Get Smart - Season 1
by Norman Abbott (II)
from HBO Home Video
Alien Quadrilogy (Alien/ Aliens /Alien 3 /Alien Resurrection)
by James Cameron
from 20th Century Fox
The Alien Quadrilogy is a nine-disc boxed set devoted to the four Alien films. Although previously available on DVD as the Alien Legacy, here they have been repackaged with vastly more extras and with upgraded sound and picture. For anyone who hasn't been in hypersleep for the last 25 years, this series needs no introduction, though for the first time each film now comes in both original and "special edition" form.
Alien (1979) was so perfect it didn't need fixing, and Ridley Scott's 2003 director's cut is fiddling for the sake of fiddling. Watch it once, then return to the majestic, perfectly paced original. Conversely, the special edition of James Cameron's Aliens (1986) is the definitive version, though it's nice to finally have the theatrical cut on DVD for comparison. Most interesting is the alternative Alien 3 (1992). This isn't a "director's cut"--David Fincher refused to have any involvement with this release--but a 1991 work-print that runs 29 minutes longer than the theatrical version, and has now been restored, remastered, and finished off with (unfortunately) cheap new CGI. Still, it's truly fascinating, offering a different insight into a flawed masterpiece. The expanded opening is visually breathtaking, the central firestorm is much longer, and a subplot involving Paul McGann's character adds considerable depth to story. The ending is also subtly but significantly different. Alien: Resurrection (1997) always was a mess with a handful of brilliant scenes, and the special edition just makes it eight minutes longer.
The Alien Quadrilogy offers the first and fourth films with DTS soundtracks, the others having still fine Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation. All four films sound fantastic, with much low-level detail revealed for the first time. Each is anamorphically enhanced at the correct original aspect ratio, and the prints and transfers are superlative. Every film offers a commentary track that lends insight into the creative process--though the Scott-only commentary and isolated music score from the first Alien DVD release are missing here.
Each movie is complemented by a separate disc packed with hours of seriously detailed documentaries (all presented in full-screen with clips letterboxed), thousands of photos, production stills, and storyboards, giving a level of inside information for the dedicated buff only surpassed by the Lord of the Rings extended DVD sets. A ninth DVD compiles miscellaneous material, including an hourlong documentary and even all the extras from the old Alien laserdisc. "Exhaustive" hardly beings to describe the Alien Quadrilogy, a set that establishes the new DVD benchmark for retrospective releases and looks unlikely to be surpassed for some time. --Gary S. Dalkin
Four movies tracing Ripley's battle against a deadly alien.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: ALIEN QUADRILOGY
Title: ALIEN QUADRILOGY
Street Release Date: 10/17/2006
Genre: HORROR
Love's Unfolding Dream
by Harvey Frost
from 20th Century Fox
Based on the book from award-winning author Janette Oke comes the next chapter of the Love series and introduces audiences to the new generation when Missie's daughter Belinda struggles with her dreams of becoming a doctor and her feelings for a newcomer in town.System Requirements:Running Time: 87 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA/LOVE & ROMANCE Rating: NR UPC: 024543503200 Manufacturer No: 2250320
Another generation of spunky pioneer women wrestles with love and life in Love's Unfolding Dream, the sixth in a series of movies based on the Christian romance novels of Janette Oke. Belinda (Scout Taylor-Compton), the adopted daughter of Missy and Zach Tyler (Erin Cottrell and Victor Browne of Love's Unending Legacy), aspires to become a doctor--but though the local doctor needs an assistant, he believes women should stay in the home. As Belinda fights this prejudice, a young law student named Drew (Patrick Levis) comes to her frontier town and soon sparks Belinda's heart. Meanwhile, Missy fights to help a woman whose husband is threatened by his wife's increasing education. Love's Unfolding Dream, like the other movies in this series that began with Love Comes Softly, follows the successful formula of good-looking young people frolicking in a tidy pioneer fantasy (even a moment of gruesome surgery doesn't have a spot of blood), combining wholesome romance, religious values, and homespun feminism. The storytelling is brisk and efficient, the performances comfortable and earnest; Compton, in a role that's 180 degree turn from her starring turn in the 2007 version of Halloween, makes a charming heroine. Fans will find Love's Unfolding Dream as satisfying as the rest of the series (though some lovers of Oke's novels may be dismayed that this movie, like some of the others, alters the book's original storyline). Also featuring Robert Pine (CHiPs) as the cantankerous country doctor. --Bret Fetzer
