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of a football game and a brothel." -- Federico Fellini
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From the Big Screen: "Clash of the Titans" and "Repo Men." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases." From TV to Video:"Dog The Bounty Hunter: Crime Is on the Run" (2009-10) features eight episodes, $19.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Everything You Wanted to Know About Gay Porn Stars But Were Afraid to Ask" (2010) is a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of some of gay adult cinema's hottest talents; two-disc set with seven episodes, $24.98 from E1 Entertainment ... "Hunter: The Complete Series" (1984-91) is a 28-disc set with 152 episodes (including those from Seasons 4-7, which have never been on DVD), $99.98 from Mill Creek Entertainment ... "G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero -- The Movie Special Collectors Edition" (1983) is an animated feature with the voice talent of Don Johnson, Burgess Meredith, Bill Ratner, Michael Bell and Chris Latta. Available as a single-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack; from Shout! Factory ... "Jesse Stone: No Remorse" (2010)is the latest telefilm starring Tom Selleck as Police Chief Jesse Stone; from Sony ... "Life After People: The Complete Season Two" (2009) is a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $29.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Sergeant Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show -- The First Season" (1955-56) is a five-disc set with 34 episodes, $42.99 from CBS/Paramount ... "Stargate Universe (SGU 1.5)" (2009-10) is a three-disc set with the final 10 episodes of season one, $29.98 from MGM ... "21 Jump Street: The Complete Series" (1987-91) is an 18-disc set with 103 episodes, $69.98 from Mill Creek Entertainment ... "21 Jump Street: The Complete Third Season" (1988-89) is a four-disc set with 20 episodes, $14.98 from Mill Creek Entertainment.
Buzzin' the 'B's:"Operation: Endgame" (2010) stars Zach Galifianakis, Emilie de Ravin, Maggie Q, Odette Yustman, Rob Corddry, Adam Scott, Ellen Barkin, Ving Rhames, Brandon T. Jackson, Jeffrey Tambor, Joe Anderson, Beth Grant and Bob Odenkirk in a dry action-comedy about two teams of government assassins working out of a top-secret underground facility using code names from the Tarot deck. When a new hire -- The Fool -- arrives for his first day at work to find that the boss has been killed under mysterious circumstances, he must find the killer before the whole place blows up. From Anchor Bay ... In the wry 1980s period comedy drama "Accidents Happen" (2009), starring Geena Davis, Harrison Gilbertson, Harry Cook and Joel Tobeck, a dysfunctional New England family relies on the son prone to witnessing horrible accidents to get them though the hard times. From Image Entertainment ... A young woman moves to a remote house to try to get over her bizarre phobia but quickly discovers that her fears have followed her in "The Uninvited" (2009), starring Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, David Strathairn and Elizabeth Banks; from IFC Films ... After rogue nuclear tests by Iran set off devastating earthquakes and a sudden spike in life-threatening solar radiation levels, a desperate U.S. government turns to the only scientist who may hold the key to survival in "Deadly Shift (aka Polar Opposites)" (2008), starring Charles Shaughnessy, Tracy Nelson, Beth Grant and Ken Barnett; from E1 Entertainment) ... "Ray Bradbury's Chrysalis" (2008), starring John Klemantaski, Darren Kendrick, Glen Vaughan, is a post-apocalyptic tale based on Ray Bradbury's 1946 story, "Chrysalis," first published in Amazing Stories Magazine. In a futuristic, post-Word War III devastated Earth, a scientist falls ill and mysteriously begins to mutate into something plant-like. Is it a new human evolution or something far more sinister? From E1 Entertainment ... In the supernatural thriller "Don't Look Up" (2009), starring Henry Thomas, Kevin Corrigan, Reshad Strik and Lothaire Bluteau, paranormal visionary Marcus Reed sets out to remake a cursed horror film in Transylvania. But while on set, a fierce supernatural force is released from the celluloid and rips open a window of terror, summoning the wrath of evil spirits. Remake of horror master Hideo Nakata's 1996 "Joyu-rei" (the creator of "The Ring" and "Dark Water"). From E1 Entertainment.
On the Indie Front: Lab technician Virgil Gurdies struggles to choose between his true love, Angie, and his newfound quest to create the greatest goat cheese the world has ever known in "Artois the Goat" (2009), starring Mark Scheibmeir, Sydney Andrews, Stephen Taylor Fry and Dan Braverman; from IndiePix Films ... Moving back and forth in time to present repeated scenes from various characters' points of view, the drama "2:37"
(2006 -- Australia), starring Teresa Palmer, Frank Sweet and Sam Harris, covers one awful day at an Australian high school: An unidentified student has been found dead in a restroom, an apparent suicide, and the movie then unfolds to reveal what led up to the tragedy, focusing on six students who each harbor a secret, including a popular jock, an awkward outcast, a fragile beauty, an academic overachiever and a closet homosexual. From IFC Films.
Foreign:
"Joy" (1983 -- French) is an erotic classic that became an international sensation in the early 1980s thanks to its daring depiction of sexuality, seductive tone and stylish, sensuous settings. The film explores one woman's voyage of sexual discovery. Based on the scandalous 1981 memoir of an international supermodel whose passion for men, women and strangers -- in any combination -- shatters every sexual taboo. Restored from the original negatives and contain footage previously unreleased in the U.S. Fittingly, "Joy" was restored using a print discovered in the screening room of a Paris brothel ... "Joy and Joan " (1985 -- French) is the sequel to "Joy," restored from a print seized in a Marseilles vice raid. Both are from Severin Films ... "Vincere"
(2009 -- Italian) is the little-known story of the personal life and rise to power of Benito Mussolini, focusing on the woman he loved passionately, scorned, denounced and then wrote out of history. From IFC Films ... Winner of four Cesar awards, including best picture and director, Abdellatif Kechiche's "The Secret of the Grain" (2007) is a stirring drama about the daily joys and struggles of a bustling French-Arab family. It has the texture of a documentary but a classic, almost Shakespearean structure: when patriarch Slimane acts on his wish to open a port-side restaurant specializing in his ex-wife's fish couscous, the extended clan's passions and problems explode in riveting drama, leading to an engrossing, suspenseful climax. With sensitivity and grit, "The Secret of the Grain" celebrates the role food plays in family life and gets to the core of contemporary immigrant experience. From The Criterion Collection.
For the Family:In "Barney: Furry Friends" (2010), kids join Barney, Baby Bop, BJ and their playground friends for some tail-wagging adventures as they learn about dogs and cats; $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Acceptance" (2009) is a Lifetime Original Movie about a bright, blue-haired young girl who runs the gauntlet of college applications, admissions essays, advanced placement exams, and an insanely overly ambitious mother, as she awaits word on her acceptance at her dream college; stars Mae Whitman, Joan Cusack, Brigid Brannagh and Deepti Daryanani. From RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment.
Special Interest:
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DVD Collectibles: (7/20)
There's two important films from the creative team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger due this week from The Criterion Collection. First up is "Black Narcissus" (1947), an explosive work about the conflict between the spirit and the flesh. A group of nuns -- played by some of Britain's best actresses, including Deborah Kerr, Flora Robson and Jean Simmons -- struggle to establish a convent in the snowcapped Himalayas; isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the well-intentioned missionaries mad. A darkly grand film that won Oscars for its set design and for its cinematography by Jack Cardiff, "Black Narcissus" is one of the greatest achievements by two of cinema's true visionaries. Next is "The Red Shoes" (1948) "The Red Shoes," the singular fantasia from Powell and Pressburger that is cinema's quintessential backstage drama, as well as one of the most glorious Technicolor visual feasts ever concocted for the screen. Moira Shearer is a rising star ballerina romantically torn between an idealistic composer and a ruthless impresario intent on perfection. Featuring outstanding performances, blazingly beautiful cinematography by Jack Cardiff, Oscar-winning sets and music, and an unforgettable, hallucinatory central dance sequence, this beloved classic, now dazzlingly restored, stands as an enthralling tribute to the life of the artist. Both films feature new, restored high-definition digital transfers and the regular complement of Criterion goodies as bonus features.
