Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

AMELIE (2001)

Synopsis: Bursting with imagination and having seen her share of tragedy and fantasy, Amélie is not like the other girls. When she grows up she becomes a waitress in a Montmartre bar run by a former dancer. Amelie enjoys simple pleasures until she discovers that her goal in life is to help others. To that end, she invents all sorts of tricks that allow her to intervene incognito into other people’s lives, including an imbibing concierge and her hypochondriac neighbor. But Amélie’s most difficult case turns out to be Nino Quicampoix, a lonely sex shop employee who collects photos abandoned at coin-operated photobooths. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: The Look of Amelie featurette; Fantasies of Audrey Tatou; Q&A with the director and cast; Auditions; Storyboard to screen comparisons; An Intimate Chat With Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet; Home Movies – Inside the making of Amelie

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: The Criterion Collection (1946)

Synopsis: Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece—in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast—is a landmark of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. The spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death in Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) have become timeless icons of cinematic wonder. (criterion.com)
Special Features: High-definition digital transfer from restored film elements; Philip Glass’s opera La Belle et la Bete, presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; Two commentaries – film historian Arthur Knight & Sir Christopher Frayling; Screening at the Majestic, a 1995 documentary featuring interviews with the cast; Interview with cinematographer Henri Alekan; Behind-the-scenes photos & publicity stills; Film restoration demonstration.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS (2008)

Synopsis: Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary by writer/director Mark Herman & author John Boyne; Deleted Scenes; Friendship Beyond the Fence featurette.

BOYZ N THE HOOD: 20th Anniversary Edition (1991)

Synopsis: A tale of three friends growing up together ‘in the ‘hood.’ Half-brothers Doughboy and Ricky Baker are foils for each other’s personality, presenting very different approaches to the tough lives they face. Ricky is the ‘All-American’ athlete, looking to win a football scholarship to USC and seeks salvation through sports, while ‘Dough’ succumbs to the violence, alcohol, and crime surrounding him in his environment, but maintains a strong sense of pride and code of honor. Between these two is their friend Tre, who is lucky to have a father, ‘Furious’ Styles, to teach him to have the strength of character to do what is right and to always take responsibility for his actions. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Retrospective Documentary: The Enduring Significance of Boyz N the Hood; Commentary with director John Singleton; Documentary: Friendly Fire: Making Of An Urban Legend; Deleted Scenes; Two music videos – Compton Most Wanted’s “Growin’ Up in the Hood,” and Tevin Campbell’s “Just Ask Me To”; Audition videos featuring Ice Cube, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, and Tyra Ferrell.

CHOCOLAT (2000)

Synopsis: Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp star in the “delicious” (Good Morning America) romantic comedy that swept audiences off their feet and earned 5 Oscar® nominations including Best Picture. When Vianne (Binoche) arrives into a sleepy, old-fashioned French village and opens a chocolate shop, she sends the townspeople into a flutter with her uniquely gifted treats. Before long the straitlaced villagers find themselves abandoning their reservations and succumbing to their deepest desires! But when the handsome stranger Roux (Depp) breezes into town, Vianne discovers that she too is susceptible to the charms of love in this sweet confection from the director of The Cider House Rules. (amazon.com)
Special Features: The Making of Chocolat featurette; Audio commentary with director Lasse Hallstrom & producers David Brown, Kit Golden and Leslie Holleran; The Costumes of Chocolat featurette; Production design featurette; Deleted scenes.

HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN (2011)

Synopsis: An ex-cop gets more than he bargained for when transitioning to a quieter life. Ray, former crooked cop, sets out to reform his ways and takes on a low-key job at a New Orleans strip club called House of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, trouble quickly finds Ray, when the club is robbed and the owner’s son is shot to death on Halloween night. When his past is exposed, Ray looks to clear his own name and assumes his own criminal search before both the police and the mob close in on him. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary with director Brian A. Miller & actor Dave Bautista; The Making of House of the Rising Sun featurette; Interviews with the cast & crew; Trailers.

