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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
An Autumn Afternoon BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1962) The final film from Yasujiro Ozu was also his last masterpiece, a gently heartbreaking story about a man's dignifed resignation to life's shifting currents and society's modernization. Though widower Shuhei (frequent Ozu leading man Chishu Ryu) has been living comfortably for years with his grown daughter, a series of events leads him to accept and encourage her marriage and departure from their home. As elegantly composed and achingly tender as any of the Japanese master's films, "An Autumn Afternoon" is one of cinema's fondest farewells. New, 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Extras: Commentary featuring film scholar David Bordwell, author of "Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema"; excerpts from "Yasujiro Ozu and The Taste of Sake," a 1978 French television program, featuring critics Michel Ciment and Georges Perec, that looks back on Ozu's career; trailer; essays by critic Geoff Andrew and scholar Donald Richie. (The Criterion Collection).
Animal
(2014) Joey Lauren Adams, Elizabeth Gillies, Paul Iacono, Eve Jeffers, Thorsten Kaye, Amaury Nolasco, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Sumpter, Parker Young. When plans for a weekend getaway hit a dead end, a group of close-knit friends finds themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, pursued by a menacing, bloodthirsty predator. Holed up in an isolated cabin, they turn on one another as tensions mount and long-buried secrets are revealed. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary with director Brett Simmons and cinematographer Scott Winig, theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory).
Birdman
(2014) Dir.: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Natalie Gold, Merritt Wever, Lindsay Duncan. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best picture, best director, best actor (Michael Keaton), best supporting actor (Edward Norton), best supporting actress (Emma Stone). Winner of a SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture. Winner of two Golden Globes including best actor in a musical or comedy, best screenplay. Winner of the Darryl F. Zanuck PGA Award for best feature film. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Birdman: All-Access," "Gallery: Chivo's On-Set Photos." Blu-ray adds "A Conversation With Michael Keaton and Alejandro G. Inarritu." (Fox).
Dick: The Documentary
(2013) In August 2008, filmmaker Brian Fender posted an add on Craigslist to solicit volunteers for a documentary project. He invited "subjects" into his living room to strip down and reveal themselves physically and emotionally through personal stories about their relationship to their penises. Fender interviewed a vast cross-section of anonymous, naked men about their prized
Dumb and Dumber To
(2014) Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin, Steve Tom, Don Lake, Patricia French, Kathleen Turner, Bill Murray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "What's So Smart About Dumb and Dumber To." Blu-ray adds deleted/extended scenes, gag reel, "That’s Awesome! -- The Story of Dumb and Dumber To." (Universal).
Dying of the Light
(2014) Nicolas Cage, Anton Yelchin, Alexander Karim, Irene Jacob. Evan Lake (Cage), a veteran CIA agent, has been ordered to retire. But when his protege (Yelchin) uncovers evidence that Lake's nemesis, the terrorist Banir (Karim), has resurfaced, Lake goes rogue, embarking on a perilous, intercontinental mission to eliminate his sworn enemy. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Behind the Scenes of Dying of the Light" featurette, cast and crew interviews, deleted/extended scenes. (Lionsgate).
Gladiators of Rome
(2012 -- Italy) Animated adventure follows Timo, a student at the Gladiators' Academy in Rome, who has no desire to become a legendary gladiator like his stepfather. That is, until the mesmerizing Lucilla walks into his life. With the help of an unlikely band of sidekicks, Timo is determined to be the gladiator of her dreams and embarks on an action-packed journey to become the Colosseum's first victor. Formats: DVD. (Paramount).
Hollywood Chaos
(2014) Vanessa Jean Simmons, Tyler Lepley, Tangi Miller, Mykel Shannon Jenkins. Things become chaotic for a naïve entertainment reporter living in Hollywood when she's assigned to produce a special segment exposing the decadent lifestyles of her celebrity friends; now she has to choose between advancing her career or protecting her friends' images. Formats: DVD, VOD. (Breaking Glass Pictures).
The Homesman
(2014) Dire.: Tommy Lee Jones; Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, Jo Harvey Allen, William Fichtner, John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, James Spader, Meryl Streep. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Two behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Story to Script" and "Shooting the Film"; "19th Century Life" featurette on the life of women in the 19th century. (Lionsgate).
The Interview Freedom Edition
(2014) James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander. Formats: DVD Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Naked and Afraid" Discovery Channel TV special featuring Rogen and Franco, commentary with Rogen and Goldberg. Blu-ray adds gag reel; deleted, extended and alternate scenes; seven featurettes: "Directors of This Movie," "Puppy Power," "Here Kitty Kitty," "Joking Around," "Spies Among Us," "Randall Park Audition Tape," "Dating a Dictator," "Getting Into Character"; Line-o-Ramas (short collections of alternate shots of jokes on set). (Sony).
