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Flash (July 3)
"Star Wars" in 3-D? By Thomas K. Arnold
Home Media Magazine "Star Wars" in 3-D? It's a dream come true for Blu-ray Disc fans, who picked the celebrated sci-fi franchise as their No. 1 choice to watch in three dimensions once a 3-D standard for Blu-ray Disc is approved and studios start releasing movies in 3-D en masse on the high-definition format.
Members of the Home Media Tastemakers Forum, a blu-ribbon panel assembled by Home Media Magazine as an industry consumer panel, overwhelmingly chose "Star Wars" as the movie they’d most like to see in 3-D. "3-D gives you the feeling of 'being there' in a way that 2-D cannot," said Forum member David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California. In addition to "Star Wars," Wertheimer's top choices -- each panelist was asked to pick three movies -- include "The Matrix" and "Apollo 13."
For the complete report, jump to Home Media Magazine.
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Flash (June 30)
From the Big Screen: This Week's Theatrical Releases
Due this week: "Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience," "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" "12 Rounds" and "Two Lovers."
DVD Collectibles:
Director Hal Ashby, who died an untimely death in 1988 after fighting internal demons that led him to drug and booze abuse, left behind a brilliant, maverick career that included winning an Oscar for editing "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) and directing such unusual films as "The Landlord" (1970), "Harold and Maude" (1971) "The Last Detail" (1973), "Shampoo" (1975), "Bound for Glory" (1976), "Coming Home" (1978) and Being There (1979). His "Lookin' to Get Out" (1982), starring Jon Voight, Burt Young and Ann-Margret, will debut in a never-before-seen cut that represents the director's original vision. The new version was recently uncovered with the help of its star, Jon Voight, Ashby-biographer Nick Dawson and Ashby's daughter, Leigh MacManus, who found that, unbeknownst to anyone, the director had re-edited the film after its release, then donated it to the UCLA archives prior to his death. The comedy follows the trials and tribulations of a pair of New York City losers who flee to Las Vegas to escape a loan shark hot on their trail. The DVD was originally scheduled for a May 26 release but was delayed. From Warner.
Universal has put together a special edition of Spike Lee's ground-breaking "Do the Right Thing" (1989) on the film's 20th anniversary.
The controversial and joyous film centers around one scorching inner-city day when racial tensions reach the boiling point in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood. Stars Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Spike Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Paul Benjamin and Frankie Faison. Extras include "Do the Right Thing: 20 Years Later"; deleted and extended scenes; commentary by Spike Lee; commentary by Lee, director of photography Ernest Dickerson, production designer Wynn Thomas and actor Joie Lee; behind-the-scenes featurette; more ... ... In "Tokyo!" (2008), directors Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), Leos Carax ("The Lovers on the Bridge") and Bong Joon-Ho ("The Host") use their unique brand of storytelling to weave a thematic tale (about Transformation, Anarchy, and Rebirth respectively) set in and about the ultra-modern metropolis of Tokyo in this three-part anthology film. From Liberation Entertainment.
From TV to Video: "Blue Murder, Set 4 " (2009) is a two-disc set with six episodes of the hit U.K. crime drama about DCI Janine Lewis of the Manchester police, a woman valiantly struggling to balance a dangerous, high-profile career with the demands of being a single mother of four; $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "Dog the Bounty Hunter: Best of Season 5" (2008) is a single disc, $19.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Eastbound & Down"
(2009) is a two-disc set with six episodes of the new HBO comedy series about a washed-up former Major League Baseball star forced to return to his hometown, $29.98 from HBO Home Entertainment ... "Entourage: The Complete Fifth Season" (2008) is a three-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.98. from HBO Home Entertainment ... "Eureka: Season 3.0" (2008-09) is a two-disc set, $29.98 from Universal ... "The IT Crowd: The Complete Second Season" (2008) features six episodes of the IFC comedy series, $24.98 from MPI Media Group ... "Jockeys" (2009) is a two-disc set with 14 episodes of the series that follows the trials and tribulations of horse racing's diminutive heroes, $19.95 from Animal Planet/Genius Products ... "The Lucille Ball Specials" features two 1975 TV specials: "Lucy Gets Lucky" starring Dean Martin and "Three for Two" starring Jackie Gleason, $19.98 from MPI Media Group ... "Monsterquest: Season 3, Set 1"
is a two-disc set of episodes from the series that explores strange and unknown creatures that have been spotted in various parts of the world, $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First Season" (1990-91) is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $49.99 Shout! Factory ... "Reba: The Complete Sixth Season" (2006-07) is a single disc with 13 episodes, $24.98 from Fox ... "Stargate: Atlantis Season 5" (2008-09) is a five-disc set with 20 episodes, $49.98 from MGM.
Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "The Betrayed" (2008), starring Melissa George, Oded Fehr and Christian Campbell, a young woman is kidnapped and told that if she is to see her son again, she has to kill her husband, whom the captors say is a brutal killer who has stole millions from their mysterious crime syndicate; from MGM ... In"Hide" (2008), starring Rachel Miner, Christian Kane, Polly Shannon and Beth Grant, a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde terrorize the South; from MTI Home Video ... When sea creatures surface in search of something more substantial to devour than marine life, a captain and a sea biologist must wage a battle against them in order to save mankind from total extinction in "Sea Beast" (aka Troglodyte) (2008), starring Corin Nemec, Miriam McDonald, Daniel Wisler and Brandon Jay McLaren; from RHI Entertainment/Genius Products ... In "Tunnel Rats" (2008), directed by Uwe Boll and starring Michael Pare, a special U.S. combat unit is sent out to hunt and kill Viet Cong soldiers in man-to-man combat in the endless tunnels underneath the jungle of Vietnam in 1967; from Vivendi Entertainment ...
"The Human Contract" (2008), starring Joanna Cassidy, Caleeb Pinkett, Steven Brand, Anne Ramsay, Tava Smiley and T.J. Thyne, is a sensual tale of an uptight businessman who becomes entangled with a seductive stranger who encourages him to live life with reckless passion; directed and written by Jada Pinkett Smith; from Sony.
On the Indie Front: "Change Your Life!" (2009) is a mockumentary about Ponzi schemes, multi-level marketing scams, and the get-rich-quick mindset that nearly bankrupted America; from www.GetRichQuickFlick.com (just in time for Bernie Madoff's 150-year sentence) ... "The Education of Charlie Banks" (2007), starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Eva Amurri, Christopher Marquette, Sebastian Stan and Gloria Votsis, is a coming of age story about students at an elite upstate New York College in the 1980s; from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
For the Family: "Princess Protection Program" (2009) is a Disney Channel Original Movie about two very different girls -- a princess from a small kingdom who's whisked to the States in the Princess Protection Program when her small country is invaded; and the small town Wisconsin girl who helps the princess pass as a normal teen; from Disney.
Special Interest: "Apollo 11: A Night to Remember" (2009) features rare, recently recovered archival footage from the BBC that follows the Apollo 11 astronauts from their preflight breakfast on July 16, 1969, through Neil Armstrong’s "one giant leap for mankind," to the splashdown in the Pacific eight days later; $24.99 from Acorn Media ... "Muhammad Ali: In His Own Words" (2009) is a documentary on "The Greatest"; $9.98 from MPI Media Group ... "The Queens of Country" is a three-disc set with "Dolly & Friends," "Loretta Lynn: Songs of Inspiration" and "Patsy Cline: Sweet Dreams Still," $24.98 from MPI Media Group ... "RiP! A Remix Manifesto" (2009) is an innovative, surprisingly raucous and energetic documentary exploring the complexities of intellectual property in the era of peer-to-peer file sharing as Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor invites audiences to remix his raw footage (at opensourcecinema.org), allowing them to become part of the film itself; $24.95 from Disinformation Company ... "Nostradamus: 2012" (2009) is a History Channel documentary that takes a look at the predictions of the prophet (credited with foreseeing some of the world's most shocking events hundreds of years before they ever took place), connecting his End of Days prophecy with those of the Hopi and Mayan shamans; $19.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... World Wrestling Entertainment has two all-out wrestling DVDs this week: "WWE: Backlash 2009"
(2009), featuring Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Triple H, a six-man tag team match and more; and "WWE: Judgment Day 2009" (2009); each $24.95 from World Wrestling Entertainment.
Flash (June 28)
"Transformers" Ravish Boxoffice With $201 Million
Despite some tepid reviews, Paramount's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which opened on Wednesday with $60.7 million and added $28.6 million on Thursday, smashed through the weekend with an estimated $112 million. That gives the teen fanboy film an estimated $201.2 million domestic five-day boxoffice take, narrowly missing the five-day opening record of $203.8 million set last year by "The Dark Knight." According to Reuters, the "Transformers" sequel, which reportedly cost about $200 million to make, beat industry expectations. Earlier in the week, Paramount conservatively forecast a five-day haul in the $130 million to $150 million range, but some industry observers predicted a tale of at least $175 million. The biggest movie of the year so far is "Star Trek," which has grossed $246 million domestically in seven weeks of release. Overseas, "Transformers"recorded an explosive $162 million from 9,910 screens in 58 markets during the weekend, bring its overseas total so far to $181.6 million. The global gross total now stands at $363.2 million. Far behind in boxoffice take was "The Proposal," at No. 2 with $18.5 million, "The Hangover" with $17.2 million, "Up" with $13.0 million and, at No. 5, newcomer "My Sister's Keeper," with $12.0.
Flash (June 24)
Uni Plays It "Fast & Furious"
Universal has just announced a July 28 release date for "Fast & Furious," the fiery, turbo-charged actioner reuniting the stars from the first vehicle in the franchise, "The Fast and the Furious." Vin Diesel and Paul Walker head back to the streets where it all began, rejoining Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, blasting through Los Angeles and into the Mexican desert to track down a heroin drug lord. The film screeches home on a two-disc Blu-ray set, a two-disc Special Edition DVD, a single-disc DVD and as download-to-own. Both the Blu-ray and Special Edition DVD sets are packed with bonus features and contain a digital copy of the film that can be played on an array of electronic devices.
DVD Collectibles:
There's two fascinating releases this week from The Criterion Collection. At the top of the list is Alain Resnais' "Last Year At Marienbad"
(1961), starring Giorgio Albertazzi and the gorgeous Delphine Seyrig. Not just a defining work of the French New Wave but one of the great, lasting mysteries of modern art, Alain Resnais' epochal visual poem has been puzzling appreciative viewers for decades. A surreal fever dream, or perhaps a nightmare, "Last Year at Marienbad" (L'annee derniere a Marienbad), written by the radical master of the New Novel, Alain Robbe-Grillet, gorgeously fuses the past with the present in telling its ambiguous tale of a man and a woman who may or may not have met a year ago, perhaps at the very same cathedral-like, mirror-bedecked chateau they now find themselves wandering. Unforgettable in both its confounding details (gilded ceilings, diabolical parlor games, a loaded gun) and haunting scope, Resnais' investigation into the nature of memory is disturbing, romantic, and maybe even a ghost story. In a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Resnais. Extras include an audio interview with Resnais; a new documentary on the making of "Last Year at Marienbad," featuring interviews with many of Resnais' collaborators; new video interview with film scholar Ginette Vincendeau on the history of the film and its many mysteries; two short documentaries by Resnais: "Toute la memoire du monde" (1956) and "Le chant du styrene" (1958); and a booklet featuring essays by critic Mark Polizzotti and film scholar Francois Thomas, and Alain Robbe-Grillet's introduction to the published screenplay and comments on the film. (Posted June 23)
Next up is Louis Malle's captivating and philosophical "My Dinner With Andre" (1981), in which actor and playwright Wallace Shawn sits down with friend and theater director Andre Gregory at a Manhattan restaurant, and the two proceed into an alternately whimsical and despairing confessional on love, death, money, and all the superstition in between. In a new, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras include new video interviews with Gregory and Shawn by filmmaker and friend Noah Baumbach; "My Dinner with Louis," an episode from the BBC program "Arena," in which Shawn interviews director Louis Malle; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin and the prefaces written for the printed screenplay by Gregory and Shawn. (Posted June 23)
Cinema in the 1980s saw a new wave of French auteurs explode onto the scene, redefining modernity in film. With "Diva" (1982) and "Betty Blu" (1986), director Jean-Jacques Beineix created two of the most provocative films of the era that were dark, memorable, filled with voluptuous imagery and generous dollops of sex and/or violence. Both films were international hits. In the 90s, Beineix turned towards more socially conscious subjects, directing two documentaries as well as taking up the paintbrush. He returned to feature filmmaking in 1992 with "IP5: The Island of the Pachyderms," which was the last film for renowned actor Yves Montand. This summer, film lovers nationwide will get the chance to view Beineix's work in theaters and on DVD, with several titles released for the first time in the U.S. in "The Jean-Jacques Beineix Collection. The first release is the heart-wrenching documentary "Locked in Syndrome" (1997) about editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was paralyzed by a stroke in 1995 and learned how to communicate by blinking his left eye as he dictated his memoir (The story was made into 2007's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Julian Schnabel). Extras: Two Beineix shorts: "Otaku" and "Mr. Michel's Dog." (Cinema Libre Studio). For more information see "The Return of Jean-Jacques Beineix."(Posted June 23)
From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Girls Next Door Season Five" (2008-09), a three-disc set with 15 episodes, $29.98 from Fox. (Posted June 23)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
Stay out of the woods this week: Maniacal lunatics threaten a group of office workers on a survival/paint-ball company retreat in the wilderness in "Backwoods"
(2008), starring Haylie Duff, Ryan Merriman, Danny Nucci and Jonathan Chase; from RHI Entertainment/Genius Products ... A spring break camping trip turns into a splatterfest when five teens meet up with homicidal twins who knock them off one by one in "Simon Says" (2006), starring Blake Lively, Crispin Glover and Margo Harshman; from Barnholtz Entertainment/Lionsgate ... In "War Wolves" (2009), starring John Saxon, Michael Worth, Tim Thomerson, Adrienne Barbeau and Natasha Alam, a special-forces unit returns to the United States from the Middle East to hunt down a soldier who has been infected with a werewolf virus. Little do they know that three of the female soldiers serving in the unit have also been infected and have already transformed into she-wolves. The she-wolf forces of evil and the special op forces of good are pitted against each other in a race to save humankind from turning into wolves. From Monarch Home Video ... A nurse finds herself embroiled in a tense and potentially deadly family affair when she falls for the son of her ruthless new husband in "Love, Murder and Deceit (AKA My Stepson, My Lover)"
(1997), starring Rachel Ward, Joshua Morrow and Terry O'Quinn; from Vanguard Cinema. (Posted June 23)
On the Indie Front:
In 2001 unemployed actor Garth Petridis was imprisoned for one of the most unusual crimes in Australian history: Desperate for success he kidnapped members of the public and forced them to perform in a bizarre movie intended to make "Garth" a household name. "The Garth Method" (2004), starring Gregory Pakis, is his story; from Vanguard Cinema ... In
"He's On My Mind" (2009), starring Sherial Mckinney, an elementary school teacher falls in love and gets married only to find out that her husband's a bigamist. Devastated, she vows to figure out "Why Men Do What They Do", and is spontaneously imbued with the ability to intercept men's thoughts; from Vanguard Cinema ... "Phoebe in Wonderland" (2008), starring Felicity Huffman, Elle Fanning, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Pullman and Campbell Scot, is a heartfelt, fantastical story about a troubled, imaginative girl (Elle Fanning) devoted to "Alice in Wonderland." Phoebe longs to be in the school production of "Alice in Wonderland" and after her peculiar drama teacher (Patricia Clarkson) casts her, Phoebe struggles to control her behavior, but begins retreating to an imaginary fantasy world peopled by characters from "Alice"; from Image Entertainment ...
