What do you get when you mix the Beach Boys and Satan?

"The Beach Boys and the Satan" (Region 1 DVD). Also available through Amazon.co.uk, but only in Region 1 format: This oddball German documentary is as disjointed as its name implies. Roughly the first 45 minutes is a fairly straight Beach Boys documentary with a fairly comprehensive retelling of the Beach Boys story from the German Pop Annual TV series. It's augmented by lots of old film clips, some rare, some coming from "The Beach Boys: An American Band" and "I Guess I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" documentaries. Paul McCartney does appear in the disc in clips from "American Band" (the party scene with him and Linda), plus Brian Wilson discusses how "Rubber Soul" influenced "Pet Sounds." Offering thoughts on the Beach Boys career are Don Was, Kim Fowley, Greg Shaw (of the great Bomp! magazine) and Brian Wilson himself. When the documentary starts discussing Charles Manson, though, the film turns away from the Beach Boys almost entirely. Adding to the strangeness is the use all the way through of German subtitles you can't turn off. The disc also has no scene breaks or extra features. Given the fact, though, that most of the Beach Boys documentaries were done by the band themselves with their spin, it's nice to see the band get a fresh look. And the disc includes enough vintage Beach Boys clips to please any fan. Still, though, this is one strange trip.

Dark Knight and other upcoming Warner Bros. DVDs

Warner Home Video has announced "The Dark Knight" will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on Dec. 9. Both the Blu-Ray and regular DVDs will consist of 2 discs. The Blu-Ray version will have 3 hours of special features, including documentaries on the psyche of Batman and his arsenal of weapons and a digital copy of the film.

Also coming from Warner HV: "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Get Smart" (the movie) on Nov. 11 and "The Powderpuff Girls' 10th Anniversary Collection" on Jan. 20.

Review: "Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney"

Reading the title of "Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney," you get a strong hint that this might not be a fan tribute. The film, which won the audience favorite award at the 2008 Mockfest Film Festival in Hollywood, is a documentary about how an obscure event still reverberates some 40 years after the fact.

In 1965, Ruth Anson, then an attractive young reporter for a local Los Angeles TV station, covered the arrival of the Beatles in the city. When she asked Paul McCartney if he had plans for marriage, his answer, caught on film and shown several times in the DVD, was "Only if you'll marry me." The words stuck with her.

Forty years later, Anson, now Ruth Anson-Sowby, attempts to reconnect with the event and experience closure by getting in touch with McCartney. A filmmaker, Marc Cushman, decides to take on the project of making a documentary about her quest. When things don't work out as initially planned, it becomes a reality-TV project, and with it comes little regard for the feelings of Sowby, much to the dismay of some of her family and friends. Finally, Cushman decides the group should connect with McCartney at the Grammy Awards. The ups and downs of preparations, along with the efforts to even see Paul McCartney at the event, form the almost-comic climax of the film.

There is plenty of vintage footage of Sowby interviewing celebrities here, including the original McCartney footage, plus others, including Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope and George Murphy. The McCartney footage is run several times. It is heard in the film the makers had to pay a large sum to license the footage and they use it often.

Much of the time, reality TV goes for cheap entertainment at the participants' expense. That's the bottom line here. This is not a celebration of the Beatles, but like much of reality TV, this documentary of one woman's dream is a sad song that doesn't get better. (Bonus features include twelve Beatle-like songs.)

Read our exclusive interview with Ruth Anson Sowby.

"The Beatles: Rare and Unseen"

If a product breathlessly hyping itself makes you wary, be prepared. You'll hear that a lot throughout "The Beatles: Rare and Unseen."

The single disc DVD starts out with promoting its exclusive unseen footage through "rare and previously unseen home movies, personal photographs, recently discovered film and true stories told first hand by the people who were really there." And on that score, it lives up to the hype.

Well, sort of.

The rare footage includes the earliest known footage of the Beatles onstage in Liverpool in 1962, a rare film of the Caird Hall, Dundee, Scotland show in October, 1964, footage taking during the making of "Help!," home movie footage from the 1964 Paris Olympia show and a rarely seen French TV interview with John Lennon.

And it's all there -- if you don't mind the fact that the interviewees are superimposed over the rare footage more often than not. Sadly, none of the rare film is seen unedited. What is there, though, is tantalizing, like dangling a carrot in front of a horse. It sure makes you wish for more of it without the unnecessary obstructions.

Some of the interviews, on the other hand, are quite good. The best are Abbey Road recording engineer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers and former Beatles press officer Tony Barrow. Others offering comments include Ken Dodd, Sylvie Vartan, Sam Leach, Quarrymen member Colin Hanton, Phil Collins and Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel. But even the interviews have a few snags. In near succession, different interviewees recall "the original Beatles" as having different lineups. An eight-page booklet features text by Barrow and more rare photos.

Even more frustrating is the fact that the disc's special features are extended interviews with everyone on the disc -- but not the raw unedited rare footage.

Sigh.

Still, just seeing this stuff is great. And at least some of the interviews aren't the deadweight talking head interviews usually found on many of the endless line of DVDs that tell the Beatles story.

If only, though, someone had figured out that the rare footage would have been better appreciated if left the producers had left it the hell alone.

NEW BEATLES DVD, "ALL TOGETHER NOW," COMING JUNE 24

APPLE CORPS LTD., CIRQUE DU SOLEIL AND EMI MUSIC ANNOUNCE THE GLOBAL
DVD RELEASE OF 'ALL TOGETHER NOW' ON JUNE 24

Feature-Length Documentary Chronicles The Making Of The Beatles' "LOVE"
by Cirque du Soleil

London, England - April 16, 2008 - On June 24, 2008 Apple Corps
Ltd./Cirque du Soleil will release the feature-length documentary 'All
Together Now' on DVD, which will be marketed and distributed worldwide
by EMI Music. The film details the story behind the unique partnership
between The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil that resulted in the creation
and launch of "LOVE," the stage production still wowing audiences at
The Mirage in Las Vegas, and the double Grammy-winning album of the
same name. The film is dedicated to the memory of Neil Aspinall, an
Executive Producer of the DVD.

The DVD's total running time is 122 minutes, including the 84-minute
documentary film and bonus features. The film and extras are presented
in DTS & Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Dolby Digital Stereo.

'All Together Now' faithfully recounts how the "LOVE" project came into
being, borne from the personal friendship between George Harrison and
Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte. George saw how the twin talents
of Cirque's artistry and The Beatles' music could be fused into
something new and totally original.

The director, Adrian Wills, records early meetings between the Cirque &
Apple Corps Ltd. creative teams, as well as contributions from Sir Paul
McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison discussing
how The Beatles' music can be used in a different way. We hear about
the decision to utilize the combined talents of Sir George Martin and
his son Giles Martin to produce what became a 90-minute soundscape
created from The Beatles' multi-track recordings and how this new audio
adventure was being quietly worked on in the famous Abbey Road Studios
in London, England whilst the first creative ideas for the show were
being formulated in Montreal, Canada.

These early stages of the project were all filmed, as were the first
rehearsals at the Mirage Hotel theatre in Las Vegas, which was
completely rebuilt with a one-of-a-kind sound system and complex round
staging to house the "LOVE" show. George and Giles Martin, the show's
Musical Directors, were involved every step of the way with the
remarkable Cirque du Soleil creative team, performers and backroom
staff.

It wasn't all "plain-sailing" and there has been no attempt to disguise
some of the disagreements that took place along the way regarding how
some of the songs would be portrayed visually. These creative
differences, a necessary part of the overall process of bringing "LOVE"
to its most vibrant life, illustrate the participants' love and respect
for the music and vision of The Beatles.

In addition to their roles within the main feature, George and Giles
Martin, along with engineer Paul Hicks, also pop up in another piece
titled "Changing The Music" which reveals in fascinating depth how the
music was created and the challenges they faced. They explain how they
sourced some of the individual instruments and effects and how they
were encouraged to experiment.

The 'All Together Now' documentary and bonus features provide a
fascinating insight into the creative skills and passion that went into
making this project a groundbreaking critical and commercial success.

DVD contents
'All Together Now' documentary (84:00)
Bonus Features:
- "Changing The Music" (22:00): A behind-the scenes look at the
decision-making process for the "LOVE" concept and music production.
- "Music In The Theatre" (07:00): A look at the process of creating the
"LOVE" show's unique audio design.
- "Making 'LOVE'" (09:00): A backstage pass to explore the design of
"LOVE," including the art direction, costumes, props, screen imagery
and the use of The Beatles' voices in the "LOVE" stage production and
its soundtrack .

