Bedtime Stories Blu-ray
(2008) Available as a three-disc set (with the Blu-ray version, standard DVD version and digital copy); A special edition DVD and a single disc street Tuesday, April 7. Extras: "Until Gravity Do Us Part" special effects behind-the-scenes featurette, "It's Bugsy" look at the films big-eyed guinea pig, "To All the Little People," bloopers, deleted scenes. (Disney).
April 7
Bedtime Stories DVD
(2008) Available as a three-disc set (with the Blu-ray version, standard DVD version and digital copy), which streeted Sunday, April 5; A special edition DVD and a single disc street Tuesday, April 7. Extras: "Until Gravity Do Us Part" special effects behind-the-scenes featurette, "It's Bugsy" look at the films big-eyed guinea pig, "To All the Little People," bloopers, deleted scenes. (Disney).
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Ben 10 Alien Force Volume 3
(2008) Single disc with four episodes of the Cartoon Network series, $14.98. (Warner).
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
(2008) Documentary examines the global conflicts created by the privatization and commoditization of our fresh water supply; narrated by Malcolm McDowell. $24.99. (PBS Distribution).
The Caller
(2009) Frank Langella, Elliott Gould, Laura Harring. Thriller about a senior vp at an international energy firm who blows the whistle on his company's deadly and corrupt practices in Latin America. Knowing he will be assassinated for his betrayal, he places an anonymous call securing the services of private detective to trail him from a distance. (Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America).
Cleopatra -- 75th Anniversary Edition
(1934) Dir.: Cecil B. DeMille; Claudette Colbert, Warren Williams, Henry Wilcox. Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, "Cleopatra" is classic
DeMillean spectacle. Claudette Colbert stars as the cunning Queen of the Nile, with Warren
William as Julius Caesar and Henry Wilcox as Marc Antony. Featuring a digitally
remastered picture. Part of the new Universal Backlot Series. Digitally remastered from original film elements. Extras: "Claudette Colbert: Queen of the Silver Screen" bio, "Cecil B. Demille: Hollywood's Epic Director" documentary, "Forbidden Film: The Production Code Era" featurette on the "Pre-Code Hollywood" era in which filmmakers had no rules, commentary by film writer F.X. Feeney. Includes three collectible lobby cards. $29.98. (Universal).
Dark Secrets (AKA Cold Earth)
(2008) Gary Daniels, Steven Elliott, Ben Shockley, Kate Thurlwell. Two detectives investigate the kidnapping of the daughter of a celebrity couple, thinking it's the work of a serial killer who has struck twice before. (MTI Home Video).
The Day the Earth Stood Still
(2008) Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese.
Available as a two-disc DVD, a three-disc DVD Special Edition and a three-disc Blu-ray Disc. All three editions are packed with a copy of the 1951 classic. Extras: Deleted scenes, "Re-Imagining The Day" featurette, "Unleashing Gort" featurette, "Watching the Skies: In Search Of Extraterrestrial Life" featurette, "The Day the Earth Was 'Green'" featurette, commentary by writer David Scarpa, still galleries, concept art, storyboards, production photos, digital copy for portable media players. (Fox).
Disney Animation Collection Volume 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk
Classic Disney film restored; includes four bonus shorts; $19.99. (Disney).
Disney Animation Collection Volume 2: Three Little Pigs
Classic Disney film restored; includes six bonus shorts; $19.99. (Disney).
Disney Animation Collection Volume 3: The Prince And the Pauper
Classic Disney film restored; includes four bonus shorts; $19.99. (Disney).
Donkey Punch
(2008) Robert Boulter, Sian Breckin, Tom Burke, Nichola Burley. After meeting at a nightclub in a Mediterranean resort, seven young adults decide to continue partying aboard a luxury yaught, until a downward spiral of drugs, debauchery and hedonism leads to murder and a ruthless fight for survival. Extras: Deleted scenes, making-of, commentary. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Doubt
(2008) Dir.: John Patrick Shanley; Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis.Extras:"From Stage to Screen" featurette, "Scoring Doubt" with renowned composer Howard Shore, "The Sisters of Charity" dialogue with Meryl Streep and John
Patrick Shanley about the interviews that Shanley did with real nuns to discuss their lives and make sure they would be accurately portrayed in the film, commentary by John Patrick Shanley,
"The Cast of Doubt": A conversation with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Miramax).
Down and Dirty With Jim Norton
(2009) Jim Norton emcees a lineup of the comedy circuit's most outspoken and dirtiest stand-ups: Artie Lange, Bill Burr, Patrice O'Neal and Andrew Dice Clay, along with some of the edgiest up-and-coming comics around; $19.97. (HBO Home Entertainment).
Faith Like Potatoes
(2006 -- South Africa) Frank Rautenbach, Jeanne Neilson, Hamilton Dlamini, Sean Cameron Michael. The film was adapted for the big screen by award winning actor and director Regardt van der Bergh and weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest. After a South African farmer suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, he forges an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith. Extras: Documentary on the real life of Angus Buchan, commentary by the filmmakers, "The Making of Faith Like Potatoes." (Sony).
The Fox and the Child (Le Renard et l'enfant
(2007 -- French) Live-action family adventure about a young girl's relationship with a fox. Narrated by Kate Winslet. (Warner).
The Goldwyn Follies
(1938) Adolphe Menjou, The Ritz Brothers, Vera Zorina. Musical comedy about a movie producer chooses a simple girl to critically evaluate his movies from the point of view of the ordinary person.(MGM)
The It Crowd: The Complete First Season
(2006) Six episodes of the IFC comedy series, $24.98. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (MPI Home Video).
It's a Pleasure!
