The biggest film of 2010 so far is "Alice in Wonderland," Tim Burton's visually stunning but bizarre fantasy adventure.
For better or worse, this is filmmaker Burton's version of the beloved and much-filmed Lewis Carroll tales and all that entails. Burton regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter steals scenes — as the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen, respectively.
Also, it should be mentioned that there is some upsetting imagery and content, which begs the question of whether the movie should have gotten a PG-13 rating, rather than the supposedly more family-friendly PG rating.
"Alice in Wonderland" will be available Tuesday in a variety of DVD formats. The standard, one-disc version (Disney, $29.99) features a behind-the-scenes minidocumentary, as well as interviews with the cast and crew. The three-disc combo pack ($44.99) features behind-the-scenes looks at the movie, both Blu-ray and standard DVD versions of the movies and a digital copy of the film, which can be downloaded to home-electronics devices.
Other DVD releases next week include:
"Bare Knuckles" (Image, $27.98) — Action-thriller starring Jeanette Roxborough as a single mother who becomes an amateur fighter.
Special features: Behind-the-scenes minidocumentary, music video.
PG-13 (violence, vulgarity, brief sex)
"Cornered" (Phase 4, $29.99) — Darkly comic, serial killer thriller from 2008, starring Steve Guttenberg and James Duval.
R (violence, gore, sex, profanity)
"For My Father" (Film Movement, $24.95) — Drama from 2008, about a failed suicide bombing attempt. Hebrew with subtitles.
Not rated, probable PG-13 (violence, profanity, slurs)
"The Red Baron" (Monterey Video, $26.95) — Matthias Schweighofer stars as the famed aviator in this World War I tale. German with subtitles.
PG-13 (violence, vulgarity, sex)
"Small Town Saturday Night" (Lionsgate, $26.98) — Drama starring Chris Pine as a would-be country musician preparing to go to Nashville.
R (profanity, sex)
"The Stranger" (Anchor Bay, $29.97) — Action-thriller starring former WWE wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as an FBI agent trying to track down a missing witness.
R (violence, profanity)
"The Sun" (Kino, $29.95) — Drama from 2005, which is the third part of Aleksandr Sokurov's World War II tales. Japanese with subtitles.
Not rated, probable PG-13 (violence)
"Undisputed III: Redemption" (New Line, $27.98) — Scott Adkins reprises his role as a Russian fighter in this third installment of the popular martial-arts/fighting movie series.
R (violence, gore, profanity)
"A Waste of Shame" (BFS Entertainment, $24.98) — Historical drama originally produced for British television, starring Rupert Graves as William Shakespeare.
Not rated, probable R (sex, vulgarity)
"The Wolfman" (Universal, $29.98) — ★★ — The remake of the 1941 horror classic ends as it begins — messily. Benicio Del Toro stars.
Special features: Two-disc, unrated version (also $29.98) contains both theatrical version and "director's cut" of the movie.
R (violence, gore, torture, brief drugs, slurs, profanity, brief nudity)
Some upcoming DVD releases include:
JUNE
June 8: "From Paris With Love" — Lionsgate; "Shutter Island" — Paramount
June 15: "The Book of Eli" — Warner; "When in Rome" — Disney; "Youth in Revolt" — Sony
June 22: "The Last Station" — Sony; "She's Out of My League" — Paramount; "Timer" — Phase 4
June 29: "The Crazies" — Anchor Bay; "Creation" — Lionsgate; "Don McKay" — Image; "The Eclipse" — Magnolia; "Green Zone" — Universal; "Hot Tub Time Machine" — Fox/ MGM; "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" — Fox; "The Warlords" — Magnolia; "When You're Strange: A Film About the Doors" — Eagle Rock
JULY
July 6: "Brooklyn's Finest" — Anchor Bay; "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" — Music Box Films; "A Single Man" — Sony
July 13: The Bounty Hunter — Sony; "Caught in the Crossfire" — Lionsgate; "Chloe" — Sony; "The Greatest" — E1; "Greenberg" — Universal; "Our Family Wedding" — Fox; "Saint John of Las Vegas" — Vivendi
July 20: "Cop Out" — Warner
July 27: "Repo Men" — Universal
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com