‘The Lord of the Rings’ to rule once again in video stores
Starting Aug. 26, “Rings” will rule once again in video stores. During “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (New Line; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD), the second installment in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth trilogy, actions speak much louder than words. New Zealand director Peter Jackson provides wall-to-wall action in the PG-13 sequel that follows Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin”) as they continue their journey to destroy the evil ring.
The two Hobbits follow a long-and-winding road populated by otherworldly creatures, armies of darkness and armed allies.
The DVD will be a double-disc package available in both wide-screen and full-screen versions. In addition, the DVD set will contain a behind-the-scenes preview of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the final installment arriving in theaters Dec. 17. According to Video Store magazine, the “Towers” DVD will contain additional extras, including eight featurettes looking at the people and places in Middle-earth, a short film (“The Long and Short of It”) by Sean Astin, and a music video (“Gollum’s Song”) by Emiliana Torrini.
Ardent fans of the “Rings” series will be happy to hear that a special four-disc “Special Extended Edition” director’s cut of “The Two Towers” will be released on Nov. 18 with additional footage.
By the way, for those keeping score, “The Two Towers” grossed a whopping $336 million theatrically just in the United States and Canada.
Justin & Kelly extended
When “From Justin to Kelly” (Fox; $19.99, tape; $27.99, DVD) arrives in video stores Aug. 26, fans of Kelly Clarkson and Doylestown’s Justin Guarini will get to see more of the “American Idol” favorites.
The DVD “Special Edition” will offer two additional numbers, “Brighter Star” (with the entire cast) and “From Me to You” (a romantic ballad by Guarini). The 5-inch disc will also contain a commentary track by Clarkson and Guarini, a gag reel, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette and an option for watching the wide-screen theatrical image or a cropped full-screen version.
Directed by Robert Iscove (“She’s All That”), the PG-rated musical is an old-fashioned beach picture set during spring break in Florida. Audiences ignored “From Justin to Kelly” during its unsuccessful theatrical run, which lasted about two weeks.
The executives at Fox Home Entertainment obviously feel viewers will be more likely to embrace “From Justin to Kelly” at home and are providing an impressive 5-inch disc pressing with plenty of extra features.
Romero’s ‘Dead’ rises
Pittsburgh director George Romero enjoyed huge acclaim with “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) and its sequel, “Dawn of the Dead” (1979). The filmmaker, however, had always intended to create a trilogy, which he completed with 1985’s often overlooked “Day of the Dead” (Anchor Bay; $29.99, DVD only), which was released earlier this week.
That final “Dead” title finally receives the attention it deserves in the special double-disc package that’s part of Anchor Bay’s impressive DiviMax (digital to the max) line, which also includes a 25th anniversary edition of “Halloween” and the Michael Mann’s director’s cut of “Manhunter.”
“Day of the Dead” unfolds in an underground facility where survivors are attempting to ascertain a way to destroy the insatiable zombies by experimenting on them. Romero takes a much edgier and harder approach with this installment, which features graphic visuals by special effects wizard Tom Savini (who also provided the innovative visuals for “Dawn of the Dead”).
The “Day” DVD set contains numerous extras, including: commentaries by Romero and Savini; a promotional video; a zombie make-up photo gallery; production stills, posters and advertising art; and a DVD-ROM with the original screenplay.
Coming Soon!
The following VHS and DVD titles either have been or soon will be released to video stores.
If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the tape and disc offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web sites www.amazon.com or www.moviesunlimited.com, unless otherwise noted.
Movies
– “Chasing Papi” (Fox; $19.99, tape; $27.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with Eduardo Verastegui in a PG-rated romantic comedy about a smooth-talking guy engaged to three women. It will be available in English and Spanish versions.
– “China Strike Force” (Dimension; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with Mark Dacascos (“Brotherhood of the Wolf”) and rapper-turned-actor Coolio in an R-rated crime thriller about a police officer who infiltrates a gang of drug smugglers.
