BBC Earth: Great Barrier Reef (Blu-ray)

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:16:20 PDT

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BBC Earth has produced more than their fair share of entertaining, insightful documentaries about the world around us, from broad productions like Life and Planet Earth to more specific efforts like Galapagos. Hosted by marine biologist (and former Royal Marine) Monty Hal...Read the entire review

3:10 To Yuma: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:37:55 PDT

Highly Recommended

Like most folks my age, my first exposure to Elmore Leonard's "3:10 To Yuma" was via James Mangold's 2007 remake. Westerns made a short-lived comeback around that time, bringing us excellent productions like The Proposition and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robe...Read the entire review

Pawn (Blu-ray)

Sun, 05 May 2013 16:38:57 PDT

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David Armstrong's Pawn (2013) treads familiar territory...but more often than not, it stands out where it should fall back. Our story revolves around a late-night diner robbery: captained by "The Brit" (Michael Chiklis), our band of thugs quickly holds down the 24-hour restaurant in search of its safe contents. Unfortunately for them, this safe is not only on a time lock, but a police officer (Forest Whitaker) drops in for a bite. Soon enough, blood is shed, a tense hostage situation ensues and the criminal motivations eventually make themselves known. Though not w...Read the entire review

Friends: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Fri, 03 May 2013 13:00:55 PDT

Recommended

If Season One of Friends hit the ground running, Season Two is when it launched into orbit. Six of the series' ten most-watched episodes aired during that year, pulling in well over 30 million viewers apiece. Not bad for a fledgling sitcom starring six relatively unknown actors. Unsurprisingly, the staying power of Friends was no fluke: thanks to sharp writing, strong cast chemistry and the creative team's decision to give all six characters equal billing, th...Read the entire review

Friends: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:08:31 PDT

Recommended

As one of the longest-running and most successful American sitcoms in television history, David Crane and Marta Kauffman's Friends (1994-2004) amassed a huge following during its ten-season run. Revolving around a group of six friends in New York City, the series never explored much new territory in the genre; instead, it simply persevered with sharp writing, entertaining stories and memorable moments. Fans of Friends grew to love the characters as they waded through the confusing late twenties / early thirties stage of life, from the earliest glimpses of real...Read the entire review

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (Blu-ray)

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:17:58 PDT

Recommended

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The Best Of Both Worlds was Star Trek: The Next Generation's first attempt at a season-ending cliffhanger...and man, did they get it right. Neatly dividing Seasons Three and Four in 1990, BOBW ushered in a bold new era for...Read the entire review

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Three (Blu-ray)

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:04:23 PDT

DVD Talk Collector Series

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Not counting reruns of the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation was my first regular exposure to science fiction in a continuing weekly format, and basically everything about the series' landmark third season (1989-1990) summarizes why I still love it so much. It's got action, comedy, suspense, great characters, fine performances and an unyielding optimism that ...Read the entire review

Celebrate With Clifford

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:30:52 PDT

Recommended

"Clifford, The Big Red Dog" celebrates his 50th birthday this year. The second animated adaptation of Norman Bridwell's enormously popular printed pup was produced by Scholastic and aired from 2000-2003 on PBS; voiced by late actor John Ritter, Clifford, The Big Red Dog ran for more than 60 episodes before Ritter's sudden death (and Clifford's Really Big Movie) ended the series. This animated production, aimed squarely at single-digit kids, teaches simple life lessons...Read the entire review

NOVA: Earth From Space (Blu-ray)

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:12:51 PDT

Recommended

Most first-time viewers would expect a documentary called "Earth From Space" to just show satellite imagery of our home planet. Such a description would only scratch the surface of this NOVA production, which shows us how temperatures, water vapor, wind currents, volcanic eruptions and more can change areas of the planet thousands of miles away, or even regulate global temperatures. Essentially, Earth From Space multiplies "the butterfly effect" substantially, attempting to back it up with proof in the form of 120 Earth-observing NASA satellites capable of seeing dat...Read the entire review

