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ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
For Tuesday, July 21 -- Monday, July 27
Coraline
Based on Neil Gaiman's international best-selling book, "Coraline" is the story of a young girl (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who unlocks a mysterious door in her new home, and enters into an adventure in a parallel reality. On the surface, this other world eerily mimics her own life -- though much more fantastical. In it, Coraline encounters such off-kilter inhabitants as the morbidly funny Miss Forcible and Miss Spink. But when the adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents (including Other Mother) try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home. First stop-motion animated feature originally produced in stereoscopic 3-D. Vitals: Director: Henry Selick. Voices: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, Robert Bailey Jr., Ian McShane. 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 100 min., Animated, Box office gross: $75.195 million, Universal.
Watchmen Director's Cut
A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, "Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" -- which charts the U.S.A.'s tension with the Soviet Union -- is permanently set at five minutes to midnight.
When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no
less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot
to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he
reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion -- a ragtag group of
retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers -- Rorschach
glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their
shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission
is to watch over humanity ... but who is watching the watchmen? Based
on the 12-part DC Comics series written by Alan Moore and featuring art
by Dave Gibbons. Vitals:
Director: Zack Snyder. Stars: Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley,
Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Carla
Gugino, Stephen McHattie, Matt Frewer.
2008, CC, MPAA rating: R, 161 min., Action, Box office gross: $107.061 million, Warner.
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NEWS
It's a Breathless week in home video as the folks at The Criterion Collection are releasing two of Jean-Luc Godard's late
1960s masterpieces: "Made in U.S.A." and "2 or 3 Things I Know About
Her." With its giddily complex noir plot and widescreen, color-drenched
images, "Made in U.S.A." (1966) was a final burst of
exuberance from Godard's early-sixties barrage of delirious
movie-movies. Yet this chaotic crime thriller and acidly funny critique
of consumerism featuring Anna Karina as the most brightly dressed
private investigator in film history, rummaging through an intricate
plot for a former lover who might have been assassinated, also points
toward the more political cinema that would come to define Godard.
Featuring characters with names such as Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara,
David Goodis, and Doris Mizoguchi, and appearances by a slapstick
Jean-Pierre Leaud and a sweetly singing Marianne Faithfull, this piece
of pop art is like 
a Looney Tunes rendition of "The Big Sleep" gone New Wave. In a new, restored high-definition digital transfer ... In "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her"
(2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle) (1967) Godard beckons us ever
closer, literally whispering in our ears as narrator. About what?
Money, sex, fashion, the city, love, language, war: in a word,
everything. Considered by many to be among the legendary French
filmmaker's finest achievements, the film takes as its ostensible
subject the daily life of Juliette Janson, a housewife from the Paris
suburbs who prostitutes herself for extra money. Yet this is only a
template for Godard to spin off into provocative philosophical tangents
and gorgeous images. A revelatory look at consumer culture, shot in
ravishing widescreen color by Raoul Coutard. New, restored
high-definition digital transfer. As is standard with Criterion
editions, each disc is loaded with extras.\From TV to Video:
"Charlie's Angels: The Complete Fourth Season" (1979-80) is a six-disc set with 26 episodes; $39.95 from Sony ... "Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht Season 4, Volume 2: The Big Move" (2008-09) is a two-disc set with 17 episodes; $19.95 from TLC/Genius Products ... "Monk: Season Seven" (2008-09) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes; $59.98 from Universal ... "Prison Break: The Final Break"
(2009) is a two-hour feature that picks up some time after the series finale; in a two-disc set from Fox ... "Psych: The Complete Third Season" (2008-09) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes; $59.98 from Universal ... "Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season"
(2007) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes; $39.98 from Warner ... "Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode II" (2008) includes the 22-minute broadcast version as well as the 38-minute extended edition; $19.97 from Warner ... "Wire in the Blood: The Complete Sixth Season<"
(2008) is a four-disc set with the final four mysteries from the BBC America series; $59.98 from E1 Entertainment.
