One of my favorite films of all time the Errol Flynn Robin Hood gets the Blu-ray treatment on August 26, 2008.  A classic tale of Sherwood Forest. Robin Hood robs the rich to aid the poor, tries to rid England of Prince John’s tyranny and gain the hand of the lovely Maid Marian. Errol Flynn is eternally charming as Robin in this rousing family adventure that co-stars Olivia de Havilland and Claude Rains. Starring Errol Flynn, the premiere swashbuckler of the sound era. Includes ALL special features of previous release! Winner of 3 Academy Awards® and nominated for Best Picture.  Has resonated over the decades. Selected in 1995 for preservation in United States Film Registry.  One of the few major 1930’s motion pictures filmed in color.

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If you are a fan of Harry Potter, here’s an interesting game, it’s called Wizard 101 and is a new MMORPG that lets you take on the role of a young Wizard. It looks pretty cool, the game is for the kiddy set, but that didn’t stop HP from crossing over. It’s pretty amazing that there hasn’t been an HP MMORPG. How cool would that be? KingsIsle Entertainment has released a video in four parts exploring the creative process behind Wizard101. The game is currently in beta and thousands of beta testers of all ages have now joined the large cast of fantastical in-game characters for adventure and magic spell-collecting fun. Over the coming weeks, beta testers are invited to play the game and provide feedback to KingsIsle in advance of Wizard101’s expected release in the third quarter of 2008. For more information on the game, and to sign up for the beta test, please visit http://www.wizard101.com/. Take a look after the break.

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The folks at Midway release some new tasty screens from their upcoming Sandbox game This is Vegas. Midway wants this game to be basically GTA Vegas. Personally, I’m not a fan of Sandbox games, I need my hand held. It’s looking pretty good.  Take a look at the screens and press release after the break.

Today Midway released all-new screenshots for the upcoming open world action title, THIS IS VEGAS. Get a taste of the high rolling lifestyle and outrageous Vegas moments in the new screenshots found at the link below. Developed by Midway’s acclaimed Seattle-based internal studio, Surreal, THIS IS VEGAS is expected to ship for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in 2009.

About This is Vegas

When a ruthless businessman begins turning Vegas into a family-friendly tourist trap, you must start your own powerful empire and resurrect the famous adult playground. Party hard at the hottest clubs to make VIP connections. Grow your bankroll by hitting high stakes tables. Race the fastest cars on the underground circuit to raise your reputation. Fight off enemies with fists and firearms to prove your strength. Where you go and what you do is your call. Whether counting cards, seducing dangerous women, cruising the strip or starting bar brawls, there’s lots of excitement on the way to the top.

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So far, so good. Hancock, in its first half, comes off as an effort to make a movie about the kind of hero that Marvel [Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk] does so well – the hero with superpowers and regular people’s problems. But now, we come to Hancock’s kryptonite. Like Superman, Green Lantern and so many classic superheroes, Hancock does, indeed, have a weakness – a weakness that’s telegraphed by several clues scattered through the first half of the film.

Therein lies the problem. After carefully setting up Hancock as one thing – a superhero – the revelation of his weakness changes everything, and not in the most sensible of ways. As I watched the clues develop, my first thought was, “oh, no. They wouldn’t…” Then, when it happened, I thought, “oh, no! They didn’t” – followed closely by, “golly-gosh-all-hemlock-gee-whiz-to-pieces! They did!” I won’t give the twist away, but I will say that, when you add up all the species of life and types of minerals there are on this planet, Hancock’s weakness is so hugely, disproportionately coincidental that, had it been used in a real comic book or graphic novel, the writer would’ve been laughed out of every comics shop in North America – just for starters!

