This week sees a variety of great new releases. Amongst the highlights are a boxed set showcasing film noir classics, a timeless French drama from Luis Bunuel, some notable TV season sets, and much, much more.
What great new releases will you want to be checking out in the week ahead? Read on and find out!
Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics III
First, in “My Name Is Julia Ross” (1945), Nina Foch is an unemployed secretary whose quest for work leads her to a wealthy widow. After getting hired to help the woman, she is thrust into a strange world of murder and mistaken identity. With Dame May Whitty, George Macready. Next, Broderick Crawford is a New Orleans police detective who goes undercover to stop “The Mob” (1951). Betty Buehler, Richard Kiley, Ernest Borgnine co-star. A cast-against-type Ginger Rogers shines as an uncooperative witness in a criminal case whose association with gangsters puts her in a “Tight Spot” (1955). With Edward G. Robinson, Brian Keith. Then, a shot-in-Philadelphia adaptation of David Goodis’ “The Burglar” (1957) has jewel thief Dan Duryea planning one final heist with the help of accomplices Jayne Mansfield, Mickey Shaughnessy, and Peter Capell. Lastly, in “Drive A Crooked Road” (1964), Mickey Rooney is a race car enthusiast who is blackmailed into driving the getaway car during a bank robbery. Dianne Foster, Kevin McCarthy co-star.
“Twilight” heartthrob Taylor Lautner stars in director John Singleton‘s exciting actioner about a teenager who learns that his entire life has been a lie. After seeing a picture of himself as a child on a website devoted to missing kids, Nathan Harper’s (Lautner) quest to find the truth thrusts him into a world of danger and intrigue, unsure of whom to trust as he’s caught up in a deadly battle between CIA agents and Russian terrorists. Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, and Sigourney Weaver also star.
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star
Nick Swardson stars in this charmingly lowbrow comedy (co-written by Swardson, Adam Sandler, and Allen Covert) as Bucky Larson, an Iowa rube with a bowl cut and buckteeth who learns that his parents are former porn stars. Believing this makes him destined for greatness, Bucky moves to Hollywood to make it big in adult movies. Despite a lack of “talent,” he still inadvertently becomes a media sensation. Christina Ricci, Don Johnson, and Stephen Dorff co-star.
Ryan Gosling stars in this tense political thriller as a talented, optimistic staffer campaigning for a Democratic presidential candidate (George Clooney) who becomes immersed in the twisted world of dirty politics when the manager (Paul Giamatti) of a rival tries to enlist his aid, leading to a jumble of deceit and vengeance. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood co-star; directed and co-written by Clooney. Watch Movie Irv review The Ides Of March.
All 24 episodes from the sixth season–including “Harbor Division,” “Foothill Division: Mac’s Boots,” “Training Division: The Rookie,” “Taking It Easy,” and “Clinic on 18th St.”–are featured in a four-disc set.
How have the “Independent Woman,” “Man of the House,” and “The Crusader” evolved throughout TV history? This three-part documentary program from public television explores how these character archetypes–established in series such as “I Love Lucy,” “Father Knows Best,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Cosby Show,” “Sex and the City,” and “24,” among many others–have remained popular and important icons of American culture.
This classic French drama from Luis Bunuel, based on the 1928 novel of the same name, stars Catherine Deneuve as the bourgeois wife of a surgeon who seeks a way out of her dull life through kinky fantasies and by becoming a prostitute at a local brothel. Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, and, Genevieve Page co-star.
Gleek out, “Glee” fans: Here’s a collection of highlights from the hit show’s first season, containing your favorite musical numbers! The compilation includes the director’s cut of the pilot episode, plus the numbers “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Defying Gravity,” “True Colors,” “Like a Prayer,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” “Somebody to Love,” “Don’t Stop Believing,” and more.
