New DVD Releases: Week of 10/12/09

10.12.09 | Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post

New DVD Releases for this week include the Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds hit, "The Proposal" and other theatrical newcomers, TV collections new to DVD and some obscure vintage favorites including a classic film that stars Jackie Cooper playing of all things, a former child actor!

The Proposal (2009)
Faced with deportation back to Canada, tough-as-nails book editor Sandra Bullock promises assistant Ryan Reynolds a big promotion--if he marries her. With an immigration official sniffing around, the faux couple tries to prove they're the real deal by spending a weekend with Reynolds' family in his Alaska hometown. Will the wedding go off without a hitch, even as they really start to fall for each other? Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White co-star in this delightful romantic comedy.

Drag Me To Hell (2009)
Director Sam Raimi returns to the horror film genre with a vengeance with this fright-filled shocker. A dreadful curse is placed upon an ambitious young loan officer (Alison Lohman) when she denies an elderly woman an extension on her mortgage. Relentlessly terrorized by an evil spirit, Lohman must find a way to pass the execration off on to someone else before she's pulled down into the depths of Hell. With Justin Long, Lorna Raver, David Paymer, Dileep Rao. Includes both the original theatrical and unrated versions.

Land Of The Lost (2009)
Hilarious parody of the Sid and Marty Krofft series stars Will Ferrell as Dr. Rick Marshall, a disgraced scientist whose latest invention transports him, fellow researcher Holly (Anna Friel), and tour guide Will (Danny McBride) to a strange dimension populated by dinosaurs and giant insects. Now, the trio and their new ape-like friend Chaka (Jorma Taccone) are the only ones who can stop the reptilian Sleestaks from conquering the Earth. Leonard Nimoy co-stars.

Adoration (2008)
Written and directed by Atom Egoyan, this compelling drama concerns an orphaned high-schooler whose French teacher assigns his class to translate a news story about a narrowly averted terrorist attack. After creating a lie about his late parents' involvement in the incident, his falsehood creates controversy on the Internet, at school, and in his personal life. Scott Speedman, Rachel Blanchard, Kenneth Welsh star.

American Violet (2008)
Based on a true story, this powerful drama follows an African-American single mother as she attempts to clear her name when she is falsely accused of dealing drugs in a Texas school zone. After she is arrested for the crime, she sues the district attorney for racial discrimination and battles seemingly impossible odds to prove her innocence. Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard star.

A Good Life: The Joe Grushecky Story (2009)
The power of following your dreams is explored in this rockumentary examining the life and musical pursuits of Joe Grushecky. The leader of the Pittsburgh-based band The Iron City Houserockers, Grushecky has been playing professionally since the group's formation in 1976. Through insights with the performer and close friend Bruce Springsteen, this program presents a look at what success truly means.

Natural Born Killers (Unrated Director's Cut) (1994)
A pointed and darkly humorous look at the American public's fascination with violence, director Oliver Stone's gonzo road movie stars Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as Mickey and Mallory, two lovers whose bloody cross-country crime spree lands them in prison and makes them media-hyped celebrities. With Robert Downey, Jr. as the host of a tabloid TV show, Tommy Lee Jones as a crazed warden, and Rodney Dangerfield as Mallory's abusive father; from a story by Quentin Tarantino. This new version is the 2-disc Unrated director's cut.

The Stepfather (1987)
Henry Morrison wanted to have an ideal, blissfully happy family. But when the one he raised didn't meet his expectations, he decided to start over--by slaughtering them. Marrying a widow after re-inventing himself as real estate agent Jerry Blake, he finds his past may be catching up to him thanks to his suspicious new stepdaughter and the relative of a past victim who's started snooping around. Terry O'Quinn, Shelley Hack, Jill Schoelen star in this taut thriller.

Happy Birthday To Me (1981)
This birthday is anything but a party, as a group of teens at an exclusive private school are killed in a variety of gruesome ways, from suffocation to shish-kabobing. But are the murders linked to a grim secret from a new student's past, and can the slaying be stopped? Classic 1980s slasher flick stars Melissa Sue Anderson, Matt Craven, Lawrence Dane, and Glenn Ford.

Hardware (1990)
Set in a pollution-ravaged future Earth, this imaginative sci-fi thriller follows a young couple as they retrieve what they believe is scrap metal--unaware that the debris is the still-active components of a murderous military android. But when the demented robot reassembles itself, the lovers must avoid falling victim to his deadly reign of terror. Dylan McDermott, Stacey Travis, Iggy Pop star. AKA: "M.A.R.K. 13." Uncut, unrated version.

Android (1983)
Meet Max 404, a humanoid robot who is due to be "shut down" once his eccentric creator completes work on a more advanced model. Max's only salvation may be three escaped convicts who come to their space station and teach him what real humanity is like. Quirky sci-fi tale stars Klaus Kinski, Brie Howard, and Don Opper as Max.

