Fall in love with Oliver & Company’s adorable gang of animal outcasts all over again on February 3, 2009 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Disney’s 27th full-length
animated film celebrates its 20th anniversary in a special edition DVD with enough fun and laughter for the whole family. Brilliant animation, a fantastic soundtrack and the amazing voice talents of Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Huey Lewis, put Oliver & Company on track to win the hearts of a whole new generation. The 20th Anniversary Edition comes with animated shorts, behind–the-scenes featurettes and an all-new game that the parents and kids will love to play together.

Inspired by the classic Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, the film boasts a lovable cast of characters and five infectious original songs from top-tier contemporary talents including Billy Joel, Bette Midler, Huey Lewis and Barry Manilow. Oliver & Company: 20th Anniversary Edition is filled with hilarious animal antics and high-energy adventures as one clever kitten leads a pack of resourceful pups against a would-be kidnapper! This timeless classic lights up the screen with a story of courage and heart, friendship and loyalty and a songbook filled with unforgettable tunes.

Disney presents an unforgettable musical adventure as Oliver, an adorable stray kitten (voiced by Joey Lawrence), takes Manhattan by storm! When Dodger (Billy Joel), a street-smart mutt with a weakness for mischief, befriends the homeless tabby, he introduces his new pal to his pack of pickpocket pooches, run by the nefarious Sykes (Robert Loggia). Just as Oliver is about to begin a life of crime, he is rescued by a rich girl named Jenny, who takes him home to live in luxury with her and her spoiled poodle Georgette (Bette Midler). But when Sykes finds out about Oliver’s new benefactor, he hatches a plot to abscond with the little girl and hold her for ransom. The courageous kitty and his newfound friends must race to the rescue in an electrifying chase through the city’s labyrinthine subway system in order to bring Jenny home. Brimming with music, humor and adventure, Oliver & Company is sure to delight the entire family.

BONUS FEATURES
Games & Activities
• All-New Game

Backstage Disney
• The Making of Oliver & Company
• Puss Café – A delightful animated short starring Disney favorite Pluto and friends
• The History of Animals in Disney Films – A Disney animated featurette
• Return of a Classic – A look at the 1996 theatrical re-release of Oliver & Company

Bonus Short
• Lend a Paw— Pluto rescues a kitten and saves the day in an Academy Award® (1941 Short
Subject -Cartoon) winning animated short.

Strap yourself in as RocknRolla arrives on Blu-ray and DVD January 27 from Warner Home Video. This action film takes a dangerous ride into high crime and low life in contemporary London, where real estate has supplanted drugs as the biggest market, and criminals are its most enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

When a wealthy foreign mobster moves into London gangster Lenny Cole’s (Tom Wilkinson) turf, a small-timer (Gerard Butler) and his crew think they can play both sides and become big time. Add a hard-as-ice accountant (Thandie Newton), a rocker playing dead to boost sales, wannabe music moguls (Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges), a missing painting and a mosh of money and muscle, and you’ve got a real RocknRolla.

From Director Guy Ritchie (Snatch,Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), RocknRolla features an all-star cast including Gerard Butler (300, P.S. I Love You), Thandie Newton (Crash, The Pursuit of Happyness), Academy Award™ nominee Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, Batman Begins) and Emmy Award™ Winner Jeremy Piven (HBO’s Entourage, Old School).

“I own this town.” But owning is getting expensive for old-school London gangster Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson). A wealthier foreign mob is moving in with a riverfront property swindle. A small-timer (Gerard Butler) and his crew think they can play both sides and become big time. Now add a hard-as-ice accountant (Thandie Newton), a rocker playing dead to boost sales, wannabe music moguls (Jeremy Piven and Chris Bridges), a missing painting and a mad mosh of money and muscle, and you’ve got a real RocknRolla.

