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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

DVD Releases Tuesday September 14, 2010

This Week's Top Pick:
Prince of PersiaPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time Jake Gyllenhaal stars as the adopted son of the King of Persia who's framed when his step-father is assassinated. On the run to prove his innocence, he meets a princess ("Quantum of Solace" Bond girl Gemma Arterton) who guards a legendary dagger that contains The Sands of Time, a gift from the gods that allows the possessor to turn back time and, if so inclined, rule the world. Naturally, the pair must safeguard the dagger from the evil forces around them. Vitals: Director: Mike Newell. Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint. 2010, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 116 min., Adventure, Box office gross: $89.523 million, Disney.
THIS WEEK'S DVD RELEASES:

America: The Story of Us (2010) The first television event in nearly 40 years to present a comprehensive telling of America's monumental history, presented in a 12-part series, featuring highly realistic CGI animation, dramatic re-creations and thoughtful insights from some of America's most respected artists, business leaders, academics and intellectuals -- as well as a very special introduction from President Barack Obama. From the revolutionary war that birthed the nation to the civil war that divided it, and to the making of the modern world, the series -- watched by more than 6 million viewers -- tells the extraordinary story of how America was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress -- from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad, the internet of its day, to triumphing over vertical space through construction of steel structured buildings to putting a man on the moon. Historical events covered include: the arrival of the first English settlers, the Revolutionary War, Native American wars, slavery, westward expansion, economic growth of the North and South, the Civil War, the settling of the Great Plains, the development of modern, industrialized cities, the California Gold Rush and the Western frontier, the Great Depression and the World Wars right up to present day. $39.95. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. $49.95. (A&E Home Entertainment).

Amish Grace (2010) Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Matt Letscher. Lifetime telefilm. Chronicles the community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, forever changed when a gunman senselessly takes the lives of five girls in a schoolhouse shooting before taking his own life in October, 2006. What transpires takes the town by storm, as the media descend on the city and criticize its Amish leaders for their notion of unconditional forgiveness and their outreach of support to the gunman's widow. (Fox).

Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale (2010) With the aid of three fairies, Barbie rescues her aunt's failing Paris fashion house. Animated feature. (Universal).

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season (2009-10) Three-disc set with 23 episodes, $44.98. Extras: Featurettes, gag reel. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).

Bill Maher: But I'm Not Wrong (2010) No-holds-barred performance before a packed house in Raleigh, North Carolina, $19.97. (HBO Video).

The Black Cauldron: 25th Anniversary Special Edition (1985) Extras: Deleted scene: ­The Fairfolk, "The Witches' Challenge Game," still frame gallery, "Quest for the Black Cauldron" trivia game, "Trick or Treat" ­classic Donald Duck cartoon from 1952. $19.99. (Disney).

Bored to Death: The Complete First Season (2009) Two-disc set with eight episodes, $39.98. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette. (HBO Home Video).

Call of the Wild: The Complete Series (2000) Three-disc set with 13 episodes, $14.98. (Mill Creek Entertainment).

Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010) Portrait of Washington super lobbyist Jack Abramoff from his early years as a gung-ho member of the GOP political machine to his final reckoning as a disgraced, imprisoned pariah. A tale of international intrigue with Indian casinos, Russian spies, Chinese sweatshops, and a mob-style killing in Miami, this is the story of the way money corrupts our political process. $26.98. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).

The Children of USSR (2007 -- Israel) An underdog Israeli soccer team (made up of immigrants) must fend off local thugs and mean-spirited politicians to win a $10,000 sports prize -- all the while getting to school on time.(SISU Home Entertainment).

Classic Artists': Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero (2010) This September marks the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death, and this documentary celebrates the occasion with a look at his career -- from playing backup guitar for Little Richard to making headlines with his history-making performances at the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Through the words of Jimi's family and a collection of contemporaries and admirers, including Dave Mason (Traffic), Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker (Cream), Eric Burdon (The Animals), Mick Taylor (Rolling Stones), Paul Rodgers (Bad Company) and Bev Bevan (ELO) -- the myth falls away and Jimi Hendrix is brought to life once more. Less a biography than the first film to focus on the music itself and the impetus of the master who created it. Extras: Henry Diltz' 8mm Silent Footage: "The Monkees," Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Marquee:"Hey Joe," 20-page booklet, extended interviews, photo galleries. (Image Entertainment).

