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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
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Black Orpheus
(1959) Winner of both the Academy Award for best foreign-language film and the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, Marcel Camus'" Black Orpheus" (Orfeu negro) brings the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to the 20th-century madness of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. With its eye-popping photography and ravishing, epochal soundtrack, "Black Orpheus" was a cultural event, kicking off the bossa nova craze that set hi-fis across America spinning. Two-disc set with new, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras: Optional English-dubbed soundtrack; archival interviews with director Marcel Camus and actress Marpessa Dawn; new video interviews with Brazilian cinema scholar Robert Stam, jazz historian Gary Giddins, and Brazilian author Ruy Castro; "A la recherche d' 'Orfeu negro,'" a feature-length documentary about "Black Orpheus's" cultural and musical roots and its resonance in Brazil today; theatrical trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Criterion Collection).
Burning Bright
(2010) Briana Evigan, Charlie Tahan, Garret Dillahunt. A thriller centered on a young woman and her autistic little brother who are trapped in a house with a ravenous tiger during a hurricane. Extras: Introduction by actress Briana Evigan, "Forces of Nature" special effects featurette. (Lionsgate).
Ca$h
(2010) Sean Bean, Chris Hemsworth, Victoria Profeta. Sam Phelan and his wife Leslie are facing financial problems to pay their mortgage after a period of unemployment. While driving his old Buick below an overpass, a case falls onto the hood of the car and he finds $600,000 inside. Sam and Leslie quit their job; pay their mortgage; buy a Land Rover; and refurnish their house. But a vicious criminal who had disposed of the money before getting arrested sends his killer brother after the couple to retrieve the ill-gotten gain. Extras: "The Making of Cash" featurette, commentary by director Stephen Milburn Anderson. (Lionsgate).
Cemetery Junction
(2009) Written and directed by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant. Stars Felicity Jones, Matthew Goode, Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes, Jack Doolan, Ricky Gervais, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson. '70s England is in full swing as three outcast friends find themselves drinking, joking, fighting and chasing girls, while dreaming of escape from their blue-collar hometown of Cemetery Junction. Freddie is a salesman suddenly thrown onto the fast track when he gains the attention of his boss; torn between a prior life of partying with his friends and the promise of a brighter future, life gets more complicated when the boss' daughter becomes the focus of Freddie's affection. Extras: Commentary by co-writers/co-directors Gervais and Merchant; commentary by Cooke, Hughes and Doolan; behind-the-scenes featurettes "The Directors: A Conversation with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant" and "The Lads Look Back: The Stars Discuss Cemetery Junction"; deleted scenes; blooper reel; more. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds movieIQ+sync and BD-Live; featurettes "Seventies Style: Production and Costume Design," "The Start of Filming," "Week 1," "Meet the Boys," "The Directors On Set," plus a bonus "Snow Dude" Easter Egg. (Sony).
The City of Your Final Destination
(2009) Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally, Hiroyuki Sanada. After winning a grant to write a biography of the Hispanic author Jules Gund, an Iranian-American student must travel to Uruguay and convince the family to give him permission. He finds more than he expected when he meets the writer's brother (Hopkins), wife (Linney) and mistress (Gainsbourg). (Screen Media Films).
Cougar Town: The Complete First Season
(2009-10) Three-disc set with 24 episodes, $39.99. Extras: Bloopers, deleted scenes, "Taming Cougar Town" featurette, "Ask Barb," "Jimmy Kimmel Live: Saber-Tooth Tiger Town," "Stroking It With Bobby Cobb" series. (Disney).
Dark and Stormy Night
(2009) Daniel Roebuck, Jennifer Blaire, Dan Conroy, Brian Howe, Fay Masterson. A loving lampoon of the classic "old-dark house" thrillers. Set in the 1930s, this Larry Blamire-directed film begins with the family of the deceased (and very rich) Sinas Cavinder gathered for the reading of his will in a gloomy old mansion, complete with secret passageways, portraits with the eyes cut out and, of course, a gorilla. They soon find themselves being murdered by a mysterious hooded phantom, while two fast-talking rival reporters compete for the story (and do some backstabbing of their own), somewhat hindered by the frightened Brooklyn cabbie who brought them and just wants his "toity-five cents." Extras: Cast and crew commentary, behind-the-scenes featurette, more. (Shout! Factory).
Father Knows Best: Season 5
(1958-59) Five-disc set with 38 episodes, $34.99. (Shout! Factory).
Four Seasons Lodge
(2009) Haunted by the past but driven by an unquenchable passion for living, an aging group of Holocaust survivors gathers each summer at an idyllic hideaway in the Catskills, where they savor tightly bonded friendships, find new love and celebrate their survival. Extras: Personal stories of survival, Hymie's story, deleted scenes, the director on making the documentary. (First Run Features).
