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4/7/09 V13.14

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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES


For Tuesday, April 7 --  Monday, April 13


Bedtime Stories DVD
As a handyman at the hotel his father used to own, Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) spends his days changing light bulbs and competing with the hotel's smarmy manager (Guy Pearce) for the attention of the new owner's beautiful, hard-partying daughter Violet (Theresa Palmer). When his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) asks Skeeter to babysit her kids for a week, he entertains his niece and nephew with elaborate, original bedtime stories that transport them to exotic locales, including ancient Greece, the Wild West and outer space. But suddenly the stories mysteriously come true, turning everyone's life upside-down.. Vitals: Director: Adam Shankman. Stars: Adam Sandler, Guy Pearce, Russell Brand, Teresa Palmer, Richard Griffiths, Lucy Lawless, Courteney Cox, Keri Russell, Aisha Tyler, Jonathan Pryce. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $109.993 million, Disney.

Day the Earth Stood Still, The
Contemporary reinvention of the 1951 classic. Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, an alien whose arrival on Earth triggers a global upheaval. Accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot, he delivers a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar. As governments and scientists race to unravel the mystery behind the visitor's appearance, a woman (Jennifer Connelly) and her young stepson get caught up in his mission -- and come to understand the ramifications of his being a self-described "friend to the Earth." Vitals: Director: Scott Derrickson. Stars: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 105 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $78.980 million, Fox.

Doubt
Set in 1964 at St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx, Fr. Brendan Flynn's (Philip Seymour Hoffman)progressive views and charismatic presence have won him the respect and admiration of the congregation. At the parish school, principal Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) keeps her students in line with old-fashioned fear and intimidation. When young Sister James (Amy Adams) shares with Sister Aloysius her concern that Father Flynn has "taken an interest" in 12-year-old Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), the school's "first Negro student," the older nun launches her own investigation. Determined to protect every one of her charges, Sister Aloysius attempts to use the evidence she discovers to have Flynn removed from the school. John Patrick Shanley's finely shaded script -- based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play -- takes audiences through a spectrum of truth, emotion and belief, and asks if any decision is ever free from doubt. Vitals: Director: John Patrick Shanley.  Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Drama, Box office gross: $32.440 million, Miramax.

Not Easily Broken
After many years of marriage, a couple's affection for each other is severely tested by life. After a car accident temporarily sidelines Clarice, the pair must come to grips with physical temptations, financial pressures and emotional challenges that threaten their love for each other. Ultimately they must determine whether or not their vows are easily broken. Based on the inspirational best-selling novel by T.D. Jakes. Vitals: Director: Bill Duke. Stars: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan, Cannon Jay, Kevin Hart, Jenifer Lewis.. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 90 min., Drama, Box office gross: $10.572 million, Sony.

Tale of Despereaux, The
Once upon a time ... in the far away kingdom of Dor ... lived a brave and virtuous mouse with comically oversized ears who dreamt of becoming a knight. Banished from his home for having such lofty ambitions, Despereaux sets off on an amazing adventure with his good-hearted rat friend, Roscuro, who leads him, at long last, on a very noble quest to rescue an endangered princess and save an entire kingdom from darkness. Based on Kate DiCamillo's 2003 book, which spent 96 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Vitals: Director: Sam Fell, Rob Stevenhagen. Stars: Voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ciaran Hinds, Robbie Coltrane, Tony Hale, Frances Conroy, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver. 2008, CC, MPAA rating:G, 94 min., Animated, Box office gross: $50.818 million, Universal.

Yes Man
Jim Carrey stars as Carl Allen, a man who signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: say yes to everything .. .and anything. At first, unleashing the power of "yes" transforms Carl's life in amazing and unexpected ways, but he soon discovers that opening up his life to endless possibilities can have its drawbacks. Vitals: Director: Peyton Reed. Stars: Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Terence Stamp, Danny Masterson. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $96.3 million, Warner.


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NEWS

DVD Collectibles:
"The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection" Before the 1934 introduction of the restrictive "Production Code" changed the way movies were made for the next four decades, Hollywood filmmakers operated virtually free from censorship. During the "pre-Code" era that lasted from 1929 to mid-1934, no subject was too scandalous. The public demanded graphic stories designed to titillate and shock, and the studios produced astonishing tales filled with adultery, prostitution, murder, illegal drug use, homosexuality and nudity. This collection from Universal includes "The Cheat" (1931) starring Tallulah Bankhead, "Merrily We Go to Hell" (1932) with Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney, "Hot Saturday" (1932) starring Nancy Carroll, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, "Torch Singer" (1933) starring Claudette Colbert, "Murder at the Vanities" (1934) with Gertrude Michael, Kitty Carlisle, Ann Sheridan, Lucille Ball and Duke Ellington, and "Search for Beauty" (1934) starring Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino. $49.98.

