Mill Creek Entertainment has announced a double-wave of new
priced-to-DVD collectible films, TV-on-DVD collections and multi-film packages
for the month of June. The first
onslaught occurs on June 2 and this is followed two weeks later, June 16, with
the second wave of new product offerings.
We kick off the month with four new additions to the
company’s popular “Anniversary Series” collection of classic films. Priced at just $9.98 each, we begin with the
arrival of director Charles Vidor’s six-times Oscar-nominated biopic about the
life and times of composer Frédéric Chopin, 70th Anniversary Series: A Song
to Remember. Filmed in glorious
Technicolor, Cornel Wilde starred as Chopin and was nominated Best Actor for
his performance (he lost out to Ray Milland for his roll as alcoholic Don
Birnam in The Lost Weekend, which also won Best Picture and Best Director
honors for Billy Wilder).
Joining Cornel Wilde in the impressive cast of A
Song to Remember are Merle Oberon, Nina Foch and Paul Muni.
Next up in the “Anniversary Series” group is director Paul
Wendkos’ 1960 film adaptation of prolific writer John Farris’ coming-of-age
novel, “Harrison High,” which sold over a million copies when published in 1959
and was retitled for the screen and arrives on DVD from Mill Creek
Entertainment as 55th Anniversary Series: Because They're Young.
Dick Clark, who was over-the-top popular at the time with
his nationally-broadcast American Bandstand pop music show,
makes his film debut here in the lead role as the affable high school teacher/coach
(a demeanor which hides a tragic back story).
That’s all well and good, but there are two more important reasons fans
will be adding this priced-to-own ditty to their film collections.
First, Tuesday Weld shines as Anne, one of Clark’s students
— Michael Callan (Cat Ballou, Mysterious Island, etc.) is cast
opposite her as bad boy Griff Rimer (he will meet a sad ending to his teenage
years). And second, the rock’n’roll soundtrack, which
features the likes of James Darrin, Duane Eddy and Bobby Rydell … worth the
price of admission all on its own.
Rounding out the “Anniversary Series” additions on June 2
are director Michael Powell’s 1969 romantic comedy, 45th Anniversary Series: Age of
Consent, which teams James Mason with then rising star Helen Mirren,
and another romantic comedy, 20th Anniversary Series: Mad Love,
co-starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O’Donnell.
Also on DVD on June 2 from Mill Creek Entertainment are
several multi-film collections. Bulletproof:
Tough Guys of Action is a double-disc, eight-film package that features
eight different “tough guys” … these are: The Stone Killer (1973, starring
Charles Bronson), Shamus (also from 1973, teaming Burt Reynolds with Dyan Cannon),
The
Anderson Tapes (1971, this time Dyan Cannon is paired with Sean Connery
… and yes, that is a young Christopher Walken as part of Connery’s crew), Silent
Rage (1981, with Chuck Norris), Universal Soldier: The Return (1999,
Jean-Claude Van Damme returns), The Russian Specialist (2005, with
Dolph Lundren, who also directed) and Into the Sun (2005, starring Steven
Seagal).
Timed to be at retail outlets for the June 12 theatrical
release of Jurassic World is the four-film collection titled Jurassic
Adventures … spread over two-discs and priced at just $14.98 you get The
Lost World and the follow-up, Return to the Lost World, plus Adventures
in Dinotopia, Journey to the Center of the Earth
and as a bonus goodies, dinosaur fans get the documentary Dinosaur Eggs and Babies.
Still not worn out from all this action, Mill Creek
Entertainment has the five-film, double-disc collection titled Storms
of the Century, which will be ready for those wanting more after
attending the theatrical launch of director Brad Peyton’s San Andreas (starring Dwayne
Johnson and in theatres beginning May 29).
Included here are Flood, Flood: A River's Revenge,
Killer
Wave, Tidal Wave: No Escape and Tornado!
June 16 is loaded with TV-on-DVD collections, including a
three-disc set titled TV Guide Classics: Sherlock
Holmes - The Complete Series, which features all 39 episodes from the
1954/1955 series starring Ronald Howard as Sherlock Holmes and Howard
Marion-Crawford as his sidekick, Dr. Watson.
Archie Duncan is on hand as Inspector Lestrade. This is quite a deal … 19 and ½ hours of
classic Holmes adventures for just $9.98!!!
Other TV-on-DVD selections on June 16 under Mill Creek
Entertainment’s “TV Guide Classics” promotional banner include TV
Guide Classics: Ozzie & Harriet (three-disc set showcasing 25
classic episodes), TV Guide Classics: Television Legions - Milton Berle, Jack Benny and
Johnny Carson (a three-disc collection featuring 31 episodes from The
Johnny Carson Show, The Jack Benny Show and The Milton Berle Show) and TV
Guide Classics: The Adventures of Robin Hood (39 episodes starring Richard
Greene as Robin Hood on three-discs).
Also on the June 16 release calendar are Cosby
Show: Season Seven and Cosby Show: Season Eight (bost are
two-disc collections) and Married with Children: Season Eleven
(also a two-disc set).