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More DVD News: June 2011

This Week's Releases (June 28)
From the Big Screen:

"Barney's Version," "Sucker Punch," "Beastly," "Season of the Witch" and "The Warrior's Way." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."

DVD Collectibles (6/28):

There's three fabulous releases this week from the folks at The Criterion Collection: Louis Malle meets Lewis Carroll in "Black Moon" (1975)a bizarre and bewitching trip down the rabbit hole. After skirting the horrors of an unidentified war being waged in an anonymous countryside, a beautiful young woman (Cathryn Harrison) takes refuge in a remote farmhouse, where she becomes embroiled in the surreal domestic Odyssey of a mysterious family. photo Evocatively shot by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, "Black Moon" is a Freudian tale of adolescent sexuality set in a postapocalyptic world of shifting identities and talking animals. It is one of Malle's most experimental films and a cinematic daydream like no other. In a new high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition ... "People on Sunday" (Menschen am Sonntag) (1930) represents an astonishing confluence of talent -- an early collaboration by a group of German filmmakers who would all go on to become major Hollywood players, including eventual noir masters Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer and future Oscar winners Billy Wilder and Fred Zinneman. This effervescent, sunlit silent film, about a handful of city dwellers enjoying a weekend outing (a charming cast of nonprofessionals), photo offers a rare glimpse of Weimar-era Berlin. A unique hybrid of documentary and fictional storytelling, "People on Sunday" was both an experiment and a mainstream hit that would influence generations of film artists around the world. In a new high-definition digital restoration, created in collaboration with the Filmmuseum Amsterdam ... In "Zazie Dans le Metro" (1960), a brash and precocious 11-year-old (Catherine Demongeot) comes to Paris for a whirlwind weekend with her rakish uncle (Philippe Noiret); he and the viewer get more than they bargained for in this anarchic comedy from Louis Malle, which treats the City of Light as though it were a pleasure island just waiting to be destroyed. Based on a popular novel by Raymond Queneau that had been considered unadaptable, Malle's audacious hit is a bit of stream-of-conscious slapstick, wall-to-wall with visual gags, editing tricks and effects, and made with flair on the cusp of the French New Wave. In a new high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.

From TV to Video (6/28):

"Billy the Exterminator: The Complete Season Three" (2010) is a three-disc set with 17 episodes, $19.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Dog The Bounty Hunter: This Family Means Business" is a single-disc special collection of adrenaline-fueled episodes to celebrate the series 200th episode, $19.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Law & Order: Criminal Intent -- The Sixth Year" (2006-07) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, from Universal ... "Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.99 from Warner ... "Warehouse 13: Season Two" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.98 from Universal.

Buzzin' the 'B's (6/28):

While blood and carnage rage on the surface during World War I, a deadly game of cat-and-mouse is being played out thirty meters below the trenches as a small, secret platoon of Australian "tunnellers" prepare to ignite the largest stockpile of explosives ever collected in one place to change the course of the War in "Beneath Hill 60" (2010 -- Australia), starring Brendan Cowell, Harrison Gilbertson, Steve Le Marquand, Gyton Grantley. From Entertainment One ... photo In "The Perfect Man" (2011), starring Malika Blessing, Maya Gilbert, Christian Keyes, Jazsmin Lewis and Elise Neal, a group of close-knit girlfriends stumble upon a book that each believes will help her to recreate her boyfriend into the "perfect man." From Entertainment One ... In "Wild Cherry" (2009), starring Rumer Willis, Tania Raymonde and Kristin Cavallari, three high school seniors are shocked to discover their names in a legendary book that pairs the school's virgins with football players. Outraged, the girls form a pact to maintain their virginity and get even with the boys. From Image Entertainment ... A calm office worker whose father ran illegal experiments on human guinea pigs transforms into living metal when his anger becomes unbearable after his only son is killed in a car accident in "Tetsuo: The Bullet Man" (2009 -- Japan), starring Eric Bossick, Akiko Mono, Yuko Nakamura, Stephen Sarrazin, Tiger Charlie Gerhardt. From IFC Entertainment ... In "Bloodworth" (2010), starring Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer, Hilary Duff, Reece Thompson, Dwight Yoakam and Frances Conroy, a wanderer returns home to Tennessee after 20 years to find the wife he walked out on withered and faded and his three sons grown and angry. Only the old man's grandson treats him with the respect his age commands, and sees past all the hatred to realize the way it can poison a man's soul. From Sony.

