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More News: January-March 2008

Just Announced:
photo The Weinstein Co. and Genius Products will release on May 6 "I'm Not There," director Todd Haynes' biographical film about legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The film follows six distinct characters, depicting different stages of Dylan's life, embodying a different aspect of his life story and music: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, the late Heath Ledger as well as Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin. The two-disc set. includes commentary by Haynes, nine deleted scenes, a "Making of I'm Not There," "Subterranean Homesick Blues" music video, Ben Whishaw and Marcus Carl Franklin audition tapes, a gag reel, a conversation with Haynes, a "Making of the Soundtrack" featurette, a Dylan filmography and discography, more. (Posted March 27)

DVD Collectibles:
Gangland DVD Killings: Warner Home Video wants to rob your wallet this week with the release of two new editions of "Bonnie and Clyde" as well as "Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection Volume 3," a six-disc set with "Picture Snatcher," "Lady Killer," "Smart Money," "Black Legion," "Mayor of Hell" and "Brother Orchid."

photo "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Evans Evans and Gene Wilder. Released after the Hollywood Production Code ended, "Bonnie and Clyde" became one of the '60s most talked about and controversial films -- combining romance and comedy with a level of graphic violence previously unseen. The finale's balletic bloodbath, highly criticized for its shocking depiction, lived on to become a much imitated filmic conceit. And while obviously living the life of outlaws on the lam, the criminal couple was still portrayed as glamorous, with shiny roadsters and vintage fashions that fueled a popular style trend. The film premiered at the Montreal Film Festival in 1967 to a wildly enthusiastic audience of industry insiders and cinephiles. Despite this initial success, the film initially was not a boxoffice blockbuster and received a mixed reception from movie reviewers. Old-guard stalwarts weren't ready to grasp the film's message, and decried the violence. At the other end of the spectrum were another group of film critics who strongly supported it, most notably The New Yorker's Pauline Kael. It was Kael who went out on a limb to champion the film as not only a masterpiece, but one which would redefine American Cinema. But with a post-release brilliant marketing campaign, spearheaded by Beatty (who also developed and produced the film), "Bonnie and Clyde" eventually went on to garner 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director (it won two: for Estelle Parsons' supporting role and cinematographer Burnett Guffey) and proceeded to make back 20 times its estimated $2.5 million cost in its U.S. theatrical release alone. The editions offered will be a Two-Disc Special Edition and, available for a limited time, an Ultimate Collector's Edition. Both have been completely remastered from the original elements, and both boast more than two hours of bonus content, highlighted by "Revolution! The Making of Bonnie and Clyde," an all new in-depth commemorative documentary. Also included is the History Channel's "Love & Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" (a look at the lives of the real Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow) as well as Warren Beatty wardrobe tests and additional scenes, both newly discovered. "The Bonnie and Clyde Ultimate Collector's Edition" also will contain collectible memorabilia, with a 36-page hardcover book of rare, behind-the-scenes photos, a 24-page reproduction of the original 1967 press book and a special mail-in poster offer. (Posted March 24)

photo "Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection Volume 3." Major Hollywood studios in the '30s and '40s were each known for their distinctive styles (MGM for its musicals; Universal for its horror films, etc.). Warner Bros. was best known for firmly establishing the genre of gangster films, which also contained socially conscious themes and a simple visual look (low key lighting and sparse sets). This latest group of crime genre classics, starring some of Hollywood's top tough guys -- James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart -- features six new to DVD gangster flicks, three of which make their first home video appearance: "Picture Snatcher" (1933), starring Jimmy Cagney and Ralph Bellamy; "Lady Killer" (1933), starring Jimmy Cagney and Mae Clark; "Smart Money" (1931), starring Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson; "Black Legion" (1937), starring Humphrey Bogart and Ann Sheridan; "Mayor of Hell" (1933), starring Jimmy Cagney; "Brother Orchid" (1940), starring Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart. The films have been given brand new transfers from newly restored film elements, and also include bonus features such as rarely-seen Warner Bros. shorts, vintage newsreels and classic cartoons, plus original theatrical trailers. $59.92 the set or available separately at $19.97 each. (Posted March 24)

From the erratic genius mind of David Lynch comes "Lost Highway" (1997), starring Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Natasha Gregson Wagner and Jack Nance in a bizarre psychological thriller: After a strange encounter at a party, a jazz saxophonist is framed for the murder of his wife and sent to prison, where he inexplicably morphs into a young mechanic and begins leading a new life, from Universal. (Posted March 24)

For Yul Brynner and sword and sandal epics lovers, MGM this week will release "Kings of the Sun " (1963), starring Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field and Richard Basehart; "Solomon and Sheba" (1959), directed by King Vidor and starring Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida and George Sanders; and "Taras Bulba" (1962), starring Brynner, Tony Curtis and Sam Wanamaker. (Posted March 24)

From TV to Video:
Due this week: "The Catherine Tate Show: Series Two," in which the comedienne extraordinaire returns with another season of her BBC America parody show, featuring new exuberant skits, including the eccentric teenager "Lauren Cooper" and the darling, foul-mouthed grandmother "Nan Taylor"; from SRO Entertainment ... "Frisky Dingo Season 1" (2007), a single disc with all 13 episodes of the Adult Swim series, $19.97 from Warner ... "The Invisible Man: Season One," a five-disc set with 23 episodes, including the pilot episode, $59.98 from Universal ... "Midsomer Murders: Set 10" is a four-disc set with four feature-length mysteries from the hit British mystery franchise, $49.99 from Acorn Media ... "Midsomer Murders: The Early Cases Collection" is a 19-disc set with the first 18 stand-alone mysteries from the hit British mystery franchise, $159.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Mike Douglas Show: Moments and Memories" (2008) is a nostalgic look back at the legendary show, featuring interview and rare performance segments with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, Carol Burnett, Sally Field, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, The Rolling Stones, Mother Theresa, Muhammad Ali, Alfred Hitchcock, Tiger Woods, Mel Brooks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gene Simmons of KISS and many others; $19.99 from Kultur ... "Painkiller Jane," a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.97 from Anchor Bay ... "Party of Five: Complete Third Season" is a five-disc set with 25 episodes, $39.95 from Sony ... "Sliders: The Fourth Season" is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98 from Universal ... "Suburban Shootout" offers eight episodes of the British suburban living satire described as "Desperate Housewives" meets "The Sopranos," which aired on the Oxygen Channel in 2006; $24.99 from Acorn Media ... "Tripping the Rift: The Movie" is a movie version of the hip animated TV series about a bunch of derelict mutant misfits who live, work and play on the starship Jupiter 42, from Anchor Bay "Wings: The Sixth Season," is a four-disc set with 26 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount. (Posted March 24)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Pu-239" (2006) a young man is exposed to a deadly dose of radiation while trying to avert a disaster at a nuclear power plant in Russia; instead of rewarding him for his efforts, the plants treats him as a scapegoat, offering no compensation to him or his family. Desperate to provide security for his wife and son, the man steals a small amount of Pu-239 -- weapons-grade Plutonium -- and heads to Moscow to sell it on the black market; stars Paddy Considine and Radha Mitchell; from HBO Video ... When a rich Southern girl invites her drama club to her isolated house for a "killer" weekend, nobody would have expected it to be taken so literally in "April Fool's Day" (2008), starring Taylor Cole, Scout Taylor-Compton and Josh Henderson, from Sony) ... "PTU: Police Tactical Unit " (2003), directed by Johnny To and starring Simon Yam, Lam Suet and Maggie Siu, is a Hong Kong thriller that follows a band of night patrol cops on one of their worst nights, from Dragon Dynasty/Weinstein/Genius ... Rural America becomes the bucolic setting for a mysterious terrorist plot gone awry, a romance undone by betrayal, and a government assignment that signals a dangerous conspiracy in "Sharpshooter " (2008), starring James Remar, Mario Van Peebles and Bruce Boxleitner, from Genius Products. (Posted March 24)

On the Indie Front:
Two hapless losers live in a junkyard in the meatpacking town of Butcher's Mill, Illinois, where they cook up a plan to kidnap their local U.S. Congressman (Chevy Chase) for ransom money; they think it's their ticket to a better life, but their prime score turns into a raw deal in "Bad Meat" (2003), starring Chevy Chase, Lance Barber, Billie Worley, Judah Friedlander, Ben Bailey and Frank Caeti, from Arts Alliance America ... In "Extraordinary Rendition" (2007), a man is abducted from the streets of London and transported via secret flights to an unknown country, held in solitary confinement and cut off from the outside world, interrogated and tortured. Returned without explanation to the U.K., he is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered life in a world he no longer recognizes. Stars Omar Berdouni and Andy Serkis. From BFS Entertainment ... In 19th century Australia, an exotic beauty born of an Aboriginal mother and an Afghan father falls in love with a Christian and goes up against a male-dominated society that defines self-worth by religion in "Serenades" (2001), starring Alice Haines and Aden Young, from BFS Entertainment. (Posted March 24)

Foreign:
Two East German gems arrive this week from First Run Features: "The Rabbit Is Me" (1965): A young woman, tainted after her brother's arrest for subversive political activities, has an affair with an older man -- who turns out to be the judge who put her brother in jail. Long banned for exposing the harsh realities of East German society, the film finally surfaced after reunification ... "The Second Track" (1962): From the vaults of the legendary East German DEFA Film Studios comes this rare noir classic about a train station inspector who witnesses a robbery and recognizes one of the thieves -- but hides that fact from the authorities. The thief comes after the inspector's daughter, setting in motion an explosive unearthing of dark secrets from the Nazi era. East Germany's answer to Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed. Each title sells for $24.95. (Posted March 24)

For the Family:
Due this week: "Arthur: Season 10," featuring 10 episodes of the Emmy Award-winning series that chronicles the adventures of the world's most famous aardvark; and "Big Brother Binky," a special episode in which Binky's family adopts a baby girl from China; both from WGBH Boston Video ... "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors: Volume One" is a four-disc set that features Season 1 (33 episodes) of this 1980s animated series based on the popular line of Mattel toys, from Shout! Factory ... Sony has two new releases from the PBS KIDS series "It's a Big, Big World": "Be Healthy and Happy" teaches valuable lessons about how animals of all kinds take care of themselves, and "Everybody's Different" encourages exploring diversity in nature. Each volume contains five episodes and sells for $12.99. (Posted March 24)

Special Interest:
For politicos: "War Made easy" (2008) is a scathing documentary indictment of five decades of U.S. media coverage of American-led military interventions, and the pro-war spoon-feeding of the American public; the film exposes 50 years of government spin and media collusion that has dragged our country into one war after another -- from Vietnam to Iraq; narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn; $19.95 from The Disinformation Company ... "Jimmy Carter Man From Plains" (2007) is a documentary that follows the 39th President of the United States as he embarks on a media tour for his controversial best-seller, "Palestine Peace Not Apartheid"; directed by Jonathan Demme; from Sony. (Posted March 24)

For sports fans: "Daytona 500: The 50th Anniversary" (2008) is a two-disc set of the Feb. 17 50th Daytona race. Features ground-breaking "My Race" Interactive DVD format that allows fans to watch the action from six different driver perspectives and a variety of audio feeds; the second disc includes a history of Daytona; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "The Los Angeles Dodgers 1988 World Series Collector's Edition" (2008) is a seven-disc set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Dodgers' 1988 win; $69.95 from A&E Home Video. (Posted March 24)

