Aug 26, 2008
What Happens in Vegas
Heroes: Season 2
NCIS - The Fifth Season
Entourage - The Complete Fourth Season
The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3: 1940-1942
One Tree Hill - The Complete Fifth Season
The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Beginning
The Stalking Moon
The Untouchables: Season Two, Vol. 2
The Shield - The Complete Sixth Season

Sept. 2, 2008
The Office: Season Four
Supernatural - The Complete Third Season
Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries 6 Set
The Big Bang Theory - The Complete First Season
Life: Season One
Ghost Whisperer: The Third Season
Cheers: The Tenth Season
Eli Stone: The Complete First Season
The Boys in Company C
Honey West: The Complete Series

Sept. 9, 2008
Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Fourth Season
Smallville - The Complete Seventh Season
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 3
C.S.I. Miami - The Sixth Season
Ugly Betty: The Complete Second Season
Wings: The Seventh Season
Medium: The Fourth Season

Sept. 16, 2008
88 Minutes
Star Trek: Alternate Realities
Pushing Daisies - The Complete First Season
Torchwood - The Complete Second Season
Will and Grace: Season Eight
Criminal Minds: The Complete Third Season
Chuck - The Complete First Season
Made of Honor
Private Practice: The Complete First Season
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: Season 3
Young@Heart
Speed Racer (Widescreen Edition)

Sept. 23, 2008
Sex and the City - The Movie
Boston Legal: Season 4
Two and a Half Men - The Complete Fourth Season
Brothers and Sisters - The Complete Second
CSI: New York - The Fourth Season
Friday The 13th - The Series: The First Season
Leatherheads (Widescreen)
My Name is Earl - Season Three

I Got The Feelin’: James Brown in the ‘60s

DVD Release Date: Aug. 5, 2008
$31.97 Grade: A
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Multi-Grammy Award winning artist James Brown, best known for his smoldering singing and revolutionary rhythmic style, is recognized worldwide as one of the most prolific figures in 20th century popular music. He remains a strong cultural influence as a newsmaker, musician, activist and peacemaker that transcends even the awesome celebrity he achieved as the “Godfather of Soul.” A whole new generation is discovering James Brown today through his music and his pivotal presence in American political affairs in the 1960s.  DVD & music collectors and fans of the late James Brown will be treated to a whole new electrifying experience in “I Got The Feelin’: James Brown the ’60s” 3-DVD box set.

College Road Trip
DVD Release Date: July 15, 2008
$19.99 Grade: C
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Choosing a college and striking out on one's own is an exciting time that requires a big adjustment by both child and parent, but few parents will have as much difficulty relinquishing control over their daughter's life as Chicago police chief James Porter (Martin Lawrence). The ultimate in loving but overprotective fathers, James wants his daughter Melanie (Raven-Symoné) to attend nearby Northwestern College, so when she's waitlisted and called for an interview at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., James gets more than a little nervous. Squashing her plans for a road trip to D.C. with her girlfriends, James insists on a father-daughter expedition which he envisions being full of reminiscing, heart-to-heart conversations, and a healthy dose of persuasive promotion of Northwestern. The car trip definitely doesn't turn out as planned--instead it’s a trip rife with strained silences and festering conflict in which the police vehicle rolls down a wooded embankment, Melanie's little brother (Eshaya Draper) and pet pig stow away in the back of the truck, and the Porters inexplicably keep running into a syrupy sweet father (Donny Osmond) and college-bound-daughter (Molly Ephraim) whose close relationship, clean-cut enthusiasm, and willingness to befriend and help the Porters is downright unsettling. Absurdly funny scenes include the family pig crashing and demolishing a fancy outdoor wedding; James' party-loving mother (Arnetia Walker) scrambling to live up to her son's uptight image of her as a fragile, elderly woman; James breaking into a local sorority house and hiding under a bed in hopes of protecting Melanie's innocence, and James' and Melanie's unexpected skydive into Washington, D.C., in order to keep Melanie's interview appointment at Georgetown. In the end, James and Melanie both mature as a result of their road trip and are finally able to forge an emotionally healthy relationship with one another.

