Susan’s DVD Update for week of Friday, May 28th:
Commemorating a generation of heroes this Memorial Day weekend, Thad Smith’s emotionally charged “Everyman’s War” follows the story of his father, Staff Sergeant Don Smith, of the 94th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge in 1945.
Best-selling writer Nicolas Sparks tugs at the heartstrings again with Lasse Halstgrom’s “Dear John,” as a serious, soft-spoken soldier (Channing Tatum) falls in love with a bubbly college student (Amanda Seyfried) on a sun-dappled South Carolina beach back in 2001.
In the uplifting documentary “My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story,” Glenn Close, Richard Gere, Edie Falco and other stars celebrate their bond with their beloved canine companions; it’s a tribute to all dogs that have made our lives happier and richer.
One of the longest-running, landmark TV Westerns, “The Virginian: The First Season” has been fully restored and digitally remastered in a 10-disc collector’s set that includes bonus features like interviews with James Drury, Roberta Shore and Gary Clark.
“Words of Advice: William S. Burroughs on the Road” chronicles the enigmatic, counter-culture icon’s appearances in Scandinavia and explores his literary works, while “The World of Buckminster Fuller” explores this brilliant thinker’s pioneering ideas and solutions in the realm of innovative design. And, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman” celebrates the life and career of the world’s greatest architectural photographer.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, Joss Whedon’s sci-fi musical romp “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” stars Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day; it’s the first web miniseries ever to be released on Blu-ray and has 90 extra minutes of funny material.
For tiny tots, “Barney” and “Thomas & Friends” are On-the-Go, traveling into summer with three DVDs, each in their own carrying case.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Viggo Mortensen stars in the powerful screen adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Road,” making his way across the wet, wretched wasteland of a post-apocalyptic United States with his young son. It’s a cryptic, cautionary allegory about the indomitable human hope for survival in the face of unfathomable horror.