(1945) Sonja Henie, Michael O'Shea, Marie McDonald. Ice skating extravaganza. (MGM)
La Grande Bouffe (The Big Feast)
(1973) Marcello Mastroianni, Philippe Noire, Michel Piccoli. Director Marco Ferreri's greatest international success, winner of the prestigious Fipresci Prize awarded at Cannes. Four friends hire prostitutes and hole up in a Parisian villa for group sex and to eat themselves to death.
(Koch Lorber).
Max Fleischer's Superman
(1941-42) The Superman animated cartoons, commonly known as the "Fleischer Superman Cartoons," were a series of 17 animated Technicolor short films, based upon the comic book character. These groundbreaking theatrical shorts are the very first animated DC Comics Superman cartoons. Each cartoon brims with action and special effects, beautifully drawn and colored, braced with fabulous background paintings and brought to life with realistic movement. These animated shorts are seen as some of the finest, and certainly the most lavishly budgeted, cartoons produced during the Golden Age of animation. Two-disc set with 17 cartoons. First authorized collection from the original masters. $26.99. Extras: "The Man, The Myth Superman" featurette, "First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series" documentary. (Warner). For a complete list of films in this set, Click here.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Six-disc set with all 39 episodes of the highly anticipated cult-classic children's series, available for the first time in the U.S. Originally aired in Japan in 1982 and ran in the U.S. in the 1980's on Nickelodeon and NBC; $49.95. A special Deluxe Edition will be available for collectors, which will include a 32-page booklet, a 12-page historical facts booklet, six exclusive postcards and a double-sided fold out poster; $79.95.(Virgil Films And Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America).
No Country for Old Men
(2007) Dir.: Joel and Ethan Coen; Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Woody Harrelson, Tess Harper, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt. Three-disc DVD set and two-disc Blu-ray set. Extras: "The Making of No Country For Old Men," "Working With the Coens"; "The Diary of A Country Sheriff"; in-depth interviews and conversations with the Coen Brothers, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem; digital copy download; Charlie Rose episode with the cast and crew; a Josh Brolin unauthorized behind-the-scenes featurette, more, (Miramax).
Not Easily Broken
(2008) Dir. Bill Duke; Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan, Cannon Jay, Kevin Hart, Jenifer Lewis. Family melodrama: After a car accident, a couple must come to grips with physical temptations, financial pressures and emotional challenges that threaten their love for each other. Extras: "Making Not Easily Broken" featurette, deleted scenes. (Sony).
The Paper Chase: Season One
(1978-79) Six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.99. (Shout! Factory).
The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection
Before the 1934 introduction of the restrictive "Production Code" changed the way movies
were made for the next four decades, Hollywood filmmakers operated virtually free from
censorship. During the "pre-Code" era that lasted from 1929 to mid-1934, no subject was
too scandalous. The public demanded graphic stories designed to titillate and shock, and the
studios produced astonishing tales filled with adultery, prostitution, murder, illegal drug use,
homosexuality and nudity. The collection includes "The Cheat" (1931) starring Tallulah Bankhead, "Merrily We Go to Hell" (1932) with Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney, "Hot Saturday" (1932) starring Nancy Carroll, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, "Torch Singer" (1933) starring Claudette Colbert, "Murder at the Vanities" (1934) with Gertrude Michael, Kitty Carlisle, Ann Sheridan, Lucille Ball and Duke Ellington, and "Search for Beauty" (1934) starring Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino. For a more information about the films in this set, Click here. Part of the new Universal Backlot Series. Digitally remastered from original film elements. Extras: "Forbidden Film: The Production Code Era" featurette. Three-disc set includes a physical reproduction of the actual "Production Code" document, $49.98. (Universal).
A Rather English Marriage
(1999) Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Joanna Lumley. BBC drama aired on PBS Masterpiece Theatre. Squadron Leader Reggie Conyngham-Jervis, an upper-crust ladies' man and ex-fighter pilot and Roy Southgate, a retiring and obsessively decent ex-milkman, are as unlikely to cross paths in life as could be. But after their wives die in the same hospital on the same day, they find themselves roommates in Reggie's mansion. Friendship blooms, in an odd way, until a younger woman chances into the picture to steal Reggie's heart -- or is it his bank account? (E1 Entertainment).
Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword
(2009) The latest animated adventure has the Mystery Inc. crew traveling the globe on a transcontinental treasure hunt, circling Asia and the Pacific to solve a series of ancient riddles; $19.98. (Warner).
1612
(2007 -- Russia) Mikhail Porechenkov. After the brutal assassination of Tsar Boris Godunov, his wife and young heir Fedor, Russia is thrown into a power struggle. And as Polish troops are on the move and the Swedes close in from the north, Prince Dmitry Pozharsky and Kuzma Minin field a people's army to challenge the invaders. Can they be victorious in a daring time -- the bloodiest era in Russian history -- when everything is decided by the whims of fate? (E1 Entertainment).
Shuttle
(2008) Tony Curran, Peyton List, Cameron Goodman. Two girls stranded at the airport take a shuttle ride that descends into darkness and horror. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Snoopy's Reunion Special Edition
((1991) Remastered Deluxe Edition. Includes a bonus episode, "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown." Extras: "Together Again: The Peanuts Voice-Cast Reunion" featurette. $19.98. (Warner).
A Song Is Born
(1948) Dir.: Howard Hawks; Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton. Musical remake of Hawks' 1941 "Ball of Fire." (MGM).
Swamp Devil
(2008) Bruce Dern, Cindy Sampson, Nicolas Wright. Thirteenth installment in the "maneater series features an eerie tale of magic and revenge set in a small town whose nearby swamp is the scene of a series of ghastly murders committed by a killing mass of mud and vines. (Genius Products).