Step Up 2 The Streets
DVD Release Date: July 15, 2008
$19.99 Grade: C
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When life throws you curveballs, lemons, or closed doors, there's just one solution: Dance! Step Up 2 The Streets is a worthy entry into the inspirational dance-it-out film lexicon, with moves, choreography, and music that sometimes seem to defy even gravity. The spunky young heroine is Andie, played with sass and amazing dance talent by Briana Evigan (daughter of hardworking TV actor Greg Evigan). Andie's from one of Baltimore's grittiest neighborhoods, but her dance ability--forged in fire on the streets of Baltimore--lands her in a prestigious performing arts school, where she struggles to fit in even as her schoolmates are awed by her talent. With a nod to Love Story, our working-class heroine catches the eye of a privileged boy, Chase (Robert Hoffman), who's captivated by Andie's dance chops and genuine heart. Andie's fierce sense of self helps ground the film. At one point she lectures Chase, "Look, the streets is about where you're from. It's not some school talent show. There's no spring floors. There's no spotlights!" But the true star of the film is its amazing dance sequences, and the talented cast works the moves for all they're worth. The supercharged soundtrack features Plies (with Akon) and a couple of excellent Missy Elliott tracks. Ready? Hit it!

City of Men
DVD Release Date: July 1, 2008
$19.99 Grade: A
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In this long-awaited follow-up to his Academy Award(R)-nominated film City of God (2003 Best Director Fernando Meirelles) producer Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener) returns to the Brazilian favelas to tell an inspiring tale of friendship and family on the gritty streets of Rio de Janeiro. Growing up in a culture dictated by violence and run by street gangs, teenagers Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) have become close as brothers. With their eighteenth birthdays fast approaching, Laranjinha sets out to find the father he never met while Acerola struggles to raise his own young son. But when they suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war, the lifelong friends are forced to confront a shocking secret from their shared past.

Vantage Point
DVD Release Date: July 1, 2008
$16.99 Grade: B
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I like films with flashbacks and flash forwards, especially if they’re done as smartly as the Quentin Tarantino films. I just ask that the flashbacks don’t become a tiresome device that’s utilized just to move a lumbering plot along. “Vantage Point,” which admittedly is a nonstop thrill ride, is guilty of using tiresome flashbacks for that reason.
“Vantage Point’s” premise replays the assassination of president of the United States (William Hurt) by terrorists during the middle of a landmark coalition conference between the leaders from five continents in the middle of a town square located in Salamanca, Spain.
The assassination is replayed through the eyes of a Secret Service agent (Dennis Quaid), a Spanish cop (Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega), a tough network producer (Sigourney Weaver), and an American tourist (Forest Whitaker), who photographs the entire event with his camcorder. The entire movie hangs on the shtick that the film rewinds 23 minutes every time the audience gets a new clue through the eyes of a new character.
The film is suppose to offer eight view points of the presidential assassination, but I lost track after three or four déjà vu flashbacks began numbing my  brain’s syntax. “Vantage Point” would have been a better film if it stuck to the traditional method of straight story telling instead of relying on lame rewinds. Here’s the bottom line: The U.S. President has been assassinated in front of millions of people, but have the terrorists really accomplished their goal?
“Vantage Point” is a heart-pounding and breathtaking flick that needs to drop the rewind shtick.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
DVD Release Date: June 17, 2008
$16.99 Grade: B
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Throw a bunch of humorous comedians together, add a decent plot, sprinkle in a couple of gifted dramatic actors and the result is a genial comedy with a zingy energy that’s worth rooting for. Martin Lawrence plays Roscoe Jenkins, a self help guru who has left his modest Southern upbringing to transform himself into a successful star with his own television talk show. Arrogant, self centered and indifferent he returns home after a nine year absence to attend his parents 50th wedding anniversary and is forced to reexamine his life and values when confronted by his eclectic family. With a collection of some of the most accomplished and beloved black entertainers, each family member has a unique personality carefully blended together to create the appearance of a perfectly dysfunctional but loving family. Mo’Nique plays his sassy and sexually charged sister Betty, whilst Michael Clarke Duncan in a role that clearly displays his comedic chops plays his older brother Otis.  Mike Epps is Reggie, the money-hungry and salacious cousin and rounding out the cast of comedians is actor Louis C.K. as Roscoe’s slick talent agent and Cedric the Entertainer as the competitive cousin and lifelong nemesis. James Earl Jones and Margaret Avery play Roscoe’s firm, but lovable parents and inject a dramatic touch into this hilarious ensemble. Written and directed by Malcolm D. Lee (“The Best Man”) “Welcome Home” is consistently good-natured and is crammed with side splitting humor as one would expect with five comedians holding court. It's breezily entertaining and culturally specific without resorting to gross-out jokes or cruelty. Mo’Nique and Epps garner the most laughs with their quick witted improvised exchanges. Both unleash their natural wit with scores of one-liners and Lee claims he specifically wrote the character Betty with the actress in mind. “Mo’Nique is so funny and has no inhibitions whatsoever. When you’re looking to cast a role as outrageous as Betty she’s the perfect fit,” he says. Lee’s intention to portray the importance of a family unit is greatly achieved for he sorts out the characters admirably whilst depending on typecasting to help establish them more quickly.  The camaraderie also enjoyed by the actors on set clearly comes across on screen with Roscoe’s perceived family problems reminiscent of many others. An entertaining concoction, “Welcome Home” joins the recent slate of movies about families coming together and successfully matches and mismatches affections and rivalries with relentless energy and a nice dose of good-natured humor.

