DVD Talk: May 2004 Archives

With literally thousands of DVD Reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database is easy to miss some of our top reviews. Here's quick round up of them: The Godfather Paramount's crown jewel breaks out of the box set for an solo release, Invader Zim, Volume 1 - If you like your animation with a side order of schizophrenia, look no further than Invader Zim, Angel Heart (Special Edition) - a forgotten gem, a no longer controversial piece of brilliant craftsmanship that represents the height of Alan Parker’s pana-visionary skill, Race to the Moon - an enjoyable DVD for people who liked Apollo 13 and the HBO series From the Earth to the Moon, Downtown 81 - an immensely watchable and likeable film, we wish all our favorite unknown films would get such loving treatment, Osbournes 2 1/2 - one of the more entertaining "reality" shows on the airwaves. Read reviews for these and more in the DVD Talk Review Database.

This week in CineMazing critic Alley Hector takes a look at the big budgeted disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow and lets you know if it's going to find box office disater or blockbuster status. If you'd rather stay at home and watch mass destruction, we also have a review of the recently re-released Independence Day (Limited Edition) as well as the popular Special Edition. If you love movies, be sure to also drop in to DVD Talk's Movie Talk Forum, with news, trailers, discussions and member reviews of movies now in theaters. Want to get CineMazing right when it's published? Sign Up to get CineMazing delivered free to your email box!

This week we have clips from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Sixth Season (all presented in Windows Media for High Bandwidth). Clips from Buffy include: Buffy Season 6 Overview, A Scene from the Buffy Musical “Once More With Feeling”, James Marsters (Spike) works on his big song for the Buffy musical behind the scenes clip, A behind the scenes look at “The Trio”, Buffy and Spike fight and kiss in “Smashed”, Buffy reveals something to Spike - spoiler alert. Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Sixth Season is now available on DVD. Find The Best Price and Read The DVD Talk Review.

This week The DVD Savant has reviews of Wyatt Earp - an attempt to finally wrap up the myth of the frontier lawman into a bonfide American epic, Joan of Arc - the color is magnificent in this (finally) uncut 1948 version of the oft-told story, The Tin Drum - Gunther Grass's nobel-winning novel becomes an equally brilliant bizarre movie under the tutelage of Volker Schlondorff, Girl with a Pearl Earring - last year's most beautiful Oscar contender is a delight for eyes ruined by contemporary 'gritty' movies, Mr. Klein - it's North by NorthWest minus the thrills and The Trial with a more intriguing mystery in the truly creepy setting of German-occupied France. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

This week we have a very special giveaway for one of the biggest DVD releases of the year: The Lord of The Rings - Return of the King (Theatrical Edition). The Return of the King DVD features: three in-depth documentaries, Six featurettes, an amazing "The Lord of The Rings" Trilogy Supertrailer, and more! Enter Now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of the Lord of The Rings - The Return of The King we're giving away this week.

A ton of new DVD announcements this week including: Quentin Tarantino's second chapter of his epic grind house revenge flick - Kill Bill Volume 2 on 8/10 featuring a making of Kill Bill 2, video of the premiere party, and a deleted scene, Nia Vardalos' enjoyable follow up to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the gender bending - Connie And Carla on 8/17, the Coen Brothers remake of The Ladykillers on 9/14 with Tom Hanks in an over the top performance. Scorsese Collection on 8/17 including the Special Edition of Goodfellas. Also announced this week: The Rock in Walking Tall on 8/3, Kevin Smith's Jersey Girl on 9/14, Dazed And Confused: Flashback Edition on 9/14 and The Untouchables: Special Collector's Edition on 7/13. Read our complete list of Upcoming DVDs

On our May DVD Talk TV Segment on ABC TV's AM Northwest we took a look at 4 Notable DVDs: Miracle - Kurt Russell embodies legendary coach Herb Brooks in a film about sport's greatest moment, In America - Jim Sheridan's fantastic family drama, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (Restored) - the new 18 minutes are great, but the real gems are the new interviews with Eastwood and Wallach and Lord of The Rings - The Return of The King - Theatrical Edition - simply a 'must own' DVD. Watch this show (which runs about 6 mins) in Windows Media High Bandwidth or Low Bandwidth. Also be sure to catch past month's shows.

