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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
Case Histories Complete Collection
(2011, 2013) Based on the bestselling novels by Kate Atkinson. Jason Isaacs stars as Jackson Brodie, a former Edinburgh cop turned private detective. Tough but good-hearted, Brodie can't turn a blind eye to injustice and people in need. Although it does little to line his pockets, he finds himself investigating everything from lost cats to missing children and killers on the run. Four-disc set with nine episodes, $59.99. Formats: DVD. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast and crew interviews. (Acorn Media).
The Circle
(2014 -- Switzerland) Matthias Hungerbuhler, Sven Schelker. A dramatization of gay lovers Ernst and Robi from meeting in Zurich in 1958 against the backdrop of "The Circle" (the pioneering gay organization and internationally renowned underground club) to 2003 when they became the first same-sex couple to enjoy legal recognition in Switzerland. The award-winning drama showcases their true story, featuring interviews with the men (now in their 80s) along with stunning archival images and fascinating research into this incredible era in gay history. Matthias Hungerbuhler and Sven Schelker star as Ernst and Robi. Switzerland's official entry for Foreign-language Oscar. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Wolfe Video).
Cries and Whispers
(1972) This existential wail of a drama from Ingmar Bergman concerns two sisters, Karin (Ingrid Thulin) and Maria (Liv Ullmann), keeping vigil for a third, Agnes (Harriet Andersson), who is dying of cancer and can find solace only in the arms of a beatific nurse (Kari Sylwan). An intensely felt film that may be Bergman's most striking formal experiment, "Cries and Whispers" (which won an Oscar for the extraordinary color photography of Sven Nykvist) is a powerful depiction of human behavior in the face of death, positioned on the borders between reality and nightmare, tranquillity and terror. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Introduction by Ingmar Bergman from 2001; new interview with actor Harriet Andersson, conducted by film scholar Peter Cowie; new video essay on the film's visuals by filmmaker : : kogonada; behind-the-scenes footage with commentary by Cowie; "Ingmar Bergman: Reflections on Life, Death, and Love With Erland Josephson" (2000), a 52-minute interview with Bergman and his longtime collaborator; trailer; optional English-dubbed soundtrack; an essay by film scholar Emma Wilson. (The Criterion Collection).
Harlock: Space Pirate
(2013 -- Japan) David Matranga, Emily Neves, Rob Mungle. Live-action adventure based on the comic book and TV series. A mysterious space pirate of the future, Captain Harlock, is determined to return his death ship and loyal crew to a battered Earth, which has been declared off-limits by the intergalactic Gaia Coalition. The rogue captain comes up with an incredible plan to go back in time to rescue Earth, but that includes the destruction of everything, as it exists.
Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Includes the Original Japanese version. (Ketchup Entertainment).
Housekeeping
(2013) Adriana Solis, Blair Wojcik, Monica Percich. A student in need of money gets more than she bargained for when she takes a housekeeping job that turns deadly. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (After Dark Films/Lionsgate).
The Imitation Game
(2014) Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Charles Dance, Mark Strong. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "The Making of The Imitation Game," deleted scenes, commentary. Blu-ray adds "Q&A Highlights." (The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment).
Interstellar
(2014) Director: Christopher Nolan. Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Wes Bentley, William Devane, David Gyasi, Mackenzie Foy, Bill Irwin (voice). Formats: DVD, Three-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo (Blu-ray Disc 1: Feature Film, Blu-ray Disc 2: Extras, DVD Disc 3: Feature Film in SD), VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Blu-ray extras: "The Science of Interstellar" extended cut of the broadcast special; "Plotting an Interstellar Journey" featurette discusses the film’s origins, influences and narrative
Lovejoy, Series 5
(1993) Based on the novels by Jonathan Gash. Ian McShane stars as Lovejoy, a rascal of an antiques dealer with a heart of gold. Lovejoy's world faces upheaval -- and not just from the risky deals made by the cunning antiques dealer. After a change in Lady Jane's (Phyllis Logan) circumstances, Lovejoy loses the companionship of one of his most-trusted confidants. But lovely auctioneer Charlotte Cavendish (Caroline Langrishe) soon becomes the (mostly) unyielding object of his affections. Tinker (Dudley Sutton) takes on an assistant, Beth (Diane Parish), whose youthful exuberance and flair for the trade breathe new life into the team's dicey operation. That's good news for Lovejoy, since he'll need all the help he can get to withstand the challenges that lie ahead -- such as impending eviction, an attempt on his life, and a perilous journey to America. Four-disc set with 14 episodes, $49.99. Formats: DVD. (Acorn Media).
Outcast
(2014) Nicolas Cage, Hayden Christensen, Andy On, Yifei Liu. A mysterious warrior teams up with the daughter and son of a deposed Chinese Emperor to defeat their cruel brother, who seeks their deaths. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD. (Entertainment One).