The Sword in the Stone 45^th Anniversary Special Edition
DVD Release Date: June 17, 2008
$19.99 Grade: A
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Modern animation wizardry meets medieval magic in the legendary classic “The Sword in the Stone 45^th Anniversary Special Edition.” In London during medieval times there was a large stone with a heavy sword imbedded in it. The man who could pull the sword from the stone would become king of England but no man despite his strength was able to complete the deed. However when a young lad named Wart appears he just might be able to pull off the impossible....This classic Disney feature based on the children's book by T.H. White tells the story of Wart a young boy in medieval England who runs into the eccentric wizard Merlin. The sorcerer decides to give the boy an education and in the process the two have a series of magical adventures.
BONUS FEATURES
* All-New Merlin's Magical Academy Game - In this all new game Merlin tests viewers' knowledge of the world as they are transformed into a fish, a squirrel and an owl--just like Wart in the movie.
* Knight for a Day - Goofy stands in for his master at a joust in this medieval themed short film. ***Also on the previous DVD release, and the "Complete Goofy" DVD set.***
* Brave Little Tailor - When Mickey tells a white lie about his fighting prowess, he ends up facing down a rampaging giant.
***Also on the previous DVD release, and the Mickey Mouse In Color DVD set.***
* Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers - A profile of the musical geniuses behind The Sword in the Stone and so many other Disney hits. Includes the deleted song, "The Magic Key." ***Also on the previous DVD release.***
* The Sword in the Stone Scrapbook - An exclusive behind-the-scenes interactive program featuring still-frame galleries and film facts. ***Also on the previous DVD release***
* Disney Song Selection
* And Much More!

