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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
Alphas: Season Two
(2012) Three-disc set with 13 episodes, $44.98. Formats: DVD. (Universal).
America's Test Kitchen: Season 13
(2012) Four-disc set with more episodes of foolproof recipes, tips and techniques, equipment recommendations, and more, $39.95. Formats: DVD. (PBS Distribution).
American Courtesans
(2013) A documentary on modern day female escorts in America. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Gravitas Ventures/Centex Enterprises).
Arthur Stands Up to Bullying
(2013) In four entertaining episodes, the world's most famous aardvark, Arthur Read, and his family and friends, stand up to bullying, learn about teasing, and think about friendship. Formats: DVD, $9.99. Extras: Printable coloring pages and activities. (PBS Distribution).
Bert Stern: Original Mad Man
(2011) The definitive voyage into the life and work of one of the greatest American photographers of all time. An original Madison Avenue "mad man," Bert Stern's images helped create modern advertising; his ground-breaking campaign for Smirnoff forever changed the industry. The iconic photos he took of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, Sophia Loren, Twiggy, and the infamous Lolita image from Kubrick's film, minted Stern -- along with Irving Penn and Richard Avedon -- as a celebrity in his own right. Indeed, his photos from Monroe's "Last Sitting" are considered to be the ultimate images of the 20th century icon. After marrying legendary ballet dancer and Balanchine muse Allegra Kent, the kid from Brooklyn was sitting on top of the world ... until a dramatic fall from grace. Stern died June 26 of this year. Formats: DVD, $27.95. Extras: "Bert Stern Photo Gallery: The Iconic Images." (First Run Features).
Bidder 70
(2012) In 2008, as George W. Bush tried to gift the energy and mining industries thousands of acres of pristine Utah wilderness via a widely disputed federal auction, college student Tim DeChristopher decided to monkey-wrench the process. Bidding $1.7 million, he won 22,000 acres with no intention to drill. For this astonishing (and successful) act of civil disobedience he was sent to federal prison. "Bidder 70" tells the story of this peaceful warrior whose patriotism and willingness to sacrifice have ignited the climate justice movement. Formats: DVD, $24.95. (First Run Features).
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (Director's Cut) BLU-RAY DEBUT
Bullet to the Head
(2013) Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jon Seda. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Bullet to the Head: Mayhem Inc." featurette. (Warner).
Caillou: Big Kid Caillou
(2013) Six episodes feature Caillou as he learns that every race is not about winning, remembers what it's like to be the "new kid" at school, and discovers the importance of good vision. Formats: DVD, $9.99. Extras: Printable coloring pages and activities. (PBS Distribution).
Combat!: The Complete Fourth Season
(1965-66) One of the television's most popular series, the groundbreaking "Combat!" offered a gritty, unflinching look at American soldiers battling in Europe during World War II, confronting imposing odds and demonstrating remarkable levels of ingenuity and courage. Vic Morrow and Rick Jason head a stellar cast, featuring an incomparable list of guest stars from Hollywood's Golden Age as well as top directorial talent such as Richard Donner and Robert Altman. Eight-disc set with 31 episodes, $39.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: Commentaries, photo gallery, oddities and bloopers, more. (Image Entertainment).
Damages: The Final Season
(2012) Three-disc set with 10 episodes, $45.99. Formats: DVD. Extras: Deleted scenes, outtakes. (Sony).
The Definitive Guide to the Mob
(2012) Colombo crime family captain Michael Franzese helps examine the American Mafia in this History Channel special. Michael followed in the footsteps of his father, Colombo family underboss Sonny Franzese, and earned more money for the organization than anyone since Al Capone. He also did what no "Made" man has ever done before or since: he publicly quit La Cosa Nostra -- without going into witness protection -- and lived to tell the tale. It's a one-of-a-kind view into the world of the country's most dangerous men and provides a realistic look at American mob life, stripped of the glitz and glamour of how Hollywood portrays the Mafia. Formats: DVD. (Lionsgate).
Dinosaur Train: Nature Trackers
(2012) Eight episodes chock-full of adventure and fun, teaching young explorers about stargazing, snakes, wildlife diversity and nature's life cycle. Formats: DVD, $9.99. Extras: Printed Nature Trackers Club coloring and guide book, interactive “How Big?" game, PDF coloring pages and activities. (PBS Distribution).
