DVD Talk: June 2015 Archives

Another banner week for DVDs with the studios releasing some great films and boxed sets such as: Get Hard [review] - The film has some flaws, but Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart are a hell of a comedy team, and when the movie works, it is hilarious; The Decline Of Western Civilization Collection [review] - Shout! Factory have done a pretty fantastic job bringing these important music films to Blu-ray in truly deluxe style; and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders [review] - an arthouse film that is as bizarre as it is compelling and genuinely enchanting... it's beautiful, strange and ripe for interpretation. Other reviews of note include: The New Barbarians [review], Ghosthouse / Witchery [review], and 1990: The Bronx Warriors [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.

This week the DVD Talk Review Database has some great new entries, including a few discs you may have overlooked. Recent reviews include: The Wrecking Crew - a film that sheds light on a little known corner of American music in the 1960s and 1970s with a relatively anonymous group of musicians that share the thread of some of the most memorable songs in music history; American Hercules: The Legend of Babe Ruth - this biography takes a topic that many know about and breathes new life and discussion into it... one of the better sports films I've seen in recent memory; and The Young Lions - a sprawling tale about three men before and during WWII and their reluctance to join the fight. Other recent reviews include: Clint Eastwood: The Universal Pictures 7-Movie Collection, Cherry 2000, and The Cat Returns. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include:: White Collar - The Complete Series - Matt Bomer leads this enjoyable comedic procedural as a thief and forger working with the FBI to stop white-collar criminals; Parks & Recreation: The Complete Series - one of the best overall sitcoms in TV history, featuring one of the finest ensemble comedy casts, while also developing a world that viewers wanted to spend their time in; and Turn: Washington's Spies - The Complete First Season - this new dramatic thriller series, set during the American Revolutionary War, is engaging and features a great cast. Other shows recently reviewed include: .hack//Roots: The Complete Series, The Midnight Special, and Digimon Fusion: Season 1. Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVD Talk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: The Thing with Two Heads - this horror pastiche turns out to be competent, non-insulting, amusing and reasonably well done. Who'da thunk it? Ray Milland takes the assignment as an opportunity to make a coherent statement about bigotry, and succeeds; The Night of the Generals - Omar Sharif's German crime investigator finds that a top general may have committed a gruesome murder in the middle of the Warsaw campaign; and Monte Walsh - Lee Marvin and Jack Palance are cowboy holdouts, riding the range while the companies from back East are closing down ranches left and right... this is one beautifully filmed movie, so the Blu-ray encoding really makes a difference. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Another banner week for DVDs with the studios releasing some great films and boxed sets such as: 3-D Rarities [review] - a great mix of quality effects and archival material that cinephiles will want in their collections, presented in terrific quality with some interesting and informative extras; Sugar Hill [review] - a blaxploitation zombie flick that is every bit as much of a blast as it sounds; and The Bridge: Criterion Collection [review] - Bernhard Wicki's assuredly directed 1959 film makes its pacifist point with an unexpected dose of melancholy a fascinating, still hard-hitting drama. Other reviews of note include: Stone Cold [review], The Fisher King: Criterion Collection [review], and Dog Soldiers: Collector's Edition [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.

