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4/03//07 V11.14
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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
For Tuesday, April 3 -- Monday, April 9
Black Christmas
Remake of the 1974 horror outing, revisiting the brutal and horrific legacy of an escaped murderer who returns home to finish his Christmas killing spree. But the scene of the crime has changed: his family home is now a sorority house and the sorority sisters, snowed in over the holiday break, become the new victims for the killer to check off his Naughty list. Vitals: Director: Glen Morgan. Stars: Michelle Trachtenberg, Lacey Chabert, Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: R, 90 min., Horror, Box office gross: $16.235 million, Dimension/Genius Products.
Charlotte's Web
The classic story of loyalty, trust, and sacrifice comes to life in this live-action adaptation of kids classic "Charlotte's Web." Fern (Dakota Fanning) immediately sees that Wilbur is a special animal as she raises him, the runt of the litter, into a "terrific" and "radiant" pig. As Wilbur moves into a new barn, he begins a second profound friendship with the most unlikely of creatures -- a spider named Charlotte -- and their bond inspires the animals around them to come together as a family. When the word gets out that Wilbur's days are numbered, it seems that only a miracle will save his life. A determined Charlotte -- who sees miracles in the ordinary -- spins words into her web in an effort to convince the farmer that Wilbur is "some pig" and worth saving. Vitals: Director: Gary Winick. Stars: Dakota Fanning and the voices of Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Haden Church, Sam Shepard. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: G, 94 min., Family Box office gross: $78.862 million, Paramount.
Copying Beethoven
When young Anna Holz (Diane Kruger), a Viennese music student is asked to transcribe scoring notes for the great Ludwig van Beethoven (Harris), she eagerly accepts, despite warnings about his volatile behavior. Part maestro, part mentor and part madman, Beethoven reluctantly relies on Anna to help him realize the crowning achievement of a lifetime-his illustrious Ninth Symphony. As her work of copying down the music of Beethoven proceeds, Anna is drawn into the maestro's tortured and inspired world. She sees their collaboration as a God-sent opportunity to prove her own talent as a composer; he glimpses in her a pure soul who might help him realize the culmination of his art -- the creation of the last string quartets, the most sublime and spiritual music ever written. Beethoven reveals his growing need and affection for Anna as they work together on the quartets. She boldly shows Beethoven her own work. Thoughtlessly, he derides it and she leaves him in despair. Desperate, Anna accepts her longtime paramour, Martin's, proposal of marriage. Beethoven storms after her -- she must choose between Martin and him. Anna tries to flee Vienna but cannot; her destiny is linked to Beethoven's. She returns to finish their work and finds him dying. From his dictation she copies the last of the quartets. His work on earth done, he frees her to become what he tells her she was born to be -- a composer. Vitals: Director: Agnieszka Holland. Stars: Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Matthew Goode, George Mendel, Joe Anderson, Angus Barnett, Nicholas Jones, Phyllida Law, Ralph Riach, Bill Stewart. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.352 million, MGM.
Death of a President
"Death of a President" is a fictional 2008 TV documentary that follows the investigation of the fictional assassination of President George W. Bush in October 2007. Combining real archival footage with a credible but fictional story, "Death of a President" presents a fascinating and thought-provoking political thriller. Caused quite a stir when it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Vitals: Director: Gabriel Range. Stars: Hend Ayoub, George W. Bush, Brian Boland, Becky Ann Baker, Michael Reilly Burke, Neko Parham, Holly Barrett, Patricia Buckley, Bryan Cohen, Andrea Frisby, John R. Haley, Theophilus Jamal, Jay Patterson, Chavez Ravine, January Scarpino, Christian Stolte, Matt Ukena, James Urbaniak, Jay Whittaker. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $.486 million, Lionsgate.
