Disclaimer: Warner Brothers Home Entertainment requests that we note it provided a free copy of TINA for review purposes. The opinions we share are our own.
An intimate look at the legendary queen of rock and roll, this HBO® original documentary charts Tina Turner’s rise to early fame, her lifelong personal and professional struggles, and her rebirth as a global phenomenon in the 1980s. Presenting an unvarnished account of her life and career, TINA combines personal photos, audio tapes, never-before-seen archival footage spanning 60 years and insightful interviews with those who know her–including Angela Bassett; Oprah Winfrey; and Tina’s husband, Erwin Bach–as well as Tina herself. Celebrate an immensely talented performer and survivor who refused to let age, gender or a difficult past stand in her way. — from Warner Brothers
A pop icon to millions but always Auntie Entity to you and me, Tina Turner’s docu hits DVD and Blu-Ray with little in the way of bonus bits. There’s a three minute featurette in which some celebrities talk about how awesome Turner is, plus a five minute featurette talking to the directors of the film. I realize it’s no doubt a rights issue, but not even the “We Don’t Need Another Hero” music video as a bonus? It’s a classic! Find it from Amazon on Blu-Ray and DVD.
In It’s a Wonderful Life, an angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman (Jimmy Stewart) by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed. Named the #1 most inspiring film of all time by the American Film Institute, It’s a Wonderful Life has touched generations of viewers with its uplifting and life-affirming message of hope. This release is a limited-edition two-disc Blu-ray set with a beautifully colorized version of the film in high definition as well as the original, digitally remastered black-and-white movie in high definition, and access to a digital copy of the film. — from Paramount
Seventy-five years of It’s a Wonderful Life gets marked by a more-than-decent upgrade of bonus bits on this Blu-Ray release. Forty-five minutes of unreleased extra stuff which includes the preservation and restoration of the film, info on the making-of, and vintage footage from the wrap party. If that wasn’t enough, ten collectible recipe cards are included from Insight Editions’ It’s a Wonderful Life: The Official Bailey Family Cookbook. The fan of the film will definitely welcome this. You can find it on Amazon.
Insight Editions’ It’s a Wonderful Life: The Official Bailey Family Cookbook with cuisine inspired by the film. Additionally, the set includes over 45 minutes of previously released bonus content exploring the meticulous process of preserving and revitalizing this iconic masterpiece, a look at the movie’s extraordinary sound, music, cinematography and visual effects, and vintage footage from the film’s wrap party.
A mind-bending roller coaster ride of romance, suspicion, sex and dreams, Vanilla Sky was produced by Cameron Crowe, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner and features visually stunning cinematography by Academy Award® winner John Toll (Braveheart, Legends of the Fall), including an unforgettable sequence in New York City’s Times Square. The film follows a self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate (Cruise) who finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident. — from Paramount
Vanilla Sky hits in a limited edition Blu-Ray that brings new stuff to the table…at least a little bit. There’s a relatively brief “Filmmaker Focus” with director Crowe, along with a foldout poster and key movie moments in the interior spread of the packaging. You’ve got a digital copy available to access, plus a bunch of stuff that’s been available before: commentary by Crowe and Nancy Wilson, an alternate ending (as well as other bonus bits) with commentary, an interview with Paul McCartney, gag reel, featurettes, and more. If you were looking to upgrade from DVD, this might do the trick for you, but otherwise there’s not much to warrant an upgrade. It’s available from Amazon.
Based on E.L. Doctorow’s best-selling novel, Ragtime tells an unforgettable story of disparate characters in New York City in the early 1900s. From the emerging New York suburb of New Rochelle to the flashy spectacle of Atlantic City, a family faces racial tensions, scandals, and violence that will test everything they believe in. With music by Randy Newman, the film features a spectacular cast including James Cagney, Brad Dourif, Moses Gunn, Elizabeth McGovern, Kenneth McMillan, Pat O’Brien, Donald O’Connor, James Olson, Mandy Patinkin, Howard E. Rollins, Jr., Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Samuel L. Jackson, Norman Mailer, John Ratzenberger. — from Paramount
Before the musical, there was the film–and as you can see from the above cast (an embarrassment of riches), it deserves as much bonus material as you can throw at it. On this new edition, you do get deleted and extended scenes as well as a conversation between Larry Karaszewski and film scribe Michael Weller. Also: the second disc provides a director’s cut workprint. Beyond that, you have an already released commentary from director Milos Forman and executive producer Michael Hausman, a deleted scene, and a retrospective featurette. That’s available on Amazon here.
