THE PAUL NEWMAN COLLECTION. (Warner Home Video, 1956-1975/2006.  B&W/Color. Widescreen. 7 Discs, Box Set. Rated PG.) Various directors. Harper, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Young Philadelphians, The Drowning Pool, The MacKintosh Man, The Left-Handed Gun, Pocket Money. Seven lesser-known movies from Newman's heyday, all released on DVD for the first time.  The most familiar is probably Harper, based on author Ross MacDonald's famous Lew Archer detective (Newman had the name changed to "Lew Harper" to fit in with his other hit movies - like Hud - which began with the letter H).  He reprised the character nine years later in The Drowning Pool.  Other standouts in the set include Newman's breakthrough role as boxer Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There, which was supposed to be James Dean's next role after Giant.  My personal favorite is The Young Philadelphians, high-gloss soap opera with Newman as an ambitious lawyer from the wrong side of the tracks.  Among the many people he's expected to please: his fiancée (Barbara Rush), his mother (Diane Brewster, who was 6 years younger than Newman in real life), the family friend (Brian Keith), his mentor's wife (Alexis Smith), and his Princeton pal (Robert Vaughn in an Oscar-nominated performance).  Look fast for Adam West!  As for the set's extras, most of the films come with commentary from someone connected with the production, but it's too bad that Newman, 82 next month, didn't really participate.  You hear him for only 10 minutes - on speakerphone! - talking to director Robert Wise about playing Graziano. Otherwise there are the standard trailers, and one featurette. --Regina

MY GEISHA. (Paramount Home Video, 1962/2006. Color. Widescreen. 1 Disc. 119 minutes. Not Rated.) Directed by Jack Cardiff.  Shirley MacLaine, Yves Montand, Edward G. Robinson, Robert Cummings, Yoko Tani.  Pleasant comedy has oh-so-French Montand as a movie director married to MacLaine, a superstar American actress.  They've always worked together, but now Montand wants to strike out on his own with an on-location movie version of the opera Madame Butterfly.  MacLaine and Eddie G., a producer, cook up a scheme to get her in the movie after all...you can probably guess the rest.  "Love That Bob" Cummings is on hand as a lecherous actor.  Beautiful photography and art direction in the Japanese sequences (no surprise, since director Cardiff was first an award-winning cinematographer and early expert in color film). This is one of those movies where the off-set antics were just as interesting: MacLaine and Montand carried on a well-publicized romance, and MacLaine's husband Steve Parker, the executive producer on the project, was already separated from his famous wife and living in Japan.  Guess that's showbiz. --Regina

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?  (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2006.  Color. Widescreen.  1 Disc.  93 Minutes.  Rated PG.)  Directed by Chris Paine, narrated by Martin Sheen.  I was still wondering who killed off the flying car, but I guess that's another film altogether.  A very thought-provoking and compelling documentary that sets out to answer the title question.  It showcases a good mix of interviews with industry insiders, politicians and a small but passionate group of former electric car owners (one of whom is the director).  Though there are no clear-cut answers (and honestly, when are there?), the film leaves us with a list of suspects ranging from oil companies to the government and even consumers like ourselves.  It doesn't delve too far into any far-flung conspiracy theories, which is definitely in its favor.  I was rather surprised to see how little the film itself addressed the gas/electric hybrid vehicles on the market now, but those are covered more in-depth in the included featurette "Jump-Starting the Future," which outlines new and upcoming technologies that are available in the electric car's absence.  Other special features include a handful of deleted scenes; a music video by Meeky Rosie of the movie's theme song "Forever"; and a bunch of previews for other movies (16 by my count). --Jared

CHAMPION.  (Republic Pictures Video, 1949/2001.  Black & White. Not Rated. 100 Minutes.) Directed by Mark Robson.  Kirk Douglas, Marilyn Maxwell, Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart, Ruth Roman.  Dynamite Douglas, in his prime as boxer "Midge" Kelly, stars in one of the best fight films ever!  Kennedy is his crippled brother, (blonde) Maxwell and (brunette) Roman two of the gals he uses and loses, Stewart a fight manager who gives the untried kid a chance...but the more sucessful he becomes in the boxing ring, the worse he treats the ones who love him.  Good work from the supporting cast, particularly the sultry Maxwell.  Music by Dmitri Tiomkin.  Film was restored in the mid-90s for VHS release...well worth a look (in black and white!). --Regina

THE JAMES BOND ULTIMATE EDITION, VOL. I.  (MGM Home Video, 1965-1999/2006. Box Set. 10 Discs. Rated PG.)  Various directors. Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan.  MGM and Lowry Systems (they did the superlative remastering job on the original King Kong last year) have released Volumes I and II of The James Bond Ultimate Edition.  Each volume consists of 5 movies, each movie has two discs (the feature and an extras disc).  So that's 10 discs per set.  Got that?  (Volumes III and IV come in December.)  Volume I consists of Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, The Living Daylights, and The World is Not Enough.  This collection's major virtues are the 5.1 DTS sound and frame-by-frame restoration (most beneficial to the early films), and Sir Roger Moore provides commentary on his seven films which are spread out over the four volumes.  Most of the extras are the same as what you got if you bought the 1999 DVD versions of the movies.  Very attractive slipcase/outer packaging. Volume II, which I haven't yet seen, has Thunderball, The Spy Who Loved Me, A View to a Kill, License to Kill, and Die Another Day. --Regina

EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS: THE FIRST SEASON.  (CBS DVD. 2005-2006. 4 Discs.  22 episodes. 7 hours, 26 mins.) Tyler James Williams, Tequan Richmond, Imani Hakim, Tichina Arnold, Terry Crews, Vincent Martella, Chris Rock.  Remember The Wonder Years?  Change the setting to Brooklyn in the early 1980s and the main character to a loose version of Chris Rock at 13, and you've got the general idea behind Everybody Hates Chris.  In a nutshell, it’s a funny and sometimes touching tale of a poor family trying to survive.  One of the things I like about it is that it's a show involving kids, but it’s not a “kid's show” and it avoids the usual pitfalls of the family sitcom (dad's bumbling and stupid, mom's domineering, the kids always win over the parents, etc.).  Everybody gets a chance to shine and stumble.  Those familiar with Chris Rock's act will recognize some bits, sanitized though they are.  Mind you, the show is not without its barbs (watch for the "Projects=Experiments" joke in the pilot.  Classic.)  Special features include cast and crew commentary on select episodes (I found the crew to be more interesting), deleted scenes, a blooper reel and featurettes of the making of the show, jazz great Marcus Miller's soundtrack, the set and even the cast's audition tapes.  The widescreen presentation and 5.1 surround sound were a nice touch too. --Jared