Biutiful (already released; $27.98): This movie definitely deserves every accolade it's received so far. Released on Lionsgate, the movie features Oscar winner Javier Barden (nominated for another Academy Award here) as Uxbal, a man living on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona, Spain. (Interestingly, two of his male criminal cohorts are lovers, providing for a tender momentone of the few in the movie.) Features include a making-of documentary and a theatrical trailer.
The Fish Child (July 26; $19.95): The Fish Child (El Niño Pez), the latest film from celebrated Argentine director Lucia Puenzo (XXY), tells a tale of forbidden lesbian romance and a crime heist gone awry that boasts beautiful cinematography and performances Inés Efron and Argentine pop star-turned-actress Mariela Vitale, who portrays the title character. The movie also stars Carlos Bardem, brother of Javier Bardem.
Public Speaking (already released; $19.98): HBO Documentary Films' Public Speaking, directed by Martin Scorsese and produced by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, profiles legendary New York wit and best-selling writer Fran Lebowitz. The DVD includes short conversations with Lebowitz and Scorsese as well as never-before-seen clips from Lebowitz's monologues.
Scream trilogy on Blu-Ray (already released; $19.99 each): With Scream 4 having thrilled moviegoers recently, Lionsgate has released the first three films in the horror trilogy on Blu-ray. These Bllu-ray discs of these moviesstarring Neve Campell, Courtney Cox, Jada Pinkett Smith and many othersinclude an array of behind the scenes featurettes, audio commentaries by Craven and deleted scenes.
Streetwalkin' (Aug. 2; $14.93): Long before her roles in Homicide: Life on the Street, Frozen River, HBO's Treme or The Fighter, Oscar winner Melissa Leo starred in the 1985 motion picture Streetwalkin' as a teen runaway seduced into the sleazy world of Times Square hookers, pimps, gangsters and lowlifes. The 86-minute movie also stars Dale Midkiff, Antonio Fargas (from Starsky & Hutch) and gay fave Julie Newmar as a no-nonsense madam. (No kidding!) Special features include commentary and a reversible DVD cover. I think the latter is a first for this columnand, yes, that price is correct.
True Blood: The Complete Third Season (just released; $59.99): Coming out just weeks before the highly anticipated fourth season premiere on HBO, True Blood: The Complete Third Season finds Bill (Stephen Moyer) kidnapped and Sookie (real-life wife Anna Paquin) heading to Mississippi to find him. There she becomes entangled in a world ruled by a powerful vampire king and the werewolves who do his bidding.
Bonus features include "Anatomy of a Scene," an in-depth look at the introduction of werewolves as viewers are taken through the werewolf fight in the beginning of the season; True Blood Post Mortems, end-of-episode guides for bonus helpings of True Blood; plus Snoop Dogg's tribute music video, "Oh Sookie"; and seven audio commentaries with cast and crew, including Alan Ball, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård, Joe Manganiello, Kristin Bauer Van Straten, Denis O'Hare and more.
Undertow (just released; $24.95): Undertow (Contracorriente), the critically acclaimed international hit and Peru's submission to the Academy Awards for best Foreign Film, is out, courtesy of Wolfe Video. Undertow is an unusual ghost story about a married fisherman's struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions. The sizzling international cast includes Manolo Cardona, Tatiana Astengo and Cristian Mercado. Bonus features include deleted scenes and various featurettes; there's also a Spanish-language PSA for GLAAD featuring Sofia Vergara (of TV's Modern Family).
*All prices are for the items on DVD (not Blu-Ray), unless otherwise indicated.
Andrew Davis
(Andrew@WindyCityMediaGroup.com )