Week 2 (Street Date 12/8/2009)

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Cove, The

Studio: Lions Gate MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Documentary Pre Order Date: 11/3/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 0.8 Number Of Screens: 56 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 7/31/09 Director: Louie Psihoyos Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Isabel Lucas, Ric O'Barry Videoretailer.com Review: After encountering a radical change of heart regarding the captivity of dolphins, former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has made it a life-mission to be a devout supporter of the intelligent creatures’ safety. In a remote cove in Taiji, Japan, surrounded with barbed wire lies a dark, greed-ridden and highly protected area where at night, Japanese fishermen engage in dolphin hunting to sate the multi-billion $ dolphin entertainment industry and to trade mercury-tainted dolphin meat…what they do is chilling and has such dire consequences to human health that there is a well organized shroud of secrecy that climbs the corrupt ranks. Together with various camera and scuba experts, O’Barry sets out to organize an “Oceans Eleven” style infiltration of the cove and document what’s happening at the cove…all the while playing a cloak & dagger game with various strong-arms, politicos and law-men that would have them jailed in an instant. Excellent documentary almost comes across as a spy-thriller as the technology, timing and derring-do employed by the filmmakers not only makes this an exciting film, but also an angering, heartbreaking an eye-opening experience. Critics unanimously loved this, as did the consumer…it’s won numerous awards and according to Roger Ebert is a “certain Oscar nominee”. Documentaries are dodgy affairs…some markets do well with them while others are shakier. As docs go, this is top shelf, although is void of much awareness…word-of-mouth may give this a shove after a few weeks of exposure, but as good as this is, the appeal will probably be limited. Most should be okay with 1-4, but keep an eyeball on it and be ready to grab more if your copies are always out. IMDB User Rating = 8.6 (out of 10).

Dog Who Saved Christmas, The

Studio: Anchor Bay MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Family Pre Order Date: 11/4/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: DTV Number Of Screens: Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: Director: Michael Feifer Cast: Mario Lopez, Dean Cain, Adrienne Barbeau Videoretailer.com Review: The Bannister family's new addition, ‘Zeus’ (voice of Mario Lopez) a former K-9 police hero, appears to be less than the dependable guard dog the family needs. However, when two burglars led by ‘Ted Stein’ (Dean Cain) set out to break into the Bannister's home while they're away for Christmas, Zeus seizes the chance to be a hero, proving every dog has his day as Zeus uses his K-9 training and canine senses to protect the Bannisters’ Christmas booty under the tree. Direct to video family comedy plays out like “Home Alone”, but with a cute dog fending off the tenacious burglars instead of a cute kid. This should actually be a pretty excellent renter for the entire month, considering the family-safe nature and overt Christmas theme, and given the fair $20 SRP asking price, most are going to want to buy in depth despite the lack of title awareness and major starpower.

Get Smart - Season 5 (4dsc)

Studio: HBO MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Comedy Pre Order Date: 11/2/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: TV67 Number Of Screens: CBS Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 1967 CBS Director: Cast: Don Adams, Barbara Feldon Videoretailer.com Review: Season 5 of 5, this once-popular CBS show centers on the bumbling CONTROL Special Agent Maxwell Smart who along with the hip and confident ‘Agent 99’, and with the help of various gadgetry, battled the evil forces at KAOS. Popular show in its day is still popular with some TV-philes, but the Steve Carell remake probably didn’t do much to wrangle in new fans. See how the previous 4 seasons have done for you and buy accordingly.

Harry Potter: Half Blood Prince

Studio: Warner MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Adventure Pre Order Date: 10/13/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 301.0   Number Of Screens: 4455 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 7/15/09 Director: David Yates Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman Videoretailer.com Review: ‘Voldemort’ is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was as ‘Harry’ (Daniel Radcliffe) suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, yet ‘Dumbledore’ (Michael Gambon) is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting Professor ‘Horace Slughorn’ (Jim Broadbent), whom he believes holds crucial information…tragedy hides just around the corner and Hogwarts may never be the same again. While this 6th installment to the HP franchise is full of wonderful sights, sounds and FX, and it scored high amongst the critics and general public, the hardcore fans of the books were disappointed with this edition, claiming it to be the weakest of the series. This aside, the film made $300M domestically and close to a billion worldwide, so there’s interest with this, and this title is the centerpiece for the month. Rentals will be brisk and this should have endurance throughout the holidays…speaking of which, this is timed out pretty well to bring in significant depth and pre-sell previously viewed copies to be picked up before Christmas. Compare in strategy to 12/9/08’s “Dark Knight”…yes that was the B/O hit of the year, but the timing is the same and the demand will be very comparable. IMDB User Rating = 7.5 (out of 10).

Humble Pie

Studio: Monterey MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Dramedy Pre Order Date: 11/9/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Ltd Number Of Screens: Fests Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2007 Wide Fests Director: Chris Bowman Cast: Mary Lynn Rajskub,Hubbel Palmer, William Baldwin, Kathleen Quinlan Videoretailer.com Review: At nearly 400 pounds, gentle giant ‘Tracy Orbison’ (Hubbel Palmer) is a wide target, and when he sets out to pursue his dream of acting, the grocery clerk finds an assortment of people waiting to dash his dreams to the rocks of despair…his acting coach (William Baldwin) is only using him to get to his sister ‘Peggy’ (Mary Lynn Rajskub); his juvenile-delinquent friends suck him into their petty crimes; and his God-fearing, self-loathing mother (Kathleen Quinlan) knocks down his confidence at any given chance. Through it all, Tracy remains irrepressibly upbeat, convinced he's destined for something bigger than his appetite. Pretty good indie has a touch of Napoleon Dynamite going for it, but never approaches the goofy nature, choosing instead to make the lead character a likeable and empathetic figure amongst other off-kilter characters. Never approaching genius, but also not a let-down, this quirky dramedy found good reviews following a limited festival run where it won 6 awards, and while there is little to no awareness, there is some starpower with Baldwin, Quinlan and Rajskub so there maaaaaayyy be some mainstream interest…target here though is with fans of off-center indie comedies. Most should be just fine with 1-4. IMDB User Rating = 7.2 (out of 10).

Julia & Julia

Studio: Sony MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Bio-Dra Pre Order Date: 11/4/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 93.0 Number Of Screens: 2528 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 8/7/09 Director: Nora Ephron Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Jane Lynch Videoretailer.com Review: Combining two autobiographies – one by great and beloved chef Julia Childs (played here by Meryl Streep) that describes Childs’ first discovery of her love of food as she’s living in Paris with her State Department husband (Stanley Tucci), and enrolls in a French preparatory program, trying to find a creative outlet, and awakening an inner giant; and the second surrounds a modern-day woman ‘Julie Powell (Amy Adams)’s blog-turned-memoir as the overly enthusiastic but professionally unsuccessful woman attempts to find a creative outlet by attempting to cook every one of Childs’ 560 recipes in her cookbook “Mastering The Art Of French Cooking”, and blogging about it…when the blogs take off and she gets publishing offers, a giant awakens. While there are two films here that could have stood their own ground independently of each other, Nora Ephron’s whimsical romp is still a good crowd-pleasing piece that found great applause from critics and consumers, and had to be a box-office surprise to the producers. Appeal will be very good with women 35+ and though this may not play up to the typical expectations of a $90M movie, demand should be solid and have some longevity…especially in more mature and affluent markets. Compare with 12/08’s “Mamma Mia”…this should hit the same demographic, and was a mid-December release…if in doubt, go a little lighter here. IMDB User Rating = 7.8 (out of 10).

Lost - Season 5 (5dsc)

Studio: Buena MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Drama Pre Order Date: 10/13/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2008 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: TV08 Number Of Screens: ABC Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2008 ABC Director: Cast: Naveen Andrews, Emile de Ryan, Matthew Fox Videoretailer.com Review: Season 5 of 5 and counting, this ABC hit show surrounds the survivors of a plane crash that strands them on a remote island in the South Pacific. The survivors include Doctor Jack, now freed prisoner Kate, one hit wonder rock star Charlie, Iraqi military vet Sayid, and a mysterious man named Locke. For a while their goal is simple survival, but they soon realize that it was far more than mere chance that brought them together, and each of them has a purpose that will help them unlock the island's secrets. This prime-time thriller is still a huge hit and this fifth season showed the best ratings yet. One of the best renters of all the TV shows, this is a sure bet for those who carry TV to DVD titles…if you haven’t started yet… consider starting here.

	Lost Treasure Of The Maya
	Studio: MTI MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Action-Adventure Pre Order Date: 11/9/09 Video Release Date: 12/8/2008 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: DTV Number Of Screens: NA Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: NA Director: David Murphy Cast: Keith David, Michael Madsen, Declan Joyce Videoretailer.com Review: Coming Soon

Moonlight Serenade

Studio: Magnolia MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Musical / Dra Pre Order Date: Video Release Date: 11/9/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 12/8/2009 Number Of Screens: DTV Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: Director: Giancarlo Tallarico Cast: JB Blanc, Amy Adams, Moon Bloodgood Videoretailer.com Review: ‘Nate’ (Alec Newman) is a successful financial manager by day and musician by night, and one evening he hears a beautiful voice singing outside his apartment where he’s playing his piano. The mysterious voice turns out to be the coat check girl, ‘Chloe’ (Amy Adams), at the local jazz club, and taken by her beautiful pipes, Nate strikes a deal with Chloe to perform with him at the club, and a budding romance is formed. Not much else to be found on this music-filled romance that despite Amy Adams’ rising starpower, is a direct to video release that will find some minor mainstream attention, but in the end, this will do okay, but isn’t likely to be a surprise sleeper. Most should be alright with 1-4.

Plaguers

Studio: Image MPAA Rating: R Genre: Sci-Fi Pre Order Date: 11/9/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Ltd Number Of Screens: Fests Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2008 Fests Director: Brad Sykes Cast: Steve Railsback, Alexis Zibolis, Bobby James Videoretailer.com Review: When a fuel-transport vessel bound for Earth carrying a mysterious & glowing alien artifact is hijacked by a bunch of sexy and busty space pirates, things take a turn for the much-worse when one of the loud and brazen space hussies gets all up in the artifact’s grill and becomes infected with a virus that turns her into a demon zombie, and then she starts infecting the others, and soon you have a combination of “Alien” and “Night Of The Living Dead”. Ultra-B sci-fi horror suffers from bad acting, but does have really very good effects and some gore and scares. Ultimately though, this is a dog of a film that will be appreciated by those who aren’t too bothered by bad Sci-Fi Channel product…not that this is a Sci-Fi Channel product…it’s a little better than most of those. Most should be alright with 1-3.

	Ponyo
	Studio: Buena MPAA Rating: G   Genre: Anime Pre Order Date: TBA Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 15.1 Number Of Screens: 927 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 8/14/2009 Director: Hayao Miyazaki Cast: 2008 anime film from Japan has recently been dubbed & released on U.S. screens Videoretailer.com Review: Coming Soon

Public Enemies

Studio: Universal MPAA Rating: R Genre: Crime-Thr Pre Order Date: 10/20/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 97.0 Number Of Screens: 3336 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 7/1/09 Director: Michael Mann Cast: James Russo, Johnny Depp, David Wenham, Christian Stolte Videoretailer.com Review: A folk hero to the American public thanks to his penchant for robbing the banks that many people believed responsible for the Great Depression, charming bandit ‘Dillinger’ (Johnny Depp) was virtually unstoppable at the height of his criminal career; no jail could hold him, and his exploits endeared him to the common people while making headlines across the country. J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup), determined to bust Dillinger and his crew, which also included sociopathic ‘Baby Face Nelson’ (Stephen Graham) and ‘Alvin Karpis’ (Giovanni Ribisi), unleashed relentless FBI Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to take down Dillinger and his gang by whatever means necessary and christened Dillinger the country's very first Public Enemy Number One. Very good gangster flick found mostly favorable reviews and consumer response. The cast is A-list and the performances throughout this fairly complex drama are excellent. Downsides are that it’s overlong, and concludes without a payoff that expectations lead to. The starpower alone with find broad mainstream interest…the genre will only add to the allure. Compare with 5/09’s Valkyrie, but bump this up for the increased December traffic. IMDB User Rating = 7.4 (out of 10).

