News

Sights and sounds of the battlefield are brought to life when News and Documentary Emmy® Award-winning “WWII in HD” and “Vietnam in HD” arrive on DVD on October 17 from Lionsgate. Viewers embark on an epic journey alongside courageous soldiers in “Brothers in Arms: WWII & Vietnam War in HD,” which features voiceovers from Academy Award® nominee Gary Sinise, Primetime Emmy® nominee Michael C. Hall, Primetime Emmy® nominee Rob Lowe, Justin Bartha, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Edward Burns and more. “Brothers in Arms: WWII & Vietnam War in HD” will be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Official Synopsis

See the epic battles of the 20th century through the eyes of the brave soldiers who fought two of

the most pivotal wars in world history with these two acclaimed docuseries from The History® Channel. Award-winning WWII in HD and Vietnam in HD provide stunning narratives of these seminal moments in time...

While his House of Cards TV wife Robin Wright is headed for real-world drama around Mount Everest, Kevin Spacey is also going into the past for his next role. Sierra/Affinity has announced they will be producing and financing the feature Captain of the Gate, a biopic centered on former British Prime Minister and all-around iconic figure Winston Churchill, and Spacey will don the signature Homburg hat for the role. Because no one plays a U.K. leader like an American, right? The Captain of the Gate screenplay is the first feature from Ben Kaplan, who has worked on historically-minded projects in the past such as 2009.s WWII in HD and 2011.s Vietnam in HD, both for the History Channel. He was also a story editor for When Melrose Place Ruled the World, which is almost certainly how he got this job. No director has been found yet, but Sierra...

Audiences and critics have given Kevin Spacey plenty of acclaim for his turn as politician Francis Underwood in the Netflix original series "House of Cards," but now the actor is preparing to play a real-life political figure on the big screen. THR has word that Spacey will play Sir Winston Churchill, the former two-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 40s and 50s in a low budget drama called Captain of the Gate. The script comes from Ben Kaplan, who has plenty of experience with history as a writer on a Ronald Reagan film and the series Vietnam in HD and WWII in HD on The History Channel. More below! However, the production banner Sierra/Affinity (who is also fully financing the film) is still looking for a director, and they might get a boost from StudioCanal, currently in talks to produce the film as well. Spacey is an incredible actor,...

Apparently, even the White House wasn’t enough. Hot off his acclaimed turn as dastardly politician Frank Underwood on the second season of Netflix’s hit drama House of Cards, Kevin Spacey has signed on to play former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a biopic titled Captain of the Gate.

The biopic, which hails from Sierra/Affinity (Oculus, the upcoming Kill the Messenger), will focus on Churchill’s rise to power as he heroically took a stand against Parliament in order to protect England from Adolf Hitler’s powerful Third Reich. The script was penned by Ben Kaplan, who recently worked on the History Channel’s documentary Reagan. Kaplan also wrote episodes of historical documentary series Vietnam in HD and WWII in HD, both also for the History Channel, but Captain of the Gate will mark his feature debut.

Churchill has understandably been the subject of countless biopics, including...

After playing American politician Francis Underwood on Netflix's House of Cards for two seasons, Kevin Spacey has signed on to play British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the political drama Captain of the Gate.

Winston Churchill was Great Britain's Prime Minister between 1940 and 1945, where he rose to power after defying Parliament to defend the U.K. and the rest of the free world against Adolf Hitler's Third Reich during World War II. Winston Churchill also served as Prime Minister from 1951 to 1955, but this project will focus on his first term during the war.

Ben Kaplan (WWII in HD, Reagan) wrote the screenplay, with Sierra/Affinity producing and fully financing the $20 million project. StudioCanal, which recently produced Non-Stop starring Liam Neeson, is in talks to produce. Cameron Lamb is producing through his Lila 9th Productions company, alongside Zero Gravity's Damon Lane. The studio is currently searching for a director.

Kevin Spacey...

We have a few interesting casting stories to attend to this afternoon. Briefly: Kevin Spacey is adding another politician to his roster, as he is set to take on the role of Winston Churchill in the drama Captain of the Gate. Meryl Streep is attached to star in a new project with Jonathan Demme onboard to direct from a script by Diablo Cody. Amy Ryan has been added to the live-action/CG hybrid film Monster Trucks. Hit the jump for more details on the aforementioned casting. Fresh off the second season of House of Cards and a recent stage run as Richard III, THR reports that Kevin Spacey has agreed to play Winston Churchill in the independently financed feature Captain of the Gate. The film will chronicle Churchill’s rise to power as the U.K. prime minister, culminating in his stand against parliament to defend Britain from Adolf Hitler’s reign.