Some great DVD and Blu-ray reviews have been added to the the DVD Talk Review Database recently including: Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki's film is a versatile, spellbinding piece of work that continues to offer fresh delights within each viewing... packed with breathtaking artistry, compelling characters, and stunning dreamlike imagery; The Decline of Western Civilization Collection - Shout! Factory has done a fantastic job bringing these seminal music films to Blu-ray in truly deluxe style... the movies look and sound as good as you'd want them to and the set is jam-packed with extras; and Society - this bizarre body horror/black comedy film is good, gory fun, and Arrow's Blu-ray is technically impressive and includes a ton of extra features. Other recent reviews include: Tom and Jerry: The Gene Deitch Collection, My Dinner with Andre: The Criterion Collection, and Inherit the Wind. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Justified: The Final Season - an excellent season and worthy of praise from fans and those new to the show alike; Wonder Years: Season 3 - the series was really riding a nice wave of quality writing and performances at this point and holds up remarkably well; and Maison Close: The Complete First Season - a solid eight hours of television... the story is quite good, the cast is exceptional, and there is quite a bit of character development. . Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVD Talk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: The Hound of the Baskervilles - at last, a proper color home video version (in Region B) of one of Hammer Films' classics, a horror-inflected spin on Sherlock Holmes starring what many feel is the best screen Sherlock, Peter Cushing; Mississippi Burning - Alan Parker's tale of FBI agents tearing up Mississippi to find three missing Civil Rights workers turns a historical incident into a standard film thriller, with good guys, bad guys, a love story and a feel-good violent retribution ending; and Vincent & Theo - Robert Altman gives us an accurate, fascinating look at Vincent Van Gogh but also his brother Theo, who had serious health and mental problems of his own. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these new movies: Andre Gregory & Wallace Shawn: 3 Films [review] - three classic stories connected to the stage are presented in this set, a pile of impressive writing and performances. The collection includes My Dinner with Andre, Vanya on 42nd Street and A Master Builder; Malice [review] - if you missed this movie 20-odd years ago, you'll want to go back and give it a shot: It's theatre at its most dramatic, thrills at their most thrilling, and stars at perhaps their peak; and The Boys in the Band [review] - William Friedkin's 1970 film still packs a wallop for candidly revealing how gay men saw themselves in the '60s. Other reviews of note include: Chappie [review], Tentacles / Reptilicus [review], and An Eye for an Eye [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.

Some cool discs have been reviewed over the past week. Check out these recent entries: The Last Unicorn: Enchanted Edition - Featuring a solid story, striking animation, and terrific voice acting, and a (mostly) memorable soundtrack, it's this film has held up remarkably well during the past 30+ years and can still be enjoyed by animation and fantasy fans of all ages; The Giant Spider Invasion - the greatest fake giant spider ever put to screen, this flick is pure fun, and the Blu-ray is jam-crammed with extras; and John Wayne Westerns Film Collection - this five-film boxed set contains some classic films (The Searchers, Rio Bravo) and is fille d out with some lesser offerings that are still entertaining. Other recent reviews include: The Fisher King: Criterion Collection, Ballet 422, and The New Barbarians. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD recently including: The Saint: The Complete Series - before Roger Moore was cast as James Bond, he was Simon Templar, aka The Saint, and this set has the entire 118 hour-long episodes of the show including all 71 black-and-white episodes from the first four seasons for the first time in region 1; True Detective: Season One (Target Exclusive Steelbook) - a well-acted, suspenseful, and extremely confident series that, with just one eight-episode season to its name, has already left a deep footprint with critics and audiences alike; and CPO Sharkey: The Complete Season 1 - Don Rickles, Mr. Warmth himself, stars as the title character, a career Navy man saddled with a company of misfit seaman recruits at a San Diego naval base. Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVD Talk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: The Onion Field - A tragic Hollywood kidnapping-murder involving two police detectives became a frustrating case of a cagey defendant jamming the wheels of justice for years on end; The Sunshine Boys - George Burns launched a second career as a senior citizen with his part in Neil Simon's play about two Vaudeville stars that work well together but can't stand each other off the stage; and American Guerrilla in the Philippines - Fritz Lang's odd-film-out is a semi-documentary shot on authentic locations in the Philippines.... the straight story of a Naval ensign who decides to stay on and fight rather than surrender with the rest of the American forces. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these new movies and shows: F/X [review] - this story of a special-effects whiz using his skills to escape danger is a solid thriller with an interesting concept; Spider Baby [review] - Jack Hill's film didn't get a fair shake during the time of its release in the late-'60s, but it's found a creepy cult-status place on home-video, and rightfully so; and Society [review] - an original and twisted work of horror and social commentary highlighted by some amusing performances and strong effects work, it remains as startling and bizarre as it has ever been. Other reviews of note include: Red Army [review], Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers [review], and She-Devil [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.

