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1/3/06 V10.1

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

BROKEN FLOWERS
The resolutely single, retired ex-computer magnate Don Johnston
has just been dumped by his latest lover, Sherry. Don yet again
resigns himself to being alone and left to his own devices.
Instead, he is compelled to reflect on his past when he receives
by mail a mysterious pink letter. It is from an anonymous former
lover and informs him that he has a 19-year-old son who may now
be looking for his father. Don is urged to investigate this
"mystery" by his closest friend and neighbor, Winston, an amateur
sleuth and family man. Hesitant to travel at all, Don nonetheless
embarks on a cross-country trek in search of clues from four
former flames. Unannounced visits to each of these unique women
hold new surprises for Don as he haphazardly confronts both his
past and, consequently, his present. Director: Jim Jarmusch.
Stars: Bill Murray, Julie Delpy, Jeffrey Wright, Frances Conroy,
Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton. 2005, CC, MPAA rating: R, 106 min.,
Drama, Box office gross: $13.736 million, Universal, $29.98 VHS
SRP.

CAVE, THE
Sci-fi Horror film about professional divers caught in a vast,
underwater cave network littered with bloodthirsty creatures.
Deep in the Romanian forest, a team of scientists stumbles upon
the ruins of a 13th century Abbey. On further inspection, they
make a startling discovery -- the Abbey is built over the
entrance to a giant underground cave system. Local biologists
believe the cave could be home to an undiscovered eco-system, so
they hire a group of American cave-explorers to help them
investigate its depths. Jack (Cole Hauser) is a professional cave
diver and leads the explorers. The group is comprised of Charlie
(Piper Perabo), a professional diver; Top (Morris Chestnut), a
former soldier; Jack's brother Tyler (Eddie Cibrian); Kim (Daniel
Dae Kim), a photographer; Kathryn (Lena Headey), a scientist; Dr.
Nicolai (Marcel Iures), a professor; and Briggs (Rick Ravanello).
Together, they embark on a scientific journey, only to find the
eco-system below the earth harbors an entirely unknown species.
Director: Bruce Hunt. Stars: Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, Lena
Headey, Piper Perabo, Eddie Cibrian, Rick Ravanello, Marcel
Iures, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Daniel Day Kim. 2005, CC, MPAA rating:
PG-13, 97 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $14.888 million,
Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.

GOSPEL, THE
A film about the transformative power of faith and forgiveness.
Set in the impassioned world of the African-American church, "The
Gospel" tells the story of David Taylor (Boris Kodjoe), a dynamic
young R&B star whose chart-topping albums have earned him fame
and wealth, but whose decadent lifestyle has estranged him from
his father (Clifton Powell), the Bishop of his hometown church.
When David learns his father is ill and near death, he returns
home to try and reconcile and discovers his former best friend,
Charles (Idris Elba), is poised to become his father's successor
at the church -- and threatens to ruin everything David's father
worked so hard to achieve. Torn between his successful new life
and the one he used to know, David has to decide whether he can
give up his own desires to protect his father's legacy and make
peace with his family, his beliefs, and, ultimately, himself.
Director: Rob Hardy. Stars: Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba, Clifton
Powell, Aloma Wright, Donnie McClurkin, Omar Gooding, Tamyra
Gray, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Nona Gaye. 2005, CC, MPAA rating:
PG, 105 min., Drama with music, Box office gross: $15.514
million, Sony, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.

MY DATE WITH DREW
Since the second grade, Brian Herzlinger has had a crush on Drew
Barrymore. Now, 20 years later he wants to fulfill his dream by
asking her on a date. This document of his dream was shot
entirely for $1,100 that Herzlinger won on a game show. The
production used a camera purchased on credit from Circuit City,
and then returned under the store's 30-day refund policy. On his
journey to woo Drew, Herzlinger consults a psychic for love
advice, hires a Drew look-alike to practice his date etiquette
and crashes the world premiere of "Charlie's Angels: Full
Throttle" simply to steal a glance at his dream girl. Supporting
Herzlinger's quest with anecdotes and advice are several
Hollywood insiders who appear as themselves including Eric
Roberts, Corey Feldman and "Charlie's Angels" screenwriter John
August. A delightful, whimsical, charming film that, alternately,
gives insight into our celebrity obsessed culture and proves that
anything is possible in Hollywood. Director: Jon Gunn, Brian
Herzlinger. Stars: Brian Herzlinger, John August, Stephanie
Bedell, Sara Berkowitz. 2005, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 90 min.,
Documentary, Box office gross: $0.085 million, First Look Home
Entertainment, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.

