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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
Adult World
(2013) Emma Roberts, Evan Peters, John Cusack. A quirky but naive college grad (Roberts) takes a job at an adult bookstore, where she pursues a mentorship under a reclusive, crusty and alcoholic poet (Cusack), and eyes the store's adorable young manager (Peters).
Formats: DVD. (IFC Films).
All That Heaven Allows
(1955) This heartbreakingly beautiful indictment of 1950s American mores by Douglas Sirk follows the blossoming love between a well-off suburban widow (Jane Wyman) and her handsome and earthy younger gardener (Rock Hudson). After their romance prompts the scorn of her selfish children and snooty country club friends, she must decide whether to pursue her own happiness or carry on a lonely, hemmed-in existence for the sake of the approval of others. With the help of ace cinematographer Russell Metty, Sirk imbued nearly every shot with a vivid and distinct emotional tenor. A profoundly felt film about class and conformity in small-town America, "All That Heaven Allows" is a pinnacle of expressionistic Hollywood melodrama. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: Commentary featuring John Mercer, co-author of "Melodrama: Genre, Style, Sensibility," and film scholar Tamar Jeffers-McDonald; "Rock Hudson's Home Movies" (1992), a groundbreaking essay film about the actor by Mark Rappaport; French television interview with Sirk from 1982; excerpts from "Behind the Mirror: A Profile of Douglas Sirk," a 1979 BBC documentary featuring rare interview footage with the director; "Contract Kid: William Reynolds on Douglas Sirk," a 2007 interview with the actor, who co-starred in three Sirk films, including "All That Heaven Allows"; trailer; a booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Laura Mulvey and an excerpt from a 1971 essay by filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder on Sirk. (The Criterion Collection).
Amen
(2002 -- France-Germany-Romania) Costa-Gavras creates a powerful and riveting account of the Final Solution that questions how much was known outside of Germany as mass exterminations were carried out in Nazi death camps. Ulrich Tukur stars as Kurt Gerstein, a German chemist whose work on various governmental health projects leads to his assignment as an SS officer in charge of hygiene. When he learns that Zyclon B, a toxic cleanser he created to stem the tide of typhoid among German troops, is being used in gas chambers, Gerstein is horrified. But his pleas to officials in Germany, Sweden and the U.S. to stop the genocide fall on deaf ears. One person who does listen is Riccardo Fontana (Mathieu Kassovitz), a young Jesuit priest with ties to the Vatican and even Pope Pius XII. Ultimately, Gerstein and Fontana must fight a brave but lonely and dangerous battle to save the innocent -- and themselves. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Cohen Media Group).
Auf Wiedersehen - 'Til We Meet Again
(2013) After a terrifying experience on 9/11, writer Linda Mills is compelled to return with her comedic son and opinionated mother to the site in Vienna where her family fled the Nazis in Vienna in 1939. This documentary finds surprising humor and uplifting moments in a tale of one family's repeated escapes from evil. Formats: DVD. (SISU Home Entertainment).
Bible Quiz
(2013) Documentary explores coming of age in the face of faith, doubt, fierce competition, sexuality and love. Mikayla Irle is just like any other normal 17-year-old girl with a crush; except unlike other girls, Mikayla has memorized more than several books of the Bible -- more than 2,000 verses -- and the object of her affection is her studious Bible Quiz team captain, JP. But this year JP only has eyes for the National Bible Quiz Championship. In order to succeed, though, he and Mikayla must compete against thousands of other teens from across the U.S. Mikayla hopes that if she can help lead her team to victory she will find the love she lacks in her own family and win the ultimate prize: JP's heart. Challenges stereotypes and presents an even-handed look at religion in these teens' lives as they explore faith, identity, sexuality and competition at one of the most unique summits in evangelical America today. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Virgil Films).
Brazil With Michael Palin
(2014) Join award-winning actor and founding member of Monty Python Michael Palin as he visits Brazil for the very first time to discover the spectacular people, landscape, food, and music of this bustling and beautiful country -- just in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the most viewed sporting event in the world, which will be hosted by Brazil. Learn about the fifth largest country in world, which takes up over half of South America and is home to over 192 million people. Formats: DVD: $24.98, Blu-ray Disc: $29.98. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Bushido Man: Seven Deadly Battles
(2013 -- Japan) Mitsuki Koga, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Masanori Mimoto. A student of martial arts is on a quest to seek seven scrolls containing the fighting secrets of seven different disciplines: stick, knife, sword, kung fu, nunchaku, firearm, and special weapons. Along the way he must learn his enemy's ways by what they eat, and bring both secrets and stories of his adventures home to his master. Featuring blistering martial arts, comedy, and food. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Making Bushido Man: From the Fantasia Film Festival." (Shout! Factory).
