From a riveting true story to a Soviet film classic, this week’s new releases span the scope of cinema — showcasing the diverse and wonderful world of film. Take a look at what DVDs and Blu-rays are now available.
In 1971, the Washington Post got a hold of the Pentagon Papers, the classified government study that detailed the true scope–and likelihood of success–of America’s involvement in Vietnam. Publisher Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep) and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) made the wrenching call to bring the story to public light…and face a possibly ruinous court battle over the documents’ suppression. Steven Spielberg’s compelling take on a free press’s defining hour co-stars Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Sarah Paulson, Allison Brie.
During his train ride home after being fired from his current job as an insurance salesman, ex-cop Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson) meets a mysterious woman (Vera Farmiga) who offers him $100,000 to plant a tracker on one of the other passengers. Michael is quickly pulled into a dangerous and complex conspiracy as his life–and the lives of his wife (Elizabeth McGovern) and son (Dean-Charles Chapman)–hang in the balance. Patrick Wilson and Sam Neill also star in this taut thriller.
Producers Kanye West and Damon Dash present this explosive saga of life on the streets, where a gangster’s survival depends on maintaining the code of honor – and keeping his mouth shut. A drug lord’s lieutenant struggles to protect his crime family and his own honor after a shootout. With Dash, Cam’ron.
Gas station mechanic Bobby (Paul Le Mat) and cashier/single mom Rose (Dianne Hull) meet and are instantly attracted to each other. But a convenience store prank leads to an accidental shooting and forces the pair to hit the road in a ’68 Camaro as fugitives. Writer/director Floyd Mutrux’s winning indie drama also features Robert Carradine, Noble Willingham; look for a young Edward James Olmos.
Snappy romantic farce features Dolly Parton as Shirlee Kenyon, a loquacious country gal who mistakenly becomes a pop psychologist on a Chicago radio station where her homespun advice makes her a huge success. Newspaper reporter Jack Russell (James Woods) investigates “Dr. Shirlee’s” phony background, but rather than write an exposé of her past, he begins to fall in love with her. Griffin Dunne and Jerry Orbach co-star.
A junior high student is told by his parents he must attend computer camp, but he has a better idea: He and his pals create their own summer resort, a former hippie commune where no rules apply. Hiring a wigged-out ex-drama teacher as their head counselor, the kids embark on an amazingly fun-filled adventure. Christopher Lloyd, Jonathan Jackson, Burgess Meredith, M. Emmet Walsh, Peter Scolari, and Jessica Alba (in her feature film debut) star in this comedy for the whole family.
The Color of Pomegranates (Criterion Collection)
Censored by Soviet officials upon release, writer/director Sergei Paradjanov’s lavish and visually stunning masterpiece paints a portrait of 18th-century Armenian poet and musician Sayat-Nova. Using a series of tableaux and poems to tell the story of the artist’s incredible life–from his youth as a carpet weaver’s apprentice to archbishop to martyr–Paradjanov created a film that is repeatedly included among the greatest ever made. Stars Sofiko Chiaureli, Vilen Galstyan. AKA: “Red Pomegranate,” “Sayat Nova.”
Let us know which of these you’ll be watching