On the Indie Front: (6/28)

An American couple and a foreign couple test the limits of friendship and love when they switch partners and get married for green cards in the flirty romantic comedy "Immigration Tango" (2010), starring Elika Portnoy, McCaleb Burnett, Carlos Leon, Ashley Wolfe, Avery Sommers, Beth Glover and Steve DuMouchel. From Lionsgate ... In "Lebanon, Pa." (2010), starring Josh Hopkins, Samantha Mathis, Mary Beth Hurt and Rachel Kitson, a young man leaves Philadelphia to bury his recently deceased father in small-town Lebanon and forms an unexpected friendship with his bright, newly pregnant 17-year-old cousin. photo As he becomes interested in her married teacher and his cousin confronts her conflicted father, they struggle with decisions about the future paths their lives will take. From Monarch Home Video ... "3 Backyards" (2010), starring Embeth Davidtz, Edie Falco, Elias Koteas, Rachel Resheff and Kathryn Erbe, is the story of three residents of the same town over the course of one seemingly perfect autumn day. The film looks past familiar suburban exteriors and instead peers deeply into the private lives of its characters as they embark on tiny, personal journeys that eventually carry them vast distances from everything that is familiar. From Screen Media ... Deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where every man owns a gun and a moonshine still, abides living legend Jesco White, "the dancing outlaw." As a boy Jesco was in and out of reform school and the insane asylum, so to keep him out of trouble his daddy D-Ray taught him the art of mountain dancing, a frenzied version of tap dancing to wild country banjo music. After his father's death, crazy Jesco dons his father's tap shoes and takes his show on the road in "White Lightnin'" (2009), starring Edward Hogg, Carrie Fisher. From IFC Entertainment.

Foreign: (6/28)

Two interesting films from Scandinavia this week: "Deliver Us From Evil" (2009 -- Denmark) Lasse Rimmer, Mogens Pedersen, Jens Andersen, Bojan Navojec. Lars and Johannes are brothers with very little in common. Johannes is a high-powered lawyer with a beautiful wife and two children; Lars is a truck driver and a drunken brute who beats his girlfriend. Having returned to his hometown in the country, Johannes hopes for a less hectic, more genuine lifestyle. photo But trouble is underfoot when Lars runs over a woman in a moment of inattention and he sees only one way out: put the blame on the Bosnian refugee Alain, whose post-traumatic stress has impaired his mental functions. But when Lars, the God-fearing husband of the victim, and their friends close in on the Bosnian, Johannes stands up for the hard-working man and brings him home with him. Undeterred, the violent, drunken horde makes their way to Johannes' secluded house, in which Johannes, his wife, his children and Alain all fear for their lives. And when words no longer suffice to contain the madness, an unfathomable series of events unwinds. An award-winning film by Ole Bornedal, director of "Nightwatch." From Entertainment One ... "Max Manus: Man of War" (2008 -- Norway) Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken, Christian Rubeck. Recounts the true saga of young Norwegian soldier Max Manus, a pioneer of Norway's resistance movement and one of the most brilliant saboteurs of World War II, whose aggressive sinking and damaging of German ships of war has become legend. From Music Box Films.

For the Family (6/28):

"Good Night Gorilla ... and More Wacky Animal Adventures" (2011) is a three-disc set that includes the wacky animal adventure "Good Night Gorilla," the classic family favorite "Danny and the Dinosaur," the hilarious tale of "The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash" and a baker's dozen more stories, $24.95 from Scholastic Storybook Treasures ... "I'm Dirty! & I Stink!: The Kate And Jim Mcmullan Collection" (2011) is a two-disc set that includes the two title stories by best-selling authors Kate and Jim McMullan, plus 10 more terrific tales about trucks and trash and boats and bikes; $19.95 from Scholastic Storybook Treasures ... Five charming children's tales about a sheep and his animal pals offer life lessons designed for little ones in "Timmy Time: Picture Day" (2011). created by Academy Award winning animator Nick Park ("Wallace & Gromit," "Shaun the Sheep"), $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate.

Special Interest (6/28):

"Erasing David" (2010) is a first-person documentary about a law-abiding man who discovers he is being watched all the time. How much do the government and private corporations know about you? How much can they find out? photo In order to discover how much privacy he has left, British actor-filmmaker David Bond sets out to disappear from his own life by hopping around random European locations in the U.K. and the continent. Leaving behind his pregnant wife, Katie, and their young daughter, as well as the conveniences of modern life, Bond tries to go completely underground. But with a pair of topnotch private detectives (that he hired) on his trail using all the information that the surveillance society has made available, Bond finds his task far trickier than he imagined. He learns, among other disturbing things, that every phone call he has made, every bill he has paid and every website he has visited provide vital information to someone determined to find him. $24.98 from FilmBuff/MPI Media Group ... "Ancient Aliens: The Complete Season Two" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Michael Flatley: Lord of the Dance" (2010) was filmed at sold-out shows in Dublin and London in late 2010. The film was shot in full stereoscopic 3D on 40 state-of-the-art cameras, and stars, for the first time since 1998, the show's creator and Irish dance legend, Michael Flatley. Having toured with multiple troupes every year since 1996, including a performance at the Oscars and recurring residencies in Las Vegas, Lord of the Dance has been seen so far by more than 13 million people worldwide. From Entertainment One. ... And due July 4 is "Gettysburg/Gods and Generals Limited Collector's Edition," photo a numbered limited edition giftset commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Includes extended cut of "Gods and Generals" (2003), "Gettysburg Director's Cut" (1993), commentaries, documentaries, more. Set includes a 24" x 36" two-sided Civil War map, a 40-page Civil War artifact photo book, commemorative coin, 32-page extract from Time's "The Civil War" book. Six-disc DVD: $69.92, Blu-ray Disc: $84.99. From Warner.