Also this week: "Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death .... and Insects" (2008), a documentary on the legendary cult singer-songwriter as he prepares his "Ole Tarantula" album and goes on the road for the "Ole Tarantula" tour; $24.94 from A&E Home Video ... "The Mystery of Eva Peron" (1987 -- Spanish), a documentary on Argentina's Evita, who rose to power in that country after WWII with her husband, Juan Peron, from First Run Features ... "The Unknown Soldier" (2007) is a controversial documentary that profiles Germany's controversial Wehrmacht Exhibition that showed -- through letters, photographs and film footage -- that "ordinary" German soldiers were as complicit as Nazi leaders in the crimes against humanity during World War II, debunking the long-held belief otherwise. $24.95 from First Run Features ... "Who Is Henry Jaglom?" (1997) is a documentary about the director of such films as "Hollywood Dreams," "Festival in Cannes" and "Eating," who has alternately been hailed as a cinematic genius, a feminist voice and a true maverick and dismissed by others as a voyeuristic, egomaniacal fraud, from First Run Features ... Kultur International's critically acclaimed "Othello," starring Eamonn Walker abd Zoe Tapper, was taped live in London on May 4, 2007, at the historic Globe Theatre; the two-disc set sells for $24.99 ... From World Wrestling Entertainment comes three mat compilations: "No Way Out," a series of pay-per-view events that are the final stop on the road to Wrestlemania, here featuring the latest matches featuring Batista, Undertaker, Triple H, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, CM Punk and more; "Triple H: The King of Kings," highlighting 14 matches in the career of the 11-time World Champion; and "Royal Rumble," the 21st edition in which the superstars of raw, Smackdown and ECW compete for a shot at immortality ... "Pauly Shore's "Natural Born Komics" Sketch Comedy Movie Miami" (2008) is a Showtime follow up to "Pauly Shore Is Dead" in which Shore embarks on a slew of hidden camera pranks, parodies, man-on-the-street interviews and must-see videos, from First Look Studios. (Posted March 24)

DVD Collectibles:
From The Criterion Collection comes "The Ice Storm" (1997), one of the finest films of the 1990s. Suburban Connecticut, 1973. While the Watergate hearings blast from the TV, the wayward Hood and Carver families try to navigate a Thanksgiving break simmering with unspoken resentments, sexual experimentation, and cultural confusion. With crystalline clarity, characteristic subtlety, and even a dose of wicked humor, Academy Award–winning director Ang Lee adapts Rick Moody's acclaimed novel of American malaise into a trenchant, tragic portrait of lost souls. Features a tremendous cast of established actors (Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver) and up-and-coming stars (Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes). Features a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by Lee and director of photography Frederick Elmes. Extras include commentary featuring Lee and producer-screenwriter James Schamus; a new documentary featuring interviews with Allen, Kline, Ricci and Wood; a new video interview with novelist Rick Moody; deleted scenes; a new essay by film critic Bill Krohn; more. (Posted March 17)

As we edge into another season of America's national pastime, MGM has released three baseball dramas: "Bull Durham: Collector's Edition" (1988), starring Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Robert Wuhl, with commentary by director Ron Shelton, commentary by Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins, "The Greatest Show on Dirt" retrospective featurette, "Diamonds in the Rough" featurette on minor league baseball, "Between the Lines: The Making of Bull Durham" featurette, more ... "Eight Men Out: Collector's Edition" (1988), starring John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John Mahoney, Charlie Sheen, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney and Michael Rooker, with commentary by director John Sayles, a two-part retrospective featurette, "The Story Behind the Movie" featurette in-depth look at the Black Sox Scandal, "DB, the Bat & the 2005 World Series" featurette look at the 2005 White Sox World Series Championship ... "Pride of the Yankees Collector's Edition" (1942), starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth, Walter Brennan and Dan Duryea, with "The Making of Pride of the Yankees" featurette, "The Man Behind the Iron Horse" on Lou Gehrig, "What He Left Behind" featurette look at the Lou Gehrig memorabilia currently housed at the Baseball Hall of Fame, "Always" music featurette, "Lou Gehrig's Disease: The Search for a Cure" featurette, "Curt Schilling: A Legend on a Legend." (Posted March 17)

From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Autopsy: Postmortem With Dr. Michael Baden" (2007), the 12th installment of the HBO Documentary Films' Autopsy series; includes some of renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden's most high-profile cases such as John F. Kennedy, OJ Simpson, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen as well as first responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks; $19.97 from HBO Video ... "Battlestar Galactica Season Three," a six-disc set with 20 episodes, $59.98 from Universal, just in time for the start of last season of the acclaimed Sci Fi Channel series ... "Greek: Season One, Chapter One," a three-disc set with 10 episodes, $29.99 from Disney ... "Married ... With Children: The Complete Eighth Season " (1993-94), a three-disc set with 26 episodes, $39.95 from Sony ... "The Untouchables: Season Two, Volume 1," a four-disc set with 16 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "The Wild Wild West: The Fourth Season," a six-disc set with 24 episodes, $54.99 from Paramount. (Posted March 17)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
"Revolver" (2007), directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Vincent Pastore and Andre Benjamin is a thriller about a hotshot gambler who goes up against a crime boss and local casino owner, from Sony ... While excavating the site of a 17th century plague hospital, an archaeologist accidentally unleashes the malevolent spirit of a plague doctor responsible for a series of gruesome murders 350 years earlier in "The Sickhouse" (2007), starring Gina Philips, Andrew Knott and Jack Bailey, from New Line ... Val Kilmer, Gary Cole and Jennifer Esposito star in "Conspiracy" (2008), an actioner about a retired Special Ops U.S. Marine who must take matters into his own hands while investigating the disappearance of a friend in a violent border town, from Sony ... In "Them (Ils)" (2006 -- France/Romania), starring Olivia Bonamy and Michael Cohen, a young couple in a remote house is terrorized by some very weird people with lights, from Dark Sky Films ... "Jack Ketchum's The Lost " (2005) is a psychological thriller about the suburbs, the ennui of small town life ... and a serial killer, starring Marc Senter, Shay Astar, from Anchor Bay "13: Game of Death" (2006 -- Thailand) is a thriller about a young man who enters an underground game -- where he has to complete 13 deadly tasks -- to pay off his debts, from Weinstein Company/Genius Products ... During their final summer together before leaving their hometown for college, five boyhood friends put their friendship to the test as they try to right a heinous wrong and redeem the reputation of one of their own -- even at the cost of their individual futures in "Full Count" (2005), starring Josh Stewart, Austin Nichols, Jason Ritter, Chris Klein, Paul Wesley, Jennifer Hall, William Baldwin, Michael Beach and Michael Rooker, from Allumination FilmWorks ... "Rockaway" (2007) stars Nicholas Gonzalez, Ricardo Chavira, Mario Cimarro and Oleg Taktarov is a typical revenge thriller about a war hero who returns home and vows to take down the network of lowlifes and mobsters responsible for the murder of his family, from First Look. (Posted March 17)

On the Indie Front:
In "Alpha Male" (2005), a family falls into grief, jealousy and dysfunction when the alpha male father dies, starring Arthur Duncan, Ewan Stewart, Trudie Styler, Danny Huston and Jennifer Ehle, from ThinkFilm ... ... "Dead Cool" (2004) stars Rosanna Arquette, Joseph Ashworth, Daon Broni, Anthony Calf and James Callis in a story of a modern dysfunctional family as seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old boy, from MTI Home Video. (Posted March 17)

For the Family:
For the little ones this week Warner will release "The Pebbles and Bam-Bam Show," a two-disc set with 16 episodes of the animated "Flintstones" spin-off, $26.99, and "A Pup Named Scooby-Doo: Complete First Season," a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $19.98 ... Also for pre-schoolers there's "Johnny and the Sprites: Meet the Sprites," the first compilation of the Playhouse Disney musical series about a young man (John Tartaglia) who moves to the woods where he becomes friends with four wood sprites, five episodes for $19.99 from Disney ... For kids six to 11 there's the new animated series from Down Under, "FARMkids," about a group of pampered city animals who live a star-studded life in a popular petting zoo and are suddenly relocated to a rustic country dude ranch. The first two releases are "FARMkids: Chaos in the Country," with seven episodes from the first season, and "FARMkids: Hair, Wool, Feathers and Fur," with six more episodes, $14.98 each from PorchLight Home Entertainment ... "Pucca," an animated series (currently airing on Toon Disney) based on the Pucca merchandise brand and Internet short, following the adventures of Pucca, the daughter of a Chinese restaurant owner and her single-minded pursuit of her true-love, Garu, who wants to become a ninja, comes to home video for the first time with "Pucca: Kung Fu Kisses" and "Pucca: Ninjas Love Noodle," with 13 episodes each, $14.99 ... "Dennis the Menace: Trouble, Trouble Everywhere" (2007) includes seven episodes of the animated TV series, $14.98 from Fox ... A boy's life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of darkness in "The Seeker" (2005), starring Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Gregory Smith and Christopher Eccleston, from Fox. (Posted March 17)

Special Interest:
"Life After People" is the 2007 History Channel documentary that asks the question: What would happen to planet Earth if the human race were to suddenly disappear forever? Would ecosystems thrive? What remnants of our industrialized world would survive? What would crumble fastest? From the ruins of ancient civilizations to present day cities devastated by natural disasters, history gives us clues to these questions and many more in the visually stunning and thought-provoking documentary; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Steep" (2007) is a documentary that takes a breathtaking look into the dangerous and death-defying world of big mountain skiing, from Sony. (Posted March 17)

DVD Collectibles:
photo Highlight of the week is three film noir outings from Fox: "Black Widow" (1954), starring Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney and George Raft, with commentary by film noir historian Alan K. Rode, a "Ginger Rogers at Twentieth Century Fox" featurette, a "Gene Tierney: Final Curtain for a Noir Icon" featurette, more ... "Dangerous Passage" (1953), starring Jeanne Crain and Michael Rennie, with commentary by film historian Aubrey Solomon, a "Peril at Sea: Charting a Dangerous Crossing" featurette, more ... "Daisy Kenyon" (1947), directed by Otto Preminger and starring Joan Crawford, Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews, with commentary by film noir historian Foster Hirsch, "From Journeyman to Artist: Otto Preminger at Twentieth Century Fox" featurette, "Life in the Shadows: The Making of Daisy Kenyon" featurette, more. (Posted March 10)

From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Day Break" (2007), a four-disc set with all 13 episodes of the ABC series about a detective (Taye Diggs) condemned to repeat the worst day of his life over and over, while trying to discover why he is being framed for a murder he knows he didn't commit, from BCI Entertainment ... photo "Five Days" (2007) is a five-part HBO miniseries about a mother and her children who go missing, in a two-disc set for $29.98 from HBO Video ... "Lil' Bush: Resident of the United States -- Season One" (2007), a single disc of the Comedy Central series spoofing the president, from Paramount ... "Love American Style: Season 1, Volume 2," a three-disc set, $36.99 from Paramount ... "The Mod Squad: The First Season, Volume 2," a four-disc set, $42.99 from Paramount ... "The Most Extreme: Season 1," a three-disc set with 13 episodes of the Animal Planet "most extreme" animal top 10 countdowns, $24.95 from Animal Planet/Genius Products ... "Sam & Max: Freelance Police!!!" a three-disc set with 24 episodes of the edgy and often irreverent Fox Kids animated series based on a pair of Steve Purcell's enormously popular underground comics; $34.99 from Shout! Factory ... "South Park: Imaginationland" (2007), a single disc with the director's cut of the feature-length triple episode, from Paramount ... "Tin Man" (2007), the Sci Fi Channel miniseries re-imagining of "The Wizard of Oz" starring Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough, Kathleen Robertson, Raoul Trujillo., in a two-disc set from Rhi Entertainment. (Posted March 10)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
"Bachelor Party 2: The Last Temptation" (2008) stars Josh Cooke, Sara Foster, Greg Pitts, Warren Christie, Danny Jacobs, Harland Williams and Emmanuelle Vaugier in a direct-to-video sequel, from Fox ... "Stompin'" (2007) stars Sinbad and Vanessa Bell Calloway in a coming-of-age story about two brothers who strugle to mend their estranged relationship as their college campus gears up for a major Stepshow competition, from Warner ... "Stargate: The Ark of Truth" (2008) stars Amanda Tapping, Beau Bridges, Michael Shanks, Ben Browder, Christopher Judge and Claudia Black in a direct-to-video feature-length film that picks up where "Stargate SG-1" left off, from MGM ... In war-torn Eastern Europe, a world-weary group of mercenaries discover a long-hidden, abandoned WWII bunker, were they encounter unspeakable monsters created decades before by Nazi experiments on soldiers in "Outpost" (2005), starring Ray Stevenson, Richard Brake and Julian Wadham, from Sony ... In "Bats: Human Harvest" (2007) a special ops detail sent to the forest of Chechnya after a mad doctor discovers he has created a horrific weapon: A flock of large carnivorous bats, with humans as test subjects in his nightmarish experiments, from Sony ... Adventuers seeking the lost set of Cecil B. DeMille's 1923 "The Ten Commandments" in the California desert uncover the spirit of a vengeful Egyptian god in "Sands of Oblivion" (2007), starring Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, George Kennedy and Dan Castellaneta, from Anchor Bay ... "You Move, You Die" (2007), which stars Ketzal Sterling, Julian Harrison, Patrick Clarke, Jonathan Allen and Bruce Hopkins, is a New Zealand black comedy that unfolds in real time over 92 minutes and follows the barrage of bullets unleashed when a young man is mugged on the way to propose to his girlfriend, from MTI Home Video ... "Outlaw" (2007) stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Rupert Friend, Sean Harris, Lennie James and Bob Hoskins in an actioner about a British paratrooper who returns from Iraq to find his country overrun by the lawless; he forms a modern-day outlaw posse in order to right what he sees as the wrongs of society, from Magnolia Home Entertainment. (Posted March 10)

