Release of the Week Gaumont Treasures 1897-1913 (DVD only) Kino's Gaumont Treasures box set is a condensed, subtitled version of Gaumont's "Le Premier Cinema" set that was released in France last year. Based on the strength of the materials included here, I should hope they release the Le Premier Cinema features they left out as Gaumont Treasures Volume Two. I'd buy it in the blink of an eye. The Gaumont Film Company is the oldest still-running film company in the world, having been around since 1895. Treasures features work from three of the cinema's great pioneers, though only two of them are really well-known to most US film lovers and historians. The three directors effectively passed the torch of running Gaumont to one another, from Alice Guy to Louis Feuillade to Leonce Perret. One of whom, Perret, directed himself as an actor. The box set concentrates the work of each filmmaker on its own disc. In a year that finds many critics rallying behind an excellent female director (Kathryn Bigelow) for awards consideration, it's nice to see the early work of Alice Guy on DVD. Guy was of one of the most important and prolific early film directors during her time working with Gaumont in France before she "went Hollywood" and moved to the States. The Alice Guy disc features 3 hours & 45 minutes of films shot between 1897 and 1907, including what I understand to be one of the first religious epics: The Birth, the Life, and the Death of Christ (1906), which runs 33 minutes. The films from Guy range from half a minute to around half an hour, and span the period in cinema history where movie making went from being a "trick" or optical illusion to being a full-fledged storytelling medium. Louis Feuillade is best known for spy serials such as Les Vampires and Fantomas, but his influence across all genres is much broader than many have been taught. Feuillade is estimated to have directed anywhere from 600 to 800 films: thrillers, comedies, tragedies, historical epics, satires, and the list goes on. Feuillade also carries the distinction of helping pioneer the multi-crap-sequel trend with his Bebe and Bout de Zan series that featured a small child actor getting into all kinds of mischief. Granted, his serials of this sort were around 10 minutes long as opposed to studios making feature film sequels into tens and twenties of installments and "reimaginings" these days. Kino offers around three and a half hours of Feuillade's work here from various periods. I would love to have seen all the Bebe and Bout de zan shorts that weren't included, however (again, hoping for a Volume Two). The disc also includes Louis Feuillade: Master of Many Forms [10:33], which covers an astounding amount of ground in less than a quarter of an hour, including Feuillade's founding the styles of "La film esthetique" (Esthetic Film) and "La vie telle quelle est" (Life As It Is). None of the Fantomas serials appear here, as the titles included end with his early 1913 work just before that series. Leonce Perret's work is closer to what modern filmmaking became, and frankly, he composed and directed films superior in execution to that which D.W. Griffith was putting out at the same time. Only two of his films are included: The Mystery of the Rocks of Kador (1912) [43 mins] and The Child of Paris (1913) [124 mins], so there's still nearly three hours of Perret's work. The hour and two-hour feature film really only started being made in the early 10's. I had honestly never heard of Perret prior to watching this set, and now I can't imagine not having been exposed to his work, which would be emulated and stolen from for years to come. Leonce Perret: The Filmmaker's Filmmaker [17:40] is the only extra, and it is just as excellent as the Feuillade featurette. The Gaumont Film Treasures 1897-1913 box set is an essential component in any true cineaste's library. I will hold out hope for a complimentary second volume that includes more work from these directors during this period. New Release Sin Nombre (DVD only) twelve Deleted Scenes [10:03] Feature Commentary with director Cary Fukunaga and producer Amy Kaufman I just wish this were also available on Blu-ray. The extras have no fat on them. Here's my review from yesterday. State of Play (Blu-ray & DVD) two Deleted Scenes [3:39] The Making-of State of Play [18:45] I wish more people had a chance to see this one. My review/old-man-rant from earlier today. DisneyNature's Earth (Blu-ray & DVD) Earth Diaries - The making of DisneyNature's first feature film [42:32] Blu-ray exclusive: Filmmaker's Annotations, DVD copy of the movie This goes on collectors' Nature Film shelf right alongside Baraka, the Planet Earth miniseries and its