SECUESTRO EXPRESS
Every 60 minutes a person is abducted in Latin America. 70% of
the victims do not survive. "Secuestro Express" is the
frightening story of one young couple's ordeal as they careen
through the underbelly of Caracas, Venezuela in the hands of
three thugs who have made them their latest payday. Carla (Mia
Maestro) and Martin (Jean Paul Leroux) are a young upper-class
couple fresh off of a night of dancing and partying when they
cross paths with Trece, Budu and Niga, three men who make their
living by kidnapping unwitting young adults to extort quick money
from their wealthy parents. Carla and Martin become their next
victims and are sent on a terrifying overnight journey through
Caracas as they wait for Carla's father Sergio (Ruben Blades) to
hand over $20,000 -- a small amount for a rich Caraqueno, but the
equivalent of almost five years of the Venezuelan minimum wage.
Director: Jonathan Jakubowicz. Stars: Mia Maestro, Ruben Blades,
Carlos Julio Molina, Pedro Perez, Carlos Madera, Jean Paul
Leroux. 2005, CC, MPAA rating: R, 86 min., Drama, Box office
gross: $0.302 million, Buena Vista, No VHS SRP, Priced for
rental.

WEDDING CRASHERS
In this wild comedy, divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen
Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) are business partners and
life-long friends who share one truly unique springtime hobby --
crashing weddings. Whatever the ethnicity of the wedding party --
Jewish, Italian, Irish, Chinese, Hindu -- the charismatic and
charming duo always have clever back stories for inquisitive
guests and inevitably become the hit of every reception, where
they strictly adhere to their proven "rules of wedding crashing"
to meet and pick up women aroused by the very thought of
marriage. At the tail end of another successful season of
toasting brides and grooms, Jeremy learns that the daughter of
Treasury Secretary William Cleary (Christopher Walken) and his
wife Kathleen (Jane Seymour) is getting married in what is sure
to be the Washington, D.C. social event of the year. After
infiltrating the lavish affair, John and Jeremy quickly set their
sights on bridesmaids Claire (Rachel McAdams) and Gloria (Isla
Fisher) Cleary. With the lavish reception in full swing, Jeremy
works his game plan to perfection in seducing Gloria, but John's
flirtatious banter with Claire is unexpectedly impeded by her
pompous, Ivy League boyfriend Sack (Bradley Cooper). Having
uncharacteristically fallen hard and fast for Claire, John
convinces a resistant Jeremy to bend the crashing rules and
accept an invitation to an extended weekend party at the Cleary
family compound. Once at the palatial waterfront estate, John and
Jeremy endure a multitude of comical mishaps at the hands of the
dysfunctional members of the Cleary family, but also learn a few
unexpected lessons about love and relationships. Director: David
Dobkin. Stars: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken,
Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Jane Seymour. 2005, CC, MPAA rating:
R, 119 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $201.000 million, New
Line, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental.

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

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NEWS

COMING SOON:
Due February 7: Romantic fantasy comedy "Just Like Heaven,"
starring Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo and Donal Logue, from
DreamWorks; animated adventure "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of
the Were-Rabbit," with the voices of Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes
and Helena Bonham Carter, also from DreamWorks; and sci-fi
fantasy "Zathura," directed by Jon Favreau and starring Jonah
Bobo, Josh Hutcherson, Dax Shepard, Kristen Stewart and Tim
Robbins, from Sony ... On February 21 Warner will release based-
on-a-true-story "North Country," starring Charlize Theron, Elle
Peterson, Thomas Curtis, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean and Woody
Harrelson ... On February 28 Universal will release the romantic
comedy "Prime," starring Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, Bryan
Greenberg and Jon Abrahams; and MGM/Sony will release "Where the
Truth Lies," directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Kevin Bacon,
Colin Firth and Alison Lohman ... Melodrama "The Squid and the
Whale," starring Owen Kline, Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse
Eisenberg, William Baldwin, Halley Feiffer, David Benger and Anna
Paquin, arrive March 14 from Sony ... Buena Vista has set March
21 for the release of the animated "Chicken Little," with the
voices of Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Don Knotts, Patrick
Stewart, Amy Sedaris, Steve Zahn, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn,
Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Patrick Warburton,
and Adam West ... And, on March 28, Warner will release the time
travel adventure "A Sound of Thunder," directed by Peter Hyams
and starring Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack and Ben Kingsley.