Capital
(2012 -- France) Based on the novel by Stephane Osmont and a prize winner at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Costa-Gavras's most recent feature is a fast-paced, darkly comic, suspenseful drama set in the high-stakes world of global finance. When the CEO of France's Phenix Bank collapses on the golf course, Machiavellian young executive Marc Tourneuil (Gad Elmaleh) is crowned as his replacement. A whirlwind of ruthless ambition, power struggles, greed and deception ensues as Tourneuil's brutal ascent is jeopardized by a hostile takeover attempt from a large American hedge fund led by Dittmar Rigule (Gabriel Byrne), erotic distractions from international supermodel Nassim (Liya Kebede), and adversaries with an agenda for destruction. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Cohen Media Group).
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
(2014) Follow-up to Carl Sagan's award-winning series that explored the remarkable mysteries of the cosmos and our place within it. This 13-part adventure transports viewers across the universe of space and time, bringing to life never-before-told stories of the heroic quest for knowledge and a deeper understanding of nature. With an updated Cosmic Calendar, dazzling visual effects, and the wondrous Ship of the Imagination, viewers will experience an unforgettable journey to new worlds and across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest and smallest scale. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - The Voyage Continues" five-part making-of documentary, "Celebrating Carl Sagan: A Selection From The Library of Congress Dedication," "Cosmos at Comic-Con 2013," commentary on Episode One: "Standing Up in the Milky Way." Blu-ray adds "The Cosmic Calendar: An Interactive Look at the History of the Universe." (Fox).
Devil's Knot
(2013) Dir.: Atom Egoyan; Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Amy Ryan, Mireille Enos, Stephen Moyer. Dramatization of the true story of the West Memphis Three, a trio of innocent teenagers suspected of devil worship and tried and convicted of murdering three young boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993. Already the subject of two impressive, major documentaries (the HBO "Paradise Lost" trilogy and "West of Memphis," co-produced by Peter Jackson). Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "The Making of Devil's Knot, "Getting Into Character: The Cast of Devil's Knot," deleted scenes. (Image Entertainment).
Ghost of Goodnight Lane
(2014) Lacey Chabert, Danielle Harris, Billy Zane. When the staff inside a renovated film studio finds a co-worker dead one morning, the pieces of a 40-year puzzle add up to an angry ghost who has let the last person step inside her house ... alive. (Inception Media).
Haunt
(2013) Harrison Gilbertson, Liana Liberato, Jacki Weaver, Ione Skye, Brian Wimmer, Danielle Chuchran, Ella Harris. An introverted teen teams with his new neighbor to explore the haunted house that his family has unknowingly just purchased. Their communications with the dead reveals terrible secrets surrounding the circumstances of the previous inhabitants' demise. Formats: DVD. (IFC Midnight).
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
(2014) Director: Kenneth Branagh. Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Colm Feore, Gemma Chan, Karen David. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Blu-ray extras: Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, "Jack Ryan: The Smartest Guy in the Room," "Sir Kenneth Branagh: The Tsar of Shadow Recruit," "Jack Ryan: A Thinking Man of Action," "Old Enemies Return," deleted & extended scenes. (Paramount).
Klondike
(2014) The Discovery Channel six-part miniseries dives into the brutal, thrilling, get-rich-or-die-trying world of the late 1890s gold rush, based on Charlotte Grey's best-selling book, "Gold
L'eclisse
(1962) The concluding chapter of Michelangelo Antonioni's informal trilogy on contemporary malaise (following "L'avventura" and "La notte"), "L'eclisse" (The Eclipse) tells the story of a young woman (Monica Vitti) who leaves one lover (Francisco Rabal) and drifts into a relationship with another (Alain Delon). Using the architecture of Rome as a backdrop for the doomed affair, Antonioni achieves the apotheosis of his style in this return to the theme that preoccupied him the most: the difficulty of connection in an alienating modern world. New, restored high-definition digital film transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: Commentary by film scholar Richard Pena, former program director of New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center; "Michelangelo Antonioni: The Eye That Changed Cinema" (2001), a 56-minute documentary exploring the director's life and career; "Elements of Landscape," a 22-minute piece from 2005 about Antonioni and "L'eclisse," featuring Italian film critic Adriano Apra and longtime Antonioni friend Carlo di Carlo; a booklet featuring essays by film critics Jonathan Rosenbaum and Gilberto Perez, as well as excerpts from Antonioni's writing about his work. (The Criterion Collection).
