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Based on Ben Mezrich's best-selling nonfiction book "Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions," about a group of young M.I.T. students who become experts in the art of card counting and go to Vegas to make a killing.
Vitals: Director: Robert Luketic. Stars: Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Josh Gad, Jim Sturgess, Masi Oka, Sam Golzari 2008, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 123s min., Drama, Box office gross: $80.434x million, Sony.
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Abel's Island
(1988)Based on the award-winning classic from William Steig (author of "Shrek"); animated by award-winning producer-director Michael Sporn. Delightful story of Abel, an elegant and romantic mouse who gets swept away in a flood and stranded for more than a year on a desert island before his resourcefulness enables him to escape and return to his wife; features the voice of Tim Curry. Also includes the tale "The Story of the Dancing Frog," narrated by Amanda Plummer. $14.95. (First Run Features).
Big Dreams Little Tokyo
(2006) Dave Boyle, Jayson Watabe. An American with an uncanny ability to speak Japanese and his roommate, a Japanese American who aspires to be a sumo wrestler but finds his weight and blood pressure are thwarting his dreams, struggle to find their place in a world where cultural identity is seldom what it seems. (Echo Bridge Home Entertainment).
Bird
(1988) Dir.: Clint Eastwood; Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright, Keith David. Two-disc special edition with a six-track CD of the soundtrack with special master recordings from legendary jazz musician Charlie Parker.
(Warner).
Black Coffee
Three-disc set of the documentary that explores the dark side of dark roast, light roast and everything in between, examining the impact of the bean on social, economic and sexual mores and the exploitation of third-world countries for the commercialization of the beverage; $29.98. (BFS Entertainment).
Blues in the Night
(1941) Dir.: Anatole Litvak; Priscilla Lane, Betty Field, Richard Whorf, Lloyd Nolan, Jack Carson. (Warner).
The Boston Strangler
(2008) David Faustino, Andrew Divoff. Retelling of the story of serial killer Albert De Salvo, aka The Boston Strangler. Extras: Commentary. (The Weinstein Co./Genius Products).
Brutal Massacre: A Comedy
(2007) David Naughton, Brian O'Halloran, Gerry Bednob, Gunnar Hansen, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, Theresa Tilly, Ken Foree, Vincent Butta. Mockumentary about the horror film shoot from Hell, a hilarious look into the chaotic world of low budget independent filmmaking as a once-successful horror film director tries to make his comeback vehicle. Extras: "Behind-the-scenes of Brutal Massacre" featurette, deleted and extended scenes. (Anchor Bay).
Celine
Unauthorized bio of the top-selling female vocalist, $19.95. (Monarch Home Video).
Clint Eastwood Presents Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends
(2005) Clint Eastwood presents a documentary on the extraordinary career of one of music's greats: Tony Bennett. Bennett is considered to be one of the greatest living singers in American popular music, and this film reflects all that he has accomplished while living against the background of a changing America. The 90-minute film weaves archival footage with contemporary clips of Bennett performing live throughout his career including him singing his famous hits "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "For Once in My Life". Peppered throughout the film are interviews with celebrities reminiscing about their favorite moments with the legendary singer. Two-disc set, $24.98. (Warner).
Comedy Central's TV Funhouse
Two-disc set featuring all eight uncensored episodes of the outrageous "broken kid's show for adults," featuring a stable of puppet and live animals (the Anipals), $28.49. Each week human host Doug tries to present a themed show for children but is deserted by the foul-mouthed Anipals, who get involved in wild adventures. Extras: Commentary by the creators, appearances by Triumph the Insult Comic Dog on Comedy Central, dirty outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, commentary by the Anipals. (Warner).
Duck
(2007) Philip Baker Hall, Bill Brotchtrup, Noel Gugliemi, Bill Cobbs, French Stewart. It's 2009, Jeb Bush is the president, and the country has lost its social services, social graces, public parks, and common sense. Philip Baker Hall plays a widower who, having outlived his family and friends, now finds himself without a home. But he does have a duck, and together they travel the city in search of water and meaning in the desert that is L.A. Extras: Commentary by director Nic Bettauer and actor Philip Baker Hall, interviews, cast bios, photo gallery. (Westlake Entertainment).
Earth: The Biography
(2008) BBC/National Geographic Channel documentary that is a comprehensive history of the living planet. Airs July 13-15. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).
Gulf Stream and the Next Ice Age
(2005) Documentary on how the disruption of ocean currents could lead to a new ice age in Europe; $22.98. (BFS Entertainment).