Good Shepherd, The
The untold story of the birth of the Central Intelligence Agency -- viewed through the life of one man who believed in America and would sacrifice everything he loved to protect his country -- is told in this drama that features an all-star cast under the direction of Academy Award winner Robert De Niro. Matt Damon plays Edward Wilson, a patriot who understands the value of secrecy -- discretion and a commitment to honor have been embedded in him since his tragic and privileged childhood. As an eager, sensitive student at Yale in 1939 he is recruited to join the secret Skull and Bones society, a tightly knit brotherhood that serves to develop future world leaders. Wilson's acute mind, spotless reputation and sincere belief in American values render him the prime candidate for an intelligence career by those who monitor the newest recruits. The idealistic young man is recruited to work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, during WWII. It is a decision that will alter the course of his life and change the geopolitical shape of our times as Wilson and his fellow secret group members come to create the most powerful covert agency in the world. As one of the founders of the CIA, working in the heart of an organization where duplicity is required and nothing is taken at face value, Wilson's idealism is steadily eroded by his growing suspicious nature, reflective of a world settling into the long paranoia of the Cold War. As his methods are adopted as standard operating procedure, Wilson develops into one of the Agency's veteran operatives, all the while combatting his KGB counterpart in a global chess match. But Wilson's steely dedication to his country comes at an ever-escalating price. Not even the growing concern of his wife, Margaret "Clover" (Angelina Jolie), and his beloved son (Eddie Redmayne) can divert Wilson from a path that will force him to sacrifice everything in dedication to his job. Vitals: Director: Robert De Niro. Stars: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, John Turturro, William Hurt, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Gabriel Macht, Tammy Blanchard, Vladimir Mashkov, Joe Pesci. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: R, 167 min., Drama, Box office gross: $59.462 million, Universal.
Volver
Comedic and compassionate tribute to women and their resilience in the face of life's most outrageous tribulations. A luminous Penelope Cruz leads an ensemble of gifted actresses, including Carmen Maura. Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole (Lola Duenas) lost their parents in a tragic fire years ago ... or did they? Superstitious villagers claim that the girl's departed mother, Irene (Maura), has been seen wandering around their Aunt Paula's home. When Irene appears to Sole, she explains that she has returned to set right her daughters' troubled lives and reveal shocking secrets that will impact everyone! Raimunda has "female troubles" of her own, least of which is a corpse in the freezer!" Winner of numerous film festivals and critics' awards, Volver is a hilarious tale of love, loss and forgiveness. The film takes place in Madrid and its lively working-class neighborhoods, where the immigrants from the various Spanish provinces share dreams, lives and fortune with a multitude of ethnic groups and other races. At the heart of this social framework, three generations of women survive wind, fire and even death, thanks to goodness, audacity and a limitless vitality. According to director Pedro Almodovar, "Volver" is not a surrealistic comedy although it may seem so at times. The living and the dead coexist without any discord, causing situations that are either hilarious or filled with a deep, genuine emotion. It's a film about the culture of death in my native La Mancha. The people there practice it with an admirable naturalness. The way in which the dead continue to be present in their lives, the richness and humanity of their rites mean that the dead never die. "Volver" destroys all the clichˇs about "black" Spain and offers a Spain that is as real as it is the opposite. A Spain that is white, spontaneous, funny, intrepid, supportive and fair. Vitals: Director: Pedro Almodovar. Stars: Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Yohana Cobo, Blanca Portillo. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: R, 121 min., Drama, Box office gross: $10.067 million, Sony.
For more release info, check out our calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar.htm>
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NEWS
DVD COLLECTIBLES:
There's a melange of collectible DVDs being offered this week. First off is a new DVD version of Bob Fosse's 1979 all singing, all dancing, all dying "All That Jazz": "All That Jazz Music Edition," starring Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Leland Palmer, Ann Reinking, Cliff Gorman and Ben Vereen. This version replaces the Roy Scheider commentary in the 2003 version with commentary by film editor Alan Heim, and adds a "Portrait of a Choreographer" featurette, a "Perverting the Standards" featurette, making of the song "On Broadway," Movie-oke with the song "Take Off With Us," a music machine scene selection feature that takes viewers directly to musical numbers, Bob Fosse photo gallery, production snapshots gallery, more, from Fox ... Stanley Donen's 1967 "Bedazzled," starring Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Raquel Welch, is a weird comedy about Stanley, a short-order cook, who sells his soul to the devil to make a shapely waitress fall in love with him; extras include an interview with Stanley Moon (Dudley Moore) and the Devil (Peter Cook), "Bedazzled" conversation with Harold Ramis, stills gallery, from Fox ... "Royal Flash" (1975) is Richard Lester's adaptation of one of the "Flashman" series of novels about the Victorian Era world-be aristocrat and coward Harry Flashman, starring Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates, Oliver Reed and Joss Ackland, with commentary by Malcolm McDowell and film historian Nick Redman, an "Inside Royal Flash" featurette and still gallery, from Fox ... "S*P*Y*S" (1974) is a forgettable spy spoof notable only for its reteaming of Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland, from Fox ... "The Natural: Director's Cut" is a two-disc set of the 1984 baseball saga directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky and Richard Farnsworth. Levinson added in 15 minutes of never-before-seen footage for this release, and the set comes loaded with extras, including 11 featurettes, from Sony.