Love Will Keep Us Together
(2013 -- TV) Reagan Gomez-Preston, Cynthia McWilliams. Urban rom-com about two best friends preparing to live out their dreams of an extravagant double wedding in Hawaii but, as the ladies' big day approaches, their jitters, jealousy and just outrageous expectations meet with emotional highs and lows. Formats: DVD. (Entertainment One).
Major Crimes: The Complete Second Season
(2013-14) Four-disc set with 19 episodes, $59.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Major Crimes: Personal Conviction" featurette that examines how each character grapples with questions of the soul during the season, "A Look Forward" featurette sneak peek into Season 3, deleted scenes. (Warner).
The Missing Picture
(2013 -- Cambodia/France) Explores filmmaker Rithy Panh's quest to create the missing images during the period when the Khmer Rouge ruled over Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The film recounts the firsthand experience of his family and friends' suffering during the communist regime. Since most of the existing recorded artifacts of that time are propaganda footage, Panh decided to utilize beautifully sculpted clay figurines and elaborately detailed dioramas to recreate the missing images from his memory. His recollections of his family and friends before and after the regime's rule are poignantly told through a narrator's poetic voice, as written by Panh. Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign-language Film. Formats: DVD. Extras: Trailer. (Strand Releasing).
Non-Stop
(2014) Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong'o, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, Scoot McNairy, Corey Stoll, Omar Metwally, Linus Roache, Jason Butler Harner, Shea Whigham, Anson Mount. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Suspense at 40,000 Feet" behind-the-scenes featurette. Blu-ray adds "Non-Stop Action" behind-the-scenes featurette on shooting in a 20' by 30' set the shape of a tube. (Universal).
The Odd Way Home
(2013) Chris Marquette, Rumer Willis. The oddest couple takes an unforgettable journey through the American Southwest, finding happiness in the unlikeliest of places and seeing in each other what no one else has seen before. Maya (Willis) hits the road in Los Angeles, hoping to break a long cycle of domestic abuse and start a new life. When her car breaks down in a middle-of-nowhere town in New Mexico, she meets Duncan (Marquette), a reclusive man with autism. Their
Perry Mason Movie Collection Double Features
One, Two & Three
Three single-disc double feature releases starring Raymond Burr as the famed defense attorney: Double Feature One: "Perry Mason Returns," "The Case of the Notorious Nun"; Double Feature Two: "The Case of the Shooting Star," "The Case of the Lost Love: Double Feature Three: "The Case of the Sinister Spirit," "The Case of the Murdered Madam"; $16.99 each. Formats: DVD. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).
Ray Donovan: The First Season
(2013) All 12 episodes of the Showtime series starring Liev Schreiber and set in Los Angeles, the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, that centers on Ray Donovan, the man called in to
Resurrection: The Complete First Season
(2014) Omar Epps, Samaire Armstrong, Frances Fisher, Kurtwood Smith, Matt Craven, Mark Hildreth, Devin Kelley, Landon Gimenez, Veronica Cartwright, Sam Hazeldine. Eight episodes of the series about the dead coming back to life -- not as zombies -- but as full-bodied people unchanged since their deaths, sometimes decades earlier. Based on the 2013 book "The Returned," by Jason Mott, which is suspiciously similar to the 2012 French TV series "Les Revenants" ("The Returned"), which in turn was based on the 2004 French film "Les Revenants" (English title "They Came Back"). Takes place in Arcadia, Missouri, where the deceased loved ones of the townspeople suddenly start to reappear. An 8-year-old American boy (Landon Gimenez) wakes up alone in a rice paddy in a rural Chinese province with no idea how he got there. Details start to emerge when the boy, who calls himself Jacob, recalls that his hometown is Arcadia, and immigration agent J. Martin Bellamy (Omar Epps), takes him there. The home he claims as his own is occupied by a 60-year-old couple, Henry (Kurtwood Smith) and Lucille Langston (Frances Fisher), who lost their son, Jacob, more than 30 years ago. Formats: DVD, $29.99. (ABC/Disney).
