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Inspired by the life story of boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg)and his trainer brother Dick Eklund (Christian Bale), chronicling the brothers' early days on the rough streets of Lowell, Mass., through Eklund's battle with drugs and Ward's eventual world championship in London. It's a gritty, affectionately humorous, yet stirring comeback tale of the unlikely boxing hero his half-brother, who
had to come apart as opponents before coming together as brothers in a scrappy fight to win a long-shot championship and strengthen the bonds of their family. Vitals: Director: David O. Russell. Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Drama, Box office gross: $82.400 million, Paramount.
Tells the story of three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. Matt Damon stars as George, a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife: he has a pyschic gift to communicate with the dead. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cecile
de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses his twin brother in a truck accident and desperately wants to reconnect with himt. Each are on a path in search of the truth;
their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe might -- or must -- exist in the hereafter.
Vitals: Director: Clint Eastwood. Stars: Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Frankie and George McLaren, Jay Mohr, Bryce Dallas Howard, Marthe Keller, Thierry Neuvic, Derek Jacobi.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 126 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $31.448 million, Warner.
The film is based on Jeffrey Eugenides' short story "Baster," which was first published in The New Yorker. Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) is a smart,
fun-loving, 40-year-old single woman who, despite her neurotic best-friend Wally's (Jason Bateman) objections, decides it's time to have a baby -- even if it means doing it herself ... with a little help from a charming sperm donor (Patrick Wilson) and a turkey baster. Wally,
however, gets drunk at a party celebrating the soon-to-be artificial insemination, and surreptitiously replaces her donor's semen with his own -- without remembering a thing. When Wally and Kassie reunite years later, he gets acquainted with her cute -- though slightly neurotic -- son, and is then forced to live with the secret that he is the boy's real father. Vitals: Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck. Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, Patrick Wilson.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $27.758 million, Miramax Films/Lionsgate.
On March 20, MGM Limited Edition Classics will release the controversial (and you either love it or hate it) "How I Won the War"
(1967), Richard Lester's surreal collage of battle footage and one-liners lampooning the absurdity of war, starring Michael Crawford, John Lennon, Jack MacGowran, Roy Kinnear and Lee Montague. This DVD release debuts on the anniversary of John and Yoko Ono's highly publicized "Bed-In" protesting the Vietnam War, and John and Yoko's actual wedding. Under the supervision of Lester, the DVD has been fully remastered. For a limited time, a commemorative Booklet will be included with each purchase featuring an introductory Letter from Yoko Ono and behind the scenes stills from the film.
friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie -- until a secret is revealed.
Based on events from writer-director Malle's own childhood, "Au revoir les enfants (Goodbye, Children)" is a subtle, precisely observed tale of
courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening. Restored digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Renato Berta, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack ... The extraordinary, internationally embraced "Yi Yi (A One and a Two ...)" (2000), directed by the late Taiwanese master Edward Yang, follows a middle-class family in Taipei over the course of one year, beginning with a wedding and ending with a funeral. Whether chronicling middle-age father NJ's tentative flirtations with an old flame or precocious young son Yang-Yang's attempts at capturing reality with his beloved camera, the filmmaker deftly imbues every gorgeous frame with a compassionate clarity. Warm, sprawling, and dazzling, this intimate epic is one of the undisputed masterworks of the new century. Newly restored digital transfer, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Both titles, of course, have lavish bonus features and booklets.
who finds Mallory's frozen remains 75 years later. Voiceover by Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and the late Natasha Richardson. From Virgil Film & Entertainment ... "Who Do You Think You Are? Season 1"
(2010) is the TV series that follows seven celebrities as they journey through ancestral history and share their life-altering discoveries about their ancestors and their past. Sarah Jessica Parker, Dallas Cowboys' Emmitt Smith, Susan Sarandon, Spike Lee, Matthew Broderick, Brooke Shield, Lisa Kudrow. Two-disc set with seven episodes, $39.99, from Acorn Media ... "The Beautiful Truth " is an anthology of three anti-cancer films on one Blu-ray disc, each exploring the Gerson Therapy, based on an all-natural organic diet that is said to boost the immune system and works by removing the toxins that are absorbed from our air, water and food: "The Beautiful Truth," "Gerson Miracle" and "Dying to Have Known"; $29.95 from Cinema Libre.ing human hibernation, and checking in with those inventing ways to keep us "going forever"; $24.99 from PBS.
It was supposed to be a simple birthday weekend in Southern California. But when sunrise arrives two hours early in the form of a haunting light
from an unknown source, a group of friends watch in terror as people across the city are drawn outside and swept into massive alien ships that have blotted out the L.A. skyline. From tankers to drones and hydra-like extraterrestrials, the aliens are inescapable and seemingly indestructible. Now, it will take every survival instinct the group has to elude capture.
Vitals: Director: Colin Strause, Greg Strause. Stars: Eric Balfour, Scottie Thompson, Donald Faison, David Zayas, Brittany Daniel, Crystal Reed, Neil Hopkins.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $20.955 million, Universal.
During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank (Johnny
Depp) unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise (Angelina Jolie), an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse -- full of international web of intrigue and danger. Director Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck helmed
the Academy Award-winning film "The Lives of Others" (Best Foreign Language Film, 2006).
Vitals: Director: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck. Stars: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 103 min., Action Thriller, Box office gross: $66.559 million, Sony.
Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is a woman whose athletic ability is the defining passion of her life, having been her focus since early childhood. When she is cut from her softball team, everything she has ever known is suddenly taken from her. Not knowing what to do, she begins a fling with Matty (Owen Wilson), a major league baseball pitcher, a self-centered ladies man -- a narcissist with a code of honor. George (Paul Rudd) is a straight-arrow businessman whose complicated relationship with his father, Charles (jack Nicholson), takes a turn when George is accused of a financial crime, even though he's done nothing wrong. Though he may be headed to jail, George's honesty, integrity, and unceasing optimism may be his only path to keeping his sanity. Before Lisa's relationship with Matty takes root, she meets George for a first date on the worst evening of each of their lives: She has just been cut, and he has just been served. When everything else seems to be falling apart, they will discover what it means to have something wonderful happen.
Vitals: Director: James L.
Brooks. Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Price, Mark Linn-Baker, Lenny Venito, Shelley Conn, Tony Shalhoub.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 121 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $30.2 million, Sony.
Live action/CGI. Jellystone Park has been losing business, so greedy Mayor Brown decides to shut it down and sell the land. That means families will no longer be able to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors -- and, even worse, Yogi and Boo Boo will be tossed out of the only home they've ever known. Faced with his biggest challenge ever, Yogi must prove that he really is "smarter than the average bear" as he and Boo Boo join forces with their old nemesis Ranger Smith to find a way to save Jellystone Park from closing forever.
Vitals: Director:Eric Brevig . Stars: Dan Aykroyd (voice), Justin Timberlake (voice), Anna Faris, Tom Cavanagh, T.J. Miller, Nathan Corddry, Andrew Daly.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 82 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $96.307 million, Warner.
politician elected to public office; even after his assassination, in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world. The Oscar-winning "The Times of Harvey Milk," directed by Robert Epstein
and produced by Richard Schmiechen, was, like its subject, groundbreaking. One of the first feature documentaries to address gay life in America, it's a work of advocacy itself. This exhilarating trove
of archival footage and interviews is as much a vivid portrait of a time and place (San Francisco's historic Castro District in the '70s) as
a testament to the legacy of a political visionary. Bonus features include commentary featuring Epstein, co-editor Deborah Hoffmann, and photographer Daniel Nicoletta; new program about "The Times of Harvey Milk" and Gus Van Sant's "Milk," featuring Epstein, Van Sant, actor James Franco, and Milk friends Cleve Jones, Anne Kronenberg, and 
Nicoletta; interview clips not used in the film; rare collection of audio and video recordings of Harvey Milk; panel discussion on San Francisco Supervisor Dan White's controversial trial; excerpts from the 25th anniversary commemoration of Milk's and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone's assassinations; and more.
In Strong>"Vanquisher"> (2010), rising martial arts action star Sophita Sribanchean stars as a CIA agent who is betrayed by her own agency and forced into hiding after a covert mission goes awry; she resurfaces in Bangkok with a vengeance to find out who wants her dead and to help stop another fatal crime from happening; from Magnolia Home Entertainment/Under the Magnet ... A cruel twist of fate catapults a small time crook into the big league as temporary head of a brutal London gang poised on the brink of a lucrative human-trafficking deal in
"The Big I Am" (2010), starring Leo Gregory, Michael Madsen, Vincent Regan, Beatrice Rosen and Steven Berkoff; from Entertainment One ... In "River of Darkness"
(2011), starring Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash and Psycho Sid Vicious, a small
town sheriff battles the vile evil of the spirits of two old river squatters who have returned from hell to terrorize the community; from Green Apple Entertainment ... A troubled young man on the run from the law stumbles upon a beautiful young woman and three eccentric sanctified
spirits trying to save their Baptist church from a land developer in "Heaven Ain't Hard to Find"
(2010), starring Clifton Powell, Kym Whitley, Andre Pitre and Tasha Taylor; from Entertainment One ... A small-town detective is called upon
to solve a juvenile homicide that occurred during a home burglary in his affluent town of Hilliard in the mystery-thriller "Meskada" (2010), starring Nick Stahl, Rachel Nichols, Kellan Lutz, Grace Gummer, Michael Cerveris and Norman Reedus; from Anchor Bay.
MVD/Midnight Legacy has released an uncut, English language, 1.85 widescreen version of the 1980 Italian Horror/Sci-Fi film "Alien 2 On Earth,"
directed by Ciro Ippolito (Sam Cromwell) and never released in the U.S.
A group of cave explorers discover a mysterious living rock that bears
home to deadly, flesh-eating creatures intent on wiping out the entire human population. Extras include the only surviving trailer from the mega rare Dutch VHS ... In "Consinsual" (2010), starring Terrance Moore and Keena Ferguson, a faithful husband compromises his own moral principles to satisfy his wife's perverse sexual appetite only to be falsely accused of rape, setting into motion a
dangerous sequence of events fueled by lies, lust, and betrayal; from Entertainment One ... A promiscuous young woman with a zealously active sex life, who makes keepsake "baseball cards" of each of her male conquests, races to uncover the identity of her "baby-daddy" after unexpectedly becoming pregnant in "The People I've Slept With" (2009), starring Karin Anna Cheung, Wilson Cruz and Archie Kao; from Maya Entertainment
Nina (Natalie Portman, Best Performance by an Actress Oscar winner) is a
ballerina in the New York City Ballet trying to make it to the top. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production
of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), also impresses Leroy and becomes Nina's competition. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly with her innocence and grace, but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan with her fiery personality. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her. Vitals: Director: Darren Aronofsky. Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Drama, Box office gross: $99.337 million, Fox.
When the kingdom's most wanted -- and most charming -- bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he's taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty
tower-bound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn's curious captor, who's looking for her ticket out of the tower that she's been locked away in for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief, and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an overprotective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. A musical comedy re-imagining of the classic Brothers Grimm fairytale.
Vitals: Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard. Stars: Voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, M.C. Gainey, Jeffrey Tambor, Brad Garrett, Paul F. Tompkins, Richard Kiel.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 100 min., Animated, Box office gross: $186.356 million, Disney.
A suspense-filled glimpse into the dark corridors of political power, Fair Game is a riveting action-thriller based on the autobiography of real-life undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), whose career was destroyed and marriage strained to its limits when her covert
identity was exposed by a politically motivated press leak. As a covert
officer in the CIA's Counter-Proliferation Division, Valerie leads an investigation into the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Valerie's husband, diplomat Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), is drawn into the investigation to substantiate an alleged sale of enriched uranium from Niger. But when the administration ignores his findings and uses the issue to support the call to war, Joe writes a New York Times editorial outlining his conclusions and ignites a fire storm of controversy. Vitals: Director: Doug Liman. Stars: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Bruce McGill.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 108 min., Drama, Box office gross: $9.382 million, Summit Entertainment.
Based on a true story about a group of spirited women who joined forces to demand equal rights for working women in Britain in the 1960s. Although far from the Swinging Sixties of Carnaby Street, life to the women of Dagenham is tinged with the sounds and sights of the optimistic
era, heard on their radios and seen on their TV sets. Rita O'Grady (Sally Hawkins) reflects that upbeat era, along with her friends and co-workers at the city's Ford Motor Factory, who laugh in the face of their poor conditions. Lisa (Rosamund Pike) is a fiercely intelligent Cambridge-educated woman who feels a bit trapped, tending to the home with a husband who suggests she keep her opinions to herself. No one thought the revolution would come to Dagenham, until one day, it did. Rita, who primarily sees herself as a wife and mother, is coerced into attending a meeting with shop steward Connie, sympathetic union representative Albert (Bob Hoskins) and Peter Hopkins (Rupert Graves), Ford's Head of Industrial Relations. What she expects to be simply a day
out of work, complete with a free lunch, turns into much more when she and her colleagues become enraged by the lack of respect shown in the meeting to the women employees. With humor, common sense and courage Rita and the other women take on their bosses, an increasingly belligerent local community and finally the government, as their intelligence and unpredictability proves to be a match for any of their male opponents. Daring to stand up and push boundaries, the women changed a system that no one wanted to admit was broken.
Vitals: Director: Nigel Cole. Stars: Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson, Rupert Graves. 2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 113 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.997 million, Sony.
Inspired by the most notorious missing person's case in New York history, the film is a love story and murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty in the 1980s. Director Andrew
Jarecki's (the documentary "Capturing the Friedmans") first dramatic feature is based on the story of Robert Durst, scion of the wealthy Durst family. Durst was suspected but never tried for killing his wife Kathie who disappeared in 1982 and was never found.
Vitals: Director: Andrew Jarecki. Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, Lily Rabe, Philip Baker Hall, Diane Venora, Kristen Wiig.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 101 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $.428 million, The Weinstein Co./Magnolia Home Entertainment.
The three and a half hour epic has thrilled generation after generation
of movie lovers with its drama, suspense, intrigue, romance and biblical messages -- not to mention the pre-computer special effects. The film is availabe as a two-disc DVD ($19.99) and Blu-ray ($39.99) and
as a six-disc Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Gift Set (three Blu-ray Discs, three DVDs) packaged in a limited edition box featuring an image of the Red Sea that parts when the box is opened to reveal two tablets holding all six discs. The box also contains a photo and archive book and sells for $89.99. The Paramount film stars Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne De Carlo, Debra Paget, John Derek, Cedric Hardwicke, Nina Foch, Martha Scott, Judith Anderson, Vincent Price, John Carradine.
"Mesrine: Public Enemy #1" (2010 -- France) is the second of the acclaimed two-part crime saga that's received recognition
around the globe as "an instant gangster classic." The film stars Vincent Cassel in a mesmerizing performance as Jacques Mesrine, the last
of the great French gangsters whose criminal career spaned more than 20
years of kidnappings, robberies, murders and prison escapes in some half-dozen countries. Mesrine's criminal reign came to an end in a hail of bullets by police in the middle of Paris in 1979, a spectacular demise that put the crowning touch on his legend. "Mesrine: Killer Instinct" (Part 1) was released last month. Set aside four hours to watch this absorbing saga. Highly recommended. Co-stars Cecile De France, Gerard Depardieu, Roy Dupuis, Gilles Lellouche, Elana Anaya and Ludivine Sagnier. From Music Box Films.
... "The Capture of the Green River Killer"
(2010) is a Lifetime Movie dramatization about the hunt for the notorious Washington state serial killer, from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Dennis the Menace: Season One" (1959-60) is a five-disc set with 32 episodes, $29.93 from Shout! Factory ... "Emergency! The Final Rescues" (1978-79) is a two-disc set with all nine Season 7 episodes, $39.98; from Universal ... "Gangland: The Final Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 15 episodes, $39.95, from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys -- Season Two" (1995-96) is a five-disc set with 24 episodes, $26.98 from Universal ... "In Plain Sight: Season Three" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.98 from Universal ... "Mad Men: Season Four" (2010) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.98 from Lionsgate ... "Treme: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 10 episodes, $59.99 from HBO ... "VEGA$: The Second Season, Volume 2" (1980-81) is a three-disc set with the second season's last 11 episodes, $39.99 from CBS/Paramount ... "Xena: Warrior Princess -- Season Two " (1996-97) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $26.98 from Universal.
She's being stalked by her handsome landlord, who peeks in on her from hidden rooms and corridors. Co-stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee and Lee Pace; from Image Entertainment ... While driving from Texas to Los Angeles, a young couple takes refuge in a roadside motel in the desolate Mojave Desert, where they're plagued by myst
erious apparitions,
messages and visitations ... as well as a jukebox that plays the same song over and over in "Beneath the Dark" (2010), starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Josh Stewart; from IFC Films ... In "Fatal Secrets"
(2010), starring Dina Meyer, Vincent Spano, Lela Rochon, Lea Thompson, Ernie Hudson, Ed Begley Jr. and Tess Harper, a woman enlists two friends
to fend off an overly aggressive suitor with dire consequences; from MTI Home Video ...
A group of friends enters a supernatural game of cat and mouse when they're left stranded next to a desolate cornfield and farmhouse in "Husk"
(2010), starring Devon Graye, Wes Chatham, CJ Thomason, Tammin Sursok and Ben Easter; from Lionsgate ... After serving a 40-year prison term, Coffin Joe is finally released from the Mental Heath wing of the Sao Paulo State Penitentiary and, back on the streets, the sadistic undertaker is set upon fulfilling the goal which sent him to jail in the
first place: find a woman who can give him the perfect child in "Embodiment of Evil"
(2008 -- Brazil); from Synapse Films/CAV Distributing ... Hitching a ride on a cargo truck, a group of friends discover they're keeping company with hundreds of cartons of blood on the way to feed bloodthirsty vampires in "Prowl" (2009), starring Courtney Hope, John Bowman, Saxon Trainor and Bruce Payne; from Lionsgate.
Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27-year-old, is haunted by the
mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world's leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn's Arcade -- a signal that could only come from his father -- he finds himself pulled into a digital world where Flynn has been trapped for 20 years. With the
help of the fearless warrior Quorra (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe -- a universe created by Kevin himself that has become far more
advanced with never-before-imagined vehicles, weapons, landscapes and a
ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to prevent their escape. Vitals: Director: Joseph Kosinski. Stars: Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Sheen, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 125 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $168.758 million, Disney.
Third installment of the beloved "The Chronicles of Narnia" fantasy-adventure series by C.S. Lewis. Precocious siblings Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund Pevensie (Skandar Heynes), along with their cousin Eustace (Will Poulter), are swallowed into a painting and transported back to Narnia. They join King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and a noble mouse named Reepicheep in a quest to rescue noble lords who had been lost fighting evil on another island. Aboard the magnificent ship The Dawn Treader, the courageous voyagers face magical Dufflepuds, sinister slave traders, roaring dragons and enchanted merfolk. Only an entirely uncharted journey to Aslan's Country -- a voyage of destiny and
transformation for each of those aboard the Dawn Treader -- can save Narnia, and all the astonishing creatures in it, from an unfathomable fate. Vitals: Director: Michael Apted. Stars: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes, Will Poulter, Gary Sweet, voices of Liam Nee
The test of wills between Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) escalates to new heights in the third installment of the Fockers series. It's taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam (Teri Polo) and countless hurdles for Greg to finally get "in" with his tightly wound, ex-CIA father-in-law, Jack. But after the cash-strapped Greg takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, however, Jack's suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back. When Greg and Pam's entire clan -- including Pam's lovelorn ex, Kevin (Owen Wilson) -- descends for the twins' birthday party, Greg must prove to the skeptical Jack that he's fully capable as the man of the house. But with all the misunderstandings, spying and covert missions, will Greg pass Jack's final test and become the family's next patriarch? Vitals: Director: Paul Weitz. Stars: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Owen Wilson, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba, Laura Dern, Harvey Keitel.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 98 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $147.233 million, Universal.
Kevin Spacey stars as Jack Abramoff, the real-life Washington power player who resorted to jaw-dropping levels of fraud and corruption to support his lobbying efforts on behalf of corporate clients and special interests. Megalomaniacal lobbyist Abramoff used his power and influence
to create an extravagant lifestyle that included private jets, exotic cars, and even an offshore gambling business. High-rolling excess and outrageous escapades were all in a day's work for Abramoff, as he went to outrageous lengths to promote the Indian gambling industry, earning him the nickname "Casino Jack." But when Jack and his womanizing protege
Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) enlist a dimwitted mob-connected buddy (Jon Lovitz) for an illegal scheme, they find themselves ensnared in a web of greed and murder that explodes into a worldwide scandal.
Vitals: Director: George Hickenlooper. Stars: Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Kelly Preston, Jon Lovitz, Ruth Marshall, Graham Greene, Rachelle Lefevre.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.894 million, Fox.
The improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic con man's journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal,
who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam. Based on a book by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker, the fact-based film casts Jim Carrey as Steven Russell, a married father whose exploits landed him in the Texas criminal justice system. He fell madly in love with his cellmate, who eventually was set free, which led Russell to escape from Texas prisons four times.
Vitals: Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa. Stars: Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Antoni Corone.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 102 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $1.881 million, Lionsgate.
The folks over at TCM and Warner Home Video have teamed up again on their bargain-priced ($27.92) four-title sets of film classics, this week releasing "TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Bette Davis," with "Now, Voyager," "Dark Victory," "Old Acquaintance" and "Jezebel"; "TCM Greatest Classic Legends: Marlon Brando,"
with "A Street Car Named Desire: The Original Director's Version," "Julius Caesar," "The Teahouse of The August Moon" and "Reflections in a
Golden Eye"; "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, Volume One," with "Tarzan the Ape Man," "Tarzan Escapes," "Tarzan and His Mate" and "Tarzan Finds a Son!"; and "TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, Volume Two," with "Tarzan's Secret Treasure," "Tarzan's New York Adventure," "Tarzan and the Amazons" and "Tarzan and the Leopard Woman."
