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7/1/08 V12.27

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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES

For Tuesday, July 1-- Monday, July 7

City of Men
In the Oscar-nominated "City of Men," producer Fernando Meirelles ("The Constant Gardner") returns to the Brazilian favelas of his Academy Award-nominated film, "City of God." Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) have become close as brothers. With their 18th birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha sets out to find the father he never met, while Acerola struggles to raise his own young son. But when they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war, the lifelong friends are forced to confront a shocking secret from their shared past. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Vitals: Director: Paulo Morelli. Stars: Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Rodrigo dos Santos. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.317 million, Miramax.

Drillbit Taylor
Three kids are "pumped" to attend their first day at high school ... until they meet up with a school bully who comes off like a little Hannibal Lecter. Before they become completely engulfed in in the bully's reign of terror, they seek out some protection by placing an ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine. Their best response -- and the cheapest -- comes from Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), a down-on-his luck soldier of fortune who lives a homeless -- he likes to say "home-free" -- existence on the beach. Really dumb comedy, especially for the talented Wilson. Vitals: Director: Steven Brill. Stars: Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann, David Dorfman, Danny McBride, Josh Peck. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 109 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $32.853 million, Paramount.

Meet the Browns
Brenda (Angela Bassett ), a single mother living in inner city Chicago, has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids off the street. But when she's laid off with no warning, she starts losing hope for the first time -- until a letter arrives announcing the death of a father she's never met. Desperate for any kind of help, Brenda takes her family to Georgia for the funeral. But nothing could have prepared her for the Browns, her father's fun-loving, crass Southern clan. In a small-town world full of long afternoons and country fairs, Brenda struggles to get to know the family she never knew existed ... and finds a brand new romance. Vitals: Director: Tyler Perry. Stars: Tyler Perry, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Lance Gross, Chloe Bailey, Mariana Talbert, Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, Sofia Vergara, Irma P. Hall. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $41.939 million, Lionsgate.

My Blueberry Nights
After a rough romantic break-up, a young woman sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind her life in search of something to mend her broken heart. Waitressing her way through the country, she befriends a troubled cop and his estranged wife and a down-on-her-luck gambler with a score to settle. Through these chance encounters, she witnesses the true depths of loneliness and emptiness, and begins to understand that her own journey is part of a deeper exploration of herself. The celebrated Wong Kar Wai's first English-language picture embraces his signature elegance and originality; here he combines his trademarked dreamy romantic themes with mythical American locations (the atmospheric diners of Route 66). Vitals: Director: Stars: Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 95 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.766 million, The Weinstein Co./Genius Products.

Vantage Point
During an historic counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States is struck down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? As the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are replayed through the eyes of each eyewitness, the reality of the assassination takes shape. But just when you think you know the answer, the shattering final truth is revealed. Vitals: Director: Pete Travis. Stars: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 90 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $72.266 million, Sony.

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NEWS

Godfather Goes Blu:
Paramount Home Entertainment has announced a September 23 release for "The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration," a meticulous restoration of "The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" by Paramount Pictures and Francis Ford Coppola. Both films have been fully restored and will arrive on DVD and Blu-ray, along with a newly remastered version of "The Godfather: Part III." All three films will be available individually ($19.99 each) or in a five-DVD collection ($72.99) or four-disc Blu-ray collection ($119.99); each set is loaded with a host of all-new special features.

"The Godfather" and "The Godfather: Part II" underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration using state-of-the-art digital technology in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer Gordon Willis. Harris' restoration credits include "Lawrence of Arabia," "Spartacus," "Vertigo" and "Rear Window," among others.

New special features -- created by Kim Aubry, founder of Zoetrope Aubry Productions -- explore the complexities of the restoration process and provides new insights and perspectives about how the film almost didn't come to pass as we know it. "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't" relates the unlikely events, intrigue, allegiances and luck that put together the unknown director with the "unwanted" cast and contains interviews with most of the living players and many of the films' admirers. Other featurettes include "... When the Shooting Stopped" and "Godfather World," which take a look at "The Godfather's" influence on popular culture today. Each film includes a commentary by Coppola. See September's DVD release schedule for disc contents

DVD Collectibles: 
"Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" (1985) is Paul Schrader's visually stunning, structurally audacious collage-like portrait of acclaimed Japanese author and playwright Yuko Mishima (played by Ken Ogata). The film investigates the inner turmoil and contradictions of a man who attempted an impossible harmony between self, art, and society. Taking place on Mishima's last day, when he famously committed public seppuku (ritual suicide), the film is punctuated by extended flashbacks to the writer's life as well as gloriously stylized evocations of his fictional works. With its rich cinematography by John Bailey, exquisite sets and costumes by Eiko Ishioka, and unforgettable, highly influential score by Philip Glass, "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" is a sincere tribute to its subject and a bold, investigative work of art in its own right. In an exquisite two-disc set loaded with extras from The Criterion Collection.