DVD technical details
1 x DVD-9
PAL and NTSC
All regions

www.thebeatles.com

www.cirquedusoleil.com

Mike Douglas -- the Ed Sullivan of daytime TV

Mike Douglas - Moments & Memories / John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Rolling Stones, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Martin: Back in the '60s, there are a hard and fast rule in our house. Nothing but nothing interrupted "The Mike Douglas Show." (Forgive me, Mom!)
Looking back, however, it wasn't as bad of a thing as it seemed at the time. For one, Douglas, who got his start as a big band singer with Kay Kyser, was an easy-going guy who had a knack for bringing on great guests, some of them controversial. Folks like Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ingrid Bergman, Marlon Brando, Don Rickles, Rodney Dangerfield, Groucho Marx, Bob Hope and John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Mike Douglas - Moments & Memories / John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Rolling Stones, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Martin, a new single disc DVD from Kultur International being released March 25, recounts Douglas' story and collects highlights of many of those performances.
The clips are augmented by interviews, including fond recollections from Douglas' widow, Genevieve. (One fascinating fact about Douglas that we learned for the first time from the DVD: He was the voice of Prince Charming in Disney's "Cinderella.")
But it's the clips that are the real attraction here. There's an early rare clip of the Rolling Stones in black and white that is fascinating to watch as the camera alternates from the faces of the gyrating Stones performing to the fans in the audience screaming and carrying on wildly.
Another highlight is a clip featuring Bob Hope, who for years sponsored a major golf tournament in his name, watching a very young boy brought on the show for his early age talent for the game. The boy's name? Tiger Woods.
It's Jack Benny acting naturally and, as usual, making the audience roar with laughter. It's KISS acting up in front of the cameras and showing off their makeup and costumes to housewives who probably had never seen such a sight before. It's Steve Martin, David Letterman, Jay Leno and George Carlin display the early talent that brought them later fame. It's a rare interview with Mother Teresa, who even then brought an aura of saintliness with her. There's so much here to enjoy, including a clip of Douglas performing his Top 40 hit, "The Men In My Little Girl's Life."
One of the main highlights of the disc is the chapter featuring the unprecedented week of shows co-hosted by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It was so unusual to have someone so conservative looking like Douglas allow Lennon and Ono to basically take over the show for a week. But he did and the result was fascinating. Lennon and Ono invited many of their politically active friends to appear -- Jerry Rubin, Ralph Nader and Bobby Seale were among those who showed up. The week also gave Lennon the chance to fulfill a dream -- to perform with Chuck Berry. The clip of the two singing "Johnny B. Goode," which has been passed around on bootlegs for years, is here in crystal clarity. As a Lennon fan ourselves, since the whole week's shows were once on video, we only wish a DVD of the whole week's shows would be released. (Actually, it was in Brazil for a while, but appears to be out of print.)
This is a fun disc that we can't help but recommend. We really hope, like the Dick Cavett and "The Tomorrow Show" series of DVDs, that more releases will come with more moments and memories.

John, Paul, Tom and Ringo -- the Fab Three plus one

If Dick Cavett was the hip big brother of talk show hosts, Tom Snyder was the fuddy duddy uncle who you had to explain everything to. That's quite evident in "The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: John Paul Tom & Ringo", an interesting new collection of vintage interviews of three of the Beatles available from Shout Factory on April 1.

The best of the interviews is clearly the one with John Lennon, which was first shown in 1975 and replayed the night after Lennon was killed with new guests added. It's the replay that's included here. If Snyder comes across a little, let's say, naive, John, in a very accomodating mood, sets Snyder straight. "Were the Beatles before the groupies?", Snyder asks at one point.

The replay includes comments from a still shocked "Double Fantasy" producer Jack Douglas and rock critic Lisa Robinson.

That's not the case with the Paul McCartney interview, originally aired on Dec. 20, 1979. It's Paul and Linda, first, who are then joined by Denny Laine and Laurence Juber via satellite discussing Wings before a show at London's Rainbow Theatre. The interview gets off to a horrible start as Snyder makes an impatient Paul and Linda wait (actually telling Paul to "hang on a minute ... we're not ready yet") for an incredibly long introduction (including a boring technical update of the equipment being used for the interview) and a playing of the "Spin It On" music video. Paul and Linda manage to stay polite, though various comments through the interview give evidence that they did not enjoy the experience. No surprise: Few of the questions rise above the pedestrian level. Despite the success being enjoyed by Wings, Snyder even asks about the possibility of a Beatles reunion. When Juber and Laine join the interview, Snyder has to ask the two to introduce themselves because he clearly doesn't know who is who.

The interview with Ringo, recorded in Los Angeles and first aired Nov. 25, 1981, is pretty run of the mill for Ringo, who seems to treat it like nothing special. It really isn't. Snyder starts off asking the meaning of the title of Ringo's then-current album, "Stop and Smell the Roses" after years of what Snyder calls "turmoil, frenzy and confusion," then following up with how Ringo likes being 40. Snyder also discusses John Lennon, who died less than a year before the interview was taped. Barbara Bach also is interviewed, and the couple discuss their apperances in the movie "Caveman."

The quality of the Lennon and Ringo interviews are excellent, especially the Lennon, which has been a favorite among collectors in copies taken from a long out-of-print video release. The McCartney interview, though not as sharp in quality as the other two, seems to have come from a decent video master. Still, it's surprising the quality isn't better.

Despite the reservations, "The Tomorrow Show With Tom Snyder: John Paul Tom & Ringo" is a set worth getting just for the Lennon interview alone. It's good to see this interview, one of Lennon's best, available again. The McCartney and Starr interviews are worth seeing for archival purposes only, but we all have some of that stuff in our collections, don't we?

