—The Bang Bang Club (already released; $24.98): It may sound like a porn movie, but there's no gay content in this film. However, hunks Ryan Phillippe, Taylor Kitsch, Frank Rautenbach and Neels Van Jaarsveld star in this movie (based on a true story) about photojournalists who worked together to chronicle the violence and upheaval in South Africa leading to the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as president. Among the extras are a making-of featurette and commentary with director Steven Silver.
—Best Picture Academy Award® Winners: Five Film Collection (Jan. 31; $35.99): The compilation includes Best Picture Oscar winners Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, Chicago, No Country for Old Men and Crash (whose win became mired in controversy in the LGBT community, as some thought Brokeback Mountain should have prevailed). In addition to winning the Best Picture statuette, these five films garnered 19 additional Academy Award wins and 22 other nominations.
—Big Love: The Complete Collection and Big Love: The Complete Fifth Season (Dec. 6; $199.99 and $59.99, respectively): The drama series about polygamy is being released as a 20-disc complete-collection DVD set and a four-disc final season set. Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton) and his three wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin) deal with multiple challenges brought about by their lifestyle, beliefs and his ambitions. Extras include prequels, mini-episodes and commentaries.
—Blitz (already released; $28.99): I love looking at Jason Statham, but let's face it: We're not going to be seeing him in Great Expectations anytime soon. He's an action-movie stalwart, which suits me just fine. In this shoot-'em-up, he plays a cop who teams with Paddy Considine (who plays his superior, who is perceived to be gay) to hunt down a serial killer (Aiden Gillen) who has been targeting police officers. This could've been by-the-numbers, but the acting is above average.
—Conan the Barbarian (already released; $29.95): Jason Momoa takes over the role Arnold Schwarzenegger role in this remake, starring as the Cimmerian bent on avenging his father's death. Among the others in this sword-and-sandals romp are Rose McGowan, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman and Stephen Lang. Among the special features are featurettes and a fun commentary with Momoa (who, it turns out, had a hateful relationship with his horse) and McGowan.
—Crutch (Dec. 27; $14.95): In this movie that IMDB.com says was originally out in 2004, 16-year-old David's (Eben Gordon) life is falling part as he deals with a mother who drinks heavily; thirtysomething boyfriend Kenny (Rob Moretti); and his own alcoholism and drug addiction. This film is based on a true story, and the DVD includes an interview with Moretti, who also directed the movie; deleted scenes; and a theatrical trailer.
—Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Dec. 13; $28.99): Gender-bending, eye-popping acrobatics and even menacing deer are in this film in which an exiled detective (Chinese superstar Andy Lau) is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths involving spontaneous combustion that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu. One person said the film is "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon meets Sherlock Holmes"—an apt description. Extras include an informative making-of featurette.
—The Devil's Double (already released; $39.99): Dominic Cooper is spellbinding in this movie in which he portrays Saddam Hussein's sadistic partying son Uday AND army lieutenant Latif Yahia, who's ordered to become Uday's double. I've seen some brutal characters in my time, but Uday's disregard for everyone's life is all the more scary because it was real. Special features include featurettes with Cooper and the real Yahia as well as audio commentary from director Lee Tamahori.
—Dixie Chicks Storytellers (already released; $14.98): Columbia Records presents this show on DVD and Blu-Ray for the first time ever. Recorded live in September 2006 at the Los Angeles Theater, Storytellers was the grand finale of a maelstrom that accompanied the release of the Grammy-winning album Taking the Long Away. Among the tracks performed are "Wide Open Spaces," "Easy Silence" and the strong "Not Ready to Make Nice."
—Eating Out: Drama Camp (already released; $24.95): Somehow, this movie has become a franchise, with another one (Eating Out: Open Weekend) slated to be released soon. You won't get Shakespeare here, but it is what it is—a romp that features lots of double entendres and nudity (some of it courtesy of former Chicagoan Ronnie Kroell).
—Go Go Crazy (already released; $24.99): This mockumentary/satire from Breaking Glass Pictures centers around the title event, where five shameless contestants compete on and off the pole to win $1,000. The contestants have their ups and downs, but drag comedienne Hedda Lettuce steals the show with hilarious insults. Extras include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and a Hedda Lettuce audition featurette.
—Kickoff (Jan. 17; $24.95): In this British comedy from Wolfe Video, a macho soccer team squares off again a squad composed entirely of gay men. The cast includes Ian Sharp and Rikki Beadle-Blair, who wrote and directed the feature. This has to be one of the few DVDs that has a cast fitness challenge among its special features.
—Margin Call (Dec. 20; $19.98): This Lionsgate release (recently in theaters) boasted an impressive cast—including Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, Simon Baker and the now-out Zachary Quinto—in this movie the U.S. financial crisis inspired. Margin Call revolves around the key people at an investment bank who are faced with the unimaginable task of navigating the first 12 hours of the financial crisis. The DVD features audio commentary with writer/director JC Chandor and producer Neal Dodson, along with deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
—River Monsters: Season 3 (already released; $19.98): Anyone who's into fishing—or animal documentaries, for that matter—might appreciate this Animal Planet show that had me hooked from the first episode (no pun intended). "Extreme fisherman" Jeremy Wade has gone after all sorts of freshwater creatures that have convinced me to stay on land, including pirahnas, alligator gar and the goliath tigerfish. In the third season, he pursues electric eels, sawfish and wolffish. (By the way, he throws back everything he catches, so he's not depleting the animals' populations—another good reason to watch.)
—Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas: The Play (already released; $19.98): Fresh off three stage performances in Atlanta, this Lionsgate release follows the wealthy, dysfunctional Mansell family as members clash with the hilarious Madea (Perry) and her relatives during the holidays. Unlike many of the Madea movies, this production also has musical numbers. Special features include bloopers and behind-the-scenes interviews.
—We Are What We Are (already released; $24.98): In this Spanish film, a father dies, leaving his family to continue a gruesome tradition. The oldest son, trying to maintain the tradition, ends up in a gay dance club—and that's where the action really begins. There is a featurette and (thankfully) subtitles.
—West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition (already released; $19.98 on Blu-Ray): Natalie Wood's resurgence in the news these days has almost overshadowed the release of this special edition. Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris (with the latter two winning Oscars for this movie) star in this film featuring a Romeo and Juliet plot as well as classic songs like "Maria," "America" and "I Feel Pretty." The three-disc pack contains a wealth of extras.
*All prices are for the items on DVD (not Blu-Ray), unless otherwise indicated.
—Andrew Davis
(Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com )
