Apocalypse Now (Apocalypse Now / Apocalypse Now Redux / Hearts of Darkness) (Three-Disc Full Disclosure Edition) [Blu-ray]

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Jul 202012
 

Francis Ford Coppola’s timeless classic comes to Blu-ray for the first time!

This 3-Disc Deluxe Edition includes Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now Redux in stunning new transfers supervised by Francis Ford Coppola – and presented for the first time in their original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratios. Also included is the feature-length making-of documentary Hearts of Darkness, presented in a new 1080p HD transfer.

Additional features include a 48-page collectible booklet with never-before-seen archives from the set, over 9 hours of bonus features, plus a storyboard gallery, image galleries, marketing archives and an original script excerpt from John Milius featuring hand-written notes from Coppola.Apocalypse Now / Apocalypse Now: Redux
In the tradition of such obsessively driven directors as Erich von Stroheim and Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola approached the production of Apocalypse Now as if it were his own epic mission into the heart of darkness. On location in the storm-ravaged Philippines, he quite literally went mad as the project threatened to devour him in a vortex of creative despair, but from this insanity came one of the greatest films ever made. It began as a John Milius screenplay, transposing Joseph Conrad’s classic story “Heart of Darkness” into the horrors of the Vietnam War, following a battle-weary Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) on a secret upriver mission to find and execute the renegade Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who has reverted to a state of murderous and mystical insanity. The journey is fraught with danger involving wartime action on epic and intimate scales. One measure of the film’s awesome visceral impact is the number of sequences, images, and lines of dialogue that have literally burned themselves into our cinematic consciousness, from the Wagnerian strike of helicopter gunships on a Vietnamese village to the brutal murder of stowaways on a peasant sampan and the unflinching fearlessness of the surfing warrior Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (Robert Duvall), who speaks lovingly of “the smell of napalm in the morning.” Like Herzog’s Aguirre: The Wrath of God, this film is the product of genius cast into a pit of hell and emerging, phoenix-like, in triumph. Coppola’s obsession (effectively detailed in the riveting documentary Hearts of Darkness, directed by Coppola’s wife, Eleanor) informs every scene and every frame, and the result is a film for the ages. –Jeff Shannon

Hearts of Darkness
Hearts of Darkness is an engrossing, unwavering look back at Francis Coppola’s chaotic, catastrophe-plagued Vietnam production, Apocalypse Now. Filled with juicy gossip and a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at the stressful world of moviemaking, the documentary mixes on-location home movies shot in the Philippines by Eleanor Coppola, the director’s wife, with revealing interviews with the cast and crew, shot 10 years later. Similar to Burden of Dreams, Les Blank’s absorbing portrait of Werner Herzog’s struggle to make Fitzcarraldo, the film chronicles Coppola’s eventual decent into obsessive psychosis as everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Storms destroy sets, money evaporates, the Philippine government continually harasses the director, Coppola has romantic affairs, and he can’t write the story’s ending. Everything is captured on film. In the most disturbing scene, we watch Martin Sheen have a drunken nervous breakdown while his director goads him on (he eventually suffered a heart attack, but finished the film).

Other incredible footage is not visual, but aural as the film includes tapes Eleanor Coppola recorded without Francis’s knowledge. In them, he truly sounds like a madman as he confesses his fears about making a bomb of a movie. But while Hearts of Darkness is an amazing, voyeuristic experience, its importance lies in the personal reflections offered by those involved. Sheen, Coppola, and Dennis Hopper speak frankly without embarrassment, offering us an essential piece of film history. –Dave McCoy

Product Features

  • Condition: New
  • Format: Blu-ray
  • AC-3; Closed-captioned; Dolby; DTS Surround Sound; Special Edition; Subtitled; Widescreen

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

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Jul 192012
 

Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance – Nicolas Cage returns as Johnny Blaze – still struggling with his curse as the devil’s bounty hunter – is hiding out in a remote part of Eastern Europe when he is recruited by a secret sect of the church to save a young boy (Fergus Riordan) from the devil (Ciaran Hinds). At first, Johnny is reluctant to embrace the power of the Ghost Rider, but it is the only way to protect the boy – and possibly rid himself of his curse forever.In its best moments, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is an amusingly gonzo popcorn movie fueled by the combined manic energy of its star, Nicolas Cage, who reprises his turn as the tormented Marvel Comics antihero, and directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Crank, Gamer). The trio’s performances in front of and behind the camera seem to indicate their wish for Spirit of Vengeance to be regarded not as a sequel to the wan 2007 Ghost Rider film, but rather an entity unto itself, and in truth, the picture does work overtime to distance itself from its predecessor, from its fast-and-loose origin rewrite at the picture’s opening to its tonal shift towards darker, meaner territory. That doesn’t entirely translate into a better film: though the script, based on a story by David S. Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins), bears greater resemblance to its comic book origins than its predecessor, its story, which sends the Ghost Rider on a mission to protect the son of Satan (Ciarán Hinds), is unable to thread its diverse elements, which include a listless rendition of veteran heel Blackout (Johnny Whitworth), po-faced, high-tech monks led by Christopher Lambert, and Idris Elba’s fighting priest, along with assorted exorcisms, rituals, and come-and-go powers, into a cohesive and believable film. That, of course, may make no difference to viewers who have come for the sheer spectacle, which, in spite of a greatly reduced budget, is provided in spades by Neveldine/Taylor’s caffeinated direction and Cage’s by-now trademark acting excesses (in his most unfettered moments, Cage approaches Klaus Kinski/Timothy Carey levels of scenery consumption). In doing so, they inject a sense of breakneck fun into the proceedings, regardless of its absurd elements, sorely lacking from the previous Ghost Rider adventure. Extras are limited to six deleted and extended scenes, none of which add up to anything special; those seeking more supplemental features should investigate the Blu-ray edition, which includes commentary by Neveldine/Taylor and a feature-length making-of documentary that details the film’s rather torturous path to completion. –Paul Gaita