Buzzin' the 'B's:
The "Echelon Conspiracy"
(2009), starring Shane West, Edward Burns, Ving Rhames and Martin
Sheen, is a high-tech action-thriller that weaves together greed,
intrigue and national security. Mysterious cell phone messages promise
a young American engineer untold wealth, then make him the target of a
deadly international plot when dangerous security operatives chase the
engineer across the globe, while a powerful government official pursues
a mysterious agenda that threatens the stability of the entire world;
from Paramount ... "Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods" (1997) is the
feature-length pilot of television's longest running Sci-Fi series,
re-mastered, re-cut and re-imagined. Includes an entirely original
score and features a more self-contained story line; from MGM ... In "Super Capers"
(2009), starring Christine Lakin, Steve Braun, Ray Griggs, Clint
Howard, Doug Jones, Tommy "Tiny" Lister, June Lockhart, Jon Polito,
Michael Rooker, Tom Sizemore and Adam West, would-be superhero Ed
Gruberman, who possesses no super powers, joins a team of misfit
heroes-in-training known as the Super Capers. Having only faith,
Gruberman must travel through time to uncover an evil plot involving
some gold bullion, a fiery femme fatale and a criminal mastermind with
a dark secret about his past; from Lionsgate ... "Bundy: A Legacy of Evil"
(2008), starring Corin Nemec and Kane Hodder, details the dark psyche
of Ted Bundy, a handsome, charming all-American guy who was actually
one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. He eventually
confessed to more than 30 murders, though the actual total of victims
is estimated to be more than 100; from Barnholtz
Entertainment/Lionsgate ... In "Ghost Month" (2007),
starring Marina Resa, Shirley To and Akiko Shima, a young housekeeper
disrupts ancient customs and awakens the vengeful spirits of the dead
during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar -- Ghost Month, when
restless spirits break free from Hell to mix among the mortals and the
living cannot whistle, for it will invite them into your house, nor
disturb ashes on the ground, as it will anger the spirits, of a host of
other rituals; from Barnholtz Entertainment/North American Motion
Pictures ... "Messengers 2: The Scarecrow" (2009),
starring Norman Reedus and Richard Riehle, is a prequel to the box
office hit "The Messengers," going back to the farm to finally learn
the story of John Rollins -- the simple North Dakota farmer who,
struggling to save his farm and hold his family together, places a
mysterious scarecrow in his field; his luck changes for the better, but
at what cost? From Sony.
"Dakota Skye" (2008), stars Eileen Boylan and Ian
Nelson in a coming-of-age drama about Dakota Skye (Boylan), who has
been cursed with a super power: she has the ability to see the truth in
any lie she hears, from small, harmless white lies, to the more devious
kind, from the people that she should trust the most; her family,
friends and teachers. Now 17, cynical and aloof, she finds little joy
in life, until her boyfriend's best friend Jonah (Nelson) comes to
town. Unlike everyone else, Jonah doesn't lie. But is he really that
squeaky-clean, or is he Dakota's arch-nemesis, a villain who has found
a way to conceal his deceit from her? From E1 Entertainment ...
Vanguard Cinema has three releases due this week: "Common Senses"
(2005), in which the burgeoning friendship between a kleptomaniac and a
hustler is strained when a child goes missing; told through five
chapters by five award-winning Chicago filmmakers; "Cupid's Mistake"
(2001), a humorous take on dating in Los Angeles that follows the lives
of four of the city's inhabitants as they fall in and out of love; and "The Northern Kingdom"
(2007), in which a meteor shower lights up the winter sky over a rural
Vermont community, illuminating the lives of three disparate families.
For the Family:
"SpongeBob SquarePants: To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants"
(2009) features eight sponge-tacular episodes; $16.99 from Nick/Paramount ...
"The Mystical Adventures of Billy Owens" (2008) is a
family fantasy about a young boy who stumbles upon William Thurgood's
Treasure Trove & Pawn Shop and finds a magical wand that allows him
to enter a world of adventure with mythical creatures, haunted caves
... and unsuspected evil; from MTL Home Video ... 