Rizzoli & Isles: The Complete Fourth Season
(2013-14) Four-disc set with 16 episodes, $39.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Building Boston" featurette on transforming Los Angeles into Boston, "Rizzoli & Isles: When Truth Meets Fiction" documentary offers viewers insight into how the series takes facts and applies them to the fiction -- executive producer Janet Tamaro's past as a reporter helps create plot lines that feel authentic. (Warner).
The Secret Lives of Dorks
(2013) Gaelan Connell, Charlie Stewart, Vanessa Marano, Beau Mirchoff, Riley Voelkel. Payton (a dork) is in love with Carrie (the head cheerleader) who is dating Clark (the football captain). When she realizes that Payton's crush is likely to last until middle age, Carrie sets him up with Samantha -- a dorkette who works in the local comic book store. Naturally, all doesn't go as planned. Formats: DVD. (Random Media/Cinedigm).
Slugterra: Ghoul from Beyond!
(2014) The first feature-length Slugterra adventure based on the hit animated television series about a boy and his crew who explore an underground world where slugs turn into powerful magical beasts and where they have to fend off the evil Dr. Blakk, who wants to "ghoul" the slugs, transforming them into feral mindless weapons. Formats: DVD, $14.97. Extras: Bonus "Slugisode." (Shout! Factory Kids).
Sorcerer
(1977) Dir.: William Friedkin; Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou. The success of the April 22 Blu-ray release of William Friedkin's cult suspense thriller, largely overlooked since its 1977 release, has prompted Warner Home Video to release the remastered director's cut on DVD. (Warner).
The Spike Lee Collection: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 BLU-RAY DEBUT
Volume 1 includes "25th Hour" and "He Got Game." Volume 2 includes "Summer of Sam" and "Miracle of St. Anna." Extras: New commentary and existing bonus features from the original DVD releases. $20 each. (Buena Vista/Disney).
Tim's Vermeer
(2013) Documentary. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, Digital. Extras: Commentary with Teller, Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler; deleted, extended and alternate scenes; Toronto International Film Festival Q&A. (Sony).
Transformers Animated: The Complete Series
(2007-09) Six-disc set with all 42 episodes, $34.99. Trapped on Earth, far from home and living in disguise, the brave Autobots must protect the ancient, all-powerful AllSpark from getting into the hands of the malevolent Decepticons. As if their task weren't difficult enough, the team -- led by the honor-bound Optimus Prime and including Bulkhead, Prowl, Ratchet and Bumblebee -- must also protect Earth from its own nefarious super villains. Formats: DVD. Available exclusively at Amazon. Also available: Transformers Animated: Season Three, a two-disc set, available at Walmart. Extras: Commentaries with writer Marty Isenberg, director Matt Youngberg, voice director/voice of "Arcee" Susan Blu, voice of "Optimus Prime" David Kaye, and character designer/art director Derrick Wyatt. (Shout! Factory Kids).
True Detective: The Complete First Season
(2014) Woody Harrelson, Matthew McConaughey, Michelle Monaghan, Tory Kittles, Eric Price, J.D. Evermore, Madison Wolfe. HBO's highly watchable (and very R-rated and gory) eight-part series
Vendetta
(2013) Roxanne McKee, Josef Altin, Danny Dyer. When a dishonorably discharged, former special ops interrogation officer learns his parents have been mercilessly slaughtered after an attempted robbery gone horribly wrong, he sets out to exact revenge on his parents' killers. (Inception Media).
WordGirl: Monkey Business
(2014) WordGirl and her sidekick Captain Huggy Face fight the good fight against dastardly villains and bad vocabulary. In these four episodes, the super duo faces everything from a meat portal to a peanut butter gun, saving the day and instilling a love of language in children all at the same time. Formats: DVD, $9.99. (Scholastic Media/PBS Kids).
Non-Stop
Liam Neeson has carved a niche for himself as a 21st century action hero -- an intelligent father-husband who just happens to be a spy-hitman-cop who can fight off bad guys half his age (he turned 62 last week) and make it seem believable. And the man can act. Here he reunites with director Jaume Collet-Serra ("Orphan") for the first time since their collaboration on the hit 2011 thriller "Unknown." During a transatlantic flight from New York City to London, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the airline to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account. Until he secures the money, a passenger on his flight will be killed every 20 minutes. Get ready for some surprising -- and exciting -- high altitude mystery and action -- but also be prepared to suspend a little disbelief. Extras: "Suspense at 40,000 Feet" behind-the-scenes featurette. Blu-ray adds "Non-Stop Action" behind-the-scenes featurette on shooting in a 20' by 30' set the shape of a tube.