The Tale of Despereaux
(2008) Voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ciaran Hinds, Robbie Coltrane, Tony Hale, Frances Conroy, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver. Extras: "The Tale of the Tale of Despereaux: A (Mostly) Non-Fictional Making-Of" featurette, "Top Ten Uses for Oversized Ears," "Interactive Map of the Kingdom of Dor," "Despereaux's Quest Game," "Build-a-Boldo" game. Also available on Blu-ray Disc with more extras. (Universal).
Tales of Ordinary Madness
(1983) Ben Gazzara, Ornella Muti, Susan Tyrell. Director Marco Ferreri's tackling of work famed author Charles Bukowski. Based on Bukowski's collection of short stories, "Erections, Ejaculations and General Tales of Ordinary Madness," Ben Gazzara stars in this autobiographical take as Charles Sirking, an infamous poet and drunk who spends his time exploring L.A.'s squalid depths and dealing with the elusiveness of love. (Koch Lorber).
TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection
Five-disc set with five new-to-DVD films from Doris Day's golden years at Warner Bros.: "April in Paris" (1952), "It's a Great Feeling" (1949), "Starlift" (1951), "Tea for Two" (1950) and "The Tunnel of Love" (1958); $49.92. Extras: Classic shorts and cartoons. (Warner).
Vinyan
(2008) Emmanuelle Beart, Rufus Sewell. Six months after losing her only child in the Southeast Asia tsunami, Jeanne is convinced she sees him in a film about orphans living in the jungles of Burma. While her husband is worried that she's losing her mind, he still agrees to take her to search for their son together. Introduced to a dangerous gang of human traffickers, they find themselves alone and stranded in the middle of a treacherous jungle, set upon by a band of feral children. Extras: Making-of featurette. (Sony).
Yes Man
(2008) Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Terence Stamp, Danny Masterson. Available as a singe-disc DVD, two-disc Special Edition DVD, and Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Down Time on the Set: Jim Carrey Improvs" featurette, "Extreme Yes Man" stunts featurette, gag reel, music videos. (Warner).
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April 14
House of Saddam
(2008) HBO miniseries that explores the inner workings of Saddam Hussein's family and his relationship with his closest advisers. (HBO Home Entertainment).
Intelligence, Season 2
(2007) Four-disc set with 12 concluding episodes of the award-winning crime drama in the vein of "The Wire"; available to U.S. audiences for the first time. The series focuses on the uneasy alliance between Vancouver's chief intelligence officer and the city's most successful drug boss, probing the high-stakes world of international crime and espionage, complete with murderers, moles, and call girls. $59.99. (Acorn Media).
Knots Landing: The Complete Second Season
(1980-81) Four-disc set with 18 episodes, $39.98. (Warner).
Lost in Austen
(2008) British four-part miniseries puts a modern spin on Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice": A bored and frustrated modern-day Londoner who longs for the old-fashioned world of courtship and romance is whisked into the 19th century via a time portal and switches places with the novel's central character, Elizabeth Bennet. (Image Entertainment).
Mask of the Ninja
(2008) Casper Van Dien, Kristy Wu, Anthony Wong, Robert Gant A rugged detective must crack an ancient ninja cult before they unleash a mysterious weapon on the unsuspecting world. (Genius Products).
North Star
(1986) James Caan, Christopher Lambert, Catherine McCormack, Burt Young. Western set during the Alaskian Gold Rush in the 1880s. (Warner).
November Son
(2008) Judith O'Dea, Brinke Stevens, Sacha Sacket, Lloyd Pedersen. Two years after their loved ones were murdered in obsessive rage, the survivors are dragged into a horrific psychological breakdown...and blood soaked plan for revenge. A gay horror film. (Ariztical Entertainment).
The Reader
(2008) Dir.: Stephen Daldry; Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Linda Bassett, David Kross, Karoline Herfurth, Jeanette Hain. Extras: Deleted scenes, "Adapting a Timeless Masterpiece: Making The Reader," "Kate Winslet On the Art of Aging Hanna Schmitz," "A New Voice: A Look at Composer Nico Muhy," "A Conversation With David Kross & Stephen Daldry," "Coming to Grips With the Past: Production Designer Brigitte Broch." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Weinstein Co./Genius Products).
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Set 4
Two-disc set with two Inspector Wexford mysteries based on the fiction of bestselling British crime-writer Ruth Rendell. $39.99. Extras: "Super Sleuths: Inspector Wexford," a documentary featuring George Baker; and Ruth Rendell biography. (Acorn Media).
She Fell Among Thieves
(1980) Malcolm McDowell, Eileen Atkins, Michael Jayston. Classic BBC drama, that aired as the first episode of Mystery! on PBS in 1980. Malcolm McDowell and Eileen Atkins are perfect foils in this British drama set in a Pyrenees chateau in the 1920s. McDowell plays the gallant Richard Chandos, a vacationing English gentleman who must pit his wits against the evil Vanity Fair (Atkins) and her motley band of assorted criminals. $39.99. (Acorn Media).
The Spirit
(2008) Dir.: Frank Miller; Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Paz Vega, Jaime King, Sarah Paulson, Stana Katic, Johnny Simmons. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Lionsgate).
Teen Boxer (AKA Kickboxing Academy)
(1997) Chyler Leigh, Christopher Khayman Lee, Steven Bauer. Steamy martial arts actioner set in Miami Beach notable for the fact that the romantic interests are brother and sister in real life. (Infinity Entertainment/Retromedia Entertainment).
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April 21
America Betrayed
(2008) One of America’s proudest achievements, our national infrastructure, is now its most dangerous embarrassment. Our bridges, dams, levees and highways are crumbling, toppling, being washed away, and putting American citizens and cities at risk. How could the most powerful nation on the planet let this happen? Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss and directed by investigative broadcast journalist Leslie Carde, this documentary begins with an exploration of the little-known causes behind the levee failures post-Katrina, using this as a springboard to expose the rampant collusion, corruption and cronyism within the government agencies whose very purpose is to protect us. $24.95. (First Run Features).
