10.03.09 | Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post
New DVD Releases for this week include "Year One" and other theatrical newcomers, along with the Ally McBeal TV series and some obscure vintage favorites including a classic episode from the Playhouse 90 dramatic series, with very unusual casting. Find Buster Keaton, Charles Bronson and Chico Marx in the same TV movie!
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Year One (2009)
Travel back to history's beginnings with this comic romp that follows a primitive hunter (Jack Black) and his gatherer pal (Michael Cera) who both seem to speak in modern lingo. Banished from their village, the duo embarks on what may be the very first road trip, crossing paths with such Biblical luminaries as Cain (David Cross), Abel (an uncredited Paul Rudd), Abraham (Hank Azaria), and Isaac (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) along the way. With Oliver Platt, Olivia Wilde; co-written and directed by Harold Ramis.
Dance Flick (Unrated & Outrageous) (2009)
From the minds behind "Scary Movie" comes this outrageous spoof of "Fame," "Flashdance," "High School Musical," and other terpsichorean treats. Dreaming of becoming a ballet star, suburbanite Megan is forced to attend an inner-city high school. But when she meets a hip-hop dancer from the wrong side of the tracks and makes some new friends, she vows to show off her movement skills. Shoshana Bush, Damon Wayans, Jr., Essence Atkins star. Includes both the original theatrical and unrated versions.
My Life In Ruins (2009)
Nia Vardalos ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") stars in this whimsical rom-com, portraying a tour guide working in Athens continually beset by tourists with the worst social graces. Suddenly, along comes Irv (Richard Dreyfuss), a widower with such optimism and a gift for gab that Vardalos is compelled to re-evaluate the circumstances of her own life and her own chances for finding new love. With Alexis Georgoulis, Rachel Dratch.
Trick 'r Treat (2008)
It's Halloween night, and a small suburban town is about to learn a frightening lesson--through five interconnected stories--that it's best not to tamper with the holiday's rituals. What happens when a jack-o'-lantern is put out before midnight? Is it always best to satisfy trick or treaters? Can pranks on All Hallows' Eve go too far? Find out this and more with Anna Paquin, Leslie Bibb, Dylan Baker, and Brian Cox.
Anvil: The Story Of Anvil (2008)
Similarities to "This Is Spinal Tap" notwithstanding, this acclaimed, heartfelt documentary tells the remarkable true story of the would-be heavy metal gods of Anvil. Influencing an entire generation of hard rock bands despite never achieving success themselves, singer/guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner let the cameras capture their last-ditch stab at the fame they've sought since they were 14. Features appearances by Lars Ulrich, Slash, Scott Ian, Lemmy, and more.
Not Quite Hollywood (2008)
Chock full of gore, nudity, and action, this rambunctious review of Australian exploitation fare of the 1970s and '80s is a wild documentary for the adventurous film fan. Outrageous, often depravity-fueled flicks such as "Mad Max," "Razorback," "Alvin Purple," "Turkey Shoot," "The Man from Hong Kong," "Picnic at Hanging Rock," and many others are spotlighted, along with revealing interviews with actors, writers, and directors.
100 Feet (2008)
Written and directed by "The Hitcher" scribe Eric Red, this scare-packed horror tale stars Famke Janssen as a woman who kills her abusive husband in self-defense. Sentenced to house arrest for causing the death, she suddenly finds herself fighting her late spouse's enraged and violent ghost. With Bobby Cannavale, Ed Westwick, Michael Pare.
It's Alive (2008)
Born unto a horror-hungry moviegoing public, this remake of the 1974 shocker finds a pregnant young woman (Bijou Phillips) abandoning her graduate studies to deliver her child in the remote countryside. She and the baby's father soon come to suspect that the "terrible twos" may have arrived a little earlier than usual when a bizarre series of deaths appears related to..."it." James Murray, Owen Teale co-star.
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (Plush Gift Set) (1937)
The first feature-length cartoon from Walt Disney remains a masterpiece of animation to this day. Follow beautiful Snow White as she flees the clutches of her evil stepmother and finds refuge in the cottage of the Seven Dwarfs. (Remember them all? Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.) Songs include "Heigh Ho," "Someday My Prince Will Come," "Whistle While You Work." Along with plush toys of all seven dwarf s and the many other extras packaged with this 3-Disc set, both DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film are included.
TCM Spotlight: Esther Williams, Vol. 2
First, "Thrill of a Romance" (1945) stars Esther Williams as a swimming newlywed who does a backstroke over Army Air Corps hero Van Johnson--complicating her new nuptials. With Henry Travers, Lauritz Melchior. Next, "Fiesta" (1947) has Williams posing as her matador brother in order to save her family's name. Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse co-star. "This Time for Keeps" (1947) features Esther as a bathing-suited performer who catches the eye of an opera singer's son. Melchior, Jimmy Durante, Johnnie Johnston co-star. In "Pagan Love Song" (1950), Howard Keel shines as a teacher in Tahiti who falls for Williams--mistakenly believing that she is an island native. Rita Moreno co-stars. Then, "Million Dollar Mermaid" (1952) is an enjoyable biopic of 1890s swimming great Annette Kellerman, with Williams, Victor Mature, Walter Pidgeon. Lastly, "Easy to Love" (1953) focuses on secretary Esther's attempts to make boss Van Johnson notice her. With Tony Martin, John Bromfield. 10 hrs. total on six discs.
Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics
First, in "The Walking Dead" (1936), Boris Karloff stars as a man who is framed for murder and executed. Thanks to a doctor's experimental procedure he is brought back to life--with terrifying results! Ricardo Cortez, Edmund Gwenn co-star. Then in "You'll Find Out" (1940), Kay Kyser encounters thrills, chills, and laughs when he and his band are hired to play an heiress's birthday party at a creepy old mansion. With Karloff, Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, and Helen Parrish. AKA: "Here Come the Boogie Men." Next, the comedy "Zombies on Broadway" (1945) follows Wally Brown and Alan Carney as they travel to the Caribbean to find undead performers for their nightclub act. Lugosi, Anne Jeffreys, Sheldon Leonard co-star. Lastly, "Frankenstein 1970" (1958) follows the scarred Baron Frankenstein (Karloff) as he follows in his infamous grandfather's footsteps--much to the dismay of an American TV crew filming him. With Don "Red" Barry, Jana Lund. 5 1/2 hrs. total on two discs.
Chinatown (Paramount Centennial Collection) (1974)
Roman Polanski's marvelous blend of '40s "noir" mystery and modern sexual tensions stars Jack Nicholson as Jake Gittes, the L.A. gumshoe involved in a case of shady business dealings and corrupt politics who sticks his nose where it doesn't belong one time too many. Faye Dunaway, John Huston, John Hillerman co-star. 130 min.
Marlene (1984)
Using film and concert clips and newsreel footage, director Maximilian Schell has created a stunning portrait of Marlene Dietrich: the woman, the star, and the legend. An audio interview runs through the documentary (Dietrich refused to appear in the film, saying "I've been photographed to death").
The Gate (Monstrous Special Edition)(1987)
When an old tree is removed from the ground in a suburban backyard, some young friends accidentally stumble upon a portal to Hell. But after a horde of sinister--and tiny--demons emerges from the hole, they set their sights on taking over the Earth. Now, the three pals must band together to save the world. Fondly remembered 1980s horror flick stars Stephen Dorff, Louis Tripp, Christa Denton.
Audition (2-Disc Collector's Edition) (2000)
Extreme drama from rebel Japanese director Takashi Miike tells of Aoyama, a lonely widower owner of a video production company, who joins forces with his friend to stage a phony film audition in order to find a second wife. Aoyama's choice is Asami, a beautiful ballet dancer, but their relationship turns from blissful to bizarre when Asami unleashes her sado-masochistic side through a series of torturous sessions with the unsuspecting Aoyama. Ryo Ishibashi and Jun Kunimura star in this not-for-the-squeamish tale.
Ally McBeal: The Complete Series
The Emmy-winning series that ran on TV from 1997 to 2002 about the feisty Boston lawyer who wears her skirts short and her heart on her sleeve stars Calista Flockhart as Ally, a single woman looking for perfect love in an imperfect world. Gil Bellows, Lisa Nicole Carson, Greg Germann, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Portia de Rossi, Peter MacNicol, Jane Krakowski, and Lucy Liu also star in this critically acclaimed comedy/drama. All 112 episodes of the series are collected in a 32-disc set.
Playhouse 90: No Time At All (1959)
A sort-of "Airport" of its time, this production tells of a stricken airliner that must make its way through the heaviest air traffic in the world without lights and radio. Among the cast members are William Lundigan, Jane Greer, Betsy Palmer, Keenan Wynn, Charles Bronson, Jack Haley, Buster Keaton, Chico Marx, and Sylvia Sidney.
Stunt Pilot (1939)
Tailspin Tommy and his sky-bound friends zoom off to Hollywood to be in pictures, but land in the soup when, during a dogfight scene, a fellow stunt pilot is killed after someone exchanges live ammo for blanks in Tommy's Tommy gun. Top-flight entertainment stars John Trent and Milburn Stone.
The Madame Gambles (1951)
Madcap British farce about Madame Louise, an elderly Mayfair boutique owner who's just lost her shop to a shady bookie named Charlie Trout with a bad bet on the ponies, and her attempts to retrieve it after the new proprietor implements new "modernizing" techniques. Stars Richard Hearne, Hilda Bayley, and a very young Petula Clark.
If This Be Sin (1950)
Set on the Isle of Capri, this romantic drama stars Myrna Loy as a workaholic's wife whose flirtations attract an attractive younger man. Word of the relationship reaches Loy's husband and daughter, but she proves faithful by helping her husband when he falls ill. Peggy Cummins, Roger Livesey and Richard Greene also star.
Adam And Evalyn (1956)
Gambler Stewart Granger becomes guardian to homeless woman Jean Simmons and tells her he's a stockbroker and she's the daughter of one of his friends. While Granger lavishes Simmons with gifts, gowns and a glitzy lifestyle, his jealous brother becomes enamored of her. Edwin Styles, Raymond Young also star.
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