New on DVD: ‘Toy Story 3’
Toy Story 3
Disney, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99 / $45.99
Even when the animation-storytelling wizards at Pixar repeat themselves, they do it better than anyone. In the latest installment of the “Toy Story” series, playroom ringleader Woody tries to save his pal Buzz and the rest of the toys from a rigidly stratified day-care center after their college-bound owner gives them away. The “putting away childish things” theme was handled more fleetly in “Toy Story 2,” but the third film does contain multiple narrow-escape sequences as exciting as any in Pixar’s impressive repertoire, and the final farewell scene is a heart-tugger extraordinaire. The “Toy Story 3” DVD and Blu-ray come packed with goodies, including bonus shorts and highly entertaining and enlightening behind-the-scenes looks at Pixar’s process.
The Goonies: 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
Warner, $39.98; Blu-ray, $49.99
Though it was only a modest box-office hit in 1985, “The Goonies” has had a long afterlife on home video, as successive generations of kids have come to enjoy the movie’s simple story of treasure-hunting teens and the elaborate world of pirates and underground mazes that they explore. Now the Blu-ray era gets its crack at the film on a set that includes a commentary by Richard Donner and his now-grown cast, deleted scenes, a retrospective documentary, a board game and two collectible magazines.
The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series
Shout! Factory, $149.99
Few entertainers have been as fearless about biting Hollywood’s hand than Garry Shandling, who went from gently spoofing showbiz convention early in his career to savaging it on “The Larry Sanders Show,” an HBO sitcom set behind the scenes of a fictional late-night talk show. As the show’s host, Shandling revealed the insecurities, paranoia and petty power plays of the average celebrity, in stories that made beloved millionaires look like ordinary workaday schmucks. Throughout its six seasons, “The Larry Sanders Show” was easily the smartest, funniest half-hour of television around. The long-awaited complete series box set includes Shandling’s intensely personal interviews with his old costars and writers, along with deleted scenes, outtakes and a feature-length documentary.
The Pacific
HBO, $79.98; Blu-ray, $99.98
Though it didn’t earn as many critical hosannas as their magnificent “Band of Brothers,” the Tom Hanks / Steven Spielberg-produced HBO miniseries “The Pacific” delivers 10 gripping hours of television, telling the story of some of the bloodiest campaigns of World War II through the eyes of three Marines: a moody war hero played by Jon Seda, a shell-shocked romantic played by James Badge Dale and a sensitive kid played by Joseph Mazzello. All three performances are excellent and serve a vision of war that doesn’t shortchange the brutality or the humanity of the men who fought. The DVD and Blu-ray supplements “The Pacific” with fascinating documentaries about the real people and events that inspired the series.
And …
“The Bridge on the River Kwai” ( Sony Blu-ray, $34.95); “Cadfael: The Complete Collection” (Acorn, $99.99); “Centurion” (Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98); “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” ( 20th Century Fox Blu-ray, $34.99); “Highlander” (Lionsgate Blu-ray, $19.99); “Let’s Spend the Night Together” (Lionsgate, $14.98); “Once Fallen” (First Look, $24.98; Blu-ray, $24.98); “The Sound of Music” (20th Century Fox Blu-ray, $34.99/$89.99); “V: The Complete First Season” (Warner, $39.98; Blu-ray, $49.99); “Winnebago Man” (Kino, $29.95)