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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases

Tuesday, March 17 -- Monday, March 23

All DVD Releases

  • Annie

    photo for Annie Academy Award-nominee Quvenzhane Wallis ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") stars as Annie, a young, happy foster kid who's also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they'd be back for her someday, it's been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). But everything's about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) -- advised by his brilliant VP, Grace (Rose Byrne) and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy (Bobby Cannavale) -- makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he's her guardian angel, but Annie's self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it's the other way around. Vitals: Director: Will Gluck. Stars: Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 118 min., Musical Comedy, Box office gross: $82.980 million, Sony. Extras: Director's commentary, "The Making-of Annie," "You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" music video. Blu-ray adds bloopers; "Something Was Missing" deleted song with Jamie Foxx; Sing-Alongs: "Hard Knock Life," "I Don’t Need Anything But You," "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," "Opportunity" and "Tomorrow"; fourf eaturettes: "It's a Hard Knock Camp," "Fun With Sandy the Dog," "A Day on Set With Quvenzhane" and "Moonquake Lake – On Set!"; "Tomorrow Around the World": photo gallery; trivia track. 2 stars


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  • Top Five

    photo for Written, directed by, and starring Chris Rock, "Top Five" tells the story of New York City comedian-turned-film star Andre Allen, who returns to New York to promote his latest film on the eve of his wedding to a self-absorbed reality TV star (Gabrielle Union). While wandering the city with a mysterious and charming journalist (Rosario Dawson), Allen confronts his past and contemplates his future through a series of funny encounters. Vitals: Director: Chris Rock. Stars: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Whoopi Goldberg, Tracy Morgan, Sherri Shepherd, Brian Regan, Ben Vereen. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 102 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $25.317 million, Paramount. Blu-ray extras: Commentary by Chris Rock and JB Smoove, "It's Never Just A Movie: Chris Rock and Top Five," "The Making of Top Five," "Top Five" Andre Allen standup outtakes, "Top Five Moments You Didn't See in the Film," deleted scenes. 2 stars

  • Exodus: Gods and Kings

    photo for Exodus: Gods and Kings Using state of the art visual effects and 3D immersion, director Ridley Scott brings new life to the story of the defiant leader Moses (Christian Bale) as he rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton), setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues. Vitals: Director: Ridley Scott. Stars: Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 150 min., Drama, Box office gross: $64.532 million, Fox. Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, commentary by director-producer Ridley Scott and co-screenwriter Jeffrey Caine. Blu-ray adds "The Exodus Historical Guide," a feature length trivia track; "Keepers of the Covenant" documentary including 14 enhancement pods; "The Lawgiver's Legacy: Moses Throughout History"; "The Gods and Kings Archive"; promotional featurettes including the HBO First Look; 11 galleries. 2 stars



    Blu-ray Debuts

  • My Girl (1991)
  • Ride the Pink Horse (1947) (Criterion)
  • Troop Beverly Hills (1989)

    Read more.



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All DVD Releases

Annie (2014) Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx,Cameron Diaz, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Director's commentary, "The Making-of Annie," "You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" music video. Blu-ray adds bloopers; "Something Was Missing" deleted song with Jamie Foxx; Sing-Alongs: "Hard Knock Life," "I Don’t Need Anything But You," "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," "Opportunity" and "Tomorrow"; fourf eaturettes: "It's a Hard Knock Camp," "Fun With Sandy the Dog," "A Day on Set With Quvenzhane" and "Moonquake Lake – On Set!"; "Tomorrow Around the World": photo gallery; trivia track. (Sony). photo for Dexter: Most Shocking Episodes

Dexter: Most Shocking Episodes Three-disc set with 10 episodes, $24.99. For fans new and old, Dexter's most shocking moments are available in one killer collection, including the unforgettable pilot episode that started it all, his devastating confrontation with the Trinity Killer , and eight more chilling episodes. Michael C. Hall stars as the titular antihero who -- through eight seasons -- coped with his insatiable homicidal urges and navigated through life as a vigilante serial killer. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Dissecting Dexter Part 1: Dexter's Origins," "Dissecting Dexter Part 2: Dexter's Awakening," "Dissecting Dexter Part 3: Dexter's Coming of Age," "The Kill Room," the first two chapters of "Dexter in the Dark." (CBS/Paramount).

