"The movie business is macabre. Grotesque. It is a combination of a football game and a brothel."
-- Federico Fellini
News
Flash: (July 1)
Godfather Goes Blue:
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a September 23 release for "The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration," a meticulous restoration of "The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" by Paramount Pictures and Francis Ford Coppola. Both films have been fully restored and will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a newly remastered version of "The Godfather: Part III." All three films will be available individually ($19.99 each) or in a five-DVD collection ($72.99) or four-disc Blu-ray collection ($119.99); each set is loaded with a host of all-new special features.
"The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration using state-of-the-art digital technology in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer Gordon Willis. Harris' restoration credits include "Lawrence of Arabia," "Spartacus," "Vertigo" and "Rear Window," among others.
New special features -- created by Kim Aubry, founder of Zoetrope Aubry Productions -- explore the complexities of the restoration process and provides new insights and perspectives about how the film almost didn't come to pass as we know it. "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't" relates the unlikely events, intrigue, allegiances and luck that put together the unknown director with the "unwanted" cast and contains interviews with most of the living players and many of the films' admirers. Other featurettes include "... When the Shooting Stopped" and "Godfather World," which take a look at "The Godfather's" influence on popular culture today. Each film includes a commentary by Coppola.
See September's DVD release schedule for disc contents
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From the Big Screen:
Due this week: "City of Men," "Drillbit Taylor," "Meet the Browns," "My Blueberry Nights" and "Vantage Point."
For more releases this week, see our "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."
DVD Collectibles: "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" (1985) is Paul Schrader's visually stunning, structurally audacious collage-like portrait of acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yuko Mishima (played by Ken Ogata). The film investigates the inner turmoil and contradictions of a man who attempted an impossible harmony between self, art, and society. Taking place on Mishima's last day, when he famously committed public seppuku (ritual suicide), the film is punctuated by extended flashbacks to the writer's life as well as gloriously stylized evocations of his fictional works. With its rich cinematography by John Bailey, exquisite sets and costumes by Eiko Ishioka, and unforgettable, highly influential score by Philip Glass, "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" is a sincere tribute to its subject and a bold, investigative work of art in its own right. In an exquisite two-disc set loaded with extras from The Criterion Collection.
"Aria" (1987) is an anthology of 10 short films directed by 10 acclaimed directors; each piece is a visual riff on a musical aria. The directors: Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, Franc Roddam, Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Charles Sturridge, Julien Temple. The stars: Bridget Fonda, Theresa Russell, Tilda Swinton, Elizabeth Hurley, John Hurt, Buck Henry, Beverly D'Angelo, more. The vignettes: ranging from the pretentious to the sublime. From Warner Home Video.
"Heathers" gets the special treatment from Anchor Bay for a 20th High School Reunion Edition. The 1989 film, starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker, is a classic and subversive teen high school satire. The two-disc set features a newly remastered version of the film as well as a "Return to Westerburg High" documentary that revisits the high school where "Heathers" was filmed, with new interviews with director Michael Lehmann, writer Daniel Waters, and producer Denise Di Novi; a "Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads" featurette; more.
From TV to Video: "Anglo-Saxon Attitudes" (1992) is a two-disc set with three episodes of the U.K. miniseries that skewers British social and academic hypocrisy, $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Closer: Season Three" is a four-disc set with 14 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Rebus, Set 3" is a four-disc set with four mysteries centering on maverick detective John Rebus, from Ian Rankin's best-selling detective novels, $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Streets of San Francisco: The Second Season, Volume One" (1973) is a three-disc set with 11 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "30 days: Season Two" is a two-disc set with six episodes, $29.95 from Arts Alliance America ... "'Til Death Do Us Part" is a three-disc set with 13 episodes of the TV series that lets director John Waters run amok with a campy marriage of madcap melodrama and macabre humor; $29.98 from BCI ... "Walker Texas Ranger: The Fifth Season" (1997-98) is a seven-disc set with 25 episodes, $54.99 from Paramount.
Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control" (2008), starring Masi Oka, Jayma Mays and Nate Torrence, Maxwell Smart's techie friends from the hit big-screen adaptation of the TV series run amok; the direct-to-video feature is also available on Blu-ray Disc; from Warner ... "Shotgun Stories" (2007) follows a blood feud between two sets of half brothers in the cotton fields and back roads of Arkansas; stars Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, Natalie Canerday, Glenda Pannell and Lynnsee Provence; from Liberation/Genius Products.