Jumper
DVD Release Date: June 10, 2008
$17.99 Grade: C
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Cotton-top Samuel L. Jackson administers more than a little pain to his former Jedi apprentice Hayden Christensen in “Jumper” – an implausible sci-fi flick where individuals called Jumpers can transport themselves anywhere in the world just by envisioning where they’d like to travel. Christensen stars as Jumper David Rice, who uses his powers to pop in and out of bank vaults after hours to help himself to a plenitude of cash. Rice takes his spoils and moves into a posh Manhattan apartment that’s littered with postcards of places where he likes to jump, when he’s not robbing banks. Enter Roland (Samuel L. Jackson), a white-hair killer and avenging angel called a Paladin,  a race of beings who have been slaying Jumpers for centuries. Paladins see Jumpers as an abomination before God. So naturally Roland pursues Rice throughout the picture armed with a wicked tazergun that scrambles Jumper’s thoughts so they can’t concentrate on an escape location. A detriment to this film’s premise is the filmmakers offer no explanation whatsoever as to why Rice has the power to travel to the Sphinx, or survey London from the clock-face of Big Ben in the blink of an eye. Just one day Rice discovers he has supernatural powers. In addition, Rice is so callous with his powers, that it’s hard for the audience to identify with him. In fact, it’s easier to root for villain Samuel L. Jackson. Laden with a lot of ultra-cool special effects, one still can’t help but wonder where’s the beef in this hyper-action flick that jumps nowhere fast, and arrives there a little quicker.

Boondocks - The Complete Second Season
DVD Release Date: June 10, 2008
$34.99 Grade: B
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Popular Adult Swim show on Cartoon Network! Based on Aaron McGruder's comic strip which was distributed in 350 newspapers nationwide. Granddad sneaks the boys into the movies to be cheap. Sarah's obsession with Usher after meeting him threatens her relationship with Tom. Riley and Granddad refuse to talk with cops about two local thieves, even after Granddad's car is stolen. Stinkmeaner's spirit possesses Tom and he tries to get revenge on Granddad. Riley joins the basketball team, and the boys fight over who will be boss while Granddad's on vacation. Even though this second season didn't really have the same impact as the first. There's still a whole lot to like. A large portion of the episodes hit the mark with it's deeper meanings, comedy and action. So it's definitely worth getting.

National Treasure 2 – Book of Secrets
DVD Release Date: May 20, 2008
$14.99 Grade: B
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Less engrossing than its 2004 predecessor National Treasure, Jon Turteltaub’s busy sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets is nevertheless a colorful and witty adventure, another race against overwhelming odds for the answer to a historical riddle. Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), the treasure hunter who feverishly sought, in the first film, the whereabouts of a war chest hidden by America’s forefathers, is now charged with protecting family honor. When a rival (Ed Harris) offers alleged proof that Gates’ ancestor, Thomas Gates, was not a Civil War-era hero but a participant in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Ben and his father (Jon Voight) and crew (Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger) hopscotch through Paris, London, Washington DC, and South Dakota to gather evidence refuting the claim. The film is most fun when the hunt, as in National Treasure, squeezes Ben into such impossible situations as examining twin desks in the queen’s chambers in Buckingham Palace and the White House’s Oval Office, or kidnapping an American president (Bruce Greenwood) for a few minutes of frank talk. Helen Mirren, the previous year's Oscar winner for Best Actress, wisely joins the cast of a likely hit film as Ben’s archaeologist mother, long-estranged from Voight’s character but as feisty as the rest of the family. Returning director Turteltaub takes excellent advantage of his colorful backdrops in European capitals and the always-eerie Mount Rushmore, and oversees some wildly imaginative sets for this dramedy’s feverish third act in an audacious and completely unexpected, legendary setting. If National Treasure: Book of Secrets doesn’t feel quite as crisp and unique as its predecessor, it is still ingenious and wry enough to laugh a bit at itself.

I AM LEGEND
DVD Release Date: March 18, 2008
$15.99 Grade: B
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Will Smith, star of such films as “I, Robot,” “Independence Day” and “Men in Black,” is no stranger to sci-fi flicks and has long had an affinity for Richard Matheson’s timeless novel I Am Legend.  So when filmmakers learned of his interest in the movie they naturally offered him the part.  Smith is Robert Neville, a military scientist based in Manhattan who unsuccessfully spearheads the government’s attempt to find a vaccine to combat a deadly virus. Once the virus ravages the city all non-infected residents are evacuated, but during the process Neville tragically loses his wife (Salli Richardson) and daughter Marley (played by Smith’s real life 7-year-old daughter Willow).