"Bob Funk/Font> (2009), starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Grace Zabriskie, Amy Ryan, Eddie Jemison, Stephen Root, Michael Leydon Campbell, Lucy Davis and Khleo Thomas, is in a major funk. He's outspoken and crass, has serious family issues, heavy baggage from a bitter divorce, seemingly no professional ambitions, and uses alcohol to help the cause. He works for his disapproving mother Mrs. Funk (Grace Zabriskie) at the family business "Funk Foam and Futon," Bob's life takes a turn however, when the attractive, yet charmingly clumsy, young executive Miss Thorne (Rachael Leigh Cook) joins the family-run futon business and becomes the object of his affection. And then mom fires him. From Magnolia Home Entertainment. (Posted June 23)
Foreign: "Alice's House" (2007 -- Brazil), starring Carla Ribas, Berta Zemel and Vinicius Zinn, is an intimate look into the life of Alice, a working class, middle-aged woman living amongst a sexually-charged household of adolescent boys and a cheating husband. Alice has a chance meeting with an old flame and is forced to re-examine her life and address her romantic dreams. Feeling her youth and sexuality slipping away, she flirts with a rapturous affair to escape her repressive family life and avoid the fate of her aging mother, who drags out her remaining years as the house-maid. From IndiePix. (Posted June 23)
For the Family:
In "Mr. Troop Mom" (2009), George Lopez stars as a widower trying to be both dad and mom for his 9-year-old daughter. Desperate to connect with her, he volunteers to chaperone her troop at the Go Girls Jamboree at Running Pines Camp -- unaware he'll be the only guy in a world of girls; from Warner ... "Tom & Jerry; The Chuck Jones Collection" is a two-disc set with all 34 shorts produced by Chuck Jones, remastered; $26.99 from Warner. (Posted June 23)
Special Interest: "Our City Dreams" (2008) is a lyrical documentary about the intersection of location and imagination. Filmmaker Chiara Clemente shines a light on five women artists whose inspiration is fueled by living in the "cauldron of creativity" -- New York City. Although these artists are at different stages of life and have diverse cultural backgrounds, distinctive passion, character, motivation and style, they all have one thing in common: the city that they now call home and find inspiration within. The artists: Nancy Spero, Marina Abramovic, Kiki Smith, Ghada Amer and Swoon. $24.95 from First Run Features ... "FEMA City"
(2007) is a documentary on the trailer park city set up in Charlotte County, Florida after Hurricane Charley destroyed buildings and homes. Nearly 1,500 people moved into the more than 1,000 trailers and it took on the nickname FEMA City. $19.95 from Vanguard Cinema ...
The Bible is both a religious and historical work, but how much is myth and how much is history? "The Bible Unearthed" (2006) is an investigation into the origins of the Bible visits archaeological digs in Egypt, Jordan and Israel –- including Megiddo, the cradle of biblical archaeology. Rare archival footage, ancient maps, biblical illustrations and computer simulations are put into context by world-famous archaeologists and biblical scholars, including experts from the Louvre, the museums of Cairo and Jerusalem, and the British Museum. $29.95 from First Run Features ...The Koran is one of the most ideologically influential texts in the world, with over a billion Muslims following its precepts. Yet within this singular religious community there are profound differences in attitudes about peace, violence, punishment, forgiveness, and the status of women. "Inside The Koran" (2008) goes deep into the heart of the Muslim world to explore the history and current state of Islam. $24.95 from First Run Features. (Posted June 23)
"Gladiator," "Braveheart," "Gump" Part of New Paramount Blu-ray Jewell Collection
Paramount Home Entertainment announced today that it will release some of the studio's highest grossing contemporary films for the first time in high definition as part of an exclusive new "Sapphire Series." According to the studio, the Sapphire Series will capitalize on the Blu-ray format "to present each cinematic gem in the highest quality for the first time in two-disc, high definition sets." The series will kick off September 1 with "Braveheart" and "Gladiator" followed on November 3 with "Forrest Gump." Each release will include extensive, never-before-seen special features for the ultimate presentation. bonus features for "Braveheart" include interactive timelines, a retrospective feature, a featurette on the "Smithfield Medieval Killing Fields," and "Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion. Extras on "Gladiator," which will be presented in theatrical and extended versions, include commentary, trivia tracks, "Visions From Elysium: Topic Marker" that allows viewers to tag moments of interest throughout either version of the film, allowing them to create "shopping lists" of topics to learn more about when they insert the second features disc, making-of specials, and more. Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2009, "Forrest Gump" will feature new material including a roundtable discussion. More details will follow later in the year. Read the press release from Paramount.(Posted June 22)
Rock Gods on Blu-ray: This Is Spinal Tap
Crank it up to eleven with the most infamous U.K. rock band of all time as "This Is Spinal Tap" screams its way to Blu-ray Disc July 28 from MGM Home Entertainment. Director Rob Reiner's feature directorial debut set the standard for mockumentary films, satirizing the wild personal behavior and musical pretensions of classic rock gods as it presents a second-rate band made up of aging members who are desperately trying to cling onto what little fame they used to have. The 1984 film stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer with Reiner starring as the documentary filmmaker. The film also features performances by Billy Crystal, Ed Begley, Jr. and Fran Drescher, among many others.Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2002, "This Is Spinal Tap" has left an indelible mark on pop culture. The two-disc Blu-ray set features cast and crew commentary, deleted scenes and outtakes, "Catching Up With Marty DiBergi" featurette, "Flower People Press Conference," four Spinal Tap music videos, Spinal Tap's 2007 Live Earth reunion performance of their hit "Stonehenge" at Wembley Stadium, and Nigel Tufnel's interview for the National Geographic Stonehenge special.
(Posted June 17)
Glowing Blu-ray: "Lost: The Complete First Season" and "Lost: The Complete Second Season" are now available on Blu-ray with 1080p high definition picture and 5.1 uncompressed sound from the folks at Disney. Each seven-disc set has a suggested list price of $69.98. The Season One bonus features include "The Genesis of Lost," "Designing a Disaster," "Before They Were Lost" cast auditions, "Welcome to Oahu: The Making of the Pilot," "Lost @ Comicon," "Lost: On Location," "Lost Revealed" flashbacks and deleted scenes, bloopers, spoofs and commentaries.
Everything You Need to Know About "Lost" in 8 Minutes, 15 Seconds
Season 2 features include commentaries, "Fire & Water: Anatomy of an Episode," "The World According to Sawyer," "Canine Castaway," "Flashbacks," deleted scenes, bloopers, "Mysteries, Theories and Conspiracies " and "Secrets From the Hatch." (Posted June 16)
DVD Collectibles: "The Diary of Anne Frank 50th Anniversary Edition"
(1959), directed by George Stevens and starring Millie Perkins, Joseph Schildkraut, Shelley Winters, Richard Beymer and Diane Baker, arrives this week (also coinciding with what would be Anne Frank's 80th birthday) in standard DVD and on Blu-ray Disc. Extras include commentary by George Stevens Jr. and Millie Perkins, "The Making of The Diary of Anne Frank: A Son’s Memories," "The Diary of Anne Frank: Memories from Millie Perkins and Diane Baker," "Shelley Winters and The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Score of The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Diary of Anne Frank: Correspondence," more, from Fox ... From The Criterion Collection comes Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" (1957), starring Max von Sydow and Bibi Andersson, in a new, restored high-definition digital transfer. Few films have had as large a cultural impact as Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" (Det sjunde inseglet). Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight (von Sydow) encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess. Much studied, imitated, even parodied, but never outdone, Bergman's stunning allegory of man's search for meaning was one of the benchmark foreign imports of America's 1950s art house heyday, pushing cinema's boundaries and ushering in a new era of moviegoing. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Posted June 16)
"The Strange One" (1957) stars Ben Gazzara, George Peppard, Pat Hingle and Peter Mark Richman in a strong drama about a cadet leader who uses his malevolent charm to manipulate the other cadets and officers at a Southern military academy for his own amusement. When the other cadets realize they are pawns in his plan to oust a commanding officer, they decide to take matters into their own hands. Controversial in 1957 because of several scenes suggesting homosexuality; these scenes were cut over the objections of the director prior to the film's original release. This DVD presents the fully-restored, uncensored version; from Sony ... "Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases Volume 2" is a single-disc featuring 14 classic theatrical cartoons originally released between 1943 and 1951; from Warner ... "The Three Stooges Collection Volume Six: 1949–1951" is a two-disc set with 24 episodes, digitally remastered and chronologically organized; $24.96 form Sony. Click here for a complete list of episodes. ... And, finally, timed to the DVD release of the remake of "Friday the 13th," Paramount has released Deluxe Editions of "Friday the 13th The Final Chapter" (1984), "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning" (1985), and "Friday the 13th Part Six: Jason Lives" (1986). (Posted June 16)
From TV to Video: "Burn Notice Season Two" (2008-09) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... "Everwood: The Complete Second Season" (2006-7) is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Family Guy Volume Seven" (2008) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes from the sixth and seventh seasons, $39.98 from Fox ... "The Hunger: The Complete First Season" (1997-98) is a four-disc set with 22 episodes of the horror anthology series from Ridley and Tony Scott, hosted by Terence Stamp; $39.98 from E1 Entertainment ... "Murdoch Mysteries, Season One" (2008) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes of this Canadian series in which cutting-edge Victorian science meets cunningly plotted mysteries in the 1890s; $59.99 from Acorn Media ... "Saving Grace Season Two" (2008-09) is a four-disc set with 14 episodes; $49.98 from Fox ...
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season Two"
(2009) is a three-disc set, $39.99 from Disney ... "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon: Complete Season 2" (1956-57) is a four-disc set with 23 episodes of the family adventure series that ran Thursday nights between 1955 and 1958, following the adventures of Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman Sergeant Preston, his sled dog Yukon King and trusted horse Rex as they thwarted evildoers in the northern wilderness during the 1890s Gold Rush. $39.98 from Infinity Entertainment Group. (Posted June 16)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
A female demon haunts a young man and no matter how many times he kills her, she comes back for more in "Killing Ariel" (2008), starring Michael Brainard and Axelle Cummings; from MTI Home Video ...
