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5/3/05 V9.18

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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
FOR TUESDAY, May 3 -- MONDAY, May 9

ENDURING LOVE
Three all too familiar elements from life in today's mercurial
world are at the center of drama: A sudden, life-changing
catastrophe, a loving relationship in crisis, and the threat of
obsession. Joe Rose (Daniel Craig) experiences all three of
these, sparked by one extraordinary, fateful moment -- and is
dropped into the vortex of a powerful question: What becomes of
love and logic in the wake of a tragedy? Joe has planned an
intimate picnic in the English countryside with his girlfriend
Claire (Samantha Morton). The afternoon is meant to be special;
he has brought wine and a ring -- he is about to propose. The
afternoon is suddenly interrupted when a hot-air balloon plunges
from the sky -- a young boy trapped within its basket. Joe and
three other men instinctually run to the rescue. Yet in their
attempt to save the child and pull the sky-bound balloon to the
ground, one of the men meets a spectacular and totally
unpredictable death. Determined to understand what happened to
cause this tragedy, Joe returns to his life as a rational,
scientific-minded professor. Yet he cannot escape constant
thoughts of the balloon incident. Unexpectedly, he receives a
call from one of the other rescuers, Jed Parry (Rhys Ifans), who
expresses an urgent need to meet with him. An intense and
brooding soul, Jed insists that he and Joe have shared a powerful
moment together and that, as he puts it, "something has passed
between them." Joe is perplexed by the suggestion and he simply
dismisses it as the ramblings of a man trying to cope with the
emotional stress of what happened. Yet Jed will not be dismissed.
Instead, he insinuates himself deeper and deeper into Joe's life,
bit by bit, showing up at odd moments and then shadowing him with
a persistent desperation Joe can't understand or escape. Soon,
the neatly ordered life that Joe has so carefully created for
himself begins to rupture at the seams. Director: Roger Michell.
Stars: Daniel Craig, Samantha Morton, Rhys Ifans, Alexandra
Aitken, Susan Lynch, Bill. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min.,
Drama, Box office gross: $0.358 million, Paramount. DVD: Only.

GO FURTHER
Actor/activist Woody Harrelson and his band of "Merry Hempsters"
embark on a 1,300 mile goofy road trip to promote "Simple Organic
Living," and pop and counter-culture documentarian Ron Mann
("Grass," "Comic Book Confidential") chronicles every leg of the
journey, from college campus appearances and encounters with
curious onlookers, to a visit with 1960s icon Ken Kesey. With his
fellow travelers, including one confessed junk food addict,
Harrelson is determined to change hearts and minds, one hemp
burger and sweet avocado chocolate mousse pie at a time.
Featuring the music of Natalie Merchant, Bob Weir, Anthony Kiedis
and Dave Matthews. Director: Ron Mann. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: NR,
90 min., Documentary, Home Vision Entertainment. DVD: Only.

LES CHORISTES
The year's runaway smash hit in France, "The Chorus (Les
Choristes)" is an emotional, music-filled tale about how a very
humble man's simple dreams changed the future for a forgotten
group of children. Shot inside a castle in the French countryside
that lends a rich fairy-tale atmosphere, the film marks the debut
of writer, director and composer Christophe Barratier. 1949,
post-War France -- In a dark, doom-filled school for troubled
boys where hope itself is in short supply, a mild-mannered new
teacher has just arrived, only to find himself surrounded by
prepubescent thieves, inveterate liars, unapologetic rebels and
lost souls beyond reach. Or are they? When Clement Mathieu
(Gerard Jugnot) introduces these supposedly hard-core delinquents
to something they've never experienced before -- the freedom and
joy of music when he forms a choir -- he discovers there is far
more to these children than anyone dared to believe. Director:
Christophe Barratier. Stars: Gerard Jugnot, Francois Berleeand,
Kad Merad, Jean-Paul Bonnaire, Marie Bunel. 2004, CC, MPAA
rating: PG-13, 96 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.126 million,
Miramax. DVD: Only.