The DVD Talk DVD Easter Egg Database continues to grow, greatly in part from the fantastic submissions from DVD Talk readers like you. Some of the latest Eggs to be uncovered include: hidden interviews with Eli Wallach and Clint Eastwood for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Extended Edition, hidden clips from The Reluctant Dragon and the hidden short: The Volunteer Worker on Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, hidden cast interviews on Star Trek: Voyager - Season 1 and a behind the scenes of the Y2K bike on Torque. Find out how to access all these great hidden features and more in the DVD Talk Easter Egg Database. Also be sure to help our DVD Easter Egg Database grow by submitting DVD easter eggs when you uncover them on your DVDs!

With literally thousands of DVD Reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database is easy to miss some of our top reviews. Here's quick round up of them: Around the World in 80 Days - a great spectacle of a movie on a fantastic DVD, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Sixth Season - a hotly debated season among fans with some great highs and lows on a DVD set with a solid assortment of extras, Last of the Summer Wine - a leisurely, charming show, with a DVD treatment that is even better, Sex and the City - Season Six, Part 1 - begins the sad countdown to the program's final episodes with some classic episodes, Stray Dog - Criterion Kurosawa's superbly crafted thriller, a 55-year-old movie that has aged like fine wine and The Wedding Banquet - which shows of Ang Lee's stronger genre. Read reviews for these and more in the DVD Talk Review Database.

This week's notable DVDs features one of the biggest DVD releases of the year: The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King [Review] - by far the most satisfying conclusions to a trilogy yet. Other notable DVDs this week include: Underworld - Extended Edition [Review] - more Kate Beckensale is always a good thing, Weather Underground [Review] - a shocking look at an anti-war group, what they did and why they got away with it, Bubba Ho-Tep [Review] - Bruce Campbell is again at the center of the next big cult hit, Welcome To Mooseport [Review] - very light faire for the 'Everybody Loves Raymond' crowd, Club Dread [Review] - more silly fun from the guys who made Super Troopers and Northern Exposure: Season 1 - another good TV show finds its way onto DVD. Read our Complete List of Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, and visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews.

This week The DVD Savant has reviews of Popeye 75th Anniversary Celebration Collector's Edition - 85 cartoons across three discs will be enough Popeye to make you pop, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself -this HBO original movie is a good replay of Mexican Revolution cliches, Across the Bridge - Rod Steiger goes from swaggering executive to filthy outcast in this allegorical Grahame Green story about a criminal caught between two countries, Suddenly - Hal Roach bring us a good-looking copy of a Cold War thriller starring Frank Sinatra and Sterling Hayden and The Great Escape - starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn ... the whole gang... well worth the wait, with fascinating commentaries and docu extras. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

This week in a special mid-week edition of CineMazing editor Geoffrey Kleinman takes a look at the highly anticipated Shrek 2. While Shrek 2 is as packed with site gags and pop culture references as the first, it may be the charming storybook romance that'll ultimately win you over. If you love movies, be sure to also drop in to DVD Talk's Movie Talk Forum, with news, trailers, discussions and member reviews of movies now in theaters. Want to get CineMazing right when it's published? Sign Up to get CineMazing delivered free to your email box!

Next month Takeshi Kitano's contemporary take at the famous blind swordsman Zatoichi hits theaters (See Trailer). Before you make your way to the cineplex you might want to check out one of the many classic Zatoichi films already on DVDs. We have reviews of 17 of classic Zatoichi DVDs from Home Vision Entertainment and AnimEigo including top rated: The Tale of Zatochi, Fight, Zatoichi, Fight and Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold. See our complete list of Zatoichi DVDs reviewed.

A fantastic week for DVD including notable releases: The Great Escape [Review] - John Sturges' classic World War II prison break film is one of DVD Talk's favorite, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly [Review] - with 18 restored minutes and a ton of behind the scenes documentaries don't miss it, Around the World in 80 Days - another restored classic packed with great extras, Enter the Dragon [Review] - the definitive release of the Bruce Lee classic, Miracle [Review] - Kurt Russel gives a smashing performance in a film that revisits one of the most exciting moments in sports, Paycheck [Review] - slightly goofy and implausible but with John Woo at the helm it still delivers. Finally, four new releases in the in The Walt Disney Treasures Collection: The Chronological Donald [Review], Mickey Mouse in Living Color 2, On the Front Lines [Review] and Tomorrowland: Disney in Space and Beyond [Review]. Read our Complete List of Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, and visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews.

This week we have a very special giveaway for the new Restored and Extended Edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Western starring Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. This new release for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly includes 18 minutes of restored footage, a completely new remaster and 5.1 remix of the audio (Read The DVD Savant's Look at The Restoration of the film). The DVD is also packed full of extras including great interviews with Eastwood and Wallach as well as a good look at the career and style of Sergio Leone. Enter Now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of the The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly DVD we're giving away this week.

