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4/5/05 V9.14

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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
FOR TUESDAY, April 5 -- MONDAY, April 11

CORPORATION, THE
Exploring the inner workings of big business, this documentary
looks at how, since its inception in the mid-1800s, the
corporation has risen from a relatively insignificant entity to
an over-protected behemoth wielding power that challenges that of
governments and institutions worldwide. Based on Joel Bakan's
book "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and
Power," the film -- via interviews with both leading corporate
gurus and prominent social critics like Noam Chomsky, Michael
Moore and Milton Friedman -- spins a disturbing tale of the ways
big business influences everything from the economy and the
environment to the smallest facets of our everyday lives.
Director: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott. 2004, CC, MPAA rating:
NR, 145 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $1.879 million,
Zeitgeist Video. DVD: Only.

ELEKTRA
Another comic book hero making the transition to the big screen -
- from the pages of Marvel Comics, creator of "X-Men" and
"Spider-Man." Jennifer Garner stars in the title role as a
strong, mysterious and sexy action heroine -- a lethal synthesis
of grace and power. Not long after recovering from seemingly
mortal wounds, Elektra has severed all ties with the world,
living only for her next assignment. But in an unexpected turn of
events, she is forced to make a decision that can take her life
in a new direction -- or destroy her. Key players in Elektra's
journey are Stick, a blind martial arts master responsible for
Elektra's "resurrection," and Mark and Abby Miller, a father and
daughter on the run from The Hand, a powerful syndicate whose
members practice the dark martial art of ninjitsu. Unlike most
comic book heroes, Elektra possesses no super-human physical
powers. Instead, she makes maximum use of her incredible physical
prowess and martial arts skills. In addition, she has the ability
to see into the future, a skill known as Kimagure, which she has
honed through countless hours of deep meditation. Director: Rob
Bowman. Stars: Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Kirsten Prout,
Will Yun Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Terence Stamp. 2005, CC, MPAA
rating: PG-13, 96 min., Action, Box office gross: $24.326
million, Fox, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

FADE TO BLACK
Documentary takes a look at the rapper Jay-Z's career, providing
a backstage glimpse during his farewell performance as a solo
artist and showing how his last album was conceived. Narrated by
Jay-Z, the film features guest performances by Beyonce, Missy
Elliott, Mary J. Blige, R. Kelly, Pharrell Williams, Foxy Brown
and appearances by P. Diddy and 2004 Grammy-winner Kanye West.
Director: Patrick Paulson, Michael John Warren. 2004, CC, MPAA
rating: R, 110 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $0.728
million, Paramount, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day &
Date.

SIDEWAYS
Writer-director Alexander Payne's fourth feature film (following
"Citizen Ruth," "Election" and "About Schmidt") starts with two
old friends setting off on a wine-tasting road trip ... only to
veer dizzily into a wry exploration of the vicissitudes of love
and friendship, the damnable persistence of loneliness and dreams
and the enduring war between Pinot and Cabernet. The
misadventures begin when Miles (Paul Giamatti), an un-recovered
divorce and would-be novelist with a wine fixation, decides to
gift old college buddy and washed-up actor Jack (Thomas Haden
Church) with a celebratory trip to the vineyards of the Santa
Ynez Valley the week before Jack's wedding. The two couldn't be
an odder couple. Jack is an over-sexed charmer; Miles is a sad-
sack worrier. Jack is looking for his "last taste of freedom";
Miles just wants to taste perfection in a bottle. Jack is fine
with cheap Merlot; Miles pines for the elusive, perfect Pinot.
Indeed, the only thing they seem to share in common is the same
heady mix of failed ambitions and fading youth. And yet, as they
make their way up the coast, Miles and Jack soon find themselves
drowning in wine and women. Jack falls head-over-heels for a
local wine pourer (Sandra Oh) and threatens to call off his
nuptials. Miles begins his own romantic encounter with a wine-
savvy waitress (Virginia Madsen). Both men careen dangerously and
comically toward mid-life crises. A lusty, poignant adventure
into the deepest realms of human yearning, guaranteed to
exhilarate you. Director: Alexander Payne. Stars: Paul Giamatti,
Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise
Burke, Jessica Hecht. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 123 min.,
Dramedy, Box office gross: $63.165 million, Fox, No VHS SRP,
Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

SPANGLISH
A look at cultures colliding as a beautiful native Mexican woman
Flor (Paz Vega), the mother of an equally stunning 12-year-old
girl, a golden child, becomes the housekeeper for an affluent Los
Angeles family (Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni and Cloris Leachman). Of
all the horrifying pitfalls she worried about in this new
culture, Flor had never fathomed the peril of being truly
embraced by an upscale American family. Fails as a comedy but
becomes a bleak indictment on privilege and status (as Sandler's
husband falls for Flor in response to the "sterility" of his
controlling wife (Leoni). Director: James L. Brooks. Stars: Adam
Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Shelbie Bruce,
Sarah Steele, Ian Hyland, Victoria Luna, Cecilia Suarez. 2004,
CC, MPAA rating: Pg-13, 130 min., Comedy, Box office gross:
$41.655 million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day &
Date.