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition)

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Jul 192012
 

Begin your STAR WARS DVD collection with STAR WARS: Episode 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE. Packed with over six hours of additional material, including exclusive documentaries and never-before-seen deleted scenes, this 2-disc set provides the perfect showcase for the incredible detail and breathtaking scope of George Lucas’s first episode in the mythic STAR WARS saga.”I have a bad feeling about this,” says the young Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace as he steps off a spaceship and into the most anticipated cinematic event… well, ever. He might as well be speaking for the legions of fans of the original episodes in the Star Wars saga who can’t help but secretly ask themselves: Sure, this is Star Wars, but is it my Star Wars? The original elevated moviegoers’ expectations so high that it would have been impossible for any subsequent film to meet them. And as with all the Star Wars movies, The Phantom Menace features inexplicable plot twists, a fistful of loose threads, and some cheek-chewing dialogue. Han Solo’s swagger is sorely missed, as is the pervading menace of heavy-breathing Darth Vader. There is still way too much quasi-mystical mumbo jumbo, and some of what was fresh about Star Wars 22 years earlier feels formulaic. Yet there’s much to admire. The special effects are stupendous; three worlds are populated with a mélange of creatures, flora, and horizons rendered in absolute detail. The action and battle scenes are breathtaking in their complexity. And one particular sequence of the film–the adrenaline-infused pod race through the Tatooine desert–makes the chariot race in Ben-Hur look like a Sunday stroll through the park.

Among the host of new characters, there are a few familiar walk-ons. We witness the first meeting between R2-D2 and C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt looks younger and slimmer (but not young and slim), and Yoda is as crabby as ever. Natalie Portman’s stately Queen Amidala sports hairdos that make Princess Leia look dowdy and wields a mean laser. We never bond with Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and Obi-Wan’s day is yet to come. Jar Jar Binks, a cross between a Muppet, a frog, and a hippie, provides many of the movie’s lighter moments, while Sith Lord Darth Maul is a formidable force. Baby-faced Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) looks too young and innocent to command the powers of the Force or wield a lightsaber (much less transmute into the future Darth Vader), but his boyish exuberance wins over skeptics.

Near the end of the movie, Palpatine, the new leader of the Republic, may be speaking for fans eagerly awaiting Episode II when he pats young Anakin on the head and says, “We will watch your career with great interest.” Indeed! –Tod Nelson

Product Features

  • Exclusive deleted scenes documentary features seven new sequences completed just for this DVD release.
  • “The Beginning: Making Episode I,” an all-new hour-long documentary film culled from over 600 hours of footage, including an insider’s look at Lucasfilm and ILM during the production.
  • Five featurettes explore the storyline, design, costumes, visual effects, and fight sequences.
  • Multi-angle storyboard to animatic to film segment featuring the Submarine and Podrace Lap 1 sequences.
  • Award-winning twelve-part Web documentary series that chronicles the production.

Choices of One: Star Wars

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Jul 192012
 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
 
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Timothy Zahn comes an exciting Star Wars adventure, set in the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back—featuring Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia Organa, as well as the deadly Mara Jade.
 
Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base. So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras Sector proposes an alliance, offering sanctuary for the Rebels in exchange for protection against a warlord intent on invasion, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca are sent to evaluate the deal. But Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, is also heading for Candoras, along with five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment. Their mission: to punish Ferrouz’s treason and smash the Rebels.
 
In this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals, a wild card is waiting to be played.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (Widescreen Edition)

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Jul 192012
 

The STAR WARS saga continues on DVD with Episode II Attack of the Clones. Anakin Skywalker has grown into an accomplished Jedi apprentice, and he faces his most difficult challenge yet as he must choose between his Jedi duty and forbidden love. Relive the adventure the way it was meant to be seen in spectacular digital clarity, including the climactic Clone War battle and Jedi Master Yoda in the ultimate lightsaber duel. Experience this 2-disc set that features over six hours of bonus materials, and see how Episode II unlocks the secrets of the entire STAR WARS saga.If The Phantom Menace was the setup, then Attack of the Clones is the plot-progressing payoff, and devoted Star Wars fans are sure to be enthralled. Ten years after Episode I, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), now a senator, resists the creation of a Republic Army to combat an evil separatist movement. The brooding Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is resentful of his stern Jedi mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), tormented by personal loss, and showing his emerging “dark side” while protecting his new love, Amidala, from would-be assassins. Youthful romance and solemn portent foreshadow the events of the original Star Wars as Count Dooku (a.k.a. Darth Tyranus, played by Christopher Lee) forges an alliance with the Dark Lord of the Sith, while lavish set pieces showcase George Lucas’s supreme command of all-digital filmmaking. All of this makes Episode II a technological milestone, savaged by some critics as a bloated, storyless spectacle, but still qualifying as a fan-approved precursor to the pivotal events of Episode III. –Jeff Shannon

The Warrior’s Way

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Jul 182012
 

Academy Award® Winner Geoffrey Rush, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston and International sensation Jang Dong Gun star in this boldly original film that blends intense martial arts action with a dazzling visual style. After a lifetime of training in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat, the world’s most dangerous fighter (Jang) flees his homeland to start a new life in the American West. But soon the hunter becomes the hunted, and now the legendary warrior must wage a fierce, all-out battle against a renegade gang of outlaws and a pack of murderous assassins from his own past.

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