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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases Get the latest DVD release information (free) every Tuesday morning. Subscribe here. Last Week's Releases: December 1-7 Tuesday, December 8 -- Monday, December 14 All DVD Releases Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Emboldened by the return of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry Potter suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but headmaster Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. He needs Harry to help him uncover a vital key to unlocking Voldemort's defenses -- critical information known only to Hogwarts' former Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn. With that in mind, Dumbledore manipulates his old colleague into returning to his previous post with promises of more money, a bigger office ... and the chance to teach the famous Harry Potter. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry's long friendship with Ginny Weasley is growing into something deeper, but standing in the way is Ginny's boyfriend, Dean Thomas, not to mention her big brother Ron. But Ron's got romantic entanglements of his own to worry about, with Lavender Brown lavishing her affections on him, leaving Hermione simmering with jealousy yet determined not to show her feelings. And then a box of love potion-laced chocolates ends up in the wrong hands and changes everything. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof with far more important matters on his mind. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again. Vitals: Director: David Yates. Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Cave, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, Bonnie Wright. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 153 min., Fantasy, Box office gross: $298.844 million, Warner. Advertisement Julie & Julia Based on Julie Powell's book "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen." Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and saved her soul. Julie Powell is 30-years-old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic and she will cook all 524 recipes, blogging as she goes. In the span of one year. At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moves from the simple Potage Parmentier (potato soup) into the more complicated realm of aspics and crepes, she realizes there's more to "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" than meets the eye. Meanwhile, the film juxtaposes Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) life in France as the wife of a post-World War II diplomat as she moves from bored housewife to grand chef (at a time when women were not accepted as chefs) and her struggles to write and publish the ultimate cookbook of French recipes. With Julia's stern warble always in her ear, Julie haunts the local butcher, buying kidneys and sweetbreads. She sends her husband on late-night runs for yet more butter and rarely serves dinner before midnight. She discovers how to mold the perfect Orange Bavarian, the trick to extracting marrow from bone, and the intense pleasure of eating liver. And somewhere along the line she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine. She has eclipsed her life's ordinariness through spectacular humor, hysteria, and perseverance. Tour-de-force performance by Streep and the sequences in France keep the film together. Vitals: Director: Nora Ephron. Stars: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch, Dave Annable, Mary Lynn Rajskub. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 123 min., Biodrama-Comedy, Box office gross: $90.600 million, Sony. Public Enemies Disappointing Michael Mann crime thriller about legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) -- the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone -- from his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression. But while the adventures of Dillinger's gang -- later including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi) -- thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing "Clark Gable of the FBI." However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis' men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals -- from the infamous "Lady in Red" to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti -- were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger. Despite the bigger-than-life characters and acting talents of Depp, Bale et al, Mann doesn't give us anyone to care about in this fast-paced but uninvolving thriller. Vitals: Director: Michael Mann. Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochran, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang, John Ortiz, Giovanni Ribisi, David Wenham, Stephen Graham. 