ALIENS IN THE ATTIC, DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by John Schultz
Starring Ashley Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins, Doris Roberts, Kevin Nealon, Henri Young, Regan Young, Austin Butler
Fox//Rated PG//Sci-Fi//86 min
An attempt by tiny aliens to invade Earth meets resistance from teens and their younger siblings. Kevin Nealon and Andy Richter play Stuart and Nathan, brothers gathering up their kids and Granny (Doris Roberts) for a lake house vacation. The youngsters include a brainiac youth (Carter Jenkins), a little girl (Ashley Boettcher), a hormonal older sister (Ashley Tisdale) and her boyfriend Rick (Robert Hoffman), an alpha bully (Austin Butler), and a pair of long-haired, 12-year-old identical twins (Henri and Regan Young). Soon after the family arrives, the kids discover tiny green aliens in the lake house attic. Led by commander Skip (voiced by J.K. Simmons), the invading extraterrestrials, female warrior Razor (Kari Wahlgren), hulky Tazer (Thomas Haden Church) and four-armed Sparks (Josh Peek), waste no time firing a mind-control unit into pesky boyfriend Rick. Joystick controller in hand, they force Rick to attack the others. The same fate befalls Granny, but the kids grab her remote control and use her to fend off Rick's Kung-Fooey attacks. Good old-fashioned ingenuity, nonstop action and a coherent story, add up to a family-friendly sci-fi flick appropriate for all ages.

THE BOTANY OF DESIRE, DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
* * *1/2 (Grade A-)
Directed by Michael Schwarz
Starring Michael Pollan
Narrated by Frances McDormand
PBS Video//Rated TV-PG//Documentary//120 min
Michael Pollan's best-selling book examines the symbiotic relationship between humans and several highly cultivated plants. Focusing on apples, tulips, marijuana and corn, Pollan documents the influence these plants exert over our lives and our economy. Apples, once found only in a remote forest, were spread far and wide by humans. We graft branches to maintain our favorite varieties because apple trees adapt their fruit to best suit their own needs. The Dutch tulip market, California's medical marijuana market, and corn agribusiness are depicted in lush detail as further examples of human desire shaping the botanical world. DVD or Blu-Ray features: over 15 minutes of deleted scenes, 19-minute panel discussion, 29 minutes of interview footage with Michael Pollan, Stereo English language track, full-screen.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST: Special Ed., DVD or Blu-Ray
(1959)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau, Leo G. Carroll, Philip Ober, Josephine Hutchinson, Jessie Royce Landis
Warner//Not Rated//Thriller//136 min
A perennial Hitchcock favorite, MGM settled for Cary Grant instead of their preferred Gregory Peck to play the lead. He's Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue ad exec claiming "Two ex-wives and several bar-tenders depend on me." Bad timing lands Thornhill in the clutches of enemy agent Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) and Vandamm's right hand man (Martin Landau). Believing Thornhill is a government spy, Vandamm attempts to arrange Thornhill's accidental death, but is forced to settle on framing him for murder. Escaping as a stowaway aboard a Chicago-bound train, Thornhill becomes smitten with his protector, resourceful Eve Kendall (Eva Saint Marie). Once cleared of murder charges, Thornhill attempts to rescue Eve from her undercover assignment as Vandamm's girlfriend. Among the memorable scenes are an uppity art auction disrupted by Thornhill, and a heart-stopping chase across the faces of Mount Rushmore. Bernard Herrmann's musical score expertly punctuates this all-time great.

FOOD, INC., DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Robert Kenner
Magnolia//Rated PG//Documentary//91 min
Virtually all food items are provided by just a few corporations, subsidized by your tax dollars. Director Robert Kenner visits farms and ranches contracted to produce for these elite companies, documenting a system that robs us of choices. The average hamburger contains meat from a thousand cows. Genetically altered corn or soybean products are found in virtually all processed foods and are fed to chickens, cows and pigs raised for human consumption. Kenner also shows us the horrific, unsanitary conditions producing the animals we consume. Seeing corporate practices changes how we think about food, and reveals why corporations have long hidden these processes. DVD or Blu-Ray features: deleted scenes, Celebrity public service announcements, resources, ABC News Nightline's: You are what you eat - Food with integrity, The Amazing food detective, Snacktown Smackdown: Stay active and eat healthy, DD 5.1 or DD 2.0 English language tracks, Spanish subtitles, widescreen.
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OUT ON HOME VIDEO Shorts - By Lisa Miller (edit for space)