Vitals: Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. Stars: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong'o, Michelle Dockery, Nate Parker, Scoot McNairy, Corey Stoll, Omar Metwally, Linus Roache, Jason Butler Harner, Shea Whigham, Anson Mount.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 107 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $89.454 million, Universal.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, the film follows Ryan (Chris Pine) from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.
Blu-ray extras: Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, "Jack Ryan: The Smartest Guy in the Room," "Sir Kenneth Branagh: The Tsar of Shadow Recruit," "Jack Ryan: A Thinking Man of Action," "Old Enemies Return," deleted & extended scenes.
Vitals: Director: Kenneth Branagh. Stars: Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Colm Feore, Gemma Chan, Karen David. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 105 min., Action-Thriller, Box office gross: $49.297 million, Paramount.
Tim's Vermeer
Tim Jenison, a Texas based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did 17th century Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer ("Girl with a Pearl Earring") manage to paint so photo-realistically -- 150 years before the invention of photography? The epic research project Jenison embarks on to test his theory is as extraordinary as what he discovers. Spanning eight years, Jenison's adventure takes him to Delft, Holland, where Vermeer painted his masterpieces, on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney, and even to Buckingham Palace to see a Vermeer masterpiece in the collection of the Queen.
Extras: Commentary with Teller, Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler; deleted, extended and alternate scenes; Toronto International Film Festival Q&A.
Vitals: Director: Teller. Stars: Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull, Philip Steadman, David Hockney, Colin Blakemore.
2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 80 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $1.569 million, Sony.
Alan Partridge
(2013 -- U.K.) Steve Coogan, Colm Meaney. When notorious DJ Alan Partridge's (Coogan) radio station is taken over by a new media conglomerate, it sets in motion a chain of events that forces Alan to work with the police to defuse a potentially violent siege mounted by disgruntled fellow DJ (Colm Meaney), who decides to hold the station hostage after learning that he's getting sacked. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc VOD, Digital. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette, AXS TV: "A Look at Alan Partridge." (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Brawl
(2012 -- Thailand) A former boxer moves to Thailand to start a new life, but when he's robbed and left with nothing, he soon enter an underground fight club called "Fighting Fish" where losing is not an option. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette. (Lionsgate).
Deltora Quest: The Complete Series
(2013) An anime series based on the children's books of the same name, written by Australian author Emily Rodda. The anime series is full of magic, mystery and action: The heroic Lief must venture into the darkest and most terrible places in Deltora to find the seven magical gems that can free everyone from the evil tyranny of the Shadow Lord. Formats: Eight-disc DVD set, $79.95. Extras: Photo Galleries. (Cinedigm).
Diggers: Striking It Rich In The Klondike." Based on actual events, "Klondike" tells the story of the last great Gold Rush in history. In 1897 two friends make the perilous journey through North American wilderness to the Klondike boom town Dawson City, "The Paris of the North" where murder, revenge, riches and redemption await. Executive produced by Ridley Scott and starring Richard Madden, Abbie Cornish, Sam Shepard, Tim Roth, Augustus Prew. Formats: Two-disc DVD, two-disc Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Cast interviews, behind-the-scenes, "Discovering Klondike" featurette. (Cinedigm).
MidRange
(2013) Jason Fields, Sean Douglas, Susan Grace. Making his directorial debut, Jason Fields wrote and stars in this touching film that follows a basketball superstar athlete's journey to finding faith and accepting God into his life. A college basketball player destined for the pros returns to his hometown to find his brother consumed with drugs and alcohol and his mother depressed and helpless, and has to decide between saving his family and following his dream. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Cinedigm).
inspiring journey through the vistas of New Mexico is filled with moments of discovery, humor, surprises, and hard realities. Formats: DVD. (Breaking Glass Pictures).
make the most complicated and combustible situations from the city's celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls go away. The only problems he can't fix are those involving his own damaged South Boston family, problems which are exacerbated when his father Mickey (Jon Voight), a gangster with the Irish mob who never protected his family, makes his way to Los Angeles after 20 years in jail. Formats: Four-disc DVD: $65.99, three-disc Blu-ray: $76.99. (Showtime/Paramount).
