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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
The Apu Trilogy
Two decades after its original negatives were burned in a fire, Satyajit Ray's breathtaking milestone of world cinema rises from the ashes in a meticulously reconstructed new restoration. The "Apu Trilogy" brought India into the golden age of international art-house film, following one indelible character, a free-spirited child in rural Bengal who matures into an adolescent urban student and finally a sensitive man of the world. These delicate masterworks -- "Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road)" (1955), "Aparajito (The Unvanquished)" (1956), and "Apur Sansar (The World of Apu)" (1959) -- based on two books by Bibhutibhusan Banerjee, were shot over the course of five years, and each stands on its own as a tender, visually radiant journey. They are among the most achingly beautiful, richly humane movies ever made. New 4K digital restorations of all three films, undertaken in collaboration with the Academy Film Archive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and L'Immagine Ritrovata, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Audio recordings from 1958 of Ray reading his essay "A Long Time on the Little Road" and in conversation with film historian Gideon Bachmann; new interviews with actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Shampa Srivastava, and Sharmila Tagore, camera assistant Soumendu Roy, and film writer Ujjal Chakraborty; new video essay by Ray biographer Andrew Robinson on the trilogy's evolution and production; "The Apu Trilogy: A Closer Look," a new program featuring filmmaker, producer, and teacher Mamoun Hassan; excerpts from the 2003 documentary "The Song of the Little Road," featuring composer Ravi Shankar; "The Creative Person: Satyajit Ray," a 1967 half-hour documentary by James Beveridge, featuring interviews with Ray, several of his actors, members of his creative team, and film critic Chidananda Das Gupta; footage of Ray receiving an honorary Oscar in 1992; new program on the restorations by filmmaker :: kogonada; a booklet featuring essays by critics Terrence Rafferty and Girish Shambu. (The Criterion Collection).
Christmas Mix
(2014 -- TV) Haylie Duff, Tilky Jones, Maureen McCormick, Jim O'Heir. A cynical radio host is banished to Idylwild, Colorado, where his on-air spats with a hopeless romantic, and their antagonistic relationship, sparks the interest of the whole town. Formats: DVD. (Monarch Home Entertainment).
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki
Twelve-disc set with 11 of Miyazaki's films: "Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro" (1979), "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (1984), "Castle in the Sky" (1986), "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), "Porco Rosso" (1992), "Princess Mononoke" (1997), "Spirited Away" (2001), "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004), "Ponyo" (2008/2009), "The Wind Rises" (2013). Formats: DVD. Extras: "Yuki no Taiyo (Yuki's Sun)," a 1972 TV pilot based on an original manga by Tetsuya Chiba, directed by Hayao Miyazaki who was also in charge of storyboards and key animation; "Akado Suzunosuke (Little Samurai)," three episodes (Episode 26, 27 & 41) of the hit 1972 anime series with storyboarding and more by Hayao Miyazaki; "Director Hayao Miyazaki Retirement Press Conference," uncut version; a collector's edition booklet featuring "The Great Dichotomy: Looking at the Works of Hayao Miyazaki" by Tomohiro Machiyama, which explores his themes and techniques, and selected text from Miyazaki's initial notes and creative proposals for the production of each film. (Disney).
Dark Film Mysteries
Eleven film noir classics. Shot in a low-key, black-and-white, gloomy style with roots in German Expressionist cinematography, these films showcase the dark, callous side of human nature and are filled with an oppressive atmosphere of pessimism, fatality and doom enhanced by shadowy characters and locations swirling with moody dialogue and cigarette smoke. "Woman on the Run" (1950), "Quicksand" (1950), "Detour" (1945), "Inner Sanctum" (1948), "Kansas City Confidential" (1952), "The Stranger" (1946), "Fear in the Night" (1947), "The Strange Woman" (1946), "The Red House" (1947), "The Strange Love of Martha Ivers" (1946) and one of the moodiest, blackest thrillers ever made, Fritz Lang's steamy and fatalistic "Scarlet Street" (1945). DVD: $19.98. (Film Chest Media Group).
Gene Autry Movie Collection 12
Two-disc set, $19.97. Gene Autry is the only entertainer with all five stars on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, one each for Radio, Recording, Motion Pictures, Television and Live Performance. He was the silver screen's first singing cowboy and is credited with creating the genre of the musical B Western. As the star of 89 feature films, Gene brought music, comedy and action to each of his roles. Autry's rollicking big screen adventures and unforgettable tunes are brought home in these four classics, fully restored and uncut from Autry's personal film archives, in their DVD debuts: "The Sagebrush Troubadour" (1935), "Ride, Ranger, Ride" (1936), "Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge" (1937) and "Gold Mine in the Sky" (1938). Formats: DVD. (Timeless Media Group).