Jurassic Park Blu-ray Trilogy Due Oct. 25

(June 27) The last four months of this year will be a bellwether time for Blu-ray aficionados. First we got the May announcement from Fox that all six Star Wars films would be released in Blu-ray on September 16; photo next came word from Disney that "The Lion King" was growling its way to Blu-ray on Oct. 4. In between were announcements about "The Big Lebowski" (August 16), "Dumbo" (Sept. 20) and "Citizen Kane 70th Anniversary Edition" (September 13). Now Universal has announced another holy grail of Blu-ray: All three "Jurassic Park" films will debut as a trilogy set on Blu-ray Oct. 25. Steven Spielberg's award-winning cinematic franchise, based on the best-selling book by Michael Crichton, generated nearly $2 billion combined at the worldwide box office and featured groundbreaking visual effects that helped change the art of movie-making. Now, all three epic films have been digitally restored and re-mastered, with John Williams' soundtracks in 7.1 surround sound. Arriving in stores just in time for holiday gift giving, the three-movie set features hours of bonus features, including an all-new, six-part documentary and digital copies of all three films. "The Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy" is also available on DVD, as well as in a spectacular Limited Edition Blu-ray Trilogy Gift Set, which includes a custom T-rex dinosaur statue. Check out the full press release here.

From the Big Screen This Week:

June 21-27: "The Adjustment Bureau," "Ceremony," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules," "The Eagle," "Elektra Luxx" and "Unknown." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."

DVD Collectibles: (6/21)

photo One of the greatest -- and definitely quirkiest -- film noirs of all time comes to home video this week courtesy of The Criterion Collection: "Kiss Me Deadly" (1955). In this atomic adaptation of Mickey Spillane's novel, directed by Robert Aldrich, the good manners of the 1950s are blown to smithereens. Ralph Meeker stars as snarling private dick Mike Hammer, whose decision one dark, lonely night to pick up a hitchhiking woman sends him down some terrifying byways. Brazen and bleak, "Kiss Me Deadly" is a film noir masterpiece as well as an essential piece of cold war paranoia, and it features as nervy an ending as has ever been seen in American cinema. New high-definition restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. Extras: Commentary by film noir specialists Alain Silver and James Ursini; new video tribute from director Alex Cox; excerpts from "The Long Haul of A. I. Bezzerides," a 2005 documentary on the "Kiss Me Deadly" screenwriter; excerpts from "Mike Hammer's Mickey Spillane," a 1998 documentary on the author whose book inspired the film; a look at the film's locations; altered ending; booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and a 1955 reprint by director Robert Aldrich. Also available on Blu-ray Disc.

photo "Anti-Nazi Classics: Four Films About Nazi Germany" is a four-disc set of classic films from the DEFA Collection, the legendary East German Studio: "The Murderers Are Among Us" (1946): Using a film noir style infused with expressionism and a documentary-like point of view, this feature, the first produced in post-war Germany, follows a man and a woman returning to war-torn Berlin; "I Was Nineteen" (1968): This gritty, realistic film, based on director Konrad Wolf's actual experiences, follows a young Soviet soldier of German descent who returns to his homeland as part of the victorious Soviet Army; "The Gleiwitz Case" (1961): To justify invading Poland, the Nazi high command hatches a secret plan: six Polish men from an SS training camp are sent on a special mission to the town of Gleiwitz, to fake a Polish raid on Germany; "Naked Among Wolves" (1963): Starring Oscar Nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl and based on true events related by Buchenwald survivor Bruno Apitz, this was the first German film about life and death in a concentration camp. From First Run Features.


From TV to Video: (6/21)

"The Best of I Love Lucy" includes 14 of the funniest and most recognizable episodes, $19.99 from CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount ... "Big Time Rush: Season photo One, Volume Two" (2010) is a two-disc set with the last seven episodes of the season, $19.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "The Closer: The Complete Sixth Season (2010-11) is a three-disc set with 15 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Louie Season 1" (2010) is a DVD/Blu-ray combo with 13 episodes, $39.99 from Fox ... "Marple: The Pale Horse" (2011) is ITV Studios' new adaptation that finds Julia McKenzie ("Cranford") as the beloved spinster sleuth taking on a spooky murder case at an inn run by three modern-day witches; premieres on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! on July 10; two-disc set, $29.99 from Acorn Media ... "Medium: The Final Season" (2010-11) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $42.99 from CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount ... In "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gunslinger" the 1956 low-budget Western gets the MST3000 treatment, and in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Hamlet," the 1961 German TV movie starring Maximilian Schell gets the treatment; both from Shout! Factory.

