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This Week's Top Pick:
The Bird Can't Fly
(2007 -- South Africa, U.K.) Barbara Hershey, Yusuf Davids, Tony Kgoroge, John Kani. Melody (Hershey) returns home to Fairlands for the funeral of her estranged daughter, meeting for the first time her 10 year-old grandson, River, whose existence she knew nothing about. Though she wants to take him away with her, he's resistant, preferring to stay with his father, an idle musician and the town's postman ... until a desert dust storm changes everything and reveals deep, dark secrets. (Vanguard Cinema).
Bread Crumbs
(2009) Amy Crowdis, Marianne Hagan, Dan Shaked, Steve Carey. Bizarre take on "Hansel & Gretel": A group of porn filmmakers are systematically attacked by two children on the set of a remote shoot. (Green Apple Entertainment).
Broadcast News
(1987) In the 1970s, the name James L. Brooks ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Taxi," "Terms of Endearment," "The Simpsons") was synonymous with intelligent television comedy -- his shows were insightful about work and love and always tapped into the zeitgeist. With his transition to film in the 1980s, he became a master Hollywood storyteller, and none of his films was more quintessentially Brooks than "Broadcast News." This caustic inside look at the Washington news media stars Holly Hunter, in her breakout role, as a feisty television producer torn between an ambitious yet dim anchorman (William Hurt) and her closest confidant, a cynical veteran reporter (Albert Brooks). Brooks's witty, gently prophetic entertainment is a captivating transmission from an era in which ideas on love and media were rapidly changing. Two-disc special edition with a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director James L. Brooks and editor Richard Marks. Extras: Commentary featuring Brooks and Marks; documentary on Brooks's career in television and film, featuring actors Marilu Henner ("Taxi") and Julie Kavner ("Rhoda," "The Simpsons") and several other of Brooks' collaborators; deleted scenes and an alternate ending, with commentary by Brooks; video interview with veteran CBS news producer Susan Zirinsky, one of the models for actress Holly Hunter's character and an associate producer on the film; featurette containing on-set footage and interviews with Brooks, Hunter, and actor Albert Brooks; original theatrical trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film critic Carrie Rickey. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Criterion Collection).
Dead Space: Aftermath
(2011) Animated feature based on the video game about missing space ships and an alien infestation on a distant planet. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Anchor Bay).
Eclipse Series 25: Basil Dearden's London Underground
After mastering the mix of comedy, suspense, and horror that helped define the golden age of British cinema, Basil Dearden (along with his producing partner Michael Relph) left the legendary Ealing Studios and, in the late 50s and early 60s, created a series of gripping, groundbreaking, even controversial films. In dealing with racism, homophobia and the lingering effects of World War II, these noir-tinged dramas burrowed into corners of London rarely seen on-screen. This set of elegantly crafted films -- "Sapphire" (1959), a dissection of a hate crime; "The League of Gentlemen" (1960), a deft heist adventure suffused with postwar melancholy; "Victim" (1961), a landmark gay character study, starring Dirk Bogarde; and "All Night Long" (1962), a provocative transposition of Othello to the swinging London jazz scene -- brings this quintessential figure of British cinema out of the shadows.Four-disc set, $59.95. (The Criterion Collection).
Enter the Void
(2010) Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta. Director Gaspar Noe's ("Irreversible") latest exercise in cinematic envelope-pushing. A brother and sister are trapped in the hellish night time world of Tokyo, where he deals drugs and she works as a stripper. A crime gone bad leads to shocking violence and then moments of transcendence in which the movie plunges viewers into death and rebirth. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (IFC Films/MPI Media Group).
Feed the Fish
(2009) Tony Shalhoub, Ross Partridge, Katie Aselton. Joe Peterson is a burned-out children's book writer who's on the brink of a mid-life crisis. With his career at a standstill and his relationship in shambles, he leaves town with his best friend to do the Polar Bear Plunge in the dead of winter in Northern Wisconsin. On his quest for inspiration, Joe encounters three generations of a dysfunctional family that includes an obsessed law enforcement professional, a wise old fisherman and a muse with a pair of hockey skates. With the crew's help, Joe finds his lost passion, survives an assault by a tyrannical ex-girlfriend, and stays out of the way of the law. (Strand Releasing).
