Viewers control fate by choosing who lives, dies in ‘Finale Destination 3’
Viewers control the fickle finger of fate by choosing who lives and who dies during “Final Destination 3: Two-Disc Thrill Ride Edition” (New Line; $29.99, DVD; July 25). The R-rated film follows the usual “Destination” formula of following some young people who survive life-threatening situations and then discover that you can’t cheat death.
With the DVD’s “Choose-Their-Fate” interactive feature on the first disc, fans of the series can alter the course of the film and change what happens to the characters via dozens of possible viewing combinations. The third installment, which stars Elizabeth Winstead (“Sky High”) and Ryan Merriman (“The Ring Two”), revolves around a deadly rollercoaster disaster.
James Wong, who also directed the first “Final Destination” (2000) and wrote numerous episodes of “The X-Files” and “Millennium,” provides a commentary, and there’s also a multi-part making-of documentary. (For more information on the third installment, go to www.fd3movie.com.)
And for those who want it all, the three fright-film titles will be available in a special four-disc package, “Final Destination: Thrill-ogy” ($59.99, DVD; July 25), which will feature numerous extras.
A repackaged cult sensation
After more than four decades, “The Prisoner” remains must-see TV.
The compelling and inspired British series, which was telecast in America on CBS (1968-1969), remains timely due to its themes about personal freedom, conspiracy theories, government control and free speech.
To celebrate the series’ continued – perhaps growing -appeal, “The Prisoner Megaset: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition” (A&E; $139.99, DVD; July 25) is arriving in stores. The re-packaged boxed set contains all 17 episodes, plus an illustrated 60-page series companion and a fold-out map of The Village, the pastel-colored, sun-filled area in which a rebellious government operative (Irish actor Patrick McGoohan) is held.
The series concerns an unnamed James Bond-like British secret agent who wants to retire from intelligence work but is prevented due to his knowledge of sensitive information. He’s kidnapped and awakens in the Village (actually the Welsh tourist town of Portmeirion), where he is known as Number 6, continually tries to escape and refuses to answer questions from his captors.
“The show still touches on themes -such as the rights of individuals in society and the role of politics in people’s lives -that are still so important today,” said Bruce Clark, a North Wales, Pa. resident who since 1983 has served as American coordinator for “Six of One: The Prisoner Appreciation Society.” (For information on the group, go to Google for the Web site or send a regular business-size, self-addressed envelope with three stamps to Clark at 871 Clover Drive, North Wales, Pa. 19454-2749.)
Over the years, McGoohan, who also wrote and directed five episodes, co-created and served as executive producer of the series, has been reluctant to talk about “The Prisoner,” preferring that viewers draw their own conclusions about the sights, sounds, images and meanings in the innovative series.
At one time, it was rumored that Mel Gibson, who won an Oscar as best director for “Braveheart” (which co-stars McGoohan), was preparing a big-screen version of “The Prisoner,” but such plans were never finalized. British favorite Hugh Grant was also mentioned for the role as Number Six in a film adaptation, which apparently never went beyond the discussion stages.
According to The Times of Britain, Christopher Eccleston (TV’s “Doctor Who”) will play Number Six in a new series of “The Prisoner” planned to run for six episodes next year in the United Kingdom.
Clark hopes the newly packaged DVD set of “The Prisoner” will ignite the imaginations of people unfamiliar with the stunning series.
“I saw ‘The Prisoner’ when it first ran in 1968, but I was 14 and didn’t understand that it was an allegory,” he said. “I just knew it was a well-made TV series.
“Now that I’m 52, it’s fascinating to know there’s so much more to the show. It makes you think.”
A ‘Halloween’ celebration
One of the most successful horror franchises celebrates an anniversary with “Halloween: 25 Years of Terror” (Anchor Bay; $19.99, DVD; July 25).
The double-disc set provides a retrospective of the series created by John Carpenter and the late Debra Hill. Interview subjects include Carpenter, series star Jamie Lee Curtis, British horror author Clive Barker and rocker-turned-director Rob Zombie (“The Devil’s Rejects”).
Other retrospective features include on-set footage, convention gatherings and a panel discussion featuring cinematographer Dean Cundey.
Also arriving July 25 will be digitally remastered versions of “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers” and “Halloween 5: Revenge of Michael Myers” (Anchor Bay; $19.99 each).
Both titles have been pressed under the DiviMax High-Definition process, which provides the best sound and image possible. “Halloween 4” and “Halloween 5” contain extras, including audio commentary and trailers.
Cube on the ‘Fly’
Rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube, whose screen credits range from the family friendly “Are We There Yet?” to the hard-hitting “XXX: State of the Union,” sings the praises of the vintage blaxploitation favorite “Super Fly” (Warner; $14.99, DVD) in Premiere magazine.
The 1972 picture stars the late Ron O’Neal as a tough and smart Harlem pusher who wants to make a big score with a cocaine sale and then retire. The strong performance by O’Neal and the terrific funky score by Curtis Mayfield helped transform the film into a hit.
“My favorite one (movie) has got to be ‘Super Fly,”‘ Cube, who made his screen debut in director John Singleton’s “Boyz N the Hood” (1991), says in Premiere. “It was not only dangerous but musically superior.
