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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
The Abbott and Costello Show: The Complete Second Season
(1953) Four-disc set with 26 episodes digitally restored and re-mastered. Beginning in 1952, the filmed half-hour series "The Abbott and Costello Show" appeared in syndication on local stations across the country. Loosely based on their popular radio series, the show cast the duo as unemployed wastrels, with one of the show's running gags involved Abbott perpetually nagging Costello to get a job to pay their rent. The simple plotlines were often just a set-up to recreate the pair's classic comedy routines -- including "Who's on First?" and other familiar set pieces -- from their films and burlesque performances. Also featuring Sidney Fields as their landlord, Hillary Brooke as a friendly neighbor often caught in the pair's schemes and Joe Besser as Stinky, a 40-year-old dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit, "The Abbott and Costello Show" was voted as one of the "Top 100 TV Shows of All-Time" by both Time and Entertainment Weekly. Formats: DVD. Extras: Lou Costello's home movies. (Entertainment One).
About Last Night
(2014) Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Christopher McDonald, Paula Patton. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "An Un-Romantic Comedy" featurette. Blu-ray adds "About Last Night Advice" featurette, "I Love You?" featurette, "Word on the Street" featurette. (Sony).
Call the Midwife: Season Three
(2013-14) All the young midwives and good sisters return in the BBC's critically acclaimed drama, based on the best-selling memoirs of former nurse Jennifer Worth. The third season -- with eight episodes -- takes viewers to 1959, on the eve of the Swinging Sixties. Formats: Three-disc DVD: $39.98, two-disc Blu-ray: $44.98. Extras: Cast and crew interviews. Blu-ray adds the 2013 Christmas Special. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Chased By Dinosaurs
(2003) This monstrous triple feature from the creators of "Walking With Dinosaurs" takes viewers around the world and brings the lizards of the past to life: "The Giant Claw," "Land of Giants" and "Allosaurus." Formats: DVD, $19.98. Extras: "Big Al Uncovered," a 30-minute look at the science behind Allosaurus. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Civil War 360
(2013) Three-part Smithsonian Channel series hosted by Ashley Judd, Grammy-nominated country singer Trace Adkins and Dennis Haysbert takes an intimate look at the war that changed our nation. Formats: DVD, $19.98. (Inception Media Group).
The Color of Lies
(1999 -- France) Dir.: Claude Chabrol; Jacques Gamblin, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Sandrine Bonnaire, Antoine de Caunes. A late-career masterpiece from Chabrol which, as in many of his suspenseful films, uses a murder mystery to expose the underlying tensions and deceptions of a close-knit community. A 10-year-old girl's violated body is found in the woods of a Brittany fishing village. Suspicion immediately falls on Rene (Gamblin), a painter and the girl's art teacher; he is apparently the last person to have seen her alive. The inspector in charge of the investigation (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) immediately questions him. In this provincial town where the residents all know each other, Rene becomes increasingly unsettled by his neighbors' suspicions and by the inspector's investigation. Children stop coming to him for lessons. His beloved wife, Vivianne (Sandrine Bonnaire), a nurse, protects and supports him, but is tempted by the advances of an arrogant local TV personality (Antoine de Caunes). True to form, Chabrol is less interested in whodunit mechanics than in dissecting a culture of lies -- from advertising to adultery -- that permeates modern society. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary by critics Wade Major and Andy Klein, more. (Cohen Film Collection).
Dalziel & Pascoe: Season Nine
(2009) The British crime solving odd couple of grumpy, straight-talking Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel (Warren Clark) and his well-mannered partner Inspector Peter Pascoe (Colin Buchanan) return with their fiery brand of detective work. Season Nine features four two-part murder mysteries. Two-disc set, $34.98. Formats: DVD. (BBC Home Entertainment).
The Dating Guy: The Complete First Season
(2009) Three-disc set with 13 episodes of the adult animated comedy about the outrageous world of twenty-something dating, $29.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: Webisodes. (Entertainment One).