On the Indie Front:
In the wacky "Sex and Death 101" (2008), Simon Baker stars as a successful executive whose life is turned upside down by an e-mail that includes the names of everyone he's had sex with and ever will have sex with; Winona Ryder stars as "Death Nell," a mysterious femme fatale who becomes an urban folk hero when she targets men guilty of sex crimes against women. Also stars Patton Oswalt, Mindy Cohn, Leslie Bibb, Julie Bowen, Sophie Monk, Dash Mihok and Neil Flynn; from Anchor Bay.
Exceptional Sound. No Exceptions!
Special Interest:
Every year since 1969, music lovers have flocked to the opulent Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, for an international festival of chamber music. Filmed live at the 2007 festival, "The 2007 Newport Music Festival Connoisseur's Collection" includes the Newport debut of 20-year-old American pianist Adam Golka, music by Chopin, Lizst, and Mozart, and an all-Schumann program; approximately 15 hours on 10 DVDs, $124.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Royal Diaries" (2000) features three documentaries that view the world through the eyes of three very different teenage princesses: "Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C.," "Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466" and "Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544"; based on the Scholastic book series; $14.95 from Genius Products ... In "Dogtown: Second Chance," National Geographic teams up with the top-notch veterinarians and trainers at Best Friend's Sanctuary to learn what it takes to rehabilitate abandoned, abused and problem pets and find them loving homes; $19.98 from Warner ... "Stonehenge Decoded" is a National Geographic special that transports viewers back in time to decipher the most enduring archaeological mystery of all time -- who built Stonehenge and why; $19.98 from Warner ... "Wild China"
(2005) is a BBC documentary on the most populous country in the world, just in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics; $29.98 from Warner ... "Yankee Stadium: Baseball's Cathedral" (2005) is an MLB official DVD documentary commemorating the most storied ballpark in America; $26.99 from Shout! Factory.
Director Anthony Mann's varied career encompassed musical dramas ("The Glenn Miller Story"), actioners ("Strategic Air Command"), war films ("Men in War"), melodramas ("God's Little Acre"), costume dramas ("El Cid") and Westerns. His best Westerns always pitted man against nature, man against other men, and man against himself; his "Winchester '73" (1950) is definitely a classic of the genre. Shortly after that film, he made "The Furies"
(1950), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson, Wendell Corey and Gilbert Roland. Stanwyck and Huston are at their fierce finest in this crackling Western melodrama. In 1870s New Mexico Territory, megalomaniacal widowed ranch-owner T. C. Jeffords (Huston, in his final role) butts heads with his daughter, Vance (Stanwyck), a firebrand with serious daddy issues, over her dowry, choice of marriage, and, finally, ownership of the land itself. Both sophisticated in its view of frontier settlement and ablaze with searing domestic drama, "The Furies" is a hidden treasure of American filmmaking, boasting Oscar-nominated cinematography and vivid supporting turns from Judith Anderson, Wendell Corey, and Gilbert Roland. The folks at The Criterion Collection have brought the film to DVD in a new, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras include commentary featuring film historian Jim Kitses; a rare, 1931 on-camera interview with Walter Huston, made for the movie theater series "Intimate Interviews"; a new video interview with Nina Mann, daughter of director Mann; a stills gallery of rare behind-the-scenes photos; a booklet featuring a new essay by critic Robin Wood, a 1957 Cahiers du cinema interview with Mann, and a new printing of Niven Busch's original novel. (Posted June 24)
From TV to Video:
Due this week::
"The Big Easy: The Complete First Season," a four-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from MPI Home Video ... "Early Edition: The First Season," a six-disc set with 23 episodes, $46.99 from Paramount ... "Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs"
(2008) a feature with the latest extraterrestrial exploits of Bender, Fry, Leela and crew, in which they encounter a repulsive, planet-sized creature with billions of probing tentacles ... and soon find themselves involved in a disturbing -- yet sensuous -- interplanetary love story; $29.98 from Fox ... "My Boys: The Complete First Season," a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Sony ... "The Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Set 3," a three-disc set with five episodes of mysteries based on the fiction of best-selling crime-writer Ruth Rendell, $49.99. from Acorn Media ... "The Vice: Season Two," a three-disc set with eight episodes of the hard-hitting British TV series set in the vice unit of London's Metropolitan Police; aired on BBC America, $49.98 from MPI Home Video. (Posted June 24)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
The lives and friendships of three best friends are tried and tested as they take a cross-country road trip in
"Bonneville" (2008), starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, Tom Skerritt and Christine Baranski. After losing her husband, a widow persuades two friends to tag along as she sets off to California in a vintage '66 Bonneville convertible to deliver her late-husband's ashes to her resentful stepdaughter; from Fox ...
