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February 4
City of Angels
(1998) Nicolas Cage, Meg Ryan, Andre Braugher, Dennis Franz, Colm Feore. (Warner).
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
(1958) Ingrid Bergman, Curd Jurgens, Robert Donat. Extras: Commentary with Nick Redman, Aubrey Solomon and Donald Spoto; "Fox Movietone News: The Inn of the Sixth Happiness Rapturous and World Premiere." (Fox).
Jules and Jim
(1962) Hailed as one of the finest films ever made, "Jules and Jim" charts, over 25 years, the relationship between two friends and the object of their mutual obsession. The legendary Francois Truffaut directs, and Jeanne Moreau stars as the alluring and willful Catherine, whose enigmatic smile and passionate nature lure Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre) into one of cinema's most captivating romantic triangles. An exuberant and poignant meditation on freedom, loyalty, and the fortitude of love, "Jules and Jim" was a worldwide smash in 1962 and remains every bit as audacious and entrancing today. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: Two audio commentaries: one featuring screenwriter Jean Gruault, Francois Truffaut collaborator Suzanne Schiffman, editor Claudine Bouché, and film scholar Annette Insdorf, the other featuring actor Jeanne Moreau and Truffaut biographer Serge Toubiana;
excerpts from "The Key to Jules and Jim" (1985), a documentary about author Henri-Pierre Roche and the real-life relationships that inspired the novel and film; interviews with Truffaut, Gruault, and cinematographer Raoul Coutard; conversation between scholars Robert Stam and Dudley Andrew; excerpt from a 1965 episode of the French television program "Cineastes de notre temps" dedicated to Truffaut; segment from a 1969 episode of the French television program "L'invité du dimanche" featuring Truffaut, Moreau, and filmmaker Jean Renoir; excerpts from Truffaut's first appearance on American television, a 1977 interview with New York Film Festival director Richard Roud; excerpts from a 1979 American Film Institute seminar given by Truffaut; audio interview with Truffaut from 1980, conducted by film scholar Claude-Jean Philippe; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by critic John Powers, a 1981 piece by Truffaut on Roche, and script notes by Truffaut. (The Criterion Collection).
Night of the Demons Collector's Edition
(1988) William Gallo, Hal Havins, Mimi Kinkade, Cathy Podewell, Linnea Quigley. Halloween party-goers at a deserted funeral home awaken something evil when they decide to have a seance. In a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Extras: New commentary with director Kevin Tenney and actors Cathy Podewell, Hal Havins, Billy Gallo and FX artist Steve Johnson; new interviews with cast and crew including director Tenney, writer-producer Joe Augustyn and actress Linnea Quigley; audio commentary with director Tenney, executive producer Walter Josten and producer Jeff Geoffray; promo reel; video trailer; theatrical trailer; TV and radio spots; still galleries; more. (Shout! Factory/Scream Factory).
Two Weeks Notice
(2002) Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant. (Warner).
Witchboard
(1986) Todd Allen, Tawny Kitaen, Stephen Nichols, Kathleen Wilhoite, Burke Byrnes, J.P. Luebsen, James Quinn, Rose Marie. A Ouija Board brings forth the spirit of a dead 10-year-old boy who develops a sudden taste for violent murder and demonic possession. In a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Extras: New audio commentary with writer-director Kevin Tenney and actors Stephen Nichols, James W. Quinn and Kathleen Wilhoite; new interviews with cast and crew including writer-director Tenny, actors Tawny Kitaen, J.P. Luebsen and James Quinn; audio commentary with writer-director Tenney, executive producer Walter Josten and producer Jeff Geoffray; "The Making of Witchboard"; stills gallery; theatrical trailer; TV spots; more. (Shout! Factory/Scream Factory).
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February 11
Festival Express
(2003) In the summer of 1970, some of the era's biggest rock stars took to the rails for Festival Express, a multi-artist, multi-day, multi-city concert tour that captured the spirit and imagination of a generation. What made it unique was that it was portable; for five days, the bands and performers lived, slept, rehearsed and let loose aboard a customized train that traveled from Toronto, to Winnipeg, to Calgary, with each stop culminating in a mega-concert.