The Commish -- Season Two (1992-93) Four-disc set with 22 episodes, $14.98. (Mill Creek Entertainment).

Dora the Explorer: Dora's Slumber Party. Compilation containing six of Dora's bedtime adventures. Kids join Dora and her friends as they search for their bedtime stuffed animals, wish upon a star, and wake up their friends during this exciting slumber party. $16.99. (Nick/Par).

Fringe: The Complete Second Season (2009-10) Six-disc set with 23 episodes, $59.98. Extras: "The Mythology of Fringe," "Fringe: Analyzing the Scene" sidebars on six key episodes, "In the Lab with John Noble and Prop Master Rob Smith," commentary, "Unusual Side Effects" gag reel, "Dissected Files" unaired scenes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).

Glee: The Complete First Season (2009-10) Seven-disc set with 22 episodes, $69.99. Extras: Extended episodes, a sing-along karaoke, a behind-the-scenes look at "The Power of Madonna" episode, "Glee" makeovers, never-before-seen "Sue's Corners," dance tutorial: "Staying in Step with Glee." (Fox).

The Good Wife Season One (2009-10) Six-disc set with 23 episodes, $64.99. Extras: Deleted Scenes, "The Education of Alicia Florrick: Making Season One" featurette, "Aftermath: Real Life Events" featurette. (CBS/Paramount).

Grey's Anatomy: Complete Sixth Season (2009-10) Six-disc set with 24 episodes, $59.99. (Disney).

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season Five (2009) Three-disc set with 12 episodes, $39.98. Extras: "Archer" Season 1 pilot episode, blooper reel, "Kitten Mittens" Endless Loop "Phindin' Love in Philly" featurette, extended/uncensored scenes and alternate takes, Season 5 dream sequence. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds The Gang's dating profile, Schwep dream sequence. (Fox).

Just Wright (2010) Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton, Phylicia Rashad, Pam Grier. Extras: "The One You Can't Live Without" featurette, "Common on the Fast Break" featurette, gag reel. Also available on Blu-ray Disc, which adds "When Amazing Happens" featurette, "Live Extras – What's New," digital copy. (Fox).

The League Complete First Season (2009) Two-disc set with six episodes, $29.98. Extras: Blooper reel, deleted scenes, "Alt Nation," "Three Penis" wine infomerical, "Vaginal Hubris" extended, "Birthday Song," "Legalize Kevin's Pubic Smoke," "Mr. McGibblets Fun House and Dojo," "Andre: Dress with Style, Win with Style." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Fox).

The Legend of White Fang: The Complete Series (1992-94) Three-disc set with 26 episodes, $14.98. (Mill Creek Entertainment).

Letters to Juliet (2010) Vanessa Redgrave, Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal, Chris Egan, Franco Nero. Available as a single-disc DVD and DVD/Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack. Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, commentary by director and cast, "The Making of Letters to Juliet: In Italia," "A Courtyard in Verona." (Summit Entertainment).

Lonesome Dove Collection. Eight-disc set with remastered and restored "Lonesome Dove" miniseries, "Return To Lonesome Dove," "Larry McMurtry's Dead Man's Walk," "Larry McMurtry's Streets Of Laredo." (Vivendi Entertainment and RHI Entertainment).

Mad Ron's Prevues From Hell (1987) Blood-and-guts compilation featuring coming attractions from some 47 classic grindhouse horror flicks. Made in 1987 at the height of the VHS boom, when anyone and everyone was popping anything and everything into their VCRs in search of ever-more twisted thrills and chills, "Mad Ron's Prevues From Hell" was an ambitiously researched and compiled anthology of trailers hyping cult grindhouse and drive-in theater favorites where the blood, guts and gore take center stage. Adding a colorful and campy element to the proceedings is the wraparound storyline, which concerns a loopy ventriloquist (Nick Pawlow) and his ghoulish dummy "Happy," who are sitting in a run-down movie theater as demented projectionist "Mad Ron" (Ron Roccia) unspools one trailer after another featuring an unimaginable compendium of graphic guts and gore from the most notorious films of the Sixties and Seventies. As the ventriloquist and his dummy serve up a slew of silly remarks and off-color jokes, a cadre of blood-thirsty zombies and otherworldly creatures feast upon human body parts in other sections of the theater. (Virgil Films & Entertainment).