NATIONAL TREASURE
A secret from our nation's past is at the core of this exciting
action-adventure. Nicolas Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Gates,
a third generation treasure hunter. All his life, Gates has been
searching for a treasure no one believed existed: amassed through
the ages, moved across continents, to become the greatest
treasure the world has ever known. Hidden by our Founding
Fathers, they left clues to the Treasure's location right before
our eyes -- from our nation's birthplace to the nation's capitol,
to clues buried within the symbols on the dollar bill. Gates'
life-long journey leads him to the last place anyone thought to
look: a map hidden on the back of the Declaration of
Independence. But what he thought was the final clue is only the
beginning. As word of the invisible map spreads among the enemies
of freedom, Gates realizes that in order to protect the world's
greatest treasure, he must now do the unthinkable: steal the most
revered, best guarded document in American history before it
falls into the wrong hands. In a race against time, Gates teams
up with a beautiful government official (Diane Kruger) as he
tries to elude his ruthless adversary (Sean Bean) as well as the
FBI and Agent Sadusky (Harvey Keitel). With even his ex-
treasurehunter father (Jon Voight) skeptical of him, Gates must
decipher the remaining clues and unlock the 2000 year-old mystery
behind our greatest national treasure. Director: Jon Turteltaub.
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Diane Kruger,
Sean Bean, Justin Bartha, Christopher Plummer. 2004, CC, MPAA
rating: PG, 131 min., Adventure, Box office gross: $166.525
million, Disney, $29.99 VHS SRP.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, THE
Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" finally makes
its way to the big screen -- but too many years after the stage
production to make much of an impact with American audiences.
"Phantom" tells the story of a disfigured musical genius (Gerard
Butler) who haunts the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera, waging
a reign of terror over its occupants. When he falls fatally in
love with the lovely Christine (Emmy Rossum), the Phantom devotes
himself to creating a new star for the Opera, exerting a strange
sense of control over the young soprano as he nurtures her
extraordinary talents. But she has another admirer, her childhood
sweetheart Raoul, the dashing young Vicompte de Chagny. The
Phantom's fury at her betrayal becomes murderous. He hatches a
plot to win her back and in a dramatic and tense climax Christine
is forced to choose between Raoul and the Phantom -- her Angel of
Music. Director: Joel Schumacher. Stars: Gerard Butler, Emmy
Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver,
Ciarcan Hinds, Simon Callow. 2004, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 141
min., Musical drama, Box office gross: $49.963 million, Warner,
$22.95 VHS SRP.

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


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

NEWS

COMING SOON:
Due June 21 is strange psychological thriller "The Jacket,"
starring Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson,
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Daniel Craig, Kelly Lynch and Brad Renfro,
from Warner ... Long-awaited cult indie film "Prozac Nation,"
which was made in 2001 and played the film fest circuit but never
received theatrical distribution, and which starred Christina
Ricci, Jessica Lange, Jason Biggs, Anne Heche, Michelle Williams
and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, arrives July 5 from Miramax ... Warner
has two releases scheduled for July 12: Academy Award-winning
"Million Dollar Baby," directed by Clint Eastwood and starring
Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman ... and "A Very Long
Engagement," from "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and
starring Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jean-Pierre Becker and
Dominique Bettenfeld.

DVD COLLECTIBLES:
The big release this week is, of course, the reconstruction of
director Sam Fuller's 1980 classic "The Big Red One," starring
Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco and
Kelly Ward. The two-disc special edition includes the restored
film (50 minutes added back in), alternate scenes, commentaries
and more; $26.99 from Warner ... Home Vision Entertainment will
release the 2003 documentary "Go Further," in which
actor/activist Woody Harrelson and his band of "Merry Hempsters"
embark on a 1,300 mile goofy road trip to promote "Simple Organic
Living," while pop and counter-culture documentarian Ron Mann
("Grass," "Comic Book Confidential") chronicles every leg of the
journey, from college campus appearances and encounters with
curious onlookers, to a visit with 1960s icon Ken Kesey. With his
fellow travelers, including one confessed junk food addict,
Harrelson is determined to change hearts and minds, one hemp
burger and sweet avocado chocolate mousse pie at a time; $ 29.95.