To help celebrate Memorial Day, I have a great giveaway for you that includes some of the best video releases you’ll find. I’ve reviewed these titles before (WWII in HD review), and they’re real treasures.

Kicking off we have WWII in HD, which is as much a full-fledged experience as anything else. The footage put together to create this incredibly detailed account of the history of the entire war, and period, is simply amazing.

You’ll also get Wwi The Great War, which is just as good, and a unique documentary effort that covers a wide variety of topics over four discs.

Finally, Conquest of America is a wonderful collection of region-by-region documentaries, and the behind-the-scenes featurettes are some of the best such bonuses around.

Let’s take a look at what I’ve got in the bundle, and then you can enter to win via the widget below.

It is Cyber Monday, thus concluding the week of Black Friday geek deals. New Deals: Dexter: Seasons 1-5 [1] on Blu-ray for only $24.99 each WWII in HD [2] on Blu-ray for $13.49 The Fall [3] on Blu-ray for $11.49 Shrek: The Whole Story [4] (which includes Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After) on Blu-ray for $31.49 Amazon is running lightning deals throughout the day [5]. Some awesome prices, but only available at the specific times listed below. Please beware that Amazon only sells "a limited quantity at the prices listed", so act Fast! [6] [7] [8] Box Set Deals: Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection on Blu-ray [9] for only $39.99 + Free Shipping (60% off the $100 list price). The set includes Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and...

DVD Playhouse—November 2011

By Allen Gardner

Tree Of Life (20th Century Fox) Terrence Malick’s latest effort is both the best film of 2011 and the finest work of his (arguably) mixed, but often masterly canon. A series of vignettes, mostly set in 1950s Texas, capture the memory of a man (Sean Penn) in present-day New York who looks back on his life, and his parents’ (Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain) troubled marriage, when word of his younger brother’s suicide reaches him. Almost indescribable beyond that, except to say no other film in history so perfectly evokes the magic and mystery of the human memory, which both crystalizes (and sometimes idealizes) the past. Like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, this is a challenging, polarizing work that you must let wash over you. If you go along for the ride, you’re in for a unique, rewarding cinematic experience. Also available on Blu-ray disc.

Each installment of WWII in HD opens with the following statement: “This Program Contains Rare Films of World War II Originally Shot In Color, Found During A Two-Year World-Wide Search. Much Of It Has Never Been Seen On Television Before. These Films Are Presented Now In High Definition.”

You wouldn’t think that would mean much after the overwhelming glut of World War II documentaries that we as a culture have been exposed to (how different can two shots of people firing mortar shells over a hill really look?), but, in this case, it really does. While there’s nothing especially new being said about the war here, this new footage (and, more importantly, the way it is contextualized) shows that there are always going to be new and freshly relatable ways to say them.

Read more...

Chicago – “The only people to see the war like this were the ones who lived it. Until now…” Sounds threatening, doesn’t it? I’m not sure I want to see WWII the same way the heroic people on the ground did. And yet I realize there’s an audience deep into material like this — that which makes history feel present and alive. For WWII historians, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better holiday season gift than the 4-disc Blu-ray set for “WWII in HD,” the History Channel series brought to amazing HD life complete with two feature-length specials.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

Narrated by Gary Sinise, “WWII in HD” aired on The History Channel almost exactly two years ago and focuses on twelve American servicemen during the conflict. The producers combine interviews with a Ton of archival footage that has been remastered into high definition. Having been raised in an...

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In this week's "Even More" section there is a link to a Tom Cruise Blu-ray Collection, which includes Collateral, Days of Thunder, Minority Report, Top Gun and War of the Worlds for only $34.99. It's a good price and worth a look either for you or perhaps as a Christmas present for someone else. However, until November 17 you can buy it at Fry's for only $19.99! Get on it!

Also, I have two Criterion titles I'm recommending this week, but instead of using the Buy Now links next to each you may want to head over to Barnes and Noble where their 50% off sale is still on for I believe another week. Unless I am mistaken it ends on November 21. So, get to shopping!

Three Colors Trilogy (Criterion Collection) I received Criterion's Blu-ray edition of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Troi couleurs (Three...

