Here's a roundup of new releases in home DVD and video and a calendar of what's coming:
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (PARAMOUNT, $39.99): No, it's not last summer's blockbuster from Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg. It's better. In advance of the Nov. 22 release of this year's hit, a new edition of George Pal's 1953 sci-fi classic lands on DVD to replace a previous bare-bones release. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson star in Pal's take on H.G. Wells' invaders-from-Mars tale, keeping a step ahead of the aliens as humanity heads to the brink of annihilation. The disc has a making-of segment and a feature on Wells, plus two commentaries, one with Barry and Robinson, the other with modern director Joe Dante and two historians. There's also an audio bonus, Orson Welles' 1930s radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds that convinced some listeners that Martians actually had landed. Also debuting in a six-disc set is War of the Worlds: The Complete First Season, packing the first 23 episodes of the series that debuted in 1988, which followed a second onslaught by Martians aiming not to repeat the mistakes of their 1950s invasion.
SEX AND THE CITY: THE COMPLETE SERIES (HBO, $299.95): So, you bought all six seasons of Sarah Jessica Parker's modern-love comedy in the cheesily packaged sets of their original release? Now you get to curse the network for this grand new DVD version of the show, a boxed set that's the home-video equivalent of a coffee-table book you'll want to show off to friends. The set has all 94 episodes on 19 discs, along with all the extras of the original DVD releases, plus a 20th disc with some breezy background on cultural hot spots, fashion and guest stars featured in the series. Shopping advice: Do not pay retail. Plenty of stores will have huge discounts on the hefty list price.
FAME: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON (Sony, $49.95): The TV spinoff to the 1980 hit movie follows the lives and dreams of a gang of dancers, musicians, actors and other talented teens at New York City's School for the Performing Arts. A four-disc set packs the first 16 episodes.
STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE - SEASON 4 (PARAMOUNT, $129.99): The prequel to Gene Roddenberry's Trek franchise ended its voyages with early cancellation. The final 22 episodes come in a six-disc set, with behind-the-scenes segments on the show's wrap party and a look at the re-creation of set designs based on the 1960s show for the prequel series.
THE OUTER LIMITS: SEASON ONE (SONY, $54.96): The 1960s sci-fi anthology series was revived in the mid-1990s with this update, whose first year's guests included Alyssa Milano, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick and Beau Bridges. The five-disc set has 21 episodes.
ALIENS OF THE DEEP (DISNEY, $29.99): Titanic director James Cameron makes another voyage to the bottom of the sea with this documentary offering dazzling close-ups of otherworldly creatures living in the ocean's dark depths. The DVD has the 47-minute theatrical version and an extended cut running almost twice as long.
HEIGHTS (SONY, $24.96): Ismail Merchant, who died last spring, produced this drama following five interconnected characters (Glenn Close, James Marsden, Elizabeth Banks, Jesse Bradford and John Light) as their lives unfold over a 24-hour period. Ms. Close and director Chris Terrio offer commentary.
THE BRAT PACK (UNIVERSAL, $39.98): Three of John Hughes' youth comedies from the 1980s - Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science - return in a set cleverly packaged in a miniature spiral school notebook. The package also has an eight-song CD anthology of tunes from Mr. Hughes' flicks.
- By David Germain,
Associated Press
Coming attractions
Just out: Aliens of the Deep, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sithcoming
Tuesday: Margaret Cho: Assassin, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Christmas with the Kranks, Cronicas, The Devil's Rejects and Happy Endings
NOV. 22: The Polar Express
NOV. 29: Empire and Their Eyes Were Watching God
Dec. 6: Cinderella Man
Dec 13: The 40 Year Old Virgin
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