"Aria" (1987) is an anthology of 10 short films directed by 10 acclaimed directors; each piece is a visual riff on a musical aria. The directors: Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, Franc Roddam, Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Charles Sturridge, Julien Temple. The stars: Bridget Fonda, Theresa Russell, Tilda Swinton, Elizabeth Hurley, John Hurt, Buck Henry, Beverly D'Angelo, more. The vignettes: ranging from the pretentious to the sublime. From Warner Home Video.

"Heathers" gets the special treatment from Anchor Bay for a 20th High School Reunion Edition. The 1989 film, starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker, is a classic and subversive teen high school satire. The two-disc set features a newly remastered version of the film as well as a "Return to Westerburg High" documentary that revisits the high school where "Heathers" was filmed, with new interviews with director Michael Lehmann, writer Daniel Waters, and producer Denise Di Novi; a "Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads" featurette; more.

From TV to Video:
"Anglo-Saxon Attitudes" (1992) is a two-disc set with three episodes of the U.K. miniseries that skewers British social and academic hypocrisy, $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Closer: Season Three" is a four-disc set with 14 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "Rebus, Set 3" is a four-disc set with four mysteries centering on maverick detective John Rebus, from Ian Rankin's best-selling detective novels, $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Streets of San Francisco: The Second Season, Volume One" (1973) is a three-disc set with 11 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "30 days: Season Two" is a two-disc set with six episodes, $29.95 from Arts Alliance America ... "'Til Death Do Us Part" is a three-disc set with 13 episodes of the TV series that lets director John Waters run amok with a campy marriage of madcap melodrama and macabre humor; $29.98 from BCI ... "Walker Texas Ranger: The Fifth Season" (1997-98) is a seven-disc set with 25 episodes, $54.99 from Paramount.

Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control" (2008), starring Masi Oka, Jayma Mays and Nate Torrence, Maxwell Smart's techie friends from the hit big-screen adaptation of the TV series run amok; the direct-to-video feature is also available on Blu-ray Disc; from Warner ... "Shotgun Stories" (2007) follows a blood feud between two sets of half brothers in the cotton fields and back roads of Arkansas; stars Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, Natalie Canerday, Glenda Pannell and Lynnsee Provence; from Liberation/Genius Products.

On the Indie Front:
In the wacky "Sex and Death 101" (2008), Simon Baker stars as a successful executive whose life is turned upside down by an e-mail that includes the names of everyone he's had sex with and ever will have sex with; Winona Ryder stars as "Death Nell," a mysterious femme fatale who becomes an urban folk hero when she targets men guilty of sex crimes against women. Also stars Patton Oswalt, Mindy Cohn, Leslie Bibb, Julie Bowen, Sophie Monk, Dash Mihok and Neil Flynn; from Anchor Bay.

Special Interest:
Every year since 1969, music lovers have flocked to the opulent Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, for an international festival of chamber music. Filmed live at the 2007 festival, "The 2007 Newport Music Festival Connoisseur's Collection" includes the Newport debut of 20-year-old American pianist Adam Golka, music by Chopin, Lizst, and Mozart, and an all-Schumann program; approximately 15 hours on 10 DVDs, $124.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Royal Diaries" (2000) features three documentaries that view the world through the eyes of three very different teenage princesses: "Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C.," "Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466" and "Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544"; based on the Scholastic book series; $14.95 from Genius Products ... In "Dogtown: Second Chance," National Geographic teams up with the top-notch veterinarians and trainers at Best Friend's Sanctuary to learn what it takes to rehabilitate abandoned, abused and problem pets and find them loving homes; $19.98 from Warner ... "Stonehenge Decoded" is a National Geographic special that transports viewers back in time to decipher the most enduring archaeological mystery of all time -- who built Stonehenge and why; $19.98 from Warner ... "Wild China" (2005) is a BBC documentary on the most populous country in the world, just in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics; $29.98 from Warner ... "Yankee Stadium: Baseball's Cathedral" (2005) is an MLB official DVD documentary commemorating the most storied ballpark in America; $26.99 from Shout! Factory.

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THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

Anglo-Saxon Attitudes (1992) Two-disc set with three episodes of the U.K. miniseries. A biting satire based on Angus Wilson's acclaimed novel skewers British social and academic hypocrisy to the very core. Richard Johnson stars as Gerald Middleton, a distinguished, retired historian coming to terms with his life's folly. As a student, Middleton witnessed the unearthing of the Melpham idol, a pagan fertility figure that electrified modern medieval scholarship by turning up in the grave of a 7th-century bishop. He also began an affair with Dollie (Tara Fitzgerald) -- the fiancee of his best friend, the man who had privately confessed to planting the idol as a hoax. Those events sowed the seeds of tragedy that haunt the middle-aged Middleton as he wrestles with his monstrously overbearing wife and their three emotionally dysfunctional children. To gain peace, he determines to discover the truth about the mysterious idol and his own life's folly. $39.99. (Acorn Media).