Life Itself
(2014) Acclaimed director Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") and executive producers Martin Scorsese and Steven Zaillian present this documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert -- a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent. Based on his bestselling memoir of the same name, "Life Itself" explores the legacy of Ebert's life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.
Malignant
(2013) Gary Cairns, Brad Dourif, Nick Nicotera, Sienna Farall. A grieving man, Allex (Gary Cairns), falls victim to a rogue scientist (Brad Dourif) who uses deadly methods to cure addictions. Unaware that he's become the latest experiment, Allex passes out from drinking and wakes up to find stitches across his chest and a gruesome video showing a murder. Now he must confront the scientist and overcome his terrifying treatments ... or face the ultimate horror. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Surgery for the Soul" behind-the-scenes documentary, trailer. (Avenet Images/MVD Visual).
The Phantom of the Opera BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1989) Robert Englund, Bill Nighy, Alex Hyde-White, Terence Harvey, Jill Schoelen. Extras: Commentary with director Dwight H. Little and actor Robert Englund; "Behind the Mask: The Making of The Phantom of the Opera," featuring new interviews with Little, actors Englund, Jill Schoelen and Alex Hyde-White, screenwriter Duke Sandefur, special make-up designer Kevin Yagher, special make-up effects artists John Carl Buechler, Everett Burrell and John Vulich, and composer Misha Segal; theatrical trailer. (Shout! Factory,).
Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness
(2015) New, feature length animated adventure has Scooby-Doo and the gang blast off for an epic journey into outer space. Formats: DVD, Digital. Extras: "Space Travel is Groovy!" featurette wit Join Mindy Cohn, the voice of "Velma" as she introduces viewers to some of the real world technology and training that is part of modern space flight. (Warner).
St. Vincent
(2014) Bill Murray, Jaeden Lieberher, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: TBA. (The Weinstein Company.)
The Sixties
(2014) Documentary explores the most turbulent decade of the modern era in America. From the Cold War to the War in Vietnam, from the Space Race to the Long March to Freedom and Civil Rights, the
Skating to New York
(2013) Connor Jessup, Gage Munroe, Wesley Morgan, Matthew Knight, Dylan Everett, Michelle Nolden, Jason Gedrick. Contemporary coming-of-age adventure about five boys on a small-town Canadian high school hockey team, who live to skate. After losing a big game, they decide to do something never attempted before -- skate across Lake Ontario to New York on the coldest day of the year.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Well Go USA).
Survivor
(2014) Kevin Sorbo, Danielle Chuchran. During their search for a habitable planet, the last living humans crash-land on a barren world, inhabited by bloodthirsty aliens and mysterious post-apocalyptic warriors. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (XLrator Media).
The Theory of Everything
(2014) Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis.
Read more about "The Theory of Everything" in the February Calendar. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scenes, "Becoming the Hawkings," commentary with director James Marsh. (Universal).
V/H/S: Viral
(2015) A police chase after a deranged ice cream truck has captivated the attention of the greater Los Angeles area and dozens of fame-obsessed teens flock to the streets with their video cameras and camera phones, hell-bent on capturing the next viral video. But there is something far more sinister as the teens find themselves the stars of the next video, one where they face their own death. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Magnolia Home Entertainment Magnet Label).
Wahlburgers: The Complete Second Season
(2014) Single-disc set with nine episodes, $19.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: Never-before-seen-on-TV bonus footage. (Lionsgate).
Birdman
"Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance" is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) -- famous for portraying an iconic superhero -- as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. Riggan Thompson was Birdman, a crime-stopping superhero with a beak and a three-film franchise. Now, he's a washed up actor trying to get his career and life back together by opening his own play on Broadway. On the eve of it's opening, the play is close to falling apart and Riggan is forced to sign a younger, egotistical lead actor, whom he despises. What results over the next three days is strange and dark as, leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself. A tour-de-force performance by Keaton, fabulous directing (by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) and cinematography (by Academy Award-winner Emmanuel Lubezki) and an unforgettable score. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best picture, best director, best actor (Michael Keaton), best supporting actor (Edward Norton), best supporting actress (Emma Stone). Winner of a SAG Award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture. Winner of two Golden Globes including best actor in a musical or comedy, best screenplay. Winner of the Darryl F. Zanuck PGA Award for best feature film. Vitals: Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Stars: Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Natalie Gold, Merritt Wever, Lindsay Duncan. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 119 min., Drama, Box office gross: $33.237 million, Fox.