Disorder (2009 -- China) Huang Weikai's one-of-a-kind news documentary captures, with remarkable freedom, the anarchy, violence, and seething anxiety animating China's major cities today. Unshowable on China's heavily controlled television networks, or in China's cinemas, "Disorder" springs from an photo for Disorder emerging underground media, of which Huang Weikai is one of the leading figures, filmmakers who reject compromise and cooperation with the official media channels and censors. Huang Weikai collects footage from a dozen amateur videographers and weaves them into a unique city symphony of urban social decay: One man dances in the middle of traffic while another attempts to jump from a bridge before dozens of onlookers. Pigs run wild on a highway while dignitaries swim in a polluted river. The result is a unique and compelling film capturing the ground-level upheaval of Chinese society like no other film before it. Formats: DVD, VOD. (Icarus Films).

Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) Dir.: Ridley Scott; Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, 3D/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, commentary by director-producer Ridley Scott and co-screenwriter Jeffrey Caine. Blu-ray adds "The Exodus Historical Guide," a feature length trivia track; "Keepers of the Covenant" documentary including 14 enhancement pods; "The Lawgiver's Legacy: Moses Throughout History"; "The Gods and Kings Archive"; promotional featurettes including the HBO First Look; 11 galleries. (Fox).

Ghost Whisperer: The Complete Series (2005-10) Twenty-nine disc set with all 107 episodes plus bonus features, $79.99. Formats: DVD. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).

Mark of the Devil (1970 -- West Germany) Once proclaimed as "positively the most horrifying film ever made", "Mark of the Devil" arrives in a director-approved edition featuring a new restoration. A bloody and brutal critique of religious corruption, "Mark of the Devil" sees horror icon Udo Kier play a witchfinder's apprentice whose faith in his master (Herbert Lom) becomes severely tested when they settle in an Austrian village. Formats: Blu-ray Disc. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group).



photo for Maude: The Complete Series Maude: The Complete Series Nineteen-disc set with all 141 episodes and a 40-page collector's book containing an essay by Pulitzer Prize–winning TV critic Tom Shales, $159.99. Television history has given us many memorable, amazing women ... and then there's Maude, starring Bea Arthur as the feisty and funny title character. Created by Norman Lear ("All In The Family"), "Maude" pushed the boundaries for network television during its six-year run from 1972 to 1978. Often controversial and always refreshingly honest, the series never shied away from tackling the topical issues of the day, yet its depth of character and humor left audiences laughing all the way. Decades after its initial broadcast, Maude remains a benchmark in television for its sharp, intelligent writing, impressive supporting cast (including Bill Macy, Adrienne Barbeau, Conrad Bain and Rue McClanahan) and of course, the amazing Arthur. In a role that earned her a well-deserved Emmy award, Arthur created an indelible portrait of a fiercely liberated woman, paving the way for other noteworthy, female-driven sitcoms from "Roseanne" and "Murphy Brown" to "30 Rock." Formats: DVD. Extras: Original "All in the Family" episode "Cousin Maude's Visit," original "All in the Family episode "Maude - Pilot," unaired episode 115 "The Double Standard," unaired episode 316 "Maude's New Friends," syndication sales presentation (hosted by Norman Lear), three featurettes: "And Then There's Maude: Television's First Feminist," "Everything but Hemorrhoids: Maude Speaks to America," "Memories of Maude" - featuring new interviews with Adrienne Barbeau and Bill Macy. (Shout! Factory).

Muck (2015) Kane Hodder, Lachlan Buchanan, Puja Mohindra, Bryce Drape, Lauren Francesca. After narrowly escaping an ancient burial ground, a group of friends find themselves trapped between two evils, forcing them to fight, die, or go back the way they came. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Anchor Bay).

photo for My Girl BLU-RAY DEBUT My Girl BLU-RAY DEBUT (1991) Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky. Restored at 4K resolution. Extras: Commentary with writer Laurice Molinari; two new featurettes: "A Day on Set: Bingo!" behind-the-scenes look at filming the very funny bingo scene with Aykroyd and Curtis; "A Day on Set: First Kiss" offers a rare look at filming Thomas and Vada's first kiss; original theatrical behind-the-scenes featurette created for the theatrical release featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Chlumsky, Culkin, Aykroyd and Curtis. (Sony).

Revelation: The End of Days (2013) Two-disc set of the History Channel miniseries that brings viewers an imagining of the end of the world and life as predicted in the Bible, told through the perspective of several different people,with first-hand accounts from found footage, cell phones and cameras to illustrate the world's final days. Formats: DVD, $14.98. (Lionsgate).