Doctor Who: The Enemy of the World
(1967) This six-part adventure has been restored and digitally remastered, thanks to the discovery of a batch of missing episodes last year. Previously available exclusively on iTunes, "The Enemy of the World" features Patrick Troughton as both the Second Doctor and his antagonist (Ramon Salamander). The TARDIS lands on an Australian beach in the 21st century. But this is no seaside vacation -- within minutes, the Doctor, Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling) are under attack. Formats: DVD, $19.98. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Duck Dynasty: The Duck Days of Summer
(2012-13) Three vacation-themed episodes including the double-length episode of the family trip to Hawaii, $9.98. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Interview with uncle Si Robertson. (Lionsgate).
The Great Flood
(2012) "The Great Flood" is the story, told without dialogue, of the Mississippi River Flood of 1927, the most destructive in U.S. history and the cause of a million people's displacement. Bill Morrison, the acclaimed director of "Decasia" (the newest inductee to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry) and Bill Frisell, Grammy-winning composer and guitarist, have
House of Dust
(2013) Inbar Lavi, Steven Grayhm, Eddie Hassell, Holland Roden, John Lee Ames, Alesandra Assante, Joy Lauren, Nicole Travolta, Stephen Spinella. College students exploring an abandoned insane asylum accidentally shatter canisters holding the cremains of former mental patients. Inhaling the dusty ash filling the air, they're soon possessed by the souls once held within them ... and one is a convicted serial killer from 1950. Formats: DVD. (Anchor Bay).
In Secret
(2013) Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar Isaac, Tom Felton, Jessica Lange. Set in the lower echelons of 1860s Paris, a beautiful young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, meets her husband's alluring friend and embarks on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary with screenwriter-director Charlie Stratton, deleted scenes. (Lionsgate).
Like Someone in Love
(2013) Abbas Kiarostami has spent his movie career exploring the tiny spaces that separate illusion from reality and the simulated from the authentic. At first blush, his extraordinary, sly "Like Someone in Love," which finds the Iranian director in Tokyo, may appear to be among his most straightforward films. Yet with this simple story of the growing bond between a young part-time call girl and a grandfatherly client, Kiarostami has constructed an enigmatic but crystalline investigation of affection and desire as complex as his masterful "Close-up" and "Certified Copy" in its engagement with the workings of the mercurial human heart. New 2K digital film transfer, supervised by director Abbas Kiarostami, with 3.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Dual Format Edition. Extras: Forty-five-minute documentary on the making of the film; trailer; booklet featuring an essay by film scholar and critic Nico Baumbach. (The Criterion Collection).
McLintock! BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1963) Dir.: Andrew V. McLaglen; John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kruschen, Chill Wills, Yvonne De Carlo, Jerry Van Dyke, Edgar Buchanan, Bruce Cabot, Perry Lopez, Strother Martin. Comedy Western stars Wayne as George Washington McLintock, a proud, defiant cattle baron whose daughter is due home from college. But G.W.'s happy reunion is tempered by the arrival of his headstrong wife (O'Hara), who recently left him, and whose return brings with her verbal fireworks and slapstick pratfalls. Scanned in 4K. Extras: Introduction by Leonard Maltin; commentaries by Leonard Maltin, Frank Thompson, Maureen O'Hara, Stefanie Powers, Michael Pate, Michael Wayne and Andrew McLaglen; "The Making of McLintock!" "The Corset: Don't Leave Home Without One!" "2-Minute Fight School"; photo gallery; theatrical trailer. (Paramount).
Mischief Night
(2012) Brooke Anne Smith, Marc Valera, Malcolm McDowell. Follows the unexpected relationship between a predator and his prey the night before All Hallows Eve. The seventh film in the After Dark Originals 2 series. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Lionsgate).
The Monuments Men
(2014) Dir.: George Clooney; George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, John Goodman. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Two behind-the-scenes featurettes: "George Clooney's Mission" and "Marshaling the Cast." Blu-ray adds Deleted scenes, "The Real Monuments Men," "A Woman Amongst the Monuments Men." (Sony).
Mountain Men: Season 2
(2013) Two-disc set with 16 episodes, $19.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: Webisodes. (Lionsgate).
Raze
(2013) Rachel Nichols, Zoe Bell, Doug Jones, Sherilyn Fenn. Two drugged and abducted women wake up to find themselves in a concrete bunker where they discover that they are in a modern-day coliseum, where they and 48 other women have been selected to fight to the death. If they refuse, their loved ones will be killed. Formats: DVD. Extras: Filmmaker commentary, cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, extended fight scenes, gag reel. (IFC Films).