Foreign:
photo Lou Ye's controversial "Summer Palace" (2006 -- China) is the story of young lovers whose relationship plays out against the movement for political reform, its violent suppression and the years of disillusionment that follow. After his film world premiered in the Cannes Film Festival's Competition, Lou Ye was banned from filmmaking for five years by Chinese authorities. Beautiful country girl Yu Hong (Hao Lei) leaves her village, family and lover to study at Peking University in the late 1980s. The country's social turmoil is witnessed through its disaffected youth, whose newfound sexuality and activism culminate in violent suppression. Spanning nearly 20 years of Chinese history, the film projects the country's struggle for definition through the eyes and heart of a young woman ill-equipped to handle it. From Palm Pictures. (Posted March 10)

For the Family:
For the wee ones this week Disney's Baby Einstein will release "Baby's First Sounds: Discoveries for Little ears," a $19.99 video that introduces babies to new sounds as well as classic nursery rhymes ... Sesame Street's "Play With Me Sesame" series debutes two hour-long interactive playdates for kids, "Lets Play Games" and "Imagine With Me," $14.93 each from Genius Products ... In "Pop Go the Wiggles" (2005) the Wiggles perform some of their favorite nursery rhymes to delight a new generation of pre-schoolers; $19.96 from Warner ... Public television's "The Zulu Patrol" science and astronomy series aimed at kids four to eight years old debuts on DVD with "The Zulu Patrol: Explore Space!" and "The Zulu Patrol: Explore Weather!" with four episodes each, $12.95 from Liberation Home Entertainment ... for older kids there's "Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes -- Volume Three" with four episodes from Cartoon Network's Saturday night series, $14.98 from Fox. (Posted March 10)

Special Interest:
"Appleseed Saga: Ex Machina" (2007) is the next installment in the Appleseed franchise, produced by John Woo and directed by Shinji Aramaki; based on the manga from renowned creator Shirow Masamune. Two members of ESWAT, the elite forces serving Olympus, battle cyborg terrorism, deadly nanotech zealots, and rioting citizens from Warner ... "The Secret Things of God" (2008) is based on the book by best-selling author, psychologist and radio personality, Dr. Henry Cloud, who offers a different view of the universe by discussing biblical passages that give direction for creating a successful and fulfilling life; $26.98 from Fox ... In "Def Comedy Jam: D.L. Hughley " (2007), Russell Simmons is back for another season of the popular stand-up show with a new host, D.L. Hughley. Filmed in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre, this season features a rotating line-up of fresh and familiar faces; $19.97 from HBO Video. (Posted March 10)

DVD Collectibles:
photo Highlight of the week is "TCM Archives: Forbidden Hollywood Volume 2," a three-disc set with five restored and remastered pre-code classics plus a feature-length documentary. It wasn't the "Roaring 20s" but the four years between 1929 and 1934 was the first real era of wide-open sexuality in films. Before Hollywood began enforcing a self-imposed Production Code (in response to numerous sex and crime scandals afflicting Tinseltown), many films allowed for extraordinary frankness, including nudity, adultery, premarital sex and prostitution. The five films here are representative of that time: "The Divorcee" (1930) with Norma Shearer, "A Free Soul" (1931) with Lionel Barrymore and Clark Gable, "Three on a Match" (1932) with Bette Davis, Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak, "Female" (1933) with Ruth Chatterton as a no-nonsense CEO, and "Night Nurse" (1931) with Barbara Stanwyck. Also included in the set is the documentary "Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood"; $49.92 from Warner. (Posted March 3)

Also due this week: "The Billy Wilder Film Collection," a four-disc set with "The Apartment," "Some Like It Hot," "The Fortune Cookie" and "Kiss Me Stupid!" $39.98 from MGM ... "12 Angry Men" (1957), directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Ed Begley and Jack Klugman, with a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes, from MGM ... A two-disc enhanced "101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition" (1961), featuring super picture and sound, $29.99 from Disney ... and "Mrs. Doubtfire Behind-the-Seams Special Edition" (1993), directed by Chris Columbus and starring Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein, Polly Holliday, Lisa Jakub, Matthew Lawrence, Mara Wilson and Robert Prosky, with deleted and extended scenes, makeup tests, fetaurettes, more, from Fox. (Posted March 3)

From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Blood +: Volume One" (2008), a single-disc with the first five episodes of the Adult Swim anime series, $24.98 from Sony ... "Blood +: Part One" (2008), a six-disc set with all 25 episodes from the first half of the Adult Swim anime series (includes a T-Shirt and Manga sampler), $119.95 from Sony ... "Human Giant: The Complete First Season" is a two-disc set of the MTV sketch comedy series, $26.99 from Paramount ... "Kill Point" (2007) is a two-disc set of the Spike TV series starring John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg, from Lionsgate ... "Marking Time" (2003) is an Australian miniseries about a young man who falls in love with an Afghani refugee in a small Australian town and faces racism and fear after Sept. 11, from BFS Entertainment) ... "The Love Boat: Season One, Volume One" is a three-disc set with the first 12 episodes, $39.99 from Universal ... "Magnum P.I.: Season 8" is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.98 from Universal ... "The Other Boleyn Girl" (2003) stars Natascha McElhone. Jodhi May and Jared Harris in the BBC tale of sex, passion and royal intrigue about Mary Boleyn, mistress to King Henry VIII before he married her older sister, Anne, from Warner just in time for the theatrical release of "The Other Boleyn Girl" ... "Sorrell and Son" (1984) stars Miranda Richardson, Stephanie Beacham and Richard Pasco in a BBC Masterpiece Theatre miniseries faithfully adapted from Warwick Deeping's best-selling novel set in the early '20s about one man's sacrifice in order to provide his son with the gentleman's life he feels he deserves, from Koch Vision. (Posted March 3)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "Automaton Transfusion" (2006) three teens find themselves in a town overrun by zombies created by a U.S. Army experiment run amok, from The Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "The Shepherd: Border Patrol" (2008) stars Jean-Claude Van Damme and Stephen Lord in a direct-to-video actioner about a rogue American Special Forces unit that schemes to smuggle $35 million worth of heroin into the United States; all that stands in its way is border patrol agent Jack Robideaux, an ex-homicide cop with a hidden agenda, from Sony ... "Experiment" (2005) is a psychological thriller about a man and woman trapped in a foreign city, both subjects of a terrifying and shocking experiment, with no escape from their nightmares, from MTI Home Video ... In "Pistol Whipped" (2008), starring Steven Seagal and Lance Henriksen, an elite ex-cop (Seagal) buries himself deeper and deeper into financial trouble with his uncontrollable gambling and drinking problems ... until a mysterious man offers to relieve him of his money troubles in exchange for the assassination of the city's most notorious gangsters, from Sony ... "Terry Pratchett's Hogfather" (2006) stars David Jason, Marc Warren, Michelle Dockery, David Warner and Joss Ackland in a live-action adaptation of one of the international best-selling "Discworld" novels by Terry Pratchett. The tale takes place in a parallel universe drifting through space perched on top of four elephants standing on the shell of a giant turtle, a universe where the Auditors want the human race destroyed, from Genius Products. (Posted March 3)

For the Family:
Lots of DVDs aimed at the little ones this week. "Pat the Bunny Playdates," based on the toddler book that has sold millions of copies since its introduction in 1940, gives children ages 6 months to 36 months video "playdates" to "touch" the world (good for housebound families only), $14.93 from Genius Products ... "My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Friendly Tails" is a triple-length adventure in which the gang hunts for pirate treasure in the Hundred Acre Wood, $19.99 from Disney ... :Bob the Builder: Building Bobland Bay" features six episodes of Bob the Builder and his Can-Do Crew building a new seaside development for Sunflower Valley, $14.98 from Fox/HIT Entertainment ... "Strawberry Shortcake: Big Country Fun" features Strawberry and friends at a summer dude ranch, $14.98 from Fox ... "Barney Animal ABCs" is the latest title featuring the purple dinosaur in which barney and friends match animals to letters of the alphabet; $14.98 from Fox/HIT Entertainment ... "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!" (1970) is a remastered deluxe edition with three additional animated Dr. Seuss stories: Dr. Seuss' "Butter Battle Book," "Daisy-Head Mayzie" and "Horton Hathces the Egg!" $19.97 from Warner ... "Thomas & Friends: Engines and Escapades" is a new DVD featuring six episodes of the little engine and his Narrow Gauge friends, $14.98 from Fox/HIT Entertainment. (Posted March 3)

For older kids there's "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief" (2008), starring Kyla Pratt andP eter Coyote in the latest adventure in the talking animals franchise, from Fox ... "Archie's Funhouse: The Complete Series" is a three-disc set with all 16 episodes of the classic animated hit starring Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie; $29.95 from Classic Media/Genius Products ... "Flight 29 Down: Season Two" is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $24.95 from Discovery Kids/Genius Products ... "Flight 29 Down: Hotel Tango" is a four-part movie and season finale, $14.95 from Discovery Kids/Genius Products ... "Ben 10: The Complete Season 3" is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $19.98 from Warner ... "The Pink Panther & Friends Classic Cartoon Collection Volume Six: The Inspector" is a single disc with 17 episodes (cartoons) from 1965-67, $14.98 from MGM. (Posted March 3)

Special Interest:
In the thought-provoking documentary "My Kid Could Paint That" (2007), director Amir-Bar-Lev tracks the overnight celebrity of little Marla Olmstead, a toddler who creates gallery-worthy paintings on the dining room table of her family home. A media sensation by the age of four, critics compared her work with Jackson Pollock's. Sales of her paintings reached $300,000. But, sadly, the bubble burst. When a 2005 profile by "60 Minutes" suggested that Marla had help making her paintings, the finger is pointed at her father, an amateur artist and night manager at Frito Lay. Almost overnight, her family is ensnared in a web of accusation and denial -- with the burden of proof placed squarely in their lap: Is Marla a child prodigy or an innocent victim of a hoax? From Sony ... Echo Bridge Home Entertainment will buff up with "World Combat League: Season One," hosted by Chuck Norris ($19.99), and "WCL: Season One: Greatest Knockouts and Knockdowns" ($9.99) ... "The UCLA Dynasty" chronicles the Bruins' incredible achievement in capturing an astounding 10 national titles during a 12-year period, from 1964-1975; just in time for March madness, $19.98 from HBO Video. (Posted March 3)

Flash: (February 27)

This Just In:
photo Paramount has scheduled an April 8 release date for the incredible "There Will Be Blood," a sprawling epic about family, greed, corruption, and the pursuit of the American dream. Set in the booming West Coast oil fields at the turn of the 20th century, "There Will Be Blood" follows the rise of rugged prospector Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), photo who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon. But even as oil raises all of their fortunes, it coats their lives with tragedy, and nothing will remain the same as conflicts escalate and every human value -- love, hope, community, belief, ambition and even the bond between father and son -- is imperiled by corruption, deception and the flow of crude. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film is inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil!" A masterpiece for the 21st century. The oil derreck fire and its consequences alone are worth the price of admission. And, of course, the film won two Academy Awards: Daniel Day-Lewis in a mesmerizing performance, for best actor, and Robert Elswit for best cinematography. (Posted February 27)

Flash: (February 25)