Caprica
(2009) The highly anticipated prequel to "Battlestar Galactica" will enjoy its world premiere exclusively on DVD in a groundbreaking move sure to delight fans of the long-running television phenomenon. This feature-length prequel will be available on DVD as a limited-edition uncut and unrated version before the series' broadcast premiere on the Sci Fi Channel in 2010. Set 50 years before "Battlestar Galactica," "Caprica" follows two rival families and their patriarchs -- Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) -- as they compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies, a society recognizably close to our own. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe-to-toe blending action with corporate conspiracy and sexual politics. $26.98. Extras: Commentary by director Jeffrey Reiner, executive producer/writer Ronald D. Moore and executive producer David Eick; deleted scenes; video blogs; "What the Frak is Caprica?" featurette; "The Director's Process" featurette; "The V Club" featurette; "The Birth of a Cylon" featurette. (Universal).
Dallas: The Complete Eleventh Season
(1987-88) Three-disc set with 30 episodes, $39.98. (Warner).
Dante 01
(2008 -- France) Lambert Wilson, Linh Dan Pham. The sole survivor of an alien encounter and convicted of his crew's murder, Saint Georges is banished to Dante 01, an intergalactic facility for the criminally insane. Home to the Universe's most deranged criminals, the prison serves as a testing ground for a new protocol: humans as guinea pigs. Armed with mysterious powers from his alien encounter, Georges finds himself caught in a battle to suppress the monstrous power within him before it infects the other dangerous occupants of Dante 01, unleashing a violent rebellion that could turn the terrifying, labyrinthine world upside down. Directed by Marc Caro, who co-directed "The City of Lost Children" and "Delicatessen." Extras: Making-of featurette. (Dimension Extreme/The Weinstein Co./Genius Products).
Elmo and the Bookaneers: Pirates Who Love to Read
(2009) Three Sesame Street episodes, highlighted by "The Bookaneers," who, led by special guest star Tina Fey, come ashore on Sesame Street, map in hand in search of coveted "library" treasures. $14.93. (Genius Products).
Forever
(2006) Critically-acclaimed documentary from award-winning filmmaker Heddy Honigmann on the world-famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, the final resting place for legendary writers, composers, painters and other artists. Poignant, emotionally powerful meditation on relations between the living and the dead, and the immortal power of art. During its visits to many famous graves -- including those of Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, Guillaume Apollinaire, Amadeo Modigliani, Oscar Wilde, Jean-Auguste Ingres, Maria Callas, Georges Melies, Jim Morrison, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, "Forever" introduces us to both Parisians and tourists who make pilgrimages to these tombs, whether to pay their respects, leave flowers or personal messages, or even to tend to the upkeep of the tombstones. $29.98. (Icarus Films Home Video).
Freakazoid Season 2
(1996-97) Two-disc set with 11 animated episodes, $26.99. Extras: Commentaries, a look back at creating the final episode, "Richard Stone - Original Bonjour Lobey Demo Tape." (Warner).
Frost/Nixon
(2008) Director: Ron Howard. Stars: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Toby Jones, Matthew Macfadyen, Jim Meskimen, Patty McCormack. Extras: Deleted scenes, "The Making of Frost/Nixon," "The Real Interview," "The Nixon Library," commentary by Ron Howard.
Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Universal).
A Galaxy Far, Far Away: 10 Anniversary Special Edition
(2001) Hilarious cult-classic documentary follows rabid "Star Wars" fans eagerly awaiting the release of George Lucas' first "prequel" to the original trilogy, "Episode I: The Phantom Menace." This updated version is loaded with out-of-this-world extras: from over-the-top fan conventions and nationwide premieres (where many waited in line for 40+ days), into the homes of devoted fans showing off their treasures, offering new insights into the powerful franchise that has captivated generations upon generations of moviegoers. (Cinevolve Studio).
House of the Sleeping Beauties
(2006 -- Germany) Maximilian Schell, Angela Winkler, Glowna. Based on the beautifully strange novella by Yasunari Kawabata, writer-director-actor Vadim has crafted a beautiful, macabre thriller about loneliness, sex, eroticism and mortality. Edmon, a lonely widower in his late sixties living in Berlin, learns from old friend Kogi about a secret establishment where one can pay to lie alongside beautiful, sleeping young women. The girls -- who move, stretch, roll over and dream but never awaken -- are cared for by Madame, the enigmatic director of the house. Seduced and enchanted by their peculiar, unconscious tenderness, Edmond visits the sleeping beauties with greater and greater frequency, prompting him to probe the boundaries of his own morality and to re-visit long repressed memories, including the deaths of his wife and daughter. When Edmond inadvertently observes Madame and her cohorts smuggling a corpse from the premises, a newly ignited desire to unravel the bizarre activities conflicts with his addiction to the juvenile innocence and tender embrace of those who inhabit it. (First Run Features).
iCarly: Season 1 Vol. 2
(2007-08) Two-disc set with 12 episodes, $26.98. Extras: "Behind the Slime With the Cast of iCarly," behind-the-scenes extras. (Nickelodeon/Paramount).
Inside the Third Reich
Four provocative documentaries: Firestorm," "The Reich Underground," "Television Under the Swastika" and "The Goebbells Experiment," $59.95. (First Run Features).
Into the Blue 2: The Reef
(2008) Chris Carmack, Laura Vandervoort. Direct-to-video sequel has a pair of scuba divers entering precarious waters when they are promised big money in exchange for leading dives along a treacherous Hawaiian reef. Extras: Two featurettes, music video. (MGM).
