DVD Releases: July 14

[Sonnie]

Beach Kings (2008) David Charvet, Torrey DeVitto, Kristin Cavallari. A former college basketball star has one last shot at greatness: the professional beach volleyball tour. (MGM).

The Beatles Rare and Unseen: Unofficial Account of the Biggest Band in the World (2008) All new documentary tells the story of The Beatles from their humble beginnings in Liverpool to their break-up in London. Told for the first time using original rare film and video of the band, including home-movies, concert footage, newsreels and photographs from private collections. There are also interviews with those who surrounded the band, and those who were there from the very start. Features earliest known footage of the Beatles on stage in Liverpool in February 1962; the only existing film on tour in Scotland, from Caird Hall, Dundee, October 1964; footage from the Bahamas, February 1965, during the filming of "Help!" September 1967 footage in Newquay while filming "Magical Mystery Tour"; home movie footage from Paris Olympia Theatre, January 1964; highlights of an interview with John Lennon recorded in New York for French TV. $19.95. (MVD Entertainment Group).

Bewitched: The Complete Eighth and Final Season (1971-72) Four-disc set with 26 episodes, $39.95. (Sony).

Break (2009) Frank Krueger, Sarah Thompson, Chad Everett, Michael Madsen, Charles Durning, James Russo, Xin Sarith Wuku, David Carradine. Comic book-style thriller about a terminally ill crime boss, known only as The Man, who hires a hit man named Frank to carry out his own assassination as well as the assassination of The Woman he loves. When The Woman turns out to be Frank's long lost lover, he turns against The Man, becoming the target himself. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, interviews, still gallery. (Cinema Epoch).

The Doors From the Outside (2008) New documentary tells the story of The Doors, not from the perspective of the surviving members - as has been told so many time before -- but from the recollections, memories, stories and anecdotes of those who knew the group and its members best; $19.99. Extras: "Conversation with The Lizard Queen" featurette, in which Patricia Morrison reveals her own views about Jim Morrison as an artist, a poet and a visionary. (MVD Entertainment Group).

ER: The Complete Eleventh Season (2004-5) Six-disc set with 22 episodes, $49.98. Extras: Outpatient outtakes: Unaired Scenes. (Warner).

El Camino (2008) Elisabeth Moss, Chris Denham, Leo Fitzpatrick. A film about friendship, family and identity in today's America. Three friends travel from Virginia to Mexico to fulfill their mutual friend's last request to deposit his cremated ashes there. As the young adults journey through a culture traumatized by war and economic collapse, they confront their unrealized selves and their grief with surprising results. (LifeSize Entertainment/Koch Entertainment).

The Edge of Love (2009) Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys. In the Bohemian underground of World War II London, a stirring love story ignites among legendary poet Dylan Thomas (Rhys) and the two extraordinary women who inspire him. Caitlin (Miller) is Thomas' free-spirited wife, while Vera (Knightley) is the long-lost teenage sweetheart who later reconnects with Thomas. Despite their romantic rivalry, the two women form a surprisingly close bond. The trio is unusually blissful until Vera's husband, a handsome soldier (Murphy), sends their uninhibited lives spiraling out of control. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).

For All Mankind (2008) In July 1969, the space race ended when Apollo 11 fulfilled President Kennedy's challenge of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." No one who witnessed the lunar landing will ever forget it. Al Reinert's documentary is the story of the twenty-four men who traveled to the Moon, told in their words, in their voices, using the images of their experiences. Original Music by Brian Eno. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by producer-director Al Reinert. Extras: Commentary by Reinert and Apollo 17 commander Eugene A. Cernan, the last man to set foot on the Moon; "An Accidental Gift: The Making of For All Mankind" documentary; "On Camera," a collection of excerpted, on-screen interviews with fifteen of the Apollo astronauts; NASA audio highlights and liftoff footage; booklet featuring essays by film critic Terrence Rafferty and Reinert. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (The Criterion Collection).

Grey Gardens (2009) Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange. Based on the life stories of the eccentric aunt and first cousin of Jackie Kennedy, this HBO drama tells the tender, intimate story of an eccentric mother and daughter (both named Edith Bouvier Beale, aka "Big and Little Edie"). They were raised as Park Avenue debutantes but withdrew from New York society, taking shelter at their Long Island summer home. As their wealth and contact with the outside world dwindled, so did their grasp on reality. They were reintroduced to the world when international tabloids learned of a health department raid on their home, and Jackie swooped in to save her relatives. Based on the lives that inspired the Maysles Brothers' classic documentary.(HBO Home Entertainment).

