"Off the Menu : Asian America" Arrives on DVD in January

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “OFF THE MENU: ASIAN AMERICA” on DVD. From award-winning filmmaker Grace Lee (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs), “Off the Menu: ASIAN AMERICA” is a road trip into the kitchens, factories, temples, and farms of Asian Pacific America that explores how our relationship to food reflects our evolving community.

“OFF THE MENU: ASIAN AMERICA” will be available on DVD January 5, 2016 from Baker & Taylor AV. The run time of this program is approximately 60 minutes and it has a SRP of $24.99.

What exactly does food reflect about Asian Pacific Americans? This documentary grapples with how family, tradition, faith, and geography shape our relationship to food. Viewers are introduced to the sushi king of Texas, the Sikh Temple of Oak Creek, Wisconsin and their weekly practice of langar, a communal meal open to anyone. The program also follows a French-trained chef who creates modern Chinese American dishes on New York’s Lower East Side and a Hawaiian woman restoring an ancient fishpond on the island of Oahu. These are just a few of stories and traditions and unexpected characters that help nourish this nation of immigrants and make up “Off the Menu: Asian America”.

SUPER WHY & "The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Fairytale Adventures" on DVD from PBS !

PBS Distribution will release four stories from PBS KIDS’ popular SUPER WHY series on the new DVD “THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF AND OTHER FAIRYTALE ADVENTURES” on January 26, 2016. The four reading-powered adventures on this DVD not only help kids with the critical skills they need to learn to read, they also provide them with important life lessons. Two of the lessons kids will take away after watching these stories are the importance of good manners and that in order to learn a new skill, you need to be persistent and keep trying!

The four stories included on this DVD are “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Elves and the Shoemaker.” In “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” Red’s grandmother won’t let her into the kitchen to have some red velvet cake, and she doesn’t know why. In order to find the answer, the Super Readers jump into the book “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” After watching a troll stop all three goats from crossing his bridge, the answer emerges. The Super Readers also jump into the story “The Tortoise and the Hare!” In this episode the Super Readers spell the words G-O and B-E-L-L and learn that participating in a contest isn’t always about winning, it’s also important to enjoy the game.

“THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF AND OTHER FAIRYTALE ADVENTURES” will be available on DVD January 26, 2016. The DVD has a run time of approximately 120 minutes and an SRP of $12.99. The episodes included on this DVD are listed below.

PBS to Release "NOVA: CYBERWAR THREAT" in January on DVD

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “NOVA: CYBERWAR THREAT” on DVD. The global cyberwar is heating up, and the stakes are no longer limited to the virtual world of computers. Now, sophisticated cyber weapons unleashed via the Internet can inflict physical damage—destroying control systems that regulate everything from food factories, gas pipelines, power plants and chemical facilities to the elevators in our buildings.

It may seem farfetched that a computer program can wreak destruction from a distance. But the United States is investing billions of dollars in this new form of warfare—and we’re not alone. Allies and enemies alike are rushing to develop these weapons. But what will this new arms race mean for our future? Will it make the U.S. more vulnerable to cyber attacks and retaliation?

“NOVA: CYBERWAR THREAT” will be available on DVD January 5, 2016. The run time of the program is approximately 60 minutes, and the SRP is $24.99. The program will also be available for digital download.  Watch  the trailer, below from Baker & Taylor AV.

The Intern Clocks in on DVD & BD on January 19, 2016

Academy Award winners Robert De Niro (Raging Bull, Silver Linings Playbook) and Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables, The Devil Wears Prada) star together in Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Intern. Oscar-nominated and award-winning filmmaker Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated, Something’s Gotta Give, Private Benjamin) is directing the dramatic comedy from her own screenplay.

In The Intern, De Niro stars as Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old widower who has discovered that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Hathaway).

The film’s multi-generational cast also features Rene Russo (Thor), Anders Holm (Workaholics), Andrew Rannells (Girls), Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect), Celia Weston (No Reservations), Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars), Linda Lavin (Wanderlust), Zack Pearlman (The Inbetweeners), newcomer Jason Orley, and Christina Scherer (Living with Uncle Charlie).