History Channel follows up its Emmy-winning "WWII in HD" miniseries Tuesday night with the premiere of "Vietnam in HD," a three-night, six-hour documentary in which real Vietnam War veterans -- complimented by voiceovers from actors including Armie Hammer, Blair Underwood, James Marsden and Edward Burns -- share their powerful, often painful, memories of Vietnam combat. Thirteen veterans recall the traumas of the war and its aftermath, including Barry Romo, a gung-ho soldier who returned home disillusioned with the war and the way its veterans were treated; and Joe Galloway, an embedded...

History Channel follows up its Emmy-winning "WWII in HD" miniseries Tuesday night with the premiere of "Vietnam in HD," a three-night, six-hour documentary in which real Vietnam War veterans -- complimented by voiceovers from actors including Armie Hammer, Blair Underwood, James Marsden and Edward Burns -- share their powerful, often painful, memories of Vietnam combat. Thirteen veterans recall the traumas of the war and its aftermath, including Barry Romo, a gung-ho soldier who returned home disillusioned with the war and the way its veterans were treated; and Joe Galloway, an embedded...

Two years ago, History managed to find the sweet spot between its unofficial identity as The World War II Channel and the increasing popularity of exotic hi-def programming with "WWII in HD," a five-night miniseries featuring digitally-restored color footage from World War II. That was a success, so tonight through Thursday at 9, we get the sequel: "Vietnam in HD," six hours over three nights with a similar collection of eye-popping restored footage. ("Korea in HD" seems to have been skipped for now, but with any luck we can get all 11 seasons of "M*A*S*H" release on Blu-Ray to make up...

Apocalypse wow: History channel is set to announce a six-hour miniseries that brings the Vietnam War into 2011 with a true high-definition telecast.

The network collected thousands of hours of uncensored war footage for the project, much of which has never previously been seen, then restored and and converted the most compelling moments to HD. Much of the footage was from soldiers’ personal handheld cameras. Dexter star Michael C. Hall will narrate the project, with the words of more than a dozen war veterans voiced by Edward Burns, Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Zachary Levi, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dean Cain, Dylan McDermott,...

It’s getting late in the season, and most of you (though probably not as many as you’d think) have already finished all of your holiday shopping. In the last minute rush, though, things get kind of foggy, and you’re more likely than ever to make woefully undercooked decisions that seem borderline psychotic the instant that ripped open wrapping paper reveals them to your friends and family. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t take risks, as most of the best presents are completely unexpected, and demonstrate that you trust in the receiver’s intelligence and sense of adventure (which might be worth it alone). Even if stores have everything on their wish list in stock, you might want to think twice. Titles here are linked to their Amazon pages.

If they ask for The Pacific, try

Come And See

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If all...

This morning I was woken up nearly two hours before my alarm was supposed to go off in such a way that I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep in time to make it worthwhile. It's a special kind of frustrating, realizing that you're up too early without enough sleep but that trying to get back to sleep will only be a pointless and frustrating endeavor that will probably result in you falling back asleep 20 minutes before your alarm goes off which will just make you cranky for the rest of the day. Instead, I got up which will assure that I'm just kind of slow and tired for the rest of the day. Yay for no-win scenarios! Here's your Wednesday night TV:

8:00pm: "The 44th Annual Cma Awards" on ABC. Three hour special presentation.

"America's Next Top Model" on The CW

"Campus Pd" on...

All my early-color-images posts today have been leading up to this: a remarkable DVD set from the History Channel called WWII in HD (in the U.K.: WWII: Lost Films). But the name is a little misleading. These 10 45-minute episodes aren’t just in HD: they’re in color. Hardly anyone even knew most of this footage existed, and it is amazing to see. We haven’t seen the war like this before, ever. But the History Channel didn’t just string together these astounding images, though that probably would have been good enough. Instead, the stories of 12 Americans are told in a deftly woven narrative that uses the color footage (somehow miraculously rejiggered into HD), the appearances by those people who survived the war, and voice performances -- by actors including Josh Lucas, LL Cool J, Justin Bartha, Steve Zahn, Jason Ritter, Rob Corrdry, Ron Livingston, Amy Smart,...

With all the strange, interesting, and bad press that followed in the wake of Sasha Baron Cohen’s Borat film, you’re about to get a new look behind the scenes of the production, from the perspective of yet another group duped by the film. While many of the stories that came out the film didn’t evoke a great deal of sympathy, the curious bamboozling of the village of Glod in Romania might deliver a different picture.