Furry Vengeance
(2010) Brendan Fraser, Brooke Shields, Matt Prokop, Ken Jeong, Angela Kinsey. Extras: Deleted Scenes, "The Pitfalls of Pratfalls,"
"Working With Animals: A Portrait of Ken Beggs," gag reel, commentary by director and cast. Also available as Blu-ray/DVD Combo Disc. (Summit Entertainment).
Friday Night Lights: The Fourth Season
(2009-10) Three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.98. (Universal).
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
(2008 -- South Korea) Director Kim Ji-woon, a master of modern horror thanks to "A Tale of Two Sisters" and "3 Extremes II," turns to pure, high-octane thrills in this wild take on Sergio Leone's Clint Eastwood classic "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." One of the most expensive films ever made in South Korea. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (IFC Films and MPI Media Group).
L'enfance nue
(1968) The singular French director Maurice Pialat ("Loulou," "A nos amours") puts his distinct stamp on the lost-youth film with this devastating portrait of a damaged foster child. We see Francois (Michel Terrazon) on the cusp of his teens, shuttled from one home to another, his behavior growing increasingly erratic, his bonds with his surrogate parents perennially fraught. In this, his feature debut, Pialat treats this potentially sentimental scenario with astonishing sobriety and stark realism. With its full-throttle mixture of emotionality and clear-eyed skepticism, "L'enfance nue" (Naked Childhood) was advance notice of one of the most masterful careers in French cinema, and remains one of Pialat's finest works. New, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras: "L'amour existe," Pialat's 1960 short film about life on the outskirts of Paris; "Choses vues, autour de 'L'enfance nue,'" a 50-minute documentary shot just after the film's release; excerpts from a 1973 French television interview with Pialat; visual essay by critic Kent Jones on the film and Pialat's cinematic style; video interview with Pialat collaborators Arlette Langmann and Patrick Grandperret; booklet featuring an essay by critic Phillip Lopate. (The Criterion Collection).
The Last Song
(2010) Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, Bobby Coleman, Liam Hemsworth, Hallock Beals, Kelly Preston, Stephanie Leigh, Nick Searcy. Extras: Set tour with Bobby Coleman, Miley Cyrus music video "When I Look at You," making of the music video "When I Look at You" with Miley Cyrus. Available as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, which adds alternate opening sequence: "The Church Fire," deleted scenes, commentary by director Julie Anne Robinson and co-producer Jennifer Gibgot. (Disney)
Madeline's Halloween & Other Spooky Tales
(1993) Five episodes from the animated series based on the popular children's books: "Madeline's Halloween"; "Madeline and the Mean, Nasty Horrible Hats"; "Madeline and the Mummy"; "Madeline and the Haunted Castle"; and "Madeline and the Spider Lady." $12.99. (Shout! Factory).
One Tree Hill: The Complete Seventh Season
(2009-10) Five-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98. Extras: Unaired scenes, featurettes, gag reel, commentary. (Warner).
Orlando Special Edition
(1993) Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane. Writer-director Sally Potter's groundbreaking, Oscar-nominated and visually stunning film, based on Virginia Woolf's gender-bending novel "Orlando: A Biography." A witty, dream-like period piece with lavish sets, stunning costumes and cameos by Scottish pop singer Jimmy Somerville, of Bronski Beat, and English writer and queer cultural icon Quentin Crisp, author of "The Naked Civil Servant." "Orlando" is the story of a journey through time, spanning over four centuries, first as a man, then as a woman, as Orlando moves from the era of Queen Elizabeth 1 to the turn of the 19th century. Extras: Commentary by Sally Potter; featurettes: "Orlando Goes to Russia," "Orlando in Uzbekistan," "Jimmy Was an Angel"; Venice Film Festival press conference, interview with Sally Potter. (Sony).
Prodigy: An Unauthorized Story on Tiger Woods
(2010) Documentary on the legendary golfer, $14.98. Extras: Four featurettes. (Infinity Entertainment).
Sorority Wars
(2009) Lucy Hale, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Faith Ford,Amanda Schull. A college freshman who has been groomed from birth to continue her mother's legacy by joining the Delta house decides to pledge their rival, the Kappas, creating an all-out rivalry and fight-to-the-finish competition. (RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment).
Spring Fever
(2009 -- China) Wang Ping's wife suspects him of adultery, so she hires Lou Haitao to spy on him and discovers that her husband's lover is a man, Jian Cheng. Luo Haitao and his girlfriend, Li Jing, form a torrid love triangle with the male lover, marking the beginning of a journey into the confines of jealousy and obsessive love highlighted by asphyxiating sultry nights of physical abandon that exalts the senses. Winner of the Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival. (Strand Releasing).
Ugly Betty: The Complete Fourth and Final Season
(2009-10) Four-disc set with 20 episodes, $39.99. Extras: "Betty Bloops,"
deleted scenes, "Betty Goes Bahamas," "Mode After Hours," Webisodes. (Disney).
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