Wild
(2014) Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Fox).
Wild Card
(2014) Jason Statham, Michael Angarano, Milo Ventimiglia, Dominik García-Lorido, Anne Heche, Sofia Vergara, Max Casella, Jason Alexander, Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci. Nick Wild (Statham) is a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal professional skills and a personal gambling problem. When a sadistic thug beats his friend, Nick strikes back, only to find out the thug is the son of a powerful mob boss. Suddenly Nick is plunged into the criminal underworld, chased by enforcers and wanted by the mob. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Original Sin: Las Vegas and the Characters of Wild Card" featurette, "Script Vignette" featurette, commentary with director Simon West. (Lionsgate).
Interstellar
Sci-Fi adventure from the director of "Inception" and "The Dark Knight" chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage. In Earth's future, a global crop blight and second Dust Bowl are slowly rendering the planet uninhabitable. Professor Brand (Michael Caine), a brilliant NASA physicist, is working on plans to save mankind by transporting Earth's population to a new home via a newly discovered wormhole in the far reaches of the solar system. But first, Brand must send former NASA pilot turned farmer Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and a team of researchers through the wormhole and across the galaxy to find out which of three planets could be mankind's new home. Vitals: Director: Christopher Nolan. Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Wes Bentley, William Devane, David Gyasi, Mackenzie Foy, Bill Irwin (voice). 2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 169 min., Science Fiction, Box office gross: $186.355 million, Paramount. Blu-ray extras: "The Science of Interstellar" extended cut of the broadcast special; "Plotting an Interstellar Journey" featurette discusses the film’s origins, influences and narrative designs; Life on Cooper’s Farm" featurette brings Americana and the grounded nature of a farm to a sci-fi space movie; "The Dust" featurette on how cast and crew avoided sand blindness, and how to create, and clean up after, a catastrophic dust storm; "TARS and CASE" featurette on designing and building these unique characters and how they were brought to life on set and in the film; "Cosmic Sounds" featuette on the concepts, process, and recording of Hans Zimmer's unforgettable score; "The Space Suits" featurette on the design and build of the suits and helmets, and what it was like to wear them; "The Endurance" featurette explores the massive set with a guided tour by production designer Nathan Crowley; "Shooting in Iceland: Miller’s Planet/Mann’s Planet" featurette; "The Ranger and the Lander" spaceships featurette; "Miniatures in Space"; "The Simulation of Zero-G" featurette on the various methods that the filmmakers used to create a zero gravity environment; "Celestial Landmarks" featurette on how the filmmakers used practical special effects informed by real scientific equations to give the illusion of real space travel for both the actors and the audience; "Across All Dimensions and Time" featurette on t the concept and design of the Tesseract, which incorporated a practical set rather than a green screen; "Final Thoughts" in which the cast and crew reflect back on their Interstellar experience; theatrical trailers. For a limited time, the Blu-ray Combo Pack will also include an authentic, collectible "Interstellar" film cell from an original 70MM IMAX print of the film. 
The Imitation Game
Winner of the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay. During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a reported burglary. They instead ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of "gross indecency" – an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offense of homosexuality. Little did officials know they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, "The Imitation Game" is the story of a genius who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, save thousands of lives.
Vitals: Director: Morten Tyldum. Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Charles Dance, Mark Strong.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 114 min., Bio-Drama, Box office gross: $51.674 million, The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Extras: "The Making of The Imitation Game," deleted scenes, commentary. Blu-ray adds "Q&A Highlights."
Wild
After years of reckless behavior, a heroin addiction, the destruction of her marriage, and the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) makes a rash decision. Haunted by
memories of her mother (Laura Dern) and with absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own. The film captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all
odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.
Vitals: Director: Jean-Marc Vallee. Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 115 min., Drama, Box office gross: $37.258 million, Fox.
Chuggington: Fire Patrol Rescue
(2015) In this latest collection of six Chuggington adventures, Wilson sets out on fire patrol duty with his new friend Asher and learns to use a fire hose in a rescue. Also, there is a friendly contest of Chug Patrol versus Speed Fleet; Hodge find himself in a high-rise jam; and all the Chuggers practice emergency drills at the roundhouse. Formats: DVD. Extras: Bonus Badge Quest episode, Calley and Skylar character montages, coloring and activity pages. (Anchor Bay).
Day of Anger
(1967 -- Italy) Lee Van Cleef, Giuliano Gemma. When Sergio Leone turned Lee Van Cleef into a major star with "For a Few Dollars More" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," the actor sensibly stayed in Italy to make several more spaghetti westerns, including this one from Leone's former assistant Tonino Valerii that genre aficionados rank amongst the best ever made. Giuliano Gemma plays street cleaner Scott Mary, relentlessly bullied by the people of the small town of Clifton. When legendarily ruthless master gunfighter Frank Talby (Van Cleef) rides into town, Scott seizes the opportunity to lift himself out of the gutter, and possibly even surpass Talby's own skills.
Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group).
designs; Life on Cooper’s Farm" featurette brings Americana and the grounded nature of a farm to a sci-fi space movie; "The Dust" featuette on how cast and crew avoided sand blindness, and how to create, and clean up after, a catastrophic dust storm; "TARS and CASE" featurette on designing and building these unique characters and how they were brought to life on set and in the film; "Cosmic Sounds" featuette on the concepts, process, and recording of Hans Zimmer's unforgettable score; "The Space Suits" featurette on the design and build of the suits and helmets, and what it was like to wear them; "The Endurance" featurette explores the massive set with a guided tour by production designer Nathan Crowley; "Shooting in Iceland: Miller’s Planet/Mann’s Planet" featurette; "The Ranger and the Lander" spaceships featurette; "Miniatures in Space"; "The Simulation of Zero-G" featurette on the various methods that the filmmakers used to create a zero gravity environment; "Celestial Landmarks" featurette on how the filmmakers used practical special effects informed by real scientific equations to give the illusion of real space travel for both the actors and the audience; "Across All Dimensions and Time" featurette on t the concept and design of the Tesseract, which incorporated a practical set rather than a green screen; "Final Thoughts" in which the cast and crew reflect back on their Interstellar experience; theatrical trailers. For a limited time, the Blu-ray Combo Pack will also include an authentic, collectible "Interstellar" film cell from an original 70MM IMAX print of the film. (Paramount).
Silicon Valley: Season 1
(2014) Two-disc set with eight episodes. From the offbeat mind of Mike Judge ("Office Space," "Beavis and Butt-head"), this HBO half-hour comedy takes viewers inside the world of tech start-ups -- and the socially awkward underdogs who try to navigate its lucrative potential. Starring a talented ensemble of young comic actors and veterans, "Silicon Valley" charts the rising fortunes of Richard, an introverted computer programmer who lives in a "Hacker Hostel" start-up incubator along with his friends Big Head, Gilfoyle and Dinesh. These social misfits live under the watch of Erlich, a dotcom millionaire who lets them stay in his house for free -- as long as he gets a 10 percent stake in their projects. Stuck working part-time at a large tech company called Hooli, Richard's obscure website, Pied Piper, is going nowhere fast. But when a mid-level Hooli executive named Jared is apprised of the value of the site's novel compression algorithm, Richard finds himself caught in the middle of an extreme bidding war between Hooli founder Gavin Belson and independent billionaire venture capitalist Peter Gregory. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. Extras: "Making Silicon Valley" behind-the-scenes featurette, behind-the-scenes on the "Tech Crunch: Disrupt!" conference, tour of the Hacker Hostel, eight audio commentaries, episode previews. (HBO).
VEEP: The Complete Third Season
(2014) Two-disc set with 10 episodes. Following the whirlwind day-to-day existence of Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her Emmy-winning role), "VEEP" skewers everyday office politics against the backdrop of the second highest office in the land. After the revelation at the end of Season 2 that the president will not run for reelection, Season 3 begins with Selina, eying a promotion, courting Iowa caucus voters at a signing for her new book, "Some New Beginnings." Soon, Selina and her staff, back in D.C. for a wedding, learn that Secretary of Defense Maddox is resigning -- setting Selina up for a possible run in the presidential primaries against Maddox and her nemesis, war-vet Danny Chung. Over the course of the season's 10 episodes, Selina and her staff will set up an exploratory campaign office in D.C. and travel to Silicon Valley (to raise money) and London (to meet with heads of state), while Amy (Anna Chlumsky) and Dan (Reid Scott) vie to be Selina's campaign manager. As always, "VEEP" will continue to show that in Washington, even the most banal decisions can have ripple effects, with unexpected and far-reaching consequences. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. Extras: Deleted scenes, cast commentaries. (HBO).
WWJD: The Journey Continues
(2015) John Schneider, Lorenzo Lamas, Joseph Nasser. Based on the inspirational novel "In His Steps -- What Would Jesus Do?" by Charles Sheldon. The drifter (Schneider) once again arrives in a new town, inspiring a group of people to live as Jesus would. A pastor seeks to lead his wayward ex-con brother to Christ as they work together to renovate a dilapidated church but when a desperate man robs the church at gunpoint, one brother's sacrifice sets events into motion that lead the pastor, the gunman, and the community on an improbable journey of faith and redemption.
Formats: DVD. Extras: "Making of WWJD: The Journey Continues." (Cinedigm).
March 29, 2015
(ISSN 1094-3676).
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