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
(2010 -- Swedish) Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin, Jacob Ericksson, Sofia Ledarp, Anders Ahlbom. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Music Box Films).
Glee Season 2: Volume 1
(2010) Three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.98. Extras: Bonus song from "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" recorded exclusively for the DVD, "Glee" music jukebox, "Getting Waxed With Jane Lynch": Sue Sylvester Madame Tussaud's wax figure from modeling to ceremony, "The Wit of Brittany": Brittany's most "profound" moments from Season 1 and the first half of Season 2, "Glee" at Comic-Con 2010. (Fox).
Inhale
(2010) Dermot Mulroney, Mia Stallard, Diane Kruger, Rosanna Arquette, Sam Shepard. A New Mexico district attorney desperate to save the life of his daughter -- who needs a double lung transplant -- heads to Juarez, Mexico, where he hopes to meet with a doctor who he has heard performs transplants. But what he discovers -- an illegal organ-trafficking ring -- forces him to decide between reporting the vast and horrible crime to authorities or saving his daughter. (IFC Films).
Inspector Bellamy
(2010 -- France) Dir.: Claude Chabrol; Gerard Depardieu, Marie Bunel, Jacques Gamblin, Clovis Cornillac. The great director's last film. Gerard Depardieu stars as legendary crime solver Inspector Bellamy. Bellamy is trying to enjoy a peaceful vacation with his bored wife (Marie Bunel), but murder travels with him: a mysterious man shows up with a deadly tale for Bellamy. There's also the unwanted arrival of Bellamy's ne'er-do-well brother. Whether the appearance of these two men is linked, and whether they have any connection to a local murder, are puzzles the hardened Inspector Bellamy will have to solve. (IFC Films).
John Wayne: Bigger Than Life
Three-disc set includes "McLintock!" (1963), "Bigger Than Life" (1990) documtenary covering the legend's life and films; "The American West of John Ford" (1971); and "No Substitute for Victory" (1970), hosted by Wayne, about the communist threat and its zenith in Vietnam. Extras: Rare TV appearances by Wayne on Art Linkletter's "People Are Funny" (1958); "The Colgate Comedy Hour" (October 11, 1953); "Wide Wide World" (1958) in a segment called "The Western"; and "The Lucy Show" (1966), in which Wayne plays himself. $24.95. (Synergy Entertainmnt).
Man in a Suitcase, Set 1
(1968) Four-disc set with 15 episodes, $59.99. Richard Bradford stars as "Mac" McGill, a cynical yet honest spy who has been disavowed by his American bosses and is on the run from a host of international enemies. (Acorn Media).
My Last Five Girlfriends
(2009) Brendan Patricks, Naomie Harris, Kelly Adams, Jane March, Cecile Cassel, Edith Bukovics. In order to understand why his romantic relationships have failed, a thirtysomething man takes a fantasy amusement park ride through life with his last five girlfriends. Extras: Interview with director Julian Kemp and the cast; commentary with Kemp; behind the scenes; special effects compilation; extended probability sequence; delete scenes and other silliness. (New Video/Tribeca Film).
No Tomorrow
(2010) "Aging Out," a documentary about a young foster care girl who was on her way to college with multiple scholarships, became the centerpiece of a murder trial when the young woman was brutally murdered; the film was used to heighten hatred for the defendant and advance the call for the death penalty. Disturbed by the use of their film, the filmmakers made "No Tomorrow," which focuses on the trial and the unexpected use of "Aging Out" as evidence. Directed by Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth. (Docurama).
Nowhere Boy
(2010) Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne Marie Duff, Thomas Brodie Sangster Extras: "Nowhere Boy: The Untold Story of John Lennon and the Creation of The Beatles" featurette, deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Weinstein Co.).
Of Boys and Men
(2008) Robert Townsend, Angela Bassett, Victoria Rowell. A family is devastated when the wife and mother is killed in a senseless auto accident. Reeling with grief, each family member must find courage and vision to carry on, ultimately eager to do the mother proud. (Warner).
