The Air I Breathe (Blu-ray) Image Entertainment / 2007 / 95 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Grade: 
Genres: Drama, Thriller
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Garcia, Forest Whitaker
Director: Jieho Lee
Plot Synopsis: In this powerful film, four very different people on the edge of desperation are unexpectedly linked by their destinies. A top-notch cast featuring Forest Whitaker, Andy Garcia, Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Emile Hirsch unforgettably brings to life the stories of a clairvoyant gangster, a rising pop star, an unlikely bank robber and a doctor desperate to save the love of his life. Filled with surprising twists and turns, this suspenseful, action-filled drama employs both brutal violence and aching poetry in a moving exploration of the search for happiness in a gritty urban world.
Disc Features:
• Audio commentary with director Jieho Lee, co-writer Bob DeRosa, director of photography Walt Lloyd, and editor Robert Hoffman
• Featurette
• Deleted scenes
• Theatrical trailer.
P.S. I Love You (Blu-ray) Warner Home Video / 2007 / 126 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Grade: 
Genres: Romance, Drama.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Hillary Swank
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Plot Synopsis: For those who believe true love lasts beyond this physical plane, P.S. I Love You is a jewel in the romantic-movie crown. With elements of Ghost, Heaven Can Wait, and My Life, the film is an unabashed valentine to the notion of lasting (everlasting?) love. Hilary Swank is Holly, a deeply happy lass married to the most impossibly adorable Irishman on the planet, Gerry (Gerard Butler). When an illness takes him from her, Holly spirals into depression. Then, as if from beyond the grave, communications, gifts, and remembrances from Gerry begin to appear--gestures he'd planned knowing his death was coming. The "communications" with her dead husband could threatened to keep Holly in past, yet they begin to pave a path into her future. Swank, not a traditional romantic actress, is quite moving as Holly, whose grief and confusion is palpable. Butler will win new continents of fans, largely female, as the yummiest honey one could wish for. Special kudos to the supporting cast, including Lisa Kudrow as a Holly pal, and James Marsters and Kathy Bates, always breaths of fresh air onscreen. Under the sure hand of director-writer Richard LaGravenese, P.S. I Love You is touching, sad (have tissues on hand), and heartbreakingly lovely. - Amazon.com
Disc Features:
'P.S. I Love You' gets a pithy batch of supplements -- I guess the film's weak box office didn't exactly inspire Warner to cough up much dough for the Blu-ray. (Video is both 1080 and 480p/i resolution, and there are optional subtitles in English, French and Spanish.)
- Featurette: "A Conversation with Cecilia Ahern" (HD, 8 minutes) - For whatever reason, Warner has not included any of the EPK materials produced for 'P.S. I Love You.' Instead, we get this one-on-one with the young and lovely Ahern, who authored the original book upon which the movie is based. It's a pleasant, relatively informative chat, but it can't help but feel like an appetizer rather than a main course.
- Featurette: "The Name of the Game is Snaps" (HD, 6 minutes) - Wow, a featurette on how to play a game in the movie that was already stupid to begin with. Really, Warner?
- Alternate Scenes (SD, 12 minutes) - Adding to the cheap feel of the extras, this batch of a half-dozen scenes is thrown together in one big lump (the scenes aren't even listed). The quality is also dull standard-def. The material itself isn't bad, with these alternate takes often substantially different than the scenes featured in the finished cut.
- Music Video (SD) - Rounding out this anemic set is a clip for the James Blunt tune "Same Mistake."
First Sunday (Blu-ray) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2008 / 98 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Genres: Comedy
Starring: Ice Cube, Katt Williams, Tracy Morgan (II)
Director: David E.Talbert
Plot Synopsis: Ice Cube continues his winning streak as a likeable everyman in family movies with First Sunday, an initially silly, disposable comedy that picks up emotional power and authenticity by the second act. Cube plays ne’er-do-well Durell, an out-of-work Baltimore dad who needs over $17,000 to keep his ex from taking their son with her to Atlanta for good. Desperate to raise the cash but hamstrung by his self-defeating attitude and the criminal antics of his goofy sidekick, LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan), Durell gives in to temptation and decides he and LeeJohn should rob a church. The crime goes badly when it turns out a number of parishioners are in the building at the time, and a hostage situation develops. Events take a twist when the would-be thieves become the beneficiaries of Christian charity and forgiveness from the men and women they’ve kidnapped, and a bigger criminal is revealed in the congregation’s mix. A terrific supporting cast including Michael Beach, Chi McBride, Keith David, Malinda Williams, Loretta Devine, and Katt Williams bring strong humor and dignity to the film’s latter half, compensating for some unpleasant missteps (a pointless scene at a massage parlor) earlier in the story. Writer-director David E. Talbert is especially sharp during a spirited, gospel performance scene, which simply crackles on screen. - Amazon.com
Disc Features:
'First Sunday' hits Blu-ray and DVD day-and-date, and it comes with a pretty decent spate of extras, although Sony hasn't bumped up all the video extras beyond 480p/i/MPEG-2 resolution. (Optional subtitles are provided in English, French, and Dutch.)
- Audio Commentary - Director David E. Talbert flies solo, on what is his first feature film. After a bit of nervous energy during the opening, the track picks up, with Talbert alternating between tech talk on setting up shots etc., with some interesting discussion on his comedic influences (John Landis' name gets dropped a lot). I'm not sure there's enough going on in 'First Sunday' to recommend a listen to the commentary, but if you're a fan of the film it's a solid track.