E1 Entertainment will release two DVDs of episodes from Shelley Duvall's famous Faerie Tale Theatre: "Faerie Tale Theatre: Princess Tales", with "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Dancing Princesses" and "The Princess and the Pea"; and "Faerie Tale Theatre: Tales From Hans Christian Andersen,"
with "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Nightingale," "The Snow Queen"
and "Thumbelina." $14.98 each ... Just in time to help kids sharpen
their brainpower for school, Scholastic Storybook Treasures presents "Chicka Chicka 123 ... And More Counting Fun"
(2009), a unique DVD exploring the magical world of numbers in a
colorful, animated and engaging production. The lead story, "Chicka
Chicka 123," has been adapted from Bill Martin Jr.'s award-winning and
best-selling book. When 101 numbers race each other up the apple tree,
bad bumblebees come buzzing. Which number will save the day? The DVD
also features three other stories celebrating the fun of numbers:
"Emily's First 100 Days of School," "How Much is a Million?" and "If
You Made a Million." $14.95 from Scholastic Storybook Treasures ... "G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1" (1985) is a four-disc set with 22 episodes; $29.99 from Shout! Factory.
Animal behavior: "A Life Among Whales"
(2005) is a documentary that delves deeply into the unique relationship
between humans and whales as told by renowned, pioneering whale
biologist Dr. Roger Payne; from IndiePix ... In "Wanted: Anaconda,"
a crew of wildlife photographers and biologists travel to Guyana to
photograph one of the world's most legendary creatures, the Anaconda,
which can grow as big as a man; $9.98 from Smithsonian
Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group ... "The Big Blue"
is a documentary about the world's largest creature, the Blue Whale,
which inhabits a unique spot in the ocean off the coast of Southern
Australis. The Big Blue can grow to 100-feet long, weigh up to 180
tons, with a heart the size of a Volkswagen and a tongue that weighs
more than an elephant; $9.98 from Smithsonian Networks/Infinity
Entertainment Group ... "Pandas in the Wild" is a
close-up look at the secret lives of pandas, capturing the warmth
between a mother panda and her newborn, the competition among male
pandas fighting for females, and the struggles pandas endure during the
snow-bound winter in China; $9.98 from Smithsonian Networks/Infinity
Entertainment Group.People and their world: In "The Madoff Affair" (2009), "Frontline" examines Bernard Madoff, one of the most shocking financial criminals of our time, who used the trust of the Jewish community to hide millions of dollars for his own uses. He then set his sights on Europe and Latin America. This is the story behind the world's first truly global Ponzi scheme -- a deception that lasted longer, reached wider and cut deeper than any other business scandal in history; from PBS Home Video ... "Children of God" (2008 -- Korea/Nepal) is a documentary that explores the life of the children who live beside the Baghmati River in Nepal -- on the sacred grounds of a Hindu temple in Katmandu -- an area forgotten and ignored by the world, but considered the holiest and most sacred to the Nepalese people. The children are undeterred by the cries and wailing from the daily funeral ceremonies; instead they rob the corpses for food and dive into the river to grab coins used as funeral offerings by the mourners; from Vanguard Cinema ... "Sky View" offer a birds-eye view of Europe, using cutting-edge, high-definition camera mount technology, journeying over majestic castles, historic landmarks, city views, mystical sites and ruins. Episodes: Emerald Isle, French Riviera, Heart of Italy, Southern Britain; $14.98 from Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group ... In "American Outrage" (2008), two feisty, elderly Western Shoshone Indian sisters put up a heroic fight for their land rights -- and their human rights. Carrie and Mary Dann endure terrifying roundups by armed federal marshals in which thousands of their horses and cattle are confiscated, for the crime of grazing them on the open range outside their private ranch -- even though that range is part of 60 million acres recognized as Western Shoshone land by the U.S. After the government sued them for trespassing, their dispute went to the Supreme Court, and eventually the United Nations. $24.95 from First Run Features.
