It’s a monster week for DVD lovers, as we’ll see tons of new movies, television shows, and direct-to-video flicks hit shelves. Read on for the week’s highs (Street Kings, Gossip Girl) and lows (poker drama Deal, a new Crispin Glover creep-out) and check out great exclusive videos from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Scorpion King 2!
One of last season’s hottest new series brought sci-fi fans back to a beloved franchise with a vengeance: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. With a new Sarah (300‘s Lena Headey) and a teenaged John Connor (Heroes‘ Thomas Dekker), the show paid homage to the best elements of the Terminator films while introducing new twists — and a new, benevolent Terminator (Firefly‘s Summer Glau).
In our exclusive clip below, watch as Sarah meets unassuming cell phone salesman Andy, who reveals his pet project: a powerful chess-playing computer called The Turk. Could the machine contain the powerful beginnings of SkyNet? Watch the clip here.
Another new release this week revives a familiar franchise, albeit a decidedly more…mummified one. Debuting on DVD is the prequel The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior, which tells the origin story of the young hero (One Tree Hill‘s Michael Copon) who will grow up to become the much brawnier, much less clothed The Rock — err, Mathayus. Watch UFC champion Randy Couture tempt the young hero into joining his army, whilst delivering lines like “There’s no place for timidity now that the scorpion rides on your shoulder.” Watch it here!
Click on for this week’s exciting new releases, including Street Kings, Prom Night, and more!
Keanu goes all Training Day on our asses (but remains one of Hollywood’s most wooden A-listers) playing a corrupt but well-intentioned LAPD detective in David Ayer‘s formulaic cop thriller. Street Kings is also exactly what you would expect considering who co-wrote it: Kurt “Ultraviolet” Wimmer, from a story by James “L.A. Confidential” Ellroy. Bonus Features: The two-disc release includes a commentary by director David Ayer, tons of deleted and alternate scenes, and making-of vignettes. You can also download a digital copy of the film. A psycho killer stalks the one that got away (Brittany Snow) on the night of her senior prom, but it’s you, dear viewer, who the critics feel for most. This tepid remake of the 1980 slasher flick nearly bored the scribes to death, even with its few sexy scenes and the thrills of underage drinking — plus, who wants to see a PG-13 rated horror movies these days? Sony thought so too, which is why they’re also releasing an Unrated version of the flick on DVD and Blu-ray. Bonus Features: A veritable buffet of special features appear on the standard and Blu-ray releases, including deleted scenes with optional commentary, an alternate ending, making-of featurettes, commentary with director Nelson McCormick and stars Brittany Snow and Jonathan Schaech, and a fun feature in which cast members share their own prom stories. Blu-ray viewers will get an additional treat: a Picture-in-Picture storyboard track.
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day Hey, whaddya know — a Fresh movie out on DVD this week! (And it’s Certified Fresh to boot.) Oscar-winner Frances McDormand teams up with Oscar-nominee Amy Adams in the 1930s period charmer about an out of work nanny (McDormand) who helps an aspiring actress (Adams) juggle the men in her life. While a bit light, Miss Pettigrew should provide a pleasant diversion for the home video crowd this week. Bonus Features: Deleted scenes, a feature commentary by director Bharat Nalluri, and a few behind-the-scenes features comprise the bonus menu. Vadim Perelman returns four years after making a splash debut (The House of Sand and Fog) with a clunker of a sophomore feature. Evan Rachel Wood and Uma Thurman turn in admirable performances as the teenage and adult versions of the same woman, who must deal with the aftermath of a Columbine-esque tragedy. Unfortunately, Vadim’s adaptation of Laura Kasischke’s novel suffers from pretentious twists and turns, devolving into a tiresome psychological puzzle. Curiously, Vadim himself has stated he’d prefer audiences go into the film already knowing the controversial third-act spoiler…so here it is if you’re game. Bonus Features: In addition to a making-of featurette and a documentary about “The Other Side,” director Perelman provides what should be an interesting feature commentary; deleted scenes and an alternate ending give further insight into Perelman’s criticized editing choices, all of which should give curious viewers a fuller picture of Perelman’s artistic gamble.
In a critical performance only rivaled by the likes of One Missed Call and Strange Wilderness so far this year, director Gil Cates, Jr. has served up a rare double zero Tomatometer score! How’d he do it? By combining his own plodding direction and clichéd screenplay with the dubious star wattage of Burt “In the Name of the King” Reynolds, the kid from TV’s Reaper, and Shannon Elizabeth as a hooker, all set in the world of Texas Hold ‘Em. Sadly, Deal is the only poker movie to be officially backed by the professional bluffers of the World Series of Poker. So if you can’t spot the sucker buying Deal on DVD, then you ARE the sucker. Bonus Features: Learn more about the game of poker in one of the disc’s only bonus features. And if you’re willing to gamble on Deal on DVD, then I’d like to invite you to RT’s friendly office poker night… Next: Tons of new TV on DVD titles (Hannah Montana, Dexter, Gossip Girl and more!)
