New DVDs: ‘Dreamgirls,’ ‘Little Children’

REVIEWS

By David Germain

updated 4:24 p.m. ET April 30, 2007

“Dreamgirls”
The musical that won an Academy Award for Jennifer Hudson in her film debut, that ALMOST got a best-picture nomination and ALMOST won Eddie Murphy an Oscar debuts on home video. The adaptation of the Broadway hit missed out on some key Oscar honors, but it was the latest $100 million hit in Hollywood’s revival of the movie musical. Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Murphy and supporting-actress winner Hudson star in the tale of a 1960s female trio that rises to stardom out of Detroit’s Motown music scene. The movie is available in a single-disc DVD edition and two-disc DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray releases, all containing 12 extended and alternate scenes, a Beyoncé music video and an unreleased musical number by Hudson. The two-disc sets also include a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary, a handful of other featurettes and cast auditions and screen tests. Two-disc DVD set, $34.99; single-disc DVD, $29.99; HD DVD and Blu-ray two-disc sets, $39.99 each. (DreamWorks) Read the review

“Little Children”

New Line Cinema

The satiric drama of suburban life brought a best-actress Oscar nomination for Kate Winslet and a supporting-actor nomination for Jackie Earle Haley, the comeback story of 2006 after a long absence from film for the co-star of 1979’s “Breaking Away.” Winslet leads an ensemble that includes Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Wilson and Noah Emmerich in a sexually charged story centered on secrets and lies behind the prim facades of a seemingly pleasant neighborhood, where a bored housewife takes up with a stay-at-home husband and a suspicious man leads a campaign of vigilante terror against a recently paroled sex offender. The bare-bones DVD could have used some background material, particularly an interview or commentary from director Todd Field, whose previous film was the critical hit “In the Bedroom.” DVD, $27.95. (New Line) Read the review

“Illegal Aliens”
Three months after Anna Nicole Smith’s death comes her final flick, a B-movie science-fiction comedy in which she mercilessly parodies herself and her dopey-blonde persona. Smith, also a producer on the movie, stars as a none-too-bright alien who comes to Earth with two colleagues, the shape-shifting trio adopting the guise of human babes and hitting the streets to battle evil forces that threaten the planet. Wrestler Joanie Laurer co-stars as a looney alien villain intent on wiping out humanity. The DVD has commentary with the filmmakers, deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. DVD, $19.95. (MTI)

TV on DVD:

“The Best of the Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” — One of television’s most-wholesome classics returns with a four-disc compilation from the sit-com starring the real-life Nelson family — Ozzie and Harriet and their sons David and Ricky, who became a teen idol as a pop singer. The set has 24 episodes from the show’s 14-year run, with extras including commentaries from David Nelson and Sam Nelson, son of the late Rick Nelson. DVD set, $34.98. (Shout)

“What I Like About You: The Complete First Season” — Teen star Amanda Bynes leads the cast in this sister-act sit-com, playing an unruly 16-year-old who moves in with her career-minded sibling (Jennie Garth) after their widower dad moves to Japan. A three-disc set packs the first 22 episodes. DVD set, $39.98. (Warner Bros.)

“Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days” — Monty Python’s Flying Circus funnyman Palin leads a rousing video travelogue with this 1989 documentary series chronicling his adventures in the footsteps of the globe-trotting protagonist of Jules Verne’s literary classic. The three-disc set has all seven episodes and an interview with Palin. DVD set, $49.98. (BBC)

“Beverly Hills 90210,” “Melrose Place” — The second seasons of chic prime-time soap “Beverly Hills 90210” and spinoff “Melrose Place” debut in a pair of eight-disc sets. The “Beverly Hills 90210” set has 28 episodes and a handful of featurettes; the “Melrose Place” set has 31 episodes, with commentary on some from series creator Darren Star. DVD sets, $61.99 each. (Paramount)

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