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6/19/07 V11.25
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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
For Tuesday, June 19 -- Monday, June 25
Bridge to Terabithia
Based on the popular Newbery Award-winning novel. Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is an outsider at school and even in his own family. Jess has trained all summer to become the fastest kid in his middle school class, but his goal is unexpectedly thwarted by the new girl in school, Leslie Burke (Annasophia Robb), who competes in the "boys only" race and wins. Despite their awkward introduction, the two outsiders quickly become best friends. Leslie loves to tell stories of fantasy and magic. Jess loves to draw, but until he met Leslie, it was something he kept to himself. Leslie opens a new world of imagination for Jess. Together, they create the secret kingdom of Terabithia, a magical place only accessible by swinging on an old rope over a stream in the woods near their homes. There, the friends rule the kingdom, fight the Dark Master and his creatures and plot against the school bullies. Thanks to his friendship with Leslie, Jess is changed for good. Brimming with fantastical creatures, palaces and beautiful forests, the world of Terabithia is brought to life by the Academy Award-winning visual effects wizards at Weta Digital (the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "King Kong"). Vitals: Director: Gabor Csupo. Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Anna Sophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 95 min., Fantasy, Box office gross: $81.243 million, Disney.
Miss Potter
A biodrama about the life of famed children's book author, Beatrix Potter. Potter (Renee Zellweger) was a literary phenomenon of the early 20th Century. At a time when most young women of her class aimed only to make a good marriage, Potter became an iconic figure, swimming quietly, but with great fortitude, against the tide. She created a series of books and characters that are as beloved today as they were a hundred years ago, and since their publication they have never been out of print. Set in the high summer days of late Victorian and Edwardian England, during which Potter developed her natural skills as artist and storyteller. When she finally published her debut book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," she became a writing celebrity. It also lead to a courtship and her first love with publisher Norman Warne, played by Ewan McGregor. Their relationship and his marriage proposal in July, 1905, was to change Beatrix's life forever. It was a love which she could not announce -- or even talk about. In high-society London, her parents had insisted she keep it from friends and neighbors. They considered her proposed wedding a mismatch. Potter allowed herself to be persuaded to leave her fiance and London. It was supposed to be a time for reflection and calm. But, instead, she faced tragedy and loneliness and returned, with a different outlook. She became a woman of strong views and independence. She also built up a farming dynasty in the Lake District -- a dynasty over which she took charge long after her writing career virtually ended in 1913. It established her as a woman ahead of her time. Despite becoming the world's most successful children's writer and a wealthy landowner and prize-winning farmer, she never forgot her first love. Vitals: Director: Chris Noonan. Stars: Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Bill Paterson, Lloyd Owen. 2006, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 92 min., Biodrama, Box office gross: $2.655 million, The Weinstein Company.
Reno 911!: Miami -- The Movie
The brave men and women of the Washoe County Sheriff's Department -- the thin khaki line that keeps Reno, Nevada on the straight and narrow -- star in their first feature film, based on the hit Comedy Central television series. The deputies of the Reno Sheriffs Department attend a law enforcement convention in Miami Beach, where the motley crew is charged with protecting the city after bioterrorists attack the convention. Vitals: Director: Ben Garant. Stars: Carlos Alazraqui, Mary Birdsong, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Cedric Yarbrough, Terry Swarsden, Paul Rudd, David Wain, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Nick Swardson, Joe Lo Truglio, Paul Reubens, David Koechner. 2007, CC, MPAA rating: R, 84 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $20.339 million, Fox.
For more release info, check out our calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar.htm>
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NEWS
DVD Collectibles:
The Criterion Collection will release three revolutionary films this week Lindsay Anderson's "If ...."