Band of Brothers
by David Frankel
from HBO Home Video
An impressively rigorous, unsentimental, and harrowing look at combat during World War II, Band of Brothers follows a company of airborne infantry--Easy Company--from boot camp through the end of the war. The brutality of training takes the audience by increments to the even greater brutality of the war; Easy Company took part in some of the most difficult battles, including the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the failed invasion of Holland, and the Battle of the Bulge, as well as the liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But what makes these episodes work is not their historical sweep but their emphasis on riveting details (such as the rattle of a plane as the paratroopers wait to leap, or a flower in the buttonhole of a German soldier) and procedures (from military tactics to the workings of bureaucratic hierarchies). The scope of this miniseries (10 episodes, plus an actual documentary filled with interviews with surviving veterans) allows not only a thoroughness impossible in a two-hour movie, but also captures the wide range of responses to the stress and trauma of war--fear, cynicism, cruelty, compassion, and all-encompassing confusion. The result is a realism that makes both simplistic judgments and jingoistic enthusiasm impossible; the things these soldiers had to do are both terrible and understandable, and the psychological price they paid is made clear. The writing, directing, and acting are superb throughout. The cast is largely unknown, emphasizing the team of actors as a whole unit, much like the regiment; Damian Lewis and Ron Livingston play the central roles of two officers with grit and intelligence. Band of Brothers turns a vast historical event into a series of potent personal experiences; it's a deeply engrossing and affecting accomplishment. --Bret Fetzer
Based on the bestseller by Stephen E. Ambrose the epic 10-part miniseries Band of Brothers tells the story of Easy Company 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division U.S. Army. Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company as well as soldiers' journals and letters Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men who knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear. They were an elete rifle company parachuting into France early on D-Day morning fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and capturing Hitler's Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were also a unit that suffered 150 percent casualties and whose lives became legend.Running Time: 705 min.System Requirements:Starring: Damian Lewis Donnie Wahlberg Ron Livingston Matthew Settle Rick Warden Frank John Hughes Scott Grimes Neal McDonough Rick Gomez Eion Bailey James Madio Kirk Acecedo Michael Cudlitz David Schwimmer Mark Lawrence Douglas Spain Michael Fassbender Jimmy Fallon Colin Hanks Tom Hanks. Running Time: 600 Min. Color. Copyright 2002 Warner Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 026359920523 Manufacturer No: 99205
The Court Jester
by Melvin Frank
from Paramount
Kaye plays a court jester who becomes involved with outlaws trying to overthrow the king.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 2-MAY-2006
Media Type: DVD
Danny Kaye spoofs Robin Hood and Scaramouche in this inventive slapstick swashbuckler. Portraying the clownish but good-hearted entertainer Hawkins, he infiltrates the court of the corrupt Basil Rathbone (up to his usual brand of cruel villainy) disguised as the legendary king of jesters, Giacomo. After a court sorceress hypnotizes Hawkins into believing he is also a legendary assassin, Hawkins has more identities than he can keep straight, and Kaye zips back and forth between them at, literally, a snap of the fingers. Comic highlights include a wonderful sword fight with Rathbone in which he constantly switches identities, and the classic "chalice from the palace/vessel with pestle" wordplay as Hawkins plays "hide the poison" and forgets where it is. With comely Glynis Johns as his spy-in-arms love interest, Angela Lansbury as the scheming princess, and Mildred Natwick as the dotty spellcaster, this is Danny Kaye at his comic best. --Sean Axmaker
Sex and the City - The Complete First Season
from Home Box Office (HBO)