From TV to Video:
"The It Crowd: The Complete First Season" (2006) includes six episodes of the IFC comedy series, $24.98 from MPI Home Video ... "The Paper Chase: Season One" (1978-79) is a ix-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.99 from Shout! Factory.

Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Dark Secrets (AKA Cold Earth)" (2008), starring Gary Daniels, Steven Elliott, Ben Shockley and Kate Thurlwell, two detectives investigate the kidnapping of the daughter of a celebrity couple, thinking it's the work of a serial killer who has struck twice before; from MTI Home Video ... "The Caller" (2009), starring Frank Langella, Elliott Gould and Laura Harring, is a thriller about a senior vp at an international energy firm who blows the whistle on his company's deadly and corrupt practices in Latin America. Knowing he will be assassinated for his betrayal, he places an anonymous call securing the services of private detective to trail him from a distance; from Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America ... Six months after losing her only child in the Southeast Asia tsunami, a woman is convinced she sees him in a film about orphans living in the jungles of Burma and goes on a quest that leads her into the world of traffickers in "Vinyan" (2008), starring Emmanuelle Beart and Rufus Sewell; from Sony.

Foreign:
"Faith Like Potatoes" (2006 -- South Africa) was adapted for the big screen by award winning actor and director Regardt van der Bergh and weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest. After a South African farmer suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, he forges an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith; from Sony.

For the Family:
"Ben 10 Alien Force Volume 3" (2008) is a single disc with four episodes of the Cartoon Network series, $14.98 from Warner ... "The Mysterious Cities of Gold" is a six-disc set with all 39 episodes of the highly anticipated cult-classic children's series, available for the first time in the U.S.; it originally aired in Japan in 1982 and ran in the U.S. in the 1980's on Nickelodeon and NBC; $49.95 from Virgil Films And Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America ... "The Fox and the Child (Le Renard et l'enfant" (2007 -- French) is a live-action family adventure about a young girl's relationship with a fox, narrated by Kate Winslet; from Warner ... "Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword" (2009) is the latest animated adventure featuring the Mystery Inc. crew, here traveling the globe on a transcontinental treasure hunt, circling Asia and the Pacific to solve a series of ancient riddles; $19.98 from Warner ... "Being Green" (2009) is an environmentally friendly DVD from Sesame Street in which Mr. Earth (Paul Rudd), Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, Rosita and Telly Monster host Sesame Street's first Earth-a-Thon, asking viewers for pledges to help the planet; $14.93 from Sesame Workshop and Genius Products.

Special Interest:
"Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts" (2009) is Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks' documentary about the composer Philip Glass. Features performance footage of Glass' seminal collaboration with avant-guard stage director Robert Wilson, interviews with former partners JoAnne Akalaitis and Holly Critchlow, artist Chuck Close, musician Nico Muhly and film directors Woody Allen, Errol Morris, Godfrey Reggio and Martin Scorsese; $29.98 from Koch Lorber ... In "Down and Dirty With Jim Norton" (2009), Jim Norton emcees a lineup of the comedy circuit's most outspoken and dirtiest stand-ups: Artie Lange, Bill Burr, Patrice O'Neal and Andrew Dice Clay, along with some of the edgiest up-and-coming comics around; $19.97 from (HBO Home Entertainment.

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THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

Bedtime Stories DVD (2008) Available as a three-disc set (with the Blu-ray version, standard DVD version and digital copy), which streeted Sunday, April 5; A special edition DVD and a single disc street Tuesday, April 7. Extras: "Until Gravity Do Us Part" special effects behind-the-scenes featurette, "It's Bugsy" look at the films big-eyed guinea pig, "To All the Little People," bloopers, deleted scenes. (Disney).

Ben 10 Alien Force Volume 3 (2008) Single disc with four episodes of the Cartoon Network series, $14.98. (Warner).

The Caller (2009) Frank Langella, Elliott Gould, Laura Harring. Thriller about a senior vp at an international energy firm who blows the whistle on his company's deadly and corrupt practices in Latin America. Knowing he will be assassinated for his betrayal, he places an anonymous call securing the services of private detective to trail him from a distance. (Virgil Films & Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America).

