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Aftershock
(2010 -- China) Fan Xu, Jingchu Zhang, Chen Li. The story of a family separated as a result of the Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976 and the daughter -- who volunteers to help out in the Sichuan earthquake of 2008 -- who comes to grips with her mother's decision at the time to save her twin brother. China's highest-grossing domestic film. (New Video/China Lion).
American Pickers: Volume 2
(2011) Two-disc set with eight episodes, $19.95. (A&E).
Attack on Leningrad
(2009) Gabriel Byrne, Mira Sorvino. A British and an American journalist are trapped within the devastated city of Leningrad during the infamous Nazi siege in the winter of 1941. Extras: Making of featurette, interview with director Alexander Buravsky. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Entertainment One).
Baaria
(2010 -- Italy) Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, director of the Oscar-winning "Cinema Paradiso," with a score by Academy Award-winning composer Ennio Morricone. Follows five decades in the life of a young man, his family -- as well as that of his country -- as Peppino takes work as a shepherd to support his family in the small Sicilian town of Bagheria, nicknamed "Baaria" by its residents. During the next 50 years he experiences a gamut of emotions and awakenings, as he finds the love of his life, is a witness to dramatic political change and intellectual upheaval, and discovers a destiny he could have never imagined. Extras: Commentary by Giuseppe Tornatore, behind-the-scenes featurette, red carpet coverage at the film's premiere, "A Conversation With Giuseppe Tornatore" by Mario Sesti, deleted scenes, photo gallery, poster gallery. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).
Bad Teacher
(2011) Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins, Thomas Lennon, Molly Shannon. Available on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, with all editions containing the theatrical and unrated versions. Extras: Deleted scenes, outtakes, "Way Behind the Scenes With Jason and Justin" featurette, "Raising More Than Funds" featurette. Blu-ray adds gag reel, "JAMS Yearbook-Hidden Moments" interactive yearbook featuring outtakes with the cast, three additional behind-the-scenes featurettes: "A Very Odd Blacksmith Story," "Swimming With the Dolphins," "Good Teacher." (Sony).
Batman: Year One
(2011) A DC Universe Animated Original Movie with the voices of Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff. Based on the 1987 Frank Miller DC Comics titles in which young Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed vigilante. Available as a Blu-ray DVD/Combo and DVD. Blu-ray Extras: DC Showcase Animated Original Short "Catwoman," "Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots" featurette, "Conversations with DC Comics" featurette, commentary, "Batman: Year One, Chapter 1" digital comic book, two bonus episodes from "Batman: The Animated Series," digital copy. (Warner.
A Better Life
(2011) Dir.: Chris Weitz. Stars: Jose Julian, Demian Bichir, Dolores Heredia, Joaquin Cosio, Carlos Linares. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Summit Entertainment).
Beware
(2010) Adam Leadbeater, Alex Livinalli, Brandy Whitford, Cecilia Huete. Five unsuspecting kids discover that the urban myth -- about a boy tortured and chained to a tree who now wanders the woods in search of revenge -- is gruesomely true. (Maya Entertainment).
Cape Fear BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1991) Dir.: Martin Scorsese; Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam, Illeana Douglas, Fred Dalton Thompson. Extras: "The Making of Cape Fear," "Behind the Scenes of the Fourth of July Parade," "On the Set of the Houseboat," photograph montage, matte painting, opening credits. (Universal).
Captain America and Captain America: Death Too Soon
(1979) Reb Brown, Len Birman, Christopher Lee. Two live-action Captain America TV movies. (Shout! Factory).
The Captains
(2011) A feature-length documentary written and directed by William Shatner that "boldly goes where no man has gone before," giving viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at one of the most durable and profitable franchises in entertainment history, as well as the men and women who have made the Star Trek brand an international phenomenon since 1966. Features vintage Star Trek footage and in-depth interviews with actors Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Avery Brooks (Captain Benjamin Sisko), Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), and Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek). (Entertainment One).