FROM TV TO VIDEO:
Due this week: "Entourage: Season Three, Part One" is a three- disc set with 12 episodes, $39.98 from HBO ... "Jump In! Freestyle Edition" 2007), a Disney Channel original movie about a young boxer who takes up Double Dutch jump roping, from Disney ... "Law & Order: The Fifth Year," a five-disc set with 23 episodes, $59.98 from Universal ... "The Lost Room" (2006), the Sci Fi Channel miniseries starring Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Margaret Cho, Roger Bart and Kevin Pollak, from Lionsgate ... "Mind of Mencia: Uncensored Season 2" (2006) is a two-disc set with 15 episodes, $26.99 from Paramount ... "Tom Goes to the Mayor: The Complete Series" is a three-disc set with 30 episodes of the Adult Swim series, $34.98 from Warner ... "Twin Peaks: The Second Season" is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, remastered from the original negatives with new 5.1 Surround Sound, $61.99 from Paramount.
BUZZIN' THE 'B's:
"Attack of the Gryphon" (2007) is the recent Sci Fi Channel telefilm that chronicles the tale of two kingdoms brought together in their quest to defeat the flying Gryphon and the evil sorcerer who controls him, starring Andrew Pleavin, Jonathan LaPaglia and Amber Benson, from Sony ... "The King Maker" (2005) stars Gary Stretch and John Rhys-Davie in the tale of a Portuguese soldier-of-fortune who travels to the Orient in search of his father's killer only to become implicated in a conspiracy to dethrone the King of Siam, from Sony ... In "Bottom Feeder" (2006), a maintenance crew is hunted and terrorized by an indestructible monster mistakenly created by the military, starring Tom Sizemore, Wendy Anderson, Joe Dinicol, Simon Northwood and Martin Roach, from Genius Products ... Anchor Bay has some real cult releases this week, directed by Italian schlock horror cult priest Mario Bava: "Kidnapped (aka Rabid Dogs)" (1974), about a botched robbery that results in a hostage crisis; the film was never released theatrically and this edition includes the original Bava version, known as "Rabid Dog," and a version known as "Kidnapped" with footage shot by the producer and Bava's son and longtime assistant Lamberto; and "The Mario Bava Box Set: Volume 1," a five-disc set of five landmark films from the first half of Bava's impressive career as a cinematographer, special effects designer and director of macabre films: "The Mask of Satan (Black Sunday)" (1960), "The Three Faces of Fear (Black Sabbath)" (1963), "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" (1963), "Knives of the Avenger" (1966) and "Kill, Baby ... Kill!" (aka "Curse of the Living Dead") (1966); $49.98.
ON THE INDIE FRONT:
"Aurora Borealis" (2005) is a heartwarming story about a young
man who finds romance when he helps his defiant grandfather cope with
Parkinson's Disease, starring Donald Sutherland, Joshua Jackson, Juliette Lewis
and Louise Fletcher, from Regent Releasing/Liberation Entertainment ... When the
owner of a venerable diner in the wrong part of town has an "accident," the men
in her life scheme and fight for control of the establishment in "Hard
Scrambled" (2006), starring Kurtwood Smith, Richard Edson, Beth Grant,
Eyal Podell, Alanna Ubach and Thomas Kopache, from New Visions Fellowship.
"Little Robots: Reach for the Sky" features four 11-minute "bite-sized" episodes starring the little robots who have created their own little world right in the middle of a junk yard -- by ingenuity and recycling; the series has received the Dove Foundation stamp of approval for telling inspirational and educational stories, for preschool boys; $14.98 from Fox ... "Sesame Street: Moving Together" features the baby Sesame Street Muppets and their caregivers exploring all types of movements, with special guest appearance by Sarah Jessica Parker, for the under 2-year-old set; $12.98 from Sony Wonder ... In "Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure" (2005), Billy, Mandy, Irwin and the Grim Reaper star in their first-ever long form, made-for-TV movie, based on the popular Cartoon Network animated series "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"; $14.97 from Warner.
