Releases for Your Enjoyment
New for this week, DVD movies and television compilations for your perusal. The numbers of selections are starting to slow, but will undoubtedly pick up again before Christmas.
With the war over HD formats, the number of HD releases continues to dwindle, and again, getting a good standard DVD with an upscaling player might just be the ticket in the short run - for everyone, not only those who can’t afford to change formats like socks.
So now the theatrically released DVDs:
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666: The Beast (2007)
Starring Chad Matthews, Giovanni Bejarano
Sequel Alert! Donald Lawson, the devil child from 666: The Child, is now an adult and determined to fulfill his destiny.
Not Rated
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Believers (2007)
Starring Daniel Benzali, Elizabeth Bogush
Two paramedics responding to an emergency call find themselves kidnapped by a religious cult whose great obsession is to stop the end of the world by committing suicide.
Rated R
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Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Trilogy (1986)
also called El Amor Brujo Starring Antonio Gades, Christina Hovos
Tragic tale of young, star-crossed gypsy lovers, told as flamenco ballet. Hot-blooded, passionate dancing, deftly performed and photographed, proves both mesmerizing and stirring. Will not disappoint flamenco aficionados, dance fans. Non - English
Subwoofer Alert! A quality sound card will help as well.
Rated PG
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Casshern (2004)
Starring Yusuke Iseya, Kumiko Aso
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Casshern, based on a 1970s TV series, revolves around a bio-engineered super hero who becomes involved in a bitter struggle between the citizens of Eurasia and a new race of super-humans who control an army of robots.
Interesting, but probably derivative.
Not Rated
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The Christmas Blessing (2005)
Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart
A young doctor encounters romance and deals with his past when he returns to his hometown during the holidays.
Looks like this could be this year’s Thanksgiving family get together movie.
Not Rated
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Christmas Do-Over (2006)
Starring Jay Mohr, Daphne Zuniga
A frustrated commercial jingle writer gets several chances to change his life when he repeatedly relives Christmas Day with his son and ex-wife.
It’s Jay Mohr - it’s going to be funny or disgusting - either way very entertaining.
Rated PG
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Class Act (2006)
Documentary
Class Act focuses on the importance of arts education in the public school system and the dire funding shortage which it is facing today.
Not Rated
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Crazy Love (2007)
Starring Burt Pugach, Linda Pugach
The true story of Linda and Burt Pugach, the most unlikely married couple you will certainly ever meet.
Double weirdness alert. Check this out online before you purchase.
Rated PG -13
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Displaced (2006)
Starring Mark Strange, Malcolm Hankey
Stel, a humanoid alien, teams up with a British soldier to find a top secret file which holds information on advanced energy production, captured space crafts, and alien pilots including Stel’s missing father, Arakawa, who’s been shot down and imprisoned on Earth by Core—a human paramilitary group.
Possible goodness here - got good reviews elsewhere.
Rated R
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Girl 27 (2007)
Documentary
A victim of the 1937 MGM scandal recounts how the powerful film studio tricked her and over 100 other underage girls into attending a stag party its for salesmen, where she was raped.
Not Rated
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The Hoax (2006)
Starring Richard Gere, Alfred Molina
An author causes a ruckus when his biography about Howard Hughes is published—and it turns out the book is full of lies.
Nothing new about that! Funny!
Rated R
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Ice Spiders (2007)
Starring Patrick Muldoon, Vanessa Williams
Genetically engineered giant spiders attack tourists at a remote mountain resort in Utah.
Didn’t Elvira used to play this around Halloween? No, guess not.
Rated R
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The Invisible (2007)
Starring Marcia Gay Harden, Justin Chatwin
After being attacked by a deranged girl, a teenage boy finds himself literally in limbo as his mom and the cops search for his body.
Cool concept.
Rated PG-13
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Kings of South Beach (2007)
Starring Donnie Wahlberg, Jason Gedrick
A Miami Beach nightclub owner takes a young employee under his wing while trying to avoid bankruptcy and the mafia.
Too much like Miami Vice? Maybe.
Not Rated
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Lights in the Dusk (2006)
Starring Janne Hyytainen, Maria Heskainen
In Helsinki, a lonely night watchman gets caught up in the misadventures of a femme fatale and a crooked businessman.
Those wacky Finns!
Not Rated
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Making Waves (2004)
Starring Susie Benton, Tom Bacon
Two ham radio enthusiasts cross wires and fall in love.
Finally a movie the ARRL can recommend!
Not Rated
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Masters of Horror: The Damned Thing (2006)
Starring Sean Patrick Flannery, Brendan Fletcher
The sheriff of a small Texas town must overcome his tragic past when an evil force turns citizens against each other.
This is directed by Tobe Hooper. He did the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre so he knows horror - and Texas.
Not Rated - the censors ran out!
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Michael Moore Hates America (2004)
Documentary Starring Michael Wilson
A young filmmaker travels the country in search of the American Dream while trying to score an interview with Michael Moore in an effort to figure out why the two have such different visions of America.
