Category Archives: DVDs

Mar 08 2024
Leave a comment
DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Friday, March 8 – Thursday, March 14

Hollywood’s biggest night, Millie Bobbie Brown & the dragon, and real American cowboys

All times Eastern.

Host Jimmie Kimmel pre-tapes an Oscars segment with “Weird Barbie” (Kate McKinnon).

FRIDAY, March 8
Damsel
Millie Bobby Brown stars in this grim fairy tale action-adventure as a young woman who agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find that the royal family has “chosen” her as a sacrifice. What will she do when she’s thrown into a cave with a terrifying fire-breathing dragon? (Netflix)

Watch out for those dragons, Millie!

First Time Female Director
Comedy flick about a young writer (Chelsea Peretti, who also wrote and directed) struggling to corral the eclectic cast and misguided production of a Southern-style play. With Megan Mullally, Amy Poehler, Andy Richter and Max Greenfield (Roku Channel).

SATURDAY, March 9
Hunting Housewives
When four gal friends head out for a much-needed retreat away from their husbands and kids, they find themselves stranded in the wilds after a plane crash—and running from stalkers who consider them prey. With Denise Richards and Nene Leakes (9 p.m., Lifetime). 

SUNDAY, March 10
The Academy Awards
What films, actors and others will take home a golden statue, Hollywood’s most prestigious movie award? Tune in tonight for the 96th annual bestowal of the Oscars, hosted again by late-night personality Jimmy Kimmel (7 p.m., ABC).

MONDAY, March 11
The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys
Docuseries looks at the high-stakes word of farming and ranching in rural Missouri, where the McBee family is on the brink of becoming a billion-dollar business (Peacock).

TUESDAY, March 12
Password
New season of the iconic game show begins tonight with hosts Keke Palmer and Jimmy Fallon and a slew of upcoming celebrity players, including Lauren Graham, Johnny Knoxville, Howie Mandell, Meghan Trainor and Wiz Khalifa (10 p.m., NBC).

Wildcard Kitchen
New culinary competition combines poker and kitchen expertise. Interesting! Hosted by Eric Adjepong (9 p.m., Food Network).

The Boat
New streaming series stars Daisy Haggard and Paterson Joseph (above) as friends who stumble upon a shipwrecked boat full of cocaine—and attract the attention of some dangerous people who want it back (Amazon Freevee).

WEDNESDAY, March 13
The Amazing Race
Meet the new 13 teams who’ll compete on the hit series’ 36th race around the world (9:30 p.m., CBS).

Little Wing
Brian Cox and Kelly Reilly star in this adaptation of a New Yorker magazine article, a heartwarming coming-of-age story about a teenage girl, a broken family and a bird (Paramount+).  

THURSDAY, March 14
Apples Never Fall
Family life can be complicated indeed, especially on TV—as this new series (starring Sam Neill, Annette Bening, Jake Lacy and Alison Brie) shows. Based on the book by Laine Moriarty (Peacock).

The Girls on the Bus
Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Benham and Christina Elmore star in this new drama series (above) about four female journalists in the traveling press corps covering the campaign trail to the White House (Max).

BRING IT HOME

The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) is a bold and rousing remake—produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones—of the 1985 classic featuring an all-new, all-star cast (Taraji P.Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins and Halle Bailey) and pull-out-the-stops musical numbers from the later Broadway play. Extras include documentaries and making-of features.

Time to get wet again with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), as Aquaman (Jason Momoa) teams with his brother, the King of Atlantis (Patrick Wilson), to defeat an old, malevolent underwater foe. With Dolph Lundgren, Amber Heard, Randall Park, Martin Short…and Nicole Kidman as the Queen of Atlantis.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

What kind of music goes with outer space? In The Music of Space (McFarland), author Chris Carberry takes a wide-ranging look at the music and the composers who’ve helped create, define and fine-tune the “sounds” of space in movies and TV, from The Day the Earth Stood still to Star Wars and beyond And what’s that sound coming from the International Space Station? Is that a guitar? Yes!

Mar 01 2024
Leave a comment
DVDs, Movies, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

March 1 – March 7, 2024

Adam Sandler’s in space, Kate Winslet rules, all about Jackie O, and Zac Efron’s imaginary friend

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, March 1
Spaceman
Adam Sandler leads the cast in this far-out sci-fi drama (above) about an astronaut sent on a mission to the far reaches of the galaxy, where he meets a spider-like creature that helps him deal problems he left back on Earth. With Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar and Isabella Rossellini (Netflix).

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin
A legendary 18th British highwayman comes to life in this new comedy series as the legendary British robber (Noel Felding) sets on a series of wildly absurd escapades when he’s made the reluctant leader of a band of outlaws (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, March 2
Single Black Female 2: Simone’s Revenge
Amber Riley, Raven Goodwin and K. Michelle reprise their roles in this sequel about an investigative-crime TV host, her new love interest, amnesia and some serious sister issues (8 p.m., Lifetime).

OWN Spotlight
Host Oprah Winfrey sits down for an insightful chat with Angela Bassett about the award-winning actor’s four-decade-spanning career and her recent honorary Academy Award (9 p.m., Own).

SUNDAY, March 3
The Regime
Kate Winslet stars in this dark comedy series (above) about an authoritarian regime unraveling from within. With Hugh Grant and Martha Plimpton (9 p.m., HBO)

I Am Jackie O
Find out in this new doc all about Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, who became a media sensation after her husband’s assassination, eventually marrying a Greek tycoon and reinventing herself in the literary world—and forever living in pop consciousness as the embodiment of youth, culture and sophistication (8 p.m., The CW).   

MONDAY, March 4
So You Think You Can Dance
A new crop of hoofers put ‘em down and pick ‘em up for the judges of the 18th season of the primetime dance competition, hosted again by Cat Deeley (9 p.m., Fox).

MasterChef Junior
Look out! The kids are back in the kitchen. Season nine of the pint-size cooking competition begins tonight, with judges that include superchef Gordon Ramsay and his daughter, Tilly (8 p.m., Fox).