(1968), a landmark, daringly anarchic vision of British society set in
a boarding school in late sixties England. Before Stanley Kubrick made
his mischief iconic in "A Clockwork Orange," Malcolm McDowell made a
hell of an impression as insouciant Mick Travis, who, along with his
school chums trumps authority at every turn, finally turning violent
savior against the draconian games of one-upmanship played by both
students and the powers-that-be. Mixing color and black-and-white as
audaciously as it mixes fantasy and reality, "If...." remains one of
cinema's most unforgettable rebel yells. The restored high-definition
digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Miroslav Ondricek,
includes such extras as commentary featuring film critic and historian
David Robinson and Malcolm McDowell; "Thursday's Children" (1955),
Anderson's Academy Award-winning breakthrough documentary about a
school for deaf children, narrated by Richard Burton; a 2003 episode
from BBC Scotland's TV series "Cast and Crew" about "If....," featuring
interviews with McDowell, Ondricek, director's assistant Stephen
Frears, assistant editor Ian Rakoff, and screenwriter David Sherwin;
plus a booklet featuring essays by critic David Ehrenstein,
screenwriter Sherwin, and Anderson ...... What does the energy harnessed through orgasm have to do with the state of communist Yugoslavia circa 1971? Only countercultural filmmaker extraordinaire and art-house provocateur Dusan Makavejev has the answers (or the questions). His surreal documentary-fiction collision "WR: Mysteries of the Organism"
(1971) begins as an investigation of the life and work of controversial
psychologist and philosopher Wilhelm Reich (the orgone box) and then
explodes into a freeform narrative of a beautiful young Slavic girl's
sexual liberation. Banned in the director's former homeland, "WR" is
both whimsical and bold in its intersection of politics and sexuality
... Pushing his themes of sexual liberation to their boiling point,
Makavejev followed "WR" with "Sweet Movie" (1974), a
full-throated shriek in the face of bourgeois complacency (and
movie-watching). "Sweet Movie" tackles the limits of personal and
political freedom with kaleidoscopic feverishness, shuttling
viewers from a gynecological beauty pageant to a grotesque food orgy
with
scatological, taboo-shattering glee. With its lewd abandon and
embracing of
sketch-comic perversity, "Sweet Movie" became both a cult staple and
exemplar of the envelope pushing of 1970s cinema. Both films, as per
Criterion's modus operandi, feature new, restored high-definition
digital transfers, supervised and approved by Makavejev, as well as
commentary, essays and features.
Three interesting collections are due this week: First off there's the "Lucille Ball Collection," a six-disc set with "Critic's Choice," "Dance Girl Dance," "Du Barry Was a Lady," "The Big Street," "Mame" and "Best Foot Forward"; $49.92 or $19.97 each from Warner. "Critic's Choice" (1964) is a forgettable Ball-Bob Hope vehicle while "Dance, Girl, Dance" (1940) is a Dorothy Arzner-directed "pre-feminist" story about a dance company, starring Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward and Ball. "Du Barry Was a Lady" (1943) starring Red Skelton, Ball and Gene Kelly, "The Big Street" (1942) starring Henry Fonda and Ball, and "Best Foot Forward" (1943) starring Ball, June Allyson, Nancy Walker and Tommy Dix are average outings; "Mame" (1974) is an adequate film version of the musical, here starring Ball, Beatrice Arthur, Robert Preston and Bruce Davison ...
"The Al pacino Collection" is a four-disc set with three unusual Pacino outings: "Chinese Coffee" (2000), directed by Pacino and starring Pacino and Jerry Orbach, "The Local Stigmatic" (1990) and "Looking For Richard" (1996), Pacino's acclaimed documentary about the process of bringing Shakespeare's "Richard III" to the stage; a fourth bonus disc includes an hour-long program, "Babbleonia," an intimate look at the actor and his craft; $34.98 from Fox ... and just in time for the theatrical release of "Live Free or Die Hard" comes the "Die Hard Collection," a four-disc set with all three "Die Hard" films, plus a bonus disc with featurettes; $39.98 from Fox.
From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Longford"
(2006), starring James Broadbent, Samantha Morton, Lindsay Duncan and
Andy Serkis, is an HBO telefilm that explores the extraordinary and
controversial friendship between British Lord Frank Aungier Pakenham,
7th Earl of Longford and one of Britain's most notorious criminals, the
child murderess Myra Hindley, from HBO Video ... "Perry Mason: Season Two, Volume 1" (1958-59) is a four-disc set with 15 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "Picket Fences: Season One" is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98 from Fox ... "Silver Spoons: The Complete First Season" (1982-83) is a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.95 from Sony ... "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season Three, Volume 1," is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.98 from Fox.
