* Vantage Point (Sony, Blu-ray or DVD, PG-13, 90 min.). This film is all about the editing, but a terrific chase through crowded streets pumps up the adrenaline late in the film, which I just happen to love.
Screenwriter Barry L. Levy and director Peter Travis present an intricate, puzzle of a film, where literally each action sets in motion another. U.S. President Ashton (William Hurt, who can be very presidential) is visiting Salamanca, Spain, along with representatives from some 150 countries, to sign a new anti-terror agreement. Something a group of terrorists does not want, so they assassinate the president and then set the crowd to panic mode with a huge explosion within the plaza. Where the editing comes in is that the film literally rewinds six times to about 20 minutes before the explosion, and we view what happens through another of the central characters. Matthew Fox (TV’s “Lost”) plays presidential security agent Kent Taylor, partnered with Thomas Barnes (a perhaps excessively dour Dennis Quaid), who apparently suffered a breakdown six months earlier after taking a bullet for the president in another assassination attempt.
Sigourney Weaver plays a TV news director and offers the first vantage point as she sees the assassination on the monitors in front of her. Eduardo Noriega plays Enrique, who works for the town’s mayor, but sneaks through security his girlfriend’s bag, which probably contained the bomb. His is another vantage point, as is that of American tourist Howard Lewis (Forest Whitaker), who is cam ordering everything -- he even goes so far as to chase after the agents chasing Enrique from the plaza, and his instant befriending of a little girl who loses her ice cream when she bumps into him earlier is one example of how the little things come back to have later meaning. The fifth time through is the best, and shows how complicated, and amazing, the terrorists’ plans are, but then the sixth is the length, exhilarating car chase through streets lined with people and choked with vehicles.The Blu-ray picture is very clear and sharp, and the sound carries the viewer along for the ride. DVD extras include an audio commentary by director Travis; an inside perspective (26:43) with the director and screenwriter discussing the film and the actors, and the actors talking about their roles; features on the stunts (7:27) and plotting an assassination (15:59); and a 42-second “surveillance tape” view of the director as terrorist. If you have the proper Blu-ray machines, you can also watch the film with a GPS tracker that show’s a character‘s location and vantage point. Rating: film 3 ½ stars; extras 3 stars
(Rating guide: 5 stars = classic; 4 stars = excellent; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = fair; dog = skip it.)
* Control (Genius/Miriam Collection DVD, R, 122 min.). Photographer-music video director Anton Corbijn’s first feature film is a biography of Ian Curtis, lead singer and lyricist for the Manchester, England post-punk band Joy Division. It features a brilliant performance by Sam Riley as Curtis, who is followed from age 16 in 1973 to his suicide death in 1980 at age 23, the day the band was to fly off for its first United States tour. The film shows Curtis’ life spiraling out of control as he is diagnosed with epilepsy and given mood altering drugs (the doctor basically tells Curtis to stop drinking, go to bed early and try various combinations of a half-dozen drugs; of course, the first two are nearly impossible for a musician to give up). The film very much centers on Curtis rather than the whole band; we see him marry Deborah (a fine performance by Samantha Morton when he was 18 and she was 17, and then become a father. But we also see Curtis fall in love with part-time journalist, Belgium embassy worker Annik Honore (Alexandra Maria Lara), and try to juggle obligation with love. The film doesn’t actually show Curtis as a songwriter that much, although we see him perform many of his wonderful, still fresh-sounding songs.
A key element in the film is the actors portraying Joy Division actually perform the songs and do an excellent job. Riley, who looks a lot like Curtis, actually had been a singer in a band for six years. The other band members are James Anthony Pearson as guitarist-later keyboardist Bernard Sumner (he’s another strong look-alike), Joe Anderson as Peter “Hooky” Hook and Harry Treadaway as drummer Stephen Morris. The film, based on Deborah Curtis’ book “Touching from a Distance,” was shot in color and then turned black and white, giving the images a wonderful look.