Queens
Angela Bassett narrates this new series about notable matriarchies of the animal kingdom, bringing the natural world into focus through a fem-centric lens. (8 p.m., NatGeo).

TUESDAY, March 5
Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda
Special recorded in London features a lineup of Gadsby and other genderqueer comedians (Netflix).

The Cleaning Lady
New season begins tonight of the crime drama about a Cambodian doctor who comes to America for medical treatment to save her son, eventually forced to take matters into her own hands and becoming entrenched in the criminal underbelly of Las Vegas (9 p.m., Fox).

WEDNESDAY, March 6
Full Swing
Hit the greens (while you’re just sit on the couch!) for season two of this documentary about pro golfers on the PGA tour (Netflix). 

Extraordinary
Becoming an adult is rarely easy, and season two of this British import comedy series (above) continues the drama of a group of 20-somethings who’ve discovered something in common: They all have superpowers (Hulu).

Animal Control
Joel McHale returns for season two of this workplace comedy (below) about a group of animal control workers who discover that critters may be simple, but humans are not (9 p.m., FOX).

THURSDAY, March 7
Ricky Stanicky
When three childhood best friends pull a prank that gets them into trouble, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to take the fall. Twenty years later, the now-grown buddies take “Ricky” to a whole ‘nother level—hiring a celebrity impersonator to bring him to real life. Starring Zac Efron, John Cena, Andrew Santino and Jermaine Fowler (Prime).

The Gentlemen
Director Guy Richie extends his hyperactive Gentleman-ly film empire with this new streaming entry, starring Theo James as a young cannabis heir in the criminal underworld (Netflix).

BRING IT HOME

Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Shailene Woodley star in Ferrari (Neon Films), set in 1957 as the former auto racer faces bankruptcy, personal problems at home and the prospect of a big race across Italy.

Tagged , , , ,
Feb 09 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, Television, Uncategorized

The Entertainment Forecast

Feb. 9 – Feb. 15

Marissa Tomei gets ‘Upgraded,’ Justin Hartley tracks bad guys, plus Black spacemen & pet shenanigans

Sara Silverman gets ‘stupid’ with all kinds of pets.

All times Eastern.

FRIDAY, Feb. 9
Upgraded
Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux star in this romcom set in the art world, where an intern at an art museum pretends to be the director, setting off a white lie that sets off a glamorous chain of romance, perks and opportunity…like flying first-class—and causes some very serious problems (Prime). 

Gospel Live!
Henry Lewis Gates Jr. hosts a celebration of roof-raising gospel music, with performances by John Legend, Erica Campbell, Anthony Hamilton and others, performed in front a live audience at a church in Los Angeles (9 p.m., PBS).

SATURDAY, Feb. 10
Super Bowl Soulful Celebration 25th Anniversary
Cedric and Entertainer and Tichina Arnold (of TV’s The Neighborhood) host this pre-taped pre-game concert blowout (ahead of tomorrow’s game), which has come along way from its humble roots as a gospel-themed brunch in Miami (8 p.m., CBS)

CMT’s Campfire Sessions
A sweet lead-up to Cupid’s big day, country stars gather ‘round the campfire for acoustic performances of some of the format’s greatest love songs. Performers include Chris Young, Darius Rucker, Sara Evans, Caitlyn Smith and Tenille Townes (10 p.m., CMT).

SUNDAY, Feb. 11
Tracker  
Justin Hartley (from This is Us) stars in this new series (above) as a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country tracking down bad guys and using his expert skills to help law enforcement and ordinary citizens (on CBS, following the Super Bowl).

MONDAY, Feb. 12
Gospel
Two-night special event traces the history of Black spirituality through worship and song, hosted by professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. (check listings, PBS).

The Space Race
Documentary (above) about pioneering Black astronauts, scientists and engineers who joined NASA to serve America’s space program in the 1960s, even as their country was failing to achieve equality for them back on Earth (NatGeo).

TUESDAY, Feb. 13
Five Blind Dates
Australian import movie about a woman told by a fortune teller that she’ll meet her soulmate in the next five blind dates she goes on (Prime).

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 14
The New Look
Ben Mendelsohn stars as Christian Dior and Juliette Binoche as Coco Chanel in this new drama series (above) about how the iconic designers (and others) navigated the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion (Apple TV+)

Players
Romcom about moving from one-night stands into a steady relationship stars Gina Rodriguez and Daymon Wayans Jr. (Netflix).

THURSDAY, Feb. 15
Bold & Bougie
Reality series follows a group of Black female entrepreneurs (above) who have charted their own professional—and personal—courses (9 p.m., AMC). 

Far North
Tonight’s two-episode premiere of the international crime caper dramedy is inspired by New Zealand’s largest meth bust, as an Australian gang’s lucrative drug deal with a global cartel goes away and they’re left stranded with 500kg of speed, nowhere to turn…and a boatload of lies (AMC+).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Memory is one of the mysteries of the mind, but psychology and neuroscience professor Charan Ranganath sheds some eye-opening new light on the subject in Why We Remember (Doubleday), a fascinating tour of the role our recollections play in our lives, from recalling faces and names to learning new things, making decisions, charting career courses, dealing with trauma and finding happiness. Also, why we keep forgetting to lock doors, turn off ovens, and…hey, where’s my car keys?

Now that technology has advanced to the point where everyone has a camera on standby (on our ever-present mobile phones), the lavishly illustrated Collaboration: A Potential History of Photography (Thames & Hudson) is a fascinating examination of why—and how—photographs are mementoes, historical records, art, souvenirs…and “collaborations” representing what’s in front of the camera and who’s behind it. This deep dive into the wide world of photography should be required reading for all shutterbugs.

2.15

BRING IT HOME          

Jack Black’s cult-classic gonzo movie masterpiece from 2006, Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, now finally debuts on Blu-ray, with his cohort and collaborator Kyle Glass and musical guests and celeb cameos from Fred Armisen, Amy Poehler, Dave Grohl and Ronnie James Dio. Plus commentary, behind the scenes and more! (Shout! Factory)

Jan 26 2024
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Jan. 26 – Feb. 2

Nicole K’s in the Far East, Tom Hanks puts flyboys in the air, & the inside story of the ’80s biggest global anthem

All times Eastern.