Uniquely immune from the virus and determined to find a cure he remains in the deserted city with only his dog Samantha for companionship. By day, he and Samantha struggle to keep ahead of the infected creatures whilst scavenging for supplies, working in the lab and broadcasting daily radio messages in hopes of finding other survivors. By night, they barricade themselves in a building monitoring the creatures as they hunt and forage through the streets for prey.  The creatures, a bunch of bloodthirsty, hairless sub-humans -- mutant victims of the plague with semi transparent skins created with CGI and visual effects makeup are zombie like, nocturnal and feed on other human beings.

Complex, intense and provocative, “Legend” is a modern day quintessential story of one man against the world. Smith does a great job of carrying “Legend” all by himself for about two-thirds of its running time and isn't helped by additional characters in the opening and closing sequences. Heavily relying on various forms of expression to portray the emotional range of his characters journey, he wins our sympathy with his eyes and body language when there's no one else on the screen. Samantha, his ever faithful and doting German shepherd embodies comfort and companionship in times of loneliness and insecurity and Neville clings to her for emotional support talking to man’s best friend as though she was his girlfriend.

The movie's power and effect center on the deserted city as Neville makes each lesson in survival an intense one. With awe inspiring visuals and fascinating sweeping shots of an isolated New York with its cessation of water, power and excessive vegetation growth it’s effective in creating the overall powerful feeling of eeriness and abandonment.

101 DALMATIANS
DVD Release Date: March 4, 2008
$15.99 Grade: B
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This two-disc platinum edition features great sound and incredibly bright, intense colors thanks to the restoration process, but its most impressive selling point is the huge assortment of bonus features designed to delight children, families, and the most serious Disney fans. Kids will have fun caring for their very own puppy in the virtual Dalmatian game for television or on DVD ROM and can find out just what kind of puppy they're most like and which human Disney character they're most compatible with in the puppy profiler game. The fun with language game is geared toward the very young preschooler and teaches numbers and the names of common household items. A modern Selena Gomez music video of "Cruella DeVil" will appeal to tweens and teens. The whole family will enjoy the "101 Pop Up Facts For Families" option which prints various movie facts like the name and author of the original book and how specific scenes differ between the book and the movie right on the screen during the movie and Disney fans will love the similar "101 Pop Up Facts For Fans" feature which supplies a wide variety of film trivia about featured voice talents, famous Disney animators that worked on the film, technical devices employed like multi-pane shots and the Xerox process, and which artists directed specific scenes in the movie. Eleven separate Backstage Disney featurettes interview a host of animators, writers, historians, producers, and story men regarding the film's contemporary feel and the groundbreaking technical processes like the then-new Xerox process utilized in making 101 Dalmatians. Also highlighted is Bill Pete's amazing storytelling contribution to the film, the technical and mechanical innovations of Ub Iwerks, the songwriting process, and the animation prowess of famous Disney animators like Woolie Reitherman, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, Ken Anderson, and Walt Peregoy. The 12-minute dramatization of the longstanding correspondence between author Dodie Smith and Walt Disney is intriguing and the trailers and radio and television spots provide fun historical reference for the film and its various releases. Finally, the "Music and More" feature presents a variety of deleted and abandoned songs as well as many alternate versions and takes of songs used in the final film.

AMERICAN GANGSTER
DVD Release Date: Feb. 19, 2008

$18.99 Grade: A
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It’s the late ‘60s in Harlem, New York and Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) is the quiet unassuming chauffeur and confidante to one of the city's leading black crime bosses “Bumpy” Johnson (Clarence Williams III).  When Johnson suddenly dies of a heart attack, Lucas quickly takes over his operation seizing the opportunity to build his own empire by cutting out the middleman and importing pure heroin directly from Southeast Asia and selling at below-market prices.  As his reputation grows, Narcotics lawman Richie Roberts (Crowe) becomes obsessed and determined to bring Lucas to justice through any means necessary.