Now you can achieve multiple viewings of the best Sex on TV. Winner of Golden Globes for Best TV Series and Best Actress, Sex and the City is based on Candace Bushnell's provocative bestselling book. Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Carrie Bradshaw, a self-described "sexual anthropologist," who writes "Sex and the City," a newspaper column that chronicles the state of sexual affairs of Manhattanites in this "age of un-innocence." Her "posse," including nice girl Charlotte (Kristin Davis), hard-edged Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and party girl Samantha (Kim Cattrall)--not to mention her own tumultuous love life--gives Carrie plenty of column fodder. Over the course of the first season's 12 episodes, the most prominent dramatic arc concerns Carrie, who goes from turning the tables on "toxic bachelors" by having "sex like a man" to wanting to join the ranks of "the monogamists" with the elusive Mr. Big (Chris Noth). Meanwhile, Miranda, Cynthia, and Samantha have their own dating woes, few of which can be described on a family Web site. Seinfeld has nothing on Sex and the City when it comes to shallow, self-absorbed characters or coining catch phrases. Episode 2, for example, introduces the term "modelizer": a guy who is obsessed with and will only date models. Some may accuse this series of male bashing. But women, after years of enduring shows with "men behaving badly," will relish the equal time. Some may blanch at the ladies' graphic language and ribald humor, or dismiss some of the situations as unrealistic (Carrie doesn't bat an eye when she discovers that an artist friend surreptitiously videotapes his sexual conquests). Still others will view Sex and the City as documentary. Regardless of your view, this groundbreaking series will have you longing for more. --Donald Liebenson
This hilarious look at dating mating and relating in New York is "a thinking person's sitcom brutally honest and hilariously funny." - The San Francisco Examiner. Can women have sex like men? What's it like to date someone younger? And what is "The Rabbit"? Find out in "Sex And The City."System Requirements:Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker Kim Cattrall Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. Directed By: John David Coles Allen Coulter. Running Time: 300 Min. Color. This film is presented in "Standard" format. Copyright 2000 Warner Home Video.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: UPC: 026359930027 Manufacturer No: 99300
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Ford
from 20th Century Fox
Ranking No. 21 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films, this 1940 classic is a bit dated in its noble sentimentality, but it remains a luminous example of Hollywood classicism from the peerless director of mythic Americana, John Ford. Adapted by Nunnally Johnson from John Steinbeck's classic novel, the film tells a simple story about Oklahoma farmers leaving the depression-era dustbowl for the promised land of California, but it's the story's emotional resonance and theme of human perseverance that makes the movie so richly and timelessly rewarding. It's all about the humble Joad family's cross-country trek to escape the economic devastation of their ruined farmland, beginning when Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) returns from a four-year prison term to discover that his family home is empty. He's reunited with his family just as they're setting out for the westbound journey, and thus begins an odyssey of saddening losses and strengthening hopes. As Ma Joad, Oscar-winner Jane Darwell is the embodiment of one of America's greatest social tragedies and the "Okie" spirit of pressing forward against all odds (as she says, "because we're the people"). A documentary-styled production for which Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland demanded painstaking authenticity, The Grapes of Wrath is much more than a classy, old-fashioned history lesson. With dialogue and scenes that rank among the most moving and memorable ever filmed, it's a classic among classics--simply put, one of the finest films ever made. --Jeff Shannon
This remarkable film version of Steinbeck?s novel was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including for Best Picture, Actor (Henry Fonda), Film Editing, Sound and Writing. John Ford won the Best Director Oscar® and actress Jane Darwell won Best Actress for her portrayal of Ma Joad, the matriarch of the struggling migrant farmer family. Following a prison term he served for manslaughter, Tom Joad returns to find his family homestead overwhelmed by weather and the greed of the banking industry. With little work potential on the horizon of the Oklahoma dust bowls, the entire family packs up and heads for the promised land ? California. But the arduous trip and harsh living conditions they encounter offer little hope, and family unity proves as daunting a challenge as any other they face.