Open Season 3
(2010) Voices of Steve Schirrip, Crispin Glover, Ciara Bravo, Dana Snyder, Karley Scott Collins. Direct-to-video sequel. Boog, Elliot and all their forest friends return with an all-new adventure that takes them to the circus. Extras: Progression reel, "Runaway RV" game. Also available as a DVD/Blu-ray Disc. Combo Pack, which adds "Boog's Cannon Blast" game and "Rabbit Splat Mode." (Sony)
Pie in the Sky, Series 4
(2009) Two-disc set with six episodes, $39.99. Richard Griffiths returns to the whimsical British series as DI Henry Crabbe, a semi-retired detective more interested in cooking than in crime-fighting. (Acorn Media).
Primal
(2009 -- Australia) Krew Boylan, Lindsay Farris, Rebekah Foord, Damien Freeleagus. Ozploitation: When six friends go camping in the beautiful but forbidding Outback of Australia, it turns into a hunting trip -- and they're the prey. (IFC Films).
Red
(2010) Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Pidgeon. Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, "CIA Exposed" featurette, commentary with retired CIA Field Officer Robert Baer. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds "Access Red," an immersive six-part interactive feature including pop up trivia, videos, interviews and more. (Summit Entertainment).
Red Hill
(2010 -- Australia) Ryan Kwanten, Steve Bisley, Tom E. Lewis, Claire van der Boom. Constable Shane Cooper (Ryan Kwanten) arrives in the small town of Red Hill in search of a quieter life. But, on Cooper's first day with the Red Hill Police Department, a convicted murderer escapes from prison and heads straight for town to kill the men who put him there. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Sony).
Reflections
(2008) Timothy Hutton, Miguel Angel Silvestre, Fernando Guillen Cuervo, Tania Sarrias. An international agent is called to Barcelona to track down a notorious serial killer who brutally murders his victims, then positions them in macabre displays. (Monarch Home Video).
Ronald Reagan Centennial Collection
Eight-film set: "Dark Victory," starring Bette Davis; "Knute Rockne All-American," the actor's best remembered role ("win one for the Gipper!"); "Kings Row," an Academy Award nominee for Best Picture and arguably one of Reagan's best performances; "Desperate Journey" starring Errol Flynn; the Technicolor musical spectacular "Irving Berlin's This is the Army"; the wartime drama "The Hasty Heart;" the topical "Storm Warning" and "The Winning Team," with Reagan playing Hall-of-Fame baseball pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander. $59.92. (Warner).
Saw: The Final Chapter
(2010) Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes, Sean Patrick Flanery. Extras: Director and producer commentary, deleted scenes, music videos. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds "52 Ways to Die," a featurette on the traps from all the "Saw" films. (Lionsgate).
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Season One Volume 1
(2010) The latest animated incarnation of Scooby-Doo, $14.97. (Warner).
Secretariat
(2010) Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, James Cromwell, Kevin Connolly, Nelsan Ellis, Margo Martindale, Fred Thompson, AJ Michalka. Available as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and a single DVD. Extras: "Heart of a Champion" featurette, deleted scenes, AJ Michalka music video "It's Who You Are." Blu-ray Disc adds "Choreographing the Races" featurette, "A Director's Inspiration: A Conversation With The Real Penny Chenery," commentary by director Randall Wallace, more deleted scenes. (Disney).
sex&drugs&rock&roll
(2009) Andy Serkis stars in this ripsnorting and unapologetic portrait of mercurial British punk rock pioneer Ian Dury (Ian Dury and The Blockheads). Extras: "My Tribeca Story" with director Mat Whitecross; interview with the "sex&drugs&rock&roll" team; commentary with Mat Whitecross, Andy Serkis and the "sex&drugs&rock&roll team"; deleted scenes. (New Video/Tribeca Films).
Shaun the Sheep: Spring Shenanigans
(2010) Seven new episodes: "Sporing Lamb," "Supersize Timmy," "Bagpipe Buddy," "Cheetah Cheater," "Lock Out," "Draw the Line" and "Ewe've Been Framed," $14.98. Extras: Sheep Shearing game. (HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate).
Still Bill
(2009) An intimate portrait of soul legend Bill Withers, best known for his classics "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean On Me," "Lovely Day," "Grandma's Hands," and "Just the Two of Us." (Docurama).
The Traveler
(2010) Val Kilmer, Dylan Neal, Paul McGillion, Camille Sullivan. A mysterious stranger shows up at a police station and confessed to six murders; one-by-one six detectives die. (Paramount).