In David Kaplan's underground cult classic "Little Red Riding Hood" (1997), Christina Ricci plays the not-so-innocent "Little Red Riding Hood" in a twisted take on the children's story. Narrated by Quentin Crisp, the short film (30 minutes) is provocative and eerie, combining childhood fiction with mature fantasy. $19.99 from Malaprop Productions ... A responsible, straight-laced young woman investigates the disappearance of her best friend, who was using the Internet to meet men in "Elsewhere"
(2009), starring Anna Kendrick, Jon Gries and Tania Raymonde; from E1 Entertainment ... "StagKnight" (2007), starring Martin Bayfield, Simon Cathcart and Paul Coskun, is a British comedy thriller about a bachelor party that takes an eerie wrong turn into the world of a satanic cult; from Osiris Entertainment ... When a group of teenage social misfits befriend a jaded journalist who's on assignment in their small New Hampshire town, they find themselves searching for meaning and truth in their crazy, mixed-up lives in "What Goes Up" (2009), starring Hilary Duff, Steve Coogan, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby and Molly Shannon; from Sony ... "The Cell 2" (2009) stars Tessie Santiago, Chris Bruno, Frank Whaley, Bart Johnson in this sequel about an FBI agent who has to enter a killer's head to solve his crimes; the catch: if she dies in the killer's brain, she dies in real life; from Warner ... In "Dough Boys" (2009), starring Lorenzo Eduardo, Arlen Escarpeta, Sticky Fingaz, Reagan Gomez-Preston, Cory Hardrict and Richard Brooks, four determined young men struggle to escape the pull of the streets but with their dreams always just out of reach, "The Dough Boys" go for one big score that will change their lives -- if they risk everything; from BET/Paramount ... In "Jesse Stone: Thin Ice" (2009), Tom Selleck returns for another adventure in the highly-rated TV movie franchise about a former Los Angeles homicide detective who, after being fired from the LAPD, has left his wife and come to Paradise, Massachusetts to start over as the New England town's police chief; from Sony ... In "The Perfect Sleep" (2009), starring Anton Pardoe, Roselyn Sanchez and Patrick Bauchau, a man with no name returns to a timeless city to battle the forces of ruthlessness and torment to save his lifelong love; from Magnolia Home Entertainment. (Posted June 16)
For the Family: "Garfield's Pet Force" (2009) is a new feature-length animated Garfield adventure that has superhero versions of Garfield, Odie, Nermal and Arlene existing in a parallel world where their crime fighting powers are the stuff of legend. But when they find themselves in trouble with the evil Vetix, the fearless foursome have to recruit their earthly counterparts to help save the universe. $19.98 from Fox ... "Barney: Sing & Dance With Barney"
(2009) features an hour of singing and dancing to 20 favorite melodies with Barney and friends; $14.98 from HIT/Lionsgate ... "Thomas & Friends: Hop on Board Songs and Stories" (2009) features two classic "Thomas & Friends" stories ("Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady" and "Bulldog"), seven sing-along songs and a bonus CD with five songs; $14.98 from HIT/Lionsgate "The Transformers: The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition" (1984) is a three-disc set with 16 episodes, with remastered audio, a collectible Autobots magnet and special bonus content; $29.99 from Shout! Factory. (Posted June 16)
Special Interest: "His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th" (2008) is a tribute documentary about one of horror cinema's most enduring icons, hosted by legendary special effects make-up artist Tom Savini. Originally released in February in a two-disc set, here released as a single disc for $14.98 from Anchor Bay ... In 2006 the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 reteamed to bring their cult commentary online at RiffTrax.com, where they wisecracked on MP3 files that could be downloaded and synched to the soundtracks of a host of cult films. Now they've released 10 DVDs featuring their commentary: "Night of the Living Dead," "The Little Shop of Horrors," "Reefer Madness," " Carnival of Souls," "House on Haunted Hill," "Missile to the Moon," "Plan 9 From Outer Space," "Swing Parade," and two volumes of "The Best of RiffTrax Shorts"; $9.95 each from Legend Films ... "Dominick Dunne: After the Party" (2008) is a documentary on the Hollywood outcast, best-selling author and chronicler of the rich and famous; $24.95 from IndiePix ... "Morning Light" (2008) is a documentary on the selection and training of a crew of young adults for the oldest and most prestigious open sea race in the world, the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu; from Disney ... "My Breakfast With Blassie" (1983) features wacky comic Andy Kaufman and wrestling legend Fred Blassie, self-proclaimed King of Men and coiner of the phrase "pencil-necked geek," as they meet for breakfast and discuss wrestling, hygiene, stardom and whether to eat bacon or sausage; $19.95 from Video Service Corp and MVD Visual ... "Poisoned Waters" (2008) is a PBS Frontline documentary that explores how the polluted waterways of Puget Sound and the Chesapeake Bay are causing major heath issues for humans and animals; $24.95 from PBS Distribution... "Extreme Ice" (2009) is a NOVA/National Geographic Television special that follows the progress of acclaimed photojournalist James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey, the largest photographic study ever attempted of the cryosphere, the mantle of ice that covers large portions of the Earth and that plays a critical role in weather; $24.99 from PBS Home Video ... "Black Money" (2009) is a "Frontline" investigation into international bribery schemes and how the U.S. Department of Justice is working to protect American businesses; $24.99 from PBS Home Video. (Posted June 16)
Warner Lifts Curtain on "Wizard of Oz" Blu-ray:
Warner Home Video will celebrate the 70th anniversary of one of the all-time classic films -- The Wizard of Oz" -- with a spectacular new Blu-ray version on September 29. The four-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition ($84.99) will feature more than 16 hours of enhanced content, including new documentaries, featurettes, a sing-along track and such collectibles as a numbered 70th Anniversary Wizard of Oz watch with genuine crystals, a replica of the original film budget, "Behind the Curtain" 52-page coffee-table book and a reproduction of the original 1939 campaign book. According to Warner, in order to bring all the visual splendor of "The Wizard of Oz" to Blu-ray, the film was entirely remastered, with each of the original Technicolor camera negatives scanned using 8K resolution. From this scan, a final "capture" master was created in 4K, yielding twice the resolution seen in the master used for the film's previous DVD release. The film will also be released as a four-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition standard DVD ($69.92) and a two-disc Special Edition DVD ($24.98). Read the press release from Warner Home Video.(Posted June 10)
Coming Soon:
On July 21 Universal will release "Coraline"
(2009), director Henry Selick's quirky 3-D animated gem based on the book by Neil Gaiman. The film will be available in a Blu-ray combo pack, two-disc collector's edition DVD and single-disc DVD. All editions contain the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four pairs of 3-D glasses as well as various and sundry bonus features ... On August 4 Sony will release "Obsessed"
(2009), starring Idris Elba, Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter, Bruce McGill, Jerry O'Connell and Christine Lahti, with such bonus features as "Girl Fight," a look at the fight sequence between Beyonce Knowles and Ali Larter, and other behind-the-scenes featurettes, on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. (Posted June 9)
DVD Collectibles:
The highlight of the week is Warner Home Video's "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music: The Director's Cut," a four-hour director's cut of the 1970 Oscar-winning documentary about the landmark music event that featured some of the greatest rock 'n' roll performers in history in a new limited, numbered Blu-ray and DVD Ultimate Collector's Edition. Includes two extra hours of rare performance footage --
some of it newly-discovered, some only seen in part and some never seen at all. The two extra hours of rare footage features 18 new performances from 13 groups, including Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker and five (Paul Butterfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter and Mountain) who played at Woodstock but never appeared in any film version. A third hour of bonus material includes a featurette gallery showcasing interviews with Martin Scorsese, producer Michael Lang, director Michael Wadleigh, Hugh Hefner, Eddie Kramer (the concert's original chief on-site engineer and producer-engineer for Jimi Hendrix) and others who chronicle the making of the festival and the film. Packaged in a unique giftbox, numbered as part of a limited run with an array of collectibles that include a 60+ page reprint of a Life magazine commemorative issue, a lucite lenticular display of vintage festival photos, festival memorabilia and an iron-on patch with the classic dove and guitar Woodstock emblem. Remastered from original elements and scanned at 2K with an audio 5.1 mix. The Ultimate Collector's Edition will be available in Blu-ray ($69.99) as well as DVD ($59.98). A Two-Disc Special Edition will be available for $24.98. (Posted June 9)
Sony has two interesting collections due this week: "The Jack Lemmon Film Collection," a six-disc set with "Phffft!" (1954), "Operation Mad Ball" (1957), "The Notorius Landlady" (1962), "Under The Yum Yum Tree" (1963) and "Good Neighbor Sam" (1964); $59.95; and "The Norman Lear Collection," a 19-disc set with the complete first seasons of "All in the Family," "Sanford and Son," "Maude," "The Jeffersons," "Good Times," "One Day at a Time" and "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"; $159.95. (Posted June 9)
From TV to Video: "The Best of Whose Line Is It Anyway?" is a two-disc set with the 10 best episodes from Seasons 2-6; $24.98 from Warner ... "The Cleaner: The First Season" (2008) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.99 from Paramount ... "Get Smart Season 3"
(1967-68) is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $24.98.from HBO Home Entertainment ... "My Family Season 3" (2002) and "My Family Season 4" (2003) are two-disc sets with 14 episodes, $29.98 each from Warner ... "The Shield: Season Seven: The Final Season" (2008) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $59.95 from Sony ... "Z Rock: Season One" (2008) contains 10 episodes of the IFC series about a heavy metal band that makes money during the day playing at kiddie birthday parties; $19.97 from Anchor Bay. (Posted June 9)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Nobel Son" (2008), starring Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Mary Steenburgen, Shawn Hatosy, Bill Pullman, Ted Danson, Danny DeVito and Eliza Dushku, a young man is kidnapped on the eve of his father receiving the Nobel Prize; when the father refuses to pay the ransom, a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge ensues; from Fox ... Five college students set out to document ghosts in the infamously haunted town of Goldfield, Nevada, and get more than they bargained for in "Ghosts of Goldfield" (2007), starring Kellan Lutz, Marnette Patterson, Richie Chance, Scott Whyte and Mandy Amano; from North American Motion Pictures. (Posted June 9)
On the Indie Front:
Life for a successful power couple gets thrown for a loop when the wife finds out she's pregnant in "Baby on Board" (2009), starring Heather Graham, Jerry O'Connell, John Corbett, Lara Flynn Boyle and Katie Finneran; from National Entertainment Media ... "Sisterhood"
(2008). starring Isabelle Defaut and Emily Corcoran, is a comedy about two diametrically dissimilar long-lost half-sisters: one a cosmopolitan, cultivated socialite with an impeccable wardrobe living in London's Chelsea, the other a sheep-shearing farm girl plucked from Down Under and dropped into the big city; $22.95 from Cinevolve Studios. (Posted June 9)
For the Family: "Shaun the Sheep: Sheep on the Loose" (2007) is a compilation of six complete episodes of the international hit for kids from 2 to 60; from the creators of "Wallace and Gromit"; $14.98 from HIT/Lionsgate ... "Bob the Builder: Truck Teamwork" (2009) features five episodes of Bob the Builder and his Can-Do Crew; $14.98 (includes a collectible toy truck); from HIT/Lionsgate. (Posted June 9)
Special Interest: "Ladies or Gentlemen" (2008) is a "Starz Inside" documentary that's a sly peek at the art of playing dress up on film, and how it's always anything but a drag: Features wild moments from such ground breaking movies as"Some Like it Hot," "Hairspray," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Rocky Horror Picture Show," "White Chicks," "Ed Wood," "Pink Flamingos" and more; $19.95 from Anchor Bay ... "Tomb Detectives" is a six-part documentary that investigates some of history's most gruesome deaths, unraveling ancient mysteries that have defied explanation for centuries; $19.98 from Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group ... And from WWE Entertainment comes tow big wrestling titles: "WWE: Macho Madness -- The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection" (2009). "Macho Man" Randy Savage was one of the most controversial superstars in professional wrestling. His dramatic WWE championship tournament run at WrestleMania IV, the formation and explosive breakup of the MegaPowers with Hulk Hogan, his reign as the Macho King, and his jump to WCW all made him a legend in the business. This three-disc set spans two decades of exciting and intense matchups, $34.95 ... "Wrestlemania 25th Anniversary" (2009) is a three-disc set with the complete 25th anniversary event on April 6, 2009, with a host of WWE champions battling each other; and the complete WWE Hall of Fame Induction ceremony; $39.95. (Posted June 9)
Weekend Boxoffice gets a No. 1 "Hangover"
Despite early weekend estimates putting Disney/Pixar's "Up" in first place at the boxoffice weekend derby, Warner's "The Hangover" drank in enough tickets to amass $44.9 million, pushing "Up" down to second with $44.1 million. Those numbers represent more than expected for "Hangover" and only a minor 36 percent drop in earnings for "Up." Coming in at third -- and a real disappointment -- was "Land of the Lost," with a weak $18.8 million finally putting a dent in the heretofore indestructible armour of funny man Will Ferrell. Rounding out the top five were "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian with $14.6 million and "Star Trek" with $8.3 million. Next week: Paramount's Eddie Murphy starrer "Imagine That" and Sony's remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta.
(Posted June 8)
"Knowing," "Push" due July 7 from Summit
Summit Entertainment has just announced the July 7 release of two science fiction actioners: "Knowing," starring the ever-present Nicolas Cage as a professor who comes across a time capsule document that predicts chilling disasters; and "Push," starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou, about a group of people with extraordinary psychic abilities who band together to escape a clandestine government agency. "Knowing" bonus features include commentary and two featurettes: "Visions of the Apocalypse" and "The Making of a Futuristic Thriller." "Push" includes deleted scenes, "The Science Behind the Fiction" featurette and commentary. Both titles will also be available on Blu-ray Disc. (Posted June 4)
Neil Young Archives on DVD, Blu-ray Neil Young, a longstanding proponent of audiophile quality recorded music (his "Chrome Dreams II" was released in the DVD-A audio format and is a stunning audio journey) has ratcheted up the audio stakes by releasing his long-awaited "Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)" as 10-DVD ($249.99) and 10-Blu-ray Disc ($349.99) sets June 2 from Reprise Records. The sets include material from Young's early years with The Squires, through Buffalo Springfield; Crazy Horse; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and through his first solo album, 1972's "Harvest."
Included are 128 songs as well as 20 video tracks as well as a hard-bound book with more than 200 pages of archival materials. For the audiophile in you, the DVDs are recorded in high- resolution 24-bit/96Khz stereo PCM and the Blu-rays are recorded in ultra high-resolution 24-bit/192Khz stereo PCM state-of-the-art master quality sound.
DVDBlu-ray(Posted June 3)
DVD Collectibles:
Koch Lorber releases this week "Une Femme Mariee (A Married Woman)"
(1964), French new wave auteur Jean-Luc Godard's eighth narrative feature film and an austere meditation on love, consumerism and the body. Godard here reverses the standard love triangle and challenges the influence of consumer culture in one of his most provocative dissections of modern life. Charlotte (Macha Meril) aimlessly drifts between morning affairs with the artistic Robert (Bernard Noel) and mundane evenings with her paternalistic husband Pierre (Philippe Leroy). Unsure of whether she loves either man, Charlotte discovers she is pregnant and must come to terms with her emotional infidelities. A little-seen gem from the generally hard-to-decipher master. (Posted June 2)
From TV to Video: "Army Wives: The Complete Second Season" (2008), a five-disc set with 19 episodes, $45.99 from Disney ... "The Jetsons: Season 2, Volume 1"
(1984-85), a three-disc set with 21 episodes, $34.98 from Warner ... "Prison Break: Season Four" (2008), a six-disc set with the last season's 20 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ..."Quincy, M.E.: Season 3" (1977-78), a four-disc set with 20 episodes, $39.98 from Universal ... "Raising the Bar: The Complete First Season"
(2008), a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.99 from Disney. (Posted June 2)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Anacondas: Trail of Blood" (2008), starring John Rhys-Davies and Crystal Allen, one of the slithering, genetically enhanced anaconda offspring from the previous outing in the franchise has regenerated to live on in this next chapter of the Anaconda series; from Sony ... An American prisoner in a Russian jail is given a chance at freedom if he can rescue a kidnapped American woman in "Direct Contact" (2009), starring Dolph Lundgren, Gina Marie May, Michael Pare, Bashar Rahal and James Chalke; from Sony ...
More snakes: An unstoppable mutant snake species breaks loose aboard a decommissioned submarine in "Silent Venom (AKA Recoil)" (2009), starring Tom Berenger, Luke Perry and Krista Allen; from Fox ... "Spring Breakdown" (2009), starring Amber Tamblyn, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Parker Posey and Mae Whitman, is a comedy about three women vacationing together at a popular travel destination for college co-eds on spring break; from Warner). (Posted June 2)
For the Family: "Elmo and Abby's Birthday Fun" (2009) is the latest adventure from Sesame Street: Elmo and Sesame Street's resident fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby teach kids about customary birthday traditions around the world; $14.93 from Genius Products ...
"The Zula Patrol: Animal Adventures in Space!" (2009) is a feature-length DVD based on the Parents Choice award-winning TV series, "The Zula Patrol." Contains five different adventures from the series, plus never-before-seen animated footage that ties the episodes together. Follows the intrepid intergalactic aliens as they travel the universe in humor-filled stories that begin with a challenge, and end with a resolution, as they explore how insects, reptiles, mammals, plants and rocks form and interact with each other; $14.98 from Well Go USA. (Posted June 2)
Special Interest:
Born during the 2008 Writers Guild strike as a free-streaming Internet musical miniseries, "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" became an instant success, premiering on iTunes as the #1 downloaded TV season for three weeks running, and currently still residing in the Top 10 of all TV shows. Billy, aka Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris), is a budding supervillain whose plans for world domination continually go awry. His two goals: getting accepted into the Evil League of Evil, and working up the guts to speak to his Laundromat crush Penny (Felicia Day). The only thing standing in his way is Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion), Billy's superhero archnemesis. Created by Joss Whedon; $14.95 from New Video ...