FROM TV TO VIDEO:
Due this week: "The Carol Burnett Show -- Let's Bump Up the
Lights!" a 2004 reunion of legendary variety show stars Carol
Burnett, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence and Lyle
Waggoner, from Paramount ... "Dawson's Creek -- The Complete
Fifth Season," a four disc set, $49.95 from Sony ... "Everybody
Loves Raymond: The Complete Third Season," a five-disc set with
26 episodes, $44.98 from HBO Video ... "Gilmore Girls: The
Complete Third Season," a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98
from Warner ... "I Love Lucy -- The Complete Fourth Season," a
five-disc set with 30 episodes, about $45 from Paramount ...
"King of the Hill: Season Four," a three-disc set with 24
episodes, $39.98 from Fox ... "Motorcycle Mania 3: Jesse James
Rides Again," a Discovery Channel special from Sony ... "The
Partridge Family -- The Complete First Season," a three-disc set
with 25 episodes, $29.95, which includes a bonus CD sampler, from
Sony ... "Star Trek Enterprise -- The Complete First Season," a
seven-disc set with 25 episodes, about $100 in a nifty plastic
case, from Paramount ... "Touched by an Angel -- The Second
Season," a six-disc set with 22 episodes, about $45, from
Paramount.

FOR THE KIDS:
"The Sandlot 2" is a DVD Original Movie sequel to the 1993 family
film about a group of kids and their summer adventures playing
baseball in the neighborhood's local dirt field. Returning are
James Earl Jones and the legendary ball-eating dog named "The
Beast"; $12.98 VHS and $19.98 DVD from Fox ... Two animated
series come home this week: "The Batman: Training for Power,"
featuring three episodes from the Kids WB! and Cartoon Network
animated TV series, $14.97 DVD from Warner ... and "Dora the
Explorer: It's a Party!" with four episodes of the Nick Jr.
series, on DVD from Paramount.

SPECIAL INTEREST:
Two comedy DVDs are due this week: "Platinum Comedy Series: Live
in San Quentin," a Paul Rodriguez HBO comedy special, $19.98 from
Fox ... and "Three Amigos," a stand-up comedy tour -- uncensored
-- starring Carlos Mencia, Pablo Francisco and Freddy Soto,
$29.99 from Miramax.