Extras: "Birdman: All-Access," "Gallery: Chivo's On-Set Photos." Blu-ray adds "A Conversation With Michael Keaton and Alejandro G. Inarritu."
St. Vincent
Maggie (Melissa McCarthy), a single mother, moves into a new home in Brooklyn with her 12-year old son, Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher). Forced to work long hours, she has no choice but to leave Oliver in the care of their new neighbor, Vincent (Bill Murray), a retired curmudgeon with a penchant for alcohol and gambling. An odd friendship soon blossoms between the improbable pair. Together with a pregnant Russian stripper named Daka (Naomi Watts), Vincent brings Oliver along on all the stops that make up his daily routine -- the race track, a strip club and the local dive bar. Vincent helps Oliver grow to become a man, while Oliver begins to see in Vincent something that no one else is able to: a misunderstood man with a good heart.
Vitals: Director: Theodore Melfi. Stars: Bill Murray, Jaeden Lieberher, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O'Dowd, Terrence Howard.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 102 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $43.737 million, The Weinstein Company. 
The Theory of Everything
The extraordinary story of one of the world's greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane 
Wilde. Once a healthy, active young man, Hawking received an earth-shattering diagnosis at 21 years of age: a rare, early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that has gradually paralysed him over the decades. With Jane fighting tirelessly by his side, Hawking embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of -- time. Together, they defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed. Based on Jane Hawking's memoir "Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen." Nominated for five Academy Awards including best picture, best actor and best actress.
Vitals: Director: James Marsh. Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 123 min., BioDrama, Box office gross: $27.510 million, Universal.
Extras: Deleted scenes, "Becoming the Hawkings," commentary with director James Marsh.
The Homesman
Set in 1854 on the harsh Nebraska frontier, low-life drifter George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones) is rescued by a pious, independent-minded woman named Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank). To pay back his debt, George reluctantly agrees to help Mary transport three women driven mad by the harsh frontier life across the treacherous land -- where a kindly minister's wife (Meryl Streep) has offered them hospice. The unlikely pair soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be as the group traverses the vast Nebraska Territories, marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant danger.
Vitals: Director: Tommy Lee Jones. Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, Jo Harvey Allen, William Fichtner, John Lithgow, Tim Blake Nelson, James Spader, Meryl Streep.
Extras: Two behind-the-scenes featurettes: "Story to Script" and "Shooting the Film"; "19th Century Life" featurette on the life of women in the 19th century.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 123 min., Western, Box office gross: $2,299 million, Lionsgate.
The Interview
The film that almost sank a studio (Sony, which was hacked by unknown computer whizzes -- most likely not North Korean, but Sony insiders as most cyber-security experts have come to believe -- and which revealed secret e-mails and memos as well as employee social security numbers) comes to DVD and Blu-ray after a short theatrical release (initially, many major theatrical chains refused to run the film for fear of retaliation by the hackers) and a very highly successful VOD and streaming run. Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show "Skylark Tonight." When they discover that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the most unlikely candidates, to "take out" Kim Jong-un.
Vitals: Director: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg. Stars: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 112 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $5,532 million, Sony.
Extras: "Naked and Afraid" Discovery Channel TV special featuring Rogen and Franco, commentary with Rogen and Goldberg. Blu-ray adds gag reel; deleted, extended and alternate scenes; seven featurettes: "Directors of This Movie," "Puppy Power," "Here Kitty Kitty," "Joking Around," "Spies Among Us," "Randall Park Audition Tape," "Dating a Dictator," "Getting Into Character"; Line-o-Ramas (short collections of alternate shots of jokes on set).
Dumb and Dumber To
Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise their signature roles as Lloyd and Harry in the sequel to the smash hit that took the physical comedy and kicked it in the nuts. The original film's directors, Peter and Bobby Farrelly, take Lloyd and Harry on a road trip 20 years later to find a daughter Harry never knew he had and the responsibility neither should ever, ever be given.
Vitals: Director: Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Stars: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden, Rachel Melvin, Steve Tom, Don Lake, Patricia French, Kathleen Turner, Bill Murray.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 109 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $85.874 million, Universal.
Extras: "What's So Smart About Dumb and Dumber To." Blu-ray adds deleted/extended scenes, gag reel, "That’s Awesome! -- The Story of Dumb and Dumber To."
Altar
(2015) Matthew Modine, Olivia William, Antonia Clarke. Horror-thriller follows a family that moves into a timeworn, dilapidated remote English country mansion in order to restore it to its former splendor. But in the process they awaken the ghosts of the house's original inhabitants, whose curse still looms darkly over the haunted estate. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Cinedigm).
