New on DVD, April 20: "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" "The Haunted Mansion" and More (2004/04/20)- Tickets to Movies in Theaters, Broadway Shows, London Theatre & More

New DVD’s This Week: April 20

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

This Academy Award-nominated film based on the popular novel series tells the saga of Capt. Lucky Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), who, during the Napoleonic Wars, captains his frigate H.M.S. Surprise. When the ship is suddenly attacked by a superior French vessel, Aubrey decides to set sail on his hobbled craft in a high stakes chase across two oceans to intercept and capture their foe. It’s a mission that can decide the fate of a nation–or destroy Lucky Jack and his crew. Also stars Paul Bettany as Aubrey’s trusted confidante and ship’s doctor, Dr. Stephen Maturin. Directed by Peter Weir.

What’s Cool:

Featurettes: “In the Hundred Days,” director Peter Weir’s guide through production; “In the Wake of O’Brian,” about adapting the novels; “Cinematic Phasmids,” a look at the special effects; “HBO First Look: The Making of Master and Commander.
Six deleted scenes

	From Our Review:
	The cast and crew of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World tackle the subject matter with verve and create a painstakingly accurate picture of life on a 1800s warship. Even when things are dead calm, it’s a breathtaking film to behold. More. . .

The Haunted Mansion

Smelling the deal of the century, realtor Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) and his family pay a visit to a mansion located in a remote and creepy Louisiana bayou. But instead of finding a great bargain, the Evers family ends up stranded at the old mansion with its brooding, eccentric owner Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker), his mysterious butler, Ramsley (Terence Stamp), and a variety of residents both seen and unseen. At first, Jim scoffs at Gracey’s stories about ghosts and hauntings, until he unearths the mystery of the mansion and finds that his wife Sara (Marsha Thomason) has unexpected connections to its turbulent past

What’s Cool:

Commentary by producer Don Hahn, visual effects supervisor Jay Redd and writer David Berenbaum
Bloopers and deleted scenes
Haunted Mansion virtual tour
Featurettes: “Making the Mansion” and “Anatomy of a Scene: Ghost in the Graveyard”
Music video: “Superstition” by Raven

	From Our Review:
	Although The Haunted Mansion starts promisingly and presents a wealth of possibilities, filmmakers decide to go the formulaic route to bring in the kiddies. More. . .

Win a Date With Tad Hamilton

Even a small-town girl can have big dreams, and Rosalee Futch’s (Kate Bosworth) is to someday meet her big-screen idol Tad Hamilton (Josh Duhamel). The “someday” arrives in the form of a contest in which Rosalee wins a date with Tad Hamilton, much to the chagrin her friend and co-worker Pete (Topher Grace), who is deeply, hopelessly–and secretly–in love with Rosalee. When Tad meets Rosalee and gets a taste of what he’s been missing in the “real world,” he decides he wants a simpler life and moves to her small town, turning Rosalee’s dream come true into a nightmare for Hamilton’s manager, Richard Levy (Nathan Lane), and, most of all, Pete

What’s Cool:

15 deleted scenes
Gag reel

	From Our Review:
	With a posse of fresh-faced up-and-comers, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! has enough appeal and good-natured wit to overcome its inherent flaws and charm the pants off any hopeless romantic. More. . .

Still Hot

Kill Bill Vol. 1

An entire wedding party is slaughtered during a dress rehearsal in a rural Texas chapel: the pregnant woman in the blood-splattered wedding dress is Black Mamba, better known as The Bride (Uma Thurman). The assassin, Bill (David Carradine), and his circle of killers known as The Vipers (Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah and Lucy Liu) leave The Bride for dead. Unluckily for them, turns out she was only in a coma. Four years later, The Bride suddenly awakens and realizes what has been done to her–and who did it–so she sets off to seek revenge on her former master and his deadly squad of assassins. One by one, she kills the various members of the assassin group–but she’ll save Bill for last.

What’s Cool:

Click here to see clips from the film [will hardcode link to page] and watch a special featurette on the making of Kill Bill Vol. 1 [will hardcode link to page—there are two separate pages, I believe

	From Our Review:
	Vol. 1 doesn’t top Pulp Fiction as Quentin Tarantino’s crowning achievement, but it is definitely worth the long wait. Then again, even half of a Tarantino film is twice as good as any thriller we’ve seen all year. And it leaves you counting down the days until Tarantino unleashes Vol. 2. More. . .

Cheaper by the Dozen

Tom Baker (Steve Martin), a local college football coach, and wife Kate (Bonnie Hunt) decide to uproot their large brood–12 kids in all–so Tom can take a dream job as a coach to a large university. At the same time, Kate learns that her memoirs are about to be published and has to promote the book in New York, leaving Tom home alone to handle the increasingly unhappy and hectic household as well as his demanding new job. With all hell breaking loose at home, Kate on the road, and Tom’s job on the line, the Baker family ultimately chooses not to have it all, but to love what they do have. Also stars Tom Welling, Hilary Duff and Ashton Kutcher.

What’s Cool:

Commentary by director Shawn Levy and “The Baker Kids”
Featurettes: “Director’s Viewfinder: Creating a Fictional Family” and “Inside Look”
Six deleted scenes, with director’s commentary

	From Our Review:
	With its clichéd jokes and hackneyed one-liners, Cheaper by the Dozen isn’t exactly knee-slapping comedy, and its outdated premise makes it hard to relate to. Let’s just pray that this comedy doesn’t spawn a sequel entitled The Baker’s Dozen. More. . .

Compiled by Anne Reiman

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New on DVD, April 20: “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” “The Haunted Mansion” and More