DVD Talk: January 2003 Archives

When it comes to non-fiction films in 2002 there was one clear champ - Michael Moore's exquisite Bowling for Columbine which is now set to arrive on DVD on April 22nd from MGM Home Entertainment. Bowling for Columbine: Special Edition will be presented in widescreen (enhanced for 16x9 TVs) with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and feature: audio commentary with Michael Moore, and interview with Moore and much much 'Moore'! Pre-Order Bowling for Columbine: Special Edition Now.

This week The Aisle View takes a look at The Recruit, Al Pacino's reversals-filled spy drama also starring actor of the moment Colin Farrell. Also check out The Aisle View's take on Darkness Falls, Confessions of A Dangerous Mind and Narc. Also check out DVD Talk's latest Theatrical Reviews including: Adaptation Just Married and Catch Me If You Can.

This week The DVD Savant takes a look at The Spaghetti Western Collection from Image and Blue Underground, The Restored Authorized Edition of Fritz Lang's Metropolis - the digital rejuvenation is so successful, and so much footage has been restored that Savant bets Lang himself would like it again. First Run Features The Eye of Vichy an amazing history lesson that puts faces and voices to many of the names of the time, heroes and collaborators alike, The Mystery of Picasso, a movie about art that is itself a work of art, and Humphrey Bogart's last film, The Harder They Fall, an old-fashioned but powerful indictment of corruption in the Boxing game. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

This week we've got a very special giveaway for the extremely pumped-up Ultimate X DVD featuring the top extreme sports athletes - Tony Hawk, Dave Mirra, Travis Pastrana, Mat Hoffman, Bob Burnquist and Bucky Lasek. Ultimate X was very successful in it's IMAX release, and now it's even bigger on DVD with a ton of additional features including: Both THX Certified Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Audio, An Interactive Version of the Movie with Athlete Profiles, Medal Moments and Trick Breakouts, X Gallery Mega Mix, Bonus footage including Tony Hawks 900, BMX Legends, The Girls of X Games, and More!! Enter Now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of the Ultimate X DVD.

An interesting grouping of DVDs released this week including Fox's The Banger Sisters [Review] think Almost Famous but with Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon, Warner Bros whale of a trilogy Free Willy [Review for 1, 2 and 3] which starts off well enough but ends very very poorly. Speaking of poorly Paramount unleashes Serving Sarah [Review] which is more dog than whale and Columbia Tri-Star has Master of Disguise [Review] which were told is funny if you're like 4 or 5 years old. Finally there are some hidden gems out this week from Docurama including Baadasssss Cinema [Review] a super look at the era of blaxploitation and Smothered [Review] the story of the Great Smothers Brothers and their battle against censorship.

Just when you thought you had purchased the 'definitive' Army of Darkness DVD, Anchor Bay has announced: Army of Darkness 'Boomstick Edition. Set for release on March 4th Army of Darkness 'Boomstick Edition (a 2 Disc 'SE) will feature both widescreen and full screen versions of the theatrical version film, an 8-page companion booklet, 'The Men Behind The Army' narrated by Bruce Campbell, and the alternate/original ending. The 2nd Disc of this SE will feature the extended cut of the film (which is about 15 mins longer) as well as an audio commentary by Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and writer Ivan Raimi, and several deleted scenes. Unless you don't already own this film on DVD it's hard for us to recommend the 5th release on DVD for a movie!

Disney has announced that it will be releasing 3 highly anticipated Hayao Miyazaki films on to DVD on April 15th including: Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky. All 3 DVDs will be released as 2 disc special editions, presented in widescreen (enhanced for 16x9 TVS) and include both the original Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track (woo hoo!) as well as the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Dub. Spirited Away will feature: an Introduction by John Lasseter, Behind The Microphone - voice talent featurette, The Art of Spirited Away, The Making of 'Spirited Away', Select Storyboard To Scene Comparison, Original Japanese trailers, and more! Pre-order Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky now!

