NEW ON THE SHELF
“DISNEY’S OCEANS,” documentary. From Jacques Perrin, the mastermind behind such marvels as “Microcosmos” and “Winged Migration,” comes this gorgeous look at teeming underwater kingdoms across the globe, with the camera capturing a number of sea creatures so strange you’ll swear they’re CGI. Political and environmental undertones are thankfully light here, in favor of simply showcasing a series of beautiful and rarely observed animals. Comparable to such classics of the genre as “March of the Penguins” and the BBC’s peerless “Planet Earth,” “Oceans” manages to be at once relaxing and invigorating. Rated G. Running time: 1:44.
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Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99.
“SEX AND THE CITY 2,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. Typically over-the-top big-screen continuation of the ever-popular HBO comedy series finds the gals coming to terms with difficulties in their careers and relationships, taking time out from the ribald kvetching to take in a gay wedding officiated by Liza Minnelli herself (who, let it be said, can still bring the house down) and to make a chaotic side trip to Abu Dhabi. Not as critically well-received as the first film, but fans of the foursome should be more than pleased with the spectacle and one-liners on display. Rated R. Running time: 2:26.
Suggested retail price: $28.98; Blu-ray $35.99.
“WINTER’S BONE,” starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes. A tough-as-nails teen (Lawrence) confronts her less-than-forthcoming Ozarks-based family concerning the whereabouts of her drug-dealing father, who has seen fit to put up the family home as collateral for his bail. Steeped in the drug culture of the South, “Bone” makes for some grueling but rewarding viewing. Rated R. Running time: 1:40.
Suggested retail price: $27.98; Blu-ray $29.99.
NEW ON DVD
“GIALLO,” starring Adrien Brody and Elsa Pataky. Still cranking ’em out after all these years, director Dario Argento (“Suspiria”) puts his unmistakable spin on the serial killer genre, casting current B-movie mainstay Brody as a troubled FBI agent (is there any other kind?) who teams up with the sister of a kidnapped model currently being slowly hacked up by the titular killer. Not rated. Running time: 1:32.
Suggested retail price: $27.98.
“SOUTH OF THE BORDER,” documentary. No one could ever accuse filmmaker Oliver Stone of lacking passion, and in this enlightening documentary, Stone himself goes the Michael Moore route and appears on camera to champion his cause, seeking to rectify some of the damage inflicted by a one-sided media on our country’s opinion of South America, in particular their controversial political movements. Embarking on a road trip to engage in conversation with several of South America’s past presidents, Stone proves a more engaging companion than one might expect, although some critics have accused him of being surprisingly easy on his interviewees. Not rated, nothing objectionable. Running time: 1:18.
Suggested retail price: $24.95; Blu-ray $29.95.
“WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN’ ABOUT HIM?),” documentary. An admirable and hopefully successful bid to reignite interest in one of popular music’s finest talents, “Nilsson” answers its own question thoroughly and entertainingly, assembling a who’s who of songwriting royalty (including Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson) to discuss the exceptional music and notorious partying of their colleague and friend. Running time: 1:56.
Suggested retail price: $29.95.
NEW TO BLU-RAY
“BACK TO THE FUTURE: 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION,” starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. Eighties culture is so distinctive and so dated that it’s often simply baffling and/or ridiculous to younger generations who didn’t get to experience firsthand that particular decade. Happily, that’s not the case with this enduring sci-fi comedy trilogy, in which time-traveling teen Marty McFly (Fox) teams up with Doc Brown (Lloyd) to keep his family together without disrupting the space-time continuum any more than necessary. Rated PG. Running time: 5:52.
Suggested retail price: $79.98.
VIDEOPORT PICKS
“THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE,” starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist. Hot on the heels of the release of its excellent predecessor, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” this more than worthy follow-up places the focus solely on Lisbeth (star-in-the-making Rapace). Here, she’s forced to team up with muckracking mag editor Nyqvist to clear her name of a triple homicide, a brutal act it turns out she had plenty of motive for, considering she was once raped by one of the victims. Rated R for brutal violence including a rape, some strong sexual content, nudity and language. Running time: 2:09.
Suggested retail price: $29.95; Blu-ray $34.95.
“YOU DON’T KNOW JACK,” starring Al Pacino and Brenda Vaccaro. This biopic could just as accurately be titled “You Don’t Know Al,” so effortlessly does he slip into the persona of ’90s news item Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the Michigan-based physician who came under fire from the Supreme Court when he chose to defy state law concerning the assisted suicide of terminally-ill patients. Not rated, contains language. Running time: 2:14.
Suggested retail price: $26.98.
– Courtesy of Videoport
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