06.06.11 | Chris Cummins | New Releases This WeekPrint this Post
Tags: Audie Murphy, Clark Gable, Jeff Bridges
This week is packed with classic films and TV series that are making their home video debut. Which isn't to say that there aren't some contemporary favorites being released as well, it's just that the vintage titles seem to be the focus. But hey, don't take my word for it. Keep on reading and see for yourself!
Audie Murphy Westerns Collection - Movies Unlimited Exclusive!
Audie Murphy starred with then-wife Wanda Hendrix in "Sierra" (1950), a rousing western with Murphy as the son of a falsely accused man and Hendrix as the lady lawyer determined to clear his dad's name. With Dean Jagger, Burl Ives, Tony Curtis. Murphy stars as a wagon freighter caught in the middle of a war brewing between an Indian tribe and a group of greedy white miners after their gold, in "Drums Across the River" (1953). Walter Brennan, Hugh O'Brian, Jay Silverheels also star. With the help of veteran gunslinger Dan Duryea, Murphy straps on the irons and sets out to avenge his father's and brother's murders at the hands of corrupt sheriff Paul Birch, in "Ride Clear of Diablo" (1954). With Susan Cabot, Abbe Lane, Russell Johnson. The action-packed oater "Ride a Crooked Trail" (1958) stars Murphy as a bank robber who assumes the identity of a famed U.S. marshal in order to evade capture. Gia Scala, Henry Silva, Walter Matthau co-star.
Joel and Ethan Coen's filming of the Charles Portis frontier novel follows no-nonsense 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) as she seeks the outlaw who gunned down her father. Joining Mattie on her perilous quest-for duty, or for the reward money, or both-are hard-drinking, one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon). Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper also star.
Breaking Bad: The Complete Third Season
A chemistry teacher (Bryan Cranston) diagnosed with a fatal illness has an unexpected epiphany, deciding to use the time he has left on Earth to become a successful dealer of crystal meth with the help of a student (Aaron Paul). The evolution of the terminal teacher's moral dilemmas and his changing relationships with his wife (Anna Gunn) and son (RJ Mitte) make for compelling comedy and drama in this AMC series. All 13 episodes from season three-including "No Mas," "Mas," "Sunset," "Kafkaesque," and "Full Measure"-are featured in a three-disc set.
Debuting on the USA Network in 2007, this smart dramedy series follows disgraced covert agent Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) as he tries to figure out why the government has fired him. Forced to return to his hometown of Miami, he uses his Special Ops training to help those in trouble while attempting to uncover the truth about his dismissal. With Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless. All 18 episodes from the fourth season-including "Friends and Enemies," "Made Man," "Center of the Storm," "Guilty as Charged," and "Last Stand"-are featured in a four-disc set.
Writer/director Mike Leigh's moving and comic drama follows a year in the life of long-married couple Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), who measure their contentment and happiness against the travails of family members and friends over the course of four seasons. In particular, they are drawn to Gerri's colleague Mary (Lesley Manville), a middle-aged singleton with a weakness for drink. Peter Wight, Imelda Staunton co-star.
Unseen since it was pulled from circulation in 1942, this classic film, based on a novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, concerns a South American air mail delivery service. As the company's risk-taking owner callously disregards safety concerns in order to make much-needed deliveries-including the transit of polio serum to Rio de Janeiro-the lives of his pilots hang in the balance. High-flying aviation drama stars John Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery, and Myrna Loy.
After being made police commissioner of San Francisco, former attorney Stewart McMillan (Rock Hudson) is aided in his fight against crime by his looney, mystery-loving wife Sally (Susan Saint James), their boozy housekeeper Mildred (Nancy Walker), and his bumbling, but well-meaning, right-hand man Sgt. Enright (John Schuck). The series, which was shown as part of "The NBC Mystery Movie," ran from 1971-1977 (its last season airing as "McMillan"). All seven second-season episodes-"The Night of the Wizard," "Blues for Sally M," "Cop of the Year," "Terror Times Two," "No Hearts, No Flowers," "The Fine Art of Staying Alive," and "Two Dollars on Trouble to Win"-are featured in a four-disc set.
MacMillan & Wife: Season Three
All six third-season episodes-"Death of a Monster...Birth of a Legend," "The Devil, You Say," "Free Fall to Terror," "The Man Without a Face," "Reunion in Terror," and "Cross & Double Cross"-are featured in a three-disc set.
Hopalong Cassidy: The Complete Television Series
The excitement and spirit of Hopalong Cassidy's popular "B" westerns were brought to the TV screen when William Boyd starred in his own series, which ran on NBC from 1949 to 1951. Dressed in black, Hoppy fought outlaws with help from sidekick Red Connors (Edgar Buchanan) and Topper, his horse.
Singing cowboy Gene Autry, in his starring screen debut, dukes it out with land rustlers and then must battle the technocratic warriors of an underground kingdom located beneath his Radio Ranch. Western/sci-fi serial smash-up, presented here in an authorized version from Gene Autry Entertainment, also stars Smiley Burnette, Frankie Darro, Betsy King Ross.
The Gene Autry Show: The Complete First Season
Western film great Gene Autry moseyed on over to the small screen for this 1950-55 series which saw him partake in all-new frontier adventures. Armed with gun, guitar, and the reins to his horse Champion, Gene battled the blackhats with help from sidekick Pat Buttram (occasionally spelled by Alan Hale, Jr., Fuzzy Knight, and Chill Wills). All 26 episodes from the debut season-including "Head for Texas," "The Silver Arrow," "The Poisoned Waterhole," and the color episodes "The Raiders" and "Double Barreled Vengeance"-are featured in a three-disc set.
A womanizing plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler) gets his loyal office manager (Jennifer Aniston) and her kids to pose as his family in order to convince his buxom and beautiful would-be girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker) that he's trapped in a loveless marriage. But an unexpected love triangle develops as Sandler and Aniston slowly begin to realize their feelings for each other. Breezy update of the stage play and film Cactus Flower also stars Nick Swardson, Dave Matthews, and Nicole Kidman.
For details and availability of more of this week's new releases, click here.
Here's a look at last week's DVD and Blu-ray releases.
