Susan’s DVD Update for week of Friday, Feb. 19:
Clint Eastwood’s career has spanned more than a half century and touched generations of filmgoers. “Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Bros.” is considered the largest feature film box set ever released for a single artist, highlighting the breadth and depth of Eastwood’s work with commentary from critic/film historian Richard Schickel.
From sublime to ridiculous, a vacation goes awry in “Couples Retreat,” a comedy about four Midwestern couples who get more than they bargained for on a tropical getaway. Starring Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, and Kristen Bell, bonus features include an alternate ending and deleted/extended scenes.
In Flemish with English subtitles, “Moscow, Belgium” is a sweet comedy about a 41 year-old, single mother/postal clerk (Barbara Sarafian) in the working-class Belgian suburb of Moscow who falls for a 29 year-old long-haul trucker (Jurgen Delnaet).
“Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death” is Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Short Film, and it’s included in “Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection,” now a four-disc set with three other award-winning shorts.
“Good Hair” visits beauty salons, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships and self-esteem of the black community.
A creaky Victorian mansion, a graveyard, a lunar eclipse and a pretty college co-ed – all the elements of ‘80s scare classics – are back with a modern twist in “The House of the Devil,” starring cult figures Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov. Also in the horror genre, “She’s Crushed” introduces a twisted game of love, torture and death after a regrettable one-night stand.
“Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me” features the smart, outspoken comedienne who was a favorite on HBO for many years; this stand-up performance was taped at the Warner Theater in her hometown of Washington, D.C.
PICK OF THE WEEK: “Coco Before Chanel” chronicles the French designer’s formative years, beginning in a Roman Catholic orphanage. In French with English subtitles and starring Audrey Tautou (“Amelie”), it delineates how Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel became one of the most respected figures of France’s fashion industry.