CatDog: Season One -- Part One
(1998) Two-disc set with 10 episodes, $19.93. (Shout! Factory).
The Clowns BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1970 -- Italy) Dir.: Federico Fellini. An affectionate memoir by Fellini in which the director eulogizes his lost fantasy world and exposes his great attraction for the clowns and the world of the circus. The film melds memoir and documentary into a circus of fiction and reality where Fellini delights in the role of ringmaster. The carnival-sounding score composed by Nino Rota, and an appearance by Anita Ekberg, enhances the Fellini-esque experience. Extras: A rare and exclusive short film by Fellini, a video essay on the genesis of the film and a 50 page booklet with exclusive Fellini drawings. (RaroVideo).
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1966 -- TV) Narrated by Boris Karloff. (Warner).
Eclipse Series 29: Aki Kaurismaki's Leningrad Cowboys
In the late '80s and early '90s, Aki Kaurismaki ("The Match Factory Girl"), the master of the deadpan, fashioned a waggish fish-out-of-water tale about a U.S. tour by "the worst rock-and-roll band in the world." "Leningrad Cowboys Go America's" posse of fur-coated, outrageously pompadoured hipsters struck such a chord with international audiences that the fictional band became a genuine attraction, touring the world. Later, Kaurismaki created a sequel, "Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses," and filmed a gigantic stadium show the band put on in Helsinki for the rollicking documentary "Total Balalaika Show." This Eclipse series three-disc set presents these crackpot musical and comic odysseys, along with five Leningrad Cowboys music videos directed by Kaurismäki. (The Criterion Collection).
Freerunner
(2011) Sean Faris, Tamer Hassan, Danny Dyer. Urban acrobatic freerunning combines athleticism with audacity and imagination as runners weave through their environment by vaulting, running, climbing and jumping (as seen in the French film "District B13" and "Casino Royale"). Ryan is a freerunner desperately trying to break free from Reese, a mobster who controls a stable of street runners for the sport of it; with exploding collars locked around their necks, the freerunners have one hour to make it across town ... or lose the race and their lives. Extras: Outtakes, bloopers, "Over the Rooftops and Behind the Scenes" featurette, "Freerunner Stunts, Fights and Effects," "Playing Ninja," "Parkour/Freerunning."Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).
Gift of the Magi
(2010) Mark Webber, Maria Sokoloff. Hallmark Channel modernized version of the O'Henry classic. (RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment).
Gigolos: The First Season
(2011) Single disc with eight episodes, $26.99. (Showtime/Paramount).
The Guns of Navarone 50th Anniversary BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1961) 50th anniversary edition, remastered following an extensive 4K digital restoration from the original camera negative. Dir.: J. Lee Thompson; stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quayle, James Darren, Irene Papas, Gia Scala, James Robertson Justice, Richard Harris, Bryan Forbes. Extras: "The Resistance Dossier of Navarone": interactive dossier gives the viewer all new access to detailed information on the film, the real world history that inspired the film, and insights from film and military historians on the continuing effect the film has on popular culture; commentary by film historian Stephen J. Rubin; commentary by director J. Lee Thompson; "Forging the Guns of Navarone: Notes from the Set"; "Iconic Epic of Heroism"; "Epic Restoration"; "A Heroic Score"; narration-free prologue; "Memories of Navarone" retrospective documentary; message from blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman; "Great Guns" original featurette; "No Visitors" featurette; "Honeymoon on Rhodes"; "Two Girls on the Town" original featurette; original trailer, exhibitor's trailer. (Sony).
Happiness Is ... Peanuts: Snow Days
Includes remastered TV special "She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown" as well as an episode from "The Charlie brown and Snoopy Show," $14.97. (Warner).
The Howling: Reborn
(2011) Lindsey Shaw, Landon Liboiron, Ivana Milicevic. Direct-to-video sequel has a high school student discovering that he is heir to a powerful line of werewolves. Extras: Commentary, behind-the-scenes featurette. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Anchor Bay).
