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ONVIDEO E-MAIL NEWS
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6/10/03 V7.23

ONVIDEO'S WEEKLY GUIDE TO HOME VIDEO RELEASES
FOR TUESDAY, June 10 -- MONDAY, June 16


BIKER BOYZ
Exciting, action-packed contemporary Western on wheels with
desperados who live every day on the edge. Lawyers and city
workers by day, they take to the streets in their leathers to
race by night. In the world of underground motorcycle clubs, the
undefeated racer known as Smoke (Laurence Fishburne) is the
undisputed "King of Cali." But Smoke's dominance of the set is
about to be threatened by a young motorcycle racing prodigy
called Kid (Derek Luke), who is determined to win Smoke's helmet
and earn the coveted title. Based on a New Times Magazine
article. Director: Reggie Rock Bythewood. Stars: Laurence
Fishburne, Derek Luke, Kid Rock, Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou,
Lisa Bonet, Larenz Tate, Meagan Goode, Brendan Fehr, Rick
Gonzalez, Terence Howard, Eriq La Salle, Kadeem Hardison. 2003,
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 110 min., Thriller, Box office gross:
$21.701 million, DreamWorks, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD:
Day & Date.

FRIDA
Biography of celebrated Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (played by
Salma Hayek, who received this year's Oscar for Best Actress),
told in flashback on the day of her one-and-only exhibit in
Mexico in the spring of 1953. Her life was tumultuous. A trolley
accident in 1923 impaled her on a metal rod and put her in bed
for months where she miraculously recovered, taking up painting
to ease her boredom. She drank, smoked and took drugs to excess -
- to dull inner and outer pain. She met and fell in love with the
famous muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina) and they shared
lovers in their open marriage -- she was bisexual. Her paintings
are amazing, and fortunately don't take too much of a back seat
in this opulent biography that will certainly tantalize viewers
with it lust for life. Director: Julie Taymor. Stars: Salma
Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton, Antonio
Banderas, Mia Maestro, Ashley Judd, Roger Rees, Valeria Golino.
2002, CC, MPAA rating: R, 119 min., Bio-Drama, Box office gross:
$25.000 million, Miramax, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day
& Date.

JUNGLE BOOK 2, THE
Picking up where the 1967 original left off -- when Mowgli's love
for a young girl brings him out of the jungle and into
civilization -- this mellow sequel has Mowgli living with his
adopted parents, his little stepbrother, and Shanti, the little
girl who stole his heart. But Mowgli (Haley Joel Osment) still
feels the call of the wild and soon finds himself disobeying his
father's orders and crossing the river into the jungle to
recreate "happier" freer times with Baloo the bear (John
Goodman). Naturally there's evil lurking there, in the form of
nasty tiger Shere Khan, who's still on the hunt for Mowgli.
Mowgli must outwit the tiger, and decide if he wants a life of
laid back hilarity with Baloo in the jungle or a simpler
existence in the man-village with Shanti. Director: Steve
Trenbirth. Voices of John Goodman, Haley Joel Osment, Mae
Whitman, Connor Funk, Tony Jay Kaa, Jim Cummings, Bob Joles, Phil
Collins, John Rhys-Davies. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: G, 72 min.,
Animated, Box office gross: $46.253 million, Disney, $24.99 VHS
SRP. DVD: Day and Date.

OLD SCHOOL
21st century version of John Landis' classic "Animal House" as
performed by a trio of men who want to relive their college days
and take one last stab at irresponsibility. Lawyer Mitch (Luke
Wilson) returns from a business trip to find his live-in girl
friend (Juliette Lewis) having kinky sex with someone else and,
crestfallen, he moves out and rents a house near a college
campus. Joined by pals Beanie (Vince Vaughn) and Frank (Will
Ferrell), he turns the place into a frat house, setting off all
sorts of wild and wonderful times -- with lots of sexy gals and
cool parties. Ahh, to be young again. In rated and unrated
versions. Director: Todd Phillips. Stars: Luke Wilson, Will
Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini,
Perry Reeves, Craig Kilborn, Jeremy Piven. 2003, CC, MPAA rating:
R, 91 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $73.000 million,
DreamWorks, No VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