The Right Kind of Wrong
(2013) Ryan Kwanten, Sara Canning, Ryan McPartlin, Kristen Hager. A failed-writer-turned-dishwasher made famous for his many flaws and shortcomings in a blog called "Why You Suck," a huge Internet success written by his ex-wife, meets the girl of his dreams ... on the day she is marrying the perfect man. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurette, "The Music" featurette, "“The Right Kind of Wrong Rap" performed by Matteen Devji and Maya Samy, AXS TV: "A Look at The Right Kind of Wrong."
(Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Secrets of the Third Reich
(2013) Smithsonian Channel four-part series uncovers the little-known stories that played a large role in determining the fate of the war and those who fought in it. In "Hitler's Madness" medical experts and war historians explore recently discovered medical records that reveal tantalizing evidence about Hitler and the controversial doctor he entrusted with his life; "Hitler's General" maps the sensational rise and fall of Hitler's favorite general Erwin Rommel, a.k.a. the Desert Fox; "The Ghost of U-513" explores the secrets that were buried at sea when the pride of the German submarine fleet was sunk by U.S. forces; "Deadly Missions" brings to life through dramatic re-creations, rare archival footage and interviews with war historians and a German special forces veteran the secret operations that took place in the shadows of WWII. Formats: DVD, $19.98. (Inception Media Group).
16 Acres: The Struggle to Rebuild Ground Zero
(2014) The rebuilding of Ground Zero is the most architecturally, politically, and emotionally complex construction project in recent American history. From the beginning, the effort has been fraught with controversy, delays and politics. The struggle to develop these 16 acres of "sacred" land has encompassed 12 years, 19 government agencies, and over $20 billion. Aside from the engineering challenges, various constituencies -- politicians, developers, architects, insurers, local residents, and relatives of 9/11 victims -- profess conflicting claims to the site. This documentary is the inside story of how and why this historic project got built. At the heart of the story is the dramatic tension between noblest intentions, the desire of everyone involved to "get it right," and the politics, hubris, ego and ideology that is the bedrock of New York City. The DVD release coincides with the May 21 opening of the long-awaited National September 11 Memorial Museum at The World Trade Center site. The filmmakers have also produced an enhanced, interactive e-book companion to the film, which will be available on iTunes May 15. "16 Acres + : Companion to the Acclaimed Documentary About the Struggle to Rebuild Ground Zero," the first of its kind to be released in conjunction with a documentary, includes slide shows, architectural renderings, video extras, animation, and a narrative that provides background and context. Formats: DVD, VOD. (First Run Features).
3 Days to Kill
(2014) Dir.: McG; Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld, Amber Heard, Connie Nielsen, Tomas Lemarquis, Richard Sammel. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Covert Operation" featurette, theatrical trailer. Blu-ray adds extended cut, "The Making of 3 Days to Kill," "McG's Method." (Fox).
Vampire Academy
(2014) Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Sarah Hyland, Joely Richardson. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay).
Waking the Dead: Season Nine
(2011) In the knuckle-biting final 10 episodes of this cold-case detective drama, Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd (Trevor Eve) and his team tackle their most challenging and personal cases to date. Three-disc set, $39.98. Formats: DVD. (BBC Home Entertainment).
Warehouse 13: Season Five
(2014) Two-disc set with six episodes, $39.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, podcasts, gag reel, "Holiday Episode: The Greatest Gift," "Warehouse 13: Behind the Shelves." (Universal).
Warehouse: The Complete Series
(2009 -14) Sixteen-disc set, $219.99. Formats: DVD. (Universal).
Way of the Wicked
(2014) Christian Slater, Vinnie Jone, Emily Tennant, Jake Croker. After a series of inexplicable murders sweeps a small, isolated community, a priest and a local police detective learn that a troubled teen with a dark past has recently moved to town and the pair find themselves pitted against a demonic force more diabolically evil and twisted than any of them could have imagined. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).