RocknRolla contains the following special features:

2 Disc Digital Copy Special Edition Special Features

1. Commentary by Guy Ritchie and Mark Strong
2. Guy’s Town: Guy Ritchie shapes a crime saga around London’s evolving landscape
3. Digital Copy

BD Special Features

1. Commentary by Guy Ritchie and Mark Strong
2. Guy’s Town: Guy Ritchie shapes a crime saga around London’s evolving landscape
3. Blokes, Birds and Backhanders: Explore the world of RocknRolla
4. Digital Copy

Available for purchase NOW! (click logo below to Buy it):

Dazzling animation, groundbreaking special effects and award-winning music earned Mary Poppins five Academy Awards®, including Best Actress and Best Song. The new two-disc DVD features hours of captivating bonus material, including the all-new “Mary Poppins: From Page to Stage”, a fascinating feature that takes audiences backstage for an exclusive look at the making of the Tony Award winning musical, and “Step in Time,” a never-before-filmed musical number performed by the original Broadway cast—also downloadable as an MP3 audio file. Bonus materials also include the ultimate “behind-the-scenes” movie documentary and reminiscences of the film’s stars and legendary composer Richard Sherman.

With its revolutionary blend of live action and pioneering Disney animation, Mary Poppins became an instant hit and was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar®. The film stars the incomparable Dame Julie Andrews, who won the 1965 Best Actress Academy Award for her film debut, and Dick Van Dyke as Bert, the dancing chimney sweep.

Songwriting brothers Richard and Robert Sherman (Bed Knobs and Broomsticks, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) received Oscars for Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”), and Best Score, which includes such unforgettable numbers as “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Sister Suffragette,” “The Life I Lead,” “The Perfect Nanny,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Jolly Holiday,” “Stay Awake,” “I Love To Laugh,” “Feed the Birds,” “The Fidelity Fiduciary Bank,” “Step in Time” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”

Based on the popular children’s stories by P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins has won the hearts of generations of kids and their parents with its enchanting tale of a magical nanny who changes the lives of two rowdy but neglected kids with determination, discipline and “Just a Spoonful of Sugar.” Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) takes Jane and Michael Banks (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber) on magical, musical outings including a play date with adorable animated penguins, a race through the country side on merry-go-round horses and a trip across the rooftops of London on a stairway made of smoke—and always gets them home in time for dinner! With her foolproof mixture of good manners and unpredictable fun, Mary not only introduces order to the chaotic Banks household, but brings the whole family together in the process.

BONUS FEATURES

Backstage Disney
Disney on Broadway

• Mary Poppins from Page to Stage —First a beloved children’s book, then a classic movie and now a smash hit Broadway musical! Fans can follow the story of Mary Poppins from page to stage as the creative team and cast prepare to take the long running show on tour.

• Step in Time—The Broadway cast of Mary Poppins performs the never-before-filmed
number “Step in Time” from the show.

• Step in Time – A downloadable MP3 featuring the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins singing “Step in Time,” featuring Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee as Bert.
• Video Intro By Scenic & Costume Designer, Bob Crowley

• Bob Crowley’s Design Galleries—Concept art, costume designs, set designs and set
models for the Broadway musical

• Audio Commentary—Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice and Richard Sherman recall the making of Mary Poppins.

• Poppins Pop-Up Fun Facts—Select this option and fun-filled facts about the creation of this classic film pop up during viewing.

• Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: The Making of Mary Poppins—The definitive behind-the- scenes look at how this unique and beloved film came into being.

• Movie Magic—A look at the special effect techniques used to bring the magical world of
Mary Poppins to life.

• The Gala World Premiere—Footage from the Red Carpet.

• Dick Van Dyke Make-Up Test

• Trailers, Ads and More from the Original Release and Reissue of the Film

• Mary Poppins Still Art Galleries

Music & More

• Disney’s Song Selection—The whole family can sing along to “A Spoonful of Sugar,”
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and any of the film’s other memorable songs as the lyrics pop up on screen. Each song can be selected separately or while watching the film.

• Magical Musical Reunion—Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and songwriter Richard Sherman eminisce about making Mary Poppins and the music that makes it so special.

• A Musical Journey with Richard Sherman —A delightful magical journey through some of the film’s locations with co-composer Richard Sherman, who reveals surprising secrets about the music of Mary Poppins along the way.

Bonus Short
• The Cat That Looked at a King—Live action and animation bring a chapter of P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins Opens the Door to life! Julie Andrews takes viewers into a magical animated world created in the style of the whimsical chalk drawings in Mary Poppins.