As a result, the second half of Hancock is filled with mayhem of all sorts that, essentially, robs the film of the charm and wit that helped build up the first half. The shame of it all is that Smith, Bateman, and Theron give really good performances as the film disintegrates around them – and Peter Berg’s direction is precisely what it should be throughout. The problem with the script is that writers Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan seem to think that, because Hancock is a superhero movie, they can do anything they want. They’ve forgotten [if they ever even thought about it] that the best comics and graphic novels are set in universes that have rules – and adhere to them.

Sadly, the last half of Hancock, full of sound and fury as it is, totally undercuts the first half of the film’s effectiveness. In the end, Hancock may not be an average superhero, but his movie never reaches that level.

Final Grade: D+

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You know it’s the 4^th of July when you are sitting in a theater watching a Will Smith movie. Last week, I complained that Hollywood is trying desperately to turn James McAvoy into a leading man and I said he doesn’t have the “it” factor. Well one week later we see a full on display of a leading man who has that quality. And it’s surprisingly enough - Jason Bateman. He is what makes this mess of a film somewhat watchable. Now I’m not denigrating Smith because whatever you say about him, he also has that “it” factor where you would watch him read a phone book.

But Bateman is a real find. I loved him in Juno, but here I think he finally goes from being a cult favorite from Arrested Development (which I don’t get why people love it) to summer blockbuster status. I don’t think he’s ready to take on a leading role, but he’s great. Maybe it’s due to the fact that he’s the only likable person – the do-gooding, tree hugging, save the world PR guy Ray Embrey, who, after being saved by the foul mouth, alcoholic anti-Superman John Hancock decides he can turn Hancock into a real Hero.

The problem with the film, besides the fact that I was sitting next to these two girls who wouldn’t shut the f up, is it’s a ½ hour movie stretched to 90 minutes. Usually summer blockbusters have great 1^st and 2^nd acts, but lousy finishes. Hancock is the opposite. The first hour of this film is painfully slow, devoid of any heart, plot or reason for existing. The trailers and clips of Hancock walking around and flying drunk gets tired in the commercials, now imagine an hour of that. We see Hancock drink bottle after bottle of whisky. We see him tearing up streets just taking off and landing, we see him picking his nose. It’s a one note movie for the first hour; which is why Bateman’s manic performance comes as a breath of fresh air. Rumor has it Director Peter Berg wanted the movie to be edgier than this final cut. If edgier means another 20 minutes of a drunken Will Smith I would pass.

Hancock lacks a driving plot, villains and people we actually can get behind. The movie picks up in the 3^rd act when Hancock finally becomes the Superhero he’s meant to be and we finally get to uncover some of his back story, his history with Ray’s wife Mary (Charlize Theron). There’s an interesting, tragic love story that gets thrown in and here we start to see the beginnings of some interesting ideas that slowly started to suck me back into the film. It would have been fantastic if the studio had the guts to actually kill off Hancock at the end.

If Hancock didn’t try so hard to be “edgy” and “different” it could have been a winner. Instead with the only villain in the movie being a Whiskey bottle it barely registers as a blip on the radar. Though, I still loved Jason Bateman in this. Whatever you say about Will Smith he brings it with every role he takes on and you can tell that even here he’s really intense.

Final Grade D

EM Review
By Michelle Alexandria
Originally Posted 7.2.2008

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Today I participated in a call with Battlestar Galactica’s iconic Six (Tricia Helfer) to talk about her role in the July 10 premiere of USA’s new hit show Burn Notice. Of course Galactica came up as well and we got some great tidbits from her. The transcript from the call will be coming later this week. To wet your appetite. Here are some little tidbits.