TEARS OF THE SUN
Set against the exotic backdrop of Africa, this Bruce Willis-
starrer is a gripping heroic drama that deals with the gritty
realism of human conflict. When Navy S.E.A.L. veteran Lt. Waters
(Willis) and his top-secret team arrives in war-torn Nigeria to
rescue Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Bellucci), a U.S. citizen who
runs a mission in the countryside, she refuses to abandon the
refugees under her care and implores him to escort them on a
dangerous trek through the dense jungle to the nearby Cameroon
border. During their journey the S.E.A.L.s find themselves the
unwitting guardians of a man sought by the rebel militia, but as
Waters' resolve to protect Lena strengthens, he ultimately
chooses to defy his military orders and fights to deliver her and
the refugees safely across the border. Director: Antoine Fuqua.
Stars: Bruce Willis, Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Fionnula
Flanagan, Eamonn Walker, Johnny Messner, Nick Chinlund, Tom
Skerritt. 2003, CC, MPAA rating: R, 121 min., Action Drama, Box
office gross: $42.000 million, Columbia TriStar, No VHS SRP,
Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

THEY
Weak horror thriller with the official title of "Wes Craven
Presents They," though Craven's involvement with this outing is
most likely only in the marketing of his name, since he's not
listed in the production credits. Psychology student Julia (Laura
Regan), who experienced "night terrors" as a child, realizes that
the monsters in her nightmares might not have been her
imagination. As she begins to find other people who shared
similar experiences, she realizes that like the others she was
marked by the terrors in her dreams, and now they have come back
to collect their victims one by one. Her only hope of survival is
to stay awake and out of the dark. But her wacky, darkness-loving
friends and rolling blackouts in the city only heighten her fears
that "They" will succeed. Director: Robert Harmon. Stars: Laura
Regan, Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry. 2002, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 89
min., Horror, Box office gross: $12.693 million, Dimension, No
VHS SRP, Priced for rental. DVD: Day & Date.

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


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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