"Roger Corman Cult Classics: Action-Packed Collection" includes three Roger Corman produced features: "The Georgia Peaches" (1980: Tanya Tucker, Dirk Benedict), "The Great Texas Dynamite Chase" (1976: Claudia Jennings, Jocelyn Jones, Johnny Crawford) and "Smokey Bites the Dust" (1981: Jimmy McNichol, Janet Julian, William Forsythe). From Shout! Factory ... "Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale"
(2010) is a Syfy Channel dark twist on the morality tale of forbidden love between beautiful Belle and the feared forest Beast, starring Estella Warren and Rhett Giles; from Entertainment One ... An earthquake
and a volcano in a small town unleash a colossal, mythical beast from the depths of the Earth in "Behemoth" (2011), a Syfy Channel "Maneater" series movie starring Ed Quinn, William B. Davis, Pascale Hutton, Cindy Busby and Jessica Parker Kennedy; from RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment).
In "Sesame Street's Wild Words and Outdoor Adventures" (2011), Elmo and celebrity guests Jimmy Fallon, Debra Messing and Meredith Viera help pre-schoolers learn vocabulary words and counting skills while exploring nature, $14.9 from Sesame Street/Warner ... "Barney Playdate Pack"
(2011) is a three-disc gift set with three Barney DVDs: "Let's Pretend With Barney," "Can You Sing That Song" and "Come on Over to Barney's House," $19.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Wild Kratts: Creature Adventures" (2011) is a two-disc set with 10 episodes of the PBS Kids series, $24.99 from PBS Distribution ... "Thomas & Friends Playdate Pack"
(2011) is a three-disc gift set with three Thomas & Friends DVDs: "Thomas and the Really Brave Engine," "Thomas and the Jet Engine" and "On-Site With Thomas," $19.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Chuggers to the Rescue" (2011) features six episodes of the animated pre-school train series, $16.98 from Anchor Bay.
"The Best of Ask This Old House" (2011) is a six-hour special commemorating the 200th episode of "Ask This Old House" that tackles some 44 home projects, $34.99 from PBS Distribution ... "Nova: Deadliest Earthquakes"
(2011) follows teams of scientists in Haiti and Chile after the deadly 2010 quakes as they try to gather data to aid in preventing future disasters, $24.99 PBS Distribution ... "Ayn Rand: In Her Own Words" (2011) is a documentary on the acclaimed author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead," $29.98 from Entertainment One ... "KJB: The Book That Changed the World"
(2011) is a docudrama about the King James Bible, one of the most important manuscripts in history, Host John Rhys-Davies visits landmarks, explains relics and dramatizes the events surrounding the book. This year is the 400th anniversary of the KJB. From Lionsgate.
The final chapter of the "Harry Potter" film series begins as Harry, Ron
and Hermione leave Hogwarts behind and set out to find and destroy the Horcruxes -- the secret to Voldemort's power and immortality. Meanwhile, Voldemort's Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter. Harry's only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. As he searches for clues, he uncovers the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks. No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the ultimate battle with Voldemort
Vitals: Director: David Yates. Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham
Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Thewlis, Julie Walters.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 147 min., Fantasy Action, Box office gross: $292.223 million, Warner.
Soon after a rising young singer-songwriter (Garrett Hedlund) gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star (Gwyneth Paltrow), the pair embarks on a career resurrection tour helmed by her husband/manager (Tim McGraw ) and featuring a beauty-queen-turned-singer
(Leighton Meester). Between concerts, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all. The toe-tapping hit soundtrack includes the Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated song "Coming Home," performed by Paltrow, as well as the new single, "Me and Tennessee," sung by McGraw and Paltrow, and music by country superstars including Ronnie Dunn, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Hank Williams, Jr. and Lee Ann Womack.
Vitals: Director: Shana Feste. Stars: Garrett Hedlund, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leighton Meester, Tim McGraw.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 117 min., Drama, Box office gross: $20.218 million, Sony.
"Tracy and Hepburn: The Definitive Collection" is the first and only complete anthology of films starring one of best Hollywood's dream teams. The collection includes all nine remastered favorites: "Woman of the Year" (1942), "Keeper of the Flame" (1942), "Without Love" (1945), "Sea of Grass" (1947), "State of the Union" (1948), "Adam's Rib" (1949), "Pat and Mike" (1952), "Desk Set" (1957) and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967), plus a bonus disc featuring an intimate tribute to Spencer Tracy moderated by Katharine Hepburn; $59.92. "Keeper of the Flame," directed by George Cukor, and "Sea of Grass," are DVD debuts, and are both available separately for $19.97 each. From Warner.
eorge, Adam Roarke and Vic Morrow in a fast-paced chase actioner. Larry (Fonda) is a former NASCAR racer looking to score some quick cash. Mary (George) is a sexy groupie aching
to take a fast ride. Together with mechanic Deke (Roarke), they pull off a cold-blooded supermarket heist and hit the highway. Now there's a maniacal lawman (Morrow) on their trail, an entire police force in pursuit and hundreds of miles of roadblocks between their '69 Charger and freedom. Directed by John Hough ("The Legend Of Hell House," "The Incubus"). "Race With the Devil" (1975) stars Peter Fonda, Lara Parker, Loretta Swit and Warren Oates in horror/car chase film. Old friends Roger (Fonda) and Frank (Oates) and their wives (Parker, Swit) take what should be "the best damn vacation ever" until their RV road trip takes a deadly detour at a secluded campsite when they accidentally
witness a satanic sacrifice. There's plenty of car chases and a twist ending as the couples are pursued by satanic cultists.
"The BBC Tudors Collection" is a 12-disc set with all 25 episodes of the three "Tudors" series, $149.98 from Warner ... "Car 54, Where Are You? The Complete First Season" (1961-62) is a four-disc set with 30 episodes, $39.98 from Shanachie Entertainment ... "Dallas: The Movie Collection"
is a two-disc collectors set that includes a prequel, two cast reunion telefilms and a retrospective TV special: "The Early Years," "J. R. Returns," "The War of the Ewings" and "Dallas Reunion: Return to Southfork"; $29.98. from Warner ... "Doctor Who Classics" includes
"Doctor Who: Kinda," Ep.119 (2009) and "Doctor Who: Snakedance," Ep.125 (1983), $24.98 each from Warner ... "Dragnet 1970: Season Four" (1969-70) is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $34.93 from Shout! Factory ... "Goodnight for Justice"
(2011) stars Luke Perry, Lara Gilchrist, Melanie Papalia and Michael Teigen in a Hallmark Channel movie about a circuit judge in the Western territories who seeks revenge on the outlaws who killed his family; from
Entertainment One.
"Heartless" (2009 -- U.K.) stars Jim Sturgess, Clemence
Poesy, Noel Clarke, Joseph Mawle, Eddie Marsan and Luke Treadawa in a British psychological thriller from cult U.K. director Philip Ridley.
The film follows Jamie Morgan (Sturgess), born with a disfiguring birthmark across his face, which leaves him an outcast in rough East London. While wandering abandoned yards taking photographs, he comes across a gang of thugs and soon discovers that they are something other than human. From IFC Films ... In "The Inheritance" (2011), starring Golden Brooks, Keith David, DB Woodside, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Rochelle Aytes and Shawn Michael Howard, five ambitious cousins are summoned by the family patriarch to learn about their inheritance --
but one by one they disappear. From Image Entertainment ... In "The Speed of Thought"
(2011), starring Nick Stahl, Mia Maestro and Taryn Manning, a young man who possesses the special gift that enables him to read people's minds has been trained by the government to use his ability for deadly missions involving national defense, until he gets wise to their manipulations. From Maya Entertainment.
A breakout selection of the midnight section of Cannes in 2010, "Black Heaven"
(2010 -- France) was directed by new French filmmaker Gilles Marchand. The story follows an innocent young kid, Gaspar, who, becoming enamored of a mysterious, gorgeous girl, is lured into "Black Hole," a dark, obscure video game world of avatars with deadly serious intentions -- they seduce players to commit suicide in the real world. From IFC Films ... "Ricky"
(2009 -- France) Alexandra Lamy, Sergi Lopez, Melusine Mayance, Arthur Peyret. After ordinary people Katie and Paco fall in love and start a life together, something truly extraordinary is added to the mix: a baby
called Ricky. But the angelically beautiful baby soon develops bumps on
his back that look suspiciously like ... something that gets the media in an uproar. This miraculous creature brings the young family challenges no parent could be prepared for. From IFC Films.
teenagers.
Director James Houston takes us on a journey to examine trends in American society as personified by a cast of diverse characters. At a high school for pregnant teens in Los Angeles, young girls are contemplating teen parenthood. In Washington, D.C., where HIV infection rates rival several African countries, community outreach workers are trying to save lives. The film also travels to the Netherlands, where Houston compares European attitudes with those in America, then concludes in Oregon, where the lessons learned in Western Europe are helping to create practical solutions.
After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of his brother King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) -- who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life -- is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a
leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). After a rough start, the two delve into an
unorthodox course of treatment and eventually forge a genuine friendship. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle. Based on the true story of King George VI, "The King's Speech" follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice, inspire his people,
and rally the world.
Vitals: Director: Tom Hooper. Stars: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Derek Jacobi, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 118 min., Drama, Box office gross: $72.217 million, The Weinstein Company.
Becca and Howie Corbett (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just
eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. While Becca finds pain in the familiar, Howie finds comfort. The shifts come in abrupt, unforeseen moments. Becca hesitantly
opens up to her opinionated, loving mother (Dianne Wiest) and secretly reaches out to the teenager involved in the accident that changed everything (Miles Teller); while Howie lashes out and imagines solace with another woman (Sandra Oh). Yet, as off track as they are, the couple keeps trying to find their way back to a life that still holds the potential for beauty, laughter and happiness. The resulting journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis. Vitals: Director: John Cameron Mitchell. Stars: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Sandra Oh, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney, Miles Teller.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 92 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.7 million, Lionsgate. 
Sofia Coppola's witty and moving story about the special bond between a father and his daughter. Actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) is leading the fast-paced lifestyle of a tabloid celebrity. He lives at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood; he drives a Ferrari and numbs his life with a constant stream of girls and pills. Then, his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) from his failed marriage arrives unexpectedly at the Chateau. Their encounters encourage Johnny to face up to where he is in life and confront the question that we all must: which path in life will you take? Filmed entirely on location.
Vitals: Director: Sofia Coppola. Stars: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Benicio Del Toro, Michelle Monaghan, Laura Ramsey.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.768 million, Universal.
The year is 1940, and seven prisoners have daringly escaped from a brutal Siberian gulag. But they find that having escaped one prison they are now surrounded by another: the brutal, unforgiving Siberian landscape. But freedom is tempting and the men begin a treacherous 4,500-mile trek, with little food and supplies. Their trust in each other is even less, but in order to withstand nature at its most terrifying extremes, they must learn to rely on each other and overcome their suspicions. Their compassion is further tested when they meet a teenage runaway who begs to join them on their quest. Based on the book
"The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz. Vitals: Director: Peter Weir. Stars: Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, Mark Strong, Dragos Bucur.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 132 min., Drama, Box office gross: $2.636 million, Image Entertainment.
Jack Black brings his irreverent humor to this adventure-comedy based on
the classic tale. To impress a pretty newspaper travel editor (Amanda Peet), an underachieving mail room clerk named Gulliver (Black) takes a writing assignment to travel to Bermuda. When a shipwreck lands him on the fantastical island of Lilliput, he transforms into a giant in size and ego. Gulliver's tall tales and heroic deeds win the hearts of the tiny Lilliputians, but when he loses it all and puts his newfound friends in peril, Gulliver must find a way to undo the damage. Through it all, Gulliver may just learn that it's how big you are on the inside that counts. Vitals: Director: Rob Letterman. Stars: Jack Black, Amanda Peet, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris O'Dowd, Billy Connolly.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 85 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $42.174 million, Fox.
served healthy portions of the offbeat to his audiences, who had never seen anything quite like this cigar-wielding charmer. Wickedly funny but
not offensive, Kovacs' unique humor and flair for improvisation would ripple across generations, influencing TV funnymen from Johnny Carson and Monty Python to David Letterman, Pee-wee Herman and "Saturday Night Live." Includes episodes From his local and national morning shows, episodes from his NBC primetime show, five ABC TV specials, the color version of his legendary silent show "Eugene," classic sketches, 44-page
booklet featuring rare photos, program notes and essays by Jonathan Lethem and TV critic David Kronke. 
Though she went on to create a string of brilliant films, Jane Campion ("The Piano," "Bright Star") will always be remembered for her knockout debut feature, "Sweetie" (1969), which focuses on the hazardous relationship between the buttoned-down, superstitious Kay and her rampaging, devil-may-care sister, Sweetie -- and on their family's profoundly rotten roots. A feast of colorful photography and captivating, idiosyncratic characters, "Sweetie" heralded the emergence of this gifted director, as well as a renaissance of Australian cinema, which would take the film world by storm in the 90s. The folks at The Criterion Collection have just released "Sweetie" in a restored digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Sally Bongers and approved by director Jane Campion, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
"Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster" (2010), starring Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung, takes up where its predecessor left off, with
Ip Man escaping the Japanese occupation of his home town and arriving in Hong Kong, where he opens a martial arts academy to teach
his unique Wing Chun style ... but he must first prove himself to the corrupt cabal of Hong Kong martial arts masters -- as well as to a Westerner who challenges him to an East versus West knock-down, drag-out
fight to the finish. From Well Go USA ... A Detroit detective -- whose undercover narcotics team is being systematically murdered one by one --
joins forces with a cocky, young homicide detective to uncover shocking
corruption all around them in "Street Kings 2: Motor City" (2011), starring Ray Liotta, Shawn Hatosy, Clifton Powell and Zuliekha Robinson; from Fox ..."Born to Raise Hell"
(2010) is a typical direct-to-video Steven Seagal actioner in which Seagal plays a hard-core Interpol Agent assigned to an Eastern European task force to target gun trafficking and dope running throughout the Balkans. When his team is ambushed, he goes on a revenge spree.From Paramount.
Guillaume Canet, Emir Kusturica, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ingeborda Dapkunaite, Diane Kruger, Willem Dafoe, Fred Ward and David Soul star in
"Farewell (L'Affaire Farewell)" (2010 -- France), the riveting true story of a KGB colonel who, disenchanted with what the Communist ideal has become under Leonid Brezhnev, gives top-secret documents to a French businessman working in Russia, helping to hasten the end of the Cold War. From NeoClassics Home Entertainment ... "Falco: The Rise and Fall of an 80's Pop Icon"
(2008 -- Germany) is the true story of 80's pop star Falco, chronicling
his meteoric rise from child prodigy to overnight music sensation. After worldwide success from hits like "Rock Me Amadeus" and "Vienna Calling," Falco tried to escape industry pressure by fleeing into a world of sex and drugs, bringing about his downfall. From Strand Releasing.
With the ongoing crises in the Middle East coupled with the tsunami and
nuclear disaster in Japan, oil prices are on the rise again after a short lull. Although this spike in oil pricing is being directly tied to
the coalition-led attack on Libya, has the world's oil supply been affected by either of these crises? Or, is it really a result of the machinations by the oil companies, who have a long history of profiting from crises economics? Release is timed for the one year anniversary of Gulf of Mexico's Deepwater Horizon Deepwater Oil Spill, the worst environmental disaster in the U.S., which came to light on Earth Day in 2010. Narrated by Peter Gallagher. From Cinema Libre Studio.
Katrina to see how the ambitious plans to reinvent the city are playing
out. Finding hope, heartache and hardship still, Lee's film is book-ended by two momentous events: the historic 2010 Super Bowl victory
of the New Orleans Saints and the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico -- that changed the history of American's most unique city once again. Amidst all the enduring uncertainties, the film also captures the community's indomitable spirit and ability to celebrate life. More than 300 people share their stories, including former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin, historian Douglas Brinkley, activist actors Brad Pitt and Sean Penn and community organizer Tanya Harris. In addition, longtime New Orleans residents, whose compelling testimonies were a key part of "When the Levees Broke," provide updates on their lives. Two-part, four-hour film from HBO.
Surprisingly, there's no comprehensive documentary on the history of film akin to the massive 'Civil War' and 'Jazz' projects that Ken Burns has created, and though this documentary has as its focus the moguls who
created Hollywood, it's the nearest thing we'll get to a comprehensive look at the history of the world's greatest entertainment medium. The American movie business began as peepshows in storefronts and warehouses
at the turn of the beginning of the 20th century and grew into a near-mythical art form to create drama, laughter and adventure literally
bigger than life. Each one-hour segment focuses on a different era of American movie history, from the invention of the first pictures to the cutting-edge films of the 1960s. Each installment features clips and interviews with historians and major Hollywood figures: "Peepshow Pioneers" (1889-1907), "The Birth of Hollywood" (1907-1920), "The Dream Merchants" (1920-1928), "Brother, Can You Spare a Dream?" (1929-1941), "Warriors and Peacemakers" (1941-1950), "Attack of the Small Screens" (1950-1960), "Fade Out, Fade In" (1960-1969). The three-disc set sells for $39.92.
"El Topo," first released theatrically in 1969, made Jodorowsky a household name with the counterculture crowd of the early 1970s, providing the template for "Midnight Movie Madness," screening seven nights a week at midnight for seven straight months at the Elgin Cinema in New York. "El Topo" conflates classic American Western and avant-garde European sensibilities with Zen Buddhism and the Bible as master gunfighter and mystic El Topo (played by writer-director Jodorowsky) attempts to defeat four sharp-shooting rivals on a bizarre path to allegorical self-awareness and resurrection. When it was screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, riots broke out in response to Jodorowsky's flood of sacrilegious imagery and existential symbolism.
"The Holy Mountain" (1973) was Jodorowsky's high budget follow-up, and took his psychedelic allegorical mastery to another level. It chronicles
a quest for enlightenment, pitting illusion against the truth as The Alchemist, played by the director, assembles a group of people from all walks of life to represent the planets in the solar system. Strange and provocative mystical rites to divest them of their worldly baggage ensue
as they ascend the Holy Mountain to displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe.
He enlists the help of Sally (played by "Carrie's" Nancy Allen), a possible eyewitness to the crime who may be in danger herself, to uncover the truth. With its jolting stylistic flourishes, intricate plot, profoundly felt characterizations, and gritty evocation of early-1980s Philadelphia, "Blow Out" is an American paranoia thriller unlike any other, as well as a devilish reflection on the act of moviemaking. New, restored digital transfer, supervised by director Brian De Palma, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. It's 1971, and journalist Raoul Duke barrels toward Las Vegas -- accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his unhinged Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo -- to
cover a motorcycle race. His cut-and-dried assignment quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
(1998). Director Terry Gilliam and an all-star cast headlined by Johnny
Depp and Benicio Del Toro show no mercy in adapting Hunter S. Thompson's legendary dissection of the American way of life to the screen, creating a film both hilarious and savage. Digital transfer, approved by director Terry Gilliam, with a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and an optional 5.1 mix.
"Doc Martin Collection: Series 1-4"
is a nine-disc collection that includes all 30 episodes from the first four series starring BAFTA Winner Martin Clunes as a misanthropic, socially maladjusted doctor forced to relocate to a rustic seaside village, where he immediately clashes with the town's eccentric citizens. $99.99 from Acorn Media ... "Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season" (1986-87) is a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.98 from Warner ... "The Lucy Show: The Official Fourth Season" (1965-66) is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $42.99 from CBS/Paramount ... "South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season" (2010) is a three-disc set with 14 episodes, $49.99 from Paramount ... "Stan Lee's Superhumans: The Complete Season One" (2010) is a two-disc set with eight episodes, $19.95 from A&E ... "Testees: The Complete Series"
(2010) is a two-disc set with all 13 episodes of the FX series about two best friends and roommates in their early 30s who earn a living by being human guinea pigs for Testico, a drug testing facility, $24.98 from Entertainment One ... "Upstairs Downstairs" (2010) features three episodes of the new series, $34.98 from BBC/Warner.
Mulroney, Chazz Palminteri, Rupert
Friend , Michael Vartan and Denise Richards; from Entertainment One ...
"Bunny and the Bull" (2009 -- UK), starring Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby and Veronica Echegui, is a road movie set entirely in a flat:
A young shut-in takes an imaginary road trip inside his apartment, based on mementos and memories of a European trek from years before; from IFC Films/MPI Media Group ... An inseparable group of four 11-year-old girls find themselves facing their last summer before middle
school and the first onset of adulthood in "Summer Eleven" (2010), starring Alice Ziolkoski, Meaghan Hughes, Sarah Butterworth and Sydney Fox; from Image Entertainment ... "Fly Away"
(2011), starring Beth Broderick, Ashley Rickards and Greg Germann, is a
poignant yet humor-filled story about a single mother of a teenager severely impacted by autism, forced to reckon with her daughter's future
as she struggles to meet her own needs; from New Video/Flatiron Film Co. ... In "One Way to Valhalla"
(2009), starring Gabriel Macht, Kim Dickens, Alison Pill, Brad William Henke and Kate Walsh, a volatile, working-class gearhead, who sees himself trapped in a world with few possibilities -- his car is impounded and he has to ride a bicycle to work -- suffers a head injury in an accident, causing his personality to take some strange turns; from
Monarch Home Entertainment.
length documentary "Beyond the Big Bang," on 19
discs. Both the DVD and BD sets include the feature-length documentary "Beyond the Big Bang" and the featurettes "Meteors: Fire in the Sky," "Comets: Prophets of Doom," "Ask the Universe" and "Backyard Astronomers." The BD set also includes the "7 Wonders of the Solar System" episode in 3D. BD: $179.95/DVD: $149.95. (A&E).
comprised one of the most fascinating and complex regimes of recent history. Two-disc set, $24.95. (A&E).
Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is the son of L.A.'s most prominent and respected media magnate and perfectly happy to maintain a directionless existence on the party scene -- until his father (Tom Wilkinson) mysteriously dies, leaving Britt his vast media empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more industrious and inventive employees, Kato (Jay Chou), they see their chance to do something meaningful for the first time in their lives: fight crime. But
in order to do this, they decide to become criminals themselves -- protecting the law by breaking it, Britt becomes the vigilante The Green
Hornet as he and Kato hit the streets. Using all his ingenuity and skill, Kato builds the ultimate in advanced retro weaponry, The Black Beauty, an indestructible car equal parts firepower and horsepower. Rolling in a mobile fortress on wheels and striking the bad guys with Kato's clever gadgets, The Green Hornet and Kato quickly start making a name for themselves, and with the help of Britt's new secretary, Lenore Case (Cameron Diaz), they begin hunting down the man who controls L.A.'s
gritty underworld: Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all. Vitals: Director: Michel Gondry. Stars: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Tom Wilkinson, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 108 min., Action, Box office gross: $96.637 million, Sony.
Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and happily married Nick (Kevin James) have been through thick and thin. Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would really launch their company. With Ronny's girlfriend,
Beth, and Nick's wife, Geneva, by their sides, they're unbeatable. But Ronny's world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.
Vitals: Director: Ron Howard. Stars: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah. 2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 118 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $48.221 million, Universal.
A contemporary, Latina version of Jane Austen's classic novel "Sense and
Sensibility." Two sisters, one a young beauty who chooses passion over logic, the other a law student whose fixed moral compass keeps her from following her desires, are uprooted from their luxurious home when their
father suddenly passes away. Out of money and out of options, the women
move into their Great Aunt Aurelia's modest, but lively home in the Latino-centric Boyle Heights neighborhood of East L.A., where they find themselves thrown into a world that, despite their heritage, seems completely foreign. Over time, they discover the beauty of the culture they once fought so desperately to hide. And in the process they find the one thing that had eluded them: love.
Vitals: Director: Angel Gracia. Stars: Camilla Belle, Alexa Vega, Wilmer Valderrama, April Bowlby, Nicholas D'Agosto.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 107 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $3.016 million, Lionsgate.
audience for Ingmar Bergman. In turn-of-the-century Sweden, four men and four women of different classes attempt to navigate the laws of attraction. During a weekend in the country, the women collude to force the men's hands in matters of the heart, exposing their pretensions and insecurities along the way. Chock-full of flirtatious propositions and sharp witticisms delivered by such Swedish screen legends as Gunnar Bjornstrand and Harriet Andersson, "Smiles of a Summer Night" is one of cinema's great erotic comedies. Digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Bonus features include a video introduction to the film by director Ingmar Bergman; a video conversation between Bergman scholar Peter Cowie and writer Jorn Donner, executive producer of "Fanny
and Alexander"; the original theatrical trailer;and a booklet featuring
an essay by theater and film critic John Simon and a 1961 review by film critic Pauline Kael.
"Drop Dead Diva: The Complete Second Season" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.95 from Sony ... "Identity" (2010) is the North American debut of the British high-tech crime procedural about an elite police team charged with investigating the high-stakes world of identity theft. Two-disc set with six episodes, $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "Melrose Place Season Six Volume One" (1997) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $42.99 from CBS/Paramount ... "Murdoch Mysteries, Season 3"
(2010), the acclaimed Canadian series, based on the characters from award-winning author Maureen Jennings' "Detective Murdoch" novels, set in Victorian-era Toronto, follows Detective Murdoch as he uses revolutionary forensic techniques to solve the city's most mystifying crimes. Four-disc set with 13 episodes, $59.99 from Acorn Media ... "Penn and Teller: Bullshit! The Eighth Season" (2010) features 10 , $29.99. from CBS/Paramount ... "True Blood: The Complete Third Season" (2010) is a five-disc set with 12 episodes, $59.99 from HBO.
(2010) When Bob Dylan turns 70 in May, his iconic career will have spanned five decades. Through exclusive insider interviews, and never-before-seen photos and footage spanning Dylan's 50-year career, "Bob Dylan Revealed" offers an intimate biography of who Bob Dylan was, and who he is today. Producer Jerry Wexler and award-winning songwriter Al Kasha provide an account of Dylan's early days at Columbia Records in
1962. Drummer Mickey Jones chronicles the 1966 Bob Dylan and the Band electric world tour that changed rock 'n' roll forever, while soon after, Dylan used the cover of a motorcycle accident to enter drug rehab. Dylan's 1974 comeback tour is illustrated by tour photographer Barry Feinstein through his finest photos and behind-the-scenes accounts. In 1975, Bob Dylan hit the road with a rag-tag band of folk troubadours, culminating in "The Night of the Hurricane." Following a stint as The Entertainer in 1978, Bob Dylan fell into the arms of the Lord through the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church, producing three Gospel albums. Pastor Bill Dwyer, journalist Joel Selvin, singer Regina McCrary, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, and Dylanologist AJ Weberman share intimate accounts of Bob Dylan's "born-again" transformation -- and his return to Judaism. The film culminates with Dylan's Never Ending Tour that began in 1992 and continues to this day. $14.95. (Highway 61 Entertainment and MVD Visual).
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest, moving, and uninhibited love story. A complex portrait of a contemporary American marriage, "Blue Valentine" tells the story of David and Cindy, a couple who have been together for several years but who are at an impasse in their relationship. While Cindy has blossomed into a woman with opportunities and options, David is still the same person he was when they met, and is unable to accept either Cindy's growth or his lack of it. The narrative unfolds in two distinct time frames, juxtaposing scenes of first love and youthful sexuality, with those of disenchantment and discord as they spend a night away from their daughter in an attempt to save the failing marriage. Director Derek Cianfrance creates a raw, naturalistic portrayal of the relationship, while simultaneously depicting two young people making that first, intoxicating romantic connection through music, dance and silly jokes. As it traces the arc of Dean and Cindy's relationship, the film poses questions that touch us all: How do you sustain love? Is it even possible to do so? What do you when your dreams don't come true, or your life doesn't go as planned? What do you do when your partner doesn't deliver on the promise of his or her potential? Highlighted by uncompromising scenes of sexual intimacy and emotional intensity.
Vitals: Director: Derek Cianfrance. Stars: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman, Mike Vogel. 2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 120 min., Drama, Box office gross: $8.829 million, The Weinstein Co./Anchor Bay.
Emma (Natalie Portman) and Adam (Ashton Kutcher) are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning. In order to protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly "no strings attached." "No strings" means no jealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, no baby voices. It means they can
do whatever they want, whenever they want, in whatever public place they want, as long as they don't fall in love. The question becomes -- who's going to fall first? And can their friendship survive?
Vitals: Director: Ivan Reitman. Stars: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Olivia Thirlby, Mindy Kaling, Cary Elwes, Greta Gerwig, Kevin Kline, Lake Bell.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $70.257 million, Paramount.
Based on the script by French comic legend Jacques Tati and directed by two-time Oscar-nominee Sylvain Chomet ("The Triplets of Belleville"). A rich and touching animated feature about the father-daughter relationship between an aging magician whose art is slowly becoming obsolete and a young orphan girl just at the start of life's journey. The script -- originally penned by the late Jaques Tati ("Mr. Hulot's Holiday," "Mon Oncle") as a love letter to his daughter -- serendipitously found its way into the hands of Chomet by way of his sole surviving daughter, Sophie Tatischeff, who thought his hand-drawn animation style would perfectly suit the film. An outdated, aging magician, forced to wander from country to country, city to city and station to station in search of a stage to perform his act, meets a young girl at the start of her life's journey. Alice is a teenage girl with all her capacity for childish wonder still intact. She plays at being a woman without realizing the day to stop pretending is fast approaching. She doesn't know yet that she loves The Illusionist like she would a father; he already knows that he loves her as he would a daughter. Their destinies will collide, but nothing -- not even the magic or the power of illusion -- can stop the voyage of discovery. Vitals: Director: Sylvain Chomet. Stars: Voices of Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin. In French with English subtitles. 2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 80 min., Animated, Box office gross: $1.974 million, Sony.
This was Demme's fourth film (preceded by "Melvin and Howard," "Swing Shift," which the studio took away from him, and the concert film "Stop Making Sense") after his apprenticeship with the Roger Corman school of low-budget productions and you can see him fine-tuning the stlye that will go on to serve him well in "Married to the Mob" and "The Silence of
the Lambs." In "Something Wild," a straitlaced businessman meets a quirky, free-spirited woman at a downtown New York greasy spoon, where her offer of a ride back to his office results in a lunchtime motel rendezvous -- just the beginning of a capricious interstate road trip that brings the two face-to-face with their hidden selves. Featuring a killer soundtrack and electric performances from Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith and Ray Liotta, "Something Wild" is both a kinky comic thriller
and a radiantly off-kilter love story. In a restored digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Tak Fujimoto and approved by director Jonathan Demme, with a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
the hit man starts to make good on his promise. Stars Cuba Gooding Jr.,
Cole Hauser, Jonathan LaPaglia and Ginny Weirick. From Sony ... In "Black Death"
(2010), set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is tasked with learning the truth about reports of
people being brought back to life in a small village. Stars Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, David Warner and Carice Van Houten. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Label ... "Gene-Fusion" (2010) is an animated sci-fi actioner about a new sport, "Gene-Fusion," that is all the rage in 2310: Specially trained athletes, called Fusers, design their own super-creature by combining three forms of animal DNA. When four teens, seemingly plucked from obscurity, are trained to be Fusers, they become instant celebrities until they discover that each of them has a role to play in an alien conspiracy to take over the world. From MTI Home Video ... When his pregnant fiancee becomes the latest victim of a serial killer, a secret agent blurs the line between good and evil in his pursuit of revenge in director Kim Ji-Woon's "I Saw the Devil"
(2010 -- South Korea), starring Lee Byung-Hun and Choi Min-Sik. From Magnolia Home Entertainment ... Kicked out of every high school across the country, a young man steps up to help his mother pay for his education by launching "Cougars, Inc.," an escort service that allows a generation of women trying to hold onto their youth a second chance at love. Stars Sarah Hyland, Denise Richards, James Belushi, Kyle
Gallner and Kathryn Morris. From Lionsgate.
But all hell is unleashed when a freak accident allows their escape in "Dahmer vs. Gacy"
(2011), starring Art LaFleur, Harland Williams, Ford Austin and Randal Malone. From Walking Shadows/Virgil Films & Entertainment ... "Sledgehammer"
(1983) is notorious as the first shot-on-tape slasher film (direct-to-video) for the then-exploding 1980s home video market. A young boy murders his mother and her lover with a hammer; 10 years later, a wave of teenage murders plagues the same area. From Severin Films ... And speaking of splatter films, CAV Distributing is bringing out three Tromas bloodfests: "Blood Junkie" (2010), a hyper-hipster 1980s horror comedy about a group of teenagers who discover a mysterious abandoned building where bad things happen; "Blood Oath"
(2007), in which a group of friends on a weekend camping trip decide to
investigate a local urban legend about a twisted and evil being who feeds on the bodies of those who enter his domain; and "Killer Yacht Party"
(2006), in which partygoers on a private yacht looking to have fun on the high seas become fish food when one of the passengers turns out to be a blood thirsty nut job.
In "Now & Later" (2009), a former golden boy of the
banking industry, Bill gets caught illegally trading assets of emerging
nations and becomes a fugitive running from a prison term; deserted by his wife and friends, on the verge of suicide, he is sheltered by kind and free-spirited Angela, an illegal immigrant, who's created a magical world on a rooftop in East L.A. In a dance of politics and soul-searching leading to a passionate, uninhibited affair, Angela tears
down and rebuilds the foundations of Bill's life. A film of political, social and sexual liberation. From Cinema Libre Studio.
"Nova: The Smartest Machine on Earth: Can A Computer Win on Jeopardy!?"
(2010) is a documentary on Watson, the computer that competed on "Jeopardy!" $24.99 from PBS Distribution ...
"Bhutto" (2011) is a documentary about Benazir Bhutto,
the first woman in history elected to lead a Muslim nation. A favored daughter of the family often called the "Kennedys of Pakistan," Benazir was elected Prime Minister after her father was overthrown and executed by his own military. Her time in power saw acts of courage and controversy as she broke the Islamic glass ceiling, fought for the rights of women, and tried to quell the fires of religious extremism, while battling accusations of corruption. She was assassinated in December, 2007. From First Run Features ... "I Love Toy Trains: All Aboard!"
(2011) is a children's video for kids of all ages. Features live-action
footage -- irresistible toy and real train action, elaborate layouts, train trivia, and six new songs by award-winning composer James Coffey. Includes the world's largest G-scale layout at the Living desert in California and a giant Lego train layout. $9.99 from TM Books & Video.
Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) is a "mechanic" -- an elite assassin with a
strict code and unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and total detachment, and Bishop is the best in the business. But when his mentor and close friend
Harry (Donald Sutherland) is murdered, Bishop is anything but detached.
His next assignment is self-imposed -- he wants those responsible dead. His mission grows complicated when Harry's son (Ben Foster) approaches him with the same vengeful goal and a determination to learn Bishop's trade. Though Bishop has always acted alone, he can't turn his back on Harry's son, and he takes the impulsive student deep into his world -- and a deadly partnership is born. But while in pursuit of their
ultimate mark, deceptions threaten to surface and those hired to fix problems become problems themselves. Vitals: Director: Simon West. Stars: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $97.952 million, Sony.
Follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue), who
reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While in Rome, he meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith.
Vitals: Director: Mikael Hafström. Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Rutger Hauer, Marta Gastini. 2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Horror, Box office gross: $32.310 million, Warner.
who team up to hatch a daring revenge plot to put him in his place. Shocking for its time, the film still holds up with its narrative twists
and turns and unforgettably scary images. Features outstanding performances by Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot and Paul Meurisse ... The Japanese New Wave thrived in the 1960s, with such directors as Seijun Suzuki, Kinji Fukasaku and Masahiro Shinoda making movies that explored the moral code, violence and honor of the Yakuza, generally pitting a lone gangster against the mob mentality. Among the best is Shinoda's "Pale Flower,"
(1964), a cool and seductive film about a Yakuza, fresh out of prison, who becomes entangled with a beautiful yet enigmatic gambling addict; what at first seems a redemptive relationship ends up leading him further down the criminal path ... Also due this week: "Beverly Hills Cop"
(1984), the film that cemented Eddie Murphy's place as an A-list star, gets the Blu-ray treatment with commentary by director Martin Brest; three featurettes: "Beverly Hills Cop -- The Phenomenon Begins," "A Glimpse Inside the Casting Process" and "The Music of Beverly Hills Cop"; as well as an interactive "Location Map"; from Paramount.
"Circles of Deceit" (1993-96) is the U.S. debut of the riveting spy thriller starring Dennis Waterman as an ex-SAS operative freelancing
for the British government, in a set with four full-length dramas from Acorn Media ... "Covert Affairs: Season One" (2010) is a three-disc set with 11 episodes, from Universal ... "The Feathered Serpent Complete Series"
(1976) includes all 12 episodes from the two seasons of the cult classic set in ancient Mexico. Patrick Troughton stars as the villainous
high priest Nasca in this ITV drama, which is available to U.S. audiences for the first time. From Acorn Media ... "Flashpoint: The Complete Third Season"
(2010-11) is a four-disc set with 20 episodes of the series about the cops in the SRU (inspired by Toronto's Emergency Task Force) tactical team, a unique unit of elite heroes who rescue hostages, bust gangs, defuse bombs, scale buildings and interrogate suspects -- all in a day's
work; $42.99 from CBS/Paramount ... "Royal Pains: Season Two" (2010) is a four-disc set with 12 episodes, from Universal ... "Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job: Season 5" (2010) includes 10 episodes of the Adult Swim series, $19.97 from Warner ... "The Wild Thornberrys: Season One" (1998-99) is a four-disc set with 20 episodes, $29.93 from Shout! Factory.
"Broken Hill"
(2010), starring Alex Vega, Timothy Hutton and Luke Arnold, is a Dove-approved inspirational drama about the struggles of a young man, raised in the Australian Outback, to make his dream of being accepted into the famous Sydney Conservatorium of Music come true. From Entertainment One ... A city girl moves to a small town and becomes entangled in a love triangle between her high school teacher and a stoner classmate in "Daydream Nation" (2010), starring Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson, Josh Lucas and Andie MacDowell; from Anchor Bay ... "Deadly Shooter (aka The Shooter)"
(1997) is a Western about a gunslinger with a deadly reputation who takes a stand against a controlling family terrorizing a small town; stars Randy Travis and Michael Dudikoff; from RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment ... Natalie Portman gives a mature performance in "The Other Woman"
(2011), a sensitive and compelling modern drama about a law-school graduate who falls in love with her married boss; after he divorces his bitter wife, they marry, but happiness turns to grief when their newborn
baby dies and she has to deal with her 8-year-old stepson and a jealous
ex; from IFC Entertainment/MPI Media ... A security guard (Lou Diamond Phillipps) -- who lost his daughter to a brutal attack -- comes across an abhorrent human trafficking racket and embarks on a do-or-die mission
against the Russian mob in "Takedown (aka Transparency)" (2010 -- Canada), co-starring Estella Warren and Deborah Kara Unger, from Entertainment One.
(1946), which focuses on the disintegration of a friendship between two
Italian youths who fall victim to the state's juvenile detention system. Filmed on location in post-war Rome using non-professional actors, "Shoeshine" --widely regarded as one of the finest films to have
emerged from Italian neo-realist cinema -- was inspired by the real stories of those struggling to overcome the oppressive forces of a corrupt and ineffective political system. Restored and re-mastered from Entertainment One ... "Adua and Her Friends" (1960 -- Italy) is a
rare masterpiece and a wonderful example of Italian Cinema starring two
European film icons, Simone Signoret and Marcello Mastroianni, in the story of four prostitutes forced to fend for themselves when a new law closes the bordellos of Rome. They pool their savings to open a trattoria, but find they cannot get a license. A prominent fixer with connections obtains the license for them, on the condition that they conduct their old business upstairs and pay him an exorbitant monthly fee. Director Antonio Pietrangeli was one of the most talented members of the Italian neo-realism movement. Newly restored from the original 35mm negatives. From RaroVideo U.S./Entertainment One.
"Freedom Riders" (2011) is an American Experience documentary that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1961 "Freedom Riders," the group of men and women who, using non-violent tactics, risked their lives to challenge segregated facilities in the south in 1961. From May until November, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives -- many enduring savage beatings and even imprisonment -- for simply traveling together on buses and trains through the deep south. The film features testimony from a fascinating cast of central characters -- the riders themselves, state and federal government officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand. The film is partially based on Raymond Arsenault's acclaimed book "Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice." $24.99 from PBS Distribution.
Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is recast in this modern animated update with garden gnomes as the star-crossed lovers. Caught up in a feud between neighbors, Gnomeo and Juliet must overcome as many obstacles as their namesakes. But with flamboyant pink flamingos and epic lawn mower races, can this young couple find lasting happiness? Features music by Elton John. In 3D.
Vitals: Director: Kelly Asbury. Stars: Voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason
Statham, Ashley Jensen, Patrick Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Maggie Smith.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: G, 84 min., Animated, Box office gross: $96.866 million, Disney.
Three are dead. Who is Number Four? Extraordinary teen John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy
him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his
past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events -- his first love (Dianna Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny. Based on the young adult novel by Pittacus Lore.
Vitals: Director: D.J. Caruso. Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron, Teresa Palmer, Callan McAuliffe.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $53.868 million, DreamWorks.
Also stars Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn and Gary Busey. From Paramount ... "Grand Prix"(1966):
John Frankenheimer puts you behind the driver's seat in this beautifully shot homage to Formula 1 racing, filmed around the world with an all-star cast and an involving script; only shortcoming -- the film takes almost three hours to cross the finish line. Stars James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Yves Montand and Toshirô Mifune. From Warner ... "Le Mans" (1971): Spectacular racing action overlays an ultimately boring story line about a loner race car driver at the famous
24 Heures du Mans. Steve McQueen is at his stoic, noncommunicative worst. From Paramount ... 
"Papillon"
(1973): Steve McQueen as Papillon is wrongfully convicted of murder and
sentenced to life in prison on a remote island off the coast of French Guiana, where he attempts to escape ... many times. Dustin Hoffman plays
his sidekick and friend Louis Dega. At times painful to watch. Available as a Blu-ray book with fascinating film information, archival photos, and an examination of the controversy surrounding the film. From
Warner ... "Platoon" (1986): The film that put Oliver Stone on the cinematic map; a no-holds barred, grueling look at the horrors of the Vietnam War with a cast that includes Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Dillon and Johnny Depp. Available as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack from Warner ... And from The
Criterion Collection: Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" (1940) and Andrey Tarkovskiy's Soviet sci-fi adventure "Solaris" (1972), based on the famous novel by Stanislaw Lem.