DVD extras include an audio commentary by Corbin (he has done a lot of work with Depeche Mode over the years, but a couple of his early photos of Joy Division became classics) and a conversation (12:53) with Corbijn, who says he originally planned on using Joy Division’s recordings, but the actors convinced him they were good enough to perform as a band after he saw them in rehearsals. There also is a making-of feature (23:18); a still gallery; extended live performances of “Transmission,” “Leaders of Men” and “Candidate” featuring the actors; music videos of Joy Division performing “Transmission” in concert, a Corbijn music video for “Atmosphere” and The Killers’ “Shadowplay.” Rating: film and extras 3 1/2 stars
* Joy Division (Genius/Miriam Collection DVD, R, 96 min.). Filmed and directed by Grant Gee this is the story of Joy Division, with extensive, and often moving, interviews with the three remaining band members: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris. It is particularly affecting when they talk about having failed to see the signs that Curtis was suicidal (suxh as his lyrics). Gee tries to equate the band’s rise with the renaissance of Manchester, the city where the Industrial Revolution started, but the analogy never works for me. What does work is his interviews with nearly every important figure in the band’s life (Ian Curtis’ widow Deborah is not interviewed, but there are quotations from her writings (presumably from her book, which the film “Control” was based on). Of course, I was a Joy Division fan from as soon as their first album and 12-inch singles were available here as imports on the Factory label, and when the three remaining members became New Order, I remained a fan and even got to see them perform once in Mansfield, Mass. (Ironically enough on a bill with PiL, that is Public Image Limited, fronted by ex-Sex Pistol John Lyndon, as it was at an early Sex Pistols concert in Manchester that Curtis got the idea of joining the band Warsaw, which evolved into Joy Division.) DVD extras include more than 75 minutes of additional interviews and a music video of “Transmission.” Rating: documentary 4 stars; extras 3 stars
* New Order: Live in Glasgow (Rhino, 2 DVDs, NR, 217 min.). The three remaining members of Joy Division carried on as New Order after singer-songwriter Ian Curtis’ death. The first disc captures the stripped back recent tour, including a rare dip into the Joy Division catalog for the closing trio of “Transmission,” “Shadowplay” and “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” after their own massive hit, “Blue Monday” (the one time I visited Los Angeles and we checked out a couple of clubs, I heard the song played four or five times). Other hits covered in the concert are “Ceremony,” “Temptation” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.” Interspersed with the live footage are short interviews with the band members. Disc two is a treasure trove for fans, collecting rare and unseen footage from the 1980s, as selected by drummer Stephen Morris. Three, “Senses,” “Procession” and “The Him,” are from the 1981 Glastonbury Festival, only a year after Curtis’ death. Other live performances are “Ultraviolence” (Rome, 1982), “Everything’s Gone Green” (Cork, 1983), seven songs from 1985 shows in Rotterdam and Toronto. Rating: collection/concert 4 stars
* The Tattooist (New Zealand, Sony DVD, R, 89 min.). The always-likable Jason Behr (TV’s “Roswell”) plays tattoo artist Jake Sawyer, whose current scam is doing “healing” tattoos. He is always on the look out for more designs to “borrow”; thus when he meets some Samoan tattooists, he is intrigued and actually steals a tattoo blade. He cuts himself with the instrument, not knowing that he carries the spirit of one unjustly killed who is out for revenge. Jake is run out of Singapore after oen of his clients dies and goes to New Zealand to find the girl who intrigued him (Mia Blake as Sina). She was Samoan. Suddenly, though, Jake’s recent clients start dying horrible, bloody deaths as his tattoos start spreading all over their bodies. Now, he must find the reason why before Sina dies as well. I’m give the film an extra half-star just for the uniqueness of its subject matter and the insights it shows into pe’a, family tattoos that are passed down from generation to generation. Even though it was just a standard DVD, director Peter Burger managed to capture very bright, crisp outdoor scenes. DVD bonuses include audio commentary by Burger and Behr; three deleted scenes (4:40) that were easily cut; a behind-the-scenes look (11:44) that includes a Behr interview, but is plot heavy; a 2:25 look at the tattoo designs and how Behr’s were applied; 2:20 of the director talking about the colors used in the film; and 3:19 on Samoan tattoos. There also is a digital copy of the film. Rating: film 3 stars; extras 2 1/2 stars