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition
(2014) The adventures of Bilbo Baggins come to an epic conclusion available as a five-DVD set ($34.99) and as a three Blu-ray Disc set $35.99. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Nine plus hours of new special features including audio commentary with director-producer-screenwriter Peter Jackson and co-producer/screenwriter, Philippa Boyens; "The Appendices," a multi-part documentary focusing on various aspects of the film and the Trilogy; "New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth – Part 3." (New Line/MGM/Warner).
The Hobbit Trilogy Extended Edition
Extended versions of all three films: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies." Available as a nine-disc Blu-ray set ($99.98) and a 15-disc DVD set ($78.92). Formats: Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, Digital. (New Line/MGM/Warner).
A Horse Tale
(2015) Charisma Carpenter, Patrick Muldoon, Dominique Swain, Mandalynn Carlson. An uptight city accountant, struggling to raise his teenage daughter on his own, moves to the country to help a friend save his family stables before ruthless bank managers shut it down. Approved for all ages by the Dove Foundation. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).
Jimmy's Hall
(2015) Dir.: Ken Loach; Barry Ward, Francis Magee, Aileen Henry, Simone Kirby. During the Depression, Jimmy Gralton returns home to Ireland after 10 years of exile in America. Seeing the levels of poverty and oppression, the activist in him reawakens and he looks to re-open the dance hall that led to his deportation. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scenes, making-of featurette, commentary with actors Barry Ward and Simone Kirby. (Sony).
Living in Oblivion: The 20th Anniversary Edition BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1995) Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, James Le Gros, Peter Dinklage, Danielle Von Zerneck. An inventive, hilarious look behind the scenes of the movie-making business, the film takes place during one day on set of non-budget movie. The leading man has just had a disastrous one-night stand with the leading lady; the cinematographer is breaking up with the assistant director; the director’s mother has wandered onto the set; and the little person hired for the dream sequence has a big attitude. Extras: Audio commentary with writer-director Tom DiCillo; "In Our Own Oblivion: The Miracle of Making a Film" featurette with new interviews with DiCillo, producer Marcus Viscidi and cast members Steve Buscemi, James Le Gros, Danielle Von Zerneck and Peter Dinklage; Q&A with DiCillo and Buscemi; deleted scene. (Shout! Factory).
McHale's Navy: The Complete Series
(1962-66) Twenty-one disc set with all 138 episodes, $169.99.
Formats: DVD. Extras: "The Crew Reunion": Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, Carl Ballantine, Bob Hastings and Edson Stroll reunite and share their memories of the show; two full-length feature films starring the crew of the PT-73: "McHale's Navy" (1964) and "McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force" (1965). (Shout! Factory).
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
(2015) Dir.: Guy Ritchie.; Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris, Hugh Grant. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "A Higher Class of Hero" featurette. Blu-ray adds "Spy Vision: Recreating '60s Cool," "Metisse Motorcycles: Proper -- and Very British," "The Guys from U.N.C.L.E.," "A Man of Extraordinary Talents," "U.N.C.L.E: On-Set Spy." (Warner).
Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration
(2014) Mary Tyler Moore's stage and screen career is paved with a slew of awards and nominations: Moore has earned seven Emmys (two for her role of the beloved Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and four for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"), three Golden Globes (one for" Ordinary People," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," and "The Dick Van Dyke Show" respectively), a Tony Award ("Whose Life Is It Anyway?"), and an Academy Award Nomination ("Ordinary People"). Behind the scenes, Moore devoted her life to the American Diabetes Association. This special features dozens of classic clips -- plus comments from Betty White, Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod, John Amos, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, and Mary Tyler Moore herself. Plus, Oprah Winfrey recounts Mary Tyler Moore's critical role in inspiring Oprah—and millions of others—as TV's first independent career woman. Formats: DVD. (PBS Distribution).
Merry Ex-Mas
(2014) Kristy Swanson, Dean Cain, Lochlyn Munro, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Shannon Kummer. During a blizzard at Christmas, a man becomes snowbound with his ex-wife, her wealthy suitor, his former mother-in-law and his daughter. Formats: DVD. (Monarch Home Entertainment).
The Rebel: Season Two
(1960-61) Six-disc set featuring all 40 episodes from "The Rebel's" second and final season, $34.99. The series chronicled the adventures of former Confederate soldier Johnny Yuma (Nick Adams). Haunted by his experiences in the Civil War, the young and intense Yuma wanders the West in search of causes to champion, wrongs to be righted ... and his own inner peace. With a revolver and a double-barreled shotgun at the ready, Yuma is more than a match for anyone who crosses his path. Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
Santa's Little Helper
(2014) WWE superstar Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, WWE Diva Paige, AnnaLynne McCord. After losing his job, a slick-talking businessman is given the chance of a lifetime -- to be Santa's second-in-command. But to earn the coveted position, he'll have to wage an outrageous battle against a scheming elf who wants the gig for herself. Formats: DVD, Digital. Extras: Three behind-the-scenes featurettes. (Fox).