"The Adventure of English" (2003) is a four-disc set with eight episodes of the captivating documentary series that traces the history of the English language; $79.99 from Athena/Acorn Media ... "The Bielski Brothers" (1993) is the true story behind "Defiance." Living in the Soviet Republic of Belorussia, Tuvia, Asael, and Zus Bielski fled to the woods to escape the Nazis, where they built an elaborate village for rescued Jews. The Bielskis saved 1,200 men, women, and children -- easily the largest rescue of Jews by Jews during World War II; $9.95 from A&E Home Video ... Taped live and in concert at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. in August 1983, the stand-up special "Eddie Murphy Delirious" (1983) originally aired uncut on the then-still new concept of premium TV and became a massive seller on something called VHS tape. This Special 25th Anniversary Edition includes deleted footage from the original concert, an exclusive unedited interview with Eddie Murphy hosted by Byron Allen, and a new featurette with comics talking about the influence "Eddie Murphy Delirious" had on them; from Anchor Bay. (Posted June 2)
"Inning By Inning: A Portrait of a Coach" (2008) is a heartwarming documentary biopic of Augie Garrido, head baseball coach at the University of Texas and the winningest coach in NCAA Division I history; directed by Richard Linklater; from Virgil Films & Entertainment ... "The People's Republic of Capitalism" (2008) is Ted Koppel's revealing, four-part look at U.S.-China economic ties; in a two-disc set, $39.99 from Athena/Acorn Media ... "Playing Shakespeare" (1982) is a documentary of an intimate Royal Shakespeare Company acting workshop with Britain's top stars, including Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, Peggy Ashcroft, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet; in a four-disc set, $79.99 from Athena/Acorn Media ...
and due June 5 (World Environmental Day) is "Home" (2009), a documentary that aims to change the way people see the planet and their impact on it. Directed by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, produced by Luc Besson and narrated by Glenn Close, the all-aerial film was shot in high definition in 54 countries and 120 locations over 217 days, and "highlights the Earth's wonders as well as its wounds and provides a necessary perspective to approach the changing environment ... Following in the tradition of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth,' 'Home' sets out to shift people's perceptions, inspire action and lay a foundation" for change. $19.98 from Fox (also available on Blu-ray Disc). (Posted June 2)
Sony Readies "Screwball" Comedies
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has opened the doors to its Columbia Pictures vault with the release of eight classic screwball comedies featuring wit, sophistication, and wild physical comedy. On August 4 the studio will release "Icons of Screwball Comedy Volume 1 & Volume 2" as two-disc sets with a suggested retail price of $16.25 each. The films present a virtual who's who of American comedy of the '30s and '40s: Rosalind Russell, Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Coburn, among many others. Volume 1 includes "If You Could Only Cook," "Too Many Husbands," "My Sister Eileen" and "She Wouldn't Say Yes"; Volume 2 includes "Theodora Goes Wild," "Together Again," "A Night to Remember" and "The Doctor Takes a Wife." More info on the titles.(Posted June 1)
Boxoffice Heads "Up" Last Weekend
Disney/Pixar's 3-D animated feature "Up" floated to the top of the domestic boxoffice this weekend taking in an estimated $68.2 million. Universal's Sam Raimi-directed "Drag Me to Hell" opened in third with $16.6 million. Last week's champ, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," dropped a respectable 53% from its opening weekend, taking $25.5 million and laughing its way into in second place. Warner Bros.' "Terminator Salvation" didn't come back as strong, however, taking in $16.1 million in fourth place while Paramount's "Star Trek" took another $12.8 million to land in fifth place. "Star Trek" has now crossed the boxoffice frontier to become the first 2009 release to pass $200 million ($209.5 million). Though this weekend dropped 1 percent compared with the same week last year, year-to-date 2009 is 7% ahead of last year at $3.93 billion. (Posted May 31)
Get Ready for "Fringe," Warner Blu-ray Titles
Warner Home Video has set a September 8 releaes date for the "Fringe: The Complete First Season," a single-disc with 20 episodes of the popular series, available on standard DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Also on September 8 the studio will release 10 films new to Blu-ray: "Catwoman," "Creepshow," "Dead Calm," "Freddy vs. Jason," "The New World Extended Cut," "Over the Top," "The Postman," "Snakes on a Plane," "Sphere" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003). More info on the 10 titles.(Posted May 30)
"Ghostbusters" Slimes the Web With New Site
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has created GhostbustersIsHiring.com, an interactive Web site for Ghostbusters fans. The site offers fans the opportunity to be a part of the Ghostbusters 25th anniversary this summer, including the Blu-ray release of "Ghostbusters" on June 16. Visitors to the site are greeted by Harold Ramis, the movie's co-writer/star, who invites them to participate in a number of activities, including a chance to win a trip next year to Comic-Con 2010 in San Diego and to join the Ghostbusters squad. Fans can also submit their own personalized video for a chance to be featured on BD Live and GhostbustersIsHiring.com or check out what they look like as part of the Ghostbusters team by participating in a photo upload option. Additionally, the site offers a $5 "trainee discount" towards the purchase of Ghostbusters on Blu-ray. (Posted May 29)
DVD Collectibles:
Warner Home Video will release this week "Director's Showcase: Take Four" with five new-to-DVD releases of interesting outings by renowned directors: "Lookin' to Get Out" (1982), directed by Hal Ashby and starring Jon Voight, Burt Young and Ann-Margret. Ashby's ("Being There," "Coming Home," "In the Heat of the Night") comedy about two down-on-their luck gamblers who travel from new York to Las Vegas will debut in a never-before-seen cut that represents the director's original vision; Michelangelo Antonioni's "Zabriskie Point" (1970), his first American film; a surreal view of late '60s America featuring a soundtrack with music from Pink Floyd, The Youngbloods, The Kaleidoscope, Jerry Garcia, Patti Page and the Grateful Dead; David Cronenberg's extravagant take on "M. Butterfly" (1993), starring Jeremy Irons, John Lone, Barbara Sukowa and Ian Richardson; "Revolution Revisited Director's Cut" (1985), directed by Hugh Hudson and starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Natassia Kinski and Joan Plowright in a newly remastered and re-edited version with new narration throughout the film by Pacino; and John Boorman's "Beyond Rangoon" (1995), about an American woman who gets politically active in Burma, staring Patricia Arquette, Frances McDormand and Spalding Gray. All the titles are remastered and boast lots of extras; $19.97 each ... Also from Warner this week is "The Sky Crawlers" (2008), from Mamoru Oshii, the world-acclaimed director of "Ghost in the Shell." The film is a visually stunning anime adventure about a group of eternally young fighter pilots known as Kildren who battle a fierce enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds ... and "Falling Down Deluxe Edition" (1993), starring Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Tuesday Weld, Rachel Ticotin and Frederic Forrest, a film that, though 16 years old, ploughs a ripe field of recessions and job loss angst all too fresh in today's economic crisis; Douglas plays a laid-off defense industry worker who goes off the deep end. (Posted May 26)
From TV to Video: "The Closer: The Complete Fourth Season" (2008) is a four-disc set with 15 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Designing Women: The Complete First Season" (2008) is a four-disc set with 21 episodes, $44.99 Shout! Factory ... "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit -- The Ninth Year" (2007-08) is a five-disc set with 19 episodes, $59.98 from Universal. (Posted May 26)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Powder Blue" (2009), starring Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker, Eddie Redmayne, Kris Kristofferson, Lisa Kudrow and Patrick Swayze, a mosaic of people desperately search for redemption, human connection, and restored faith within the underbelly of Los Angeles: On the eve of Christmas, four lives cross paths by past guilt, chance, coincidence, and divine intervention; from Image Entertainment ... Tino Struckmann, Michael Berryman, Olivier Gruner, Hayley Carr and Hugh Daly star in "Brother's War" (2009), a thriller set in the closing days of World War II in which two officers, one German and the other British, discover that they share a common bond in Freemasonry, empowering them to work together to prevent the USSR from taking over Eastern Europe; from MTI Home Video ...In "Carnivorous (aka Lockjaw: Rise of the Kulev Serpent)" (2008), starring DMX, Wes Brown and Louis Herthum, an ancient voodoo artifact conjures up a killer snake that is used to seek revenge on a group of reckless teenagers; from North American Motion Pictures ... A Las Vegas gentleman club owner and former CIA agent enlists his glamorous showgirls to stop a terrorist who wants to bomb Vegas in "Crazy Girls Undercover" (2008), starring Clive Richardson, Nikki Ziering and Simon Fusco; from Monarch Home Video ... When a scientist leading a top-secret Middle Eastern archeological site goes missing, an elite military unit is sent on a search and rescue mission, finding themselves face-to-face with an ancient evil lying beneath the desert in "The Devil's Tomb"
(2009), starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ron Perlman,, Tayrn Manning, Ray Winstone and Henry Rollins; from Sony ... "The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk"
(1993), directed by Corey Yuen-Kwai, stars Jet Li and Josephine Siao in the story of a local champion who becomes a folk hero as he faces off against a bevy of dangerous opponents in an attempt to win the hand of a beautiful maiden, rescue his family, and free his people; from The Weinstein Co./Dragon Dynasty/Genius Products. (Posted May 26)
On the Indie Front:
Vanguard Cinema has four interesting releases this week: "All the Days Before Tomorrow" (2008), starring Joey Kern, Alexandra Holden and Richard Roundtree in a quirky episodic tale about two friends who ought to be lovers but their timing has never been right; "Divergence"
(2006), in which two wounded people come together and grapple with the ramifications of war and loss, set in a picturesque seaside town on the Jersey shores in the midst of a cold and bitter winter: a helicopter pilot wounded in Iraq and a woman who has lost her husband and child to a drunk driver; "Freezer Burn" (2007), a Sci-Fi comedy about a scientist working on preserving human organs for transplant who falls for his wife's 14-year-old art student and freezes himself in order to align his age with the young girl's; and "Johan" (2005 -- Netherlands), a comedy about the only member of a soccer family not crazy about the sport, Johan, who wants to be a singer. When he meets his neighborhood beauty Evy, it seems like he may have found a companion, until she falls for a soccer star, his brother Johnny ... In "The Ramen Girl" (2008), starring Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard, Sohee Park, Kimiko Yo and Renji Ishibashi, an American woman stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend decides to train under a tyrannical Japanese master to be a ramen chef; from Image Entertainment ... "Forever Strong" (2008) stars Sean Faris, Gary Cole, Penn Badgley, Arielle Kebbel, Sean Astin, Julie Warner and Neal McDonough in the true story of rugby coach Larry Gelwix, one of the top high school coaches in the country with a win/loss record of 379 wins to 9 losses (nearly 98% wins), who creates not only championship teams, but championship boys; from Crane Movie Co. (Posted May 26)
Special Interest:
All things British: "Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Series" is an eight-disc set with all 23 digitally-restored episodes; $59.95 from A&E Home Video ..."Murder Most English" (2008) includes four classic BBC mysteries with a darkly comic, British touch featuring Detective Inspector Purbright, who pursues the evildoers of Flaxborough with a doggedness that belies his polite conversation and mild manner; in a three-disc set, $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "A Village Affair" (1994), filmed on grand English estates and picturesque countrysides, is a lavish British production that follows an illicit love affair that scandalizes a tranquil English town; $24.99 from Acorn Media ... "American Originals Megaset" (2008) is a 14-disc adrenaline-pumping collection from History Channel featuring 37 hours of action from "Ax Men," "Tougher In Alaska," "Dangerous Mission"s and "Ice Road Truckers," $99.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Harlan Ellison: Dreams With Sharp Teeth" (2009) is a documentary timed for release one day before the 75th birthday of the great man himself, paying homage to one of our most celebrated authors: Ellison has produced more than 75 books and more than 1,700 pieces of fiction and non-fiction, including the single most popular Star Trek episode ("City on the Edge of Forever"), as well as having edited the influential "Dangerous Visions" anthologies of New Wave science fiction; $26.95 from Docurama ... "The Prehistoric Collection" is an eight-disc set with "Jurassic Fight Club," "Prehistoric Megastorms," "Journey to 10,000 B.C." and "Clash of the Cavemen"; $59.95 from A&E Home Video. (Posted May 26)
Audiences Spend Weekend at the "Museum"
Audiences opted for laughs this weekend as the Ben Stiller "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" beat back the mechanical thrills of "Terminator Salvation." The Fox comedy sequel took in an estimated $70 million during the four-day Memorial Day weekend while Warners' sci-fi actioner, the third "Terminator" sequel, grabbed $53.8 million in second place. Paramount's comedy spoof "Dance Flick" from the Wayans brothers came in at No. 5 with $13.1 million, while "Angels & Demons" worshipped $27.7 million in fourth place and the rejiggered "Star Trek" beamed up $29.4 million in third. For the year-to-date, overall boxoffice is about 8% ahead of last year, at $3.72 billion. Overseas, "Angels & Demons: retained its No. 1 spot with $60.4 million and "Museum" took in an airy $50.1 million. "Terminator" will open wide in the international market on June 3. (Posted May 25)
Sci-Fi Fans Feel The Force, Vote "Star Wars" No. 1"
With a sci-fi summer well underway ("Wolverine," "Star Trek," "Terminator Salvation"), the folks at Moviefone.com polled their readers on the best and worst in the world of sci-fi movies. "Star Wars" clashed with "Star Trek," Ripley went head to head with Sarah Connor, and in the category for worst film, "Battlefield Earth" had no match. More than 330,000 votes were cast.
The top finding: After more than 30 years, "Star Wars" is still the king of the universe: It was voted the best franachise (64%); "Star Trek" received 26% of the vote and "Terminator" received 4%.
"Star Wars" (1977) was voted best sci-fi movie of all time (garnering almost half the vote) as well as most groundbreaking. Almost half of all sci-fi fans voted "Battlefield Earth" the worst sci-fi film of all time. And almost half voted "The Day the Earth Stood Still" as the best classic sci-fi film.
Darth Vader was voted the best villain, while Harrison Ford's Han Solo won best hero, followed by Mark Hamil's Luke Skywalker and Arnold Schwarzenegger's good Terminator. Sigourey Weaver's Ripley beat Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor as the the greatest heroine (Weaver received almost half the vote).
Disney Polishes New "Snow White" Diamond
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has set October 6 as the release date for a Blu-ray edition of "The One That Started It All": "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (Disney's first feature-length animated film). The highly-anticipated release will launch what Disney is billing as a "spectacular all-new product line -- Disney's Diamond Collection. Poised to transform home entertainment ... the revolutionary new Diamond Collection brings audiences the most immersive and highest-level viewing experience that includes unparalleled features, exclusive high definition content and updatable experiences, ... (including) 'Disney Smart Navigation,' allowing the magic and personality of Disney Characters to come to life as never before."
