Forward 13: Waking Up The American Dream On DVD From Cinema Libre On Jan. 21

Cinema Libre announced this past week that documentary filmmaker Patrick Lovell’s Forward 13: Waking Up the American Dream, a self-portrait of the wreckage of his life following the 2008 financial crisis, will be heading to DVD on Jan. 21.

He set out on a cross-country trip to see what others were experiencing — professionals, real estate brokers, small business owners, etc. — and along the way ran smack dab into the middle of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  

Thought-provoking and insightful, regardless of your politics … and if you listen carefully you can’t help but wonder if we are on our way to another bubble and another “Wall Street” financial meltdown (think: Twitter with a current market value of $31.4 billion and no profits in sight — sounds a lot like the housing market on the run-up to 2008).

Bonus features include deleted scenes and additional interviews.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Captain Phillips Heads To DVD And Blu-ray On Jan. 21

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has dropped the Best Picture contender, Captain Phillips, into the same street date Tuesday as the previously announced Blue Jasmine.   That would be Jan. 21 (leaving little time over the holidays for sales solicitation … but that may not be a worry with Best Picture prospects on the horizon).   

The ARR for DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack product offerings (with UltraViolet) is 102 days and ticket sales have grown to $103.5 million.

Bonus goodies include commentary from director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93, The Bourne Supremacy, etc.) and a three-part behind-the-scenes featurette titled “Capturing Captain Phillips.”

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Laughing To The Bank For Image Entertainment On Feb. 18

Sometimes you just have to take a page from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky if you are going to get ahead in the Hollywood entertainment game.   He wrote it and was basically told that someone else — with a name — would have to star in the title role.   He rolled the dice, said all or nothing … the rest is history.

That’s what b-list (or is it way down the list?) actor Brian Hooks (playing himself and directing) is faced with in the Image Entertainment DVD release on Feb. 18 of Laughing to the Bank.

When his idea for a television series finds no takers — “Why would we want to do a production with you?”   Hooks decides that he will just produce it himself … and that’s where the story begins, in a seedy Vegas hotel room, with Hooks trying to piece together — for the benefit of a couple of thugs who would like nothing better than to slap him silly — where the budget money went after a night of celebrating.   

Yes, he did pull off the production money part, hence the celebration!!!   We can also give you a hint as to what happened to the cash … Fat Betty (Devyn Ashley) had something to do with its disappearance!!! 

Though a series of flashbacks (basically sketch comedy bits by Hooks and his cast of characters) we get his “Rocky” tale of just how difficult it is for a nobody to get a break in Hollywood.  

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Green Apple Entertainment's DisOrientation Ready For DVD On Jan. 28

Green Apple Entertainment has tagged Jan. 28 as the DVD rollout date for actor-turned-director Russell Whaley’s insightful look (tongue firmly planted in cheek here) at the current state of higher education.   

Titled DisOrientation, it doesn’t take long to discover that there are book smarts, street smarts and party smarts when it comes to matriculating at the college or university of your choice.   Finn (Eric Toms) falls into the latter category, he has spent virtually all of his college years “studying” the fine art of partying (much participation has been required). 

In fact, he’s gotten so good at it — participating, that is — that holding onto a dorm roommate has proven to be a difficult task and holding onto a C- average has long stopped being a goal.   It is just a matter of time when partying meets the harsh reality of academics and he will have to make a go of it in the real world (or move back home).

But there’s a change in the wind as the dorm gods have assigned Toby (Todd Gaebe), a 15 year-old brainiac, as his new roomie.   The challenge for Finn is to keep the kid from going into full panic mode (not helped by a steady stream of co-eds parading through their room) before getting him accustomed to college life (basically sex and alcohol) … and in return perhaps some of that genius will rub off on him just long enough to get through another semester is his major!!!

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

 

 

Kino Lorber's Nuit #1 Makes Its DVD Debut On Feb. 4

Kino Lorber announced this past week that the Canadian French-language winner of the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, Nuit #1, will be making its domestic DVD debut on Feb. 4.

Montreal-based filmmaker Anne Émond, making her feature-length directorial debut here, delivers an interesting “romantic” drama that pretty much defies being lumped into any particular category.   

Clara (Catherine de Léan — The Depraved, Twice a Woman) and Nikolai (Dimitri Storoge — Through the Mist, Les Lyonnais, etc.) are thirty-somethings, single, educated and drifting.   They hook up at a very loud rave concert/party and end up heading over to his place for some casual sex … something to do.   Nothing more than a one-night stand with no expectations. 

Films at this point would normally move onto the next day or date, drop one of the participants (not needed for the storyline) or develop the storyline from this “meet cute” set up.  Filmmaker Émond takes an entirely different tack … just as you expect the evening to end with Clara’s departure a conversation begins and before the final credits the two work their way into some fairly heavy reveals.

They each have secrets — issues — that have isolated them; alone and deeply flawed.   In a social commentary sense, Nuit #1 begins with noise, lights and crowds — life without living — and builds through intimacy and quiet conversations — in a sort of a round-about way — to friendship and a basic human need for someone just to listen.

Will there be a future for Clara and Nikolai together?   Hard to tell, but this first encounter is certainly one worth exploring.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

                       

Gentle Ben And Peter Rabbit Head To DVD On Feb. 18 From Paramount Home Media Distribution

Paramount Home Media Distribution announced this past week that Dennis Weaver and Clint Howard will return on Feb. 18 in the four-disc/28 episode collection of Gentle Ben: Season Two.

 The Nick Jr. CG-animated adventures of Peter Rabbit and his sidekicks Benjamin and Lily will also be heading to DVD on Feb. 18 as a two-SKU product offering.   Being made available with multiple episodes from the series are Peter Rabbit and Peter Rabbit: Spring Into Adventure.

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report

Midnight Releasing's Slaughter Daughter Heads To DVD On Feb. 4

Midnight Releasing has selected Feb. 4 as the DVD debut date for the Brain Damage Films release of writer/director Travis Campbell’s Slaughter Daughter.

Scream Queen, Nicola Fiore (Ms. Cannibal Holocaust, She Wolf Rising, etc.) stars as Farrah, a repressed beauty — suffering something of an emotional break — who is living under the oppressive thumb of her sexually deviant and sadistic mother (Leesa Rowland).   Hate is not a strong enough word to describe her feelings for dear old mom!

Her salvation comes from an unexpected source.   While hold up in her room, not dealing with anything for weeks on end, Farrah strikes up a pen pal relationship with a notorious death row serial killer named Jackson Miles (Tim Dax), who takes a liking to this “broken angel” and begins tutoring her on the fine art of killing!    This is, as this twisted story unfolds, a winning combination.

This nifty spin on the slasher genre comes with a blooper reel, deleted scenes and webisodes. 

To download this week's complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report:  DVD & Blu-ray Release Report