The Monuments Men
"The Monuments Men" could have been an exciting, edge-of-your-seat thriller about an unlikely World War II platoon tasked by FDR to go into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from the Nazis but instead becomes a muddled mess in the hands of director George Clooney, whose previous helming duties have been spotty at best -- aside from his debut behind the camera on "Good Night, and Good Luck." The problem is uneven pacing, truncated and unfinished sequences, and an elliptical structure that never lets the viewer get a handle on the plot line or the characters. Which is a shame, because the true story of the seven museum directors, curators, and art historians who were part of the real-life Monuments Men is at once fascinating and awe-inspiring as they found themselves behind enemy lines in Germany to salvage 1,000 years of culture one step ahead of the advancing Allies and Russians. For a more involving and exciting look at an attempt to rescue a Nazi horde of art, check out John Frankenheimer's 1964 "The Train," starring Burt Lancaster.
Extras: Two behind-the-scenes featurettes: "George Clooney's Mission" and "Marshaling the Cast." Blu-ray adds Deleted scenes, "The Real Monuments Men," "A Woman Amongst the Monuments Men." Vitals: Director: George Clooney. Stars: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, John Goodman.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 118 min., Drama, Box office gross: $73.881 million, Sony.
3 Days to Kill
Kevin Costner plays a dying CIA hit man who quits the agency to get closer to his estranged wife and daughter in Paris but takes on one last job when he's offered an experimental drug that could save his life. The catch: He has to hunt down and kill the world's most ruthless terrorist while looking after his angry teenage daughter for the first time in 10 years while his wife is out of town. While it's a distinct pleasure to see the 59-year-old Costner take on the bad guys (and even some teen bad guys who mess with his daughter), the film is much too uneven to make it a totally enjoyable viewing experience; the story bounces back and forth between super-violent CIA killing sprees and domestic housekeeping. But Costner, a grizzled veteran of the Hollywood wars, redeems the film as he moves seamlessly from confident killer to worried dad. Writer Luc Besson loves strong women, and throws in a tarted-up Amber Heard as Costner's CIA handler, putting a new spin on "La Femme Nikita" for director McG.
Extras: "Covert Operation" featurette, theatrical trailer. Blu-ray adds extended cut, "The Making of 3 Days to Kill," "McG's Method."
Vitals: Director: McG. Stars: Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld, Amber Heard, Connie Nielsen, Tomas Lemarquis, Richard Sammel.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 117 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $28.462 million, Fox.
About Last Night
A modern reimagining of the classic romantic comedy from 1986. Four Los Angeles singles get a thorough workout in the ups and downs of today's dating world. On yet another night of playing wingman to his loud-mouthed best friend Bernie (Kevin Hart), kind-eyed Danny (Michael Ealy) meets Debbie (Joy Bryant), a beautiful, smart and successful woman who is as skittish about relationships as he is. When the chemistry proves to be undeniable, they end up falling into bed together that night ... then another night, and another night. What these starry-eyed lovers soon find is that despite their good intentions and genuine feelings for each other, what started out as a casual and intoxicating intimacy quickly falls prey to the usual trappings of togetherness and monogamy.
Extras: "An Un-Romantic Comedy" featurette. Blu-ray adds "About Last Night Advice" featurette, "I Love You?" featurette, "Word on the Street" featurette.
Vitals: Director: Steve Pink. Stars: Michael Ealy, Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant, Christopher McDonald, Paula Patton.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Romantic Comedy, Box office gross: $27.838 million, Sony.
Pompeii
Set in 79 A.D., this sword and sandal actioner tells the story of Milo (Kit Harington), a slave turned invincible gladiator who finds himself in a race against time to save his true love Cassia (Emily Browning), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant, who has been unwillingly betrothed to a corrupt Roman Senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts in a torrent of blazing lava, Milo must fight his way out of the arena in order to save her as Pompeii crumbles around him.
Extras: Filmmakers' commentary. "The Assembly" cast and characters, "The Volcanic Eruption" special effects. Blu-ray adds deleted and alternate scenes, "The Gladiators" stunts, "The Journey" production design, "The Costume Shop" costume design, "Pompeii: Buried in Time: Behind the Scenes of Ancient History's Greatest Disaster."
Vitals: Director: Paul W.S. Anderson. Stars: Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, Jared Harris, Carrie-Anne Moss, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jessica Lucas.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 105 min., Action-Adventure-Drama, Box office gross: $22.970 million, Sony.
Vampire Academy
Based on author Richelle Mead's worldwide bestselling series, "Vampire Academy" tells the story of two 17-year-old girls who attend a hidden boarding school for Moroi (mortal, peaceful Vampires) and Dhampirs (half-vampire/half-human guardians) where they have to fight off exploiters from within the Academy as well as other immortal, but evil vampires from outside the sanctuary's walls. Not available for review.