A tattooist unwittingly unleashes a deadly spirit through an ancient Samoan tattoo tool that marks him for death in "The Tattooist" (2007), starring Jason Behr, Mia Blake and David Fane; from Sony ... "The Hammer" (2008) stars Adam Carolla in a comedy about a middle-aged boxing instructor and carpenter who loses his job and gets another chance at his dream -- he's invited to try out for the U.S. Olympic Boxing team; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "Telling Lies" (2006) is a psychological thriller about a seemingly innocent co-ed under suspicion for murder who tries to convince the authorities and her father that she's not guilty, starring Melanie Brown, Jason Flemyng and Kelly Stables; from Echo Bridge Entertainment ... Upon returning home as a hero from the Iraq War, Special Forces Agent Matt Taylor is thrown into another battle in his once quiet hometown where, as in Iraq, you don't know who are friends and who are enemies, in "Dark Heart" (2006), starring Greg Joelson, Darcy Halsey, Brian Howe, William Dennis Hurley and Huntley Ritter; from MTI Home Video ... In "The Wig" (2005 -- South Korea), a wig given to a cancer patient who lost her hair during chemotherapy turns out to harbor evil spirits; from Genius Products ... A young couple's weekend getaway at a secluded mountain ranch becomes an unfathomable nightmare when they discover the truth about the caretaker in "The Lodge" (2008), starring Elizabeth Kell, Mandi Kreisher, Kevin McClatchy and Owen Szabo; from Monarch Home Video ... In "Simon: King of the Witches"
(1971), a professional warlock summons evil forces to thwart his enemies; from Dark Sky Films/MPI Home Video. (Posted June 24)
On the Indie Front: "Finishing the Game" (2007)stars James Franco, Dustin Nguyen, Roger Fan, Sung Kang and McCaleb Burnett in a mockumentary-style comedy that looks askew at fame, fortune and Hollywood. The unexpected death of Bruce Lee came at the zenith of his popularity. Having already shot scenes for his upcoming movie "Game of Death," studio heads decided to complete the film by launching a search for his replacement, attracting hopefuls from around the world. This film re-imagines that audition process and pokes fun at Hollywood, martial arts and Asian stereotypes in the process; from Genius Products ... "Wide Sargasso Sea"
(2006) is a new U.K. production of Jean Rhys' novel, dubbed a prequel to "Jane Eyre," which imagines how Mr. Rochester met and married his first wife and how she wound up as the madwoman in the attic; stars Rafe Spall and Rebecca Hall; $24.99 from Acorn Media. (Posted June 24)
Foreign: "The Free Will" (2006 -- Germany) is a disturbing drama about a convicted sexual predator who has just been released from psychiatric detention. His fear of women stirs a profound, unfulfilled longing within him, making his reintegration into society an unbearable ordeal. Can hope exist in his budding relationship with Nettie, herself a victim of abuse, as they embark on a journey to the limits of free will? Silver Bear Winner at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival; from Benten Films: www.bentenfilms.com ... Two classics from the legendary DEFA Collection of films made during the years when East Germany was under Communist control arrive this week from First Run Features: "Solo Sunny" (1979),r about an aspiring singer who falls in love, breaks hearts, has her own broken, gets kicked out of her band and then hits the East Berlin underground scene; a mesmerizing look at the yearnings of East Germany's youth; and "Berlin-Schonhauser Corner" (1957), a teen cult film about disaffected, rebellious teenagers who meet daily on a street in East Berlin to dance to rock 'n' roll, swap Western goods and escape the control of their parents and the State; $24.95 each. (Posted June 24)
For the Family: "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" (2008): Beverly Cleary's award-winning tale of Ralph S. Mouse and his adventures with a toy motorcycle gets the acclaimed Scholastic animated treatment; also includes an adaptation of Munro Leaf's "Wee Gillis"; $14.95 from Scholastic Storybook Treasures ... In "Elmo's World: Summer Vacation" (2008), Elmo takes toddlers to the beach to lean about sunblock, sand and cameras; three episodes, $12.93 from Sesame Workshop/Genius Products ... The Lampies" are the beings who reside in lamp posts the world over and prevent the world from going dark; their arch enemies are the evil Roons, who want to turn everything dark; the animated characters come to life in two new DVDs: "The Lampies: Dustywuppy" ($14.98) and "The Lampies: Bikey" ($9.98) from PorchLight Entertainment. (Posted June 24)