Buzzin' the 'B's: (6/21)

Pregnant porn goddess Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino) quits the industry, takes a job as a "sexology" instructor at a community college and looks forward to a new life -- except for the problems caused by an obsessed Web streamer, a studly private investigator, a clothing -challenged neighbor, a criminal twin sister and even the Virgin Mary in the barely watchable "Elektra Luxx" (2010), starring Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Malin Akerman, Adrianne Palicki and Emmanuelle Chriqui; from Sony ... photo The first passenger plane under the complete control of a state-of-the-art computer gets compromised by a virus, and the inventor must regain control and reprogram the computer by boarding the plane in mid-flight in "Turbulent Skies" (2010), starring Casper Van Dien, Patrick Muldoon, Brad Dourif and Nicole Eggert; from Anchor Bay ... In order to afford their dream house, newlyweds Jen and Mitch McKenzie ask their best friend Danny to move in with them, and the plan works beautifully until Danny brings home Blair, a stunning temptress who decides she likes what the young couple has and never wants to leave in "Playing House" (2010), starring Mayra Leal, Sarah Prikryl, Craig Welbacher and Matt Lusk; from Maya Entertainment ... In "Bending All the Rules" (2002), starring Colleen Porch, David Gail and Bradley Cooper, a serial dater, who always puts her love life behind her career, finally lands her lifetime dream -- her own photography exhibition -- but things get complicated when she finds herself being romantically pursued by two men; from Lionsgate ... "You Got Served: Beat the World" (2011) is set within the high-energy world of hip-hop dance competition, where three crews put their futures on the line battling their way to the finals at the International Beat the World competition in Detroit; from Sony ... It's a python vs. genetically enlarged alligators in the Everglades in the Syfy Channel thriller "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid" (2011), starring Debbie Gibson and Tiffany; from Image Entertainment.

From Shout! Factory comes two great sets: "Roger Corman's Cult Classics: The Women in Cages Collection": "The Bird Cage" (1972) Inside the hellish women's prison called The Big Bird Cage, inmates get a chance to escape when scheming revolutionary Pam Grier engineers a prison break ... from the outside in. Directed by Jack Hill. "Big Doll House" (1971) Pam Grier joins a group of sexy, young female prisoners in their struggle against a sadistic warden. photoDirected by Jack Hill. "Women in Cages" (1971) An innocent woman is framed by her drug-dealing boyfriend and ends up in a tough prison in the Philippines jungle, where she must face off against the sadistic warden, Alabama (Pam Grier), who takes great pleasure in alternately seducing and torturing her prisoners. All three films are in new anamorphic widescreen film transfers. "The Wild West Collection" features two memorable classic films starring football great Jim Brown: "Rio Conchos" (1964), in which a group miscreants head to Mexico after a megalomaniacal ex-Confederate soldier selling guns to the Apaches; stars Edmond O'Brien, Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Tony Franciosa and Edmond O'Brien. "Take a Hard Ride" (1975), about a tough-as-nails trail boss (Jim Brown), a smooth gambler (Fred Williamson), a ruthless bounty hunter (Lee Van Cleef), a mute martial arts master (Jim Kelly), a desperate prostitute (Catherine Spaak) and hundreds of greed-crazed gunmen in a chase to the Mexican border for a fortune in gold ... The folks at MVD Entertainment are now distributing Curb Entertainment films, and the first three titles are: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (1999), starring Anthony Edwards and Charles Dance in a comedy about a man who hypnotizes the woman he loves to fall for him but she ends up fixating on the wrong man; "Family" (2006), starring Renee Humphrey, Boyd Kestner and Tanner Richie, about a small-time crook on the run who takes a ride with a father and his 10-year-old son, a ride that puts her into jeopardy; and "Just Write" (1997), starring Jeremy Piven and Sherilyn Fenn about a tour bus driver who convinces a beautiful starlet that he's an important screenwriter, then has to live the lie.

On the Indie Front: (6/21)

In "happythankyoumoreplease" (2010), starring Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman and Kate Mara, a group of twentysomething New Yorkers struggle to figure out themselves, their lives and their loves; from Anchor Bay.

Foreign: (6/21)

In "Bedways" (2010 -- Germany), starring Miriam Mayet, Lana Cooper, Matthias Faust, Laura Tonke, Arno Frisch and Moritz Ross, director Nina Bader wants to shoot a film about love and sex and invites her actor-friends Hans and Marie for screen tests for a couple of days. For Nina love is not necessarily a matter of emotion -- she is instead looking for an authentic depiction of sex. The intimate collaboration turns into experiments with film, love and bodies and finally has an impact on the private relationships between the three of them as the boundaries between acting and reality begin to disappear. From Strand Releasing.