Deleted Song
• “Chimpanzoo”—A reconstruction of a song that did not appear in the movie using original storyboard and concept art, accompanied by a new rendition of the song performed by co- composer Richard Sherman.

THE TRUMAN SHOW

Almost predicting the rise of reality television, this movie by director Peter Weir is about the highly public life of Truman Burbank. The world watched his birth, his school days, his wedding…and yet Truman doesn’t know. He thinks this highly elaborate TV soundstage that recreates the fictional island of Seahaven is his life. Though a problem arises when Truman overhears a crew member’s radio signal that is clearly dictating his every move. Every attempt to explore has a much too logical explanation. He begins to question everything he’s known, since he’s only seen the world through TV (he has a fear of water and lives on an island, so he isn’t going anywhere). This film offered the first outstanding dramatic performance from Jim Carrey, who was only known up to this point for his rubber face in movies like The Mask. He was able to create a vulnerable character here that put his skills on display. This innovative story had a lot to say about our perception of reality being heavily influenced by what the media feeds us. It also points a finger at the media and questions how far they ethically should go for the next ad dollar. The film has great picture detail on Blu Ray and a featurette on the special effects of the film along with some deleted scenes.

GHOST
Ghost was a blockbuster in the 90s. It earned Whoopi Goldberg an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and brought girls to the theater so see this love tale between Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Their relationship ends quickly when Sam (Patrick Swayze) is killed during a robbery. Rejecting the light, he opts to stick around on earth as a ghost. While researching his own death, he realizes that the robbery was part of a larger scheme. His efforts to solve the crime and protect Molly are difficult since he can’t seem to communicate. Fortunately, he finally communicates with a con artist spiritual advisor (Whoopi Goldberg) who is surprised that a spirit is actually speaking to her. While the ghostly element makes this an interesting murder mystery, it is the chemistry between Swayze and Moore (especially the famous pottery scene) that captured audiences. The Blu Ray contains similar features found in previous releases, including an audio commentary by director Jerry Zucker and writer Bruce Joel Rubin, as well as “The Making of a Classic” that interviews the cast for a retrospective take on the film, and “Alchemy of a Love Scene” that attempts to diagnose why that scene has become so iconic. The transfer to Blu Ray looks good for a film that’s 20 years old.

DAYS OF THUNDER

This film is a near imitation of Top Gun, with the fighter planes being replaced with race cars. It is also made by the same filmmaking team of director Tony Scott, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Tom Cruise. The eerily familiar plot is about Cole Trickle, a cocky race car driver who dreams about NASCAR fame, but has little experience. He shows great instinct, but has a distaste for the rules. His behavior improves as he is taken under the wing of a top mechanic (played by Robert Duvall). There is also a feisty love interest (this film is where he first met Nicole Kidman) and a big finale full of car crashes. If you already saw Top Gun and aren’t a racing fanatic, than you can probably skip Days of Thunder because it’s basically the same film. Also, the Blu Ray transfer is spotty with some sections have a clean transfer and other sections having lots of grain and artifacts. The only special feature is the film’s theatrical trailer, but you can just watch Top Gun’s trailer and see the same thing.

American Teen takes the reality-TV craze to the big screen. Director Nanette Burstein premise was that all the oddball teen comedies and dramas we’ve grown up watching (like Breakfast Club or Animal House) are based on some shared reality that all high school student face. After searching a number of towns, she settled on a small town in Indiana and followed five students around every day for their whole senior year. The film invites us to enter the lives of these strangers, people we probably wouldn’t normally meet or care about, to see how their experience is similar or different from our own.

Surprisingly (or maybe not), the lives of these students reflect the same type of stereotyped characters we’ve seen in cinema for years. There is Colin Clemens, the jock, who is the star of the town’s basketball team and is relying on a basketball scholarship to avoid his only alternative—the army. We also meet Megan Krizmanich, the popular girl who is wealthy, beautiful, and feeling lots of family pressure to get accepted to Notre Dame where her father and siblings went for college. There is also Hannah Bailey, the artsy girl who is a beautiful misfit with her liberal atheist views in this conservative Christian town. She dreams of moving to San Francisco to study film, but first she needs to not get expelled from school. There is Mitch Reinholt, the school heartthrob who is interested in Hannah, but worries about how she will click with his group of friends. Finally, there is Jake Tusing, the shy loner with a greasy face who is socially awkward with everyone, not just girls.