Special Interest: "Journey to 10,000 B.C." (2008) is a History Channel documentary using computer animation to explore the world where giant ground sloths and saber-toothed cats roamed; timed for the DVD release of the theatrical "10,000 B.C."; $19.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Birth of a Civilization" is a National Geographic Channel epic account of the first 8,000 years of our civilization, from humankind's emergence on the planet through the continued quest to dominate the world; $19.98 from Warner ... "Homemade Hillbilly Jam" (2007) is an enjoyable documentary that captures the rich and wonderful sounds of Ozark "hillbilly" music by following three families of modern-day hillbillies back to the roots of their music-making heritage, $24.95 from First Run Features ... "Where Is Jimmy Hoffa?" is a documentary that explores the life and disappearance of the Teamsters Union's Hoffa; $14.98 from MPI Home Video ... "Don't Call Me Bugsy" is a documentary about the gangster who founded Las Vegas; $14.98 from MPI Home Video. (Posted June 24)
DVD Collectibles:
Due this week from the folks at The Criterion Collection is French director Claude Sautet's 1960 noir thriller"Classe Tous Risques" starring Lino Ventura and Jean-Paul Belmondo, with music by Georges Delerue; in a new, restored high-definition digital transfer. Though sentenced to death in absentia in France, former gangland chief Abel Davos (Lino Ventura) sneaks back to Paris with his children after hiding out in Milan for nearly a decade. Accompanied by appointed guardian Eric Stark (Jean-Paul Belmondo, in his first release after "Breathless") and beset by backstabbing former friends, Abel begins a journey through the postwar Parisian underworld that's both throat grabbing and soul searching. A character study of a career criminal at the end of his rope, this rugged noir is a thrilling highlight of sixties French cinema. The copious extras include a documentary on the director, archival interview footage featuring actor Lino Ventura discussing his career, original French and U.S. release trailers, new essays by director Bertrand Tavernier and critic N. T. Binh, a reprinted interview with Sautet, and a tribute by Jean-Pierre Melville. (Posted June 17)
For lighter fare there's Fox's "Carmen Miranda Collection,"
a five-disc set with five films starring the "Brazilian Bombshell"; $49.98 or $14.98 each: "The Gang's All Here,""Doll Face,""Greenwich Village,""If I'm Lucky" and "Something For the Boys" ... "Popeye the Sailor 1938-1940 Volume Two" is a two-disc set with 31 remastered, uncut "Popeye" shorts, $34.98 from Warner. (Posted June 17)
From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Blood +: Volume Two," five episodes of the Adult Swim animated series, $24.96 from Sony ... "Burn Notice: Season One," a four-disc set with 11 episodes, released just in time for the start of Season Two, $69.98 from Fox ..."Californication," a two-disc set with 12 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "Dynasty: Season Three, Volume One," a three-disc set, $36.99 from Paramount ... "ER: The Complete Ninth Season," a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.98 from Warner ... "Jericho: The Second Season," a two-disc set with the final seven episodes, $29.99 from Paramount ... "The Real McCoys: Complete Season 3," a five-disc set with 39 episodes, $39.98 from Infinity Entertainment Group ... "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch: The Fourth Season," a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount. (Posted June 17)
Buzzin' the 'B's: "Chaos Theory" (2008), starring Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend, is the story of Frank Allen (Ryan Reynolds), celebrated author of the bestseller "The Five Minute Efficiency Trainer," who has perfected the art of living via a foolproof system of timetables and index cards. Frank's wife finds his obsession charming in small doses, but as a steady diet, frustrating and, one morning, she attempts to loosen his scheduling stranglehold by adding 10 minutes to his day, inadvertently unleashing a series of mishaps that turn his meticulously ordered life upside down; from Warner ... "The Sitter (aka While the Children Sleep)" (2007) stars Gail O'Grady, William R. Moses and Mariana Klaveno in a thriller about the perfect live-in nanny who begins to arouse suspicion among friends and neighbors when, one by one, they start dying; from Genius Products ...