For the Family: (6/21)

Finally: We're getting "Rocko's Modern Life: Season One" (1993), a two-disc set with 13 episodes of the wacky Australian wallaby and his pals, $19.93. A favorite with viewers and critics alike, "Rocko's Modern Life" debuted in 1993 and, over the course of its four-season run on Nickelodeon, garnered a Daytime Emmy Award and an Environmental Media photo Award. Brimming with anthropomorphic social satire and offbeat humor, "Rocko's Modern Life" follows the misadventures of an Australian wallaby named Rocko, who encounters various dilemmas and situations regarding otherwise mundane aspects of life. His best friend, Heffer, is a fat and enthusiastic cow, while his other friend, Filburt, is an easily upset turtle who often feels uncomfortable or disturbed. Ed Bighead lives next door to Rocko and detests him. These folks live in a bizarre district known as O-Town, and most of the episodes revolve around Rocko trying to cope with the absurdities and dilemmas he encounters in life. From Shout! Factory ... There's two collections this week of Nickelodeon favorites: "Nickelodeon Favorites: Summer Vacation" (2011), with six summer-themed episodes from six pre-schooler favorite shows: "Dora the Explorer: Baby Crab," "Go, Diego, Go!: Panchita the Prairie Dog," "The Wonder Pets!: Save the Hermit Crab!/Save the Dolphin," "Blue's Clues: Blue's Big Car Trip," "Yo Gabba Gabba!: Summer" and "Ni Hao, Kai-lan: The Hula Duck Dance Party." $16.99; and "Nickelodeon Favorites: Big Box of Play Dates, Vol. 2," a three-disc set with "We Love Our Friends," "Sisters and Brothers" and "Summer Vacation" DVDs. Seven hours of entertainment with episodes featuring Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! The Wonder Pets! Blue's Clues and Yo Gabba. $36.99; both from Nickelodeon/Paramount.

Special Interest: (6/21)

"Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders" (2009) is a documentary that profiles Doctors Without Borders, a group of physicians who go to the world's most dangerous hot spots, the result of war or nature -- Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Pakistan -- photoAlso available on Blu-ray Disc. and provide heath care to crippled health systems. Set in war-torn Congo and Liberia, "Living in Emergency" interweaves the stories of four volunteers as they struggle to provide emergency medical care under the most extreme conditions; from First Run features ... In the shocking and hilarious documentary "Orgasm, Inc." (2009), filmmaker Liz Canner takes a job editing erotic videos to be used for a drug trial sponsored by a pharmaceutical company that is developing an orgasm cream for women. The experience launches Canner on a nine-year odyssey as she follows the companies that are racing to be the first to win FDA approval for a product to cure a new condition -- "female sexual dysfunction." The potential prize: billions of dollars in profits; from First Run Features.

This Week's Releases (June 14)
From the Big Screen:

"Battle: Los Angeles," "Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son," "The Concert," "Hall Pass," and "Red Riding Hood." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."

DVD Collectibles: (6/14)

From The Criterion Collection this week: Four unnamed people who look and sound a lot like Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio and Joseph McCarthy converge in one New York City hotel room for "Insignificance" (1985), a compelling, visually inventive adaptation of Terry Johnson's play, from director Nicolas Roeg. With a combination of whimsy and dread, Roeg creates a fun-house-mirror picture of Cold War America that photoquestions the nature of celebrity and plays on a society's simmering nuclear fears. "Insignificance" is a delirious, intelligent drama, featuring magnetic performances by Michael Emil as "the professor," Theresa Russell as "the actress," Gary Busey as "the ballplayer" and Tony Curtis as "the senator." Newly restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Nicolas Roeg and producer Jeremy Thomas, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition ... As the Harry Potter saga winds down this summer, Warner Home Video is releasing lavish DVD sets of each film in the series. Due this week: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ultimate Edition" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Ultimate Edition," with each set containing more than four hours of special features and collectibles including a photo book featuring 44 pages of rare photos of the cast and crew, concept sketches and paintings, and behind-the-scenes insight. Also features limited edition character cards, a lenticular card and a bonus digital copy of the film. "Order of the Phoenix" includes the all new documentary "Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution," while "Half-Blood Prince" includes "Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 6: Magical Effects." Both sets are available on DVD and Blu-ray.

From TV to Video: (6/14)

"Everwood: The Complete Fourth Season" (2005) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "The Glades: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.98 from Fox ... "Haven: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $44.98 from Entertainment One.

Buzzin' the 'B's: (6/14)

There's lots of B-movie material due this week; in alphabetical order:
  • "Action-Packed Double Feature" "Gordon's War" (1973): Gordon (Paul Winfield) spent four years in Vietnam as a Green Beret fighting someone else's battle ... now he's come back home to fight his own. He returns to a Harlem that has changed: drugs and prostitution have taken over his neighborhood, and his wife even overdosed from drugs. Along with his former army buddies, he takes on the Mob to wipe out the corruption that has taken over the city. Also starring Carl Lee, Tony King and singer Grace Jones. Directed by Ossie Davis. "Off Limits" (1987): Being a cop is tough, but in war-torn Saigon in 1968, being a cop is crazy. Someone is brutally murdering Vietnamese prostitutes with children by American fathers, and plainclothes military cops Sgt. Buck McGriff (Willem Dafoe) and Sgt. Albaby Perkins (Gregory Hines) are put on the case that no one wants solved. But things are never what they seem in 'Nam, including a novice nun (Amanda Pays), a deranged colonel (Scott Glenn) and a twisted trail of clues that takes McGriff and Perkins from back alleys to battlefields in search of a serial killer who's ready to make them the next victims. Fred Ward, Keith David and David Alan Grier co-star. (Shout! Factory.)