High and Low
(1963) Dir.: Akira Kurosawa; Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with newly restored original four-track surround sound. Two-disc set. Extras: New audio commentary by Akira Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince; 37-minute documentary on the making of "High and Low," created as part of the Toho Masterworks series "Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create"; rare archival interview with Toshiro Mifune; new video interview with actor Tsutomu Yamazaki, who plays the kidnapper; theatrical trailers from Japan and the U.S.; plus a booklet featuring a new essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien and a reprinted essay by Japanese film scholar Donald Richie. (The Criterion Collection).
LA Ink: Season One, Volume 1
Three-disc set with 13 episodes, $24.95. (Genius Products).
Las Vegas: Season Five
Four-disc set with 17 episodes, $59.98. Extras: Gag reel, VFX featurette, "Hot Stuff" featurette, Webcasts. (Universal).
The Last Winter
(2007) Ron Perlman, James LeGros, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Kevin Corrigan. Blends real-life environmental concerns over global warming with a supernatural story line. In the Arctic region of Northern Alaska, an oil company's advanced team struggles to establish a drilling base that will forever alter the pristine land. After one team member is found naked and dead in the snow, an environmentalist suspects sour gases may have accidentally been released in the area, provoking hallucinations, disorientation and insanity in the group ... instead, an unknown fear lurks in the snow. Extras: Commentary by director Larry Fessenden, "Making of The Last Winter" featurette. (Genius Products).
Maneater Series Collection: Volume 1
Box set with three titles in the popular "Maneater" TV movie series: "Maneater" (2007), starring Gary Busey; "BloodMonkey" (2007), starring F. Murray Abraham; and "In the Spider’s Web" (2007) starring Lance Henrikson; $26.95. (Genius Products).
The Marzipan Pig
(1990) Based on the award-winning book by Russell Hoban; animated by award-winning producer-director Michael Sporn. A marzipan pig falls behind the sofa and is lost; in his loneliness, the pig's feelings of love reach out, in a strange chain of events, to an owl, a mouse, and a hibiscus flower. Narrated by Tim Curry. Also features "Jazztime Talk," narrated by Ruby Dee. $14.95. (First Run Features).
NFL: In Just One Play
(2008) Warner Home Video and the National Football League team up to showcase many of the most exciting players in the game today, $19.98. (Warner).
Pete Kelly's Blues
(1955) Dir.: Jack Webb; Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien, Peggy Lee, Andy Devine, Lee Marvin, Ella Fitzgerald, Martin Milner. (Warner).
Picture This
(2008) Ashley Tisdale, Kevin Pollak, Robbie Amell, Justin Bradley. "High School Musical" star Ashley Tisdale stars as an unpopular high school senior who lands a date to the biggest party of the year with the school's hottest guy but there's one major problem: she's grounded. Extras: "Making of Picture This" featurette, "Cell Phone Confessions" featurette, scene selected cell phone "Text" commentary, "Picture This" trivia quiz. (MGM).
'Round Midnight
(1986) Dir.: Bertrand Tavernier; Dexter Gordon, Francois Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips, Lonette McKee, Christine Pascal, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson. (Warner).
Sesame Street: Count on Sports
(2008) The Sesame Street characters team with sports stars for math lessons for toddlers, $14.93. (Sesame Workshop/Genius Products).
Spaced: The Complete Series
Three-disc set of the British series about two twentysomething slackers; from the makers of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," $49.98. Extras: Outtakes, trailers, commentary, cast and crew biographies, deleted scenes, raw footage, exclusive featurette, more. (Warner).
Teen Titans: The Complete Fifth Season
Two-disc set with the final 13 episodes, $19.98. (Warner).
Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection
(2005) Seven-disc set with 52 episodes of the Cartoon Network series, $61.99. (Paramount).
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(2008) Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Josh Gad, Jim Sturgess, Masi Oka, Sam Golzari. Extras: Commentary, making-of documentary, a featurette on blackjack and card counting. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Sony).
Vampyr
(1932) Dir.: Carl Theodor Dreyer; Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz. New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the 1998 film restoration by Martin Koerber and the Cineteca di Bologna. Two-disc set. Extras: Optional all-new English-text version of the film; commentary featuring film scholar Tony Rayns; "Carl Th. Dreyer" (1966), a documentary by Jorgen Roos chronicling Dreyer's career; visual essay by scholar Casper Tybjerg on Dreyer's influences in creating "Vampyr"; 1958 radio broadcast of Dreyer reading an essay about filmmaking; plus a booklet featuring new essays by Mark Le Fanu and Kim Newman, Martin Koerber on the restoration, and an archival interview with producer and star Nicolas de Gunzburg, as well as a book featuring Dreyer and Christen Jul's original screenplay and Sheridan Le Fanu 1871 story "Carmilla," a source for the film. (The Criterion Collection).