ALIENS IN THE ATTIC, DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by John Schultz
Starring Ashley Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins, Doris Roberts, Kevin Nealon, Henri Young, Regan Young, Austin Butler
Fox//Rated PG//Sci-Fi//86 min
When the Pearson brothers (Nealon and Richter), rent a Michigan farmhouse for their family vacation, their kids discover pint-sized aliens in the rental's attic. The aliens infect the daughter's (Tisdale) boyfriend (Hoffman) with a mind-control device to make him attack the family. Granny (Roberts) is also infected, but the kids steal her remote control in order to fight back. 2-Disc DVD features: alternate ending, deleted scenes, Intro w/Ashley Tisdale, The Ashley Encounters, animated short: Behind The Zirkonians, Meet The Zirkonians interactive featurette, Kung Fu Granny featurette, Gag Reel, DD 5.1 English, French or Spanish language tracks, widescreen. 2-Disc Blu-Ray features: same as above plus: Digital Copy of film, DD 5.1 or DTS-HD Master Audio English, French or Spanish language tracks, Cantonese or Thai subtitles.

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3, DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, Luis Guzman, Michael Rispoli, James Gandolfini
Sony//Rated R//Action//106 min
The 1974 film was cast Robert Shaw as the merciless mastermind behind a crew of hostage takers on a New York City subway. His contribution to the film was matched by Walter Matthau as grumpy subway train dispatcher Walter Garber. In the remake Travolta plays the madman demanding $10 million dollars in exchange for the hostages while Washington packs on the pounds for the Garber role. Director Tony Scott has reversed his actors. He puts the Washington where the funnyman belongs and robs this slick production of its knockout punch. 2-Disc DVD features: Commentary with director or Commentary with writer Brian Helgeland and producer Todd Black, The Making featurette, The Third Rail: The NYC Subway System, From the Top Down: Stylizing Character, Marketing Pelham, DD 5.1 English or French language tracks, widescreen. Blu-Ray features: same plus: Access real time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie, digital copy of the film, DTS HD Master Audio English, French or Spanish language tracks.

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF THE COBRA, DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C-)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Jonathan Pryce, Marlon Wayans, Brendan Fraser, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Eccleston, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje, Arnold Vosloo
Paramount//Rated PG-13//Action, Fantasy//117 min
Making his G.I. Joes futuristic, director Stephen Sommers claims, "almost 100 percent of the technology depicted will be available within 20 years." The resulting wall-to-wall action -- dozens of chase scenes and flying soldiers wearing bulky suits -- is calculated to sanitize the gruesome results of this mayhem. Some special effects are blurry while the story is sloppy, but these defects are unlikely to disturb the young gamers comprising the film's target audience. DVD features: commentary by director Stephen Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay, Digital Copy, Making of G.I. Joe, Next-Gen Action: The Amazing Visual FX and Design, DD 5.1 SS English, French or Spanish language tracks, widescreen. 2-Disc DVD features same plus: Reality technology allowing viewers to participate in an exclusive 3D holographic G.I. JOE combat experience on a special website. 2-Disc Blu-Ray features same plus: DD 5.1 or DTS HD Master Audio English, French or Spanish language tracks.

I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER, DVD or Blu-Ray
(2009)
*1/2 (Grade C)
Directed by Chris Columbus
Starring Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Alan Ruck, Lauren London, Cynthia Stevenson, Shawn Roberts, Marie Avgeropoulos, Jack T. Carpenter, Joshua Emerson, Jared Keeso, Brendan Penny, Lauren Storm
Fox//Rated PG-13//Comedy//102 min
During his commencement speech, a nerdy high school valedictorian Denis (Rust), proclaims his crush on popular Beth Cooper (Panettiere). Beth decides to amuse herself by introducing Denis and his geeky friends to her wild party scene. Panettiere cheerfully reveals plenty of skin in this PG-13-rated comedy. 2-Disc DVD features: Alternate Ending, deleted scenes, The Graduate, College Worthy Handyman, Beth Digs for Buried Treasure, Beth Remembers a Cooverman Moment, I Love You, Larry Doyle, Behind the scenes with the cast, Peanut Butter Toast – improvised song by Paul Rust, In Character with Hayden Panettiere, In Character with Paul Rust, DD 5.1 English, French or Spanish language tracks, widescreen. 2-Disc Blu-Ray features same plus: DD 5.1 or DTS HD Master Audio English, French or Spanish language tracks, Cantonese subtitles.

