DVD Releases November 4, 2008

Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)
Directed by John Stevenson
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What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in the restaurant business. When great leader Oogway has a vision that the imprisoned kung fu warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane) will soon escape, he declares it time to choose China's dragon warrior--one kung fu master deemed worthy of possessing the dragon's scroll and its secret to limitless power. Po and all the townspeople rush to the Jade Palace atop the highest mountain to witness the contest between Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Crane (David Cross) and Viper (Lucy Liu), but Po is locked outside the palace. After a miracle of sorts, Po lands inside the palace gates, where he is chosen as the dragon warrior and placed under the tutelage of the decidedly non-plussed master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). An unconventional student to say the least, hilarity reigns as Shifu tries desperately to make Po into some semblance of a kung fu warrior. Can Po possibly fulfill his destiny as dragon warrior, or was Oogway's final decision a critical mistake? A film rich with hilarious moments, superior animation, and an important message about believing in oneself and the power that comes from within, Kung Fu Panda is great entertainment that will have the whole family laughing and begging for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi
Kung Fu Panda (Widescreen Edition)


Futurama: Bender's GameFuturama: Bender's Game
Directed by Dwayne Carey-Hill
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At once a merciless skewering of all things fanboy and an extremely satisfying addition to the Futurama franchise, Bender's Game is among the best of the animated series' feature length adventures. The game in question is Dungeons and Dragons, and Bender wants in--only robots aren't programmed with the necessary imagination. Naturally, Bender's plans to develop one go completely awry and land him in an android asylum. The role-playing plotline later re-emerges--in typically convoluted Futurama fashion--via a subplot involving Professor Farnsworth's conversion of dark matter into spaceship fuel, which created a key to a very D&D-influenced universe where our hapless heroes eventually find themselves. The alternate world storyline allows for much lampooning of fantasy tropes, with Lord of the Rings receiving the lion's share of the tweaks. Seeing as how the writers have already devoted much of the movie's running time to parodying Star Wars and Star Trek (and their Lego offshoots), one might think that Bender's Game might suffer from pop-culture overload, but surprisingly, it all feels fresh and frequently funny, and the writers are wise to ground the story in their eccentric characters rather than pinballing them through an endless string of gags. The result is probably the strongest of the direct-to-DVD Futurama releases to date, and one that newcomers to the show's cracked universe can appreciate as much as longtime fans. As with previous Futurama DVD releases, the extras come fast and furious on Bender's Game: commentary by members of the cast and production team (including Matt Groening) is both informative and funny, while interviews with the writers and producers discuss, among other topics, the influence of Dungeons and Dragons on the series and the 3D models used in the feature. Aspiring animators might appreciate "How To Draw Futurama in 83 Easy Steps and the storyboard animatic for the first part of the story, while the "Genetics Lab" feature allows for some amusing Dr. Moreau-style cross-breeding of the characters. Recording session bloopers and a deleted scene offer their own laughs, but the most enjoyable extra must be the preview for the next Futurama feature, Into the Wild Green Yonder, which suggests a shocking development for one of the show's regulars. -- Paul Gaita
Futurama: Bender's Game


Barbie in a Christmas Carol
From Universal Studios
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Product Description

Barbie™ in A Christmas Carol is a heart-warming adaptation of the classic Dickens story filled with cherished Christmas carols, fabulous fashions and lots of laughs! The tale stars Barbie™ as Eden Starling™ the glamorous singing diva of a theatre in Victorian London. Along with her snooty cat, Chuzzlewit, Eden selfishly plans to make all the theatre performers stay and rehearse on Christmas Day! Not even Eden’s costume designer and childhood friend, Catherine can talk Eden out of her self-centered tantrum.