Aria (1987) Ten short films directed by 10 acclaimed directors; each piece is a visual riff on a musical aria. Directors: Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, Franc Roddam, Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Charles Sturridge, Julien Temple. Stars: Bridget Fonda, Theresa Russell, Tilda Swinton, Elizabeth Hurley, John Hurt, Buck Henry, Beverly D'Angelo, more. Extras: Photo gallery of 200 on-set shots. (Warner).

City of Men (2008 -- Brazil) Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha, Rodrigo dos Santos. Extras: "City of Men: Unveiling the Reality" featurette. (Miramax)

The Closer: Season Three. Four-disc set with 14 episodes, $39.98. Extras: "The Art of Interrogation" featurette, gag reel, unaired scenes. (Warner).

Dogtown: Second Chance. National Geographic teams up with the top-notch veterinarians and trainers at Best Friend's Sanctuary to learn what it takes to rehabilitate abandoned, abused and problem pets and find them loving homes; $19.98. (Warner).

Drillbit Taylor (2008) Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann, David Dorfman, Danny McBride, Josh Peck. Available in an Extended Survival Edition DVD, theatrical version DVD, and Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentey, deleted and extended scenes, Line-O-Rama, gag reel Extended Survival Edition adds five featurettes and additional footage. (Paramount).

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control (2008) Masi Oka, Jayma Mays, Nate Torrence. Maxwell Smart's techie friends have their own comedy adventure in this direct-to-video feature timed to exploit the big-screen adaptation of "Get Smart." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).

Heathers 20th High School Reunion Edition (1989) Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker. Two-disc set. Newly remastered. Extras: "Return To Westerburg High" documentary that revisits the high school where "Heathers" was filmed, includes new interviews with director Michael Lehmann, writer Daniel Waters, and producer Denise Di Novi; commentary by Lehmann, Waters and Di Novi; "Swatch Dogs and Diet Coke Heads" featurette; original ending screenplay excerpt (DVD-ROM). (Anchor Bay).

Heaven (1987) Dir.: Diane Keaton. Created and directed by the multi-talented Diane Keaton, "Heaven" takes a wonderfully lighthearted look at the Great Beyond. (Warner).

Meet the Browns (2008) Dir.: Tyler Perry; Tyler Perry, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Lance Gross, Chloe Bailey, Mariana Talbert, Angela Bassett, Rick Fox, Sofia Vergara, Irma P. Hall. Available as a single-disc with the feature only, a two-disc standard DVD set and a two-disc Blu-ray set, both with extras. Extras: Commentary by Tyler Perry, six featurettes, digital copy. (Lionsgate).

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) Dir.: Paul Schrader; Ken Ogata, Masayuki Shionoya. Music by Philip Glass. New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the director's cut, supervised and approved by director Paul Schrader and cinematographer John Bailey in a two-disc set. Extras: Optional English and Japanese voice-over narrations, the former by Roy Scheider, the latter by Ken Ogata; new audio commentary featuring Schrader and producer Alan Poul; "The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima," a 55-minute BBC documentary about the author; new interviews with Donald Richie and John Nathan, collaborators and friends of Yukio Mishima; new interviews with Bailey, producers Tom Luddy and Mata Yamamoto, composer Philip Glass, and production designer Eiko Ishioka; new audio interview with co-screenwriter Chieko Schrader; video interview excerpt featuring Mishima talking about writing; booklet featuring a new essay by critic Kevin Jackson and a piece on the film's censorship in Japan. (The Criterion Collection).

My Blueberry Nights (2005) Dir.: Wong Kar Wail; Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman. Extras: Deleted scenes, Q&A with director Wong Kar Wai, "The Making of My Blueberry Nights," stills gallery. (The Weinstein Co./Genius Products).

Patriotism (1966) Written and directed by Yukio Mishima. New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the Japanese and English versions of the short film, with optional Japanese or English intertitles. Extras: A 45-minute audio recording of Yukio Mishima speaking to the Foreign Correspondents' Association of Japan; a 45-minute making-of documentary, featuring crew from the film's production; interview excerpts featuring Mishima discussing war and death; new essay by renowned critic and historian Tony Rayns, Mishima's original novella, and Mishima's extensive notes on the film's production. (The Criterion Collection).

