(2010)
* * (C)
Directed by AntoineFuqua
Starring Richard Gere,Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Will Patton, Lili Taylor, Brian F.O'Byrne, Shannon Kane, Ellen Barkin
Anchor Bay//Rated R//Drama//132 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
In Brooklyn's Finest, the relatively small amount of power vested inthree cops corrupts them absolutely. Gere, Cheadle and Hawke portray Brooklyn police officers using their authority to bettertheir own situations. Three parallel stories follow each cop's quest to fulfillhis desires by any means necessary. The cops' misdeeds prompt betrayal, thoughtsof suicide and murder. During a final, climactic confrontation, the three leadcharacters find themselves caught up in a hail of gunfire. The film received anew ending after screenings at both the Sundance and Venice festivals criticized it for being toobleak. DVD and Blu-Ray features: director commentary, Chaos & Conflict: TheLife Of A New York Cop, Boyz N The Real Hood, An Eye For Detail: DirectorFeaturette, From The MTA To The WGA: Writer Featurette, Deleted Scenes,Theatrical Trailer, English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.
FRONTLINE: THE VACCINEWAR
(2010)
* * * * (A)
Directed by JonPalfreman
PBS Video//NotRated//Documentary//60 minutes
Available on: DVD
Parents increasinglystruggle with the question: to immunize or not to immunize? Those choosing notto vaccinate their kids point out that most diseases vaccines prevent are nolonger a threat in this country. Meanwhile, cases of autism and ADHD haveskyrocketed. Frontline's "The Vaccine War," written and directed byJon Palfreman, examines these concerns through the eyes of parents, those oldenough to remember the devastating effects of childhood disease and expertsopinions about potential outbreaks. Finally, the program seeks out studiescorrelating vaccines with mental dysfunction. Unraveling the quagmire isn'teasy, but parents might be relieved to know that Frontline found no increase inthe rates of ADHD or autism due to vaccinating. DVD features: English languagetracks, widescreen.
EYEBORGS
(2009)
* *1/2 (B-)
Directed by RichardClabaugh
Starring Danny Trejo,Adrian Paul, Luke Eberl, Megan Blake, John Rushton
Image//RatingR//Sci-Fi//102 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
We can only imaginewhat writer-director Richard Clabaugh might have accomplished with a largerbudget. His direct-to-video feature stretches $3.7 million a long way. In thenear future, the public is kept safe by surveillance cameras on every street.These are supplemented by crime-observing robots of all sizes, known aseyeborgs. The plot, recalling 1984 andTerminator, asks whether we are wiseto trade away individual rights and privacy for safety. Though Clabaugh couldhave used a script doctor to rework his dialog, his big twist is a doozy andhis robots are ingeniously designed. The little ones appear benign as Wall-E,but there's more to them than meets the eye. DVD and Blu-Ray features:Making-of documentary, Deleted scenes, Trailer, English language tracks,Spanish subtitles, widescreen.
WAREHOUSE 13: SeasonOne
(2009)
* (D)
Created by Brent Mote,Jane Espenson, David Simkins
Directed by JaceAlexander
Starring CCH Pounder,Saul Rubinek, Joanne Kelly, Eddie McClintock, Genelle Williams, Simon Reynolds,Allison Scagliotti
Universal//NotRated//Fantasy//540 minutes
Available on: DVD
Secret Service agentsPete Lattimer (McClintock) and Myka Bering (Kelly) are reassigned to Warehouse13 after they prevent a magical object from killing the president. Warehouse 13is a huge facility located in remote South Dakota, its contents curated by eccentric ArtieNielsen (Saul Rubinek). He sends the agents on missions to procure magicalobjects for safe keeping in Warehouse 13. As seen throughout the season, Artieis easily ordered about by his superior, Mrs. Frederic (Pounder) who knows hehas secrets of his own to protect. Whether chasing a Samurai sword that makesits user invisible, or battling the sinister spirit lurking in Lewis Carroll'slooking glass, everything about the show and its characters seems done on therun. Cheesy special effects and a season that was written as the show wentalong, are practical demonstrations of how to make fantasy dull -- somethingthe SyFy Channel does expertly. 3-Disc DVD features: commentaries on selectedepisodes with cast and crew, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Saul Searching - TheCast and Crew ask Saul Rubinek searching questions, Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe:behind the scenes featurette, Pilot Commentary with Series Star Saul Rubinek,Artie-Facts: the Cast's favorite artifacts and the fate of props, A Peek insidethe Dark Vault, Sneak Peek, Warehouse 13 Season Two, English language tracks,French subtitles, widescreen.
