Stirring HBO miniseries 'The Pacific' lands on DVD
Published: Sunday, October 31, 2010, 12:00 AM Updated: Sunday, October 31, 2010, 1:13 AM
"The Pacific"
John Seda
HBO Home Entertainment
U.S. Marines engage Japanese forces in a string of bloody battles on steamy jungle islands in this grand, stirring World War II miniseries.
It's the flip side of 2001's "Band of Brothers," set in Europe and also co-created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.
"Pacific" follows the true stories of three soldiers. This time, we skip basic training and hit the beach in episode one.
Combat scenes are startling in their savagery, conveyed in the disbelieving expressions of the mostly no-name cast.
Unlike "Band," time is found for romance and even some tender sex scenes. "Pacific" captured eight Emmys, including best miniseries.
Six discs, 10 episodes, 530 minutes. Grade: a. Extras: A-. In stores Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Also new on DVD on Tuesday, Nov. 2:
"WWII: the Essential Collection"
A major trove of World War II material comes marching onto DVD in this exhaustive collection from the History channel. it combines three excellent documentary series previously released on DVD into one impressive 22-disc collection.
Sir Laurence Olivier narrates the 1973 British TV documentary series "The World at War," four years in production, which first arrived on DVD in 2004. Newsreel and propaganda films from the archives of 18 nations mix with home movies, including Eva Braun's close-up shots of Adolf Hitler. the program covers every aspect of the war, from early causes to battle planning, genocide, home life and politics. Well-known figures are interviewed, including Albert Speer, Lord Mountbatten, Alger Hiss and historian Stephen Ambrose, but a special emphasis is placed on key aides and assistants to top figures. More than 12 hours of extras first seen on the original DVD release appear here as well, such as bonus documentaries "Secretary to Hitler," "The Two Deaths of Adolf Hitler," "Warrior," "The Final Solution" and "From War to Peace." the program is 11 discs.
The Emmy- and Peabody-winning "Victory at Sea" first aired on NBC in 1952 and 1953. the series focuses on World War II's naval campaigns, using footage shot by the U.S. Navy. it has been released a number of times on DVD and is now in the public domain. the stirring musical soundtrack by Richard Rogers and Robert Russell Bennett was re-recorded and released on albums and CDs. part of the score was played at President Richard Nixon's funeral, as he was a fan. Narrated by Leonard Graves, "Victory at Sea" is four discs.
"The Century of Warfare," a 1993 British TV documentary series, uses archival footage to cover the world's major military conflicts from 1900 to 1990. Robert Powell narrates. First released on DVD in 2003, the 26-part program comes on seven discs. "WWII: the Essential Collection" is more than 55 hours plus extras. from New Video.
Separately, "The World at War" is making its Blu-ray debut as well, in a nine-disc set, more than 36 hours of running time. it contains all of the DVD extras as well as a new making-of featurette about the restoration of the series. also from New Video.
"The Bing Crosby Collection"
Der Bingster stars in six of his lesser known musical comedies: "College Humor" (1933), with an appearance by George Burns and Gracie Allen; "We're not Dressing" (1934), with Carole Lombard, plus Burns and Allen again; "Here is My Heart" (1934); "Mississippi" (1935), with W.C. Fields as a riverboat captain; "Sing you Sinners" (1938), with Fred MacMurray and Donald O'Connor; and "Welcome Stranger" (1947). three discs, 506 minutes. no extras. from Universal's Backlot Series.
"Murderland"
Robbie Coltrane and Sharon Small star in this three-part British TVminiseries from 2009 about a disturbing murder, told from threeperspectives: the victim, her daughter and the police detectiveinvestigating the case. Two discs, 138 minutes. no extras. from BFSEntertainment. bfsent.com
"Mad About you," season five
After nearly breaking up due to extramarital temptations, Jamie and Paul Buchman are recommitted to each other and preparing for the arrival of a baby. plot complications continue, including Paul losing his job at a cable TV network. the easygoing NBC sitcom stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt. Guest stars Carol Burnett and Mel Brooks both snagged Emmys for comical turns, Brooks as Uncle Phil and Burnett as Grandma Theresa Stemple. other guest stars include Carroll O'Conner, Kevin Bacon as himself, Bruno Kirby, Ed Asner, Hank Azaria, Sid Caesar, David Steinberg, Jeff Garlin, Marsha Warfield, Seth Green, Bruce Willis as himself, Lisa Kudrow, Eric Stoltz and Michael Moore as himself. the fourth episode, "Clip show," is full of favorite moments from earlier seasons. the 1996-97 season, the fifth out of seven years, is four discs, 24 episodes, nine hours. from Shout Factory.