“It hit me at a time where I could really understand what was going on, and it engulfed my imagination.”
Now Playing!
The following DVD titles are coming soon or have arrived at a video store near you.
If your local outlet doesn’t stock them, the DVD offerings can be mail ordered by calling (800) 523-0823 or going to the Web site moviesunlimited.com or amazon.com, unless otherwise noted.
Movies
– “And Now the Screaming Starts!” (Dark Sky; $14.99, DVD; July 25) with Peter Cushing (“Star Wars”) and Herbert Lom (“The Pink Panther Strikes Again”) in a British chiller about a malevolent spirit that haunts a young bride in an ancestral family mansion on her wedding night.
– “Ask the Dust” (Paramount; $29.99, DVD; July 25) with Colin Farrell (“Alexander”) and Salma Hayek (“Frida”) in an R-rated drama about a passionate affair between a struggling American writer and a beautiful Mexican waitress in Depression-era Los Angeles. Robert Towne, who wrote “Chinatown,” adapted the novel by John Fante and directed.
– “Asylum” (Dark Sky; $19.99, DVD; July 25) with Peter Cushing (“The Curse of Frankenstein”) and Britt Ekland (“The Wicker Man”) in a PG-rated vintage British chiller about a doctor who goes from running a madhouse to being one of the inmates. British director Roy Ward Baker will provide commentary.
– “Awesome: I … Shot That!” (ThinkFilm; $29.99, DVD; July 25) with the Beastie boys in an October 2004 concert that was captured on digital video cameras by 50 young fans at Madison Square Garden.
– “The Beast Must Die” (Dark Sky; $19.99, DVD; July 25) with Peter Cushing (“Horror of Dracula”) and Charles Gray (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) in a British import about a big-game hunter who decides to track and kill a werewolf.
– “The Benchwarmers” (Sony; $28.99, DVD; July 25) with Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”), David Spade (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”) and Rob Schneider (“Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”) in a PG-13 comedy about some failed adult athletes who challenge the players on a Little League team.
– “Pure” (Indican; $26.99, DVD; July 25) with Keira Knightley (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”) in an R-rated family drama about a waitress who helps a boy get his drug-addicted mother away from a local drug dealer.
– “Rave” (Lightyear; $19.99, DVD; July 25) with Efren Ramirez (“Napoleon Dynamite”) in an unrated film about six teenagers who find themselves out of control after experimenting with the drug ecstasy during a wild party in Los Angeles.
Comedy
– “Chappelle’s Show: The Lost Episodes – Uncensored (Paramount; $24.99, DVD; July 25) with 68 minutes of material that the gifted comic created for Comedy Central. The extras include deleted scenes and bloopers.
Television
– “American Muscle Car: Season 3” (MPI; $29.99, DVD; July 25) with 12 half-hour episodes in the car-customizing series featuring numerous power-packed automobiles, including a 1964 Pontiac GTO.
– “Dark Shadows DVD Collection 25” (MPI; $59.99, DVD; July 25) with Jonathan Frid as 175-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins in a four-disc set with 40 color episodes of the gothic soap opera
– “H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man: Season 2” (Dark Sky; $29.99, DVD; July 25) with Tim Turner in 13 remastered episodes from the sophomore season of the British series about a plot to conquer the world with an invisible army.
– “La Femme Nikita: The Complete Fourth Season” (Warner; $99.99, DVD; July 25) with Peta Wilson (“Superman Returns”) in a six-disc set with 22 episodes of the syndicated TV series adapted from the Luc Besson film about a deadly female assassin.
– “Miami Vice Seasons One & Two DVD Value Pack” (Universal; $59.99, DVD; July 25) with Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as Crockett and Tubbs, respectively, in 44 episodes of the stylish crime series, created by Michael Mann (who also directed the big-screen version that stars Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell and opens July 28). The bonus features include five featurettes on the series.
– “The Rifleman: Volume 6” (MPI; $49.99, DVD; July 25) with Chuck Connors and Johnny Crawford in 20 half-hour episodes of the series about the challenges faced by a rancher/sharpshooter and his son on a New Mexico ranch in the late 1880s.
– “Robert Ludlum’s Covert One: The Hades Factor” (Sony; $24.99, DVD; July 25) with Stephen Dorff (“Shadowboxer”) and Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) in the CBS miniseries thriller about an elite undercover team assigned to locate the source of a deadly virus.
Children/Family
– “The Abominable Snowman” (Goldhil; $19.99, DVD; July 25) with the voices of William H. Macy (“Fargo”) and Felicity Huffman (TV’s “Desperate Housewives”) in an interactive animated title that allows children to make 11 choices concerning how the story line will go.
– “Animaniacs: Volume 1” (Warner; $44.99, DVD; July 25) with numerous Warner Bros. cartoon characters in a five-disc set with 12 hours of footage from the show presented by Steven Spielberg and aired by the Fox Network (1993).
– “Pinky and The Brain: Volume 1” (Warner; $44.99, DVD; July 25) with two laboratory mice planning to conquer the world in a four-disc set with 22 episodes of the animated series presented by Steven Spielberg and aired by The WB (1995).