** Biker Boyz (2003) Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Kid Rock,
Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Lisa Bonet, Larenz Tate, Meagan
Goode, Brendan Fehr, Rick Gonzalez, Terence Howard, Eriq La
Salle, Kadeem Hardison.(DreamWorks).
** The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) Shelley Long, Gary Cole,
Christine Taylor, Florence Henderson. (Paramount).
** Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4. Six-disc set with all 22
episodes from the fourth season. Extras: Commentary on select
episodes by series creator Joss Whedon and Seth Green, scripts,
photo galleries, six featurettes; $59.98. (Fox).
** Chinese Roulette (1976) Dir.: Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Anna
Karina, Alexander Allerson, Margit Carstensen. (Wellspring Rainer
Werner Fassbinder Collection).
** The Desperate Hours (1955) Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March,
Dewey Martin, Robert Middleton, Martha Scott. (Paramount).
** Experiment in Terror (1962) Dir.: Blake Edwards; Glenn Ford,
Stefanie Powers, Lee Remick (Columbia TriStar).
** Fear of Fear (1975) Dir.: Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Margit
Carstensen, Ulrich Faulhaber. (Wellspring Rainer Werner
Fassbinder Collection).
** Frida (2002) Dir.: Julie Taymor; Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina,
Geoffrey Rush, Edward Norton, Antonio Banderas, Mia Maestro,
Ashley Judd, Roger Rees, Valeria Golino. Two-disc set. Extras:
Disc One: Conversation with Salma Hayek, commentary by director
Taymor, selected scenes commentary by composer Elliot Goldenthal.
Disc Two: American Film Institute Q&A with Taymor, Bill Moyers
interview with Taymor, Chavela Vargas interview, "The Voice of
Lila Downs," "The Vision of Frida With Rodrigo Prieto and Julie
Taymor," "The Design of Frida: With Felipe Fernandez," "The Music
of Frida: With Elliot Goldenthal and Salma Hayek," Salma Hayek's
recording session, Bringing Frida Kahlo's life and art to film: A
walk through real locations, Portrait of an artist, "Amobea
Proteus" visual FX, "The Brothers Quay" visual FX, Frida Kahlo
facts. (Miramax).
** Giant (1956) Two-disc special edition. See DVD Collectibles,
below.
** Gods of the Plague (1970) Dir.: Rainer Werner Fassbinder;
Harry Baer, Hanna Schygulla, Gunther Kaufmann. (Wellspring Rainer
Werner Fassbinder Collection).
** Grease 2 (1982) Michelle Pfeiffer, Maxwell Caulfield,
Christopher McDonald. (Paramount).
** Is Paris Burning? (1966) Kirk Douglas, Gert Frobe, Orson
Welles. (Paramount).
** The Jungle Book 2 (2003) Animated sequel. Voices of John
Goodman, Haley Joel Osment, Mae Whitman, Connor Funk, Tony Jay
Kaa, Jim Cummings, Bob Joles, Phil Collins, John Rhys- Davies.
Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette: "The Legacy of The Jungle
Book," synopsis of Walt Disney's original "The Jungle Book,"
"Mowgli's Jungle Ruins Maze" set-top game, Disney's song
selection, deleted musical sequences with filmmaker introduction,
Smash Mouth music video "I Wanna Be Like You," "W-I-L-D" music
video, "Jungle Rhythm" music video. (Disney). (Disney).
** High Voltage: Energy Up! (2003) Lifestyle weight loss and
fitness program by trainer-to-the-stars High Voltage. (Eclectic
DVD).
** Love Is Colder Than Death (1969) Dir.: Rainer Werner
Fassbinder; Fassbinder, Ulli Lommel, Hanna Schygulla. (Wellspring
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Collection).
** Montana (Nothing Personal) (1998) Kyra Sedgwick, Stanley
Tucci, Robin Tunney, Robbie Coltrane, John Ritter, Ethan Embry,
Philip Seymour Hoffman. (Columbia TriStar).
** Murphy's War (1971) Peter O'Toole, Philippe Noiret, Sian
Phillips. (Paramount).
** Old School (2003) Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn,
Ellen Pompeo, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Perry Reeves, Craig
Kilborn, Jeremy Piven. Rated (fullscreen) and unrated versions
(fullscreen and widescreen). Extras: Both rated and unrated
versions contain "Inside the Actors Studio Spoof"; commentary by
Ferrell, Wilson, Vaughn and director Todd Phillips; deleted
scenes; "Old School Orientation" behind-the-scenes featurette;
photo gallery; the unrated version features raucous footage
deemed too out-of-control for theaters, bloopers, bawdy menu
designs, more. (DreamWorks).
** Once Upon a Time in America (1984) Two-disc special edition.
See DVD Collectibles, below.
** The Right Stuff (1983) Two-disc special edition. See DVD
Collectibles, below.
** Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves -- Extended Edition (1991) Two-
disc special edition. Dir.: Kevin Reynolds; Kevin Costner, Morgan
Freeman, Christian Slater, Alan Rickman. Extras: Twelve minutes
of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the movie;
commentary by Costner, director Reynolds, Freeman, Slater and
writers-producers Pen Densham and John Watson; making-of
documentary: "Robin Hood: Myth, Man, Movie"; star interviews;
score-only audio track; 3-D weapons gallery; worldwide poster art
gallery; extensive production notes. (Warner).
** Tears of the Sun (2003) Dir.: Antoine Fuqua; Bruce Willis,
Monica Bellucci, Cole Hauser, Fionnula Flanagan, Eamonn Walker,
Johnny Messner, Nick Chinlund, Tom Skerritt. Extras: Commentary
by Fuqua, eight deleted scenes, writer's observations, on-screen
factoid track, "Journey to Safety: Making Tears of the Sun"
featurette, "Voices of Africa" featurette, interactive map of
Africa. (Columbia TriStar).
** They (2002) Laura Regan, Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry.
(Dimension).
** This Is Coronation Street. See From TV to Video, below.
** A Very Brady Movie (1995) Shelley Long, Gary Cole, Christine
Taylor, RuPaul. (Paramount).