* Encrypt (2003, Image DVD, NR, 90 min.). From the Sci-Fi Channel, this post-apocalypse film stars Grant Show (TV‘s “Melrose Place”) as ex-U.S. soldier Capt. John Thomas Garth, who is recruited by wealthy businessman Anton Reich (Art Hindle) to recover some classic art stored anyway in a heavily fortified estate. Garth agrees because he is promised food and medicine he needs for his father, but he has to work with Lapierre (Steve Bacic), a former Ranger he never got along with. A team of five go in. The film has some weird plot dumbness: they figure out one trap in the mansion, but still one team member gets killed; they fire wildly at “invisible” guardians outside, yet they have heat sensor vision that easily could have detected the guardians. The film evolves into more of a “Twilight Zone“ episode when Garth starts conversing with the hologram caretaker Diana (Vivian Wu). This truly was a disappointment. There are no DVD extras. Rating: film 1 1/2 stars
* Drillbit Taylor (Paramount DVD or Blu-ray, NR, 109 min.). This is an extended version of the comedy, directed by Steven Brill and co-written by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogan (writer of “Superbad,” in which he also acted; actor in “Knocked Up”). The film is inconsistent, but has enough laughs to make it worthwhile, and Owen Wilson makes the scam artist, beach bum, title character a bit endearing. High School freshmen Wade (Nate Hartley) is thin and geeky, Ryan (Troy Gentile) is overweight and Emmitt (David Dorfman) is small enough to be stuffed in a locker; all three are bullied by Filkins (Alex Frost as an emancipated minor) and his cohort Ronnie (Josh Peck). After several beatings and humiliations, the three decided to hire a bodyguard (amusingly, one of the bodyguard candidates is played by Adam Baldwin, who played the bodyguard hired in the 1980 film “My Bodyguard”; nice bit of casting). Looking to make a quick score so he can run off to Canada is Army deserter Drillbit Taylor. But what starts as a scam turns into a desire help, especially after Drillbit pretends to be a substitute teacher and finds amour with the English teacher.
DVD extras include audio commentary by director Brill, co-writer Brown and actors Gentile, Hartley and Dorfman; a visit with the two writers; 13 deleted and extended scenes; a gag reel; and a line-o-rama. “Survival edition” features include the rap off, sprinkler day, about directing kids and a look at Danny McBride. Rating: film and extras 3 stars
* The 2007 Newport Music Festival: Connoisseur’s Collection (Acorn, 10 DVDs, NR, 21 hours). This unique set collects chamber music concerts performed in the Gilded Age mansions of Newport, R.I., including the Newport debut of 20-year-old American pianist Adam Golka. There also is “Chopiniana” with French superstars Jean-Philippe Collard and Henri Demarquette; “Lisztening Post,” with six pianists playing the music of Franz Liszt; an all-Schumann program by world-renowned pianist Eduardus Halim; “Pieces of Eight,” octets and piano eight hands; and “Newport Music Festival POPS,” with new Mozart improvisations by pianist John Bayless and suggestions from the audience. There also are six hours of bonus performances and commentary clips by longtime festival director Dr. Mark P. Malkovich III. Rating: collection 4 stars
* Rebus: Set 3 (Great Britain, Acorn, 4 DVDs, NR, 273 min.). The set offers four more mysteries starring Ken Stott (“Charlie Wilson’s War”) as hard-drinking Scottish Detective Inspector John Rebus, the hero of Ian Rankin’s bestselling crime novels. Rebus is insubordinate and deeply troubled, but also incorrigible. He plays by his own rules, hunting down murderers in today‘s Edinburgh. Claire Price plays his partner, Detective Sgt. Siobhan Clarke. In “Resurrection Men” (based on the Edgar Award-winning best novel), Rebus is given remedial training after an outburst during the investigation of an art dealer’s murder and falls in with two policemen on the take. A minister and a married women are found naked with their throats’ slashed in a popular lover‘s lane in “The First Stone,” while Edinburgh prepares to host the world trade summit in “The Naming of the Dead” (based on the British Book Award-winning Crime Thriller of the Year) -- only dead bodies start popping up. Finally, in “Knots and Crosses,” an accused murder is let go due to Rebus’ interrogation methods, but soon is dead himself and Rebus receives anonymous notes pleading for help. Rating: collection 3 ½ stars
* The Dead Zone: The Final Season (Lionsgate, 3 DVDs, NR, 546 min.). This set contains the 13 episodes of season six. The show easily could have lasted longer -- indeed while many questions are answered, the overall biggie remains unknown -- but star and producer Anthony Michael Hall actually had not initially wanted to go past season five, I understand, so the whole season was a bonus. Based on Stephen King’s story and characters, Hall plays psychic Johnny Smith, who is able to tell the future, the present elsewhere or even the past just by touching things. It finally is revealed that this power is genetic and not the result of the coma. Of course, that six-year coma cost Johnny his one true love Sarah (Nicole deBoer) and the chance to be a father to his son. The season starts with a tragedy that changes everything and a new sheriff for Cleaves Mills. Stillson (Sean Patrick Flannery) is now vice president and calls on Johnny’s help when some astronauts are in trouble. A serious case of appendicitis sends Johnny into another coma and Sarah has to try and save him. One interesting episode has Johnny trying to stop an explosion that will destroy the train station; but everything he tries simply changes the events leading to the explosion, rather than preventing the explosion itself. DVD extras include audio commentaries on four episodes; a featurette on the show’s production shift from Vancouver to Montreal, as well as resuming the series after a nearly two-year hiatus; and a look at making the episode which took place on a train (another entertaining, Hitchcockian episode). Rating: season 3 ½ stars; extras 3 stars
* The Mummy Deluxe Edition (Universal, 2 DVDs, PG-13, 125 min.) The Mummy Returns Deluxe Edition (Universal, 2 DVDs, PG-13, 130 min.) The Mummy (1932) Special Edition (Universal, 2 DVDs, NR). With the release of “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” the third in the series, imminent, Universal has issued again (third time I believe) the first two films with Brendan Fraser and the original with Boris Karloff, each with a sneak peek and a free ticket offer for the new film. These are due July 8, but even better, the newer two Mummy films will be released on Blu-ray discs July 22. They will have the U-Control feature Universal used on its HD releases, which allows the viewer to customize viewing through interactive features as the movie plays. There also will be picture-in-picture, behind-the-scenes material for both films. In the first film, Rick O’Connell (Fraser) and an Egyptologist (Rachel Weisz) search for treasure, but unleash the 3,000-year-old mummy. The sequel has Fraser and Weisz reuniting with director Stephen Sommers to battle the Mummy and The Scorpion King (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). The special effects are super in both films and both are a lot of fun. The DVD extras are similar on both, including audio commentaries, looks at the visual and special effects, an interview with Johnson and storyboard to film comparisons. The 1932 Mummy includes a new documentary on legendary make-up artist Jack Pierce. There also are a documentary on the making of the film, two audio commentaries (one by a film historian; the other by a group that includes makeup wizard Rick Baker), posters and stills, and a documentary, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, on the making of the Universal horror pictures. Rating: films and extras 3 ½ stars, with extras 4 stars on 1932 Mummy
* Jet Li’s Fearless (2006, Universal DVD, NR, 141 min.). This director‘s cut, due July 8, adds 35 minutes to the film. An ill-advised fight destroys the reputation of a renowned martial arts champion (Li) and his family, so he seeks redemption by facing some of the world’s toughest fighters. The action sequences are choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, who handled similar duties for “The Matrix” and “Kill Bill.” The DVD includes deleted scenes and a look at the making of the film. The release ties in to the new “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor“ because Li stars in the new film, and this edition includes a free ticker redemption for the film. Rating: films 3 ½ stars; extras 2 ½ stars
