New on DVD: July 8

Phone Booth

Set entirely
within and around the confines of a New York City phone
booth, this thriller follows Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell),
a fast-talkin’ media consultant who is trapped after being
told by a random caller–a serial killer with a sniper
rifle–that he’ll be shot dead if he hangs up. When the
sniper does kill someone standing nearby, the police show
up but think Stu is the culprit. Mentally and emotionally
exhausted, Stu is forced to dig deep into his psyche and
find the strength to outwit the caller, taking the game
to an even more dangerous level. Also starring Forest
Whitaker and Katie Holmes.

What’s
Cool:

Commentary with director Joel Schumacher
Original trailer
Subtitled in French, Spanish

Basic

Tom Hardy (John Travolta),
an ex-Army Ranger-turned-DEA agent, is drawn into a mystery surrounding
the disappearances of a tough-nut sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) and
a few of his elite Special Forces trainees on what appears to have
been a routine training exercise in the Panama jungle. Only two survivors
are found but neither is willing to cooperate with Capt. Julia Osborne
(Connie Nielsen) and her investigation. What really happened to West
and his Ranger team? As each layer is peeled back, more lies and deceptions
are revealed until the awful truth is discovered.

What’s Cool:

Commentary with director John McTiernan
“Basic: A Director’s Design” featurette
“Basic Ingredients: A Writer’s Perspective” featurette

Still Hot…

Gangs of New York

Set in New York in
the 1860s, the film tells the story of Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo
DiCaprio), a young Irish American living in a neighborhood known as
the Five Points. Hell-bent on avenging his father’s death after watching
him be brutally murdered in a bloody gang battle between Irish immigrants
and British descendents, Amsterdam searches out the man responsible–William
"Bill the Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). Things get
complicated when Amsterdam is haplessly drawn into Bill’s world, becoming
the man’s confidante and surrogate son while keeping his identity–and
true purpose for being there–a secret. In time, however, all is revealed,
and just when Amsterdam and Bill are about to make what could be their
last stand against each other, the city erupts into violence and chaos
over the Civil War drafts. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it also stars
Cameron Diaz.

What’s Cool:

Commentary by director Martin Scorsese
The sets and costume design
“History of the Five Points” featurette
“Uncovering the Real Gangs of New York” Documentary
U2’s “The Hands that Built America” music video

How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days

Andie Anderson (Kate
Hudson), the how-to columnist for Composure magazine, agrees
to write a firsthand account of all the things women do to drive away
men. She has to find a guy, make him fall in love with her, then get
dumped–all in 10 days. Little does she know her target, ad agency
hottie Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey), has just made a high-stakes
bet with his boss that he can make any girl fall in love with him
in 10 days. So, while she’s trying to lose him, he’s doing whatever
it takes to keep her.

What’s Cool:

Commentary with director Donald Petrie
“Mapping Out the Perfect Movie and Perfect Location” featurette
5 Deleted scenes with director commentary

The Real Cancun

Designed to be the
first true reality feature film, six camera crews followed a cast
of 16 American college students and filmed their exploits in Cancun,
Mexico, during the time-honored tradition of Spring Break. The movie
was shot on location and reveals the students’ revelry through interviews
and group activities, as well as through their own spontaneous adventures.

What’s
Cool

Deleted scenes
Cast insights–candid talk about one another & their experiences
Cast reacting to the movie premiere

See
last week’s top 5 DVD’s

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