Coming Soon:
photo Universal has set a March 18 release for "Atonement," starrng Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Romola Garai, Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Blethyn, Vanessa Redgrave and Juno Temple. The critically acclaimed story of love, betrayal, and all its consequences is an adaptation of Ian McEwan's best-selling 2002 novel. Shot on location in the U.K., the film's story spans several decades, beginning in 1935 when a young girl catches her sister in a passionate embrace with a childhood friend, and her jealousy drives her to tell a lie that will irrevocably change the course of all their lives forever. From Joe Wright, the award-winning director of "Pride and Prejudice." "Atonement" nabbed a best original score Oscar on Sunday night. (Posted February 25)

DVD Collectibles:
photo Due this week from The Criterion Collection is Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" (1987), starring John Lone, Joan Chen and Peter O'Toole, in a four-disc set with an all-new restored, high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro as well as an all-new restored, high-definition digital transfer of the extended television version. "The Last Emperor" won nine Academy Awards, unexpectedly sweeping every category in which it was nominated -- quite a feat for a challenging, multilayered epic directed by an Italian and starring an international cast. Yet the power and scope of the film was, and remains, undeniable -- the life of emperor Pu Yi, who took the throne at age three, in 1908, before witnessing decades of cultural and political upheaval, within and outside of the walls of the Forbidden City. Recreating Qing-dynasty China with astonishing detail and unparalleled craftsmanship by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro and production designer Ferdinando Scarfiotti, "The Last Emperor" is also an intimate character study of one man reconciling personal responsibility and political legacy. As with all Criterion releases, this one dazzles with bonus materials, including commentary by Bertolucci, a host of documentaries, interviews, and a booklet featuring essays by David Thomson and an extract from script supervisor Fabien Gerard's journals from the production. (Posted February 25)

From TV to Video:
"Color Honeymooners Collection 2" From Miami Beach, the sun and fun capitol of the world, it's "The Jackie Gleason Show!" Those are the words that announced the airing of Gleason's Saturday night show that aired from 1966-70; this DVD is a collection of color Honeymoooners segments; from MPI Home Video ... "Comanche Moon -- The Second Chapter in the Lonesome Dove Saga" (2008) stars Val Kilmer, Steve Zahn, Rachel Griffiths, Karl Urban, Linda Cardellini and Wes Studi in a prequel to the hugely popular and award-winning series; the two-disc set, extended cut is from Sony ... "Dark Shadows: The Beginning #3" features 35 episodes from the vampire soap opera (#71-105); from MPI Home Video ... "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale" is the finale of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series, $19.97 from HBO Video ... "Family Affair Season 5" is a five-disc set with 24 episodes, $39.98 from MPI Home Video ... "The Fugitive: The First Season, Volume Two" (1963-64) is a four-disc set with the second part of the series' first season, $42.99 from Paramount ... "The Invisible Man Collection" (1958) features 26 remastered episodes of the British TV series; $39.98 from Dark Sky Films ... "Lonesome Dove: The Ultimate Collection" is a 10-disc set with all 43 episodes of "Lonesome Dove: The Series" and "Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years," $39.99 from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment ... "Newhart: The Complete First Season" is a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $39,98 from Fox ... "Rough Diamond" (2005) is a light-hearted British crime caper series about an aging criminal mastermind (the original title was "Diamond Geezer"); the two-disc set has four episodes, $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "State of Play" (2003) is a BBC America miniseries, set in London, in which a politician's life becomes increasingly complex as his research assistant is found dead on the London Underground and, in a seemingly unrelated incident, a teenage drug dealer is shot dead, from Warner ... "TV Guide Presents: B.L. Stryker: The Complete First Season" (1989) is a three-disc set with five episodes of the Burt Reynolds private detective series; $29.95 from Arts Alliance America. (Posted February 25)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
Due this week: "Holigans" (2004), starring Shaun Elebert. A slightly demented English gangster decides that he wants a bigger piece of the underworld pie and devises a scheme involving the takeover of a family tavern in a sleepy seaside community in Ireland. Problems occur when the rightful owners of the pub put up more of a fight than he bargained for. From Warner ... "Inside" (2006), starring Nicholas D'Agosto, and Leighton Meester. Friends Alex and Josie have a disturbing hobby -- they like to follow strangers. Intrigued by other people's lives, Alex breaks into their homes, listens to their conversations and watches their every move. But his obsession backfires when he's caught in the home of a tormented couple who become fascinated by his resemblance to their dead son, and now Alex finds himself trapped in a horrifying existence of shifting identities and realities. From Echo Bridge Home Entertainment ... "Legend of the Black Scorpion" (2006 -- Hong Kong), starring Ziyi Zhang, Daniel Wu, Xun Zhou and You Ge. Set in 10th century China, scheming royals and other officials seek to conquer empires and consolidate power to form a single omnipotent dynasty. Against this backdrop enters a legendary empress with unparalleled fighting skills. The score combines Western classical with Chinese classical music. Two-disc ultimate edition. From Dragon Dynasty. (Posted February 25)

On the Indie Front:
"Pinochet's Last Stand" (2006), starring Derek Jacobi, Phyllida Law and Peter Capaldi. In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet took over Chile in a violent military coup. During his 17-year rule, he ruthlessly repressed all opposition to his regime, leading to the deaths of 3,000 civilians and the torture of another 30,000. This biodrama tells the fascinating true story of the former dictator's surprise 1998 arrest for crimes against humanity while undergoing back surgery during a vacation in London. From HBO ... "To Kill a King" (2003), starring Tim Roth, Dougray Scott, Olivia Williams, Rupert Everett and Steven Webb. The story of the relationship between General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, as they try to cope with the consequences of deposing King Charles I of England. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. From Union Station Media ... "Day Zero" (2007), starring Elijah Wood, Jon Bernthal, Chris Klein and Ginnifer Goodwin. Three best friends are drafted and given 30 days to report for duty; in that time they're forced to confront everything they believe about courage, duty, love, friendship and honor. From First Look Studios ... "Jake's Booty Call" (2008) is an animated feature version of the popular Internet game for college students. From National Lampoon and Arts Alliance America. (Posted February 25)

For the Family:
Viewers of all ages will learn about Paris' history, culture and beauty in "Travel With Kids: Paris" (2008), an innovative, engaging program that also features money-saving tips, topical pop-up facts, advice for traveling with children and fun segments filled with all things great about the City of Lights; $14.98 from PorchLight Home Entertainment ... For preschoolers there's "The Smurfs: Season 1, Volume 1," a two-disc set with 19 remastered cartoons from the 1981 premiere season; $26.99 from Warner and "Caillou's Family Favorites" (2008), in which kids join animated Caillou as he explores everyday life, where ordinary daily events spark the imagination; $14.99 from Paramount ... For older kids there's "Justice League: The New Frontier Special Edition" (2007), a new animated feature in single-disc ($19.98) and two-disc ($24.98) versions. Based on the graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke, the film tells the tale of the founding of the Justice League, comprised of DC Comics legends Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and The Flash. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. From Warner. (Posted February 25)

Special Interest:
"America at War Megaset" is a 14-disc set with 35 documentaries that presents more than 200 years of combat history, from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror; $124.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Darkon" (2006) is a documentary on live-action role-playing gamers who suit up their armor in Baltimore to create a make-believe medieval world named Darkon, $26.98 from Porchlight Home Entertainment ... "A Global Warning?" (2007) is a documentary that investigates the most dramatic climatic events in Earth's past and considers the future trends that will decide the fate of our species; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "1968 With Tom Brokaw" (2007) is a feature-length, multidisciplinary documentary that examines the year that changed America. Features animated timelines and telling archival footage that illuminate the events and their influences; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Life After Tomorrow" (2005) is a highly acclaimed documentary exploring the life-changing repercussions of child performers in the long-running Broadway musical "Annie," revealing the highs and lows of their experiences as child actresses in a cultural phenomenon; $19.95 from Arts Alliance America ... "The 2008 Rose Bowl Game" (2008) features the complete ABC broadcast of the Pac-10/Big Ten match-up in which sixth-ranked USC tied a Rose Bowl record with 49 points and set the total offensive record with 633 yards in their 49-17 rout of #13 Illinois; $19.95 from ESPN/Genius Products ... "The Art & Practice of Gardening" is a two-disc set that contains 13 Home & Garden TV programs featuring every major garden style and practice from private and public gardens in England, Ireland and the United States; $24.99 from Kultur International. (Posted February 25)

This Just In:
photo Fox on April 22 will release "The Savages," an irreverent story about family, love and mortality. Nominated for two Academy Awards including best actress for Laura Linney and best original screenplay for writer-director Tamara Jenkins, the film centers on two siblings who are reluctantly forced to look back at their difficult family history. Cocooned in their own complicated lives -- Wendy (Linney) a struggling playwright; Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a neurotic college professor, are forced to live together under one roof for the first time since childhood when their father (Philip Bosco) begins to be consumed by dementia. Faced with complete upheaval and battling over how to handle their father's final days, they are confronted with what adulthood, family and most surprisingly, each other are really about. Extras include "About the Savage" featurette, director's snapshots, "The Sun City West Rhythm Tappers" extended scene, "Two of a Kind " extended scene. (Posted February 21)

Flash: (February 20)

This Just In:
photo Paramount has just announced that Tim Burton's tour de force re-imagining of Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning Broadway hit musical "Sweeney Todd" will make its home video debut on DVD and HD DVD April 1. Johhny Depp stars as the infamous demon barber aided in his quest for revenge by his trusty razors and Helena Bonham Carter as Sweeney's amorous accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, who creates diabolical meat pies. "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd./His skin was pale and his eye was odd./He shaved the faces of gentlemen/Who never thereafter were heard of again." The film also stars Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Sacha Baron Cohen. The film will be available in single-disc and two-disc standard and HD DVD editions; the two-disc editions include such extras as "The Making of Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "Moviefone Unscripted with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp," a photo gallery and more. (Posted February 20)

Flash: (February 19)

This Just In:
photo Fox has announced an April 15 release date for "Juno," the witty and smart comedy that was embraced by audiences and hailed by critics across the country. The sleeper hit, directed by Jason Reitman, has been nominated for four Academy Awards: best picture, best director, best original screenplay and best actress for up-and-coming star Ellen Page. "Juno" will be released as a single disc; a two-disc set with commentary by Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, deleted scenes, gag reels, featurettes, and a Digital Copy that allows viewers to transfer a digital version of the film to a Mac or Windows-based PC computer and then to portable video devices such as iPods; and on Blu-ray Disc. And as part of Fox's marketing campaign, "Juno" will be sold at Starbucks company-operated locations in the U.S., a first for the company. (Posted February 19)

Flash: (February 18)

DVD Collectibles:
photo The Criterion Collection this week will release another of Jean-Luc Godard's masterpieces, "Pierrot Le Fou" (1965), starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina, in a two-disc set with a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard. Dissatisfied in marriage and life, Ferdinand (Belmondo) takes to the road with the babysitter, his ex-lover Marianne Renoir (Karina), and leaves the bourgeoisie behind. Yet this is no normal road trip: Genius auteur Godard's 10th feature in six years, released between "Alphaville" and Masculin, feminine," is a stylish mash-up of consumerist satire, politics, and comic-book aesthetics, as well as a violent, zigzag tale of, as Godard called them, "the last romantic couple." With blissful color imagery by cinematographer Raoul Coutard and Belmondo and Karina at their most animated, "Pierrot le fou" is one of the high points of the French new wave, and one last frolic before Godard moved ever further into radical cinema. Extras include a new video interview with Karina; "Pierrot Primer," a new video program with audio commentary by filmmaker Jean-Pierre Gorin; "Godard, l'amour, la poesie," a 50-minute French documentary about Godard and his collaborative life and films with Karina; archival interview excerpts with Godard, Belmondo and Karina; plus a booklet featuring a new essay by critic Richard Brody, an review by Andrew Sarris, and an interview with Godard. (Posted February 18)

Also from Criterion this week is "Walker," a hallucinatory biopic that breaks all cinematic conventions, from British director Alex Cox ("Repo Man," "Sid & Nancy"). "Walker" tells the story of 19th-century American adventurer William Walker (Ed Harris), who abandoned a series of careers in law, politics, journalism and medicine to become a soldier of fortune, and for several years dictator of Nicaragua. Made with mad abandon and political acuity -- and the support of the Sandinista army and government during the Contra war -- the film uses this true tale as a satirical attack on American ultrapatriotism and a freewheeling condemnation of "manifest destiny." Featuring a powerful score by Joe Strummer and a performance of intense, repressed rage by Harris, Walker remains one of Cox's most daring works. Presented in a new, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by Cox, with loads of extras. (Posted February 18)

