(L-R) Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton in the film BOOK CLUB. ©Paramount Pictures. CR: Melinda Sue Gordon.
By ANGELA DAWSON
Front Row Features
Book Club
“Book Club” debuts in a Blu-ray Combo Pack and on DVD Tuesday Aug. 28 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.
Starring legendary actresses Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen, the comedy follows four lifelong friends whose lives are turned upside down to hilarious ends when their book club attempts to shake things up by tackling the infamous “Fifty Shades of Grey.” From discovering new romance to rekindling old flames, they inspire each other to make their next chapter the best chapter. “Book Club” also stars Andy Garcia, Don Johnson, Craig T. Nelson, Richard Dreyfuss and Ed Begley Jr.
The Blu-ray Combo Pack is loaded with loads of bonus content including deleted and extended scenes, interviews with filmmakers and the iconic cast, explorations of the writing and casting process and behind-the-scenes footage from the set. The comedy also is now available on Digital formats.
Tucker
Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s critically acclaimed classic when “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” arrives on Blu-ray + Digital and Digital 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever Tuesday Aug. 28 from Lionsgate. Based on the life of maverick car designer Preston Tucker and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry, the film features a star-studded cast including Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart”), three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen (“Nixon,” “The Crucible”), Academy Award winner Martin Landau (“Ed Wood”), Academy Award nominee Frederic Forrest (“The Rose”), Academy Award nominee Mako (“The Sand Pebbles”), Academy Award nominee Dean Stockwell(“Married to the Mob”), and Golden Globe nominee Christian Slater (“Mr. Robot”).
Jeff Bridges stars as Preston Tucker, a dynamic automotive visionary determined to create the car of the future. Against all odds, Tucker builds the Tucker Torpedo, and the better, safer and more beautiful his car becomes the more opposition stiffens until his factory is shut down by Detroit’s Big Three auto manufacturers. Tucker must fight for his American Dream in this passion-project film from the Academy Award-winning filmmaker.
Written by two-time Academy Award nominee Arnold Schulman (“Love with the Proper Stranger,” “Goodbye, Columbus”) and Academy Award winner David Seidler (“The King’s Speech”), and with cinematography by Academy Award winner Vittorio Storaro (“Apocalypse Now”), the “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” Blu-ray + Digital and Digital 4K Ultra HD releases have extensive behind-the-scenes special features including brand new audio commentary by Coppola, an introduction by Coppola, a never-before-seen deleted scene exclusive to the home entertainment release, a featurette looking at the making of the film and more. “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” will be available on Blu-ray + Digital for a suggested retail price of $14.99.
Woman Walks Ahead
An all-star trio leads the way when “Woman Walks Ahead” arrives on Blu-ray + Digital and DVD Tuesday Aug. 28 from Lionsgate. Directed by Susanna White (“Our Kind of Traitor)” and starring Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain (“Zero Dark Thirty”), Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) and Michael Greyeyes, the film tells the fictionalized account of the true-life events of New York portrait painter Catherine Weldon who, in the 1880s, traveled alone to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (Greyeyes). Her arrival at Standing Rock is met with open hostility by a US Army officer (Rockwell), who has stationed troops around the Lakota reservation to undermine Native American claims to the land. As Catherine and Sitting Bull grow closer, and as their friendship — and his life — are threatened by government forces, Catherine must stand up and fight for what is most important to her. The “Woman Walks Ahead” Blu-ray + Digital and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $21.99 and $19.98, respectively. The special features Include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette and audio commentary by director Susanna White.
American Animals
“American Animals” arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday Aug. 28 from Lionsgate. From award-winning writer-director Bart Layton (“The Imposter”) comes the true story of four young men who pull off one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history. Determined to escape their predictable suburban lives, Spencer and Warren decide to do something extraordinary: steal some of the world’s most valuable books from a college library. Enlisting two other friends, Spencer and Warren meticulously plot the theft — but their caper takes on a wild life of its own. The Blu-ray and DVD include never-before-seen deleted scenes, featurettes, a director and cast commentary, and a still gallery, and will be available for the SRP of $21.99 and $19.98, respectively.
Front Row Features may love going to the movies, but we also know that some of Hollywood’s greatest films are based on beloved books. To make sure you’re ready for your next book club meeting, we’re giving away a “Book Club” prize pack to one lucky reader that includes a copy of the romantic comedy on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack as well as a “Book Club” T-shirt, tote to carry your books in and reading light. One other lucky runner-up will win a copy of the “Book Club” Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack. To enter the contest, simply email socalmovieeditor@aol.com by Sept. 3for your chance to win. Good luck!
