From TheSmartMarks.com

Pop Culture
DVD Releases: Holidays Edition
By R. Flagg
Dec 15, 2005, 17:11

I�ll be on vacation until after the New Years, so I�ll be unable to post. I could�ve just blew it off, but instead I�m posting this recap of notable releases coming out over the next three weeks.

Notable Releases for December 20th
Four Brothers (Collector's Edition)
The Features:
� Commentary by Director John Singleton
� 9 Deleted scenes
� 5 Behind the Scenes and Making Of Featurettes
� Theatrical trailer

Must Love Dogs
The Features:
� Commentary
� Additional scenes with optional commentary
� Pass the beef: gag reel
� Theatrical trailer

Rebound
The Features:
� Commentary by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
� Storyboards

Chicago (The Razzle-Dazzle Edition)
The Features:
� Commentary with Director Rob Marshall & Screenwriter Bill Condon
� From Stage To Screen: The History of 'Chicago'
� Deleted Musical Number: "Class" Performed by Catherine Zeta-Jones & Queen Latifah
� Extended Musical Performances
� Chita Rivera's Encore
� An Intimate Look At Director Rob Marshall
� When Liza Minnelli Became Roxy Hart
� Academy Award-Winning Production Designer John Myhre
� Academy Award-Winning Costume Designer Colleen Atwood
� VH1 Behind The Movie

ER: The Complete Fourth Season
The Features:
� 22 episodes on six discs
� Anatomy of an Ambush
� Live Post Show: how the cast and crew wound down after "Ambush" aired
� Outpatient Outtakes: Deleted scenes on select episodes
� Cutups: Gag reel

The Amazing Race: The Seventh Season
The Features:
� 12 episodes on four discs
� Commentary by Brian & Greg and Lynn & Alex on episode 1
� Commentary by Rob & Amber, Uchenna & Joyce, Brian & Greg, and Lynn & Alex on episode 5
� Commentary by Rob & Amber and Uchenna & Joyce on episode 12
� Over three hours of additional scenes
� Reliving the Race: retrospective featuring interviews with creators Bertram Van Munster and Elise Doganieri, host Phil Keoghan, and the contestants

Party of Five: The Complete Second Season
The Features:
� Commentary
� Party of Five: a look back with Jennifer Love Hewitt

The Great Raid (Unrated Director's Cut)
Synopsis:
Set in the Philippines in 1945, The Great Raid tells the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt) who undertake a daring rescue mission against all odds. Traveling thirty miles behind enemy lines, the 6th Ranger Battalion aims to liberate over 500 American prisoners-of-war from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the most audacious rescue ever.
The Features:
� Comes With The Book "The Great Raid," By William B. Breuer
� Commentary With Director John Dahl, Producer Marty Katz, Technical Advisor Captain Dale Dye, Editor Scott Chestnut, And Author Hamptom Sides
� Extended Deleted Scenes With Commentary
� Boot Camp Outtakes
� Mixing The Great Raid Featurette
� The Mix Board With Special Audio Options
� War In The Pacific Interactive Timeline
� Dedication To The Soldiers Of Bataan
� The Price Of Freedom: Making The Great Raid
� The Ghosts Of Bataan: A 60-Minute Documentary
� The Veterans Remember
� History Lesson With Author Hampton Sides
� Captain Dale Dye's Boot Camp

November
Synopsis:
Courteney Cox delivers a compelling performance as a photographer whose life goes out of focus in November. After her boyfriend (James Le Gros) is murdered during a robbery, a photo of her car parked at the scene of the crime appears, blurring the line between the truth and her reality. As she goes through the stages of denial, despair and acceptance, Sophie is led to a shocking conclusion.
The Features:
� Commentary with director Greg Harrison and screenwriter Benjamin Brand
� Commentary with director Greg Harrison and director of photography Nancy Schreiber
� Alternate opening sequence
� A conversation with Lew Baldwin, composer/visual effects
� Photo galleries: Sophie's portfolio, Jesse's portfolio, photos from the film, behind-the-scenes