From TV to Video:
"Coach: The Third Season," is a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $26.98 from Universal ... "Cops: 20th Season Anniversary" (2007) is a two-disc set that celebrates 20 seasons of the reality show. The set includes the "20th Season Special," the "Pilot" episode, the "Las Vegas Heat" episode, the "Lost Episode," "Cops in the Movies and on TV: Spoofs and Tributes" featurette, more; from Fox ... "Lillie" is a classic from the golden age of the British miniseries. The 1979 PBS Masterpiece Theatre drama follows the true-life, late-19th century story of Lillie Langtry from churchman's daughter to an independent -- and infamous -- actress and woman of the world, at once smart, stunning and scandalous; $59.99 from Acorn Media ... "Walker, Texas Ranger: The Fourth Season" (1996-97) is a seven-disc set with 26 episodes, $54.99, from Paramount. (Posted February 18)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
Seeking to uncover the truth behind a series of apparent suicides, a young detective investigates a mysterious man who invades his victims' dreams, convincing them to kill themselves in real life in "Nightmare Detective" (2006 -- Japan), starring Ryuhei Matsuda, Shinya Tsukamoto and Hitomi, from Dimension Extreme/Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... In "Black Water" (2007), a leisurely boat tour by a group of friends down the rivers of Northern Australia turns horrific when the boat suddenly capsizes and the group is attacked by one of the most dangerous reptiles in the world: the Salt Water crocodile, from Sony ... In "Revamped" (2007), starring Jeff Rector, Christa Campbell, Martin Kove, Billy Drago, Fred Williamson and Tane McClure, a successful businessman is bitten by a beautiful vampire and is plunged into the dark world of the supernatural; he quickly realizes that being undead isn't all that it's cracked up to be and must fight for survival when a militaristic team of Vampire Hunters discover his existence; from MTI Home Video ... A mischievous high school sophomore faces a conflict of conscience vs. character when his best friend becomes linked to the death of a youth from another clique in suburban Middle America circa 1976 in "The Good Humor Man" (2005), starring Nathan Stevens, Cameron Richardson, Jorge Garcia, Kelsey Grammer and Jason Segel; from Monarch Home Video ... In "The Final Inquiry" (2006), a Roman general in 32 AD travels to Jerusalem to discredit the rumors of a resurrection and put an end to the spreading cult of Jesus; stars F. Murray Abraham, Dolph Lundgren, Max von Sydow, Daniele Liotti and Monica Cru; from Fox. (Posted February 18)

For the Family:
"The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town" (1977) is a restored and remastered version of the stop-motion TV feature, $14.98 from Warner ... "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" is a remastered version of the 1974 classic, from Warner ... "Little Einsteins: Race for Space" is a compilation of three adventures that include a flying journey from Machu Pichu to China and a sky race featuring all the greatest flying machines in the world; $19.99 from Disney ... "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (2002) is a three-disc set with the first 13 episodes of the revival of the animated "He-Man" saga; $26,98 from BCI Entertainment. (Posted February 18)

Special Interest:
"Gorillas on the Brink" (2007) is an Animal Planet documentary that observes firsthand the urgent crisis of endangered gorillas in Rwanda, hosted by world-renowned animal expert Jack Hanna and actress Natalie Portman; from Animal Planet/Genius Products ... "Terror's Advocate" (2007) is a documentary by director Barbet Schroeder that takes audiences down history's darkest paths in an attempt to illuminate the mystery behind the enigmatic Jacques Verges, a successful lawyer who defended unpopular figures from all political fronts, including monsters like Nazi criminal Klaus Barbie and Holocaust denier Roger Garaudy; from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... "Sputnik Revealed" is a NOVA documentary that delves into the true story behind the start of the Space Race in 1957; $24.95 from WGBH Boston Video ... "Excellent Cadavers" is a documentary that chronicles the recent history of the Mafia in Sicily and its integral relationship to postwar Italian politics; $24.95 from First Run Features ... "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project" (2007) is a two-disc set of the HBO documentary directed by John Landis profiling the career of comedian Don Rickles; $26.99 from Salient Media ... World Wrestling Entertainment and Genius Entertainment have four wrestling titles of interest to fans: "Armageddon," a battle royale featuring RAW, SmackDown and ECW stars, $24.95; "Royal Rumble: Volume III: 1998-2002" and "Royal Rumble: Volume IV: 2003-2007," each five disc sets featuring more than 15 hours of bone crushing action, $59.95 each; and a three-disc collector's edition of "The Legacy of Stone Cold Austin," $34.95. (Posted February 18)

This Just In:
photo They're back -- and with more attitude than last time. On April 15 Fox will release "Aliens vs. Predator -- Requiem," the second film in the franchise that pits two of the screen's scariest creatures against each other -- and humans. Picking up immediately after the events of the 2004 blockbuster "Alien vs. Predator," a Predator gives birth to the crossbreed "PredAlien" shortly before its ship crashes into a small Colorado town. Caught in between the invasion of the Aliens and a new ruthless and methodical Predator, a group of townspeople must join forces to stop the infestation before the military obliterates the town to contain the outbreak. Available in a single-disc, on two-disc DVD and in high-definition format on Blu-ray Disc, and loaded with features. (Posted February 12)

DVD Collectibles:
photoIt's a week of collections, headed up by "Lubitsch Musicals: Eclipse Series #8," a four-disc set with "The Love Parade" (1929), "Monte Carlo" (1930), "The Smiling Lieutenant" (1931) and "One Hour With You" (1932). Not only the man who refined Hollywood comedy with such masterpieces as "Trouble in Paradise," "The Shop Around the Corner," and "To Be or Not to Be," Ernst Lubitsch also helped invent the modern movie musical. With the advent of sound and audiences clamoring for talkies, Lubitsch combined his love of European operettas and his mastery of film to produce this entirely new genre. These elegant, bawdy films, created before strict enforcement of the morality code, feature some of the greatest stars of early Hollywood (Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins), as well as that elusive style of comedy that would thereafter be known as the Lubitsch touch. $59.95 from The Criterion Collection. (Posted February 12)

"The Stanley Kramer Film Collection," a five-disc set with "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," "Ship of Fools," "The Wild One," "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T" and "The Member of the Wedding"; 59.95 from Sony ... "Joan Crawford Collection, Volume 2," a five-disc set with "Sadie McKee (1934), "Strange Cargo" (1941), "A Woman's Face" (1941), "Flamingo Road" (1949) and "Torch Song" (1953); $49.92 from Warner ... "The Charlie Chan Collection: Volume 4" with the first four Sidney Toler-starring Charlie Chan mysteries: "Charlie Chan In Honolulu" (1938), "Charlie Chan In Reno" (1939), "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island" (1939) and "Charlie Chan In the City of Darkness" (1939), $49.98 from Fox ... and "Academy Award Animation Collection 15 Winners -- 26 Nominees," a three-disc set with 26 Academy Award nominated cartoons and the 15 winners, restored and remastered. The winning shorts: "The Milky Way" (1940), "Yankee Doodle Mouse" (1943), "Mouse Trouble" (1944), "Quiet Please" (1945), "The Cat Concerto" (1947), "Tweetie Pie" (1947), "The Little Orphan" (1949), "For Scent-Imental Reasons" (1949), "So Much for So Little" (1949), "Two Mouseketeers" (1952), "Johann Mouse" (1953), "Speedy Gonzales" (1955), "Birds Anonymous" (1957), "Knighty-Knight Bugs" (1958) and "The Dot and The Line" (1965); $44.98 from Warner. (Posted February 12)

From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Blade: The Series," a four-disc set with all 13 episodes, with unrated and extended scenes, $39.98 from New Line ... "Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season," a five-disc set with 30 episodes, $39.98 from Warner ... "The Equalizer: Season One," a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.98 from Universal ... "Family Ties: The Third Season" (1984-85), a four-disc set with 23 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "General Hospital: Night Shift Season 1," a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.99 from Disney ... "Girlfriends: The Third Season" (2002-03), a four-disc set with 24 episodes, $39.99 from Paramount ... "Hotel Babylon: Season 1," a three-disc set with eight episodes of the BBC/AMC series, $39.98 from Warner ... "Love or Money" (2001) is a U.K. telefilm about a reality show in which a couple is selected by the audience to be married on TV; if they stay together six months, they'll win a cool million; stars Steven Duffy and Emma Cunniffe; from BFS Entertainment ... "Perfect Strangers: The Complete First & Second Seasons," a four-disc set with 28 episodes, $29.98 from Warner ... "Tell Me You Love Me: The Complete First Season" (2005). $69.98 from HBO Video. (Posted February 12)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
A big-city magazine writer comes face-to-face with the traditional Southern family he hasn't seen in more than 10 years in "Dirty Laundry" (2006), starring Rockmond Dunbar, Loretta Devine and Jenifer Lewis, from Fox ... In "The Front Line" (2006), starring Eriq Ebouaney and James Frain, an African immigrant bank security guard turns the tables on Dublin's nastiest criminals when they force him to be the "inside man" on a bank robbery, from BFS Entertainment ... "Royal Tramp 1 & 2" (1992) is a two-disc set of the Hong Kong action-comedies starring Stephen Chow as a fast-talking conman who manages to avoid death and score hot women, all while trying to save the Ming Dynasty from falling; from Dragon Dynasty/Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "Furnace" is a thriller about a supernatural force in a maximum security prison hell-bent on revenge, starring Michael pare, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo and Ja Rule; from Genius Products. (Posted February 12)

On the Indie Front:
The shy son (Khan Chittenden) of an aging comedienne (Brenda Blethyn) tries to find a balance between his demanding home life, his new girlfriend, and his mother's second chance at fame in "Introducing the Dwights" (2007), from Warner ... In "Blue State" (2007), fervent liberal John Logue (Breckin Meyer) suddenly finds himself with no job, no girlfriend -- and no country -- when he vows to move to Canada if John Kerry loses the 2004 election. Making good on his "campaign promise," Logue finds a traveling companion--a sexy, mysterious woman named Chloe (Anna Paquin) -- and heads north. But Chloe is not all that she seems; from MGM ... "ESL: English as a Second Language" (2005) is an interesting take on immigration as a young woman makes the treacherous journey over the border from Mexico to Los Angeles where she meets up with another woman whose parents made the same journey some 20 years before; stars Kuno Becker, Danielle Camastra, John Michael Higgins, Maria Conchita Alonso and Harold Gould; from Allumination FilmWorks ... "Dedication" is a romantic comedy that follows a misogynistic children's book author who is forced to work closely with a female illustrator instead of his long-time collaborator and only friend; stars Mandy Moore, Billy Crudup, Tom Wilkinson, Peter Bogdanovich and Dianne Wiest; from Genius Products. (Posted February 12)

For the Family:
"The Beatrix Potter Collection" is a three-disc set with nine animated adventures, $29.98 from Warner ... "Batman Double Feature" (2008) features two animated made-for-video Batman features: "Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero" and "Batman Mask of Phantasm"; $14.97 from Warner ... "Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders/Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island " is one disc with two full-length Scooby-Doo adventures, $14.97 from Warner ... "George of the Jungle: The Complete Original Series" (2005) is a two-disc set with all 17 episodes, $19.98 from Classic Media/Genius Products ... "Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive Volumes 4 & 5" are the last two chapters in the "Overdrive" series, $19.99 each; from Disney. (Posted February 12)

Special Interest:
"Prehistoric Predators" is a 2007 National Geographic Channel documentary about the animal giants who ruled the world 10,000 years ago, from Warner ... "Africa Unite" (2008) is a politically driven music documentary that follows three generations of the Marley family on their historic journey to Ethiopia to take part in a 2005 concert in commemoration of Bob Marley's 60th birthday, from Palm Pictures ... "Love Is My Religion" is a full-length live concert by Reggae icon Ziggy Marley taped at Los Angeles' Avalon Theatre in December 2006, $14.97 from Tuff Gong Worldwide ... "Columbus: The Lost Voyage" (2007) is a History Channel documentary on Columbus' checkered history after the initial glory and fame from the discovery of the New World had faded; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun" (2006 -- Denmark) is a documentary about an elderly Danish eccentric and a strong-willed Russian nun who join forces to transform a run-down castle into a Russian Orthodox monastery, from Koch Lorber ... "Lost Book of Nostradamus" (2007) is a History Channel documentary on the book "Prophecy of the Roman Popes", which lay hidden for over 400 years on the shelves of the Italian National Library; the book may well contain new, cryptic predictions from the master psychic himself -- including the crisis in the Middle East and the Apocalypse; $24.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav: Uncensored!" is a roast of Flavor Flav hosted by Katt Williams, from Paramount. (Posted February 12)