The Revisionaries

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 04:32:28 PDT

Recommended

No documentary film is purely objective. Sure, some will trick you into thinking they're approaching their subject from an unbiased outsider's perspective. Not just in regards to the footage itself; even the way the footage has been composed, assembled and edited can give any documentary a subtle slant in either direction. Scott Thurman's The Revisionaries (2012) attempts to hide any preconceived notions under a varnish of fair, balanced coverage for a very tangible issue: the presence of fundamental Christian beliefs within the public school system. It asks the vi...Read the entire review

Gate Of Hell: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:06:51 PDT

Recommended

Teinosuke Kinugasa's Gate of Hell (1953) won the Palme d'Or grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as the Academy Award for best costume design. It also doubled as the first Japanese export to be fully produced in color...and as soon as you lay eyes on its rich, vivid hues, you'll understand why this visual stunner was a giant leap forward out of cinema's formative black-and-white years.

Gate of Hell follows wild warrior Morito (Kazuo Hasegawa) as he defends Sanjo Castle from rebel forces. As the enemy closes in, Morito is tasked to protect the bea...Read the entire review

Planet Ocean (Blu-ray)

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 05:53:41 PDT

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Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot's Planet Ocean (2012), like many eco-minded documentaries, wants to captivate our senses while attempting to get its message across. The message: our oceans have been getting worse in recent decades from threats like overfishing, pollution and a general lack of respect for the natural balance of sea life. This 93-minute documentary paints a grim picture at times, but not without showing us what we might lose if changes aren't made. Narrated by actor Josh Duhamel (for the 18-24 demographic?), Planet Ocean is a flawed but...Read the entire review

Anatomy of a Murder (Choice Collection)

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:13:11 PDT

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It's been a while since I'd seen Otto Preminger's Anatomy Of A Murder (1959), but some movies are just too good to forget. It's adapted from former attorney John Voelker's eponymous 1958 best-selling novel (which itself was loosely based on a 1952 murder case) and, at 160 minutes in length, doesn't feel nearly as lengthy as it should. Featuring memorable performances by Jimmy Stewart, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick, George C. Scott and many more, this entertaining and engaging slice of drama also throws in a healthy dose of comedy, mystery, and language that ruffled plenty ...Read the entire review

Into The Cold

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:07:13 PDT

Recommended

Sebastian Copeland's Into The Cold (2010, subtitled A Journey of the Soul) documents his trek to the North Pole with fellow explorer Keith Heger. Their sub-zero trip is one that less than 150 people have accomplished in the last century, but are they just doing it for their names in the history books? Not entirely. Copeland is a photographer, author, filmmaker and environmental advocate, so one goal of this documentary is to raise (or at least maintain) public awareness of climate change and its effects on the polar ice caps. Co...Read the entire review

IMAX: To The Arctic (Blu-ray)

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:29:35 PDT

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40 minutes isn't a lot of time to explore a documentary subject, but most fans of IMAX are just in it for the eye candy. To The Arctic is no different than most of these super-sized productions, serving up a crystal-clear view of a climate that most audiences wouldn't ever dream of traveling to (heck, most of us Northerners are angry because it snowed yesterday). At its core, To The Arctic is a fuzzy-wuzzy tale of three polar bears---a mother and her twin cubs---and their struggle for survival against predators and the harsh, snowy lands...Read the entire review

Jackie Chan Double Feature: Police Story / Police Story 2 (Blu-ray)

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:54:27 PDT

Recommended

It's hard to imagine that some movie lovers only know Jackie Chan through films like Rush Hour or the Karate Kid remake, but here's hoping they see the light soon. The highly prolific actor and director has appeared in films for more than fifty years, performed an untold number of death-defying stunts and choreographed some of ...Read the entire review

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season One (Blu-ray)

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:03:55 PDT

Recommended

I'm flying blind into Enterprise: it's the first Star Trek series I've never seen a single episode of until now. I followed the first two seasons of Voyager until dating, college and other hobbies stole my interest...so by the time Enterprise premiered in 2001, my mind was elsewhere. The only vague memori...Read the entire review

Life of Pi (Blu-ray)