From TV to Video: (7/20)
"Being Human: Season One" (2009) is a two-disc set with six episodes of the BBC series about a vampire, werewolf and ghost who share a flat in Totterdown, Bristol; from BBC/Warner ... "Degrassi: The Next Generation, Season 9" (2009-10) is a four-disc set with 19 episodes, $26.98 from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment ... "Jersey Shore: Season One<" (2009-10), a three-disc set with 11 episodes, $19.98 from MTV/Paramount ... "Look Around You: Season One" (2009-10) is the BAFTA-nominated hit UK comedy series that first premiered on BBC America and aired on Adult Swim in the U.S. this past winter; follows presenters Jack Morgan (Robert Popper) and Peter Packard (Peter Serafinowicz) as they guide viewers through a series of gloriously deadpan experiments. $24.98 from BBC ... "My Boys: Seasons 2 & 3" (2008-09) is a three-disc set with 18 episodes, $34.95 from Sony ... "Vampire Knight: Volume 1" (2008) includes four original and uncut episodes of the anime series, $24.98 from Warner.
Buzzin' the 'B's: (7/20)"Elvis & Annabelle" (2007) stars Blake Lively, Max Minghella, Joe Mantegna, Keith Carradine and Mary Steenburgen in a romance about a beauty pageant candidate who dies on the runway and comes back to life -- mysteriously -- at the mortuary owned by the family of an embittered young man; the pair fall in love but the question remains: after death has brought them together, will life tear them apart? From The Weinstein Co./Vivendi Entertainment ... A young woman's hunt for her missing sister takes her to a strange cult -- known as The Collective -- living in a deconsecrated cathedral in New York City in "The Collective" (2008), starring Kelly Overton, Laura Allen and Shane McRae; from Vanguard Cinema ... Three stories overlap in "The Fragility of Seconds" (2008)in which three men, strangers to each other, arrive on the eve of the annual parade in honor of Mexico's Pancho Villa, in the dusty border town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico; one to collect his sister Elena and her child to give them a chance for a better life in Texas; an FBI agent turned reclusive burnout, looking to disappear from his professional life of violence and despair; and a grifter just released from the Ojinaga prison days before the parade; from Vanguard Cinema ... In "Tenderloin" (2009), starring Kurt Yaeger, Charles Branklyn, Jack Indiana and Tina Huang, an angry and wounded Iraq War vet moves into San Francisco's seedy Tenderloin neighborhood to lose himself in drinking, but finds instead a closer relationship with his young son, a tenement hotel full of exquisitely odd characters, and a red-hot lady; from Vanguard Cinema ... "Tin Man" (2007) stars Zooey Deschanel, Richard Dreyfuss, Neal McDonough, Alan Cumming, Raoul Trujillo and Kathleen Robertson in a cyber-twisted update of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz": A leather-clad, soul-sucking sorceress named Azkadellia has scorched the once-beautiful O.Z. into a desolate wasteland, and its only hope is with an "outsider" named DG, a young Midwestern woman whose troubling dreams have summoned her to the doomed paradise; from Vivendi Entertainment ... A mercenary surgeon and a sociopathic business man and his demonic staff will stop at nothing to prevail in the sale of black market body parts in "Sutures"
(2009), starring Andrew Prine, Jason London, Carlos Lauchu, Allison Lange and Kate French, from MTI Home Video ... In "The Outside" (2009), starring Michael Graziadei, Nicky Whelan, Nia Peeples, Rob Moran, plus cameos by some of today's best surfers, a young surfer finds himself at the center of the pro surf circuit where he encounters an unscrupulous sports agent, major endorsements and wild parties -- but he also finds that the life of celerityhood comes with a price; from Monarch Home Video.
On the Indie Front: (7/20)In "X's and O's" (2007), starring Clayne Crawford, Judy Marte, Warren Christie and Sarah Wright, a tight-knit group of San Francisco friends navigate the real world, post-college dating scene; from Rivercoast Films.
Foreign: (7/20)
In the uplifting drama "Entre nos" (2009 -- Spanish) a young woman, Mariana, leaves her impoverished hometown in Bogota, Colombia, with her two young children, Gabriel and Andrea, and heads to the U.S. to be reunited with her husband. Soon after her arrival her husband abandons the family and, with all her options closing in on her, Mariana turns to the city's trash in order to put food on the table. With Gabriel and Andrea working beside her collecting cans, the family finds the most stability they have known since their arrival. And it is during these heartbreaking moments that the family triumphs; from IndiePix Films.
For the Family: (7/20)
"Cartoon Network Hall of Fame: Courage the Cowardly Dog: Season One"
(1999-2000) is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $24.98 from Warner ... "Martha Speaks: Martha Goes to School" (2010) includes eight new-to-DVD episodes in which beloved family dog Martha and her family discover hundreds of new words to teach children; $14.99 from Paramount/PBS Kids ... "Music, Music Everywhere" (2010) includes five musical episodes for the pre-school set: "Barney: Play Piano With Me," "Bob the Builder: Roley's Important Job," "Thomas & Friends: Tuneful Toots," "Kipper: Arnold's rum," and "Angelina Ballerina: Angelina's Musical Day." $14.98, includes a bonus music CD; from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Super Why! Attack of the Eraser" (2010) features four new educational adventures in which Super Why and his super friends practice spelling, use the power to read and investigate rhyming words in order to change the outcome of the story and save the day; from Paramount/PBS Kids.
Special Interest: (7/20)
In "White House Revealed" (2009), the Smithsonian Networks takes you on an insider's tour -- where most visitors can't go -- to meet the people who make the world's most famous house a home, with fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories; narrated by Martin Sheen. $14.98 from Infinity Entertainment Group ... It was just 30 years ago that Mount St. Helens revealed her earthly glory, causing colossal devastation to everything in her path. Today, the seemingly dormant mountain and the uninhabited landscape that surrounds it are coming back to life, and scientists are trying to determine the reason. NOVA's "Mt. St. Helens: Back From the Dead" (2010) takes audiences on an intriguing exploration deep into Mount St. Helens for a better understanding of what's causing the new volcanic activity and how to track future eruptions. $24.99 from PBS Distribution ... In "Ground War"
(2009), PBS takes viewers on a thousand year journey through the history of warfare -- from trebuchets that once broke down walls to missiles that wipe out buildings -- following the fascinating punch and counterpunch of battle tactics and new technologies. $24.98 from PBS Distribution.Aliens Hatch on Blu-ray
(July 15)
Under the headline "ON BLU-RAY, EVERYONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM," 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment just announced an October 26 (North American) release for the "Alien Anthology," a six-disc Blu-ray set with theatrical, director's cut and special editions of all four "Alien" films. According to the release, the studio has united the material from every home video release of the "Alien" saga including the 1991/1992 laserdisc releases, the 1999 "Legacy" release and 2003's groundbreaking "Alien Quadrilogy" release into one complete Blu-ray collection. The set also includes two versions of each film and over four hours of previously unreleased exclusive material such as original screentests of Sigourney Weaver prior to filming the original "Alien," unseen deleted scenes, thousands of still photographs from the Fox archives, the previously unseen original cut of "Wreckage and Rage: The Making of Alien3," and much, much more. The fifth disc includes five hours of additional video Enhancement Pods created exclusively for this collection, presenting behind-the-scenes footage, raw dailies and interview outtakes from all four films. And the sixth disc is an archive of pre-production, production and post-production featurettes on the four films. Price: $139.99. Read the press release here.
"Greenberg," "Chloe," "Our Family Wedding" and "The Bounty Hunter." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."
DVD Collectibles: (7/13)
Legendary Hollywood tough guys and femme fatales collide in eight smoldering suspense classics, all new to DVD in the latest Film Noir four-disc set from Warner, "The Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5." Titles include "Cornered" (1945) with Dick Powell; "Desperate" (1947), directed by Anthony Mann and starring Steve Brodie; "The Phenix City Story" (1955); "Dial 1119" (1950); "Armored Car Robbery" (1950), directed by Richard Fleischer; "Crime in the Streets" (1956), directed by Don Siegel and starring John Cassavetes; "Deadline at Dawn" (1946) and "Backfire "(1950), directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Gordon MacRae, Edmond O'Brien and Virginia Mayo. $49.92.
From TV to Video: (7/13)"Psych: The Complete Fourth Season" (2009-10) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes, $59.98 from Universal ... "Saving Grace The Final Season" (2009) is a five-disc set with 19 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... "Street Hawk: The Complete Series" (1985) is a four-disc set with all 12 episodes, plus the pilot episode, $39.97 from Shout! Factory ... "White Collar Season One" (2009-10) is a four-disc set with 14 episodes, $69.99 from Fox.
Buzzin' the 'B's: (7/13)In "The Greatest" (2009) starring Carey Mulligan, Aaron Johnson, Pierce Brosnan, Susan Sarandon and Johnny Simmons, a grief-stricken couple whose family has been pushed to the breaking point by the accidental death of their oldest son, Bennett, are forced to explore the depths of their empathy when a young woman shows up a few months later announcing that she's pregnant with Bennett's child; from National Entertainment Media ... In "Caught in the Crossfire" (2010), two detectives investigating a gang-related crime find themselves targeted by both gang members and crooked cops, starring Chris Klein, Adam Rodriguez, 50 Cent, Christine Lakin and Michael Matthias; from Lionsgate ... "Middle of Nowhere" (2008), starring Susan Sarandon, Anton Yelchin, Eva Amurri, Justin Chatwin, Scott A. Martin and Willa Holland, is a melodrama about two teenage girls, trapped in a small town and under the thumb of their dysfunctional mother (who squanders one of the daughters' chances to go to college by running up credit cards in the girl's name, wrecking her credit) who enter into dysfunctional relationships with two rich boys; from Image Entertainment ... A music executive with no idea how to satisfy his girlfriend, turns to advice from his fellow musician pals as well as adult film legend Jenna Jameson (playing herself), but finds time running out when his girl's handsome childhood friend appears in "How to Make Love to a Woman" (2010), starring Josh Meyers, Krysten Ritter and Ian Somerhalder; from E1 Entertainment ... "Parasomnia"
(2008) is a thriller about a woman who suffers from a bizarre medical condition that keeps her in an almost constant dream state, the art student who falls in love with her, and the terrifying mass murderer who's attempting to take possession of her mind, starring Cherilyn Wilson, Dylan Purcell and Jeffrey Combs; from E1 Entertainment.
On the Indie Front: (7/13)
A compulsive gambler (Steve Buscemi) has finally beaten the habit, started a new life, and said farewell to Las Vegas for good ..or so he thought ... until his new boss sends him back to Sin City to investigate a shady insurance claim, putting all the chips back on the table in
"Saint John of Las Vegas" (2009), an indie comedy starring Steve Buscemi, Sarah Silverman, Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage, John Cho, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Tim Blake Nelson; from Vivendi Entertainment ... Facing tight finances, uncertain jobs and wild kids, a married couple find themselves in a strange predicament when the wife's doctors advise her that a medical condition will prevent them from having sex for an entire year in "My Year Without Sex" (2009 --Australia), starring Sacha Horler, Matt Day, Jonathan Segat and Portia Bradley; from Strand Releasing.
Foreign: (7/13)"Zift" (2008 -- Bulgaria) is Eastern European film noir at its grittiest. The black & white thriller takes place in the early 1960s and follows a Bulgarian man known as Moth who has been paroled after serving time for a murder he didn't commit; he finds himself at the whim of a strange and disorienting land, a shadow world of killers, con men, agents, outcasts, old partners and a former lover turned femme fatale; from IFC Films ... "Vivere" (2007 -- Germany) is a romantic drama about three women on the run, saving each other, and, ultimately, saving themselves. On Christmas Eve, Francesca sets out for Rotterdam in order to find her little sister, who has run off with her musician boyfriend. On the way, she picks up Gerlinde, a heartbroken older woman at the end of her rope; from E1 Entertainment ... A young woman's quest for sexual fulfillment brings her to unimagined heights, as she beds countless strangers, becomes mistress to a man in a committed relationship, then the kept woman of a rich businessman, and ultimately a high-priced prostitute who may have found true love at last in "Diary of a Nymphomaniac"
(2008 -- Spanish), from IFC Films ... In "Girl by the Lake"
(2007 -- Italy), the body of a young woman is found in a small and quiet town in North Italy and a detective from the nearby main city is called upon to solve the mystery. Based on Karin Fossum's series of award-winning mystery novels; from IFC Films.
For the Family: (7/13)"The Super Hero Squad Show: Quest for the Infinity Sword! Volume 1" (2009) includes the first six episodes from the first season of this action-packed animated series featuring super-stylized versions of Marvel Comic's popular characters (including Captain America, Silver Surfer, Thor, Hulk, Wolverine and Iron Man) with a comedic twist; $14.93 from Shout! Factory ... "SpongeBob SquarePants: Triton's Revenge" (2010) features seven SpongeBob episodes, including "The Clash of Triton," in which SpongeBob's attempt to humor King Neptune at his 5,000th birthday celebration at the Krusty Krab goes awry; $16.99 from Nick/Paramount ... "The Backyardigans: Operation Elephant Drop" (2010) contains four new-to-DVD episode of The Backyardigans, in which five high-spirited neighbors meet in their adjoining backyards and use their imaginations to transform themselves into different locations for epic adventures; $16.98 from Nick/Paramount ... "Nickelodeon: First Day of School" (2010) features five episodes from Nick series: "Dora the Explorer: First Day of School," "Go, Diego, Go!: Linda the Librarian," "Blue's Clues: Blue Takes You to School," "The Wonder Pets!: Off to School/Save the Pangaroo" and "Ni Hao, Kai-lan: Lulu Day"; $16.99 from Paramount ... "Caillou: Caillou's Fun Outside" (2010) includes four new-to-DVD episodes featuring 14 fun-filled outdoor adventures; $14.99 Paramount/PBS Kids ... "Thomas & Friends: Creaky Cranky"
(2010) features four new episodes with the railroad gang from Sodor: "Creaky Cranky," "Tickled Pink," "Steamy Sodor" and "Early Bird"; $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate.
Special Interest: (7/13)"Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII" is a collectible four-disc box set with "Lost Continent," "Crash of the Moons," "The Beast of Yucca Flats" and "Jack Frost." $59.97 from Shout! Factory ... "Saving Marriage" (2006) is a documentary about the struggle to legalize same-sex marriage in Massachusetts; $24.98 from E1 Entertainment.'Max Headroom' Returns From the Future![[]](photos10/max-headroom.jpg)
(July 10)
The folks over at Shout! Factory are peering 20 minutes into the future with the August 10 release of the much-anticipated "Max Headroom: The Complete Series,"
a five-disc set with all 14 episodes for $49.97. Extras include "Live on Network 23: The Story of Max Headroom" featurette; "Looking Back at the Future" roundtable discussion with stars Amanda Pays, Jeffrey Tambor, Concetta Tomei and Chris Young, moderated by Max Headroom superfan and creator of "The Middleman" Javier Grillo-Marxuach; "The Big-Time Blanks" featurette with Morgan Sheppard and Concetta Tomei; "The Science Behind The Fiction" featurette; "Producing Dystopia" featurette; "The Writers Remember" featurette and more. Read more about "Max Headroom."
Coming Soon
(July 8)
Mere mortals (including an 11-year-old sword-wielding "Hit-Girl") put on superhero costumes and go after the bad guys in Lionsgate's "Kick-Ass," arriving August 3 ...
Michael Caine stars as "Harry Brown," a mild-mannered older man whose neighborhood comes under siege by a gang of teens, and who takes the law in his own hands to clean up the streets, due August 31 from Sony ... Michael Douglas's life hits rock bottom in Anchor Bay's "Solitary Man," due September 7 ... and Queen Latifah is "Just Wright" as she falls for her NBA all-star employer in the romantic comedy from Fox, due September 14. Blu-ray coming attractions: Lionsgate will release new Blu-ray versions of the classic "The Third Man" and directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Delicatessen" on September 14.
"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "A Single Man" and "Brooklyn's Finest." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."
DVD Collectibles: (7/6)"Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics II:" Sony and Martin Scorsese's non-profit film preservation organization, The Film Foundation, partner once again to bring five more noir films to DVD for the first time, fully-restored and re-mastered. In this second volume, renowned directors Fritz Lang, Phil Karlson and Irving Lerner are joined by Jacques Tourneur and Richard Quine to take viewers on a dark journey among low-lifes and mobsters, cops and gun molls, and the dim-witted, hapless pawns who forever changed the landscape of cinema, and whose doomed paths are as disturbing today as when they were first committed to film. Fritz Lang's "Human Desire" (1954), starring Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Broderick Crawford; "Pushover" (1954), starring Fred MacMurray, Kim Novak, E.G. Marshall, Philip Carey and Dorothy Malone; Jacques Tourneur's "Nightfall" (1957), starring Brian Keith, Aldo Ray and Anne Bancroft; "The Brothers Rico" (1957), starring Richard Conti, Dianne Foster and James Darren; and "City of Fear" (1958), starring Vince Edwards. Extras include featurettes "Martin Scorsese on The Brothers Rico," "Pulp Paranoia" with Christopher Nolan, "Terror and Desire" with Emily Mortimer as well as the original theatrical trailers. The five-disc set goes for $59.95 ... ... "Gamera vs. Barugon -- Special Edition" (1966) is the second film in the original Gamera series, here loveingly restored in a widescreen presentation of the original movie, made from an all-new HD master; extras includea collectible reversible cover, a booklet featuring an essay by actor Kojiro Hongo, commentary, publicity galleries, more; from Shout! Factory.
From TV to Video: (7/6)"Classic Doctor Who" features five classic Doctor Who adventures: "The Time Monster" (the Jon Pertwee years 1970-1974), "The Space Museum/The Chase" (the William Hartnell years 1963-66), "Underworld" and "The Horns of Nimon" (the Tom Baker years 1974-1981); $24.98 each from BBC/Warner ... "Dragnet 1968: Season 2" (1968) is a six-disc set with 28 episodes, $44.99 from Shout! Factory ... "ER: The Complete Thirteenth Season" (2006-07) is a six-disc set with 23 episodes, $49.98 from Warner ... "Everybody Loves Raymond: Seasons 8 & 9" (2003-05) is a nine-disc set with 38 episodes, $27.98 from HBO ... "Get Smart: Seasons 3-4" (1967-69) is an eight-disc set with 52 episodes, $27.98 from HBO ... "Have Gun Will Travel: The Fourth Season, Volume 2" (1961) is a three-disc set with 19 episodes, $39.99 from Paramount ... "Life on Mars: The Complete UK Collection" (2006-07) is an eight-disc set with all 18 episodes, $79.99 from Acorn Media ... "Rhoda: Season 3" (1976-77) is a four-disc set with 24 episodes, $29.93 from Vivendi ... "Touching Evil: The Complete Collection" (1997-99) is a five-disc set with all 16 episodes of the U.K. series that inspired the 2004 U.S. series starring Jeffrey Donovan, Vera Farmiga and Bradley Cooper; $79.99 from Acorn Media.
Buzzin' the 'B's: (7/6)In "Bitten" (2008), starring Jason Mewes and Erica Cox, a lovelorn paramedic rescues a woman left for dead after a deadly assault and takes her home to mend after she refuses to go to the hospital. As he begins to fall for her, one thing gets in the way: she appears to be a vampire; from Vivendi Entertainment/RHI Entertainment ... In the near future, robotic cameras -- Eyeborgs -- created to protect citizens from terrorism instead seemingly are involved in a series of odd murders, leading an agent for the Department of Homeland Security to investigate links between the Eyeborg computer network and a presidential assassination plot in the appropriately named "Eyeborgs" (2009), starring Adrian Paul, Megan Blake and Luke Eberl; from Image Entertainment ... "Return to Lonesome Dove" (1993) stars Jon Voight, Barbara Hershey, Reese Witherspoon, Rick Schroder and Louis Gossett Jr. in the Larry McMurtry adventure that follows three ex-Texas Rangers through riotous battles, deadly gunfights, soaring triumphs and shattered dreams, in a two-disc set from Vivendi Entertainment.Just Announced
(July 2)
October is shaping up to be quite a month for Blu-ray reissues. In addition to the October 5 releases of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "The Maltese Falcon," "Psycho" and "The Exorcist," add in "Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy," a three-movie set that includes a new six-part retrospective documentary featuring interviews with Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, director Robert Zemeckis, producers Bob Gale and Neil Canton, plus executive producer Steven Spielberg; and "Elf Ultimate Collector's Edition," which comes packed in a collectible holiday tin filled with an Elf CD soundtrack sampler, a festive holiday stocking, gift tags and a magnetic picture frame. Read more about "Back to the Future" and "Elf."Warner Home Video Celebrates Bogie
(June 28)
He's ranked No. 1 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest screen actors; he was the quintessential Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe; and his tough guy persona captured the imagination of a generation of film lovers coming of age in the '60s. He's Humphrey Bogart and on Oct. 5 Warner Home Video will celebrate the icon's career by bringing two of his best performances to Blu-ray: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "The Maltese Falcon," both newly restored and remastered ($24.98 each). Also on that date Warner will present one of the most spectacular classic film collections ever amassed: "Humphrey Bogart: The Essential Collection," a definitive Bogie collection that features 24 of his most legendary films on 12 discs, packed with such special features as commentaries with film historians, historical featurettes and short documentaries, studio blooper reels, vintage radio shows, classic cartoons and newsreels that were played in theaters prior to the features, and much more; $99.98. Check out the complete list of films and read the Warner Home Video press release.'The Exorcist: Extended Director's Cut' Hits Blu-ray
(June 24)
Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin's masterpiece of suspense that haunted, intrigued, and thrilled the world, is coming to standard DVD and Blu-ray again on Oct. 5, but this time remastered in the Extended Director's Cut. A true cinema landmark, this theological thriller is one of the top 10 box office performers of all time. "The Exorcist" went on to win two Academy Awards and became a multi-million dollar franchise. When the movie was first released in 1973, viewers were blown away. Audience members were frightened out of their wits -- and literally out of their seats. Some ran out of the theater; others got physically ill or couldn't sleep for weeks. Newly remastered in 1080p from the original camera negative, the Blu-ray version includes both the remastered Extended Director's Cut as well as the remastered theatrical version of the film. According to Friedkin, "After my final cut of the original 'The Exorcist,' I took out 12 more minutes before we actually released it in theaters. Years later, Bill Blatty asked if I'd consider reviewing some of that rejected footage (which he always felt should have remained) with an eye towards putting it into a new version. Bill gave me the best piece of material I've ever received and because of that and because the film had such a major reputation over some 25 years, I agreed to revisit all these scenes. When I saw them, I came to realize that Bill was, in fact, right. With technical advances, scenes that didn't work then could now be fixed with CGI and there were others that I thought strengthened the spiritual aspect of the film. Warner agreed and released a whole new theatrical print in 2000 which we called 'The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen.' And I now agree with Blatty that this is the best and most complete version." Read about the Blu-ray edition,
From the Big Screen: "The White Ribbon," "The Crazies," "Percy Jackson" and "Hot Tub Time Machine." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases." From TV to Video: (6/29)"The Closer: The Complete Fifth Season" (2009) is a four-disc set with 15 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "How the Earth Was Made: The Complete Season Two" (2009-10) is a four-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series" (1957-63) is a 37-disc set with 234 episodes, $199.99. Extras include: Special commemorative booklet, special "value-added" exclusive replica of the original "Leave It to Beaver Money Maker Board Game," a full-disc of exclusive bonus features offering a nostalgic look at the television series from the cast and crew: "It's A Small World" rare pilot episode that started it all, "Forever the Beaver: The Cleavers Look Back," "Ken Osmond and Frank Bank Remember," "The Drum Major of the Toy Parade" conversation with theme song composer Dave Kahn, six episodes of Shokus Radio's "Stu's Show" featuring members of the cast, special film for the U.S. Treasury featuring the Cleavers, original network promos; from Shout! Factory ... "Nuclear Hurricane"
(2007) is a Syfy Channel disaster flick about a meltdown at the world's most advanced nuclear reactor just as a gigantic hurricane bears is about to hit; from E1 Entertainment ... "Paranormal Cops" (2010) is a two-disc set with six episodes, $19.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "The Real McCoys: Complete Season 4" (1960-61) is a fur-disc set with 39 episodes, $29.98 from Infinity Entertainment ... "St. Urbain's Horseman" (2007) stars David Julian Hirsch, Elliott Gould and Andrea Martin in a Canadian miniseries based on Mordecai Richler's post-WWII novel; from E1 Entertainment. A&E Home Entertainment also has five Lifetime Movies due this week: "The Dive From Clausen's Pier" (2004) starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Sean Maher, Will Estes; "The Mermaid Chair" (2006) starring Kim Basinger, Alex Carter, Bruce Greenwood; "The Other Woman" (2008) starring Josie Bissett, Ted Whittall, MacKenzie Porter, Jason Priestley; "Plain Truth" (2004) starring Mariska Hargitay, Alison Pill; and "What if God Were the Sun" (2007) starring Lacey Chabert, Gena Rowlands.
