Latest DVDs, CDs and book: Dec. 13, 2011
A look at some of the DVDs, CDs and books hitting stores this week:
DVDS
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (PG-13): A genetic engineering experiment goes dangerously awry, closing the intelligence gap between humans and apes in a smart, stylish prequel to the sci-fi classic featuring James Franco and motion-capture veteran Andy Serkis.
“Fright Night” (R), meanwhile, gets a Vegas twist — sort of — as a veteran Strip magician (“Dr. Who’s” David Tennant) helps a teen (Anton Yelchin) track the vampire next door (Colin Farrell) in a remake of the 1985 original set in Southern Nevada. The animated “Kung Fu Panda 2” (PG), finds roly-poly Po (once again voiced by Jack Black) joining forces with a new group of martial arts masters. Speaking of martial arts, China’s most powerful empress, haunted by multiple murders, seeks help from the title master in “Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame” (PG-13). And Iran’s award-winning “Circumstance” (R) charts the blossoming relationship between a vivacious teenage girl and a female classmate, which puts the couple on a collision course with Iran’s ruthless morality police.
Turning to movies that never played local theaters, Rooney Mara (soon to be seen in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”) headlines the coming-of-age drama “Tanner Hall” (R), while the quirky comedy “Smell of Success” (PG-13) casts Tea Leoni as the new owner of the family fertilizer firm — and Billy Bob Thornton as her bull-slinging chief salesman. On the documentary front, “Worst in Show” (not rated) focuses on the dog-eat-dog competition to determine the world’s ugliest canine.
Leading today’s TV-to-DVD transfers (all unrated): “Family Guy, Vol. Nine,” “Gunsmoke: The Fifth Season, Vol. Two,” “Spin City: The Complete Sixth Season,” “The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp: The Complete Season One,” “Switched at Birth: Vol. One” and “Sledge Hammer! The Complete Series.”
CDS
Anthony Hamilton, “Back to Love”: He went platinum and then he went into hiding.
Well, not really, but it could seem that way when it comes to R&B throwback Anthony Hamilton, who broke out with his million-selling 2003 sophomore effort, “Coming From Where I’m From” but saw his profile dip after that, despite releasing a quartet of records.
Now, Hamilton is hoping that a new album, tracked in part with producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, will rekindle his success of old.
Also in stores: Tori Amos, “Sin Palabras”; Naughty By Nature, “Anthem Inc.: 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition”; and Nero, “Welcome Reality.”
BOOKS
“Locked On” by Tom Clancy: The personal and political collide when Jack Ryan Jr. and his team face an emerging terror threat in the Middle East while Jack’s father campaigns for presidential re-election.
Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo follows up “The Snowman” with “The Leopard,” which finds inspector Harry Hole on the trail of another serial killer.
Also hitting shelves this week: “Dark Men” by Derek Haas; “Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography” by Elisabeth Sladen; “Hunted” by Cheryl Rainfield; “Sergeant Rex: The Unbreakable Bond Between a Marine and His Military Working Dog” by Mike Dowling; “Shark Wars No. 2: The Battle of Riptide” by E.J. Altbacker; and “The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob” by Adrian Humphreys.