Doctor Who -- The Doctors Revisited: One-Four
2013 marks the 50th anniversary of "Doctor Who," the longest running science fiction show in television history. To celebrate, BBC Home Entertainment is releasing a curated selection of the best of each of this storied program's 11 Doctors. The first release showcases "Doctor Who's" first four doctors, including William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, spanning the years 1963-1981. Includes a profile of each Doctor and one classic program for each: "The Aztecs," "Tomb of the Cyberman," "Spearhead from Space" and "Pyramid of Mars." Formats: Four-disc DVD, $39.98. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Endeavour Series 1
(2012) Before Inspector Morse, there was rookie Constable Morse, fed up with police work and ready to nip his career in the bud by handing in his resignation. That is, until a murder turned up that only he could solve. Endeavour Morse -- before his signature red Jaguar, but with his deductive powers already running in high gear -- solves mysteries in 1960s Oxford. Three-disc set with four whodunits. Formats: DVD $39.99, Blu-ray $44.99, Digital. Extras: Original pilot episode. (PBS Distribution).
Erased
(2012) Aaron Eckhart, Liana Liberato, Olga Kurylenko. An ex-CIA operative (Eckhart) and his teenage daughter (Liberato) are caught up in a chase for their lives when both are targeted for termination -- by the very organization that originally employed him. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "Erased: Behind the Scenes." (Anchor Bay Entertainment/RADiUS-TWC).
Eve of Destruction
(2013) Steven Weber, Treat Williams, Christina Cox, Aleks Paunovic. The fight for survival continues in the second disaster film in the five-part doomsday series, which originally aired on ReelzChannel in April. Scientists drill a hole in the universe to harvest a limitless pool of "dark energy," but the experiment goes horribly wrong and wipes an entire city off the map. Now, the effort to save the world becomes the ultimate threat that could destroy it. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Sonar Entertainment/Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment).
Evil Dead
(2013) Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Making Life Difficult" behind-the-scenes featurette; "Being Mia" (the physical and psychological transformation into "Evil Mia"); "Directing the Dead." Blu-ray adds commentary featuring Jane Levy, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, director Fede Alvarez and writer Rodo Sayagues; "Unleashing The Evil Force" featurette; "Evil Dead the Reboot": with cast rehearsals, Bruce Campbell, Deadites and more. (Sony).
Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season
(2012) Three-disc set with 12 episodes, $29.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: Commentary for every episode with the stars and creators; "Libra" episode international version with commentary; "It's Not Personal, It's Just Business: The Making of Family Business"; "Libra Rising: The Making of Libra"; defining "Femme Fatales"; "Lilith: Daughter of Darkness" featurette; "The Femmes of Femme Fatales" featurette; Second Season Red Carpet premiere; San Diego Comic-Con Panel 2012; deleted scenes; more. (Entertainment One).
42
(2013) Dir.: Brian Helgeland; Harrison Ford, Chadwick Boseman, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Andre Holland, Lucas Black, Hamish Linklater. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Stepping into History" featurette. Blu-ray adds "Full-Contact Baseball" and "The Legacy of the Number 42." (Warner).
The Fruit Hunters
(2012) Adventurers, exotic fruits fanatics and even movie star Bill Pullman, are the subjects of this new film from director Yung Chang. It's a thrilling journey through nature, commerce and adventure that follows fruit hunters dedicated to and saving rare and exotic fruit and to creating a Garden of Eden in a world increasingly dominated by industrialized monoculture. Formats: DVD. (Docurama).
George Lopez: The Complete Third Season
(2003-04) Three-disc set with 28 episodes, $29.98. Formats: DVD. (Warner).
God Don't Make the Laws
(2011) Ella Rae Peck, Lucas Salvagno, Robert Prescott, Peter Vack. When a tragic accident claims the lives of Rockwell's beloved high school basketball team, time in the picturesque town stands still -- literally -- when a deal is made with the devil and sickness, aging and death cease for those left behind ... until decades later when a mysterious drifter with a sordid past blows into town, stirring up the long-buried past, causing the hands of time begin to move forward once again. Formats: DVD. (Green Apple Entertainment).
Heavy Traffic BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1973) Ralph Bakshi's animated masterpiece about an underground cartoonist who contends with life in the inner city, where various unsavory characters serve as inspiration for his artwork. (Shout! Factory).