Ride the Pink Horse (1947) Hollywood actor turned idiosyncratic auteur Robert Montgomery ("Here Comes Mr. Jordan") directs and stars in this striking crime drama based on a novel by Dorothy B. Hughes. He plays a tough-talking former GI who comes to a small New Mexico town to shake down a gangster who killed his best friend; things quickly turn nasty. "Ride the Pink Horse" features standout supporting performances from Fred Clark, Wanda Hendrix, and especially Thomas Gomez, who became the first Hispanic actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for his role here. With its relentless pace, expressive cinematography by the great Russell Metty ("All That Heaven Allows)", and punchy, clever script by Charles Lederer ("His Girl Friday") and Ben Hecht ("Spellbound"), this is an overlooked treasure from the heyday of 1940s film noir. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary featuring film noir historians Alain Silver and James Ursini; new interview with Imogen Sara Smith, author of "In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City"; Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the film from 1947, featuring Robert Montgomery, Wanda Hendrix, and Thomas Gomez; an essay by filmmaker and writer Michael Almereyda. (The Criterion Collection).

Something Wicked (2014) Shantel VanSanten, John Robinson, Julian Morris, Brittany Murphy. A young couple seeks to re-build their lives after a disastrous car crash kills her parents but secrets from their past threaten to disrupt their budding relationship: Christine is stalked by a creepy, masked stranger, while James experiences freakish encounters that nearly kill him. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (ARC Entertainment).


photo for Son of a Gun Son of a Gun (2015) Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites, Alicia Vikander, Jacek Koman. After breaking out of prison, Brendan Lynch (McGregor), Australia's most notorious criminal, enlists 19-year-old JR (Thwaites) to accompany him and his crew on a gold heist that promises to deliver millions. Naturally things start to go wrong and a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Partners in Crime: The Making of Son of a Gun" featurette, commentary with writer-director Julius Avery. (Lionsgate).

Top Five (2014) Dir.: Chris Rock; Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Whoopi Goldberg, Tracy Morgan, Sherri Shepherd, Brian Regan, Ben Vereen. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Blu-ray extras: Commentary by Chris Rock and JB Smoove, "It's Never Just A Movie: Chris Rock and Top Five," "The Making of Top Five," "Top Five" Andre Allen standup outtakes, "Top Five Moments You Didn't See in the Film," deleted scenes. (Paramount).

Troop Beverly Hills BLU-RAY DEBUT (1989) Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, Betty Thomas, Mary Gross. Restored at 4K resolution. Extras: Deleted scenes; two new featurettes: "The Real Phyllis Nefler: Ava Ostern Fries": Ava Ostern Fries, the real life Phyllis Nefler, discusses how she was inspired to create the film using her real-life experiences with her daughter's Girl Scout troop; "Shelley Long Remembers Troop Beverly Hills." (Sony).

photo for TURN: Washington's Spies: The Complete First Season TURN: Washington's Spies: The Complete First Season (2014) Three-disc set with all 10 episodes of the AMC series that tells the true story of the Culper Ring -- an unlikely team of secret agents during the American Revolution who not only went on to help George Washington turn the tide of war but also gave birth to modern spycraft. Formats: DVD: $49.98, Blu-ray Disc: $59.99, Digital. Extras: "The History of TURN: Washington's Spies," "From Art to Image," deleted scenes. (Anchor Bay).

Vice (2014) Thomas Jane, Bruce Willis, Ambyr Childers, Johnathon Schaech, Bryan Greenberg, Colin Egglesfield. Julian Michaels (Willis) has designed the ultimate resort: VICE, where anything goes, and the customers can play out their wildest fantasies with artificial inhabitants who look, think and feel like humans. When an artificial (Childers) becomes self-aware and escapes, she finds herself caught in the crossfire between Julian's mercenaries and a cop (Jane) who is hell-bent on shutting down VICE. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary with director Brian A. Miller and actors Ambyr Childers and Bryan Greenberg, "Behind the Scenes of Vice" featurette, cast and crew interviews. (Lionsgate).

photo for Wolfy, the Incredible Secret Wolfy, the Incredible Secret (2013 -- France) Animated tale about friends Loulou the wolf and Tom the rabbit, inseparable since they were little, who live the easy life in the Land of the Rabbits. But Loulou, who thought he was an orphan, learns that his bohemian mother is alive, and they set out to find her in the Land of the Wolves -- but they arrive in the middle of the Meat-eaters' Festival, a yearly get together for the world's great carnivores, putting their friendship to its ultimate test. Winner of the Cesar Award for Best Animated Film. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Random Media).


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March 15, 2015
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