Universal Studios Home Video has announced the DVD release for 8 Mile (Directed by L.A. Confidential Director Curtis Hanson and starring super-rapper Eminem). Set for release on March 18th 8 Mile will be released in separate Widescreen and Full Frame releases both with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and featuring: an interview with Eminem, tour of 8 mile road with Curtis Hanson (probably a lot like what he did on Wonder Boys, 'The Music of 8 Mile', Deleted 'Rap Battles', and the exclusive release for Eminem's music video 'Superman' which will debut on the DVD before it's seen anywhere else. Pre-Order 8 Mile Now.

While it may not have done great at the box office, Disney is hoping Treasure Planet will find it audience on DVD when it is released on April 29th. Absolutely PACKED with features Treasure Planet will be presented in Widescreen (enhanced for 16x9 TVs) with THX Certified Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and feature: a Visual Commentary, Deleted Scenes, and Alternate Ending, behind the scenes with Roy Disney, Music Featurette, Merging 2D and 3D Worlds Featurette, Disney Pedia: The Life of A Pirate Revealed, Animation Featurette, Dimensional Staging Featurette, a 3-D tour of the ship and much more. Pre-Order Treasure Planet.

Probe the schlocky depths of Jimbo's REAL Titanic -- Piranha II: The Spawning. Documentarian Isaac Julien ponders BaadAsssss Cinema with Pam Grier and genre jabberjaw Quentin Tarantino. Seduction siren Misty Mundae attends Satan's School for Lust. Childhood dreams of professional wrestling go horribly awry in Sweets. Violence OUTSIDE the ring in Fighting Mad. More critter mayhem as a thirty-foot CGI snake ravages Russia in Python II. Pornstars go almost legit in Sex, Secrets and Lies. Plus, responses to reader emails and, with a certain other 'roo topping the box office, Matilda joins CineSchlock-O-Rama's Most Wanted.

This week The Aisle View takes a look at This week The Aisle View takes a look at Darkness Falls, the horror film about a menacing tooth fairy, a film that shows all that's wrong and right about today's entries in the genre. Also check out The Aisle View's take on Confessions of A Dangerous Mind, Narc and Rabbit Proof Fence. Also check out DVD Talk's latest Theatrical Reviews including: Adaptation Just Married and Catch Me If You Can.

This week The DVD Savant takes a look at Mildred Pierce which making a comeback, or at least the review here at DVD Savant, Image's The Ice Runner a film that Savant followed during filming, Pépé le Moko the source film for all those steamy romantic adventures that play out in exotic locales, Wim Wenders' popular EuroNoir The American Friend, and Home Vision's flawless, uncut verson of Victim . Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant and be sure not to miss Savant's Favorite DVDs of 2002.

This week we've got a very special giveaway for Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees DVD. This 'large format' film is just one of many great films making their way on to DVD from theatrical release in IMAX theaters (thanks to the folks at Slingshot Entertainment). Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees is one of the most popular IMAX releases and it chronicles Jane Goodall's research which changed the way we look at Chimpanzees. Enter Now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees we're giving away this week!

This week marks DVD Talk's 4th year on the web! In the past four years DVD Talk has grown to be the largest DVD site on the net, now with over 5,000 DVD and Movie reviews, 5 regular columns (DVD Savant, CineSchlock-O-Rama, The Aisle View, The Blue Room and Cinema Gotham) 850,000 unique readers (over 16 million hits) and an active forum with well over a million posts. It's been a blast bringing you DVD News, Reviews and Info over the past four years and we look forward to the next year as we continue to build and grow what we offer our readers.

