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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
The American Friend
(1977) Wim Wenders pays loving homage to rough-and-tumble Hollywood film noir with "The American Friend," a loose adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel "Ripley's Game." Dennis Hopper oozes quirky menace as an amoral American art dealer who entangles a terminally ill German everyman, played by Bruno Ganz, in a seedy criminal underworld as revenge for a personal slight -- but when the two become embroiled in an ever-deepening murder plot, they form an unlikely bond. Filmed on location in Hamburg and Paris, with some scenes shot in
Army Dog
(2015) Casper Van Dien, Grace Van Dien, Stelio Savante, Annemarie Pazmino. Live-action Dove-approved and Veterans in Film & Television endorsed family adventure. Sergeant Tom Holloway and his Army dog, Connor, return to the U.S. as heroes, but time away from his family has caused Tom's daughter, Tara, to resent him. The three try to connect over a camping trip, but
Bitter Rice
(1949) During planting season in Northern Italy's Po Valley, an earthy rice-field worker (Silvana Mangano) falls in with a small-time criminal (Vittorio Gassman) who is planning a daring heist of the crop, as well as his femme-fatale-ish girlfriend, played by the Hollywood star Doris Dowling. Both a socially conscious look at the hardships endured by underpaid field workers and a melodrama tinged with sex and violence, this early smash for producer extraordinaire Dino De Laurentiis and director Giuseppe De Santis is neorealism with a heaping dose of pulp. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Giuseppe de Santis," a 2007 documentary by screenwriter Carlo Lizzani; interview with screenwriter Lizzani from 2003; trailer; an essay by critic Pasquale Iannone. (The Criterion Collection).
The Clearstream Affair
(2014 -- France) Gilles Lellouche. In this ripped-from-the-headlines French thriller,
Duck Dynasty Wedding Special
(2015) The Robertson clan sets aside their duck calls for wedding bells to celebrate the nuptials between John Luke and Mary Kate. Formats: DVD. Extras: "John Luke and Mary Kate Say 'I Do'" featurette. (Lionsgate).
Hill Street Blues: The Final Season
(1986-87) Five-disc set with 22 episodes. The officers and detectives of the toughest precinct on television work their final shift in the seventh and last season of "Hill Street Blues." Steven Bochco's groundbreaking masterpiece of television drama concludes its examination of the lives of the men and women who protect and serve the citizens of a volatile city, once
In the Basement
(2014 -- Germany) Maverick director Ulrich Seidl's ("Dog Days," the "Paradise" trilogy) documentary explores the dark underside of the human psyche with a look at basements fitted out as private domains for secrets and fetishes. No desire or proclivity is off limits to Seidl's camera, which takes in an opera-singing gunslinger, a Hitler-loving brass band, a hunter of exotic species, and the passionate devotees of S&M with an equal measure of curiosity and compassion. Formats: DVD. (Strand Releasing).
Irrational Man
(2015) Dir.: Woody Allen; Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Emma Stone, Jamie Blackley. A tormented college philosophy professor -- on a journey to find meaning in life -- and his favorite student mistakenly overhear a stranger’s conversation, unleashing a chain of events that permanently affect him and those around him. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "On the Red Carpet: Los Angeles Film Premiere' featurette, photo gallery. (Sony).
Love Finds You in Charm
(2015) Danielle Chuchran, Drew Fuller, Trevor Donovan, Tiffany Dupont. A young Amish woman, unsatisfied with her path at home, takes the opportunity to spend the summer helping her widowed cousin's market business in scenic Charm, Ohio. Exposed to another world, she finds friendship with two men and must decide whether to stay among the Amish or venture out into a new world. Formats: DVD. (Anchor Bay).
The Martian
(2015) Dir.: Ridley Scott; Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Kate Mara. During an Ares III mission to Mars, American astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind. But Watney is still alive. Against all odds, he must find a way to contact Earth in the hope that scientists can devise a rescue plan to bring him home. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, 3D Blu-ray, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Signal Acquired: Writing and Direction" featurette; "Occupy Mars: Casting and Costumes" featurette; five Theatrical In-World pieces: "Ares III: Farewell," "The Right Stuff," "Ares: Our Greatest Adventure," "Leave Your Mark," "Bring Him Home"; "Ares III: Refocused": Seven years after the events of Ares 3, take a deeper look at the true story behind Mark Watney's daring rescue; gag reel, production gallery. (Fox).
Mr. Robot: Season One
(2015) Three-disc set with all 10 episodes. Cyber-security engineer by day and vigilante hacker by night, Elliot (Rami Malek) finds himself at a crossroads when the mysterious leader (Christian Slater) of an underground hacker group recruits him to destroy the firm he is paid to protect. Compelled by his personal beliefs, Elliot struggles to resist the chance to take
Painkillers
(2015) Tahmoh Penikett, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Erica Durance, Julia Voth, Colm Feore. A squad of marines sent on a classified mission deep in the war-torn mountains of Afghanistan in search of an otherworldly artifact mysteriously disappear and wake-up in a military medical facility with no memory of what happened or even who they are. Doctors try to "reboot" the soldiers' memories with drugs, but one by one they fall prey to bizarre hallucinations and homicidal fits of rage. Only through snatches of resurfacing memories does one soldier begin to question the true motives of the hospital staff and discover the shocking, deadly reality behind what they found. Formats: DVD. (RLJ Entertainment).