Jean Arthur Comedy Collection
Four-disc set featuring the winsome leading lady includes "The Public Menace" (1935), "Adventure in Manhattan" (1936), "More Than a Secretary" (1936) and "The Impatient Years" (1944). (TCM Vault Collection).
Kuroneko
(1968) In this poetic and atmospheric horror fable, set in a village in war-torn medieval Japan, a malevolent spirit has been ripping out the throats of itinerant samurai. When a military hero is sent to dispatch the unseen force, he finds that he must struggle with his own personal demons as well. From Kaneto Shindo, director of the terror classic "Onibaba," "Kuroneko" (Black Cat) is a spectacularly eerie twilight tale with a shocking feminist angle, evoked through ghostly special effects and exquisite cinematography. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. Extras: Video interview with director Kaneto Shindo from the Directors Guild of Japan; new video interview with critic Tadao Sato; booklet featuring an essay by film critic Maitland McDonagh and an excerpt from film scholar Joan Mellen's 1972 interview with Shindo. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Criterion Collection).
The Last Circus
(2010 -- Spain) Antonio de la Torre, Carlos Areces, Carolina Bang. Set at the tail end of the fascist Franco regime in Spain, the film follows Javier, a second generation clown who dreams to follow in his father's footsteps as a Happy Clown but has seen too much tragedy and suffering to be anything but its counterpart. He finds work in a circus where he befriends an outlandish cast of characters, but as the Sad Clown, he must take the abuse of the brutish Happy Clown, Sergio, who humiliates Javier daily in the name of entertainment. There he meets Natalia, a gorgeous acrobat and the abused wife of Sergio, and he quickly falls deeply in love with her and attempts to rescue her from her tyrannical Happy Clown husband. But Natalia is torn between her affection for Javier and her violent lust for Sergio, leading to a shocking and bizarre end. Extras: "Making of The Last Circus" featurette, behind the scenes segments, visual effects featurette. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet label).
Masterpiece Mystery!: The Complete Inspector Lewis
Ten-disc set with all 20 mysteries, $129.99. (PBS Distribution).
Page One: Inside The New York Times
(2011) Documentary reveals the inner-workings of The New York Times newsroom. Follows the reporters for The New York Times Media Desk as they work through a tumultuous time in journalism and face new players and platforms such as WikiLeaks, Twitter, tablet computers and more. Editor David Carr offers unprecedented access to the inner workings of the newspaper as well as his personal life. New-media wunderkind Brian Stelter shows the importance of having the ability to straddle the worlds of both old and new media, while colleagues Bruce Headlam, Bill Keller and Tim Arango fight to hold onto the solid reputation of The New York Times. (Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Label).
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
(2011) Director: Rob Marshall. Stars: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally, Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Keith Richards, Richard Griffiths. Available as a Limited Edition 5-Disc Combo Pack (1-Disc Blu-ray 3D + 2-Disc Blu-ray + 1-Disc DVD + 1-Disc Digital Copy ($49.99) and a 2-Disc Combo Pack (1-Disc Blu-ray + 1-Disc DVD) ($39.99), and for the ultimate fan a 15-Disc Four Movie Collection in Blu-ray only ($169.99). Extras: 2-Disc Combo Pack: "Disney Second Screen," "Bloopers of the Caribbean," commentary by director Rob Marshall, "LEGO Animated Shorts: Captain Jack's Brick Tales." Limited Edition 5-Disc Combo Pack adds "Legends of On Stranger Tides," "In Search of the Fountain," "Last Sail/First Voyage," "Under the Scene: Bringing Mermaids to Life," deleted and extended scenes. (Disney)
The Real L Word The Second Season
(2011) Three-disc set with nine episodes, $39.99. (Showtime/Paramount).