Buzzin' the 'B's: (6/29)Director Paul Schneider's "Pretty Bird" (2009) is based on the outrageous true story of three would-be entrepreneurs who set out to invent and market a personal rocket belt. As personalities clash and individual agendas emerge, the partnership begins to unravel in shockingly unexpected ways. A humorous look at the folly of human ambition and a parable about the dark side of the American Dream. Stars Billy Crudup, Paul Giamatti, Kristen Wiig, David Hornsby and Anna Camp. From Paramount ... In "Don McKay" (2009), starring Thomas Haden Church, Rachel Harker, Elisabeth Shue and Stephen Benson, Don McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy, returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame, who is dying, but the homecoming brings McKay more than he bargained for. From Image Entertainment ... In "The Eclipse" (2009), starring Ciaran Hinds, Iben Hjele and Aidan Quinn, a teacher who believes his house is haunted meets up with a horror writer and a novelist in a quaint seaside Irish town. From Magnolia Home Entertainment ... A devoted cop haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his young son eight years earlier discovers the buried remains of a boy who was brutally murdered more than half a century ago in the same region, and he becomes obsessed with investigating the long-forgotten crime in "Stolen (aka Stolen Lives)" (2009), starring Josh Lucas, Jon Hamm, Jimmy Bennett and Rhona Mitra. From IFC Films ... After a third teenage girl disappears from their idyllic suburb, Suzy -- the girl-next-door of every boy's dreams -- persuades Daniel, a 14-year-old with an obsessive crush, to help her uncover the terrible truth in "Beautiful" (2009), starring Peta Wilson and Aaron Jeffery; from E1 Entertainment.
In "Blood on the Highway" (2008), three maladjusted twentysomethings -- on their way to a rock concert -- accidentally wander into a town populated by bloodthirsty, dim-witted vampires. With no way to escape, they join the last remaining humans and prepare for an all-out, no-holds-barred battle with an army of the undead. Stars Deva George, Nate Rubin and Robin Gierhart. From E1 Entertainment ...
On the Indie Front: (6/29)A successful middle-aged psychiatrist who always wanted to be a singer but followed his immigrant parents' wishes instead, finds that old dreams die hard in "Once More With Feeling" (2009), starring Chazz Palminteri, Maria Tucci and Drea de Matteo; from IFC Films ... A man coming off a disastrous affair with a married woman has a lyrical, strange and comedic cross-country journey in a modified VW bus in "Bass Ackwards" (2010); from New Video/Flatiron Film Company ... In "Homeland" (2009), five fates become entwined when a Marine returns on furlough from Iraq and sets out to look for his father on the wild Northwest coast; his journey becomes harder and harder as it intersects with his un-met step-mother, a bitter First Gulf War veteran, and the British stewardess from his flight home. And then a body washes up on the beach; from Vanguard Cinema ... In "The Last Big Thing" (1996), starring Mark Ruffalo, Dan Zukovic and Susan Heimbinder, a young man wages war against all of modern American popular culture, starting a magazine called "The Next Big Thing," which he uses to confront and insult upcoming actors, comics, models and rock bands. As his mysterious Underground Agenda escalates, will he become the "last big thing" or be co-opted by the very forces he is railing against? From Vanguard Cinema ... The indie outing "String Theory" (2009) starts as a seemingly simple morality tale centered on the fate of a beat-up church in Santa Monica, but ends as a psychedelic meditation on the modern experience of God. The Altman-esque cast of characters who interact in the course of one day include a surfer strung-out on theoretical physics, a dissatisfied lawyer, a morally compromised TV minister, a homeless man, a twisted city councilman, a prostitute, two bookies and a mysterious mute boy. From Vanguard Cinema.
For the Family: (6/29)"Madeline's Great Adventures" (1993) features six episodes from the animated series based on the popular children's books; Madeline and friends encounter their very own Arabian lamp, a visit from the Prince of Monaco, a band of pirates and even track down 40 charitable thieves; $12.99 from Shout! Factory ... "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo The Complete Series" (1985) is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $19.98 from Warner.
Special Interest: (6/29)Long before YouTube, there were the brilliantly insane, no-budget movies of underground, filmmaking twins George and Mike Kuchar. Creating stars out of their friends and family with just consumer-grade cameras, the teenage Kuchar brothers went from the 1960s New York City underground film scene of Andy Warhol and Kenneth Anger to become the twin maestros of B-movie glamour and sleaze. In a mesmerizing stream-of-consciousness style, the documentary "It Came From Kuchar" (2009) effortlessly weaves nostalgic footage of 1950s New York, a "greatest hits" collection of Kuchar clips and present day interviews of an all-star lineup of fans including John Waters, Buck Henry, Atom Egoyan, Wayne Wang, Bill Griffith, Gerard Malanga, B. Ruby Rich and Guy Maddin. Both outrageous and lovable, George and Mike will inspire you to pick up a camera and start making movies. $24.95 from IndiePix Films ... "Soul of a People: Writing America's Story" (2009) is the powerful story behind the controversial public assistance program the Federal Writers Project -- one of four arts programs in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration, established during the height of the Great depression -- that hired unemployed men and women to document America in books, guides and interviews. $19.98 from Infinity Entertainment Group.
From the Big Screen:"Green Zone," "She's Out of My League" and "The Last Station." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."DVD Collectibles: (6/22)This week sees two impoprtant films from The Criterion Collection: "Red Desert" and "Night Train to Munich." Michelangelo Antonioni's 1960s panoramas of contemporary alienation were decade-defining artistic events, and "Red Desert" (1964), his first color film, remains one of his greatest. This provocative look at the spiritual desolation of the technological age -- about a disaffected woman, brilliantly portrayed by Antonioni muse Monica Vitti ("L'avventura"), wandering through a bleak industrial landscape beset by power plants and environmental toxins, and tentatively flirting with her husband's co-worker, played by Richard Harris ("This Sporting Life") -- continues to exert force over viewers. With one startling, painterly composition after another -- of abandoned fishing cottages, electrical towers, overwhelming docked ships -- "Red Desert" creates a nearly apocalyptic image of its time, and confirms Antonioni as cinema's preeminent poet of the modern age. New, restored high-definition digital transfer. "Night Train to Munich" (1940)is a twisting, turning, cloak-and-dagger delight, a gripping, occasionally comic confection from writers Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat (Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes") and director Carol Reed ("The Fallen Idol," "The Third Man"). Paced like an out-of-control locomotive, "Night Train" takes viewers on a World War II–era journey from Prague to England to the Swiss Alps, as Nazis pursue a Czech scientist and his daughter (Margaret Lockwood), who are being aided by a debonair British undercover agent, played by Rex Harrison. This captivating, long-overlooked adventure -- which also features "Casablanca's" Paul Henreid -- mixes comedy, romance, and thrills with enough skill and cleverness to give the master of suspense himself pause. New, restored high-definition digital transfer.
The restored version of "A Star Is Born," one of Hollywood's clasics, is a joy to behold. The George Cukor-directed 1954 film starring Judy Garland and James Mason was shortened for theatrical release after its premiere; this edition uses the original camera negative (and some still photos to replace lost footage) to bring the film back up to its three-hour running time.
From TV to Video: (6/22)"Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season" (2009) is a three-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.98 from HBO ... "Hung: The Complete First Season" (2009) is a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.9 from HBO.
Buzzin' the 'B's: (6/22)"The Good Guy" (2010) stars Alexis Bledel, Anna Chlumsky, Andrew McCarthy, Bryan Greenberg and Scott Porter in the story of an ambitious young Manhattanite and urban conservationist who wants it all: a good job, good friends, and a good guy to share the city with ... of course that last one is often the trickiest in these complicated, modern times. From Lionsgate ... After an unfortunate mishap at the top of his game, mixed martials arts fighter Matt Chase retires for a life without glory, until he is forced back into the ring against the current undefeated champion, to kill or be killed in "Circle of Pain" (2010), starring Tony Schiena, Dean Cain, Ling Bai and Heath Herring; from Lionsgate ... Former football star turned convict, Tyler "The Fuse" Draven, discovers in jail that he has the ability to create fire by mere thought alone, and he uses his new-found power to wreak havoc and get revenge on everyone that's ever done him wrong ... which means the entire world in "Fireball" (2009, )starring Ian Somerhalder, Lexa Doig and Aleks Paunovic, from MTI Home Video ..."Riverworld" (2010) is a four-hour Syfy channel original movie in which Matt, an American journalist, and his fiancee Jessie are killed in an explosion, but reawaken in a very unusual afterlife -- a mysterious planet with an endless river terrain. Everyone who has ever lived on Earth has been resurrected simultaneously in this strange new world. Separated from Jessie, Matt joins forces with an intrepid crew including a 13th century female warrior and riverboat captain Mark Twain to find her, all the while tracked by the watchful eye of a mysterious alien force. Stars Alan Cumming, Tahmoh Penikett, Laura Vandervoort, Peter Wingfield, Jeananne Goossen. From RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment.