A fact-based drama about one of the most complex and contradictory figures of the ‘70s,  “American Gangster” heads straight for the jugular with a violent opening as Lucas pours petrol over a  drug rival, sets him alight and finishes him off with several rounds of ammunition.  With its poetically heightened dialogue, its fascination with the mechanics of crime and corruption, it’s a likeable and entertaining flick which teeters on the brink of being a classic but is bogged down by unwarranted scenes and excessive story telling.  The first hour is spent jumping between Lucas’ life which is far more exciting to Robert’s mundane one which consists of divorce proceedings and custody battles with his wife. One’s a charismatic killer and drug peddler and the other is an honest and moralistic law enforcer who turns in a million dollars of drug money discovered in the trunk of a car but thinks nothing of cheating on his wife.  Even though both are on opposite sides of the spectrum there are huge similarities between the pair as they seem to share a special code of work ethics and honor.  “AG” picks up steam once again as the net closes in for Lucas and continues to the final act and showdown when the two adversaries finally occupy screen time together.  With talents like Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays Lucas’ brother and Idris Elba, a rival drug dealer “AG” also suffers from a case of cast over load with both actors and others such Common, T.I. and RZA given little opportunity to aptly display their acting chops.

Despite its minimal flaws, it brilliantly weaves in elements of other mob crime flicks such as “Scarface,” “Serpico,”  “Godfather” and “The Untouchables” and should easily earn Washington an Oscar nod for his phenomenal and mesmerizing portrayal of Lucas. There are also powerful performances by Ruby Dee as Lucas' mother and Cuba Gooding Jr., who audiences last saw lolling on the grass with a bunch of 5^th graders in “Daddy Day Camp.” Gooding plays a fellow Harlem drug dealer called ‘Mr. Untouchable’ Nicky Barnes who, like Lucas, was eventually prosecuted for federal and state drug violations but testified against several cohorts and corrupt officers in order to reduce his sentence.

With an excellent depiction of the seediest aspects of the American underworld, the perils of drug trafficking and graphic scenes of substance abuse “AG” isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s definitely engrossing and entertaining and comes exceptionally close to being a classic.

BEOWULF
DVD Release Date: Feb. 26, 2008
$18.99 Grade: B
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Spectacular animated action scenes turn the ancient epic poem Beowulf into a modern fantasy movie, while motion-capture technology transforms plump actor Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) into a burly Nordic warrior. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel (voiced and physicalized by Crispin Glover, River's Edge), Beowulf--lured by the promise of heroic glory--comes to rescue them. He succeeds, but falls prey to the seductive power of Grendel's mother, played by Angelina Jolie... and as Jolie's pneumatically animated form rises from an underground lagoon with demon-claw high heels, it becomes clear that we're leaving the original epic far, far behind. Regrettably, the motion-capture process has made only modest improvements since The Polar Express; while the characters' eyes no longer look so flat and zombie-like, their faces remain inexpressive and movements are still wooden. As a result, the most effective sequences feature wildly animated battles and the most vivid character is Grendel, whose grotesqueness ends up making him far more sympathetic than any of the mannequin-like human beings. The meant-to-be-titillating images of a naked Jolie resemble an inflatable doll more than a living, breathing woman (or succubus, as the case may be). But the fights--particularly Grendel's initial assault on the celebration hut--pop with lushly animated gore and violence.