Buzzin' the 'B's:
The Weinstein Co. and Genius Products have added four classic Shaw
Brothers titles to its Dragon Dynasty label of martial arts films: "King Boxer" (1971), "My Young Auntie" (1981), "The One-Armed Swordsman" (1967) and "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin" (1985); each $19.95 disc includes commentary, featurettes and interviews 
... "Inside Out"
(2005) stars Eriq La Salle, Steven Weber, Russell Wong, Tyler Posey,
Nia Peeples and Kate Walsh in a thriller about a husband and father
whose happy family and friendly neighbors' lives are shattered by the
arrival of a mysterious doctor who moves in across the street, from
Starz Home Entertainment ... In "Big Nothing"
(2006), starring Simon Pegg, David Schwimmer and Natascha McElhone, a
scheme to blackmail a corrupt reverend backfires when the man of cloth
is murdered, from First Look Home Entertainment ... In "A Get2Gether"
(2005), a quiet get-together for a college student and his girl friend
erupts into a neighborhood party, from First Look Home Entertainment
... "In a Dark Place" (2006), starring Leelee
Sobieski, Christian Olson and Gabrielle Adam, is a modern
interpretation of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw," from First Look
Home Entertainment.
On the Indie Front:
"The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico" (2005) is a
mockumentary about the rise and fall of a fictional country singer,
featuring interviews with country rock legends Kris Kristofferson,
Ronnie Hawkins, Merle Haggard, Levon Helm and more, $27.98 from
ThinkFilm ... "Conventioneers" (2005) is set in New
York during the contentious 2004 Republican National Convention and
follows a Red State-Blue State love affair between a Texas delegate and
an old college friend who has come to the city to protest President
Bush's policies; from Cinema Libre Studio.
Foreign:
In "Close to Home"
(2007 -- Israel), two young, very different female soldiers -- one
rebellious and one obedient -- forge a bond while patrolling the
anxious streets of Jerusalem, questioning Palestinians and looking for
suicide bombers, from Genius Products ... In "Stolen Life"
(2005 -- China), a young woman leaves her reclusive life to go to
college and embarks on a variety of adventures, including love and
motherhood, from First Run Features/Global Lens Collection ... "Max and Mona"
(2004 -- South Africa) is a comedy about young Max, who leaves his
small village to become a doctor. On his way to the university he is
enlisted with the task of delivering a sacred goat (Mona) to another
village, but he gets lost and arrives in the big city too late to pay
his tuition. Now he has no place to stay -- but he does have Mona; also
from First Run Features/Global Lens Collection.
For the Family:
Surprise. It's been 30 years since the release of the first Pooh feature film, "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,"
and the folks at Disney have re-released the 1977 film in "The
Friendship Edition," which features a remastered and restored version
with loads of extras, $29.99 ... MGM has acknowledged the 25th
anniversary of "The Secret of NIMH" with a two-disc "Family Fun Edition" that includes set-top games and featurettes, $19.98 ... "The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen"
series from First Run Features includes two DVDs with two animated
films featuring the charming work of Michael Sporn: "The Red Shoes
& The Little Match Girl" and "The Emperor's New Clothes &
Nightingale," $14.95 each ... Three kids TV shows make their way to
DVD: "The Powerpuff Girls: Season One" is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $26.99 from Warner ... "Animaniacs Volume 3" is a five-disc set with 25 episodes, $44.98 from Warner and "Pinky and the Brain Volume 3" is a four-disc set with 22 episodes, $44.98 from Warner.
Special Interest:
"Musica Cubana" is the follow-up to Wim Wenders' hit
"Buena Vista Social Club" and features the next generation of Cuban
musical talent; the two-disc docu-drama (produced by Wenders and
directed by German Kral) is available from Cinema Libre.
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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
The Al Pacino Collection. Four-disc set with "Chinese Coffee" (2000, directed by Pacino and starring Pacino and Jerry Orbach), "The Local Stigmatic" (1990) and "Looking For Richard" (1996, Pacino's acclaimed documentary about the process of bringing Shakespeare's "Richard III" to the stage) and a fourth bonus disc that includes an hour-long program, "Babbleonia," an intimate look at the actor and his craft; $34.98. (Fox).
Animaniacs Volume 3. Five-disc set with 25 episodes, $44.98. Extras: Music and animation featurettes. (Warner).
Big Nothing (2006) Simon Pegg, David Schwimmer, Alice Eve, Natascha McElhone. A scheme to blackmail a corrupt reverend backfires when the man of cloth is murdered. (First Look Home Entertainment).
Bridge to Terabithia (2007) Josh Hutcherson, Anna Sophia Robb, Zooey Deschanel, Robert Patrick. Extras: Commentary by director Gabor Csupo, screenwriter Jeff Stockwell and producer Hal Lieberman; commentary by stars Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb and producer Lauren Levine; "Behind the Book: The Themes of Bridge to Terabithia"; "Digital Imagination: Bringing Terabithia to Life"; "Keep Your Mind Wide Open" AnnaSophia Robb music video. (Disney).