Director Cary Fukunaga presents this lavish version of Charlotte Bronte’s classic tale. After surviving her harsh childhood, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) finds happiness when she becomes the governess at the Thornfield Hall estate. But when she falls for her enigmatic employer, Rochester (Michael Fassbender), her world suddenly becomes much more complicated. With Jamie Bell, Su Elliott, Sally Hawkins.
Law & Order: Los Angeles: The Complete Series
Airing on NBC in 2010-11, this spin-off follows a group of detectives from the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division as they investigate high-profile crimes in the City of Angels. Working with Deputy District Attorney Jonah “Joe” Dekker (Terence Howard), such dedicated crime fighters as self-doubting detective Ricardo Morales (Alfred Molina), A.D.A. Connie Rubirosa (Alana de la Garza), and Tomas “TJ” Jaruszalski (Corey Stoll) attempt to clean up L.A.’s mean streets. With Skeet Ulrich, Rachel Ticotin, Regina Hall.
Les Miserables: 25th Anniversary
To honor the 25th anniversary of the award-winning musical, this staging of “Les Miz” brings together over 500 artists and musicians for a stellar London production seen around the world. Among the members of the all-star cast are Alfie Boe (Jean Valjean), Nick Jonas (Marius), Lea Salonga (Fontaine), Jenny Galloway (Madame Thenardier), Camilla Kerslake (Cosette), and Norm Lewis (Javert).
Now married and the father of twins, neurotic nurse Ben Stiller has finally won over father-in-law Robert De Niro. Or has he? As De Niro gears up to appoint a new family patriarch to succeed him, Stiller will have to demonstrate that he’s worthy of the job by becoming financially stable, getting his kids into a good school, and proving that he’s not having an affair with sexy pharmaceutical rep Jessica Alba.Teri Polo, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand also star in the riotous third entry in the comedy series.
The remaining 13 episodes from the first season–including “Pokemon Park/WWER,” “The Buzz Identity/Two and a Half Men,” “Are You Karate Kidding Me/Fresh Prawn of Bel Air,” “The Social Netjerk/Smallville: Turn Off the Clark,” and “Force Code/Flammable”–are featured on this disc.
Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Eleventh Season
All 21 episodes from season 11–including “Nest of Vipers,” “Death in Hawaii,” “An Egg to Die For,” “The Dream Team,” and “Game, Set, Murder”–are featured in a five-disc set.
Murder, She Wrote: The Complete Twelfth Season
All 24 episodes from the final season–including “Nailed,” the two-part “Nan’s Ghost,” “Frozen Stiff,” “Mrs. Parker’s Revenge,” and “Death by Demographics”–are featured in a five-disc set.
A scuba-diving expedition in New Guinea goes terribly wrong when disaster strikes the team inside a claustrophobic maze of caves. Can the leader (Richard Roxburgh) keep his wits about him in the perilous darkness and get those remaining alive back to the surface? Co-produced by James Cameron and based on a true story, this gripping undersea thriller co-stars Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd, and Alice Parkinson.
Silders: The Fifth and Final Season
All 18 episodes from season five–including “The Unstuck Man,” “A Current Affair,” “The Return of Maggie Beckett,” “Heavy Metal,” and the series finale “The Seer”–are collected in a four-disc set.
Christopher McDonald jumps into Robert De Niro’s shoes, playing bounty hunter Jack Walsh in “Another Midnight Run” (1994), the made-for-TV sequel to the 1988 action comedy. Here, Walsh is offered a hefty sum to retrieve two notorious con artists skilled at remaining one step ahead of their foes. With Julie Lott, Dan Hedaya. Walsh (McDonald) next gets the “Midnight Runaround” (1994) in a small Oklahoma town when he finds organized resistance to his capturing a bail-jumper. Kyle Secor, Ed O’Neill co-star. “Midnight Run For Your Life” (1994) places Walsh in Mexico, where he tries to escort a beautiful murder suspect back to America while being hunted by the police and the mob. With McDonald, Melora Walters, and Millie Perkins. Two-disc set also includes “Midnight Run.”
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.