Cleopatra -- 75th Anniversary Edition (1934) Dir.: Cecil B. DeMille; Claudette Colbert, Warren Williams, Henry Wilcox. Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, "Cleopatra" is classic DeMillean spectacle. Claudette Colbert stars as the cunning Queen of the Nile, with Warren William as Julius Caesar and Henry Wilcox as Marc Antony. Featuring a digitally remastered picture. Part of the new Universal Backlot Series. Digitally remastered from original film elements. Extras: "Claudette Colbert: Queen of the Silver Screen" bio, "Cecil B. Demille: Hollywood's Epic Director" documentary, "Forbidden Film: The Production Code Era" featurette on the "Pre-Code Hollywood" era in which filmmakers had no rules, commentary by film writer F.X. Feeney. Includes three collectible lobby cards. $29.98. (Universal).

Dark Secrets (AKA Cold Earth) (2008) Gary Daniels, Steven Elliott, Ben Shockley, Kate Thurlwell. Two detectives investigate the kidnapping of the daughter of a celebrity couple, thinking it's the work of a serial killer who has struck twice before.  (MTI Home Video).

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith, John Cleese. Available as a two-disc DVD, a three-disc DVD Special Edition and a three-disc Blu-ray Disc. All three editions are packed with a copy of the 1951 classic. Extras: Deleted scenes, "Re-Imagining The Day" featurette, "Unleashing Gort" featurette, "Watching the Skies: In Search Of Extraterrestrial Life" featurette, "The Day the Earth Was 'Green'" featurette, commentary by writer David Scarpa, still galleries, concept art, storyboards, production photos, digital copy for portable media players.  (Fox).

Doubt (2008) Dir.:  John Patrick Shanley; Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis. Extras:"From Stage to Screen" featurette, "Scoring Doubt" with renowned composer Howard Shore, "The Sisters of Charity" dialogue with Meryl Streep and John Patrick Shanley about the interviews that Shanley did with real nuns to discuss their lives and make sure they would be accurately portrayed in the film, commentary by John Patrick Shanley, "The Cast of Doubt": A conversation with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. Also available on Blu-ray Disc.  (Miramax).

Down and Dirty With Jim Norton (2009) Jim Norton emcees a lineup of the comedy circuit's most outspoken and dirtiest stand-ups: Artie Lange, Bill Burr, Patrice O'Neal and Andrew Dice Clay, along with some of the edgiest up-and-coming comics around; $19.97.  (HBO Home Entertainment).

Faith Like Potatoes (2006 -- South Africa) Frank Rautenbach, Jeanne Neilson, Hamilton Dlamini, Sean Cameron Michael. The film was adapted for the big screen by award winning actor and director Regardt van der Bergh and weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest. After a South African farmer suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, he forges an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith. Extras: Documentary on the real life of Angus Buchan, commentary by the filmmakers, "The Making of Faith Like Potatoes."  (Sony).

The Fox and the Child (Le Renard et l'enfant (2007 -- French) Live-action family adventure about a young girl's relationship with a fox. Narrated by Kate Winslet.  (Warner).

Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (2009) Academy Award nominated filmmaker Scott Hicks' documentary about the composer Philip Glass to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2007. Features performance footage of Glass' seminal collaboration with avant-guard stage director Robert Wilson, interviews with former partners JoAnne Akalaitis and Holly Critchlow, artist Chuck Close, musician Nico Muhly and film directors Woody Allen, Errol Morris, Godfrey Reggio and Martin Scorsese. $29.98.  (Koch Lorber).

The Goldwyn Follies (1938) Adolphe Menjou, The Ritz Brothers, Vera Zorina. Musical comedy about a movie producer chooses a simple girl to critically evaluate his movies from the point of view of the ordinary person. (MGM)

The It Crowd: The Complete First Season (2006) Six episodes of the IFC comedy series, $24.98. Also available on Blu-ray Disc.  (MPI Home Video).

It's a Pleasure! (1945) Sonja Henie, Michael O'Shea, Marie McDonald. Ice skating extravaganza. (MGM) .

La Grande Bouffe (The Big Feast) (1973) Marcello Mastroianni, Philippe Noire, Michel Piccoli. Director Marco Ferreri's greatest international success, winner of the prestigious Fipresci Prize awarded at Cannes. Four friends hire prostitutes and hole up in a Parisian villa for group sex and to eat themselves to death. (Koch Lorber).

Max Fleischer's Superman (1941-42) The Superman animated cartoons, commonly known as the "Fleischer Superman Cartoons," were a series of 17 animated Technicolor short films, based upon the comic book character. These groundbreaking theatrical shorts are the very first animated DC Comics Superman cartoons. Each cartoon brims with action and special effects, beautifully drawn and colored, braced with fabulous background paintings and brought to life with realistic movement. These animated shorts are seen as some of the finest, and certainly the most lavishly budgeted, cartoons produced during the Golden Age of animation. Two-disc set with 17 cartoons. First authorized collection from the original masters. $26.99. Extras: "The Man, The Myth Superman" featurette, "First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series" documentary.  (Warner). 

