New DVD Releases: Week of 2-22-10

02.22.10 | Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post

New DVD Releases for this week include two very different supernatural thrillers, The Box and Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. Also, a very fine remake of an Italian film, Everybody's Fine with a great ensamble cast, and John Hurt is back as Quentin Crisp in An Englishman In New York, a "sort of" sequel to The Naked Civil Servant. There are new TV series, including the complete first season of Nurse Jackie but it's the older entries that take the spotlight: George Bernard Shaw on Film includes three classic masterpieces from Shaw, who was both a Nobel Prize-winner and Oscar-winner. Along with these other older classic films is Make Way For Tomorrow, a highly requested tearjerker from director Leo McCarey.

The Box (2009)
In 1976, a couple (Cameron Diaz and James Marsden) is given a box with a single button on it and are told that pushing it will earn them $1 million--but someone they don't know will die. Unable to resist, Diaz pushes the button, placing herself, Marsden, and their young son at the center of a bizarre supernatural conspiracy that holds their humanity--and their lives--in the balance. Frank Langella co-stars in director Richard Kelly's adaptation of Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button."

Sorority Row (2009)
The '80s chiller "The House on Sorority Row" gets a scary and sexy updating, as a plan to get back at one of their members' cheating boyfriend spins fatally out on control for the girls of Theta Pi. Several months later, a graduation gown-clad killer seeking revenge starts picking off the sisters. Briana Evigan, Audrina Partridge, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, and Carrie Fisher as the house mother star.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
The arrival in town of a mysterious traveling show of "human oddities" leads two teens (Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson) into an encounter with the supernatural--courtesy of bloodsucking ringmaster John C. Reilly--and on opposite sides of a centuries-old conflict between rival vampire sects. Based on Darren Shan's popular book series, this chilling mix of scares and laughs also stars Salma Hayek, Willem Dafoe, Jessica Carlson.

The Informant! (2009)
Matt Damon delivers a hilariously offbeat performance in Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of the true story of Mark Whitacre, a bipolar executive with a food processing conglomerate recruited by the FBI to act as an informant on a case involving the price-fixing of an additive called lysine. But Whitacre begins to crack under the pressure, resulting in his delusion that he's a secret agent and a series of fraudulent activities of his own. With Scott Bakula, Joel McHale; based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald.

Everybody's Fine (2009)
When his grown children all bail out of a planned visit, a recent widower (Robert De Niro) takes an impromptu trip to see each of them. But dropping in on his kids--a Vegas dancer (Drew Barrymore), a Chicago ad exec (Kate Beckinsale), and a classical musician (Sam Rockwell)--reveals some unexpected truths about all of their lives and brings a shocking family tragedy to light. Lucian Maisel, Damian Young co-star in this bittersweet drama based on a 1990 Italian film.

Motherhood (2009)
The highs--and lows--of 21st-century parenting are depicted through the harried life of Manhattan mother-of-two and blogger Uma Thurman, who must juggle her everyday hassles with trying to arrange her 6-year-old daughter's birthday party and finish writing an essay for a magazine contest. Insightful comedy also stars Anthony Edwards, Minnie Driver.

The Damned United (2009)
Michael Sheen ("Frost/Nixon") portrays British football (soccer) manager Brian Clough, who left the Derby County squad he led to victory to join Leeds United A.F.C., the team's rival organization. The next 44 days in 1974 prove decisive in Clough's career as he cruelly berates his new players and oversees their rapid downfall to the outrage and puzzlement of the public. Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent co-star.

An Englishman In New York (2009)
Continuing to "suffer ignorance and smile," gay icon Quentin Crisp (John Hurt) becomes the toast of New York City, moving from London to Manhattan in the early 1980s. This quasi-sequel to the 1975 film "The Naked Civil Servant" allows Hurt (who reprises the role that gained him fame and acclaim) to expand upon his portrait of the controversial wit, as Crisp's public profile is managed by a new agent (Swoosie Kurtz). With Denis O'Hare, Cynthia Nixon.