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:38:05 PDT

Highly Recommended

Ang Lee's Life of Pi isn't a film aimed at American audiences; it's aimed at everyone, for better or worse. It didn't exactly do big business at the domestic box office yet managed to gross half a billion dollars worldwide...and, of course, nab an obscene amount of awards in the process. As for Life of Pi's less-than-popular reception around these parts, the trailer is an easy culprit: it features a young Indian man on a boat with a tiger, a whole bunch of CG effects, swelling music cues and taglines like "The adventure of a lifetime!". A...Read the entire review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): Rise of the Turtles

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:50:08 PST

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The TMNT franchise has been alive and (mostly) kicking for more than 25 years...and whether your first exposure was through the comic books, the 1987 animated series, the feature-length films or otherwise, Kevin Eastman an...Read the entire review

Sansho the Bailiff: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:48:35 PST

Recommended

Some movie characters just can't catch a break, which usually makes for an absorbing but ultimately downbeat viewing experience. Films like Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream show us adults falling prey to their various addictions and the wreckage it leaves in their wake. Other films like The Road and Grave o...Read the entire review

Leapfrog: Scout and Friends - The Magnificent Museum of Opposite Words

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:28:59 PST

Skip It

The Leapfrog brand of toys and animation is generally regarded for a certain level of quality, using its curriculum-based system to promote early math and reading skills for anyone working their way through the single-digits. Leapfrog's newer "Scout and Friends" line of DVDs follows a colorful group of talking animals as they get younger audiences ready for early childhood and kindergarten. Like all educational DVDs and books, these aren't designed to be "virtual babysitters"; though they don't necessarily require a parent or guardian present at all times, such progr...Read the entire review

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss: Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:34:53 PST

Recommended

Released between 2009 and 2012, five animated adaptations of Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel's most celebrated books made their Blu-Ray debut courtesy of Warner Bros., who also did wonderful restoration work on Charles Schulz' beloved Peanuts animated shorts. Presented as either regular or deluxe editions, these five stand-alone releases have recently been collected in Hats Off to Dr. Seuss, a five-disc Blu-Ray set in slimmed-down packaging. For obvious reasons, the main content, A/V quality and extras are exactly the same, except without separate DVD copies th...Read the entire review

The Running Man (Blu-ray)

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:27:31 PST

Recommended

Like Network and several other films before and since, Paul Michael Glaser's The Running Man (1987) seemed far-fetched decades ago...but it hits a little closer to home these days. Granted, this cheesy slice of cinema buries the brainy ideas a little deeper, as most viewers remember the colorful characters, goofy violence and terrible clothes more than the subversive cultural undertones. Standout performances by game show fixture Richard Dawson (as TV ringmaster Damon Killian) and---wel...Read the entire review

On the Waterfront: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:17:45 PST

DVD Talk Collector Series

Many dramatic films have an unquestionable basis in reality, whether they choose to advertise it or not. Elia Kazan's seminal On the Waterfront (1954) examines Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando), a down-and-out ex-boxer who's making ends meet as a dockworker for crooked union boss Johnny Friendly (Lee Cobb). Much to Terry's surprise, he's used in the murder of co-worker Joey Doyle (Ben Wagner) before Doyle gets to testify against Friendly for some of his more unsavory actions. Terry is initially accepting of this role, both due to his current employment position and the f...Read the entire review

The Master (Blu-ray)

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:32:12 PST

Recommended

Throughout his career---and increasingly since 1999's Magnolia---director Paul Thomas Anderson's films have been hard to pin down. 2007's striking There Will Be Blood (reviewed on Blu-Ray and DVD) depicted a self-absorbed man and his pursuit of petroleum and profit. This man, Daniel Plainview, is resentful of a young pastor's spiritual advances and leads a desolat...Read the entire review

Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:48:21 PST

Recommended

As one of the many bright spots in 1990s animation, Rocko's Modern Life (1993-96) picked up a strong following during its time on Nickelodeon. 52 two-part weekly episodes starred Rocko the wallaby and a small cast of supporting characters, including his dog Spunky, friend Heifer and neighbors The Bigheads. Rocko's Modern Life was a true "cartoon's cartoon", chock full of wacky plots, questionable physics and very little running continuity...and fans wouldn't have it any other way. Created by animator Joe Murray, this wasn't the first animated series from that...Read the entire review