It’s about time Gossip Girl made it to DVD. Teenage primetime soaps haven’t been this good since Brandon and Brenda Walsh tramped their way around swanky Beverly Hills. If you haven’t yet tuned in to the critically loved Gossip Girl (and Nielsen ratings say many of you haven’t), seize your chance to catch up with the zeitgeist phenomenon before Season 2 begins this September! Bonus Features: 18 episodes on five discs will be joined by previously unaired episodes, three featurettes, a gag reel, and a free download of the original book, as read for some reason by Christina Ricci. When it was first announced that a spinoff of the Terminator film franchise was coming to TV, some fans were skeptical. Luckily, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles turned out to be a pretty fun ride, further exploring the Terminator universe while creating its own new story paths. Pick up the release and watch all nine episodes of season one, in which a teenage John Connor (Thomas Dekker) finds himself on the run in 1999 with his overprotective mom Sarah (Lena Headey, less frighteningly ripped than Linda Hamilton) and a benevolent Terminator from the future (Summer Glau). Bonus Features: The release includes a handful of deleted scenes from select episodes, plus select cast and crew episode commentaries. Creating the Chronicles tells the show’s history from conception to filming, while a smattering of episode-specific features appear throughout the DVD’s three discs. Also find audition tapes, a gag reel, and a random feature of Glau at a dance rehearsal. Season four of the Emmy-winning show about misanthropic doctor Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) comes to DVD. Following the shocking loss of team members Foreman, Chase, and Cameron, House has a brand new team to break in, which he does in signature rascally style, whittling a class of 40 doctors down to a new inner circle of three. Bonus Features: A handful of featurettes, favorite episodes of cast members, and a commentary track on the penultimate episode, “House’s Head,” comprise the bonus menu. HBO’s acclaimed retelling of the 2000 Presidential election — chads, retractions, controversies and all — is a must-watch for politically-minded viewers, granted you can bear the humor of the situation and its very real repercussions. Strong performances by Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Laura Dern and more bolster the film, written by actor-writer Danny Strong (AKA Doyle from Gilmore Girls and Jonathan Levinson from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Bonus Features: Strong and director Jay Roach (Austin Powers 1, 2, and 3) contribute a commentary, a featurette documents the real-life events of the 200 recount, and actors Spacey and Bob Balaban sit down for one-on-one chats with their real life counterparts. When I first heard of the show Dexter, I thought it was a live-action adaptation about a kid in a laboratory. Boy, was I off. Season One of the serial killer drama captivated audiences; we even wondered how CBS could edit out the inappropriate content to air episodes on primetime. Now Season Two makes its way to DVD, which should fulfill fans’ desires until the next season begins in September, after nearly a year without new episodes. Bonus Features: Rejoice at all 12 episodes of Season Two! Weep at the lack of additional bonus features. You thought High School Musical was a cash cow? Prepare for this week’s Camp Rock, a Disney Original Movie you may already be sick of if you have any teen or tween in your life. Tiger Beat sensations the Jonas Brothers star in the musical flick as teenage musicians at a sleep away summer camp, who naturally sing and dance their way through life lessons and first kisses. Bonus Features: An extended ending will delight existing fans, as will a “Too Cool!” featurette that teaches you how to be a rock star (the term “rock star” being very loosely defined). Somewhere, Keith Richards is rolling over in his grave. Or would be if he weren’t still alive. Kids will dip even deeper into their piggy banks as another Disney phenom comes to DVD. Miley Cyrus, doing her best to put artsy nude photo shoots and boyfriend beefs with fellow Disney stars behind her (go Team Selena Gomez!), should rake in another bazillion dollars with this week’s Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds. The concert documentary, which earned shockingly stellar reviews and opened at #1 during its brief theatrical run, follows Cyrus (and her fictional alter ago, Hannah Montana) on tour and also features a guest appearance by those pesky Jonas Brothers. Bonus Features: The Best of Both Worlds offers a fair bonus menu of behind-the-scenes looks at Cyrus’s concert circus, plus two bonus songs. But the best part about this DVD release is also the one add-on that can make nearly any movie better: 3-D glasses! Four pairs come in each DVD for watching concert scenes filmed in Disney Digital 3-D. Next: It’s Direct-to-Video Time! Sometimes it’s peanut butter jelly time. Other times it’s direct-to-video time, and nothing says direct-to-video like a movie called The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior! Director Russell Mulcahy (Highlander, Resident Evil: Extinction) does his best in this prequel to the prequel to the sequel of 1999’s The Mummy, which tells the formative story of a young Mathayus the Scorpion King. Where the first Scorpion King flick starred former WWE champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, this sequel stars former UFC fighter Randy Couture, who battles to the death with Blue Power Ranger/One Tree Hill youngster Michael Copon. Bonus Features: Learn how Randy Couture “became” the ruthless warrior Sargon, find out how to “fight like an Akkadian,” and watch plenty more useful featurettes to help you on your path to enlightenment. It’s scary enough to see the words “Crispin Glover stars…” but when the film in question is a direct-to-video remake of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ classic splatter fest, The Wizard of Gore, the dread mounts even higher. Glover appears as the creepy magician Montag the Magnificent, whose death-defying tricks seem to be killing his lovely assistants off-stage. Bijou Phillips, Kip Pardue, Brad Dourif and a slew of sexy Suicide Girls round out the cast. Bonus Features: Along with the unrated film, you’ll get making-of features, an audio commentary, photographs, and a closer look at the Suicide Girls on set. When we saw that Vinnie Jones was starring as an ambitious news reporter, we had to know more. And then it started to get weird. The ex-footballer stars in The Riddle as a writer who gets a lead on the story of his career when a woman turns up dead — after discovering an unpublished novel by Charles Dickens hidden in a pub! Jones teams up with a lady cop and a weird old homeless guy (Sir Derek Jacobi, who also plays Dickens in flashbacks) to solve a riddle in the manuscript; thrills inevitably ensue. Vanessa Redgrave also stars. Bonus Trivia: The Riddle made an unusual debut in the UK in 2007; it came on DVD, free of charge, in every issue of The Daily Mail. ‘Til next week, happy renting!
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Gossip Girl – The Complete First Season
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Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles – The Complete First Season
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Dexter – The Complete Second Season
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Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds
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The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior
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