Olive Films' Fugly! To DVD And Blu-ray On Jan. 13

There will be laughs aplenty on Jan. 13 as Olive Films brings the DVD debut Kevin Hart’s The Big House: The Complete Series and both DVD and Blu-ray editions of director Alfredo De Villa’s moment-of-crisis comedy, Fugly!, starring John Leguizamo.

Kevin Hart must downsize from his Malibu digs when his father is sent off to the “Big House” for some funky financial dealings.   Off he goes to stay with his poor relations in Philadelphia (not exactly Malibu).

Yvette Nicole Brown, Keith David and Faizon Love co-star.

John Leguizamo stars in Fugly! as comic sensation Jesse Sanchez, who has an unexpected crisis in his life (an OMG moment), which gives him a different prospective on just how messed up he’s become.    

He suddenly realizes just how much he has tossed away over the years while climbing to the top, including love and friendships, and now he feels that is time for him to put it all back together again (and that won’t be easy).

But for Jesse, there’s no “wall” between his “real” life and his stage work, so his efforts at both romance and comedy blend into heartfelt feelings and performance art, which creates some terrific comedy bits.

Rosie Perez, Radha Mitchell, Griffin Dunne and “Brat Pack: alum Ally Sheedy co-star.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Prepares Blu-ray Edition Of American Gigolo For Feb. 24 Delivery

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment continues to mine its rich library of cinematic treasures with a series of announcements this week that will see both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings plucked from this gold mine of films.

Streeting on Feb. 24 will be a newly prepared Blu-ray edition of writer/director Paul Schrader’s 1980 sexually-tinged murder thriller, American Gigolo, starring Richard Gere in his breakout performance as Julian, a boy-toy for rich women.  

When he meets Michelle (Lauren Hutton) he actually begins to “fall in love,” but a nasty — and very twisted — murder occurs and he becomes the number suspect.   Watch poor Julian squirm … it’s delicious!

On the same date, Feb. 24, director Frank Darabont’s 2001 cinema-history drama, The Majestic, starring Jim Carrey, Martin Landau and Laurie Holden, will be getting a Blu-ray push as well.

On the DVD front, a four-film collection of pre-code films will be available on Nov. 18 in the latest edition of the studio’s popular “Forbidden Hollywood” promotional banner.   Included in Forbidden Hollywood, Volume Eight are Blonde Crazy (1931, James Cagney and Joan Blondell) Strangers May Kiss (1931, teaming Robert Montgomery with Norma Shearer), Hi, Nellie (1934, with Paul Muni and Glenda Farrell) and Dark Hazard (1934, Glenda Farrell returns with Edward G. Robinson and Genevieve Tobin … plus Sidney Toler).

Breaking Glass Pictures Has Director Dana Schroeder's Alien Rising Ready For DVD On Jan. 20

Breaking Glass Pictures will open the New Year with the Jan. 20 DVD debut of director Dana Schroeder’s sci-fi thriller, Alien Rising.

If you’re a genre fan, then you just know in your heart of hearts that with the name Lance Henriksen in the cast credits this is one sweet sci-fi entry that is more than worth just a look-see.   You will not be disappointed.

On a remote island (research station) Federal Agent Lisa Morgan (Amy Hathaway — Joyride, The Client, etc.) finds herself assigned to help with the understanding of “alien” technology.   Boy, is that an understatement … she’s only heard rumors about a derelict spacecraft, etc. etc.

It seems that the good Colonel that is in charge of the facility (played by Henriksen) has more than just the technology gleaned from the alien craft, he has two of the passengers on ice … and these ETs are not happy about that!

Bonus features for this action-sci-fi/thriller — which features a very cool alien creature (and nice f/x) — includes a making-of featurette.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Selects Dec. 9 For DVD And Blu-ray Combo Pack Editions Of Filmmaker Charles Martin Smith's Dolphin Tale 2

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced this past week that actor-turned-filmmaker Charles Martin Smith’s Dolphin Tale 2, the successful follow-up to his feel-good 2011 hit, Dolphin Tale, will be available as DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (with UltraViolet) selections on Dec. 9.

The ARR is a zippy 88 days and the box office take was a very nice $40.8 million.

This particular street date came as a something of a surprise as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment had laid claim to this prime bit of pre-Christmas real estate several weeks ago with the summer blockbuster, Guardians of the Galaxy.

That was like a big “Keep Off of the Turf” warning sign.   And indeed, just a few years ago elbowing in on the action once the so-called “Disney” brand had selected a prime Christmas-selling season date by any other studio would have been a fool’s game.  

But sadly, the home entertainment crew just down the street from Warner Bros. these days has lost quite a bit of its former marketing snap and savvy … so for this speedy dolphin this will be pretty much like making circles around a beached whale (metaphorically-speaking) as it takes in more than its fair share of the sales pie on this lucrative December date.

Only some bureaucrat could come up with a reason to toss the scrappy Winter — the tailless dolphin rescued by Dr. Haskett (Harry Connick, Jr.) in the first film — out of its safe harbor at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.   So it falls to her friends to find a companion to satisfy USDA rules … and that quest is the focus of this heartfelt sequel.   

Bonus features include a blooper reel, a pair of music videos and five featurettes — “Underwater Magic,” “Dolphin Tale 2: True Story,” “Look Who's Running the Show,” “Bethany Hamilton Meets Winter” and “The Mission.”

The following week, Dec. 16, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is back with director Shawn Levy’s film presentations of the Jonathan Tropper novel (who also wrote the screenplay), This is Where I Leave You.   DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (with UltraViolet) editions are planned.

The ARR is also just 88 days and domestic ticket sales currently stand at $33.2 million.

