New on DVD鈥�
The Book of Negroes
Based on Canadian author Lawrence Hill鈥檚 award-winning book, this six-part miniseries brings a crucial piece of Canadian history to life. The Book of Negroes refers to the historical document containing 3,000 names of black citizens who fought for the British during the Revolutionary War and fled with the British for Canada in 1783. Long before she helped write the names on that document, Aminata Diallo is kidnapped from her Mali village and survives a grueling months-long passage to South Carolina, where she is sold as a slave. Literate, fluent in several languages and with midwifery skills inherited from her mother, Aminata proves a valuable asset. She is reunited with Chekura (Jamaican-Canadian Lyriq Bent) who made the voyage with her, but the two are separated time and time again as Aminata is moved to New York, finds her freedom in Nova Scotia after helping the British, and eventually returns to her homeland. Wealth of special features includes historical tidbits on each disc, such as the use of the Amistad ship, and the Black Loyalist Heritage Society鈥檚 contribution. A separate disc includes extensive interviews with 10 cast and crew members, plus an on-set Q&A with author Lawrence Hill. A further extra, A Conversation with the Author, illuminates Lawrence鈥檚 inspiration for the book: the strong women in his family. 鈥淚 love listening to women speak鈥� especially when they think no man is listening.鈥�
The Wedding Ringer
It鈥檚 really not such a far-fetched idea in this age of virtual friends: a guy (Josh Gad) about to get married has no one to fill the Best Man obligations, so he hires a professional (Kevin Hart) to play the part. Along the way Doug will find out if the demanding bride (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) is really his dream girl or if what he really needs is some guys to hang with. Odd appearances by Cloris Leachman, Ken Howard, Mimi Rogers and football legends Joe Namath, John Riggins and Ed Jones. Special features on the standard disc include terrifying and true wedding stories from cast and crew, and commentary on select scenes with Gad and director Jeremy Garelick.
The Boy Next Door
Jennifer Lopez proves she鈥檚 the hottest mom of twins ever by credibly playing the idyll of a 19-year-old who moves in next door. Noah (Ryan Guzman) is an orphan boy helping his great uncle who pops over to Claire鈥檚 house to do home repairs and eat the occasional meal. But Noah鈥檚 other skills lead to a one-night fling, which threaten to tear Claire鈥檚 world apart. The erotic thriller also stars John Corbett, Kristin Chenoweth and Ian Nelson as Claire鈥檚 teenaged son. There鈥檚 a making-of extra on the Blu-ray disc, featuring conversations with Lopez, director and producers; as well as deleted scenes and commentary with director Rob Cohen. Available on DVD April 28.