"Festival Express" captures some of rock's most iconic artists in an extraordinary setting, during an incredible time in music history. These were some of Janis Joplin's final performances, as she would tragically die just three months later. The Band were at the height of their time together, and the Grateful Dead were in the midst of releasing future classics "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty." Also on board were the Buddy Guy Blues Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Ian & Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird, Mashmakhan and Sha Na Na. Also available in a two-DVD set. Extras: "Derailed -- The making of Festival Express," additional and extended interviews, theatrical trailer more. (Shout! Factory).
Masquerade
(2012 -- South Korea) Byung-hun Lee. Political intrigue, betrayal, peril and forbidden romance play out in this critically acclaimed drama set in the royal palace of Korea's ancient Joseon
Dynasty. Amid national chaos and a fear for his life, tyrannical King Gwanghae orders his trusted counselor to find a royal body double; he recruits a crude, working-class peasant, a village performer who bears a startling resemblance to the ruler. When the king falls into a coma from poisoning, the double takes the throne and follows his heart -- no matter what the price -- to save his country from collapse and its oppressed people from despair. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Lighting and Cinematography" and "Production Design" featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers. (CJ Entertainment).
February 18
Fantastic Mr. Fox
(2009) "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is the story of a clever, quick, nimble, and exceptionally well-dressed wild animal. A compulsive chicken thief turned newspaper reporter, Mr. Fox settles down with his family at a new foxhole in a beautiful tree directly adjacent to three enormous poultry farms -- owned by three ferociously vicious farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Mr. Fox simply cannot resist. This adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's novel from Wes Anderson is a meticulous work of stop-motion animation featuring vibrant performances by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon and Bill Murray. New digital master, approved by director Wes Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: Audio commentary featuring Anderson; storyboard animatics for the entire film; footage of the actors voicing their characters, puppet construction, stop-motion setups, and the recording of the score; interviews with cast and crew; puppet animation tests; photo gallery of puppets, props, and sets; animated awards acceptance speeches; audio recording of author Roald Dahl reading the book on which the film is based; gallery of Dahl's original manuscripts; discussion and analysis of the film; stop-motion Sony robot commercial by Anderson; a booklet featuring a new essay, a 2002 article on Dahl's Gipsy House by Anderson, "White Cape," a comic book used as a prop in the film, and drawings, original paintings, and other ephemera. (The Criterion Collection).
Foreign Correspondent
(1940) In 1940, Alfred Hitchcock made his official transition from the British film industry to Hollywood. And it was quite a year: his first two American movies, "Rebecca" and "Foreign Correspondent," were both nominated for the best picture Oscar. Though "Rebecca" prevailed, "Foreign Correspondent" is the more quintessential Hitch film. A full-throttle espionage thriller, starring Joel McCrea as a green Yank reporter sent to Europe to get the scoop on the imminent war, it's wall-to-wall witty repartee, head-spinning plot twists, and brilliantly mounted suspense set pieces, including an ocean plane crash climax with astonishing special effects. "Foreign Correspondent" deserves to be mentioned alongside "The 39 Steps" and "North by Northwest" as one of the master's greatest adventures. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New piece on the visual effects in the film with effects expert Craig Barron; "Hollywood Propaganda and World War II," a new interview with writer Mark Harris; interview with Hitchcock from a 1972 episode of "The Dick Cavett Show"; radio adaptation of the film from 1946, starring Joseph Cotten; "Have You Heard? The Story of Wartime Rumors," a 1942 Life magazine "photo-drama" by Hitchcock; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film scholar James Naremore. (The Criterion Collection).
The Jungle Book
(1967) Voices of Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Bruce Reitherman, George Sanders, Sterling Halloway, J. Pat O'Malley, Louis Prima. Extras: Introductions by Diane Disney Miller and Richard M. Sherman; alternate ending: Mowgli and the hunter; "@DisneyAnimation: Sparking Creativity"; "Music, Memories & Mowgli: A Conversation with Richard M. Sherman, Diane Disney Miller and Floyd Norman"; "Disney Intermission -- Bear-E-Oke Hosted by Baloo"; Bear-E-Oke sing-a-long; "I Wanna Be Like You - Hangin'’ Out At Disney's Animal Kingdom." Formats: Blu-Ray/DVD Combo, DVD, Digital. (Disney).