Seven Men From Now (Collector's Edition)
Synopsis:
A former sheriff, haunted by the loss of his wife in a Wells Fargo robbery, hunts for the seven men responsible for her death. Along the way, he assists a couple traveling west from Kansas City to California, and is forced to deal with another former outlaw he had once sent to prison.
The Features:
� Commentary by: James Kitses, film historian and author of "Horizons West: Anthony Mann, Budd Boetticher, Sam Peckinpah"
� Budd Boetticher: An American Original
� Duke, Randy & Budd: The Beginning of Seven Men from Now
� Lovable Villains and Strong Women
� Keeping It Simple
� The Last Matador
� Restoring the Legend
� The John Wayne Stock Company: Gail Russell
� Batjac trailer
� Original theatrical trailer
� Photo gallery

Notable Horror & Sci-Fi Releases for December 20th
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Unrated Special Edition)
The Features:
� Genesis of the Story: Cast and crew talk about how they first heard of the story, and discuss the writing of the script
� Casting the Film: Director and Cast talk about the casting process
� Visual Design: Crew talks about the production design and special effects

Serenity
The Features:
� Commentary with Writer/Director Joss Whedon
� Deleted Scenes
� Outtakes
� Joss Whedon Introduction
� Future History: The Story of Earth That Was
� What's in a Firefly
� Re-Lighting the Firefly

The Brothers Grimm
The Features:
� Commentary with Director Terry Gilliam
� Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary
� Bringing the Fairytale to Life
� The Visual Magic of The Brothers Grimm

Cry_Wolf (Unrated)
The Features:
� Commentary by Director/Co-Writer Jeff Wadlow, Producer/Co-Writer Beau Bauman and Editor/Associate Producer Seth Gordon
� Deleted and Extended Scenes
� Alternate Scene
� Wolves, Sheep and Shepherds: Casting the Roles
� Winning the Game: Inside the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival
� Before They Cried Wolf: The Filmmakers' Short Films

Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0
The Features:
� Commentary
� Deleted Scenes
Exclusive sneak peeks of upcoming episodes

Other Horror & Sci-Fi Releases for December 20th
Creep
Santa's Slay

Notable Releases for December 27th
Into the Blue
The Features:
� Commentary by Director John Stockwell
� 10 Deleted Scenes with Director's Optional Commentary
� Diving Deeper Into the Blue Making-of Featurette
� Screen Tests

Toy Story 2 (2-Disc Special Edition)
The Features:
� Remastered for optimum home theater experience by Academy Award, winner Gary Summers
� Commentary by Pixar director John Lasseter and his creative team including Lee Unkrich, Ash Brannon and Andrew Stanton
� Deleted Scenes: A unique look at earlier versions of some of your favorite Toy Story 2 scenes. See the 'Crossing the Road' sequence in its original form and find out how Woody initially ended up at the yard sale
� Outtakes: Watch as Woody, Buzz and the rest of the cast flub, fumble and fluster their way through their scenes in these hilarious, animated blunders
� New 'Making Toy Story 2: Meet Director John Lasseter, along with other members of the Pixar team, and discover how they drew inspiration from ideas they developed for the original Toy Story in order to bring the world of Buzz and Woody back to life
� Production: Go inside Pixar to see how the world of Toy Story 2 was brought to life
� All-New Which Toy Are You?: Join Hamm and Rex as they host this fun new game to test your personality and discover which Toy Story character you most resemble
� Ponkickies: Play rock-paper-scissors with Woody, Buzz and Jessie as they make a visit to Japan's popular children's program, Ponkickies 21
� Riders In The Sky Music Medley: Tap your toes and spin your partner as Riders In The Sky lead a musical tour through 'Woody's Roundup' and other classic western songs
� Toy Story 2's Cast of Characters
� Publicity: Go back to see how the world first learned about Toy Story 2

American Pie Presents: Band Camp (Unrated)
The Features:
� Outrageous Bonus Material
� Deleted Scenes
� Outtakes
� Band Camp Dirty Diary
� Rover Cam Uncut!
� Poolside with the Playmates
� Unrated Love Lessons with Ginger Lynne