Since every day of their senior year was filmed, one can only imagine how difficult is must have been for the director to make choices on what to keep and lose (though lots of deleted scenes exist on the DVD). The heavily edited narrative does a good job keeping the story interesting with the constant drama of high school relationships and pressures, but we also unfortunately fail to learn anything new about today’s generation of youth.

INTO THE WILD

Based on the book by John Krakauer, Into The Wild is director Sean Penn’s drama about the real life travels of Christopher McCandless (an amazing performance by Emile Hirsch). We follow him as he shuns a privileged life for one of adventure, struggle and danger out in the wild. The film is visually incredible and a good reason for fans to own it on Blu Ray, but the story does ramble on a little too long and fails in its attempt to portray this kid as a hero, when he is more likely a loon. Still, nature lovers will enjoy the journey.

COACH CARTER

This is another inspirational sports flick along the lines of Hoosiers or Remember The Titans to add to your collection. It tells the true story of former basketball hot-shot Ken Carter who returns to coach at his lower-class high school. He tries to teach the team respect for the sport as well as themselves by drawing up a contract that requires them to maintain a 2.3 GPA, sit in the front of class and wear a tie on game day. As the season goes on the team starts a winning streak, but their grades also begin to slide. Maintaining that education is the highest priority, Coach Carter holds his end of the bargain by locking up the gym and cancelling practice and games until the students raise their grades. This causes a media frenzy with students, parents and the school board getting upset. Will they force Coach Carter to allow the games or will the students take it upon themselves to get their grades up? Despite the predictable ending, Samuel L. Jackson gives a strong performance and the message is a good one. The Blu Ray looks good (the print had some artifacts on it), but the sound mix is great. A particularly interesting special feature besides a music video and deleted scenes is the documentary “The Man behind the Movie” about the real life Ken Carter. Sports fans may want to own this, but most people should at least give it a look as a rental.

OLD SCHOOL (UNRATED)

The 1978 teen comedy Animal House sparked a wave of low-budget college comedies about drugs, sex and rebellion against authority. Most of the copycats failed because they lacked characters college kids could somewhat relate to, but Old School at least comes close. The story is about a guy named Mitch (Luke Wilson) who just lost his girlfriend and is about to lose his house, so his married friends (Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn) have the idea of turning the house into a fraternity to relive their college glory days before the house is gone. All three actors manage to create some likable (though pathetic) three-dimensional characters that provide us with a lot of humor. Will Ferrel’s portrayal of the aging Frank offers some interesting insight, while also offering some go-for-broke zaniness that had me rolling with laughter. The picture looks good on Blu Ray and the audio is basically the typical stereo mix found in most comedies (rear speakers rarely used), and the special features (while good) are what we’ve seen before on the DVD release. There is an audio commentary with director Todd Phillips and the star-studded cast. There is also Will Ferrel’s “Inside The Actor’s Studio” spoof as well as some funny deleted scenes and bloopers. Overall, this is a tastelessly fun comedy that college students (and those who wish they still were) will enjoy.

THE HEARTBREAK KID

The Farrelly Brothers are the masters of gross-out comedy. In this film they re-teamed with their There’s Something About Mary star Ben Stiller to deliver another twisted tail of a character struggling in love. After years of sitting at the single’s table at weddings, he finally meets a girl named Lila (played by the beautiful and quirky Malin Akerman) who seems too-good-to-be-true. It’s only after they marry, while on their honeymoon, that her true colors come through. She actually volunteers for her job, is in debt, and has a problem with her nose that causes severe nosebleeds. This leads Ben Stiller’s character Eddie to reconsider things with Lila and start pursuing another woman named Miranda he meets while on his honeymoon. Unfortunately, the laughs aren’t any funnier in high definition. A few scenes will have you rolling, but ultimately the story’s gross-out, but predictable humor may only justify a rental rather than owning for repeat viewing.

