Home Media Magazine - October 14-20, 2007 - (Page 29) www.homemediamagazine.com PIPELINE Knocked Up Judd Apatow Hits Keep Coming Following the top seller ‘Knocked Up’ comes ‘Superbad’ By Billy Gil office, but things weren’t always so peachy for Apatow C O M E D Y Hot on the heels of No. 1 DVD seller Knocked Just a few years ago, Apatow enlisted Gord Lacey of Up from Universal Studios Home Entertainment comes TVShowsOnDVD.com to help set up an online petition yet another megahit from to release Apatow’s canceled writer/director/producer Judd series “Freaks and Geeks” and Apatow. Superbad (produced by “Undeclared” on DVD. Tens Apatow) streets Dec. 4 (prebook of thousands of signatures Nov. 1) from Sony Pictures later, Shout! Factory licensed Home Entertainment. rights for the shows from The release comes in an unratDreamWorks Television and ed two-disc DVD ($34.95) and released the six-disc Freaks two-disc Blu-ray set ($43.95), and Geeks: The Complete Series as well as a rated and unrated in 2004 and the four-disc Unsingle-disc DVD ($28.95) and declared: The Complete Series UMD ($24.94). in 2005. In addition to the usual fare Superbad Following his failed series and of deleted and extended scenes, after helming a couple of unsold a making-of featurette, gag reel, commentaries and be- pilots and co-producing a couple of Will Ferrell comedies, hind-the-scenes footage available on the two-disc DVD, the Apatow crew hit it big with 2005’s The 40-Year-Old the Blu-ray also has the “Superbad Supermeter,” which Virgin, out on DVD and HD DVD from Universal. allows viewers to keep track of the off-color lingo injected Knocked Up racked up nearly $150 million at the U.S. into the teen comedy. box office, and in its first week of release topped Home Superbad earned more than $120 million at the box Media Magazine’s DVD sales and rental charts. Warner Debuts ‘Potter’ MALCOLM McDOWELL CLASSICS ON DVD Interactive DVD Game By Billy Gil W arner Home Video (WHV) Dec. 11 will allow Harry Potter enthusiasts to enlist themselves in Harry Potter’s Hogwarts school of magic with the release of Harry Potter: Hogwarts Challenge, the studio’s first interactive DVD game, at $24.98. Orders are due Nov. 6. The release of the DVD game is timed to the Dec. 11 release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film in the series, on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD and a limited-edition gift set (available in all three video formats). The game is appropriate for most ages, with options to select difficulty, according to Warner. It allows players either to choose a house at Hogwarts, or to be sorted into one by the game, and to attend class, take part in extracurricular activities and engage in year-end challenges over the course of three years at the school. The game works by using a DVD remote to move across Hogwarts and avoid hazards. It’s primarily based upon the first three books and films, with some scenes taken from the fourth and fifth books and films. “It is a privilege for Warner to be able to develop this revolutionary interactive DVD game that showcases one of the most successful franchises spanning the globe,” said Amit Desai, WHV VP of kids and sports marketing. “Our goal with our interactive DVD titles is to bring more family-friendly characters to life in a hands-on interactive way that is fun for all.” Extras in the game include “chance clips,” which are random video and audio clips from the five released “Harry Potter” films that assign or take away points from players according to which clip is found, as well as the “wizard duel” bonus activity, which players can encounter after completing three years at Hogwarts, winning at least one House Cup and scoring the most points in the school over all three years. By Kyra Kudick C L A S S I C Warner Home Video Oct. 23 will release two special-edition DVDs of films starring Malcolm McDowell — A Clockwork Orange and O Lucky Man! In Stanley Kubrick’s controversial adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel A Clockwork Orange, McDowell plays Alex, an amoral punk who is briefly brainwashed into behaving as a proper citizen. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards in 1971: best picture, best director, writing and film editing. A Clockwork Orange: Special Edition will be available on standard-definition DVD ($26.99), as well as HD DVD and Bluray Disc ($28.99 each). The DVD also is part of the Warner Home Video Director’s Series: Stanley Kubrick boxed set ($79.92), which includes remastered versions of 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. O Lucky Man! makes its debut on DVD in a two-disc special edition at $19.97. McDowell is credited with providing the original idea for the Lindsay Anderson comedy. He stars as Mick Travis, an ambitious but naive traveling coffee salesman. The film co-stars Ralph Richardson, Helen Mirren, Arthur Lowe, Rachel Roberts and Mona Washbourne. Both McDowell titles have new special features for the special-edition release, including commentaries and new featurettes. DVDs Explore the Five Senses By Billy Gil K I D V I D Braincandy, a children’s product label distributed by Rhino Entertainment (a subsidiary of Warner Music Group), has announced its “5 Senses” DVD and CD series. Titles such as See My World, Touch My World, Hear My World, Taste My World and Smell My World will be available Oct. 16 at retail and on demand through Comcast, Cox and Charter Cable. In the series, a gang of puppets representing each of the senses (Bruce Brain, Harry Hand, Ivy Eyes, Mojo Mouth, Nusi Nose and Ana Ear) lead children in sensory-based activities, such as dipping fingers into a bowl of sticky honey or tasting cold snow. The $14.99 DVDs are meant for children six months of age and older and are 40 minutes each, consisting of seven-minute segments. “The key to creating happy little learners is to get them excited and engaged in the learning process,” said Sam Reich-Dagnen, CEO of Braincandy, who co-founded the company with his wife — the two are the parents of twins. “We’re at the forefront of an exciting new paradigm that is taking shape in the area of children’s media.” A line of music CDs will be available in the first quarter of 2008. October 14–20, 2007 Home Media Magazine 29 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://TVShowsOnDVD.com
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