I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Fifth Season
by Jon Anderson
from Columbia Pictures Television
The last magical season with Jeannie! The mayhem continues when Jeannie has to choose between being Tonys wife or being the queen of a country. Against Tonys wishes, Roger and Dr. Bellows plan a bachelor party for him. At the wedding, Jeannie and Tony try to figure out how to avoid photos since genies dont show up in pictures.
The most beloved midriff on television finally went off the air, but the last season of I Dream of Jeannie was just as enjoyably silly as ever. Ever-helpful and virtually all-powerful Jeannie (Barbara Eden) turn her beloved astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) into a concert pianist and a pool shark; a magic cream turns Mrs. Bellows (Emmaline Henry) into a completely different woman; magic dog Djinn Djinn and his "wife" are about to have puppies, but everyone thinks it's Jeannie who's pregnant; when a hotel is full, Jeannie gives it a new floor. But of course the big event of this season is the wedding: Tony and Jeannie finally get married, thus domesticating the show's classic male fantasy... though truly, there's no more hint of sex between the leads after the wedding than there was before it. In fact, it's surprising the show began to lose popularity; there's practically no difference between stand-alone episodes before the wedding and after it. The most enjoyable episodes of the fifth season are actually the ones setting up the wedding, which give the show a sense of momentum and richer character relationships that standard episodes, fun though they may be, usually lack. Mind you, this is still I Dream of Jeannie, not Six Feet Under--Tony's decision to marry Jeannie after resisting for so long happens without much soul-searching--but it still adds just a hint of narrative depth. Other pleasures this season include Eden's parade of groovy short-skirted outfits; brief supporting appearances by Farrah Fawcett, Dick Van Patten, and others; and the ever-dependable weaselly behavior of Roger (the ever-dependably great Bill Dailey), the show's crucial ingredient. I Dream of Jeannie was never a groundbreaking sitcom like Roseanne or Seinfield; it had a goofy but clear premise and mined it for predictable but also dependable humor. For fans, all five seasons will reward their devotion. --Bret Fetzer
The Wizard of Oz (Two-Disc Special Edition)
by Victor Fleming
from Warner Home Video
When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that this family favorite saw its popularity soar. And while Oz's TV broadcasts are now controlled by media mogul Ted Turner (who owns the rights), the advent of home video has made this lively musical a mainstay in the staple diet of great American films. Young Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), her dog, Toto, and her three companions on the yellow brick road to Oz--the Tin Man (Jack Haley), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), and the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)--have become pop-culture icons and central figures in the legacy of fantasy for children. As the Wicked Witch who covets Dorothy's enchanted ruby slippers, Margaret Hamilton has had the singular honor of scaring the wits out of children for more than six decades. The film's still as fresh, frightening, and funny as it was when first released. It may take some liberal detours from the original story by L. Frank Baum, but it's loyal to the Baum legacy while charting its own course as a spectacular film. Shot in glorious Technicolor, befitting its dynamic production design (Munchkinland alone is a psychedelic explosion of color and decor), The Wizard of Oz may not appeal to every taste as the years go by, but it's required viewing for kids of all ages. --Jeff Shannon
DVD features
The Wizard of Oz DVD released in 1999 was loaded with extra features, but it's now safe to throw away that version in all its cardboard-package glory in favor of this new two-disc edition. First things first: All the bonus material from the earlier disc is there (with one small exception). That includes the Angela Lansbury-hosted documentary The Making of a Movie Classic; the outtakes and deleted scenes, including Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" reprise and the home-movie recording of "The Jitterbug"; the sketches and stills and composer Harold Arlen's home movies; the audio underscores and radio programs; the 1979 interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, and Jack Haley; and other items too numerous to mention. (Some text introductions to the features have been replaced by narration by Lansbury, for whatever reason.) Brand-new to the 2005 edition is a sharp restoration using Warner's Ultra Resolution process and an accompanying featurette on how it's done. The technicians also discuss how the sound was remixed, though that would have been more effective had it included surround-sound demonstrations (the featurette is in 2.0). Other features on the new set include a commentary track by critic John Fricke supplemented by vintage cast interviews (he offers a lot of trivia, and debunks the myth that Shirley Temple was ever close to getting the Dorothy role); profiles of nine cast members and clips of other movies they appeared in (including Toto); a lightly animated 10-minute storybook again narrated by Lansbury; 2001 and 2005 behind-the-scenes featurettes; and a 1950 Lux Radio Theater broadcast. Oh, and if you were still wondering about the missing material mentioned above--the 1999 disc included one-minute excerpts of three early treatments of The Wizard of Oz. Those excerpts are not included in the two-disc special edition, but the third disc of the three-disc collector's edition includes the complete versions of those treatments and more. --David Horiuchi
An All-New Wizard of Oz With State of The Art Ultra-Resolution Picture Quality and Over 10 Hours of Bonus Extras.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by John Fricke and multiple cast and crew members.