Nicole Kidman stars in ‘Expat.’

FRIDAY, Jan. 26
Expats
Nicole Kidman stars in this new series (above) based on the internationally best-selling novel about three women in Hong Kong whose lives fatefully intersect after a family tragedy (Prime Video).

Masters of the Air
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman—the producers of Band of Brothers and The Pacific—now turn their wartime storytelling mojo to this action-packed series (below) that presents the true story of an American bomber group in World War I. Starring Austin (Elvis) Butler and Barry (Saltburn) Keoghan (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Jan. 27
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero
Rock doc follows the Grammy-winning rapper as he embarks on his first-ever headlining U.S. tour (8 p.m., Max)

SUNDAY, Jan. 28
The Many Lives of Martha Stewart
You might think you know her, but this docuseries sheds new light on the barrier-breaking former stockbroker who became a self-made billionaire and media mogul…then a prison inmate (9 p.m., CNN).

MONDAY, Jan. 29
The Greatest Night in Pop
Remember the ‘80s event that was “We Are The World”? This new doc (above) tells the story of how dozens of the biggest names in music (Michael Jackson! Bruce Springsteen! Dionne Warwick! Huey Lewis!) came together in 1985 to record an anthem for charity that would alter global pop culture forever (Netflix).

TUESDAY, Jan. 30
Quantum Leap
The revamped sci-fi series, starring Raymond Lee as a physicist who can “leap” through time, leaps itself into a new weeknight slot…tonight(10 p.m., NBC).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31
FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans
The second juicy installment of creator Ryan Murphy’s anthology (above) centers on iconic author Truman Capote and a group of high society women whom he befriended—and then betrayed, leading to his downfall in a spiral of self-destruction. Starring Tom Hollander, Noami Watts, Demi Moore, Molly Ringwald, Calista Flockhart and Diane Lane (10. p.m., FX).

Choir
Six-part original series (below) follows kids of the Detroit Youth Choir (which appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2019) as they prepare for an important performance that will put them back in the national spotlight (Disney+)

THURSDAY, Feb. 1
Genius: MLK/X
New installment of the anthology series will focus on Dr. Martin Luther King (played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre), exploring the two men’s formative years as they are molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices (9 p.m., National Geographic).

Farmer Wants a Wife
It’s a hit in some 32 countries and has resulted in more than 200 marriages and 514 children. What is it? It’s this series (above) about “farmer” dudes finding love outside the city, hosted by country singer/actor Jennifer Nettles, and its new U.S. season begins tonight (9 p.m., Fox).

BRING IT HOME

Patrick Dempsey and Gina Gershon star in Thanksgiving, director Eli Roth’s creatively terrifying tale of a serial killer terrorizing Turkey Day in the New England town where the holiday first took place. Hey, is that blood, or just juice from the leftover cranberry sauce? (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

READ ALL ABOUT IT

You want your mummy, you say? Well, Mummy Movies (MacFarland) is for you! Author Bryan Senn’s comprehensive rundown unravels the cinematic history of mummies from 1932 (and The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff) onward, throughout the world and in an array of genres. Even Scooby-Do, Tom Cruise and Abbott & Costello met “their” mummies, and so did hundreds of other actors, in both no-budgets romps and Hollywood blockbusters. It’s a must for movie-monster fans!

Can creativity be copyrighted? In Who Owns This Sentence (wwnorton) authors David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu present an engaging exploration of history and concept of “copyright,” which arose in 1700s London and has today become a labyrinth of confusing legislation, now tackling such intangibles as jokes, ideas and other “intellectual property.”

Jan 19 2024
Leave a comment
DVDs, Movies, Pop Culture, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Sofia Vergara’s a mob boss, Awkwafina bugs out & ‘The Bachelor’ gets down to business

Sofia Vergara stars in ‘Greselda’ on Netflix.

FRIDAY, Jan. 19
Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story
She’s best known for her comedy, but Melissa McCarthy (and husband Ben Falcone) produced this serious film about the homeless and drug crisis in Los Angeles, and a man offering to help people rebuild their lives—through candle making (Hulu).

Hustlers Gamblers Crooks
Enter the secretive world of high-stakes gamblers and thieves in this new docuseries (below) with true stories, told by those who lived them (9 p.m., Discovery).

SATURDAY, Jan. 20
Dying in Plain Sight
An overweight high school student (Raffa Virago) develops a compulsive eating disorder because of her inattentive “clean eating” mother (Nicola Correla-Damude) (9 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Jan. 21
The Way Home
Andi McDowell (below right) returns in season two to the leading role in the multi-generational family drama about time-traveling and truth-seeking (9 p.m., Hallmark).

The Woman in the Wall
Twisty, six-episode drama series thriller stars Ruth Wilson as a woman in a small Irish town who wakes up one morning to find a corpse in her house…and no idea if she’s responsible (9 p.m., Showtime).

MONDAY, Jan. 22
The Bachelor
Tennis pro Joey Graziadei, a former contestant on The Bachelorette, begins his journey to find love—winnowing down the field of 32 females vying for his hand (and TV exposure) in tonight’s two-hour premiere (8 p.m., ABC).

TMZ Investigates
Get the scoop of celebrities and other juicy items about who did what with (or to) whom in this with this inside-dirt series produced by Harvey Levin, the host and founder of the TMZ celebrity news website and franchise (8 p.m., Fox).

Superhot: The Spicy World of Pepper People
Documentary series takes you into the zingy world of self-proclaimed chili heads in search of blistering mouthfuls of some of the world’s hottest peppers (Hulu).

TUESDAY, Jan. 23
Nazi Town USA
Think racism and fascism are relatively new threats? This probing documentary looks at the late 1930s, when swastikas and dire warnings about “Jewish controlled media” took root in many cities and small towns across America. Could it happen again? (9 p.m., PBS).