Foreign: (6/22)Based on Charles Perrault's grisly fairy tale, "Bluebeard" (2009 -- French), starring Dominique Thomas and Lola Creton, tells the story of young Marie-Catherine, child bride to an aristocratic ogre with a reputation for murdering his wives, who must employ all her cunning to outwit her husband and escape the most unpleasant of fates. Controversial director Catherine Breillat ("The Last Mistress," "Fat Girl") brings her personal touch to this classic tale, a favorite of good little French girls since the 1950s. From Strand Releasing.
For the Family: (6/22)"Tom & Jerry Deluxe Anniversary Collection" is a two-disc set with 30 classic cartoons, $26.99. Features seven shorts that became Oscar winners for Best Short Subject, Cartoons: "Yankee Doodle Mouse," "Mouse Trouble," "Quiet Please!," "The Cat Concerto," "The Little Orphan," "Johann Mouse" and "Two Mousketeers." Also included is an excerpt from the 1945 live-action film "Anchors Aweigh," in which Jerry performs a dance routine with Gene Kelly. Another featured excerpt is from the 1953 musical film" Dangerous When Wet," in which Tom and Jerry appear with Esther Williams in a dream sequence where they perform a synchronized swimming routine. From Warner.
Special Interest: (6/22)
"Fuel" (2009) is an award-winning documentary film about alternative energy, a comprehensive and entertaining look at energy in America: a history of where we have been, our present predicament and a solution to our dependence on foreign oil. The film flows seamlessly through scientific data, facts, history and personal narrative, and like any good narrative, it has intrigue, conspiracy, greed…and murder. Directed by Josh Tickell and featuring Barbara Boxer, Richard Branson, Sheryl Crow, Larry David, John Paul DeJoria, Larry Hagman, Woody Harrelson, Jim Hightower, Robert Kennedy Jr., Vinod Khosla, Willie Nelson, Julia Roberts and Neil Young. $24.95 from Cinema Libre: EarthNOW! Also from Cinema Libre is "The Children's War" (2009), a documentary on the lost generation of Ugandan youth, the result of a 21-year civil war where a vicious rebel army leads a massive and coldly systematic child abduction machine.
From the Big Screen:"The Book of Eli," "When in Rome" and "Youth in Revolt." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."DVD Collectibles: (6/15)Though it bombed when first released theatrically in 1995, "Showgirls," written by Joe Eszterhas and directed by Paul Verhoeven (the team that brought you "Basic Instinct") has gained a reputation as a cult film of sorts and has begun pole dancing its way to many a Net critics' guilty pleasures viewing list. Apparently it has been one of the highest-grossing DVDs for MGM, generating more than $100 million from video rentals. The film -- the epitome of stupid sleaziness - centers on a young drifter (Elizabeth Berkley) who arrives in Las Vegas to become a dancer and soon sets about clawing and pushing her way to become the top of the Vegas showgirls. MGM's "Showgirls: 15th Anniversary Sinsational Edition," which also stars Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi and Alan Rachins, arrives as a two-disc set with Blu-ray and standard DVD versions. Bonus features include "Pole Dancing: Finding Your Inner Stripper," "Lap Dance Tutorial Featuring the World-Famous Girls of Scores," "The Greatest Movie Ever Made: A Commentary by David Schmader," "Showgirls Fact-Up Trivia" and a "A Showgirls Diary."
From TV to Video: (6/15)"American Dad! Volume 5" (2009-10) is a three-disc set with 14 episodes, $39.98 from Fox ... "Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 7" (2009-10) is a single disc with 11 episodes of the hit animated Adult Swim series, $29.98 from Warner ... "The Best Years: The Complete Second Season" (2009) is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $24.98 from E1 Entertainment ... "Everwood: The Complete Third Season" (2004-05) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Family Guy: Volume 8" (2008-10) s a three--disc set with 15 episodes from the seventh and eighth seasons, $49.98 from Fox ... "HawthoRNe: The Complete First Season" (2009) is a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $34.95 from Sony ... "Leave It to Beaver: Season Three" (2009) is a six-disc set with 39 episodes, $39.97 from Shout! Factory ... "MacGyver: The TV Movies" presents two TV movies that followed the series finale: "MacGyver -- The Lost Treasure of Atlantis" and "MacGyver -- Trail to Doomsday"; $19.95 from CBS/Paramount ... "Sanctuary: The Complete Second Season" (2009-10) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $44.98 from E1 Entertainment ... "The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume 4" (2010) is a three-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.99 from Disney.
Buzzin' the 'B's: (6/15)In "Sister's Keeper" (2007), starring Kent Faulcon, Denise Boutte and Eric Roberts, a hit man sent to a small Southern town to eliminate a beautiful English teacher is mistaken for her long-lost brother, and he finds himself drawn into her frank and colorful family, causing him to have to choose between executing what should be an easy murder-for-hire and trying to solve the mystery of who would want the innocent woman dead; from MTI Home Video ... In "Unthinkable" (2009) (which was move to this week from June 1), starring Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michael Sheen, Brandon Routh and Benito Martinez, Jackson plays a top-notch interrogator whose sole purpose photo is to safeguard the United States from terrorist threats; he has two days to get a captured terrorist to disclose the whereabouts of three nuclear bombs he claims to have planted in three major American cities; from Sony ... In "Control Alt Delete" (2009), starring Tyler Labine, Sonja Bennett, Alisen Down and Laura Bertram, a young man develops a sexual fetish for his computer; from E1 Entertainment.
On the Indie Front: (6/15)Writer-director Adam Elliot brings the unique stop-motion style he forged in his Academy Award-winning short "Harvie Krumpet" to "Mary and Max" (2009), a feature about the unlikeliest of friendships. In 1970s suburban Melbourne, lonely 8-year-old Mary Daisy Dinkle, the only child of an alcoholic mother and a distant father, picks a name at random out of a Manhattan phone book and writes to him. The recipient is Max Jerry Horovitz, an obese 44-year-old single man who, despite suffering from Asperger's syndrome, responds in kind. Thus begins a strange yet mutually supportive -- and at times strained -- pen-pal relationship that spans 20 years and two continents and touches on issues and concerns ranging from autism and alcoholism to taxidermy, kleptomania, religion, agoraphobia and where babies come from. Voices of Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Eric Bana, Barry Humphries, Bethany Whitmore. From IFC/MPI Media Group.
Foreign: (6/15)
"Divided Heaven" (1964 -- German), based on Christa Wolf's internationally acclaimed novel and criticized in the GDR (East Germany) for questioning the construction of the Wall, "Divided Heaven" was made during a brief cultural thaw in the early 1960s. Strongly influenced by French Nouvelle Vague cinema, this classic film directed by the legendary Konrad Wolf was praised by critics as one of Germany's 100 most important films. After a breakdown, Rita returns to her childhood village and, as she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for the chemist Manfred, 10 years her senior; his enthusiasm about his new chemical process, which turned to bitter disappointment in the face of rejection; his escape to West Berlin a few weeks before the Wall was built; and his hope that she would follow him. From First Run features.
For the Family: (6/15)
"Max & Ruby: A Visit with Grandma" (2010) features four new episodes of the Nick series, in which Max & Ruby go on an awesome treasure hunt, make "mudpies" and perform their very own recital in the backyard. The animated comedy series is based on the children's books by Rosemary Wells, and each episode centers on Max, a determined 3-year-old bunny, and his big sister, Ruby, a smart, goal-oriented 7-year-old. $16.99 from Paramount ... "Big Bird, Little Bird" (2010) features 13 soothing songs by singer-songwriter Sara Hickman for children ages newborn to five, brought to life through bright, bold computer animation. From Sleeveless; more info at www.sarahickman.com ... Join Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex as they build an awesome clubhouse; travel through the jungle on a wild adventure and play with silly animals in the all-new Nickelodeon "Yo Gabba Gabba!: Clubhouse." Four episodes, $16.99 from Paramount ... "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame Johnny Bravo: Season One" (1997) is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $24.98 from Warner.