offshoots. Taken from the same hours upon hours of footage as Planet Earth, this James Earl Jones-narrated Disney Earth doc tells a more condensed story that isn't afraid to show things like a lion successfully hunting an elephant and other bloody, death-involving things. People who came out of press screenings crying, "oh, what will the children think?" are infected by the same over-cautious culture that is hermetically sealing kids inside static environments and never letting them go outside so they end up out of shape and wimpy like Russell from Pixar's UP. The Earth Diaries featurette is worth sitting through, and the Filmmaker Annotations are basically a pop-up text and video track that's only on the Blu. This is a great reference disc for that big beautiful HDTV in or coming to many homes. Sugar (Blu-ray & DVD) Featurettes: Making Sugar: Run the Bases, Play Beisbol! The Dominican Dream, Casting Sugar: Interview with Algenis Perez Soto Deleted Scenes Blu-ray exclusive: Unrated Cut on the Blu-ray I've heard really good things about this one and will be watching it in the morning. [Edit: reviewed here on 9.8.09] Direct to Video Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (Blu-ray & DVD) Let's hear it for Bring It On Part Five, folks. A friend of mine did drum programming for the composer and had a track licensed for use in the movie. I might be guilt-tripped into watching it. Great. Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas (DVD only) I will be reviewing this one in the coming days. From the press release: Convicted and sentenced to death in Texas for 11 murders (commuted to life in prison by then-governor George W. Bush), Henry Lee Lucas (Antonio Sabato, Jr., General Hospital, Melrose Place) confessed to more than 350 murders, most with partner Ottis Toole (Kostas Sommer). But due to an ongoing habit of making confessions, then recanting them, it is unknown how many he actually committed. Flashbacks recreate the crimes, violence, ruthlessness and callousness of one of America's most infamous serial killers, who once revealed, "Killing is like eating and you eat because you're hungry. Sometimes I just got hungry." Devotion: An Unauthorized Tribute to Michael Jackson (DVD only) Featurettes: "The Memorial", "Media", "Global Phenomenon", and "Charity Work" If the non-stop news coverage ending traumatized you, this is the perfect fix! A scant two months after his death, this hastily-compiled "tribute" doc is little more than a 50 minute (70 including the featurettes), commercial-free version of what kept going ad nauseam on TV. The highlight here is a couple clips of crazy Joe Jackson being pretty incoherent. The filmmakers pieced together a bunch of stock footage pretty well, all things considered. Frankly, this doc does a cleaner, more efficient job of telling his life story than the major cable networks did. New to Blu Braveheart Sapphire Series Gladiator Sapphire Series I haven't looked at either due to the studio dragging their feet on review copies. What I hear about the picture on Braveheart is that it's great. On the other hand, Gladiator is apparently not so good due to mixed source elements. There are all-new extras on both. These discs are a top priority as soon as I get them, but I'm not breaking myself in half to get them, since "the story" has already played itself out. M*A*S*H The Girl Next Door High Crimes These Fox titles are all Blu-grades of their existing special editions. The MASH transfer was the one I was worried about, and upon first inspection, it looks pretty good. I need to give it some more time and attention. High Crimes and The Girl Next Door look and sound great upon a quick glance. Fire & Ice Blue Underground has Blu-graded its excellent special edition of this animated, Ralph Bakshi-directed fantasy film. I haven't had a chance to look at it, but the existing DVD is pretty excellent. From what a friend tells me, this is an excellent non-Disney catalog animation reference disc. Reissue Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (DVD only) All the original extras remain from 2005, but for a limited time, they're including a "Beanz" Pooh-dressed-as-Tigger plush. The main reason I'm even mentioning this title in this column is that I support this style of use for these characters, not the abominable live-action-in-suits and CG kids' TV series I flip past occasionally. Those other implementations of the characters have nothing to do with Winnie the Pooh. Christopher Robin has become a little girl with a too-cutesy dog. It's weird that they took the sequence that most terrified me as a kid (Heffalumps and Woozles) from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and made a cuddly new toy out of it in Lumpy the Heffalump. This kind of brand extension I can accept. Disc Roundup is posted each week on Thursday, sometimes Friday, depending on what kind of a mountain I have to get through. If you think I've missed something, feel free to send me an email at the name of this column at gmail dot com. Don't include any underscores, dots, or numbers instead of letters, or it'll go into a black hole, from whence never to return.

