Some weeks we have so many great new DVDs to talk about that we can't fit them all into the newsletter. Other weeks? Not so much. This is one of those weeks.
But do check out "The Kite Runner" and "The Mist" and treat yourself to some classic TV shows at a considerable savings.
The picture will improve considerably next Tuesday.
(Speaking of improved pictures, if you've bought a high definition DVD player and or TV recently, you'll want to take a look at the new "Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics" disc.)
The Kite Runner
Based on the international best-selling novel, "The Kite Runner"
is a critically acclaimed story of courage and redemption. Amir is a
young Afghani from a well-to-do Kabul family; his best friend Hassan is
the son of a family servant. Together the two boys form a bond of
friendship that breaks tragically one fateful day, when Amir fails to
save his friend from neighborhood bullies.
Based on the horror novella by Stephen King, "The Mist"
tells the story of a mysterious mist that rolls into the town of
Bridgton, Maine. David Drayton and his young son Billy are among a
group of terrified townspeople who are trapped in a local grocery store
by the strange, otherworldly mist. David is the first to realize there
are "things" lurking in the mist -
deadly, horrifying things, not of this world. In this tale of terror,
the thin veneer of civilization is stripped away, the masks are
discarded and the true horror is revealed as... us.
"Bonnie and Clyde,"
starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway and directed by Arthur Penn - a
film considered to be one of the most influential in the history of
American cinema - is out this week as a 2-Disc Special Edition and, available for a limited time only, an "Ultimate Collector's Edition." Both have been completely remastered from the original elements, and both boast more than three hours of new bonus content. The film is also available on Blu-ray Disc.
"The Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection, Volume 3"
includes the latest group of crime genre classics, starring some of
Hollywood's top tough guys: James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and
Humphrey Bogart. The boxed set features six new to DVD gangster flicks,
three of which make their first home video appearance: "Picture
Snatcher," "Lady Killer," "Smart Money," "Black Legion," "Mayor of
Hell" and "Brother Orchid." Available as a collection or as single
discs.
Pushed back from four or five months ago, "Digital Video Essentials: HD Basics" finally arrives on Blu-ray Disc (and HD DVD)
this week. Designed to benefit HDTV novices and aficionados alike, HD
Basics provides easy-to-use calibration tests and setup instructions
for getting the most out of your HDTV set and offers valuable
background information on today's high definition systems. HD Basics is
the successor to the popular "Video Essentials" and "Digital Video
Essentials."
A mom and her children go missing for "Five Days," a teen sleuth sets Hollywood ablaze, an orphan demonstrates why searching for your parents is the latest craze and Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem in an award-winning movie that received much praise.
Winner of this year's "Best Picture" Oscar and one of the most honored films of the year, "No Country for Old Men" comes to DVD today. Joel and Ethan Coen deliver a supercharged action-thriller starring Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Kelly MacDonald, Josh Brolin and Academy Award winner Javier Bardem. We liked what the satirical website Dateline Hollywood said about this DVD... the Collector's Edition includes a very unusual special feature: an ending.
In the animated hit "Bee Movie," a bee by the name of Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) finds himself disillusioned with the prospect of having only one career choice - honey. As he ventures outside of the hive for the first time, he breaks one of the cardinal rules of the bee world and talks to a human, a New York City florist (Renee Zellweger). He is shocked to discover that humans have been stealing and eating the bees' honey for centuries. He ultimately realizes that his true calling in life is to set the world right by suing the human race.
Steve Carell stars in "Dan in Real Life," a heartfelt comedy about family and true love. Newspaper columnist Dan Burns is a well-known relationships expert with a secret: his personal life is a disaster. Dan is a successful advice columnist and single parent whose life gets even more complicated when he falls for a woman who turns out to is be his brother's new girlfriend. The film also stars Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney and Dianne Wiest and was co-written and directed by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Peter Hedges.
Michael Caine and Jude Law go head-to-head in the the mystery-thriller "Sleuth," which features a screenplay by Harold Pinter (adapted from the play by Anthony Shaffer). Law plays young Milo Tindal and Caine is aging novelist Andrew Wyke. When Wyke discovers that Tindal is having an affair with his wife, he invites him to his country estate where they engage in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. As wit becomes wicked and clever becomes cutthroat, Wyke and Tindle's game spirals out of control, in an escalating chess match that can have only one outcome.
"August Rush" tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night in New York City, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, "August Rush," orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), August (Freddie Highmore) uses his musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.
With her magnifying glass and fingerprint powder in hand, "Nancy Drew" leaves River Heights for La-La-Land... but not to meet that guy on Smallville, as her boyfriend Ned fears. No, she's out to solve one of the greatest mysteries ever: the death of movie star Dehlia Draycott. But the bigger mystery is how our perky, plaid-clad sleuth will fit in with the text messaging teen queens of mean she meets at Hollywood High. This thoroughly modern update of "Nancy Drew" stars Emma Roberts.
The fine line between sinner and saint is tested as "Hitman"shoots to DVD this week. Based on the top-selling, award-winning videogame franchise, "Hitman" follows a genetically engineered, elite assassin known only as Agent 47 whose sole purpose is to rid the world of its most sinister and deadly criminals. The film stars Timothy Olyphant as the master agent, Olga Kurylenko as his love interest and Dougray Scott as the Interpol investigator obsessed with capturing him.