Special Interest: (6/15)"The Real Story: Escape From Alcatraz" (2009) explores the fascinating true tale behind one of history's most infamous prison breaks, in which three inmates escaped the island prison at Alcatraz. Features interviews with key individuals, including Darwin Coon, the inmate who assisted them, the wardens who discovered them missing and the FBI agents who tried to track them down. $12.98 from Infinity Entertainment Group ... "Collapse"
(2009) is a documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter five years ago when he was a cry in the wilderness about peak oil, the real estate and credit bubbles. Now, Ruppert warns of a new meltdown, one rooted in economics, covert U.S. policies and a seemingly inevitable oil shortage that may lead us all toward unprecedented global disaster. Is he a prophet who can clearly see America's terrifying future, or a conspiracy theorist fueled by fear and paranoia? $19.98 from MPI Media ... "Sex Positive" (2008) is a documentary that explores the life of Richard Berkowitz, a revolutionary gay sex worker turned AIDS activist in the 1980s, whose incomparable contribution to safe sex has never been aptly credited; from E1 Entertainment ... "Lewis Black: Stark Raving Black" (2010) is a new comedy special taped in Detroit in August 2009 featuring the inimitable rantings and ravings from the king of the grumpy old men, $16.99 from Paramount.Just Announced: Fox Makes Aug. 10
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Rat-pack singer Sammy Davis Jr. filmed a scene for the 007 movie "Diamonds Are Forever." He would have been seen playing casino games (actually Roulette) and complaining about his record contract with lead character Willard Whyte, but the scene was cut as director Guy Hamilton felt it would have been confusing. Or maybe it was just because Sammy made fun of Bond's white tux. Powered by MummysGold |
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He demonstrates his superior fighting skills by defeating his opponents despite being heavily outnumbered and wins the admiration of the Japanese Colonel, Mr. Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), who challenges Ip to a championship fight. The outcome of the match inspires the Chinese villagers to rise up and defeat their oppressors. From Well Go USA ... In "Rain" (2008), starring Renel Brown, Nicki Micheaux and CCH Pounder, a spirited 14-year-old girl travels to the big city to find the mother who abandoned her, only to discover that she's now a drug-addicted prostitute living in the worst part of the city; from Image Entertainment ... "Loose Screws" (1985) is the Canuxploitation-teen-sex-comedy sequel to "Screwballs." This mid-80s pubescent romp follows the horny high jinks of four boys forced to attend summer school at Cockswell Academy under the watchful eye of Principal Arsenault.From Severin Films ... In "The Job" (2009), starring Patrick Flueger, Ron Perlman, Joe Pantoliano and Taryn Manning, a guy looking to find employment and marry the love of his life gets in over his head when a fast-talking temp agent lands him a job that may require some killer instincts; from Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Documentary explores John Lennon's work with Yoko Ono; Paul McCartney's solo career and decade as front man of Wings; George Harrison's music with The Traveling Wilburys and his work as a film producer; and Ringo Starr's solo albums as wells as his acting. $14.98. Extras: Four featurettes: "Stella," a look at McCartney's fashionista daughter; "Yogi," exploring the group's brief collaboration with the Indian transcendentalist Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; "Yoko," examining Ono's relationship with Lennon; and "Beatle-Mania," a look at fan hysteria. From Infinity Entertainment Group.
Shout! Factory, meanwhile, has released a pair of 1980s Roger Corman-produced sci-fi cult classics, both under the Roger Corman's Cult Classics label. The best of the pair is "Forbidden World (Mutant)" (1982), starring Jesse Vint, June Chadwick, Dawn Dunlap, Linden Chiles,, Fox Harris, Michael Bowen and Scott Paulin. This outright 'Alien' clone is a definite guilty pleasure. On the remote planet of Xarbia, a scientific experiment has gone horrifically wrong, and a cloned being has mutated into a man-eating organism. A soldier-of-fortune and his robotic aide is dispatched to eliminate the problem, but he gets more than he bargained for as the body count rises. There's plenty of gratuitous gore, unexpected nudity, surprising bits of black comedy, and an assortment of inspired and inventive special effects -- all made on a bargain basement budget. The film has been restored and is presented in both the theatrical and never-before-seen director's cut. In all likelihood you've never seen this on the big screen or on DVD (if you've seen in at all, most likely it's in a chopped-up version some late night on the Syfy Channel) so this is a great opportunity to view a fun and inventive sci-fi pulp film for the first time. And by all means get the stunning Blu-ray edition. The second Roger Corman's Cult Classics release is "Galaxy of Terror" (1981), starring Edward Albert, Zalman King, Ray Walston, Robert Englund, Sid Haig, Taaffe O'Connell and Grace Zabriskie, a somewhat muddled and outing about a rescue space ship crew that meets up with the horrors projected by their own imaginations. Still worthy to add to your collection for its nascent special effects and psychedelic mind games.
In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concluded that the war was based on decades of lies, and leaked 7,000 pages of top secret documents to The New York Times, making headlines around the world. Hailed as a hero, vilified as a traitor, and ostracized by even his closest colleagues, Ellsberg risked life in prison to stop a war he helped plan. "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" (2009) is the riveting story of one man's profound crisis of conscience that shook a nation, its courts, its free press and its presidency to the core. It is also an acutely timely and piercing look at the world of government secrecy in wartime as revealed by the ultimate insider. Marked by a landmark Supreme Court battle between America's greatest newspapers and its president, this political thriller of a documentary unravels a saga that leads directly to Watergate, Nixon's resignation and the end of the Vietnam War. From First Run Features.
In "The Brotherhood VI: Initiation" (2009), the latest installment in "The Brotherhood" franchise, a group of pledges arrive at a secluded lake cabin for a fraternity initiation, where they're met by a blood-thirsty lumberjack who won't stop until he's killed them all. From E! Entertainment ... When a marauding gang of swordsmen rampages a peaceful town, capturing every last sword master and demanding an unthinkable ransom, only one man dares to fight back in "Return of the One-Armed Swordsman" (1969 -- Hong Kong), starring Jimmy Wang Yu. From Vivendi/Weinstein/Dragon Dynasty ... "The Warlords" (2007 -- Hong Kong) is set in the midst of war and political upheaval during the Taiping Rebellion of the 1860s, when a general joins two bandits to fight off evil warlords, taking an oath to become "blood brothers," pledging loyalty to one another until death ... but things quickly turn sour and the three men become embroiled in a web of political deceit, and a love triangle involving a beautiful courtesan. Stars Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Wu Jing-Le. From Magnolia Home Entertainment ... "Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles"
(2010) is a six-disc set of the first five seasons of the Internet series that takes place in the distant future where 10 soldiers battle for control of the least desirable piece of real estate in the known universe -- a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. $59.95 from New Video/Flatiron Film Company.
The technicolor comes to life with shimmering colors and the musical numbers ring with authority. There's nearly four hours of special features, including deleted scenes, alternate takes of some of the musical numbers, rare recording session music, alternate dramtic scenes, a 1954 studio exhibitor reel, and much, much more in the standard two-disc DVD set, a two-disc book format with 40 pages of photographs, and a Blu-ray edition. The last DVD edition of 'A Star Is Born' was in 2000; this one uses the latest technology to re-present the CinemaScope picture in all its glory, making it an important replacement for the previous, shortened edition. ... "Death Race 2000 Special Edition" is the latest addition to the Shout! Factory Roger Corman's Cult Classics collection. The 1975 film stars David Carradine, Simone Griffeth, Sylvester Stallone, Mary Woronov, Roberta Collins and Martin Kove in a madcap adventure as a group of race car drivers trying to win the world's toughest car race -- Death Race 2000 -- in a post=apocalyptic America. Extras include "David on Death Race": A brief look back from star David Carradine recorded in 2008; commentary by Roger Corman and Mary Woronov; commentary by assistant director Lewis Teague and editor Tina Hirsch; "Playing the Game: Looking Back at Death Race 2000"; "Ready to Wear": In-depth interview with costume designer Jane Ruhm on her inventive work for this film and other Roger Corman classics; "Designing Dystopia!": A detailed look at the film's futuristic landscapes and now-classic race cars with co-art director B.B. Neel, car designer James Powers and car constructor Dean Jeffries; "Start Your Engine!": How the world of "Death Race 2000" came to life, interview with original story creator Ib Melchior; "Killer Score": An all-new interview with composer Paul Chihara on the creation of the film's eclectic score, which was also his first feature film composition; Leonard Maltin interviews Roger Corman about "Death Race 2000"; collectible 12-page booklet. 