"Children's Hospital: The Complete First and Second Seasons" (2008, 2010) is a two-disc set with 22 episodes of the Adult Swim series, $29.98 from Warner ... "IRT: Deadliest Roads: The Complete Season One" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 white-knuckled episodes, $24.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "The Kids in the Hall: The Complete Series Megaset" is a 22-disc set with nearly 800 sketches and 42 hours, $99.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town"
(2010) is a two-disc set of the eight-part comedy series with all the parts played by the Kids; When Death gets off the Greyhound bus in small
town Shuckton, Ontario, everyone in town is implicated when one of its most distinguished citizens is found murdered; from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Lemonade Mouth: Extended Edition" (2011) is a Disney Channel Original Movie about five ragtag freshmen who
first meet in detention and bond through music, eventually forming a high school garage band; from Disney ... "Melissa & Joey: Season One, Part One" (2010) is a two-disc set with the first 12 episodes; $29.97. Shout! Factory ... "Swamp People: The Complete Season One" (2010) is a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $24.95 from A&E Home Entertainment.
waitress with an unusual fetish for particle physics, and a reclusive billionaire and his physicist intent on recreating The Big Bang underneath the New Mexico desert. Antonio Banderas plays the not-thoroughly believable gumshoe; co-stars Sienna Guillory, Thomas Kretschmann, William Fichtner, Sam Elliott, Delroy Lindo, James Van Der Beek and Snoop Dogg. From Anchor Bay ... "Burning Palms"
(2011)is an anthology of dark yet comic stories so decadent they could only be worthy of Los Angeles. It's a study of five lives: all different, yet all strangely similar. A father's (Dylan McDermott) relationship with his precocious teenage daughter (Emily ) is too close
for comfort for his fiancee. A woman (Jamie Chung) becomes undone by her boyfriend's kinky bedroom request. A gay couple (Peter Macdissi and Anson Mount) brings home the ultimate lifestyle accessory: an African child. A young boy involves his brothers in disturbing games. A lonely woman (Zoe Saldana ) confronts her attacker (Nick Stahl) with a bizarre request. From Image Entertainment ... Lionsgate After Dark Originals has two offerings this week: "Fertile Ground," in which a couple is haunted by ghosts at the woman's family home in the country; and "Seconds Apart,"
in which telekinetic twins wreck havoc on their high school classmates,
killing them in twisted and bizarre ways until jealousy divides them and they face-off against each other.
(Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy and Daisy) join efforts to inspire preschoolers around the country to enjoy the outdoors by camping, fishing and exploring
nature with five episodes from the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Packaged as a special DVD Play Set (DVD plus Digital Copy plus Mickey Mote), $29.99 from Disney ... In the title story of "Scrambled States of America ... and More Stories by Laurie Keller"
(2011) the states are bored and long for a change, so they decide to swap spots in hopes that each can get to see a different part of the country. Also includes "The Scrambled States of America Talent Show," "Do Unto Otters (A Book About Manners)" and "Open Wide: Tooth School Inside," $14.95 from Scholastic Storybook Treasures ... Also from Scholastic Storybook Treasures is "The North Star ... And More Stories About Following Your Dreams"
(2011), which contains five stories narrated by Tim Curry, Zooey Deschanel and others: The title story as well as "That Book Woman," "Players in Pigtails," "Yo! Yes?" and "Swamp Angel," $14.95 ... "Sweet Dreams"
(2011) contains eight sleepytime episodes from Thomas & Friends, Barney, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Timmy Time, Fireman Sam, Kipper and Roary the Racing Car, $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate.
the gripping 1978 docu-series, as well as provocative bonus content. Features rare and stunning footage recorded by Soviet camera crews on the front lines -- most of it unseen since the series' original broadcast on public television 30 years ago. The docu-series delivers a sweeping chronicle of the Soviets' struggle against -- and ultimately victory over -- the Nazi war machine. From Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 to the Russians' victorious march into Berlin in 1945, "The Unknown War" takes a 360-degree look at the strategies, suffering, heroism and courage of the Soviet experience with footage retrieved from the vaults of the Kremlin. Here are the devastating battles in the air, at sea and on land; and the poignant stories of daring and loss from what the Russians call "The Great Patriotic War." This epic documentary series sheds new light on the Red Army's massive contribution to the Allies' defeat of Hitler. Extras: Interview with Rod McKuen; analysis by Willard Sunderland, Associate Professor of Russian History at the University of Cincinnati. From Shout! Factory.
A love story between a father and his children. This is the journey of Uxbal, a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld
of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds: either by helping smugglers and illegal aliens, by selling knock-off goods, or as a
spiritual advisor to his neighbors. He lives for his children and navigates the shoals of the Spanish underclass, an unfaithful wife (who's having an affair with his brother) and impending death. But through it all a spark of humanity glows, handed down from father to children. An incredible performance by Javier Bardem. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Vitals: Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Stars: Javier Bardem, Maricel Alvarez, Hanaa Bouchaib, Guillermo Estrella, Eduard Fernandez.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 148 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.772 million, Lionsgate.
Milton (Nicolas Cage) is a hardened felon who has broken out of Hell intent on finding the vicious cult that brutally murdered his daughter and kidnapped her baby: he has three days to stop them before they sacrifice his infant granddaughter beneath a full moon. He joins forces with Piper (Amber Heard) -- a sexy, tough-as-nails waitress with a '69 Charger, who's also seeking redemption of her own. The two of them are hot on the trail of the charismatic Jonah King and his murderous followers. King will throw every one of his faithful under the wheels of
Milton's car to fulfill hist destiny and unleash hell on earth. But the
bloodthirsty cult is the least of Milton's problems. The police are after him, too. And worse. An enigmatic killer known only as "The Accountant." The Accountant -- who has been sent by the Devil to retrieve Milton and deliver him back to Hell -- knows what Milton is trying to and simply doesn't care. With wicked cunning and hypnotic savagery, the Accountant will relentlessly pursue Milton at high speed across the forgotten back roads of the American south. Fueled by high octane and pure rage, Milton and Piper must battle the onslaught of King's disciples, avenge his murdered daughter, and save his granddaughter before his last chance at redemption is revoked. A true guilty pleasure for exploitation and grindhouse freaks. Vitals:
Director: Patrick Lussier. Stars: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, David Morse, William Fichtner, Christa Campbell, Katy Mixon, Billy Burke.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Action, Box office gross: $10.510 million, Summit Entertainment.
"A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition"
(1971): Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates and Michael Gover, this adaptation of Anthony Burgess's dystopian novel is just stunning in its Blu-ray debut.
The old "ultra-violence" just pops off the screen into your living room. The two-disc release includes two newly-produced bonus features: "Turning Like Clockwork," a 25-minute documentary about the film's "ultra-violence" and its cultural impact, and "Malcolm McDowell Looks Back," a short documentary in which Malcolm McDowell reminiscences on closely working with legendary director Stanley Kubrick. Also includes the feature-length documentaries "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures" and "O Lucky Malcolm!" as well as "Still Tickin': The Return of Clockwork Orange," "Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange," commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman. Packaged in a 40-page Blu-ray Book with rare photos, production notes and more. From Warner.
psychopath
who suffers no conscience pangs after annihilating an entire family at the behest of a powerful railroad tycoon. Jason Robards and Charles Bronson (as the mysterious harmonica man) go after the bad guys. Populated by rich and fascinating characters, driven by a great plot, this is arguably Leone's greatest Western. Written by Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci. With a great score by Ennio Morricone. Bonus features: Commentary with contributions by directors John Carpenter, John Milius and Alex Cox, film historians Christopher Frayling and Dr. Sheldon Hall, and cast and crew; featurettes: "An Opera of Violence," "The Wages of Sin," "Something to Do With Death," "Railroad: Revolutionizing the West," "Locations Then & Now"; production gallery. From Paramount.
"Hijos del Carnaval Seasons One & Two"
(2006-07) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes of the internationally acclaimed series that delves deep into the underbelly of the Brazilian organized crime syndicate; it's kind of a Latin American version of "The
Sopranos." In Portuguese with English subtitles. $29.98 from Maya Entertainment ... "Psych: The Complete Fifth Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 16 episodes, from Universal ... "Rookie Blue: The Complete First Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $44.98 from Entertainment One ... "Stargate: Universe Complete Season 2" (2010) is five-disc set with 20 episodes and 20 bonus featurettes, $49.98 from MGM ... "True Blood: The Complete Third Season"
(2010) is a five-disc set with 12 episodes; bonus features include "Anatomy of a Scene" and "True Blood Post Mortems; the Blu-ray version adds an Enhanced Viewing mode with an amplified picture-in-picture display with original, interactive content, including "Character Perspectives," "Flashback/Flash Forwards," "Vampire Histories/Character Bios" and "Hints/FYIs." Also includes "True Blood Lines," an interactive
on-screen guide that highlights the connections between the many worlds
in the series. From HBO.
uncovering a plot by an immortal Viking who wants to destroy mankind with his doomsday device. Stars Brian Austin Green, Jake Busey, Tom Sizemore, Michael Clarke Duncan, Vinnie Jones and Lori Heuring. From Sony ... In "Savage County"
(2010), a group of kids trespass on the land of a family of mutant in-bred Tennessee lunatics with a taste for torture -- and guess what happens to the teens. This started life as a Web miniseries, but due to popular demand, was turned into a feature and had its premiere on MTV2. The DVD features the uncensored cut that was too graphic for basic cable. From FilmBuff/MPI Media Group ... In "Passion Play" (2010), starring Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Rhys Ifans, Kelly Lynch and former UFC champ Chuck Liddell, a washed-up jazz musician (Rourke) fleeing a trigger-happy gangster (Murray) stumbles across a traveling carnival and is instantly mesmerized by the carnival's prized attraction, Lily "The Bird Woman" (Fox). But Lily is no carny fake: her wings are real. The fugitive musician falls in love with this angelic creature and he convinces her to leave with him, to the anger of her ruthless employer (Ifans), and the pair flee across the
desert towards ... destruction? Salvation? From Image Entertainment.
"Kaboom," the latest film from iconoclastic independent filmmaker
Gregg Araki, is a hyper-stylized "Twin Peaks" for the Coachella Generation; it's a wild, witty and sex-drenched horror-comedy thriller about an ambisexual 18-year-old college freshman who stumbles upon a monstrous conspiracy in a seemingly idyllic Southern California seaside town. Stars Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Chris Zylka, Roxane Mesquida, Juno Temple, Kelly Lynch and James Duval. From IFC Entertainment ... In "The Waiting City"
(2009), starring Joel Edgerton and Radha Mitchell, an outwardly happy Australian couple journey to Calcutta to collect their adopted baby, but
find that the arrangements have yet to be finalized, giving them no option but to wait in this chaotic, foreign place. But as the intoxicating, mystical powers of the Indian city pull them in separate and unexpected directions, the vulnerability of their marriage begins to
reveal itself. From Entertainment One.
The Coen brothers' version of "True Grit," Charles Portis' novel is about a 14-year-old girl who, along with an aging U.S. marshal and another lawman, tracks her father's killer in hostile Indian territory. Mattie Ross's (Hailee Steinfeld) father has been shot in cold blood by the coward Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), and she is determined to bring him to justice. Enlisting the help of a trigger-happy, drunken U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), she sets out with him -- over his objections -- to hunt down Chaney. Her father's blood demands that she pursue the criminal into Indian territory and find him before a Texas Ranger named LeBoeuf (Matt Damon) catches him and brings him back to Texas for the murder of another man. Features an incredible bravura performance as Bridges, who makes the role of Rooster Cogburn his own. The original 1969 film was a showcase for John Wayne, and starred Kim Darby as the teen, Wayne and Glen Campbell as the lawmen, Jeff Corey as the killer and featured Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper as fellow outlaws. Vitals: Director: Coen brothers. Stars: Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Barry Pepper.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 110 min., Western, Box office gross: $169.381 million, Paramount.
A happy couple for over 30 years, Tom (Broadbent) and Gerri (Sheen) act as a steady anchor to their unmarried circle of family and friends, including their son, a male friend from Hull, and single, unhappy, middle-aged Mary (Manville). But as the seasons change and another year passes, Tom and Gerri's support is put to the test in this masterful look at life, love and the meaning of friendship. Using his trademark production method of improvisation, director Mike Leigh once again delivers a moving and detailed portrait of his characters' inner lives. This process has yielded some of the finest performances ever put on film, and it has generated an Oscar-nominated screenplay for four of his
previous films: "Happy Go Lucky," "Vera Drake," "Topsy Turvy," and "Secrets and Lies." Vitals: Director: Mike Leigh. Stars: Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Oliver Maltman, Peter Wight, David Bradley, Martin Savage.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 129 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.162 million, Sony.
Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is living the American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing
leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) and Gene McClary
(Tommy Lee Jones) jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers. Walker, whose sense of self crumbles after losing his job, soon finds himself enduring enthusiastic life coaching, a job building houses for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) which does not play to his executive skill set, and perhaps the
realization that there is more to life than chasing the bigger, better deal. Company founder McClary tries to fight the good fight against the layoffs, only to discover that he has made himself a target. And older worker Woodward gives in to blind fury as he waits for the inevitable. With humor, pathos, and keen observation, writer-director John Wells (the creator of "ER," "The West Wing," "Southland" and "Shameless") introduces us to the new realities of American life. Vitals: Director: John Wells. Stars: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones,
Maria Bello, Rosemarie Dewitt, Craig T. Nelson.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 109 min., Drama, Box office gross: $4.266 million, The Weinstein Co./Anchor Bay.
After telling his much younger schoolteacher girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker) that he's married as a means of avoiding real commitment, a plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler) must recruit a fake family to prove his honesty. So he enlists his loyal assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend
to be his soon to be ex-wife, in order to cover up his careless lie. When more lies backfire, the assistant's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii to sort things out. Vitals: Director: Dennis Dugan. Stars: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Nick Swardson, Brooklyn Decker, Bailee Madison, Griffin Gluck, Dave Matthews,
Kevin Nealon. 2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 116 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $101.917 million, Sony.
Conceived and shot in 3D. From executive producer James Cameron comes a thrilling underwater adventure based on true events. Master diver Frank McGuire leads a team -- including his 17-year-old son -- to explore the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. But when a tropical storm cuts off their only escape route, the team must work together to find their way through an uncharted and dangerous underwater labyrinth to make it out alive.
Vitals: Director: Alister Grierson. Stars: Richard Roxburgh, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhys Wakefield, Alice Parkinson.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Action, Box office gross: $18.035 million, Universal.
"Night Flight" (1933), unseen since it was pulled from circulation in 1942, comes to DVD this week in a remastered edition. Stars Clark Gable, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Myrna Loy, Robert Montgomery. One of the most authentic flying movies to grace
the silver screen; an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's ("The Little Prince") best-selling "Vol de Nuit," based on his harrowing experiences as an airmail pilot and director of the Aeroposta Argentina airline. The story: Polio breaks out in Rio de Janeiro, the serum is in Santiago, and there's only one way to get the medicine where it's desperately needed: flown in by daring pilots who risk the treacherous weather and forbidding peaks of the Andes. From Warner.
documentary, "Hell Hath No Fury: The Making of The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Eastwood in Action." Packaged in a premium 32-page Blu-ray book filled with new bonus features, photos and production notes. From Warner ... "The Superman Motion Picture Anthology":
If you're looking for a high-end Father's Day gift, here's one you can add to your list. The first two Superman movies were self-reflexive gems
that didn't quite take themselves seriously, relying on Christopher Reeve to anchor the film as the man of steel; by the time Superman III and IV arrived, the series had fallen into self-parody. 'Superman Returns,' with Brandon Routh, was an attempt at resuscitating the franchise -- but we'll have to wait til 2013 for Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' for a real reboot. Still, this glorious looking and sounding hi-def set will be a delight for Superman fans the world over. The eight-disc set includes "Superman the Movie," "Superman the Movie Expanded Edition," "Superman II," "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut,"
"Superman III," "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," "Superman Returns" and a bonus disc. Bonus features clock in at over 20 hours, with documentaries, commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. $129.95 from Warner.
Cult-fave indie "Rubber"
(2011) is the story of Robert, a tire that has been abandoned in the desert and that suddenly and inexplicably comes to life. As Robert roams
the bleak landscape, he discovers that he possesses terrifying telepathic powers that give him the ability to destroy anything he wishes without having to move. At first content to prey on small desert creatures and various discarded objects, his attention soon turns to humans. Though he leaves a swath of destruction across the desert landscape and is pursued by state troopers, Robert takes the time to go swimming and watch TV in a motel room. He's a nasty movie villain in this original film that's certainly not a retread. Stars Stephen Spinella, Wings Hauser, Roxane Mesquida, Thomas F. Duffy. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Releasing ... "Blue Crush 2"
(2011) follows a high-spirited California surfer girl as she treks across the magnificent beaches of South Africa, making new friends, finding romance and riding epic waves. Stars Sasha Jackson, Sharni Vinson, Elizabeth Mathis, Ben Milliken and Chris Fisher.From Universal.
films ever; it's an epic historical action film about King Naresuan the
Great, who liberated the Siamese from the control of Burma, changing the destiny of a nation. Two-disc set. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Releasing ... A man's affair with his family's housemaid -- an innocent beauty -- leads to dark consequences in "The Housemaid"
(2010 -- South Korea), starring Do-yeon Jeon and Jung-Jae Lee, from IFC Films ... "Exorcismus (La posesion de Emma Evans)"
(2010 -- Spain) is another take on "The Exorcist" theme: A teenage girl
is possessed by the devil and a priest is called in for an exorcism. Stars Doug Bradley, Sophie Vavasseur, Stephen Billington, Tommy Bastow, Richard Felix and Jo-Anne Stockham. From IFC Midnight/MPI Media group.
"Roary the Racing Car" (2011) is the first DVD for the preschool car star and his friends Dragga, Zizzy and Lugga and human pals Big Chris, Marsha, Officer Pete and Mr. Carburettor. Six episodes, $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ...
"Elmo's World: People in Your Neighborhood" (2011) features three episodes from the "Elmo's World" pre-school series, $12.99 from Warner ... "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights"
(2010) is an animated original movie released to coincide with the June
17 big-screen live-action adventure starring Ryan Reynolds. Voices of Nathan Fillion, Jason Isaacs, Elisabeth Moss, Kelly Hu, Arnold Vosloo, Henry Rollins, Wade Williams, Roddy Piper. From Warner ... "Angelina Ballerina: Pop Star Girls" (2011) features five episodes of the dancing mouse and her friends, $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Bratz: BFF" (2005-2007) comprises four episodes from the Bratz dolls TV series, $14.98 from Lionsgate ... "Care Bears: Flower Power" (2007) includes eight spring and summer-themed episodes, new-to-DVD, $14.98 from Lionsgate.
Dark interpretation of the Grimms' fairy tale (already pretty dark), set
in medieval times. Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman
torn between two men. She's in love with brooding outsider Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest
surrounding their village. For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon's arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them. As
the death toll rises with each moon, Valerie begins to suspect that the
werewolf could be someone she loves. Panic grips the town as Valerie discovers that she has a unique connection to the beast -- one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect ... and bait. Take two snarky, handsome heroes at odds with each other over the love of an independent, petulant heroine, throw in Catherine Hardwicke as director, and what do you get? No, not 'Twilight,' but an adult-themed facsimile. Unfortunately, where 'Twilight' has a syrupy, involving story
line, 'Red Riding Hood' is a messy tale at best, with a sloppy plot and
aimless acting -- there's one scene in which Seyfried stands around, looking as if she's waiting for acting instructions. At least the sets are medieval lush and the sound -- especially the creak and crash of doors slamming and wood shattering -- is stupendous. Vitals: Director: Catherine Hardwicke. Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Lukas Haas, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, Julie Christie.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 100 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $37.186 million, Warner.
For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world -- Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, and China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before. If you liked the shaky vérité-like camerawork of 'Cloverfield' or 'Skyline' you'll love this one, which puts you on the ground with the Marines as they fight off one alien after another. But that's pretty much it for this film: There's no overriding, big picture for the action, just one skirmish after another, one close escape after another,
one more dead marine or civilian or alien. Admittedly, the sets of smashed freeways, wrecked vehicles and destroyed buildings are a marvel to behold, but the shapeless, impersonal film keeps you isolated from caring for anyone or even rooting for the humans. Despite all the expensive effects, the film goes nowhere -- kind of like rush hour in L.A. Vitals: Director: Jonathan Liebesman. Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan, Ne-Yo, Michael Pena.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 116 min., Science Fiction Action, Box office gross: $82.649 million, Sony.
"The Concert" is the new film from Radu Mihaileanu, the acclaimed writer-director of "Live and Become," starring Melanie Laurent ("Inglorious Basterds"), Francois Berlsand; ("Transporter" series) and Alexei Guskov. Guskov stars as Andrei Filipov, a once celebrated Russian
conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra who was fired 30 years ago for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Chatelet Theater in Paris has invited the Bolshoi orchestra to play there and he masterminds a plan to pose as the
leader of the group in order to make a triumphant return to the music scene. With a motley bunch of old Jewish and Gypsy musicians at his side, Andrei sets off for Paris, impersonating the Bolshoi, to fulfill his destiny and return to his glory as a great conductor. But to make it
work, he needs to persuade a young violinist virtuoso, Anne-Marie Jacquet, to accompany his musicians. Along the way there's missed rehearsals, lost musicians, a little bit of intrigue, and a glimmering hope for second chances. One of the centerpieces of the film: the gorgeous, moving performance of "Violin Concerto in D Major op. 35" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In French and Russian with English subtitles.
Vitals: Director: Radu Mihaileanu. Stars: Melanie Laurent, Aleksei Guskov, Dmitri Nazarov, Valeiy Barinov, Miou-Miou.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 119 min., Comedy Drama, Box office gross: $.657 million, The Weinstein Company/Arc Entertainment.
Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis) are best friends who have a
lot in common, including the fact that they have each been married for many years. But when the two men begin to show signs of restlessness at home, their wives (Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate) take a bold approach to revitalizing their marriages: granting them a "hall pass," one week of freedom to do whatever they want ... no questions asked. At first, it sounds like a dream come true for Rick and Fred. But it isn't long before they discover that their expectations of the single life -- and themselves -- are completely out of sync with reality ... especially when it appears that both wives are engaging in extramarital activities as well. At the risk of being stoned by angry fans, I must make this disclaimer: I
have never, ever liked a Farrelly brothers movie. There's always an undercurrent of meanness and nastiness in their films that emphasize the
worst aspects of our culture, from selfishness to disrespect to plain, outright adolescent stupidity (one of their upcoming projects: 'Walter the Farting Dog'). That said, the brothers seem to have dialed back some
of their patented gross-out humor for 'Hall Pass,' but their storytelling still rests on the back of immature, superficial men who ogle passing female rearends but really only know how to handle poker, pizza and beer. Which means it's all downhill from there. Vitals:
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly. Stars: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Nicky Whelan, Richard Jenkins.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 105 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $44.870 million, Warner.
questions
the nature of celebrity and plays on a society's simmering nuclear fears. "Insignificance" is a delirious, intelligent drama, featuring magnetic performances by Michael Emil as "the professor," Theresa Russell as "the actress," Gary Busey as "the ballplayer" and Tony Curtis
as "the senator." Newly restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Nicolas Roeg and producer Jeremy Thomas, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition ... As the Harry
Potter saga winds down this summer, Warner Home Video is releasing lavish DVD sets of each film in the series. Due this week: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Ultimate Edition" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Ultimate Edition,"
with each set containing more than four hours of special features and collectibles including a photo book featuring 44 pages of rare photos of
the cast and crew, concept sketches and paintings, and behind-the-scenes insight. Also features limited edition character cards, a lenticular card and a bonus digital copy of the film. "Order of
the Phoenix" includes the all new documentary "Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 5: Evolution," while "Half-Blood Prince" includes "Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 6: Magical Effects." Both sets are available on DVD and Blu-ray..
"Elvira's Movie Macabre: Night of the Living Dead and I Eat Your Skin"
Double-feature DVD with the original "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) and "I Eat Your Skin" (1964), about a cancer researcher who turns natives into zombies; $14.98. (Entertainment One).
This first entry in the series pairs TV special "Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown" with an episode from "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show" on one disc, $14.97 from Warner ... Ripped from the pages of "Secret Invasion" and "New Avengers," "Marvel Knights Animation: Spider-Woman -- Agent of S.W.O.R.D."
(2011) follows the new adventures of Jessica Drew as she rediscovers her life in a world she did not make. Seeking revenge against those who destroyed her life, Jessica Drew must rise to become Spider-Woman again,
even if it means her ultimate demise; from Shout! Factory ... In "Yo Gabba Gabba!: Circus"
(2011), Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee and Plex star in four episodes: "Circus," "Treasure Hunt," "Flying" and "Fun"; $16.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "Snoopy's Adventures" (2011) is the first in a new series of "Happiness Is ... Peanuts" DVDs. This volume includes the TV special "Snoopy's Getting Married, Charlie Brown"
plus an episode of "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show"; $14.97 from Warner.
Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon
stars in this thriller -- based on the short story "Adjustment Team" by
Philip K. Dick.-- as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for
him and realizes he wants something else. On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns he is up against the agents
of Fate itself -- the men of The Adjustment Bureau -- who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her
go and accept a predetermined path ... or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her. We've never met a Philip K. Dick story, novel or big-screen adaptation we didn't like -- but if we had to pick one to anchor the bottom of our list of faves, 'The Adjustment Bureau' would be it. Director George Nolfi just can't seem to put any oomph into the proceedings, and the film can't decide if it's a sci-fi thriller, a conspiracy mystery, a love story or a religious tract -- and given the ending that accedes to a
higher power, maybe even He (or She) didn't know either. This one sounds better on paper than it plays.
Vitals: Director: George Nolfi. Stars: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Terence Stamp, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 106 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $60.735 million, Universal.
Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) awakens after a car accident in Berlin to discover that his wife (January Jones) suddenly doesn't recognize him
and another man (Aidan Quinn) has assumed his identity. Ignored by disbelieving authorities and hunted by mysterious assassins, he finds himself alone, tired and on the run. Aided by an unlikely ally (Diane Kruger), Martin plunges headlong into a deadly mystery that will force him to question his sanity, his identity, and just how far he's willing to go to uncover the truth.
Liam Neeson's career has always been a mixed bag. One day he's playing Darkman, the next Oskar Schindler. When he's not handling a light sabre as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, he's brandishing a clip board in 'Kinsey.' Lately he's taken up residence as the big screen's elder statesman of action (he just hit 59), first in 'Taken' and now in 'Unknown.' This straight-ahead action-thriller by director Jaume Collet-Serra (who did the freaky thriller 'Orphan') is pushed along by Neeson's charisma and charm but starts to peter out after the plot twist is revealed in the film's last third. Still, we revel in Neeson's "dad-next-door-with-fists-of-steel" persona. Vitals: Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, Frank Langella.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 109 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $61.094 million, Warner.
Ed Helms (of 'The Office' and 'The Hangover' fame) plays naive Tim Lippe, a small-town mid-Western insurance agent who's never left his hometown, never stayed at a hotel, never had a hard-drink ... and he's never experienced anything like Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sent to represent his company at the annual insurance convention, Tim is soon distracted by three convention veterans (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who show him the ropes and push his boundaries ... and lend him a hand when his innocence gets him into raunchy trouble. Helms is cutting a swathe for himself as kind of an everyman loser who eventually rises to the occasion and saves the day. Here he plays it to the hilt as an insurance salesman whose libido is just on the edge of bursting -- though he doesn't yet know it. On the one hand he's having an affair with his ex-elementary school teacher (Sigourney Weaver), on the other he marvels at the peanuts he's served on his airline flight. The film veers from sweetness and light to nasty bathroom humor with almost nothing in between -- but it all comes together as a kind of goofball Odyssey.
Vitals: Director: Miguel Arteta. Stars: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Sigourney Weaver, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith, Alia Shawkat, Rob Corddry.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 96 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $6.732 million, Fox.
Aspiring children's book author Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) convinces his former best friend Marshal (Reece Thompson) to spend the weekend with him to rekindle their friendship at an elegant beachside estate owned by a famous documentary filmmaker Whit Coutell (Lee Pace). But it soon becomes clear that Sam has ulterior motives when Marshal learns that Whit's fiancee, Zoe (Uma Thurman) is Sam's older ex. His plan is to
crash and thwart their impending nuptials, but it begins to unravel as he is forced to realize how complicated love and friendship can be.
Vitals: Director: Max Winkler. Stars: Uma Thurman, Lee Pace, Michael Angarano, Rebecca Mader, Reece Thompson.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $.021 million, Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Recently retired from the adult film industry, superstar Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino) is pregnant with the child of late rock star Nick Chapel.
She's trying to make ends meet by teaching a community college sex education class aimed at housewives when a figure from her past, flight attendant Cora (Marley Shelton), approaches her with a proposition. In exchange for the (stolen) lyrics to Nick Chapel's last record, all of which is about Elektra, Cora needs Elektra to seduce her fiancee. Elektra reluctantly agrees to do this favor, setting in motion a series of events that will see her come face to face with a studly private investigator, an obsessed sex blogger, emotionally unstable clothing-challenged neighbors and the Virgin Mary herself as she wrestles with the prospect of motherhood and tries to become a person of
substance. Silly, amateurish production is a waste of a lot of good talent.
Vitals: Director: Sebastian Gutierrez. Stars: Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Marley Shelton, Timothy Olyphant, Malin Akerman, Adrianne Palicki, Emmanuelle Chriqui.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $.010 million, Sony.
In 2nd-Century Britain, celebrated Roman soldier Marcus Aquila (Channing
Tatum) embarks on a dangerous quest to restore the tarnished reputation
of his father and find the golden emblem that disappeared with him and thousands of troops twenty years earlier. But the highlands of Caledonia
are a savage wilderness, and Marcus must rely on his embittered slave, Esca (Jamie Bell), to navigate the perilous region. Their journey pushes
them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism. Vitals: Director: Kevin Macdonald. Stars: Channing Tatum, Denis O'Hare, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 114 min., Action, Box office gross: $19.478 million, Universal.
One of the greatest -- and definitely quirkiest -- film noirs of all time comes to home video this week courtesy of The Criterion Collection:
"Kiss Me Deadly"
(1955). In this atomic adaptation of Mickey Spillane's novel, directed by Robert Aldrich, the good manners of the 1950s are blown to smithereens. Ralph Meeker stars as snarling private dick Mike Hammer, whose decision one dark, lonely night to pick up a hitchhiking woman sends him down some terrifying byways. Brazen and bleak, "Kiss Me Deadly" is a film noir masterpiece as well as an essential piece of cold
war paranoia, and it features as nervy an ending as has ever been seen in American cinema. New high-definition restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. Extras: Commentary by film noir specialists Alain Silver and James Ursini; new video tribute from director Alex Cox; excerpts from "The Long Haul of A.
I. Bezzerides," a 2005 documentary on the "Kiss Me Deadly" screenwriter; excerpts from "Mike Hammer's Mickey Spillane," a 1998 documentary on the author whose book inspired the film; a look at the film's locations; altered ending; booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and a 1955 reprint by director Robert Aldrich. Also available on Blu-ray Disc.
"Anti-Nazi Classics: Four Films About Nazi Germany" is a four-disc set of classic films from the DEFA Collection, the legendary East German Studio: "The Murderers Are Among Us"
(1946): Using a film noir style infused with expressionism and a documentary-like point of view, this feature, the first produced in post-war Germany, follows a man and a woman returning to war-torn Berlin; "I Was Nineteen" (1968): This gritty, realistic film, based on director Konrad Wolf's actual experiences, follows a young Soviet soldier of German descent who returns to his homeland as part of the victorious Soviet Army; "The Gleiwitz Case" (1961): To justify invading Poland, the Nazi high command hatches a secret plan: six Polish men from an SS training camp are sent on a special mission to
the town of Gleiwitz, to fake a Polish raid on Germany; "Naked Among Wolves"
(1963): Starring Oscar Nominee Armin Mueller-Stahl and based on true events related by Buchenwald survivor Bruno Apitz, this was the first German film about life and death in a concentration camp. From First Run
Features.
The first passenger plane under the complete control of a state-of-the-art computer gets compromised by a virus, and the inventor must regain control and reprogram the computer by boarding the plane in mid-flight in "Turbulent Skies"
(2010), starring Casper Van Dien, Patrick Muldoon, Brad Dourif and Nicole Eggert; from Anchor Bay ... In order to afford their dream house,
newlyweds Jen and Mitch McKenzie ask their best friend Danny to move in
with them, and the plan works beautifully until Danny brings home Blair, a stunning temptress who decides she likes what the young couple has and never wants to leave in "Playing House" (2010), starring Mayra Leal, Sarah Prikryl, Craig Welbacher and Matt Lusk; from Maya Entertainment ... In "Bending All the Rules"
(2002), starring Colleen Porch, David Gail and Bradley Cooper, a serial
dater, who always puts her love life behind her career, finally lands her lifetime dream -- her own photography exhibition -- but things get complicated when she finds herself being romantically pursued by two men; from Lionsgate ... "You Got Served: Beat the World"
(2011) is set within the high-energy world of hip-hop dance competition, where three crews put their futures on the line battling their way to the finals at the International Beat the World competition in Detroit; from Sony ... It's a python vs. genetically enlarged alligators in the Everglades in the Syfy Channel thriller "Mega Python vs. Gatoroid" (2011), starring Debbie Gibson and Tiffany; from Image Entertainment.
Directed by Jack Hill. "Women in Cages" (1971)
An innocent woman is framed by her drug-dealing boyfriend and ends up in a tough prison in the Philippines jungle, where she must face off against the sadistic warden, Alabama (Pam Grier), who takes great pleasure in alternately seducing and torturing her prisoners. All three films are in new anamorphic widescreen film transfers. "The Wild West Collection" features two memorable classic films starring football great Jim Brown: "Rio Conchos" (1964),
in which a group miscreants head to Mexico after a megalomaniacal ex-Confederate soldier selling guns to the Apaches; stars Edmond O'Brien, Richard Boone, Stuart Whitman, Tony Franciosa and Edmond O'Brien. "Take a Hard Ride" (1975), about a tough-as-nails trail boss (Jim Brown), a smooth gambler (Fred Williamson), a ruthless bounty hunter (Lee Van Cleef), a mute martial arts master (Jim Kelly), a desperate prostitute (Catherine Spaak) and hundreds of greed-crazed gunmen in a chase to the Mexican border for a fortune in gold ... The folks at MVD Entertainment are now distributing Curb Entertainment films, and the first three titles are: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
(1999), starring Anthony Edwards and Charles Dance in a comedy about a man who hypnotizes the woman he loves to fall for him but she ends up fixating on the wrong man; "Family" (2006), starring Renee Humphrey, Boyd Kestner and Tanner Richie, about a small-time crook
on the run who takes a ride with a father and his 10-year-old son, a ride that puts her into jeopardy; and "Just Write"
(1997), starring Jeremy Piven and Sherilyn Fenn about a tour bus driver who convinces a beautiful starlet that he's an important screenwriter, then has to live the lie.
wallaby
and his pals, $19.93. A favorite with viewers and critics alike, "Rocko's Modern Life" debuted in 1993 and, over the course of its four-season run on Nickelodeon, garnered a Daytime Emmy Award and an Environmental Media
Award. Brimming with anthropomorphic social satire and offbeat humor, "Rocko's Modern Life" follows the misadventures of an Australian wallaby
named Rocko, who encounters various dilemmas and situations regarding otherwise mundane aspects of life. His best friend, Heffer, is a fat and
enthusiastic cow, while his other friend, Filburt, is an easily upset turtle who often feels uncomfortable or disturbed. Ed Bighead lives next
door to Rocko and detests him. These folks live in a bizarre district known as O-Town, and most of the episodes revolve around Rocko trying to
cope with the absurdities and dilemmas he encounters in life. From Shout! Factory ... There's two collections this week of Nickelodeon favorites: "Nickelodeon Favorites: Summer Vacation" (2011), with six summer-themed episodes from six pre-schooler favorite shows: "Dora the Explorer: Baby Crab," "Go, Diego, Go!: Panchita the Prairie Dog," "The Wonder Pets!: Save the Hermit Crab!/Save the Dolphin," "Blue's Clues: Blue's Big Car Trip," "Yo Gabba Gabba!: Summer"
and "Ni Hao, Kai-lan: The Hula Duck Dance Party." $16.99; and "Nickelodeon Favorites: Big Box of Play Dates, Vol. 2,"
a three-disc set with "We Love Our Friends," "Sisters and Brothers" and
"Summer Vacation" DVDs. Seven hours of entertainment with episodes featuring Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go! The Wonder Pets! Blue's Clues and Yo Gabba. $36.99; both from Nickelodeon/Paramount.
Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, "Barney's Version" is the warm, wise, and witty story of Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti), a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. Barney's candid confessional spans four decades and two continents, and includes three wives (Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, and Rachelle Lefevre), one outrageous father (Dustin Hoffman), and a charmingly dissolute best friend (Scott Speedman). A candid confessional, told from
Barney's point of view, taking us through the different acts of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara (Lefevre), a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free spirit with whom Barney briefly
lives 'la vie de Boheme' in Rome. The second Mrs. Panofsky (Driver) is a
wealthy Jewish princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney is not listening. It's at their lavish wedding that
Barney meets, and starts pursuing, Miriam, his third wife (Pike), the mother of his two children and his true love. With his father Izzy (Hoffman) as his sidekick, Barney takes us through the many highs, and a
few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Vitals:
Director: Richard J. Lewis. Stars: Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Scott Speedman.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 134 min., Drama, Box office gross: $7.431 million, Sony.
A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love. Seventeen-year-old Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is the spoiled, shallow and incredibly popular prince of his high school kingdom. Entirely captivated and empowered by his own physical appearance, Kyle foolishly chooses Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), a classmate rumored to be a witch, as his latest target for humiliation. Unfazed by his cruel behavior, Kendra
decides to teach him a lesson -- she transforms him into someone as unattractive on the outside as he is on the inside. Now he has one year to find someone who can see past the surface and love him, or he will remain "Beastly" forever. His only hope, an unassuming classmate he never noticed named Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens), may be his best chance to prove that love is never ugly.
Vitals: Director: Daniel Barnz. Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer, Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter Krause Neil Patrick Harris.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 86 min., Fantasy Drama, Box office gross: $27.598 million, Sony.
Action fantasy that takes us into the vivid imagination of a young girl whose dream world provides the ultimate escape from her darker reality. Unrestrained by the boundaries of time and place, she is free to go where her mind takes her, and her incredible adventures blur the lines between what's real and what is imaginary. She has been locked away against her will, but Babydoll (Emily Browning) has not lost her will to
survive. Determined to fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls -- the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung) and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) -- to band together and try to escape their terrible fate at the hands of their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm). Led by Babydoll, the girls engage in fantastical warfare against everything from samurais to serpents, with a virtual arsenal at their disposal. Together, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice in order to stay alive. But with the help of a Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their unbelievable journey -- if they succeed -- will set them free.
Vitals: Director: Zack Snyder. Stars: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Scott Glenn, Oscar Isaac, Carla Gugino, Jon Hamm.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 120 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $36.323 million, Warner.
Supernatural action adventure about a heroic 14th century crusader, Knight Behmen (Nicolas Cage) and his fellow soldier, Felson (Ron Perlman), who return to a homeland devastated by the Black Plague. A beleaguered church, deeming sorcery the culprit of the plague, commands the two knights to transport an accused witch (Claire Foy) to a remote abbey, where monks will perform a ritual in hopes of ending the pestilence. A priest, a grieving knight, an itinerant swindler and a headstrong youth who can only dream of becoming a knight join a mission troubled by a mythically hostile wilderness and a fierce contention over
the fate of the girl. The arduous journey across perilous terrain tests
their strength and courage as they discover the girl's secret and find themselves battling a terrifyingly powerful force that will determine the fate of the world. Vitals:
Director: Dominic Sena. Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Claire Foy, Stephen Campbell Moore, Stephen Graham, Stephen Graham, Robert Sheehan.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 95 min., Fantasy Thriller, Box office gross: $24.823 million, Fox.
After a lifetime of training in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, the world's most dangerous fighter (Jang Dong Gun) flees his homeland after refusing a mission and tries to start a new life in the American West. But soon the hunter becomes the hunted, and the legendary warrior must wage a fierce, all-out battle against a renegade gang of outlaws and a pack of murderous assassins from his own past.
Vitals: Director: Sngmoo Lee. Stars: Jang Dong Gun, Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Martial Arts/Western, Box office gross: $5.664, million, Fox.
ng waged in an anonymous countryside, a beautiful young woman (Cathryn Harrison) takes refuge in a
remote farmhouse, where she becomes embroiled in the surreal domestic Odyssey of a mysterious family.
Evocatively shot by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, "Black Moon" is a Freudian tale of adolescent sexuality set in a postapocalyptic world of shifting identities and talking animals. It is one of Malle's most experimental films and a cinematic daydream like no other. In a new high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition ... "People on Sunday" (Menschen am Sonntag)
(1930) represents an astonishing confluence of talent -- an early collaboration by a group of German filmmakers who would all go on to become 
major Hollywood players, including eventual noir masters Robert Siodmak and Edgar G. Ulmer and future Oscar winners Billy Wilder and Fred Zinneman. This effervescent, sunlit silent film, about a handful of
city dwellers enjoying a weekend outing (a charming cast of nonprofessionals),
offers a rare glimpse of Weimar-era Berlin. A unique hybrid of documentary and fictional storytelling, "People on Sunday" was both an experiment and a mainstream hit that would influence generations of film
artists around the world. In a new high-definition digital restoration,
created in collaboration with the Filmmuseum Amsterdam ... In "Zazie Dans le Metro"
(1960), a brash and precocious 11-year-old (Catherine Demongeot) comes to Paris for a whirlwind weekend with her rakish uncle (Philippe Noiret); he and the viewer get more than they bargained for in this anarchic comedy from Louis Malle, which treats the City of Light as though it were a pleasure island just waiting to be destroyed. Based on a
popular novel by Raymond Queneau that had been considered unadaptable, Malle's audacious hit is a bit of stream-of-conscious slapstick, wall-to-wall with visual gags, editing tricks and effects, and made with
flair on the cusp of the French New Wave. In a new high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.
In "The Perfect Man"
(2011), starring Malika Blessing, Maya Gilbert, Christian Keyes, Jazsmin
Lewis and Elise Neal, a group of close-knit girlfriends stumble upon a book that each believes will help her to recreate her boyfriend into the
"perfect man." From Entertainment One ... In "Wild Cherry"
(2009), starring Rumer Willis, Tania Raymonde and Kristin Cavallari, three high school seniors are shocked to discover their names in a legendary book that pairs the school's virgins with football players. Outraged, the girls form a pact to maintain their virginity and get even
with the boys. From Image Entertainment ... A calm office worker whose father ran illegal experiments on human guinea pigs transforms into living metal when his anger becomes unbearable after his only son is killed in a car accident in "Tetsuo: The Bullet Man" (2009 -- Japan), starring Eric Bossick, Akiko Mono, Yuko Nakamura, Stephen Sarrazin, Tiger Charlie Gerhardt. From IFC Entertainment ... In "Bloodworth"
(2010), starring Kris Kristofferson, Val Kilmer, Hilary Duff, Reece Thompson, Dwight Yoakam and Frances Conroy, a wanderer returns home to Tennessee after 20 years to find the wife he walked out on withered and faded and his three sons grown and angry. Only the old man's grandson treats him with the respect his age commands, and sees past all the hatred to realize the way it can poison a man's soul. From Sony.
Leon, Ashley Wolfe, Avery Sommers, Beth Glover and Steve DuMouchel. From Lionsgate ... In "Lebanon, Pa."
(2010), starring Josh Hopkins, Samantha Mathis, Mary Beth Hurt and Rachel Kitson, a young man leaves Philadelphia to bury his recently deceased father in small-town Lebanon and forms an unexpected friendship
with his bright, newly pregnant 17-year-old cousin.