Highlights of the disc include:
Hyperion Studios: Audiences will be digitally transported to 1937 to discover first-hand the Hyperion Studios, the original studio Walt Disney built and where "Snow White" was conceived and developed. Viewers will "virtually" walk the halls of this historic landmark.
Magic Mirror: Using the latest in Blu-ray technology, the iconic Magic Mirror will guide viewers through the disc's features, using artificial intelligence to recognize viewing patterns and give viewers the control to create a customized "Snow White" experience.
Disney Family Play: Offers a variety of immersive games, activities and "unprecedented levels of personalization and customization features.
"Snow White" will be presented with newly restored picture and 7.1 Digital Theater System Hi-Def Surround Sound and will be available as a Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack (two Blu-ray discs and a standard DVD) for the suggested list price of $39.99.
(Posted May 19)
DVD Collectibles:
There's a wide range of interesting offerings due this week. From The Criterion Collection comes "Pigs, Pimps, and Prostitutes: 3 Films By Shohei Imamura," a three-disc set with new, restored high-definition digital transfers of three films by acclaimed director Shohei Imamura: "Pigs and Battleships," "The Insect Woman" and "Intentions of Murder." With these three films, Imamura emerged as an auteur, bringing to his national cinema an anthropological eye and a heretofore unseen taste for the irreverent. Claiming his interests lay in "the relationship of the lower part of the human body and the lower part of the social structure," Imamura dotted the decade with earthy, juicy, idiosyncratic films featuring persevering, willful heroines
... Also from Criterion is the all-American "The Friends of Eddie Coyle"
(1973), directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Alex Rocco and Richard Jordan, in a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Yates. In one of the best performances of his legendary career, Robert Mitchum plays small-time gunrunner Eddie "Fingers" Coyle. World-weary and living hand to mouth, Coyle works on the sidelines of the seedy Boston underworld just to make ends meet. But when he finds himself facing a second stretch of hard time, he's forced to weigh loyalty to his criminal colleagues against snitching to stay free. Directed with a sharp eye for its gritty locales and an open heart for its less-than-heroic characters, this is one of the true treasures of 1970s Hollywood filmmaking -- a suspenseful crime drama in stark, unforgiving daylight.
Though he had a spotty Hollywood career, Fritz Lang's films are always worth seeing. "Man Hunt" (1941), starring Walter Pidgeon, George Sanders and Joan Benett, is a restored World War II classic. Pidgeon stars as Captain Thorndike, an English big-game hunter who conceives the fantastic notion of stalking Adolph Hitler for sport. With The Fuhrer in his sight, Thorndike hesitates and debates with himself whether or not to pull the trigger, ultimately being apprehended by the Gestapo during his brief moment of reflection. Thorndike is interrogated and tortured by Nazi officer Major Quive-Smith (George Sanders). Left for dead, his body thrown over a cliff, Thorndike survives and makes his way back to the safety of England. But Quive-Smith pursues Thorndike back to London, where he goes into hiding with a young prostitute (Joan Benett) who has the Nazi spies close in on him. An exciting action adventure, from Fox.
Paramount has added two more titles to its Centennial Collection; A two-disc set of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962), directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine and Jeanette Nolan. Extras include commentary by Peter Bogdanovich along with his archival recordings with John Ford and James Stewart; eight featurettes: "The Size of Legends, The Soul of Myth," "Changing of the Guard," "The Irascible Poet," "The Hero Doesn't Win," "The Winner Isn't Heroic." "Most Things Happen by Accident," "The Great Protector," "Spotlight: Lee Marvin," "Print the Legend";
and a two-disc set of "El Dorado" (1966), directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan. Extras include commentary by Peter Bogdanovich; commentary by critic and film historian Richard Schickel featuring actor Ed Asner and author Todd McCarthy; 10 featurettes: "Ride, Boldly Ride: The Journey of El Dorado," "The Paradigm of an Entertainer," "Stealing from Himself," "A Taciturn Man," "Professional Courtesy," "Spotlight: James Caan," "The Duke, the Grey Fox and Pappy," "An Old-Age Masterpiece," The Artist and the American West" (1967), "Behind the Gates: A.C. Lyles Remembers John Wayne."
"Suspense: Ultimate Collection" is a 12-disc compilation of all 90 episodes of the anthology series featuring stories of mystery and the macabre, broadcast live from New York on CBS from 1949-1954. The show opened each week with the words "And now, a tale well calculated to keep you in ... suspense," accompanied by the familiar, ominous Bernard Herrmann theme; $49.98 from Infinity Entertainment ... and with this weekend's release of the fourth in the "Terminator" franchise, don't forget about the "Limited Edition T2 Complete Collector's Set," a six-disc set packaged with a 14-inch T-800 Endoskull bust that plays sound effects from the film while its eyes light up. Features the "Terminator 2 Skynet Edition" on Blu-ray plus both the Extreme Edition DVD and Ultimate Edition DVDs which, combined, include every T2 special feature ever released on DVD. As a bonus, the Limited Edition T2 Complete Collector's Set comes with a digital copy of the film for iTunes or Windows Media; from Lionsgate. (Posted May 19)
From TV to Video: "Friday Night Lights: The Third Season" (2008-09) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.98 from Universal ... "Peyton Place: Part One" (1964) is a five-disc set with the first 31 episodes of the twice-weekly series, starring Dorothy Malone, Mia Farrow, Ed Nelson, Warner Anderson, Ryan O'Neal, Christopher Connelly, Barbara Parkins and Tim O'Connor; $39.99 from Shout! Factory ... "True Blood: The Complete First Season" (2008) is a five-disc set with 12 episodes, $59.99 from HBO Video ... "24 Season Seven" (2008) is a six-disc set with 24 episodes, $49.98 from Fox. (Posted May 19)
Buzzin' the 'B's: "Fanboys" (2009) is a comedy about a group of Star Wars fans' attempt to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch to see "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" a full six months before its worldwide release; stars Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell with cameo appearances by Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park, Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Justin Long, Christopher MacDonald, Danny Trejo, Jamie King, Ethan Suplee, and William Shatner; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "Driven to Kill" (2009) is the latest Steven Seagal direct-to-video outing in which a reformed Russian "Mafioso" turned crime novelist Ruslan (Seagal) returns home only to get dragged down into his criminal past when his wife is gunned down in cold blood; from Fox ... in "Infected" (2008), starring Gil Bellows, Judd Nelson, Isabella Rossellini and Maxim Roy, two Boston reporters uncover the scoop of their lives: Aliens from outer space are infecting high-echelon government officials; from Image Entertainment ... "Outlander" (2009), starring Jim Caviezel, Ron Perlman and John Hurt, is an action-packed, sci-fi adventure about an extra-terrestrial who crash lands on Earth in the time of the Vikings; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products. (Posted May 19)
Foreign:
There's two interesting foreign outings released this week by First Run Features:
"Bunny Chow" (2006 -- South Africa). Shot in a cinema verite style and using the street food "bunny chow" as a metaphor for contemporary Johannesburg's mix of races, cultures and attitudes, this edgy, urban comedy envisions a nation through the eyes of its future, rather than the tragedy of its past ... and "Kept and Dreamless" (2005 -- Argentina). Set during Argentina's economic crisis of the '90s, "Kept and Dreamless" follows 9-year-old Eugenia and her mother, Florencia, who live a seemingly colorful life surrounded by eclectic neighbors and an offbeat collection of family. But for Eugenia, who must deal with her mother's dysfunctional and drug-addled lifestyle, life is anything but pleasant in this darkly inspiring story of expectation, acceptance and nontraditional family. (Posted May 19)
For the Family:
Animal-whisperer Maya Dolittle (Kyla Pratt) and Lucky the Dog are off on a new adventure, taking them inside the world of Hollywood glitz and glamour in "Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts" (2009), the third direct-to-video sequel in the Dolittle franchise; from Fox ... "Labou" (2008) is a family-friendly feature about three kids who go in search of a ghost pirate and his long lost treasure in the Louisiana swamps; from MGM ... Scholastic Storybook Treasures has two volumes of animated adventures for the little ones: "Treasury of 25 Storybook Classics: Dinosaurs, Trucks, Monsters ... And More " features action-packed tales of prehistoric creatures, roaring vehicles and daredevil rodents; the four-disc set includes "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight ... and More Great Dino Tales"; "I Stink ... And More Great Stories on Wheels"; "Pete's a Pizza ... And More Great Kids' Stories"; and "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" ... "Treasury of 25 Storybook Classics: Fairytales, Magic ... And More" is a four-disc set that includes new and classic adaptations of children's tales, from James Marshall's hilarious version of "Cinderella" and "Red Riding Hood" to beloved Hans Christian Anderson stories "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emperor's New Clothes"; both sets are $29.95 each ... "Viva Pinata: Lights Camera Action" (2009) features 10 episodes of the animated series about a group of pinatas whose goal is to fill themselves with candy, $14.99 from Shout! Factory. (Posted May 19)
Special Interest:
In "The Invisibles" (2008) British actors Anthony Head and Warren Clarke star as a pair of aging, big-hearted retired thieves who decide to take another crack at crime. Filled with heists, hijinks, and humor about being over the hill, the series aired on BBC1 in the U.K. in the summer of 2008 and is available to U.S. audiences for the first time in a two-disc set with six episodes, $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "Rat Attack!" is a NOVA-National Geographic Television special that documents a massive rat population explosion that occurs every 48 years in the remote Indian state of Mizoram, destroying crops and precipitating a crippling famine throughout the region;
$24.99 from PBS Home Video ... "Deflating the Elephant: Framed Messages Behind Conservative Dialogue" (2008) provides an insightful look at the last 35 years of conservative political discourse, examining what it calls the scare tactics and Orwellian language used to embed conservative principles into the minds of America; $19.95 from Cinema Libre Studio ...
"The Town That Was" (2007) is a documentary about Centralia, Pennsylvania, once a thriving mining town of over 3,000, turned modern-day ghost town following a trash fire in 1962 that ignited a seam of anthracite coal and has been burning ever since; it's the infamous place that inspired the 2006 horror film "Silent Hill"; $22.95 from Cinevolve Studios ... "The Top Secret Trial of the Third Reich" (1979) is a documentary about the little-known 1944 trial of the men who conspired to assassinate Adolf Hitler (the subject of the Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie"). Under orders from Joseph Goebbels, cameras were hidden in the courtroom, and soon thereafter a propaganda film was released to the public. Unfortunately for the Nazis, the film only generated sympathy for the conspirators, who were sentenced to death by the judge. Realizing his miscalculation, Goebbels ordered the film destroyed. But one print was found, and became the basis for this film; $24.95 from First Run features ... on the lighter side there's two comedy specials from Paramount and Comedy Central:
"Jo Koy: Don't Make Him Angry" (2009) and "Russell Brand in New York City: Extended & Uncensored"
(2009); $16.99 each. (Posted May 19)
Devilish Good Returns for "Demons"
The Ron Howard directed-Tom Hanks starring "Angels & Demons" opened with a gigantic $104.3 million from 96 countries at the international box office this weekend, doubling the estimated $48 million the film garnered in North America. That number was off from the first Dan Brown-Howard-Hanks collaboration, "The Da Vinci Code," which opened to $77.1 million domestically and $155 million overseas in May 2006. Last week's big opener, "Star Trek," dropped only 46% in it's second weekend, taking in $43 million domestically (for a total of $147.6 million in 10 days). "Wolverine" came in at third, followed by "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and "Obsessed."(Posted May 17)
"Watchmen" Makes a DVD Splash
Warner Home Video will release "Watchmen Director's Cut" (with 25 minutes of extra footage) in two editions on July 21: on Blu-ray for $35.99 and as a two-disc special edition DVD for $34.99. The standard two-disc DVD will include a featurette and webisodes; the Blu-ray disc will introduce a new interactive technology, "Maximum Movie Mode," which, according to Warner, "is a first-of-its-kind bonus feature that showcases a seamless multi-story presentation of the Director's Cut. Hosted by Zack Snyder, the feature will offer in-depth scene analysis, picture-in-picture videos from the cast and crew, side-by-side comparisons of the graphic novel and the film, photo galleries and more." Three featurettes, a music video and digital copy round out the bonus features. A single disc theatrical version DVD will also be available, for $28.98. (Posted May 13)
"300," "Midnight Express" in Blu-ray
Another Zack Snyder film will make a big Blu-ray impression when Warner Home Video releases "300: The Complete Experience" Blu-ray Disc on July 21. Heading up the extra two hours of content is something Warner calls "The Complete 300: A Comprehensive Immersion," a "new interactive picture-in-picture experience that provides 3 unique perspectives to explore while you watch the film": "Creating a Legend: Frank Miller and Zack Snyder Interpret a Classic Tale," "Bringing the Legend to Life: Building a World From a Comic," and "The History Behind the Myth: The Real Story of The Hot Gates," an historical perspective on the Spartans. The disc is housed in a 40-page collectible book package that includes a comprehensive walk-through of the new Blu-ray features, behind-the-scenes and production photos and never-before-seen sketches from creator Frank Miller. This in addition to a host of other bonus features, including commentaries, featurettes (including "The 300: Fact or Fiction" in which historians, authors and filmmakers reveal how much of the movie is based on fact), test footage, behind-the-scenes documentaries, more; $39.99 ... Sony will release Alan Parker's highly-charged thriller "Midnight Express" (1978) as a deluxe Blu-ray high-def book package including a 32-page photo and essay booklet on July 21. Bonus features include four featurettes and commentary by Parker; $38.96 ... "The Towering Inferno," "My Cousin Vinny" and "Big Trouble In Little China" will wend their way to Blu-ray Disc this summer from Fox. "Inferno" will arrive July 14 loaded with bonus features: commentaries, 32 extended and deleted scenes, an alternate opening sequence, 10 featurettes, vintage promotional features and more; "Vinny" and "Little China" will arrive August 4. (Posted May 13)
"Natural Born Killers" Rides Again
Fourteen years ago, Oliver Stone shocked the film world with "Natural Born Killers," a disturbing hallucinogenic ride through the minds and exploits of two cold-blooded lovers who killed for sport, love and attention. Prior to the theatrical release, Stone reworked the film, made more than 150 cuts, and removed about four minutes in order to get an R rating. On August 25 Warner Home Video will release the original unrated film in a Blu-ray version ($28.99) that includes a new high-def introduction from Stone, a 44-page booklet on the film's production and a host of bonus features. A two-disc DVD ($20.97) will also be available.