The Haunting in Connecticut (2009) Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Lionsgate).

The Human Condition (2008) Tatsuya Nakadai. Masaki Kobayashi's mammoth humanist drama is one of the most staggering achievements of Japanese cinema. Originally filmed and released in three parts, the nine-and-a-half-hour, adapted from Junpei Gomikawa's six-volume novel, tells of the journey of the well-intentioned yet naive Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai) from labor camp supervisor to Imperial Army soldier to Soviet POW. Constantly trying to rise above a corrupt system, Kaji time and again finds his morals an impediment rather than an advantage. Four-disc set with new, restored high-definition digital transfer. Extras: Excerpt from a rare Directors Guild of Japan video interview with director Masaki Kobayashi, conducted by filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda; new video interview with actor Tatsuya Nakadai; video appreciation of Kobayashi and "The Human Condition" featuring Shinoda; booklet featuring an essay by critic Philip Kemp. (The Criterion Collection).

Karl Rove, I Love You (2007) Dan Butler, featuring Phil Leirness, Julia Miranda, John Hoffman, Kira Tirimacco, Richard Waterhouse, Alex Cruz and with special appearances by Alec Baldwin and Peter Paige. Comedy documentary follows Dan Butler as he prepares for the role of a lifetime: playing Bush administration architect Karl Rove in an election-year documentary. Butler sets out to discover the "Karl Rove" inside us all, but the more Butler sees the world through Rove's eyes, the more Butler's friends and associates find themselves worried about his well-being. And when Butler finds himself falling in love with Rove, truly scary events begin to occur. Extras: Commentary by cast and crew, deleted scenes. (Ariztical Entertainment)

Leverage: The First Season (2008) Four-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.99. Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes: "Leverage: Behind the Scenes," "Anatomy of a Stunt Fight," "The Cameras of Leverage," "Leverage Gets Renewed" and "Beth Riesgraf's Crazy Actress Spoof." (Paramount).

Peyton Place: Part Two Five-disc set with 31 episodes, $39.99. (Shout! Factory).

Shark Week: Great Bites Collection (2009) Two-disc set of the Discovery Channel programming about the world of Sharks, $24.98. Extras: Featurettes: "MythBusters: Jaws," "Shark Attack Files IV," "Dirty Jobs: Jobs That Bite" and "Dirty Jobs: Jobs That Bite Harder." Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Image Entertainment).

The Transformers: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Edition Collector's Set (1983- Sixteen-disc set with 98 restored episodes, a collectible 60-page book, Autobots and Decepticon Magnets, more; $???? Extras: Retrospective featurettes, concept art, voice cast reunion, archival Hasbro Toy commercials, printable scripts, rare PSAs, "From the Files of Teletraan-2," Fan art gallery, animated fan film. (Shout! Factory).

Van Wilder: Freshman Year (2009) Jonathan Bennett, Kristin Cavallari, Steve Talley, Kurt Fuller, Linden Ashby. A young Van follows in his wealthy father's footsteps by enrolling at prestigious Coolidge College. Much to the easygoing slacker's dismay, however, Coolidge is hardly the party school he envisioned. Instead, it's a strict institution led by an uptight dean-and to make matters worse, all the girls have taken a vow of chastity! Determined to rectify this intolerable situation, the civic-minded Van launches a personal crusade to free his school from the shackles of sexual oppression and party dysfunction. Third installment in the series of popular and rude college humor comedies. In rated and unrated editions. Extras: Commentary by director Harv Glazer and cast, "Creating the Legend: The Making of Van Wilder: Freshman Year," "Going Balls Out: Colossus," "Coolidge College: Orientation Video," "Previously on Decatur," "Teacher's Pets," bloopers, more. (Paramount).

The Wiggles Go Bananas! (2009) The musical darlings of the pre-school set offer 24 new songs and special appearances by Kylie Minogue and Wiggles fan favorite Captain Feathersword. Released just in time for their U.S. concert tour kicking off on July 15. $14.98. (Warner).

Wild Pacific (2009) Two-disc set of the BBC series that explores the world's mightiest ocean, $29.98. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurettes. Also available on Blu-ray Disc. (Warner).