Performance: "Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer"
(2008) is a documentary that chronicles the extraordinary life of Anita
O'Day, one of the most legendary female jazz vocalists of all time. The
DVD is an intimate portrait of the maverick jazz vocalist -- a
self-professed "song-stylist" -- 
documenting her wild ride from her early days singing alongside Gene
Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael
through her many great adversities she fought to overcome; a 20-year
heroin and alcohol addiction, several failed marriages, abortions and
arrests and finally, her last-hurrah album, completed just before the
singer's 2006 death at age 87; $69.99 from RED ... In "Global Metal Two Disc Special Edition"
(2008), directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn discover how the West's
most maligned musical genre has impacted world culture as they go on a
raucous journey through Asia, South America, and the Middle East with
platinum-selling-artists including Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Deep
Purple, Slayer, X-Japan, Tang Dynasty, Sepultura, Lamb of God, Orphaned
Land, and Inflames. $24.98 from Warner ... In the grand tradition of
the Ballets Russes comes "Ballerina"
(2008), a portrait of five Russian ballerinas from the Mariinsky
Theatre (also known as the Kirov), a new generation of rising stars:
Alina Somova, Svetlana Zakharova, Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina and
Evgenia Obraztsova -- tough, insightful and exceptionally talented
women, each with her own personal hopes, dreams and career-changing
challenges; from First Run Features ... "Carmen & Geoffrey"
(2005) is a documentary about Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder,
two living legends in the world of American dance. De Lavallade
achieved notoriety in the early 1950s as a lead dancer of incomparable
beauty and grace with Alvin Ailey's American Dance Theater; Holder,
large in life and an elemental force on stage, found fame not only as a
dancer but also as an actor ("Live and Let Die"), soda spokesman
("7-UP, the Un-Colaaaaa ...") and theater director ("The Wiz"). The
pair met in 1954 and married a year later. $24.95 from First Run
Features.
Finally, there's "The Human Rights Watch DVD Collection," a seven-disc boxed set of films that promote awareness of human rights abuses taking place around the world, endorsed by the Human Rights Watch: "S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine" (a documentary about the nearly two million Cambodians who lost their lives when the Khmer Rouge forced the urban population into the countryside in 1975-79), "The Devil's Miner" (a documentary portrait of two brothers, ages 14 and 12, who work deep inside the silver mines of Cerro Rico, Bolivia), "Dreaming Lhasa" (a drama about a young Tibetan woman from New York who travels to Dharamsala in northern India only to find herself unwittingly falling in love with an enigmatic ex-monk), "Silent Waters" (a drama in which a Pakastani Muslim widow who teaches young girls the Koran watches helplessly as her beloved son falls in with a group of Islamic fundamentalists), "Dangerous Living" (a documentary that explores the lives of gay and lesbian people in non-Western cultures, from Egypt to Honduras to Kenya, Thailand and more), "The Camden 28" (a documentary about the infiltration of a group of anti-war activists by the FBI in 1971), and "Roses in December" (a documentary about lay missioner Jean Donovan and three American nuns who were brutally murdered by El Salvador's security force in 1980). $89.95 from First Run Features.
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THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:
Anita O'day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (2008) Documentary chronicles the extraordinary life of Anita O'Day, one of the most legendary female jazz vocalists of all time. The DVD is an intimate portrait of the maverick jazz vocalist -- a self-professed "song-stylist" -- documenting her wild ride from her early days singing alongside Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael through her many great adversities she fought to overcome; a 20-year heroin and alcohol addiction, several failed marriages, abortions and arrests and finally, her last-hurrah album, completed just before the singer's 2006 death at age 87. In addition, there's incredible footage from O'Day's incomparable career, starting as far back as the 1940's through the recording of her last album. There's more than 30 songs, including "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," "Let Me Off Uptown," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Tea for Two," "Let's Fall in Love" and from her legendary performance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, "Sweet Georgia Brown." Available in two editions: A two-disc set with director's commentary, 45 minutes of uninterrupted musical performances from the film, 45 minutes of outtake interviews of Anita, and a 32-page full-color booklet including essays by jazz novelist Jim Gavin and jazz critic-author Will Friedwald, a selected chapter from Anita's autobiography, "High Times Hard Times" and 16 pages reproduced from Anita's personal scrapbooks; $29.98. A deluxe limited edition is a 9 x 9-inch black burnished fabric covered hard bound book containing over 160 full color pages including Anita's complete scrapbooks as well as all the material included in the basic release; $69.99. (RED).