  • "Chained (aka Hobby Farm)" (2010) Paul Murphy, Travis McMahon, Vince Sorrenti, Gerard Kennedy. An ex-con is rewarded for his silence by being put in charge of a gentleman's pleasure house, but revolts against the crime syndicate when faced with the horrific treatment of the enslaved girls. (MTI Home Video).

  • "Chatroom" (2010) Aaron Johnson, Imogen Poots, Matthew Beard, Hannah Murray. Thriller about a dark, manipulative teen who creates an online chatroom, where he tries to control the lives of four people who seek him out for help, resulting in tragedy. (Screen Media).

  • "The Con Artist" (2010) Rossif Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Rebecca Romijn, Sarah Roemer. When Vince is paroled after serving time for a heist gone wrong, he's forced back into a life of crime as a car thief, where he finds solace welding sculptures out of metal and old car parts. But when his raw and evocative sculptures are discovered by a calculating art dealer, he gets a chance for a new life as an artist. (Entertainment One).

  • photo "Elvira's Movie Macabre: Night of the Living Dead and I Eat Your Skin" Double-feature DVD with the original "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) and "I Eat Your Skin" (1964), about a cancer researcher who turns natives into zombies; $14.98. (Entertainment One).

  • "Elvira's Movie Macabre: The Satanic Rites of Dracula and The Werewolf of Washington" Double-feature DVD with "The Satanic Rites of Dracula" (1973), starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Dean Stockwell in a tale about Count Dracula unleashing a fatal vampire virus on the modern world; and "The Werewolf of Washington" (1973), starring Lee and Cushing in a story about the U.S. presidents press secretary being bitten by a werewolf; $14.98. (Entertainment One).

  • "Giant Robot Action Pack" "Crash and Burn" (1990): In the year 2030 humankind's worst nightmares have become an oppressive reality: Big Brother has come to life in the form of Unicom, an all-powerful conglomerate that emerged in the wake of a devastating global economic collapse. A group of dissenters has surfaced to fight Unicom's autocracy and stop the murderous Synthoid -- ­a humanlike robot programmed to kill all those who pose a threat to the organization. Starring Paul Ganus, Megan Ward, Bill Moseley and Ralph Waite, and directed by Charles Band. "Robot Wars "(1993): The ultimate battle between metallic giants begins when a malicious foreign dignitary hijacks the last mega-robot on Earth, the MRAS-2, and threatens to unleash its crushing powers against the people of the Eastern Alliance. Starring Don Michael Paul, Barbara Crampton and Lisa Rinna. (Shout! Factory).

  • "Jackass 3.5" (2011) More unrated and uncensored escapades by the Jackass crew. (Paramount).

  • "Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen" (2010 -- Hong Kong) Donnie Yen, Shu Qi. A masked warrior tries to subvert the Japanese invasion of China just before World War II. (Well Go USA).

  • photo
  • "Midnight Movie: The Killer Cut" (2008) Rebekah Brandes, Brea Grant, Daniel Bonjour, Greg Cirulnick. Reworked version of the cult film, with new sequences and effects. A midnight showing of an early 1970's horror movie turns to chaos when the Killer from the movie comes out of the film to attack those in the theater. Read more about "Midnight Movie." (Bigfoot Entertainment).

  • "N-Secure" (2010) Cordell Moore, Essence Atkins, Denise Boutte, Lamman Rucker. A wealthy businessman who needs to control every aspect of his life, including his relationships with both his new and ex girlfriend, finds himself ensnared in a web of revenge and murder.(Fox).

On the Indie Front: (6/14)

photo In "Monogamy" (2010), a young man, increasingly anxious about his impending marriage and thoroughly bored with his day job as a wedding photographer, establishes a hobby: He's hired by clients to clandestinely snap voyeuristic photos of them as they go about their days. Things go smoothly until a sexy exhibitionist leads him into an all-consuming obsession. From Oscilloscope Laboratories ... "Kill the Irishman" (2011), starring Ray Stevenson, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, and Vincent D'Onofrio, is an action-packed story about the rise and fall of real-life Irish-American mobster Danny Greene, who started out with the Italian Mafia then went on to create his own gangster empire, along the way surviving countless assassination attempts. From Anchor Bay Entertainment.

For the Family: (6/14)

In "Bob the Builder: The Big Dino Dig The Movie" (2011), Bob and the Can Do crew are joined by a new truck named Rubble to help build an enormous amusement park in this feature for kids aged 2-5, from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Happiness Is ... Peanuts: Snoopy's Adventures," (2011) is a new DVD collection that features themed compilations of favorite Peanuts television programs. photo This first entry in the series pairs TV special "Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown" with an episode from "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show" on one disc, $14.97 from Warner ... Ripped from the pages of "Secret Invasion" and "New Avengers," "Marvel Knights Animation: Spider-Woman -- Agent of S.W.O.R.D." (2011) follows the new adventures of Jessica Drew as she rediscovers her life in a world she did not make. Seeking revenge against those who destroyed her life, Jessica Drew must rise to become Spider-Woman again, even if it means her ultimate demise; from Shout! Factory ... In "Yo Gabba Gabba!: Circus" (2011), Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex star in four episodes: "Circus," "Treasure Hunt," "Flying" and "Fun"; $16.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "Snoopy's Adventures" (2011) is the first in a new series of "Happiness Is ... Peanuts" DVDs. This volume includes the TV special "Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown" plus an episode of "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show"; $14.97 from Warner.