My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done (2009) Michael Shannon, Chloe Sevigny, Willem Dafoe, Grace Zabriskie, Udo Kier, Brad Dourif. The first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch (producer)and Werner Herzog (director). Psychological thriller loosely based on the mysterious true crime story of a young stage actor who, obsessed with a Greek tragedy he's rehearsing, slays his own mother with a sword. Extras: Commentary by Werner Herzog, Herb Golder and Eric Bassett; interviews with Werner Herzog and Herb Golder; behind-the-scenes footage; short film: "Plastic Bag" (narrated by Werner Herzog). (First Look Studios).

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Director: Milos Forman. Stars Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schiavelli, Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif, Scatman Crothers. 35th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition. Extras: "Completely Cuckoo," a feature-length documentary about the making of the film, commentary by director Milos Forman and producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz, new interview with producer Michael Douglas, Deleted Scenes, Original Trailer, collectibles including playing cards, posters, character cards, pre-production correspondence and movie trivia. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).

Out of Europe (2010) Documentary about a family of Belgium diamond merchants and activists who fled the Holocaust in 1940. (SISU Home Entertainment).

The Pirates of Penzance (1983) Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt, George Rose. (Universal).

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) Director: Mike Newell. Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint. Extras: "An Unseen World: Making Prince of Persia." Also available as a single Blu-ray Disc, which adds a deleted scene: "The Banquet: Garsiv Presents Heads," and a Three-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack, which adds "CineExplore: The Sands of Time" interactive feature, which allows viewers to take control of the dagger and use it to unlock the secrets behind many of the film's most exciting scenes, uncovering more than 40 spellbinding segments, including "Walking Up Walls," "Filming in Morocco" and "Ostrich Jockey Tryouts." (Disney).

Princess Kaiulani (2009) Q'orianka Kilcher, Barry Pepper, Will Patton, Shaun Evans. The true story of a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization. Extras: "Kaiulani: The Crown Princess of Hawaii" documentary, behind-the-scenes featurette. (Lionsgate).

Private Practice: The Complete Third Season (2009-10) Five-disc set with 23 episodes, $45.99. (Disney).

Raging Phoenix (2009 -- Thailand) A group of friends band together to break a violent Thai gang that has been abducting and killing women. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).

Renegade -- Season Two (1993-94) Four-disc set with 22 episodes, $14.98. (Mill Creek Entertainment).

The Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms (aka Crippled Avengers) (1978 -- Hong Kong) Shaw Brothers' kung fu cult classic. An evil warlord and his son cripple anyone who crosses their path. Four men who fell victim to their violence -- a blind man, a deaf-mute, a man with no legs and a young man who has lost his sanity -- visit a kung fu master who teaches them deadly fighting skills and ways to overcome their disabilities, and they band together to reclaim their village from the warlord's reign of terror. (Vivendi Entertainment/The Weinstein Company).

Rock Prophecies (2010) Documentary on photog Robert Knight's 40-year career photographing some of the rock world's biggest legends in their most intimate moments. The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Aerosmith have all been captured through his lens. However, Knight is more than just a famous rock photographer -- he's someone with a genuine passion for music and musicians. Features interviews with and performances by Jeff Beck, ZZ Top, Carlos Santana, Slash, Panic at the Disco, Sick Puppies, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, and Steve Vai, among others. $24.99. Extras: Alternate ending; deleted scenes featuring Jeff Beck, Santana, Slash, and more; two music videos from Sick Puppies; commentary. (PBS).

Rules of Engagement: The Complete Third Season (2009-10) Two-disc set with 13 episodes, $29.95. (Sony).