An intelligent discussion of the Beatles

Composing the Beatles Songbook: Lennon & McCartney 1957-1965: It's rare when a Beatles DVD that tries to summarize their career in any way makes any kind of sense. The store shelves are filled with slap-dash DVDs of the same old Beatle clips with shallow histories of the Fab Four.
Composing the Beatles Songbook: Lennon & McCartney 1957-1965, to be released March 18 in the U.S., is a very rare and welcome exception. The 80-minute film is an intelligent (for a change) roundtable discussion of the Lennon and McCartney partnership by a number of well-known rock musicians, journalists and authors and broadcasters. The fact some of them have strong Beatle connections gives the project even more credibility. Those on board include Klaus Voorman, who drew the "Revolver" cover, Barry Miles, co-author of Paul McCartney's biography and Maureen Cleave, the journalist to whom Lennon uttered the infamous quote comparing the Beatles and Jesus, and broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, who has interviewed Paul McCartney for an official audio interview released by Columbia Records when Paul was on that label. Also on the disc are veteran journalist Robert Christgau (Village Voice), Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone), authors Johnny Rogan, Pete Doggett, Steve Turner and Nigel Williamson.
The group analyzes the development of Lennon and McCartney as songwriters. The disc includes clips from "The Ed Sullivan Show," The Royal Variety Performance and other appearances, plus there are clips of the Rolling Stones, the Byrds and Bob Dylan. Any discussion of Lennon and McCartney is, of course, subjective, but we think this disc will provoke a lot of discussion on its own. The disc includes extras with extended interviews, biographies and a Beyond DVD section. Don't miss this.

Blu-ray sharks eat HD for dinner

It didn't take long, did it? Once Warner Bros. said they weren't going to support HD any longer, the blocks fell quickly. Amazon.com, Best Buy and, finally, Wal-mart, came tumbling down like the walls of Jericho.
Toshiba saw the handwriting on the wall and gave up the ghost. But what's scary here is how quickly and with the savageness the end came.
One radio interviewer we heard wondered aloud if there was a little back-room politics that played into the decision. It wouldn't be surprising. A lot of money was at stake here.
Still, Toshiba says they'll still continue to support the format.
Here's the full press release:

Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses

19 February, 2008

Company Remains Focused on Championing Consumer Access to High Definition Content

TOKYO--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has undertaken a thorough review of its overall strategy for HD DVD and has decided it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders. This decision has been made following recent major changes in the market. Toshiba will continue, however, to provide full product support and after-sales service for all owners of Toshiba HD DVD products.

HD DVD was developed to offer consumers access at an affordable price to high-quality, high definition content and prepare them for the digital convergence of tomorrow where the fusion of consumer electronics and IT will continue to progress.

"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation. "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."

Toshiba will continue to lead innovation, in a wide range of technologies that will drive mass market access to high definition content. These include high capacity NAND flash memory, small form factor hard disk drives, next generation CPUs, visual processing, and wireless and encryption technologies. The company expects to make forthcoming announcements around strategic progress in these convergence technologies.

Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements. The company will continue to assess the position of notebook PCs with integrated HD DVD drives within the overall PC business relative to future market demand.

This decision will not impact on Toshiba's commitment to standard DVD, and the company will continue to market conventional DVD players and recorders. Toshiba intends to continue to contribute to the development of the DVD industry, as a member of the DVD Forum, an international organization with some 200 member companies, committed to the discussion and defining of optimum optical disc formats for the consumer and the related industries.

Toshiba also intends to maintain collaborative relations with the companies who joined with Toshiba in working to build up the HD DVD market, including Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and DreamWorks Animation and major Japanese and European content providers on the entertainment side, as well as leaders in the IT industry, including Microsoft, Intel, and HP. Toshiba will study possible collaboration with these companies for future business opportunities, utilizing the many assets generated through the development of HD DVD.
Information in the press releases, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the press announcement,but is subject to change without prior notice.

PC World suggests some of the technology could still be useful to Toshiba.
Still, it's an empty promise, at best. It's over.

Remembering the Man in Black

We weren't much of a fan of country music when "The Johnny Cash Show" came along in 1969. We liked rock music. And some rock music fans wrongly associated all country music with superpatriotism in the "I'm Proud to Be an Okie From Muskogee" mode.
But Johnny Cash and his show was different. Cash not only welcomed all kinds of music, including rock, but he embraced the downtrodden and even allowed a cross-section of political opinion, something not often seen in those days. And though his show was only on TV through three TV seasons, it made an impression on me and everyone who watched it
That is why "The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash 1969-1971" will be in our top 10 DVDs for the year, even this early in 2008. The two-disc set features 66 performances from the landmark show. And even those don't begin to cover the wide berth of musical talent and influence the Man in Black's show presented.
Just the guest list of performers on the set gives you an idea, though. There's George Jones, doing a medley of his hits including the classic "White Lightning." James Taylor, just an up and coming talent at the time, sings "Sweet Baby James." Neil Young gives a stark, powerful performance of "The Needle and the Damage Done," a song about drug abuse that Johnny Cash himself was a victim of in his younger days. Jerry Lee Lewis, with his usual (in those days, anyway) cocky demeanor, gives a seminal performance of his rock classic "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." Bill Monroe performing his classic "Blue Moon of Kentucky." And that's just the beginning.
Several of the performers and performances on the set go beyond just deserving a mere mention. They are outright stunners. Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash get together on "Blue Yodel #9," which Cash introduces as a recreation of an old Satchmo recording session. When Satchmo blew the first few notes of the song, it hit us like a ton of bricks. It was that good.
Similarly, the two tracks by Derek and the Dominoes, led by Eric Clapton, are incredible. First, there's "It's Too Late," then Clapton, Cash, Carl Perkins and the band jam on Perkins' "Matchbox." Fantastic.
Bob Dylan, then pretty much a recluse, and Cash had something in common -- they were bold but individual, guys whose musical leanings were guided only by themselves. Dylan and Cash were great friends and recording buddies. Dylan's appearances on the Cash show, set around the time of the "Nashville Skyline" album, could only be called "events." This set includes "I Threw It All Away" and a duet with Cash on "Girl From the North Country."
And the spirit of his father was never more present in Hank Williams Jr. than when he performs a medley of Hank Sr.'s songs, including "You Win Again," "Cold Cold Heart" and "I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You."
Of course, the clips of Cash himself really show why we crowded to the TV set on nights the show aired. Cash's songs, such as "Ring of Fire," "Ride This Train," "Man In Black" (in one of his first performances after he wrote it ... he admitted to needing the words on a cue card), "Folsom Prison Blues", "A Boy Named Sue" and "I Walk the Line" became familiar friends to his viewers. (Just one minor complaint is the absence of "Orange Blossom Special," which became a real highlight and an audience favorite.)
After seeing this double set, we hope another will be on the way. There are so many great clips not included here. To name just a few clips that have been circulating among collectors: there's the Monkees (post-Peter Tork), Mahalia Jackson, Roger Miller, Tex Ritter and Joe South.
In addition to the DVD, Cash fans will also want the audio single disc The Johnny Cash Show: The Best of Johnny Cash. It has 17 tracks, including a couple that aren't on the DVD.