• Tricia will be in 7 Episodes of Burn Notice playing a mysterious spy. She’ll be in the first two episodes of the season, the season finale and a couple in 2009.
• Her character is the public face of the organization that burned Michael.
• She really liked the being on the set and said it was a real welcoming environment.
• She talks a bit about the difference between Vancouver and Miami, Fl. Said she had to get use to it being sunny in Fla.
• She has a list of DVD Sets that she wants to watch since she doesn’t watch much television. She likes quirky shows like Madmen and Weeds. Is currently watching Dexter, 24, and Arrested Development.
• When asked if she uses the word Frak in her every day life she no. Primarily because her character on Galactica rarely says it. But Frak has become part of other cast and crew’s vocabulary.
• She didn’t have to audition for the Burn Notice part. Matt called her up and said he had a part for her.
• She’s shooting a pilot for a new Fox Television show called Inseparable. She’s playing a Psychologist to the lead. It’s about a cop who was shot and paralyzed. He develops a split personality one that’s crippled and the other one who isn’t. She’s not in the Pilot episode that much because they are establishing the main character.
• She was great to talk to, wasn’t at all squeamish about talking about BSG and what her post BSG life will be like.
• She will be at Comic-Con as part of a Cylon/Human couple. Doesn’t know if the Burn Notice folks will be doing anything.
• She hasn’t been following the looming strike.

EM Interview Highlights

By Michelle Alexandria
Originally Posted 7.2.2008

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The folks over at Marvel.com have posted some nice new poster shots and a trailer from the upcoming Punisher: War Zone movie. The trailer looks really cool, if not a little B "Listy." I’m still not sold on Ray Stevenson as the lead. While watching the clip, I kept thinking, that should be Thomas Jane or even Dolph. "Punisher: War Zone" comes to a theater near you on December 5! Check out the trailer and the other photos Here.

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"Joel, sometimes you gotta stop being a Pussy and just say ‘What the Fuck.’"  Remember where you were when you first saw the classic Risky Business? This was the film that changed a generation and launched Tom Cruise into the stratosphere. Risky Business was that perfect storm of timing, edge, story, and one of the best movie Soundtracks - ever. In celebration of it’s 25th Anniversary the folks at Warner Home Video are tripple dipping and bring us a brand new DVD Deluxe edition set and a Blu-ray edition. Check out the full press release.

RISKY BUSINESS 25TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION

Tom Cruise’s Breakout Classic Debuts September 16

On DVD and Blu-ray™ Hi-Def

Bonus Features Include All-New Commentary with Tom Cruise, Screen Tests, Director’s Cut of the Final Scene and New Documentary

The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business

Also Includes Two Bonus Features Exclusive to the Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Edition

Burbank, Calif. June 30, 2008 – On September 16, in celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of Risky Business, Tom Cruise again grabs his air guitar, cranks up Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” and dances his way back into the hearts of millions in the film that launched him into superstardom. Warner Home Video will be releasing two sexy new versions of the Risky Business 25^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. Packaged in a new o-sleeve, the standard definition will sell for $19.97 SRP and the Two-Disc Blu-ray™ Hi-Def for $28.99 SRP. Order due date is August 12.

Both versions of the Risky Business 25^th Anniversary Deluxe Edition have been restored and remastered with 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio and boast special bonus content including an all-new 25^th anniversary retrospective documentary The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business in both standard and high definition formats as well as screen tests and the director’s cut of the final scene. An in-depth audio commentary with Tom Cruise, Paul Brickman and Jon Avnet is available on the DVD only. Also available exclusive to the Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Edition is a video commentary with Tom Cruise, Paul Brickman and Jon Avnet and a digital copy of the film compatible with iTunes® and Windows Media devices™ which allows consumers a single non-transferable download of the full-length feature to their PC or iPod.

Risky Business started it all for Cruise who has since been nominated for three Academy Awards^® and six Golden Globes^®, winning three of the latter (Best Performance by an Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire plus Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Magnolia). His other memorable starring roles include All the Right Moves, Top Gun, Rain Man, Days of Thunder, A Few Good Men, Interview with the Vampire, the Mission Impossible series, Collateral and War of the Worlds.

Said Jeff Baker, Warner Home Video Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog, “In his 25 years in the business, Tom Cruise has become the epitome of a true Hollywood star. We are very proud to be releasing this timeless classic and the film that became his breakthrough role.”