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

THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

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

** American Dreamer (1984) JoBeth Williams, Tom Conti, Giancarlo
Giannini. (Paramount).
** Back Roads (1981) Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones. (Paramount).
** The Batman: Training for Power. Three Episodes from the Kids
WB! and Cartoon Network animated TV series, $14.97. Extras: "The
Batman Junior Detective Challenge" game to unlock extra content,
"Building the Batman" featurette, "Cape & Cowl" toy Easter egg.
(Warner).
** Battle of the Bulge (1965) Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert
Ryan, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas. Extras: Two vintage
featurettes: "The Filming of Battle of the Bulge" and "History
Recreated." (Warner).
** The Big Red One: The Reconstruction (1980) Dir. Samuel Fuller;
Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, Kelly
Ward. Restoration (with 50 minutes added back in) of Samuel
Fuller's quintessential World War II film, commemorating the 60th
anniversary of V-E day. Extras: Commentary by producer Richard
Schickel, alternate scenes, "Anatomy of a Scene," new
documentary: "The Real Glory: Reconstructing the Big One,"
"Profile: The Men Who Make the Movies: Samuel Fuller," War
Department film "The Fighting First," 1980 promo reel, theatrical
trailer and TV and radio spots, 2004 Reconstruction trailer.
(Warner).
** The Carol Burnett Show -- Let's Bump Up the Lights! (2004 --
TV) Legendary variety show star Carol Burnett reunites with
Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner.
(Paramount).
** Dawson's Creek -- The Complete Fifth Season. Four disc set,
$49.95. (Sony).
** Dora the Explorer: It's a Party! Four episodes of the Nick Jr.
series. (Paramount).
** Enduring Love (2004) Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans, Samantha
Morton, Bill Nighy. (Paramount).
** Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Third Season. Five-disc
set with 26 episodes, $44.98.Extras: Commentary on select
episodes, deleted scenes, outtakes, Museum of Television & Radio
panel discussion with the cast and creator Phil Rosenthal. (HBO
Video).
** Gilmore Girls: The Complete Third Season. Six-disc set with 22
episodes, $59.98. Extras: Unaired scenes, "All Grown Up"
documentary with the cast about their childhood experiences, "Who
Wants to Fall in Love" montage of the best "love moments" from
Season Three, "Our Favorite 80's" in which cast and crew show off
their favorite 80's dance moves. (Warner).
** Go Further (2003) Dir.: Ron Mann; documentary on
actor/activist Woody Harrelson and his band of "Merry Hempsters"
on a 1,300 mile goofy road trip to promote "Simple Organic
Living." Extras: Outtakes, interviews, an additional performance
by Dave Matthews, an excerpt from "Wormania!" an educational
video on composting with worms, a special pull-out insert with
links and information on groups, recipes, and ways to live a more
sustainable lifestyle, plus the original theatrical trailer.
(Home Vision Entertainment).
** I Love Lucy -- The Complete Fourth Season. Five-disc set with
30 episodes, about $45. Extras: Flubs, lost scenes, restored
music, "Behind-the-scenes" audio featurette, original series
openings, original animated sequences, production notes.
(Paramount).
** The John Wayne Legendary Heroes Collection. Five-disc set with
"Blood Alley," "McQ," "The Sea Chase," "Tall in the Saddle" and
"The Train Robbers," $49.92; each title available separately for
$14. (Warner).
-- Blood Alley (1955) Dir.: William A. Wellman; John Wayne,
Lauren Bacall. Extras: Newsreel footage, 1955 Promos on "Blood
Alley," John Wayne trailer gallery.
-- McQ (1974) Dir.: John Sturges; John Wayne, John Wayne, Eddie
Albert, Diana Muldaur, Colleen Dewhurst, Clu Gulager. Extras:
Featurette, John Wayne trailer gallery.
-- The Sea Chase (1955) John Wayne, Lana Turner. Extras: John
Wayne trailer gallery.
-- Tall in the Saddle (1944) John Wayne, Ella Raines, Ward
Bond, George 'Gabby' Hayes. Extras: John Wayne trailer gallery.
-- The Train Robbers (1973) John Wayne, Ann-Margret, Rod
Taylor, Ben Johnson, Christopher George, Bobby Vinton. Extras:
Two featurettes: "Working With a Western Legend," an inside look
at Wayne with stuntmen Jerry Gatlin, Dean Smith and Terry
Leonard, and "The Wayne Train"; John Wayne trailer gallery.
** King of the Hill: Season Four. Three-disc set with 24
episodes, $39.98. (Fox).
** Les Choristes (2004 -- France) Gerard Jugnot, Francois
Berleeand, Kad Merad, Jean-Paul Bonnaire, Marie Bunel. (Miramax).
** License to Drive (1988) Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Carol Kane,
Richard Masur, Heather Graham. Extras: Commentary by director
Greg Beeman and writer Neil Tolkin, interviews with Haim and
Feldman, 13 minutes of a deleted scene/alternate story line, DVD-
