment” loaded HP.

Finally, there is no reason to get out of bed in the morning. It has really good sound quality for a laptop (even without ear buds) and that big screen just a few feet from my pillow is more comfortable than any movie theater experience.

Over the weekend, it was sort of a “greatest hits” event, re-watching the last Star Trek film and Cloverfield somewhere past 3 a.m.

This week, it was time for the review copy of Paul (Universal Studios Home Entertainment), one of those films I purposefully missed earlier this year. And judging by the very lukewarm box office ($37.4 million) I had a lot of company.

Well Paul (which brings together much of the same team responsible for Superbad,  Shaun of the Dead and Adventureland) isn’t great. But if you like a sci-fi and films that respect the genre, Paul is a good time.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost  (who co-wrote the screenplay) are reteamed with director Greg Mottola in this homage to the 1980s science fiction film, particulary those of Steven Spielberg, who has a cameo.

Pegg and Frost play a couple of geeks from the UK on their first American trip and after going to the big San Diego Comic-Con show, it is an RV road trip to those other-worldly places of the American West such as Area 51 and Roswell, N.M.

And as luck would have it, they meet Paul, an alien who has been kept under wraps by the government since 1947.

Soon the chase is on, as agents (Jason Bateman, Bill Hader) try to get Paul back on  a wild ride through the west.

There is a lot of acknowledgement to past films, including E.T., Star Wars and particularly Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The final scene is shot in the shadows of The Devil’s Tower.

There is even a big payoff at film’s end involving the head government lady (Sigourney Weaver) who gets her in a scene right out of Aliens. And that is Seth Rogan, by the way, playing Paul, the alien.

Another plus for watching on a laptop: my home Blu-ray player is not internet friendly, and there are lots of online options available with Universal’s Blu-rays, including chat and comment features. You can easily post comments on Facebook and Twitter.

The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a Blu-ray and DVD copy of the unrated and theatrical versions of the film. Additionally, for a limited time only, the Combo Pack also includes a digital copy of the unrated film that can be viewed on an array of digital devices.

Bonus features in the Blu-Ray and DVD combo pack include:

• Bloopers

• The Evolution of Paul — An inside look at how Paul became a living, breathing alien.

• Simon’s Silly Faces — Simon Pegg makes an assortment of wildly funny faces for the camera.

• Who the Hell is Adam Shadowchild? — Find out about the legendary sci-fi writer from the characters in Paul.

•Feature Commentary with Greg Mottola, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Hader and Nira Park

•Photo Galleries, Storyboards and Posters.

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Also new from Universal is the Blu-ray debut of the cult classic The Big Lebowski.

The follow-up to the Coen Brothers smash Fargo, is pretty much what you would expect from the creative duo, and that is the unexpected.

Jeff Bridges is “The Dude” Jeff Lebowski, a pot-smoking, beer bellied bowler, who has the adventure of his life after he is mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski. The plot centers around the kidnapping of wife of another Lebowski, a  millionaire, but somehow, that is all besides the point, in this crazy dream-laden film.

If you have never seen it, there is a major clue what to expect in one of the bonus features: Mark it Dude keeps track of all of the F-bombs and other dudeisms that occur during the film.

The movie features other Coen regulars John Goodman and Steve Buscemi as well as John Turturro (as a crazed Latino bowler) and Julianne Moore as a very erotic artist.

The special limited edition includes a 28-page packaged book and a digital copy of the movie.