Hell on Wheels: The Complete Second Season
Letters From Jackie: The Private Thoughts of Jackie Robinson
(2013) Original documentary from Major League Baseball Productions chronicles Jackie Robinson's thoughts and ambitions as he became one of America's greatest athletes, as well as a towering symbol of the civil rights movement. Formats: DVD, $9.98. (Lionsgate).
The Life After Death Project 1 and 2
(2013) Renowned filmmaker Paul Davids unleashes an astonishing breakthrough film about life after death, originally broadcast on the Syfy Channel May 15. Interviews with New York Times best-selling authors (Richard Matheson, Whitley Strieber, Dannion Brinkley, Michael Shermer), top science professors (Dr. Gary E. Schwartz and others) and selected world-famous mediums provide scientific evidence and testimony on how deceased people can and do communicate with us. Davids takes us on a goose-bump inducing investigation of the extraordinary case of after death communication (ADC) with Sci-Fi luminary Forrest J Ackerman. "Uncle Forry" was a skeptic about life after death, but he promised close friends that if it turned out he was wrong, he would try to "drop them a line" from the "Other Side." The documentary evidence of what happened has to be seen to be believed. The sequel film "The Life After Death Project 2 -- Personal Encounters" features spellbinding accounts of personal encounters with life after death from archaeologists, physicists, a retired colonel, a librarian, clinical psychologist, sales executive, publisher and doctors and nurses who have worked with hundreds of dying patients. They have seen souls leaving the body at death, angelic beings, spirit entities, golden orbs, physical manifestations and more. It includes updates on the continuing saga of the Forrest J Ackerman case. Formats: Two-disc DVD, $24.95. (MVD Entertainment Group).
London: The Modern Babylon
(2012) Director Julien Temple's time-traveling voyage to the heart of his beloved London. From musicians, writers and artists to dangerous thinkers, political radicals and ordinary people, this is the story of London's immigrants and bohemians and how they changed the city forever. It starts out with the dawn of film at the start of the 20th century and progresses -- powered by the flow of popular music -- to the present day. Formats: DVD. (Docurama).
Lord of the Flies
(1963) In the hands of the renowned experimental theater director Peter Brook, William Golding's legendary novel on the primitivism lurking beneath civilization becomes a film as raw and ragged as the lost boys at its center. Taking an innovative documentary-like approach, Brook shot "Lord of the Flies" with an off-the-cuff naturalism, seeming to record a spontaneous eruption of its characters' ids. The result is a rattling masterpiece, as provocative as its source material. New, restored 4K digital film transfer, supervised by cameraman and editor Gerald Feil, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition. Formats: Two-disc DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary featuring director Peter Brook, producer Lewis Allen, director of photography Tom Hollyman, and editor Gerald Feil; audio recordings of William Golding reading from his novel, accompanied by the corresponding scenes from the film; deleted scene, with optional commentary and reading by Golding; interview with Brook from 2008; collection of behind-the-scenes material, featuring home movies, screen tests, outtakes, and stills; new interview with Feil; excerpt from Feil's 1972 documentary "The Empty Space," showcasing Brook's theater methods; "Something Queer in the Warehouse," a piece composed of never-before-seen footage shot by the boy actors during production, with new voice-over by Tom Gaman, who played Simon; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film critic Geoffrey Macnab and an excerpt from Brook's book "The Shifting Point." (The Criterion Collection).
Matlock: The Ninth & Final Season
(1994-95) Five-disc set with 15 episodes, $54.99. Formats: DVD. (Paramount).
Misfits: Season Three
(2011) Two-disc set with nine episodes of the series about five young outsiders on community service who get caught in a strange storm and soon realize they have developed superpowers. Formats: DVD, $24.98. Extras: Eight behind-thescenes featurettes, Erazer & Vegas webisodes, visual effects featurette, stunts featurette, "On Set With the Misfits." (BBC Home Entertainment).
Orphan Black: Season One
(2012) Ten episodes of the BBC Americas series about a young woman, an outsider and an orphan, who witnesses the suicide of a woman who looks like her and decides to take on the woman's identity, boyfriend and money -- only to get involved in a deadly conspiracy involving clones. Formats: Three-disc DVD, $29.98; two-disc Blu-ray, $34.98. Extras: Character profiles, set tour, "Send in the Clones Now" behind the scenes featurette. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Power Rangers Samurai: The Ultimate Duel -- Volume 5
(2011) In these final four episodes of the season, Master Xandred's powers are surging out of control, the Sanzu River is seeping into our world, and giant Moogers are running on a rampage, so the Power Rangers Samurai must enter the Tengen Gate to retrieve the most powerful samurai weapon yet -- The Black Box. Formats: DVD, Digital. Extras: Three videos, character gallery. (Lionsgate).