Where The Day Takes You (1992)
Gritty, authentic drama of a group of homeless teens living on the streets of Hollywood. The makeshift family's leader, known as King, is involved in a bitter rivalry with a dangerous pimp. When the pimp is found dead, King and his friends go on the run and take the law into their own hands. Dermot Mulroney, Sean Astin, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ricki Lake, Will Smith, and Balthazar Getty star.

Sex And Zen (1991)
This titles was supposed to be released on 9/28 and was delayed until this week. One of the most outrageous films ever made, this Hong Kong fable tells the story of an oversexed scholar who isn't happy with his love life with his huge-breasted wife. After he sleeps with different women, he decides to get a penis transplant--from a horse! His life then becomes a series of wild and raucous encounters that take eroticism--and comedy--to new levels. Lawrence Ng and Amy Yip star. 99 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: Cantonese Dolby Digital mono, English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; theatrical trailers; interview. In Cantonese with English subtitles/Dubbed in English.

Dusan Makavejev: Free Radical
Three works from groundbreaking Yugoslavian filmmaker Dusan Makavejev are featured in this three-disc set. In his first feature, "Man Is Not a Bird" (1965), Makavejev delivers a remarkable romantic drama that chronicles the turbulent relationship that develops between a copper factory engineer and a hairdresser in a small mining town. Melina Dravic, Janez Vrhovec star. Next, "Love Affair, Or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator" (1967) is a darkly funny glimpse at sex and politics about a young operator who falls for a garbageman...at least, until a more desirable man catches her eye. With Eva Ras, Slobodan Aligrudic. And, "Innocence Unprotected" (1968) blends scenes from the first sound Serbian film, interviews 20 years later with the crew, and WWII newsreels, making for a funny and at times bitter collage of heroic strongmen, romantic melodramas, political repression, and more. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Serbian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English. In Serbian with English subtitles.

Futurama: The Complete Collection 1999-2009
Packaged in a collectible replica of Bender's head, this comprehensive 19-disc set includes all 72 episodes of the series as well as the feature-length movies "Bender's Big Score," "The Beast with a Billion Backs," "Bender's Game," and "Into the Wild Green Yonder."

Flashpoint: The First Season (2008)
All 13 episodes from season one are featured in a three-disc set. 8 hrs. total.

Pat Paulsen's Half A Comedy Hour: The Complete Series (1970)
Comedian (and perennial presidential candidate) Pat Paulsen graduated from "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" to star in his own satiric variety series. With an array of iconic '70s guest stars including Don Rickles, Angie Dickinson, Tom Smothers, Debbie Reynolds, Don Adams, Wilt Chamberlain, and others, Paulsen hilariously skewers up the issues and personalities of the day. All 13 episodes of the series are presented.

Scattergood Baines (1941)
Guy Kibbee plays the title role of the "cracker-barrel philosopher" who dispenses advice to the residents of the tiny New England village of Coldriver, in this first in a series of films based on the popular radio series. Here Scattergood saves his fortunes--and his town's--from some devious types. With Carol Hughes, John Archer.

Barefoot Boy (1938)
A wholesome youngster tries to teach a spoiled newcomer to the neighborhood a lesson before he and his pals accept him into his group. Will the presence of ghosts and crooks spoil this teachable moment? Memorable drama stars Jackie Moran, Marcia Mae Jones, and Bradley Metcalfe.

False Faces (1932)
An unscrupulous charity hospital surgeon's dark past eventually confronts him when his new employer discovers he had accepted illegal funds to perform an operation. Worse, the shady doc (now a plastic surgeon) has a habit of chasing the ladies. Medicine-themed melodrama stars Lowell Sherman, Peggy Shannon, and Nance O'Neil.

G.I. Honeymoon (1945)
When will Lt. Robert "Bob" Gordon (Peter Cookson) and Ann Gordon (Gale Storm) finally be able to make their marriage official? Whenever the U.S. Army gets out of the way! This wacky comedy follows the happy couple as one military mishap after another postpones their marital bliss. Arline Judge, Frank Jenks, and Jerome Cowan co-star.

Glamour Boy (1941)
Impressive blend of fiction and reality stars Jackie Cooper as a former child star whose inability to find success with adult roles forces him to take a job as a soda jerk. After learning that producers are planning on remaking his film "Skippy" as a vehicle for a young quiz show star, Jackie jumps on the opportunity to coach the kid with hopes of making his own star shine again. With Susanna Foster, Walter Abel, Darryl Hickman.

Honeychile (1951)
Some six-shootin' snickers are on tap in this vintage Western comedy starring Judy Canova and Eddie Foy, Jr. Songwriter Canova discovers that the tune she spirited off to a hotshot composer has been published under another name and is fast becoming a smash hit, so she decides to play hardball when music agent Foy shows up at her doorstep, contract in hand. Alan Hale, Jr., Gus Schilling co-star.

For details and availability of more of this week’s new releases, click here