The Shield: The Complete Fourth Season
The Features:
� Commentary by Shawn Ryan, Benito Martinez, CCH Pounder and Glen Mazzara on episode "The Cure"
� Commentary by Kurt Sutter, Katey Sagal, Paris Barclay, David Snell, Kenny Johnson and Benito Martinez on episode "Grave"
� Commentary by Catherine Dent, Michael Jace, Scott Rosenbaum and Guy Ferland on episode "Bang"
� Commentary by Charles Eglee, Anthony Anderson, Michael Pena and Kenny Johnson on episode "Tar Baby"
� Commentary by Kenny Johnson, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Dean White, Randy Huggins and Jennifer Richmond on episode "Cut Throat"
� Commentary by Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Anderson and Benito Martinez on episode "Back in the Hole"
� Commentary by Cathy Cahlin Ryan, Jay Karnes, David Marciano, David Snell and Adam Fierro on episode "A Thousand Deaths"
� Deleted Scenes: Shawn Ryan provides optional commentary on deleted scenes for 11 episodes; The Cure, Grave, Bang, Doghouse, Tar Baby, Hurt, Cut Throat, String Theory, A Thousand Deaths, Judas Priest and Ain't That a Shame
� 80 min Documentary

Nowhere Man: The Complete Series
Synopsis:
Unknown forces conspire to erase the identity of photographer Thomas Veil (Bruce Greenwood), and without warning, every aspect of his life is annulled during the course of one evening. His wife acts as if he's a stranger, his credit cards are suddenly invalid, his keys no longer fit the door to his home and in one way or another, his family and friends are silenced. Completely alone, Veil sets out on a desperate cross-country quest for an answer while eluding his powerful and unknown enemy. His only clue to the possible motivation behind the harrowing ordeal is the disappearance of one of his photographs, "Hidden Agenda," which depicts the execution of natives in a war-torn Third World country.
The Features:
� Audio and video commentaries by Larry Hertzog, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Dunne, Steve Rodman, Art Monterastelli and Ian Toynton
� Interviews with Larry Hertzog, Art Monterastelli, Guy Magar, Steve Rodman, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Levine, Megan Gallagher
� Deleted and extended scenes
� Outtakes
� Networking: UPN executive Mike Sullivan and series creator Larry Hertzog reminisce
� Fact or Fiction?: an anonymous ex-CIA operative reveals real world government conspiracies, mind control techniques and how fragile our identity really is
� Promotional spots

A Time For Burning
Synopsis:
Originally rejected by the three major networks for being too controversial, this classic cinema-verit� film from award-winning filmmaker Bill Jersey captures an all-white Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska as their eager, but earnest pastor tries to get the congregation to reach out to their fellow black Lutherans. Jersey's camera is there when a highly articulate and outspoken black nationalist Ernie Chambers tells Pastor Youngdahl that his "Jesus is contaminated." The camera continues to roll as a church elder speaks passionately about the urgency of desegregation but then admits he's never actually spent time one-on-one with a black person. As tensions threaten to tear apart the church, the film illustrates the anguish and awakenings of the civil rights era through the words and actions of everyday people.
The Features:
� Director's Commentary
� Update: Ernie Chambers 40 years later
� Filmmaker Statement

Grizzly Man
Synopsis:
In his mesmerizing new film, Grizzly Man, acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears for thirteen summers, and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons. In October 2003, Treadwell�s remains, along with those of his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were discovered near their campsite in Alaska�s Katmai National Park and Reserve. They had been mauled and devoured by a grizzly, the first known victims of a bear attack in the park
The Features:
� Interview with Director Werner Herzog
� In The Edges: The Grizzly Man Music Session

Other Releases for December 27th
Criss Angel Mindfreak: The Complete Season 1
Sex/Life In L.A. 2: Cycles Of Porn
When The Last Sword Is Drawn
WWE Survivor Series 2005

Notable Horror & Sci-Fi Releases for December 27th
Dark Water (Unrated)
The Features:
� Deleted Scenes
� The Sound Of Terror: The Subliminal Soundscapes of Dark Water
� Analyzing Dark Water Sequences: Explore The Creation Of Specific Scenes With Viewing Options
� Beneath The Surface: The Making Of Dark Water
� An Extraordinary Ensemble

Twilight Zone: Season 5 (The Definitive Edition)
The Features:
� Commentaries and Interviews featuring Mickey Rooney, Martin Landau, Michael Constantine, Bill Mumy, Carolyn Kearney, Mariette Hartley and Earl Hamner, Jr.
� Excerpt from Rod Serling's Sherwood Oaks College lecture
� Highlights from the Museum of Television and Radio seminar - The Art of Editing
� Season 5 Billboards and Photo Gallery