LIMITLESS: Unrated Extended Cut (2011)

Synopsis: Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro star in Limitless, a paranoia-fueled action thriller about an unpublished writer whose life is transformed by a top-secret smart drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life in this darkly comic and provocative film. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Audio commentary with director Neil Burger; A Man Without Limits featurette; Taking It To the Limit: The Making of Limitless featurette; Alternate ending; Theatrical trailer.

THE MUSIC ROOM: The Criterion Collection (1958)

Synopsis: With The Music Room (Jalsaghar), Satyajit Ray brilliantly evokes the crumbling opulence of the world of a fallen aristocrat (the beloved actor Chhabi Biswas) desperately clinging to a fading way of life. His greatest joy is the music room in which he has hosted lavish concerts over the years—now a shadow of its former vivid self. An incandescent depiction of the clash between tradition and modernity, and a showcase for some of India’s most popular musicians of the day, The Music Room is a defining work by the great Bengali filmmaker. (criterion.com)
Special Features: New high-definition digital restoration; Satyajit Ray (1984), a feature documentary by Shyam Benegal; New interviews with Satyajit Ray biographer Andrew Robinson and filmmaker Mira Nair; Excerpt from a 1981 French roundtable discussion with Ray, film critic Michel Ciment, and director Claude Sautet; New and improved English subtitle translation; PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Philip Kemp, a 1963 essay by Ray on the film’s location, and a 1986 interview with the director about the film’s music.

NOWHERE TO RUN (1993)

Synopsis: An escaped prisoner hiding from authorities, Sam always manages to be in the wrong place at the right time. Risking his hard-fought freedom, he aids a beautiful young widow against a ruthless developer who wants her land. Hunted by the police and the developer’s hired killers, Sam pulls no punches in his furious fight for survival. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: None/Unknown

PEEP WORLD (2010)

Synopsis: On the day of their father’s 70th birthday party, four siblings come to terms with the publication of a novel written by the youngest sibling that exposes the family’s most intimate secrets. The film stars Michael C. Hall, Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Ben Schwartz, Judy Greer, Kate Mara, Taraji Henson, Lesley Ann Warren and Ron Rifkin. (ifcfilms.com)
Special Features: None/Unknown

POTICHE (2010)

Synopsis: Set in 1977 in a provincial French Town, Potiche is a witty and charming comedy starring Catherine Deneuve as Suzanne Pojol, a housebound ‘trophy housewife’ (or potiche) who steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her tyranical husband after the workers go on strike. To everyone’s surprise, Suzanne proves herself to be a competent and assertive woman of action. Gerard Depardieu plays a union leader and Suzanne’s ex-beau who still holds a flame for her. With Potiche, acclaimed writer-director Francois Ozon (Swimming Pool, 8 Women) has created a satrical and hilarious take on the sexes and classes. (amazon.com)
Special Features: None/Unknown

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT (2011)

Synopsis: Follow an aimless college grad who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party. He, his twin sister and their best friend struggle with their burgeoning adulthood over the course of the night. (imdb.com)
Special Features: Deleted scenes; Cast Get Together featurette; Take Me Home Tonight Music video; Theatrical trailer & TV spots; Music Boombox: “Video Killed the Radio Star” – The Buggles, “Hungry Like the Wolf” – Duran Duran, “Situation” – Yaz, “Kickstart My Heart” – Mötley Crüe, “Straight Outta Compton” – NWA, “Bette Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes, “Safety Dance” – Men Without Hats, “Come on Eileen” – Dexy’s Midnight Runners, “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” – Wang Chung, “Let My Love Open the Door” – (E. Cola Mix) Pete Townshend, “Live if Life” – Opus, “Don’t You Want Me” – Human League / New Version by Atomic Tom.

TEKKEN (2010)

Synopsis: In the year 2039 wars has almost wiped out humanity. The continents are led not by governments but by powerful groups such as the Mishima Zaibatsu. His boss, Heihachi Mishima is the organizer of TEKKEN. The largest martial arts competition is designed to keep the masses happy and the winner promises eternal recognition. (blu-ray.com)
Special Features: Stunt Stars: Tekken featurette; Trailer.