As he becomes interested in her married teacher and his cousin confronts her conflicted father, they struggle with decisions about the future paths their lives will take. From Monarch Home Video ... "3 Backyards"
(2010), starring Embeth Davidtz, Edie Falco, Elias Koteas, Rachel Resheff and Kathryn Erbe, is the story of three residents of the same town over the course of one seemingly perfect autumn day. The film looks
past familiar suburban exteriors and instead peers deeply into the private lives of its characters as they embark on tiny, personal journeys that eventually carry them vast distances from everything that is familiar. From Screen Media ... Deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, where every man owns a gun and a moonshine still, abides living legend Jesco White, "the dancing outlaw." As a boy Jesco was in and out of reform school and the insane asylum, so to keep him out of trouble his daddy D-Ray taught him the art of mountain dancing, a frenzied version of tap dancing to wild country banjo music. After his father's death, crazy Jesco dons his father's tap shoes and takes his show on the road in "White Lightnin'" (2009), starring Edward Hogg, Carrie Fisher. From IFC Entertainment.
is girlfriend. Having returned to his hometown in the country, Johannes hopes for a less hectic, more genuine lifestyle.
But trouble is underfoot when Lars runs over a woman in a moment of inattention and he sees only one way out: put the blame on the Bosnian refugee Alain, whose post-traumatic stress has impaired his mental functions. But when Lars, the God-fearing husband of the victim, and their friends close in on the Bosnian, Johannes stands up for the hard-working man and brings him home with him. Undeterred, the violent, drunken horde makes their way to Johannes' secluded house, in which Johannes, his wife, his children and Alain all fear for their lives. And
when words no longer suffice to contain the madness, an unfathomable series of events unwinds. An award-winning film by Ole Bornedal, director of "Nightwatch." From Entertainment One ... "Max Manus: Man of War"
(2008 -- Norway) Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken, Christian Rubeck. Recounts the true saga of young Norwegian soldier Max Manus, a pioneer of Norway's resistance movement and one of the most brilliant saboteurs of World War II, whose aggressive sinking and damaging of German ships of war has become legend. From Music Box Films.
"Erasing David"
(2010) is a first-person documentary about a law-abiding man who discovers he is being watched all the time. How much do the government and private corporations know about you? How much can they find out?
In order to discover how much privacy he has left, British actor-filmmaker David Bond sets out to disappear from his own life by hopping around random European locations in the U.K. and the continent. Leaving behind his pregnant wife, Katie, and their young daughter, as well as the conveniences of modern life, Bond tries to go completely underground. But with a pair of topnotch private detectives (that he hired) on his trail using all the information that the surveillance society has made available, Bond finds his task far trickier than he imagined. He learns, among other disturbing things, that every phone call he has made, every bill he has paid and every website he has visited provide vital information to someone determined to find him. $24.98 from FilmBuff/MPI Media Group ... "Ancient Aliens: Th
e Complete Season Two" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Michael Flatley: Lord of the Dance"
(2010) was filmed at sold-out shows in Dublin and London in late 2010. The film was shot in full stereoscopic 3D on 40 state-of-the-art cameras, and stars, for the first time since 1998, the show's creator and Irish dance legend, Michael Flatley. Having toured with multiple troupes every year since 1996, including a performance at the Oscars and
recurring residencies in Las Vegas, Lord of the Dance has been seen so far by more than 13 million people worldwide. From Entertainment One. ... And due July 4 is "Gettysburg/Gods and Generals Limited Collector's Edition,"
a numbered limited edition giftset commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Includes extended cut of "Gods and Generals" (2003), "Gettysburg Director's Cut" (1993), commentaries, documentaries, more. Set includes a 24" x 36" two-sided Civil War map, a
40-page Civil War artifact photo book, commemorative coin, 32-page extract from Time's "The Civil War" book. Six-disc DVD: $69.92, Blu-ray Disc: $84.99. From Warner.
The winner of the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez SXSW Grindhouse
Trailer Competition, "Hobo With a Shotgun" was transformed into a full-length horror thriller that won accolades as a double-barrelled killer of a film; it's the explosive tale of one man pushed to his bloody breaking point by the surrounding chaos and violence of the grotesque urban hell in which he lives. Synopsis: A train pulls into the
station -- it's the end of the line. A Hobo (Rutget Hauer) jumps from a
freight car, hoping for a fresh start in a new city. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an urban hell. This is a world where criminals rule the streets and Drake, the city's crime boss, reigns supreme alongside his sadistic murderous sons, Slick and Ivan. Amidst the chaos, the Hobo comes across a pawnshop window displaying a second hand lawn mower. He dreams of making the city a beautiful place and starting a new life for himself. But as the brutality continues to rage around him, he notices a
shotgun hanging above the lawn mower. Quickly, he realizes the only way
to make a difference in this town is with that gun in his hand and two shells in its chamber. Vitals: Director: Jason Eisener. Stars: Rutger Hauer, Brian Downey, Molly Dunsworth, Gregory Smith, Nick Bateman, Jeremy Akerman.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 86 min., Horror-Thriller, Box office gross: $.672 million, Magnolia Home Entertainment.
Eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers in a monastery perched in the mountains of North Africa in the 1990s. When a crew of foreign workers is massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist
group, fear sweeps through the region. The army offers them protection,
but the monks refuse. Should they leave? Despite the growing menace in
their midst, they slowly realize that they have no choice but to stay ... come what may. This film is loosely based on the life of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine in Algeria, from 1993 until their kidnapping in 1996. Vitals: Director: Xavier Beauvois. Stars: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 120 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.556 million, Sony.
Legendary cult director Takashi Miike ('Ichi the Killer,' 'Audition') delivers a bravado action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a brave group of elite samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and his army to prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future. In the era of the Shogun, an evil young lord rapes and kills, assured of immunity by law. But he doesn't count on the Thirteen Assassins. A feared secret force, each with their own deadly skill, the Assassins undertake a suicide mission to wipe out the Lord. As the Lord embarks on a perilous journey,
the Assassins close off his escape route and ambush him in a village of
death. But little do they know that they are outnumbered four to one by
the Lord's crack team of bodyguards. Vitals: Director: Takashi Miike. Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 141 min., Action, Box office gross: $.301 million, Magnolia Home Entertainment.
truycken, Meg Foster, George Takei. On a frontier light years from the O.K. Corral, a bizarre gang of futuristic desperado
have their sights set on turning the tumbleweed town of
Oblivion into their own private playground. Their lizardlike leader, Redeye, pumps lawman Marshall Stone full of lead in a deadly shootout just outside of Miss Kitty's Kat House and begins terrorizing the town's
inhabitants. Meanwhile, Stone's long-lost pacifist son Zack and his "native" sidekick Buteo are escorted into town by the eerie undertaker Gaunt to pay their respects at the Marshall's funeral. Rendered helpless
by Redeye, a tough-as-nails Cyborg Deputy and the Marshall's old friend
Doc Valentine team with Zack to take back the troubled town in a final unearthly showdown ... On the Blu-ray front, Sony is releasing the director's cut of "Das Boot" (1981), newly remastered with 60 minutes added to the original version, which was nominated in 1982 for six Academy Awards including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Effects/Sound Effects Editing and Best Sound. The film also introduced German star Jurgen Prochnow to American audiences. Also included in the two-disc set is the original theatrical version of the film and almost three hours of all-new Blu-ray exclusive special features, including a retrospective documentary with director Wolfgang Petersen. 
"Wake Wood" (2011), starring Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle and Timothy Spall, is the first feature film presentation in more than three decades from Hammer Films. The parents of a 9-year-old girl killed in a savage dog attack move to the remote rural Irish community of Wake Wood, where they're introduced to a bizarre pagan ritual that will bring the girl back from the grave -- but for three days only. From Dark Sky Films/MPI Media Group ... "The Frankenstein Syndrome"
(2010), starring Tiffany Shepis, Louis Mandylor, Patti Tindall, Scott Anthony Leet and Ed Lauter, is a modern re-imagining of Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein," wherein a beautiful young stem-cell researcher, Elizabeth Barnes (Shepis) joins a secret research group attempting to develop a stem-cell based universal healing serum -- and ends up developing a serum that can bring the dead back to life -- but with horrific results. From MTI Home Video ... In "Ferocious Planet"
(2011), starring Joe Flanigan, John Rhys-Davies and Catherine Walker, a
groundbreaking device is created by the government to glimpse into alternate universes but malfunctions on its first presentation, inadvertently transporting a group of observers into a nightmarish new dimension populated with fearsome, man-eating creatures after their blood. A Syfy Channel movie from RHI Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment.
re-creations and thoughtful insights from some of America's most respected artists, business leaders, academics and intellectuals. From the revolutionary war that birthed the nation to the civil war that
divided it, and to the making of the modern world, "America the Story of Us" is an epic, dramatic, heartbreaking and triumphant journey that reminds us that American history truly belongs to we, the people.
The six volumes: "Rebels," "Westward," "The Civil War," "Boom," "Rise of a Superpower," "Millennium." $14.95 each from History ... "The Making of the President: The 1960s"
(2011) is the long-awaited home video debut of the landmark campaign documentaries that forever changed the landscape of political journalism
by offering a full and in-depth look at the tumultuous presidential campaigns of 1960, 1964, and 1968. The programs are based on the bestselling books by Theodore H. White. Produced by David L. Wolper. Three-volume set, $59.99 from Athena/Acorn Media ... "Trailers From Hell Volume 2"
(2010) showcases 20 of the kind of rare vintage trailers popularized on
the well-trafficked, award-winning website, www.trailersfromhell.com, but these are all brand new and exclusive to this DVD. Concentrating on a
wild mix of horror, science fiction, action, comedy and fantasy films, viewers can watch the trailers both in their original versions or accompanied by amusing and informative commentaries from esteemed genre gurus such as directors Joe Dante ("Piranha," "Gremlins"), Mick Garris ("The Stand"), John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London"), Guillermo
Del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth") and more. $19.93 from Shout! Factory.
Matthew McConaughey stars as Michael "Mick" Haller, a slick, charismatic
Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Having spent most of his career defending
petty, gutter-variety criminals, Mick unexpectedly lands the case of a lifetime: Defending a rich Beverly Hills playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who is
accused of attempted murder. What initially appears to be a straightforward case with a big money pay-off swiftly develops into a deadly match between two masters of manipulation and a crisis of conscience for Haller.
Vitals: Director: Brad Furman. Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Bob Gunton, Frances Fisher, Bryan Cranston, William H. Macy.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 119 min., Drama, Box office gross: $56.1 million, Lionsgate.
Terrifying story of a family who, shortly after moving, discover that dark spirits have possessed their home and that their son has inexplicably fallen into a coma. Trying to escape the haunting and save their son, they move again only to discover that it was not their house that was haunted. Vitals: Director: James Wan. Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Andrew Astor, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson, Ruben Pla, Heather Tocquigny, John Henry Binder.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 103 min., Horror, Box office gross: $52.4 million, Sony.
"Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Movie Collection, Set 6,"
featuring three all-new movies starring David Suchet (premiering on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! on June 19, June 26, and July 3): "Three Act Tragedy," "The Clocks" And "Hallowe'en Party," $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "Damages: Complete Third Season" (2010) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $45.99 from Sony ... "Doctor Who: The Awakening -- Episode 132" (1984) is Classic Doctor Who, digitally remastered, starring Peter Davison, $24.98 from BBC/Warner ... "Doctor Who: The Gunfighters -- Episode 25"
(1966) is Classic Doctor Who, digitally remastered, with William Hartnell, $24.98 from BBC/Warner ... "Entourage: The Complete Seventh Season" (2010) is a two-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "ER: The Complete Fifteenth Season" (2008-09) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.98 from Warner ... "MI-5: Volume 9" (2010) is a three-disc set with nine episodes, $39.98 from BBC/Warner.
a demonic nightmare more terrifying than they could possibly imagine. From Sony ... "Women in Prison Triple Feature"
is a two-disc set with "Chained Heat" (1983, uncut, remastered, starring Linda Blair, John Vernon, Sybil Danning, Tamara Dobson and Stella Stevens); "Red Heat" (1985, starring Linda Blair and Sylvia Kristel); "Jungle Warriors" (1984, starring Sybil Danning, Nina Van Pallandt and John Vernon). From Mr. Skin/Panik House Entertainment/CAV Distributing ... In "Dinocroc vs. Supergator" (2010), starring David Carradine, Corey Landis, Amy Rasimas, Rib Hillis, a mad scientist meddling with the laws of nature deep within the secret island
laboratory of an unscrupulous biotech corporation turns his attention from mutating fruits and vegetables to alligators, crocodiles and dinosaurs. When two of his most terrifying creations get loose on the tropical island paradise, their ravenous appetite for scientists, tourists, mercenaries and swimsuit models keeps growing. From Anchor Bay
... In "Maneater" (2009), starring Dean Cain, Stephen Lunsford, Nicole Moore and Shea Curry., a former FBI profiler, now a sheriff of a small town and a single parent of a high school-aged daughter, begins to profile a series of unexplained murders only to learn that the monster he's profiling may be himself. From Entertainment
One.
In "Brother's Justice" (2010), starring Dax Shepard, Tom Arnold, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher and Jon Favreau, actor Dax Shepard makes the decision to abandon comedy in pursuit of his true dream: to become an internationally-renown martial arts star. Without any formal martial arts training, or any real funding for his "blockbuster" action movie script, Dax enlists the help of his buddies, and together they work towards Dax's true passion while facing rejection
at every turn. With maniacal conviction, Dax journeys on a bizarre path
that becomes increasingly nonsensical and destructive, all at the expense and exploitation of his personal and professional relationships.
From Well Go USA ... A woman suffering from Disassociative Identity Disorder tries to piece her life back together and begins to videotape herself on a daily basis; her shrink fights to aid her in her effort to discern the real people in her life from those conjured up by her disorder in"Waking Madison" (2010), starring Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Roemer, Will Patton, Imogen Poots, Taryn Manning and Frances
Conroy. From Entertainment One.
"Yo Gabba Gabba: Party in a Box" (2011) is a three-DVD box set with "Birthday Boogie," "Clubhouse" and "Dancey Dance Bunch" that explores everything from animals and new foods to birthdays and dress-up. Special guests include Erykah Badu, The Ting Tings, and Elijah Wood. Each disc includes four episodes. $24.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "Thomas & Friends: Thomas in Charge"
(2011) includes four new adventures with Thomas and his railroad friends on the Island of Sodor: the title episode plus "Henry's Good Deeds," "O the Indignity" and "A Blooming Mess." $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... "Dora the Explorer: Dora's Big Party Pack"
(2011) is a three-disc box set: "Dora the Explorer: Dora's Big Birthday
Adventure," "Dora the Explorer: Super Silly Fiesta" and "Dora the Explorer: It's A Party!" Includes a Dora and Diego cake recipe card (while supplies last). $24.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "Thundercats: The Original Series Season One, Part One" (1985) is a two-disc set with 12 episodes, $19.97 from Warner ... In "Barney: 1-2-3 Learn" (2011), Barney and his friends teach pre-schoolers about shapes, numbers and letters. $14.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate.
Aspiring author Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is suffering from chronic writer's block, but his life changes instantly when an old friend introduces him to NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical that allows him to tap his full potential. With every synapse crackling, Eddie can recall everything he has ever read, seen or heard, learn any language in
a day, comprehend complex equations and beguile anyone he meets -- as long as he keeps taking the untested drug. Soon Eddie takes Wall Street by storm, parlaying a small stake into millions. His accomplishments catch the eye of mega-mogul Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), who invites him to help broker the largest merger in corporate history. But they also bring Eddie to the attention of people willing to do anything to get their hands on his stash of NZT. With his life in jeopardy and the drug's brutal side effects grinding him down, Eddie dodges mysterious stalkers, a vicious gangster and an intense police investigation as he attempts to hang on to his dwindling supply long enough to outwit his enemies. Vitals: Director: Neil Burger. Stars: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 105 min., Sci-Fi Thriller, Box office gross: $77.563 million, Fox.
Recent MIT grad Matt Franklin should be working for a Fortune 500 company and starting his upward climb to full-fledged yuppie-hood. Instead, the directionless 23-year-old takes a part-time job behind the counter of a video store at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. But, Matt's silent protest against maturity comes to a screeching halt once his unrequited high school crush, Tori Frederking, walks into the store. When she invites him to an epic, end-of-summer party, Matt thinks he finally might have a chance with the girl of his dreams. With his cynical twin sister Wendy and best friend Barry, Matt embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime evening that will change the course of their lives on
one unforgettable night in the Go-Go '80s. Vitals:
Director: Michael Dowse. Stars: Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Teresa Palmer, Chris Pratt, Michelle Trachtenberg, Michael Ian Black, Michael Biehn.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $6.7 million, Fox.
in which the true love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast. It's a landmark feat of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. The spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death in "Beauty and the
Beast" (La Belle et la Bete) have become timeless icons of cinematic wonder. The film is presented in a high-definition digital transfer from
restored film elements, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Bonus features inlcude composer Philip Glass's opera "La Belle et la Bete," presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio as an alternate soundtrack; two commentaries: one by film historian Arthur Knight and one by writer and cultural historian Christopher Frayling; "Screening at the Majestic," a 1995 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew; interview with
cinematographer Henri Alekan; rare behind-the-scenes photos and publicity stills; film restoration demonstration; original trailer, directed and narrated by director Jean Cocteau, plus restoration trailer
from 1995; and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien, a piece on the film by Cocteau, excerpts from Francis Steegmuller's 1970 book" Cocteau: A Biography," and an introduction to Glass's opera by the composer.
"The Girls Next Door: Season Six"
(2011) is a two-disc set introducing Hugh Hefner's most recent trio of girlfriends and including footage not seen on E! $24.98 from MPI Media Group ... "Hey Dude: Season 1" (1989) is a two-disc set with 13 episodes of the Nickelodeon series, from Shout! Factory ... "Melrose Place: The Sixth Season, Volume Two" (1998) is a three-disc set with 12 episodes, $42.99 from CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount ... "Top Gear: The Complete First Season"
(2010) includes nine episodes of the American version of the hit British car series, from BBC/Warner ... "Torchwood: The Complete Original UK Series"
is available as a 14-disc DVD set, $119.98, and a 12-disc Blu-ray set, $129.99; with more than 10 hours of bonus features, from BBC/Warner ... Justice League sidekicks Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian and Artemis team to battle evil in "Young Justice: Season One, Volume One" (2010-11), $14.97 from Warner.
starring Matt Salinger, Scott Paulin, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, Darren McGavin, Michael Nouri and Melinda Dillon. From MGM ... In "Tekken"
(2010), set in the year 2039, world wars have destroyed everything and territories are run by corporations, the mightiest of which is Tekken. In the midst of the ruined society, a young man with street smarts and raw fighting skills is driven by vengeance to defeat the world's most elite fighters in the greatest tournament ever known and become the "King of Iron Fist." From Anchor Bay ... In "House of the Rising Sun"
(2011), starring Dave Bautista, Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell, Danny Trejo
and Craig Fairbrass, an ex-cop -- now working security at a New Orleans
strip club -- gets implicated in the robbery of the club and the murder
of the owner's son, and most strike out on his own to clear his name, staying one step ahead of the police and the mob. From Lionsgate.
starring Renee Zellweger, Forest Whitaker, Madeline Zima and Nick Nolte. Features an original soundtrack by Bob Dylan.From Inception Media
Group ... An escapee from an alcohol rehab clinic passes himself off as an alien from outer space, becoming an instant local celebrity and getting all the beer he wants, a nice place to live, and the endless attentions of the women of the small Irish town of Ballymoran in "Zonad"
(2009), starring Simon Delaney, Janice Byrne, Donna Dent, Kevin Maher and Geoff Minogue. From FilmBuff/MPI Media Group ... An English girls boarding school is thrown into disarray when a wild and self-confident transfer student arrives from Spain in "Cracks" (2010),
starring Eva Green, Juno Temple, Maria Valverde and Imogen Poots. From IFC Films ... At their father's 70th birthday, a dysfunctional family comes to term with a thinly-veiled expose of a novel written by the youngest son in the black comedy "Peep World"
(2010), starring Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Ben Schwartz, Judy Greer, Kate Mara, Taraji P. Henson, Ron Rifkin and Lesley
Ann Warren. From IFC Films.
Over the course of a meteoric music career that spanned two turbulent decades, Phil Ochs sought the bright lights of fame and social justice in equal measure -- a contradiction that eventually tore him apart. From
youthful idealism to rage to pessimism, the arch of Ochs' life paralleled that of the times, and the anger, satire and righteous indignation that drove his music also drove him to dark despair. In this
brilliantly constructed film, interview and performance footage of Ochs
is illuminated by the ruminations of Joan Baez, Tom Hayden, Pete Seeger, Sean Penn, Peter Yarrow, Christopher Hitchens and others. From First Run Features.
Thirteen year-old Dylan dreams of a life on stage with his puppet, while his dad wishes he would be more athletic and join the football team. A former Miss Ohio beauty queen longs to make it on to a cruise-ship while Dan, a veteran cruise-ship entertainer, struggles to find more balance in his home life. Wilma just loves to entertain people, taking her dummies with her to the senior home or a local Walmart. Lastly, comes the most successful of the five, Terry Fator, a struggling vent who went on to win the second season of "America's Got Talent" and a five-year, $100 million contract to perform each night at the Mirage Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. From Magnolia Home Entertainment.
When soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of an experimental government program called the "Source Code" that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last eight minutes of his life. Armed with the task of identifying the bomber of a Chicago commuter train, Colter must re-live the incident over and over again, gathering clues until he can solve the mystery and prevent an even deadlier second
terrorist attack.
Vitals: Director: Duncan Jones. Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 93 min., Sci-Fi Thriller, Box office gross: $52.233 million, Summit Entertainment.