Red State
(2011) Dir.: Kevin Smith; Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Angarano, Anna Gunn, Kevin Pollak, Kyle Gallner, Nick Braun, Kerry Bishe, Stephen Root, Ralph Garman, Jennifer Schwalbach. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (SModcast Pictures/Lionsgate).
The Rise and Fall of Margaret Thatcher
Three-disc set of TV dramas about British Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher, in time for the Dec. 16 theatrical release of "The Iron Lady," starring Meryl Streep as Thatcher: "Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley" (2008), "The Falklands Play" (2002) and "Margaret" (2009). (Warner).
Robotech: The Complete Original Series
(2010) Seventeen-disc set with all 85 half-hour episodes of the original series (re-mastered from original elements for this release), $99.95. Extras: Ten hours of bonus programming. (A&E Networks Home Entertainment).
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Complete Season Three
(2010-11) Four-disc set with 22 episodes, $44.98. Extras: "Creating Kamino," "Hutts and the Underworld," "Witches and Monsters," "Secrets of Mortis," "Chewbacca Returns." Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds "The Jedi Temple Archive." (Warner).
Thundercats: Season One, Book One
Eight episodes of the new animated series in a two-disc set, $19.97. (Warner).
V: The Complete Second Season
(2011) Three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.98. Extras: Deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds gag reel; "The Arc of the Story: Mining the Human Emotion" featurette, in which the writers and actors comment on the journey of the second season; "A Visual Masterpiece for the Small Screen," in which the producers explain how they push the envelope to bring their cinematic style to your living room week after week. (Warner).
War Eagle, Arkansas
(2007) Brian Dennehy, Mary Kay Place, Mare Winningham, James McDaniel, Dan McCabe. Based on a true story, this is the inspiring story of a high school baseball star who must choose between pursuing a college sports career and staying near family and friends in his struggling rural Ozark Mountain community. Enoch Cass is charming in his wish to hold on to loved-ones, including lifelong best friend Samuel Macon whom he affectionately calls "Wheels" because of his confinement to a wheel chair. The two share an enduring spirit strengthened by Samuel's Cerebral Palsy and Enoch's debilitating stutter, both of which have kept them in need of each other for most of their lives. (Monarch Home Entertainment).
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
(1971) Dir.: Mel Stuart; Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum, Roy Kinnear, Julie Dawn Cole, Leonard Stone, Denise Nickerson.Extras: "Mel Stuart's Wonkavision"; "A World of Pure Imagination" featurette on author Roald Dahl; "Delicious Documentary: Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory"; mouth-watering commentary with the Wonka Kids; sing a-longs; a 144-page production book reprint filled with production photos and notes, and archival letters; and sweet premiums like a retro Wonka Bar-shaped tin box with scented pencils and eraser and a limited time Golden Ticket Instant Win Game piece for a chance to enter and win a trip for two to Los Angeles,
Available as a three-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo ($64.99) and a single DVD ($12.97), the latter which includes some bonus content and scratch 'n sniff sticker sheets. (Warner).
Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption
(2011) Johnny Gel, Fred Williamson, Alicia Clark. Zombies and humans team up in a post-apocalyptic world to battle maniacal raiders who kill or kidnap everybody in sight. Extras: Commentary by Johnny Gel, screenwriter Matthew O'Day and director Ryan Thompson; "The Road to Redemption" making-of featurette; deleted scenes; still image gallery. (Pacific Entertainment Corporation).
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in this action-packed sequel. Sparrow crosses paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penelope Cruz), a former lover and the daughter of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who's using Sparrow's name to mount an expedition to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. She forces him aboard the "Queen Anne’s Revenge," Blackbeard's vessel, and they embark on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica. Along the way they encounter Jack's old nemesis, Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), mermaids, all sorts of treachery, voodoo and magic. This edition of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' breathes new life into a franchise that -- by the time of 'At World's End' the series -- had degenerated into slapstick comedy and foolishness. With a sigh of relief, we can safely say that 'On Stranger Tides' has reverted back to the original's wit, sass and emphasis on adventure. Depp is surer than ever in his role as the amoral pirate (is there any other?), Cruz makes the perfect female foil for Sparrow, and McShane and Rush are as bad as pirate bad can be. Hoist anchor and enjoy this buoyant ride. And me hearties, shiver me timbers, they've left the door open for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5.'