LOVE ACTUALLY, Blu-Ray
(2003)
* *1/2 (Grade B-)
Directed by Richard Curtis
Starring Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Rowan Atkinson, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Martine McCutcheon
Universal//Rated R//Comedy//135 min
In two of seven humorous vignettes, Britain's upright Prime Minister (Grant) pines for a cabinet aide and a married English writer (Firth) enjoys a free-spirited fling with his Portuguese housekeeper. Actually, all's fair in love and the movies. 2-Disc Blu-ray features: Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Actors Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster, deleted scenes w/Intro, The Music w/Intro, "The Trouble With Love Is" and "Christmas Is All Around" Music Videos, The Storytellers, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English, DTS 5.1 SS French, German, Castilian Spanish, Latin Spanish or Italian language tracks, Dutch subtitles, widescreen.

TWO GIRLS AND A GUY, Blu-Ray
(1997)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by James Toback
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Heather Graham, Natasha Gregson Wagner
Fox//Rated R//Comedy//100 min
A self-centered mama's boy garners the affections of two desirable women (Graham and Wagner) who are unaware of his cheating ways. He's Blake (Downey Jr.), a struggling actor, caught when both women arrive simultaneously at his apartment. Fantastically, neither woman leaves and you won't believe what happens next in this slippery piece of science fiction. Blu-Ray features: Both R-rated and NC-17 rated versions, commentary with director, Robert Down Jr. and Natasha Gregson Wagner, All-new conversation with James Toback, theatrical trailer, DD 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio English or DD SS Spanish language tracks, French subtitles, widescreen.

WINGS OF DESIRE: Special Ed, DVD or Blu-Ray
(1987)
* * (Grade C)
Directed by Wim Wenders
Starring Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander, Peter Falk
Criterion Collection//Rated PG-13//Drama - Black & White//127 min
A melancholy excursion paints Berlin as a rain-soaked city humming with human longing. This perspective belongs to Damiel and Cassiel, two angels sent to record our joy and despair. Years of watching people lead to Damiel falling in love and wishing to become human. Peter Falk is strangely miscast as the man sensitive to the presence of spirits. 2-disc DVD features: DD 2.0 Stereo or DD 5.1 English, French or German language tracks, widescreen. Blu-Ray features: DD 2.0 Stereo or DTS HD Master Audio English, French or German language tracks, widescreen.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST: 50th Anniversary Special Ed., DVD or Blu-Ray
(1959)
* * * * (Grade A)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau, Leo G. Carroll, Philip Ober, Josephine Hutchinson, Jessie Royce Landis
Warner//Not Rated//Thriller//136 min
Mistaken by thieves for another man, Cary Grant narrowly escapes with his life, then returns to rescue a beautiful woman (Eva Saint Marie). The chases are all aces, especially one across the faces of Mount Rushmore. An AFI Top 100 selection. DVD features: Commentary by Ernest Lehman, Cary Grant: A Class Apart - 2003 TCM Documentary, Making of featurette, Hitchcock's Signature Style - 60 min documentary, One for the Ages - 30 min documentary, Stills Gallery, Trailers and TV Spots, DD 5.1 English or French language tracks, widescreen. Blu-Ray features same plus: DD 5.1 or Dolby True HD 5.1 English, French, German, Italian or Spanish language tracks, Dutch or Portuguese subtitles, widescreen.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Limited Ed. Gift Set with Ornament, DVD or Blu-Ray
(1946)
Director Frank Capra
Starring James Stewart, Thomas Mitchell, Lionel Barrymore, Donna Reed, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, Henry Travers
Paramount//Not Rated//Fantasy//130 min
A perennial, Holiday favorite, the film loosely retells a "Christmas Carol" from the everyman perspective. Jimmy Stewart appears as financially strapped family man George Bailey -- contemplating suicide until a heavenly messenger shows George the detrimental repercussions on George's loved ones should he take his own life. Donna Reed plays the wife worth living for, while Frank Capra's small town USA is the idyllic community to live that life in. 2-disc DVD or Blu-Ray features: Making of featurette, A Personal Remembrance special tribute to Frank Capra narrated by his son, Frank Capra Jr. (DVD Only), DD English or French Mono language tracks, widescreen.