ZERO DAY
"We are the Army of Two!" So begins the video diary of Andre
(Andre Keuck) and Cal (Calvin Robertson), two best friends and
alienated high school students who have meticulously planned a
"big-ass mission" that will shock and terrify their community and
school. They have officially declared war, stockpiled their
weapons, and set the day now, "let the countdown begin." With his
uncanny unprofessional cast and unflinching intimacy, director
Ben Coccio's award-winning first feature is a disturbingly
authentic and harrowing look at a tragedy as unthinkable as
today's headlines. Director: Ben Coccio. Stars: Calvin Robertson,
Andre Keuck, Rachel Benichak, Gerhard Keuck, David Futernick, Pam
Robertson, Steve Robertson, David Futernick, Andre Keuck. 2003,
CC, MPAA rating: NR, 92 min., Drama, Home Vision Entertainment.
DVD: Only.

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


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NEWS

COMING SOON:
Due May 3: "Enduring Love," starring Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans,
Samantha Morton and Bill Nighy, from Paramount; uplifting French
drama "Les Choristes" from Miramax; "The Phantom of the Opera,"
directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Gerard Butler, Emmy
Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver,
Ciarcan Hinds and Simon Callow, from Warner ... Due May 10:
"Alone in the Dark," starring Christian Slater, Tara Reid and
Stephen Dorff, from Lions Gate; "Assault on Precinct 13,"
starring Laurence Fishburne, Ethan Hawke, Ja Rule and Maria
Bello, from Universal; and family film "Racing Stripes," starring
Bruce Greenwood and Hayden Panettiere, from Warner ... On May 17
Paramount will release Matt Stone and Trey Parker's puppet sci-fi
actioner "Team America: World Police" ... Ice Cube's comedy "Are
We There Yet?" rides to home video on May 24, from Sony ...
Scarer "Boogeyman," starring Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel and
Lucy Lawless, comes out of the dark May 24 from Sony ... On June
7, MGM will release "Get Shorty" sequel "Be Cool," starring John
Travolta, Uma Thurman, Danny DeVito, Harvey Keitel, Andre 3000,
Cedric the Entertainer, the Rock and Vince Vaughn ... and, on
June 14, Sony will release Will Smith's comedy blockbuster
"Hitch."

DVD COLLECTIBLES:
Home Vision will release this week the hard-to-find cult classic
"More" (1969), Barbet Schroeder's directorial debut featuring a
spectacular soundtrack by Pink Floyd. The film is about a college
grad who hitchhikes from Lubeck, Germany, to Paris, where he
teams up with a female American expatriate and the pair chase the
sun to the island of Ibiza. Made in the late sixties, this
treatment of pleasure, pain and tragedy stands apart from
numerous counterculture exploitation films. "More" never resorts
to predictable LSD-induced stylistics, but adopts a style of
objectivity to illuminate the ideas and emotions that contribute
to a lifestyle of destructive excess. Also from Home Vision is
"Zero Day (2003), a "video diary" of Andre (Andre Keuck) and Cal
(Calvin Robertson), two best friends and alienated high school
students who have meticulously planned a "big-ass mission" that
will shock and terrify their community and school. With his
uncanny unprofessional cast and unflinching intimacy, director
Ben Coccio's award-winning first feature is a disturbingly
authentic and harrowing look at a tragedy as unthinkable as
today's headlines.

FROM TV TO VIDEO:
"Deep Evil" (2004) is a sci-fi horror outing about a team of
military ops sent to secure an incident at a top-secret lab in
Alaska, uncovering a horrible evil that threatens humankind,
starring Lorenzo Lamas and Ona Grauer, on VHS and DVD from First
Look Home Entertainment ... "Dirty War" (2005) is a fictional
story of a radiological "dirty bomb" attack on London and its
terrifying aftermath, from HBO ... "The Greatest American Hero
Season Two" is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $44.98 from
Anchor Bay ... "Queer as Folk: The Complete 4th Season," a five-
disc set, $109.98 from Showtime ... "Russell Simmons Presents Def
Poetry: Season Two," with seven half-hour episodes on one disc,
$19.96 from HBO ... "Suburban Madness" (2004) stars Sela Ward,
Elizabeth Pena and Brett Cullen in a docu-drama about a real-life
desperate housewife who killed her philandering husband by
running him over with her Mercedes automobile, not once, not
twice, but three times, from Sony ... "The West Wing: The
Complete Fourth Season" is a six-disc set with 22 episodes,
$59.98 from Warner.