Synopsis

Joel Goodsen (Cruise) is a high school senior who is tired of being Mr. All American, facing ‘traumatic’ decisions such as which Ivy League college to attend. His life takes a totally unexpected turn when he meets a sexy call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) who transforms his house into a brothel while his parents are away, and at the same time transforms his entire perspective.

RISKY BUSINESS 25th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION

• Restored and remastered feature with all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
• The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business (All new 25^th anniversary retrospective documentary on the making of Risky Business featuring interviews with Tom Cruise and cast)
• Audio commentary with Tom Cruise, director Paul Brickman and producer Jon Avnet
• Director’s cut of the final scene from Risky Business (with introduction by Paul Brickman)
• Original screen tests with Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay
• Theatrical trailer

RISKY BUSINESS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY TWO-DISC

BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF DELUXE EDITION

• Restored and remastered feature with all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
• The Dream is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business (All new 25^th anniversary retrospective documentary on the making of Risky Business featuring interviews with Tom Cruise and cast (in Hi-Def format)
• Director’s cut of the final scene from Risky Business (with introduction by Paul Brickman)
• Original screen tests with Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay
• Theatrical trailer

Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def Exclusive Content

· Video commentary with Tom Cruise, director Paul Brickman, and producer Jon Avnet (in Hi-Def format)

· Digital copy of the feature film

RISKY BUSINESS 25^TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

Street Date: September 16, 2008

Order Date: August 12, 2008

Pre-Sell Date: May 20, 2008

RISKY BUSINESS DELUXE EDITION

Catalog # 1000035705

$19.97 SRP

RISKY BUSINESS TWO-DISC BLU-RAY™ HI-DEF DELUXE EDITION

Catalog # 1000037925

$28.99 SRP

Feature Running Time: 99:06 minutes — Rated: R

16×9 Widescreen, Color

English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio

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Hey, that kid from 90210 is in a Direct to Video movie. The only thing that Kelly Reyes (Melissa Keller) has ever thought about was playing beach volleyball.  Then one day when a mysterious reporter named Holden (Brian Austin Green) comes into her life, strange events start to happen to her, as well as to the people around her.  As Kelly becomes skeptical of Holden, she still must maintain focus and prepare for the biggest match of her life.  Is she being paranoid, or is there something darker to this mystery man? Check out the clippage and the full press release.

Impact Point Trailer
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/impactpoint_dvdtrailer_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/impactpoint_dvdtrailer.mov

Film Clip - Practice
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/practice_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/practice.mov

Film Clip - Retrieval
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/retrieval_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/retrieval.mov

Film Clip - Beat Down
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/beatdown_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/impactpoint/beatdown.mov

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Bonus Digital Copy of the Film
"Serve It Up: Training for IMPACT POINT" Featurette
AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour Preview

RATING: R for Violence, Language, Some Sexuality and Nudity

CAST:
Brian Austin Green
Melissa Keller
Kayla Ewell
Linden Ashby

PRODUCED BY:
Marc Bienstock

WRITTEN BY:
Brett Merryman

DIRECTED BY:
Hayley Cloake

Buy IMPACT POINT on DVD with Bonus Digital Copy:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018CWW46

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The fifth and final magical season of I DREAM OF JEANNIE is here July 8.  In the show’s final season, watch as Jeannie (Barbara Eden) and her master, Tony (Larry Hagman), finally say "I Do" in one of television’s most memorable weddings.  This time watch as Jeannie is crowned Queen of her own country, Dr. and Mrs. Bellows meet Jeannie as Major Nelson’s fiancee, and Tony’s house gets a ‘mad’ makeover!  Making her final appearance, Jeannie’s wicked twin sister tries to wreck the newlyweds’ marriage, while Dr. Bellows’ nephew discovers Jeannie’s secret and Tony becomes the spokesperson for his own canned chili.  Plus Dr. Bellows finally catches Major Nelson, an astronaut with a genie!  With 26 hilarious episodes featuring such guest stars as Farrah Fawcett, Jim Backus, Dick Wilson, Jackie Coogan and Dick Van Patten, the complete fifth and final season will have fans forever dreaming of Jeannie.  Take a look at some clippage after the break.