Armed
with an edgy wit and an arsenal of silver and wood-tipped bullets, Dylan must solve a series of murders before an epic war ensues between his werewolf, vampire and zombie clients. From Fox ... In "Bio-Dead"
(2009), starring Matthew Norton, Derek Long and Tony Williams, a biological disaster in Southern California has left behind a 4,000 square mile contaminated wasteland known as "The Zone." While searching for survivors of the disaster, a hazmat team discover a mysterious building, and as they explore the enormous structure, the would-be rescuers realize they are not alone. Trapped inside the claustrophobic, maze-like structure and experiencing terrifying hallucinations, the team
is forced to fight for their lives against their flesh-hungry attacker ... and each other. From Entertainment One ... Two friends head out for the open road but their pleasure trip takes a surprising turn when they become entangled in a plan involving political blackmail, corruption, and dirty money in "Born to Ride" (2011), starring Casper Van Dien, Patrick Muldoon, William Forsythe and Theresa Russell. From Image Entertainment ... A bounty hunter and his Apache captive must
fight off a horde of the undead after a meteor lands in Jamestown California in 1849 during the gold rush, turning the population into blood-thirsty mutants in "The Dead and the Damned" (2010), starring David A. Lockhart, Camille Montgomery, Rick Mora and Robert Amstler. From Inception Media Group ... 
"Matrimony"
(2007 -- China) is a supernatural horror thriller about a married woman who allows the ghost of her husband's first love to enter her body to win him over -- with unforeseen consequences. From Palisades Tartan/Asia
Extreme ... In "We Are What We Are" (2010 -- Mexico), the patriarch of a family passes away and the teenage children must take
responsibility for the family chores: The preparation of the rituals, the hunting, and putting the all-important meat on the table. These newfound responsibilities are even more daunting, however, when you live
in the city and happen to be a family of cannibals. From IFC Films ... An archeology professor unearths a dangerous artifact, unwittingly releasing a creature that is able to kill with the power of its bone-splitting scream in "Scream of the Banshee" (2011), starring Lauren Holly, Lance Henriksen. A Syfy Channel After Dark original from Lionsgate ... A group of unlucky reality show contestants must survive the night in a haunted jail in "The Task"
(2010), starring Tom Payne, Texas Battle, Amara Karan. Another Syfy Channel After Dark original from Lionsgate.
"Team America" meets "Inglourious Basterds" in "Jackboots on Whitehall"
(2010), a supermarionation World War II farce about a Nazi invasion of England, with the voices of Ewan McGregor, Alan Cumming, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Richard E. Grant. From Flatiron Films/New Video ... In "American Bully" (2009),
starring Matt O'Leary, Marshall Allman, John Savage, Paul Ben-Victor and Natasha Henstridge, a middle-American teenage boy who is affected by
9/11, terrorism, and the war in Iraq becomes involved in an isolated high school altercation that escalates into a hate crime that shocks the
entire nation. From Green Apple Entertainment ... Francis and his best pal Marie both fall for the same aloof guy, Nicolas, but the closer they
get to their obscure object of desire, the more unobtainable he seems to become -- and the more frayed the best friends' bond becomes in "Heartbeats" (2010 -- Canada), starring Monia Chokri, Niels Schneider, Xavier Dolan. From IFC Films ... In "Mark of Love"
(2009), starring Bryan Price and Caitlin M. Shultz, a fun-loving, serial monogamist signs up for a karate class to fill his spare time, only to find that he's been duped by a group of women seeking men to date. When he tries to leave, they offer him cash to give them insights into dating but, instead, he learns more than he imparts to the women. From Cinema Libre Studio.
"Supernatural: The Anime Series" (2010) is a Japanese re-imagining of the U.S. TV series in anime style; three-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.98 from Warner ... "The Young Artists Collection"
is a three-disc collection featuring animated adaptations from 17 award-winning and beloved books for every aspiring young artist, musician or performer, narrated by celebrities such as Zach Braff, James
Earl Jones, Mary Beth Hurt and a singing performance from Aretha Franklin; $24.95. Three DVDs -- "Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin ... and More Stores For Young Musicians," "The Dot ... and More Stories For Young Artists" and "Shrinking Violet ... and More Stories For Young Performers" will be available separately for $14.95 each. From Scholastic Storybook Treasures ... "Shaun the Sheep: Animal Antics"
(2011) features seven wild and hairy farm adventures in which Shaun and
his barnyard buddies deal with a fiendish fox, attempt some clever catering, take to the links, run a farmer's market, stage a daring rooster rescue and more. $14.98 from Lionsgate.
Across six hours of acclaimed programming, Omnibus explores the lives of luminaries such as LIFE Magazine photographer Phillipe Halsman, authors William Faulkner, James Thurber and E.B. White, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pearl Buck, the "greatest fighter of the 20th Century" Sugar Ray
Robinson, and conductor Leonard Bernstein and places, such as The New York Times and Grand Central Station and "The Museum that Ought to Be," featuring Dr. Seuss. $34.98. from Entertainment One ... "The Anger"
(1963) taps into topics from the 1950s and the early 1960s, such as racism, the Middle East, Cuba, Stalinism, the Atomic bomb, and the death
of Marilyn Monroe. The directors and commentators of "The Anger," two of the most important opinion makers and intellectuals in post-WWII Europe, employ documentary footage from the era and an accompanying commentary, in which they attempt to answer, quite elegantly and poetically, the existential question: Why are our lives characterized by
discontent, anguish, and fear? The 
film is in two completely separate parts, and the directors of these respective sections, left-wing film director and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini and the conservative journalist and film director Giovanni Guareschi, offer the viewer contrasting analyses of, and prescriptions for modern society. From RaroVideo/Entertainment One ... "The Death of Andy Kaufman"
(2008) explores the many mysteries and theories surrounding Andy Kaufman's death, using exclusive interviews with family and friends, rare performances by Kaufman, and the filmmaker's own personal investigation to get closer to understanding the mind and the myth of one of the most celebrated and mysterious performance artists all time -- and hopefully to answer the burning question: Did Kaufman fake his own death? From MVD Entertainment ... In "Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up?"
(2010), award-winning director Saul Landau embarks on an in-depth exploration of Miami-Havana politics through the story of the Cuban 5, a
group of spies sent by the Castro government to infiltrate violent right-wing terrorist organizations in Miami. When the spies turned over evidence of U.S.-based terrorism to the FBI, they themselves were arrested, tried, and convicted in Florida courts. Meanwhile, the confessed anti-Castro terrorists, who planned and implemented decades of
assassinations and sabotage backed by Washington, live freely in Florida. From Cinema Libre Studio.
America is a lost nation. When an epidemic of vampirism strikes, humans find themselves on the run from vicious, feral beasts. Cities are tombs and survivors cling together in rural pockets, fearful of nightfall. When his family is slaughtered, young Martin ("Gossip Girl's" Connor Paolo) is taken under the wing of a grizzled survivalist (Nick Damici, who co-wrote the screenplay). Simply known as Mister, the vampire stalker takes Martin on a journey through the locked-down towns of America's heartland, searching for a better place (New Eden, in Canada) while taking down any bloodsuckers that cross their path. Along the way they recruit fellow travellers, including a nun (Kelly McGillis) who is caught in a crisis of faith when her followers turn into ravenous beasts, and a pregnant young woman (Danielle Harris). This ragtag family
unit cautiously moves north, avoiding major thoroughfares that have been seized by The Brethren, a fundamentalist militia headed by Jebedia Loven (Michael Cerveris), that interprets the plague as the Lord's work.
This is a vampire film with a heart and a soul: Despite its straight-ahead vampire killing action, there's plenty of time for characterization and the development of subthemes; director Jim Mickle and Damici work in thoughtful conversations and ideas about loneliness, teamwork, freedom and family. In fact, the film revolves around the nuclear family of sorts: the survivalist, who takes the young man under his wing and becomes his surrogate father, teaching him the ways of the world; the motherly nun; and the pregnant girl. It's a stylish, moody, trippy coming-of-age story with a stake in its hand.
Vitals: Director: Jim Mickle. Stars: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici, Kelly McGillis, Michael Cerveris, Danielle Harris.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 96 min., Horror Thriller, Box office gross: $.018 million, Dark Sky Films/MPI Media Group.
Phil Rosenthal, the Emmy Award-winning creator of "Everybody Loves Raymond," takes a journey halfway around the world to detail his struggle to make one of America's favorite sitcoms a successful Russian TV series. Rosenthal, who created one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, was a bona-fide expert in his craft. And then ... the Russians
called. In "Exporting Raymond," a very funny comedy that could only exist in real life, Rosenthal travels to Russia to help adapt his beloved sitcom for Russian television. The Russians don't share his tastes. They don't seem to share his sense of humor. But what Rosenthal does discover is a real comedy, filled with unique characters and situations that have to be seen to be believed. An audience award winner
at festivals all across the country, the film proves that even if you've never seen "Everybody Loves Raymond," you'll still enjoy this wildly entertaining film. Vitals: Director: Phil Rosenthal
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 88 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $.083 million, Sony.
Captured as a young bird from the wild, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) is a domesticated Spix Macaw living thousands of miles away from his homeland, Brazil. When his human owner Linda (Leslie Mann) discovers that he is the last male of his kind, they head south to Rio de Janeiro to meet the only other female. But it's far from love at first sight between the socially-awkward, flight-challenged Blu and the fiercely independent, high-flying female, Jewel (Anne Hathaway). Shortly after Blu's arrival, the two rare birds are captured by greedy animal smugglers and find themselves lost in the Brazilian rainforest. With the
help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his
side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had. Vitals:
Director: Carlos Saldanha. Stars: Voices of Leslie Mann, Kelly Keaton, Jesse Eisenberg, Wanda Sykes, Jane Lynch, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Anne Hathaway. 2011, CC, MPAA rating: G, 95 min., Animated, Box office gross: $137.781 million, Fox.
The incredible true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb), who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith. In the wake of this life-changing event that took her arm and nearly her life, Bethany's feisty determination and steadfast beliefs spur her toward an adventurous comeback that gives her the grit to turn her loss into a gift for others. Bethany Hamilton was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl's life on the Kauai Coast,
competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana (Lorraine
Nicholson), when everything changed in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams. Strengthened by the love of her parents, Tom (Dennis Quaid) and Cheri (Helen Hunt), she refused to give in or give up, and began a bold return
to the water. Vitals: Director: Sean McNamara. Stars: AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Lorraine Nicholson.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 106 min., Drama, Box office gross: $40.610 million, Sony.
religious fanatics as they travel across the land in search of the rumored safe haven of New Eden. This is a vampire film with a heart: Despite its non-stop action, there's plenty of time for the characters to interact and make us care about them -- and discuss topics with more meaning than just the best way to kill a "vamp." In fact, the film revolves around a survivalist who takes a young man under his wing and becomes his surrogate father, teaching him the ways of the world. Bonus features include two feature-length cast and crew commentaries; a "Going
for the Throat: The Making of Stake Land" featurette; video diaries by director Jim Mickle; the Toronto International Film Festival premiere and Q&A; and a very cool series of "Character Prequels," seven short
films that explore the pre-apocalypse life of the main characters. Highly recommended; from Dark Sky Films/MPI Media Group.
eater 3000, Vol. XXI (Deluxe Edition)"
is a five-disc set housed in a limited-edition tin, with five mini-posters, and includes the titles "Gamera," "Gamera Vs. Barugon," "Gamera Vs. Gaos," "Gamera Vs. Guiron" and "Gamera Vs. Zigra"; $64.99 from Shout! Factory ... "The Music Never Stopped"
(2011) stars J.K. Simmons, Lou Taylor Pucci, Cara Seymour, Julia Ormond
in a stirring melodrama. Once close, Gabriel and his father Henry have spent the last 20 years estranged from each other. But when Gabriel is diagnosed with a brain tumor that doesn't allow his mind to create new memories, he returns home, where Henry hires a music therapist to help engage the young man; eventually the two men forge a common bound trough
classic rock music. Soundtrack with music by The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Crosby, Stills & Nash. The extras feature interviews with neurologist Oliver Sacks ("Awakenings"). From Lionsgate ... "The Perfect Game" (2009), starring Clifton Collins Jr., Moises Arias, Ryan Ochoa and Jake T. Austin, tells the story of a team of impoverished baseball-loving kids from Mexico who achieved the impossible: Standing tall against hardships no child should face -- poverty, intolerance -- they crossed the border in 1957 to achieve a dream: Compete in and win the Little League World Series. Cheech Marin, Lou Gossett Jr., Bruce McGill, Emilie
de Ravin snd David Koechner make guest appearances. From Image Entertainment.
"Outside the Law" (2010 -- France) is a drama about the
Algerian struggle for independence from France after WWII, as seen through the eyes of three men whose father's farmland was confiscated by
the French 30 years before. Stars Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem, Jamel Debbouze. From Palisades Tartan ...
Three successful Israeli couples plan a quiet evening together but are interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a fortune teller in "Bittersweet"
(2007 -- Israel), starring Tzufit Grant, Nati Ravitz, Eyal Shehter, Michal Yannai, Safrira Zachai. Her prophecies disturb the group's fragile harmony and each of their lives begins to unravel.From SISU Home
Entertainment ... In "Maya" (2010 -- Israel), starring
Liron Ben-Chelouch, Gil Frank, Shiri Gadni, Alex Anski, Miki Varshaviak, Addi Kaplan, a young actress lands a role as a mental patient in an avant-garde play. To get in character, she enters a psychiatric ward, but the truth she finds there and her fracturing mental state lead to an explosive conflict with her director. Similar to
'Black Swan,' this edgy Israeli drama walks a thin line between acting and madness. From SISU Home Entertainment.
Two sci-fi geeks on a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland accidentally
encounter an alien who sends them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever. For the past 60 years, an alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) has been hanging out at a top-secret military base. For reasons unknown, the space-traveling smartass decides to escape the compound and hop on the first vehicle out of town -- a rented RV containing Earthlings Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost). Chased by federal agents and the fanatical father
of a young woman they accidentally kidnap, Graeme and Clive hatch a fumbling escape plan to return Paul to his mother ship. As two nerds struggle to help, one little green man might just take his fellow outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.
Vitals: Director: Greg Mottola. Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (the voice of Paul), Sigourney Weaver, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Jane Lynch, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Jeffrey Tambor, Blythe Danner.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 104 min., Sci Fi Comedy, Box office gross: $37.371 million, Universal.
Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Thadeous (Danny McBride) has spent his life watching
his perfect older brother Fabious (James Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he's settled for a life of wizard's weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious' bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off. Half-assedly embarking upon his first quest, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the perilous outlands and free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman -- an elusive warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own -- the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna. If Thadeous can find his inner hero, he can help his brother prevent the destruction of his land. Stay a slacker, and not only does he die a coward, he gets front row seats to the dawn of an all-new Dark Ages. Vitals: Director: Gordon Green. Stars: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Justin Theroux, Zooey Deschanel.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Action-Comedy, Box office gross: $21.557 million, Universal.
Take out the trash, eat your broccoli -- who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom
(Joan Cusack) when she's nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. Milo's quest to save his mom involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet
and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Mindy Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, underground Earthman named Gribble (Dan Fogler) and a rebel Martian girl called Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo just might find his way back to his mom -- in more ways than one. Berkeley Breathed, a Pulitzer-Prize winner for his comic strip "Bloom County," is the author and illustrator of the book "Mars Needs Moms." The story was inspired by a particular moment of disagreement that took place between his son Milo and his wife. Producer-director Robert Zemeckis is a pioneer in performance-capture filmmaking. The process digitally captures the performances of the actors with computerized cameras in a full 360 degrees, allowing actors like Jim Carrey ("Disney's A Christmas Carol") and Tom Hanks to play several roles of varying ages ("Polar Express") in one film, and for 36-year-old Seth Green to portray a 9-year-old here. Vitals: Director: Simon Wells. Stars: Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Joan Cusack, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Kevin Cahoon, Tom Everett Scott.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 88 min., Animated, Box office gross: $20.888 million, Disney.
trumps authority at every turn, finally emerging as a violent savior against the vicious games of one-upmanship played by both students and masters. Mixing color and black and white as audaciously as it mixes fantasy and reality, "If ...." remains one of cinema's most unforgettable rebel yells. Restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by cinematographer Miroslav Ondricek and assistant editor Ian Rakoff, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. One of the most influential political films in history, "The Battle of Algiers" vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafes, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo's tour-de-force has astonishing relevance today. Two-disc set
with high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Marcello Gatti, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Both releases contain Criterion's always excellent bonus features as well as booklets with essays and photos.
starring Steve Austin, Michael Jai White and Keith Jardine. From Nasser
Entertainment/Vivendi Entertainment ... A journalism student, with the help of her detective father and a therapist, tracks a serial killer who
selects victims and forces them to choose between horrific options in "Choose"
(2011), starring Katheryn Winnick, Nicholas Tucci, Kevin Pollak, Richard Short and Bruce Dern. From IFC Films ... Cheng Li-sheung is a young, upwardly mobile professional finally ready to invest in her first
home. But when the deal falls through, she is forced to keep her dream alive -- even if it means shedding the blood of her would-be neighbors in "Dream Home" (2010 -- Hong Kong), starring Josie Ho. From IFC Films ... "The Last Godfather"
(2010 -- USA/South Korea), starring Harvey Keitel, Hyung-rae Shim, Michael Rispoli and Jason Mewes. is director Hyung Rae Shim's Mafia spoof: Mob boss Don Carini Keitel) is retiring from the family business and surprises everyone by anointing his goofy grownup love child Younggu
as his successor, fomenting a struggle for power among family, friends and enemies alike. From Lionsgate ...
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy (Rainn Wilson) transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills in "Super"
(2011), starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion. From IFC Films/MPI Media Group.
"Hey Arnold: Season 1" (1996-97) is a four-disc set with 20 episodes, $29.93 from Shout! Factory ... "The Fox and the Hound"
(1981) and "The Fox and the Hound 2" (2006) have been reissued by Disney as a 30th Anniversary 2-Movie Collection, available as a three-disc Blu-ray combo pack (one Blu-ray Disc that has both films on it, one DVD of "The Fox and the Hound," one DVD of "The Fox and the Hound 2," $39.99), and a two-disc DVD set of both films, $29.99) ... In "Yo Gabba Gabba: Music Makes Me Move!"
(2011) The Gabba gang stars in four episodes where they start a band, learn it's okay to be different and ride on trains; $16.99 from Nickelodeon/Paramount ... Due Saturday is "Veggietales: Princess and the Pop Star"
(2011), the latest outing from Big Idea: Princess Poppyseeds' life on her family's farm is far from the glamorous but lonely world of her favorite pop singer, Vanna Banana. On a chance meeting at a playground, Vanna and Princess cross paths and realize that they look almost exactly
alike -- which leads to the crazy secret plan where they decide to switch lives. As each girl realizes that the life they longed for doesn't fulfill all of their dreams, they learn that the life they have is the one for which they were uniquely and lovingly designed.
The classic 1847 novel jumps off the screen in this delightful version that is at once scary and sweet. Told in flashback form, this Jane Eyre follows the orphan's travails as, despised by her aunt and eventually sent off to a charity girl's school, she puts up with horrible conditions, finally leaving to procure a job as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester. But complications arise as she falls in love with her master, only to be devastated when her marriage to him is prevented by a
horrible secret, forcing her to act decisively to secure her own future
and come to terms with her own past. Mia Wasikowska is a perfect Jane Eyre -- not overly pretty but still striking in her looks and demeanor; she pulls you into her character as you feel her pain and discomfort -- and stoicness. And Michael Fassbender scores well as the troubled Rochester. An auspciouis outing for director Cary Fukunaga. If you thought there were already two many 'Jane Eyres' out there, you'd be wrong.Vitals: Director: Cary Fukunaga. Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Su Elliot, Imogen Poots, Sophie Ward.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 121 min., Drama, Box office gross: $10.867 million, Universal.
A post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller set in an alternate world -- one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves
around a legendary Warrior Priest from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on a quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece's boyfriend, a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess
who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.
Vitals: Director: Scott Stewart. Stars: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Karl
Urban, Christopher Plummer, Stephen Moyer.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Sci Fi Horror, Box office gross: $28.707 million, Sony.
In the wake of the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865, a country
mourns its leader, and eight people are charged with conspiring to kill
the president, vice president and Secretary of State. The lone woman accused, Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), owns the boarding house where the attack was planned. Faced with a certain death, Surratt's only hope comes in the form of a newly minted lawyer and Union war hero, Frederick
Aiken (James McAvoy), who reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a
military tribunal. As the courtroom trial unfolds, Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her son (Johnny Simmons). Vitals: Director: Robert Redford. Stars: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood, Danny Huston, Justin Long, Colm Meaney, Tom Wilkinson, Alexis Bledel, Johnny Simmons.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 122 min., Drama, Box office gross: $11.521 million, Lionsgate.
Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a talented attorney at a top New York law firm, a generous and loyal friend, and, unhappily, still single -- as her engaged best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) is constantly reminding her.
But after celebrating her 30th birthday, perpetual good girl Rachel unexpectedly ends up in the arms of the guy she's had a crush on since law school, Dex (Colin Egglesfield) ... who just happens to be Darcy's fiance. As one thing leads to another in the frantic weeks leading up to
Darcy's wedding, Rachel finds herself in an impossible situation, caught between her treasured friendship with Darcy and the love of her life. Meanwhile, Ethan (John Krasinski), Rachel's constant confidante and sometimes conscience, is busy evading the affection of Darcy's hopelessly love-struck friend Claire (Ashley Williams) while harboring a
secret crush of his own; and the charming and irrepressible Marcus (Steve Howey) has designs on Rachel that don't necessarily exclude any other woman who catches his eye.