The Smurfs: Smurfs to the Rescue!
(2012) Six adventures from the Saturday morning cartoon series, $14.97. Formats: DVD. (Warner).
Super Why!: Hansel & Gretel: A Healthy Adventure
(2013) Two adventures for pre-schoolers teaches the benefits of healthy food choices, different types of foods, and unhealthy snacks. Formats: DVD, $9.99. Extras: Music videos, interactive games, color pages, resources for parents. (PBS Distribution).
Tom and Jerry: No Mice Allowed!
Two-disc set with 30 cartoons, a mix of classic theatricals and contemporary TV shorts, including "Smitten Kitten," "Timid Tabby" and "24 Karat Kat." Formats: DVD, $19.97. (Warner).
White Frog
(2012) Booboo Stewart, Harry Shum Jr., Tyler Posey, BD Wong, Joan Chens, Kelly Hu. Nick (Stewart), a neglected high school student who is struggling with Asperger's Syndrome, finds his life in disarray when tragedy strikes and his idolized older brother dies in a car accident. The family spirals into disarray and, in an effort to keep his brother's memory alive, Nick tentatively reaches out to Chaz's school friends to try making sense of his untimely death but in doing so, he quickly realizes that his brother had a secret life ... and the truth will change his own life forever. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Wolfe Video).
Wild Bill
(2011 -- UK) Charlie Creed-Miles, Will Poulter, Sammy Williams. Out on parole after eight years in prison, Bill Hayward returns home to find his now 11- and 15-year-old sons abandoned by their mother and fending for themselves. He reluctantly agrees to hang around and act like a father for social services, and after awhile he grows into his parental role. But when one of his sons gets into trouble with his old drug-dealing mates, he must decide what kind of dad he wants to be -- a good one or a free one. Formats: DVD. (Flatiron Film Co.).
42
Writer-director Brian Helgeland has had a mixed career (writing "L.A. Confidential," "A Knight's Tale," "The Postman" and "Mystic River," and winning both an Oscar and a Razzie award in 1998 for Best Screenplay for "L.A. Confidential" and Worst Screenplay for "The Postman." His best-known directorial outing previously was Mel Gibson's "Payback" in 1999; with "42," however, he has finally hit his stride. The film, a dramatization of the monumental events that surrounded the breaking of Major League Baseball's color barrier by Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey and baseball great Jackie Robinson, is an almost perfect stylistic outing. In 1946, Rickey (Harrison Ford, here submerging himself into his role with an Oscar-worthy performance) put himself at the forefront of history when he signed Negro Leagues ballplayer Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) to the team, putting both Robinson and Rickey in the firing line of the public, the press and other players. Facing unabashed racism from every side, Robinson was forced to demonstrate tremendous courage and restraint, knowing that any incident could destroy his and Rickey's hopes to desegregate the game. Rickey's decision was based on a combination of idealism and astute business sense: it made sense to hire the best ball players to win games and make money for the team, and the best players could be black or white (or later, Afro-Hispanic, such as Roberto Clemente). The story follows Rickey's decision in 1945 to hire a black player, through the drafting of Robinson in '46 for the Dodger's farm team, and then his appearance on the Dodgers in '47, which lead to a National League pennant win. "42," which was Robinson's number (and the only number retired by all MLB teams), is the story of a changing sport and a changing world. It's an almost perfect film; the scenario, the dialogue, the editing, the framing -- everything is pitch perfect. There's never a dull inning, never a seventh-inning stretch. Yes, it's predictable (first off, we know how it's going to end; second off, we know that Jackie will stand up to the taunts as to his color by turning the other cheek); yes, some of the characters are stereotypical and archetypical, but heck, who cares. It's fun and absorbing and, for a generation born way, way past the breaking of segregation in sports (or elsewhere, for that matter), it's educational. It's a textbook example of how to make a movie, one that can be studied in any film school. And one that made a lot of money. Vitals: Director: Brian Helgeland. Stars: Harrison Ford, Chadwick Boseman, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, Andre Holland, Lucas Black, Hamish Linklater.
2013, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 128 min., Drama, Box office gross: $91.513 million, Warner.