TV Clip - Jeannie At The Piano
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/piano_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/piano.mov

TV Clip - Djinn Djinn Pied Piper
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/djinn_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/djinn.mov

TV Clip - Guess Whos Going To Be a Bride (Part 1)
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/guess_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/guess.mov

TV Clip - Jeannie’s Beauty Cream
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/beauty_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/beauty.mov

TV Clip - Jeannie’s Bachelor Party
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/bachelor_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/bachelor.mov

TV Clip - The Blood of Jeannie
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/blood_high.wmv
http://www.sonypictures.com/sphe/idreamofjeannies5/blood.mov

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The summer of the Comic-book movie continues this weekend with the launch of Wanted an adaptation of Mark Miller’s over the top graphic novel about a wimp who gets turned into an amoral, masochistic Super Villain. I had never heard of this book until the movie was announced last year. So I saw the film cold. I walked out of the theater being mixed, on the one hand Russia action director Timur Bekmambetov channels his inner Woo to bring us some amazing action sequences on the other the acting is all over the place. No matter how much Hollywood wants it to be true, James McAvoy doesn’t have the “It” factor. He’s ok in small doses but he just lacks charisma. Last year Timur floored me with the amazing, over the top Day Watch – if you are an action fan, you must see this. But all the elements that made Day watch so amazing, don’t work in Wanted.

Maybe it’s because he’s trying too hard to be noticed here. Timur obviously wants this to be his calling card film and grab Hollywood by the balls and scream “Pay Attention to me!” The problem is he’s saddled with McAvoy and a bad story featuring a bunch of characters that not only do you not like, but actively HATE. This is where reading the comic book was a mistake. As I said, the film left me feeling ambivalent, reading the book made me want to shower. The book is that vile and disgusting. Like Timur, it’s Miller trying so desperately to be controversial. The problem is there’s no story just a bunch of panels with people saying fuck you, killing and raping everything in view. He’s not making the social statement that he thinks he is. He’s being a ten year old little boy who discovers the word fuck for the first time.

The Producers of Wanted wisely just kept the name, the characters and some of the attitude from the book for the film. Instead of trying to join a league of Super Villains, Wesley (McAvoy) is recruited by the hot and dangerous Fox (Angelina Jolie who is obviously enjoying herself in this) to take his father’s place in a Fraternity of Assassins lead by the enigmatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

The plot, what little there is, is used to showcase Timur. In Day Watch there is this eye popping moment where one of the female characters tears through Russia in this hot Red Viper doing some amazing things including driving straight up a building and crashing through the top floor. Incredible moment in the film, he repeats it in Wanted. Only this time it’s Jolie driving the Viper in a spectacular chase sequence. The problem is, I didn’t care about the characters or what was going on and I already watched this scene in Day Watch, so it lacked the wow factor. In the first half of the film there are several CGI cartoon shots of McAvoy in slow motion with his face jiggling all over the place. It was neat once, but by the 3^rd time I was ready to see something else.

Wanted isn’t nearly as vile as the book and it’s certainly watchable, but it’s the first Comic Book film of the summer that fails to hit its mark.

Final Grade C-

EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally Posted 6.29.2008

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I apologize for being a little lax on updating this weekly column, but I’ve been busy putting the final touches on the upcoming EM Book. But wow, what a way to come back. The folks at Fox Home Vide are bringing a slew of their Horror classics to Blu-ray (or as they call it Boo-ray, cute) September 9th. It seems weird that they don’t release these titles on, oh, I don’t know…Halloween?  They are bringing out the complete Omen Collection - which includes the bad 2006 remake with the goofy (not scary) looking kid (Damn you Fox! I just bought that collection off of Amazon last week) and the Russian Horror series Night Watch and Day Watch. I don’t know if I would classify those two as horror, even though it is about things that go bump in the night.  We may try and convince Fox to let us do a giveaway. These are some great titles. Check out the full press release after the break, jump, whatever…. 

