PICK OF THE WEEK: ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Somewhere between the tween appeal of "High School Musical" and the adult sophistication of "Sweeney Todd" lies last year's original musical "Across the Universe," which uses 33 Beatles songs to tell the story of young lovers (Evan Rachel Wood and British newcomer Jim Sturgess) coming of age in the turbulent '60s.

Director Julie Taymor has brought her unique visions to stage (Disney's "The Lion King") and film (the Oscar-winning "Frida," the bloody Shakespeare adaptation "Titus") before, but this risky project provided her with her biggest canvas yet and the result was a film that thrilled some and irritated others in seemingly equal measure.

However, a clear cult following emerged around the movie and drove the box office to a respectable, if less than awe-inspiring, $24 million. The movie also picked up an Oscar nomination for its period costume design (though the inventive art direction/production design would've been a better choice).

The movie's two disc special edition includes a commentary from Taymor and her husband—composer Elliot Goldenthal, who reinterpreted the Beatles' classics for the film—plus extended musical performances, a deleted scene and extensive behind-the-scenes footage.

"Across the Universe" is also available on Blu-ray.

Also released:
"2 Days in Paris"
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (also Blu-ray)
"Americanizing Shelley"
"Blind Dating"
"Blonde and Blonder"
"The Brave One" (also Blu-ray)
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (also HD-DVD)
"Feast of Love"
"Fierce People"
"Great World of Sound"
"The Jane Austen Book Club" (also Blu-ray)
"The Ten Commandments" (2007)
"Weirdsville"

Older titles and special editions:
"The Apartment" (Collector's Edition)
"The Aristocats" (Special Edition)
"Tootsie" (25th Anniversary Edition)
"You've Got Mail" (Deluxe Edition)

Hi-definition:
"Breaker Morant" (Blu-ray)
"Crimson Tide" (Blu-ray)
"Me, Myself & Irene" (Blu-ray)
"Wall Street" (Blu-ray)

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