Special Interest: (6/14)

"When They Were Young" (2011) is a documentary that takes a look at rare high school and youth basketball footage of NBA superstars such as Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, as well as up-and-comers LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthon. From Image Entertainment.

Citizen Kane Blu-ray Due Sept. 13

photo (June 6) This just in: Warner Home Video has announced the September 13 release of Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" -- considered by an overwhelming number of film critics and historians to be the No. 1 film of all-time (and officially recognized as such by the American Film Institute -- on Blu-ray in commemoration of the film's 70th anniversary. Warner has created an all new 1080p hi-definition restoration from original nitrate elements in stunning 4K resolution and revitalized digital audio. The "Ultimate Collector's Edition" will feature more than three hours of bonus content, a 48-page collector's book filled with photos and behind-the-scene details, a 20-page reproduction of the original 1941 souvenir program, lobby cards, reproductions of rare production memos and correspondence. The three-disc Blu-ray set will sell for $64.99; a DVD set will also be available for $49.92. Read more about the release. Disney recently announced the Blu-ray debut of "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast 3D."

This Week's Releases (June 7)
From the Big Screen:

"Another year," "The Company Men," "Just Go With It," "Sanctum" and "True Grit." For more releases this week, see the "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases."

DVD Collectibles: (6/7)

photo "Night Flight" (1933), unseen since it was pulled from circulation in 1942, comes to DVD this week in a remastered edition. Stars Clark Gable, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Myrna Loy, Robert Montgomery. One of the most authentic flying movies to grace the silver screen; an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's ("The Little Prince") best-selling "Vol de Nuit," based on his harrowing experiences as an airmail pilot and director of the Aeroposta Argentina airline. The story: Polio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro, the serum is in Santiago, and there's only one way to get the medicine where it's desperately needed: flown in by daring pilots who risk the treacherous weather and forbidding peaks of the Andes. From Warner.

Blu-ray Debuts: (6/7)
"The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976): This critically acclaimed revisionist Western (directed by and starring Clint Eastwood) gets the Blu-ray treatment by Warner, giving us a hi-deaf look at the dusty post-Civil War West with vibrant colors and zingy sound. photoBonus features include an introduction by Clint Eastwood, commentary by film historian Richard Schickel, "Clint Eastwood's West" documentary, "Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Eastwood in Action." Packaged in a premium 32-page Blu-ray book filled with new bonus features, photos and production notes. From Warner ... "The Superman Motion Picture Anthology": If you're looking for a high-end Father's Day gift, here's one you can add to your list. The first two Superman movies were self-reflexive gems that didn't quite take themselves seriously, relying on Christopher Reeve to anchor the film as the man of steel; by the time Superman III and IV arrived, the series had fallen into self-parody. 'Superman Returns,' with Brandon Routh, was an attempt at resuscitating the franchise -- but we'll have to wait til 2013 for Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' for a real reboot. Still, this glorious looking and sounding hi-def set will be a delight for Superman fans the world over. The eight-disc set includes "Superman the Movie," "Superman the Movie Expanded Edition," "Superman II," "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut," "Superman III," "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," "Superman Returns" and a bonus disc. Bonus features clock in at over 20 hours, with documentaries, commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. $129.95 from Warner.

From TV to Video: (6/7)

"The Big C: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $34.95 from Sony ... "Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.95 from Sony ... "Burn Notice: Season 4 " (2010) is a four-disc set with 18 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... photo"HawthoRNe: The Complete Second Season" (2010) is a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $29.95 from Sony ... "Pretty Little Liars: The Complete First Season" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98 from Warner ... "Rawhide: The Fourth Season, Volume One" (1961-62) is a four-disc set with 15 episodes, $42.99 from CBS/Paramount ... "Transformers: Beast Wars -- Season One" (1996) is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $29.93 from Shout! Factory ... "Transformers: Beast Wars The Complete Series Collector's Edition DVD Box Set" (1996-99) is an eight-disc set with 52 episodes, $49.99 direct from Shout! Factory. Extras include a retrospective featurettes, a 12-page book, art galleries, special collectible 24-page comic book "Dawn of the Future's Past." From Shout! Factory ... "White Collar Season 2" (2010-11) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes, $49.98 from Fox.

