By RANDY WILLIAMS
‘Miami Vice - The Complete Series’
This groundbreaking drama from the mid-’80s starring vice squad detectives Crockett (Don Johnson) and Tubbs (Philip Michael Thomas) is slickly packaged with all 111 episodes on 27 discs in a cool white and aqua blue case. The fashionable anthology also includes one of the show’s distinguishing elements — music. Jan Hammer’s Grammy-winning theme song as well as tunes from The Who, Phil Collins, Glenn Frey, Aerosmith, U2, and Peter Gabriel are featured throughout the five-volume set. (Universal) Ratatouille’
Paris, the City of Lights, is seen from a different perspective, namely through the dreams of a determined young rat looking to make his mark as a renowned French chef. Cooked up by the creators of “Cars” and “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille” is more Pixar magic, brilliant in color and detail. Bonus features include: Deleted scenes; a pair of animated short films; and a behind-the-scenes feature with both director Brad Bird and acclaimed chef Thomas Keller. Bon appetit. (Disney) ‘Live Free or Die Hard – (Two-Disc Special Edition)’
Yippee Ki Yay! The latest installment of the popular film series finds unlucky, old-school NYPD detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) taking on an Internet-based terrorist organization who are systematically shutting down the United States. In addition to the action-packed chaos of the story, the two-disc presentation also offers a bounty of extras including deleted scenes. (Fox) ‘James Bond —The Ultimate Collector’s Set’
Fans of the legendary British spy can start their own Bond cable network with the material comprising this complete set. For the first time, beginning with the latest edition of one of filmdom’s most enduring heroes (spanning over 40 years), “Casino Royale,” starring the new 007 Daniel Craig, all 21 James Bond pictures are available in one collection. Slickly packaged, this four-volume, 42-disc set also offers hours of bonus materials including audio commentaries on every Bond film, behind-the-scenes featurettes, documentaries, rare interviews, deleted scenes, music videos and more interactive material than gadgets in Q’s lab. This is bonding with Bond from MGM with love. (MGM) ‘Love American Style — Season One Volume One’
The popular romantic vignette series of the early ‘70s (for the 1971 and 1972 seasons it was a part of an ABC Friday prime-time lineup that also included “Brady Bunch,” “The Partridge Family,” “Room 222,” and “The Odd Couple”), featured different stories of amour, usually with a comedic spin. All episodes were unrelated, featuring different characters, stories and locations. Some leading writers, directors and actors got a boost early in their careers being a part of this popular program. They include Harrison Ford, Garry Marshall, and Bill Bixby. The show’s popular theme song won an Emmy. The inaugural 12 episodes come on three discs. (Paramount) ‘Secrets of WW II’
From one of the premiere documentarians comes a four-disc, 26 episode look at some of the brilliant and true stories of brave men and women from all walks of life thrown into life-threatening situations. Covering all theaters of war, from North Africa to Japan, the producers have secured recently released secret footage to provide a clearer context to the strategic objectives and tactical efforts to operations performed in often very dire conditions. (BBC Warner) ‘Bruce Springsteen — Under Review: 1978-1982’
This documentary film explores one of the most creative periods of The Boss, an era that yielded “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The River,” and “Nebraska.” Through historical performances re-examined by a panel of esteemed experts, rare interviews with Springsteen and others, as well as footage from some of his most significant musical influences, we get a better feel for this both dark and glorious period of one of America’s music treasures. (MVD)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 30, 2007. Read the original PDF.