Coming soon -- upcoming street dates

(2/5/08)

From Disney:
The Aristocats Special Edition
From Paramount:
Black Rain / Fatal Attraction Double Feature
The Talented Mr. Ripley / School Ties Double Feature
The Hunt for Red October / K-19: The Widowmaker Double Feature
The Hours / Heartburn Double Feature Standard
Blue Hawaii / Paradise, Hawaiian Style
King Creole / G.I. Blues Double Feature
Go Diego Go!: Diego's Magical Missions
Beauty and the Beast: The Third Season
Soul Food - The Series: The Third Season
Blackout
Best of Comedy Central Presents
The Jewish Americans
From Universal:
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
From Warner Home Video:
Americanizing Shelley
Assassination of Jesse James, The
Black Woman's Guide to Getting Married
Charlie & Lola: Volume 7: This Is Actually My Party
Flogging Margaret
George Lopez: America's Mexican
LOVE AND BASKETBALL MUSIC EDITION
Legion of Superheroes: Volume 2
Perfect Strangers: The Complete First & Second Seasons
Showstoppers
The Brave One
Third Watch: The Complete First Season
You've Got Mail: Deluxe Edition
From Shout Factory:
Ironside, Season 2, Vol. 1
Comic Relief: The Greatest and the Latest

(2/12/08)
From Classic Media:
George of the Jungle: The Complete Original Series
From Paramount:
Wonder Pets: Save The Dinosaur
Girlfriends: The Third Season
Family Ties: The Third Season
Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav: Uncensored!
From Warner Home Video:
Batman: Mask of Phantasm Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub Zero
Battle of the Bulge Featuring Bone Crusher
Beatrix Potter Collection
Black August
Blade: The Series
Coleccion Pedro Infante: !?Que te ha dado esa mujer?!
Coleccion Pedro Infante: Arriba las Mujeres
Coleccion Pedro Infante: Las mujeres de mi General
Coleccion Pedro Infante: Viva mi Desgracia
Dallas: The Complete Eighth Season
Introducing The Dwights
Joan Crawford Collection Vol. 2
Martian Child
NBA Street Series - Volume 5
No Reservations
Prehistoric Predators
Sopranos, The: Season 6 Part 2
TELL ME YOU LOVE ME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle & Mr. Jeremy Fisher & Other Stories (Beatrix Potter)
Tale of Pigling Bland and Other Stories (Beatrix Potter)
WB Home Entertainment Presents: Academy Award® Animation Collection 15 Winners, 26 Nominees
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Presents: Academy Awards® Animation Collection, 15 Winners
World of Peter Rabbit & Friends, The (Beatrix Potter)