– “Happiness: Signature Series” (Lions Gate; $24.99, DVD only; now available) a special pressing of the unrated version of writer-director Todd Solondz’s controversial 1998 film about the five members of a dysfunctional family and the people who interact with them. The terrific ensemble cast includes Lara Flynn Boyle (TV’s “The Practice”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Boogie Nights”) and Ben Gazzara (“Saint Jack”). The extras on the DVD include 35 chapter stops and information on the cast and crew.
– “Levity” (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with Billy Bob Thornton (“Monster’s Ball”), Morgan Freeman (“Bruce Almighty”) and Holly Hunter (“Broadcast News”) in an R-rated melodrama about a convicted murderer’s quest for redemption.
– “Mussolini and I” (Koch Vision; $29.99, tape; $39.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with Anthony Hopkins (“Hannibal”), Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and Bob Hoskins (“Who Framed Roger Rabbit”) in a four-hour drama about Italy’s notorious fascist leader Benito Mussolini.
– “National Lampoon’s Animal House Double Secret Probation Edition” (Universal; $14.99, DVD only; Aug. 26) with the late John Belushi in a 25th anniversary edition of director John Landis’ comedy about college life.
– “Raising Victor Vargas” (Columbia TriStar; $99.99, tape; $24.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with Victor Rasuk and Judy Marte in an R-rated romantic tale about a poor boy who devotes himself to winning the heart of the prettiest girl in the projects.
– “Scorcher” (Dimension; $99.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with Mark Dacascos (“Brotherhood of the Wolf”), Rutger Hauer (“Blade Runner”) and John Rhys-Davies (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”). The R-rated action thriller concerns an elite team racing to handle devastating disasters resulting from a massive nuclear accident.
– “Songcatcher: Signature Series” (Lions Gate; $24.99, DVD only; now available) with Janet McTeer (“Tumbleweeds”) and Aidan Quinn (“Legends of the Fall”) in director Maggie Greenwald’s critically acclaimed PG-13 picture.
The story concerns a musicologist who travels to Appalachia and discovers numerous tunes passed down from the original Irish and Scottish immigrants who settled in the mountains. The extras include 24 chapter stops, extended scenes and a music-only track.
Television
– “The Simpsons Season Three DVD Collection” (Fox; $49.99, DVD only; Aug. 26) with all 24 episodes form the 1991-92 season of the animated favorite.
Music
– “Dark Side of the Moon Classic Album” (Eagle Rock; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Aug. 26), a documentary on the creation of the Pink Floyd recording that was released in 1973.
– “Goodnight, Thank You” (Eagle Rock; $20.99, tape and DVD; Aug. 26) with Sinead O’Connor live in a concert that marks her final musical release due to her recent retirement from the music business.
– “An Irish Holiday” (Eagle Rock; $14.99, tape; $19.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with author Frank McCourt reading from his novel “Angela’s Ashes,” Jean Butler of “Riverdance” recalling her introduction to dance and other Irish artists enjoying the Christmas season at Slane Castle.
– “Right Here Right Now: Live” (Eagle Rock; $19.99, DVD only; Aug. 26) with Atomic Kitten, Britain’s popular girl band, performing during a show at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.
– “The Who: The Kids Are Alright” (Pioneer; $24.99, deluxe edition, DVD only; $29.99, special edition, DVD only; Aug. 26) with Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and John Entwhistle in a PG-rated 1979 documentary on the British rock band.
Children
– “Stitch! The Movie” (Disney; $22.99, tape; $29.99, DVD; Aug. 26) with the voices of Tia Carrere (“Wayne’s World”), Ving Rhames (“Undisputed”) and David Ogden Stiers (TV’s “M*A*S*H”) in a G-rated direct-to-video sequel. The story follows Stitch as 625 other creatures – also the result of extraterrestrial experimentation – arrive on Earth. The extras on the DVD include a music video by the pop group Jump 5.
and a trivia challenge.