Final Season of "Downton Abbey", Season 6 Announced for DVD & Blu-ray

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 6” on DVD and

Blu-ray. The top-rated PBS drama of all time approaches its climactic chapter as it enters its sixth and final season on MASTERPIECE, bringing exciting closure to a remarkable series. Where will fate, passion, ambition, and duty lead television’s most beloved characters? Millions of devoted viewers will soon find out in the final season of Downton Abbey. 

Making their bittersweet farewell are members of the beloved cast, including Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Laura Carmichael, Brendan Coyle, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Kevin Doyle, Samantha Bond, David Robb, Raquel Cassidy and Michael Fox.

“DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 6” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray January 26, 2016. The DVD SRP is $49.99 and the Blu-ray SRP is $59.99. The run time is approximately 9 hours on 3 discs. The DVD and Blu-ray sets contain all of Season 6, including the finale. The DVD and Blu-ray feature the original U.K. edition of Season 6 as well as more than 30 minutes of bonus video.  And by special arrangement with PBS, Baker & Taylor AV will exclusively include a free dvd copy of DOWNTON ABBEY MANNERS with each Season 6 dvd order.

Pawn Sacrifice Checks in at Libraries on January 19

A long-anticipated chess match between an American upstart and a Russian grandmaster captures the imagination of the world in Pawn Sacrifice, coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 19, 2016 for public libraries from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. A riveting and revealing portrait of Bobby Fischer, the troubled genius who sparked an international chess craze, Pawn Sacrifice vividly recreates an era in which international gamesmanship achieved new heights – on and off the chess board.

In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire, whose players have dominated the game for decades. Pawn Sacrifice chronicles Fischer's terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.

Tobey Maguire (The Great Gatsby, Spider-Man) stars as the gifted and tormented Fischer, with Liev Schreiber ("Ray Donovan," Salt) as his Russian nemesis Boris Spassky. The film also stars Peter Sarsgaard (Black Mass, Jarhead), Lily Rabe ("American Horror Story," All Good Things), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man, Trumbo) and Robin Weigert (The Sessions, "Deadwood").

Live Webinar with "Masterpiece on PBS" Exec Producer, Rebecca Eaton

Join Baker & Taylor Entertainment n Wednesday, November 18 at 1:00PM Eastern for an exclusive, live webinar discussion with Rebecca Eaton, Executive Producer of Masterpiece on PBS. She will be joining Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen for a discussion of all things PBS MASTERPIECE. Learn how she successfully relaunched MASTERPIECE along with insights into the final season of Downton Abbey. 

Rebecca Eaton took over the helm of the PBS series MASTERPIECE THEATRE and MYSTERY! in 1985, and oversaw a highly successfully relaunch of MASTERPIECE that attracted a new generation of viewers to the series. She has brought American audiences the 2015 Emmy®-nominated Wolf Hall, the recent hits Sherlock and Downton Abbey — the most-watched drama in PBS history — as well as such high-profile titles as Mr Selfridge, Endeavour, Wallander, Prime Suspect, Cranford, Little Dorrit, Inspector Lewis, and The Complete Jane Austen. Under her leadership, MASTERPIECE has won 54 Primetime Emmy Awards®, 15 Peabody Awards, five Golden Globes®, and two Academy Award® nominations. In 2011,

MINIONS Arriving on DVD & Blu-ray

The breakout stars the world fell in love with in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me global film franchise headline their own movie for the first time in Minions, available on Blu-ray Combo Pack and  DVD on January 5, 2016 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.  Delayed due to their rental holdback policy that applies to public libraries.   A much anticipated prequel to the unprecedented worldwide blockbusters Despicable Me and the beloved sequel Despicable Me 2, Minions is an immensely entertaining film for all audiences called "inventive and hilarious" by Julian Roman, Movieweb.com. The Blu-ray Combo Pack comes with three all-new mini-movies and even more Minions everyone will want to watch again and again especially during the busy holiday travel season.

The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment's Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression. But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. The trio embark upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award®-winner Sandra Bullock), the world's first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in 'mod' London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind...from annihilation.