10.18.09 | Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post
New DVD Releases for this week include the mega-hit Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, The William Castle Film Collection, and Cheri, along with other theatrical newcomers, TV collections new to DVD and some vintage British movies including an early appearance by Ida Lupino.
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Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (2009)
When Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) discovers a shard from the AllSpark, the location of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership is imprinted in his mind. Now, Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots must protect Sam from a resurrected Megatron, who plans to use the Matrix so he and the ancient Transformer known as the Fallen can activate a device that will drain the sun of its energy. Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and John Turturro co-star in Michael Bay's blockbuster sequel.
Blood: The Last Vampire (2009)
Saya may look like an innocent teenage girl, but she's actually a 400-year-old half-vampire who hunts bloodsuckers for a shadowy government agency. While working to track down Onigen, the most powerful and highest-ranking of all vamps, Saya goes undercover in a military school where the well-established loner strikes up an unexpected friendship with a classmate. Live-action adaptation of the 2000 anime tale stars Gianna, Allison Miller, Liam Cunningham.
Cheri (2009)
Director Stephen Frears and scribe Christopher Hampton ("Dangerous Liaisons") craft a spellbinding drama with material taken from the early 20th-century "Cheri" novels by French author Colette. The film relates the saga of Cheri (Rupert Friend), a courtesan's son whose relationship with a much older prostitute (Michelle Pfeiffer) becomes stormy when his mother arranges a "more suitable" partner. With Kathy Bates, Felicity Jones.
Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead (2009)
What--another wrong turn?! You bet, and in this third installment of the brutal fright franchise, a band of healthy hikers falls prey to an evil clan of cannibals. Added to the (blood-drenched) mix are escaped convicts desperate to obtain their freedom after their bus crashes in the threatening wilderness. Tom Frederic, Janet Montgomery, and Tamer Hassan star.
Love N' Dancing (2009)
Kent (Billy Zane) has zero interest in attending dance lessons with fiancee Jessica (Amy Smart), so she goes to learn hot new steps on her own. Bad move, Kent, because Jessica finds some steamy chemistry with the swing dance master (Tom Malloy) acting as her instructor. Vivid romantic drama with passionate music and dancing co-stars Caroline Rhea, Rachel Dratch.
The Crew (2008)
In Liverpool, a veteran crime boss weary of life in the underworld decides to stage one final heist in order to raise the cash he'll need to start a legitimate business. But when the members of his crew start thinking only of themselves and the robbery goes wrong, he must utilize quick-thinking and his considerable criminal experience in order to survive. Scot Williams, Kenny Doughty, Rory McCann star.
The William Castle Film Collection
Gimmick king William Castle added a "Fear Break" before the climax of "Homicidal" (1961), a gender-bending horror tale about a woman who pays a hotel bellhop to marry her, then murders the justice of the peace before fleeing to a sinister mansion where she plots to gain a family inheritance. Jean Arless (aka actress Joan Marshall), Glenn Corbett star. Next, "Mr. Sardonicus" (1961) tells of a greedy 19th-century count whose face froze in a grotesque grimace after he defiled his father's grave to retrieve a winning lottery ticket. Guy Rolfe, Audrey Dalton, Ronald Lewis star. A mild-mannered college professor finds an ancient amulet that can make people move in slow motion, and when enemy spies learn about it, a hilarious chase ensues, in "Zotz!" (1962). Tom Poston, Julia Meade, Jim Backus, Margaret Dumont star. And, "The Old Dark House" (1963), Castle's spin on the J.B. Priestley novel, follows an American car salesman to a spooky old Welsh estate where the members of an eccentric family begin to get picked off one by one. Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott star. Five-disc set also includes "The Tingler," "13 Ghosts" (1960), "13 Frightened Girls!," and "Strait-Jacket" (1964).
Monsoon Wedding (Criterion Collection) (2001)
Director Mira Nair's spicy, lively blend of Hollywood culture clash comedy and Bollywood musical entertainment follows a large and diverse Punjabi Indian clan gathering for the arranged nuptials between TV producer Vasundhara Das, who is having an affair with her boss, and Texas-based emigrant Parvin Dabas. As family members assemble, storm clouds--in the literal sense as well as long-buried secrets--threaten to spoil the wedding. Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Vijay Raaz also star. 114 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi; Subtitles: English; audio commentary by Nair; "making of" documentary; interviews; bonus shorts "So Far from India" (1983), "India Cabaret" (1985), "The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat" (1993), "The Laughing Club of India" (2001), "11'09"01-September 11" (2002), "Migration" (2007), "How Can It Be?" (2008). Two-disc set.