Due on video:
Also this week: The Closer: The Complete Third Season (Warner); Batman: The Movie special edition (1966, Fox Blu-ray); City of Men (Disney); Mad Men: Season One (Lionsgate); Summercamp (Goldhil); Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (Criterion); Patriotism (Japan, Criterion); War, Inc. (First Look); Dead and Gone (Lionsgate); Sunflower (China, New Yorker); Tori & Dean Inn Love: Season One (Goldhil); Swing State Ohio (Passion River); Bob the Builder: Let's Build the Beach (Hit/Lionsgate); Fireman Sam: To the Rescue (Hit/Lionsgate); Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control (Warner); Shotgun Stories (Liberation/Genius); Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (Lionsgate); Anglo-Saxon Attitudes (Acorn); Rebus: Set 3 (Acorn, 4 DVDs); The 2007 Newport Music Festival: Connoisseur's Collection (Acorn, 10 DVDs); Triloquist (Genius); The Royal Diaries (Genius); Massacre (Brain Damage); Unborn Sins (Brain Damage); Mt. Blueberry Nights (Genius); Sex and Death 101 (Anchor Bay); All About Us (Codeblack/Vivendi); 30 Days: The Complete Second Season (Arts Alliance); Cracking the Maya Code (WGBH); Journey to the Center of the Earth (Asylum); Aria (1987, Lightyear/Warner); Heaven (1987, Lightyear/Warner).July 8: Superhero Movie (Genius; also an extended version); Stargate Atlantis: Season Four (MGM); Batman: Gotham Knight (Warner, 1 or 2 DVDs); Batman Begins limited edition gift set (Warner; also single-disc Blu-ray); The Batman: The Complete Fifth Season (Warner); The Ruins (Paramount); Stop-Loss (Paramount); Teen Titans: The Complete Fifth Season (Warner); I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Fifth Season (Sony); The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet: Best of Ricky & Dave (Shout Factory!, 4 DVDs); Soul Food The Series: The Complete Series (CBS/Paramount); Soul Food The Series: The Final Season (CBS/Paramount); Fastlane: The Complete Series (Warner); American Zombie (Cinema Libre); Mon Oncle Antoine (French Canada, Criterion); The Backyardigans: Mighty Match-up! (Nickelodeon/Paramount); Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue, Vol. 2 (Warner); Iggy and the Stooges: Escapedmania (MVD); Jekyll: Fear the Monster Within (Warner); Impact Point (Sony); Snoop Dogg: Drop It Like It's Hot (MVD); 305 (Allumination); Pleasure Factory (China, Strand); Philosophy of a Knife (TLA); In the Line of Fire (1993, Warner, Blu-ray); Chop Shop (KOCH Lorber); Don Camillo and The Return of Don Camillo (KOCH Lorber, 2 DVDs); Death of a Ghost Hunter (Well Go); The Tracey Fragments (Image).
July 15: Step Up 2: The Streets (Disney); Shutter (Fox); Asylum (MGM); Guardians (Warner); Dallas: The Complete Ninth Season (Warner); Meet Bill (First Look); Trafic (France, Criterion, 2 DVDs); Penelope (Summit); The Mighty Celt (Cinequest); Secretary (Lionsgate); Roxy Hunter and the Secret of the Shaman (Sony); College Road Trip (Disney); Voice (Genius); The Curiosity of Chance (TLA); Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition (TLA); One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, Warner, Blu-ray); The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Portugal, City Lights); Sword Masters: Brothers Five (1970, Well Go); Sword Masters: Two Champions of Shaolin (Well Go); B.L. Stryker: The Complete Second Season (Arts Alliance America).July 22: 21 (Sony, 2 DVDs or Blu-ray); Picture This (MGM); The Perfect Storm (2000, Warner Blu-ray); High and Low (Japan, Criterion, 2 DVDs); Vampyr (France, Criterion, 2 DVDs); The Director's Series: Andre Techine 4-Film Collection, with Wild Reeds, My Favorite Season, I Don't Kiss and Hotel America (France, Lionsgate); Dirty Money (France, Lionsgate); Heartbeat Detector (New Yorker); Twin Daggers (Lionsgate); Help Me Eros (China, Strand); The Last Winter (Genius); Evil Behind You (Allumination); Without the King (First Run); The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Sony, Blu-ray); I Know What You Did Last Summer (Sony, Blu-ray); Urban Legend (Sony, Blu-ray); The Candy Shop (Plus); Alfred Hitchcock: Studies in Fear (Mill Creek); Big Dreams, Little Tokyo (Echo Bridge); Martial Arts: 20 Movie Set (Mill Creek); Mushrooms (BFS); Spaced: The Complete Series (BBC); Troubadours (Facets); Satantango (Hungary, Facets); Clandestinos (First Run); Room 314 (Vanguard); The Superhero (Vanguard).
