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ONVIDEO E-MAIL NEWS
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6/29/04 V8.26

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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
FOR TUESDAY, June 29 -- MONDAY, July 5

BARBERSHOP 2: BACK IN BUSINESS
In this sequel to the highly successful "Barbershop," Calvin (Ice
Cube) has gotten over his money troubles and is no longer in
danger of losing his shop -- but his neighborhood is in danger of
losing its identity. Intent on "regentrifying" the South Side, a
money-hungry corporation is moving into the community with coffee
bars, video stores, and a big-name haircut chain, and the area's
"mom and pop" establishments are in danger of losing their
hometown advantage. While juggling changing situations, new
loves, and looking for ways to better their lives, Calvin and his
crew have to take a stand to keep the South Side and its
businesses in the family. And of course, the crew still has time
for its signature Barbershop discussions -- outrageous,
explosive, and hilarious. The world changes and so do hairdos,
but some things never go out of style -- you can still say
anything at the barbershop. Director: Kevin Rodney Sullivan.
Stars: Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas,
Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy, Leonard Earl Howze, Kenan
Thompson, Harry Lennix, Queen Latifah. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-
13, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $62.580 million, MGM, No
VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

CHEETAH GIRLS, THE
Based on "The Cheetah Girls" book series. Four New York teens
face the challenges of growing up as they dance and sing their
way toward an elusive record deal. The feisty foursome discover
that their big break is not what they expected and that their
friendship is sorely tested as they choose between finding fame
and being true to their selves. Disney Channel movie. Stars:
Raven, Adrienne Bailon, Keily Williams. 2003, CC, MPAA rating:
NR, 93 min., Family, Walt Disney, $14.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day &
Date.

COLD MOUNTAIN
Based on the best-selling book by Charles Frazier. Cold Mountain,
a small North Carolina town, is torn apart as young men head off
to join the Confederate army during the Civil War. The women left
behind fight for survival, enduring rough winters, ruthless
lawmen and emotional turmoil as they wait to hear word form their
loved ones. Inman (Jude Law) is one of these young men who joins
the army, at first out of loyalty to his country. He soon
realizes the ravages of war no longer represent his values. Once
injured, he takes the opportunity to flee the army and begins his
long journey home on foot. Back at Cold Mountain is the beautiful
Ada (Nicole Kidman), who vowed to wait for Inman but hasn't heard
if he is still alive. Her letters go unanswered and she struggles
to keep faith that he will return. As the war drags on, Ada takes
in Ruby (Renee Zellweger), a lively neighbor who teaches her how
to keep the farm going. By the end of the war, hearts will be
dashed, dreams fulfilled and the strength of the human spirit
tested but not broken. Zellweger won an Academy Award for her
role. Director: Anthony Minghella. Stars: Jude Law, Nicole
Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip
Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald
Sutherland, Ray Winstone, Kathy Baker, James Gammon, Jack White.
2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 154 min., Drama, Box office gross:
$92.685 million, Miramax, $24.99 VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date.

PERFECT SCORE, THE
Six high school seniors begin to realize that the elaborate
futures they had imagined for themselves lie in the hands of one
test -- the dreaded SATs. Kyle (Chris Evans) and Matt (Bryan
Greenberg) believe that the only way they will do well on the
exam and secure their futures is to steal the answers. Like most
high school rumors, word spreads quickly about the guys'plan and
soon Desmond, the high school's star basketball player (Darius
Miles) along with Francesca (Scarlett Johansson) and Anna (Erika
Christensen) decide that they want in on the test key heist. They
soon realize that the answer to their problems and the key to
their happiness doesn't lie in achieving a perfect score.
Director: Brian Robbins. Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Erika
Christensen, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Darius Miles. 2004,
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 92T min., Teen drama, Box office gross:
$10.387 million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD:
Day & Date.