"The Terror within / Dead Space"
Shout Factory continues to raid the vaults of drive-in movie producer Roger Corman with this scary double-feature. "Terror" stars George Kennedy and Andrew Stevens as underground survivors of a chemical plague that has wiped out most of the planet's population. besides that minor inconvenience, they must battle mutant monsters they call gargoyles, who rapidly reproduce by raping women and hatching little baby gargoyles, while the women die horribly in childbirth. It's not a good way to go, nor is this 1989 horror flick a good way to spend your time. R, 89 minutes. part two on this single disc, "Dead Space," is an even worse science-fiction thriller starring Marc Singer and Bryan Cranston. Yes, that's the same Cranston who is stockpiling Emmy awards for "Breaking Bad." It's a tribute to him that he survived "Dead" to do such good work. "Dead" is a very loose, very low budget remake of "Forbidden World," which wasn't so great itself to begin with. In short, a genetic experiment on a research station on a distant planet goes bad, requiring a visit from the local space sheriff (Singer). R, 80 minutes. DVD extra: director commentary. from Shout Factory.
"Crash of Flight 447"
The PBS series "Nova" explores the events of June 1, 2009, when an Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris flew straight into a thunderstorm and was lost somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, taking the lives of all 228 on board. Interviews with pilots and aviation experts mix with information transmitted from the plane's computer and animated weather simulations. Unrated, 56 minutes. from PBS. shoppbs.org
"Ocean Odyssey"
Feodor Pitcairn, a pioneer in high-definition underwater photography, takes us on a tour of marine life in the Galapagos Islands, the Azores, the Maldives, Hawaii, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, British Columbia, Belize and more. the beautifully filmed program was commissioned by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Unrated, 60 minutes. from PBS.
"ExTerminators"
Three abused Texas women meet in a court-ordered therapy session and form an unusual alliance to strike back at male abusers in this 2009 black comedy. it stars Heather Graham, Jennifer Coolidge and Amber Heard. after playing at a Texas film festival, it is skipping theaters and heading to DVD. R, 92 minutes. DVD and Blu-ray extra: a gag reel. from Image Entertainment.
"Facts of Life," season five
As Blair (Lisa Welchel) and Jo (Nancy McKeon) head to college, mentor Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) quits her dietitian job at Eastland Academy and opens a gourmet shop. This plot device allows the four aging girls to stay together under one roof, as they simply have to help out around the shop. This NBC sitcom was a successful spinoff of "Diff'rent Strokes," running from 1979-88. the 1983-84 season is 26 episodes, 585 minutes. no extras. from Shout Factory.
"Frank Sinatra: Concert Collection"
This boxed set of Frank Sinatra performances consists mainly of four decades of TV specials, starting in 1965 with "A Man and His Music" on NBC. the chairman shares the stage with a number of impressive special guests, including Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Count Basie and his orchestra, Woody Herman, Diahann Carroll, the 5th Dimension, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Loretta Lynn, John Denver, Buddy Rich and Sinatra's daughter Nancy. Seven discs, 840 minutes. from Shout Factory.
"Not of This Earth"
Traci Lords stars as a nurse hired by a mysterious stranger to handle blood transfusions in this campy 1988 remake of Roger Corman's 1957 science-fiction vampire flick. Shot in 12 days, the new version marks Lords' leap from adult films to mainstream cinema, which brought the film some valuable publicity. This Special Edition disc adds a new interview with Lords, new commentary with Lords and director Jim Wynorski, and a commentary track just with Wynorski from the 2003 DVD release. Unrated, 81 minutes. from Shout Factory.
"Astaire and Rogers: Greatest Classic Films Collection"
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the greatest dancing team in movie history, struts through four Depression-era musicals in this set from Turner Classic Movies: "The Gay Divorcee" (1934), featuring Cole Porter's "Night and Day"; "Shall We Dance" (1937), with a score by George and Ira Gershwin; "Swing Time" (1936), with the Oscar-winning song "The way you Look Tonight"; and "Top Hat" (1935), with Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek." Two discs. from Warner Home Video.