Close to Home (2007 -- Israel) Neama Shendar, Smadar Sayar. Two young, very different female soldiers forge a bond while patrolling the anxious streets of Jerusalem, questioning Palestinians and looking for suicide bombers. (Genius Products).
Die Hard Collection. Four-disc set with all three "Die Hard" films, bonus disc with featurettes; $39.98. Just in time for the theatrical release of "Live Free or Die Hard." Extras: "Wrong Guy, Wrong Place, Wrog Time: A Look Back at Die Hard," "The Continuing Adventures of John McClane" featurette.(Fox).
A Get2Gether (2005) B. Cole, Michael Colyar, Tiffany J. Curtis, Kid Capri, Eric Lane, Tony Roberts. A quiet get together for a college student and his girl friend erupts into a neighborhood party. Extras: Making-of featurette. (First Look Home Entertainment).
Gray Matters (2007) Heather Graham, Thomas Cavanagh, Bridget Moynahan, Molly Shannon, Alan Cumming, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Shelley. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette. Girl falls for her brother's girlfriend. (Fox).
If .... (1968) Dir.: Lindsay Anderson; Malcolm McDowell, David Wood, Richard Warwick, Christine Noonan, Rupert Webster, Robert Swann, Hugh Thomas. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Miroslav Ondricek. Extras: Commentary featuring film critic and historian David Robinson and Malcolm McDowell; "Thursday's Children" (1955), Anderson's Academy Award-winning breakthrough documentary about a school for deaf children, narrated by Richard Burton; 2003 episode from BBC Scotland's TV series "Cast and Crew" about "If....," featuring interviews with McDowell, Ondricek, director's assistant Stephen Frears, assistant editor Ian Rakoff, and screenwriter David Sherwin; booklet featuring essays by critic David Ehrenstein, screenwriter Sherwin, and Anderson. (The Criterion Collection).
In a Dark Place (2006) Leelee Sobieski, Christian Olson, Gabrielle Adam. Modern interpretation of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw." (First Look Home Entertainment).
Inside Out (2005) Eriq La Salle, Steven Weber, Russell Wong, Tyler Posey, Nia Peeples, Kate Walsh. Thriller about a husband and father whose happy family and friendly neighbors' lives will be shattered forever by the arrival of a mysterious doctor who moves in across the street. (Starz Home Entertainment).
King Boxer (1971). Yasuaki Kurata. Shaw Brothers Kung Fu classic. Extras: Commentary, featurettes, interviews. (Weinstein Co./Genius).
The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico (2005) Mockumentary about the rise and fall of a fictional country singer, featuring interviews with country rock legends Kris Kristofferson, Ronnie Hawkins, Merle Haggard, Levon Helm and more. $27.98. (ThinkFilm).
Longford (2006 -- TV) James Broadbent, Samantha Morton, Lindsay Duncan, Andy Serkis. HBO telefilm explores the extraordinary and controversial friendship between British Lord Frank Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford and one of Britain's most notorious criminals, the child murderess Myra Hindley. Extras: Commentary by director Tom Hooper and writer Peter Morgan, "For the Record: Firsthand Accounts of the Moors Murders" featurette. (HBO Video).
Lucille Ball Collection. Six-disc set with "Critic's Choice," "Dance Girl Dance," "Du Barry Was a Lady," "The Big Street," "Mame" and "Best Foot Forward"; $49.92 or $19.97 each. (Warner).
- Critic's Choice (1963) Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Rip Torn Extras: Vintage 1935 comedy short "Calling All Tars" with Bob Hope, 1963 cartoon "Now Hear This."
- Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball, Virginia Field, Ralph Bellamy. Extras: Vintage 1940 comedy short "Just a Cute Kid," classic 1940 cartoon "Malibu Beach Party."
- Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly. Extras: Pete Smith 1943 specialty short "Seeing Hands," classic 1943 cartoon "Bah Wilderness."
- The Big Street (1942) Henry Fonda, Lucille Ball, Barton MacLane, Agnes Moorehead. Extras: Vintage 1942 musical short "Calling All Girls," classic 1942 cartoon "The Hep Cat."