EUREKA: Season 3.5
(2009)
* * (C)
Starring Joe Morton,Erica Cerra, Matt Frewer, Debrah Farentino, Colin Ferguson, Jordan Hinson, EdQuinn, Salli Richardson, Neil Grayston
Universal//NotRated//Fantasy//420 minutes
Available on: DVD
The small Oregon town of Eurekahosts a top secret science research center that employs virtually everyoneresiding there. Joe Morton, the top-billed, but least used cast member, holdsthe screen handsomely as a lead scientist. Other members struggle to share itpartly due to characterizations remaining underdeveloped by season three's end.This SyFy Channel series depends upon tedious storylines but is bolstered bythe fab special effects -- rendered on a tight budget -- thanks to a dedicatedvisual effects department. 2-Disc DVD features: cast and crew commentaries,Podcast Commentaries, Deleted Scenes, The Visual Effects, English languagetracks, widescreen.
RIVERWORLD
(2010)
Directed by StuartGillard
Starring TahmotPenikett, Mark Deklin, Peter Wingfield, Jeananne Goossen, Thea Gill, AlanCumming, Bruce Ramsay, Laura Vandernoort
Vivendi//NotRated//Fantasy//178 minutes
Available on: DVD andBlu-Ray
Philip Jose Farmer'sRiverworld books were written in the 1970s. His premise proposes all humans arereincarnated on a giant alien planet crisscrossed by a great river. Penikettportrays Matt Elman, a television correspondent awakening on Riverworld afterbeing killed along with his fiancee. Though unable to find his girl, Matt isvisited by opposing caregivers wearing blue robes, strange blue face makeup andfacial tattoos. Apparently, Matt's role on Riverworld is predestined, placingthe planet's overseers at odds. Mark Twain befriends him, as does a femaleJapanese warrior from the 8th century, but Matt is jailed by a SpanishConquistador and rescued by some of his old friends. Rather than appreciatetheir new lives, Riverworld's inhabitants seem to complain incessantly. Thebooks are acclaimed for skillfully blending historical characters, but the3-hour SyFy Channel original movie eliminates most of them and jams thesubstance of the story into its final 30 minutes. DVD and Blu-Ray features:Behind-the-scenes with Alan Cumming, English language tracks, widescreen.
CATCH AND RELEASE
(2007)
* *1/2 (B-)
Directed by SusannahGrant
Starring TimothyOlyphant, Jennifer Garner, Juliette Lewis, Kevin Smith, Fiona Shaw, Sam Jaeger,Sonja Bennett, Yorgo Constantine
Sony//Rated PG-13//Comedy//112minutes
Available on: Blu-Ray
Gray Wheeler mourns thesudden death of her fiancee. As she uncovers mind-boggling secrets about hislife, Gray (Garner) is plunged into depression. The dark cloud is lifted by herfiancee's nutty roommate (Smith) and an unexpected new romance. Olyphantappears as a vulnerable playboy while Juliette Lewis has a prickly role as theother woman. It's gratifying to catch Smith delivering funny lines, andbrilliant to release fey Fiona Shaw into this ensemble. Blu-Ray Disc Features:Commentaries: Director with Kevin Smith or Director with Cinematographer,Deleted Scenes,
Making-of featurette,English or French language tracks, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish or Thaisubtitles, widescreen.
Also Out This Week:
NOVA: MIND OVER MONEY
(2010)
Directed by MalcolmClark
PBS Video//NotRated//Documentary//56 Minutes
Available on: DVD
DVD Features: Englishlanguage tracks, widescreen.
In this"Nova" episode, writer-director Malcolm Clark interviews fiscalexperts and those conducting scientific experiments tied to our evolvingeconomic understanding following the recent global meltdown. This documentaryseeks to uncover the behavior of panicked investors that caught financialwizards unaware.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE:INTO THE DEEP - AMERICA, WHALING AND THE WORLD
(2010)
Directed by Ric Burns
Narrated by WillemDafoe
PBS Video//NotRated//Documentary//120 minutes
Available on: DVD
Actor Willem Dafoenarrates America's 400 year infatuation with the science and industry of whalingin a feature-length film touching upon economic and environmental issues. Aswritten and directed by Ric Burns, the film views whaling through the lens of"Classic Americana," beginning in the early 17th century and throughthe Civil War-era. DVD features: deleted scenes, the history of NantucketIsland, bonus reenactment footage, English language tracks, widescreen.