The film stars Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as husband and wife serial killers in a gut-grabbing look at how violence and crime are sensationalized and glamorized in the media. As Mickey and Mallory cut their swath of terror across America, they are regarded more like celebrities than fugitives. Robert Downey Jr. and Tommy Lee Jones also star. Extras include a new introduction by Stone; commentary by Stone; "NBK Evolution: How Would It All Go Down Now?" a new featurette examining how the film might address the issues and changes in current media, creating a timeline of the killers' activities in cell phone videos, blogs, tweets and Facebook updates (How would Stone portray today's instantaneous user-generated media society and its reaction to the exploits of Mickey and Mallory? How would the social networks and the blogs cover, discuss and rate each of their killing sprees? How many views and comments would their home-made videos generate on YouTube?); "Chaos Rising: The Storm Around Natural Born Killers" making-of documentary about the storm of controversy surrounding the film; deleted scenes; an alternate ending, and a Charlie Rose interview. (Posted May 12)
DVD Collectibles: "Wise Blood" (1979), directed by John Huston and starring Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, Ned Beatty and William Hickey, is a new, restored high-definition digital transfer of the acclaimed adaptation of the first novel by legendary Southern writer Flannery O'Connor. Huston brings to life a world of vivid, poetic American eccentricity. Brad Dourif is Hazel Motes, who, fresh out of the army, attempts to open the first Church Without Christ in the small town of Taulkinham. Populated with inspired performances that seem to spring right from O'Connor's pages, Huston's "Wise Blood" is an incisive portrait of spirituality and evangelicalism, as well as a faithful, loving evocation of one writer's vision. Extras include new interviews with Dourif, writer Benedict Fitzgerald, and writer-producer Michael Fitzgerald; rare archival audio recording of author Flannery O'Connor reading her short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"; "Creativity With Bill Moyers: "John Huston," a 28-minute television program from 1982 in which the director discusses his life and work; and a booklet featuring an essay by author Francine Prose. From The Criterion Collection. (Posted May 12)
Also from The Criterion Collection is "Eclipse Series 16: Alexander Korda's Private Lives," a no-frills four-disc box set with "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933), "The Rise of Catherine the Great" (1934), "The Private Life of Don Juan" (1934), and "Rembrandt (1936); $59.95 ... From Disney comes three more volumes in their classic animation series: "Disney Animation Collection Volume 4: The Tortoise and the Hare,""Disney Animation Collection Volume 5: Wind in the Willows" and
"Disney Animation Collection Volume 6: The Reluctant Dragon,"
$19.99 each ... And for sheer fun there's "Galaxy Quest Deluxe Edition" (1999), starring Tim Allen Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni, Daryl Mitchell and Justin Long. This 10th anniversary edition includes "Historical Documents: The Story of Galaxy Quest," "Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector," "By Grabthar's Hammer, What Amazing Effects," "Alien School -- Creating the Thermian Race," "Actors in Space," "Sigourney Weaver Raps," deleted scenes, and a Thermian audio track; from Paramount. (Posted May 12)
From TV to Video:
Just in me for the big-screen debut of the remake of "Star Trek" Paramount has released "The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series" is a single disc with "The Trouble with Tribbles," "Amok Time," "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Balance of Terror"; and "The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation," a single disc with the two-part "The Best of Both Worlds," "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Measure of a Man"; $14.99 each ...
"The Dana Carvey Show" (1996) is a two-disc set with all seven episodes of the show that was ahead of it's time, highlighting the talents of Carvey, Steve Carrell and Stephen Colbert; $24.99 from Shout! Factory ... "The Jeff Foxworthy Show: The Complete Second Season"
(1996-97) is a two-disc set with 23 episodes, $19.94 from Sony ... "Lovejoy: The Complete Season 5" (1993) is a four-disc set with 14 episodes of the crime-solving antiques dealer, starring Ian McShane, $69.98 from Warner ... "Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fifth Season"
(2007-08) is a three-disc set with 19 episodes, $44.98 from Warner. (Posted May 12)
Buzzin' the 'B's: "B.T.K." (2008) stars Kane Hodder and Amy Lyndon in the real-life tale of Dennis L. Rader, who lived an apparently normal life in Wichita, Kansas as an upstanding citizen, husband, father of two, and president of his church, but he lead a gruesome double life, managing to keep his Jekyll and Hyde personality a secret for more than 30 years (killing from 1974-91) and evading capture until 2005; from Barnholtz Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "The Grudge 3" (2009) stars Shawnee Smith and Marina Sirtis in the third installment in the "Grudge" series; from Sony ... In "How It All Went Down" (2003) a reformed criminal decides to try his hand at filmmaking but the closed doors in Hollywood forces him to return to the world of illegal drugs, guns and prostitution to raise the money to bring his story to the screen; from E1 Entertainment ... "Passengers" (2008) stars Anne Hathaway, Patrick, Andre Braugher, Clea DuVall and Dianne Wiest in a romantic thriller about a young therapist assigned to counsel the survivors of a plane crash who gets involved with one of the victims -- until the survivors begin to disappear mysteriously, one by one; from Sony ... In "Plague Town" (2008), an American family visiting their Irish roots accidentally stumbles on a horde of bloodthirsty mutant children; from Dark Sky Films/MPI Media Group ... "S. Darko" (2008) stars Daveigh Chase, Ed Westwick, Briana Evigan and Jackson Rathbone in a sequel of sorts to "Donnie Darko": Seven years after her brother's death, Samantha Darko is on the run ... from her shattered home, from her bizarre past, and even from herself. But when she and her friend Corey are stranded in a desert town, they witness a meteorite crash that fractures time ... and begins a countdown to the end of the world; from Fox. (Posted May 12)
On the Indie Front: "Lying" (2006) explores the interaction of four women -- strangers -- spending a long weekend together in the countryside; stars Chloe Sevigny, Leelee Sobieski, Jena Malone, Halley Wegryn Gross and Maya Goldsmith; from Virgil Films & Entertainment and Arthouse Films. (Posted May 12)
Foreign:
In "Just Another Love Story" (2007 -- Danish) a crime scene photographer whose subjects are corpses -- a fitting occupation for a man who leads a deadening suburban existence with his wife and family -- takes a special interest in the victim of a car accident and poses as the boyfriend of the comatose young woman at the hospital. Far from a typical love story; from Koch Lorber ... In "Operation Valkyrie (AKA Stauffenberg)"
(2004 -- Germany), a group of German high command officers plot a 1944 assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler; it's the remarkable true story that inspired the 2008 United Artists film "Valkyrie," starring Tom Cruise; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products. (Posted May 12)
For the Family:
in "Loose at the Zoo" (2009), kids can meet the babies at Washington D.C.'s National Zoo with three episodes of "Loose at the Zoo": "Baby New at the Zoo," "Loose at the Zoo: Golden Lion Tamarins" and "Tiger Tales"; $14.98 from Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment ... "Dadnapped and Hatching Pete" is a double feature of Disney Channel Original Movies: In "Dadnapped," 14-year-old Melissa (Emily Osment) is struggling with a unique kind of sibling rivalry: she has to compete with teenage spy Tripp Zoome, the main character in her father's best-selling novels; In "Hatching Pete," a bashful high school student finds fame as a high-flying poultry impersonator; $29.99 from Disney ... "Train Master" (2008) is a family adventure about a railroad magnate and the train master he fired who must team up to save their grandchildren on a runaway train; from MTI Home Video ... "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubbzy's Big Movie!" (2008) is a feature-length animated adventures of everyone's favorite resident of Wuzzleburg, spotlighting seven episodes stitched together with original footage;
from the Nick Jr. pre-school series; $16.98 from Anchor Bay. (Posted May 12)
Special Interest: "Pie in the Sky Series 1" (1994) is a British detective series about a cop-cum-chef, in a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "Bombs, Bullets & Fraud" (2009) is a documentary on the little-known but important U.S. Postal Inspectors Unit (founded in 1772) that inspects packages that contain items that are downright bizarre and occasionally lethal; $14.98 from Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment ... "Crips and Bloods: Made in America" (2008) is a documentary that investigates why the streets of South Central Los Angeles have seen more than 15,000 people murdered in an ongoing cycle of gang violence over the past 30 years; $19.95 from Docurama ... "Gothkill"
(2009) features a willing cast of New York underground and avant guard music and fetish performers, including Flambeaux, Eve Blackwater, and Mistress Juliya, in a tale about a group of Goths and wanna-be vampires who have to hold their own when
a dead Inquisitor, burned at he stake, comes back to life in 21st century New York City; $19.95 from MVD Visual/Wild Eye Releasing ... In "Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy" (2009), MacFarlane takes "Family Guy" and "American Dad" to the next, inappropriate, laugh-out-loud level with 50 shorts highlighting all-new classic characters, "Family Guy" voice talent and hilarious pop culture parodies of Jesus Christ, Bob Dylan, Ted Nugent, Quentin Tarantino, Super Mario, Jeff Goldblum and more; $22.98 from Fox ...
"3 Mo' Divas" (2008) is a live performance from the widely popular, ongoing tour of sopranos Nova Y. Payton and Jamet Pittman and mezzo-soprano Laurice Lanieran; $24.99 from Acorn Media. (Posted May 12)
New "Star Trek" Frontier: $72.5 mil:
Paramount and director J. J. Abrams' new "Star Trek" adventure flew into movie theaters around the country and beamed down an estimated $72.5 million in domestic box office grosses, pushing "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which debuted to $87 million last weekend, into second place. Although "Wolverine" dropped 68% to $27 million this weekend, it has an amazing domestic total of $129.6 million in just 10 days of release. No. 3 was "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," with $10.5 million, followed by "Obsessed" ($6.6 mil) and "17 Again" ($4.4 mil). (Posted May 10)
Warner Adds 22 Titles to On-Demand DVD Service:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that 22 additional classic movies have been added to its Warner Archive Collection online service offering movies that can be downloaded or purchased on made-to-order DVDs using a state-of-the-art Manufacturing on Demand process.
The new titles include "Freebie and the Bean" starring Alan Arkin and James Caan, "Soldier in the Rain" starring Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen, five classic "Tarzan" adventures starring Lex Barker as the legendary "Lord of the Apes," and "Pride of the Marines" and "Princess O'Rourke." A complete list can be found here.
The Warner Archive Collection offers 191 movies and by year's end will have more than 300 titles online.
To order movies, consumers visit WarnerArchive.com, select their titles, and upon purchase, a state-of-the-art manufacturing on-demand system creates a made-to-order DVD, places the DVD into a hard plastic Amaray case with custom artwork; shrink wraps it and ships the finished package to the customer -- for $19.95, plus shipping. Or consumers can purchase digital downloads of the films at $14.95 per title. (Posted May 7)
DVD Collectibles:
Highlight of the week is the "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection Wave 2," which consists of six four-title sets of classic Hollywood films, $27.92 each: TCM Greatest Classics: Musicals
"Singin' in the Rain," "Easter Parade," "The Band Wagon," "Meet Me in St. Louis." TCM Greatest Classics: Musicals 2
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Annie Get Your Gun," "Show Boat," "Kiss Me Kate." TCM Greatest Classics: Westerns
"Jeremiah Johnson," "Train Robbers," "The Wild Bunch," "McCabe & Mrs. Miller." TCM Greatest Classics: Westerns 2
"The Searchers," "Stagecoach," "Rio Bravo," "Cowboys." TCM Greatest Classics: War 1
"Kelly's Heroes," "The Dirty Dozen," "Where Eagles Dare," "Battleground." TCM Greatest Classics: War 2
"The Green Berets," "Destination Tokyo," "Battan," "Back to Battan."
(Posted May 5)
Glowing Blu-ray:
Due May 12 from Paramount is "Major League" starring Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen, "Black Sheep" starring Chris Farley and David Spade, "Without a Paddle," "Wayne's World" and "Wayne's World 2"; due May 19 from Paramount is "3 Days of the Condor," "Enemy at the Gates" starring Jude Law and Joseph Fiennes, "Changing Lanes" starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson, "Paycheck" starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman, and "The Machinist" starring Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Due May 19 from Disney is "A Bug's Life," loaded with all new bonus features, avatars, trivia challenges and a Disneyfile digital copy of the movie. Due June 2 from Sony is "Glory" starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, and "Air Force One" starring Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. Due July 7 is "The Deep" starring Nick Nolte and Jaqueline Bisset, from Sony. Due July 14 is "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer," starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. (Posted May 5)
From TV to Video: "Boston Legal:" (2008) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... "Crusoe: The Complete Series"
(2008) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes of the aborted series, $29.98 from Universal ... "Earth: Final Conflict Season One" (1997-98) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Universal ... "Flirting With Forty" (2008) stars Heather Locklear, Robert Buckley, Vanessa A. Williams and Cameron Bancroft in a Lifetime Television movie about a divorced mother of two, on the brink of her 40th birthday, who decides to treat herself to a tropical getaway, where she has a sizzling romance with a much younger man, from Sony ... "Florence Nightingale" (1985) stars Jaclyn Smith, Timothy Dalton and Brian Cox in a TV miniseries based on the real life British nursing pioneer, from Sony ... "Gavin & Stacey Season One" (2008) features six episodes of the BBC America romantic comedy series, $24.98 from Warner ... "Ivanhoe" (1982) stars James Mason, Sam Neill and Olivia Hussey in the CBS miniseries based on the classic story by Sir Walter Scott, from Sony ... "Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht Season 4, Volume 1: The Wedding" (2008-09) is a three-disc set with 23 episodes, $27.95 from TLC/Genius Products ... "Lipstick Jungle: Season Two" (2008-09) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.98 from Universal ... "Living Proof" (2008) stars Harry Connick Jr., Amanda Bynes, Regina King, Jennifer Coolidge, Angie Harmon, Swoosie Kurtz, Bernadette Peters and Amy Madigan in the Lifetime movie docudrama about the UCLA oncologist who helped develop the revolutionary breast cancer drug Herceptin, from Sony ... "McCelod's Daughters: The Complete Eighth Season" (2008) is a six-disc set with 22 episodes of the hit Australian series about the strong-willed women of Dover's Run; this is the final season; $59.98 from E1 Entertainment ... "The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love" (2008) is a Hallmark Channel original movie sequel to 2007's successful "The Note," from Sony ... "October Road: The Complete Second Season" (2007) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $34.99 from Disney ... "That Girl Season Five" (1970-71) is a four-disc set with all 24 episodes of the final season, $39.99 from Shout! Factory. (Posted May 5)
Buzzin' the 'B's: "Look" (2007) stars Rhys Coiro, Hayes MacArthur, Giuseppe Andrews, Spencer Redford, Jennifer Fontaine, Heather Hogan and Jamie McShane in a tale based on the fact that there are now about 30 million surveillance cameras generating more than 4 billion hours of footage every week in the United States; the film is shot entirely from the point of view of security cameras and follows several interweaving, storylines over the course of a random week in a random city; from Anchor Bay ... "Love Takes Wing"
(2008), directed by and starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Sarah Jones, Haylie Duff, Kevin Scott Richardson and Patrick Duffy, is the seventh installment of "The Love Comes Softly" Western romance series, from Fox ...