Power Rangers Dino Charge: Unleashed
(2015) Latest season of Saban's Power Rangers. Centuries after intergalactic bounty hunter Sledge tried to get his hands on the mysterious Energems, a new team of Rangers has unearthed them and bonded with their powerful dinosaur spirits. With the help of dino-fueled battle gear, new Zords, Megazords, and teamwork, they must protect these Energems at all costs from Sledge's monsters to keep the universe safe. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Lionsgate).
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
(1990) Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfuss. Based on Tom Stoppard's award-winning play. It's the inventive tale of Hamlet as told from the viewpoint of two of the work's supporting, but certainly more outrageous, characters. In this cleverly inspired version, however, the Shakespearean equivalents of Laurel and Hardy get a chance to take the lead roles in a dazzling setting where illusion and reality overlap. Critically acclaimed and featuring witty performances by Dreyfuss, Roth and Oldman. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (RLJ Entertainment).
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
(2016) Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman. On the heels of its U.S. premiere on MASTERPIECE on PBS, Holmes and Watson, the classic crime-fighting duo, are back in a feature-length ghostly adventure set in Victorian London in 1895 as they solve the case of the Abomnable Bride. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "A Study in Sherlock" making-of documentary, co-writer Mark Gatiss' production diary, "Creating the Look" production featurette, interview with writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlockology Q&A. (BBC Worldwide).
Sinister 2
(2015) Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Sloan, Dartanian Sloan, James Ransone, Ethan Hawke, Clare Foley, Nicholas King. Mysterious found footage reveals a series of gruesome murders in this sequel. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scenes, "Time to Watch Another: Making of Sinister 2," commentary with director Ciaran Foy. Blu-ray adds extended kill films. (Universal).
So You Said Yes
(2015 -- TV) Kellie Marti, Chad Willett. When Annabelle, the owner of a specialty bridal shop, falls for Sam, the son of her fierce bridal shop competition, she must fend off Sam's mother's attempts at sabotage in this Hallmark Channel movie. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Cinedigm).
The Martian
During an Ares III manned mission to Mars, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring "the Martian" home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible, rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney's safe return. Based on the best-selling novel "The Martian" by Andy Weir.
Vitals: Director: Ridley Scott. Stars: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Kate Mara.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 134 min.,Science Fiction, Box office gross: $221.110 million, Fox.
Extras: "Signal Acquired: Writing and Direction" featurette; "Occupy Mars: Casting and Costumes" featurette; five Theatrical In-World pieces: "Ares III: Farewell," "The Right Stuff," "Ares: Our Greatest Adventure," "Leave Your Mark," "Bring Him Home"; "Ares III: Refocused": Seven years after the events of Ares 3, take a deeper look at the true story behind Mark Watney's daring rescue; gag reel, production gallery. 
Hotel Transylvania 2
Sequel to the 2012 animated hit. Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania ... Dracula's rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn't showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny - and in for a major cultural shock of her own - "Vampa" Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a "monster-in-training" boot camp. But little do they know that Drac's grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood - and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania - things are going to get batty!
Vitals: Director: Genndy Tartakovsky. Stars: Voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Keegan-Michael Key, Molly Shannon, Fran Dresche.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 89 min., Animated family, Box office gross: $167.394 million, Sony.
Extras: Fifth Harmony music video: "I'm in Love With a Monster"; character sketch gallery; commentary with Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel and Allen Covert; commentary with director Genndy Tartakovsky. Blu-ray adds "Sing Along with Monster Scary-Oke!"; deleted scenes; "Make the Scary, Silly Sounds of Hotel Transylvania 2"; "How to Throw the Ultimate Monster Party"; "How to Draw Your Favorite Characters"; "The New Guys: Meet Vlad, Dennis, Kakie and More!"
Irrational Man
Soon after arriving to teach at a small town college, Abe Lucas (Joaquin Phoenix) gets involved with two women, Rita Richards (Parker Posey), a lonely professor who wants him to rescue her from her unhappy marriage; and Jill Pollard (Emma Stone), his best student, who becomes his closest friend. While Jill loves her boyfriend Roy (Jamie Blackley), she finds Abe's tortured, artistic personality and exotic past irresistible. Pure chance changes everything when Abe and Jill overhear a stranger's conversation and when Abe makes a profound choice, he is able to embrace life to the fullest again. But his decision sets off a chain of events that will affect him, Jill and Rita forever.
Vitals: Director: Woody Allen. Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Parker Posey, Emma Stone, Jamie Blackley.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 95 min., Drama, Box office gross: $3.996 million, Sony.
Extras: "On the Red Carpet: Los Angeles Film Premiere' featurette, photo gallery.