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


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THIS WEEK'S VHS SELL-THROUGH RELEASES:

** High Voltage: Energy Up! (2003) Lifestyle weight loss and
fitness program by trainer-to-the-stars High Voltage (Eclectic):
$14.95
** The Jungle Book 2 (2003) Animated. Voices of John Goodman,
Haley Joel Osment, Mae Whitman, Connor Funk, Tony Jay Kaa, Jim
Cummings, Bob Joles, Phil Collins, John Rhys-Davies (Disney):
$24.99
** This Is Coronation Street. See From TV to Video, below.


For more sell-through info, check out our Sell-Through/Repriced
pages at <http://www.onvideo.org/reprice.htm>


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NEWS

COMING SOON:
Due July 1 is reality-TV-gone-mad-and-taking-over-the-big-screen
"The Real Cancun" (2003), from New Line on DVD and $26.97 VHS ...
Due July 22 is "The Life of David Gale" (2003), directed by Alan
Parker and starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney,
on DVD and VHS rental, from Universal ... due August 5 is tween
comedy "What a Girl Wants" (2003), starring Amanda Bynes, Colin
Firth, Kelly Preston and Oliver James, on DVD and $19.96 VHS,
from Warner ... Due August 12 is comedy thriller "He Loves Me, He
Loves Me Not" (2002 -- France), starring Audrey Tautou and Samuel
Le Bihan, on DVD and VHS rental, from Columbia TriStar ... Due
August 19 is crime caper "The Good Thief" (2003), directed by
Neil Jordan and starring Nick Nolte in a remake of Jean Pierre
Melville's classic "Bob le flambeur," from Fox on DVD and VHS
rental ... Due August 26 is Latin comedy "Chasing Papi" (2003),
starring Roselyn Sanchez, Sofia Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, Eduardo
Verastegui, D.L. Hughley, Freddy Rodriguez, Joy Enriquez and Lisa
Vidal, on DVD and $19.98 VHS, from Fox ... Due September 2 is
crime thriller "A Man Apart" (2003), starring Vin Diesel, Larenz
Tate, Timothy Olyphant, Jacqueline Obradors, Geno Silva, Juan
Fernadez and Steve Eastin, on DVD and $22.99 VHS, from New Line.

DVD COLLECTIBLES:
It's a great week for restored classics -- and a great week for
Warner Home Video, which is releasing the films. First we have
the sweeping masterpiece "Giant" (1956) in a two-disc special
edition. Directed by George Stevens and starring Elizabeth
Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker, Dennis Hopper,
Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor, Earl Holliman, Jane Withers, Chill Wills
and Mercedes McCambridge, the film, for its time, was the most
expensive production ever mounted by Warner Bros. and, fittingly,
was the highest grosser the studio had ever released. Extras
include commentary by George Stevens Jr., screenwriter Ivan
Moffat and critic Steven Farber; three hours of new and vintage
documentaries, including two new retrospectives; gala New York
and Hollywood premiere coverage; photo and document galleries;
extensive production notes; director filmography and an
introduction by George Stevens Jr. Next up is the restored "Once
Upon a Time in America" (1984), Sergio Leone's masterpiece that
was destroyed by the studio during it's initial release (it was
cut by 89 minutes and restructured in a linear fashion -- Leone's
edit juxtaposes flashbacks to tell its involving story). The
director's visionary version has rarely been seen outside limited
runs in Los Angeles and New York (or for those lucky few, on the
now-defunct "Z" movie channel in L.A.). Warner has restored and
remastered the film back to its 229 minute length in a two-disc
special edition. Extras include commentary by film historian and
critic Richard Schickel, making-of documentary excerpt: "Once
Upon a Time: Sergio Leone," and a photo gallery. The film stars
Robert De Niro, James Woods, Jennifer Connelly, Tuesday Weld, Joe
Pesci. Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Burt Young, William
Forsythe, Danny Aiello. And, lastly, comes "The Right Stuff"
(1983), directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Sam Shepard,
Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward
and Jeff Goldblum. Extras on the two-disc special edition include
three new 20th anniversary documentaries featuring the movie's
stars, creators and the real-life heroes, including three of the
original Mercury Seven astronauts, Commander Scott Carpenter, USN
(Ret.), Colonel L. Gordon Cooper Jr., (Ret.), and Captain Walter
M. Schirra Jr., USN (Ret.), author Thomas Wolfe, and the film's
consulting representative and first man to break the sound
barrier, General Chuck Yeager (Ret.); PBS' feature length
documentary: "John Glenn: American Hero"; selected scene
commentaries with separate cast and filmmaker tracks; fifteen
minutes of never-before-seen footage.