This “dramedy” stars Jason Bateman as Judd, who has to come to terms with a cheating wife (Abigail Spencer), the burial of his recently deceased father and the battles that have raged over the years with his siblings.   It only makes it all the worse for him that his mother (played by Jane Fonda) wants her children (Corey Stoll, Adam Driver and Tina Fey) to spend a week with her to celebrate the life of their late father.   There is a lot of history to overcome!!!

Bonus features for This is Where I Leave You include commentary with Shawn Levy and Jonathan Tropper, deleted scenes and two featurettes — “The Gospel According to Rabbi Boner” and “Points of Departure.”

Director Kim Hong-seon's Terrifying Traffickers On DVD And Blu-ray From Well Go U.S.A. On Dec. 23

It could easily be plucked from the headlines.   Dealers in human flesh who think nothing of abducting just the “right” person for their “unique characteristics,” which is nothing more than a euphemism for the thugs who deal in human organs (genetic matches).   

Harvest what is needed and then dispose of the lifeless carcass.   Nothing personal, it is just business.

That’s the premise behind Korean filmmaker Kim Hong-seon’s Traffickers, which is set to be released as both DVD and Blu-ray product offerings from Well Go U.S.A. on Dec. 23.

Yeong-gyoo (Lim Chang-jung — Sex is Zero, Greatest Expectations, Miracle on 1st Street, etc.) has blood on his hands and seems to be just the right sort of amoral individual to transport the illicit cargo (and other things).   

Through circumstances, he finds himself in need of the very “items” that he’s been trafficking in and to make matters worse (for him) he finds himself on the very passenger ship that has been cleverly disguised as just that, a passenger ship, but is in actually equipped with a hidden operating room where the organs are harvested (fresh) from drugged passengers and the bodies are then tossed into the sea.   

Chae-hee (Jeong Ji-yoon — I Saw the Devil) is the victim, snatched under the very nose of her husband, Sang-ho (Daniel Choi — High Kick!), who then begins a frantic search for her as the ship sails towards its destination and Chae-hee to her fate.   

Will he find her in time?  Will Yeong-gyoo have a change of heart?   And who is the mastermind behind this very clever “meat processing” scheme!?

Traffickers is presented in Korean with English subtitles

Mill Creek Entertainment Announces Massive Wave Of New DVD And Blu-ray Product Offerings For Delivery During The First Two Weeks Of Januayr 2015

Mill Creek Entertainment has announced its first wave of new DVD and Blu-ray selections for ‘Q1 2015.   The first two street-date Tuesdays of the year (Jan. 6 and Jan. 13) will be loaded with film collectibles.

Kicking off the proceedings on Jan. 6 are four, double-disc “4-In-1” DVD SKUs.   These are: 4-In-1 Action Collection, which includes S.W.A.T., Basic, Maximum Risk and Stealth; 4-In-1 Horror Collection, this set features the likes of Hostel, Hollow Man, When a Stranger Calls and I Know What You Did Last Summer); 4-In-1 Suspense Collection contains Flatliners, Panic Room, Perfect Stranger and Freedomland and the fourth collection is titled 4-In-1 Urban Collection and it showcases You Got Served, Stomp the Yard, Gridiron Gang and Finding Forrester.

Jan. 6 also has two volumes of Bill Cosby’s sitcom, The Cosby Show — The Cosby Show: Season Five and The Cosby Show: Season Six — plus the Robin Williams double-feature, Jakob the Liar, which is teamed with Moscow on the Hudson and three additional TV-on-DVD collections, Married with Children: Season Seven (2 disc set), Married with Children: Season Eight (both are two disc sets) and Party of Five: The Complete Second Season (a four-disc set).

Jan. 6 also brings an Elvis birthday celebration (the King was born on Jan. 8, 1935) with the DVD release of Finding Graceland (with Harvey Keitel as Elvis) and the Blu-ray debut of writer/director Chris Columbus’ 1988 film release of Heartbreak Hotel (with David Keith as Elvis).   Both films honoring Elvis Presley are priced at just $9.98 each.

Up next is Jan. 13 and the massive 15-disc, 60 film collection titled Terror Theater Movie Collection.   This horror-fan package includes a winning mix of vintage classics — King of the Zombies, The Ape Man and White Zombie — must-owned mainstays of horror — Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill and Don’t Look in the Basement — plus hard to find gems such as The Curse of Blanchard Hill, By the Devils Hands: The 666 Killer and Zombie Genocide: Legion of the Damned.   And more … much more!!!

Also on Jan. 13 are At Death's Door, a three-disc/13-film collection (The Murder Mansion, Tormented and The Screaming Skull can all be found here), Scared Silly, which is also a three-disc/13-film collection (included here are such films as My Mom's a Werewolf, One Body Too Many and A Bucket of Blood) and the Sci-Fi Double Feature: Krull/Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.

Last, but not least, Jan. 13 marks the double-disc Blu-ray debut of Mill Creek Entertainment’s seven-part documentary on the history of Slavery, Emancipation Road.

Anchor Bay Entertainment Selects Nov. 25 For DVD And Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Editions Of Director Phillip Noyce's The Giver

Anchor Bay Entertainment will be issuing DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (with UltraViolet) editions of director Phillip Noyce’s film adaptation of the Lois Lowry Orwellian-esque novel about a not-so “perfect” future society, The Giver, on Nov. 25

The ARR comes in at 102 days and the domestic box office haul was a nice $44.5 million.

Bonus features include three featurettes, a reading of the original script by Jeff Bridges and a study guide.   

Exclusive to the Blu-ray SKU is a bonus DVD disc featuring a press conference with the cast and filmmakers.