Vitals: Director: Luke Greenfield. Stars: Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesfield, Steve Howey, Ashley Williams.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 103 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $38.438 million, Warner.
In this irreverent comedy, awkward teenager Tobe (Dustin Ingram) sets off on a road trip to meet Monica Velour (Kim Cattrall), his favorite 80s porn star, at a rare live appearance hundreds of miles away. Instead
of the glamorous sexpot portrayed on film, he finds a 49-year-old single mom living in a trailer in rural Indiana, performing at seedy strip clubs to make ends meet. But the starry-eyed Tobe, still captivated by his crush, befriends Monica, further complicating her difficult life in this offbeat love story that appeals to the dreamer --
and the nerd -- in all of us.
Vitals: Director: Keith Bearden. Stars: Dustin Ingram, Kim Cattrall, Brian Dennehy, Keith David.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $.031 million, Anchor Bay.
and a phenomenal cast of character actors, including Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Timothy Carey and Elisha Cook Jr., "The Killing" (1956) is both a jaunty thriller and a cold-blooded punch to the gut. And with its
precise tracking shots and gratifying sense of irony, it's Kubrick to the core. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. In "Cul-de-sac"
(1966), Roman Polanski orchestrates a mental menage a trois in a slyly absurd tale of paranoia from the director's golden 1960s period. Donald Pleasance and Francoise Dorleac star as a withdrawn couple whose isolated house is infiltrated by a rude, burly American gangster on the run, played by Lionel Stander. The three engage in a game of shifting identities and sexual and emotional humiliations. "Cul-de-sac" is an evocative, claustrophobic, and morbidly funny tale of the modern world in chaos. New digital restoration, approved by director Roman Polanski, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.
"Dexter: The Complete Fifth Season" (2010) is a four-disc set with 12 episodes, $49.99 from Showtime Networks/CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount Home Entertainment ... "Gone" (2011) is a Lifetime Original Movie about a woman whose 9-year-old daughter has been kidnapped and who is instructed to kill a patient at her hospital if she ever wants to see her again; stars Molly Parker; from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Horatio Hornblower: The Further Adventures"
(2011) is a two-disc set with two feature-length chapters in the Emmy-winning Hornblower saga: "The Duchess and the Devil" and "The Wrong
War," $14.95 from A& E Home Entertainment ... "Spin City: The Complete Fifth Season"
(2000-01) is a four-disc set with 23 episodes (featuring Charlie Sheen as the new Deputy Mayor), $29.93 from Shout! Factory ... "The Thomas Hardy Collection"
(2011) is a two-disc set with "Tess of the D'urbervilles" and "The Mayor of Casterbridge," $19.95 from A& E Home Entertainment).
What begins as a scenic road trip through Ireland soon turns deadly for a
group of friends when an ancient curse takes wing by way of a bloodthirsty bird of prey in the Syfy Channel Maneater Series original "Roadkill" (2011), starring Kacey Barnfield, Eliza Bennett and Stephen Rea, from Vivendi Entertainment ... Entertainment One has two "Elvira's Movie Macabre"
double bills this week: "The Terror "(1963) and "Eegah!" (1962) and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" (1962)) and "The Manster" (1959), $14.98 each ... and Shout! Factory has a pair of "Mystery Science Theater 3000"
spoofs: "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Red Zone Cuba" (1966), which escaped convicts volunteer to fight in the Bay of Pigs, and "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Unearthly"
(1957), in which Tor Johnson co-stars as Lobo in this horror flick about a mad scientist (John Carradine) whose experiments with immortality accidentally produce mutants.
There's four super-sized adventures in "Bob the Builder: Super Scrambler"
(2011), featuring Bob the builder and his crew: "Travis' New garage," "Scratch and the Dream House," "Super Scrambler" and "Roley and the Fix," $9.98 from HIT Entertainment/Lionsgate ... The 10th and 11th DVDs of the 12-part "Shalom Sesame" series arrive this week: "Shalom Sesame: The Sticky Shofar"
(2011) sees the Sesame Street characters travel to Israel to introduce Jewish holidays, traditions and cultures to viewers of all ages. Here Grover Avigail and Brosh learn about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New year; and "Shalom Sesame: Monsters in the Sukkah" (2011), where Avigail and Brosh get ready for the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. $14.95 each from SISU Home Entertainment ... "The Gruffalo,"
a 2011 Academy Award nominee for Best Short Film, is an animated film based on the classic children's picture book that tells the magical tale
of a mouse who takes a walk though the woods in search of a nut. Encountering three animals who all wish to eat him -- a fox, an owl and a
snake -- the plucky mouse has to use his wits to survive. Features the voices of Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane. $9.99 from NCircle Entertainment ... "Marley & Me: The Puppy Years" (2011) is a prequel to the smash hit "Marley & Me," from Fox.
Struggling attorney Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, becomes the legal guardian of an elderly client in a shady attempt to help keep his practice afloat. When the client's teenage grandson -- a wrestling champ -- runs away from home and shows up on his grandfather's doorstep, Mike puts him on the wrestling team. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Vitals: Director: Tom McCarthy. Stars: Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young, Melanie Lynskey, Alex Shaffer.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: R, 106 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $10.123 million, Fox.
We live in an age where it's tough even to walk down the street without someone trying to sell you something. It's at the point where practically the entire American experience is brought to us by some corporation. Using cutting-edge tools of comic exploration and total self exploitation, director-writer Morgan Spurlock dissects the world of
advertising and marketing by using his personal integrity as currency to sell out to the highest bidder. Scathingly funny, subversive, and deceptively smart, "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" shines the definitive light on our branded future as Spurlock attempts to create the "Iron Man
of documentaries," the first ever "docbuster."
Vitals: Director: Morgan Spurlock. 2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $.621 million, Sony.
encompass breathless teen escapades, cruel crime stories, a Mishima adaptation, and even a Hollywood-inspired romantic comedy. "Intimidation"
(1960): Koreyoshi Kurahara's ingeniously plotted, pocket-sized noir concerns the intertwining fates of a desperate bank manager, blackmailed
for book-cooking, and his resentful but timid underling, passed over for a promotion. "The Warped Ones" (1960): A juvenile delinquent gets out of the pen and immediately embarks on a rampage of misdirected anger, most of it unleashed on an unsuspecting young woman. Shot through
with the same kind of bebop bravado that Godard was experimenting with half a world away, the anarchic descent into amoral madness that is "The
Warped Ones (Kyonetsu no kisetsu)" sounded a lost generation's cry for help and kicked off Japan's cinematic sixties with a bang. "I Hate But Love"
(1962): Inspired by Preston Sturges's "Sullivan's Travels," "I Hate But
Love (Nikui anchikusho)" is a high-octane romantic comedy and road movie that follows a celebrity dissatisfied with his personal and professional life who impulsively leaves Tokyo to deliver a much-needed Jeep to a remote village. When his controlling girlfriend (also his career manager) follows, the two must reconcile while dodging reporters.
"Black Sun" (1964): You've probably never seen anything quite like this manic, oddball, anti–buddy picture about a young, jazz-obsessed Japanese drifter and a black American GI on the lam in Tokyo. The two outsiders become outlaws, and Kurahara depicts their growing bond as an increasingly absurd culture clash. Features original music by American jazz drummer Max Roach. "Thirst for Love" (1967): Kurahara adapted a novel by Yukio Mishima for this tense psychological drama about a young woman who is widowed after marrying into a wealthy family, and becomes sexually involved with her father-in-law while harboring a destructive obsession with the family gardener. Kurahara's atmospheric style is a perfect match for Mishima's brooding sensuality. 
whose charismatic lover kills her beloved aunt and disappears with her money. The woman spends the next 13 years tracking him down, eventually bringing him to justice. From Green Apple Entertainment ... "The Event: The Complete Series" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, from Universal ... "Gossip Girl: The Complete Fourth Season" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98 from Warner ... "NCIS: The Eighth Season" (2010-11) is a six-disc set with 24 episodes, from CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount Home Entertainment ... "NCIS: Los Angeles -- The Second Season" (2010) is a six-disc set with 24 episodes, $64.99 from CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount Home Entertainment ... "Off the Map: The Complete Series"
(2011) is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.99 from Disney ... Helen Mirren delivers a riveting performance as Detective Jane Tennison in "Prime Suspect, Series 1" (1991), the revolutionary police drama broadcast on PBS to universal acclaim and more than 20 major international awards, including seven Emmys. Series 1 finds the skilled Tennison grappling with her first major murder investigation, determined to prove herself worthy of her male colleagues' respect. $24.99 from Acorn Media ... In "Prime Suspect, Series 2"
(1992) DCI Jane Tennison's (Helen Mirren) investigation of a murder is complicated with the unexpected participation of her secret lover in her
detective unit, from Acorn Media
"TrollHunter"
(2010 -- Norway) is a cult hit that follows three Norwegian film students as they travel to the mountains to catch a real-life troll on camera, a creature whose existence has been covered up for years by the government. Their persistence quickly pays off as they trail a shadowy hunter, leading them straight into the path of the menacing trolls and documenting every last second of the Trollhunter's heroics. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/The Magnet Label ... Trapped in a forgotten amusement park, a young girl finds herself terrorized by the living memories of the park, and she must break free from the park's grasp before she becomes its next victim in "Closed for the Season" (2010), starring Aimee Brooks, Damian Maffei and Joe Unger, from MTI Home Video ... "Little Big Soldier"
(2010 -- Hong Kong), starring Jackie Chan and Wang Leehom, is set in the
war period in China between 476 BC -- 221 BC. A soldier (Jackie Chan) abducts a downtrodden general (Wang Leehom) from an opposing state and attempts to bring him back to his state to collect a reward, but a mutual enemy forces the pair to join forces in order to survive. From Well Go USA ... A stranger with mysterious intentions comes to stay the night at a secluded country home, but what he finds inside is a family torn apart by a violent past and a secret more deadly than he expected in "The Bleeding House" (2011), starring Alexandra Chando, Patrick Breen and Charlie Hewson, from New Video/Tribeca Film ... In "Meteor Storm"
(2010 -- TV), starring Michael Trucco, Kari Matchett, Kristen Prout and
Eric Johnson, San Francisco becomes a target for waves of destructive meteors after a rogue comet orbits around the earth. From Monarch Home Entertainment ... "NEDS: Non Educated Delinquents" (2010) stars Conor McCarron in a gritty coming-of-age drama set in 1970s
Glasgow. With no support system at home or school, a young man takes to
the savage street life with a vengeance. Written and directed by Peter Mullan ("Orphans," "The Magdalene Sisters"). From New Video/Tribeca Film
... Shout! Factory's "Sword and Sorcery Collection 2-DVD Set"
includes four films: "Deathstalker" (1983), "Deathstalker II" (1987), "Barbarian Queen" (1985)and "The Warrior And The Sorceress" (1984); $24.97.
"The Garfield Show: Spooky Tails" (2011) includes six Halloween-themed episode, $14.93 from Vivendi Entertainment ... "Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension"
(2011), Phineas Flynn and his stepbrother Ferb Fletcher go on their biggest adventure yet: When the boys discover that their pet platypus Perry is in fact a secret agent who battles the forces of evil daily, they join him on a grand adventure that blasts them to another dimension
where a truly evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz has taken over an alternate Tri-state Area. $26.99 from Disney ... "Tom and Jerry & the Wizard of Oz" (2011) is a new animated feature that has the popular duo whisked to the land of Oz by a tornado; $19.98 from Warner ... "Bambi II Special Edition"
(2006) is a sequel that reveals how Bambi was raised by his father, the
Great Prince of the Forest. Available as a two-disc Blu-ray + DVD Combo
Pack and a single DVD from Disney.
(2011) More than any other documents, it is the personal private letters
written by the German people to Adolf Hitler that provide the most intimate details of the Third Reich. A treasure of more than 100,000 such letters was recently found, hidden in a secret Russian archive. The
uncensored letters, which include declarations of loyalty, love letters
and the occasional words of protest, reveal the true feelings of the German people -- their hopes, longings and fears. Women who wrote particularly ardent letters were monitored by the Gestapo as Hitler feared that his cult of personality could lead to a destabilization of home life in the Reich. As his power became absolute, so the tempo of the letters increased. Like a seismograph, they reflect the changing mood in Nazi Germany, and the highs and lows of the German spirit, from 1932 to 1945. A shocking documentary. $24.95 from First Run Features.
Anton is a doctor who commutes between his home in an idyllic town in Denmark, and his work at an African refugee camp. In these two very different worlds, he and his family are faced with conflicts that lead them to difficult choices between revenge and forgiveness. Anton and his
wife Marianne, who have two young sons, are separated and struggling with the possibility of divorce. Their older, 10-year-old son Elias is being bullied at school, until he is defended by Christian, a new boy who has just moved from London with his father, Claus. Christian's mother recently lost her battle with cancer, and Christian is greatly troubled by her death. Elias and Christian quickly form a strong bond, but when Christian involves Elias in a dangerous act of revenge with potentially tragic consequences, their friendship is tested and lives are put in danger. Ultimately, it is their parents who are left to help them come to terms with the complexity of human emotions, pain and empathy. Winner of this year's Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Foreign-language Film. In Danish with English subtitles.
Vitals: Director: Susanne Bier. Stars: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, Markus Rygaard, William Johnk Nielsen.
2010, CC, MPAA rating: R, 116 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.882 million, Sony.
When Madea's niece, Shirley, receives distressing news about her health,
all she wants is to gather her three adult children around her and share the news as a family. But Tammy, Kimberly and Byron are too distracted by their own problems: Tammy can't manage her unruly children
or her broken marriage; Kimberly is gripped with anger and takes it out
on her husband; and Byron, after spending two years in jail, is under pressure to deal drugs again. It's up to Madea, with the help of the equally rambunctious Aunt Bam, to gather the clan together and make things right the only way she knows how: With a lot of tough love, laughter -- and the revelation of a long-buried family secret. Vitals: Director: Tyler Perry. Stars: Tyler Perry, Loretta Devine, Cassi Davis, Isaiah Mustafa, Bow Wow, Natalie Desselle, Rodney Perry, David Mann, Shannon Kane, Lauren London, Nicholas Milton.
2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 105 min., Comedy-Drama, Box office gross: $52.8 million, Lionsgate.
At the prom, every couple has a story and no two are exactly alike. Several intersecting stories unfold at one high school as the big dance approaches; the film portrays the precarious passage from high school to
independence as some relationships unravel and others ignite. For Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden), it's a battle of wills as she finds herself drawn to the guy (Thomas McDonell) who gets in the way of her perfect prom. Fellow seniors Mei (Yin Chang) and Tyler (DeVaughn Nixon) harbor secrets, while others face all the insecurity and anticipation that surrounds one of high school's most seminal events. There are hundreds of nights in high school, but there's only one prom. Vitals: Director: Joe Nussbaum. Stars: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang. 2011, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 103 min., Teen Comedy, Box office gross: $10.019 million, Disney.
poetic,
lightly surrealist films before his life was cut tragically short by tuberculosis at age 29. Like the daring early works of his contemporaries Jean Cocteau and Luis Bunuel, Vigo's films refused to play by the rules. This set includes all of Vigo's titles: "A propos de Nice" (1930), an absurdist, rhythmic slice of life from the bustling coastal city of the title; "Taris" (1931), an inventive short portrait of a swimming champion; "Zero de conduite" (1933), a radical, delightful
tale of boarding-school rebellion that has influenced countless filmmakers; and, of course, "L'Atalante" (1934), widely regarded as one of cinema's finest achievements, about newlyweds beginning their life together on a canal barge. These are the endlessly witty, visually adventurous works of a pivotal film artist. New high-definition digital restorations of all of the films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
on the Blu-ray edition. Bonus features include commentaries featuring Michael Temple, author of "Jean Vigo"; alternate shots from "A propos de
Nice," featuring footage Vigo cut from the film; animated tribute to Vigo by filmmaker Michel Gondry ; Ninety-minute 1964 episode of the French television series "Cineastes de notre temps" on Vigo, directed by
Jacques Rozier; conversation from 1968 between filmmakers Francois Truffaut and Eric Rohmer on "L'Atalante";
"Les voyages de L'Atalante," Bernard Eisenschitz's 2001 documentary tracking the history of the film; video interview from 2007 with director Otar Iosseliani on Vigo; booklet featuring essays by film writers Michael Almereyda, Robert Polito, B. Kite and Luc Sante. 
Also from The Criterion Collection: "Orpheus." This 1950 update of the Orphic myth by Jean Cocteau depicts a famous poet (Jean Marais) scorned by the Left Bank youth, and his love for both his wife Eurydice (Marie Dea) and a mysterious princess (Maria Casares). Seeking inspiration, the poet follows the princess from the world of the
living to the land of the dead through Cocteau's famous mirrored portal. "Orpheus" represents the legendary Cocteau at the height of his abilities for peerless visual poetry and dreamlike storytelling. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.
television series made parents Pat and Bill Loud and their five children instant celebrities. Over 12 episodes, viewers watched dramatic
life events unfold during the seven months the family lived in front of
the camera -- including Pat asking for a separation from Bill, and the
Bohemian New York life of their gay son Lance. Unlike most documentaries of its day, "An American Family" had no host, no interviews, and almost no voice-over narration. Producer Craig Gilbert presented the family's daily life -- as captured by filmmakers Alan Raymond behind the camera, and Susan Raymond covering sound -- in the style of cinema verite. It was the most controversial and talked-about television program of its era. Now, 40 years later, WNET has brought all
12 hours out of its archives and, working with the original filmmakers,
edited them into "An American Family: Anniversary Edition,"
this two-hour feature-length special capturing the most memorable and compelling moments of the landmark series. $24.99 from PBS Distribution.
"Detroit 1-8-7: Season One" (2011) is a four-disc set with 18 episodes, $29.98 from Lionsgate ... "Doc Martin: The Movies"
features the two full-length TV movies that inspired the huge hit dramedy currently airing on public television stations across the U.S. Proving there's more than one way to tell a good story, BAFTA-winner Martin Clunes stars as the kinder, gentler but still slightly grouchyDr. Martin Bamford in the made-for-TV movies that introduced the
misanthropic doctor and the picturesque Cornish fishing village of Port
Isaac before the television series' launch in 2004. From Acorn Media ... "House Season Seven" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 23 episodes, $59.98 from Universal ... "iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season" (2009-10) is a two-disc set with 10 episodes, $19.99 from 
Nickelodeon/Paramount ... "Murphy's Law Complete Collection"
is BBC's hit undercover cop series that offers a gritty and compelling character study of a man with nothing left to lose. This contemporary series stars acclaimed, award-winning actor James Nesbitt. From Acorn Media ... "Nikita: The Complete First Season" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $69.97 from Warner ... "90210: The Third Season" (2010-11) is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $47.99 from CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount ... "Paranormal State: The Complete Season Five" (2011) is a three-disc set with six episodes, $24.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "Parenthood: Season 2" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, from Universal ... "Running Wilde: Season One" (2011) is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.98 from Lionsgate ... "Sons of Anarchy Season Three" (2010) includes 13 episodes, $59.98 from Fox ... "Storage Wars: The Complete Season One" (2010) is a three-disc set with 19 episodes, $19.95 from A&E Home Entertainment ... "The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season" (2010-11) is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98 from Warner ... "Vera"
(2011) is a four-disc set of the ITV series based on the award-winning novels by Ann Cleeves; Brenda Blethyn stars as cantankerous but brilliant detective DCI Vera Stanhope. Includes four feature-length mysteries. U.S. debut of the U.K. series. $59.99 from Acorn Media.
Clayne Crawford in a wacky black comedy. Warwick Wilson is the consummate host. The table is set and the duck is perfectly timed for 8:30 p.m. John Taylor is a career criminal. He's just robbed a bank and needs to get off the streets. He finds himself on Warwick's doorstep posing as a friend of a friend, new to Los Angeles, who's been mugged and lost his luggage. As the wine flows and the evening progresses, it becomes clear that appearances can be deceiving. Who's the real bad guy?
From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Label ... "Skateland"
(2010), starring Ashley Greene and Shiloh Fernandez, is a coming of age tale in the early 1980s about a 19-year-old boy whose life revolves around the skating rink in a small Texas town. From Fox ... A group of ex-marital arts students attend a reunion party to reminisce about their
old "fight club," but the reunion is cut short when some of the members
are kidnapped by a group of deadly assassins, leaving the remaining men
to save their friends in the ultimate battle for survival in "BKO: Bangkok Knockout"
(2010), starring Tony Ja, Dan Chupong and Jija Yanin, from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... Two call girls -- one just leaving the profession, one just starting out -- become hunted prey after witnessing
a murder in "X" (2011), starring Viva Bianca and Hanna Mangan Lawrence, from IFC Films.
In "Phantom Pain" (2009 -- Germany), starring Til Schweiger and Jana Pallaske, Marc Summer Schweiger) is a passionate cyclist and urban slacker -- good looking, charming, but always broke, a
constant heartbreaker and an unreliable drunkard refusing to
take responsibility for anything -- whose life changes in an instant when he loses his left leg in a hit-and-run accident. When he falls in love with Nika (Jana Pallaske), he realizes he can either wallow in self-pity -- or tackle the beast called life with the help of love, willpower and his own two feet. From Entertainment One ... In 1984, high-ranking Norwegian diplomat Arne Treholt was tried and convicted of acting as a spy on behalf of the Soviet Union. But what if the case against him was a sham and Treholt was not a spy at all but a patriot of
the highest order and the leader of a secret ninja force created by King Olav? "Norwegian Ninja" (2010 -- Norway) is a fictionalized account of the most notorious political scandal in Norwegian history is a tongue-in-cheek spoof of the Cold War spy movie, with added ninja action, blending historical events and actual newsreel footage of the Treholt affair. From Dark Sky Films/MPI Media Group.