- Featurette: "Hood Robbin' with the First Sunday Cast & Crew' (SD, 16 minutes) - Nothing special, this EPK mixes on-set interviews with behind-the-scenes footage and stills. Plot recap and film clip filler is kept to a minimum, however, so this is actually a pretty good overview of the production (and less time consuming than listening to the audio commentary).
- Deleted Scenes (SD, 34 minutes) - There are no less than 13 scenes here, though over half are extensions of existing material. Of the genuine deleted scenes, nothing particularly stands out, aside from an exchange between the Pastor and Deacon characters that's mildly amusing.
- Gag Reel (SD, 4 minutes) - Your usual gaffes and goofs, though the presence of good actors elevates this to "slightly above-average" for this type of stuff.
- Outtakes/Wrap Speech (SD, 7 minutes) - As if the gag reel wasn't enough, more behind-the-scenes outtakes, plus an additional wrap speech by director Talbert.
- Theatrical Trailers (HD)
Saawariya (Blu-ray) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 2007 / 138 Minutes
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Genres: Foreign, Musical, Romance
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Plot Synopsis: In the tradition of international co-productions like "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", this film is the highly anticipated first release by Sony Pictures of the traditional and widely popular Indian "Bollywood" genre. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic romance "Saawariya" (Beloved) is a tender and romantic musical which centres around the chance encounter of two people Raj and Sakina and their obsession with each other over four successive nights. "Saawariya" is a contemporary story about the immortal emotion - love, with the unmistakable imprint of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The film will have unprecendented wide releases in major countries outside of India.
Disc Features:
• Featurette: "Making of the Music"
• Montage: "Premiere Night"
Helvetica (Blu-ray) Plexifilm / 2008 / 80 Minutes / Unrated
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Grade: Genres: Documentary
Starring: Massimo Vignelli, Matthew Carter, Spiekermann
Director: Gary Hustwit
Plot Synopsis: Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.
Disc Features:
• 98 Minutes of Bonus Interviews
• Full-Color Booklet
Shall We Dance? (Blu-ray) Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment / 2004 / 108 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Grade: Genres: Musical, Romance
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere
Director: Peter Chelsom
Plot Synopsis: For longer than he can remember, a middle-aged workaholic named John Clark (Richard Gere) has led an incredibly dull existence - the mundane accounting job, the mind-numbing commute, etc. But one night he catches a glimpse of a beautiful dance instructor (Jennifer Lopez) in the window of a shabby ball room dancing school. When this painfully shy and awkward man finally muscles up the nerve to sign up for dance lessons, he is assigned to an eccentric group class taught by an older woman. Nevertheless, the seemingly predictable man sticks with his new hobby hoping to catch the attention of the young beauty.
Disc Features:
Audio Commentary by Director Peter Chelsom
• Deleted Scenes with optional Director Commentary from Peter Chelsom
• Behind the Scenes of Shall We Dance? – Venture into the world of dance and explore its transformation into common language
• Beginner’s Ballroom – Learn about the meaning and beauty of the dance
• The Music of Shall We Dance? – Explore how classic moves were modernized for the film
• Pussycat Dolls “Sway” Music Video
The Devil's Own (Blu-ray) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / 1997 / 111 Minutes / Rated R
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Grade: 
Genres: Action
Starring: Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Ruben Blades
Director: Alan J.Pakula
Plot Synopsis: Any movie starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford has got to be worth seeing, right? That's as close to a guarantee as this well-meaning thriller ever gets, however, and the talents of Pitt and Ford are absolutely vital in making any sense out of this dramatically muddled scenario. Ostensibly the movie's about an IRA terrorist (Pitt) who escapes from British troops in Belfast and travels to New York City, where he stays in the home of a seasoned cop (Ford) who has no idea of the terrorist's true identity. (Why a veteran cop would host a complete stranger in his home is one of those shaky details you're better off not thinking about.) But while Pitt's passionate character waits to make an arms deal for his IRA compatriots back in Ireland, The Devil's Own conveniently avoids any detailed understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict, focusing instead on the cop's moral dilemma when he discovers that his young guest is a terrorist. The film is superbly acted, and overall it's quite worthwhile, but don't look to it for an abundance of plot logic or an in-depth understanding of Protestant-Catholic tensions in Northern Ireland. (For that, take a look at In the Name of the Father or the underrated historical biopic Michael Collins.) - Amazon.com
Disc Features: None
Twister (Blu-ray) Warner Home Video / 1996 / 113 Minutes / Rated PG-13
Street Date: May 06, 2008
Grade: Genres: Action
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes
Director: Jan de Bont
Plot Synopsis: The house rips apart piece by piece. A bellowing cow spins through the air. Tractors fall like rain. A 15,000-pound gasoline tanker becomes an airborne bomb. A mile-wide, 300 miles-per-hour force of total devastation is coming at you: Twister is hitting home. In this adventure swirling with cliffhanging excitement and awesome special effects, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play scientists pursuing the most destructive weatherfront to sweep through mid-America's Tornado Alley in 50 years. By launching electronic sensors into the funnel, the storm chasers hope to obtain enough data to create an improved warning system. But to do so, they must intercept the twisters' deadly path.
Disc Features:
• Audio Commentary by Director Jan De Bont and Visual Effects Supervisor Stefan Fangmeir
• New Featurette “Chasing the Storm: Twister Revisited” • Additional Featurettes: "Anatomy of a Twister," "HBO First Look: The Making of Twister"
• The History Channel Documentary “Nature Tech: Tornadoes”
• Music Video: “Humans Being” by Van Halen
• Theatrical Trailers
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