July 29: Doomsday (Universal); Stargate: Continuum (MGM); Shine a Light (Paramount); Robin Hood: Season One (BBC Blu-ray); Robin Hood: Season Two (BBC); Witchblade: The Complete Series (Warner); Tyrone Power Matinee Idol Collection, with 10 films, including Luck of the Irish and This Above All (Fox, 5 DVDs); Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire - Vol. 4 (Nickelodeon/Paramount); Dark City: Director's Cut (1998, Warner); Disfigured (Cinema Libre); Puzzle (Korea, Genius); Privilege (1967, New Yorker); Outfoxed: Fox Attacks! Special edition (Foundry); Joe Louis: America's Hero Š Betrayed (HBO); The Houseboy (TLA); Outfoxed: Fox Attacks! special edition (Disinformation); Baldwin Hills: The Complete First Season (BET/Paramount); Masters of Horror Season Two (Anchor Bay; limited edition skull design); Tai Chi Master (Genius); Robin of Sherwood: The Complete Collection (Acorn, 10 DVDs); Joe Louis: America's Hero Š Betrayed (HBO); Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle extreme unrated edition (2004, Warner Blu-ray); The Lost Boys (1987, Warner Blu-ray); Lost Boys: The Tribe (Warner); Never Back Down (Summit, 2 DVDs); Marigold (Echo Bridge); Robin of Sherwood: The Complete Collection (Great Britain, Acorn, 10 DVDs); Two Fat Ladies (Great Britain, Acorn); Back at the Barnyard (Nickelodeon/Paramount); Corduroy Š and More Stories About Caring (A&E); Parking Wars: The Best of Season One (A&E); The Band's Visit (Sony); The Strauss Family (A&E); A Woman of Independent Means (1995, A&E); The Hills: The Complete Third Season (MTV/Paramount).
Aug. 5: Nim's Island (Fox); Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (Sony, also Blu-ray trilogy on Blu-ray); The Executioner's Song: Director's Cut (CBS/Paramount); Star Trek: The Original Series: Season Two (CBS/Paramount); Ben 10: The Complete Season 4 (Warner); Doctor Who: The Five Doctors: 25th Anniversary Edition (BBC); Charlie and Lola Vol. 8: I am a Collection (Warner); Life in Cold Blood (Warner); Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies (HBO); Miss Conception (First Look); Bangkok Dangerous (Thailand, First Look); Baby Blues (Allumination); The Hive (Genius); Rogue (Genius); Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (Infinity); Sensitive Skin: The Complete First and Second Seasons (BBC); Buds for Life (Maverick); The First Olympics - Athens, 1896 (Sony); Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (Genius)' Route 66: Complete First Season (Infinity); Get Smart: Season 1 (Warner, 4 DVDs); Foyle's War, Set 5 (Great Britain, Acorn, 3 DVDs); Oh Happy Day (Ariztical); The Counterfeiters (Germany, Sony); Queen Sized (Anchor Bay); Joy House (KOCH Lorber); Marco Ferreri Collection (KOCH Lorber); Garfield's Fun Fest (Fox); Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: The Collection Vol. 2 (KOCH, 4 DVDs); Biography: Barack Obama (A&E); Biography: John McCain (A&E); Terminal City (KOCH); Blackwater (Passion River); Dead Fury (TLA).