WE DARE YOU TO WATCH!

SPINE-TINGLING HI-DEF SCARES ARRIVE ON
BLU-RAY DISC JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN

THE OMEN (1976), THE OMEN COLLECTION,
NIGHT WATCH and DAY WATCH

Frightful Favorites From Fox Home Entertainment

Unearthed On “Boo-Ray” September 9th

**Highlighted By All-New BD Exclusive Content On The Omen

Including New On-Camera Interview With Director Richard Donner**

LOS ANGELES, CA – You’ll see and get goosebumps as Fox Home Entertainment dares you to watch several horror classics as you’ve never seen them before with four new Blu-ray Disc (BD) releases debuting on September 9th. 

Prepare to scream as the dark terror of Damien is unleashed in high-definition with the Collector’s Edition BD release of the infamous horror film THE OMEN (1976) starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, highlighted with never-before-seen content including an all-new interview with director Richard Donner and special isolated score track featuring the haunting Academy Award®-winning music.  Also available on BD will be the pulse-pounding THE OMEN COLLECTION four-disc set featuring all three of the original chilling films (The Omen, Damien: Omen II and Omen III: Final Conflict), as well as the terrifying 2006 blockbuster remake of The Omen that spooked audiences and critics alike. 

The high-def terror continues on Blu-ray with the release of the visually stunning Russian horror/fantasy epics NIGHT WATCH and DAY WATCH from acclaimed director Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) about the ultimate apocalyptic battle between the forces of Light and Darkness unlike any the world has ever known!

THE OMEN (1976) BD will be authored in AVC (MPEG 4) compression on a dual layer 50GB disc; presented in widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio plus English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin & Cantonese subtitles.  Bonus features content includes:

· BD Exclusive – Richard Donner on The Omen interview featurette

· BD Exclusive – The Omen Revelations BonusView with Trivia Track

· BD Exclusive – Commentary by film historians Lem Dobbs, Nick Redman and Jeff Bond

· BD Exclusive – Isolated score track (Dolby Surround 5.1 audio)

· Introduction by director Richard Donner

· Commentary by director Richard Donner and editor Stuart Baird

· Commentary by director Richard Donner and screenwriter Brian Helgeland

· “Dog Attack” Deleted Scene with optional commentary by director Richard Donner and screenwriter Brian Helgeland

· 666: The Omen Revealed featurette

· The Omen Legacy featurette

· Curse or Coincidence? featurette

· An Appreciation: Wes Craven On The Omen featurette

· Jerry Goldsmith on The Omen Score featurette

· Screenwriters Notebook featurette

· Theatrical trailer

· Still gallery

THE OMEN COLLECTION four-disc BD set includes The Omen (1976), Damien: Omen II and Omen III: Final Conflict authored in BD-J with AVC (MPEG 4) compression on dual-layer 50GB discs presented in widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio plus English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin & Cantonese subtitles; The Omen (2006) is authored in MPEG2 compression on a single-layer 25GB disc presented in widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio and Spanish/French 5.1 Dolby Surround with English/Spanish subtitles only.  Individual disc content as follows:

The Omen (1976)

o Special features content listed above

Damien: Omen II

o Commentary by producer Harvey Bernhard

o Theatrical trailer

Omen III: The Final Conflict

o Commentary by director Graham Baker

o Theatrical trailer

The Omen (2006)

o BD Exclusive – The Devil’s Footnotes Trivia Track

o Commentary with director John Moore, producer Glen Williamson and editor Dan Zimmerman

o Revelations 666 featurette

o Abbey Road Sessions featurette

o Extended scenes

NIGHT WATCH BD will be authored in HDMV with MPEG 4 compression on a dual-layer 50GB disc; presented in widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) with Russian/English 5.1 Dolby TruHD amd English/French 5.1 Dolby Surround plus English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin & Cantonese subtitles.  Bonus features include:

Commentary with director Timur Bekmambetov

Subtitled commentary by novelist Sergei Lukyanenko (English, French & Spanish subtitles)

Making of Night Watch featurette

Characters, Story and Subtitles featurette

Night Watch Trilogy featurette

Seven deleted scenes with commentary by director Timur Bekmambetov

Extended ending - “The Roof”

Comic book still gallery

Poster still gallery

Theatrical trailer

D-Box capabilities

DAY WATCH BD will be authored in HDMV with MPEG 4 compression on dual-layer 50GB disc; presented in widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) with English 5.1 DTS HD Lossless Audio, Russian 5.1 Dolby TruHD and French/Spanish 5.1 Dolby Surround plus English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin & Cantonese subtitles.  Bonus features include:

Commentary with director Timur Bekmambetov

The Making of Day Watch featurette

Russian TV Spots

Theatrical trailers

D-Box capabilities

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions.  The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment.  Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets — from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world.  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

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Richie will guest-star in the episode as the snarky and spiteful girl who tortured Sarah in school — and now Sarah must face her fears when she is forced to attend her 10-year high school reunion for a mission with Chuck (series star Zachary Levi, “Less Than Perfect”) as her date.

“Nicole auditioned for the part and was very funny,” said executive producer Josh Schwartz. “This role is a great opportunity for her to show off her comedic skills and be diabolically evil and kick some butt. It’s going to be really fun.”

Richie recently was featured in cover stories for People magazine and Harper’s Bazaar. Touted as a style icon, her fashion statements are regularly featured online, in print and on entertainment news shows. In addition to “The Simple Life,” on which she co-starred with Paris Hilton, Richie has guest starred on shows such as “8 Simple Rules … for Dating My Teenage Daughter” and “American Dreams.” Richie is also launching a jewelry line, House of Harlow 1960, in the upcoming fall.

“Chuck” is a high-concept action comedy that follows Chuck Bartowski (Levi), a regular twentysomething whose life is thrown into disarray after his friend, a CIA agent, sends him an e-mail which results in the world’s secrets becoming embedded in his mind. Chuck is just an ordinary guy who spends his days solving problems at an electronics store with a band of nerdy cohorts and longing to find a woman who can appreciate him. He never asked to become the government’s most powerful weapon, but suddenly the fate of the country lies in his unlikely hands. Agents Sarah Walker (Strahovski) and John Casey (series star Adam Baldwin, “Serenity”) are assigned to protect him.

From College Hill Pictures, Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television, “Chuck” was created by Josh Schwartz & Chris Fedak and is executive produced by Schwartz and McG.

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A week may be a long time in politics, but for the millions of fans of Doctor Who, this coming week is likely to be a very long week in the Who-verse.    I’m not going to spoil that "To Be Continued" cliff-hanger (and boy, what a cliff-hanger!) at the end of series 4’s penultimate episode "Stolen Earth"; it’s too brilliant a piece of television to want to give the game away.  Just watch it and enjoy the episode when it comes your way and gasp along with the rest of the audience.   There is no trailer for next week either, so the producers really are keeping everything tightly under their Welsh hats.

What is already well known is that this is the episode which unites Doctor Who with its two spin-off shows - Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures, with the Doctor needing all the allies he can get to fight a particularly fiendish foe.   So we see Sarah Jane joining forces with the Torchwood crew led by Captain Jack Harkness, (who, of course can’t resist a bit of flirting even while the world is under imminent threat of destruction), and with Martha who is working for UNIT, and Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister.  Oh, and Rose, who has made it through from the  alternate universe where she was trapped at the end of the second series, and marches through the story carrying a Great Big Gun, like Xena, Warrior Princess on crack.   Each of the companions is integral to the story while cleverly maintaining the integrity of their spin-offs. 