Ballerina (2008) In the grand tradition of the Ballets Russes comes this portrait of five Russian ballerinas from the Mariinsky Theatre (also known as the Kirov), a new generation of rising stars: Alina Somova, Svetlana Zakharova, Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina and Evgenia Obraztsova -- tough, insightful and exceptionally talented women, each with her own personal hopes, dreams and career-changing challenges. In Russian, English and French with English subtitles. $24.95. Extras: Photo gallery, filmmaker biography, dance film gallery. (First Run Features).
The Big Blue. Documentary about the world's largest creature, the Blue Whale, which inhabits a unique spot in the ocean off the coast of Southern Australis. The Big Blue can grow to 100-feet long, weigh up to 180 tons, with a heart the size of a Volkswagen and a tongue that weighs more than an elephant. $9.98. (Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group).
Bundy: A Legacy of Evil (2008) Corin Nemec, Kane Hodder. Details the dark psyche of Ted Bundy, a handsome, charming all_America guy who was actually one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. He eventually confessed to more than 30 murders, though the actual total of victims is estimated to be more than 100. (Barnholtz Entertainment/Lionsgate).
Carmen & Geoffrey (2005) Documentary about Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder, two living legends in the world of American dance. de Lavallade achieved notoriety in the early 1950s as a lead dancer of incomparable beauty and grace with Alvin Ailey's American Dance Theater; Holder, large in life and an elemental force on stage, found fame not only as a dancer but also as an actor ("Live and Let Die"), soda spokesman ("7-UP, the Un-Colaaaaa ...") and theater director ("The Wiz"). The pair met in 1954 and married a year later. $24.95. (First Run Features). Extras: Also available on Blu-ray Disc.
Charlie's Angels: The Complete Fourth Season (1979-80) Six-disc set with 26 episodes, $39.95. (Sony).
Children of God (2008 -- Korea/Nepal) Documentary explores the life of the children who live beside the Baghmati River in Nepal -- on the sacred grounds of a Hindu temple in Katmandu -- an area forgotten and ignored by the world, but considered the holiest and most sacred to the Nepalese people. The children are undeterred by the daily cries and wailing from the daily funeral ceremonies; instead they rob the corpses for food and dive into the river to grab coins used as funeral offerings by the mourners. (Vanguard Cinema).
Common Senses (2005) Holly Montgomery-Webb, Luis A. Perez. The burgeoning friendship between a kleptomaniac and a hustler is strained when a child goes missing. Told through five chapters by five award-winning Chicago filmmakers. (Vanguard Cinema).
Coraline (2009) Dir.: Henry Selick; voices of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, Robert Bailey Jr., Ian McShane,. Available in Blu-ray combo pack, two-disc collector's edition DVD and single-disc DVD. All editions contain the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and four pairs of 3-D glasses. Extras: Single DVD: Commentary by director Henry Selick and composer Bruno Coulais. Two-disc set adds deleted scenes; "The Making of Coraline"; "Voicing the Characters"; digital copy. Blu-ray adds "Creepy Coraline" featurette with director and screenwriter Henry Selick and "Coraline" author Neil Gaiman; "The World According to Henry." (Universal).
Cupid's Mistake (2001) Everado Gil, Susan Petry, Toya Cho, Ken Yasuda. A humorous take on dating in Los Angeles follows the lives of four of the city's inhabitants as they fall in and out of love. (Vanguard Cinema).
Dakota Skye (2008) Eileen
Boylan, Ian Nelson. For as long as she could remember, Dakota Skye
(Boylan) has been cursed with a super power; she has the ability to see
the truth in any lie she hears, from small, harmless white lies, to the
more devious kind, from the people that she should trust the most; her
family, friends and teachers. Now 17, cynical and aloof, she finds
little joy in life, until her boyfriend's best friend Jonah (Nelson)
comes to town. Unlike everyone else, Jonah doesn't lie. But is he
really that squeaky-clean, or is he Dakota's arch-nemesis, a villain
who has found a way to conceal his deceit from her? Extras: Commentary, making-of documentary, outtakes, bloopers. (E1 Entertainment).
