FALL DVDS | Coming to video stores

Mark these days on your DVD buying/renting calendar. Here’s a capsule look at releases from between now and the end of the year:

OCT. 2

“Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (Fox): As the Silver Surfer arrives on Earth to prepare it for destruction, only the Invisible Woman, the Thing, the Human Torch and Mr. Fantastic can save us. Director Tim Story provides a commentary on both the single- and two-disc versions, while lots of short features on how the movie was made are packaged with the latter.

“Funny Face: 50th-Anniversary Edition” (Paramount): Here’s where The Gap swiped those images of Audrey Hepburn in skinny black pants. Stanley Donen’s 1957 musical, featuring the music of George and Ira Gershwin, stars Fred Astaire as a fashion photographer who spots Hepburn in a Greenwich Village bookstore.

“The War” (Paramount): Watch Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s documentary history of World War II — which began this month on PBS — on your own schedule; with additional interviews, a commentary by the filmmakers, educational resources and more.

OCT. 9

“Evan Almighty” (Universal): God (Morgan Freeman) asks Congressman Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) to build an ark in Tom Shadyac’s comedy from earlier this year. Carell cuts up in the bonus features, too, including doing an improvised standup routine on Capitol Hill, showing how the ark was built and getting his makeup done.

OCT. 16

“The Jazz Singer 80th-Anniversary Collector’s Edition” (Warner Home Video): “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” says Al Jolson in this 1927 movie that launched the sound era (it includes both silent and sound elements). Jolson, in a semi-autobiographical performance, plays an entertainer whose career causes problems with his father, a rabbi; this three-disc collector’s edition includes the fully restored picture and sound, memorabilia, a commentary by film historians and much more.

“A Mighty Heart” (Paramount): Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman star in Michael Winterbottom’s realistic treatment of the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan and his wife’s efforts to free him.

“Transformers” (Paramount): In addition to this summer’s hit movie, the DVD arrives with a commentary by director Michael Bay and a two-part documentary exploring many aspects of the production.

OCT. 23

“Battleship Potemkin” (Kino): This newly restored version of Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 film about the failed 1905 Russian Revolution has influenced generations of filmmakers with its pioneering use of montage.

“Route 66 — Season One, Volume One” (Roxbury/Infinity): The popular early-’60s TV series makes its DVD debut as buddies Tod (Martin Milner) and Buz (George Maharis) hit the road in their Chevy Corvette.

“The Sopranos — Season 6, Part 2” (HBO): David Chase wrapped up his HBO series with his usually strong plot lines, terrific performances and memorable suspense.

OCT. 30

“Help!” (Apple Corps/EMI): John, Paul, George and Ringo punch a new ticket to ride as the Beatles’ second movie, directed by Richard Lester and released in 1965, returns in a newly restored version with behind-the-scenes footage, a missing scene and more; a deluxe boxed set also includes Lester’s original script, a 60-page book and an appreciation by Martin Scorsese.

“My So-Called Life: The Complete Series” (Shout! Factory): From 1994, this remains one of TV’s best-ever series about teenagers, starring the terrific Claire Danes as a 15-year-old sophomore in high school. In addition to all 19 episodes, the DVD set includes a 40-page book, tributes from Janeane Garofalo and more.

“Spider-Man 3” (Sony): Spider-Man battles himself (or his dark side when wearing his black suit) as well as Sandman and Venom in Sam Raimi’s third film in the series, starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and Thomas Haden Church.

NOV. 6

“The Best of the Colbert Report” (Paramount/Comedy Central): You want truthiness? Stephen Colbert delivers. No details yet on bonus features.

“Chinatown — Special Collector’s Edition” (Paramount): Jack Nicholson gives an unforgettable performance as L.A. private eye Jake Gittes in Roman Polanski’s 1974 updating of the film noir tradition.

“Monty Python’s Life of Brian: The Immaculate Edition” (Sony): The 1979 not-the-biblical epic arrives with a new “The Story of Brian” documentary, a newly discovered feature-length recording of the Pythons doing a read-through of their script, deleted scenes, two audio commentaries and more.

NOV. 13

“Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Ultimate Collector’s Edition” (Sony): This 30th-anniversary edition includes a new interview with director Steven Spielberg and a retrospective documentary.

“Ocean’s Thirteen” (Warner Home Video): George Clooney, Brad Pitt and the boys re-team with director Steven Soderbergh for more heist high jinks; also available in a gift set featuring other “Ocean’s” installments.

“Shrek the Third” (DreamWorks/Paramount): Shrek looks for a successor — besides himself — to the deceased king of Far Far Away, while Prince Charming leads fairy-tale villains in an attempted palace overthrow in the third film of the clever animated series. There are many bonus features, including “Shrek’s Guide to Parenthood” and a “Donkey Dance” video.

NOV. 20

“Chappelle’s Show: The Series Collection” (Paramount/Comedy Central): It’s gone and deeply missed, so these highlights of Seasons One and Two, plus the Lost Episodes, of Dave Chappelle’s sketch-comedy series will have to suffice.

“The Lady Vanishes” (Criterion Collection): Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 suspense thriller, one of the great director’s last English films before he moved to Hollywood, is out in a two-disc edition with high-definition digital transfer and many bonus features.

“Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same” (Warner): Led Zep’s three-night Madison Square Garden run in July 1973 is captured in this 1976 movie, newly remixed and remastered, with never-before-seen footage and an interview with Robert Plant.

NOV. 27

“The O.C. — The Complete Series” (Warner): The teen fave may be off the air, but all 92 episodes get a second life in this 28-disc boxed set.

DEC. 4

“Ford at Fox” (Fox): This spectacular 24-film boxed set of movies John Ford made for 20th Century Fox from 1920 to 1952 includes both the famous (“The Grapes of Wrath,” “My Darling Clementine”) and rarities (the silent 1924 Western “The Iron Horse”).

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment): Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush return for more nautical adventures, from Singapore to World’s End to Shipwreck Island, with bloopers, an anatomy of the “Maelstrom” scene, a look at the relationship between Depp and Keith Richards and a five-part documentary on the look of the movie.

DEC. 11

“High School Musical 2: Extended Edition” (Disney): The most-watched cable telecast of all time features the students from East High working on a country-club summer talent show; bonus features include on-screen lyrics and interactive karaoke, a “rehearsal cam,” bloopers and more.

Bruce Dancis, Sacramento Bee