In "Incendiary" (2008), starring Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor, an adulterous woman's life is torn apart when her husband and infant son are killed in a suicide bombing at a soccer match, from Image Entertainment ... When Noah Cooper is fired from his job as a therapist, he thinks his day can't possibly get worse, but when he arrives home to his wife, he discovers his overbearing mother has moved in with her five dogs in tow in "Smother" (2008), starring Diane Keaton, Dax Shepard and Liv Tyler, from Universal ... "Chandni Chowk to China"
(2009 -- India) is a Bollywood action-comedy about a simple cook from Chandni Chowk mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient peasant warrior Liu Shengh by residents of an oppressed Chinese village, from Warner. (Posted May 5)
For the Family: "Gigantor: The Collection Volume 1" (1964) is a four-disc set with 26 episodes. Never fear, the great Gigantor returns this spring to save the world from evil criminals, enemy robots and hostile aliens. The influential cartoon series about a giant heroic robot and the young boy that controls him blazed a new trail for Japanese animation in America. Long unavailable on home video; $39.98 from E1 Entertainment ... "Scooby-Doo Where Are You? Volume Two" features Episodes 5-8 on a single disc; $14.97 from Warner ... "Best of Elmo's World Volume 2" (2008) is a three-disc set with episodes filled with answers to life's pressing questions: What is the Noodle's family dance? What does Cookie Monster get in the mail? Why are food, water and exercise essential parts of life? And can going to school actually be fun? $29.93 from Sesame Workshop/Genius Products ... "HIT Favorites: Playtime Pals" features six episodes each from Thomas & Friends, Barney, Fifi and the Flowertots, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam and Kipper; $14.98 from HIT/Lionsgate ...
"Imagination Movers Warehouse Mouse Edition" (2008) includes four episodes from Playhouse Disney's series starring New Orleans' favorite alternative rock band for preschoolers, the Imagination Movers; $19.99 from Disney ... "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Big Splash" (2009) includes four episodes of the Playhouse Disney animated series for kids 2 to 5; $19.99 from Disney ... "A Little Princess" (1967) is the British miniseries that aired on PBS in 1967, adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's novel; from E1 Entertainment ... "A Plumm Summer"
(2007) stars William Baldwin, Henry Winkler, Lisa Guerrero, Chris Massoglia and Owen Pearce in a family-friendly film about two young brothers, Elliott and Rocky Plumm, who embark on an adventure to find out who frog-napped the famous TV marionette Froggy Doo. Based on a true story; from Paramount. (Posted May 5)
Special Interest: "Bleak House Special Edition" (2005) stars Gillian Anderson, Charles Dance and Denis Lawson in the eight-hour PBS/Masterpiece miniseries directed by Andrew Davis; from Warner ... "The Old Curiosity Shop" (2007) stars Derek Jacobi, Toby Jones, Sophie Vavasseur, Gina McKee, Martin Freeman and Zoe Wanamaker in the PBS/Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of the Dickens classic; $19.98 from Warner ... "The Ultimate Charles Dickens Collection" is a 10-disc set with five PBS/Masterpiece Theatre Dickens telefilms: "Bleak House," "Great expectations," "Oliver Twist," "The Old Curiosity Shop" and "Little Dorritt," $119.98; packaged in a vintage-style book; from Warner ... "Doctor Who: The E-Space Trilogy and Doctor Who: Battlefield " is a three-disc set with 12 episodes of "The E-Space Trilogy" and four episodes of "Battlefield," $34.98 from Warner ... "Ralphie May: Austin-Tatious" (2008) is a Comedy Central special starring the comedian who debuted on Season One of "Last Comic Standing", $14.98 from Image Entertainment ...
"A Grin Without a Cat (Le Fond de l'Air est Rouge)" (1977/1993) is Chris Marker's magnum opus: a three-hour overview of the success and failure of the left during the Sixties and Seventies. It was originally produced in 1977 and then updated in 1993, following the demise of the Soviet Union. Marker interweaves footage from the Vietnam War and the antiwar protests, May '68 in Paris, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, Salvador Allende and the coup in Chile, Che Guevara and Regis Debray in Bolivia, the Shah of Iran, Fidel Castro, more. $29.98. from Icarus Films Home Video. (Posted May 5)
And They Have a Plan
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has quietly announced a July 28 release date for Season 4.5 (the last episodes) and the complete boxed set of "Battlestar Galactica."
Universal's announcement keyed in on "Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5,"
a four-disc set in standard DVD and Blu-ray. Extras include three extended episodes of the series finale; "Evolution of a Cue": Composer Bear McCreary goes step-by-step through his process of creating the music of "Battlestar Galactica"; "What the Frak is Going on With
Battlestar Galactica?" recap of the first three seasons -- in only eight minutes; "And They Have a Plan": What do they mean every episode when the opening sequence on the Cylons states "And They Have a Plan?"; "The Journey Ends: The Arrival" featurette; "A Look Back" six-part
retrospective with filmmakers, cast and crew; commentaries by Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Edward James Olmos; Ronald D. Moore's podcast commentaries; David Eick's video blogs; deleted scenes. DVD: $49.98, Blu-ray Disc: $69.98.
As for the complete series, Universal has only announced the date (July 28) and price for the sets, which we suspect will be on 25 discs in a special package pictured above.
DVD: $279.98; Blu-ray Disc: $349.98.
(Posted May 3)
thirtysomething:
The fine crew at Shout! Factory revealed this week that the much-anticipated and long overdue DVD release of the ultimate yuppie TV series, "thirtysomething," will make its debut August 25. Holding up the release for many years (the series debuted in 1987 and ran until 1991) has been the issue of rights clearnances. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, "The long delay was mostly caused -- as is often the case when it comes to DVDs -- by complicated, expensive music rights clearances. Garson Foos, president of Shout! Factory, said the Emmy-winning drama also had a second hurdle to a digital afterlife: a lack of master copies that would allow the easy transfer to DVD." The August 25 release will be a six-disc set with 21 episodes for $59.99. Extras will include interviews, commentaries, more. (Posted May 1)
1. Confessions of a Shopaholic
2. Gran Torino
3. Transformers
4. Madea Goes to Jail
5. Inkheart
Week ending June 28
Weekly Rentals
1. The Code
2. Confessions of a Shopaholic
3. Inkheart
4. Gran Torino
5. Madea Goes to Jail
Week ending June 28
Weekend Boxoffice
1. Transformers: Revenge - $112
2. The Proposal - $18.5
3. The Hangover - $17.2
4. Up - $13.0
5. My Sister's Keeper - $12.0 Boxoffice figures in millions
June 26-28
Blu-ray Disc sales
1. Transformers
2. Gran Torino
3. Matrix: 10th Anniversary
4. Inkheart
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic
News
Members of the Home Media Tastemakers Forum, a blu-ribbon panel assembled by Home Media Magazine as an industry consumer panel, overwhelmingly chose "Star Wars" as the movie they’d most like to see in 3-D. "3-D gives you the feeling of 'being there' in a way that 2-D cannot," said Forum member David Wertheimer, CEO and executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California. In addition to "Star Wars," Wertheimer's top choices -- each panelist was asked to pick three movies -- include "The Matrix" and "Apollo 13."
For the complete report, jump to 
Director Hal Ashby, who died an untimely death in 1988 after fighting internal demons that led him to drug and booze abuse, left behind a brilliant, maverick career that included winning an Oscar for editing "In the Heat of the Night" (1967) and directing such unusual films as "The Landlord" (1970), "Harold and Maude" (1971) "The Last Detail" (1973), "Shampoo" (1975), "Bound for Glory" (1976), "Coming Home" (1978) and Being There (1979). His "Lookin' to Get Out" (1982), starring Jon Voight, Burt Young and Ann-Margret, will debut in a never-before-seen cut that represents the director's original vision. The new version was recently uncovered with the help of its star, Jon Voight, Ashby-biographer Nick Dawson and Ashby's daughter, Leigh MacManus, who found that, unbeknownst to anyone, the director had re-edited the film after its release, then donated it to the UCLA archives prior to his death. The comedy follows the trials and tribulations of a pair of New York City losers who flee to Las Vegas to escape a loan shark hot on their trail. The DVD was originally scheduled for a May 26 release but was delayed. From Warner.
The controversial and joyous film centers around one scorching inner-city day when racial tensions reach the boiling point in a tough Brooklyn neighborhood. Stars Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Spike Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Paul Benjamin and Frankie Faison. Extras include "Do the Right Thing: 20 Years Later"; deleted and extended scenes; commentary by Spike Lee; commentary by Lee, director of photography Ernest Dickerson, production designer Wynn Thomas and actor Joie Lee; behind-the-scenes featurette; more ... ... In "Tokyo!" (2008), directors Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), Leos Carax ("The Lovers on the Bridge") and Bong Joon-Ho ("The Host") use their unique brand of storytelling to weave a thematic tale (about Transformation, Anarchy, and Rebirth respectively) set in and about the ultra-modern metropolis of Tokyo in this three-part anthology film. From Liberation Entertainment.
Despite some tepid reviews, Paramount's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," which opened on Wednesday with $60.7 million and added $28.6 million on Thursday, smashed through the weekend with an estimated $112 million. That gives the teen fanboy film an estimated $201.2 million domestic five-day boxoffice take, narrowly missing the five-day opening record of $203.8 million set last year by "The Dark Knight." According to Reuters, the "Transformers" sequel, which reportedly cost about $200 million to make, beat industry expectations. Earlier in the week, Paramount conservatively forecast a five-day haul in the $130 million to $150 million range, but some industry observers predicted a tale of at least $175 million. The biggest movie of the year so far is "Star Trek," which has grossed $246 million domestically in seven weeks of release. Overseas, "Transformers"recorded an explosive $162 million from 9,910 screens in 58 markets during the weekend, bring its overseas total so far to $181.6 million. The global gross total now stands at $363.2 million. Far behind in boxoffice take was "The Proposal," at No. 2 with $18.5 million, "The Hangover" with $17.2 million, "Up" with $13.0 million and, at No. 5, newcomer "My Sister's Keeper," with $12.0.
Universal has just announced a July 28 release date for "Fast & Furious," the fiery, turbo-charged actioner reuniting the stars from the first vehicle in the franchise, "The Fast and the Furious." Vin Diesel and Paul Walker head back to the streets where it all began, rejoining Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, blasting through Los Angeles and into the Mexican desert to track down a heroin drug lord. The film screeches home on a two-disc Blu-ray set, a two-disc Special Edition DVD, a single-disc DVD and as download-to-own. Both the Blu-ray and Special Edition DVD sets are packed with bonus features and contain a digital copy of the film that can be played on an array of electronic devices.
The series will kick off September 1 with "Braveheart" and "Gladiator" followed on November 3 with "Forrest Gump." Each release will include extensive, never-before-seen special features for the ultimate presentation. bonus features for "Braveheart" include interactive timelines, a retrospective feature, a featurette on the "Smithfield Medieval Killing Fields," and "Battlefields of the Scottish Rebellion. Extras on "Gladiator," which will be presented in theatrical and extended versions, include commentary, trivia tracks, "Visions From Elysium: Topic Marker" that allows viewers to tag moments of interest throughout either version of the film, allowing them to create "shopping lists" of topics to learn more about when they insert the second features disc, making-of specials, and more. Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2009, "Forrest Gump" will feature new material including a roundtable discussion. More details will follow later in the year. 
Crank it up to eleven with the most infamous U.K. rock band of all time as "This Is Spinal Tap" screams its way to Blu-ray Disc July 28 from MGM Home Entertainment. Director Rob Reiner's feature directorial debut set the standard for mockumentary films, satirizing the wild personal behavior and musical pretensions of classic rock gods as it presents a second-rate band made up of aging members who are desperately trying to cling onto what little fame they used to have. The 1984 film stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer with Reiner starring as the documentary filmmaker. The film also features performances by Billy Crystal, Ed Begley, Jr. and Fran Drescher, among many others.Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2002, "This Is Spinal Tap" has left an indelible mark on pop culture. The two-disc Blu-ray set features cast and crew commentary, deleted scenes and outtakes, "Catching Up With Marty DiBergi" featurette, "Flower People Press Conference," four Spinal Tap music videos, Spinal Tap's 2007 Live Earth reunion performance of their hit "Stonehenge" at Wembley Stadium, and Nigel Tufnel's interview for the National Geographic Stonehenge special. 
Warner Home Video will celebrate the 70th anniversary of one of the all-time classic films -- The Wizard of Oz" -- with a spectacular new Blu-ray version on September 29. The four-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition ($84.99) will feature more than 16 hours of enhanced content, including new documentaries, featurettes, a sing-along track and such collectibles as a numbered 70th Anniversary Wizard of Oz watch with genuine crystals, a replica of the original film budget, "Behind the Curtain" 52-page coffee-table book and a reproduction of the original 1939 campaign book. According to Warner, in order to bring all the visual splendor of "The Wizard of Oz" to Blu-ray, the film was entirely remastered, with each of the original Technicolor camera negatives scanned using 8K resolution. From this scan, a final "capture" master was created in 4K, yielding twice the resolution seen in the master used for the film's previous DVD release. The film will also be released as a four-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition standard DVD ($69.92) and a two-disc Special Edition DVD ($24.98). 
On July 21 Universal will release 
Despite early weekend estimates putting Disney/Pixar's "Up" in first place at the boxoffice weekend derby, Warner's "The Hangover" drank in enough tickets to amass $44.9 million, pushing "Up" down to second with $44.1 million. Those numbers represent more than expected for "Hangover" and only a minor 36 percent drop in earnings for "Up." Coming in at third -- and a real disappointment -- was "Land of the Lost," with a weak $18.8 million finally putting a dent in the heretofore indestructible armour of funny man Will Ferrell. Rounding out the top five were "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian with $14.6 million and "Star Trek" with $8.3 million. Next week: Paramount's Eddie Murphy starrer "Imagine That" and Sony's remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta.