Aug. 12: The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season (HBO); The Legend of the Shadowless Sword (Warner); Eon Kid: Season One, Vol. 1 (Anchor Bay); Caroline in the City: The First Season (CBS/Paramount, 3 DVDs); Frank (First Look); The Orange Thief (Italy, Warner); Brand Upon the Brain (Criterion); Irina Palm (Strand); The Dick Francis Thriller: The Racing Game (1979, Acorn); Inside the Circle (Cinema Libre); Garbage Warrior (Morningstar); Belly (Lionsgate); Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club (Lionsgate); The Doors (1991, Lionsgate); Wide Awake (Genius); A Walk to Beautiful (WGBH); DC Super Heroes: The Filmation Adventures (Warner, 2 DVDs); Holly Hobbie and Friends: Fabulous Fashion Show (Sony); Smart People (Disney); Ni Hao, Kai-Lan Super Special Days (Nickelodeon/Paramount); Berenstain Bears: Family and Friendship (Sony); Legacy (Genius); CJ7 China, Sony); P.D. James: Devices and Desires (KOCH); P.D. James: The Essential Collection (KOCH, 5 DVDs); Wire in the Blood: Prayer of the Bone (KOCH); Felon (Sony).
Aug. 19: Street Kings (Fox); Dexter: The Complete Second Season (CBS/Paramount, 4 DVDs); Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete First Season (Warner, 3 DVDs of Blu-ray); Recount (HBO); Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day (Universal); Justice League: Season One (Warner Blu-ray, 3 DVDs); An American Crime (First Look); Immortal (First Look); The Martial Arts Essentials with 7 Steps of Kung Fu, Super Power, Fearless Dragons, Life on the Line, Call Me Dragon and His Name is Nobody (First Look); The Proposition (First Look); Chronicle of an Escape (Argentina, Genius); The Small Back Room (1949, Criterion); Casper: Trick or Treat - Classic Collection Vol. 1 (Classic Media/Genius); Gossip Girl: The Complete First Season (Warner, 5 DVDs); Marty Robbins (Shout! Factory); Tammy Wynette: Legendary Performances (Shout! Factory); Please Vote for Me (First Run); 6 Films to Keep You Awake, with Baby's Room, A Christmas Tale and A Real Friend (Spain, Lionsgate, 4 DVDs); Love and a .45 (1994, Lionsgate); George of the Jungle Swingin' 1st Season (Classic/Genius); Prom Night (Sony); Never Love a Stranger (Lionsgate); Primo Levi's Journey (New Yorker); Keepin' the Faith (Warner); A Four Letter Word (TLA); Quid Pro Quo (Magnolia); Her Best Move (MGM); Deal (MGM).
Aug. 26: The Little Mermaid: Aiel's Beginning (Disney); Errol Flynn: The Warner Westerns Collection, with Montana, Rocky Mountain, San Antonio and Virginia City (Warner, 4 DVDs); How the West Was Won ultimate collector's edition (1962, Warner, 2 DVDs); Western Classics Collection, with Escape from Fort Bravo, Many Rivers to Cross, Cimarron, The Law and Jake Wade, Saddles the Wind and The Stalking Moon (Warner, 6 DVDs); Entourage: The Complete Fourth Season (HBO); Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Chapter 1 (Warner); August (First Look); Pope Dreams (Ocean Park); No Blood, No Tears (Korea, Genius); Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector's Edition (1993, Disney, 2 DVDs; also limited Ultimate Collector's edition with hand-painted bust of Jack Skellington); The Shield: The Complete Sixth Season (Sony); One Tree Hill: The Complete Fifth Season (Warner); The Real Tomb Hunters: Snakes, Curses and Booby Traps (New Video); Never Say Macbeth (Vanguard); The Witman Boys (Hungary, Facets); The Forsaken Land (Sri Lanka, New Yorker); Go, Diego, Go!: Diego's Halloween (Nickelodeon/Paramount); Dante's Inferno (TLA); Fat Albert's Halloween Special (1977, Classic Media/Genius); The Three Stooges Collection: 1940-1942 Vol. 3 (Sony, 2 DVDs); Purple Violets (Genius).