TYCOON
A stylish, slick crime drama based on the life of notorious
billionaire Boris Berezovsky, "Tycoon" follows the life of Plato
Makovski, a renegade Russian entrepreneur whose seductive and
brutal climb to the top in the post-Soviet era flourishes as the
line between business, crime and politics breaks down. Taking the
form of a thriller that follows the police investigation into an
attempted assassination of Plato, the film follows his life
through flashbacks involving a vivid array of gangsters,
mistresses, childhood friends, idealistic intellectuals, and
trigger-happy veterans, and offers an inside view of a country in
which gangsters and greedy politicians conspire to rub out their
enemies. Once a freedom-loving idealist before the fall of the
Soviet Union, Plato uses his genius to build a media empire,
along the way becoming one of the richest men in the country --
and a monster, unhesitatingly sacrificing his ideals and his
closest friends. Compared by critics to "Scarface" and "The
Godfather Saga," "Tycoon" is an epic tale of a visionary and a
scoundrel, and, in the end, a bridge between the old Russia and
the new. In Russian with English subtitles. Director: Pavel
Lounguine. Stars: Vladimir Mashkov, Andrei Krasko, Maria
Mironova, Sergei Oshkevich. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 128 min.,
Thriller, Box office gross: $0.121 million, New Yorker, $24.95
VHS SRP. DVD: Day & Date.


For more release info, check out our calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar.htm>


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NEWS

DVD COLLECTIBLES:
Due this week are two films from the opposite ends of the cinema
spectrum: "The English Patient" (1996), directed by Anthony
Minghella and starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem
Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth, with commentary by
Minghella, commentary with filmmakers and cast, deleted scenes, a
making-of featurette, more, from Miramax ... "Blazing Saddles
30th Anniversary Special Edition" (1974), directed by Mel Brooks
and starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Madeline
Kahn, Harvey Korman and Mel Brooks, in 5.1 surround with scene-
specific commentary by Brooks, additional scenes, "Back in the
Saddle" cast/crew reunion documentary, "Intimate Portrait:
Madeline Kahn" featurette, and the "Black Bart" 1975 TV pilot
inspired by the movie (starring Lou Gossett Jr. and Steve
Landesberg), from Warner.

FROM TV TO VIDEO:
Series due this week include "CSI: Miami -- The Complete First
Season," a seven-disc set with 25 episodes, priced around $70,
from Paramount ... "South Park: The Complete Fourth Season," a
three-disc set with 17 episodes, under $40, from Paramount ...
"Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season," a three-disc set with
13 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Dawson's Creek: The Complete
Third Season," a four-disc set with 23 episodes, $49.95 from
Columbia TriStar ... "The Sid Caesar Collection: The Buried
Treasures," a three-disc collection of lost or rarely seen
sketches from "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," and "The
Sid Caesar Collection: The Fan Favorites," a three-disc
collection of the top-20 sketches -- as voted upon by fans --
from "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," both $49.95 from
New Video ... "G.I. Joe -- Season One -- Part One," a four-disc
set with 28 episodes, $59.95 from Rhino Home Video.

Also due this week is "And the Beat Goes On: The Sonny and Cher
Story," a 1999 TV biodrama based on the 1991 N.Y. Times best-
selling autobiography by Sonny Bono about the legendary singing
duo. The feature stars Jay Underwood, Rene Faia and Christian
Leffler, and is available on VHS and DVD for $14.98, from MPI
Home Video ... From Paramount comes "Three Blind Mice" a 2001
thriller about a lawyer defending a man accused of murdering
three Vietnamese immigrants; the twist is that both the lawyer
and the accused served together in Vietnam. The telefilm, based
on Ed McBain's book, stars Brian Dennehy, Mary Stuart Masterson
and Debrah Farentino, and is available on VHS rental and DVD.