DVD COLLECTIBLES:
This week's highlight: "A Great Day in Harlem" (1994) is an
Academy Award-nominated documentary about some of the greatest
jazz stars of all time, based on a legendary photograph. In
August of 1958, in front of a Harlem brownstone, first-time
photographer Art Kane assembled 57 of the greatest jazz stars of
all time and snapped a picture that would live forever. Narrated
by Quincy Jones, this documentary examines the fascinating lives
of the musicians who showed up that day to make history. Through
remarkable interviews with nearly 30 jazz greats (including Dizzy
Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey), home movies shot by
Milt and Mona Hinton, and rare, archival performance footage, "A
Great Day in Harlem" tells the story behind a legendary
photograph that is still alive and kicking. The two-disc set
features loads of extras, including "Stories From the Making of A
Great Day in Harlem" featurette and more than two hours of new
video profiles of the 57 musicians involved in the photograph.
$24.99 from Home Vision Entertainment. Read a review of "A Great
Day in Harlem" at www.onvideo.org/dvd/harlem.htm.

It's a good week for cartoon collectors: Sony will release
"Cartoon Adventures Starring Gerald McBoing Boing," four classic
animated shorts, including the Oscar winner which introduced the
speechless (but never quiet!) Gerald McBoing Boing, $14.95 ...
"Walt Disney's Timeless Tales: Vol. 3" is a collection of
animated gems from Disney's "golden age" of animation: "Casey at
the Bat," "Little Hiawatha," "The Wise Little Hen" (with the
first appearance by Donald Duck), "The Golden Touch," "Morris the
Midget Moose" and "Ben and Me"; $19.99.

FROM TV TO VIDEO:
"Alien Nation: Season 1" (1989-90) is a six-disc set with 23
episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... "Frederick Forsyth's Icon" is a
2005 telefilm directed by Charles Martin Smith and starring
Patrick Swayze, Michael York, Ben Cross and Patrick Bergin, from
Echo Bridge Home Entertainment ... "Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary
Edition, Volume 1" and "Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary Edition, Volume
2" are three-disc sets each with 28 of the series best episodes,
$39.99, from Paramount ... "Have Gun -- Will Travel Season 3"
(1959-60) is a seven-disc set with 39 episodes, $49.99, from
Paramount ... "Jules Verne's Mysterious Island" is a 2005
miniseries directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Patrick
Stewart, Kyle MacLachlan and Gabrielle Anwar, $24.99 from Echo
Bridge Home Entertainment ... "Supernova" is a 2005 disaster
miniseries starring Luke Perry, Peter Fonda, Tia Carrere and Emma
Samms, $24.99 from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.

BUZZIN' THE 'B's:
In "Cloud 9" (2006) Burt Reynolds stars as a washed-up Malibu
conman whose latest get-rich quick scheme involves hitting the
beach with a volleyball team of scantily-clad strippers; co-stars
Paul Rodriguez, D.L. Hughley and supermodel Angie Everhart,
direct-to-DVD from Fox.

SPECIAL INTEREST:
Several interesting titles this week from WGBH Boston Video:
NOVA's "Mystery of the Megaflood" is about a postulated great
flood that inundated 16,000 square miles of what is now
Washington State and battered the terrain with massive boulders
and created a "waterfall"-like structure five times wider than
Niagara (but without any water), $19.95 ... "The Great San
Francisco Earthquake" is an American Experience documentary on
the April 19, 1906 disaster that leveled the city, narrated by F.
Murray Abraham, $19.95 ... "Sinking the Supership" is a NOVA
documentary that explores the last few hours of the giant
Japanese battleship Yamato -- the largest ever to sail the
world's oceans, almost twice the size of her American
counterparts -- that was launched shortly after Pearl Harbor and
sank mysteriously after only one mission, $19.95 ... and American
Experience's "The Massachusetts 54th Colored Infantry," a
fascinating look at the first Northern Black regiment raised
during the Civil War, narrated by Morgan Freeman, $19.95.