(2/19/08)
From Paramount:
Walker, Texas Ranger: The Fourth Season
Shark Tale / Antz 2-Pack Spring 2-Pack with Tattoos
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron / The Road to El Dorado 2-Pack Spring 2-Pack w/Tattoos
The Prince of Egypt / Joseph: King of Dreams 2-Pack Spring 2-Pack w/Tattoos
Shrek Spring 2 Pack w/Tattoos
Flushed Away Spring 2 Pack w/Tattoos
Flushed Away Spring 2 Pack w/Tattoos
Max & Ruby: Springtime for Max & Ruby/Afternoons with Max & Ruby 2-Pack
Dora the Explorer:Big Sister Dora/City of Lost Toys 2-Pack
Max & Ruby: Springtime for Max & Ruby/Afternoons with Max & Ruby 2-Pack
Dora the Explorer:Big Sister Dora/City of Lost Toys 2-Pack Standard DVD
SpongeBob Squarepants: Home Sweet Pineapple/SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric 2-Pack Standard DVD
SpongeBob Squarepants: Home Sweet Pineapple/SpongeBob Goes Prehistoric 2-Pack Standard DVD
Nick Jr. Celebrates Spring/Blue's Clues:Blue's Room: It's Hug Day 2-Pack Standard DVD
Dora the Explorer: Super Silly Fiesta!/Nick Jr. Favorites 4 2-Pack Standard DVD Blue's Clues: Blue's Room: Shape Detectives/Beyond Your Wildest Dreams 2-Pack Standard Charlotte's Web (1973)/Charlotte's Web 2 2-Pack Standard DVD Full Screen Rugrats: Tales From the Crib: Snow White/Three Jacks & a Beanstalk 2-Pack Standard DVD Drake & Josh: Go Hollywood/Suddenly Brothers - Volume 1 2 Pack Standard DVD
Margot At The Wedding Standard DVD Widescreen Comedy, Drama 1/15/2008 Jakers!: Treasure Hunt on Raloo Farm Standard DVD Widescreen
From Warner Home Video:
Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town: Deluxe Edition
Father Ted: The Definitive Collection (DVD)
Helen Mirren at the BBC
In the Valley of Elah
Invasion, The
Les Miserables (1995) (BBC)
Looney Tunes: Movie Collection Vol. 3
Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection Vol. 5
Michael Clayton
My Dog Skip/ Shiloh 3: Saving Shiloh (DBFE)
Peanuts: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition
Rendition
Riverdance: Live from Radio City Music Hall: Collector's Edition
Swordfish/Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (DBFE)
Tom and Jerry: Shiver Me Whiskers
Tom and Jerry: Tales Vol. 1
From Universal:
American Gangster
Lust, Caution

(2/26/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
Hooligans
Hotel Babylon Season 1.
Justice League: The New Frontier
Justice League: The New Frontier Special Edition
NFL Super Bowl XLII
Pinochet's Last Stand
Silk (DVD)
Smurfs, The: Season 1, Volume 1
State of Play (2003) (BBC)
From Paramount:
Beowulf Standard
Caillou's Family Favorites
Beowulf Director's Cut
The Fugitive: The First Season, Volume Two
Backyardigans: Tale Of The Mighty Knights
Max & Ruby: Berry Bunny Adventures Standard DVD

(3/4/08)
From Disney:
101 DALMATIANS: Platinum Edition
From Paramount:
Human Giant: The Complete First Season
The Love Boat: Season One Volume One
Things We Lost in the Fire
Into the Wild
From Warner Home Video:
Ben 10 Season 3
Doctor Who: Beginning Collection, The
Doctor Who: Ep. 13 - Web Planet, The
Doctor Who: Ep. 45 - Mind Robber, The
Doctor Who: Ep. 54 - Inferno
Doctor Who: Ep. 57 - Claws of Axos, The
Doctor Who: Ep. 69 - Green Death, The
Doctor Who: Ep. 78 Genesis of the Daleks
Doctor Who: Ep. 81 - Planet of Evil
Doctor Who: Ep. 87 - Hand of Fear, The
Doctor Who: Ep. 92 - Horror of Fang Rock
Doctor Who: Ep.104 - Destiny of the Daleks
Doctor Who: Ep.105 - City of Death
Doctor Who: Ep.110 - Leisure Hive, The
Doctor Who: Ep.143 - Revelation of the Daleks
Doctor Who: Ep.157 - Ghost Light
Doctor Who: Lost In Time - Patrick Troughton Years
Doctor Who: Lost In Time- William Hartnell Years
Doctor Who: Mark of the Rani, The (Ep. 140)
Doctor Who: Visitation, The (Ser. 120)
Horton Hears A Who: Deluxe Edition
Johnson Family Dinner
No Reservations
The Other Boleyn Girl
The UCLA Dynasty

(3/11/08)
From Paramount:
Lil' Bush: Resident of the United States - Season One
South Park: Imaginationland
Bee Movie
Bee Movie Jerry’s 2 Disc Special Edition
Love American Style Season 1, Volume 2
The Mod Squad: The First Season, Volume Two
From Warner Home Video:
Appleseed Ex Machina
Appleseed Saga:Ex Machina:LE (2D)
August Rush
Color of the Cross 2: Resurrection
Def Comedy Jam: Hughley
Dinosaurs Unearthed (NG)
Five Days
In the Valley of Elah
Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1976
Michael Clayton
Michael Palin: New Europe (DVD)
Nancy Drew (2007)
One Foot in the Grave Season 4
One Foot in the Grave: Season 3
Stompin
Tom and Jerry: Tales Vol. 4
WIGGLES: POP GO THE WIGGLES
Wiggles, The: Cold Spaghetti Western
Wiggles, The: Getting Strong
Wiggles, The: Here Comes the Big Red Car
Wiggles, The: Hoop Dee Doo! It's a Wiggly Party
Wiggles, The: It's a Wiggly Wiggly World!
Wiggles, The: Lights, Camera Action
Wiggles, The: Live Hot Potatoes!
Wiggles, The: Magical Adventure
Wiggles, The: Racing to the Rainbow
Wiggles, The: Sailing Around the World
Wiggles, The: Santa's Rockin'
Wiggles, The: Splish Splash Big Red Boat
Wiggles, The: Whoo Hoo! Wiggly Gremlins
Wiggles, The: Wiggle Around the Clock
Wiggles, The: Wiggle Dancing! Live in the U.S.A.
Wiggles, The: Wiggly Wiggly Christmas
Wiggles, The: Yule Be Wiggling