Our reviewers have been busy this week, filling the DVD Talk Review Database more great entries. Some new reviews of note include: Apollo 13: 20th Anniversary Edition - this film still remains an enjoyable ride 20 years later, thanks to its capable performances, a realistic approach to its historically-charged events, and the terrific details that almost make us feel that we're watching everything unfold as it actually happened; A Man for All Seasons - a world-class cast brings life to an ingeniously scripted classic and this new beautiful-looking Blu-ray presentation will hopefully garner this film new fans; and The Lost World (1925) - this still-entertaining fantasy adventure is famous for its stop-motion dinosaurs and other special visual effects and Flicker Alley's manufactured-on-demand disc is still the best version available. Other recent reviews include: Champs, Arrow in the Dust, and Carla's Song. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

The 2015 San Francisco Silent Film Festival

The 20th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival was held May 28th through June 1 in the lovely Castro Theater and DVD Talk's John Sinnott was there to cover it. From popular classics like Harold Lloyd's Speedy to great forgotten films such as the Scooby Doo-like mystery The Ghost Train there was something for everyone. With all of the films accompanied by live music and some outstanding special events including the North American premier of the recently discovered 1916 feature Sherlock Holmes it was a fantastic chance to experience some amazing films. Be sure to read about all this and more in our exclusive coverage of the 2015 San Francisco Silent Film Festival!

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include: Orange Is the New Black: Season 2 - this season adds a new dimension to a show that already distinguished itself with its unique balance of drama and comedy; Broadchurch: Season 2 - it seemed like an insurmountable problem, but the creators of Broadchurch have fashioned a second series as good or better than its first; and A Place to Call Home, Season 1 - series creator Bevan Lee has crafted a believable array of have- and have-nots residing in 1953 Australia and result is an understated that drama makes for several hours' worth of addictive, compelling TV. Other shows recently reviewed include: Battlestar Galactica: The Remastered Collection, Mister Ed: The Sixth and Final Season, and Hart to Hart: The Complete Fourth Season. Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVD Talk database.

Book Expo America and BookCon were held from May 27-31 and DVD Talk writer Francis Rizzo III was at the Javits Center in New York to cover it. There was a variety of book publishers showing off their upcoming wares, including plenty for fans of movies and TV to check out. From movie adaptations, including films of John (The Fault in Our Stars) Greenâ€™s Paper Towns and Emma Donoghueâ€™s Room, to tomes on cult movies, and biographies of stars like Bill Murray, there was a lot for the film buff who enjoys curling up with a good book. Check out our exclusive coverage here.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: The Island of Dr. Moreau - this colorful version of what was once a shocking tale of obscene science, is now little more than an action movie with monsters that look like they belong on the funny pages; Magician: The Astonishing Life & Works of Orson Welles - Chuck Workman's entertaining docu gives the amazing Orson's fascinating career a spirited once-over, with excellent vintage interviews focusing on some of the main puzzles and controversies of a highly creative life; and A Man for All Seasons - Paul Scofield leads an excellent cast as Thomas More, the man who resisted the will of Henry VIII over an issue of conscience... a superior drama in all respects, one of the best historical / costume stories ever. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

There are a few new releases this week that you won't want to miss. Check out these hot titles: The Wire: The Complete Series [review] - The themes in this show remain as resonant now as they did a decade ago, and remains one of the best shows in television history; Jupiter Ascending [review] - the Wachowskis' latest film shows the same panache as their previous work, but there's a sense of fun or perhaps frivolity to it that is intriguing; and Wolfen [review] - a bit of an underrated gem... there are some interesting ideas at play and the acting is quite solid across the board. Other reviews of note include: Scarecrows [review] and Focus [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.