What's new this month on DVD

2007-10-18 / Dining & Entertainment

Film and television author Randy Williams reviews the latest movies, television shows, documentaries and music programs now available for purchase online and at retail stores.

Deliverance35th Anniversary Edition (Warner Bros.)- One of the seminal films of the 70s, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox star as "weekend warriors" on a canoe trip in remote Georgia. They run into a lot more than challenging currents as the group's survival instincts quickly take on deadly dimensions. Based on the James Dickey novel, Deliverance was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture. A boatload of extras include: a fourpart retrospective with the film's cast, commentary by director John Boorman ("Excalibur"), and a vintage featurette, The Dangerous World of Deliverance.

Saturday Night Fever-30th Anniversary Special Collection- (Paramount) A classic example of the power of music in film, Saturday Night Fever stars John Travolta (in an Oscarnominated performance) as Tony Manero a young Brooklyn man who finds his way to success could be via the dance floor. A social phenomenon, the film influenced fashions, discos, deejays, and dance styles around the world when it was released in late 1977. The special features reflect that in "Catching the Fever."

The Graduate40th Anniversary Edition (MGM)- A recent college graduate (Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock), still unsure of his future career direction, gets seduced by the wife of his father's business partner (Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson). Life gets crazier when Benjamin finds the woman of his dreams (Katherine Ross) and it is Mrs. Robinson's daughter. Film was nominated for seven Academy Awards with Mike Nichols winning for Best Director. The two-disc presentation includes the memorable soundtrack on a separate dvd featuring four Simon and Garfunkel performances and a retrospective documentary with cast interviews.

Flashdance-Special Collector's Edition (Paramount)- A young woman in Pittsburgh (Jennifer Beals) is holding down two very different jobs- a welder and exotic dancer as she dreams of joining a real dance troupe. The film's soundtrack sold 700,000 units within the first weeks of the film's release, winning an Oscar for Best Song, "FlashdanceWhat a Feeling." Kevin Costner and Demi Moore were among those who auditioned for lead roles. Bonus materials include features on the film's design, music, and choreography.

The Jungle Book40th Anniversary Edition (Disney)- This children's classic, a song-filled celebration of fellowship, fun, and adventure, was the last animated film to receive Walt Disney's personal touch. He uses jungle characters like a panther, snake, rhino and a bear to present a lighthearted look at life and the true meaning of friendship. Bonus material includes: interactive games, music videos, deleted songs and sometimes rare commentaries by everyone from modern day animators to Walt Disney himself, and a behind-the-scenes segment entitled, "The Bare Necessities: The Making of The Jungle Book."

Wall Street-20th Anniversary Edition (Fox)- "Greed is Good," says Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas in an Oscarwinning performance), one of the most ruthless corporate raiders on Wall Street. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film captures the junk bond/inside trading scandals of the 80s and features Charlie Sheen as a naive and hungry stockbroker fatally attracted to the highrisk greed, lowyield ethics applied as an art form by his mentor Gekko. The double disc offers a vault full of bonus material including commentary by Stone, deleted scenes, a Greed is Good documentary and Money Never Sleeps-The Making of Wall Street.

Neil Young-Under Review 19762006 (MVD)- A featurelength music documentary chronicles one of the most prolific songwriters in music history. Spanning four decades this disc is filled with biographer and music critic commentary, live and studio clips of Neil performing his classic tunes, rare interviews, and an interactive gaming feature.

North America's National ParksDeluxe Box Set (Discovery)- This grand adventure of our nation's natural treasures comes in four discs and covers parks large and small from the Grand Canyon, Alaska's Denali, and Yellowstone to Yosemite and the wonders of Utah's Bryce Canyon and Zion. Brilliant photography provides astonishing images of some of our most celebrated landscapes.

The Addams FamilyVolume 3 (MGM)- That creepy yet popular clan from the mid-sixties are back for more with this final volume containing all 21 episodes of season three. Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Ophelia, Uncle Fester and Lurch wreak hilarious havoc on unsuspecting victims. The three-disc set includes selected scene commentaries by Thing and Cousin Itt, Tombstone Trivia, and audio commentary by The Addams Chronicle author, Stephen Cox. The series directors included Arthur Hiller who was nominated for an Oscar helming "Love Story." Weird can be funny and beautiful.

- Randy Williams

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