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24
A Real Bug’s Life
The actress Awquafina narrates this real-life adventure into micro insect worlds around the planet, where forces of nature play out on a miniature scale and tiny creatures rely on amazing powers and extraordinary alliances. They may be small, but the stakes are high (Disney+).

Trafficked
In tonight’s episode, “Sextortion,” host Mariana Van Zeller explores the blackmail scam of using compromising photos to extort victims online (9 p.m., NatGeo).

THURSDAY, Jan. 25
In the Know
Adult comedy puppetry series (above) about NPR radio hosts with voices of creator Mike (Beavis & Butthead) Judge and Zach Woods (Peacock).

Griselda
Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara in this true story, now a six-episode series about the woman who created one of the most profitable drug cartels in history (Netflix).

Sexy Beast
New streaming series (above), a prequel to the 2000 film of the same title, stars James McArdle and Tamish Greig in the origin story of a couple descending into the seductive madness of London’s criminal underworld in the 1990s (Paramount+).

BRING IT HOME

Now you can own The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (Kino Lorber Classics), the star-packed 1966 comedy about a Soviet sub that accidentally runs aground off the coast of New England, nearly starting World War III. Starring Alan Arkin, Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint and Jonathan Winters, newly released on Blu-ray with extras including audio commentary.

And there’s also the new Kino Lorber Classics Blu-ray release of Academy Award-winning drama Coming Home. Rediscover one of the best films ever made about the aftermath of the Vietnam war, with some incredible acting from Jane Fonda, Jon Voight and Bruce Dern, which brought the film two of its three Oscars in 1979.

Dec 08 2023
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Television, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 8 – Dec. 14

Monk cracks a new case, Julia Roberts meets the end of the world & Neil Patrick Harris collides with Dr. Who!

FRIDAY, Dec. 8
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Tony Shalhoub returns to his fan-favorite TV role (above), 12 years later, in this feature-length film as his crime-solving OCD character returns to solve another case, this one involving his beloved stepdaughter, Molly (Melora Hardin), as she prepares for her wedding (Netflix).

Leave The World Behind
Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Chris Evans and Kevin Bacon are among the all-star cast of this drama about a family vacation that turns into an apocalyptic nightmare after a cyberattack (Netflix).

It’s the end of the world, and Julia Roberts knows it.

A Very Demi Holiday Special
Pop star Demi Levato hosts this all-star Christmas party (below) with celebrity friends including Tiffany Haddish, Paris Hilton and Rich Eisen (Roku Channel).

SATURDAY, Dec. 9
Byron Allen Presents Funny You Should Ask
The primetime special presentation of the hit game show features four half-hour episodes with comedians Adam Corolla, Whitney Cummings, Billy Gardell, Natasha Leggero, Jon Lovitz and others (8 p.m., CBS).

Dr. Who: The Giggle
TV’s 14th doctor (David Tennant, below) comes face-to-face with his most terrifying villain, the Toymaker (played by Neil Patrick Harris) (Disney+).

SUNDAY, Dec. 10
A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop
Queen Latifah, Questlove, LL Cool J, Yo-Yo and many others help celebrate the milestone anniversary and the genre’s profound cultural impact in this two-hour tribute special (8 p.m., CBS).

Science Fair: The Series
Students work to solve the world’s most complex and pressing problems in this new docu-drama based on the most competitive science fair on the planet (National Geographic).

MONDAY, Dec. 11
How to Have an American Baby
An intimate look at an industry you likely didn’t even know about: “birth tourism” for Chinese women who want to have their babies born in the United States (check local listings, PBS).

The Billion Dollar Goal
How did soccer become such a big deal in America? This probing new docuseries traces the sport from its humble beginnings as an immigrants’ game to the historic moment in 1989 when an unforgettable goal ended a 40-year World Cup qualification drought, all against the backdrop of a nation that remained, for decades, skeptical about “European football” (Paramount+). 

TUESDAY, Dec. 12
Dark Harvest
In this horror thriller (above) directed by David Spade, teens confront a legendary supernatural specter that emerges from the cornfields of a small Midwest town every fall (8 p.m., MGM+).

Kevin Hart & Chris Rock: Headliners Only
New documentary follows the high-profile actor/comedians as they stir up new laughs together on a tour (Netflix).

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
It’s a holiday classic! Fred Astaire narrates this timeless 1970 animated tale about St. Nick (Mickey Rooney) as a young boy with an intense desire to do good things for others (8 p.m., ABC).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13
Bart Starr: America’s Quarterback
This latest installment of the SEC Storied franchise focuses on one of the greatest QBs in the history of the sport (above), who led the Green Bay Packers to five NFL championships then went on to coach them to victory in the first two Super Bowls (9 p.m., SEC network).

THURSDAY, Dec. 14
CMA Country Christmas
The 14th annual TV event, filmed in front of a live audience, features performances of Christmas classics by country stars including hosts Trisha Yearwood and Amy Grant, plus Lainey Wilson, Zach Williams, The War and Treaty and more (8 p.m., ABC).

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Rhony Legacy
Original “housewives” reunite for a new season and an epic adventure in the Caribbean (Peacock).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Spin (McFarland) by Bill Gruber takes a spin (get it?) through the world of things that spin—like the world, figure skaters, curve balls, drill bits, propellers, washing machines—and explains the engaging physics, science and philosophy behind them. It might even make your head spin!

BRING IT HOME

It’s a wild ride in Weird: The Weird Al Story (Shout! Factory), a “fictionalized” biopic of the zany song parodist and comedian starring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson. And a big part of the fun is the long list of all-star cameo appearances!

A grassroots movement of videogamers turns the table on stock-market fat cats in Dumb Money (Sony Home Entertainment), a modern-day David-and-Goliath tale based on a true story and real-life characters, played by Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Nick Offeman, Pete Davidson, Shalilene Woodley and others.

Dec 01 2023
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Dec. 1 – Dec. 7

Eddie Murphy gets the Christmas spirit, Archie and Jughead go to India & Geddy Lee is all about that bass

Eddie Murphy stars this week in the Netflix Christmas comedy ‘Candy Cane Lane.’