Buzzin' the 'B's: (6/7)

In "Pros and Ex-Cons": (2005 -- Australia), two ex-cons sent on a hit discover that they've assassinated the wrong person, and must quickly correct their mistake before their covers are blown and more innocent lives are lost. Stars Sam Worthington, Steve Bastoni and Jonathan Sweet. From Lionsgate ... A medieval reenactment game turns into a Shakespearean tragedy when a non-player crashes the event to win back his girlfriend in "The Wild Hunt" (2009), starring Ricky Mabe, Kaniehtiio Horn and Mark A. Krupa. From FilmBuff/MPI Media Group ... photo Cult-fave indie "Rubber" (2011) is the story of Robert, a tire that has been abandoned in the desert and that suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes without having to move. At first content to prey on small desert creatures and various discarded objects, his attention soon turns to humans. Though he leaves a swath of destruction across the desert landscape and is pursued by state troopers, Robert takes the time to go swimming and watch TV in a motel room. He's a nasty movie villain in this original film that's certainly not a retread. Stars Stephen Spinella, Wings Hauser, Roxane Mesquida, Thomas F. Duffy. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Releasing ... "Blue Crush 2" (2011) follows a high-spirited California surfer girl as she treks across the magnificent beaches of South Africa, making new friends, finding romance and riding epic waves. Stars Sasha Jackson, Sharni Vinson, Elizabeth Mathis, Ben Milliken and Chris Fisher.From Universal.

On the Indie Front: (6/7)

An eccentric drifter returns to New York and helps out a young woman being threatened by a hood -- who used to be the young man's boss in "Shadows and Lies (AKA William Vincent)" (2010), starring James Franco, Julianne Nicholson, Josh Lucas and Martin Donovan. From Millennium Entertainment ... Guy Pearce, Sam Neill, Miranda Otto, Ruth Bradley and Kate Bell star in "In Her Skin" (2009 -- Australia), a ripped from the headlines tale of a 15-year-old Australian girl who failed to come home from school one day and was found to have been murdered by her babysitter. From IFC Films.

Foreign: (6/7)

"Kingdom of War Part 1 & 2" (2006 -- Thailand) is the most expensive production budget in Thai Cinema history and one of Thailand's highest grossing box office photo films ever; it's an epic historical action film about King Naresuan the Great, who liberated the Siamese from the control of Burma, changing the destiny of a nation. Two-disc set. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Releasing ... A man's affair with his family's housemaid -- an innocent beauty -- leads to dark consequences in "The Housemaid" (2010 -- South Korea), starring Do-yeon Jeon and Jung-Jae Lee, from IFC Films ... "Exorcismus (La posesion de Emma Evans)" (2010 -- Spain) is another take on "The Exorcist" theme: A teenage girl is possessed by the devil and a priest is called in for an exorcism. Stars Doug Bradley, Sophie Vavasseur, Stephen Billington, Tommy Bastow, Richard Felix and Jo-Anne Stockham. From IFC Midnight/MPI Media group.

For the Family:

"Roary the Racing Car" (2011) is the first DVD for the preschool car star and his friends Dragga, Zizzy and Lugga and human pals Big Chris, Marsha, Officer Pete and Mr. Carburettor. Six episodes, $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... photo "Elmo's World: People in Your Neighborhood" (2011) features three episodes from the "Elmo's World" pre-school series, $12.99 from Warner ... "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" (2010) is an animated original movie released to coincide with the June 17 big-screen live-action adventure starring Ryan Reynolds. Voices of Nathan Fillion, Jason Isaacs, Elisabeth Moss, Kelly Hu, Arnold Vosloo, Henry Rollins, Wade Williams, Roddy Piper. From Warner ... "Angelina Ballerina: Pop Star Girls" (2011) features five episodes of the dancing mouse and her friends, $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Bratz: BFF" (2005-2007) comprises four episodes from the Bratz dolls TV series, $14.98 from Lionsgate ... "Care Bears: Flower Power" (2007) includes eight spring and summer-themed episodes, new-to-DVD, $14.98 from Lionsgate.

Special Interest: (6/7)

"Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour" (2010) is a documentary that follows iconic feminist electronic band Le Tigre on their 2004-05 international tour across four photo continents and 10 countries; from Oscilloscope Laboratories ... "AC/DC -- Let There Be Rock" (1980) commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the theatrical release of the filmed coverage of Australian band AC/DC's '79 appearance in Paris as part of their "Highway to Hell" tour, remastered. From Warner ..."American: The Bill Hicks Story" (2011) is a photo-animated feature documentary, uniquely narrated by the 10 people who knew comedian Bill Hicks best. Two-disc set, $29.98 from BBC/Warner ... "Legends of Flight" (2008) is an IMAX documentary on recent designs in the aircraft industry, seen through the eyes of a test pilot; from Image Entertainment.

MTV Movie Awards: A 'Twilight' Sweep, Sex Jokes, and a Big Kiss (But Not the One You Expected)

photo (June 5) From our friends at Moviefone: The 2011 MTV Movie Awards certainly tried to push the envelope this time around: First-time host Jason Sudeikis' at-times-clunky monologue was rife with Arnold Schwarzenegger infidelity jokes, sexual humor and cheap digs at attending celebrities. There was a special "Twilight" kiss (between "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner), and Pattinson dropped an F-Bomb. Oh, the winners? Pattinson nabbed three awards and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" won in every single category in which it was nominated. The legions of Twihards have spoken. Read More.

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June 1, 2011
OnVideo News (ISSN 1094-3676).