DVD Releases April 7 2009

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Doubt

From Miramax
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From Miramax Films comes one of the most honored and acclaimed motion pictures of the year, Doubt. Based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, Doubt is a mesmerizing, suspense-filled drama with four riveting performances from Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis that will have you pinned to the edge of your seat. Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Streep), the rigid and fear-inspiring principal of the Saint Nicholas Church School, suffers an extreme dislike for the progressive and popular parish priest Father Flynn (Hoffman). Looking for wrongdoing in every corner, Sister Aloysius believes she's uncovered the ultimate sin when she hears Father Flynn has taken a special interest in a troubled boy. But without proof, the only thing certain is doubt.

"One of the best pictures of the year," (USA Today, Rolling Stone, New York Post, San Francisco Examiner, Roger Ebert).

Bonus Features include From Stage To Screen, Scoring Doubt, The Sisters Of Charity

Customer Reviews

FIRST CLASS ACTING, AN ENGAGING DRAMA
The thing about Hoffman that always surprises me is his vast range of characters. He was great in "Before the devil knows you're dead" even though the film had an average storyline. Then in 2007 we had "The Savages" which I dare say is his best film. So when I heard praise about "Doubt", I knew that this was the film to watch out for. He is absolutely brilliant in his character and his dialogue delivery while narrating to a room full of adults and adolescents was wonderful. Meryl Streep kept him company and her stern, obstinate character was a treat to watch. The dialogues were good but it was the acting that made this film truly remarkable. This is the kind of self-proclaimed film critics like me love. You have to watch this. It goes right down to the wire and even after the film is over, you will feel like discussing it with that friend of yours who wants to be a book-writer someday. Excellent film overall. I only wish it was slightly longer but then that would have made it somehow flaky. Worth renting at the very least.

Doubt

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Bedtime Stories

From Walt Disney Pictures
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A fantastical tale about a man who makes up bedtime stories for his niece and nephew only to find that they magically come true the next day, Bedtime Stories is a funny and enjoyable film about finding happiness in unexpected places. Skeeter (Adam Sandler) grew up with his sister Wendy (Courteney Cox) in a small hotel run by his father Marty (Jonathan Pryce) which was eventually sold to Barry Nottingham (Richard Griffiths) with the caveat that Skeeter would someday assume a leadership role in the business. Expansion transformed the small hotel into the luxury Nottingham Hotel, but Skeeter is just a handyman with little hope of advancement. When his sister needs to leave the state for a job interview, Skeeter ends up sharing the responsibility of watching her two elementary-age children Bobbi (Laura Ann Kessling) and Patrick (Jonathan Morgan Heit), whom he hasn't seen for years, with Wendy's friend Jill (Keri Russell). Initially an awkward situation, Skeeter and the kids bond over bedtime stories which Skeeter and the children make up. When events in the story start coming true, Skeeter tries to spin the stories to benefit his life, but events take some unexpected turns thanks to the kids' wild imaginations and some strange translations between fiction and reality. New relationships flourish and in the end, Skeeter, Wendy, Mr. Nottingham, Bobbi, Patrick, and Jill each find happiness in a most unexpected place and discover what's really important in their own life. Also worth mentioning is the character Bugsy, a guinea pig with enormous eyes that's sure to have every child begging for their own pet guinea pig. Rated PG for mild rude humor and mild language, but appropriate for most ages 6 and older. --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Charming and Sweet
I really loved this movie. My family went to see it, and even my dad, who is not a particular fan of Disney, admitted that it was funny.
Adam Sandler generally scores bad movies, but this one is a special exception. It is witty, funny, cute, and charming.
The basic plot line-
A man who's truly a kid on the inside who got the low-side of a deal with a hotel owner babysits his niece and nephew who he does not know that well and he realizes that, when he tells them bed-time stories, they come to life... not always exactly as he had expected, though.
Amongst a world where true magical movies with no language, sensual stuff, or violence are rare nowadays, and I promise you that Bedtime Stories is one charming movie you'll want in your collection.