Evil Dead
Want to get scared silly? Want to be repulsed by what you see on the big screen? Want guts and gore and blood and mess? Then the reimagined "Evil Dead" is for you. Five twentysomething friends turn a remote cabin in the woods into a blood-soaked chamber of horrors after one of them finds the mysterious and fiercely powerful Book of the Dead and awakens an ancient demon that goes on a blood-thirsty quest to possess them all. If you're familiar with the original (1981), then you'll be wise to this one, which, however, amps up the horror but tamps down the humor. There's a lot more brutality here, and a switch in heroes, with a female, Mia, becoming the story's sole survivor (with rumors afloat of a remake of "Army of Darkness" as well as another "Evil Dead," with Mia meeting up with the original's Ash). The film is produced by the original's Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell (Ash), and even has a an homage to Campbell during the closing credits. Vitals: Director: Fede Alvarez. Stars: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore.
2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 91 min., Horror, Box office gross: $54.115 million, Sony.
Bullet to the Head
This by-the-book actioner stars Sylvester Stallone as a not-quite-over-the-hill hit-man who gets involved with corrupt cops, politicians and real estate investors when a hit on a bad cop goes wrong and his partner is executed by a mercenary killer (Jason Momoa). When a New York City cop (Sung Kang) comes down to New Orleans to investigate the cop's murder, Stallone forms an alliance with him to bring down the killer and the bad guys. Based on Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel, "Du Plomb Dans La Tete." Director Walter Hill ("The Warriors," "48 Hours") is back in form with stylistic fast-paced shoot-outs, car chases and story line twists. It's a fun, if not memorable, outing.Vitals: Director: Walter Hill. Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jon Seda.
2013, CC, MPAA rating: R, 92 min., Action, Box office gross: $9.483 million, Warner.
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An Affair of the Heart
(2013) The first-ever feature documentary about Grammy-winning musician, songwriter, actor, and New York Times best-selling author Rick Springfield and his ardently loyal fan base. Featuring live concert footage, celebrity and fan interviews, and revealing conversations with Springfield himself, the documentary focuses on the singer's decades-long career and the unique connection he shares with his fans; the film is almost more about the fans than Springfield. This irresistible, entertaining and funny documentary proves there's far more to the pop superstar than just "Jessie's Girl." Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Extended scenes, bonus interviews, premiere footage. (Breaking Glass Pictures).
(2009) Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly, Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz, Peter Fonda, Judd Nelson. The 2000 crime picture renowned for the unique story of the fast rise and fall of its egomaniacal filmmaker, Troy Duffy (who was a bartender in Los Angeles when his script was produced), as well as the cult following that appeared later on home release, gets the sequel treatment with this follow-up. The MacManus brothers are living a quiet life in Ireland with their father, but when they learn that their beloved priest has been killed by mob forces, they go back to Boston to bring justice to those responsible and avenge the priest. The Director's Cut features 27 minutes of never-before-seen footage, including a longer opening sequence, a lengthened fantasy sequence and an extended elevator sequence leading up to the Prudential shoot-out. Two-disc set with theatrical and director's cut versions, UltraViolet. Extras: Filmmaker and cast commentaries, deleted scenes, seven behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Unprecedented Access: Behind the Scenes" making-of documentary; "Billy Connolly and Troy Duffy: Unedited" multi-camera, off-the-cuff conversation between filmmakers on the success of the first movie, their evolutions as filmmaker and actor, and what they hope to capture on their second go-round; "Inside the Vault: The Weapons"; "The Cast Confesses: Secrets from the Set"; "The Boondock Saints Hit Comic-Con"; "Saints Off Script" look at the "Saints" having fun on set while the cameras aren't rolling; "Back to Boondock" tour of pre-production with the cast and filmmakers. (Sony).
(2012) Three-disc set with 10 episodes of the AMC Western series set in the post-Civil War frontier, about a Confederate soldier, out to exact revenge on the Union soldiers who murdered his wife, who follows their trail to Hell on Wheels, the raucous, traveling melting pot of a town that travels alongside the construction of the transcontinental railroad. This season he faces a new onslaught of turmoil, danger and corruption in a treacherous town where life is cheap and greed is the only law. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "The Making of Hell on Wheels," 1o episode featurettes, "On Set With Anson Mount," "Where Season One Left Off," "The Cast on Season Two." (Entertainment One).
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July 14, 2013
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