Sept. 2: Bait Shop (Lionsgate); Supernatural: The Complete Third Season (Warner, 5 DVDs); Life: Season One (Universal); It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Three (Fox); Around the World in 80 Treasures (Warner); Outsourced (Ocean Park); It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown deluxe edition (1966, Warner); The Big Bang Theory: The Complete First Season (Warner); Little People, Big World: Season 2, Vol. 1 (Genius); The Boys in Company C (1978, Hen's Tooth); The Case for Faith (Lionsgate); Art of Travel (First Look); Married Life (Sony); Bratz Girlz Really Rock (Lionsgate); Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow (Lionsgate); Prom Queen (Shout! Factory, 2 DVDs).
Sept. 9: The Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate, 2 DVDs or Blu-ray); Smallville: The Complete Seventh Season (Warner); In Treatment (HBO, 9 DVDs); Cool Hand Luke deluxe edition (1967, Warner); Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1977 (Great Britain, Warner); The Alps (Image); Reno 911!: Miami: The Movie More Busted Than Ever (Fox); Mystery of the Nile (Image); Legion of Super Heroes: Vol. 3 (Warner); Jon & Kate Plus Eight: Seasons 1 and 2 (TLC/Genius); Light and the Sufferer (Warner); Block Party Madness (Maverick); Fox Horror Classics Vol. Two, with Chandu the Magician, Dragonwyck and Dr. Renault's Secret (Fox, 3 DVDs); How the West Was Won (Warner, DVD, Blu-ray or collector's edition); House of the Dead director's cut, funny version (Lionsgate); Clifford the Big Red Dog: A Big Help (Lionsgate); Doodlebops: We Love Our Friends (Lionsgate).
Sept. 16: Chuck: The Complete First Season (Warner); Pushing Daises: The Complete First Season (Warner, 3 DVDs); Torchwood: The Complete Second Season (BBC, 5 DVDs); Risky Business 25th anniversary deluxe edition (Warner; also Blu-ray); Beetlejuice 20th anniversary deluxe edition (Warner; also Blu-ray); The Busby Berekeley Collection Vol. 2, with Gold Diggers of 1937, Gold Diggers in Paris, Hollywood Hotel and Varsity Show (Warner, 4 DVDs); I See You.Com (Warner); Little Fugitive (Cinema Libre); Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection Vol. 4, with The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, The Little Giant and Invisible Strips (Warner, 6 DVDs); Duckman: Seasons One and Two (CBS/Paramount); Another Cinderella Story (Warner); Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (1981, Rhino); Young @ Heart (Fox); An American in Paris special edition (1951, Warner); Gigi 50th Anniversary edition (1958, Warner); The Earrings of Madame De (Criterion); Tortured (Sony); The Legend of Bloody Mary (Lionsgate); Will and Grace: The Complete Series Collection (Lionsgate, 33 DVDs); Will and Grace: Season Eight (Lionsgate).
Sept. 23: This American Life: The First Season (Paramount); Dinosaur King: The Adventure Begins (Shout! Factory); Most Evil (Image); Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Series (CBS/Paramount, 16 DVDs); Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner); Friday the 13th - The Series: The First Season (CBS/Paramount); Broken Fences (Vanguard); For Heaven's Sake! (Vanguard); Illusion Infinity (Vanguard); Red Ridge (Vanguard); Unsigned (Vanguard); L.A. Confidential special edition (1997, Warner, 2 DVDs); The Price of Sugar (New Yorker).
Sept. 30: Taxi to the Dark Side (Image); My Three Sons: Season One, Vol. 1 (CBS/Paramount, 3 DVDs); An Autumn Afternoon (Japan, Criterion).
Oct. 7: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945, Warner); Rest Stop: Don't Look Back (Warner); Watership Down deluxe edition (1978, Warner); Brotherhood: The Complete Second Season (CBS/Paramount, 3 DVDs); Robot Chicken: Season 3 (Warner).
Oct. 14: Nash Bridges: The First Season (CBS/Paramount); The New World extended cut (2005, Warner).
Oct. 21: Charmed: The Ultimate Box Set (CBS/Paramount, 49 DVDs); also limited deluxe edition).
Oct. 28: Tinker Bell (Disney).
Nov. 11: Walt Disney Treasures Wave VIII: Destino; Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow; and Chronological Donald Vol. 4 (each Disney, 2 DVDs); The Sopranos: The Complete Series (HBO, 28 DVDs).