February 25
King of the Hill
(1993) For his first Hollywood studio production, Steven Soderbergh (whose independent debut, "sex, lies, and videotape," had won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival a few years earlier) crafted this small jewel of a growing-up story. Set in St. Louis during the Depression, "King of the Hill" follows the daily struggles of a resourceful and imaginative adolescent (Jesse Bradford) who, after his tubercular mother is sent to a sanatorium, must survive on his own in a run-down hotel during his salesman father's long business trips. This evocative period piece, faithfully adapted from the memoir by the novelist A. E. Hotchner, is among the ever versatile Soderbergh's most touching and surprising films. New high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Soderbergh and supervising sound editor and rerecording mixer Larry Blake, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New interviews with Soderbergh and A. E. Hotchner, author of the memoir on which the film is based; "Against Tyranny," a new video essay by ::kogonada in which he explores Soderbergh's unique approach to character subjectivity; "The Underneath" (1995), Soderbergh's follow-up feature to "King of the Hill," with an interview with the director; trailers; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter Tonguette, a 1993 interview with Soderbergh, and an excerpt from Hotchner’s 1972 memoir. (The Criterion Collection).
Tess
(1979) This multiple-Oscar-winning film by Roman Polanski is an exquisite, richly layered adaptation of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles." A strong-willed peasant girl (Nastassja Kinski, in a gorgeous breakthrough) is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumor that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge, which Polanski unfolds with deliberation and finesse. With its earthy visual textures, achieved by two world-class cinematographers -- Geoffrey Unsworth and Ghislain Cloquet -- "Tess" is a work of great pastoral beauty as well as vivid storytelling. New 4K digital restoration, supervised by Polanski, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: "Once Upon a Time ... Tess," a 2006 documentary on the film; three programs on the making of the film: "From Novel to Screen," "Filming Tess" and "Tess: The Experience" -- featuring interviews with Polanski, actors Kinski and Leigh Lawson, producer Claude Berri, costume designer Anthony Powell, composer Philippe Sarde, and others; interview with Polanski from a 1979 episode of "The South Bank Show"; 45-minute documentary shot on location for French television during the making of the film; trailer; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Colin MacCabe. (The Criterion Collection).
The 300 Spartans
(1962) Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, Diane Baker. Extras: Original theatrical trailer, TV Spots. (Fox).
This Month's BR
(1962) Hailed as one of the finest films ever made, "Jules and Jim" charts, over 25 years, the relationship between two friends and the object of their mutual obsession. The legendary Francois Truffaut directs, and Jeanne Moreau stars as the alluring and willful Catherine, whose enigmatic smile and passionate nature lure Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre) into one of cinema's most captivating romantic triangles. An exuberant and poignant meditation on freedom, loyalty, and the fortitude of love, "Jules and Jim" was a worldwide smash in 1962 and remains every bit as audacious and entrancing today. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: Two audio commentaries: one featuring screenwriter Jean Gruault, Francois Truffaut collaborator Suzanne Schiffman, editor Claudine Bouché, and film scholar Annette Insdorf, the other featuring actor Jeanne Moreau and Truffaut biographer Serge Toubiana;
excerpts from "The Key to Jules and Jim" (1985), a documentary about author Henri-Pierre Roche and the real-life relationships that inspired the novel and film; interviews with Truffaut, Gruault, and cinematographer Raoul Coutard; conversation between scholars Robert Stam and Dudley Andrew; excerpt from a 1965 episode of the French television program "Cineastes de notre temps" dedicated to Truffaut; segment from a 1969 episode of the French television program "L'invité du dimanche" featuring Truffaut, Moreau, and filmmaker Jean Renoir; excerpts from Truffaut's first appearance on American television, a 1977 interview with New York Film Festival director Richard Roud; excerpts from a 1979 American Film Institute seminar given by Truffaut; audio interview with Truffaut from 1980, conducted by film scholar Claude-Jean Philippe; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by critic John Powers, a 1981 piece by Truffaut on Roche, and script notes by Truffaut. (The Criterion Collection).
Dynasty. Amid national chaos and a fear for his life, tyrannical King Gwanghae orders his trusted counselor to find a royal body double; he recruits a crude, working-class peasant, a village performer who bears a startling resemblance to the ruler. When the king falls into a coma from poisoning, the double takes the throne and follows his heart -- no matter what the price -- to save his country from collapse and its oppressed people from despair. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Lighting and Cinematography" and "Production Design" featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers. (CJ Entertainment).