Ride Report: 10,000 Miles to Rio
(2014) When filmmakers Tiernan Turner and Matt Kendall decide to go to the world famous Carnaval, they embark on a 10,000 mile, cross-continental road trip of a lifetime -- from Las Vegas to Rio de Janeiro -- on nothing but Suzuki motorcycles and the help of the burgeoning, international social network of adventure riders and couch-surfers. Along the way they make life-changing connections with strangers and fellow travelers, proving despite all of our fears, the world is filled with kind and generous people. But as they encounter dangerous terrain, mechanical failures, and logistical problems, they must find their own strength in order to make it to the festival on time. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Additional interviews, trailer. (Cinema Libre Studio).
explores the underbelly of law, order, politics, religion and crime over the course of two decades in Louisiana (and, by proxy, America). In 2012, Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Harrelson) are brought in to revisit a homicide case they worked in 1995. As the inquiry unfolds in present day through separate interrogations, the two former detectives narrate the story of their investigation, reopening unhealed wounds, and drawing into question their supposed solving of a bizarre ritualistic murder in 1995. The timelines braid and converge in 2012 as each man is pulled back into a world they believed they'd left behind. As they look back on the case, Hart and Cohle's personal backstories and often-strained relationship become a major focal point. Hart, an outgoing native Louisianan and family man whose marriage is being frayed by work stress and infidelity, is (at least on the surface) the polar opposite of Cohle, a lone-wolf pessimist and former narcotics detective from Texas. While the plot is moved forward by their shared obsession to hunt down the ritual killer, the drama also centers around the mercurial nature of Hart and Cohle's relationship and personalities, and how they affect each other as detectives, friends, and men. In learning about each other and their killer, it becomes clear that darkness lives on both sides of the law. Superb performances by Harrelson and McConaughey. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Making True Detective behind-the-scenes look at the production of the series, featuring interviews with cast and crew and including never-before-seen footage from Episode 4; "Up Close With Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson" interviews with the stars about filming the series; "A Conversation With Nic Pizzolatto and T Bone Burnett" in-depth discussion with the series writer/creator/executive producer and the legendary composer on both the series and the pivotal role music played in the show's development; "Inside the Episode" in which Pizzolatto and director Cary Joji Fukunaga discuss character development and offer insights into each episode of the series; audio commentaries featuring Pizzolatto, Burnett and executive producer Scott Stephens; deleted scenes. (HBO).
Unacceptable Levels
(2014) Documentary examines the results of the chemical revolution that began in the 1940s through the eyes of affable filmmaker Ed Brown, a father seeking to understand the world in which he and his wife are raising their children. Over 80,000 chemicals flow through our system of commerce, and many are going straight into our bodies. Even our unborn children are affected. Due to this constant exposure, we have approximately 200 synthetic industrial chemicals interacting with our body cells every single day. Until recently, modern science really didn't understand what that could mean for all of us in the long run, but that is changing. Globally, disease rates are on the rise. Theories about the causes abound, yet the issues are complex and often muddied by the maneuvering of political and corporate interests. To explore different facets of common chemical exposure, "Unacceptable Levels" was made in consultation with experts in multiple fields. To create this debut documentary, Brown traveled extensively to find and interview top minds in the fields of science, advocacy, and law. Weaving their testimonies into a compelling narrative, he presents us with the story of how the chemical revolution brought us to where we are, and of where, if we're not vigilant, it may take us. Go to UnacceptableLevels.com for more information. Formats: DVD, $19.98. (TDC Entertainment).
Visitors
(2014) Thirty years after "Koyaanisqatsi," Godfrey Reggio -- with the support of Philip Glass and Jon Kane -- once again leapfrogs over earth-bound filmmakers and creates another stunning, wordless portrait of modern life. Presented by Steven Soderbergh in Black and White digital 4K projection, "Visitors" reveals humanity''s trancelike relationship with technology, which, when commandeered by extreme emotional states, produces massive effects far beyond the human species. The film is visceral, offering the audience an experience beyond information about the moment in which we live. Comprised of only seventy-four shots, "Visitors" takes viewers on a journey to the moon and back to confront them with themselves. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. Extras: Behind-the-scenes interviews with Reggio, Glass, Kane and Soderbergh; "The Making of Visitors (Vice/The Creators Project)," trailers. (Cinedigm).
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June 9, 2014
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