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (2010) The lovable Great Dane and the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang explore some mysterious goings-on at a haunted summer camp in this new animated feature, $19.98. (Warner).

Sherlock Holmes Double Feature (1943) "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" and "Sherlock Holmes Faces Death," both 1943 and starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, have been digitally restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. (MPI Home Video).

SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments. Join SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy and the rest of the gang as they spread laughter and cheer throughout Bikini Bottom in this compilation of 10 SpongeBob favorites. $14.99. (Nick/Paramount).

StarCrash (1978) Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Plummer, Joe Spinell, Marjoe Gortner. The cult classic comes to DVD in a new anamorphic widescreen transfer (1.85:1) and DTS HD 5.1 Surround Sound (Blu-ray), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (DVD). Brave, bikini-clad star warrior Stella Star (Caroline Munro) and her co-pilot Akton (child evangelist-turned-actor Marjoe Gortner) are pressed into service to thwart the evil Zarth Arn's plot to take over the universe. If they succeed, galactic peace will be achieved. If they fail, the universe will fall into decay and destruction at the hands of its sadistic new overlord. Extras: Interview with writer-director Luigi Cozzi; "StarCrash:The music of John Barry," two commentaries by StarCrash historian Stephen Romano: Commentary 1: The history of "StarCrash," the making of the film and its importance in 1970s fantastic cinema, and Commentary 2: "StarCrash" scene-by-scene: production trivia, anecdotes and critical analysis; behind-the-scenes image gallery, featuring storyboards, art, and rare, never-before-seen photos; promotional art gallery, featuring photos, posters, lobby cards and early poster designs by Drew Struzan; fan art gallery; TV spots and radio spots; interview with actress Caroline Munro; 17 deleted and alternate scenes; complete, original "StarCrash" screenplay, illustrated with original storyboards and early, full-color concept art; exclusive 20-minute behind-the-scenes footage reel, with commentary; the making of the special effects of "StarCrash" by Armando Valcauda with exclusive, never-before-seen special-effects footage. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Roger Corman's Cult Classics/Shout! Factory).

Two Tickets to Paradise (2006) John C. Mcginley, D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, Ed Harris. Three guys on the verge of forty head out on a spontaneous road trip adventure when they realize all the best things in their lives happened before they were 20 ... and they need to balance the ledger. Extras: Outtakes, deleted scenes, commentary by actor-director D.B. Sweeney. (Paramount).

Weapons of War: Volume 1 (2010) Three-disc set examines the history of warfare and how technology has changed the ways battles are fought: "Ground War" explores the key technological advances that have defined ground warfare through the ages, "Warplane" investigates the 100 years since the Wright brothers first took to the air," "Warship" tells the story of the evolution of the warships, right up to the U.S.' current cutting-edge navy battle groups. $49.99. (PBS Distribution).

Who Is Clark Rockefeller? (2010) Eric McCormack, Sherry Stringfield, Stephen McHattie, Regina Taylor, Emily Alyn Lind. Lifetime Original Movie based on the Amazing true story of one of the FBI's most wanted con artists, Karl Gerhartsreiter, who for more than a decade called himself Clark Rockefeller and claimed to be a member one of the most powerful families in the world, marrying into high society and raising a daughter before the scam fell apart. (Sony).

World Wrestling Entertainment
Four WWE hot mat releases:
• Fatal 4-Way 2010: Relive the historic night when the WWE, World Heavyweight Championship and Divas Championship all changed hands. And, in a bout dedicated to Bret Hart, watch The Hart Dynasty & Natalya prevail over the vicious team of The Usos & Tamina in a Six-Person Mixed Tag Team Match.
• Raw: The Beginning -- The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 (2010): Four-disc set packed with more than 11 hours of matches and highlights from the first two years of Raw.
• Money in the Bank 2010: First instituted at WrestleMania 21, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match has become one of the most prestigious and most anticipated contests in WWE.
• Satan's Prison: The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber (2010): Since its inception at Survivor Series 2002, the Elimination Chamber has hosted some of the most brutal matches in WWE history. Three-disc set with every Elimination Chamber Match contest.

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