Carmen Meets Borat Premieres Sunday, September 5, at 10 Pm on Global Voices on PBS World, and it’s worth checking out.

Carmen, a 17 year old girl living in the gypsy village of Glod, located in the remote mountains of Romania, dreams of a future bigger and brighter than the quiet life she is currently living. Working at her father’s store and being courted by a boy she does not love, Carmen believes...

Investigation Discovery is kicking off a new show on Wednesday, and I thought it was worth mentioning. Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?, following in the footsteps of the networks other brilliantly self-explanatory titles, gives you the stories of marriages with secrets. Not those pesky, “normal” secrets, but the kind that leave our duped spouses truly unable to believe the circumstances of their lives.

Keep it in mind, and get more info at the show’s website here.

Explore stories of men and women who thought they were happily married until the day they uncovered a shocking secret about their spouse that would leave them asking Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? From bank robbers to bigamists to spies, these compelling and sometimes startling characters will have viewers shaking their heads in disbelief and wondering how the truths behind these scandalous spouses were kept hidden for so long.

Premiere episodes...

PBS once again leads the News and Documentary Emmy nominations announced today with 37 noms, followed by CBS with 31 noms, including 16 for venerable newsmagazine 60 Minutes, the most nominated program by a mile; HBO (20); National Geographic (19); NBC (17); ABC (9) and CNN and History (6), including 2 for History’s WWII in HD series. Among evening newsmagazines, the lower-rated CBS Evening News With Katie Couric led with 8 nominations, followed by NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams with six and ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson with 1. Among the CBS News nominees was former 48 Hours Mystery producer Robert [...]...

Many fans know Ron Livingston as cubical crusader Peter Gibbons in Office Space, or as fellow swinging, Vegas Loving buddy Rob in John Favreau’s Swingers. Over the years, however, Livingston has put in time acting out and telling the harrowing stories of The Greatest Generation’s experiences in WWII over sixty years ago. In 2001, the award winning Band of Brothers was aired on HBO, Livingston playing the part of Captain Lewis Nixon of the famous Easy Company, of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. Five years later, he hosted the History Channel documentary, Brother’s In Arms: The Untold Story of the 502, and three years later narrated the voice of injured serviceman Lt. Charles Scheffel in WWII in HD, another History Channel documentary. Ron had a quick moment to sit down with me and talk about his involvement in WWII related projects, and what they mean to him. … [visit site to read more]...

As we brace for a avalanche of festivals this month-Frameline, Newfest, Los Angeles Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival are just a few of the 16 showcases around the world this month-the realscreen Factual Entertainment Awards and the Philips British Academy Television Awards, better known as the TV BAFTAs, just concluded their ceremonies in Los Angeles and London, respectively. WWII in HD and The Biggest Loser each took two Factuals, while Channel 4 led the BAFTA honorees with four prizes.

 

 

1)      Awards

 

Factual Entertainment Awards (realscreen) Best One-off or Special: JFK: ...

Some lucky people are getting out of town for Memorial Day 2010. But some of us are staying at home. Luckily, all your favorite channels are doing mega marathons of all your favorite shows.

Zap2it is the one-stop shop for all your Memorial Day programming. From delightfully bad reality TV like "Real Housewives" and "Jersey Shore" to the quirky 1990s dramedy "Twin Peaks" to the serious TCM salute to war movies, there's something for everyone on TV this weekend. All times Eastern, but check your local listings for times and channel numbers.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

A&E (11 a.m. - 6 p.m.): Flip This House

Animal Planet (1 p.m. - 7 p.m.): River Monsters

BBC America (8 p.m. - 8 a.m.): Doctor Who

Bet (10 a.m. - 7 p.m.): Everybody Hates Chris

Biography (8 p.m. - 3 a.m.): Celebrity Ghost Stories

Bravo (9 p.m. - 2 a.

Nancy Dubuc has been tapped as president and general manager of Lifetime Networks and will also continue her tenure as president and general manager of History brands. The appointment, effective May 1, was made Tuesday by AETN president-ceo Abbe Raven, to whom Dubuc will report.

"Nancy is one of the most dynamic executives working in television. Her track record of success by focusing on a brand's target audience and creating programming for them is extraordinary," Raven said. "Nancy has great respect for the power of the Lifetime brand and I am confident she will lead the terrific team there to new heights."