BUZZIN' THE 'B's:
From Razor Digital Entertainment comes "Creature Unknown," about
an inhuman creature with super-human strength, speed and agility
who leaves a trail of bloodshed in his wake as he seeks revenge
on a group of young men for their past sins. The 2003 film is the
directorial debut of special effects makeup artist Michael
Burnett and stars Chase Masterson, Maggie Grace and Cory
Hardrict; on DVD only ... "3 Way" (aka "3 Way Split) is a very
dark thriller about a small-time loser who overhears a kidnapping
plot and tries to cut himself in for a piece of the action;
unfortunately, he shares his knowledge with three extremely
untrustworthy women who turn around and blackmail him. The hard-
boiled tale of lust, extortion and murder -- based on pulp
novelist Gil Brewer's 1963 "Wild to Possess" -- stars Gina
Gershon, Dwight Yoakam, Dominic Purcell, Ali Larter, Joy Bryant
and Desmond Harrington, from Columbia TriStar on VHS rental and
DVD ... Monarch Home Video will release this week "13 Moons," a
2002 off-beat comedy about an odd assortment of customers -- a
couple of clowns, a stripper and three priests bound for Africa -
- who find themselves thrown together in the office of a Los
Angeles bail bondsman. The film stars Steve Buscemi, Peter
Dinklage, Jennifer Beals, David Proval and Peter Stormare, on VHS
rental and DVD ... In Knight Club," what seems like an all-night
party becomes a deadly battle in the streets when a young man
goes from being an unemployed actor to head bouncer at one of Los
Angeles' hottest clubs, and gets involved in all the cash, women
and drugs he wants. The film, from MTI Home Video, stars Lou
Diamond Phillips, Lochlyn Munroe and Glenn Plummer; on VHS rental
and DVD.

FOR THE KIDS:
The folks at Scholastic Media have added four titles to their
ever-expanding line of children's picture books on DVD. Due this
week are "Curious George Rides a Bike ... and More Tales of
Mischief," "Make Way for Ducklings ... and More Robert McCloskey
Stories," "Strega Nova ... and More Caldecott Award-Winning Folk
Tales" and "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly ... and
More Stories That Sing," all for ages 4 to 9 and priced at $14.95
DVD and $9.95 VHS ... MTI Home Video will release "Stardust," a
1998 family feature about a scientist who creates a new bio-chip
that brings inanimate objects to life -- including the family
vacuum cleaner, starring Amanda Donohoe and Giancarlo Espositio,
on VHS rental and DVD ... Ten Strike Home Entertainment has
acquired the rights to PBS' 2002 animated series on the American
Revolution, "Liberty's Kids." The voice cast is lead by Walter
Cronkite (as Franklin) and features Michael Douglas, Dustin
Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, Annette Bening, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Ben Stiller, Liam Neeson and Sylvester Stallone.
The first three episodes ("The First Fourth of July," "Boston Tea
Party" and "Give Me Liberty") -- told through the eyes of two
young apprentice journalists working in Benjamin Franklin's print
shop in Philadelphia -- are due this week ... "Garfield as
Himself" is a DVD compilation of three primetime Garfield
specials: "Garfield Gets a Life" (1991), "Garfield on the Town"
(1983) and "Here Comes Garfield" (1982), available for $14.98.

SPECIAL INTEREST:
A&E Home Video has slated three interesting DVDs this week: "The
First Olympics," a compilation of three History Channel
documentaries: "The First Olympics," "Blood and Honor at the
First Olympics" and "The Greek Gods"; "Breaking Vegas," a History
Channel program that uses archival and recent Vegas footage and
reinactments to tell the story of six nerdy M.I.T. undergrads in
the 1990s who figured out a way to "beat the house" at blackjack;
and "America on the Move," which features a History Channel
documentary on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American
History's exhibit on a century of transportation in America as
well as a Biography profile, "Henry Ford: Tin Lizzy Tycoon"; all
three titles have a $24.95 price tag ... Just in time for the
theatrical release of "Spider-Man 2," Buena Vista will release
"Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock," an animated adventure that explores the
origin of the infamous Doctor Octopus; available on $14.99 VHS
and $19.99 DVD (that includes extras with Spidey creator Stan
Lee) ... The latest volume of the exciting "Ninja Scroll" anime
series, "Ninja Scroll: Volume 3: Deliverance," is due this week,
featuring five episodes (9-13) on DVD for $24.95 from Urban
Vision Entertainment ... Paramount and PBS Home Video have teamed
to release on DVD "Rebels and Redcoats: How Britain Lost
America," a four-hour documentary on the America Revolution,
priced for under $20 ... and last but not least "Who Slew Simon
Thaddeus Mulberry Pew?" a darkly comedic mini feature (21-minutes
long) that combines all the nonsensical weird aspects of The
Grinch, The Cat in the Hat, "Beetlejuice," "Willly Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory" and "A Nightmare Before Christmas" into a
twisted fairytale that has become the darling of the underground
film circuit. The live-action adventure -- set in the 1950s --
follows the travails of twins Sammy and Tammy Fitzgivens who are
forced to play with their bratty neighbor, Simon Thaddeus
Mulberry Pew (John Kassir, the voice of the Crypt Keeper from
"Tales From the Crypt"). The kids work on a way to rid themselves
of the obnoxious know-it-all and keep all his toys for
themselves, and when an "accident" occurs, the "Wizzit" ("Deep
Space 9's" Armin Shimmerman) magically appears to help clean up
the mess ... and dispose of the body; $9.99 from Image
Entertainment.