FRIDAY, Dec. 1
Candy Candy Lane
Eddie Murphy has made just about every kind of movie, except a Christmas holiday comedy. And now he’s done that too! In this bright blast of yule-y fun, he plays a man determined to win his neighborhood’s annual house-decoration contest, making a deal with a pesky elf (Jillian Belle) for some Christmas magic that takes a manic turn. With Tracee Ellis Ross, Nick Offerman and Ken Marino (Netflix).

The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd
The movie funnyman and SNL comedy pioneer (below) hosts this new docuseries, probing into some of history’s most unusual and bizarro mysteries—like the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, or a plague of killer dancing (10 p.m., History).

SATURDAY, Dec. 2
A Christmas Story Christmas
The recent movie sequel to the 1983 holiday classic comes now to TV, starring several of the original cast members in a modern-day update to the tale of a little boy who just wanted a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas (10 p.m., TBS).

Thriller 40
Has it really been four decades since Michael Jackson “thrilled” us with his 1983 hit single and album of the same name? This new documentary takes you behind the scenes of how a recording became a musical milestone for the ages (8 p.m., Showtime).

May December
Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton star in this new movie (above)—loosely based on the real-world tabloid scandal of convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau—about a woman who committed a similar crime and the TV actress preparing to play her in a new movie (Netflix).

NOW HEAR THIS

The Queen of Soul reigns supreme in Aretha Franklin: A Portrait of the Queen 1970-1974, a lavish new box set of five of her classic albums from that era, plus session outtakes, B-sides and demos. Relive the funk and firepower of Aretha’s classic hits like “Son of a Preacherman,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I need to Get By,” plus deep cuts including the Queen’s takes on “Spanish Harlem,” “At Last,” “The Long and Winding Road” and The Band’s “The Weight.” 

SUNDAY, Dec. 3
Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen
British historian Lucy Worsley (below) travels the world in this new limited series that follows the footsteps and the secret life of the enigmatic writer who revolutionized the genre of detective fiction (8 p.m., PBS).

Chowchilla
Documentary about the chilling true story of one of the strangest kidnappings of all time, when three masked men boarded a school bus in 1976, taking 26 children and their driver—and burying them all in a remote underground chamber. Find out how they escaped, and how the event continues to haunt them (9 p.m., CNN). 

MONDAY, Dec. 4
The Big Bake
Contestant cooks capture the cuteness of the North Pole with goodies adorned with seasonal, winter-wonderland decorations (11 p.m., Food Network).

TUESDAY, Dec. 5
Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?
In this new musical docuseries, the Rush band member (and bass player!) powwows at home with some of musicdom’s most famous fellow bassists and digs into their groovy stories (Paramount+)

The Canterville Ghost
Huge Laurie, Freddie Highmore and Toby Jones are among the voices you’ll hear in this animated, family-friendly reimagining of the Oscar Wilde classic about a family who moves into a haunted house in England (VOD).

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6
Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis
Lewis, who formerly hosted Bravo’s Flipping Out, returns for another season of this celebrity-digs redo series, with clients including Christina Ricci, Josh Duhamel and Regina Hall (Freevee).

THURSDAY, Dec. 7
We Live Here: The Midwest
Documentary spotlights families from America’s heartland who would love to stay but face challenges because of who they are, in the face of a rising tide of discrimination and hate in their churches, schools and neighborhoods (Hulu).

My Life with the Walter Boys
Heartwarming coming-of-age series (above, from the producers of The Kissing Booth) follows a teenage girl (Nikki Rodriguez) who relocates after a tragic accident from New York City to rural Colorado, where she develops feelings for two very different brothers (Netflix). 

Christmas at the Opry
Wynonna Judd hosts this festive, two-hour celebration of Christmas classics, holiday favorites and some of today’s biggest hits, from Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry House (8 p.m., NBC).

The Archies
The retro comic book characters (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, et al) get reimagined in this new live-action series (above) as 1960s teens in India in the fictional town of Riverdale—at least that hasn’t changed! (Netflix).

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Sure, you know Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Batman and Tarzan. But what about Waku, Prince of the Bantu… Jann of the Jungle… or Mars, the God of War? They’re all here, along with hundreds of others in Lou Mougin’s excellent Secondary Superheroes of Golden Age Comics (McFarland), a thorough (and thoroughly entertaining) scholarly rundown of lesser-known do-gooders from the 1930s through the ‘50s.

Hey, ol’ Scratch is is good company in the Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures (McFarland) by Theresa Bane. The author, a professional vampirologist, catalogues nearly 3,000 unholy terrors from the mythologies and lore of virtually every ancient society and religion. A few of my personal faves: Abaddown, the demonic angel from the bottomless pit of Sheol; the Daitya-Yuga, with a track record for trouble stretching across more than 1.5 billion years; and Paymon, the host and emcee of hell. It’s a busy underworld out there! 

He was the Beatles’ loyal friend, longtime roadie and personal friend. Find all about Mal Evans and his world in the inner circle of the legendary British band in Kevin Womack’s Living with the Beatles (Dey Street), which sometimes included jumping into recording session and even helping the Fab Four write songs. It’s a fascinating glimpse behind the Beatles’ curtain.

BRING IT HOME

Ahead of the Christmas Day theatrical release of the new remake, now you can own director Steven Spielberg’s 1995 original. The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), was nominated for 11 Oscars and marked the acting debut of Oprah Winfrey and the movie breakthrough of Whoopi Goldberg. The new 4K HD set includes several special features, including a making-of doc.

Nov 17 2023
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Music, Pop Culture, Television

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 17 – Nov. 23

John Hamm is a bad hombre lawman in the new season of Fargo.

FRIDAY, Nov. 17
Please Don’t Destroy: The Legend of Foggy Mountain
Conan O’Brien and Bowen Yang make supporting appearances in this new Judd (Superbad) Apatow comedy romp about a trio of childhood friends fending off bears, a crazy cult leader and park rangers as they head into the wilderness in search of a fabled treasure (Peacock).

Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story
Documentary follows the actor/director (above) and movie mogul as it recounts the mother’s enduring love at the roots of his climb to the top of an industry that didn’t always want to include him (Prime).

Dashing Through the Snow
Rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Madison Skye Validum and Lil Rey Howery star in this holiday family comedy about an Atlanta social worker and his Christmas Eve journey with his estranged daughter that helps him find the joy and magic of the holidays (Disney+).

Monarch: A Legacy of Monsters
Kurt Russell and his actor son, Wyatt, star in this generation-spanning series (with both Russells playing the same character, decades apart) based on the movie’s “Monsterverse,” where creatures like Godzilla and King Kong roar and rule (above) (Apple TV+).

SATURDAY, Nov. 18
Christmas Plus One
Emily Alatalo and Corey Seiver star in this holiday flick about an unmarried sister looking for her soulmate and the magazine writer who helps her Christmas wish come true (9 p.m., Lifetime).

Kennedy
Peter Coyote narrates this eight-part documentary about our 35th U.S. president, timed to the 60th anniversary of his assassination and featuring more than 70 new interviews with people who knew him, worked with him and admired him (8 p.m., History).  

SUNDAY, Nov. 19
The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown
New competition series finds Santa and his Scout Elves joining cake master Duff Goldman to challenge teams of sweet-centric bakers to make edible showpieces that capture the season (8 p.m., Food Network).

The Cunninghams wish you a Merry Christmas!

A Very Merry MeTV
Beginning tonight and continuing (off and on) until Christmas, watch holiday-themed episodes of your favorite retro TV shows, including The Brady Bunch, The Waltons, All in the Family, Sanford and Son, The Twilight Zone, Gilligan’s Island, The Beverly Hillbillies, Happy Days (above) and more (begins 12 noon, MeTV). 

MONDAY, Nov. 20
Spellbound
New teen fantasy series follows a vivacious 15 year old girl (Hailey Melody Romain) who relocates from America to study at the Paris Opera School in France, where she discovers a book of spells that changes her life and illuminates her surprising true identity (Hulu).

Wisdom Gone Wild
A filmmaker collaborates with her elderly mother as they confront the “wisdom” gleaned from the creeping shadows of dementia, in this moving documentary (check listings, PBS).

TUESDAY, Nov. 21
Fargo
Jon Hamm, Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh are among the cast for the fifth installment of the juicy, award-winning progressive crime drama, this time set almost-contemporary Minnesota and the Dakotas. And tonight’s episode—and the whole new series, actually—has some cool “callbacks” to events in the iconic 1996 Coen Brothers movie that started it all (10 p.m., FX).

Leo
Adam Sandler, Jason Alexander, Cecily Strong, Bill Burr and other funny folks provide voices in this cute animated coming-of-age age tale (above) centered on a classroom pet, a 74-year-old lizard (Netflix).

Groundbreakers
Learn how Title IX—the game-changing legislation that guaranteed all people, regardless of gender, equal access to federally funded sports programs—shaped the lives of eight young woman who went on to excel in the fields of tennis, basketball, soccer, gymnastics and flag football (check local listings, PBS).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22
Good Burger 2
New sequel to the ‘90s hit (based on a Nickelodeon comedy series) stars Kenan Thompson, Jillian Bell, Lil Rel Howery and Kel Mitchell as employees at a fast-food chain (Paramount+).

Squid Game: The Challenge
New spinoff of the streaming hit series as new challengers enter the competition in hopes of a nearly $5 million reward that would change their lives—if the “Challenge” doesn’t end them (Netflix).

Genie
Melissa McCarthy stars in this holiday fantasy (above) about an ancient genie summoned for an unlikely mission—to help a man (Paapa Essiedu) who’s lost sight of his marriage and his family (Peacock).

THURSDAY, Nov. 23
The Naughty Nine
Danny Glover stars as Santa in this movie comedy about a group of youngsters planning a heist of Santa’s North Pole village to get the presents they think they deserve (Disney+).

The Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS
Kick off the holiday with this annual network coverage of one of New York City’s iconic celebrations, a festive process down Sixth Avenue with jolly old St. Nick himself bringing up the rear (9 p.m., CBS).

NOW HEAR THIS

Is there anything she can’t do? Dolly Parton tears it up with some of rock ‘n’ roll’s legendary artists for her latest album, Rockstar, including Sting (on “Every Breath You Take”), Ann Wilson of Heart (“Magic Man”), Peter Frampton (“Baby I Love Your Way”), Deborah Harry of Blondie (“Heart of Glass”), Paul McCartney (“Let It Be”), Pat Benetar (“Heartbreaker”), members of Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Free Bird”) and more on this 30-song collection, that proves why, Dolly, we will always love you.

BRING IT HOME

Now you soar with season one of the Apple TV+ sci-fi drama series For All Mankind (Sony Home Entertainment)—with Joel Kinnaman, Casey Johnson and Shantel VanStanten among the big ensemble cast—as rocket scientists and astronauts push the boundaries of space exploration.

The highly acclaimed movie about the man who invented the atomic bomb and unleashed it into the world comes to Blu-ray and DVD with Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), with more than three hours of special features.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

If you love Hollywood history, you’ll flip for George Hurrell’s Hollywood (Running Press), the newly updated edition of vintage Tinseltown portraits taken by the great Hollywood “glamour” photographer of the 1920s and ’30. Hurrell, who worked for many of the major studios, photo’d just about everyone across multiple decades, including icons like Bogart, Garbo, Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford. Author Mark Viera ties some 400 eye-catching images together with words about Hurrell’s long-lasting influence and how his images shaped Hollywood’s visual history.

Christmas comes early for movie fans with Jeremy Arnold’s Christmas in the Movies (Running Press), a lavishly illustrated, freshly expanded examination of some of the most beloved holiday flicks of all time, including what makes them bona fide “Christmas movies.” You’ll love revisiting The Shop Around the Corner, It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Home Alone and—yes—Die Hard, among the 35 featured films.  

