DVD New Releases - Vote for Bobby

With upcoming presidential elections in 2008, the news is heating up among the dozen contenders preparing it to duke it out through the primaries. Who’ll make it through all the hurdles? That’s why the DVD release of Bobby is so appropriate. Robert (Bobby) Kennedy had the potential of leading the pack but was assassinated before the 1968 elections, nearly 40 years ago. This movie, Golden Globe nominated for Best Picture, traces the lives of 22 people at the Ambassador Hotel where Kennedy was to appear that night. Starring Demi Moore and Anthony Hopkins, it brings significant perspective to the major broiling issues of the time. Had Bobby survived, the course of 20th century United States history could have been radically different.

Mel Gibson comes back into the action with a release of the Director’s Cut edition of Payback. Here Gibson plays Porter, a ruthless criminal, who survives an assassination attempt. The thrills and action revolves around his vow to seek revenge. This was one Gibson’s last major action films (1999) before he began to tackle more serious issues like God (The Passion of the Christ), liberation from tyranny (Braveheart), and love of freedom (The Patriot).

Few at the camp referred to as Jones’ Town inside Guyana had a vote or choice to determine their fate. The impending destruction of charismatic leader Jim Jones went out with a dramatic wimper of modern-day martyrdom as all but a few of his followers committed mass suicide. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple gives an intriguing examination of Jim Jones‘ rise and fall, with unique insights from the few survivors.

Whether you choose the Yankees or the Mets as your fave baseball team, The Pride of the Yankees is considered the ultimate baseball movie. This DVD special edition release of the 1943 classic where Gary Cooper plays baseball great Lou Gehrig also stars famed Yankee home-run hitter Babe Ruth. The film takes you to the recreation of Gehrig’s retirement speech to his fans. Gehrig was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a crippling neuromuscular disease that is now called Lou Gherig’s disease. It’s a homage to one of baseball’s great leaders in the early days of baseball when the Yankees were the uncontested tops.

Death be not proud as the dramatic BBC retelling of Sweeney Todd one of London’s notorious serial killers in the late 18th century. Not to be confused with Stephen Sondheim’s musical version of the Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the BBC version delivers deeper insight to the agonized barber who gave the closest shaves ever. Look for Tim Burton’s theatrical film release on the Sondheim musical in January 2008.

Classical music and Opera fans have a chance to share in the excitement of a phenomenal event with the release of The Berlin Concert - Live from Waldbuhne starring Placido Domingo with Anna Netrebko and Ramon Villazon. On the evening of July 7 in 2006, two days before the World Cup final at the adjacent stadium, an audience of 20,000 gathered to see and hear three of today’s greatest opera singers. Now you can witness and join the audiences delight as they perform Spanish, French, and Italian opera classics, plus a special version of Tonight from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.