Vitals: Director: Mark Waters. Stars: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky, Gabriel Byrne, Sarah Hyland, Joely Richardson.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 104 min., Fantasy/Drama, Box office gross: $7.791 million, The Weinstein Company/Anchor Bay.
Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers
(1976) Christopher Plummer, Kirk Douglas, Anne Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Timothy Bottoms, Joan Collins, Robert Loggia, Jean Peters. Television adaptation of Arthur Hailey's bestselling book about corruption and greed in the banking business as two ambitious vice presidents become rivals when an imminent board room vacancy arises. Plummer, who received an Emmy for his role, is the suave, hypocritical and skilled Roscoe Heyward and Kirk Douglas is the honest, hard-charging and focused Alex Vandervoort. Formats: DVD. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).
Grand Piano
(2013) Elijah Wood, John Cusack. Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public in a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of the expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: "Play one wrong note and you die." Without leaving the piano, Tom must discover the anonymous sniper's motives and look for help without anyone realizing. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc,. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette; AXS TV: "A Look at Grand Piano." (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
teamed up to create a powerful new cinematic experience. In the spring of 1927, the river broke out of its earthen embankments in 145 places and inundated 27,000 square miles. Part of its legacy was the forced exodus of displaced sharecroppers, who left plantation life and migrated to Northern cities, adapting to an industrial society with its own set of challenges. Musically, the Great Migration fueled the evolution of acoustic blues to electric blues bands that thrived in cities like Memphis, Detroit and Chicago, becoming the wellspring for R&B and rock as well as developing jazz styles. For the film, Morrison scoured film archives, including the Fox Movietone Newsfilm Library and the National archives, for footage of the Mississippi River Flood. All film documenting this catastrophe was shot on volatile nitrate stock, and what footage remains is pock marked and partially deteriorated. The degraded filmstock figures prominently in Morrison's aesthetic with distorted images suggesting different planes of reality in the story -- those lived, dreamt, or remembered. For the score, Frisell has drawn upon his wide musical palette informed by elements of American roots music, but refracted through his uniquely evocative approach that highlights essential qualities of his thematic focus. Playing guitar, Frisell is joined by Tony Scherr on bass, Kenny Wollesen on drums and Ron Miles on trumpet. Formats: DVD, VOD. Extras: Eight-page booklet. (Icarus Films).
Happy Days: The Fifth Season
(1977-78) Four-disc set with 27 episodes. The nostalgic comedy set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin follows the Cunninghams and their two kids, Richie and Joanie and their relationship with Fonzie, a motorcycle-riding Casanova who became a pop-culture phenomenon. Features the iconic "jump the shark" scene and a collection of famous guest stars including Robin Williams, Christopher Knight, Rance Howard, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Morgan Fairchild and Suzi Quatro. Formats: DVD, $42.99. (CBS/Paramount).
John Wayne: The Epic Collection
Collection of 40 Warner and Paramount Films on 38 discs, $149.98. The collection comes packaged in a handsome book with unique collectibles and hours of special features: The coffee table book includes a chronological presentation of Wayne films, enhanced with wonderful photographs; the special features include commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, vintage shorts and classic cartoons; and the special John Wayne collectibles include personal correspondence, script pages/covers, pages with Wayne's notations and behind-the-scenes artifacts. View the complete list of films here. Formats: DVD. (Warner).
L.A. Law: The Complete Second Season
(1987-88) Five-disc set with 20 episodes, $29.93. All rise! L.A. Law: Season 2 is now in session! The ambitious legal eagles from the firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak return for another Emmy-nominated docket of cases loaded with both emotion and irreverence. In Season 2, the high-powered legal team (the outstanding ensemble cast including Harry Hamlin, Susan Dey, Corbin Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry, Alan Rachins, Michelle Greene, Susan Ruttan, Michael Tucker, Jimmy Smits and Richard Dysart) add some new faces to their ranks: the charismatic young associate Jonathan Rollins (Blair Underwood) and Benny Stulwicz (Larry Drake), a developmentally disabled clerk. Together, they tackle some of the City of Angels' toughest trials: both in the courtroom and in their personal lives. Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
McCanick
(2013) David Morse, Cory Monteith, Mike Vogel, Rachel Nichols, Tracie Thoms, Ciaran Hinds. Set over the course of one long, hot day, the mystery follows a narcotics detective who hunts for a seemingly harmless young criminal who knows a damaging truth about the cop's past. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Making-of featurette, deleted and extended scenes. (Well Go USA).
