The new DVD releases include 21, September Dawn and Vampyr. In addition, we'll take a sneak peek at next week's movies on video/DVD.
July 22, 2008 - New DVD Releases:
Tagline: "Inspired by the true story of five students who changed the game forever."
Length: 123 minutesMPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity
A glossy, lightweight drama, 21 is a Vegas story based loosely on Ben Mezrich's nonfiction book Bringing Down the House. Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne appear in the movie, but the central character is MIT student Ben Campbell, played by Jim Sturgess. Because Ben needs money to go to Harvard Med School, he joins five other students, including good-looking Jill (Kate Bosworth), in a group lead by a math prof (Spacey). They then start using an elaborate card-counting scheme to win big at Vegas blackjack tables, but they run afoul of a casino security expert (Fishburne). Selected DVD Special Features:
- Two-Disc DVD Set
- Also Available on Blu-ray Disc
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check with your video store/online rental service for availability in other formats, including streaming video/digital download.
September Dawn DVD
Length: 110 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for violence
Set in 1857, this drama is based loosely on a real-life incident, although the movie is not necessarily historically accurate. The incident was the Mountain Meadows Massacre, in which Utah Mormons killed 120 California-bound settlers on September 11, and the filmmakers were presumably trying to deliver a message about religion-based fanaticism. In the movie, Jon Voight plays a local Mormon leader whose son (Trent Ford) falls for a young woman (Tamara Hope) on the settlers' wagon train. The film also has actors portraying Brigham Young and Joseph Smith.
- Widescreen
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check with your video store/online rental service for availability in other formats, including streaming video/digital download.
Vampyr DVD
Length: 75
minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
This is the Criterion Collection 2-disc set containing Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1932 German-language horror film. The movie is based loosely on the 1872 Gothic novella Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. The protagonist in the film is Allan Gray, a young student of the occult who happens upon an area outside Paris where strange and dreadful things take place. As he reads from a book about vampires, he goes through a series of eerie experiences and gradually discovers what is going on. The movie's strengths are psychological tension, striking images and hypnotic mood.
- Two-Disc DVD Set
Formats Available: The above information on special features refers to the DVD. Check with your video store/online rental service for availability in other formats, including streaming video/digital download.
Next Page - Additional Video/DVD Releases of Interest This Week