Kicking the Dog
(2009) Carl T. Evans, Elizabeth Schmidt, Vedette Lim, Laura Bach, Scott Laska. Twelve friends spend one last summer together partying until they go their separate ways. (MTI Home Video).
King Lear
(2008) PBS Great Performance version of Shakespeare play starring Ian McKellen; $24.99. (PBS Home Video).
Laid to Rest
(2009) Bobbi Sue Luther, Lena Headey, Kevin Gage, Sean Whalen. Thriller about a young girl who wakes up in a casket in an isolated rural town with a traumatic head injury and no memory of her identity. She quickly realizes she was abducted by a metal-masked serial killer and she must survive the night and outsmart the technologically inclined killer who videos his vicious killings and is determined to finish his masterpiece tape featuring the girl. Extras: Commentary by writer-director Robert Hall and actor-producer Bobbi Sue Luther, "Postmortem: The Making of Laid to Rest," "The SFX of Laid to Rest," deleted scenes, bloopers. (Anchor Bay).
The Last Word
(2008) Wes Bentley, Winona Ryder, Ray Romano. Dark comedy about a quirky young man who writes suicide notes for other people and falls in love with the sister of one of his "clients." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).
Life of Riley: The Complete Series, Seasons 1-3
(2008) Three-disc set with all 29 episodes of the MTV series that takes you inside the life of teen pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler; $29.99. (MTV/Paramount).
The Line
(2007) David Barry, Andy McPhee, Mike Calis. Gritty, edgy Australian thriller. When a member of an Asian crime syndicate is brutally murdered, two hard-yakka (that's Aussie for hard-working) undercover cops (one a recently promoted detective, the other young, inexperienced and idealistic) and world-weary, rogue cop are assigned to solve the crime and prevent gang warfare. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Cinevolve Studios).
Marvel X-Men: Volume 1
(2008) Two-disc set with 16 episodes of the animated series, $23.99. (Disney).
Marvel X-Men: Volume 2
(2008) Two-disc set with 16 episodes of the animated series, $23.99. (Disney).
Moscow Chill
(2007) Norman Reedus, Slava Schoot, Konstantin Yushkevich, Xusha Buravsky. A loner American computer hacker is brought to Russia to commit bank fraud, only to find a family and love in the incomprehensible, violent, and chaotic Moscow underworld. (MTI Home Video).
Nickelodeon/The Last Picture Show
Two-disc set with "Nickelodeon" (1976), director Peter Bogdanovich's heartfelt valentine to the early days of moviemaking, starring Burt Reynolds, Ryan O'Neal, John Ritter and Tatum O'Neal; "The Last Picture Show" (1971) is Bogdanovich's frank and bittersweet drama of social and sexual mores in small-town Texas, starring Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Randy Quaid, Eileen Brennan, Ellen Burstyn, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms. $24.96. Extras: Both the color and B&W director's cut of "Nickelodeon," director's cut of "The Last Picture Show," new commentary by Bogdanovich on both films, new interview with Bogdanovich for "The Last Picture Show," "The Last Picture Show" theatrical re-release featurette, "The Last Picture Show: A Look Back" documentary. (Sony).
Notorious
(2009) Jamal Woolard, Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie, Antonique Smith, Naturi Naughton, Dennis White, Julia Pace Mitchell. Available as a single-disc theatrical edition, and two-disc Blu-ray and three-disc DVD collector's editions with both the rated and unrated versions. Extras: Commentary by director George Tillman Jr., co-screenwriter Reggie Rock Bythewood, co-screenwriter Cheo Hodari Coker and editor Dirk Westervelt; commentary by producer/Biggie's mom Voletta Wallace, producer/Biggie's co-manager Wayne Barrow and producer/Biggie's co-manager Mark Pitts: "Behind the Scenes: Making of Notorious" featurette; "I Got a Story to Tell: The Lyrics of Biggie Smalls" featurette; "Notorious Thugs: Casting the Film"; "Biggie Boot Camp"; "Anatomy of a B.I.G. Performance"; "Party & Bulls**t" (never-before-seen footage of the real B.I.G.); more. (Fox)
The Poker Club
(2008) Johnathon Schaech, Johnny Messner, Judy Reyes, Lori Heuring, Loren Dean, Jana Kramer. Four poker buddies kill an intruder, hide his body, then discover that someone knows what they've done and is playing a murderous game of revenge with them. Extras: Commentary by director Tim McCann and Johnathon Schaech. (Sony)
Rhoda: Season One
(1974-75) Four-disc set with 25 episodes. Extras: "Remembering Rhoda" featurette; $39.99, (Shout! Factory).
Ron White: Behavioral Problems -- Live, Extended and Uncensored
(2008) Comedy Central stand-up performance, with an additional 40 minutes of material; $16.99. (Comedy Central/Paramount).
Sam's Lake
(2009) Fay Masterson, Sandrine Holt, Stephen Bishop. Thriller about a young woman and her hip urbanite friends who travel to the country where they become entangled in the terrifying legend of Sam's lake, where a deranged boy slaughtered his family 40 years earlier. (Lionsgate).
Science Is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painleve
Jean Painleve was a film director, critic, theorist, and animator, yet his interests and studies also extended to mathematics, medicine, and zoology. Amazingly, all these disparate strands came together in a ground breaking, decades-spanning artistic career. Operating under the credo "Science is fiction," Painleve forged his own unique cinematic path, creating countless short films for both the viewing public and the scientific community. He was also one of the first filmmakers to take his camera underwater. Surreal, otherworldly documents of marine life, these films transformed sea horses, octopi and mollusks into delicate dancers in their own floating ballets. This anthology features 23 of Painleve's shorts in their original form, as well as Yo La Tengo's 90-minute original score "The Sounds of Science," written in 2001 to accompany eight of the director's films. A three-disc set. Extras: Interviews, booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Scott MacDonald and notes on all the films by Painleve. (The Criterion Collection).
