"Nights in Rodanthe"
Richard Gere and Diane Lane are strangers in the night in this romantic melodrama reuniting the stars of the infidelity tale "Unfaithful." Lane's character, a woman on the mend over a cheating husband, takes up residence at a remote coastal inn, just as a storm hits, stranding her with a doctor (Gere) aiming to make good on a past wrong. Sparks fly as the wind kicks up. Among the DVD and Blu-ray extras are alternate scenes with commentary from director George C. Wolfe, cast interviews and a segment on the theme song by Emmylou Harris.
"W."
The former Dubya-in-chief became the first president to get his own big-screen film biography while still in office. While the film found only a modest audience, director Oliver Stone defied expectations by keeping his inflammatory opinions fairly in check, instead delivering an empathetic if not sympathetic portrait of George W. Bush. Josh Brolin, an Academy Award nominee for "Milk," stars as Bush from his rowdy college days through his unlikely rise to political power. The DVD and Blu-ray disc includes commentary from Stone and a segment on Bush's legacy.
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"Miracle at St. Anna"
Spike Lee presents a World War II epic from the perspective of black soldiers with this saga that folds in a modern mystery about a missing artifact that resurfaces decades after the war. Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso and Omar Benson Miller play a foursome in an all-black regiment who become trapped behind enemy lines in Italy. Along with deleted scenes, the DVD and Blu-ray release include a segment with Lee, cast members and historians discussing the all-black "Buffalo Soldier" division. Lee also joins members of the Harlem Veterans' Club for an examination of Hollywood depiction of blacks in combat.
"Soul Men"
Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac star as a former hit singing duo brought back together after years of estrangement on a road trip to perform at a tribute concert for their former frontman. The DVD and Blu-ray include tributes to Mac and co-star Isaac Hayes, who also died just before the movie came out.
"Frozen River"
Melissa Leo grabbed a best-actress Oscar nomination for this low-budget drama that won top honors at last year's Sundance Film Festival, along with six nominations for the upcoming Spirit Awards honoring independent movies. Leo plays a mother whose desperation for quick cash lands her in an uneasy partnership with a Mohawk Indian woman (Misty Upham) smuggling illegal immigrants. Writer-director Courtney Hunt and producer Heather Rae provide commentary.
TV on DVD:
"Melrose Place: Fifth Season, Volume 1" — The spoiled and beautiful continue to live better lives than the rest of us in the prime-time soap. The first 19 episodes of season five are packed in a four-disc set.
"Friday the 13th: The Series — The 2nd Season"
"Simon & Simon: Season Two"
Coming next week
"Changeling" — Best actress Oscar nominee Angelina Jolie stars in this true story about Christine Collins, whose son was kidnapped and killed in the 1920s. Authorities tried to pass another boy off as her son, then institutionalized her when she protested. Blu-ray and DVD extras include making-of docs.
"Religulous" — Bill Maher is at his cheerfully most offensive in a slickly produced, stingingly funny documentary that attacks all manners of organized religion. Maher and director Larry Charles provide commentary.
"Still Waiting" — In a somewhat disappointing but still funny sequel to 2005's riotous "Waiting," Vanessa Lengies stars as a waitress in this vulgar, direct-to-DVD comedy.
— Phil Villarreal
