Susan’s DVD Update for week of Friday, Oct. 22:
With mounting excitement about the upcoming November release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows – Part 1,” it’s the time to get Ultimate Editions of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” each packaged with a new chapter of “Creating the World of Harry Potter,” a unique eight-hour documentary series with never-before-seen footage and stories behind the world’s #1 film franchise.
The sci-fi sequel “Predators” finds a Special Forces operative-turned-mercenary (Adrien Brody) leading a motley band of professional killers on a terra-formed hunting preserve and they’re the game.
Writer/director Nicole Holofcener’s perceptive ‘selfish altruist’ comedy “Please Give,” starring Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet and Catherine Keener, treats adultery and dying with a light touch but gets profound about bad facials, $235 jeans and giving money to a homeless man in Manhattan.
John Walter’s documentary “Theater of War” goes backstage as Meryl Streep rehearses for the Public Theater’s 2006 staging of Bertolt Brecht’s antiwar play “Mother Courage and Her Children.” Another documentary, “Forbidden Lies,” reveals the truth about Norma Khouri, who won fame and fortune with her “true story” about a shocking honor killing in Jordan. “Eric Clapton ‘The 1960s review’” explores the musician/songwriter/guitarist’s formative years, while “Kylie: Rare and Unseen” reveals the Australian singer/actress.
Perfect for holiday gifting, “Thomas & Friends: Best Tales on the Tracks” contains six discs with 50 engine-friendly episodes; “Thomas & Friends: Merry Winter Wish” is filled with four frosty new adventures; “Shaun The Sheep: Season One Gift Set” has 40 full-length episodes of woolly fun, combining slapstick and classic silent comedy; and “Angelina Ballerina: The Nutcracker Sweet” is a new spin on the timeless tale.
PICK OF THE WEEK: From Disneynature and directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Clauzaud (“Winged Migration”), “Oceans” dives deep into the mysterious waters that cover nearly three-fourths of our planet’s surface, filming more than 200 species on 75 diving expeditions in 54 different locations in all five oceans over a period of four years. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, it’s visually stunning, intriguing and inspirational.