'National Treasure' sequel a trove of bonus items
By Bruce Dancis
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
One and two discs, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, rated PG
Having successfully stolen (and returned) the Declaration of Independence, treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is back for a sequel — this time trying to uncover the truth about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Only the two-disc Gold Collector's Edition includes bonus features, such as deleted scenes, an audio commentary by director Jon Turtletaub and actor Jon Voight, outtakes and bloopers, and eight documentaries on the making of the movie.
Paramount Home Entertainment, R
When your wildlife TV show is dying in the ratings, what's a TV host (Steve Zahn) to do? Hunt for Bigfoot, that's what, in this comedy also starring Jonah Hill, Justin Long and Allen Covert.
The DVD includes two behind-the-scenes features ("What Do We Do?" and "Reel Comedy: Strange Wilderness"), deleted scenes, a music video of "Cooker's Song" performed by Jonah Hill of "Superbad," and a detailed look at the movie's turkey sequence.
Emerging Pictures Home Entertainment, not rated
A dramatic study of the caste system in south India, writer-director Rajnesh Domalpalli's film debut is about a lower-caste fisherman's daughter (played by Mamatha Bhukya) who goes to work as a housekeeper in a rich woman's home to learn Kuchipudi dance. Bonus features include interviews with the director and his star actress, a short feature on the dances shown in the film, and four shorts made by Domalpalli. Spoken in Telugu with English subtitles.
Six discs, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, not rated
In addition to starring in immortal romantic comedies and suspense thrillers, James Stewart was a fine actor in Westerns.
This box set includes three excellent adult Westerns that Stewart made with director Anthony Mann in the early 1950s ("Winchester '73," "Bend of the River" and "The Far Country"), plus the comic "Destry Rides Again" with Marlene Dietrich, "The Night Passage" and "The Rare Breed."
MGM Home Entertainment, not rated
Celebrating United Artists' 90th anniversary, these three 1960s comedies emerge from the vaults to make their DVD debuts: "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" (1969), about a group of U.S. tourists in Europe; "The Night They Raided Minsky's" (1968), a comedy about burlesque from director William Friedkin; and "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" (1966), a World War II farce from director Blake Edwards.
Three discs, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, not rated
Long before she became the coolest columnist in New York in "Sex and the City," Sarah Jessica Parker co-starred with Amy Linker in this 1982 CBS series about two not-so-hip teenagers trying to fit in socially at Weemawee High School.
The DVD includes "Weemawee Yearbook Memories," featuring new interviews with Parker, Linker and fellow cast members, plus scenes from two other youth-oriented sitcoms, "The Facts of Life" and "Silver Spoons."