From the Big Screen:
Due this week: "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "The Brave One," "Across the Universe," "Jane Austen Book Club," "2 Days In Paris" and "Feast of Love." For more releases this week, see our "Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases." (Posted February 5)

DVD Collectibles:
Winner of five 1960 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, "The Apartment" is director Billy Wilder at his scathing, satirical best in this comedic take on the wiles of the executive suite in the 50s and 60s. C.C. "Bud" Baxter (Jack Lemmon) knows the way to success in business ... it's through the door of his apartment! By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. For Sheldrake's mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud's dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl ... or his job. MHM has released "The Apartment Collector's Edition" with commentary by film historian Bruce Block, an "Inside the Apartment" documentary and a "Tribute to Jack Lemmon" ... Sony has released "Midnight Express 30th Anniversary Edition" (1978), directed by Alan Parker, with a screenplay by Oliver Stone and starring Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli, Paul L. Smith, Randy Quaid, Norbert Weisser, Peter Jeffrey and John Hurt. Extras include several featurette and commentary by Parker ... Don't forget "Tootsie 25th Anniversary Edition" (1982), directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray and Geena Davis; extras include "A Better Man: The Making of Tootsie" featurette and deleted scenes, from Sony ... And Universal has put together an "Imitation of Life Two Movie Special Edition," a two-disc set with the 1934 "Imitation of Life" directed by John M. Stahl and starring Claudette Colbert and the 1959 version directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Lana Turner and Sandra Dee. (Posted February 5)

From TV to Video:
"Beauty and the Beast: The Third Season" (1989-90) is a three-disc set with 12 episodes, $49.99 from Paramount ... "Dresden" (2006) is a German miniseries about a romance between a British pilot hiding in Germany and a German nurse, set against the background of the massive allied bombing of Dresden toward the end of World War II; two-disc set, $29.98 from Koch Vision ... "McLeod's Daughters: The Complete Fifth Season" is an eight-disc set with 32 episodes of the Australian series about two half-sisters separated as children and reunited when they inherit Drover's Run, a large Australian cattle ranch that had been passed down for generations; $79.98 from Koch Vision ... "Rosemary & Thyme: The Complete Collection" is a nine-disc set with 22 episodes of the British mystery series, $99.99 from Acorn Media ... "Route 66: Season One, Volume Two" (1960-61) is a four-disc set with 15 episodes, restored and digitally transferred from the original masters, $29.98 from Infinity Entertainment ... "Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection" is a seven-disc set with all 18 episodes of the series about a dysfunctional Canadian theater troupe; $59.99 from Acorn media ... "Soul Food the Series: The Third Season" (2002-03) is a five-disc set with 10 episodes, $49.99 from Paramount ... "A Stranger's Heart" (2007) stars Samantha Mathis, June Squibb, Peter Dobson and Thomas Kopache in a telefilm about a female N.Y. writer who meets a gentle hunk of a man while both are waiting for heart transplants; miraculously, they both receive donated hearts, and the two fall in love, from Genius Products ... "Strictly Confidential" is a two-disc set with six episodes from the sexually explosive British TV murder-mystery series about a bisexual ex-police officer-turned-sex therapist; $29.98 from Koch Vision ... "Third Watch: The Complete First Season" is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $59.98 from Warner ... "Wire In the Blood: The Complete Fourth Season" is a four-disc set with all four episodes of the British TV series about a crime-solving psychologist; $59.98 from Koch Vision. (Posted February 5)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
A pair of slackers get in way over their heads when they try to dump the body of a dead girlfriend in the basement of a drive-in movie theater where a satanic cult performs ritual sacrifices in "Weirdsville" (2007), starring Wes Bentley, Raoul Bhaneja and Greg Bryk, from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... In "Storm Warning" (2007), a weekend boating excursion takes a bad turn when a severe storm strands a married couple on a remote island; they stumble upon what appears to be a vacant house only to learn that the sadistic inhabitants are home and have heinous plans for the unexpected houseguests, from Dimension Extreme/Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... In "Croc" (2007), starring Peter Tuinstra and Michael Madsen, a large man-eating crocodile terrorizes tourists and locals in Thailand, from Genius Products ... "Showstoppers" (2008) is a story about a group of young college girls whose friendships and dreams are challenged and celebrated as they compete in the vibrant discipline that is known as "stepping", from Warner ... "Love & Basketball" (2005) stars Dennis Haysbert, Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Boris Kodjoe and Chris Warren Jr.; the two-disc set includes the CD soundtrack, from New Line ... "All In" (2006) stars Dominique Swain, Michael Madsen, Louis Gossett Jr., Colleen Porch and James Russo in a tale about six medical students with unique talents pool their resources to try to win the World Series of Poker, from MTI Home Video. (Posted February 5)

For the Family:
"The Prince and the Pauper" (2007) is a modern re-telling of the Mark Twain classic with teen throbs twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse; co-stars Kay Panabaker and Vincent Spano, from Sony ... In "Elmo's World: Opposites" (2007), preschoolers join with Sesame Street's Elmo to learn about the ins and outs of the amazing concept of "opposites"; features three episodes with Elmo and his friends -- Mr. Noodle, Super Grover and Dorothy the Goldfish; $12.93 from Seasame Workshop/Genius ... "Legion of Super Heroes V2" features four episodes of the animated super hero series, $14.97, from Warner ... In "Bob the Builder On-Site: Roads & Bridges" (2007), young viewers get an exciting behind-the-scenes look at how the impressive construction machines do their big jobs; $19.98 from HIT/Fox ... "The Ten Commandments" (2007) is a CGI-animated feature with the voices of Ben Kingsley, Christian Slater, Alfred Molina and Elliott Gould, from Genius Products ... "Madeline: Meet Me In Paris" (2008) features three animated episodes based on Ludwig Bemelmans' classic Madeline children's books; includes "Madeline at the Louvre" "Madeline at the Eiffel Tower" and "Madeline in Cannes"; $14.98 from Fox ... "The Aristocats Special Edition" is a digitally enhanced edition of the 1970 animated film with the voices of Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway, Scatman Crothers and Paul Winchell, from Disney ... "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: Rain Showers & Spring Flowers" and "Maggie and The Ferocious Beast: Recipes For Trouble" each feature five episodes from the Noggin kids series, $14.99 each from Shout! Factory ... "The Ugly Duckling and Me: Vol. 3 Love Is in the Air" (2005) is the third volume of the animated series based on the Hans Christian Andersen character; includes three episodes; $14.98 from Allumination FilmWorks ... "Snow Buddies" (2008) stars James Belushi, Kris Kristofferson and Molly Shannon in a tale about five talking puppies who get stuck on a plane to Alaska and join in a daring dogsled race, from Disney. (Posted February 5)

Special Interest:
"Romeo & Juliet: A Monkey's Tale" (2007) is an Animal Planet feature that takes place in the mountains of Thailand, where two young monkeys from rival factions fall in love. This is the story of their lives, as the two groups of the local simian population declare war to keep them apart. It's a familiar story with a wild twist, from Animal Planet/Genius Products ... "The Best of Comedy Central Presents: Uncensored" features original stand-up specials from Lewis Black, Dane Cook, Jeff Dunham, Mitch Hedberg, Demetri Martin, Carlos Mencia and Brian Regan, $19.99 from Paramount ... "The Jewish Americans" is a two-disc set of the recent six-hour PBS documentary that focuses on individual personalities and stories to chronicle the 350-year saga of immigrants who gradually wove themselves into the fabric of American life; $34.99 from Paramount. (Posted February 5)

Flash: This Just In (January 31)
photo Warner Home Video has just announced a March 18 release for Will Smirh's "I Am Legend," the third iteration of the chilling novel by Richard Matheson (previous versons were 1964's "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price and "The Omega Man" in 1971 starring Charlton Heston). Smith plays Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist who survives the ravages of a terrible virus that is unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, he sends out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague -- The Infected -- lurk in the shadows ... watching Neville's every move ... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. "I Am Legend" will be available as a single disc and in a two-disc special edition as well as on Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. (Posted January 31)

DVD Collectibles:
photo Due this week is "El Cid" (1961), directed by Anthony Mann and starring Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone and Genevieve Page. The two-disc set is the first release under The Weinstein Co.'s The Miriam Collection label (named after their mother). Anthony Mann masterfully directs this classic tale of the 11th-century hero (Heston) who fought to unite Spain. Known as history's "compassionate warrior," the film follows El Cid's remarkable journey from peace-broker accused of treason to the King's fighting champion, and later from exiled hero to legendary martyr. The disc is available in a Deluxe Edition ($24.95) and a Limited Collector's Edition ($39.92). Extras include a written Introduction by Martin Scorsese; commentary by Bill Bronston (son of producer Sam Bronston) and historian-author Neal M. Rosendorf; a 1961 promotional radio interviews with Heston and Loren; an introduction interview with Heston; "Samuel Bronston: The Epic Journey of a Dreamer"; "Behind the Camera: Anthony Mann and El Cid"; "Hollywood Conquers Spain: The Making of an Epic"; "Maestro of the Movies: Miklos Rozsa and El Cid"; "The Importance of Film Preservation and Restoration: A Conversation With Gerry Byrne"; a trailer gallery; filmographies; and still gallery. Included in the Collector's Edition only is a reproduction of the original 1961 souvenir program, a reproduction of the original 1961 El Cid comic book and six color production stills. For more on "El Cid," including a review of the release and an interview with William Bronston, son of the film's producer, Samuel Bronston, jump on over to Glenn Abel's fabulous DVD Spin Doctor. (Posted January 29)

From TV to Video:
"Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 5" is at two-disc set with all 10 episodes from the fifth season plus 4 previously unreleased episodes, $29.98 from Warner ... "Blue Murder, Set 2" (2003) is a two-disc set with four contemporary, deftly plotted British police procedurals; $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "Chancer, Series 2" is a two-disc set with the last seven episodes of the 1990s British TV series starring Clive Owen as a magnetic con man; $39.99 from Acorn Media ... "Cisco Kid Collection 1, 2 ,3 ,4" are four-disc sets with 20 episodes of the early TV Western series; $19.98 each from MPI Home Video ... "Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Sixth Season" is a two-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.98 from HBO Video ... "Damages: The Complete First Season" is a three-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.95 from Sony ... "Jackie Gleason -- Genius at Work" is a collection of some of the Great One's funniest sketches; $19.98 from MPI Home Video ... "JAG: The Fifth Season" (1999-2000) is a seven-disc set with 25 episodes, $64.99 from Paramount. (Posted January 29)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
In "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" (2007), diehard video game fans compete to break World Records on classic arcade games, from New Line ... "Lake Placid 2" (2007) stars John Schneider, Cloris Leachman and Sam McMurray in a telefilm sequel to the comedy horror film about a giant crocodile inhabiting Lake Placid, from Fox ... In "Kiss and Tell" (1996) starring Rosie Rowell, Peter Howitt and Daniel Craig, a policewoman poses as a lonely heart to entice a confession from a man the police believe murdered his wife, from BFS Entertainment ... The unruly, losing players of a pub soccer league team hire a mysterious new coach to whip them back into shape in "Studs" (2006), starring Brendan Gleeson and David Wilmot, from BFS Entertainment ... "Ricco the Mean Machine" (1973) stars Christopher Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy, Malisa Longo and Barbara Bouchet in a mob thriller about the son of a Mafia Don who returns from prison to find his family business usurped by others, from Dark Sky/MPI Home Video ... In "Tragic Ceremony" (1972), starring Camille Keaton, four hippies take refuge in an abandoned villa only to get involved in a satanic sacrifice, from Dark Sky/MPI Home Video. (Posted January 29)