Nov 10 2023
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture, TV

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 10 – Nov. 16

Emma Stone is cursed, NCIS goes Down Under & Blake ‘s ‘Barmageddon’ is back

THURSDAY, Nov. 10
The Curse
Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder (above) star in this new series with Rosemary’s Baby vibes about a newly married couple trying trying to conceive a child—and disturbed by something that sure feels like a curse (10 p.m., Paramount+ with Showtime).

For All Mankind
The acclaimed space-race drama blasts off tonight for season four, as a NASA flight director (Wrenn Schmidt, above) and other Mars colonists work on an asteroid mining operation that could change the future of everything on Earth (Apple TV+).

Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Celebration
Host Jon Stewart and the United States Army Field Band honor service members past and present alongside a star-studded lineup of musical guests, including country entertainer Mickey Guyton, singer/songwriter Amanda Shires and Broadway star Mandy Gonzalez (9 p.m., PBS).

SATURDAY, Nov. 11
Legends of the Fork
Celebrity baker, chef and entrepreneur Buddy Valestro (below) visits restaurants across America to find the secrets of their success (9 p.m., A&E).

Devil on My Doorstep
Jenna Dewan—one of Lifetime’s “stock players”—and Steve Kazee star in this thriller about a delivery dispatcher obsessed with a homeowner, who becomes obsessed too. Enough obsession for a new Lifetime movie (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Nov. 12
Beacon 23
Sci-fi thriller love story set in the far reaches of the Milky Way involves a government agent (Lena Hedley, below) and an ex-military man (Stephan James) trapped together in a Beacon, a lighthouse for far-flung interplanetary travelers, with an AI whose motives aren’t initially clear (MGM+).

Good Cop, Bad Cop
New series recounts detectives pursing complicated murder cases with startling twists: The perps are fellow member of law enforcement (10 p.m., Investigation Discovery).

MONDAY, Nov. 13
NCIS: Sydney
Sit back and set sail for the first international edition of the hugely popular TV franchise, filmed on location Down Under and elsewhere as a new team of special agents is tasked with keeping criminal waves at low tide in one of the most contested region of ocean in the world. Starring Olivia Swann and Todd Lasance (10 p.m., CBS).

The Ladybird Diaries
New series tells the inside story of one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies in history, featuring audio from some 123 hours of personal and revealing diaries Lady Bird Johnson began recording after the assassination of JFK in 1963 and continuing through her husband’s turbulent administration (Hulu).

Barmageddon
Hosts Blake Shelton, Carson Daly and Nikki Garcia return for season two of the “bar games” fun (below) as celebrity guest compete in drunken axe throwing, air cannon cornhole, keg curling and more (11 p.m., USA Network).

TUESDAY, Nov. 14
A Murder at the End of the World
Murder series about a tech-savvy, Gen Z amateur sleuth (Emma Corwin) who becomes part of something deadly and sinister as a part of a group invited to a remote retreat by a reclusive billionaire (Clive Owen) (Hulu).

Chopped: Julia Child’s Kitchen
Chef competitors put their expertise to the test in this five-part TV tournament with the grand prize of a Julia Child-themed trip to France (8 p.m., Food Network).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 15
CMT Smashing Glass
New musical special spotlights trailblazing and groundbreaking artists, including honorees Tanya Tucker and Patti LaBelle, with performances and tributes from many others (8 p.m., CMT).

The Battle to Beat Malaria
Oh, great: Something else to worry about—the return of this mosquito-borne mega-threat that continues to plague the globe (9 p.m., PBS). 

THURSDAY, Nov. 16
Best. Christmas. Ever!
Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood and Jason Biggs star in this new holiday movie (above) about a couple of old friends brought together again by fate in the Christmas season (Netflix).

Terror Lake Drive
The anthology series returns for season three as a new South Georgia family mysteriously inherits a luxury vacation home that lures them into the troubled lakeside grounds that so horrified other characters previously (ALLBLK). 

Julia
Eight-episode second season of the original dramatic series about the iconic food star as Julia Child grapples with her rising celebrity, host her own TV cooking show and returns home to France, to find that her success has changed everything (Max).

BRING IT HOME

Get some post-Halloween terror tingles early with The Nun II (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment), the sequel to the 2018 horror hit in the Conjuring universe, as a demon nun wrecks more horrifying havoc in 1956 France. Starring Taissa Farmiga.

READ ALL ABOUT IT

Dogs bark, birds chirp and cows moo. But only humans “talk,” and sometimes, well, we say a real mouthful!  Jason Travis Ott’s Grandiloquent Words (Countryman Press) presents a marvelous look at unusual verbiage, antiquated phrases and fancy-schmantzy, high-falootin’ argot that have festooned our language for centuries.

Find out all about one of the world’s most famous fashionistas in The World According to Yves Saint Laurent (Thames and Hudson), which corrals the visionary couture icon’s maxims and musings on style, elegance, women, models, color, accessories and much more. A fascinating first-person look into the French-born designer who ultimately launched an eponymous fashion empire.

NOW HEAR THIS!

Beatles fans will flip their wigs over the fantastic new reissue of the career-spanning “Red” and “Blue” anthhology albums, available in both CD and vinyl, with all the band’s singles and B-sides from 1962 to 1970, plus new tracks—and the supergroup’s “last” song, “Now and Then,” a John Lennon original given finishing touches by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

Nov 03 2023
Leave a comment
Books, DVDs, History, Movies, Photography, Pop Culture

The Entertainment Forecast

Nov. 3 – Nov. 10

Annette Bening’s in deep, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ushers in new members, saddle up with an historic Black lawman & Tim Allen ho-ho-ho-ho’s once more!

FRIDAY, Nov. 3
NYAD
Annette Bening (above) stars in the real-life story of athlete Diana Nyad, a world-class swimmer who gave up the water in exchange for a career as a sportscaster—but, at the age of 60, decides to compete again in a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Spurring her on: her coach, played played by two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster. It’s a tale of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit (Netflix).