(2009) "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is the story of a clever, quick, nimble, and exceptionally well-dressed wild animal. A compulsive chicken thief turned newspaper reporter, Mr. Fox settles down with his family at a new foxhole in a beautiful tree directly adjacent to three enormous poultry farms -- owned by three ferociously vicious farmers: Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Mr. Fox simply cannot resist. This adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's novel from Wes Anderson is a meticulous work of stop-motion animation featuring vibrant performances by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon and Bill Murray. New digital master, approved by director Wes Anderson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: Audio commentary featuring Anderson; storyboard animatics for the entire film; footage of the actors voicing their characters, puppet construction, stop-motion setups, and the recording of the score; interviews with cast and crew; puppet animation tests; photo gallery of puppets, props, and sets; animated awards acceptance speeches; audio recording of author Roald Dahl reading the book on which the film is based; gallery of Dahl's original manuscripts; discussion and analysis of the film; stop-motion Sony robot commercial by Anderson; a booklet featuring a new essay, a 2002 article on Dahl's Gipsy House by Anderson, "White Cape," a comic book used as a prop in the film, and drawings, original paintings, and other ephemera. (The Criterion Collection).
(1940) In 1940, Alfred Hitchcock made his official transition from the British film industry to Hollywood. And it was quite a year: his first two American movies, "Rebecca" and "Foreign Correspondent," were both nominated for the best picture Oscar. Though "Rebecca" prevailed, "Foreign Correspondent" is the more quintessential Hitch film. A full-throttle espionage thriller, starring Joel McCrea as a green Yank reporter sent to Europe to get the scoop on the imminent war, it's wall-to-wall witty repartee, head-spinning plot twists, and brilliantly mounted suspense set pieces, including an ocean plane crash climax with astonishing special effects. "Foreign Correspondent" deserves to be mentioned alongside "The 39 Steps" and "North by Northwest" as one of the master's greatest adventures. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New piece on the visual effects in the film with effects expert Craig Barron; "Hollywood Propaganda and World War II," a new interview with writer Mark Harris; interview with Hitchcock from a 1972 episode of "The Dick Cavett Show"; radio adaptation of the film from 1946, starring Joseph Cotten; "Have You Heard? The Story of Wartime Rumors," a 1942 Life magazine "photo-drama" by Hitchcock; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film scholar James Naremore. (The Criterion Collection).
(1993) For his first Hollywood studio production, Steven Soderbergh (whose independent debut, "sex, lies, and videotape," had won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival a few years earlier) crafted this small jewel of a growing-up story. Set in St. Louis during the Depression, "King of the Hill" follows the daily struggles of a resourceful and imaginative adolescent (Jesse Bradford) who, after his tubercular mother is sent to a sanatorium, must survive on his own in a run-down hotel during his salesman father's long business trips. This evocative period piece, faithfully adapted from the memoir by the novelist A. E. Hotchner, is among the ever versatile Soderbergh's most touching and surprising films. New high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Soderbergh and supervising sound editor and rerecording mixer Larry Blake, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New interviews with Soderbergh and A. E. Hotchner, author of the memoir on which the film is based; "Against Tyranny," a new video essay by ::kogonada in which he explores Soderbergh's unique approach to character subjectivity; "The Underneath" (1995), Soderbergh's follow-up feature to "King of the Hill," with an interview with the director; trailers; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter Tonguette, a 1993 interview with Soderbergh, and an excerpt from Hotchner’s 1972 memoir. (The Criterion Collection).
(1979) This multiple-Oscar-winning film by Roman Polanski is an exquisite, richly layered adaptation of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles." A strong-willed peasant girl (Nastassja Kinski, in a gorgeous breakthrough) is sent by her father to the estate of some local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumor that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit commences an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge, which Polanski unfolds with deliberation and finesse. With its earthy visual textures, achieved by two world-class cinematographers -- Geoffrey Unsworth and Ghislain Cloquet -- "Tess" is a work of great pastoral beauty as well as vivid storytelling. New 4K digital restoration, supervised by Polanski, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master audio soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: "Once Upon a Time ... Tess," a 2006 documentary on the film; three programs on the making of the film: "From Novel to Screen," "Filming Tess" and "Tess: The Experience" -- featuring interviews with Polanski, actors Kinski and Leigh Lawson, producer Claude Berri, costume designer Anthony Powell, composer Philippe Sarde, and others; interview with Polanski from a 1979 episode of "The South Bank Show"; 45-minute documentary shot on location for French television during the making of the film; trailer; a booklet featuring an essay by critic Colin MacCabe. (The Criterion Collection).