Spin City: The Complete Second Season
(1997-98) Four-disc set with 24 episodes, $39.99. (Shout! Factory).
Sprawling From Grace: The Consequences of Suburbanization
(2008) This eye-opening documentary explores the ravages of American suburban sprawl, what America has lost as a result, and the perils we face if we don’t change the way in which we build our cities. Since 1950, America’s city planning has been driven by our love affair with the car and the perpetuation of an idyllic suburban lifestyle. As we pursued the collective dream of a white picket fence, city planners and housing developers built new communities miles outside of the city center rather than investing in urban transit systems or redeveloping existing downtown centers. $19.99. (Cinema Libre Studio).
The Spy Factory
(2009) NOVA documentary investigates the inner workings of the National Security Agency, the world’s largest intelligence agency, examining its technological capabilities, limitations and procedures, and asking the question "Are Americans safer since 9/11?" $24.99. (PBS Home Video).
Street Warrior
(2008) Max Martini, Nivk Chinlund. A war vet returns to his home town to discover that an underground fight club has claimed his brother; he joins the game to get bare-fisted revenge. (Genius Products).
Stuart Little: The Animated
Series
Two new volumes of the HBO Family series: "Going For the Gold!" with four episodes and "A Little Family Fun!" with three episodes, $12.99 each. (Sony).
Tiny Toon Adventures S1 V2
(1990) Four-disc set with 30 animated episodes, $79.98. (Warner).
Top Gear 10
(2008) BBC America automotive realty show; $39.98. (Warner).
Tribute to Heath Ledger: The Unauthorized Story
(2009) Documentary on the actor who died at age 28. $14.98. (Infinity Entertainment Group).
The Wrestler
(2008) Dir.: Darren Aronofsky; Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis, Todd Barry, Wass Stevens, Judah Friedlander, Ernest Miller. Extras: "Within the Ring" featurette, "The Wrestler" music video written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Fox).
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April 28
American Dad: Volume 4
Four-disc set with 14 episodes, $39.98. Extras: Commentaries, uncensored audio. (Fox).
Bride Wars
(2009) Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Candice Bergen, Kristen Johnston, Bryan Greenberg, Steve Howey, Chris Pratt, Michael Arden, John Pankow, Paul ScheerExtras: Deleted scenes, "The Perfect White Dress -- Vera Wang" featurette. Also available on Blu-ray Disc with more extras, digital copy. (Fox).
Cargo 200
(2007) Agniya Kuznetsova, Aleksei Poluyan, Leonid Gromov, Aleksei Serebryakov, Leonid Bichevin, Natalya Akimova, Yuri Stepanov. Black comedy allegory about the fall of the Soviet Union revolving around a rural farmhouse, scientific atheism, corruption and a gruesome serial killer. (The Disinformation Co.).
The Centerfold Girls
(1974) Aldo Ray, Andrew Prine, Francine York, Jennifer Ashley. A depraved religious fanatic sets out to punish all the "immoral" women who have posed for the centerfold of a men's magazine. Extras: Retrospective featurette with producer Arthur Marks and actors Andrew Prine, Francine York and Jennifer Ashley. (Dark Sky Films/MPI Home Video).
Empire of Passion
(1978) With an arresting mix of eroticism and horror, director Nagisa Oshima plunges the viewer into a nightmarish tale of guilt and retribution. Set in a Japanese village at the end of the 19th century, the film details the emotional and physical downfall of a married woman (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) and her younger lover (Tatsuya Fuji) following their decision to murder her husband and dump his body in a well. "Empire of Passion" was Oshima's only true kaidan (Japanese ghost story), and the film, a savage, unrelenting experience, earned him the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival. New, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras: New video essay by film historian and critic Catherine Russell, new interview with actors Kazuo Yoshiyuki and Tatsuya Fuji, interview program from 2003 featuring production consultant Koji Wakamatsu and assistant directors Yusuke Narita and Yoici Sai, booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Tony Rayns and a reprinted interview with Nagisa Oshima. (The Criterion Collection).
Fallen Angel
(2007) British miniseries starring Emilia Fox and Charles Dance. Based on the acclaimed Roth Trilogy by crime writer Andrew Taylor, this tense psychological drama unravels the web of circumstances that creates a serial killer in a reverse chronological narrative. A whydunit rather than a whodunit, it's a clever departure from conventional crime dramas. Two-disc set with three episodes, $39.99. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette. (Acorn Media).
Gangland: The Complete Season Three
(2008) Three-disc set with 12 episodes that delve deep into the real stories behind 12 of America's most dangerous gangs, $34.95. (A&E Home Video).
The Gray Man
(2007) Patrick Bauchau, Jack Conley, John Aylward. Obsessive manhunt in the 1920s to identify and capture the most monstrous, yet least known serial killer in American history: Albert Fish who, when finally arrested, left behind a trail of murder, mutilation and cannibalism. (Monarch Home Video).
The Hairdresser's Husband
(1990 -- France) Dir.: Patrice Laconte; Jean Rochefort, Anna Galiena, Anne-Marie Pisani. In this acclaimed film from Oscar-nominated writer-director Patrice Leconte ("Ridicule"), legendary French actor Jean Rochefort stars as an older man whose childhood sexual obsession with a local hairdresser leads him one day to the shop of beautiful young Mathilde. What follows is a romance of ultimate sensual devotion, where love will walk the line between physical pleasure and eternal desire. Nominated for seven Cesar Awards in France. Extras: Featurette with director Leconte, featurette with actress Galiena. (Severin Films).