ROM screenplay. (Anchor Bay).
** Microcosmos (1996) Award-winning documentary about the mini-
universe of insects around us, narrated by Kristin Scott Thomas
Extras: (Miramax).
** Motorcycle Mania 3: Jesse James Rides Again. Discovery Channel
special (Sony).
** National Treasure (2004) Director: Jon Turteltaub. Stars:
Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean,
Justin Bartha, Christopher Plummer. Extras: Commentary by the
filmmakers, "National Treasure on Location" behind-the-scenes
feature; "The Knights Templar" featurette; "Treasure Hunters
Revealed" featurette on real-life modern-day treasure hunters;
"Riley Poole's Decode This!" interactive feature hosted by Riley
Poole (actor Justin Bartha) from the movie in which Riley shares
some of his knowledge as viewers learn about Cryptography and
then are given some challenges and puzzles to solve; deleted
scenes; alternate ending; opening scene animatic; anagram puzzle;
three "Decode This!" challenges; more. (Disney).
** The Partridge Family -- The Complete First Season. Three-disc
set with 25 episodes, $29.95. Extras: Cast interviews, two
behind-the-scenes featurettes, "jump-to" musical performances
feature, bonus CD sampler. (Sony).
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) Dir.: Joel Schumacher; Gerard
Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie
Driver, Ciarcan Hinds, Simon Callow. Single-disc and two-disc
special edition. Extras: Two-disc: "Behind the Mask: The Story of
the Phantom of the Opera"; "The Making of the Phantom of the
Opera in 3 Spellbinding Acts" featurette on pre-production, the
director, production; "No One Would Listen" additional scene.
(Warner).
** Platinum Comedy Series: Live in San Quentin. Paul Rodriguez
HBO comedy special. Extras: "Behind Bars" and "San Quentin
Remembered," $19.98. (Fox)
** Pocahontas 10th Anniversary Edition (1995) Mel Gibson, Irene
Bedard, Christian Bale, David Ogden Stiers, Linda Hunt. Two-disc
set. Extras: Two versions of the film: The original theatrical
release and a 10th anniversary edition that features the song "If
I Never Knew You" performed by Mel Gibson, seamlessly integrated
into the film with never-before-seen animation; commentary by
producer James Pentecost and directors Eric Goldberg and Mike
Gabriel; Sing-along songs ("Just Around The Riverbend" and
"Colors of the Wind"); "Colors of the Wind" music video performed
by Vanessa Williams; set-top games; "The Making of Pocahontas";
early presentation reel; abandoned concepts & deleted animation;
storyboard-to-film comparison; production progression; "The Music
of Pocahontas" with Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; behind the
scenes of "If I Never Knew You"; "If I Never Knew You" music
video performed by Jon Secada and Shanice Wilson; design:
creating the characters and test animations; art galleries; more.
(Disney).
** The Sandlot 2 (2005) James Earl Jones, Cole Evan Weiss, Brett
Kelly, James Willson. Direct-to-video sequel. Extras: "Where Are
They Now: The Original Sandlot Kids" featurette, behind-the-
scenes featurette, "Sandlot Reflections" with baseball great Dave
Winfield. (Fox).
** Spaceballs (1987) Dir.: Mel Brooks; John Candy, Bill Pullman,
Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks, Daphne Zuniga. Two-disc set. (MGM).
** Star Trek Enterprise -- The Complete First Season. Seven-disc
set with 25 episodes, about $100. Extras: Commentary on select
episodes; seven featurettes: "Creating Enterprise"; "O Captain!
My Captain! A Profile of Scott Bakula"; "Cast Impressions: Season
One"; "Inside Shuttlepod One"; "Star Trek Tine Travel: Temporal
Cold Wars and Beyond"; "Enterprise Secrets"; "Admiral Forrest
Takes Center Stage"; deleted scenes; outtakes; Easter eggs.
(Paramount).
** Table for Five (1983) Jon Voight, Richard Crenna, Marie-
Christine Barrault, Millie Perkins. (Paramount).
** Touched by an Angel -- The Second Season. Six-disc set with 22
episodes, about $45. (Paramount).
** With Six You Get Eggroll (1968) Doris Day, Brian Keith, Pat
Carroll, Barbara Hershey, George Carlin. (Paramount).


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


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

THIS WEEK'S VHS SELL-THROUGH RELEASES:

** National Treasure (2004) Dir.: Jon Turteltaub; Nicolas Cage,
Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Diane Kruger, Sean Bean, Justin
Bartha, Christopher Plummer. (Disney): $29.99
** The Phantom of the Opera (2004) Dir.: Joel Schumacher; Gerard
Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie
Driver, Ciarcan Hinds, Simon Callow (Warner): $22.95
** The Sandlot 2 (2005) James Earl Jones, Cole Evan Weiss, Brett
Kelly, James Willson. Direct-to-video sequel (Fox): $12.98

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


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

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