On the Indie Front:
"The Nines" (2007) stars Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy and Elle Fanning in three short films (directed by John August), each a thriller featuring the same actors in different - and sometimes overlapping - roles. Together, the three stories form a single narrative that explores the relationships between author and character, actor and role, creator and creation: a journey through the mind of an actor, a writer and a video game designer who arguably controls them all. From Sony ... Three days before his bar exam, a ladder-climbing law intern desperate to score points with his boss commits to driving a beat up truck cross-country carrying his boss' seductive yet untouchable niece and her out-of-control pet pig in "Moving McAllister" (2007), starring Ben Gourley, Mila Kunis, Jon Heder and Rutger Hauer, from Magnolia Home Entertainment ... "Raising Flagg" (2006) stars Alan Arkin, Lauren Holly, Glenne Headley, Barbara Dana, Austin Pendleton, Richard Kind and Matthew Arkin in a comedy centered on a handyman (Arkin) and his lifelong competition with his neighbor (Pendleton), from Cinema Libre Studio ... "King of California" (2007) stars Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood and Willis Burks II in an offbeat comedy that just doesn't live up to its premise. After spending several years in a mental institute Charlie (Michael Douglas) is sent home, reuniting with his teenage daughter Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood). Soon, however, Charlie becomes obsessed with the notion that a long-lost Spanish treasure is buried beneath their local suburban California Costco. From First Look Home Entertainment ... "Quiet City + Dance, Party USA: 2 Films by Aaron Katz " (2007) is an interesting indie release. "Quiet City" is a deceptively simple drama about a twentysomething girl (Erin Fisher) who arrives in New York to visit a friend who never shows; on an empty subway platform, she crosses paths with a kindly stranger named Charlie (Cris Lankenau), and an unlikely connection is formed over the next 24 hours through city parks, abandoned apartments, and art galleries in the heart of industrial Brooklyn. In "Dance Party, USA," apathetic teens Jessica (Anna Kavan) and Gus (Cole Pennsinger) share a fleeting moment at a Fourth of July party in Portland, but their relationship grows closer and more complex after Gus confronts her with a troubling secret. Two-disc set. (Benten Films; www.bentenfilms.com). (Posted January 29)

For the Family:
The hot release this week: "Hannah Montana: One in a Million" with four episodes from the wildly popular Disney Channel series, from Disney ... "Fast Girl" (2007) is a family film about a young woman who wants to follow in her father's footsteps and become a professional race car driver, from Allumination FilmWorks ... "Twitches Too" (2007) is a Disney Channel telefilm starring Tia and Tamera Mowry as a pair of magical princesses separated at birth to protect them from a mysterious evil force, from Disney ... for the wee ones there's "Celebrating Around the World" (2007), in which Barney and friends take a super-dee-duper adventure to Brazil, Kenya, India, Japan and Ireland where they learn about different cultures, including traditional music and dance, and explore the ways people celebrate around the world; $14.98 from HIT/Fox ... and "Pingu: On Thin Ice," with eight episodes of the animated series about a charming, cheeky young penguin who connects with kids of all ages and has a knack for mischief and a flair for flippered fun; $14.98 from HIT/Fox. (Posted January 29)

Special Interest:
"Pioneers of Television" (2008) is the recent four-part PBS documentary with clips and interviews from the formative years of television, with appearances by nearly 100 stars; $24.99 from Paramount ... "Coma" (2007) is a documentary look at the mystery of traumatic brain injury; $24.98 from HBO Video ... "Kennedy: The Man, the President, the Tragedy" is a three-disc set with "Image of an Assassination: A New Look into the Zapruder Film," "The Murder of JFK: A Revisionist History" and "The Missiles of October" starring William Devane and Martin Sheen; $29.98 from MPI Home Video ... "Desert Bayou" (2007) is a feature length documentary that tells the story of 600 African-Americans who were airlifted out of New Orleans after the Katrina floods, shipped to Utah without their knowledge, subjected to identity checks and then housed at an isolated military base. Although the people flown to Utah were a small percentage of those displaced -- estimates are between 645,000 and 1 million -- their story is emblematic of some painful truths about race, religion and poverty in America; $19.95 from Cinema Libre ... "Bill Gottlieb: Riffs" (2005) is a photographic chronicle of the Golden Age of Jazz, 1938 to 1948. Bill Gottlieb's exquisitely detailed photographs captured the essence of jazz. His body of work represents the musicians who inspired him, and provides an intimate look at the musicmakers. Gottlieb's photographs have been used in countless books and articles and have graced nearly 250 record album covers; they have appeared in television documentaries and major motion pictures, and have been distributed on posters, postcards, calendars, and T-shirts. Featuring interviews with Gottlieb and other jazz authorities, this documentary explores the stories behind Bill's artful portraits. He discusses his famous photographs of jazz greats Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and many others. $19.99 from Kultur International Films ... "The Mamas & The Papas: Straight Shooter" (2008) is a definitive biography of the legendary musical group that had 10 hit singles from 1965-68. Features exclusive interviews with founding members John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty to tell the story of The Mamas and The Papas, with home movies, personal photographs, interviews, rare performances. $19.99 from SRO Entertainment ... "Teresa Mason's Steppin' Out" is a new dance instruction series from acclaimed dance instructor Teresa Mason: "Nightclub Dancing," "Ballroom Dancing" and "Latin Dancing," $19.99 each from Kultur International Films. (Posted January 29)

DVD Collectibles:
Two fabulous releases this week from The Criterion Collection: "This Sporting Life" (1963) is one of the finest British films ever made, a benchmark of "kitchen-sink realism" that follows the self-defeating professional and romantic pursuits of a miner turned rugby player eking out an existence in drab Yorkshire. With an astonishing, raging performance by a young Richard Harris, an equally blistering turn by fellow Oscar nominee Rachel Roberts as the widow with whom he lodges, and electrifying direction by Lindsay Anderson in his feature-film debut following years of documentary work, "This Sporting Life" remains a dramatic powerhouse some 45 years later. This special edition features a new, restored high-definition digital transfer and includes Commentary featuring Paul Ryan, editor of "Never Apologise: The Collected Writings of Lindsay Anderson," and David Storey, screenwriter and author of "This Sporting Life"; "Lindsay Anderson: Lucky Man?" (2004, 30 min.), a BBC Scotland documentary featuring interviews with many of the director's close friends and collaborators; "Is That All There Is?" (1992, 50 min.), Anderson's autobiographical, final film; a booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and writings by Anderson, more ... Agnes Varda used the skills she honed early in her career as a photographer to create some of the most nuanced, thought-provoking films of the past 50 years. She is widely believed to have presaged the French new wave with her first film, "La Pointe Courte," long before creating one of the movement's benchmarks, Cleo from 5 to 7." Later, with "Le bonheur" and "Vagabond," Varda further shook up art house audiences, challenging bourgeois codes with her inscrutable characters and effortlessly beautiful compositions and editing. Now working largely as a documentarian, Varda remains one of the essential cinematic poets of our time and a true visionary. "4 X Agnes Varda" is a four-disc set with "La Pointe Courte," "Cleo from 5 to 7," "Le bonheur" and "Vagabond" in new restored digital transfers, supervised and approved by Varda, and features a host of extras. (Posted January 22)

Also ripe for your collection is "The John Frankenheimer Collection," a four-disc set with "The Young Savages," "The Train," "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Ronin," $39.98 from MGM. (Posted January 22)

From TV to Video:
"Barney Miller: The Complete Second Season" is a three-disc set with 22 episodes, $29.95 from Sony ... "The Catherine Cookson Anthology" features eight of the popular author's most popular novels adapted and produced for British television from 1989-2000, in a eight-disc set, $99.98 from Koch Vision ... "ER: The Complete Eighth Season" (2001-02) is a six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.98 from Warner ... "The Girls Next Door Season Three" is a three-disc set with 14 episodes, $29.98 from Fox ... "Hawaii Five-O: The Third Season" (1970-71) is a six-disc set with 24 episodes, $54.99 from Paramount ... "Hustle: The Complete Season 4" is a two-disc set with six episodes, $34.98 from Warner ... "The Odd Couple: The Third Season" (1972-73) is a four-disc set with 23 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount ... "The Simple Life: Goes To Camp" is a single disc with 10 episodes, $19.98 from Fox ... "Torchwood: The Complete First Season" is a seven-disc set with 13 episodes, $79.98 from Warner ... "TV Guide Presents: Banacek -- The Second Season" is a three-disc set with eight episodes, $29.95 from Arts Alliance America. (Posted January 22)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
A young aspiring singer moves from Mississippi to Los Angeles in pursuit of her long time dream of becoming an R&B singer in "R&B Chick" (2007), starring Clifton Powell and Christina Johnson, from Warner ... A naive young athlete joins an underground prizefighting circuit to earn a little extra cash and is turned into a brutal fighting machine in "Fatal Contact" (2006 - Hong Kong), starring Jacky Wu and Ronald Cheng, in a two-disc Dragon Dynasty set from the Weinstein Co./Genius Products ... "Missionary Man" (2008) is a modern-day Western about small town injustice by the hand of a greedy wrongdoer, and the mysterious, renegade stranger who single-handedly saves the day, starring Dolph Lundgren, from Sony ... "Blonde Ambition" (2008) stars Jessica Simpson, Luke Wilson, Rachel Leigh Cook, Penelope Ann Miller, Andy Dick and Willie Nelson in the story of a young professional woman (Jessica Simpson) who unwittingly becomes the pawn of two business executives in their bid to oust the head of a mega-conglomerate; from Sony. (Posted January 22)

On the Indie Front:
"Sex and Breakfast" (2007), starring Macaulay Culkin, Eliza Dushku, Kuno Becker and Alexis Dziena, intertwines the lives of two couples who experiment with group sex as a way to sort out the rudiments of a successful relationship -- sex, love, and communication; from First Look Home Entertainment. (Posted January 22)

Foreign:
"Moliere" (2007 -- French) is an "elaborate historical fiction" that traces several lost months in the life of one of France's greatest playwrights, the father and true master of comic satire, author of "The Misanthrope" and "Tartuffe," and a dramatist to rank alongside Shakespeare and Sophocles; from Sony. (Posted January 22)

For the Family:
"The Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade" is the newest episode of the award-winning series of children’s films based on the toddler anthem "The Wheels on the Bus," staring the voice talent of Roger Daltrey of The Who. Mango, Papaya, Coco and all their friends are back for a new musical adventure combining computer animation, live-action and a cast of kids and puppets as they help a little dog who missed his ride to the Big Dog Parade. As in all the "Wheels" DVD, this focuses on themes that teach children basic skills of cooperation, good behavior and manners. $14.98 from PorchLight Home Entertainment. (Posted January 22)

Special Interest:
"Confessions of a Superhero" (2007) is a documentary that explores the fascination, obsession, and allure of fame through the eyes of some very unique people struggling to make it in Tinseltown: three mortal men and one woman who make their living working as superhero characters on the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard; $19.98 from Arts Alliance America ... "Just Like Me" (2008) examines the current generation of budding NHL stars; $19.98 from Warner ... "The Jeff Corwin Experience Season One" is a three-disc set with 15 episodes from the Animal Planet series, $24.95 from Genius Products ... "WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary" is a three-disc set that celebrates the 15th anniversary of the WWE's flagship program. Features highlights from the more than 700 broadcasts of "Monday Night Raw," with all the hits, slams and high flying acrobatics as well as crazy antics, hilarious skits, revealing interviews and more. $34.95 from Genius Entertainment. Other WWE videos now available include "Survivor Series," featuring the 21st annual wrestling event, held last November in Miami ($24.95), a compilation of great matches "The Triumph & Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling" ($29.95) and "Cyber Sunday" in which fans get the chance to decide the fate of some of wrestling's hottest stars ($24.95); all from WWE/Genius Entertainment. (Posted January 22)