Sinister 2
Found-footage sequel. In the aftermath of the shocking events of "Sinister," a protective mother (Shannyn Sossamon) and her 9-year-old twin sons (real-life brothers Robert and Dartanian Sloan) find themselves marked for death in a rural house as the evil spirit of Bughuul continues to spread with frightening intensity.
Vitals: Director: Ciaran Foy. Stars: Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Sloan, Dartanian Sloan, James Ransone, Ethan Hawke, Clare Foley, Nicholas King.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Horror, Box office gross: $27.642 million, Universal.
Extras: Deleted scenes, "Time to Watch Another: Making of Sinister 2," commentary with director Ciaran Foy. Blu-ray adds extended kill films.
All of My Heart
(2015 -- TV) Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott. A young caterer's life suddenly changes course when she inherits a country home and learns she must share it with a career-obsessed Wall Street trader. At first, these opposites do not attract, but feelings begin to change when they find themselves having to work side-by-side to restore their newly acquired home. A Hallmark Channel move. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Cinedigm).
grimy, late-seventies New York City, Wenders's international breakout is a stripped-down crime story that mixes West German and American film flavors, and it features cameos by filmmakers Jean Eustache, Samuel Fuller and Nicholas Ray. New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Wim Wenders, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Audio commentary from 2002 featuring Wenders and actor Dennis Hopper; new interview with Wenders; new interview with actor Bruno Ganz; deleted scenes with audio commentary by Wenders; trailer; an essay by author Francine Prose. (The Criterion Collection).
unexpected danger sends them on an adventure that will change their lives forever. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Lionsgate).
journalist Denis Robert (Lellouche) sets the world of finance ablaze when he exposes a major European bank's opaque operations. In his search for the truth, he uncovers a dark political financial machine of bribes and threats. Formats: DVD. (First Run Features).
again delivering the high quality writing, acting, and direction fans have come to expect from this universally acclaimed program. The unmatched ensemble cast (Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Bruce Weitz, Betty Thomas, Charles Haid, Joe Spano, James B. Sikking, Taurean Blaque, and Dennis Franz) are in top form for this climactic season, from its powerful opening to its fiery conclusion. Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
The Looking Glass
(2015) Grace Tarnow, Dorothy Tristan. After losing her mother, troubled 13-year-old Julie (played by newcomer Grace Tarnow) comes to live with her grandmother (Tristan), who is a former star of stage and screen. Feeling trapped in her new world, Julie struggles to find peace and happiness as she and her grandmother butt heads at every turn. An unexpected discovery of their shared talent enables Julie to find her voice, her passion and, ultimately, happiness. Formats: DVD. (First Run Features).
Memories of the Sword
(2015 -- Korea) Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Go-eun, Lee Kyeong-yeong. As the greed and excess of a corrupt Korean monarchy threatens to destroy the once-glorious Goryeo Dynasty, three legendary warriors lead a revolt to overthrow the empire and save its people. But when deceit and betrayal costs the life of a master swordsman, a plot for justice and revenge is set into motion, raging for decades between the two survivors. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Well Go USA).
down the multinational CEOs he believes are running (and ruining) the world. The series won a Golden Globe for best TV series -- drama and earned a Golden Globe for Christian Skater for supporting actor in a series or TV movie. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Making-of featurette, gag reel, deleted scenes. (Universal).
The Wonder Years: The Complete Fourth Season
(2015) Four-disc set with all 23 episodes with over three dozen songs as they were featured in the original broadcast: classics by Joan Baez, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Nat King Cole, Judy Collins, Lee Dorsey, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix, The Monkees, Randy Newman, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Sam & Dave, Bob Seger, Edwin Starr, The Ventures, The Who, Hank Williams, and many more, plus Joe Cocker's unforgettable rendition of The Beatle's With a Little Help from My Friends. For six Emmy Award-winning seasons, "The Wonder Years" captured the angst of growing up in suburban middle-class America in the late '60s, as seen through the life and times of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), a typical awkward teenager who remembered every moment of his transition from childhood with excruciating detail and remarkable hindsight. In Season 4, things are changing for Kevin as he enters his last year at Kennedy Junior High. He should have it all figured out, but things don't go as smoothly as he had hoped: though he and Winnie (Danica McKellar) are in love and starting ninth grade -- they're at different schools. Arnold's family life is changing, too, with mom Norma (Alley Mills) taking a new job at Kevin's school, dad Jack (Dan Lauria) getting a promotion, older brother Wayne (Jason Hervey) buying a car and sister Karen (Oliva d'Abo) starting college. Kevin gets his first job caddying, is guilted into taking Paul's little sister to cotillion, and tries to crash a tenth-grader's slumber party (with beer). But the biggest surprise might be from Paul (Josh Saviano), who announces that he'll be going to prep school in the fall. Formats: DVD. Extras: Featurette: "ABC: Teachers That Made a Difference," interviews with Fred Savage (Kevin Arnold), Robert Picardo (Coach Cutlip), Ben Stein (Mr. Cantwell), Wendel Meldrum (Miss White/Mrs. Heimer). (Time Life).
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January 1, 2016
(ISSN 1094-3676).
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