Leapfrog: Scout and Friends - Adventures in Shapeville Park

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 18:27:24 PST

Recommended

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two (Blu-ray)

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:14:54 PST

Highly Recommended

Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns (1986) is an essential piece of comic book history that examines an aging hero who still clashes with police and criminals in equal measure. It's as much a sly criticism of the decade's social and political climate as it is a character study of Bruce Wayne and Batman; for these reasons and many more, it's remained an enduring favorite of fans and critics alike. I didn't get the privilege of reading The Dark Knight Returns until a decade after its original release, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist---or heck, e...Read the entire review

Testimony of Two Men

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 17:05:32 PST

Skip It

Originally airing in syndication more than 35 years ago (and based on the 1968 novel by Taylor Caldwell), Leo Penn & Larry Yust's Testimony of Two Men debuts on DVD courtesy of Acorn Media. Rarely shown since its original airing---and, in some cases, as a shortened two-hour version---this three-episode, six-hour production follows Drs. Martin Eaton (Steve Forrest) and Jonathan Ferrier (David Birney) through life, love and loss in and around post-Civil War Pennsylvania. Released when the American TV mini-series was still in its infancy, Testimony of Two Men...Read the entire review

King: A Filmed Record...From Montgomery to Memphis

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:49:53 PST

Recommended

Though it's scarcely been available since 1970, the uncompromising importance of Ely Landau's King: A Filmed Record is all the more evident now that it's been released on DVD by Kino Classics. Unobstructed by traditional narration or an obvious political slant, this 181-minute documentary pays tribute to the final 13 years of Reverend King's life mission. Beginning with the contrast between "whites vs. blacks"---as practiced by hate groups on both sides of the fence---and King's pleas for peace and understanding, we're given a condensed summary in just over fi...Read the entire review

Cujo: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 13:59:31 PST

Recommended

Like its protagonist's sputtering yellow Ford Pinto, Lewis Teague's 1983 adaptation of Stephen King's Cujo takes awhile to get moving. Our story revolves around the eponymous rabid Saint Bernard who terrorizes anyone in his path, including mother Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace, the aforementioned Pinto owner), her son Tad (Danny Pintauro) and a few other unfortunate victims. Divided almost precisely in two, Teague's adaptation spends the first half introducing us to the characters before running 'em through the wringer; it feels just like your average family drama, save ...Read the entire review

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Blu-ray)

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 10:00:34 PST

Recommended

Most fans of Japanese cinema should be familiar with Harakiri (1962), Masaki Kobayashi's classic tale of a ronin's revenge. Almost 50 years later, prolific director Takashi Miike---he of 13 Assassins and Ichi the Killer fame---has updated the film for modern audiences. Though common sense would lead us to assume that Miike has infused Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011) with an overcooked level of violence, this restrained remake plays like a slow-burning tribute to the ...Read the entire review

Level E: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 14:54:00 PST

Rent It

Randy Miller III's DVD Talk DVD Reviews

BBC Earth: Great Barrier Reef (Blu-ray)

3:10 To Yuma: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Pawn (Blu-ray)

Friends: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray)

Friends: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)

Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds (Blu-ray)

Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Three (Blu-ray)

Celebrate With Clifford

NOVA: Earth From Space (Blu-ray)

The Revisionaries

Gate Of Hell: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Planet Ocean (Blu-ray)

Anatomy of a Murder (Choice Collection)

Into The Cold

IMAX: To The Arctic (Blu-ray)

Jackie Chan Double Feature: Police Story / Police Story 2 (Blu-ray)

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season One (Blu-ray)

Life of Pi (Blu-ray)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): Rise of the Turtles

Sansho the Bailiff: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Leapfrog: Scout and Friends - The Magnificent Museum of Opposite Words

Hats Off to Dr. Seuss: Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)

The Running Man (Blu-ray)

On the Waterfront: Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

The Master (Blu-ray)

Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series

Leapfrog: Scout and Friends - Adventures in Shapeville Park

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part Two (Blu-ray)

Testimony of Two Men

King: A Filmed Record...From Montgomery to Memphis

Cujo: 30th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Blu-ray)

Level E: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

Umineko: When They Cry (Blu-ray)

Trailer War (Blu-ray)