"Busby Berkeley Musicals: Greatest Classic Films Collection"
Dazzling choreographer Busby Berkeley is featured in four dance-filled musicals presented by Turner Classic Movies: "42nd Street" (1933) with Ginger Rogers, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell, who sing "Shuffle Off to Buffalo"; "Gold Diggers of 1937" (1936) with Powell and Joan Blondell; "Footlight Parade" (1933) with James Cagney, Powell and Keeler; and "Dames" (1934) with Powell and Keeler singing "I Only Have Eyes for you." Two discs. from Warner Home Video.
"Beverly Hills, 90210," the final season
The Fox TV drama about rich kids growing up in Los Angeles comes to a grinding halt, uh, that is, reaches its thrilling conclusion. Cast members still hanging around include Tori Spelling, Luke Perry, Jennie Garth, Brian Austin-Green and Ian Ziering. the 10th season, from 1999-2000, is six discs, 27 episodes, 1,170 minutes. DVD extra: a featurette, "The Final Goodbye." from Paramount.
"The best Government Money can buy?"
In our great nation, 14,000 registered lobbyists are working for special interests, an average of 26 lobbyists for every member of Congress, warns this 2009 documentary expose. the cost of elections keeps spiraling, so much so that our representatives on average spend more than 30 percent of their time fundraising. What does this mean for our democracy, and who is providing all of this money, asks British-born writer-director Francis Megahy. This nonpartisan film goes behind the scenes and talks to major players and industry insiders about how the powerful lobbying industry affects our daily lives. Unrated, 76 minutes. from Cinema Libre Studio.
"LeapFrog Learning DVD + CD Set," volume 2
Tad and Lily are young frogs whose fun adventures just happen to help human children work on their math and reading skills. these animated shows are geared for kids ages 3-6. This release packages the popular "Math Adventure to the Moon" with two other episodes and a 13-song CD. the DVD is 107 minutes. from Lionsgate.
"Care Bears: the Giving Festival Movie"
Originally created in 1981 by Cleveland's American Greetings as characters for a line of greeting cards, the Care Bears have come a long way. the preschool idols became plush teddy bears, TV stars and then stars of the big screen. They each sport a different belly badge that activates a unique super power. In their latest incarnation, this direct-to-DVD feature, the Care Power Team organizes a festival that is threatened by a strange and powerful wind. Unrated, 67 minutes. from Lionsgate.
"Ally McBeal," seasons 3, 4 and 5
Usually TV shows come out on DVD one season at a time, after which, sometimes, the complete series is issued. That's not the case with "Ally McBeal," but considering how quirky this legal comedy was, that's not surprising. the at-times surreal show, which stars Calista Flockhart in the title role as a lawyer whose career is doing better than her personal life, ran on Fox from 1997 to 2002. the first season dropped on DVD a year ago, October 2009, as did the complete series. Season two arrived last April. now all at once we get the final three seasons, in separate six-disc sets. I guess they were in a hurry. Season three is 945 minutes and includes guest stars Tina Turner, Gloria Gaynor and Macy Gray. Season four is 1,035 minutes and has guest stars Sting, Marcia Cross and Anne Heche. Season five is 990 minutes and features guest stars Jon Bon Jovi, Elton John, Christina Ricci, Mariah Carey and Matthew Perry. no DVD extras. from Fox.
"R.E.M. Live from Austin, Texas"
R.E.M.'s first appearance on the PBS music series "Austin City Limits" took place March 13, 2008. This DVD is an extended version of that broadcast, with three extra songs, for a total of 17. They perform hits such as "Losing My Religion" and "Man on the Moon" plus songs from their latest CD, "Accelerate." the program also will be reaired Nov. 27. from New West Records.
"Nice Guy Johnny"
Actor-writer-director Edward Burns, channeling Woody Allen, does all three tasks in his latest New York indie romantic comedy. Johnny is on the verge of marrying a controlling woman who wants him to quit his low-paying dream job. Lucky for Johnny, his uncle Terry (Burns) shows him an alternative way, the best part of which is an attractive tennis instructor (Kerry Bishe). Unrated, 89 minutes. from MPI Media Group.
"Ghost Whisperer," the final season
Haunted spirits don't have Jennifer Love Hewitt to kick around anymore. Her ghost-busting character Melinda Gordon got axed by CBS. the fifth season, from 2009-10, is six discs, 22 episodes, 16 hours and six minutes. DVD extras: webisodes and three featurettes. from Paramount.
