Selected home-video releases:
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”: Harry and his friends have another rough school year, leading the charge against a repressive new teacher at Hogwarts and a Ministry of Magic that refuses to believe the teen wizard’s assertions that dark Lord Voldemort has returned to stir up mayhem.
The fifth film of the franchise arrives on its own in single- ($28.98) and two-disc ($34.99) versions or in an elaborate gift set packed with the previous four flicks ($119.97). Anchoring the extras in the two-disc set is a collection of 17 minutes of deleted footage. Also included is an A&E special on the latest film, plus a segment with director David Yates on editing the movie and a behind-the-scenes feature.
Those extras also come in the high-definition Blu-ray release ($35.99) and a disc with both high-definition HD DVD and standard DVD versions of the movie ($35.99).
Besides the five films and their extras, the 12-disc gift set has 14 interactive “Harry Potter” games and new background material on each movie. The set also comes with a set of metal “Harry Potter” bookmarks and four packs of trading cards. The gift set is available in Blu-ray and HD DVD versions ($149.99), as well, and the first four films make their high-definition debut with individual Blu-ray and HD DVD releases. ($29.99 each). (Warner Bros.)
“The Bourne Ultimatum”: Matt Damon is back as the spy who wouldn’t die with the third installment in his hit franchise about amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne.
This time out, Bourne goes back to his roots, traveling the world with CIA agents hunting him at every step as he tries to unlock the mysteries trapped in his head and sort out who he really was before becoming a killing machine.
The DVD comes with deleted scenes and a nice range of features led by a making-of segment and background on the fight and driving training Damon underwent for the film’s hand-to-hand and chase sequences. Damon also teams with director Paul Greengrass for commentary. The movie also comes in a combination disc with both HD DVD and standard DVD versions. DVD, $29.98; HD DVD combo disc, $39.98. (Universal)
“Two-Lane Blacktop”: That great American cinema genre — the road-trip flick — is revved up to lightning speed with Monte Hellman’s 1971 highway-racing tale, which features two of the era’s top pop-music stars. James Taylor stars as the driver and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys is the mechanic; they’re buddies drag-racing their ‘55 Chevy across the country from Los Angeles as they bet pink slips for cars against a challenger (Warren Oates) in a Pontiac GTO.
The two-disc set has interviews with Hellman, Taylor and others involved with the film, screen tests, and a segment on the restoration of a vintage auto used in the movie. Hellman also joins independent-film director Allison Anders on one commentary track, while screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer contributes separate commentary. The set also is accompanied by a reprint of Wurlitzer’s script, plus essays and tributes to the film from such people as filmmaker Richard Linklater and musician Tom Waits. $39.95. (Criterion)
TV on DVD:
“High School Musical 2”: The teen-and-tween phenomenon continues with this follow-up to the music-and-dance special, with the young stars this time hamming it up in summer jobs at a posh country club. The DVD and Blu-ray releases include a new musical sequence, plus rehearsal footage and a karoake sing-along feature with the song lyrics. DVD, $29.99; Blu-ray $34.99. (Disney)
“Lost: The Complete Third Season”: The plane-crash castaways learn more about the mysterious Others and how they came to occupy the island as alliances shift and new characters liven up year three. DVD set, $59.99; Blu-ray set, $96.99. (Disney)
“Dirt: The Complete First Season”: There’s life after “Friends” for Courtney Cox, who stars as a ruthless editor of a Hollywood tabloid publication specializing in dishing dirt on the stars. $59.99. (Disney)
“Frasier: The Tenth Season”: Kelsey Grammer is joined again by wacky family and friends for the next-to-last season of his “Cheers” spinoff about a psychiatrist who takes to the airwaves for a call-in radio show. $42.99. (Paramount)
“Beverly Hills 90210: The Third Season”: The pampered rich kids return for their senior year in high school in the 1990s teen soap opera. $61.99. (Paramount)
“The Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series Collector’s Edition”: Boston’s four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies was an anticlimax after their comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians. This eight-disc set has the four World Series games in their entirety, plus the last three games of the AL series. $79.95. (A&E)
“Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.: The Third Season”: The lovable bumpkin of the Marine Corps is back with year three of the 1960s sitcom. $42.99. (Paramount)
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