Bedtime Stories

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The Tale of Despereaux

Directed by Robert Stevenhagen, Sam Fell
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The Tale of Despereaux looks a little like Shrek. The storytelling and animation draw on everything from Ratatouille and classic fairytales to Shakespeare, Jonathan Swift, Indiana Jones, and, in its action sequences, even Bourne and Bond. But this movie stands on its own; too dark and violent for very young children, perhaps, but for the most part it’s exciting and funny, and it delivers a message about bravery and forgiveness that is relevant to us all. Voiced by Matthew Broderick, the title character is a little guy, even by mouse standards, with enormous ears and an imagination to match; much to the dismay of his elders, he "never cowers, won’t scurry, and refuses to be taught to be scared" (he’d much rather read a book than eat it, a pursuit that fills his head with visions of valiant knights, damsels in distress, and a life defined by "courage, honor, and decency"). That leads to his being banished from Mouseworld to the realm of the rats, where, it is presumed, he will be eaten. But no. Ratworld--a dark, chaotic, genuinely scary place--happens to be the current residence of one Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), a peaceful sort whose shenanigans in the human world have accidentally led to the death of the Queen, the imprisonment of the Princess (Emma Watson), and, worst of all, the banning of Soup Day (no small deal) and the end of soup itself! Roscuro and Despereaux join forces, inadvertently helped out by a homely but soft-hearted farm girl named Miggery Sow (Tracey Ullman), and, well, you can imagine how it all turns out. Directors Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen and scriptwriter Gary Ross (adapting Kate DiCamillo’s book) have concocted some vivid and interesting worlds for their film; the look is unusual, often washed out, muted, and bathed in hazy light; and the voice acting is excellent (others include William H. Macy, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, and Frank Langella). All in all, despite a conclusion that’s confusing even while it’s predictable, The Tale of Despereaux is a worthy addition to the crowded animation field. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

Might be disappointing if you loved the book or were expecting Ratatouille
This movie is neither a re-hash of the feel-good, action-packed, comedic Ratatouille, nor a visual retelling of the nearly perfect book that inspired The Tale of Despereaux. It is darker, by far, than Disney's take on rodent movies, but much much less bleak than the Newberry Award-winning book. The book was about familial betrayal and was more overtly violent than the movie, which is really more of a re-imagining than a retelling of the story. Characters who were irredeemable in the book get redemption arcs in the movie. Roscuro has a whole life apart from the dungeon.

It's actually a bit of a tearjerker, and there are strong themes of grief and loss, so it's not for the youngest kids or anyone who can't sit through a chapter book. The animation does justice to the lovely drawings that appear in the book, and the overall themes of forgiveness and honor remain string in the movie. If you are willing to let go of the darkest elements of the book, and f you understand going in that this is meant to be a more complicated and subtle film than the Disney Pixar films (which I love), then I think you may enjoy this film for what it is, rather than dislike it for what it is not.

The Tale of Despereaux

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Day the Earth Stood Still (Three-Disc) [Blu-ray]

Directed by Scott Derrickson
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Impressive special effects are the key selling point for this big-budget remake of Robert Wise's classic 1951 science fiction parable about an alien visitor who delivers a chilling ultimatum to the leaders of the world. Keanu Reeves, who seemed ideal at first blush but ultimately turns into another case of miscasting, steps in for Michael Rennie as intergalactic watchdog Klaatu, who with his robot Gort (now super-sized), promises global destruction unless the powers that be unless drastic measures are undertaken regarding the Earth's environmental issues (or so one assumes). Jennifer Connelly is largely wasted in the Patricia Neal role of scientist/single mom assigned to study Klaatu, who offers a somewhat chilly father figure to her son (a grating Jaden Smith). Connelly isn't the only fine actor in the cast left standing idle while director Scott Derrickson's effects team constructs eye-popping scenes of wholesale mayhem; Mad Men's Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, John Cleese and Rob Knepper are all adrift in the aimless script by David Scarpa, which never even fully explains why Klaatu is so bent on blowing us to smithereens. That lack of focus, as well as the B-movie quality of the dialogue (say what you will about the effects in the Wise version, but the film was polished from top to bottom), all help to cement what science fiction fans have been muttering about the film since its inception; the original film needed no high-tech updating --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

A great value for your money
Ignore what you think about the new film. For the price of the single Blu-Ray movie, you also get a digital copy along with a Blu-Ray copy of the original '50s film.

With those two extra discs, you're looking at a value of $35. I commend 20th Century Fox for creating a wonderful edition of a not-so-good movie.

