11.30.09 | Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post
New DVD Releases for this week include Terminator Salvation, Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian and Deadline along with other theatrical newcomers, plus Brendan Gleeson is back as Winston Churchill in Into The Storm. Also available for the first time on DVD is a fine holiday classic from 1940, Remember The Night with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, presented in glorious black and white.
 |
 |
 |
Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian (2009)
In this sensational sequel, ex-museum security guard Ben Stiller is called back into service when several of his former charges--exhibits who come to life after dark--are shipped from New York to Washington to be placed in storage. Aided and hindered by such historical figures as Teddy Roosevelt, Octavius, an evil pharaoh, and aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Stiller tries to keep them from being mothballed. With Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Set in a post-apocalyptic 2018, the fourth entry in the sci-fi saga finds resistance leader John Connor (Christian Bale) forming an uneasy alliance with Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a Terminator who believes he's human. Together, they must disable the robot-run Skynet's defense systems and rescue a young Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), the man who will one day become John's father. With Bryce Dallas Howard, Moon Bloodgood, Common, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Paper Heart (2009)
Actors Charlyne Yi ("Knocked Up") and Michael Cera ("Superbad") play themselves in this enchanting blend of fact and fiction, the story of Yi pursuing the truth about love while working on a project with filmmaker Nicholas Jasenovec (played by Jake M. Johnson). When Yi meets Cera, considerable sparks fly between them and they pursue some answers about love together. With Seth Rogen, Derek Waters.
Deadline (2009)
A screenwriter (Brittany Murphy) retreats to a large, remote house in the countryside hoping to finish her latest project in peace. The cavernous Victorian home, however, appears to come alive with ghosts, leading the troubled writer to find hidden videotapes of a couple (Thora Birch, Marc Blucas) with a frightening history. Atmospheric chiller co-stars Tammy Blanchard.
Remember The Night (1940)
Breezy mix of comedy, drama, and romance stars Barbara Stanwyck as a woman picked up in New York for shoplifting right before Christmas. No-nonsense D.A. Fred MacMurray agrees to have fellow Hoosier Stanwyck released in his custody so they can go home to Indiana for the holidays, and love blooms along the way. With Beulah Bondi, Sterling Holloway, Willard Robertson; scripted by Preston Sturges.
Live! (2007)
Nervy television executive Eva Mendes--perhaps channeling the memory of "Network" and Faye Dunaway--makes a bold pitch to her bosses to launch a live reality program centered around contestants playing Russian roulette. The bigwigs bite, and soon six desperate citizens have been lined up to risk everything for a tidy payday. Showbiz satire co-stars David Krumholtz, Jay Hernandez.
A Christmas Tale (Un Conte De Noel) (2008)
The holiday season is grim for Junon Vuillard (Catherine Deneuve), diagnosed with leukemia and awaiting word for the match she needs for a critical bone marrow transplant. Attending the family's traditional Christmas reunion, Junon finds herself at the center of an emotionally dysfunctional storm involving her four grown children. Uncompromising, sometimes darkly comic, French drama co-stars Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny.
Ride Around The World (2005)
Originally made for IMAX exhibition, this stunning film revisits the chronicle of the cowboy all over the world. From the Argentine countryside to a renowned American ranch, the sweeping film takes viewers on an epic, 12,000-year gallop through history on horseback.
2 Turntables And A Microphone: The Life And Death Of Jam Master Jay (2008)
On October 20, 2002, Run-D.M.C. DJ Jam Master Jay was killed in a recording studio in Queens, New York. The unsolved murder of the hip-hop legend is the focus of this thought-provoking documentary. Through a look at Jay's rise to rap superstardom, an exploration of possible motives for his killing, and interviews with Jay-Z, Russell Simmons, and others, this film examines the too-brief life of a true original.
Into The Storm (2009)
Brendan Gleeson takes over the role of Winston Churchill in this superb follow-up to 2001's "The Gathering Storm." While on holiday in France with his wife Clemmie (Janet McTeer) following the end of the Second World War, Churchill looks back on some of his career's defining moments--and the adverse effects they may have had on his marriage. James D'Arcy, Iain Glen co-star.
Mental: The Complete First Season (2009)
British psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance) takes a job as Director of Mental Health services at L.A.'s Wharton Memorial Hospital, where his unorthodox methods of delving into his patients' heads put him at constant odds with hospital administrator Nora Skoff (Annabella Sciorra), with whom Gallagher shares a complicated romantic past. Derek Webster, Jacqueline McKenzie, Marisa Ramirez, Nicholas Gonzalez co-star in this offbeat medical drama. All 13 episodes from the debut season are featured in a four-disc set.
Better Off Ted: The Complete First Season (2009)
From the creators of the underrated "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" comes this quirky sitcom that follows Ted Crisp (Jay Harrington), the head of research and development at the slightly unscrupulous conglomerate Veridian Dynamics. As the company dabbles in everything from cryogenics to perfume to cowless meat, Ted tries to maintain his morality while raising his young daughter (Isabella Acres) all by himself. With Portia de Rossi, Andrea Anders, Jonathan Slavin, Malcolm Barrett. All 13 first-season episodes are featured in a two-disc set.
For details and availability of more of this week’s new releases, click here