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THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

Weekly listings of DVD releases can now be viewed on mobile
devices at www.tagtag.com/onvideo

** Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) Ice Cube, Cedric the
Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Eve, Troy Garity, Michael Ealy,
Leonard Earl Howze, Kenan Thompson, Harry Lennix, Queen Latifah.
Extras: Commentary by director Kevin Rodney Sullivan and
producers George Tillman Jr. and Bob Teitel; commentary by Cedric
the Entertainer, Thomas, Garity; deleted scenes, outtakes, Mary
J. Blige and Eve "Not Today" and Sleepy Brown with Outkast "I
Can't Wait" music videos; behind- the-scenes photo gallery,
Easter Egg. (MGM).
** Blazing Saddles 30th Anniversary Special Edition (1974) Dir.:
Mel Brooks; Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Madeline
Kahn, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks. In 5.1 surround. Extras: Scene-
specific commentary by Brooks, additional scenes, "Back in the
Saddle" cast/crew reunion documentary, "Intimate Portrait:
Madeline Kahn" featurette, "Black Bart" 1975 TV pilot inspired by
the movie (starring Lou Gossett Jr. and Steve Landesberg).
(Warner).
** The Cheetah Girls (2003) Raven, Adrienne Bailon, Keily
Williams. TV movie. (Disney).
** Cold Mountain (2003) Dir.: Anthony Minghella; Jude Law, Nicole
Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip
Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald
Sutherland, Ray Winstone, Kathy Baker, James Gammon, Jack White.
Two-disc set. Extras: Commentary with director-writer Minghella,
Law and Kidman; commentary with film's legendary editor Walter
Murch; deleted scenes; the documentary "Climbing Cold Mountain";
"A Journey to Cold Mountain" behind-the-scenes making-of special;
"Words & Music of Cold Mountain" special live performances based
on the film from UCLA's Royce Hall (including music from Alison
Krauss, Sting and Jack White, and readings from Kidman and Law);
conversations with the musicians behind the film; a storyboard-
to-film comparison. (Miramax).
** CSI: Miami -- The Complete First Season. Seven-disc set with
25 episodes, priced around $70. Extras: Commentary on four
episodes by writers, producers and cast; five featurettes: "CSI:
Miami Uncovered," "Creating CSI: Miami," "Procedures of Handling
Evidence," "The Autopsy Theater Tour" and "The Gun Lab Tour."
(Paramount).
** Dawson's Creek: The Complete Third Season. Four-disc set with
23 episodes, $49.95. Extras: Commentary by star Kerr Smith and
executive producer Paul Stupin on select episodes, script- to-
screen comparison for the season finale (DVD-ROM), interactive
tour of Capeside. (Columbia TriStar).
** Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) Dir.: Mel Brooks; Harvey
Korman, Leslie Nielsen, Peter MacNicol, Steven Weber, Amy
Yasbeck, Mel Brooks. Extras: Commentary by Brooks, writers Rudy
DeLuca and Steve Haberman, and Weber and Yasbeck. (Warner).
** Dream Theater Two-disc set: "Image and Words: Live in Tokyo"
from the band's 1993 "Music in Progress" world tour; "5 Years in
a LIVEtime" chronicles five years of the group's tours. Extras:
Band commentary, video clips. (Rhino Home Video).
** The English Patient (1996) Dir.: Anthony Minghella; Ralph
Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas,
Colin Firth. Extras: Commentary by Minghella; commentary with
filmmakers and cast; deleted scenes; "A Passionate Journey"
making-of featurette; novelist Michael Ondatje featurette;
conversations with producer Saul Zaentz, writer-director