An interesting mix this week of notable DVDs including Universal's Spy thriller The Bourne Identity [Review], New Line Home Video's excellent Dinner Rush [Review] and not so excellent Simone [Review], MGM's non stop 24 Hour Party People [Review], Buena Vista Home Video's 'love it or hate it' Tadpole [Review] a sequel to a classic Disney film 101 Dalmations 2, Zetigeist Home Videos' ultra bizarre Little Otek [Review], The Sundance Channel's emotional Sleepy Time Gal, and the Hal Ashby/Warren Beatty sudsy classic Shampoo.

Universal has announced 3 separate DVD releases for Red Dragon on April 1st: Widescreen Collector's Edition, Full Frame Collector's and a 2 Disc Director's Edition. Both Collector's Editions will feature: Audio Commentary by Director Brett Radner and Writer Ted Tally, Hannibal Lecter profile by profiler John Douglas, The life history of Hannibal Lecter, Deleted Scenes, and more. The Director's Edition includes all the features from the Collector's Edition plus: Director Brett Ratner's Video Diary, A rare look at the film production, Brett Ratner's untitled student film a film from NYU Film School, Screen and Film Tests, The Dragon Tattoo, Storyboard to Final Feature Comparisons.

This week The Aisle View takes a look at Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, George Clooney's surprisingly polished and lively adaptation of TV game show meister Chuck Barris. Also check out The Aisle View's take on Narc and Rabbit Proof Fence. Be sure not to miss DVD Talk's latest Theatrical Reviews including: Adaptation, Just Married, and Catch Me If You Can .

Universal has announced the DVD release for Jonathan Demme's train wreck of a remake The Truth About Charlie. Set for release on April 1st, The Truth About Charlie will presented in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and feature: audio commentary with Jonathan Demme, deleted scenes, making-of featurette. The one saving grace of the The Truth About Charlie DVD is that on the second disc of this 2 DVD release is the classic film Charade with Carey Grant and Audrey Hepburn - one of our favorite movies!

Few filmmakers have tried to capture the volatile mixture that is New York's diverse population as often as Spike Lee. From She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing to Jungle Fever and Clockers, Lee has captured the ludicrous, contradictory proposition of having eight million people living together in one place. His latest film, 25th Hour, places the city's citizens in the post-9/11 version of New York, adding a very real sense of loss and longing. Cinema Gotham recently had a chance to discuss the film and the city with Lee, as well as tell him something about his beloved Brooklyn that he didn't know.

This week we have a special feature in the The Blue Room with an interview with Devon, one of the hottest adult actresses around. In addition to the interview we've got a complete Photo Coverage of the AVN 2003 Show with pictures of many of the top performers in the industry. To top it all off we've got a special DVD Talk giveaway for Rush, Digital Playground's hottest new DVD that looks more like a mainstream action film than anything else. We've got 5 copies of Rush to giveaway, so enter for your chance to win now!

This week the DVD Savant takes a look at Home Vision Entertainment's I See a Dark Stranger an amusing thriller with the refreshing angle of a young heroine who become an anti-British spy. MGM's Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Story a superior biodoc of a movie star whose biggest legacy was her stand in WW2 for her adopted home and against Hitler. Chimera/The American Cinematheque presents Takashi Miike's City of Lost Souls, a wild and freewheeling cross-cultural melange that actually creates entertaiment from a generic tale of star-crossed lovers on the run. Criterion's Trouble in Paradise breathes new life into an Ernst Lubitsch favorite and Fox's celebrated and revered How Green Was My Valley another almost perfect film. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Infamous auteur Meir Zarchi breaks years of silence on just one of TWO spectacular commentaries featured on the new I Spit On Your Grave: Millennium Edition. Easily 2002's best genre release. Buxom screen siren Kitten Natividad reemerges as The Double-D Avenger. Two new discs chart the small-screen antics of MTV's Jackass gang. Homicidal mania hits the net in Fear Dot Com. Girls go wild -- then DIE -- in The House On Sorority Row. Plus, responses to reader emails, five DVD giveaway winners and Once Bitten joins CineSchlock-O-Rama's Most Wanted.