2009, CC, MPAA rating: R, 143 min., Crime Thriller, Box office gross: $97.030 million, Universal. All DVD Releases Blind Date (2007) Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson. Don and Janna, a married couple struggling to reconnect after the death of their daughter, answering each other's phony classified ads to begin an elaborate game of pretend blind dates, hoping this ruse will allow them finally to talk openly about the demise of their relationship in the wake of tragedy. (E1 Entertainment). Brigitte Bardo Classic Collection Three Bardot films: "The Night Heaven Fell," "Plucking the Daisy" and "Don Juan." (Image Entertainment). Carriers (2009) Chris Pine, Piper Perabo, Emily VanCamp, Chris Melon. Determined to escape a deadly virus, four teens set out in search of an uncontaminated refuge. As they travel across the decimated landscape of America, they encounter a truth far more horrifying than the virus they are trying to survive. For rental only; the DVD will be available for sale four to six weeks after its rental street date. (Paramount). The Cove (2009) Documentary on the fishermen of Taiji, a town along the Japanese coast, where hunting dolphins is a major part of the local economy. A few dolphins are saved during hunting season and sold off to aquariums for water shows, and the rest are crowded together and -- away from prying eyes -- stabbed to death, their meat sold as food. The very act of hunting has also poisoned the area's waters and has taken a toll on the marine ecology. (Lionsgate). Crime Wave: 18 Months of Mayhem (2009) History Channel documentary revealing the real people behind some of America?s most notorious criminals: John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Babyface Nelson and Bonnie and Clyde. (A&E Home Entertainment). Dog Eat Dog (2008 -- Columbia) Oscar Borda, Blas Jaramillo, Marlon Moreno, Paulina Rivas. When two fed-up, underpaid street soldiers decide to double-cross their boss on a cash-collection shakedown -- and gun down his beloved godson -- the crime lord dispatches every murderous gangster and merciless thug in the city, and even a voodoo priestess, to eliminate the desperate duo. (IFC Films). Get Smart Season 5 (1069-70) Four-disc set with 26 episodes, $24.98. (HBO Home Video). Ghosted (2009 -- Mandarin) A mysterious love story set in Taiwan and Germany. German artist Sophie is trying to come to terms with the unsolved murder of her Taiwanese lover Ai-Ling. After a run-in with the seductive Mei-Li, a journalist investigating Ai-Ling's death, Sophie flees back to Germany. But when Mei-Li turns up on her Hamburg doorstep, the mystery deepens. (First Run Features). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Jessie Cave, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Julie Walters, David Thewlis, Bonnie Wright. Available as a three-disc Blu-ray combo pack that includes the film, bonus features, a standard DVD version of the film and a digital copy; a two-disc DVD special edition with more than two hours of extras as well as a digital copy; and a standard DVD. Extras: The Blu-ray and two-disc versions will include two behind-the-scenes featurettes, including one focusing on the last year of writing the "Harry Potter" books with author J.K. Rowling; two smaller, cast-centered featurettes; deleted scenes and more. The Blu-ray will include Warner's Maximum Movie Mode feature, which offers picture-in-picture information features and commentary from director David Yates, producers David Barron and David Heyman and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Tom Felton. (Warner). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Ultimate Edition Five-disc set with theatrical and extended versions. First part of "Creating The World of Harry Potter" eight-part documentary: Part 1: The Magic Begins, in which viewers get an inside, in-depth look at the planning, creativity, personalities and other elements that went into the initial creation of Harry's screen world; 48-page photo book, five hours of special features. Features: Diagon Alley; Tour the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry's Room and the Great Hall -- Welcome to the self-guided tour of Hogwarts; Classrooms: Defense Against The Dark Arts; Spells And Charms; Potions; Transfiguration; Third Floor Corridor; deleted scenes; Sorting Hat; Library; Gallery of Art & Architecture; Hogwarts Yearbook; "Guide to Ghosts; Hogwarts Grounds; Quaffle and Bludger: Get a lesson from Oliver Wood on how to play Quidditch; tour Hagrid's hut; Extra Credit; Interview: Capturing the stone: A conversation with the director Chris Columbus, producer David Heyman, screenwriter Steve Kloves and production designer Stuart Craig; "A Glimpse Into the World of Harry Potter" 2001 international TV special; deleted scenes; trailers and TV spots; digital copy of theatrical film. Blu-ray Disc adds: In-Movie Experience with director Chris Columbus: An interactive viewer experience where the entire film is examined with PiP, storyboard comparisons, still galleries; WB Maximum Movie Mode picture-in-picture programming, cast walk-ons, focus points, graphics and more; BD Live with access to worldwide events, special guest participants, community features and more. $49.99 Blu-ray, $39.92 DVD. (Warner). Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Ultimate Edition Five-disc set with theatrical and extended versions. Second part of "Creating The World of Harry Potter" eight-part documentary: Part 2: Characters, offering a first-hand look at the unique strengths of each of the films' directors and what they brought to the principal characters in the Harry Potter film series; 48-page photo book; five hours of special features. Features: Deleted scenes; Lockhart's classroom; photo gallery; Certificates -- have a look at Gilderoy Lockhart's many achievements; Required Reading -- find out what text books you'll need for Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class; Extra Credit; Behind Hogwarts; A conversation with J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves: The author and screenwriter detail how the books are brought to life and the changes that happen in the process; Dumbledore's Office; Build a Scene; Tour Dumbledore's Office -- Welcome to the self-guided tour of Professor Dumbledore's office, one of the most fascinating rooms at Hogwarts; Interviews with students, professors and more; Professors and More: Personal moments with the professors and others as they discuss their characters: Prof. Gilderoy Lockhart, Lucius Malfoy, Prof. Pomona Sprout, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Prof. Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Prof. Severus Snape, Uncle Vernon Dursley, Aunt Petunia Dursley, Argus Filch, Prof. Minerva McGonagall; Gallery of Production Sketches; Activities; The Chamber Challenge [Game]; Tour the Chamber of Secrets; The Forbidden Forest Challenge [Game]; Colin's Darkroom; Tour Diagon Alley: Self-guided tour of Diagon Alley, where you can find all your supplies for the school year; Spellcaster Knowledge Challenge [Game]; EA Game Preview; Screen Tests of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson; "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Revealed" 2002 HBO First Look special; trailers and TV spots; digital copy of theatrical film. Blu-ray Disc adds: In-Movie Experience with director Chris Columbus: An interactive viewer experience where the entire film is examined with PiP, storyboard comparisons, still galleries; WB Maximum Movie Mode picture-in-picture programming, cast walk-ons, focus points, graphics and more; BD Live with access to worldwide events, special guest participants, community features and more. $49.99 Blu-ray, $39.92 DVD. (Warner). Harry Potter Years 1-6 Giftset Six-disc set with all six Harry Potter films, $69.98. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner). Home Movie (2008) Adrian Pasdar, Cady McClain. Documents one family's descent into darkness, using a compilation of "found" home-made footage. To outward appearances, they are the all-American family. Dad is a minister in their idyllic upstate New York town, mom is a psychologist, and 10-year-old twins Emily and Jack seem to be the perfect little children. That is, when they?re not stapling frogs to trees. (IFC Films). Hooking Up (2008) Corey Feldman, Bronson Pinchot, Brian O'Halloran. The relationships of three girls and four guys, all living in an affluent, adolescent suburban reality, intersect through the topsy-turvy world of love, power and hooking up. (MTI Home Video). Johnny Mercer: The Dream's On Me (2009) Profile of the Georgia-born lyricist, singer and composer whose solo and collaborative efforts have kept the world singing for more than eight decades with such songs as "Hooray for Hollywood," "Jeepers Creepers," "That Old Black Magic," "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," "Skylark," "Blues in the Night," "Moon River," "The Days of Wine and Roses" and many, many more. The documentary features rare interviews and performances by Mercer himself and includes movie and television clips of Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Fred Astaire, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Tony Bennett, Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and others. Produced by Clint Eastwood. Two-disc set, $29.98. Extras: Featurette "At the Piano With Clint" and performances by jazz musicians such as Audra McDonald, Michael Feinstein, Jamie Cullum, Dr. John, and Morgan Eastwood. (Warner). The Judy Garland Show Collection Three of the best episodes from the classic 1963-64 "The Judy Garland Show." Features guests Mickey Rooney, Bobby Darin. George Maharis Bob Newhart, Jack Carter, Leo Durocher, The Dillards. $29.98. (Infinity Entertainment). Julie & Julia (2009) Dir.: Nora Ephron; Stars: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch, Dave Annable, Mary Lynn Rajskub. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary by writer-director Nora Ephron; "Secret Ingredients: Creating Julie & Julia" behind-the-scenes featurette. Blu-ray adds: "Family & Friends Remember Julia Child"; "Julia's Kitchen" featurette about how the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History acquired Julia's kitchen and take a tour inside; "Cooking Lessons: Poaching Eggs With Julia Child & Jacques Pepin, Making Hollandaise Sauce With Julia Child & Jacques Pepin, Mark Peel Prepares Scrambled Eggs, Suzanne Goin Prepares Braised Beef Shortribs, Steven Lewandowski & Drew Nieporent Prepare Butter Poached Maine Lobster; movieIQ -- "Julia's Recipe Collector" allows viewers to collect and email favorite Julia Child recipes while watching the film. (Sony). The Life and Times of the King of Pop 1958-2009 (2009) Documentary on Michael Jackson's last days and his memorial service. (MVD Entertainment Group). Lost: The Complete Fifth Season (2009) Five-disc set with 17 episodes, $59.99.Extras: Featurettes, interviews, more. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Disney). Lost Treasure of the Maya (aka No Bad Days) (2008) Michael Madsen, Protasio, Heather Storm , Richard Tyson , Declan Joyce, Keith David. Set in the exotic terrain of the Yucatan Peninsula, a group of tomb-raiders steal precious Mayan artifacts and come up against evil forces greater than they ever anticipated. (MTI Home Video). McLeod's Daughters: The Original Movie (1996) Jack Thompson, Sonia Todd, Lisa Chappell, Bridie Carter. The feature film behind the popular TV series. (E1 Entertainment). Moonlight Serenade (2009) Amy Adams, Alec Newman. A hat check girl at a local jazz club and a successful financial manager who aspires to be a musician team up for an act that soon turns romantic. (Magnolia Home Entertainment). The Night Before Christmas: Special Edition (2009) Two-disc set features a dozen favorite heartwarming holiday chestnuts that celebrate the winter holiday season, with stories about Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other family celebrations. $19.95. (Scholastic Storybook Treasures). Public Enemies (2009) Dire.: Michael Mann; Stars: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Jason Clarke, Rory Cochran, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Lang, John Ortiz, Giovanni Ribisi, David Wenham, Stephen Graham. Read more about "Public Enemies" in the December Calendar. Available as a standard DVD, two=disc special edition and on Blu-ray. Extras: Featurette, commentary; Special Edition adds additional featurettes, digital copy; Blu-ray adds U Control, BD Live, D-Box, iPhone App. (Universal). Rescue Me: Season Five, Volume Two (2009) Three-disc set with 11 episodes from the second half of the fifth season. Extras: "Rescue Me Dysfunctional Family Dinner" featurette, "Setting the Backfires of Season 5" featurette, deleted scenes. (Sony). Runaway (2005) Aaron Stanford, Robin Tunney, Zack Savage. Psychological thriller about a young man and his brother who hide out in a small town, on the run from an abusive relationship. Extras: Commentary by Aaron Stanford, Robin Tunney and director Tim McCann, making-of featurette, interview with screenwriter Bill True, photo gallery. (E1 Entertainment). The Sherlock Holmes Collection (2009) Only five episodes of the BBC's celebrated -- and long sought after -- 1960s Sherlock Holmes series survive. Coincidentally, all five star the inimitable Peter Cushing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective, with Nigel Stock as Dr. Watson. All five have been made available in this $29.95 three-disc set. (A&E Home Entertainment). The Skeptic (2009) Timothy Daly, Zoe Saldana. A stubbornly rational lawyer and control freak who is about to have his disbelief in the paranormal challenged big-time when he goes to stay in his late aunt's big, creepy Victorian mansion while he contests her will. (IFC Films). SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 6, Volume 1 (2009) Two-disc set with 24 epiosdes, $26.98. (Nickelodeon/Paramount). Treasury of 50 Storybook Classics: Animal Antics and More Seven-disc set brings to life 50 award-winning and classic children's stories. $49.95. (Scholastic Storybook Treasures). World's Greatest Dad (2009) Dir.:Bob Goldthwait; Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara, Geoff Pierson, Henry Simmons, Mitzi McCall. A thoughtful but outrageous comedy about a man who learns the things you want most may not be the things that make you happy, and that being lonely is not necessarily the same as being alone. Robin Williams plays a high school poetry teacher who copes with his son's death from a freak masturbation accident by faking a suicide note to spare the family shame. The note, published without his permission, ends up becoming a sensation, and Lance reignites his writing career by penning a personal journal he claims was written by his son. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Magnolia Home Entertainment). | Contents/Site Map | Home | Resources | Sell-Through | Reviews | Links | E-mail: mail@onvideo.org © 1996 -- 2009 OnVideo. All rights reserved December 6, 2009