2046
Synopsis:
A Hong Kong writer finds inspiration from the women he's encountered in his past in this futuristic story of love and memory from Wong Kar Wai, who continues the story he began in his acclaimed masterpiece In the Mood for Love. Remembering back to the early 1960s, when he lived in the Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, Chow (Tony Leung) writes an erotic story that begins with a mysterious woman who lived in room 2046. Chow moves into room 2047 and begins an affair with a beautiful prostitute who now rents the mysterious woman's room. As he writes his story, which he sets in the future year 2046, Chow tells of a place where people travel to recapture lost memories; he is the first one to return.
The Features:
� Alternate ending
� Deleted scenes
� Behind the scenes of 2046
� Numerology of 2046
� Interview with Wong Kar Wai, Tony Leung and Ziyi Zhang
� Music montage
� The Music of 2046
� Photo galleries

Ab-Normal Beauty
Synopsis:
Jiney is a beautiful and talented photography student. One day she witnesses a gruesome car accident, but instead of being horrified, she finds herself aroused. Overcome with excitement and satisfaction, she becomes obsessed with photographing death. While coming to terms with her abnormal feelings, she receives a videotape showing a stranger beaten to death. Now she�s the object of someone else�s desire and her obsession with death may just get her killed.
The Features:
� Deleted Scenes
� The Making of Ab-Normal Beauty
� Photo Gallery
� Trailer

Other Horror & Sci-Fi Releases for December 27th
Art of the Devil 1
Big Doll House
Brain Dead
Caged Heat
Empire of the Wolves
One Dark Night
The Path of Evil
Pterodactyl
School Spirit
SeaQuest DSV: Season One
Welcome To Planet Earth

Notable Releases for January 3rd
Wedding Crashers (Uncorked Edition)
The Features:
� Commentary with Owen Wilson & Vince Vaughn
� Commentary with David Dobkin
� Unrated edition includes an additional 8-1/2 minutes of footage
� 3 Deleted Scenes
� Event planning
� A crash course in wedding crashing
� Music Video: The Sights "Circus"
� Wedding Crashers Game

Dumb and Dumber (Unrated)
The Features:
� 2 Alternate Endings
� 9 Deleted or alternate scenes
� Retrospective Documentary
� Easter Eggs: �Has this happened 2 you 2?" (1:16 min) "Dumb Fu" (1:46 min) "Smell of Burnt Harry" (1:58 min)
� TV Spot
� Theatrical Trailer
� DVD ROM Features

A Great Day In Harlem (Special Edition)
Synopsis:
In August of 1958, in front of a Harlem brownstone, first-time photographer Art Kane assembled 57 of the greatest jazz stars of all time and snapped a picture that would live forever. Narrated by Quincy Jones, this Academy Award-nominated documentary examines the fascinating lives of the musicians who showed up that day to make history. Through remarkable interviews with nearly 30 jazz greats (including Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Art Blakey), home movies shot by Milt and Mona Hinton, and rare, archival performance footage, A Great Day in Harlem tells the story behind a legendary photograph that is still alive and kicking
The Features:
� Art Kane
� Bill Charlap and Kenny Washington
� Copycat Photos
� Stories from the Making of A Great Day in Harlem
� Bonus 2nd Disc Includes Over Two Hours of New Video Profiles of the 59 Musicians involved in the photograph

Other Releases for January 3rd
1ST & 10: Season 1
1ST & 10: Season 2
All in the Family: The Complete Fifth Season
Broken Flowers
The Gospel (Special Edition)
Hunter: The Complete Third Season
Silk Stalkings: Season Four
Snatch (Deluxe Edition)

Notable Horror & Sci-Fi Releases for January 3rd
The Cave
The Features:
� Commentary with Director Bruce Hunt
� Commentary with Writers Michael Steinberg and Tegan West
� Into the Cave
� Designing Evolution

Alien Nation: The Complete TV Series
The Features:
� Commentary by Kenneth Johnson on the two-hour pilot telefilm
� Behind-the-Scenes

Other Horror & Sci-Fi Releases for January 3rd
Green River Killer
Tears Of Kali

© Copyright 2002-2005 by TheSmartMarks.com