A young federal agent is assigned to a new case: spy on his mother and her new lover, both suspects in an art theft ring, in "My Mom's New Boyfriend" (2008), starring Antonio Banderas, Meg Ryan, Colin Hanks and Selma Blair, from Sony ... Director Alison Eastwood's harrowing "Rails & Ties" (2005), starring Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden, begins on a beautiful stretch of California coastline, where a suicidal mother parks her car on a railroad crossing and awaits the arrival of a speeding train, the sleek and unstoppable Coastal Starlight; the film explores two families in physical, emotional and psychological collision -- of the victim's relatives and of the train engineer who couldn't possibly have stopped in time; from Warner ... Abruptly ejected from her ritzy lifestyle by her billionaire father, a spoiled heiress resorts to desperate measures to survive: she joins with her loser boyfriend to embark on a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde heist, only to botch the robbery attempt, in "Cut Off" (2005), starring Amanda Brooks, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Malcolm McDowell, Faye Dunaway and Anne Archer, from Union Station Media/Anchor Bay Entertainment ... "Quarter Life Crisis"
(2006), stars Russell Peters, Maulik Pancholy and Lisa Ray in a romantic comedy that follows a group of twentysomethings as they take on the New York singles scene, from Echo Bridge Entertainment ... "Just Add Water" (2007), starring Dylan Walsh, Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Danny DeVito, Tracy Middendorf and Anika Noni Rose, is an offbeat comedy about a mild-mannered parking-lot attendant and his motley crew of friends who beat the odds, taking back control of their dead-end desert town from local thugs, from Sony ... "It's a Boy Girl Thing" (2006), starring Samaire Armstrong, Kevin Zegers, Sherry Miller, Sharon Osbourne and Maury Chaykin, is a romantic comedy about two high school enemies -- a boy and a girl -- who switch bodies so that she's on the football team and he's wearing mini skirts and make-up, from Anchor Bay ... "The Restless"
(2006 -- South Korea) is an Asian fantasy actioner about good vs. evil in a medieval world were dead souls rest before being reincarnated. from Genius Products. (Posted June 17)
For the Family:
Due this week: "The Jungle Book 2: Special Edition" (2003), with the voices of John Goodman, Haley Joel Osment, John Rhys-Davies and Phil Collins; $29.99 from Disney ... "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Lip Synchin' in the Rain" features four episodes from the Disney Channel show; $19.99 from Disney ... "Transformers Animated: Transform & Roll Out" is a Cartoon Network adventure, $16.99 from Paramount ... "The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition" (1963) fetaures the voices of Norman Alden and Sebastian Cabot; $29.99 from Disney ... "Inspector Gadget: Big Little Problems"
features two episodes from the popular 1980s animated television series: "Gadget In Minimadness" and "The Incredible Shrinking Gadget"; $14.98 from Fox. (Posted June 17)
Special Interest: "Joy Division" is a retrospective documentary on the influential 1970s English rock band directed by music video veteran Grant Gee that chronicles the band's progression as well as social and external conditions that influenced them; the feature blends archival footage with interviews with band member interviews; from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... Animal Planet/Genius Products has two "wild" releases this week: "Meerkat Manor: Season Three," a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $24.95; and "Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins."(Posted June 17)
DVD Collectibles:
Due this week: "Icons of Adventure," a two-disc set with four classic action-adventure films from the legendary Hammer Studios: "The Stranglers of Bombay" (1960) and three films featuring legendary horror icon Christopher Lee, "The Devil-Ship Pirates" (1964), "The Terror of the Tongs" (1961) and "The Pirates of Blood River" (1962). Extras include commentary on each film, the 1935 short subject "Hot Paprika," the 1936 color cartoon "The Merry Mutineers" and the first chapter of the action-packed serial "The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd"; from Sony. (Posted June 10)
From TV to Video: "American Gangster: The Complete Second Season," a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $36.99 from Paramount ... "Army Wives: The Complete First Season," a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.99 from Disney ... "The Boondocks: The Complete Second Season -- Uncut and Uncensored," a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.95 from Sony ... "City of Vice" (2008), a two-disc set of the British true crime series that pits magistrate Henry Fielding (Ian McDiarmid) and his brother John (Iain Glen) against the teeming criminal underworld of 18th century London; $29.98 from Koch Vision ... "Da Vinci's Inquest, Season 3,"
a four-disc set with 13 episodes of the Canadian series following the crusading and charismatic coroner of the city of Vancouver; $59.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Dukes of Hazzard: TV Double Feature," a two-disc set with "Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!" and "Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood," $24.98 from Warner ... "Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes -- The Complete First Season" is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $39.98 from Fox ... "The Fugitive: Season Two, Volume One"
(1964), a four-disc set with 15 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "Hawaii Five-O: Season Four" (1971-72), a six-disc set with 24 epiodes, $54.99 from Paramount ... "Home Improvement: The Complete Eighth Season," a three-disc set with 27 episodes, from Disney ... "Intervention Season One: Then and Now," featuring four episodes from A&E's unscripted series about interventions, with "Where Are They Now?" follow-ups, $29.95 from A&E Home Video ... "John Adams" (2008), a three-disc set of the seven-part miniseries that aired on HBO this March, starring Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Stephen Dillane, Tom Wilkinson and David Morse; from HBO Video ... "The Odd Couple: The Fourth Season" (1973-74),a four-disc set with 22 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "7th heaven: The Sixth Season"
(2001-02), a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.99 from Paramount ... "Soap: The Complete Series," a 12-disc set with 90 episodes, $59.95 from Sony ... "What's Happening!!: The Complete Series," a nine-disc set with 65 episodes, $59.95 from Sony. (Posted June 10)
Buzzin' the 'B's: "Otis" (2008) stars Daniel Stern, Illeana Douglas, Kevin Pollack, Jere Burns, Tarah Paige, Lawrence Hilton-Jacob, Jamie McBride, K.T. Thangavelu, Gary Kraus and Angelo Custino in a black comedy that chronicles an all-American family's collision with the dark world of a serial killer, vigilantism and revenge. Scored throughout with classic rock tunes from Blue Oyster Cult, Talking Heads, B-52's, Quiet Riot, Flock of Seaguls, Devo, Paul Revere and the Raiders and The Shocking Blue. The fourth feature under Warners' "Raw Feed" production banner for edgy horror, sci fi and psychological thrillers ... When a young guy is publicly humiliated on national television by popular talk show host "Dr. Dwayne," he falls into a serious funk until his friends force him to join them on a cross-country road trip in a home-made wiener-mobile to smack down the Dr. in "Wieners" (2008), starring Kenan Thompson, Zachary Levi, Fran Kranz and Darrell Hammond, from Sony ...