A great present for the neocon of the family. Darth Cheney approved.
Rated R
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A Mighty Heart (2007)
Starring Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman
Based on the true story of Mariane Pearl and her search for her missing journalist husband, Daniel.
Rated R
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Murder Party (2007)
Starring Alex Barnett, Macon Blair
A random invitation to a Halloween party leads a man into the hands of a gang of deranged artists intent on murdering him for the sake of their art.
Not Rated
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My Best Friend (2006)
Starring Daniel Autueil, Dany Boon
Catherine refuses to believe that her business partner, the selfish and opportunistic art dealer Francois, has a best friend, so he goes out to find one.
Rated PG -13
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Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2 (2007)
Starring Amber Tamblyn, Ashton Holmes
A teenager is torn between the friendship and sexual relationship she shares with members of her clique and a newfound desire for her neighbor.
Ooh, teenage angst!
Rated R
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The Other Conquest (1998)
Starring Damien Delgado, Jose Carlos Rodriguez
The inspiring and true story of the physical and spiritual “conquest” of the Aztecs through the bloody conflict between Montezuma’s heir, Topiltzin, the local missionaries, and Hernando Cortez and his Spanish army.
Rated R
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Outlaw Trails (2006)
Starring Ryan Kelley, Arielle Kebbel
Butch Cassidy’s grandnephew Roy Parker discovers a treasure map carved on an old belt buckle that once belonged to Butch and embarks on a quest to find his great uncle’s fortune.
Rated PG
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Planet Terror (2007)
Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez
A rag-tag group of survivors attempt to stay alive after an experimental bio-weapon turns thousands into zombie-like creatures.
The Robert Rodriguez production. Apparently the Grindhouse stuff took off.
Not Rated
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The Reaping (2007)
Starring Hillary Swank, Annasophia Robb
In this sci-fi thriller, there is not just one plague upon the earth, but ten! Why is God so PO’ed? And can a lapsed Christian get her faith back in time to help save the planet?
Rated R
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The Refuge (2003)
Starring Tony Resta, David Bradley
Two Kurdish men smuggle themselves out of Iraq into London and take refuge inside a church. Aka Asylum.
Not Rated
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Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007)
Starring Jeffrey Combs, Erik Palladino
Another group embarks on a macabre treasure hunt inside the former asylum.
Bad sequel alert.
Rated R
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The Santa Trap (2002)
Starring Robert Hays, Stacy Keach
A seven-year-old, out to prove Santa Claus’ existence, catches him coming into her house and lands him in jail.
Hey, it’s Robert Hays - from Airplane!
Not Rated
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Show Business: The Road to Broadway (2007)
Documentary Starring Rosie O’Donnell, Harrison Chad
Go behind the curtain for the most controversial, passionate, risky and high-profile Broadway season in decades.
Rated PG - like any child wants to watch this…
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Subway Stories (1998)
Starring Christine Lahti, Bonnie Hunt
NYC’s subway system hosts ten true vignettes of commuters and underground residents interacting, clashing, and occasionally merging. HBO’s offering impresses urban life drama devotees, quirky character sketches fans.
Rated R
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Transformers (Full Frame) or (Widescreen) (2007)
Starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel
Dueling alien races, the Autobots and the Decepticons, bring their battle to Earth, leaving the future of humankind hanging in the balance.
Cartoons go to the big time, and get real!
Rated PG -13
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The Trials of Darryl Hunt (2006)
Documentary Starring Darryl Hunt
A documentary about a brutal rape/murder case and a wrongly convicted man, who spent nearly twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Rated PG - 13
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Warren Miller: No Boundaries (4-DVD Set) (2007)
Sport coverage Starring Warren Miller
Three Warren Miller ski films: “Off the Grid,” “Higher Ground,” and “Impact.”
Not Rated
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The Woods Have Eyes (2007)
Starring Joseph Anthony, Frank Adonis
A group of young campers who wander into the backwoods of upstate New York find themselves in a twisted game of predator and prey as night begins to fall.
Not Rated
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Television Shows On DVD
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Medium: The Complete Third Season (6-DVD Set) (2006)
Starring Patricia Arquette, Miguel Sandoval
A young wife and mother of three attempts to balance family life with solving mysteries by using her psychic abilities.
Wow, I’ve been ignoring this for 3 full years!
Not Rated
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Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Complete Series (6-DVD Set) (2006)
Starring Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet
A behind-the-scenes look at a fictional late-night comedy sketch show.
Great show, too bad it did not make it to Season 2.
Not Rated
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That ’70s Show: Season Seven (4-DVD Set) (2004)
Starring Ashton Kutcher, Wilmer Valderrama
That ’70s Show revolves around a group of teenagers who grow up in a Wisconsin suburb during the 1970s.
Not Rated
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This is something I am playing around with. The style is going to change over the next few weeks. If you would like to see any other information included in the lists, let me know. A comment is all it will take. That’s it for this week, sorry it took an extra day. Back in 6 next time.
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Quote of the Day:
A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
–Samuel Goldwyn
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