Minghella and Ondaatje. (Miramax Collector's Series).
** Fancy Pants (1950) Bob Hope, Lucille Ball. (Paramount).
** G.I. Joe -- Season One -- Part One. Four-disc set with 28
episodes, $59.95. Extras: Interviews. (Rhino Home Video).
** Here Comes the Groom/Just for You Double feature. "Here Comes
the Groom" (1951) Dir.: Frank Capra; Bing Crosby. "Just for You"
(1952) Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman, Ethel Barrymore, Bob Arthur,
Natalie Wood. (Paramount).
** No Small Affair (1984) Demi Moore, John Cryer, Tim Robbins,
Jennifer Tilly. (Columbia TriStar).
** The Perfect Score (2004) Scarlett Johansson, Erika
Christensen, Chris Evans, Bryan Greenberg, Darius Miles. Extras:
Commentary by director Brian Robbins and screenplay writer Mark
Schwahn, "Making the Perfect Score" featurette. (Paramount).
** Ragtime (1981) Dir.: Milos Forman; James Cagney, Elizabeth
McGovern, Howard E. Rollins Jr., Mary Steenburgen, Brad Dourif,
James Olson, Kenneth McMillan. (Paramount).
** The Righteous Brothers: In Concert (Kultur).
** The Sid Caesar Collection: The Buried Treasures. Three-disc
collection of lost or rarely seen sketches from "Your Show of
Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," $49.95. Extras: Interviews with
Caesar, Neil Simon, Nanette Fabray; cast and writer bios. (New
Video).
** The Sid Caesar Collection: The Fan Favorites. Three-disc
collection of the top-20 sketches -- as voted upon by fans --
from "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour," $49.95. Extras:
Interviews with Caesar, Carl Reiner, Nanette Fabray; commentary
on select sketches by Caesar; original scripts of select
sketches; photo gallery; cast and writer bios. (New Video).
** Sliders: Series 1 and 2. Six-disc set, $89.98. (Universal).
** South Park: The Complete Fourth Season. Three-disc set with 17
episodes, under $40. Extras: Mini- commentaries on each show by
creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. (Paramount).
** Spider-Man: The '67 Classic Collection. Six-disc set with 52
restored episodes from the original 1967 TV series, $59.99.
(Buena Vista).
** Tycoon (2003 -- Russian) Vladimir Mashkov, Andrei Krasko,
Maria Mironova, Sergei Oshkevich. (New Yorker).
** Wonder Woman: The Complete First Season. Three-disc set with
13 episodes, $39.98. Extras: Ninety-minute pilot with commentary
by star Lynda Carter and executive producer Douglas Cramer,
"Beauty, Brawn and Bulletproof Bracelets: A Wonder Woman
Retrospective." (Warner).
** The World of Suzie Wong (1961) William Holden, Nancy Kwan,
Sylvia Syms. (Paramount).


For more DVD info, check out our DVD calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/cal_dvd.htm>


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THIS WEEK'S VHS SELL-THROUGH RELEASES:

** The Cheetah Girls (2003) Raven, Adrienne Bailon, Keily
Williams (Disney): TV movie, $14.99
** Cold Mountain (2003) Dir.: Anthony Minghella; Jude Law, Nicole
Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip
Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald
Sutherland, Ray Winstone, Kathy Baker, James Gammon, Jack White
(Miramax): $24.99
** Tycoon (2003) Vladimir Mashkov, Andrei Krasko, Maria Mironova,
Sergei Oshkevich (New Yorker): Russian with English subtitles,
$24.95


For more sell-through info, check out our Sell-Through/Repriced
pages at <http://www.onvideo.org/reprice.htm>


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Copyright 2004 CyberPod. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1094-3676

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