FOR THE KIDS:
"All Grown Up: Interview With a Campfire" features three episodes
of the Nick animated series, from Paramount ... "As Told by
Ginger: Far From Home" features three episodes of the Nick
animated series, from Paramount ... "Berenstain Bears: Bears Take
a Car Trip" is the latest release from the popular PBS Kids
series, featuring six episodes on DVD ($14.95) and four on VHS
($9.95) ... "Dragon's World: A Fantasy Made Real" (2004) is an
animated TV feature that visualizes what the world would have
been like if incredible, fire-breathing dragons actually did
exist, using computer animation to produce vivid and dramatic re-
creations as well as life-like models of internal organs, giving
viewers a view of the dragon from the inside out; $19.94 from
Sony.

SPECIAL INTEREST:
"Bill Maher: Be More Cynical" is an all-new stand-up comedy
special in which Maher displays his celebrated biting wit as he
rips through a host of contemporary topics, from the evils of big
government to the bewildering power women have over men, $19.97
from HBO ... Kultur/SRO will release three concert DVDs this
week: "California Classic Rock," a documentary on the 1986 Glen
Helen Park, Calif. reunion concert of classic 1960s acts,
including Canned Heat, Buffalo Springfield, Eric Burdon, the
Chambers Brothers, War, Spirit, more, $14.99; "Gerry and the
Pacemakers: Live at the Pavillion," a live concert filmed at the
Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow, $14.99; and "Lulu Live!" filmed
during Lulu's 1989 Red Hot Tour, $14.99 ... "Sacred Planet" uses
stunning photography to transport viewers to some of the most
fascinating, exotic and remote sites on Earth, offering insights
into our planet's diverse landscapes, people and animals, $19.99
from Disney DVD-only ... "George Barris: Cruisin' Back to the
'50s" is a unique automotive tour of the 1950s by the "King of
the Kustomizers" -- set against a background of '50s music,
surrounded by red lipstick and bobby socks -- with an insider's
look at high-quality, original customs, muscle cars, hot rods and
TV and movie cars; on $14.98 DVD from Westside Entertainment ...
and from World Wrestling Entertainment Home Video comes "No Way
Out," a no-holds barred, barbed wire steel cage match between WWE
champion "Bradshaw" Layfield and 7-foot, 470-pound Big Show,
$24.95 DVD; and "Viva Las Divas," featuring the WWE divas gracing
the beaches and exotic locales of Mexico, on $24.95 DVD.