A young man finds that his family inheritance has been bequeathed to a secret society, a treacherous blood covenant that guards a vast fortune and a dark prophecy in "The List" (2007), starring Malcolm McDowell, Chuck Carrington, Hilarie Burton and Will Patton, from Fox ... In "The Planet" (2006), a group of mercenaries are forced to evacuate their dying spacecraft and find themselves stranded on a desolate, barren world, where they begin to fall prey to a malevolent force -- a force that turns the souls of their fallen comrades against them, from MTI Home Video ... "Finish Line: Unrated" (2008)is a telefilm about an ambitious man with race car dreams who's drawn into the shady underworld of illegal arms trading, starring
Scott Baio, Samuel Page, Taylor Cole and Dan Lauria, from Genius Products ... "Shark Swarm" (2008) stars Daryl Hannah, Armand Assante, John Schneider, Heather McComb and F. Murray Abraham in a telefilm about 40 mutant sharks attacking the people of Full Moon Bay, from Genius Products ... Three cops team up to bring down a criminal gang in the Hong Kong actioner "Invisible Target" (2008), starring Jacky Wu Jing, Shawn Yue, Nicholas Tse, Jaycee Chan, Andy On and Lin Feng-Jiao, from the Dragon Dynasty label of The Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "Razor Eaters"
(2003) is a revenge flick following a week-long anarchistic rampage of violence, death, and destruction by a group called the Razor Eater who take suburbia prisoner, gaining a cult following by taping their attacks on all who deserve punishment: corrupt politicians, arrogant sports stars, filthy drug dealers and more; from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment. (Posted June 10)
On the Indie Front:
Set in the world of professional poker, "The Grand"
(2007), starring Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Dennis Farina, Cheryl Hines, Richard Kind, Chris Parnell, Jason Alexander, Ray Romano, Michael McKean, Shannon Elizabeth, Hank Azaria, Werner Herzog and Gabe Kaplan, follows a group of players as they struggle to get to the final table at the Grand Championship of Poker held at The Rabbit's Foot Casino; from Anchor Bay. (Posted June 10)
Special Interest: "King" (2008) is a feature-length History Channel special with Tom Brokaw that chronicles the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, featuring interviews with King's son, Bill Clinton, Harry Belafonte, Forest Whitaker, others; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" (2008) is a three-disc set packed with hours of The Rock's greatest matches, $34.95 from World Wrestling Entertainment/Genius Products ... "When the Moors Ruled in Europe" is a fascinating two-part documentary covering the 700-year history of Islamic rule on the Iberian Peninsula, $24.99 from Acorn Media. (Posted June 10)
Due this week as part of Warner Bros.' 85th anniversary celebration is the "Dirty Harry Special Edition" and the "Dirty Harry Ultimate Collector's Edition." The two-disc set of "Dirty Harry" (1971), directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, John Mitchum, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, Andrew Robinson and Josef Sommer, features such extras as commentary by film historian Richard Schickel; a new featurette "The Long Shadow of Dirty Harry," an examination of the influence and legacy of Dirty Harry; a "Dirty Harry: The Original" featurette; "Dirty Harry's Way" promotional short on the movie; an interview gallery; more. The Ultimate set contains all five "Dirty Harry" films, new commentaries and featurettes, a 40-page hard cover "Dirty Harry" retrospective book, a replica Harry Callahan wallet with Inspector's badge and ID card, a "Scorpio: Portrait of a Killer" poster, six "Dirty Harry" cards, production letters, more. Both sets are also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Posted June 3)
Lionsgate has just launched its Meridian Collection, a compilation of acclaimed, groundbreaking and influential films from around the world, all digitally remastered. The first two releases: "Diva" (1981), director Jean-Jacques Beineix's stylish French thriller about a young Parisian mail courier, content with his bohemian lifestyle, his circle of friends and listening to opera, who makes an illegal tape of an American diva and gets involved with criminals and crooked cops when the tape is confused with one implicating a police chief with the mob; and "The Red Violin"
(1998), starring Samuel L. Jackson, Carlo Cecchi, Irene Grazioli, Jean-Luc Bideau, Greta Scacchi, Jason Flemyng, Colm Feore and Don McKellar, in a multifaceted tale in which an appraiser traces the vast, storied history of a priceless violin across numerous countries and generations. (Posted June 3)
From TV to Video:
Due this week: "American Gangster: The Complete Second Season," a two-disc set of the documentary BET series that looks at some of the 20th century's most notorious African-American crime figures, $36.99 from Paramount ... "The Andromeda Strain," a two-disc set of the recent A&E miniseries starring Benjamin Bratt, $29.98 from Universal ... "Doctor Who: Beneath the Surface," a four-disc set featuring "Doctor Who and the Silurians" (seven episodes), "The Sea Devils" (six episodes) and "Warriors of the Deep" (four episodes); $59.98 from Warner ... "Flavor of Love: Season 3," a four-disc set with all five uncensored episodes, $34.97 from Anchor Bay ... "Get Smart: The Complete Series" in which Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprise their roles as Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 in the short-lived 1995 update of the classic "Get Smart," on a single-disc with all seven episodes, $19.95 from Sony ... "I Love New York: Season 2," a three-disc set with 11 episodes of the sleazy realty series, $34.97 from Anchor Bay ... "The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Third Season," a five-disc set with 23 episodes, $39.98. from Universal ... "Mannix: The First Season"(1967), a six-disc set with 24 episodes, $49.99 from Paramount ... "The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Fourth Season," a four-disc set with 18 episodes, $39.98 from Universal ... "Rescue Me: The Complete Fourth Season,"