Day the Earth Stood Still (Three-Disc) [Blu-ray]

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2010: The Year We Make Contact [Blu-ray]

Directed by Peter Hyams
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No director could ever have hoped to repeat the artistic achievement of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, and nobody knew that better than Peter Hyams, who made this much more conventional film from the first of three sequel novels by Arthur C. Clarke. Whereas Kubrick made a poetic film of mind-expanding ideas and metaphysical mysteries, Hyams shouldn't be blamed for taking a more practical, crowd-pleasing approach. In revealing much of what Kubrick deliberately left unexplained, 2010 lacks the enigmatic awe of its predecessor, but it's still a riveting tale of space exploration and extraterrestrial contact, beginning when a joint American-Soviet mission embarks to determine the cause of failure of the derelict spaceship Discovery. Having arrived at Discovery near the planet Jupiter, the American mission leader (Roy Scheider) and his Russian counterpart (Helen Mirren) must investigate the apparent failure of the ship's infamous onboard computer, HAL 9000, as well as the meaning of countless mysterious black monoliths amassing on Jupiter's surface (an interpretation Kubrick originally left up to his viewers). Meanwhile, Earth is on the brink of nuclear war, and an apparition of astronaut David Bowman (Keir Dullea) appears to repeatedly promise that "something wonderful" is about to happen. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Unfairly Suffered due to Older Brother Comparisons
Standing on its own, this was actually a very good movie. It was a different style than its big brother, lacking the "mystic" overtones and also lacking the bizarre imagery which made 2001 incomprehensible to so many people. This movie is NOT incomprehensible, with a very clear storyline. The special effects are technically better than the first movie (not surprising, given the advances in movie technology). And, they're inserted naturally into the storyline instead of being highlighted and framed like they were in the first movie, which frankly made it pretentious at times. The movie is a little dated in that it pits the US against the old USSR. Of course, the years specified in BOTH movies (2001 and 2010) are either gone or almost here, and the reality of space exploration is far less than what these movies envisioned. Still, I found this to be a satisfying continuation of the first movie, with a moving ending. If you're bothered by the fact that it actually explains away some of the incomprehensibility of the first movie, so be it. It has quite a fine score too, by the way.

BTW I notice many reviewers denigrating the DVD (NOT the movie) based on aspect ratios and quality. I'm writing this review for the upcoming Blu-Ray release, which WILL be in 2.40 : 1. I'm looking forward to having a high-quality (I hope) release of this movie.

2010: The Year We Make Contact [Blu-ray]

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Yes Man (Single-Disc Edition)

Directed by Peyton Reed
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Jim Carrey does wonders with a slight premise that finds his reserved, emotionally-distant character, Carl Allen, a banker who routinely turns down loan applications, accepting a challenge to open up to life by saying "yes" to everything. A man who constantly disappoints friends by weasling out of opportunities for bonding and happiness, Carl radically changes into a creature of complete spontaneity. By never saying no anymore, he gets into situations with unpredictable outcomes, such as driving a homeless stranger to a scary-looking park at night. But for the most part, whatever Carl says yes to becomes a road to worthwhile experiences, even receiving a promotion at work for approving hundreds of micro-loans against all policy. Zooey Deschanel, who often plays appealing kooks, is very good as Carl's girlfriend, a free spirit who takes to his positivity about everything--for awhile, anyway. Director Peyton Reed (Down with Love) makes the most out of the gimmicky comedy, as does Carrey, who does wonders with scenes that are often left open-ended just to see what the brilliant comic will do with them. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Invite yourself to 100 minutes of pure laughter!!
I just saw this movie at the theater yesterday not having high expectations for it, but I enjoyed the movie and thought it was a BLAST! It is the funniest movie I seen since Four Christmases and White Chicks in 2004 (there have been a few others but I currently can't recall at the top of my head).

The funniest scene in the movie without spoiling the plot is where Jim Carrey's character runs from the hospital in his gown to see Zooey Daschael's character and almost gets himself killed riding his friend's out of this world heavy motorcycle (frankly it is a miracle he didn't get hit by another car or truck)! Another funny part of the movie was the part where Carrey's character clicks "yes" to the enlargement spam email on his work computer and later meets and Iranian woman. There are several other funny scenes throughout the movie with those two being my favorite.

This movie is definitely worth seeing at the theater (it is playing for $1.50 in the Blue-Ridge Cinemas in Raleigh) and with friends on DVD. You will be laughing every few minutes and chanting "Yes, Yes, Yes" for Carrey's character while you watch!