DVD Collectibles:
"Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton: Man in the Shadows" Director Martin Scorsese produced and narrates this fascinating study of Val Lewton, the legendary film producer who brought a new perspective to the horror genre at RKO during the 1940s, creating such gems as "Cat People," "Curse of the Cat People," "I Walked with a Zombie," "The Body Snatcher," "Isle of the Dead," "Bedlam" and "The Seventh Victim"; $19.97 from Warner ... Glamorous leading man turned idiosyncratic auteur Cornel Wilde created a handful of gritty, violent explorations of the nature of man in the sixties and seventies, none more memorable than 1966's "The Naked Prey". In the late 19th century, after an ivory-hunting safari offends an African tribe, the colonialists are captured and hideously tortured. Only Wilde's marksman is released, without clothes or weapons, to be hunted for sport, and he embarks on a harrowing journey through savanna and jungle and back to a primitive state. Distinguished by widescreen camerawork and unflinching savagery, "The Naked Prey" is both a propulsive, stripped-to-the-bone narrative and a meditation on the notion of civilization. In a new, restored high-definition digital transfer from The Criterion Collection ... Also from the folks at Criterion comes "Postwar Kurosawa: Eclipse Series #7," a no frills collection of five Akira Kurosawa films: "No Regrets for Our Youth" (1946), "One Wonderful Sunday" (1947), "Scandal" (1950), "The Idiot" (1951) and "I Live in Fear" (a.k.a. Record of a Living Being) (1955). (Posted January 15)

For lovers: Fox has re-released the classic "An Affair to Remember" (1957), starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr and Richard Denning in one of the most remarkable love stories of all time. The two-disc anniversary edition features a new digital transfer and includes commentary by singer Marni Nixon and film historian Joseph McBride; "Affairs to Remember: Deborah Kerr"; "Affairs to Remember: Cary Grant:"; a "Directed by Leo McCarey" featurette; "A Producer to Remember: Jerry Wald" featurette; more ... For more modern romance there's "When Harry Met Sally Collector's Edition" (1989), directed by Rob Reiner and starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby. Extras include xommentary by Reiner, writer Nora Ephron and Crystal; deleted scenes; "It All Started Like This" featurette in which Ephron and Reiner talk about the development of the film; "Stories of Love" featurette with the real stories of the "authentic couples" in the film, as well as the story of Reiner's true love found during the shoot of the movie; "When Rob Met Billy"; more; from MGM. (Posted January 15)

Classics of Another Kind: From MGM comes "In the Heat of the Night 40th Anniversary Edition" (1967), directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant, Larry Gates, James Patterson and William Schallert ... and from Sony comes two sci-fi classics, "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" (1956), starring Joan Taylor, Hugh Marlowe, Donald Curtis and Morris Ankrum; and "It Came From Beneath the Sea" (1955), starring Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis and Ian Keith; both In black & white and colorized versions. (Posted January 15)

From TV to Video:
"Alex Haley's Queen" (1993) is a two-disc set with the entire three-night miniseries, $24.98 from Warner ... "Crime Traveller" (1997) is a three-disc set with all eight episodes of the BBC science fiction series about a detective and a scientist who have access to a time machine and use it to go back in time to gather evidence to solve crimes; $39.98 from BFS Entertainment ... "Criss Angel: The Complete Season Three" is a three-disc set with 20 episodes, $34.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Extras Gift Set " includes Seasons One and Two, $49.99 from HBO Video ... "Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest" is the season premiere to the series sixth season, a Griffin Clan spoof of "Star Wars," from Fox ... "Kingdom: Series 2" delves even deeper into the realm of the supernatural that takes place at the Kingdom Hospital in Copenhagen then in the first acclaimed chiller, $26.98. from Koch Lorber ... "Melissa" (1974) is a British mystery series about a writer who finds himself the prime suspect in his wife's murder; aired in 1982 on PBS "Mystery!" from Acorn Media ... "The New Adventures of Old Christine: The Complete First Season" is a two-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.98 from Warner ... "Rising Damp: The Movie" (1980) is a feature film based on the British TV series about a lecherous landlord and his ridiculous bunch of social misfit tenants; stars Leonard Rossiter; $19.99 from Acorn Media ... "The Rockford Files: Season Five" is a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Universal ... "Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Third Season" (1998-99) is a four-disc set with 25 episodes, $42.99 from Paramount. (Posted January 15)

For the Family:
"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" (1975) is a remastered. Version of the Peanuts TV special; includes two bonus TV specials: "You're in Love, Charlie Brown" and "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown"; from Warner ... "Puppy Bowl III" is a 2008 Animal Planet "showdown" that features 14 cuddly puppies in a specially designed doggy stadium playing with a variety of chew-toys and bones scattered around the field; airs opposite the Super Bowl; $14.95 from Genius Products ... The direct-to-video "Dragonlance" (2008) is an animated sword and dragon feature with the voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, Michael Rosenbaum; from Paramount ... "Storm Hawks -- Hawks Rise Again" and "Storm Hawks -- Tales From the Atmos" each feature four episodes of Cartoon Network's 3-D animated series, $16.97 from Sony ... "Medabots: The Complete First Season" is a four-disc set, $34.99 from Shout! Factory. (Posted January 15)

Special Interest:
"Oswald's Ghost" (2008) is a Dan Rather PBS documentary on the assassination of John F. Kennedy; includes the Zapruder film, extended interviews, "Dealey Plaza Freaks"; from Paramount ... "Incredible Human Machine" is a 2007 documentary tour of the human body from the National Geographic Channel, $19.98 from Warner ... "The First Days of Christianity" is a History Channel Ultimate Collection four-disc set that takes a look at the events of Jesus' life and the lives of his Apostles, $17.95 from A&E Home Video ... "The Real West: Cowboys & Outlaws" is a History Channel Ultimate Collection four-disc set that brings to life the most legendary cowboys and notorious outlaws of America's western frontier, $17.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Thunderbirds 40th Anniversary Megaset" is a 12-disc set with all 32 digitally remastered episodes, $129.95 from A&E Home Video ... "The Vietnam War DVD Set" is a two-disc History Channel set chronicling key events, from the advisors' arrival in 1959 to the airlift from the roof of the American Embassy in 1975, $29.95 from A&E Home Video ... "Yes: Classic Artists" (2007) is a fully authorized documentary that looks at the twists and turns of the band's career, now told for the first time in a series of exclusive interviews with Yes members past and present; in a two-disc set with a 20-page full-color booklet; from Image Entertainment. (Posted January 15)

Coming Soon:
Due March 11 is the comedy hit "Dan in Real Life," starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Norbert Leo Butz, John Mahoney, Dianne Wiest, Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson, Marlene Lawston and Emily Blunt, from Disney ... On March 18 Sony will release Richard Kelly's ("Donnie Darko") weird futuristic tale "Southland Tales," starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Jill Ritchie, Miranda Richardson, John Larroquette, Jon Lovitz, Will Sasso, Wood Harris, Bai Ling, Joe Campana and Wallace Shawn ... And, on April 1, Warner Home Video will release "The Bette Davis Collection Volume 3," a six-disc set with "In This Our Life," "The Old Maid," "All This, and Heaven Too," "The Great Lie," "Deception" and "Watch on the Rhine"; $59.92. (Posted January 8)

From TV to Video:
Due this week: "Curb Your Enthusiam: The Complete Sixth Season," a two-disc set with eight episodes, $39.98 from HBO Video ... "Dresden" (2006), a German miniseries about a romance between a British pilot hiding in Germany and a German nurse set against the background of the massive allied bombing of Dresden toward the end of World War II; in a two-disc set for $29.98 from Koch Vision ... "Gunsmoke: The Second Season, Volume 1" (1956-57), a three-disc set, $39.99 from Paramount ... "Mansfield Park" (2007), starring Billie Piper, Blake Ritson and Jemma Redgrave in the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, from WGBH Boston Video ... "The Naked Brothers Band: Season 1," a two-disc set with 13 episodes of the Nickelodeon live-action series, from Paramount ... "Northanger Abbey" (2007), starring Felicity Jones and JJ Field in the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel, from WGBH Boston Video ... "The Riches Season One," a four-disc set with 13 episodes, $49.98 from Fox ... "Rob & Big: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2 - Uncensored" (2006), a four-disc set with 16 episodes of the reality buddy comedy series, $42.99 from Paramount ... "Two and a Half Men: The Complete Second Season," a four-disc set with 24 episodes, $44.98 from Warner ... "An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, One & Two," with all four mysteries from the British TV series about a young, aspiring private detective learning the ropes from her mentor, a disgraced ex-policeman whose sudden suicide leaves her the sole proprietor of his ramshackle agency; based on the acclaimed works of P.D. James; $49.95 from WGBH Boston Video ... "The Waltons: The Complete Sixth Season," a five-disc set with 22 episodes, $39.98 from Warner. (Posted January 8)

Buzzin' the 'B's:
"Boogeyman 2: Unrated Director's Cut" (2005) stars Tobin Bell and Danielle Savre in a direct-to-video sequel of the theatrical horror flick, from Sony ... "Joshua" (2007), which stars Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean and Jacob Kogan, is a thriller about a young boy's resentment toward his baby sister that triggers a series of tragic events that fill his household with unspeakable horror, from Fox ... In "Beyond the Ring" (2007), starring Andre Lima, Martin Kove and Gary Busey, a retired martial arts champion returns to the ring to earn money to pay for his ill daughter's health care, from MTI Home Video ... In "Mammoth" (2006), starring Vincent Ventresca, Summer Glau, Tom Skerritt, Leila Arcieri and Marcus Lyle Brown. a meteor smashes into a small Louisiana town's natural history museum, reanimating a 40,000-year-old woolly mammoth and unleashing it on a deadly and destructive rampage. A Sci Fi Channel telefilm from Union Station Media ... "White Noise 2" (2007) is a direct-to-video sequel to the 2005 Michael Keaton thriller, starring Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff, from Universal ... In "The Killing Floor" (2007), a horror book agent moves into a lavish penthouse apartment only to encounter mysterious events; his suspicions that someone is watching his every move becomes his real life horror story; stars Marc Blucas, Shiri Appleby and Reiko Ayelsworth; from ThinkFilm ... A Bengal tiger that has escaped from a traveling carnival terrorizes the Appalachian community of Mount Raven in an isolated region of Georgia in "Maneater" (2007), starring Gary Busey, Ty Wood and Ian D. Clark; from Genius Products. (Posted January 8)

On the Indie Front:
"Klimt" (2006) stars John Malkovich, Veronica Ferres and Saffron Burrows in a biodrama about Austrian painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), who was both acclaimed and condemned during his lifetime for pioneering the depiction of sexuality in art through his paintings, murals and sketches; from Koch Lorber ... A gifted, compassionate 15-year-old pitcher watches his troubled Irish-Catholic family implode around him as he clings to his dream of making the state baseball championships in "Black Irish" (2005), starring Michael Angarano, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Guiry and Melissa Leo; from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment ... "Eagle vs. Shark" (2007) is an offbeat romantic comedy about two socially awkward misfits and the strange ways they try to find love: through burgers, video games and revenge on high-school bullies; stars Jemaine Clement, Loren Horsley, Joel Tobeck and Craig Hall; from Miramax ... In "Redemption of the Ghost" (2002), starring Diane Ladd, John Savage, Alexandra Paul and Rachel Hunter, an escaped convict redeems himself through the love of two young children; from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment ... In "Perception" (2005), starring Piper Perabo, a Los Angeles girl with a reckless personality and a laundry list of burned bridges returns to New York where she needs the help of friends she once abandoned; from First Run Features ... "Thank Heaven" (2001) is a comedy about a couple deeply in love who make each other miserable until the man finds God on the golf course; stars Jenny McCarthy and Matt Keeslar; from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment. (Posted January 8)

For the Family:
"What's New Scooby-Doo? The Complete Third Season" is a single-disc with 13 episodes, $19.98 from Warner ... "All-New Super Friends Hour Season 1, Volume 1"is a two-disc set with 32 episodes featuring Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman from the DC Comics animated series on ABC; $26.99 from Warner ... "Between the Lions: Season One" includes 30 episodes of the kids series highlighting a magical place where characters pop off the pages of books, vowels sing, and words take on a life of their own; $79.95 from WGBH Boston Video ... "Growing Up Arctic" is a collection of episodes from Animal Planet's top-rated series; includes "Growing Up Walrus," "Growing Up Polar Bear," "Growing Up Seal" and "Growing Up Penguin"; $14.95 from Genius Products. (Posted January 8)

Special Interest:
"Citizen Tanouye" (2005) is a documentary about Southern California native Ted Tanouye who, faced with relocation to a Japanese internment camp during World War II, instead chose to serve