Rebus, Set 3. Four-disc set with four mysteries centering on maverick detective John Rebus, from Ian Rankin's best-selling detective novels. Haunted by his own failings and the human tragedies he faces every day, Detective Inspector Rebus pursues truth beneath the leaden skies of modern-day Edinburgh, $49.99. (Acorn Media).

The Royal Diaries (2000 -- TV) Three documentaries that view the world through the eyes of three very different teenage princesses: "Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C.," "Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466" and "Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544"; based on the Scholastic book series; $14.95. (Genius Products).

Sex and Death 101 (2008) Simon Baker, Winona Ryder, Patton Oswalt, Mindy Cohn, Leslie Bibb, Julie Bowen, Sophie Monk, Dash Mihok, Neil Flynn. Simon Baker stars as a successful executive whose life is turned upside down by an e-mail that includes the names of everyone he's had sex with and ever will have sex with; Winona Ryder stars as "Death Nell," a mysterious femme fatale who becomes an urban folk hero when she targets men guilty of sex crimes against women. Extras: Commentary by writer-director Daniel Waters, behind-the-scenes featurette "101 Perversions." (Anchor Bay).

Shotgun Stories (2007) Michael Shannon, Douglas Ligon, Barlow Jacobs, Natalie Canerday, Glenda Pannell, Lynnsee Provence. Follows a blood feud between two sets of half brothers in the cotton fields and back roads of Arkansas. (Liberation/Genius Products).

Stonehenge Decoded. National Geographic special transports viewers back in time to decipher the most enduring archaeological mystery of all time -- who built Stonehenge and why. Through a collaboration of groundbreaking new discoveries, recreations and engineering-inspired CGI, Stonehenge comes alive again in ways never before possible, precisely as it stood the day after it was completed. Narrated by Donald Sutherland; $19.98. (Warner).

The Streets of San Francisco: The Second Season, Volume One (1973) Three-disc set with 11 episodes, $42.99. (Paramount).

30 days: Season Two. Two-disc set with six episodes, $29.95. Extras: Commentary. (Arts Alliance America).

'Til Death Do Us Part. Three-disc set with 13 episodes of the TV series that let director John Waters run amok with a campy marriage of madcap melodrama and macabre humor. Waters is the host of this wickedly amusing anthology series about what happens after the honeymoon. Known to the viewer simply as "The Groom Reaper," Waters leads us through slyly sinful stories of vindictive and vicious husbands and wives with each cautionary tale ending in one spouse pushing up the daisies -- always to the delight of our naughty narrator. $29.98. Extras: Bonus footage. (BCI).

The 2007 Newport Music Festival Connoisseur's Collection. Every year since 1969, music lovers have flocked to the opulent Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, for an international festival of chamber music. Filmed live at the 2007 festival, this special collection of concerts and highlights includes the Newport debut of 20-year-old American pianist Adam Golka, music by Chopin, Lizst, and Mozart, and an all-Schumann program. Approximately 15 hours on 10 DVDs, $124.99. Extras: Bonus performances and commentary clips featuring festival director Dr. mark P. Malkovich. (Acorn Media).

Vantage Point (2008) Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt. Available in single-disc, two-disc and Blu-ray Disc editions. Two-disc set extras: Commentary by director Pete Travis, bonus digital copy of the film, deleted scene, "An Inside Perspective" interviews with cast and crew, "Plotting an Assassination" Interview with first-time screenwriter Barry Levy. (Sony).

Walker Texas Ranger: The Fifth Season (1997-98) Seven-disc set with 25 episodes, $54.99. (Paramount).

Wild China (2005) BBC documentary, just in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics. Two-disc set; $29.98. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).

Yankee Stadium: Baseball's Cathedral (2005) MLB official DVD documentary commemorating the most storied ballpark in America. Attending a Yankees game in the Bronx has been called a spiritual experience. Fans and ballplayers have congregated in Yankee Stadium for more than 80 years to witness history -- they cheer their hearts out, realize their dreams and heal their souls in the ultimate baseball cathedral. Since Opening Day in 1923, Yankee Stadium has gracefully grown through the years in stature as part of the American cultural fabric. Narrated by Chazz Palminteri. $26.99. Extras: Exclusive Yankee Stadium commemorative ticket with coin, Lou Gehrig speech, Mickey Mantle's 1964 World Series Game 3 walk-off home run, Chris Chambliss' 1976 ALCS Game 5 walk-off HR, Yankees return after Thurman Munson's funeral, George Brett and the Pine Tar Game, highlights from Jim Abbott's no hitter, Don Mattingly's HR in 1995 ALDS Game 2, highlights from 1999 World Series Game 4, Derek Jeter's 2001 ALDS dive, Hideki Matsui's First Major League grand slam, Aaron Boone's 2003 ALCS Game 7 HR, tour of Yankee Stadium from "Cathedrals of the Game" (Shout! Factory).

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

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