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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
**All That Jazz Music Edition (1979) Dir.: Bob Fosse; Roy Scheider, Jessica Lange, Leland Palmer, Ann Reinking, Cliff Gorman, Ben Vereen. Extras: Commentary by film editor Alan Heim, "Portrait of a Choreographer" featurette, "Perverting the Standards" featurette, making of the song "On Broadway," Movie-oke with the song "Take Off With Us," music machine scene selection feature that takes viewers directly to musical numbers, Bob Fosse photo gallery, production snapshots gallery, more. (Fox).
**Attack of the Gryphon (2007) Andrew Pleavin, Jonathan LaPaglia, Amber Benson. Sci Fi Channel telefilm chronicles the tale of two kingdoms brought together in their quest to defeat the flying Gryphon and the evil sorcerer who controls him. (Sony).
**Baseball Double Feature. "Safe At Home!" (1962) Brian Russell, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford. "Kill the Umpire" (1950 William Bendix, Una Merkel, Ray Collins, Gloria Henry. (Sony).
**Bedazzled (1967) Dir.: Stanley Donen; Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Raquel Welch. Extras: In-character interview with Stanley Moon (Dudley Moore) and the Devil (Peter Cook), "Bedazzled" conversation with Harold Ramis, stills gallery. (Fox).
**Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure (2005) Billy, Mandy, Irwin and the Grim Reaper star in their first-ever long form, made-for-TV movie, based on the popular Cartoon Network animated series "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy"; $14.97. (Warner).
**Black Christmas (2006) Michelle Trachtenberg, Lacey Chabert, Katie Cassidy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. In R-rated and unrated editions. Extras: Three alternate endings, deleted scenes, "What Have You Done? The Remaking of Black Christmas" featurette. "May All Your Christmases Be Black" filmmaker's journey featurette. (Dimension/Genius Products).
**Bottom Feeder (2006) Tom Sizemore, Wendy Anderson, Joe Dinicol, Simon Northwood, Martin Roach. A maintenance crew is hunted and terrorized by an indestructible monster mistakenly created by the military. Extras: "Making of Bottom Feeder." (Genius Products).
**Charlotte's Web (2006) Dir.: Gary Winick; Dakota Fanning and the voices of Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Haden Church, Sam Shepard. Extras: "Charlotte's Web Storybook Creator"; "How Do They Do That?" look at the animal trainers who worked with the film's sheep, cows, geese, horses, pigs; "Flacka's Pig Tales" tongue-in-cheek featurette reveals some of the on-set antics involving the farm animals; "A Day at the Fair" photo gallery; "Where Are They Now?" checks in with the film's non-human stars to see what they're doing now; "What Makes a Classic?" discussion on the fun and challenges of bringing this classic children's book to life; "Making Some Movie" behind-the-scenes featurette; music videos; "Some Voices" voice cast featurette, gag reel, deleted scenes, commentaries, photo album. (Paramount).
**Copying Beethoven (2006) Dir.: Agnieszka Holland; Ed Harris, Diane Kruger, Matthew Goode, George Mendel, Joe Anderson, Angus Barnett, Nicholas Jones, Phyllida Law, Ralph Riach, Bill Stewart. Extras: Commentary by director Agnieszka Holland and actor Ed Harris, deleted scenes, "The Making of Copying Beethoven" featurette, soundtrack spot. (MGM).
**Crush on U (2006) Romeo, Forrest Lipton. Teen comedy. (First Look Home Entertainment).
**Death of a President (2006) Hend Ayoub, George W. Bush, Brian Boland, Becky Ann Baker, Michael Reilly Burke, Neko Parham, Holly Barrett, Patricia Buckley, Bryan Cohen, Andrea Frisby, John R. Haley, Theophilus Jamal, Jay Patterson, Chavez Ravine, January Scarpino, Christian Stolte, Matt Ukena, James Urbaniak, Jay Whittaker. Extras: Commentary by director Gabriel Range, interviews, (Lionsgate).