Hallelujah! The Complete Collection
(2008) Dame Thora Hird charms audiences as a feisty Salvation Army captain who refuses to go gently into retirement in this delightful British sitcom. The 15-episode ITV series aired in the U.K. in the mid-1980s and on U.S. television in the 1990s. Two-disc set with 15 episodes, $39.99. (Acorn Media).
The Hit
(1984) Dir.: Stephen Frears; Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim Roth. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director of photography Mike Molloy. Extras: Commentary by Frears, Hurt and Roth; "Parkinson One-to-One: "Terence Stamp," a 1988 television interview with the actor; booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Graham Fuller. (The Criterion Collection).
Hotel for Dogs
(2009) Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Johnny Simmons, Troy Gentile, Robinne Lee. Extras: Commentary by director Thor Freudenthal, producer Ewan "Jack" Leslie and stars Emma Roberts and Jake T. Austin; "A Home For Everyone: The Making of Hotel For Dogs," "That's the Coolest Thing I've Ever Seen!," K-9 casting featurette, "Bark on Cue!" featurette, deleted scenes, photo galleries. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (DreamWorks/Paramount).
In the Realm of the Senses
(1976 -- Japan) Still censored in its own country, "In the Realm of the Senses (Ai no corrida)," by Nagisa Oshima, remains one of the most controversial films of all time. A graphic portrayal of insatiable sexual desire, Oshima's film, set in 1936 and based on a true incident, depicts a man and a woman (Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda) consumed by a transcendent, destructive love while living in an era of ever escalating imperialism and governmental control. Less a work of pornography than of politics, In the Realm of the Senses is a brave, taboo-breaking milestone. New, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras:Commentary by film scholar Tony Rayns; new interview with actor Tatsuya Fuji; 1976 interview with director Nagisa Oshima and actors Fuji and Eiko Matsuda, and a 2003 program featuring interviews with consulting producer Hayao Shibata, line producer, Koji Wakamatsu, assistant director Yoichi Sai, and film distributor Yoko Asakura; deleted footage; U.S. trailer; booklet featuring a new essay by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie and a reprinted interview with Oshima. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Criterion Collection).
Johnny Got His Gun
(1971) Timothy Bottoms, Jason Robards, Donald Sutherland, Kathy Fields, Marsha Hunt, Diane Varsi. Dalton Trumbo's landmark film finally makes its way to DVD in the States. Academy Award-winner Dalton Trumbo was one of Hollywood's most celebrated screenwriters and was one of the blacklisted "Hollywood Ten." After four decades writing such monumental Hollywood films as "Spartacus," "Kitty Foyle," "Exodus," "Roman Holiday" and "The Brave One," Trumbo made his directorial debut on "Johnny Got His Gun," from his own adaptation of his award-winning novel. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the novel's publication, but its pacifist themes and message are as relevant today as ever: A young American soldier, Joe Bonham (Timothy Bottoms), is wounded by a mortar shell on the last day of World War I. He lies in an army hospital bed, a blind, deaf and mute quadruple amputee, searching for meaning with only his memories and fantasies to distract him from the grim reality of his situation.
Extras: "Dalton Trumbo: Rebel In Hollywood" hour-long documentary, interview with Timothy Bottoms, music video for Metallica's "One," rare behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Timothy Bottoms and director of photography Jules Brenner, 1940 radio adaptation of "Johnny Got His Gun" starring James Cagney, "Johnny Got His Gun" feature article from "American Cinematographer" (August 1971), includes replica of the original poster. (Shout! Factory).
The Last Templar
(2009) Mira Sorvino, Scott Foley, Victor Garber, Omar Sharif. Adaptation of Raymond Khoury's novel about a New York archaeologist researching the lost secrets of the medieval Knights Templar. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette, storyboards, photo gallery. (Genius Products).
Legally Blondes
(2009) Becky Rosso, Milly Rosso. Third film in the series follows adventures of Izzy and Annie Woods, twin sisters from England who have inherited the same confidence, charm, perfect hair and fabulous fashion senses as their cousin Elle Woods, and whose move to Los Angeles sets off another round of blonde vs. brunette. Extras: Four featurettes: "Thinking Pink," "Double Trouble," "Fashion Frenzy" and "Pacific Preparatory Yearbook." (MGM).
Little Dorritt
(2009) Tom Courtenay, Matthew Macfadyen, Ruth Jones, Andy Serkis, James Fleet, Freema Agyeman, Claire Foy. PBS/Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of the Dickens classic; four-disc set, $49.98. (Warner).
Looney Tunes Movie Collection: Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
Collection of classic Looney Tunes shorts produced by legendary animator Friz Freleng: "Hare Trimmed," "Devil's Feud Cake," "Roman-Legion Hare," "Sahara Hare," "Wild and Wooly Hare," "The Unmentionables," "Golden Yeggs," "Catty Cornered," "Three Little Bops," "High Diving Hare," "Show Biz Bugs," "Box-Office Bunny," "From Hare to Eternity," "Pullet Surprise," "Birds Anonymous" and "Knighty Knight Bugs." $14.98. (Warner).
Muhammad: The Last Prophet
(2002) First animated feature length film about Islam's Prophet; $19.96. (MPI Home Video).
Nicholas Sparks Film Collection
Four-disc set with four films based on best-selling novels by Sparks: "The Notebook," "Nights in Rodanthe," "Message in a Bottle" and "A Walk to Remember"; $48.82. (Warner).
Nothing But the Truth
(2008) Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Alan Alda, Angela Bassett, David Schwimmer, Noah Wyle, Vera Farmiga. Inspired by true events, Nothing But The Truth follows a Washington, D.C. reporter who writes an explosive story about a government scandal in which she reveals the name of a covert CIA agent. Unexpectedly finding herself behind bars she struggles to maintain her principles and relationship with her family when she refuses to divulge her source. Extras: Commentary by writer-director Rod Lurie, deleted scenes, "The Truth Hurts: The Making of Nothing But the Truth" featurette. (Sony).
