'John Q.,' 'Amelie,' 'Better Off Dead,' 'Top Secret!' Lead This Week's DVD Releases
Extending star Denzel Washington's winning streak to five in a row by grossing $71,062,935 earlier this year, John Q. is poised to take the DVD chart hostage with New Line's Infinifilm Edition of the health care drama. The discs is replete with the usual special edition fare, including director's commentary, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes features.
But John Q. aside, the overwhelming theme for this week's DVD releases seems to be comedy.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's confection Amelie hopes to warm up DVD players with a two-disc edition, one devoted to the movie and the other to a plethora of supplemental material. The highest grossing French movie in America with a final tally of $33,225,499 includes director's commentary (in both English and French), interviews with the filmmakers and cast, star Audrey Tautou's audition and outtakes, "making of" featurettes and both its American and French marketing campaigns among many other things.
Two comedies from the '80s that ended up being favorites despite lackluster box office returns finally make their way to DVD this week.
Val Kilmer stars in 1984's Top Secret!, the third movie from the spoof comedy team of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker after Airplane! and The Kentucky Fried Movie. For this one, their subjects for send-up were spy movies and teeny-bopper rock 'n roll movies, but they managed to fit in lampoons of other things from The Blue Lagoon and The Wizard of Oz as well. Audiences were somewhat indifferent at the time as it grossed $20,458,340. The disc includes commentary from the funny men behind the picture, who are often referred to as ZAZ. Kilmer fans might also take note that another of the star's '80s classics Real Genius also made it to DVD this summer.
Better Off Dead... may have grossed just $10,297,601 when it was released in 1985, but it ended up one of the movies that helped John Cusack become an icon for Generation X. The disc is a barebones release, but it's still comforting to know that the movie that featured the line "Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky" is at least available on DVD so we no longer have to rely on Comedy Central's chopped-up and deteriorated airings of it.
Apparently to capitalize on next week's release of Austin Powers in Goldmember, three spy movies from the '60s that the Mike Myers franchise was in part inspired by debut this week as well. James Coburn stars as the American James Bond in the spy movie send-ups 1965's Our Man Flint and 1967's In Like Flint. And then there's Monica Vitti (L'Avventura) as "the world's deadliest and most dazzlingly female agent!" in the so-bad-it's-good Modesty Blaise from 1966, co-starring Terence Stamp.
Also making its first appearance on DVD is the 1996 cult favorite Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, the Canadian comedy troupe's first and last picture that grossed $2,654,308 from a limited theatrical run.
Recent Theatrical Releases:
o Amelie
o John Q.
o Mean Machine
o New Best Friend
o Pinero
o Storytelling
Other Notable New DVDs:
o Better Off Dead
o Gung Ho!
o In Like Flint
o Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
o Modesty Blaise
o Our Man Flint
o Red Beard - Criterion Collection
o Robin and Marian
o Top Secret!
For more DVD releases, go to the
RELEASE SCHEDULE
But John Q. aside, the overwhelming theme for this week's DVD releases seems to be comedy.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's confection Amelie hopes to warm up DVD players with a two-disc edition, one devoted to the movie and the other to a plethora of supplemental material. The highest grossing French movie in America with a final tally of $33,225,499 includes director's commentary (in both English and French), interviews with the filmmakers and cast, star Audrey Tautou's audition and outtakes, "making of" featurettes and both its American and French marketing campaigns among many other things.
Two comedies from the '80s that ended up being favorites despite lackluster box office returns finally make their way to DVD this week.
Val Kilmer stars in 1984's Top Secret!, the third movie from the spoof comedy team of Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker after Airplane! and The Kentucky Fried Movie. For this one, their subjects for send-up were spy movies and teeny-bopper rock 'n roll movies, but they managed to fit in lampoons of other things from The Blue Lagoon and The Wizard of Oz as well. Audiences were somewhat indifferent at the time as it grossed $20,458,340. The disc includes commentary from the funny men behind the picture, who are often referred to as ZAZ. Kilmer fans might also take note that another of the star's '80s classics Real Genius also made it to DVD this summer.
Better Off Dead... may have grossed just $10,297,601 when it was released in 1985, but it ended up one of the movies that helped John Cusack become an icon for Generation X. The disc is a barebones release, but it's still comforting to know that the movie that featured the line "Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky" is at least available on DVD so we no longer have to rely on Comedy Central's chopped-up and deteriorated airings of it.
Apparently to capitalize on next week's release of Austin Powers in Goldmember, three spy movies from the '60s that the Mike Myers franchise was in part inspired by debut this week as well. James Coburn stars as the American James Bond in the spy movie send-ups 1965's Our Man Flint and 1967's In Like Flint. And then there's Monica Vitti (L'Avventura) as "the world's deadliest and most dazzlingly female agent!" in the so-bad-it's-good Modesty Blaise from 1966, co-starring Terence Stamp.
Also making its first appearance on DVD is the 1996 cult favorite Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, the Canadian comedy troupe's first and last picture that grossed $2,654,308 from a limited theatrical run.
Recent Theatrical Releases:
o Amelie
o John Q.
o Mean Machine
o New Best Friend
o Pinero
o Storytelling
Other Notable New DVDs:
o Better Off Dead
o Gung Ho!
o In Like Flint
o Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy
o Modesty Blaise
o Our Man Flint
o Red Beard - Criterion Collection
o Robin and Marian
o Top Secret!
For more DVD releases, go to the
RELEASE SCHEDULE