This week we've got a very special giveaway for M.Night Shyamalan's fantastic 'classic style' thriller Signs: Vista Series. The Signs: Vista Series DVD features a comprehensive six part documentary exploring Signs from the birth of the idea all the way to the release of the film, 5 Deleted Scenes, Storyboards with Multi-Angle Feature, and more. Enter Now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of Signs: Vista Series DVD we're giving away this week!

We're extremely happy to be able to review Universal DVDs again, and it was especially nice since this week IS Universal's week with notable releases for About a Boy [Review] , Blue Crush: CE [Review] and Undercover Brother: CE [Review] all three films were overlooked at the box office and now definitely deserve a look on DVD. Warner Bros. has something old and something new to offer this week with the classic 80's rap/rock movie Krush Groove [Review] and 2002's dot com scream themed Fear Dot Com [Review], Fox brings back a rew of its own classic films onto DVD including the spectacularAll About Eve, Gentleman's Agreement and How Green Was My Valley [Review]

Gang Tapes, Director Adam Ripp’s powerful Directorial debut polarized critics and audiences alike. His unflinching look at life in South Central LA’s gang lifestyle disturbed many with its all-too-real look and style. Using real gang members and filming on location in South Central, Ripp has produced a shockingly real film that all should see in order to better grasp what life is really like in those areas. DVDTalk writer Phillip Duncan had a chance to talk with Adam Ripp and ask him about his experiences making Gang Tapes and what he hoped to accomplish with the film and why he thinks DVD is the perfect medium for film. Read our complete Interview with Director Adam Ripp.

Paramount Home Video has announced the DVD release for the extremely sick and hilarious Jackass: The Movie. Set for release on March 25th Jackass: The Movie will feature: Audio Commentary by Director Jeff Tremaine, Cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich and of course Johnny Knoxville, a second Group Commentary track with the Jackass Cast, MTV's Making-Of Jackass: The Movie, Outtakes and 27 Minutes of Additional Footage. Jackass: The Movie is the absolute king of gross-out films, which if you like, will keep you laughing from beginning to end, or course if gross-out humor isn't your thing then this one isn't for you. Pre-Order Jackass: The Movie.

This week The Aisle View takes a look at Narc, a gritty crime drama about cops at the end of their rope, and a film that many are already calling the best film of the year. Also check out The Aisle View's take on Rabbit Proof Fence as well as Gangs of New York and Far From Heaven. Also check out DVD Talk's latest Theatrical Reviews including: Adaptation, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Catch Me If You Can .

This week The DVD Savant takes a look at Fox's All About Eve a shimmering restoration of the fave theatrical backstabbing epic , Rust Never Sleeps a docu record of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's 1978 concert tour, Criterion's Trouble in Paradise breathes new life into an Ernst Lubitsch favorite and their Band of Outsiders is more manna for lovers of Jean-Luc 'Cinema' Godard's brand of insouciant filmmaking. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant and be sure not to miss Savant's Favorite DVDs of 2002.

New Line Home Video has announced their 'Next' Infinifilm DVD Release, and it's The Friday After Next. The third film in the 'Friday' series will be released on March 25th presented in both widescreen and full frame with both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 audio and features: audio commentary with Ice Cube, Director Marcus Raboy and Producer Matt Alvarez, another commentary track with actors Katt Williams,. Anna Maria Horsford, Terry Crews and KD Aubert, Deleted Scenes, A 'Gag' Reel, a fact/trivia subtitle track, SEVERAL documentaries and behind the scenes features including 'Microphone Friend' , 'It Was a Good Day: Behind the Friday Franchise', 'Ghetto Fabulous', 'The Pork Report' and much much more. Pre-Order The Friday After Next Infinifilm Today

Martial Arts film fans note, we got word from HKFlix.com that they've gotten in some very limited quantities of the uncut version of Jet Li's futuristic action-thriller Black Mask. This Taiwanese DVD is the only uncut version of this film available and the only place we've seen it available in the US is HKFlix. This rare edition of Black Mask is in very limited quantities. So don't miss out.