The Chair
(2014) Five-disc set with 10 episodes of the STARZ unscripted series that follows two first-time filmmakers (Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci) through the ups and downs of bringing a full-length feature to the screen. Charts the path of the two directors through the process of bringing their first feature to the screen -- each armed with the same script. The series documents - with an unflinching eye - the creation, marketing and theatrical release of the two adaptations. Both directors are given the same budget, and both versions use locations in the same city. Through online voting, the audience determines which director will be awarded $250,000. Includes the final movies made for the competition, "Not Cool" and "Hollidaysburg." $19.98. Formats: DVD. (Anchor Bay).
appendage: from monks to transsexuals to ex-marines to designers, ranging in age from 21 to 80. Hoping to demystify, illuminate, and even celebrate this "member" in our society, this DIY documentary is a candid exploration of what it means to have a dick. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Original trailer; "Dick Uncut" Kickstarter campaign, in which director Brian Fender sets up in his studio, with outtake shots of the subjects. (IndiePix Films).
Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season
(2014) Season 4 (10 episodes) of the hit HBO series, which broke ratings records and topped "The Sopranos" to become the most popular show in the network's history, was nominated for 19 Emmy awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Peter Dinklage) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Lena Headey). "Game of Thrones" -- based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" -- follows the noble families of Westeros as they battle for control of the Seven Kingdoms. In Season 4, while the Lannisters' hold on the Iron Throne remains intact, new and ongoing threats from the south, north and east threaten to tip the scales. As Stannis Baratheon and Daenerys Targaryen continue to grow their respective armies, the arrival of the Lannister-loathing "Red Viper of Dorne" poses a more immediate danger. In the north, the depleted Night's Watch seems overmatched against the advances of Mance Rayder's army of wildlings, which in turn is being trailed by an even more formidable foe: the undead White Walkers. Formats: Five-disc DVD: $59.99, four-disc Blu-ray Disc: $79.98, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Behind the Battle for the Wall" follows the cast and crew as they create the most ambitious battle to date: this 30-minute documentary explores the challenges of putting together one of the series' most intense episodes, with never-before-seen material; "The Fallen: A Roundtable": Writer Bryan Cogman sits down with a few of the many cast members who meet their demise in Season 4. "The Politics of Power: A Look Back at Season 3"; "Bastards of Westeros" in which showrunners David Benioff & D.B. Weiss and author George R.R. Martin discuss the role bastards play in the Seven Kingdoms; deleted/extended scenes; commentaries. Blu-ray adds "In-Episode Guide" resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations and relevant histories; "Histories & Lore" shows the mythology of Westeros as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves. (HBO).
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Behind the scenes featurette. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
usually flawless in taking out his targets, Gon makes a terrible mistake by killing an innocent young girl. A flood of guilt takes over his life and the situation becomes worse when his boss assigns him the job of killing the young girl's mother -- until he begins the fight to save her life. From the director of "The Man from Nowhere." Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary by director Lee Jeong-beom, "The Making of No Tears for the Dead." Blu-ray adds an interview with Brian Tee, deleted scenes, a "Behind the Scene" featurette, action highlights, two character spots. (CJ Entertainment).
events of the 1960s were both dramatic and transformative. The Beatles invaded America, Man landed on the Moon and the Women's, Environmental, Conservative and Gay movements were all born. It was a decade of assassinations and urban riots but also of Woodstock and Haight Ashbury. Television sets were tuned to "The Twilight Zone," "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In" while record players spun the songs of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. In its examination and portrayal of this most consequential time, this CNN Original Series (which originally began airing in May on CNN) reveals why it was truly "The Decade that Changed the World." Three three-disc set includes 10 episodes: "Television Comes of Age," "The World on the Brink," "The Assassination of President Kennedy," "The War in Vietnam," "A Long March to Freedom," "The British Invasion," "The Space Race," "1968," "The Times They are A-Changin’," "Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'N' Roll." Formats: DVD, $69.99. (PBS Distribution).
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
(2014 -- Japan) Voices of James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, Chloe Grace Moretz. From Studio Ghibli, the award-winning studio that produced "Spirited Away," "My Neighbor Totoro" and "The Wind Rises," comes a powerful and sweeping film that redefines animated storytelling and marks a triumphant highpoint within an extraordinary filmmaking career for director Isao Takahata. Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter and his wife, a tiny girl grows rapidly into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her -- but ultimately she must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya," "Announcement of the Completion of the Film," Japanese trailers and TV spots, U.S. trailers. (Universal).
February 15, 2015
(ISSN 1094-3676).
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