In her new role, Dubuc will be responsible for the Lifetime and History brands' strategic planning, programming, consumer marketing, publicity and brand development. She replaces Andrea Wong, who left Lifetime in February in the wake of the consolidation between that cabler and A&E.

The Duboc appointment...

The History Channel’s WWII in HD is an epic ten-part documentary that comprehensively details America’s participation in the Second World War. It originally aired from November 15 to November 19, 2009 before being released on Blu-ray and DVD. It features ten hours’ worth of rare and never-before-seen color footage shot across the globe throughout WWII, all of which has been converted for presentation in glorious HD. And you Need to watch it on Blu-ray. Hit the jump for more.

I’ve seen a few documentaries on WWII; they were black-and-white with some grainy color footage occasionally mixed in. I’ve also seen several modern WWII films such as Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. However, nothing I’ve seen has so fully brought this massive, triumphant, and harrowing event to life like the HD footage on display in this documentary series. Cut together from over 3000 hours of film, WWII in HD details...

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right Here for free.

Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp

WWII in HD - Blu-ray Review

Roger Ebert recently made people aware of a video on YouTube called The Open Road London.

The film was taken decades ago. The hustle and bustle of life in the city is enough to make you think that even after all technology has done for us we’re still as busy as ever. The Beefeater who just saunters in the frame, the double-decker busses, the police directing traffic by hand, it’s all very quaint. The amusing thing about this full color...

DVD Playhouse—January 2010

By

Allen Gardner

The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Absorbing character study follows the leader (Jeremy Renner) of a bomb squad unit in Iraq and his growing addiction to the adrenaline-fueled life and death edge that he and his men must walk on a daily basis. Director Kathryn Bigelow, an unheralded great filmmaker for nearly two decades, has finally hit paydirt with this gut-wrenching examination of war as drug, as opposed to hell. That said, The Hurt Locker is 2/3 of a great movie that takes a wild left turn in a subplot involving Renner’s character and that of a local boy to whom he takes a shine, and never quite recovers its momentum. In spite of that hiccup, it remains one of the best films of 2009 and, thus far, the finest cinematic exploration of America’s war in the Middle East. Also available on Blu-ray disc, in...

At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. CBS has a new Survivor, then new episodes of CSI and The Mentalist. NBC has a new Community, followed by new episodes of Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show. Fox has new episodes of Bones and Fringe. The CW has a new Vampire Diaries at 8, then a new Supernatural. At 9, Spike has a new Tna Wrestling. Cartoon Network has a new Total Drama Action at 9. Tlc has a new American Chopper at 9. Current has a new SuperNews at 9. Also at 9: History Channel has two new episodes of WWII in HD. At 10, Lifetime has the season finale of Project Runway, followed by the season finale of Models of the Runway. FX has a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia at 10, then a new episode of The League. At 10:...

At 8, CBS has a new Old Christine, followed by new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY. NBC has a new Mercy at 8, then new episodes of Law and Order: Svu and The Jay Leno Show. Fox has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, followed by a new Glee. The CW has the season finale of America's Next Top Model at 8, then a new behind the scenes episode of America's Next Top Model. Cartoon Network has a new Destroy Build Destroy at 8. At 8:30, ABC has a new episode of The Middle, then new episodes of Modern Family, Cougar Town, and In The Spotlight with Robin Roberts. At 9, DirecTV 101 has a new Friday Night Lights. Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9. History Channel has two new episodes of WWII in HD at 9. Syfy has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, followed by a new Ghost Academy.

Award-winning filmmaker Frederic Lumiere is bringing his World War II documentary to the History Channel. The WWII documentary will be presented in full, immersive HD color, and will feature hours of rare color footage gathered from a two-year worldwide search.

"WWII in HD" will tell the story of the war through the eyes of 12 Americans. Narrated by Gary Sinise, the show will showcase the voices of Justin Bartha, Rob Corddry, Tim DeKay, Mark Hefti, James Kyson Lee, Ron Livingston, LL Cool J, Rob Lowe, Josh Lucas, Jason Ritter, Amy Smart, and Steve Zahn.

Also included in "WWII in HD" are interviews with war veterans, which will be treated like scenes in a film to keep viewers captivated.

Lumiere, producer and director of the series, said, "Everything is in-the-moment. The battles are as real as they can be, creating a visceral experience. This is presented as a billion-dollar Hollywood epic but better,...