A mother, Leanne, vanishes into thin air. Her children, abandoned in her car, also go missing. As police search for clues over three gut-wrenching months, Leanne's husband and family learn that nobody's quite what they seem and everyone is a suspect. In the end, "Five Days" prove critical in solving the case in this five-part, five-hour thriller, seen recently on HBO.
"Tin Man," a miniseries seen on the Sci-Fi Channel, reinvents L. Frank Baum's "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and stars Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough, Kathleen Robertson, Raoul Trujillo and Richard Dreyfuss. When a sorceress scorches the once-beautiful land of Oz into a desolate wasteland, the only hope lies in an "outsider" named DG, whose troubling dreams have summoned her to the doomed paradise. She embarks on a journey to find the great mystic man to save the O.Z. and on her way she befriends a scarecrow named Glitch, a tin cop named Cain, and gentle manimal named Raw.
For the first time in nearly a decade, Disney goes to the vault this week to unleash "101 Dalmatians."
The film is considered by critics to be one of the best and most
innovative of all the animated Disney films. This new 2-Disc edition
has been restored with enhanced picture and
sound and includes all new, never-before-seen bonus extras featuring
beloved characters Pongo and Perdita (and their 99 puppies), as well as
one of Disney's most deliciously evil villains of all time, Cruella De
Vil.
One of the most unforgettable journeys of the year is provided by "Into The Wild,"
written and directed by Sean Penn. Emile Hirsch is Chris McCandless, a
young man who dares to leave everything behind and discover the beauty
and danger of nature. Featuring an all-star cast including William
Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild" is out this week on DVD and 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD and also on, you'll pardon the expression, HD DVD.
"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium"
is an engaging story about a most unusual toy store." 243-year-old
Edward Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) owns the most amazing store in the
world - a haven in which everything inside literally comes to life. But
when he decides to retire, the shop throws a tantrum and all its
wonders begin to cease. His reluctant manager (Natalie Portman) and
skeptical accountant (Jason Bateman) must work together to save the
emporium... by finding a little magic within themselves.
Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro give two of the year's best performances in the critically acclaimed drama "Things We Lost In The Fire,"
about two people brought together by fate. Berry is Audrey, a woman
reeling from a terrible loss. She impulsively invites her husband's
life-long friend Jerry (Del Toro) to stay with her and her two
children. With each other's help, Audrey and Jerry discover hope and
happiness in their new lives. Also starring David Duchovny.
A 50th Anniversary Edition of "12 Angry Men"
arrives on DVD this week. Directed by Sidney Lumet (in his feature film
debut) and adapted by Reginald Rose from his play, the film is an
intense look at a jury of twelve men who are sent to deliberate the
final verdict in the murder trial of a young latino boy. What unfolds
is a gripping character study where the personality of each juror is
revealed and the facts of the case become clear. "12 Angry Men" stars Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Ed Begley and Jack Klugman.
An Official Selection of both the 2007 Toronto Film Festival and the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, "My Kid Could Paint That"
documents the rise and fall of four-year old artist Marla Olmstead. In
this thought provoking documentary, Director Amir-Bar-Lev tracks the
overnight celebrity of little Marla, a toddler who creates
gallery-worthy paintings compared to the works of Jackson Pollock. But
is Marla a child prodigy... or an innocent victim of a hoax?
That gender-bending nanny is back in a new 2-Disc "Behind-The-Seams Special Edition" of "Mrs. Doubtfire,"
starring Robin Williams in his cross-dressing, Golden Globe-winning
performance. When Daniel Hillard (Williams) learns his ex-wife (Sally
Field) needs a housekeeper, he applies for the job. With the perfect
wig, a little makeup and a dress for all occasions, he becomes "Mrs. Doubtfire,"
a devoted British nanny who is hired on the spot. Free to be the
"woman" he never knew he could be, the disguised Daniel creates a whole
new life with his entire family.
One of the entertainment industry's most revered filmmakers, Billy Wilder
directed 14 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances and is
among an elite group of five directors who have won Academy Awards for
Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay for the same film. This
new Gift Set includes Special Editions of "The Apartment" and "Some Like It Hot," along with "The Fortune Cookie" and Kiss Me Stupid."
More sassy and taboo films from Hollywood's Pre-Production Code era arrive on DVD this week with the debut of "TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood, Volume 2."
This new 3-disc collection contains five pre-code sizzlers, with some
of Hollywood's biggest stars. Norma Shearer stars in "The Divorcee" and
in "A Free Soul"with Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable. Bette Davis,
Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak star in "Three on a Match," while Barbara
Stanwyck headlines "Night Nurse."
Love, exciting and new... well, maybe not so new. "The Love Boat" is now thirty years old. But "Season One, Volume One"
sets sail on DVD this week for the first time. The classic anthology
series from Aaron Spelling took viewers on a high seas adventure each
week as a host of celebrity passengers came aboard looking for fun and
love. Assisting them are Captain Merrill Stubing (Gavin MacLeod),
Yeoman-Purser Burl "Gopher" Smith (Fred Grandy), Cruise Director Julie
McCoy (Lauren Tewes), Doctor Adam Bricker (Bernie Kopell) and Bartender
Isaac Washington (Ted Lange).
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