(June 9)
Fox has booked August 10 for the DVD and Blu-ray release of the Tina Fey-Steve Carell comedy 'Date Night,' which grossed more than $95 million at the domestic boxoffice. Carell and Fey star as a sensible, loving couple with two kids and a house in suburban New Jersey who decide to reignite their marriage by going to Manhattan's hottest new restaurant -- without a reservation -- getting into an incredible adventure involving corrupt cops and the mob when they're mistaken for another couple. The DVD and Blu-ray both feature an extended edition of the film; extras include a gag reel, extended and deleted scenes, featurettes and commentary.
Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan have been made since 1926. In 1931, the Fox Film Corp. cast Swedish actor Warner Oland as Chan in "Charlie Chan Carries On"; the film was a success, and Fox went on to produce 15 more Chan films with Oland in the title role. Following Oland's death, Scottish-American actor Sidney Toler was cast as Chan; Toler made 22 Chan films, first for Fox and then for Monogram Studios. After Toler's death, six more films were made, starring Roland Winters. The character has also been featured in several radio programs, two television shows and a number of comics. The films in the four-disc set "TCM Spotlight: Charlie Chan Collection" were Monogram productions "Dark Alibi" (1946), "Dangerous Money" (1946) and "The Trap" (1946), starring Sidney Toler; and "The Chinese Ring" (1947), starring Roland Winters; $39.92 ... Thirty years ago "Caddyshack" did for golf what "Animal House" did for college movies and "Police Academy" did for law enforcement. Starring Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight, with Harold Ramis directing, the movie was included in the AFI's lists of top comedies and sports films. Bonus features include "Caddyshack: The 19th Hole" retrospective documentary; the Blu-ray version adds the new documentary "Caddyshack: The Inside Story." From Warner.
"Family Matters: The Complete First Season" (1989-90) is a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.98 from Warner ... "Nip/Tuck: The Sixth and Final Season" (2009-10) is a five-disc set with 19 episodes, $59.98 from Warner ... "Tales of the Gold Monkey: The Complete Series" (1982-83) is a six-disc collector's box set with all 20 action-packed episodes of the TV series that became a hit following the success of the Indiana Jones films: Set in 1938, the adventure series chronicled a young American adventurer and his ragtag group of friends as they become involved in death-defying hi-jinx, transporting people-on-the-run in a well-worn Grumman Goose seaplane.
Stars Stephen Collins, Caitlin O'Heaney, Roddy McDowall and Jeff Mackay. $49.97 from Fabulous Films/Shout! Factory ... "Z Rock: Season 2" (2009) is a single disc with 10 episodes, $19.97 from Anchor Bay.
... "Shinjuku Incident" (2009 -- Hong Kong) is a fast-paced Jackie Chan actioner about a Chinese laborer who goes to Japan for a better life and gets involved with the Japanese mob; from Sony ... "Sorority Girls 3D" (2010) is an exploitation film about the shenanigans that go on at a sorority house as pledges will do just about anyone to get accepted; in 3D and standard versions, with 3D glasses, from Infinity Entertainment ... In "Power Kids" (2009 -- Thailand), five friends who hang out at a Muay Thai training school have to band together to help one of their own, who needs a heart transplant; one becomes available, but it's locked inside a hospital overrun by terrorists, so the friends go after the bad guys to rescue the heart; from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... "MADtv" cast alumnus Bryan Callen and Noureen DeWulf star in a raunchy farce featuring favorite characters from Judd Apatow's hit films in "The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It" (2010), from Fox.
"Starstruck" (2010) stars Sterling Knight, Danielle Campbell, Maggie Castle, Brandon Mychal Smith and Chelsea Staub in a Disney Channel Original Movie about two sisters sightseeing in L.A. whose chance meeting with a hot young pop star sets off a series of comic adventures; from Disney ... "Ghostwriter: Season One" (2009) is a five-disc set with 34 episodes of the PBS/Sesame Street kids series, $39.97 from Shout! Factory ... "iCarly: iSaved Your Life" (2010) features two iCarly TV specials plus three additional episodes: "iSaved Your Life," "iQuit iCarly," "iThink They Kissed," "iTwins" and "iMove Out"; For kids 2-11, $16.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "Hot Wheels Battle Force 5: Season 1 Volume 2" (2009) features six episodes of the series based on the collectible toys, $14.97 from Warner ... "Shaun the Sheep: One Giant Leap for Lambkind" (2010) is a six-episode collection featuring Unidentified Farm Objects and paranormal sightings, $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Thomas & Friends: The Greatest Stories" (2010) is a two-disc set with 20 of the best "Thomas & Friends" episodes, including the first-ever episode; spans the years with conductors George Carlin, Ringo Starr, Alec Baldwin and Michael Brandon; $16.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate.
"Not the Messiah (He's a Very Naughty Boy)" (2009) is a historic performance by members of the Monty Python troupe celebrating their 40th Anniversary with a song oratorio inspired by the cult film "The Life of Brian" at London's Royal Albert Hall; the performance features a rare on-stage reunion of Python troupe members Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam; $24.96 from Sony ... "Word Is Out" debuted in 1977 as the first feature-length documentary about lesbian and gay identity made by gay filmmakers (The Mariposa Film Group). After conducting 140 interviews, the filmmakers selected 26 people of various lifestyles, races, ages and backgrounds. What they achieved was a cornerstone in Gay Rights. The film quickly became a landmark in cinema, but time had taken its toll on the existing prints and the film was rarely seen. The Outfest Legacy Project and UCLA Film & Television Archive restored "Word Is Out" with the generous contribution of the David Bohnett Foundation, creating a high-definition video for this DVD premier. From Milliarium Zero/Milestone Film ..."Before and After Stonewall 25th Anniversary Edition" is a two-disc set with documentaries "Before Stonewall" (1984) and "After Stonewall" (1999). On June 28, 1969, the NYPD raided the Stonewall Inn, a mafia-run gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the city's gay community, which lead to organizations that helped create the gay pride movement. "Before" explores the fascinating and unforgettable history of homosexuality in America (narrated by Rita Mae Brown); "After" chronicles lesbian and gay life from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the new century (narrated by Melissa Etheridge). $39.95 from First Run Features.
As part of the program, horror fans will be the voting jury in a mini film festival, a "Demand It" competition from June 21 through July 19, hosted by Fangoria, to select one of the eight films for limited theatrical release in late July 
"The Eastwood Factor Extended Version" (2010) documentary was written and directed by critic and film historian Richard Schickel, and presents director-star Eastwood in a way he's rarely seen -- visiting film locations or sites where his movies were created, and on the Warner lot visiting the costume department and Eastwood Scoring Stage, as well as his hometown of Carmel, Calif. Eastwood's candid, intelligent and often humorous interviews about his body of work and the choices he made, along with Schickel's selection of scenes from his movies, results in a rare view of one of our era's great icons. Narrated by Morgan Freeman; $14.97 from Warner. 
"American Pickers: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a two-disc set with 12 episodes, $29.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Burn Notice: Season Three" (2009-10) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... "The Cleaner: The Final Season" (2009) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.99 CBS/Paramount ... "Drop Dead Diva: Season One" (2009) is a single disc with 13 episodes, $39.95 from Sony ... "Foyle's War, Set 6" (2010) is a three-disc set with three new mysteries set in England in the immediate aftermath of WWII: "The Russian Hose," "Killing Time" and "Hide," which aired on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! in May; $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "Ghost Hunters International Season 1: Part 1," (2008) is a three-disc set with 11 episodes, $24.98 from Image Entertainment ... "Midsomer Murders Set 15" (2008) features three contemporary, stand-alone mysteries, available to U.S. audiences for the first time: "Blood Wedding," "Shot at Dawn" and "Left for Dead" (the first half of Series Eleven); from Acorn Media.
is to safeguard the United States from terrorist threats; he has two days to get a captured terrorist to disclose the whereabouts of three nuclear bombs he claims to have planted in three major American cities; from Sony ... Wrestling star Steve Austin is "The Stranger" (2010), a man with no name, no memory and absolutely nothing left to lose who finds himself hunted by both the FBI and the Russian mob and decides to fight back; from Anchor Bay ... A single mother enters the world of Mixed Martial Arts -- specifically, the highly lucrative, extremely dangerous and completely illegal world of high-stakes all-female bare knuckle fighting -- to take her and her daughter out of their dead-end existence in "Bare Knuckles" (2009), starring Jeanette Roxborough, Teya Roxborough, Chris Mulkey and Martin Kove; from Image Entertainment ... During their nightly poker game, a group of lowlifes are terrorized in their own convenience store by a masked killer, and players begin to disappear one by one in "Cornered!" (2009), starring Steve Guttenberg, James Duval and Ellia English; from Phase 4 Films.