One of the films which got a lot of critical attention in 2002 was Paul Schrader's Auto Focus, a film based on the wild and strange life of Bob Crane who played Hogan on "Hogan's Heroes,". Set for release on March 18th Auto Focus will be presented in widescreen (enhanced for 16x9 TVs) with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and will feature: audio commentary with stars Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe, Audio commentary by Director Paul Schrader, Audio commentary with the Writer and Producers, Making-of Featurette, 5 Deleted Scenes with optional Director's Commentary. Auto Focus looks to be an exceptional DVD Pre-Order Auto Focus today.

This week we've got a very special giveaway courtesy of MGM Home Video for the charming and funny Barbershop DVD Giveaway. The Barbershop DVD features: Commentary by the director, producers, and writer, Deleted scenes with director commentary, 4 Behind the Scenes featurettes, Bloopers and Outtakes and more! Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of the Barbershop DVD we're giving away this week!

Three great Television shows on DVD top this week's Notable DVDs including: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Three [Review], the critically acclaimed The Shield Season 1 [Review] and HBO's brutally graphic prison drama Oz: The Second Season [Review]. For many this week the most notable DVD will be Signs: Vista Series [Review 1 & Review 2] . Finally this week from Fox comes a stand out performance from Jennifer Aniston in the indie flick The Good Girl, it's one of those movies which says 'If you thought your life was miserable....' [Review]

Warner Bros has announced a 2 Disc Special Edition for Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple. Set for release in February 18th The Color Purple will be presented with a new remastered widescreen transfer (enhanced for 16x9 TVs) Dolby Digital 5.1 audio and feature: four documentaries featuring Spielberg, Goldberg, Winfrey, Glover, Jones, Walker including 'Conversations with Ancestors: The Color Purple from Book to Screen', 'A Collaboration of Spirits: Casting and Acting The Color Purple', 'Cultivating a Classic: The Making of the Color Purple' and 'The Color Purple: The Musical'. Pre-Order The Color Purple:SE Now

It is surprising that so many people are unfamiliar with one of the funniest comedians working today- Eddie Izzard. Although Eddie Izzard has had notable roles in such films as "Mystery Men," "Shadow of the Vampire," "Velvet Goldmine" and "Cat’s Meow" the familiarity with his stand-up comedy genius has been limited to those fortunate enough to see his live tours or who have seen his HBO specials. That's about to change... Now on DVD Dress to Kill is nearly two hours of side splitting standup which rarely, if ever, misses its mark. We had a chance to sit down with Eddie Izzard to talk about the DVD release of Dress to Kill it was as fun and amusing as his stage performance and he talked a lot about his perspective on DVD, what he's working on, and when his next tour will be. Read the complete interview with Eddie Izzard. Also be sure to check out past DVD Talk Interviews including recent interviews with Kevin Smith and Jill Sprechter

This week The Aisle View takes a look at the Australian film Rabbit Proof Fence Directed by Phillip Noyce. Also be sure to check out The Aisle View's look back at 2002 - A Year in Review as we as his take on Gangs of New York and Far From Heaven. Also check out DVD Talk's latest Theatrical Reviews including: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , Catch Me If You Can and Star Trek Nemesis

Happy New Year! What better way to start of 2003 than recapping The Best DVDs of 2002! 2002 was a fantastic year for DVD and as with years past we turned to our DVD Talk Reviewers to each come up with their own list for the best DVDs of 2002. There are some definite common threads which run through this years lists as well as a number of hidden gems among the best DVDs of the year. Also on each of our Best of 2002 pages you can click on the reviewer's name to see all the DVDs they reviewed in 2002! So be sure to check out DVD Talk's Best DVDs of 2002 and Discuss our Reviewer's Picks in the DVD Talk Forum.