Webster: The Complete First Season
(1983-84) Three-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.93. Extras: Webster trivia game. (Shout! Factory).
What's the Matter With Kansas?
(2009) Before the Tea Party movement had a name, author Thomas Frank's controversial New York Times bestselling book "What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America" explored the rise of conservatism in his home state of Kansas and exposed the contradictions of the movement. Based on Frank's book, director Joe Winston's critically acclaimed feature-length documentary similarly deals with the ascendancy of conservatism and how conservative political strategists won the hearts and minds of Americans, a movement now more visible and very much in effect all across America today. Extras: Extended and deleted scenes, commentary with the filmmakers, more. (Passion River Films).
Which Way Home
(2009) Traversing more than 1,450 miles upcountry, Mexican freight trains routinely are boarded by migrants hoping to reach America. Among the thousands who ride the trains, many are children traveling alone. They come from all over Mexico and Central America, risking everything for the chance of a better life. This documentary follows some of these unaccompanied children as they make the long and treacherous voyage to the U.S. border. Extras: Deleted scenes; additional information on the National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children. (Docurama).
White Wedding
(2010) Zandie Msutwanta, Kenneth Nikosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, Jodie Whittaker, Sylvia Mngxekeza, Mbulelo Grootboom. Critically-acclaimed exuberant road comedy about love and loyalty, commitment and companionship set against South Africa's breathtaking landscapes. Ayanda is only days away from her "white wedding" with dress, bridesmaids, wedding planner, a lush reception all in readiness. Only one thing is missing: Elvis, the groom, who has gone to pick up his childhood friend and best man Tumi and is hundreds of miles away. Elvis and Tumi get derailed more than once on their comic, misguided journey: They come across every kind of obstacle, as they meet Rose, a free-spirited English doctor, run up against goats, redneck Afrikaners, lose direction and even get into an accident or two. A bright, feel-good movie about the voyage friends and lovers are willing to undertake to achieve their heart's desire. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).
Zorro: The Complete Series
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
The third film to be adapted from Stieg Larsson's acclaimed series of crime novels (which has sold over 11 million books in the U.S., 45 millions books worldwide), "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is the final chapter in the story of Larsson's fiery heroine Lisbeth Salander, a pierced and punked-out, computer-hacking beauty. Swedish author Larsson's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest" -- his Millennium Trilogy -- were all published after his death in 2004. Their popularity has since made him the world's second best-selling author of 2008 and 2009. In this last installment, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge -- against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. In Swedish with English subtitles.
Vitals: Director: Daniel Alfredson. Stars: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Annika Hallin, Jacob Ericksson, Sofia Ledarp, Anders Ahlbom. 2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 148 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $1.0 million, Music Box Films.
Nowhere Boy
In 1955, future international rock sensation John Lennon was a mischievous teenage boy living with his Aunt Mimi in Liverpool, England and trying to reconnect with his free-spirited mother Julia. The tensions of his early life would drive young John to escape from the world around him through music, and catapult him to join Paul McCartney in the formation of one of the most influential rock 'n' roll bands of all time. Lennon is an ordinary 15-year-old boy on the streets of Liverpool. Funny, smart, naughty, a real edge to him. But life is not simple for John -- he grew up in a family of secrets and was raised by his Aunt Mimi from the age of five. When he is suddenly reacquainted with his mother, Julia, they form an unbreakable bond. A bitter war rages between the two sisters for John's love. Faced with bringing it to an end, he learns the secret heartbreak of his past. But his mother gives him one great gift -- music. A wayward boy finds his voice, and walks into The Beatles.
Vitals: Director: Sam Taylor Wood. Stars: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne Marie Duff, Thomas Brodie Sangster.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Biodrama, Box office gross: $1.394 million, The Weinstein Co.
Secretariat
Based on the story of Secretariat, the 1973 Triple Crown-winning racehorse and its owner, Penny Chenery (Diane Lane). Chenery was a mother and housewife who knew little about horses when she was pressed to take over her ailing father's horse farm in Virginia. Though Secretariat came along and began to take shape as a potential champion, Chenery was pressured to sell the farm after her father died and she was hit with a multimillion-dollar inheritance tax. She saved both the farm and the horse, and watched as Secretariat became the first thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown in 25 years, taking the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in dominating fashion. Chenery became known as the "first lady of racing."