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction 2023
Sheryl Crowe, Willie Nelson, Bernie Taupin, Link Wray and The Spinners are among the musical elite coming into rock music’s hallowed space, tonight, ushed in with tribute performances by Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Dave Matthews, H.E.R. and others (Disney+).

SATURDAY, Nov. 4
Mulan
Watch the 2020 live-action remake (below) of the 1998 animated Disney tale of an adventurous Chinese girl (Yifei Liu) who grows up to become a champion warrior in the Imperial Army. It was nominated for two Oscars (8:05 p.m., Freeform).

You’re Not Supposed to Be Here
New thriller drama flick stars Chrishell Stause and Diora Baird as a same-sex couple who don’t exactly feel welcome when they arrive at their getaway cabin in a remote mountain town (8 p.m., Lifetime).

SUNDAY, Nov. 5
JFK: One Day in America
Three-part documentary takes viewers through every moment of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 60 years ago, with first-person accounts from those who were there (8 p.m., Nat Geo).

Lawmen: Bass Reeves
David Oyelowo (above) stars in this new streaming series about one of the most legendary lawmen of the Old West, who rose from enslavement to become the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi, arresting more than 3,000 outlaws. With Barry Pepper, Donald Sutherland and Dennis Quaid (Paramount+).

First Lady of BMF: Tonesa Welch Story
Michelle Mitchenor stars in this new series about a middle-class Detroit woman in the 1980s who launched a notorious drug empire (BET+).

Lost Women of Highway 20
Producer Octavia Spencer (above) explores the trail of missing and murdered women along a ghostly stretch of Oregon roadway in this true-crime docuseries (9 p.m., ID).

MONDAY, Nov. 6
3-Day Weekend
Take virtual tour—or learn what to see in person—in one the Southeast’s most lovely college towns, Chapel Hill, N.C. (9:30 p.m., ACC). 

Three Chaplains
Documentary about Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military, fighting to maintain a balanced devotion to Islam, the Constitution and the American military (10 p.m., PBS).

TUESDAY, Nov. 7
The Curse of Oak Island
The buried treasure hunt deepens in season 11, as the team of excavators continues to dig on the Nova Scotia island for clues to a 200-year-old mystery, encountering some surprising new evidence that confirms earlier rumors about its source (9 p.m., History).

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 8
The Buccaneers
Set in 1870s London, this new series follows a group of American girls who burst onto the tightly corseted scene, kicking off an Anglo-American culture clash and rattling stiff upper lips. Starring Kristine Frøseth, Alisha Boe and Josie Totah (Apple TV+).

The Santa Clauses
Tim Allen continues (above) in the role he launched back in 1994 with season two of this TV-series spinoff, in which his character’s plans to “retire” from saving Christmas are complicated when he can’t find a suitable successor for the job (Disney+).

THURSDAY, Nov. 9
Colin From Accounts
Hit Aussie comedy series starts streaming in the U.S., with stars Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall as two people brought together by a nipple flash, a car accident and an injured dog (Paramount+)

READ ALL ABOUT IT

How did streaming services gobble up eyeballs from “traditional” TV? Find out in Pandora’s Box (William Morrow), author Peter Biskind’s thoroughly engaging breakdown of the “revolution” by which TV supplanted movies as the leading format of entertainment, beginning with HBO’s The Sopranos.

What do “ancient” doodads have to do with the modern world’s colossal engineering feats? A lot! That’s what you’ll learn in Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (WW Norton), by Roma Agrawal, an award-winning structural engineer notes how seven teeny-tiny things have been instrumental in the way we now work and live.

Long live the Queen! The royal legacy certainly lives on in Cecil Beaton: The Royal Portraits (Thames & Hudson), an illustrated examination of how the British photographer’s work with the royal family shaped the public face of the House of Windsor across five decades. 

NOW HEAR THIS

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but you can get in the mood for the holiday season with Chicago Christmas Complete (Rhino), which pulls from all three of the iconic rock band’s Yuletime albums of yore for this 3-CD collection of classics, including “My Favorite Things,” “O Christmas Tree,” “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Wonderful Christmas Time,” which features Dolly Parton.

Have a very Cher Christmas (Warner Records) with the iconic pop diva’s first-ever holiday album, featuring some all-star guests (Stevie Wonder, Darlene Love, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Bublè) on a super slate of seasonal songs, including “Run Run Rudloph,” “Please Come Home for Christmas,” “Santa Baby” and four new originals.

BRING IT HOME

Now that the new season of Fargo is about to start (Nov. 11), you can revisit the movie that started it all. Fargo (Shout! Studios)—which was nominated for seven Oscars (and won two) after its release in 1996—is now available in a hi-def 4K edition, with loads of bonus features, including a rolled poster of original theatrical art, a limited edition glass snow globe, commentary by director of photography Roger Deakins, interviews with the Coen Brothers and their star, Frances McDormand, and more!  

Get in the holiday mood with the Lifetime 12-Movie Collection, Vol. 5 (Lionsgate), a ho-ho-ho-romantic roundup of a dozen of the network’s Christmas-themed romances, featuring such all-stars as Jodie Sweetin, Maria Menouos and Patti Labelle.

Hop in the hot rod for the new American Graffiti 50th Anniversary edition (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), which marks the cinematic milestone with its first release in 4K Ultra HD. The 1973 classic marked beginnings and breakthroughs of the movie careers of Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Cindy Williams, Suzanne Somers and Richard Dreyfuss, plus director George Lucas, who would (of course!) go on to make Star Wars.

Break out the eggnog for The Office: Complete Christmas Collection (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), and ho-ho-ho along with Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) and the other Dunder Mifflin gang in seven holiday classics, including “A Benihaha Christmas,” in which an off-site lunch turns into seasonal shenanigans.

And you better watch out! In Violent Night (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment), Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s not taking any sh*t from anyone when he tumbles down the chimney and into a home that’s in the process of being invaded and robbed. David Harbour is terrific as a St. Nick with a few bones to pick—and break.

← Older posts
Newer posts →