(3/18/08)
From Shout Factory
McHale's Navy: Season 3
From Paramount:
The Untouchables: Season Two, Volume One
The Wild Wild West: The Fourth Season
From Warner Home Video:
Autopsy: Postmortem with Dr. Michael Baden
Extreme Alaska: Denali National Park (NG)
I Am Legend
I Am Legend Special Edition
Justice League: The New Frontier Special Edition
Love in the Time of Cholera (DVD)
NFL Films Classics: Legends of Autumn Volumes IV-VI
Pebbles And Bamm-Bamm Show, The
Pup Named Scooby-Doo, A: The Complete First Season
The Sickhouse (DVD)

(3/25/08)
From Shout Factory:
Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors Volume One
From Warner Home Video:
Black Legion
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde: Special Edition
Bonnie and Clyde: Ultimate Collector's Edition
Brother Orchid
FRISKY DINGO: SEASON 1
Greatest NBA Rivalries Volume I
IFL Championship 2007
Lady Killer
Mayor Of Hell
NBA Boston Celtics 1985-86
NHL All-Access (2008)
Picture Snatcher (1933)
Pu-239
Smart Money (1931)
Warner Gangsters Collection Volume 1
Warner Gangsters Collection Volume 2
From Universal:
Battlestar Galactica, Season Three

(4/1/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Appleseed Saga:Ex Machina:LE (2D)
August Rush
BBC Natural History Collection, The
Bette Davis Collection Volume 3
David Attenborough: Wildlife Specials
Doctor Who: Ep. 70 - Time Warrior, The
Echo and Other Elephants
Harold & Kumar: Special Edition (WS/DVD)
John From Cincinnati: The Complete First Season
Martin: The Complete Fourth Season
Terry Jones: Medieval Lives
The Return of Swamp Thing

(4/8/08)
From Warner Home Video:
11th Hour
Ben 10 Race Against Time
Born to Dance/Lady be Good
Broadway Melody of 1936/Broadway Melody of 1938
Classic Musicals from the Dream Factory Volume 3
Deep in My Heart
Eden at the End of the World
Hit the Deck
I Am Legend
Innocent Voices
Kismet (1955)
Nancy Goes to Rio/Two Weeks with Love
Planet Earth: From Pole to Pole/Mountains/Fresh Water
Planet Earth:Caves/Deserts/Ice Worlds
Planet in Peril (CNN)
Private Life of a Masterpiece, The: Collection
Private Life of a Masterpiece, The: Impressionism and the Post Impressionists
Private Life of a Masterpiece, The: Masterpieces of Sculpture
Private Life of a Masterpiece, The: Renaissance Masterpieces
Private Life of a Masterpiece, The: Seventeenth Century Masterpieces
Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry 6
Sense and Sensibility (2007) (BBC)
Sense and Sensibility Deluxe Edition Gift Set
Sharkwater
Six Degrees Could Change the World

(4/15/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Bonnie and Clyde
Canine Conspiracy, The /The Cat Connection
Classical Baby:I'm Grown Up Now:The Poetry Show
Human Footprint
Tenant of Wildfell Hall, The

(4/22/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Coleccion Pedro Infante: No desearas la mujer de tu hijo
Gettin' Grown
My Boy Jack (2007)
Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!: Season 1

(4/29/08)
From Disney:
THE CLASSIC CABALLEROS COLLECTION: Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros
From Warner Home Video:
Bernard and Doris
The Golden Compass (DVD)
The Golden Compass 2-Disc Special Edition
The Weekend
Waltons, The: The Complete Seventh Season

(5/6/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Allo 'Allo: Complete Series 8
Bridges of Madison County, The: Deluxe Edition
Macon County Line
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World (2003) DVD
Twister Special Edition
Twister: Special Edition

(5/13/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Essential Classic American Musicals
Essential Classic Dramas
Essential Classic Family Films
Essential Classic Musicals
Essential Classic Romances
Essential Directors: Clint Eastwood
Essential Directors: Martin Scorsese
Legends, Icons & Superstars of the 20th Century
Lovejoy: The Complete Season Three DVD
Two and a Half Men: The Complete Third Season

(5/20/08)
From Warner Home Video:
New Maverick(Pilot 1)
Richie Rich/Scooby-Doo Hour: Volume One
Robot Chicken Star Wars

(5/27/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Reza: Shooting Back

(6/10/08)
Anton Chekhov Collection, The

(6/17/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Rails & Ties

(8/12/08)
From Warner Home Video:
Glittering Prizes, The (1976) DVD

(10/28/08)
From Disney:
Tinker Bell: The Movie

(1/1/09)
From Warner Home Video:
Brando: Documentary, The

Bulletin: Actor who was to play the Joker in "The Dark Knight" found dead

Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead around 3:30 p.m. ET of an overdose of pills, reports the Associated Press. He was to play the Joker in "The Dark Knight." He looked so good in the trailer. This is sad to hear.