It’s up to three very unusual Christmas Spirits to take Eden on a fantastical holiday journey that will open her heart to the spirit of the season and the joy of giving. Barbie™ in A Christmas Carol is a family favorite to enjoy every holiday season!
Barbie in a Christmas Carol


Get Smart (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)Get Smart (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)
From Warner Home Video
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Product Details
  • Amazon Sales Rank: #14 in DVD
  • Released on: 2008-11-04
  • Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Formats: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Original language: English, Russian
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Running time: 110 minutes
Get Smart (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)


JAG (Judge Advocate General) - The Seventh SeasonJAG (Judge Advocate General) - The Seventh Season
From Paramount
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Album Description
JAG (Judge Advocate General) is an elite legal branch of military officers trained as lawyers who investigate, prosecute and defend those accused of crimes in the military, including murder, treason and terrorism. Navy Cmdr. Harmon "Harm" Rabb, an ace pilot turned lawyer, and Marine Lt. Col. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie, a beautiful and strictly by-the-book officer, are colleagues, both with similar high standards, that often find themselves clashing with one another as they take different routes to solve cases. Assisting them with their mission is Navy Lt. Bud Roberts, a lawyer who often surprises his superiors with the breadth of his knowledge, and their boss, the no-nonsense Admiral Chegwidden, a former Navy Seal.
JAG (Judge Advocate General) - The Seventh Season


Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The RockettesRadio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes
Directed by Various
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Product Description

For the first time in its 75-year history, America' s favorite holiday show comes alive on DVD! The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes has been a family
tradition since the 1930s.
Time Life is proud to offer this amazing holiday tradition to
the home market for the very first time, bringing the sights and sounds of this cherished show right into living rooms across America.
This special 75th Anniversary DVD features all the best-loved performances including: The Dance of the Nutcracker, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, Santa' s Toy Headquarters, the Living Nativity and the arrival of Santa. Home viewers will now
get it all signature high kicks and astounding precision
choreography, dramatic theatrical lighting effects, breathtaking
imagery and an array of glamorous costumes, leaving no doubts about the magic of Christmas at Radio City.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes


Primeval: The Complete Series 1 and 2Primeval: The Complete Series 1 and 2
From BBC Warner
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Primeval was created by Britain's ITV as a big-budget primetime Saturday rival to the success of the BBC's Doctor Who. But unlike some efforts to buy big ratings, there's actually a lot of entertainment throughout the series. The crux of the show surrounds a series of strange creatures from both the future and the past who appear to be roaming around in the present day. So what's going on? And what can be done about the dinosaur-esque creatures, big insects, and assorted parasitic life forms that are suddenly roaming the Earth? That's where professor Nick Cutter and his team come in, and the fun really begins.

A surprisingly human action-drama, Primeval clearly draws influence from Doctor Who, and while it never really threatens to rival it, it is nonetheless a good show in its own right. The special effects are suitably smart, but, more importantly, there's also a half-decent script at the heart of things, and that really does help lift the show.

The second season finds Cutter and his team once again dealing with creatures quite literally out of their time. But this time, Primeval has a few more tricks up its sleeve. Because while the convention for much of season 1 was that the creatures that faced Cutter and his crew were arriving from the past, this time round there are monsters from the future to worry about too. Cue the likes of a woolly mammoth on the motorway, and a raptor-esque chase around a shopping center. The show then blends in some twisty narratives surrounding the characters themselves, which--while not particularly intricate or surprising--do keep up the fun, and it does its best to throw as much at the screen as it can. Primeval is very good fun, worth rewatching, and suitable for family viewing too. --Jon Foster
Primeval: The Complete Series 1 and 2


Star Wars Prequel TrilogyStar Wars Prequel Trilogy
From 20th Century Fox
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Product Description

Disc 1: Star Wars Episode 1 WS Disc 1 **Commentary by George Lucas and company

Disc 2: Star Wars Episode 1 WS Disc 2 **Never-before-seen Making of documentary **Never-before-seen deleted scenes documentary featuring 7 deleted scenes finished in 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound **2 animatics with multi-angles **5 Featurettes **12 original web documentaries **Music Video: "Duel of the Fates" **Production photos, print ads, theatrical trailers, TV spots, DVD-ROM - game demo

Disc 3: Star Wars Episode 2 WS Disc 1 **Commentary by George Lucas and Rick McCall **Easter Egg **THX Trailer - "Cavalcade"

Disc 4: Star Wars Episode 2 WS Disc 2 **2 Documentaries - "From Puppets to Pixels"and "State of the Art: Previsualization of Episode II" **8 deleted scenes with intros **Music Video, Visual Specs Breakdown **12 Web Documentaries **4 Trailers **12 TV Spots **Easter Egg **Still Galleries **DVD-ROM links

