DVD Releases November 4, 2008 : New DVD Releases

Planet of the Apes [Blu-ray]
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner
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Editorial Reviews

Many early science fiction films are now, quite inadvertently (and in most cases undeservedly), objects of camp attention: we laugh at the silly makeup, tin-can special effects, and the naive "high-tech" dialogue. Planet of the Apes is no such film. Its intelligent script, frightening costuming, and savagely effective conclusion (which needs no big-budget special effects to augment its impact) remain both potent and relevant. When Colonel George Taylor (the fabulous Charlton Heston) crash lands his spacecraft on what seems to be an unfamiliar planet, he is captured and held prisoner by a dominant race of hyperrational, articulate apes. However, the ape community is riven with internal dissention, centered in no small part on its policy toward humans, who, on this planet, are treated as mindless animals. Befriended and ultimately assisted by the more liberal simians, Taylor escapes--only to find a more terrifying obstacle confronting his return home. Heavy-handed object lessons abound--the ubiquity of generational warfare, the inflexibility of dogma, the cruelty of prejudice--and the didactic fingerprints of Rod Serling are very much in evidence here. But director Franklin Schaffner has a dark, pop-apocalyptic sci-fi vision all his own, and time has not dulled the monumental emotional impact of the film's climactic payoff shot. If you don't know what I'm talking about here, you owe it to yourself to check out this stone classic, and even if you do, see it with fresh eyes; and don't be surprised if you get the chills all over again... and again... and again. --Miles Bethany
Planet of the Apes [Blu-ray]

The Gregory Peck Film Collection (To Kill a Mockingbird | Cape Fear | Arabesque | Mirage | Captain Newman, M.D. | The World in His Arms)
From Universal Studios
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Ranked 34 on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest American Films, To Kill a Mockingbird is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood. It's tempting to call this an important "message" movie that should be required viewing for children and adults alike, but this riveting courtroom drama is anything but stodgy or pedantic. As Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer and widower father of two, Gregory Peck gives one of his finest performances with his impassioned defense of a black man (Brock Peters) wrongfully accused of the rape and assault of a young white woman. While his children, Scout (Mary Badham) and Jem (Philip Alford), learn the realities of racial prejudice and irrational hatred, they also learn to overcome their fear of the unknown as personified by their mysterious, mostly unseen neighbor Boo Radley (Robert Duvall, in his brilliant, almost completely nonverbal screen debut). What emerges from this evocative, exquisitely filmed drama is a pure distillation of the themes of Harper Lee's enduring novel, a showcase for some of the finest American acting ever assembled in one film, and a rare quality of humanitarian artistry (including Horton Foote's splendid screenplay and Elmer Bernstein's outstanding score) that seems all but lost in the chaotic morass of modern cinema. --Jeff Shannon

Cape Fear
Superior to Martin Scorsese's punishing 1991 remake, this 1962 thriller directed by J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone) stars Robert Mitchum as a creepy ex-con angry at the attorney (Gregory Peck) whom he believes is responsible for his incarceration. After Mitchum makes clear his plans to harm Peck's family, a fascinating game of crisscrossing ethics and morality takes place. Where the more recent version seemed trapped in its explicitness, Thompson's film accomplishes a lot with a more economical and telling use of violence. The result is a richer character study with some Hitchcockian overtones regarding the nature of guilt. --Tom Keogh
The Gregory Peck Film Collection (To Kill a Mockingbird | Cape Fear | Arabesque | Mirage | Captain Newman, M.D. | The World in His Arms)

Trans-Siberian [Blu-ray]
Directed by Brad Anderson
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Editorial Reviews

In Transsiberian, a train twisting across the white Siberian landscape becomes a trap for a well-meaning American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer), who find themselves pursued by a Russian policemen (Ben Kingsley) while on a trip to Moscow. On the train, they befriend a younger couple--but the charming pair hold secrets that draw Roy and Jessie into a frozen nightmare. Transsiberian's snowy setting is both beautiful and eerie, providing an evocative atmosphere that helps carry the viewer through the sometimes bumpy plot. At its core, Transsiberian is about the anxiety of being in a new world--be it a new country or a new phase of your life--and not knowing the rules, the fear of taking the wrong step and falling. The thriller plot is little more than a delivery system for that sensation. But really, all director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Next Stop Wonderland) needed was Mortimer's limpid face; every tremor that crosses her pale skin reverberates through the camera. Her essential vulnerability first came across in Lovely and Amazing; Anderson makes good use of this rare quality. --Bret Fetzer
Trans-Siberian [Blu-ray]

