DVD GIFT IDEAS

Oscar^®-winning director Fernando Trueba (Belle Epoque, Calle 54) and Spain’s renowned artist and designer Javier Mariscal celebrate the music and culture of Cuba with an epic story of love, passion and heartbreak: CHICO & RITA

 Oscar^® nominated for Best Animated Feature in 2012 – featuring a red-hot soundtrack by five-time Grammy^®-winning Cuban musician and composer Bebo Valdés, with the music of (and animated cameos by) jazz legendsThelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Chano Pozo, and others. The Limited Edition Collector’s Set includes Blu-ray and DVD discs, an audio CD of the full-length Latin Grammy^®-winning soundtrack, and a 16-page excerpt from The New York Timesbestselling graphic novel based on the film. Product info: http://bit.ly/Pba1br

The 2012 Academy Award^®-nominated animated film, A CAT IN PARIS

: Dino is a cat that leads a double life.  By day he lives with Zoë, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force.  But at night Dino sneaks out the window to work with Nico – a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades captors and slips and swishes from rooftop to rooftop across the city skyline. With the voices of Academy Award^®-winner Marcia Gay Harden (“Mystic River”), Academy Award^®-winner Anjelica Huston(“The Royal Tenenbaums”) and Matthew Modine (“The Dark Knight Rises”), A CAT IN PARISis a delightful animated adventure, perfect for both adults and children – a witty and stylish “animated noir” with a jazzy soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday and a thrilling climax on top of Notre Dame cathedral. Product info: http://bit.ly/SDrjZv

In 10 years, Red vs. Blue has become what could be considered the most loved, watched and quoted web series ever. From tank romances to alien offspring, buddy clubs, knock-knock jokes and laser faces, this is the sci-fi comedy that paved the way for an entire generation of online video, while audiences around the world joined in the laughter. RVBX: TEN YEARS OF RED VS. BLUE

 marks the first time the entire series has been available on Blu-ray. The 14-disc boxed set is a collection of the full first 10 seasons of Red vs. Blue, with newly re-mastered surround sound audio, plus additional videos and miniseries, hours of special features, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Product info: http://bit.ly/PQDinN

The second documentary in Gary Hustwit’s design trilogy (Helvetica, Urbanized),OBJECTIFIED

 is at last on Blu-ray. A feature-length film about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them, OBJECTIFIED looks at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets and the designers who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. Features interviews with Paola Antonelli (Museum of Modern Art, New York), Jonathan Ive(Apple, California), Karim Rashid (New York), Rob Walker (New York Times Magazine), Dan Formosa (IBM’s first PC), and many of the world’s most influential product designers. Product info: http://bit.ly/Px8ZRp

NEW BOX SETS:

For the first time ever, all 54 episodes from the first season of the popular Anime television series, Digimon, are available in the 8-disc collector’s set: THE OFFICIAL DIGIMON ADVENTURE SET, THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

. The set, which includes the four story arcs of the classic series, is the official North American release — licensed in partnership with Toei Animation. The set also includes an exclusive 36-page character guide booklet featuring the seven original characters, plus Kari, and a digital photo gallery featuring over 40 behind-the-scenes sketches. Product info: http://bit.ly/QGYbRB

TeenNick’s top rated television series, H2O: JUST ADD WATER

, follows three very different girls facing everyday teen problems with an added twist – they’re mermaids with incredible powers derived from water. For the first time ever, all 78 episodes (3 seasons) of the popular series are available in one 12-disc set, plus nearly 5 hours of exclusive bonus material, including a never-before-released behind-the-scenes featurette and three 90-minute specials.Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin, currently starring in the CW’s Vampire Diaries, star as Emma and Cleo, with Cariba Heine as Rikki. Product info: http://bit.ly/RBkCdS

RVBX: TEN YEARS OF RED VS. BLUE

 – see above.

NEW TITLES:

Inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s groundbreaking book, HALF THE SKY: TURNING OPPRESSION INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE

 takes on the central moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls worldwide. This is an unforgettable journey with six actress/activists (America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde) and New York Times journalist Kristof, who meet some of the most courageous individuals of our time  doing extraordinary work to empower women and girls everywhere. These are stories of heartbreaking challenge, dramatic transformation and enduring hope. HALF THE SKY is a passionate call-to-arms, urging us not only to bear witness to the plight of the world’s women, but to help to transform their oppression into opportunity. Out future is in the hands of women, everywhere. Product info: http://bit.ly/Wl7ieT