FROM TV TO VIDEO:
Due this week is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 4," a six-disc
set with all 22 episodes from the fourth season, with such extras
as commentary on select episodes by series creator Joss Whedon
and Seth Green, scripts, photo galleries and six featurettes;
$59.98 from Fox ... Acorn Media will release "Thick as Thieves,"
a 1974 BBC comedy series starring John Thaw as one half of a
criminal odd couple with a complicated domestic arrangement. Bob
Hoskins plays the other half, a bumbling small-time crook named
George Dobbs who returns home after a three-year jail sentence to
find his missus shacked up with his old mate Stanley (Thaw).
There's no getting rid of Stan, so the trio share an awkward and
hilarious menage a trois. The two-disc DVD set and three-volume
VHS set sell for $39.95 each ... The longest-running primetime
drama serial, "This Is Coronation Street," has captivated British
audiences for 40 years. The show, which chronicles the lives and
loves of ordinary people revolving around a classic, English pub,
began on Dec. 9, 1960 and has broadcast 5,500 episodes with 25
births, 82 deaths and 51 weddings. Acorn Media has put together a
Coronation Street sampler containing the special "40 Years on
Coronation Street" and the first five "Coronation Street"
episodes, in a two-volume VHS set ($29.95) and a two-disc DVD set
($39.95). DVD set extras include an essay by Coronation Street
expert Daran Little, profiles of key early characters, and
English subtitles.

FOREIGN:
The French film "Bad Company" (1999) is a compelling coming-of-
age drama about a shy 14-year-old girl who falls under the spell
of a more sexually advanced school girl and finds herself
initiated into a sordid world of submission with an older boy who
manipulates her to make money. The film, which stars up-and-
coming French actors Maud Forget, Lou Doillon and Robinson
Stevenin, is from Wellspring Media, on DVD and VHS rental.

ON THE INDIE FRONT:
Wellsping Media this week will release "Strange Planet" (1999), a
quirky romantic comedy about three guys and three girls who
search for love and fulfillment during the course of a year. The
film was directed by Emma-Kate Croghan and stars Naomi Watts,
Claudia Karvan, Alice Garner, Tom Long, Aaron Jeffrey and Felix
Williamson, and is available on DVD and VHS rental.

BUZZIN' THE 'B's:
Lions Gate will release this week "Nemesis Game" (2003), a
thriller about an introverted college co-ed who spends time with
an older comic store owner and who gets involved in mind games
and riddles that lead to the deaths of those around her. The film
stars Carly Pope, Adrian Paul, Brendan Fehr and Jay Baruchel, on
DVD and VHS rental.

SPECIAL INTEREST:
Get ready for summer: "High Voltage: Energy Up!" is a new
lifestyle weight loss and fitness program by trainer-to-the-stars
High Voltage, due this week from Eclectic DVD; $14.95 VHS and
DVD.

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Copyright 2003 CyberPod. All rights reserved.
ISSN 1094-3676

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