The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series
From Paramount
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Album Description
James West and Artemus Gordon are two agents of President Grant who take their splendidly appointed private train through the west to fight evil. Half science fiction and half western, the Artemus designs a series of interesting gadgets for James that would make Inspector Gadget proud. A light hearted adventure series that was a fan favorite.
The Wild Wild West: The Complete Series

The Complete Master Works 2
Directed by Jeremy Konner;Wayne Isham
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Product Description

This 2 disc DVD - which gives fans over three hours of footage - features a one hour plus documentary, a full length LIVE concert filmed in 2007 at the sold-out Moore Theatre in Seattle, WA, several bonus extras including the band's incredible performance on the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, their performance of "Master Exploder" on The Late Night with Conan O'Brien, an unforgettable performance of "The Metal" on Saturday Night Live, numerous Tenacious D videos and more!

Set List For Live Concert At Moore Theatre:
1.Kielbasa
2.History
3.Wonderboy
4.Dio
5.Lee
6.Saxaboom
7.The Road
8.Hell Movie Skit
9.Kickapoo
10.Karate
11.Dude (I Totally Miss You)
12.Kyle Quit The Band
13.Friendship
14.The Metal
15.Papagenu (He's My Sassafrass)
16.Master Exploder
17.Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)
18.Double Team
19.F*** Her Gently
21.Tribute
22.Who Medley

Bonus Features Include:
1.Late Night with Conan O'Brien Performance of "Master Exploder"
2.MTV Movie Awards 2006 Performance
3.Saturday Night Live Performance of "The Metal"
4."Time Fixers" Video
5."Classico" Video

The Complete Master Works 2

Return to Sleepaway Camp
Directed by Robert Hiltzik
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It's summer camp as usual at Camp Manabe where the kids torment each other for fun while the underpaid camp staff provides as little supervision as possible. Greedy camp owner Frank and junior partner Ronnie do their best to keep everyone in line, but something sinister is about to put a slash in the roster. When campers and staff mysteriously begin disappearing and turning into gruesome corpses, paranoid Ronnie can't shake the memory of a series of grisly murders that took place at Camp Arawak, where he worked two decades earlier.
Return to Sleepaway Camp

Blue Man Group: How to Be a Megastar Live! [Blu-ray]
Directed by Various
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So, you wanna be a rock and roll star? There s no better way to get into the megastar groove than with Rhino s new Blue Man Group Blu-ray
HOW TO BE A MEGASTAR LIVE, filmed and recorded live in front of capacity crowds of over 40,000 fans during a two-day run of the music and performance art trio s exhilarating 06- 07 How To Be A Megastar Tour 2.0. Blue Man Group s inventive new how-to-manual, which expands on the Rock Concert Manual concept from The Complex Rock Tour, will take you through the steps of a wildly clever and interactive show that offers unique all-ages appeal. This Blu-ray contains as bonus features: the video for I Feel Love, the comedic parody Mono Makes a Plea Save the TVs campaign and the documentary Inside The Tube, which provides an intimate look inside Blue Man Group s creative process and history
DVD: Above / Drumbone / Time To Start / Up to the Roof / Altering Appearances /
Persona / Your Attention / Piano Smasher / Gumballs And Marshmallows / Sing Along /
One Of These Days / 2001 Theme/TV Heads / Shadows / The Complex / Light Suits / I Feel Love / Rock And Go / Baba O Reilly / What Is Rock / Bonus Content: Inside The Tube -
Behind-the-scenes look at The Blue Man Group / I Feel Love (music video
Blue Man Group: How to Be a Megastar Live! [Blu-ray]

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Collection
From Lyons / Hit Ent.
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