What is preventing us from having more energy, an ideal body and beautiful, younger-looking skin? Do diets really work and how do we live a healthier lifestyle? From the creators of the best-selling documentary Food Matters comes a hard-hitting film certain to change everything you thought you knew about food and nutrition. HUNGRY FOR CHANGE

 exposes secrets the diet, weight loss and food industries don’t want you to know about strategies designed to keep you coming back for more. A companion book by the filmmakers James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch, HUNGRY FOR CHANGE: Ditch the Diets, Conquer the Cravings, and Eat Your Way to Lifelong Health, is now available in hardcover. Product info:http://bit.ly/SqCZVE

From Academy Award^®-nominated director Daniel Raim (The Man on Lincoln’s Nose),SOMETHING’S GONNA LIVE

 is an intimate portrait of life, death, friendship and the movies, as recalled by some of Hollywood’s greatest cinema artists: renowned art directors Robert Boyle (North by Northwest, The Birds), Henry Bumstead (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sting) and Albert Nozaki (The War of the Worlds, The Ten Commandments), storyboard illustratorHarold Michelson (The Graduate, Star Trek: The Motion Picture), master cinematographersHaskell Wexler (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Medium Cool) and Conrad Hall (In Cold Blood, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).  These prolific artists have worked on a total of 400 films, garnering 25 Academy Award^® nominations and 8 wins. Product info:http://bit.ly/Wg0Zcu
 

Narrated by actor and motorcycle enthusiast Ewan McGregor (Star Wars), FASTEST

 captures a pivotal moment in the MotoGP world championship. Chasing his tenth world title, the legendary Valentino Rossi runs into the toughest challenge of his life: a wave of ferociously fast young riders, a horrific, leg-shattering crash at the Italian grand prix, an agonizing comeback forty-one days later in Germany, and the question every rider – even the greatest of all time – must face: Who’s fastest now? Product info: http://bit.ly/KvxJN4
 

Co-founded in 1956 by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey and dancer Gerald Arpino, The Joffrey Ballet began as a DIY company of six dancers touring the United States in a borrowed station wagon but quickly grew into one of the world’s most exciting and prominent ballet companies.JOFFREY: MAVERICKS OF AMERICAN DANCE

 shows the full history of the Company from its founding to the present. Narrated by Tony^® and Emmy^® Award winner Mandy Patinkin and directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), the film features rare excerpts from many seminal Joffrey works including Astarte, Trinity and Billboards, as well as breakthrough collaborations with choreographers Twyla Tharp (Deuce Coupe), Kurt Jooss (The Green Table) and Leonide Massine (Parade). Product info: http://bit.ly/O5V6xN

Beginning with Allen’s childhood, WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY

 chronicles the trajectory and longevity of Allen’s career, from his work as a TV scribe, standup comedian and frequent TV talk show guest, to a writer-director averaging one film-per-year for more than 40 years. Director Weide covers Allen’s earliest film work in Take the Money and Run, Bananas, Sleeper, and Love and Death; frequent Oscar^® favorites such as Annie Hall, Manhattan, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Husbands & Wives, Bullets Over Broadway, and Mighty Aphrodite; and his recent globetrotting phase with Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and his latest success, Midnight in Paris. Features interviews with: Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Penelope Cruz, John Cusack, Larry David, Mariel Hemingway, Scarlett Johansson, Julie Kavner, Diane Keaton, Martin Landau, Louise Lasser, Sean Penn, Tony Roberts, Chris Rock, Mira Sorvino, Naomi Watts, Dianne Wiest, Owen Wilson, Dick Cavett and Martin Scorsese

FAMILY & KIDS:

Elmo is a household name worldwide. Children of all ages know the furry red monster and his friendly high-pitched voice, but few people would recognize his creator, Kevin Clash, if they passed him on the street. Determined to be on Sesame Street from a very early age, Clash never lost sight of his dream until he made it a reality. BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY

 is the story of Clash’s startling rise to prominence as the creator of Elmo, fueled by a lifelong commitment to the art form, a string of fortuitous events, and the support of his family and colleagues. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, the film features extensive interviews with Clash and many talented puppeteers, including Frank Oz (“Miss Piggy,” “Bert”), Caroll Spinney (“Big Bird,” “Oscar the Grouch”), Martin P. Robinson (“Telly Monster,” “Mr. Snuffleupagus”), Fran Brill (“Prairie Dawn,” “Zoe”), and Bill Barretta (“Dr. Teeth,” “Rowlf the Dog”), and Rosie O’Donnell. Product info: http://bit.ly/QGYiwE