Release of the Week Eclipse's Nikkatsu Noir Collection (DVD only) This absolutely brilliant collection comes from Eclipse, Criterion's "no-extras, but a great transfer" subdivision. This is the top release of the week for the gaping hole in Region 1 film history this completes. Nothing else this week carries nearly the degree of significance of this set, no matter how many extras and fluff they squeeze into it. Rather than futilely try to do a better job than someone I consider a subject matter expert, I'm going to briefly excerpt from fellow Austinite Rodney Perkins' series of reviews over at Twitch. Here's Rodney's take on A Colt is My Passport: "Takashi Nomura's 1967 film A Colt is My Passport is arguably the best known of the five films featured in the Nikkatsu Noir box set from Criterion sub-label Eclipse. For that reason, and the fact that it is the most recent of the five films included in the set, A Colt is My Passport a good place to start when examining Nikkatsu Noir." "In A Colt is My Passport , chipmunk-cheeked action star Jo Shishido plays Kamimura, a hitman hired by a mob boss to exterminate the head of an opposing group. Kamimura, who runs around with a sidekick named Shiozaki (Jerry Fujio), does the job perfectly. In fact, he does the job too perfectly, forcing his employers to send him into hiding. While in Kamimura is in exile, the rival mobs team up, leaving Kikimura and his buddy in a bad situation. During their effort to get out of Japan, they are aided by a young woman named Mina (Chitose Kobayashi) who works at duo's hotel hideout." The titles below link to the individual pieces he's done on the set. I'll update these links as I see him post reviews of the rest. Click here to see everything written by Rodney at Twitchfilm.net. I'm not exaggerating when I say he's among the best and most knowledgeable film programmers I've ever met. Koreyoshi Kurahara's I Am Waiting (1957) Toshio Masuda's Rusty Knife(1958) Seijun Suzuki's Take Aim at the Police Van (1960) Takumi Furukawi's Cruel Gun Story (1964) Takashi Nomura's A Colt is My Passport (1967) Catalog New to DVD I haven't gotten my hands on either of these, but below are a listing of the extras from Criterion's site. Jeanne Dielman: 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles -Autour de "Jeanne Dielman," a 69-minute documentary--shot by actor Sami Frey and edited by Agnes Ravez and Akerman--made during the filming of Jeanne Dielman -New interviews with Akerman and cinematographer Babette Mangolte -Excerpt from "Chantal Akerman par Chantal Akerman," a 1997 episode of the French television program Cinema de notre temps -Interview with Akerman's mother, Natalia -Archival television interview excerpt featuring Akerman and star Delphine Seyrig -Saute ma ville (1968), Akerman's first film, with an introduction by the director -A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Ivone Margulies The Last Days of Disco -Audio commentary featuring Stillman and actors Chloe Sevigny and Chris Eigeman -Four deleted scenes with commentary by Stillman, Eigeman, and Sevigny -Audio recording of Stillman reading a chapter from his book The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards -Behind-the-scenes featurette -Stills gallery with captions by Stillman -Original theatrical trailer -An essay by novelist David Schickler New Release Rudo y Cursi (Blu-ray & DVD) Extras: Feature Commentary with Carlos Cuaron, Gael Garcia Bernal, & Diego Luna, 6 Deleted Scenes [4:45], Making-of Featurette [26:51], "I Want You to Want Me" Music Video [2:54], "Rudo y Cursi" Music Video [3:53], Turn Off Your Cell Phone! Promo [1:09] Blu-ray Exclusive: Q&A with Cuaron, Bernal, & Luna [1:11:32] I'm not certain anything could live up to the expectations of a followup to Y tu mama tambien starring the same lead actors. Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal play off of each other well, and I had fun with the movie. Your own experience may depend on your enjoyment of soccer. The Informers (Blu-ray & DVD) Extras: Director & Cast Commentary, Human Intersections: Making The Informers [15:26] This movie was difficult to stomach. There was no one to identify with, nor was there anyone to relish the destruction of. At a certain point, I wanted all of the characters to just die in a fire and put me out of my misery. I'll get into why this didn't work as well as other Ellis adaptations later in the week. Duplicity (Blu-ray & DVD) Extras: Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Tony Gilroy & Editor/Co-Producer John Gilroy Duplicity really didn't get its due, and I've heard various reasons as to why. Some would like to allege that Julia Roberts is "over" or Clive Owen "can't 'open' a movie" or that the script was too clever for its own good. There are a variety of variables that screw with March openings, so don't let anyone use the movie's box office take as evidence against it being worth your time. In the sea of "turn your brain off" crap that's out there, Duplicity is a sweet respite. Fighting (Blu-ray & DVD) Extras: Unrated & Theatrical Cuts, Digital Copy, and 5 Deleted Scenes [8:03] The title is the whole movie. I can't wait for the sequels: Punching, followed by Kicking, and then Punchin' n' Kickin' a few years down the road when the franchise grows stale. I found it entertaining that the commercials for the DVD & Blu-ray referred to Channing Tatum as "GI Joe's" instead of "Step Up's". Adventureland (Blu-ray & DVD) Extras: Digital Copy, Feature Commentary with Mottola and lead actor Jesse Eisenberg, 3 Deleted Scenes [2:27], Just My Life: The Making of Adventureland [16:30], and Song Selection Blu-ray exclusives: Frigo's Ball Taps [HD 2:34], Lisa P's Guide to Style [HD 2:08], and Welcome to Adventureland, which includes two in-character commercials (Fun-tastic Time [0:39] and Fireworks [0:49]), an Employee Orientation video [HD 3:31], and a Drug Policy training video [HD 0:44] The more time that passes since I saw this movie last week, the more it grows on me. No matter what, I probably won't relate to it as much anymore now that I'm married and a ways out of college. Click here for my review from Friday. Sunshine Cleaning (Blu-ray & DVD) Haven't seen this one yet, but I've heard mixed news. I've got it as a B-priority to rent & watch. Goodbye Solo (DVD only) Extras: Feature Commentary with Director Rahmin Bahrani, Theatrical Trailer I missed this one at an extremely out-of-my-way screening at SXSW this year and should be catching up to it soon. I've heard nothing but good things. The presence of a commentary on a release this "arty" is wonderful to see. Patton Oswalt: My Weakness is Strong (DVD only) Patton Oswalt is truly one of the funniest men on the planet, living, dead, or undead. The only way to support truly gifted people like Patton, who also goes to bat for unknown, talented people, is to buy their stuff and not download it. Hear me, you young punks on my lawn? American Son (DVD only) Extras: Leave in Bakersfield: Behind the Scenes of American Son [11:37], Feature Commentary with director Neil Abramson & producers Danielle Renfrew and Michael Roiff, 1 Deleted Scene & 1 Alternate Scene [3:18 total] with optional audio commentary by director Neil Abramson & producers Danielle Renfrew and Michael Roiff Nick Cannon plays Mike, a soldier on a four-day Thanksgiving leave from the armed forces after he completes basic training. He meets a girl on the bus into town (Melonie Diaz) who he becomes somewhat infatuated with. For me, the solid gold contained in the movie is Tom Sizemore as Mike's stepdad. In the audio commentary, it's suggested that Sizemore couldn't keep different characters' names straight...wonder why. The movie itself is a wandering around town, coming of age thing. Cannon's charm, as evident back in Drumline, carries the movie admirably. It reminded me a great deal of Three Blind Mice, an Aussie military-on-leave movie IFC released earlier this year. This movie is worth checking out when you're in the mood for it. Boot Camp (DVD only) Extras: a trailer for Dragonball: Evolution Boot Camp's box art almost makes it appear like a horror film. It's really just an "escape from the island" light thriller with tinges of Lord of the Flies mixed with a message film about Tough Love rehab camps. Mila Kunis plays a bad girl who's portrayed sympathetically as not-so-bad. She gets shipped off to one of these camps run by Peter Stormare, one of the few guys working who does a perfect over-the-top schlock villain. The movie is tremendously didactic, but is much, much better than what is typically considered "direct to video" product. Trouble the Water (DVD only) It was Oscar-nominated, but stood not a chance in hell of winning up against Man on Wire. Another well-received doc to go on collectors' Katrina Movies shelf next to When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Parts. Nights & Weekends (DVD only) A Swanberg production