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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

** Alien Nation: The First Season (1989-1990) Six-disc set with
21 episodes, $49.98. Extras: Behind-the-scenes footage, two-part
1989 telefilm that launched the series. (Fox).
** Broken Flowers (2005) Dir.: Jim Jarmusch; Bill Murray, Julie
Delpy, Jeffrey Wright, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda
Swinton. Extras: Outtakes, behind the scenes with cast and crew,
extended scene. (Universal).
** Cartoon Adventures Starring Gerald McBoing Boing. Four classic
animated shorts, including the Oscar winner which introduced the
speechless (but never quiet!) Gerald McBoing Boing, $14.95.
(Sony).
** The Cave (2005) Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut, Lena Headey,
Piper Perabo, Eddie Cibrian, Rick Ravanello, Marcel Iures, Kieran
Darcy-Smith, Daniel Dae Kim. Extras: Filmmaker commentary,
"Designing Evolution" featurette, "Into the Cave" featurette.
(Sony).
** Cloud 9 (2006) Burt Reynolds, Paul Rodriguez, D.L. Hughley,
Angie Everhart, Paul Wesley, Katheryn Winnick, Marne Patterson,
Kenya Moore, Gabrielle Reece. Extras: "Hoosiers Meets Hooters:
Behind Cloud 9" featurette, "Burt Reynolds Fight Club: Directing
a Rumble" featurette, "Being Gary Busey: The Cameo Outtakes."
(Fox).
** Dumb and Dumber: Unrated (1994) Dir.: Peter Farrelly; Jim
Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Lauren Holly, Mike Starr, Karen Duffy,
Charles Rocket. Extras: Six additional minutes; "extra stoopid
stuff," including deleted scene montage and two alternate
endings, "Still Dumb After All These Years" retrospective
documentary, two "fake" trailers. (New Line).
** The Football Collection. Three-disc set: "Rudy," "Radio" and
"Jerry Maguire" special editions, $24.96. (Sony).
** Frederick Forsyth's Icon (2005 -- TV) Dir.: Charles Martin
Smith; Patrick Swayze, Michael York, Ben Cross, Patrick Bergin.
(Echo Bridge Home Entertainment).
** The Gospel (2005) Dir.: Rob Hardy; Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba,
Clifton Powell, Aloma Wright, Donnie McClurkin, Omar Gooding,
Tamyra Gray, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Nona Gaye. Extras: Commentary
by director-writer Rob Hardy and producer Will Packer, "The
Gospel: Behind the Scenes," deleted scenes, extended musical
performances, photo montage. (Sony).
** A Great Day in Harlem (1994) Academy Award-nominated
documentary that examines the fascinating lives of 57 of the
greatest jazz stars of all time who assembled in August, 1958, in
front of a Harlem brownstone, for the legendary photograph by Art
Kane. Two-disc set, $24.99. Extras: "Art Kane" featurette, "Bill
Charlap and Kenny Washington" featurette, "Copycat Photos"
featurette, "Stories From the Making of A Great Day in Harlem"
featurette, second disc includes more than two hours of new video
profiles of the 57 musicians involved in the photograph. (Home
Vision Entertainment).
** Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary Edition, Volume 1 (1955) Three-disc
set with the best 28 episodes, $39.99. Extras: Commentary on
select episodes by James Arness, Dennis Weaver, Angie Dickinson,
Barbara Eden, George Kennedy, Adam West; "The Ed Sullivan Show"
footage of James Arness as Matt Dillion and Dennis Weaver as
Chester; 1958 Emmy Awards Best Dramatic Series footage; 1959 Emmy
Awards Best Supporting Actor Dennis Weaver footage and
commentary; Museum of TV & Radio seminar; Dennis Weaver home
movies; photo gallery; Westerns Channel memories; 1961 Fall
Preview Tuesday and 1961 Fall Preview Saturday; CBS affiliates
gag reel. (Paramount).