TOMMY BOY

I miss the late Chris Farley. This was essentially his first lead role in a film (after many smaller film roles and success on Saturday Night Live) and he is in top form. This story follows daddy’s boy Tommy and his smarmy friend Richard in their road trip across the USA as they try to sell enough break pads to keep his now deceased father’s company in operation. The interaction between Chris Farley and co-star David Spade ranks up there with other comedy duos like Laurel & Hardy. Every scene has at least one nugget of hilarious dialogue such as “Fat guy in a little coat” or “shut up Richard!” For a comedy, there is also a lot of heart about this kid who misses his dad and his friend Richard who doesn’t know how to be a good friend. The Blu Ray contains an audio commentary from director Peter Segal along with four featurettes. An enjoyable piece was “Growing Up Farley” that has his two brothers sharing childhood stories about Chris. Also, there are deleted and extended scenes that show Chris Farley’s improv skill. This movie was a favorite of mine in high school and is still memorable today.

HOT ROD

Saturday Night Live actor Andy Samberg stars as Rod Kimble, an aspiring stuntman trying to emulate and live up to the reputation of his father, who was the hidden genius behind Evel Knievel. To make his father issues worse, he is constantly getting beat up by his stepfather who refuses to respect him until he can fight back. When the stepfather Frank discovers he is suffering from a life-threatening illness, Rod hatches a plan to sell tickets to a death-defying hot rod stunt in order to raise money to provide an operation that would save his stepfather, all so he can have one last chance to beat him up and earn his respect. Unfortunately, at 87 minutes, this film feels very long. The opening scene has Rod falling off a moped and running his face into the ground. A variation on this unfunny joke is repeated numerous times in the film. The transfer to Blu Ray looks average. Special features include an audio commentary with the director as well as deleted scenes and outtakes. There is little reason to suggest you buy this “comedy” that fails to produce any real laughs.

While 2005’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was a magical treat for young children, Prince Caspian appeals to slightly older children and manages to exceed the first film, surpassing it in every conceivable way. 

The story find the Pevensie kids returning to Narnia 1300 years after they last left it.  The once great kingdom has been conquered by humans known as the Telmarines and Aslan the Lion is nowhere to be found. When Prince Caspian’s life is threatened by his power-hungry uncle Miraz, he flees to the forest and is given an instrument that summons the kings and queens of old…the Pevensie kids. 

They must work together and with the animals of Narnia to fight back against his uncle’s army.  In the story we see Peter become a stronger leader, Susan start to show an interest in love, Edmund actually acting unselfish and discerning, and Lucy having the faith needed to finally summon Aslan to the rescue.

The special effects, while impressive, have been seen before in other fantasy films like Lord of the Rings.  The fight sequence between Peter and the evil King Miraz is rough and fun to watch.  There is plenty of humor, sometimes among the children, but mostly among the animals like the proud mouse Reepicheep. 

On Blu Ray, this movie is technically near flawless.  The forest looks so clear that I could pause the screen and think it was a window to my backyard.  The sound design makes great use of surround sound, especially during the epic battle sequences and the train that transports the crashes through the subway station to take the kids to Narnia.

Bonus features on the DVD include the following:

Creating The Castle Raid has director Andrew Adamson prefacing this interactive feature by showing how the sets were built, how the action scene was filmed and how the digital effects were added.  You are then given the option to watch the action sequence repeatedly with your choice of ten different audio commentaries that each give a unique perspective on how the scene was accomplished, from make-up to lighting to stunt work.

Audio Commentary with director Andrew Adamson and the five main kid actors.

Inside Narnia: The Adventure Begins contains 35 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage with the crew.

Sets of Narnia contains 20 minutes explaining how difficult it was to design the sets when the book barely mentions what the world looks like.

Big Movie Comes to a Small Town contains 20 minutes of hilarious interviews and behind-the-scenes footage with the people of Bovec, Slovania where interior sets were filmed.

Becoming Trumpkin contains five minutes with the veteran little people actor Peter Dinklage cracking one joke after another while discussing his role in the film.

There are more special features, including a third disc that contains a standard definition version of the film that people can load on their computers on iPod.