"Stolen Earth" is an absolute masterpiece of continuity, paying back the fans who have watched the show avidly over the years and still keeping newer viewers enthralled with a brilliantly paced dramatic storyline which flings itself from Cardiff to Chiswick to New York to the Shadow Proclamation like a mad downhill skiier on the blackest of black runs.  You’ve got to hand it to Russell T Davies, he came into Doctor Who with a bang and he’s certainly going out the same way. 

But as with all the best Doctor Who episodes, it’s not without plenty of humour.   Even the Daleks join in with the chorus of "Yes, we know who you are!" to Harriet Jones’s introduction as the former Prime Minister.   And these are no feeble humans.  The Doctor has always regarded the human race as special - hence his tendency to point the Tardis towards Earth more than any other planet - and when under threat, these people react with honour and courage and a degree of nobility.   Well, other than the general populace who decide that running around screaming is a better response to a Dalek invasion, and the lads who loot a shop because hey, this might be their last chance to own a 32 inch flat-screen TV. 

Our heroes though, are just that.   They fight to the last man and woman, going out guns blazing, all the while knowing they can’t win.

Or can they?  We don’t know - we won’t know until next Saturday!  Meanwhile, Russell T Davies grins evilly through the Doctor Who Confidential behind the scenes feature that aired after this episode, claiming that even he doesn’t know how this all ends!  Yeah, right, RTD!  You may be a genius who has won BAFTAs for your brilliant writing, but oh you can be so annoying…

Sigh.  It really is going to be a long week.

©  Carole Gordon 2008

Picture features (l to r):  Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Noel Clarke (Mickey), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Billie Piper (Rose), David Tennant (The Doctor), Freema Agyeman (Martha), John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness) and Catherine Tate (Donna).

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Wesley Gibson [James McAvoy] is a cubicle slave with an impressive, but meaningless title, and a boss who takes particular delight in demeaning him. He has a surprisingly good-looking girlfriend and a cheery best friend – who are sleeping with each other. Then, one night when he’s in line at a pharmacy to buy medication for his anxiety attacks, a gorgeous, tattooed goddess of a woman informs him that his father was the greatest assassin in the world; the number two guy killed him the day before and is just… over there!

Wesley, it seems, has inherited his father’s skills, but has been blithely unaware – mistaking his hunter’s/assassin’s traits as anxiety attacks. The goddess is named Fox [Angelina Jolie] and he is to become a member of The Fraternity – a society of assassins headed by the dapper, dignified Sloan [Morgan Freeman]. Of course, he’ll have to be trained – by a host of assassins with names Like The Repairman [Mark Warren] and Gunsmith [Common]. Then he will hunt and kill the man who killed his father.

Based on Mark Millar’s graphic novel of the same name, Wanted seems to be little more than a framework to showcase Bekmambetov’s dexterity as a director. Instead, it turns out to be a showcase for McAvoy’s transformation from wage slave to a man in charge of his own life – and for Fox to discover the real meaning of integrity. At the same time, of course, Bekmambetov does, indeed, throw everything he’s got into action sequence that take the work of people like Louis Leterrier and the Wachowski Brothers and ramp it up to a level so high that the bar is no longer even visible.

Except for a very few scenes, Wanted makes the proverbial bat out of hell look like a tortoise on its back. The fight scenes are agile in ways that combine John Woo and the Shaw Brothers with Peckinpah and the Wachowskis; the chases are well into the land that exists beyond ridiculous, and the gun play is beyond even that.

Bekmambetov hits us so quickly with pans and zooms and smash cuts and dissolves and changes of pace that we go along for the ride – even though the whole thing is as insubstantial as smoke [and we get some of that, too]. This is what summer blockbusters are supposed to be – smart and absurd and gracefully jagged adrenaline delivery systems. On that level, it is superb!

Final Grade: A

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