DVD Releases for Aug 29th.

Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures (2004 -- TV) BBC docudrama starring Olivia Williams. (Acorn Media).
The BBC takes a look at the person behind the legend in this docudrama that covers everything including her mysterious disappearance in 1926.

Agatha Christie Classic Mystery Collection Eight-disc set with eight Agatha Christie telefilms: "A Caribbean Mystery," "Murder Is Easy," "Murder With Mirrors," "Dead Man's Folly," "Murder in Three Acts," "Thirteen at Dinner," "The Man in the Brown Suit" and "Sparkling Cyanide"; $99.92. Two "subset" three-disc sets are also available at $39.92 each: Agatha Christie Collection Featuring Helen Hayes ("A Caribbean Mystery," "Murder Is Easy" and "Murder With Mirrors") and Agatha Christie Collection Featuring Peter Ustinov ("Dead Man's Folly," "Murder in Three Acts" and "Thirteen at Dinner." (Warner).
Eight Christie mysteries featuring Helen Hayes as Miss Marple and Peter Ustinov as Hercule Poroit. An enjoyable set, but many of them suffer from sub par supporting casts.

Agatha Christie's Marple Series 2 Four-disc set with four Miss Marple mysteries: "Sleeping Murder," "By the Pricking of My Thumb," "The Moving Finger" and "Sittaford Mystery." (Acorn Media).
Geraldine McEwan stars as the original sleuthing little old lady. These four mysteries are from the excellent PBS series Mystery. If you are looking for quality, this series beats out all others. I am especially fond of Sleeping Murder.

Double Indemnity Legacy Edition (1944) Dir.: Billy Wilder; Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Porter Hall, Jean Heather, Tom Powers, Byron Barr. Two-disc set. Extras: Introduction by Robert Osborne, "Shadows of Suspense" featurette, commentary by film historian Richard Schickel, commentary by film historian/screenwriter Lem Dobbs and film historian Nick Redman. (Universal).
Arguably the greatest Noir film ever made, Double Indemnity is finally getting the treatment
it deserves. Anyone that enjoys crime must own this.

The Jewel of the Nile Special Edition (1985) Dir.: Lewis Teague; Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito. Extras: "Romancing the Nile: A Winning Sequel" featurette, "Adventures of a Romance Novelist" featurette, deleted scenes. (Fox).
This sequel to Romancing the Stone is entertaining, but nowhere near as good as the original. Again, a full review is forthcoming.

Romancing the Stone Special Edition (1984) Dir.: Robert Zemeckis; Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor. Extras: "Rekindling the Romance: A Look Back," "A Hidden Treasure: The Screenwriter" featurette, "Michael Douglas Remembers," "Douglas, Turner and DeVito: Favorite Scenes," deleted scenes. (Fox).
This action/comedy/romance follows in the footsteps of Raiders of the Lost Ark, but with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The chemistry between Douglas and Turner is quite enjoyable and Danny DeVito is fantastic.

The Sentinel (2005) Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Kim Basinger, Blair Brown, David Rasche. Extras: Commentary by director Clark Johnson and writer George Nolfi, alternate ending, deleted scenes, "The Secret Service: Building on a Tradition of Excellence" featurette, "In the President's Shadow: Protecting the President" featurette. (Fox).
Keifer cashes in on his 24 success with this thriller about a secret service agent (Douglas) that is accused of being a traitort. Keifer and Eva Longoria play the agents on his tail. Kim Basinge also stars. Review forthcoming.

Vicki (1953) Jean Peters, Elliott Reed, Jeanne Crain, Richard Boone. Extras: Commentary by film historian Foster Hirsch, poster art gallery, behind-the-scenes gallery, pressbook gallery. (Fox Film Noir).
Review forthcoming.

Jeremy Lynch