Pete Seeger: Live in Australia 1963
(2009) Historic 105-minute concert from the folk icon. Celebrating his 90th birthday this year, singer-songwriter Pete Seeger has been a key figure in folk music since the 1940s and recently performed at the 2009 inaugural concert. This beautifully filmed 1963 Melbourne concert showcases more than 25 beloved songs from one of the most provocative figures in music history. Extras: Pete Seeger singing and discussing the songs of Lead Belly (also features three rare performances by Lead Belly filmed in 1945), interviews and performances on Australian news programs, 16-page booklet featuring liner notes by Seeger biographer David K. Dunaway, rare photographs, home movies and memorabilia. $24.99. (Acorn Media).
The Perfume of Yvonne
(1994 -- France) Dir.: Patrice Leconte; Hippolyte Girardot, Sandra Majani, Jean-Pierre Marielle. Elegiac love story set is the summer of 1958 in wealthy Lake Geneva, where an enigmatic young Frenchman begins an affair with a beautiful starlet under the watchful eye of her flamboyant elderly mentor. Extras: "Leconte on Leconte" featurette. (Severin Films).
The Price of Sugar
(2007) In the Dominican Republic, a tropical island-nation, tourists flock to pristine beaches unaware that a few miles away thousands of dispossessed Haitians have toiled under armed-guard on plantations harvesting sugarcane, much of which ends up in U.S. kitchens. They work grueling hours and frequently lack decent housing, clean water, electricity, education or healthcare. Narrated by Paul Newman, "The Price of Sugar" follows Father Christopher Hartley, a charismatic Spanish priest, as he organizes some of this hemisphere's poorest people to fight for their basic human rights. This film raises key questions about where the products we consume originate and at what human cost they are produced. (New Yorker Video).
Pulling: The Complete First Season
(2006) Six episodes of the BBC/Sundance Channel cult comedy that's a darker side of "Sex and the City"; $24.98. Extras: "Interviews With Cast and Crew If You Liked Pulling," "Interviews With Cast and Crew If You Didn't Like Pulling," deleted scenes, commentary, behind-the-scenes featurette. (MPI Home Video).
Rookies: The Complete Season One
(2008) Two-disc set with 16 episodes, $19.95. (A&E Home Video).
7 Signs of the Apocalypse
History Channel documentary that goes beyond the boundaries between faith and science to explore how the catastrophes foretold in the Bible may be unfolding before our very eyes -- from asteroids, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to red tides, global warming and plagues; $19.95. (A&E Home Video).
Sex & Lies in Sin City
(2008) Mena Suvari, Matthew Modine, Marcia Gay Harden, Johnathon Schaech, Mark Sivertson, Chris Ashworth. Lifetime TV thriller tells the story of reckless casino executive Ted Binion who seemed to have it all: money, power and a beauty queen turned stripper as girlfriend. That all changed when the girlfriend found him dead from an apparent overdose in his Las Vegas home. But when Ted's estranged sister informs police she believes Ted was murdered, a closer investigation reveals Binion's death was no accident.(Sony).
The She-Beast
(2008) Barbara Steele, John Karlsen, Ian Ogilvy. Italian-made horror thriller about a modern-day woman possessed by the spirit of an 18th century witch drowned in a "dunking chair." Extras: Commentary. (Dark Sky Films/MPI Home Video).
The Spectacular Spider-Man: Volume 4
(2008) Four final Season One episodes, No. 10-13; $19.99. (Sony).
Streisand: The Concerts
Three-disc set showcasing some of her most memorable concerts, special exclusives including 17 songs never-before released on DVD and behind-the-scenes moments. Disc No. 1: Fort Lauderdale/October 2006; Disc No. 2: Live at Arrowhead Pond/July 1994; Disc No. 3: Putting It Together: The Making of The Broadway Album plus TV Special bonus tracks; $34.98.
(Live Nation and S2BN Entertainment).
The Templar Code,
In-depth History Channel investigation into the Knights Templar, those fabled guardians of the Holy Grail, just in time for the theatrical release of "The DaVinci Code's" sequel "Angels and Demons." (A&E Home Video).
The Uninvited
(2009) Elizabeth Banks, David Strathairn, Arielle Kebbel, Emily Browning. Extras: "Unlocking The Uninvited," deleted scenes, alternate ending. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Paramount).
The Waltons: The Complete Ninth Season
(1980-81) Three-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98. (Warner).
What Doesn't Kill You
(2008) Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Goodman. Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship. Extras: Commentary, "Makes You Stronger: The Making of What Doesn't Kill You," deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Sony).
While She Was Out
(2008) Kim Basinger, Lukas Haas. A suburban housewife is caught in a nightmare of violence as she is mercilessly stalked by a group of malicious thugs; armed with only a toolbox and the will to survive, she fights for her life to make it through the night. Extras:Commentary by writer-director Susan Montford and producer Don Murphy "Making of While She Was Out" featurette. (Anchor Bay).
Women in the White House
Two-disc set with two History Channel documentaries: "All the Presidents' Wives" and "First Mothers," $29.99. (A&E Home Video).
All listings are based on information from
the home video studios. Some release dates may change and titles may come out
after a specified date (with no announcement from the studio). Additionally,
some titles may be released with little or no advance announcement. And since
all DVDs are priced at sell-through and are available for substantial discounts
at both online and brick-and-mortar stores, we only list suggested retail prices
for some special editions, box sets and collections.
All DVDs are screened on a reference system consisting of a
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player w/SACD & DVD-Audio, a
Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center),
and 50 (rear) speakers and Power 10 subwoofer.
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