Quite a mix of new releases this week, from classics to a new romantic comedy, musical, family comedy, and indie drama, any and all of which are worth checking out depending on your interests:
1.) “Doctor Zhivago 45th Anniversary Edition” (Warner, $24.98; 35.95 with book), the Oscar-nominated period romance set against the backdrop of the Russian Bolshevik revolution was the last major Hollywood epic (3-hours and 17-minutes, including four-minute overture, three minutes of opening titles, and a couple minutes of intermission) and the last sweeping saga from filmmaker David Lean (“Lawrence of Arabia,” “Bridge on the River Kwai”).
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— Immaculate restoration in widescreen HiDef makes it appear to have been shot very recently.
— Terrific new two-part hour-long retrospective documentary by Laurent Bozereau featuring modern filmmakers expressing reasons for their lifelong awe of the film.
— Audio commentary with star Omar Sharif, among others, featuring nuggets such as Sharif noting that he went in to read for a smaller role and got elevated to his first starring performance
— separate disc (DVD, not Blu-ray) of additional bonus features
— Informative 44-page booklet about Pasternak novel and movie adaptation
— CD of music samples
2.) “Tetro” (Lionsgate, $39.99) is an increasingly rare type of small but powerful personal drama from legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola between two American men of the same family struggling to work through the pains inflicted by an ego-centric world-famous composer father while in Argentina.
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— Top -notch perfomances by Vincent Gallo and Alden Ehrenreich, as well as Maribel Verdu as an incredibly patient, understanding, and diplomatic girlfriend.
— Most of movie filmed in entrancing black-and-white, except for flashbacks in color and smaller screen frame dimensions.
— Lovely original score by Osvaldo Golijov.
— Innovative ballet sequences sporadically inserted, depicting elements of the story
— Coppola audio commentary offers his perspective on his fascinating and colorful professional history, and final note about final limited credits harkening back to original filmmaking style that he claims to have changed with his lengthy credits on “THX-1138”
— fun featurettes showing unusual rehearsal process that was a challenge for Gallo
3.) “Dirty Dancing: Limited Keepsake Edition” (Lionsgate, $34.99) offers a fun return to the surprise independent blockbuster of 1988 with an hour of new bonus features.
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— Nice tributes to Patrick Swayze and the surprising number of other cast and crew who have died in the past 22 years, with current and previous interviews of survivors — Swayze portrayed as always trying to improve himself and providing confidence for Jennifer Grey to let him catch her as she jumped over his head.
— Featurettes on music, dancing, and delightful anecdotes and memories by choreographer Kenny Ortega (“High School Musical,” “This is It”), also heard on audio commentary.
— Featurette on movie phenomenon, including fascinating anecdotes and retrospective on tiny Vestron video company that created the surprise theatrical hit.
— Pretty pink box packaging with 52-page commemoratve hardcover booklet about the movie.
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4.) “Tooth Fairy” (Fox, $39.99) almost seems like a movie Disney should have made, especially with Julie Andrews starring as the head tooth fairy and Dwayne Johnson of Disney’s “Race to Witch Mountain,” but families won’t care who made. Here’s why:
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— Johnson (The Rock), Billy Crystal, Stephen Merchant (original British “The Office” and “Extras”) are all quite entertaining for kids and parents, while Andrews, Ashley Judd and the child actors are all pleasant as well.
— Fun kids exercise instructional video disguised as tooth fairy training.
— Manyother bonus features including a gag reel
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5.) “Leap Year” (Universal, $36.98) is a cute romantic comedy starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode as an unlikely pairing who meet in rural Ireland that is completely predictable and formulaic but nonetheless enjoyable.
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— Deleted scenes are the only extras here.
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6.) “Preacher’s Kid” (Warner, $27.95; Blu-ray/DVD combo-pack $35.99) is also formulaic and very reminiscent of Tyler Perry movies with its religious backdrop of a family drama centered on black stage performers (director Stan Foster’s background), but this Prodigal Son story making its world premiering on Blu-ray about a starstruck girl who betrays her father and learns life’s tough lessons the hard way (including losing her virginity and using drugs and getting beat up) is still noteworthy for:
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— Impressive acting debut Grammy Award-winning Destiny’s Child singer (and Beyonce childhood buddy) Letoya Luckett in starring role.
— Strong performances by entire cast, including Gregory Alan Williams, Clifton Powell, Sharif Atkins, and Essence Atkins.
— Many dynamic songs by Luckett and others.
— Multiple bonus features about Luckett, the music, cast, filmmakers, and Atlanta locations.
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7.) “Nine” (Sony, $38.96) dazzles with its elaborate choreography and musical numbers performed by an unlikely eclectic cast that covers the gamut from Kate Hudson to Sophia Loren, from Fergie to Dame Judi Dench, and from Daniel Day-Lewis and Nicole Kidman to Penelope Cruz. But the approach to telling the story of an egotistical and philandering 1960s Italian movie director who sees his past over-indulgences and daliences played out in dances as he works on his last production (his ninth), closely mirrors the far superior Bob Fosse autiobio-pic “All That Jazz,” complete with a cast curtain call worked into the finale.
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— Many enjoyable featurettes on cast, crew, making-of, and especially the professional dancers and an interview with Loren remembering the original Cinecitta Studios.
— By Scott Hettrick
i love watching movies specially when you have Vinn Diesel on it. Race To Witch Mountain is a classic alien movie `'”