** Gunsmoke 50th Anniversary Edition, Volume 2 (1955) Three-disc
set with the best 28 episodes, $39.99. Extras: Commentary on
select episodes by Ed Asner, Bruce Dern, Buck Taylor, James
Arness; James Arness birthday surprise blooper; 1972 Amanda Blake
on "The David Frost Show"; CBS Fall Preview 1963; 1968 Emmy
Awards Best Supporting Actor Milburn Stone footage; Western
Channel "Gunsmoke" memories; two syndication promos; 1973 gag
reel; 1974 Amanda Blake on "The Mike Douglas Show"; photo
gallery. (Paramount).
** Have Gun -- Will Travel Season 3 (1959-60) Seven-disc set with
39 episodes, $49.99. Extras: Production notes, cast biographies,
behind-the-scenes episodic information. (Paramount).
** Jules Verne's Mysterious Island (2005 -- TV) Dir.: Russell
Mulcahy; Patrick Stewart, Kyle MacLachlan, Gabrielle Anwar.
Miniseries. Extras: Cast and director interviews, production
design featurette. (Echo Bridge Home Entertainment).
** Missing: Season One. $39.98. (Lions Gate).
** The Mob Box. "Donnie Brasco," "Bugsy," "Snatch" and the
documentary "American Gangster," narrated by Dennis Farina;
$34.95. (Sony).
** My Date With Drew (2005) Brian Herzlinger, John August,
Stephanie Bedell, Sara Berkowitz. Extras: Featurette. (First Look
Home Entertainment).
** Secuestro Express (2005 -- Venezuela) Mia Maestro, Ruben
Blades, Carlos Julio Molina, Pedro Perez, Carlos Madera, Jean
Paul Leroux. Extras: Commentary by director Jonathan Jakubowicz,
deleted scenes, "Secuestro Express: The Film and the Facts"
featurette, "The Making of Secuestro Express," Vagos Y Maleantes
music video. (Buena Vista).
** Snatch Deluxe Edition (2001) Dir.: Guy Ritchie; Jason Statham,
Stephen Graham, Alan Ford, Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina, Rade
Serbedzija, Robbie Gee, Lennie James, Vinnie Jones, Benicio Del
Toro, Mike Reid, Jason Flemyng. $19.94. Extras: Exclusive set of
playing cards, behind the scenes with an exclusive scrap book.
(Sony).
** Supernova (2005 -- TV) Luke Perry, Peter Fonda, Tia Carrere,
Emma Samms. Miniseries. Extras: Cast and director interviews.
(Echo Bridge Home Entertainment).
** The Valachi Papers (1972) Dir.: Terence Young; Charles
Bronson, Lino Ventura, Jill Ireland, Walter Chiari. (Sony).
** Walt Disney's Timeless Tales: Vol. 3. Collection of animated
gems from Disney's "golden age" of animation: "Casey at the Bat,"
"Little Hiawatha," "The Wise Little Hen" (with the first
appearance by Donald Duck), "The Golden Touch," "Morris the
Midget Moose" and "Ben and Me"; $19.99. (Disney).
** Wedding Crashers (2005) Dir.: David Dobkin; Owen Wilson, Vince
Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Jane
Seymour. R-rated and unrated ("Uncorked") editions. Extras:
Commentaries by Wilson and Vaughn, commentary by director Dobkin;
deleted scenes; a "Wedding Crasher" game; "The Rules" and "Event
Planning" featurettes; The Sight's "Circus" music video. The
"Uncorked" edition also will include nine additional minutes of
footage cut from the theatrical release as well as the infamous
"99 Red Balloons' scene. (New Line).
** When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003) Jonathan Lipnicki,
Eric Stoltz, Jane Krakowski, Sasha Neulinger. (Echo Bridge Home
Entertainment).


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:

** Broken Flowers (2005) Dir.: Jim Jarmusch; Bill Murray, Julie
Delpy, Jeffrey Wright, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda
Swinton (Universal): $29.98


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


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

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