I couldn't make it into at SXSW due to the excessive number of VIP seats taken up by people dying to see themselves on the screen. New to Blu Children of the Corn Screwballs How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Deluxe Edition Here's my review from a few days ago. TV New Release House M.D. Season 5 (DVD only) Extras: House Meets a Milestone: The 100th Episode [5:42], Commentary on "Locked In," Keeping it Real: Accuracy in Writing [7:22], Dr. Mom: Cuddy's Storyline [8:46], Anatomy of a Teaser [12:03], and House Guests: Casting the Show [11:10] (which is more about the initial casting than guest parts) I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes, so I also happen to enjoy this show, Sherlock Holmes' American Great Grandcousin, M.D.. A couple revelations from this season just past were particularly shocking, especially the final episode cliffhanger that really makes the viewer question a lot. Please, no one decry that as a spoiler. That's the definition of a network TV season-ending cliffhanger. Hugh Laurie would be the Sherlock Holmes I'd cast in an adaptation of Nicholas Meyer's novel The West End Horror, but that's just me and no one's listening. Scrubs Season 8 (DVD only) Extras: Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Lines, My Bahamas Vacation [20:12], Scrubs Intern Webisodes The final season of this much-beloved show is finally out there so that ABC/Disney can do a complete series set in the shape of a bedpan or something. I never really watched it until I got married. Ashley introduced me to it, and I got hooked shortly before the end of the series. Samantha Who (Final) Season 2 (DVD only) Extras: Bloopers, Deleted Scenes, Tour the Set with Christina Applegate, and Christina's Dance Moment This is part of a two-week wave of Shows That Are No Longer, all of which might still be around if not for the WGA Strike. I'm not saying I'd have preferred the strike didn't happen, but it's interesting to see the wake it can really create. Back to the show itself: I've always found Christina Applegate entertaining and capable of more than she's usually offered. It really is unfortunate that not enough women get their own shows and have a chance to be something other than The Wife of The Comedian. This show is kind of like The Cleaner or Saving Grace, but instead of a former druggie loser, she's a horrible person who gets amnesia. This is all there will be, so it's easier to catch up. NCIS Season 6 (DVD only) Extras: Cast and crew commentaries on selected episodes Featurettes: "Bodies of Work," about the artificial bodies used on the show; "Fear: a DVD Exclusive," and acoustic version of Pauley Perrette's "Fear"; "Starting With a Bang," about the opening of Season 6; "Horsin' Around," about the "South by Southwest" episode; "Season Six: Cruising Along," where cast and crew reflect on Season 6; and finally "Six Degress of Conversation," which is just the cast talking about Season 6 I have to be completely honest here: I'm not a fan of this show, but my father-in-law is. Regardless, if they did an episode on horseback, I'll check that one out and probably get hooked. "I hate television, but I also hate peanuts, and I can't stop eating peanuts." Included in this package are all 18 hours and 26 episodes from Season 6. As I understand it, the show is about to be spun off, so good for everyone's residual checks! Life (Final) Season 2 (DVD only) Extras: Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Audio Commentary with cast and crew It isn't petty that I hate this show because NBC flipped a coin and kept it instead of Journeyman, is it? Well, it's a dead show now. Lie to Me Season 1 (Blu-ray & DVD) Ashley got into this show, and I caught a couple episodes along the way. It seems to be House MD: Pathological Liar Unit from what I have seen. I've always liked Tim Roth, so I'll eventually catch up with it. TV Catalog The Untouchables Season 3 Volume 1 (DVD only) At the beginning of Season 3, Eliot Ness has Frank Nitti and his gang right where he wants them: on the run, but hold the phone! Heroin crashes onto the scene and gives Ness and his men a new nemesis: the needle. That was my best shot at a 1960's-style "coming next week" promo, hope it was entertaining. Seriously, though, I love this show and am sincerely glad CBS is continuing to put them out volume by volume on DVD. Half a season of these shows amounted to 13.5 hours of TV. The transfers on these episodes look great, too. The Adventures of Robin Hood Complete Series (DVD only) All four seasons are available from Amazon in this set for $25, whereas individual seasons run around $13 apiece. 143 episodes for $25 is not bad, if I do say so myself.