------------------------------------------------------------

THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

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

** All Grown Up: Interview With a Campfire. Three episodes of the
Nick animated series. (Paramount).
** The American (2001 -- TV) Matthew Modine, Diana Rigg.
(Paramount).
** The Amityville Horror Collection. Four-disc set with the three
"Amityville Horror" films and a bonus disc of extras. $39.96.
(MGM):
-- The Amityville Horror (1979) James Brolin, Margot Kidder,
Rod Steiger, Don Stroud, Murray Hamilton.Extras: Commentary by
parapsychologist and ghost hunter Dr. Hans Holzer, Ph.D.; "For
God's Sake, Get Out!" documentary, radio spots. $14.95.
-- Amityville II: The Possession (1982) James Olson, Burt
Young, Rutanya Alda, Jack Magner, Andrew Prine, Diane Franklin.
$14.95.
-- Amityville 3-D (1983) Tony Roberts, Tess Harper, Robert Joy,
Candy Clark. $14.95.
-- The Amityville Confidential (2005) Bonus disc. Extras:
"Amityville" Horror or Hoax?" documentary, "Amityville: The
Haunting" documentary, "On Location: The Amityville Horror" sneak
peek at the 2005 remake.
** As Told by Ginger: Far From Home. Three episodes of the Nick
animated series. (Paramount).
** Bill Maher: Be More Cynical. All-new stand-up comedy special,
$19.97. (HBO).
** California Classic Rock. Documentary on the 1986 Glen Helen
Park, Calif. reunion concert of classic 1960s acts, including
Canned Heat, Buffalo Springfield, Eric Burdon, the Chambers
Brothers, War, Spirit, more. $14.99. (Kultur/SRO).
** The Corporation (2004) Dir.: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott.
Documentary. (Zeitgeist Video).
** Dirty War (2005 -- TV) Fictional story of a radiological
"dirty bomb" attack on London. Extras: Commentary by director-
screenwriter Daniel Percival and screenwriter Lizzie Mickery.
(HBO).
** Dragon's World: A Fantasy Made Real (2004) Animated TV feature
on dragons;$19.94. (Sony).
** Elektra (2005) Jennifer Garner, Goran Visnjic, Kirsten Prout,
Will Yun Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Terence Stamp. Extras:
Featurettes, deleted scenes. Extras: "Making-of Elektra"
featurette, four "Inside the Editing Room" featurettes, three
deleted scenes, the Elektra presentation from the San Diego
Comic-Con, more. (Fox).
** Fade to Black (2004) Documentary on rapper Jay-Z. Extras: "The
Story Behind Fade to Black" featurette, deleted scene, encore
music video. (Paramount).
** Gerry and the Pacemakers: Live at the Pavillion. Filmed live
at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. $14.99. (Kultur/SRO).
** The Greatest American Hero Season Two. Six-disc set with 22
episodes, $44.98. Extras: Interviews with creator Stephen J.
Cannell and composer Mike Post, photo gallery, CD-ROM episode
script of the season's first episode. (Anchor Bay).
** Lulu Live! Filmed during Lulu's 1989 Red Hot Tour. $14.99.
(Kultur/SRO).
** More (1969) Dir: Barbet Schroeder; Heinz Engelmann, Michel
Chanderli, Klaus Grunberg, Mimsy Farmer. Extras: Digital
transfer, enhanced for 16:9 televisions; Dolby Digital 2.0;
original theatrical trailer; liner notes by film critic and
author Wheeler Winston Dixon. (Home Vision Entertainment).
** Queer as Folk: The Complete 4th Season. Five-disc set,
$109.98. (Showtime).
** Reform School Girl (1994 -- TV) Dir.: Jonathan Kaplan; Aimee
Graham. (Dimension).
** Runaway Daughters (1994 -- TV) Dir.: Joe Dante; Paul Rudd,
Julie Bowen, Dee Wallace-Stone. (Dimension).
** Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry: Season Two. Seven half-
hour episodes on one disc, $19.96. (HBO).
** Sideways (2004) Dir.: Alexander Payne; Paul Giamatti, Thomas
Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh, Marylouise Burke,
Jessica Hecht. Extras: Commentary by Giamatti and Church, eight
deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurette, three Easter eggs.
(Fox).
** Silverado Gift Set (1985) Dir.: Lawrence Kasdan; Kevin Kline,
Kevin Costner, Linda Hunt, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover, John
Cleese, Rosanna Arquette, Brian Dennehy, Jeff Goldblum, Lynn
Whitfield. Two-disc gift set includes an exclusive 16-page movie
scrapbook and a deck of vintage "Silverado" playing cards, all
packaged in a collectible Western saloon box. Superbit
presentation, DTS surround. Extras: All-new featurette " Return
to Silverado" with Kevin Costner, a brand-new audio commentary by
noted film historians, a "making-of" documentary, "Best Western
Shoot-outs" featurette hosted by John Cleese. (Sony).
** Spanglish (2004) Director: James L. Brooks. Stars: Adam
Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Shelbie Bruce,
Sarah Steele, Ian Hyland, Victoria Luna, Cecilia Suarez. Extras:
Commentary by Brooks, deleted scenes, making-of featurette.
(Sony).
** Steal (aka Riders) (2002) Stephen Dorff, Natasha Henstridge.
(Miramax).
Suburban Madness (2004 -- TV) Sela Ward, Elizabeth Pena, Brett
Cullen. (Sony).
** The West Wing: The Complete Fourth Season. Six-disc set with
22 episodes, $59.98. Extras: "Behind Every Good Man ... Is the
First Lady" featurette exploring the role of the First Lady, and
more specifically Abigail Bartlet (Stockard Channing) in the West
Wing; "The Letter of the Word" featurette examining the crucial
role of the writers behind the President's speeches; deleted
scenes; Easter egg; commentaries on select episodes; special
"Thank You" wrap party video montage. (Warner).
** Zero Day (2003) Dir.: Ben Coccio; Calvin Robertson, Andre
Keuck, Rachel Benichak, Gerhard Keuck, David Futernick, Pam
Robertson, Steve Robertson, David Futernick, Andre Keuck. Extras:
Commentary by director Ben Coccio and actor Andre Keuck, making-
of-featurettes, photo galleries, storyboards gallery, screen test
of stars Calvin Robertson and Andre Keuck, home movie footage of
Cal as a child (as seen in the film). (Home Vision
Entertainment).

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

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Copyright 2005 CyberPod. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1094-3676

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