Disc 5: Star Wars Episode 3 WS Disc 1

Disc 6: Star Wars Episode 3 WS Disc 2 **Full-length documentary produced by Lucasfilm **2 New Featurettes: One exploring the prophecy of Anakin Skywalker as The Chosen One, the other providing an in-depth look at the movie's eye-popping stunts **15 part collection of Lucasfilm's groundbreaking "Web-documentaries"

Episode Description: Disc 1: Star Wars Episode 1 WS Disc 1 Disc 2: Star Wars Episode 1 WS Disc 2 Disc 3: Star Wars Episode 2 WS Disc 1 Disc 4: Star Wars Episode 2 WS Disc 2 Disc 5: Star Wars Episode 3 WS Disc 1 Disc 6: Star Wars Episode 3 WS Disc 2
Star Wars Prequel Trilogy


Project Runway: The Complete Fourth SeasonProject Runway: The Complete Fourth Season
From Weinstein Company
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Product Description

Project Runway, the Emmy nominated series starring supermodel and host Heidi Klum.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #133 in DVD
  • Released on: 2008-11-04
  • Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
  • Formats: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
  • Original language: English
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Running time: 630 minutes
Project Runway: The Complete Fourth Season


The Final Countdown[Blu-ray ]The Final Countdown[Blu-ray ]
Directed by Don Taylor
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"...THIS IS THE U.S.S. NIMITZ... WHERE THE HELL ARE WE?..."

The time is now. The place is aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz, America's mightiest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, a freak electrical storm engulfs the ship and triggers the impossible: The Nimitz is hurtled back in time to December 6, 1941, mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As the enemy fleet speeds towards Hawaii, the warship's Captain (Kirk Douglas), a Defense Department expert (Martin Sheen), a maverick Air Wing Commander (James Farentino) and a desperate Senator in the Roosevelt administration (Charles Durning) must choose between the unthinkable. Do they allow the Japanese to complete their murderous invasion or launch a massive counter-strike that will forever change the course of history?

Katharine Ross and Ron O'Neal co-star in this spellbinding sci-fi action hit filmed on location aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz with the full participation of the U.S. Navy and the ship's crew. Blue Underground is proud to present THE FINAL COUNTDOWN in stunning High Definition with remixed 7.1 DTS-HD and 7.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtracks for the ultimate in explosive home theater excitement.

EXTRAS:
Audio Commentary with Director of Photography Victor J. Kemper
"Lloyd Kaufman Goes Hollywood" - Interview with Associate Producer Lloyd Kaufman
"Starring the Jolly Rogers" - Interviews with The Jolly Rogers F-14 Fighter Squadron
Theatrical Trailers
TV Spots
Enhanced for D-Box Motion Control Systems

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With a tantalizing "what-if?" scenario and a respectable cast of Hollywood veterans, The Final Countdown plays like a grand-scale episode of The Twilight Zone. It's really no more than that, and time-travel movies have grown far more sophisticated since this popular 1980 release, but there's still some life remaining in the movie's basic premise: What if a modern-era Navy aircraft carrier--in this case the real-life nuclear-powered U.S.S. Nimitz--was caught in an anomalous storm and thrust 40 years backwards in time to the eve of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor? Will the ship's commander (Kirk Douglas) interfere with history? Will the visiting systems analyst (Martin Sheen) convince him not to? Will a rescued senator from 1941 (Charles Durning) play an unexpected role in the future of American politics? Veteran TV director Don Taylor doesn't do much with the ideas posed by this potentially intriguing plot; he seems more interested in satisfying aviation buffs with loving footage of F-14 "Jolly Roger" fighter jets, made possible by the Navy's generous cooperation. That makes The Final Countdown a better Navy film than a full-fledged time-travel fantasy, but there's a nice little twist at the end, and the plot holes are easy to ignore. James Cameron would've done it better, but this popcorn thriller makes an enjoyable double-bill with The Philadelphia Experiment. --Jeff Shannon

Time Magazine
"A FANTASTIC TALE... Intelligent And Entertaining!"

The New York Post
"TRULY SPECTACULAR!"
The Final Countdown [Blu-ray]




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