(Posted June 8)
Summit Entertainment has just announced the July 7 release of two science fiction actioners: "Knowing," starring the ever-present Nicolas Cage as a professor who comes across a time capsule document that predicts chilling disasters; and "Push," starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou, about a group of people with extraordinary psychic abilities who band together to escape a clandestine government agency. "Knowing" bonus features include commentary and two featurettes: "Visions of the Apocalypse" and "The Making of a Futuristic Thriller." "Push" includes deleted scenes, "The Science Behind the Fiction" featurette and commentary. Both titles will also be available on Blu-ray Disc. (Posted June 4)
Neil Young, a longstanding proponent of audiophile quality recorded music (his "Chrome Dreams II" was released in the DVD-A audio format and is a stunning audio journey) has ratcheted up the audio stakes by releasing his long-awaited "Neil Young Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)" as 
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has opened the doors to its Columbia Pictures vault with the release of eight classic screwball comedies featuring wit, sophistication, and wild physical comedy. On August 4 the studio will release "Icons of Screwball Comedy Volume 1 & Volume 2" as two-disc sets with a suggested retail price of $16.25 each. The films present a virtual who's who of American comedy of the '30s and '40s: Rosalind Russell, Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Coburn, among many others. Volume 1 includes "If You Could Only Cook," "Too Many Husbands," "My Sister Eileen" and "She Wouldn't Say Yes"; Volume 2 includes "Theodora Goes Wild," "Together Again," "A Night to Remember" and "The Doctor Takes a Wife." 
Disney/Pixar's 3-D animated feature "Up" floated to the top of the domestic boxoffice this weekend taking in an estimated $68.2 million. Universal's Sam Raimi-directed "Drag Me to Hell" opened in third with $16.6 million. Last week's champ, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," dropped a respectable 53% from its opening weekend, taking $25.5 million and laughing its way into in second place. Warner Bros.' "Terminator Salvation" didn't come back as strong, however, taking in $16.1 million in fourth place while Paramount's "Star Trek" took another $12.8 million to land in fifth place. "Star Trek" has now crossed the boxoffice frontier to become the first 2009 release to pass $200 million ($209.5 million). Though this weekend dropped 1 percent compared with the same week last year, year-to-date 2009 is 7% ahead of last year at $3.93 billion. (Posted May 31)
Ashby's ("Being There," "Coming Home," "In the Heat of the Night") comedy about two down-on-their luck gamblers who travel from new York to Las Vegas will debut in a never-before-seen cut that represents the director's original vision; Michelangelo Antonioni's "Zabriskie Point" (1970), his first American film; a surreal view of late '60s America featuring a soundtrack with music from Pink Floyd, The Youngbloods, The Kaleidoscope, Jerry Garcia, Patti Page and the Grateful Dead; David Cronenberg's extravagant take on "M. Butterfly" (1993), starring Jeremy Irons, John Lone, Barbara Sukowa and Ian Richardson; "Revolution Revisited Director's Cut" (1985), directed by Hugh Hudson and starring Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland, Natassia Kinski and Joan Plowright in a newly remastered and re-edited version with new narration throughout the film by Pacino; and John Boorman's "Beyond Rangoon" (1995), about an American woman who gets politically active in Burma, staring Patricia Arquette, Frances McDormand and Spalding Gray. All the titles are remastered and boast lots of extras; $19.97 each ... Also from Warner this week is "The Sky Crawlers" (2008), from Mamoru Oshii, the world-acclaimed director of "Ghost in the Shell." The film is a visually stunning anime adventure about a group of eternally young fighter pilots known as Kildren who battle a fierce enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds ... and "Falling Down Deluxe Edition" (1993), starring Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall, Barbara Hershey, Tuesday Weld, Rachel Ticotin and Frederic Forrest, a film that, though 16 years old, ploughs a ripe field of recessions and job loss angst all too fresh in today's economic crisis; Douglas plays a laid-off defense industry worker who goes off the deep end. (Posted May 26)
... Tino Struckmann, Michael Berryman, Olivier Gruner, Hayley Carr and Hugh Daly star in "Brother's War" (2009), a thriller set in the closing days of World War II in which two officers, one German and the other British, discover that they share a common bond in Freemasonry, empowering them to work together to prevent the USSR from taking over Eastern Europe; from MTI Home Video ...In "Carnivorous (aka Lockjaw: Rise of the Kulev Serpent)" (2008), starring DMX, Wes Brown and Louis Herthum, an ancient voodoo artifact conjures up a killer snake that is used to seek revenge on a group of reckless teenagers; from North American Motion Pictures ... A Las Vegas gentleman club owner and former CIA agent enlists his glamorous showgirls to stop a terrorist who wants to bomb Vegas in "Crazy Girls Undercover" (2008), starring Clive Richardson, Nikki Ziering and Simon Fusco; from Monarch Home Video ... When a scientist leading a top-secret Middle Eastern archeological site goes missing, an elite military unit is sent on a search and rescue mission, finding themselves face-to-face with an ancient evil lying beneath the desert in "The Devil's Tomb"
(2009), starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ron Perlman,, Tayrn Manning, Ray Winstone and Henry Rollins; from Sony ... "The Legend of Fong Sai-Yuk"
(1993), directed by Corey Yuen-Kwai, stars Jet Li and Josephine Siao in the story of a local champion who becomes a folk hero as he faces off against a bevy of dangerous opponents in an attempt to win the hand of a beautiful maiden, rescue his family, and free his people; from The Weinstein Co./Dragon Dynasty/Genius Products. (Posted May 26)
"Freezer Burn" (2007), a Sci-Fi comedy about a scientist working on preserving human organs for transplant who falls for his wife's 14-year-old art student and freezes himself in order to align his age with the young girl's; and "Johan" (2005 -- Netherlands), a comedy about the only member of a soccer family not crazy about the sport, Johan, who wants to be a singer. When he meets his neighborhood beauty Evy, it seems like he may have found a companion, until she falls for a soccer star, his brother Johnny ... In "The Ramen Girl" (2008), starring Brittany Murphy, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tammy Blanchard, Sohee Park, Kimiko Yo and Renji Ishibashi, an American woman stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend decides to train under a tyrannical Japanese master to be a ramen chef; from Image Entertainment ... "Forever Strong" (2008) stars Sean Faris, Gary Cole, Penn Badgley, Arielle Kebbel, Sean Astin, Julie Warner and Neal McDonough in the true story of rugby coach Larry Gelwix, one of the top high school coaches in the country with a win/loss record of 379 wins to 9 losses (nearly 98% wins), who creates not only championship teams, but championship boys; from Crane Movie Co. (Posted May 26)
Audiences opted for laughs this weekend as the Ben Stiller "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" beat back the mechanical thrills of "Terminator Salvation." The Fox comedy sequel took in an estimated $70 million during the four-day Memorial Day weekend while Warners' sci-fi actioner, the third "Terminator" sequel, grabbed $53.8 million in second place. Paramount's comedy spoof "Dance Flick" from the Wayans brothers came in at No. 5 with $13.1 million, while "Angels & Demons" worshipped $27.7 million in fourth place and the rejiggered "Star Trek" beamed up $29.4 million in third. For the year-to-date, overall boxoffice is about 8% ahead of last year, at $3.72 billion. Overseas, "Angels & Demons: retained its No. 1 spot with $60.4 million and "Museum" took in an airy $50.1 million. "Terminator" will open wide in the international market on June 3. (Posted May 25)
With a sci-fi summer well underway ("Wolverine," "Star Trek," "Terminator Salvation"), the folks at Moviefone.com polled their readers on the best and worst in the world of sci-fi movies. "Star Wars" clashed with "Star Trek," Ripley went head to head with Sarah Connor, and in the category for worst film, "Battlefield Earth" had no match. More than 330,000 votes were cast.
The top finding: After more than 30 years, "Star Wars" is still the king of the universe: It was voted the best franachise (64%); "Star Trek" received 26% of the vote and "Terminator" received 4%.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has set October 6 as the release date for a Blu-ray edition of "The One That Started It All": "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (Disney's first feature-length animated film). The highly-anticipated release will launch what Disney is billing as a "spectacular all-new product line -- Disney's Diamond Collection. Poised to transform home entertainment ... the revolutionary new Diamond Collection brings audiences the most immersive and highest-level viewing experience that includes unparalleled features, exclusive high definition content and updatable experiences, ... (including) 'Disney Smart Navigation,' allowing the magic and personality of Disney Characters to come to life as never before."
Highlights of the disc include:
... Also from Criterion is the all-American "The Friends of Eddie Coyle"
(1973), directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Alex Rocco and Richard Jordan, in a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Yates. In one of the best performances of his legendary career, Robert Mitchum plays small-time gunrunner Eddie "Fingers" Coyle. World-weary and living hand to mouth, Coyle works on the sidelines of the seedy Boston underworld just to make ends meet. But when he finds himself facing a second stretch of hard time, he's forced to weigh loyalty to his criminal colleagues against snitching to stay free. Directed with a sharp eye for its gritty locales and an open heart for its less-than-heroic characters, this is one of the true treasures of 1970s Hollywood filmmaking -- a suspenseful crime drama in stark, unforgiving daylight.
and a two-disc set of "El Dorado" (1966), directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and James Caan. Extras include commentary by Peter Bogdanovich; commentary by critic and film historian Richard Schickel featuring actor Ed Asner and author Todd McCarthy; 10 featurettes: "Ride, Boldly Ride: The Journey of El Dorado," "The Paradigm of an Entertainer," "Stealing from Himself," "A Taciturn Man," "Professional Courtesy," "Spotlight: James Caan," "The Duke, the Grey Fox and Pappy," "An Old-Age Masterpiece," The Artist and the American West" (1967), "Behind the Gates: A.C. Lyles Remembers John Wayne."
"Fanboys" (2009) is a comedy about a group of Star Wars fans' attempt to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch to see "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace" a full six months before its worldwide release; stars Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell with cameo appearances by Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park, Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Justin Long, Christopher MacDonald, Danny Trejo, Jamie King, Ethan Suplee, and William Shatner; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "Driven to Kill" (2009) is the latest Steven Seagal direct-to-video outing in which a reformed Russian "Mafioso" turned crime novelist Ruslan (Seagal) returns home only to get dragged down into his criminal past when his wife is gunned down in cold blood; from Fox ... in "Infected" (2008), starring Gil Bellows, Judd Nelson, Isabella Rossellini and Maxim Roy, two Boston reporters uncover the scoop of their lives: Aliens from outer space are infecting high-echelon government officials; from Image Entertainment ... "Outlander" (2009), starring Jim Caviezel, Ron Perlman and John Hurt, is an action-packed, sci-fi adventure about an extra-terrestrial who crash lands on Earth in the time of the Vikings; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products. (Posted May 19)
"The Town That Was" (2007) is a documentary about Centralia, Pennsylvania, once a thriving mining town of over 3,000, turned modern-day ghost town following a trash fire in 1962 that ignited a seam of anthracite coal and has been burning ever since; it's the infamous place that inspired the 2006 horror film "Silent Hill"; $22.95 from Cinevolve Studios ... "The Top Secret Trial of the Third Reich" (1979) is a documentary about the little-known 1944 trial of the men who conspired to assassinate Adolf Hitler (the subject of the Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie"). Under orders from Joseph Goebbels, cameras were hidden in the courtroom, and soon thereafter a propaganda film was released to the public. Unfortunately for the Nazis, the film only generated sympathy for the conspirators, who were sentenced to death by the judge. Realizing his miscalculation, Goebbels ordered the film destroyed. But one print was found, and became the basis for this film; $24.95 from First Run features ... on the lighter side there's two comedy specials from Paramount and Comedy Central:
"Jo Koy: Don't Make Him Angry" (2009) and "Russell Brand in New York City: Extended & Uncensored"
(2009); $16.99 each. (Posted May 19)
The Ron Howard directed-Tom Hanks starring "Angels & Demons" opened with a gigantic $104.3 million from 96 countries at the international box office this weekend, doubling the estimated $48 million the film garnered in North America. That number was off from the first Dan Brown-Howard-Hanks collaboration, "The Da Vinci Code," which opened to $77.1 million domestically and $155 million overseas in May 2006. Last week's big opener, "Star Trek," dropped only 46% in it's second weekend, taking in $43 million domestically (for a total of $147.6 million in 10 days). "Wolverine" came in at third, followed by "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and "Obsessed." (Posted May 17)
Warner Home Video will release "Watchmen Director's Cut" (with 25 minutes of extra footage) in two editions on July 21: on Blu-ray for $35.99 and as a two-disc special edition DVD for $34.99. The standard two-disc DVD will include a featurette and webisodes; the Blu-ray disc will introduce a new interactive technology, "Maximum Movie Mode," which, according to Warner, "is a first-of-its-kind bonus feature that showcases a seamless multi-story presentation of the Director's Cut. Hosted by Zack Snyder, the feature will offer in-depth scene analysis, picture-in-picture videos from the cast and crew, side-by-side comparisons of the graphic novel and the film, photo galleries and more." Three featurettes, a music video and digital copy round out the bonus features. A single disc theatrical version DVD will also be available, for $28.98. 
The film stars Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as husband and wife serial killers in a gut-grabbing look at how violence and crime are sensationalized and glamorized in the media. As Mickey and Mallory cut their swath of terror across America, they are regarded more like celebrities than fugitives. Robert Downey Jr. and Tommy Lee Jones also star. Extras include a new introduction by Stone; commentary by Stone; "NBK Evolution: How Would It All Go Down Now?" a new featurette examining how the film might address the issues and changes in current media, creating a timeline of the killers' activities in cell phone videos, blogs, tweets and Facebook updates (How would Stone portray today's instantaneous user-generated media society and its reaction to the exploits of Mickey and Mallory? How would the social networks and the blogs cover, discuss and rate each of their killing sprees? How many views and comments would their home-made videos generate on YouTube?); "Chaos Rising: The Storm Around Natural Born Killers" making-of documentary about the storm of controversy surrounding the film; deleted scenes; an alternate ending, and a Charlie Rose interview. (Posted May 12)
TCM Greatest Classics: Musicals
"Singin' in the Rain," "Easter Parade," "The Band Wagon," "Meet Me in St. Louis."
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has quietly announced a July 28 release date for Season 4.5 (the last episodes) and the complete boxed set of "Battlestar Galactica."
Universal's announcement keyed in on "Battlestar Galactica Season 4.5,"
a four-disc set in standard DVD and Blu-ray. Extras include three extended episodes of the series finale; "Evolution of a Cue": Composer Bear McCreary goes step-by-step through his process of creating the music of "Battlestar Galactica"; "What the Frak is Going on With
Battlestar Galactica?" recap of the first three seasons -- in only eight minutes; "And They Have a Plan": What do they mean every episode when the opening sequence on the Cylons states "And They Have a Plan?"; "The Journey Ends: The Arrival" featurette; "A Look Back" six-part
retrospective with filmmakers, cast and crew; commentaries by Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Edward James Olmos; Ronald D. Moore's podcast commentaries; David Eick's video blogs; deleted scenes. DVD: $49.98, Blu-ray Disc: $69.98.
