Phil Villarreal's novel, Zeta Male, is available at Amazon.
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Here are the best recent home video releases:
Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Edition
Disney gave this film a lavish Blu-ray treatment back in 2010, and this anniversary edition somehow manages to top that impressive effort. One of the greatest animated movies ever made, the film tells a stunningly romantic tale of a bookish young woman who becomes the captive of a cursed beast that she comes to love over time. New this time out is a digital copy via Disney Movies Anywhere program, a preview of the upcoming live-action film, and featurettes on its musical inspiration, the recording sessions, filmmaker commentary and 25 fun facts about the movie. The set also includes the DVD version of the film.
Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection
Two excellent time-travel comedies -- "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989) and "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" (1991) -- star Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as slacker teens who skip through time via a high-tech phone booth and meet historical figures in order to help them pass history class in the first film, then explore the afterlife in the follow-up. The writing holds up well, and the performances are pitch perfect. Extras include new featurettes, collectible artwork and archival materials.
Blood Simple (Criterion)
The Coen Brothers' 1984 breakout hit stars Frances McDormand and John Getz in a dark tale of a jealous bar owner who hires a hitman to kill his philandering wife and her boyfriend. Once his plan goes astray, complications continue to mount, sending him into maelstrom of double-crosses and encounters with others with sinister motives. Sharp dialogue and stylish visuals pulse throughout the movie, which has never looked better on home video than it does in this new transfer. The set includes a tribute booklet, as well as a making-of documentary, a conversation with an author and film critic and featurettes on several of the actors, as well as the film's score.
Studios provided screeners for review.