Nosferatu the Vampyre BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1979) Dir.: Werner Herzog; Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz. Since its release, Herzog's "Nosferatu the Vampyre" has not only become one of the director's most acclaimed films, but one of the most compelling and visually-striking interpretations of the Dracula story ever committed to film. In his haunting interpretation of F.W. Murnau's 1922 classic, Herzog eschews the popular conception of the vampire as confident and alluring, and instead focuses on the tragedy of the creature: doomed to immortality, weary, and disgusted at his own existence. Extras: Commentary with writer-producer-director Herzog; commentary with Herzog moderated by Laurens Straub (In German with English Subtitles); vintage featurette: "The Making of Nosferatu"; theatrical trailers. (Shout! Factory).
The Revengers
(1972) William Holden, Ernest Borgnine, Woody Strode, Susan Hayward. The life of a peaceful rancher is destroyed when he comes back from a hunting trip to find his family massacred, and he recruits a team of convicts to find the men responsible for the crime. Formats: DVD. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).
Sophia Grace & Rosie's Royal Adventure
(2014) The pint-sized stars cousins Sophia Grace Brownlee and Rosie McClelland -- who became celebrities thanks to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" -- star in this made-for-video feature. The girls are sent to Switzelvania by Ellen as special correspondents to cover the coronation of a new queen. Once there, they encounter three very different princesses competing for the throne. Together, they hatch a royal plot to help the best candidate win. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, Digital. Extras: "Pink! Pink! Pink! The Story of Pink," "The Royal Music Jam: Laying Down The Beats With Sophia Grace & Rosie," "Ellen's Favorite Tea Times Moments," outtakes and bloopers. (Warner)
Weekend of a Champion
(1971/2013) A nearly forgotten film by Roman Polanski, made at the height of his fame, has resurfaced to thrill fans of the director as well as lovers of auto racing. Restored and with new footage, the film is a you-are-there look at racing great Jackie Stewart as he competes in the renowned Monaco Grand Prix. In 1971, Oscar-winning filmmaker and racing fan Roman Polanski spent a weekend with world champion Formula One driver Jackie Stewart as he attempted to win the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the premier events in the sport. Polanski was given intimate access to Stewart's world for three days, both on the track and off. The result was an extraordinarily rare glimpse into the life of a gifted athlete at the height of his powers. The film, produced by Polanski and credited to documentary director Frank Simon, premiered at the 1972 Berlin Film Festival and played throughout Europe. But it then sat dormant for 40 years until Polanski restored and recut the film, adding a new epilogue showing Polanski and Stewart reminiscing in present-day Monaco, having a conversation about their friendship, the evolution of racing, and life in general. The revitalized film premiered as an Official Selection at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and went on to a successful theatrical U.S. release. Formats: DVD. (MPI Home Video).
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
(2014) Often referred to as "the funniest woman in the world," the iconic black comedienne Jackie "Moms" Mabley broke racial and gender boundaries as the first black female headliner at the Apollo Theater and Carnegie Hall. In her directorial film debut, Whoopi Goldberg pays homage to this pioneering talent by bringing together an impressive roster of A-list entertainers and historians to celebrate Mabley's storied life and career. Born Loretta Mary Aiken in Brevard, N.C., on March 19, 1894, Mabley was one of the most successful entertainers to perform on the black vaudeville stage, also known as the "chitlin' circuit." Her monologues touched on traditional topics such as family, as well as more controversial subjects that were typically avoided by comedians of the era, regardless of race, including infidelity, poverty, welfare and alcohol. Her successful career spanned five decades (though white audiences generally did not learn of her until the early 1960s), throughout which she recorded more than 20 comedy albums and appeared in numerous films. This documentary includes vintage clips and recordings of her performances, as well as recent interviews with some of the world's top comedians, and Mabley fans, including Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, Robert Klein, Bill Cosby and Goldberg. Formats: DVD, $19.98; Digital. (HBO).
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May 18, 2014
(ISSN 1094-3676).
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