a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.95 from Sony. (Posted June 3)
Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Mama's Boy" (2007), starring Jeff Daniels, Anna Faris, Jon Heder, Diane Keaton, Chris Kerner, Rue McClanahan and Dorian Missick, a 29-year-old slacker who lives with his mom realizes his sweet set-up is threatened when she hears wedding bells with her self-help guru beau, from Warner ... "Flawless" (2008) stars Demi Moore and Michael Caine in a crime-drama set in 1960s London, where a soon-to-retire janitor (Caine) convinces a glass-ceiling constrained American executive (Moore) to help him steal a handful of diamonds from their employer, the London Diamond Corporation, who he feels has done them wrong, from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... A deranged group of strangers -- including a transsexual prostitute, a runaway virgin, a gorgeous gun-wielding ex-con and a porn king -- cross paths at a bachelor party in "American Crude"
(2007), starring Rob Schneider, Ron Livingston, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Clarke Duncan and John C. McGinley, from Sony ... "Boarding Gate" (2008) is the new film from acclaimed and adventurous French filmmaker Olivier Assayas. In the erotic noir-thriller, Asia Argento plays sexy ex-prostitute Sandra who is forced to leave London after a steamy S&M encounter with a debt ridden ex-financial big gun (Michael Madsen) ends in violence. Fleeing to Hong Kong in search of a fresh start, she becomes involved with an attractive young couple, Lester (Carl Ng) and Sue (Kelly Lin), who promise to help her obtain papers and money. But it turns out that Lester is actually a hit man hired to kill the financial big gun; from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... When whiskey-soaked ex-lawmen Preston Biggs (Kevin Sorbo) is hired to escort a group of women suffering from "prairie fever" back to civilization, he's met by a murderous gang intent on stopping their passage in "Prairie Fever" (2008), co-starring Lance Henrickson, Jamie Ann Allman and Dominque Swain, from Genius Entertainment ... "Remember the Daze" (2005) is a coming-of-age tale that revolves around the chaos of the celebration of the last day of school in a small town, starring Leighton Meester, Amber Heard, Alexa Vega, Melonie Diaz and Lyndsy Fonseca, from First Look Studios. (Posted June 3)
Special Interest:
For baseball fans this week there's two nifty releases from A&E Home Video: "Boston Red Sox: Essential Games of Fenway Collector's Edition," a six-game, six-disc collection commemorating Boston's Fenway Park, spanning five decades of promise, heartache and jubilation etched in Red Sox history; and "New York Mets: Essential Games of Shea Stadium," a six-disc set with six complete, unedited games that best define the history of the New York Mets and showcase the splendor of Shea Stadium (2008 will commemorate the last year that Shea Stadium will see action on its field); $59.95 each ... In a comedy vein there's "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" (2008), a documentary that follows Vaughn and four stand-up comedians as they travel the country -- subtitled "30 days and 30 nights - Hollywood to the Heartland," from New Line; and "The Onion Movie" (2008), based on the wildly popular satirical newspaper, offering uncensored, uninhibited, unrated news and views from around the world, from Fox ... Finally, there's "The Animation Show: Volume 3" (2007), 16 short films compiled by Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt highlighting the best work from The Animation Show's 2007 theatrical program; with an introduction by Beavis and Butt-head; $19.99 from Paramount. (Posted June 3)
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News
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a September 23 release for "The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration," a meticulous restoration of "The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" by Paramount Pictures and Francis Ford Coppola. Both films have been fully restored and will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a newly remastered version of "The Godfather: Part III." All three films will be available individually ($19.99 each) or in a five-DVD collection ($72.99) or four-disc Blu-ray collection ($119.99); each set is loaded with a host of all-new special features.
a five-disc set with five films starring the "Brazilian Bombshell"; $49.98 or $14.98 each: "The Gang's All Here," "Doll Face," "Greenwich Village,"
"If I'm Lucky" and "Something For the Boys" ... "Popeye the Sailor 1938-1940 Volume Two" is a two-disc set with 31 remastered, uncut "Popeye" shorts, $34.98 from Warner. (Posted June 17)
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