- Mame (1974) Lucille Ball, Beatrice Arthur, Robert Preston, Bruce Davison. Extras: Vintage featurette "Lucky Mame."
- Best Foot Forward (1943) Lucille Ball, June Allyson, Nancy Walker, Tommy Dix. Extras: Vintage 1938 musical short "The Knight Is Young" with June Allyson, classic 1943 cartoon "One Ham's Family."
Max and Mona (2004 -- South Africa) Comedy about young Max, who leaves his small village to become a doctor. On his way to the university he is enlisted with the task of delivering a sacred goat (Mona) to another village, but he gets lost and arrives in the big city too late to pay his tuition. Now he has no place to stay -- but he does have Mona. (First Run Features/Global Lens Collection).
Miss Potter (2006) Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Bill Paterson, Lloyd Owen. Extras: Commentary by director Chris Noonan, "The Making of a Real Life Fairy Tale," "The Life and Times of Beatrix Potter." (The Weinstein Company).
My Young Auntie (1981) Chia-Liang Liu, Kara Hui. Shaw Brothers Kung Fu classic. Extras: Commentary, featurettes, interviews. (Weinstein Co./Genius).
One-Armed Swordsman (1967) Jimmy Wang Yu. Shaw Brothers Kung Fu classic. Extras: Commentary, featurettes, interviews. (Weinstein Co./Genius).
Perry Mason: Season Two, Volume 1 (1958-59) Four-disc set with 15 episodes, $42.99. (Paramount).
Picket Fences: Season One. Six-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98. (Fox).
Pinky and the Brain Volume 3 .Four-disc set with 22 episodes, $44.98. Extras: �It's All About the Fans! � featurette. (Warner).
The Powerpuff Girls: Season One. Two-disc set with 13 episodes, $26.99. (Warner).
Reno 911!: Miami -- The Movie (2007) Carlos Alazraqui, Mary Birdsong, Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Thomas Lennon, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Cedric Yarbrough, Terry Swarsden, Paul Rudd, David Wain, Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, Nick Swardson, Joe Lo Truglio, Paul Reubens, David Koechner. In rated and unrated versions. Extras: Commentaries, extended scenes, public service announcements, more. (Fox).
The Secret of NIMH Family Fun Edition (1982) Dom DeLuise, Derek Jacobi, Shannen Doherty, Wil Wheaton, Elizabeth Hartman. Two-disc set. Extras: Commentary by directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, five interactive set-top games, making-of featurette, deleted scenes. (MGM).
Silver Spoons: The Complete First Season (1982-83) Three-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.95. (Sony).
Stolen Life (2005 -- China) Jun Wu, Xun Zhou. A young woman leaves her reclusive life to go to college, embarking on a variety of adventures, including love and motherhood. (First Run Features/Global Lens Collection).
Sweet Movie (1974) Dir.: Dusan Makavejev; Anna Prucnal, Pierre Clementi, Sami Frey. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Makavejev. Extras: New video interview with Makavejev, new interview with Balkan film scholar Dina Iordanova, actress Anna Prucnal sings a song featured in the film, new essays by Stanley Cavell and David Sterritt. (The Criterion Collection).
The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen.Two DVDs with four animated films featuring the charming work of Michael Sporn: "The Red Shoes & The Little Match Girl" and "The Emperor's New Clothes & Nightingale," $14.95 each. (First Run Features).
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1985) Gordon Liu. Shaw Brothers Kung Fu classic. Extras: Commentary, featurettes, interviews. (Weinstein Co./Genius).
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: Season Three, Volume 1. Three-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.98. Extras: David Hedison interviews, "Visitors on Set" featurette, "Letters From Fans," still galleries, publicity photos, episodic photos, comic book stills, "The Rock and Roll." (Fox).
The Wood: Back in the Day Edition (1999) Omar Epps, Taye Diggs Extras: Commentary by director Rick Famuyawa and Taye Diggs, TV spots, photo gallery. (Paramount)
WR: Mysteries of the Organism (1971) Dir.: Dusan Makavejev; Milena Dravic, Ivica Vidovic, Jagoda Kaloper. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Makavejev. Extras: Commentary assembled from Raymond Durgnat's 1999 book on the film; "Hole in the Soul," Makavejev's 1994 tragicomic autobiographical short film, originally made for the BBC; new video interview with Makavejev; new essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. (The Criterion Collection).
For more DVD info, check out our DVD calendar pages at<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/cal_dvd.htm>
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