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Savvy looks at some of the new DVDs are coming out this month.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Complete Series – Warner Bros.
With this season’s new TV shows threatened by a possibly prolonged writer’s strike, now is the time to check out one of last fall’s best shows that did not survive, NBC’s excellent “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” newly out on home video. We thought this show was one of the best network offerings last year and were surprised to see it fail to get enough of an audience.
The story follows what goes on behind the scenes of a nationwide late-night comedy sketch show (which is obviously “Saturday Night Live” thinly disguised). Watching the episodes with a giant countdown clock, you wonder how writers come up with anything good under that kind of pressure to perform. “Studio 60” offers a likeable cast headed by Matthew Perry, Amanda Peete and Bradley Whitford, combined with the powerful writing of Aaron Sorkin. Steven Weber pretty much reinvented his personna as a tough-as-nails studio executive, and we hope Sarah Paulson, who played the Christian-out-of-water Harriet, gets another role as meaty as the one she plays here.
The six-disc DVD contains 22 episodes, along with pilot episode commentary by Executive Producers Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme. There is also an in-depth look at the Evolution of Studio 60.
On the Web: wbtvondvd.com
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Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same
Yes, the legendary 1973 New York concert movie is back in a two-disc special edition, remastered and remixed from original concert recordings with 5.1 Dolby audio.
Led Zeppelin’s signature songs are all here, along with fantasy sequences and at-home glimpses of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham.
Extras include two never-before-released performances of “Celebration Day” and “Over the Hills and Far Away,” plus “Misty Mountain Hop” and “The Ocean.” There’s also vintage TV footage about Led Zeppelin being robbed during the ’73 concerts, a Robert Plant BBC interview and 1973 Tampa news report, a radio profile spotlight by Cameron Crowe (whose experience became the basis for the film “Almost Famous”), and the original film trailer.
On the Web: warnervideo.com
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Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series
New from BBC Video is the complete third season of the new “Doctor Who,” a remake of the 1963 series that has aired in the US on the Sci-Fi Network. David Tennant returns as the Doctor (he took over from Christopher Eccleston in season 2), and taking the place of Billie Piper as his companion is lovely Freema Agyeman.
This six-disc, 652 minute collection takes us through 14 episodes full of bizarre aliens, witch-like creatures, weeping angel statues, Captain Jack’s return, dark Prime Minister Harry Saxon, and the last of the time lords.
Special features include outtakes and deleted scenes, audio commentary, a video diary by David Tennant, a tour of the studios, and teaser trailers. The sixth disc is a “Doctor Who Confidential” showing backstage action and exclusive interviews with all of the key cast and crew.
On the Web: www.bbcamerica.com
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Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 5 – Warner Home Video
You don't have to be a kid to enjoy watching cartoons, and this new DVD collection has some of the best: Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and more. Here we have 4 discs, 60 cartoons and a bazillion laughs. These DVDs are a great showcase for great animators from the golden age of cartoons.
Special features include commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes with animators, historians and voice artists, music- and effects-only tracks and selected shorts. There are also tributes to Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson and Robert Clampett. Bonus rarities from the vault include Private SNAFU and Mr. Hook shorts.
On the Web:
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First Snow – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential), Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), William Fichter (Armaggedon) and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man) star in this intriguing thriller about a man whose life spins out of control after a psychic tells him his days are numbered.
After his car breaks down in a desolate town, a slick salesman visits the psychic to kill some time, but the ominous reading that he has until the coming winter’s first snow sends his life into a tailspin. He becomes obsessed with revisiting his past in hopes of changing his destiny before it’s too late.
This is a gripping and heartfelt story. Any movie starring Miss Perabo has our eye.
On the Web: www.sonypictures.com
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