**Entourage: Season Three, Part One. Three-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.98. Extras: Three commentaries with cast and crew, "Vegas Baby, Vegas!" featurette with the cast on location in Vegas. (HBO).
**Good Shepherd, The (2006) Dir.: Robert De Niro; Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, John Turturro, William Hurt, Alec Baldwin, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, Gabriel Macht, Tammy Blanchard, Vladimir Mashkov, Joe Pesci. Extras: Deleted scenes. (Universal).
**Hard Scrambled (2006) Kurtwood Smith, Richard Edson, Beth Grant, Eyal Podell, Alanna Ubach, Thomas Kopache. When the owner of a venerable diner in the wrong part of town has an "accident," the men in her life scheme and fight for control of the establishment. Two-disc set. Extras: Interviews with the filmmakers and actors, cast and crew bios, the first and last draft of the script, "Anatomy of a Failed Scene," DVD Modules on the essential topics of producing and directing. (New Visions Fellowship).
**Jump In! Freestyle Edition (2007 - TV) Corbin Bleu, Keke Palmer. Disney Channel original movie. Extras: "Learning the Moves With Corbin Bleu," music videos. (Disney).
**Kidnapped (aka Rabid Dogs) (1974 -- Italy) Riccardo Cucciolla, Lea Lander, Maurice Poli. Two versions: Mario Bava's original film and a previously unreleased uncut version. Extras: "End of the Road: Making Rabid Dogs and Kidnapped" featurette, commentary by Mario Bava biographer Tim Lucas, Mario Bava bio. (Anchor Bay).
**The King Maker (2005) Gary Stretch, John Rhys-Davies. Portuguese soldier-of-fortune travels to the Orient in search of his father's killer only to become implicated in a conspiracy to dethrone the King of Siam. (Sony).
**Law & Order: The Fifth Year. Five-disc set with 23 episodes, $59.98. (Universal).
**The Lost Room (2006) Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Margaret Cho, Roger Bart, Kevin Pollak. Sci Fi Channel miniseries. Extras: "Inside The Lost Room" featurette. (Lionsgate).
**The Mario Bava Box Set: Volume 1 (2005) Five-disc set of five landmark films from the first half of Italian Mario Bava's impressive career as a cinematographer, special effects designer and director of macabre films. "The Mask of Satan (Black Sunday)" (1960), "The Three Faces of Fear (Black Sabbath)" (1963), "The Girl Who Knew Too Much" (1963), "Knives of the Avenger" (1966) and "Kill, Baby ... Kill!" (aka "Curse of the Living Dead") (1966). Extras: Commentaries, poster and still galleries, $49.98. (Anchor Bay).
**Mind of Mencia: Uncensored Season 2 (2006) Two-disc set with 15 episodes, $26.99. Extras: Outtakes, deleted scenes, bloopers, "Mencia Minutes & Ask Carlos." (Paramount).
**Royal Flash (1975) Dir.: Richard Lester; Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates, Oliver Reed, Joss Ackland. Extras: Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and film historian Nick Redman, "Inside Royal Flash" featurette, still gallery. (Fox).
**S*P*Y*S (1974) Dir.: Irvin Kershner; Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, Zouzou, Joss Ackland. Extras: "Inside S*P*Y*S," "Irvin Kershner: The Toad to 'The Road of a Hundred Days'," still gallery. (Fox).
**Tom Goes to the Mayor: The Complete Series. Three-disc set with 30 episodes of the Adult Swim series, $34.98. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Season One" and "Season Two," additional behind-the-scenes interviews, exclusive celebrity voice sessions, "mocumentary," two original Tom Web episodes, art gallery, jukebox, deleted scenes. (Warner).
**Twin Peaks: The Second Season. Six-disc set with 22 episodes, $61.99. Remastered from the original negatives with new 5.1 Surround Sound. Extras: Log Lady introductions, interactive interview grid with cast, insights from the series directors. (Paramount).
**Volver (2006) Dir.: Pedro Almodovar; Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Yohana Cobo, Blanca Portillo. Extras: Commentary by Almodovar and Cruz, AFI Tribute to Cruz, director and cast interviews, "Making-of Volver," photo gallery. Also available on Blu-ray. (Sony).
For more DVD info, check out our DVD calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/cal_dvd.htm>
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