The new "Star Trek" movie trailer

If you haven't seen it, here it is.

When bad is good

Cult Camp Classics 1 - Sci-Fi Thrillers (Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman 1958 / Giant Behemoth / Queen of Outer Space), Cult Camp Classics 2 - Women in Peril (The Big Cube / Caged / Trog), Cult Camp Classics 3 - Terrorized Travelers (Hot Rods to Hell / Skyjacked / Zero Hour!), Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics (The Colossus of Rhodes / Land of the Pharaohs / The Prodigal) (Warner Home Video): Warner Home Video has become the master of the boxed set. They've boxed up their gangster films, film noir, tough guy and legends, among others. Of course, they have a huge and rich catalog to choose from.
Those folks in the marketing department all too often aim these packages toward the serious film fan. It's refreshing to see something different.
That's the case with the four tongue-in-cheek Warner Bros. Cult Camp Classics sets released late last year. Releasing these sets with a serious face is kind of silly when you have titles like "Attack of the 50 Foot Women", "Land of the Pharoahs" and "Hot Rods to Hell."
Of course, they were supposed to be taken very seriously when first released. "Hot Rods to Hell was a diatribe against juvenile delinquents. "Queen of Outer Space" was a sci-fi film to parallel "Forbidden Planet".
Between the four sets, you have 12 high-camp films that are just great leisure viewing. Our favorite is Cult Camp Classics 1 - Sci-Fi Thrillers with the legendary "Attack of the 50-Foot Women" and the rarely seen (until now) "Queen of Outer Space".

But all of these have reasons to grab them. Cult Camp Classics 2 - Women in Peril has the wonderfully over-the-top prison film "Caged" and Joan Crawford's ignoble final film, "Trog." Cult Camp Classics 3 - Terrorized Travelers has the overwrought "Hot Rods to Hell" and the drama "Zero Hour", about a passenger asked to take over the controls of an airplane after the crew comes down with food poisoning. Sound familiar? It should. It was spoofed in the Zucker brothers comedy "Airplane!"
Cult Camp Classics 4 - Historical Epics is stocked with two lavish epics, "Land of the Pharoahs" and "The Colossus of Rhodes".
Most have special features in the forms of commentary or trailers, though we wish all of them did. And the quality of the transfers are excellent.
All of the films are available separately, though it's much cheaper to get them in the sets. We suggest you grab them all.

Watching Mr. Wizard

With all of today's matter-of-fact technological advances, it's humbling to remember back when science was a world of ooooo's and aaaaaah's.
The vintage TV "Watch Mr. Wizard," which began on NBC in 1951 and ran 15 years, was a lightning rod for curious kids in the '50s and early '60s. It showed young viewers (and older ones, too) how science was all around them in every day life.
Two new DVDs from Digiview "Watch Mr. Wizard - Everyday Illusions and More" and "Watch Mr. Wizard - Electricity and More" feature three rare episodes each from the vintage series.
Mr. Wizard himself, Don Herbert, was the kind of genial kind of guy everyone wished was his teacher. He had the magical knack of taking the mystery of science.
The first segment on "Watch Mr. Wizard - Electricity and More" has Herbert guiding young Alex to figure out six different methods of ways of producing electricity in a Rube Goldberg type of labyrinth. Among the objects: a slide projector, a balloon, a speaker, a motor, a hinge, a bicycle wheel, a moustrap, a medicine dropper and a measuring cup.
The answers aren't as easy as you might guess.
Herbert shows how electricity can be produced from ordinary objects. Some of the methods he uses are quite ingenious.
In "Everyday Illusions," he shows a wheel that looks like it's turning in different directions, but it really isn't. He takes a paper plate and cuts off around the middle, leaving the edge. Cut two sections out of the edge the same size, then lay them down side by side. The one on top looks smaller than the one on the bottom. Things like this make these shows fascinating. Adults will surely find themselves drawn to them, too.
For a show of this vintage, the quality is exceptionally good. All the shows, three on each DVD, are in black and white.
For anyone who grew up with "Bill Nye the Science Guy," these shows will be a revelation. For those of us who watched Mr. Wizard regularly, it will bring back some great memories.
"Watch Mr. Wizard - Everyday Illusions and More" features "Everyday Illusions," "Musical Instruments" and Puzzles in Geometry." "Watch Mr. Wizard - Electricity and More" features "Six Kinds of Electricity," "How Animals Move" and "Sticks and Stones."