Yes Man (Single-Disc Edition)

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Pre-Code Hollywood Collection (The Cheat / Merrily We Go to Hell / Hot Saturday / Torch Singer / Murder at the Vanities / Search for Beauty)

From Universal Studios
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For the first time ever, Universal opens its vaults to bring you 6 classic films from the most decadent era in motion picture history: Pre-Code Hollywood. In 1934, Hollywood was turned upside down by the enforcement of a strict “Production Code” that would change the way movies were made for the next 34 years. During the “pre-code” period (1929 to mid-1934), censorship barely existed in Hollywood and filmmakers had free reign to make the movies they wanted and the public demanded. No subject was taboo including adultery, murder, immorality and sex. Starring screen legends Cary Grant, Fredric March, Claudette Colbert, Tallulah Bankhead, Randolph Scott and Sylvia Sidney, the Pre-Code Hollywood Collection forever captures one of the most influential periods in cinema history.

The Cheat
 A compulsive gambler (Tallulah Bankhead) will do anything to pay off her debt – including turning to a wealthy businessman behind her husband’s back.

Merrily We Go to Hell
An abusive alcoholic (Fredric March) reunites with a woman from his past driving his wife (Sylvia Sidney) to drastic measures.

Hot Saturday
Scandal erupts after a young woman (Nancy Carroll) innocently spends the night with a notorious playboy (Cary Grant) and neglects to tell her fiancé (Randolph Scott).

Torch Singer
After giving up her illegitimate child for adoption, a notorious nightclub singer (Claudette Colbert) attempts to reunite with her daughter through a children’s radio show.

Murder at the Vanities
While musical revue “The Vanities” captivates audience on its opening night, a murder investigation secretly takes place backstage.

Search for Beauty
Olympic swimming champions (Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino) are tricked into endorsing a “fitness” magazine that features racy photos.

Customer Reviews

Finally!
At last, Murder at the Vanities is being released. I saw this film years and years and years ago at a film festival with my mother and we fell in love with it becuase it's simply so outrageous and outrageously bad in some spots (the "Marijuana" number is especially entertaining).

Pre-Code Hollywood Collection (The Cheat / Merrily We Go to Hell / Hot Saturday / Torch Singer / Murder at the Vanities / Search for Beauty)

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American History X [Blu-ray]

Directed by Tony Kaye
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Derek Vinyard is dangerous, a coiled fury of hate who leads a neo-Nazi gang. But time and events start to change him. He reassesses his ways while doing time for manslaughter and emerges from prison eager to keep his younger brother (Edward Furlong) from falling victim to the thug cycle of violence and payback. It may be too late. Weaving in and out of events past and present in Dereks life, American History X is revealing in its look at white-supremacist gangs and impassioned in its message that hatred and bigotry can be unlearned. Edward Norton (Fight Club, Pride and Glory) portrays Derek, giving a powerful, persuasive, Oscar®-nominated* performance.

Customer Reviews

One of the BEST films of the century!!
American History X is one of the rare movies that I remember after so many years after watching it. It's brilliant, shocking, thought-provoking! Edward Norton really should have gotten an Oscar for his performance. In fact, I feel that the film should have probably gotten Best Picture in the Oscars!

Getting this dvd from amazon was totally worth it! It is now part of my dvd collection library.

American History X [Blu-ray]

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Faith Like Potatoes

Directed by Reghardt van den Bergh
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The growing genre of Christian cinema adds to its flock Faith Like Potatoes, based on the book of the same name about a real-life South African farmer named Angus Buchan. Buchan accepted Jesus at a moment of crisis and began experiencing miracles, ranging from sudden rain putting out a wildfire to reviving a woman struck by lightning. The movie follows Buchan (played by Frank Rautenbach, star of a South African soap opera) from his failed farm in Zambia to his rise as a lay evangelist, delivering a sermon in a massive South African stadium. He begins as a sullen, short-tempered man, quick to lash out at his wife (the lovely Jeanne Wilhelm) and the native Zulu workers on his struggling farm. But as his life takes on the purpose of spreading the Word, Buchan finds personal peace (though he also faces personal tragedies). Faith Like Potatoes is squarely aimed at Christian viewers; its straightforward take on Christianity is unlikely to persuade skeptics. Despite the intriguing and (for an American audience) exotic locale, the problems Buchan faces (overwork, an emotionally remote marriage) feel bland and generic. Though Buchan clearly disapproves of a snide British farmer's colonialist contempt for the Zulus, the movie's own attitude towards them is paternalistic at best. Still, despite baldly expository dialogue, Faith Like Potatoes does have a steady forward momentum to its story, and there's little question that the right audience will find its message comforting and compelling. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Loved it!
I loved this story! I'm from South Africa and it was very true to form. I loved the miracles that God did throughout the movie - and knowing it's based on a true story makes it even more awesome.
I will say they use a little Afrikaans every now and then, which may make it hard for the non-Afrikaans speaking people to pick up everything they're saying, but my husband watched it and said it didn't detract at all.
I would highly recommed this movie for anyone wanting to watch God's power in doubtful circumstances.