Vitals: Director: Rob Marshall. Stars: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally, Sam Claflin, Astrid Berges-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Keith Richards, Richard Griffiths.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 136 min., Action, Box office gross: $$236,.250 million, Disney.
Bad Teacher
Elizabeth Halsey (Cameron Diaz) is ruthless, wildly inappropriate and says exactly what's on her mind. She may be working as a teacher, but her real occupation is to find a rich man to support her and get her out of the middle school for good. When she's dumped by her fiance, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Jason Timberlake) -- competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch), while disregarding the advances of the school's irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel). Take one promising concept (a very bad teacher running amok in high school), add a fairly hot actress (Cameron Diaz) in the lead, give her a male and female foil, then mess it up with dumb situations, gratuitous sexual jokes and innuendo, and a lame plot twist, and you have a film that is never as funny as it should be. Remember how nasty 'Bad Santa' was? We had hoped that this film would be at least as nasty (based on the one-sheets and teasers) but -- despite Diaz's at times brazen performance -- we were let down. There is a good wet Cameron Diaz-car wash sequence, however, which might be worth the price of a DVD rental -- but just barely.Vitals: Director: Jake Kasdan. Stars: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Jason Segel, Lucy Punch, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins, Thomas Lennon, Molly Shannon.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $97.513 million, Sony.
A Better Life
Hardworking single father and illegal immigrant Carlos Galindo lives life for a single purpose: to provide his teenage son with the opportunity for a better life. He starts a gardening business and buys a used truck and equipment, but when the truck is stolen, he and his son work together to recover it, reconnecting for the first time in years. Vitals: Director: Chris Weitz. Stars: Jose Julian, Demian Bichir, Dolores Heredia, Joaquin Cosio, Carlos Linares.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 98 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.754 million, Summit Entertainment.
Red State
Three teenaged boys are lured to the town of Cooper's Dell with the promise of a party. But instead of enjoying the night of their dreams, the teens are plunged into the nightmarish world of Pastor Abin Cooper (based on Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church) and the Five Points Trinity, a fundamentalist group with a stockpile of weaponry and a deadly moral agenda. When word of the teens disappearance reaches the authorities, a military task force is mobilized. With Cooper's Dell teetering between salvation and damnation, the ATF braces for a furious gun battle with Cooper and his heavily armed followers in this fever-pitched action thriller from writer-director Kevin Smith.
Vitals: Director: Kevin Smith. Stars: Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Michael Angarano, Anna Gunn, Kevin Pollak, Kyle Gallner, Nick Braun, Kerry Bishe, Stephen Root, Ralph Garman, Jennifer Schwalbach.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: 97, R min., Thriller, Box office gross: $.851 million, SModcast Pictures/Lionsgate.
Monte Carlo
A high-spirited high school graduate (Selena Gomez) vacations in Paris with her best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) and uptight stepsister Meg (Leighton Meester) and despite the allures of the City of Lights, the trio have a terrible time. Just as the girls think their trip is further ruined when their hyperactive tour guide leaves them behind, Grace is mistaken for a wealthy socialite and the trio is whisked away to Monte Carlo for a thrilling week of glitz, glam, and unforgettable fun.
Vitals: Director: Thomas Bezucha. Stars: Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy, Leighton Meester, Andie McDowell, Cory Monteith.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 109 min., Romantic Comedy, Box office gross: $20.110 million, Fox.
Cape Fear
(1991)
The Clowns
(1970)
The Guns of Navarone
(1961)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
(1971)
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October 17, 2011
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