This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc - Milla Jovovich is a trembling, frantic Jeanne d'Arc in Luc Besson's beautifully filmed, historically questionable epic; Irma Vep - Olivier Assayas gives us a slice of French filmmaking, on an ill-fated production based on how good Maggie Cheung looks in black tights. Funny and interesting, with a great turn by Nathalie Richard; and Capricorn One - Peter Hyams' space fraud thriller is pretty silly, but it does have O.J. Simpson! Elliott Gould and James Brolin co-star in a movie about a faked Mars mission. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

A few more interesting discs have been announced in the last week or so. Recently announced DVDs and of note include: Religulous - Bill Maher teams up with Borat director Larry Charles to skewer some sacred cows. 2-17-09; Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway - the Pulitzer and Tony Award winning musical comes to DVD and Blu-ray on 2-3-09, and RocknRolla Guy Ritchie's latest film about crooks, a large pile of cash, and a burned out rock star arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 1-27-09. Keep track of all the upcoming DVDs with the DVDTalk Release List.

The holiday shopping season is in full swing and the studios are releasing some great movies in hopes of cashing in. Some of the more notable titles include: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian [DVD review, Blu-ray review] - steps up its game in almost every way. It's darker, more mature, and a better paced film than the last outing, and to top it all off, it's still 100 percent suitable for your kids!; Wanted [DVD review, Blu-ray review] - a rewarding rocket-powered ride of escapism, it's damn near-perfect lunacy at times; and The Shawshank Redemption (Blu-ray) [review]- one of the best films of the 1990's, this note-perfect film is presented in HD for the first time just in time for the holidays. Other releases of note include:  Step Brothers [DVD review, Blu-ray review], The X-Files: I Want to Believe [DVD review, 2-Disc Extended Cut review], and The Longshots [DVD review]. Be sure to check out our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

One of the most common problems that DVD Collectors face is how to store their discs. Just where do you put all of those movies so that you can have easy access whenever you want? The people at Slappa have come up with an ingenious solution: their patented d2 pockets. Each pocket holds two DVDs, Blu-rays or HD DVDs along with the covers and inserts. Multi-disc sets are no problem either with Slappa's d3i pages which can each hold up to four DVDs and covers. The d2 and d3i pockets can then be stored in Slappa's custom designed DVD Wallets or their compact Storage Boxes. With 70 DVDs and covers fitting into a Storage Box and 40 or 90 in a portable, hard bodied DVD Wallet your collection will be safe, accessible and it will take up considerably less space. For the holidays Slappa is having a 10% off sale, offering a free shipping option, and including freebies with every order! There's never been a better time to check out Slappa's DVD Storage System.

Here's hoping all our American readers had a nice Thanksgiving. The editor was planning on a nice Thanksgiving Day post to the front page, but he bloated himself on turkey and pie and fell into a coma. Happily the reviewers were still working! New DVD reviews include: Chungking Express: Criterion Collection - one of the great films of the '90s, it lingers like a personal memory long after its final frames have faded; Cowboy Smoke - this movie is a hell of a find, a small indie carrying a great big story. One of the year's finest independent works; and White Dog - Criterion Collection -a solid film that serves as a great showcase for a director who was not afraid to take chances. Other recent reviews include: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, Black Metal Satanica, and Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps - Ballets by Uwe Scholz.  Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week and the ability to browse reviews by studio.

Flamboyant director Baz Luhrmann emerges from self-imposed industry exile to direct Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in the extravagantly mounted outback adventure Australia. Jason Statham saddles up his growl and warms up his fists to return as Frank the driver in Transporter 3. And the holiday season is ruined by Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon in the comedy Four Christmases. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Twilight, Bolt, Slumdog Millionaire, Quantum of Solace, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and I Can't Think Straight. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

More TV shows are popping up on DVD, and as long as the studios release them, DVDTalk's review panel will tell you which ones are worth picking up. Recent TV on DVD reviews include:  Hannah Montana: The Complete First Season - A consistently funny laugh-getter, the shwo is a surprisingly strong sitcom - regardless of its tween origins; Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years - a triumphant reminder of the triple-threat talents of Mitzi Gaynor: dancer, singer, and actress; and The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus [second review]- The content has aged better than a fine wine and the wealth of supplemental material that accompanies it is both interesting and ridiculously funny. Other shows recently reviewed include:  I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Series, Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Collection, and Jesus and Mary in Art.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

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