Wrong Side Of Town (2010)
Ex-Navy SEAL Bobby Kalinowski (pro wrestler Rob Van Dam) is forced to use his lethal skills to defend his wife from an assault by a shady nightclub owner and kills her attacker. When the dead man's brother puts a death warrant on Bobby that sends corrupt cops and every crook in town after him, he'll need to make amends with an estranged comrade (fellow grappler Dave Bautista) if he hopes to survive the next bloody battle. Stormy Daniels, Ja Rule co-star.

Open Graves (2009)
After a graduate student and part-time surfer (Mike Vogel) studying in Spain comes across an ancient board game, he hooks up with a hot fellow surfer (Eliza Dushku) and meets friends at an alcohol-fueled party. They proceed to play the game, not realizing that its grisly history (dating back to the Inquisition) has carried forward a terrible curse on those who lose! Imaginative shocker co-stars Lilliam Kouri, Alex O'Dogherty.

The September Issue (2009)
Managing any successful magazine--let alone the renowned Vogue's mammoth annual September issue--requires taste, talent, and conviction. This behind-the-scenes documentary profiles Vogue editor-in-chief (and fashion guru) Anna Wintour as she embarks on a whirlwind mission to root out the very best from top clothing designers, oversee elaborate photo shoots, and assemble the hugely influential publication.

The Beaches Of Agnes (2008)
Octogenarian writer/director Agnes Varda ("The Gleaners and I") delivers a spellbinding autobiographical "collage" on film that relates the highlights of her life and career through a chronicle of the friends and family members who influenced her most. Of particular note is her relationship with husband and fellow filmmaker Jacques Demy, who passed away in 1990 at age 59.

The End Of The Line (2009)
Is it possible we will one day live on a planet with no fish in the oceans? This challenging documentary suggests that disconcerting future could be closer than we think, if important steps are not taken to prevent mass extinctions. The film examines the growing shortage of bluefin tuna, the overpopulation of jellyfish, and the global warning signs that lead scientists and fishermen alike to sound the alarm.

Dead Snow (2009)
Planning to ski, drink, and get friendly in a Norwegian resort town, some young vacationers accidentally stir up the living dead when they take possession of jewelry and coins coveted by an army of zombie Nazis long frozen in the ground. The gruesome goose-steppers rise from their icy graves and start doing what the walking dead do best in this gory, campy shocker from Norway! Vegar Hoel, Charlotte Frogner, and Stig Frode Henriksen star.

Flame And Citron (Flammen & Citronen) (2008)
Set during World War II, this bracing drama follows the story of two Danish men fighting on behalf of the Resistance in Copenhagen. While the scarlet-maned Flammen (Thure Lindhardt) finds an increasing capacity to kill with reckless abandon, Citronen (Mads Mikkelsen) suffers from the growing dread that their assassinations could soon come to an end with their own deaths. With Stine Stengade, Christian Berkel.

George Bernard Shaw On Film
George Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara" (1941) offers a pointed look at capitalism and social "do-gooders," starring Rex Harrison as a teacher smitten with heiress-turned-Salvation Army worker Wendy Hiller. Robert Morley co-stars as Hiller's father, owner of a munitions factory and target of his daughter's anti-business crusades. With Deborah Kerr, Robert Newton. Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh are "Caesar and Cleopatra" (1945) in an epic adaptation of Shaw's witty look at life in Ancient Egypt, politics, and the romance between the stalwart Roman commander and the seductive Queen of the Nile. With Flora Robson, Stewart Granger, Ernest Thesiger; co-scripted by Shaw. Travel back to Ancient Rome in "Androcles and the Lion" (1952), the filmed adaptation of Shaw's classic fable of a stalwart slave who removes a thorn from a lion's paw and gains a friend. But will their friendship carry them through a bout at the Colosseum? Alan Young, Jean Simmons, and Victor Mature star.

Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
This classic melodrama from director Leo McCarey tells the heart-tugging story of an elderly couple (Victor Moore, Beulah Bondi) who are forced to live apart when the bank forecloses on their home. While their grown children treat them as a burden, Moore and Bondi continue to express their profound love for each other. With Thomas Mitchell, Fay Bainter. (This film served as an inspiration for Yasujiro Ozu's classic character study "Tokyo Story,")

Howards End (Criterion Collection) (1992)
This magnificent adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel from producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory concerns the loves and class struggles of two families in England in 1910. Academy Award-winner Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter are middle-class sisters whose lives become entwined with an aristocratic clan headed by Anthony Hopkins and Vanessa Redgrave. This version from the Criterion Collection includes many extras not previously available on DVD.

Breakdown (1952)/Eye Witness (1950) First, an ex-convict (William Bishop) framed for a crime he didn't commit enters the ropes for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, also falling in love with the niece of the judge who sentenced him, and finding himself face to face with someone who could prove his innocence. The hard-hitting noir "Breakdown" co-stars Ann Richards, Sheldon Leonard. Next, can a New York attorney (director Robert Montgomery) find the crucial "Eye Witness" to the crime his wartime friend (Michael Ripper) has been accused of committing? With Leslie Banks, Andrew Cruickshank. AKA: "Your Witness."

British Film Noir: Twilight Women (1952)/The Slasher (1953)
This pair of dark mysteries from "across the pond" opens with "Twilight Women," in which a singer left homeless after her boyfriend is arrested for murder winds up in a squalid boardinghouse for unwed mothers whose owner sells the babies to childless couples. Rene Ray, Laurence Harvey, Freda Jackson, Lois Maxwell star. AKA: "Women of Twilight." Next, James Kenney is a blackjack-wielding juvenile delinquent in post-WWII London who leads his gang into increasingly violent doings in the controversial drama "The Slasher." With Robert Ayres, Hermione Baddeley, and Joan Collins as Kenney's girlfriend. AKA: "Cosh Boy."

36 (36 Quai Des Orfevres) (2004)
Veteran French police officers Vrinks (Daniel Auteuil) and Klein (Gerard Depardieu) pursue the capture of a notorious criminal gang, each aware that success would bring a big promotion to the cop responsible for the collar. Their rivalry quickly becomes fierce and dangerous in this riveting crime film reminiscent of Michael Mann's "Heat." Valeria Golino, Roschdy Zem co-star.

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths (2010)
When a heroic Lex Luthor from a parallel universe seeks help in freeing his Earth from a sinister superpowered cabal known as the Crime Syndicate, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League will battle to save two worlds from their own evil counterparts. Based on a graphic novel, this feature-length animated tale includes the voices of William Baldwin, Mark Harmon, Chris Noth, and Gina Torres.

Nurse Jackie: Season One (2009)
Edie Falco stars in this darkly funny Showtime series about Jackie Peyton, an ER nurse at a busy New York City hospital. Strong-willed and not above breaking rules (or self-medicating as the need arises), Jackie juggles her fast-paced job with her sometimes equally hectic personal life. Eve Best, Merritt Weaver, Peter Facinelli, Haaz Sleiman, Paul Schulze also star. All 12 episodes from the first season are featured in a three-disc set.

Flash Forward: Season One, Part 1 (2009)
When everyone on Earth experiences a simultaneous 137 second-long loss of consciousness, they are each given a glimpse of their lives six months into the future. As a team of FBI agents races to find out what caused the mass global blackout, each person on the planet must struggle with what they saw--or didn't see. Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Sonya Walger, Jack Davenport, Courtney B. Vance star in this inventive ABC series. The first 10 episodes from season one are featured in a two-disc set (7 hours total).

Beyond Sherwood Forest (2009)
The legendary archer and thief enters the realm of fantasy in this thrilling Syfy original movie. When the Sheriff of Nottingham summons a dragon from another world to attack the Merrie Men and capture Maid Marian, Robin Hood finds himself facing his deadliest foe ever, as he takes aim at the winged monster. Robin Dunne, Erica Durance, Katharine Isabelle, David Richmond-Peck, and Julian Sands star.

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