Echelon Conspiracy (2009) Shane West, Edward Burns, Ving Rhames, Martin Sheen. High-tech action-thriller weaves together greed, intrigue and national security. Mysterious cell phone messages promise a young American engineer untold wealth, then make him the target of a deadly international plot when dangerous security operatives chase the engineer across the globe, while a powerful government official pursues a mysterious agenda that threatens the stability of the entire world. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Paramount).
Faerie Tale Theatre: Princess Tales. Four tales from Shelley Duvall's famous Faerie Tale Theatre: "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "The Dancing Princesses" and "The Princess and the Pea." $14.98. (E1 Entertainment).
Faerie Tale Theatre: Tales From Hans Christian Andersen. Four tales from Shelley Duvall's famous Faerie Tale Theatre: "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Nightingale," "The Snow Queen" and "Thumbelina." $14.98. (E1 Entertainment).
G.I. Joe A Real American Hero: Season 1.1 (1985) Four-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.99. Extras:"Knowing is Half the Battle" PSAs, "Looking Back With Writer Ron Friedman," archival Hasbro toy commercials, G.I. Joe's original 1963 Toy Fair presentation, printable script for "Jungle Trap." (Shout! Factory).
G.I. Joe Collector's Set. A limited edition footlocker with all 95 episodes of the 1980s series on 17 discs, $145.00. Includes a collectible 60-page book featuring special introduction by actor Seth Green; a 1-GB "Dog Tag" Flash Drive (USB 2.0); two G.I. Joe "Silent" Comics; Arashikage and Cobra rub-on tattoos. Extras: Eight new retrospective featurettes including two that appear only on this set: a conversation with Larry Hama and a voice cast reunion; 25 archival Hasbro toy commercials; G.I. Joe's original 1963 Toy Fair presentation; "Knowing Is Half the Battle" PSAs"; printable script for "Jungle Trap"; live-action fan film "Battle for the Serpent Stone." (Shout! Factory).
Ghost Month (2007) Marina Resa, Shirley To, Akiko Shima. A young housekeeper disrupts ancient customs and awakens the vengeful spirits of the dead during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar -- Ghost Month, when restless spirits break free from Hell to mix among the mortals and the living cannot whistle, for it will invite them into your house, nor disturb ashes on the ground, as it will anger the spirits, of a host of other rituals. (Barnholtz Entertainment/North American Motion Pictures).
Global Metal Two Disc Special Edition (2008) Directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn discover how the West's most maligned musical genre has impacted world culture as they go on a raucous journey through Asia, South America, and the Middle East with platinum-selling-artists including Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Deep Purple, Slayer, X-Japan, Tang Dynasty, Sepultura, Lamb of God, Orphaned Land, and Inflames. $24.98. Extras: Commentary by directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, "Heavy Metal Baraka" music montage, outtakes, extended interviews. (Warner).
The Human Rights Watch DVD Collection. Seven-disc boxed set of films that promote awareness of human rights abuses taking place around the world, endorsed by the Human Rights Watch: "S21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine" (a documentary about the nearly two million Cambodians who lost their lives when the Khmer Rouge forced the urban population into the countryside in 1975-79), "The Devil's Miner" (a documentary portrait of two brothers, ages 14 and 12, who work deep inside the silver mines of Cerro Rico, Bolivia), "Dreaming Lhasa" (a drama about a young Tibetan woman from New York who travels to Dharamsala in northern India only to find herself unwittingly falling in love with an enigmatic ex-monk), "Silent Waters" (a drama in which a Pakastani Muslim widow who teaches young girls the Koran watches helplessly as her beloved son falls in with a group of Islamic fundamentalists), "Dangerous Living" (a documentary that explores the lives of gay and lesbian people in non-Western cultures, from Egypt to Honduras to Kenya, Thailand and more), "The Camden 28" (a documentary about the infiltration of a group of anti-war activists by the FBI in 1971), and "Roses in December" (a documentary about lay missioner Jean Donovan and three American nuns who were brutally murdered by El Salvador's security force in 1980). $89.95. Extras: Film notes, bonus films, filmmaker interviews, extra footage. (First Run Features).
Jon & Kate Plus Ei8ht Season 4, Volume 2: The Big Move (2008-09) Two-disc set with 17 episodes, $19.95. (TLC/Genius Products).
A Life Among Whales (2005) Documentary delves deeply into the unique relationship between humans and whales as told by renowned, pioneering whale biologist Dr. Roger Payne. For four decades the charismatic and passionate Payne has advanced the boundaries of science and activism -- beginning with his pioneering work on whale songs in the 1970s to his study of ocean pollution today. $19.95. Extras: Additional interviews with Roger Payne and director Bill Haney. (IndiePix).
Made in U.S.A (1966) Dir.: Jean-Luc Godard; Anna Karina, Laszlo Szabo With its giddily complex noir plot and widescreen, color-drenched images, "Made in U.S.A" was a final burst of exuberance from Godard's early-sixties barrage of delirious movie-movies. Yet this chaotic crime thriller and acidly funny critique of consumerism featuring Anna Karina as the most brightly dressed private investigator in film history, rummaging through an intricate plot for a former lover who might have been assassinated, also points toward the more political cinema that would come to define Godard. Featuring characters with names such as Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, David Goodis, and Doris Mizoguchi, and appearances by a slapstick Jean-Pierre Leaud and a sweetly singing Marianne Faithfull, this piece of pop art is like a Looney Tunes rendition of "The Big Sleep" gone New Wave. New, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras: Interviews with stars Anna Karina and Laszlo Szabo; video piece on the personal and the political in "Made in U.S.A" and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her," featuring Godard biographers Richard Brody and Colin MacCabe; visual essay cataloguing the multiple references in the film; new essay by film critic J. Hoberman. (The Criterion Collection).
The Madoff Affair (2009) "Frontline" examines Bernard Madoff, one of the most shocking financial criminals of our time, who used the trust of the Jewish community to hide millions of dollars for his own uses. He then set his sights on Europe and Latin America. This is the story behind the world's first truly global Ponzi scheme -- a deception that lasted longer, reached wider and cut deeper than any other business scandal in history. (PBS Home Video).
Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009)
Norman Reedus, Richard Riehle. Prequel to the box office hit "The
Messengers" goes back to the farm to finally learn the story of John
Rollins -- the simple North Dakota farmer who, struggling to save his
farm and hold his family together, places a mysterious scarecrow in his
field; his luck changes for the better ... but at what cost? Extras: Commentary. (Sony).
Monk: Season Seven (2008-09) Four-disc set with 16 episodes, $59.98. Extras: Commentaries. (Universal).
The Mystical Adventures of Billy Owens (2008) Dalton Mugridge, Ciara O'Hanlon, Christopher Fazio, and WWE superstar Roddy Piper. Family fantasy about a young boy who stumbles upon William Thurgood's Treasure Trove & Pawn Shop and finds a magical wand that allows him to enter a world of adventure with mythical creatures, haunted caves ... and unsuspected evil. (MTL Home Video),
The Northern Kingdom (2007) Heidi Armbruster, Richard Bekins, Ed Blunt. A meteor shower lights up the winter sky over a rural Vermont community, illuminating the lives of three disparate families. (Vanguard Cinema).
Pandas in the Wild. Close-up look at the secret lives of pandas, captures the warmth between a mother panda and her newborn, the competition among male pandas fighting for females, and the struggles pandas endure during the snow-bound winter in China. $9.98. (Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group).
Prison Break: The Final Break (2009) Wentworth Miller, Sarah Wayne Callies, Dominic Purcell, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, William Fichtner. Two-hour feature picks up some time after the series finale; this time Michael must rescue Sara from prison. Two-disc set. Extras: Deleted scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Fox).
Psych: The Complete Third Season (2008-09) Four-disc set with 16 episodes, $59.98. Extras: Gag reel, deleted scenes, commentaries. (Universal).
Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season (2007) Four-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.98.Extras: "The Master Pie Maker" and "From Oven to Table" behind-the-scenes featurettes, "Secret Sweet Ingredients" music featurette, "Add a Little Magic" visual effects featurette. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).
Robot Chicken: Star Wars: Episode II (2008) Includes the 22-minute broadcast version as well as the 38-minute extended edition, $19.97. (Warner).
Sky View. Four episodes offer a birds-eye view of Europe, using cutting-edge, high-definition camera mount technology, journeying over majestic castles, historic landmarks, city views, mystical sites and ruins. Episodes: Emerald Isle, French Riviera, Heart of Italy, Southern Britain. $14.98. (Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group).
SpongeBob SquarePants: To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants (2009) Eight sponge-tacular episodes, $16.99. Extras: Animation art gallery with storyboard panels and character art. (Nick/Paramount).
Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods (1997) The feature-length pilot of television's longest running Sci-Fi series debuts on DVD as a re-mastered, re-cut and re-imagined Final Cut. Includes an entirely original score and features a more self-contained story line. Extras: Commentary by co-writer and executive producer Brad Wright and Richard Dean Anderson; "Back to the Beginning" featurette. (MGM).
Super Capers (2009) Christine Lakin, Steve Braun, Ray Griggs, Clint Howard, Doug Jones, Tommy "Tiny" Lister, June Lockhart, Jon Polito, Michael Rooker, Tom Sizemore, Adam West. Would-be superhero Ed Gruberman, who possesses no super powers, joins a team of misfit heroes-in-training known as the Super Capers. Having only faith, Gruberman must travel through time to uncover an evil plot involving some gold bullion, a fiery femme fatale and a criminal mastermind with a dark secret about Ed's past. (Lionsgate).
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (1967) Dir.: Jean-Luc Godard; Marina Vlady. "In 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" (2 ou 3 choses que je sais d'elle) Godard beckons us ever closer, literally whispering in our ears as narrator. About what? Money, sex, fashion, the city, love, language, war: in a word, everything. Considered by many to be among the legendary French filmmaker's finest achievements, the film takes as its ostensible subject the daily life of Juliette Janson, a housewife from the Paris suburbs who prostitutes herself for extra money. Yet this is only a template for Godard to spin off into provocative philosophical tangents and gorgeous images. A revelatory look at consumer culture, shot in ravishing widescreen color by Raoul Coutard. New, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras: Archival television interviews: the first featuring Vlady on the set of the film, the second with Godard engaged in debate with a government official on the subject of prostitution; new video interview with Godard friend Antoine Bourseiller; visual essay cataloguing the multiple references in the film; new essay by Sasha Frere-Jones. (The Criterion Collection).
Wanted: Anaconda. A crew of wildlife photographers and biologists travel to Guyana to photograph one of the world's most legendary creatures, the Anaconda, which can grow as big as a man. The Anaconda kills its prey by coiling their powerful bodies around their victims, squeezing until they're suffocated or crushed, then swallowing the victim whole. $9.98. (Smithsonian Networks/Infinity Entertainment Group).
Watchmen Director's Cut (2009)
Dir.: Zack Snyder; Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode,
Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Stephen
McHattie, Matt Frewer.
Extras: Director's Cut (with 25 minutes of extra
footage) will be available in two editions: on Blu-ray for $35.99 and
as a two-disc special edition DVD for $34.99. The standard two-disc DVD
will include a featurette ("The Phenomenon: The Comic That Changed
Comics," webisodes, a My Chemical Romance "Desolation Row" music video
and a digital copy; the Blu-ray disc will introduce a new interactive
technology, "Maximum Movie Mode," which, according to Warner, "is a
first-of-its-kind bonus feature that showcases a seamless multi-story
presentation of the Director's Cut. Hosted by Zack Snyder, the feature
will offer in-depth scene analysis, picture-in-picture videos from the
cast and crew, side-by-side comparisons of the graphic novel and the
film, photo galleries and more." Three featurettes ("The Phenomenon:
The Comic That Changed Comics," "Real Superheroes, Real Vigilantes" and
"Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World"), a My Chemical Romance
"Desolation Row" music video, BD Live and digital copy round out the
bonus features. A single disc theatrical version DVD will also be
available, for $28.98. (Warner).
Wire in the Blood: The Complete Sixth Season (2008) Four-disc set with the final four mysteries from the BBC America series, $59.98 Extras: Also available on Blu-ray Disc.
For more DVD info, check out our DVD calendar pages at
<http://www.onvideo.org/calendar/cal_dvd.htm>
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Copyright 2009 CyberPod. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1094-3676
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