Paris 1919 (2009)
Fusing archival footage and dramatic re-creations, this French-Canadian account of the 1919 peace conference that brought an end to World War I follows British prime minister David Lloyd George (Nicholas Hawtrey), French premier Georges Clemenceau (Jean-Gabriel Nordmann), and American president Woodrow Wilson (Yan Brian) as they hammer out tough negotiations involving the future map of the world. With David Lowe, Vincent Lo Monaco. Inspired by a Margaret MacMillan book.
Summer Storm (1944)
Based on Anton Chekhov's novel "The Shooting Party," this timeless drama stars Linda Darnell as a married Russian siren who desires a life of luxury. As her husband's boss pursues her, she sinks her hooks into a judge. But when her flirtations have unexpected consequences, tragedy soon follows. With George Sanders, Edward Everett Horton, Hugo Haas; directed by Douglas Sirk.
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008)
It was the studio that brought sound to the screen, survived the Depression thanks to chorus girls and gangsters, made Bugs Bunny a star, and let audiences believe a man can fly. Clint Eastwood narrates this nostalgia-filled retrospective that traces Warner Bros.' history through clips from "The Jazz Singer," "Little Caesar," "The Maltese Falcon," "East of Eden," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Dirty Harry," "The Exorcist," "Batman," the Matrix and Harry Potter films, and more. New and archive interviews with Warren Beatty, James Cagney, Alfred Hitchcock, Kim Hunter, Ronald Reagan, Martin Scorsese, and others are featured.
Dead Like Me: Life After Death (2009)
Picking up where the quirky Showtime series left off, this feature-length tale finds young reaper George Lass (Ellen Muth) clashing with new boss Cameron Kane (Henry Ian Cusick)--a greedy businessman with little interest in helping the dearly departed--while unexpectedly reconnecting with her sister Reggie (Britt McKillip). Callum Blue, Jasmine Guy, Sarah Wynter, Cynthia Stevenson also star.
It's Garry Shandling's Show.: The Complete Series
Garry Shandling's hilarious and innovative 1986-90 Showtime series ignored nearly every sitcom convention, frequently breaking the "fourth wall" and featuring characters who were aware they were part of a TV show. Shandling starred as a neurotic stand-up comic (so, pretty much himself), Molly Cheek was his platonic friend Nancy, and Michael Tucci, Bernadette Birkett, and Scott Nemes were the neighboring Schumachers. With Rob Reiner, Tom Petty, Gilda Radner, and more appearing as themselves. All 72 episodes of the series are featured in a 16-disc set.
Vega$: The First Season, Vol. 1 (1978)
This is the first half of Season One. Bart Braverman, Tony Curtis, Phyllis Davis, Judy Landers, Greg Morris, Will Sampson, Naomi Stevens, Robert Urich. 9 1/2 hrs. total on three discs.
Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection: Remastered
Monty Python's John Cleese was never in funnier fettle than as Basil Fawlty, the short-tempered, sardonic manager of a less-than-successful resort hotel, in this beloved BBC comedy. Connie Booth was Polly the maid; Andrew Sachs was Spanish handyman Manuel; and Prunella Scales was Basil's demanding wife, Sybil. All 12 episodes are featured in a three-disc set.
Child In The House (1956)
After her mother is incapacitated in the hospital, young Elizabeth (Mandy Miller) is sent to live with relatives lacking child-rearing experience. Tension over her temporary housing is raised even further when her father (Stanley Baker)--a disreputable man estranged from the family--reaches out to make contact. Phyllis Calvert, Eric Portman co-star.
Thursday's Child (1943)
At first merely observing her older sibling's acting ambitions, a young girl is discovered by chance while visiting Elstree Studios. A family torn apart is the subject of this incisive drama about a little girl's rise to film stardom and its detrimental effects upon those around her. Sally Ann Howes, Wilfrid Lawson, and Stewart Granger star.
Waterloo Road (1945)
A British soldier (John Mills) serving during World War II is informed via a letter from his sister that his wife (Joy Sheldon) has been unfaithful in his absence. Trusting the correspondence as true, the military man promptly goes AWOL in a bid to win back his beloved's heart. Stewart Granger, Alastair Sim co-star in this English drama.
Ladies In Retirement (1941)
After her insane sisters (Elsa Lanchester, Edith Barrett) are booted from their London flat, Ida Lupino comes to their rescue and persuades her employer to care for them on her expansive estate. When the sisters become too troublesome for Lupino's boss to handle, they are evicted once again, and their sane sibling begins to contemplate a mad act herself. Louis Hayward, Isobel Elsom co-star.
So Evil My Love (1948)
An unsuspecting widow (Ann Todd) returning to London from missionary work in Africa meets a roguish artist (Ray Milland) who takes up residence in her new lodging house. Soon, she gets sucked into one of the con man's unscrupulous schemes against her better judgment. Noir thriller set in the 19th century co-stars Geraldine Fitzgerald, Leo G. Carroll, and Raymond Huntley.
For details and availability of all of this week’s new releases, click here:
