Week 3 (Street Date 1/19/2009)

VideoRetailer.com Users: We really need your feedback...
Please CLICK HERE to take a quick survey so we can continue to provide these tools to you.

According To Greta

Studio: Anchor Bay MPAA Rating: PG13 Genre: Drama Pre Order Date: 12/16/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Ltd  Number Of Screens: Ltd Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2009 Ltd Release Director: Nancy Bardawil Cast: Hillary Duff, Ellen Burstyn, Melissa Leo Videoretailer.com Review: ‘Greta’ (Hilary Duff) is a free-spirited, rebellious and sarcastic 17-year old who’s shipped off to her grandparents (Michael Murphy, Ellen Burstyn) for a summer on the Jersey shore when her mother pushes her aside. Full of angst, Greta’s wildly active personality disrupts their settled retired lifestyle, but before long, a near-catastrophe gives Greta a wake-up call on how her actions impact everyone around her. As Greta begins to change from an angst-ridden teen into a thoughtful young woman, a blossoming romance between her and a young, ambitious black cook at the restaurant she works is threatened when the grandparents voice their concerns over his criminal history. Pretty good Dramedy actually has some substance and isn’t the bubble-gum teen romancer it appears to be on the outside. Those who caught the limited theatrical really appeared to enjoy this, and there was actually a grass-roots campaign to get this a wider theatrical distribution, but to no avail…surprising considering the starpower and the evident quality of the film…in addition, target markets (‘tween & teen girls) are showing considerable anticipation…this could have probably done okay in the theaters. In any event, appeal will be mostly with the target, but some older audiences may give it a look as well; it’s got good enough starpower, the only thing really lacking is title awareness. Maybe compare with Duff’s other drama that had a limited theatrical “What Goes Up”. Different storyline altogether, but this should get you in the right ballpark of a potential video performance. IMDB User Rating = 6.7 (out of 10).

Across The Hall

Studio: Image MPAA Rating: R Genre: Thriller Pre Order Date: 12/14/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Ltd Number Of Screens: Ltd Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2009 Ltd Release Director: Alex Merkin Cast: Brittany Murphy, Danny Pino, Mike Vogel Videoretailer.com Review: A quiet night takes a dangerous turn when ‘Julian’ (Mike Vogel) receives a frantic phone call from his best friend, ‘Terry’ (Danny Pino) who claims to have followed his unfaithful fiancée ‘June’ (Brittany Murphy) to a seedy hotel on the other side of town. To make matters worse, he's rented out the room across the hall from her, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a revolver in the other. As Terry becomes drunker, angrier and less in touch with rational thinking, Julian pleads with his friend to stay put while he rushes to avert disaster. Mildly suspenseful, non-linear film noire thriller is technically a quality film, with good writing and good acting. The problem with it, and the one issue that made this a love-it or hate-it type film, is the fact that it’s adapted from a half-hour short, and the extra time isn’t filled with more scenes, but rather the extra hour is used for character development and for setting up atmosphere, thereby creating some very slow pacing that turned off some viewers. Others however appreciated the effort, calling it a superbly intelligent thriller…many compared it to Hitchcock’s style. Brittany Murphy’s involvement gives this a little starpower, the boxart is a strange thing…it’s intriguing and eye-catching, but somehow reminds me of a thriller from 1993 – either that, or a cheap paperback novel. Most will probably be alright with 1-6 of these. IMDB User Rating = 6.1 (out of 10).

Blood Creek

Studio: Lions Gate MPAA Rating: R Genre: Horror Pre Order Date: 12/22/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Ltd Number Of Screens: Ltd Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2009 Ltd Release Director: Joel Schumacher Cast: Dominic Purcell, Henry Cavill Videoretailer.com Review: In 1936, a German family living in rural ‘Town Creek’, Maryland, agrees to host a Nazi professor working on an occult project that seals the Wollners off from the rest of the world and makes them players in a horrifying game of survival. Now, 71-years later, ‘Evan Marshall’ (Henry Cavill)’s life has stalled at twenty-five years old. Left without answers after his older brother ‘Victor' (Dominique Purcell)’s disappearance from a camping trip near Town Creek, he has tried to move on. But when Victor returns one night, very much alive and having escaped his captors, Evan asks no questions - at his brother's request, he loads their rifles, packs up their boat and follows him back to Town Creek on a mission of revenge that will test them in every possible way. Really interesting set-up kind of falters along the way, but is nevertheless a fairly entertaining supernatural horror flick that has a little starpower, and is directed by once A-list director Joel Schumacher, so you know at least the production values will at least be adequate…too bad there are a lot of plot holes and noticeable missteps in logic. Good boxart will find interest from your usual non-mainstream horror fans…most should be able to get away with 1-5. IMDB User Rating = 8.0 (out of 10).

Che (3dsc)

Studio: Image MPAA Rating: R Genre: Bio-Dra Pre Order Date: 12/21/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 1.7 Number Of Screens: 39 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 12/12/08 Director: Steven Soderbergh Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Demian Bichir, Julia Ormond Videoretailer.com Review: Nearly 40 years after Che Guevara's execution Steven Soderbergh retraces the life of the iconic Cuban revolutionary in this nearly four-and-a-half-hour saga. Beginning in 1956, when Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir) sails into Cuban waters with 80 rebels in tow, including Argentine doctor ‘Ernesto "Che" Guevara’ (Benicio Del Toro), and sets into motion the overthrow of corrupt Cuban dictator Batista, Guevara proves an indispensable part of the revolution and quickly rises through the ranks to ultimately become a revolutionary hero. At the absolute peak of his fame and power, Che appears in Bolivia to organize the Latin American Revolution, and while the Bolivian campaign failed, Guevara became a symbol of heroism to followers around the world. Filmed and screened separately until the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, this 270-minute bio-drama is in good hands with Soderbergh, and with Del Toro starring, you know the performance will be good…and it all is a quality film that found good critical applause and won a Best Performance at Cannes, in addition to being nominated for a bunch of other awards. Problem with this is the length…at nearly 4.5 hrs, it’s a commitment that many won’t be willing to take, however, for whatever reason, its hip to celebrate Guevara’s folk heroism, so perhaps we’ll see some interest from younger hipster audiences as well. Most should probably be alright with 1-6…despite its critical successes, starpower and $1.7M B/O, I just don’t see this as being in great demand. IMDB User Rating = 7.2 (out of 10).

Defying Gravity - Season 1 (3dsc)

Studio: Fox MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Sci-Fi Pre Order Date: 12/22/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: TV09 Number Of Screens: Fox Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2009 Fox Director: Cast: Ron Livingston, Malik Yoba, Andrew Airlie Videoretailer.com Review: Season 1 of 1, this ABC sci-fi show takes place in 2052, when the 8 member crew of the ‘Antares’ set off on a 7 year, 6 planet voyage of Earth's solar system to conduct research and expand man's knowledge of his surroundings. The crew is led by two veteran astronauts, ‘Ted Shaw’ and ‘Maddux Donner’ (Ron Livingston), who were part of a Mars mission 10 years earlier that left two crew members dead. The remaining members are all rookies who have undergone a rigorous, 5 year training program and in flashbacks, the challenges they faced in being selected for the mission are revealed. The reality however is that none of the crew is aware of the real purpose of the mission, the result of an encounter with an alien object 15 years before. Enduring only 1 season before cancellation (to the chagrin of its strong core fanbase), this show is / was actually quite good, but just didn’t have the ratings to satisfy the network who wasn’t willing to give a 2nd season a try. Fans of the show may take interest in this as a rental, but without the promise of subsequent seasons to drive up a fanbase market share, you may ask yourself ‘what’s the point of bringing in a show, cancelled after season 1, no matter the quality of the material…especially one that costs $50 for the 3-disc set?’

Gamer

Studio: Lions Gate MPAA Rating: R Genre: Action Pre Order Date: 12/22/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 20.5 Number Of Screens: 2502 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 9/4/09 Director: Neveldine Cast: Gerard Butler, Amber Valletta, Michael C. Hall, Kyra Sedgwick, Alison Lohman Videoretailer.com Review: In the near future, mind-control technology allows humans to control the actions and movements of other humans, allowing billionaire ‘Ken Castle’ (Michael C. Hall) to create the ultimate video gamer ‘Slayers’, a controversial, yet wildly popular multiplayer online first-person shooter where a gamer controls real soldiers in a real life or death environment. Teenager ‘Simon’ is a legendary gamer, and his avatar ‘Kable (Gerard Butler) has been taken from his family forced into this situation against his will by Castle…thankfully for Kable, Simon is the best of the best, and week after week, keeps Kable running and gunning through the most explosive battles. Kable realizes his only hope of ever seeing his family again is to escape the game, reclaim his identity and expose Castle’s corrupt industry. Violent and action-packed cross between “Death Race” and “Running Man”, this sci-fi actioner, from the team that brought us the “Crank” films, is mindless entertainment that found horrific reviews from the critics, and mixed reviews from the consumer – some loved the non-stop action and FX, while others needed more depth. There will be good initial demand, but there probably won’t be great legs with this title. Compare with 12/08’s “Death Race”. IMDB User Rating = 5.9 (out of 10).

	Girlfriends - Season 8 (2dsc)
	Studio: Paramount MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Comedy Pre Order Date: 12/7/09 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: TV07 Number Of Screens: UPN Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2007 UPN Director: Cast: Reginald C. Hayes, Tracee Ellis Ross Videoretailer.com Review: Coming soon

Keeper, The

Studio: Fox MPAA Rating: R Genre: Action Pre Order Date: 12/22/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: DTV Number Of Screens: Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: Director: Keoni Waxman Cast: Steven Seagal, Jessica Williams, Alexandria Morrow Videoretailer.com Review: When he’s double crossed by his partner and left for dead, L.A. Cop ‘Roland Sallinger’ (Steven Seagal) recuperates, and heads to New Mexico to work as a bodyguard for the daughter of a wealthy pal…it appears her father has some enemies out there who want something he has, and he worries Nikita could be kidnapped for ransom. When she is in fact kidnapped, Sallinger gets all huffy and sets out to track down and save the girl, and make the bad guys pay. Another action flick from the world’s busiest DTV actor shouldn’t perform any differently than any of his last five titles (most recent being “Driven to Kill”…released 5/09), and this is a good thing for us, as these usually perform very well. IMDB User Rating = 5.4 (out of 10).

Law & Order - Season 7 (5dsc)

Studio: Universal MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Crime-Dra Pre Order Date: 11/30/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: TV96 Number Of Screens: NBC Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 1996 NBC Director: Cast: Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach Videoretailer.com Review: Season 7 of 9 and counting, this NBC offshoot of the long-running “Law & Order” focuses on the NYPD’s “Special Victims Unit” where various detectives deal with sexually-related crimes such as rape, pedophilia, child abuse, etc. Exceptionally popular crime-drama has waned in popularity on the DVD market, but is still a must-have release. See how season 6 did for you and buy accordingly.

No Greater Love

Studio: Lions Gate MPAA Rating: PG Genre: Drama Pre Order Date: 12/22/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: DTV Number Of Screens: Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: Director: Brad Silverman Cast: Danielle Bisutti, Jay Underwood, Anthony Tyler Quinn Videoretailer.com Review: ‘Jeff’ and ‘Heather Baker’ (Anthony Tyler Quinn, Danielle Bisutti) were life long sweethearts and happily married... for a time. But when Heather gives birth to their first child, she enters into a deep postpartum depression and abandons Jeff and disappears, leaving him to raise their child alone. Now, 10-years later, Jeff is ready to move ahead with his life and just as he’s about to remarry, Heather suddenly returns, forcing Jeff to wrestle with forgiveness, and both of them to reconcile and use their Christian faith to show them the way to redemption. Faith-based direct to video drama has little starpower and a premise that’s less-than riveting, but as we know, these films that are created primarily for Christian-based auds can rent particularly well in most markets…especially those that don’t play the film at a church function, thereby sating an entire population’s desire to see it. ROI varies greatly from market to market on these, and only you know what kind of demand you’ve seen in the past.

Outrage

Studio: Magnolia MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Documentary Pre Order Date: 8/3/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: 0.3 Number Of Screens: 16 Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 5/8/09 Director: Kirby Dick Cast: Documentary on closeted politicians lobbying for anti-gay legislation Videoretailer.com Review: Documentary that exposes the hypocrisy of closeted politicians with anti-gay rights voting records who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. By revealing the hidden lives of some of the United States' most powerful policymakers, and exploring the negative implications their actions have on their own community, and through interviews with prominent members of the gay community such as Congressman Barney Frank, former NJ Governor Jim McGreevey, and openly gay congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, this documentary looks at the psychology of the double lifestyle, the ethics of outing closeted politicians, and the double standards the media upholds in its coverage of the sex lives of gay public figures. Well-made, but controversial documentary is more of an act of activism than an objective look at the subject matter and as there was more talk about this outing various closeted public features, the core subject here seems to take a back seat. Critics and consumer largely offered applause, and this is sure to be a destination for the LGBT community…tough to say how much mainstream, non-LGBT interest this will find. Most will probably be alright with 1-5, unless you’re in a market with a solid gay core population. IMDB User Rating = 7.8 (out of 10). Initially slated for a 9/09 release, don’t double-order.

Smokin' Aces 2: Assassin's Ball

Studio: Universal MPAA Rating: UN Genre: Action Pre Order Date: 12/7/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: DTV Number Of Screens: Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: Director: P.J. Pesce Cast: Davis Richmond-Peck, Vinnie Jones, Tom Berenger, Ernie Hudson Videoretailer.com Review: ‘Walter Weed’ (Tom Berenger) is an unassuming desk jockey at the FBI when the Bureau uncovers a plot to assassinate him, and a team of degenerate, psychotic assassins have been dispatched by mystery man ‘Hal Leuco’ to win a huge bounty, among them: a resourceful beauty who has a unique method of killing her prey (Martha Higareda); a power-tool wielding psychopath (Vinnie Jones); a deadly master of disguise (Tommy Flanagan); the Tremor family from the original film, featuring nymphomaniac gun-nut (Autumn Reeser) and her lethal kinfolk. With Weed preparing for the snot to hit the fan, ‘Baker’, the agent in charge of the operation, puts himself and his team in the line of fire to defend Weed. Despite a near complete cast overhaul from the well-liked original, this prequel comes with high anticipation from the fans of the high-octane, violent and quirkily tongue-in-cheek “Smokin’ Aces”, and there’s good enough starpower here to give this DTV follow-up credibility. Good box-art and title recognition should find this very decent initial demand…not sure how good this is as I’m without a screener, but this will find decent mainstream interest. Despite the lack of any box-office, this is a title that you could buy as if this was released to the theaters and made $20M…the average consumer has no idea this wasn’t a theatrical release, and if they see 10, 20, 30 faces in the new release section, they’re going to say “hey, a sequel to “Smokin’ Aces”, I never even knew that was in the theaters…let’s grab that”; if they see 1, 2, or 3 faces, they may not even notice it. With the right sort of titles, you can create interest by creating a perception that the title is bigger than it is…this is one of those titles.

Weeds - Season 5 (3dsc)

Studio: Lions Gate MPAA Rating: NR Genre: Comedy Pre Order Date: 12/22/2009 Video Release Date: 1/19/2010 Box Office Sales / Broadcast Details: Cable09 Number Of Screens: Show Theatrical / Broadcast Release Date: 2009 Showtime Director: Cast: Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Nealon Videoretailer.com Review: Season 5 of 5 and counting, this Showtime original series surrounds ‘Nancy Botwin’ (Mary Louise Parker), a recently widowed mother of two who when encountering dire financial circumstances, decides to make ends meet by becoming the local marijuana dealer in her quiet suburban community where everyone secretly wants what she’s dealing. But, as her new business endeavor really takes off, she must deal with continuing to be a good mother to her family while keeping her secret from various factions…including her best friend and PTA president ‘Celia’ (Elizabeth Perkins). Intelligent surprise hit of a series was a much-needed shot in the arm for Showtime who has been looking for a signature series to compete with HBO’s impressive gamut, and this has endured five seasons without losing much steam, winning Emmys, Golden Globes and People’s Choice Awards annually. Look at how the previous releases have done for you and buy this accordingly.