The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Six-disc set with all 39 episodes of the highly anticipated cult-classic children's series, available for the first time in the U.S. Originally aired in Japan in 1982 and ran in the U.S. in the 1980's on Nickelodeon and NBC; $49.95. A special Deluxe Edition will be available for collectors, which will include a 32-page booklet, a 12-page historical facts booklet, six exclusive postcards and a double-sided fold out poster; $79.95.(Virgil Films And Entertainment, formerly Arts Alliance America).

Not Easily Broken (2008) Dir. Bill Duke; Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan, Cannon Jay, Kevin Hart, Jenifer Lewis. Family melodrama: After a car accident, a couple must come to grips with physical temptations, financial pressures and emotional challenges that threaten their love for each other. Extras: "Making Not Easily Broken" featurette, deleted scenes. (Sony).

The Paper Chase: Season One (1978-79) Six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.99. (Shout! Factory).

The Pre-Code Hollywood Collection. Before the 1934 introduction of the restrictive "Production Code" changed the way movies were made for the next four decades, Hollywood filmmakers operated virtually free from censorship. During the "pre-Code" era that lasted from 1929 to mid-1934, no subject was too scandalous. The public demanded graphic stories designed to titillate and shock, and the studios produced astonishing tales filled with adultery, prostitution, murder, illegal drug use, homosexuality and nudity. The collection includes "The Cheat" (1931) starring Tallulah Bankhead, "Merrily We Go to Hell" (1932) with Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney, "Hot Saturday" (1932) starring Nancy Carroll, Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, "Torch Singer" (1933) starring Claudette Colbert, "Murder at the Vanities" (1934) with Gertrude Michael, Kitty Carlisle, Ann Sheridan, Lucille Ball and Duke Ellington, and "Search for Beauty" (1934) starring Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino.  Part of the new Universal Backlot Series. Digitally remastered from original film elements. Extras: "Forbidden Film: The Production Code Era" featurette. Three-disc set includes a physical reproduction of the actual "Production Code" document, $49.98. (Universal).

Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword (2009) The latest animated adventure has the Mystery Inc. crew traveling the globe on a transcontinental treasure hunt, circling Asia and the Pacific to solve a series of ancient riddles; $19.98.  (Warner).

Snoopy's Reunion Special Edition ((1991) Remastered Deluxe Edition. Includes a bonus episode, "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown." Extras: "Together Again: The Peanuts Voice-Cast Reunion" featurette. $19.98. (Warner).

A Song Is Born (1948) Dir.: Howard Hawks; Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton. Musical remake of Hawks' 1941 "Ball of Fire." (MGM).

The Tale of Despereaux (2008) Voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Ciaran Hinds, Robbie Coltrane, Tony Hale, Frances Conroy, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Lloyd, Sigourney Weaver. Extras: "The Tale of the Tale of Despereaux: A (Mostly) Non-Fictional Making-Of" featurette, "Top Ten Uses for Oversized Ears," "Interactive Map of the Kingdom of Dor," "Despereaux's Quest Game," "Build-a-Boldo" game. Also available on Blu-ray Disc with more extras. (Universal).

Tales of Ordinary Madness (1983) Ben Gazzara, Ornella Muti, Susan Tyrell. Director Marco Ferreri's tackling of work famed author Charles Bukowski. Based on Bukowski's collection of short stories, "Erections, Ejaculations and General Tales of Ordinary Madness," Ben Gazzara stars in this autobiographical take as Charles Sirking, an infamous poet and drunk who spends his time exploring L.A.'s squalid depths and dealing with the elusiveness of love. (Koch Lorber).

TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection. Five-disc set with five new-to-DVD films from Doris Day's golden years at Warner Bros.: "April in Paris" (1952), "It's a Great Feeling" (1949), "Starlift" (1951), "Tea for Two" (1950) and "The Tunnel of Love" (1958); $49.92. Extras: Classic shorts and cartoons. (Warner).

Vinyan (2008) Emmanuelle Beart, Rufus Sewell. Six months after losing her only child in the Southeast Asia tsunami, Jeanne is convinced she sees him in a film about orphans living in the jungles of Burma. While her husband is worried that she's losing her mind, he still agrees to take her to search for their son together. Introduced to a dangerous gang of human traffickers, they find themselves alone and stranded in the middle of a treacherous jungle, set upon by a band of feral children. Extras: Making-of featurette. (Sony).

Yes Man (2008) Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Terence Stamp, Danny Masterson. Available as a singe-disc DVD, two-disc Special Edition DVD, and Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Down Time on the Set: Jim Carrey Improvs" featurette, "Extreme Yes Man" stunts featurette, gag reel, music videos. (Warner).

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

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