Faith Like Potatoes

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TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection (It's a Great Feeling / Tea for Two / April in Paris / The Tunnel of Love / Starlift)

From Warner Home Video
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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #218 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-04-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Number of discs: 5

Customer Reviews

THIRD TIME IS ANOTHER CHARMER
There have been some so-called critics who have carped about this third Warner Brothers video box-set of Doris Day films. They have intimated that they may be going one too many times to the "well" and that the best pictures were contained in the first and second sets. They couldn't be more wrong.
While some of the titles contained in this TCM Spotlight collection may be lesser known, except to Day's huge fan base, they all contain a plethora of treats to delight everyone and only reinforce Day's reputation as the best female comic, singer, dancer and most natural actress in film history.
The oldest title is 1949's "It's a Great Feeling", a lush technicolor morsel about a waitress working in the Warner Brother's commisssary and waiting for a big break. She gets's one when Jack Carson, playing himself takes an interest in her. This backstage look at the studio has some side-splitting cameos from stars including Joan Crawford (matchless), Sydney Greenstreet, Edward G. Robinson, Gary Cooper, Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman (and daughter Maureen)and one of the funniest wrap-ups to any film. Dennis Morgan lends his manly tenor to several numbers but the highlight for me is Day's rendition of "Blame My Absent-minded Heart", possibly the most beautiful song she ever sang at Warners.
"Tea for Two" is another technicolor treat and the first of five appearances of Miss Day and Gordon MacRae. It's a variation of the Broadway musical, "No, No Nanette" with some other tunes thrown in and has to do with a gal (Miss Day) who has to say no in order to secure funding for her Broadway debut. "Cuddles" Sakall is her Uncle, Eve Arden is a knockout, Billy DeWolfe is "Billy",always a good thing for any film, Gene Nelson dances up a storm and you'll hear a classic rendition of the title tune by Day and MacRae. This was Miss Day's screen dancing debut (about a dozen years after shattering her leg after being hit by a train). Suffice it to say she dances as well as she does everything else. It's easy to see why "Tea" was one of the biggest hits of 1950.
"Starlift" is the weakest title if only because Miss Day only guest stars in about twenty minutes of the film but she turns this black and white story about stars entertaining the troops into something special. It's not up to the standard of all those great 1940's star-filled romps about stars entertaining the soldiers that every studio turned out but there are nice turns from Ruth Roman, James Cagney, MacRae, and others. The film has not been widely seen in decades so it is worth a good look.
"April in Paris" was released in 1952, right about the time that Miss Day was voted the top female star in Hollywood in the Motion Picture Herald annual poll. She has rarely been more radiant in a Warners film. She plays a chorus girl who gets invited to a festival in Paris when an invitation intended for Ethel Barrymore comes to her instead. It's fluff but lushly mounted in technicolor and full of amusing comedy and great production numbers. Day's co-star is Ray Bolger who is likeable and performs with his usual energy. They don't have a lot of chemistry together but that hardly spoils this fast-paced film that features the best version of the title tune you will ever hear as rendered by Miss Day. Miss Day has a good chance to continue to hone her comic skills and I guarantee you'll be grinning throughout the whole confection.
The last title is 1958's"The Tunnel of Love" directed by Gene Kelly who does not appear in the film version of a popular Broadway comedy hit. It's also in black and white and wide screen and was not one of MGM's biggest hits at the time of its release. It's still worth a look, however, since how often do you see Richard Widmark playing comedy? Glenn Ford was the first choice for the role but Widmark acquits himself well and supporting players Gig Young, Gia Scala and Elisabeth Fraser are all pros. It's about a couple who want to have a baby and can't, so they decide to adopt. It's the usual comedy of that era filled with marital and other mix-ups and further proof of Miss Day's skill to make everything she does believable. Look at her eyes when she talks and you'll see the sincerity and realness she brings to everything she does. There have been few actresses more natural and real in film history. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in this film.
This five film package is well worth the price of "admission".

TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection (It's a Great Feeling / Tea for Two / April in Paris / The Tunnel of Love / Starlift)

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TCM Spotlight: Doris Day Collection (It's a Great Feeling / Tea for Two / April in Paris / The Tunnel of Love / Starlift)

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