Biographies:We Haven't Really Met Properly - includes 9 orginal cast biographies
Deleted Scenes:If I Only Had a Brain; If I Only Had a Heart; Triumphal Return to Emerald City; Over the Rainbow; The Jitterbug
Documentary:Memories of Oz -2001 TCM documentary
Featurette:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Storybook; Prettier Than Ever: The Restoration of Oz; The Art of Imagination: A Tribute to Oz; Because of the Wonderful Things it Does: The Legacy of Oz
Music Clips:Audio Vault Includes: Over the Rainbow; Munchkinland Medley Rehearsal Recordings; Munchkinland Medley Sequence Recordings; Munchkinland Medley Voice Tests; If I Only Had a Brain; We're Off to See the Wizard; If I Only Had a Heart; If I Only Had the Nerve/We?re Off to See the Wizard; Emerald City/The Merry Old Land of Oz; If I Were King of the Forest; The Jitterbug; Over the Rainbow/Triumphal Return to Emerald City; Kansas Underscoring; Munchkinland Underscoring; and more
Music Only Track
Newsreel:Cavalcade of the Academy Awards Excerpt - 1939 newsreel
Other:Another Romance of Celluloid: Electrical Power - 1938 MGM short; Leo Is on the Air Radio Promo; Good News of 1939 Radio Show; 12/25/1950 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast
Photo gallery:Oz on Broadway; Pre-MGM; Sketches and Storyboards; Costume and Make-up Tests; Richard Thorpe's Oz; Buddy Ebsen; Oz Comes to Life; Behind the Scenes; Portraits; Special Effects; Post Production; Deleted Scenes; Original Publicity
TV Special:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic - 1990 TV special
Theatrical Trailer:1939 What is Oz? Teaser; 1940 Loews Cairo Theater Trailer; 1949 Re-issue Trailer; 1949 Grownup Re-issue Trailer; 1970 Children's Matinee Re-issue Trailer; 1998 Warner Bros. Re-issue Trailer; Texas Contest Winners [1939 trailer]
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
by John Ford
from Paramount Pictures
Stewart is a big-city lawyer who is determined to help a town get rid of its local bad guy. Wayne is the man who actually does it.
Genre: Westerns
Rating: NR
Release Date: 28-MAR-2006
Media Type: DVD
"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." That's more than the code of a newspaperman in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; it's practically the operating credo of director John Ford, the most honored of American filmmakers. In this late film from a long career, Ford looks at the civilizing of an Old West town, Shinbone, through the sad memories of settlers looking back. In the town's wide-open youth, two-fisted Westerner John Wayne and tenderfoot newcomer James Stewart clash over a woman (Vera Miles) but ultimately unite against the notorious outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Ford's nostalgia for the past is tempered by his stark approach, unusual for the visual poet of Stagecoach and The Searchers. The two heavyweights, Wayne and Stewart, are good together, with Wayne the embodiment of rugged individualism and Stewart the idealistic prophet of the civilization that will eventually tame the Wild West. This may be the saddest Western ever made, closer to an elegy than an action movie, and as cleanly beautiful as its central symbol, the cactus rose. --Robert Horton
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