	Rescue Me - Season 5 Vol. 2 (3dsc)
	Studio: Sony MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Drama Pre Order Date: 11/5/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: TV09   Number Of Screens: FX Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2009 FX Director: Cast: Denis Leary, Mike Lombardi, Lenny Clarke, Tatum O'Neal Videoretailer.com Review: Coming soon

	Runaway
	Studio: Koch MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Drama Pre Order Date: 11/9/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Ltd Number Of Screens: Fests Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2005 Fests Director: Tim McCann Cast: Aaron Stanfors, Robin Tunney, Melissa Leo Videoretailer.com Review: Coming soon

Skeptic, The

Studio: MPI MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Horror Pre Order Date: 11/2/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 6K  Number Of Screens: 2 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 5/1/09 Director: Tennyson Bardwell Cast: Timothy Daly, Tom Arnold, Zoe Saldana Videoretailer.com Review: After the mysterious death of his Aunt, a lawyer, ‘Bryan Becket’ (Tim Daly), dismisses reports that her house is haunted, moves in and immediately experiences occurrences he can’t explain. Something about the house gnaws at Becket - some strange connection he senses he has with the house's past. Soon, the haunting turns personal as he hears voices suggesting clues to a deep mystery and he finds help in a young psychic who immediately declares, that there’s a dark secret in the house. Together they embark on a journey to uncover the secret - a journey which leads them deep into the recesses of his own troubled mind. Slow-boil psychological thriller is a quality affair that will entertain those who aren’t looking for a splatter-fest or an action-packed shocker…problem with this picture though is the ending is quite disappointing. Pedestrian boxart won’t help or hurt the cause – same pretty much goes with the marginal starpower. Most will be good with 1-4. IMDB User Rating = 5.8 (out of 10).

World's Greatest Dad

Studio: Magnolia MPAA Rating: R Genre: Comedy Pre Order Date: 11/10/2009 Video Release Date: 12/8/2009 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 0.2  Number Of Screens: 30 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 8/21/09 Director: Bobcat Goldthwait Cast: Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara Videoretailer.com Review: Robin Williams stars as ‘Lance Clayton’, a man who once dreamed of being a rich and famous writer, but has only managed to make it as a high school poetry teacher. He’s dating ‘Claire’ (Alexie Gilmore), the school's adorable art teacher, who doesn't want to get serious -- or even acknowledge publicly that they are dating; his only son ‘Kyle’ is a mostly friendless jerk who’s doing so poorly at school that his advisors suggest he go to a special needs school. But when Kyle dies accidently from auto-asphyxiation, and Lance stages the scene as a suicide, following it all up with falsified journal entries that make Kyle sound profoundly talented writer, the world is suddenly Lance’s stage and Kyle becomes a legend…until Lance’s conscience comes knocking. Pretty excellent dramedy is a very intelligent flick that has sharply cutting satire, moments of great humor and moments of surprising emotional weight. Directed by Bobcat Goldthwaite, he’s come miles since “Shakes The Clown”, creating a quality indie picture that found high marks from critics and consumer alike. Despite the lack of awareness, this should find good mainstream interest thanks to Williams’ starpower, and to the good boxart that not only prominently displays the said starpower, but snippets of positive critical commentary. Maybe compare with 6/09’s “What Goes Up”, but bump this up. IMDB User Rating = 7.5 (out of 10).