Vitals: Director: Randall Wallace. Stars: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh, James Cromwell, Kevin Connolly, Nelsan Ellis, Margo Martindale, Fred Thompson, AJ Michalka.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 116 min., Family biodrama, Box office gross: $57.946 million, Disney.
Red
Frank (Bruce Willis), Joe (Morgan Freeman), Marvin (John Malkovich) and Victoria (Helen Mirren) used to be the CIA's top agents -- but the secrets they know just made them the Agency's top targets. Framed and targeted for assassination, they must use all of their collective cunning, experience and teamwork to stay one step ahead of their deadly pursuers and stay alive. To stop the operation, the team embarks on an impossible, cross-country mission to break into the top-secret CIA headquarters, where they will uncover one of the biggest conspiracies and cover-ups in government history. Based on the DC Comics graphic novel.
Vitals: Director: Robert Schwentke. Stars: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Pidgeon.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 111 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $88.430 million, Summit Entertainment.
Saw 3D: The Final Chapter
A deadly battle rages over Jigsaw's brutal legacy, and a group of Jigsaw survivors gathers to seek the support of self-help guru and fellow survivor Bobby Dagen, a man whose own dark secrets unleash a new wave of terror.
Vitals: Director: Kevin Greutert. Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes, Sean Patrick Flanery.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 91 min., Horror, Box office gross: $45.261 million, Lionsgate.
Santa Sangre
(1989) The term "cult director" applies to no one more than Chilean-born filmmaker and visionary shaman Alejandro Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky exploded onto the international scene with his notorious 1970s sensations "El Topo" and "Holy Mountain," films that redefined movies as both art and entertainment while single-handedly creating the midnight movie genre. Now Jodorowsky's long-unseen "Santa Sangre" will make its eagerly anticipated American Blu-ray and DVD debut. Legal frustrations with the films' owner (and Beatles manager) Allen Klein, as well as a failed attempt to direct a 14-hour movie adaptation of "Dune" starring Orson Welles and Salvador Dali, kept Jodorowsky from making movies for 16 years until his triumphant return with "Santa Sangre." Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell and the filmmaker's sons Axel and Adan Jodorowsky star in this surreal epic about a young circus performer, the crime of passion that shatters his soul and the macabre journey back to the world of his armless mother and deaf-mute lover. The internationally acclaimed tale of madness, passion and redemption will be fully restored and accompanied by a wealth of extras; $29.98 on DVD and $34.98 on Blu-Ray. Extras: Commentary by Jodorowsky and journalist Alan Jones; deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; Japanese trailer; "Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World of Santa Sangre" feature length making-of documentary featuring all-new interviews with cast and crew; "For One Night Only: Alejandro Jodorowsky" Channel X U.K. 1990 documentary featuring interviews with Jodorowsky, Dennis Hopper, Marcel Marceau, Omar Sharif and others; "Goyo Cardenas Spree Killer": Documentary on the real life inspiration for "Santa Sangre"; on stage Q&A with Jodorowsky; Jodorowsky 2003 interview; composer Simon Boswell interviews Jodorowsky; "Blink Jodorowsky" short by Simon Boswell; "Close Your Eyes" music video by Simon Boswell; Adan Jodorowsky short film "Echeck." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Severin Films/MPI Media Group)
(1990-93)Duncan Regehr, Henry Darrow, with guest stars Daniel Craig, Pete Postlethwaite, Doug McClure, Adam West, Warwick Davis, Andre the Giant, Philip Michael Thomas, Jesse Ventura. Fifteen-disc set with all 88 episodes (remastered), not seen since their Family Channel airings in 1990-93. Filmed entirely in Madrid. Extras: "The Mark of Zorro" (1920) starring Douglas Fairbanks: The original, full-length silent film that defined the "swashbuckler" genre; Chapter 1 of the 1939 theatrical serial, "Zorro's Fighting Legion"; trailers for the serials "Zorro's Fighting Legion," "Zorro's Black Whip" and "Zorro Rides Again"; the original, never-before-released pilot for the "New World Zorro"; photo gallery from "New World Zorro." (A&E).
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January 23, 2010
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