Sgt. Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show: The Final Season
(1958-59) Five-disc set with all 36 episodes from the classic fourth and final season. One of the quintessential classics of television's golden age, this Emmy-winning comedy is filled to the brim with laughs, brought to you by comic genius Phil Silvers in his signature role as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko. Bilko and his lovable platoon find themselves in for a change in Season 4 when they transfer to California’s Camp Fremont. Of course, Bilko's crazy schemes will continue -- but will Colonel Hall (Paul Ford) have the last laugh? Featuring cameo appearances by some of Hollywood’s biggest superstars, including Dean Martin and Lucille Ball. Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
The Stanford Prison Experiment
(2015) Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Olivia Thirlby, Tye Sheridan, Keir Gilchrist, Michael Angarano, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Mann. What happens when a college psychology study goes shockingly wrong? Based on the notorious true story, the film stars Crudup as Stanford University professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo, who, in 1971, cast 24 student volunteers as prisoners and guards in a simulated jail to examine the source of abusive behavior in the prison system. The results astonished the world, as participants went from middle-class undergrads to drunk-with-power sadists and submissive victims in just a few days. Formats: DVD. (IFC Films).
Stations of the Elevated
(1981) A 45-minute city symphony directed, produced, and edited by Manfred Kirchheimer. Shot on lush 16mm color reversal stock, the film weaves together vivid images of graffitti-covered elevated subway trains crisscrossing the gritty urban landscape of 1970s New York, to a commentary-free soundtrack that combines ambient city noise with jazz and gospel by Charles Mingus and Aretha Franklin. The new restoration was world premiered at BAMcinemaFest this summer. Available as a two-disc, limited edition DVD set (only 500 will be made available).
Formats: DVD. Extras: Kirchheimer's "New York Films" collection ("Colossus on the River," "Claw", "Short Circuit," "Bridge High," all newly restored from their original 16mm elements), new interviews, features about NYC and its artists. (Oscilloscope Laboratories).
Swim Little Fish Swim
(2014) Dustin Guy Defa, Lola Bessis, Brooke Bloom, Anne Consigny. Maggie? Rainbow? Leeward and Mary cannot even agree on their 3-year-old daughter's name anymore. Mary is a hardworking nurse who dreams of only one thing: changing her life. She resents her husband for being an irresponsible, overgrown adolescent, incapable of holding down a job. Leeward is an atypical, idealistic musician who fancies himself a misunderstood artist and a New Age visionary. Enter Lilas, a 19-year-old French artist and the daughter of a world famous painter, who is trying to make it in New York and get away from an overbearing mother. When the bubbly young woman moves into the couple's tiny Chinatown apartment, their already fragile balance is upset even further. Formats: DVD. (IndiePix).
Troll and Troll 2
(1986, 1990) Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New "The Making of Troll" featuring interviews with director John Carl Buechler, producer Charles Band, writer Ed Naha, composer Richard Band, special effects artists John Vulich and Gino Crognale, visual effects artists Jim Aupperle, James Belhovek, Linda Drake and Kevin Kutchaver; "Troll" "Behind-the-scenes still gallery; "Troll 2" new audio commentary with actors George Hardy and Deborah Reed; theatrical trailers. (Scream Factory).
White of the Eye BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1987) David Keith, Cathy Moriarty. In a wealthy and isolated desert community, a sound expert is targeted as the prime suspect of a series of brutal murders of local suburban housewives who were attacked and mutilated in their homes. As he desperately tries to prove his innocence, his young wife starts to uncover mysteries of her own. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New "Into the Vortex" interview with actor Alan Rosenberg, New "Eye of the Detective" interview with actor Art Evans, audio commentary by director Donald Cammell biographer Sam Umland, deleted scenes with commentary by Sam Umland, "Into the White" interview with cinematographer and steadicam operator Larry McConkey, alternate credit sequence, flashback sequences prior to the bleach bypass process. (Scream Factory).
We Are Your Friends
(2015) Zac Efron, Emily Ratajkowski, Wes Bentley, Johnny Weston, Shiloh Fernandez, Alex Shaffer. Caught between a forbidden romance and the expectations of his friends, aspiring DJ Cole Carter attempts to find the path in life that leads to fame and fortune. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "How Zac Efron Learned to DJ." (Warner).
November 24, 2015 (ISSN 1094-3676). |
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