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Saturday Night Fever, Heat reissued as new directors cut Blu-rays
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New on Blu-ray is "From Hell it Came" (1957), a ridiculous monster movie about a tree that comes to life on a South Seas island. - photo by Chris Hicks
Four vintage flicks receive Blu-ray upgrades this week, Saturday Night Fever, Heat, The Wheeler Dealers and From Hell it Came.

Saturday Night Fever: Directors Cut (Paramount, 1977; R for language, sex, nudity, drugs; theatrical version and extended directors cut, deleted scene, audio commentary, featurettes). The year of the original Star Wars also saw Saturday Night Fever climb the movie charts to become 1977s fifth biggest picture. John Travolta earned an Oscar nomination and the Bee Gees' soundtrack album was a No. 1 hit all over the world. Fever is right.

Travolta plays 19-year-old Tony Manero, living in Brooklyn with his parents and unhappy with both his deadend job and his dysfunctional home life. But on Saturday nights, hes the king of the dance floor at the local disco club, where he hangs out with his buddies and meets a woman (Karen Lynn Gorney) who has the necessary dance moves to be his match. It's dated, to be sure, but still vital. And its also very R-rated, with a constant stream of foul language and a controversial rape scene.

Heat: Directors Definitive Edition (Fox/Regency, 1995, R for violence and language, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes). This remastered edition of the nearly three-hour cops-n-robbers flick is a measured look at police procedure that has improved with age, especially since the genre is now so over the top. Al Pacino is a Los Angeles detective obsessed with catching high-tech thief Robert De Niro, a real casting coup in 95 since they shared no screen time in their only other film together, The Godfather, Part II. (They have since co-starred in the 2008 bomb Righteous Kill and have a Martin Scorsese film scheduled for 2018.)

The Wheeler Dealers (Warner Archive, 1963, trailer). James Garner turns on the charm in this frothy romantic farce as a cocky manipulator of business deals, often in partnership with some bombastic Texas millionaires (Chill Wills, Phil Harris, Charles Watts). But when he takes aim at a failing company whose products dont seem to exist, its only because hes really pursuing the alluring employee (Lee Remick) whose job hangs in the balance. Louis Nye, John Astin and Jim Backus co-star. (The Blu-ray debut is available at wbshop.com.)

From Hell it Came (Warner Archive, 1957, b/w, trailer). There are a lot of ridiculous 1950s monster movies but none quite reaches the heights, or depths, of this no-budget tale of a treacherous tree on a remote South Seas island, complete with a snarling face, and limbs that act as arms and legs. It is perfect for aficionados of bad horror flicks. It follows the Creature from the Black Lagoon template, with bark instead of scales. (The Blu-ray debut is available at wbshop.com.)
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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