On the DVD the process of creating Beowulf was more interesting than the movie itself--though many of the movie's fans will be disappointed that the "making-of" featurette does not include Angelina Jolie in her skin tight motion-capture suit. We do, however, get to see Ray Winstone (who admits he has a less than heroic physique), live horses bedecked with plastic dots, a "Robo-Grendel," wire props painted fluorescent pink and orange, and a poor production assistant whose job is scooping up horse poop. Other featurettes discuss the monster design (including giving a sea monster a single eye because, apparently, cyclopean creatures have mythological street cred); how excited the filmmakers were to combine Winstone's gruff voice with a preposterously burly bod; and a brief bit discussing the original epic poem, how much director Robert Zemeckis hated it, and the various liberties the screenwriters took with it. But for anyone interested in computer animation, the most interesting extra feature may be the deleted scenes. Because they were cut long before the animation was finished, they show the process at a variety of different stages--at some points the faces don't even move, making Beowulf look like a Thunderbirds-style puppet movie.

Gone Baby Gone
DVD Release Date: Feb. 12, 2008
$16.99 Grade: A+
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Based on the Dennis Lehane novel, Morgan Freeman, Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan star in one of the best movies of the year about two young private detectives hired to take a closer look at the mysterious disappearance of a little girl and soon discover that nothing is what it seems. Ultimately, they will have to risk everything – their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives – to find a little girl-lost in this edge-of-your-seat thriller. Ben Affleck, makes a strong directorial debut from a screenplay he co-wrote with Aaron Stockard. “Gone Baby Gone” is powerful film that whose plot is driven by twists and moral conundrums instead of narrative sleight of hand.

DVD Features:
Thought-provoking extended ending
Deleted scenes with optional commentary
Going Home: Behind the scenes with Ben Affleck
Capturing Authenticity: Casting Gone Baby Gone
Audio commentary by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard

Twitches Too
DVD Release Date: Jan. 29, 2008
$17.99 Grade: B+
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Life is settling into an almost normal routine for twin witches Camryn (Tamera Mowry) and Alex (Tia Mowry) following their heroic efforts to save the magical realm of Coventry from the evil warlock Thantos (Patrick Fabian) and the invading darkness in Twitches . The two sisters are learning to use and control their magical powers and getting used to living as one family while they explore collegiate life at Waverly University and get to know their real mother Miranda (Kristen Wilson). Unexpectedly, the darkness returns to threaten Coventry once again and this time it follows Camryn and Alex into the mortal world. Protectors Karsh (Pat Kelly) and Ileana (this time played by Leslie Seiler) interrupt their nuptial planning to bring the girls back to Coventry at Miranda's command, but Camryn and Alex find themselves questioning their mother's decision to deprive her people of their magical powers as well as her insistence that the girls perform a spell to vanquish the darkness in two days time. Even more confusing is Alex's inexplicable conviction that her father Aron (Kevin Jubinville) is alive and residing in the very Shadow lands her and Camryn are set to destroy. In the end, Camryn and Alex must find a way to collaboratively use their powers to preserve Coventry without sacrificing their own convictions. Like the first film, an alternate ending leaves viewers with a shred of doubt, opening the door for another sequel. Also included is a 6-minute behind the scenes featurette.

The Game Plan

DVD Release Date: Jan. 22, 2008
$16.99 Grade: B-
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Top Boston Rebels football star, Quarterback Joe Kingman (The Rock), has an unknown 8-year old daughter (Madison Pettis) from a former marriage show up on his doorstep. In this by-the-numbers Disney daddy-day-care flick. Madison Pettis, the precocious youth, transforms Kingman’s life from a egotistical, promiscuous bachelor to a loving father. Instead of decreasing his popularity, his daughter makes the athlete even more popular among fans and teammates. Kingman admires Elvis Presley (The King) and fills his life with Elvis memorabilia and actions. Little Madison steers her Dad away from his exotic, blonde Russian girlfriend, Tatianna, towards her wholesome ballet teacher, Monique Vasquez. A turn of events ends with a happy ending for both the football and romance sides of this Disney family big-budget film. The Game Plan does in try to please everybody, and fairly much succeeds.

DVD Features:
*Drafting The Game Plan
*The King in Search of a Ring
*ESPN's Sports Center: The Rock Learns to Play QB
*Bloopers With Marv Albert
*Deleted scenes
*Peyton's Makeover Madness