"Families of Kenya" and "Families of Afghanistan"
Experience what life is like living with a family in a foreign land in the boundary-breaking DVD series "Families of the World.the latest two releases are "Kenya," 30 minutes, and "Afghanistan," 25minutes. They're brief, but each one shows you a day in the lives oftwo families, through the eyes of 11- or 12-year-old children. They dochores, go to school, attend festivals on weekends, prepare for prayersand tutor fellow students on the computer. It's an eye-opening culturalexchange right from your couch. DVD extra: a teacher's guide in PDFformat. from Master Communications inc.
"CSI: Miami," season eight
Hard-case David Caruso is now permanently tinted orange after eight glowing seasons of playing crime-buster Lt. Horatio Caine in this CBS police procedural spinoff series. Seven discs, 24 episodes, 1,033 minutes. DVD extras: six featurettes. from Paramount. Season nine began Oct. 3.
New on Blu-ray:
"Fallen"
If like many people, you think Bryan Cranston is amazing in "Breaking Bad," wait until you see him as Lucifer, a bad angel, in this ABC Family series from 2007. Paul Wesley of "The Vampire Diaries" stars as Aaron Corbet, half-teen, half-angel, fully conflicted. he has the special ability to return fallen angels to Heaven, but that can be even more challenging than finding a date for the prom. after coming out in May on DVD, it is winging its way at last onto Blu-ray. Unrated, 247 minutes. Blu-ray exclusive extra: an interview with Wesley. from Image Entertainment.
"White Christmas"
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye stars as war veterans who form a sizzling song-and-dance partnership in this 1954 holiday classic. They follow a sister act consisting of Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen to a Vermont inn that turns out to be run by their former Army general. Ten-hut! the general needs financial help, and they're only too happy to help, using their unique talents. the musical, directed by Michael Curtiz ("Casablanca"), features a number of Irving Berlin tunes. it of course includes the title track, reputedly the best-selling single of all time, with 50 million copies sold. Don't confuse this film with the 1942 musical "Holiday Inn," in which Crosby also sings "White Christmas" and other Berlin songs. the two films even use the same movie set for the inn. This Blu-ray debut includes an interview with and commentary from Clooney that was on the 2007 DVD release. And it adds six more new featurettes, including "Backstage stories." Unrated, 120 minutes. from Paramount.
"Mad Max"
Mel Gibson can't get a cameo on the sequel to "The Hangover," but he still has an impressive back catalog that is slowly making its way onto Blu-ray. the latest entry is the film that made him an international star, this low-budget 1979 apocalyptic thriller from Australia. he plays a lonely policeman battling a motorcycle gang in a world gone, well, mad. R, 94 minutes. This DVD-Blu-ray combo pack sadly has no new extras, but it does recycle all of the extras from the 2002 DVD special edition, mainly two featurettes and commentary. from Fox.
"Psycho," 50th anniversary edition
Director Alfred Hitchcock breaks a lot of rules in this landmark 1960 psycho-killer thriller. he distracts us with a daring crime, then knocks us over with an entirely different misdeed. And he kills off a main character in the first half. And he changed our daily routine, flooding many a bathroom because people were afraid to close their shower curtain. Starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam and Vera Miles, R, 109 minutes. This Blu-ray debut includes a making-of documentary from the 2009 DVD release and a number of scary new extras. from Universal.
"Alien Anthology"
The four "Alien" films bow on Blu-ray in this incredible six-disc set. it has the theatrical and director's cuts of "Alien" (1979), "Aliens" (1986), "Aliens 3" (1992) and "Alien: Resurrection" (1997). the upgrade in picture image from DVD to Blu-ray is stunning. In terms of bonus materials, they've outdone themselves here. every extra from every home video release, even the laserdiscs from 1991 and 1992, is included. They've also added four hours of new material, such as Sigourney Weaver's never-before-released original screen tests for the first film. With two discs devoted to extras, they have room for enticing items like raw dailies, James Cameron's original treatment for "Aliens" and Joss Whedon's first-draft screenplay for "Resurrection." Parodies from "Spaceballs" and "Family Guy" are here. Deleted scenes, featurettes, commentaries and more are too plentiful to list. On top of all of this, the set is the first to feature Fox's fully interactive companion mode dubbed MU-TH-UR. This set is worth screaming about, except in space — no one can hear you. all four films are rated R, and total running time, with two versions of each, is 1,020 minutes. from Fox.
"The Rocky Horror Picture Show"
Don't dream it, be it . . . on Blu-ray. the 1975 cult midnight movie rock opera spoof looks great in high definition. R, 100 minutes. New extras include "Rocky-oke," a karaoke feature that lets you sing along, as true fans will do in a theater. from Fox.
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