Another strong week of DVD announcements including: the long awaited announcement for the 2 Disc Special Edition of Goodfellas on 8/17 - one of Martin Scorsese's best finally gets the treatment it deserves. Another highly anticipated special edition release is Joel Schumacher's The Lost Boys on 8/10. With a quick trip from theaters to DVD is Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy on 7/27 featuring: deleted scenes, outtakes, documentaries and more. Del Tor fans will also be happy to hear that his critically acclaimed Devil's Backbone will finally get a special edition release on 7/27. Also announced this week: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra on 6/22, Ned Kelly (Remake) on 7/27 , Dallas:Complete First and Second Season on 8/24 and Mulan: Special Edition on 10/26. Read our complete list of Upcoming DVDs.

With literally thousands of DVD Reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database is easy to miss some of our top reviews. Here's quick round up of them: The Tin Drum - a film which both won the Academy Award and was banned in parts of the US now gets a phenomenal treatment by Criterion, The Animation Show: Volume 1 - Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt's traveling animation road show now on DVD, Lady Snowblood - a direct influence on Kill Bill that is a must for any fans of great swordplay, Robocop Trilogy - a perennial favorite, these films have never looked or sounded better, A Short Film About Killing and A Short Film About Love - two films from Krzysztof Kieslowski originally destined for his Decalogue. Read reviews for these and more in the DVD Talk Review Database.

This week we have 3 clips from the new Unrated and Extended DVD release of Underworld (all presented in Windows Media for High Bandwidth). This DVD release includes 23 minutes of re-cut and new footage as well as a number new special features. This week's clips from Underworld: 2-Disc Unrated Extended Cut are: Designing Underworld, Outtakes and bloopers and The look of Underworld. Underworld will be released on DVD Tuesday May 25th. Find The Best Price and Read The DVD Talk Review .

This week in CineMazing critic Alley Hector takes a look at Troy - a retelling of sorts of Homer's epic novel The Iliad - film with an epic budget, big name cast, and high expectations. Find out if Troy lives up to the hype. If you love movies, be sure to also drop in to DVD Talk's Movie Talk Forum, with news, trailers, discussions and member reviews of movies now in theaters. Want to get CineMazing right when it's published? Sign Up to get CineMazing delivered free to your email box!

This week The DVD Savant has reviews of Tomorrow - one of Robert Duvall's favorite roles in perhaps the best translation of William Faulkner to the screen, Fat Man and Little Boy - a great disc of a wishy-washy look at the development of the atom bomb, The Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection - Universal combines Lon Chaney Jr.'s lycanthropic original with one sequel and two thematically similar horror efforts, Mill of the Stone Women A Eurohorror classic for those who like their morbid fantasies to look beautiful and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse - Criterion terrific restoration of Fritz Lang's anti-Nazi terror-crime thriller that still delivers a pulpish kick to the intellect.

A great mix of notable DVDs this week including: In America [Review] - Jim Sheridan's fantastic and intensely personal film should not be missed, The Fog of War [Review]- Best Documentary Winner sheds new light on Vietnam and America's war machine, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls [Review] - a look at American film making n the 70's including Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola, Survivor: Season 1 [Review] - a well timed release for enjoyable 'unscripted' TV, Friends Finale SE - just incase your Tivo was on the frits, SCTV Vol. 1 [Review] - classic comedy TV which launched the careers of John Candy, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis and many more, God Is Great and I'm Not - another entrancing performance by Audrey Tautou, and Scary Movie 3 [Review] - probably better titled 'Naked Gun 4' without the Wayans brother's this franchise loses its bite. Read our Complete List of Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, and visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews.

In 1976, David Cronenberg was sweating bedroom troubles. Namely whether his producer-picked leading lady, porn siren Marilyn Chambers, could perform outside of one! Turns out she could and his sophomore feature, Rabid, remains an early testament to the filmmaker's potent, visceral flair that boasts both cult and critical acclaim. In this exclusive CineSchlock-O-Rama interview, Cronenberg ponders the primordial power of horror, why bloodsucking is so sexy and kindly indulges the off-topic meanderings of a certain Fly fan.

HKFlix has another great special offer for DVD Talk Readers! Get $15 off the regular low price for the uncut versions of two of Chow Yun Fat's best films, HARD BOILED and FULL CONTACT. Get these two great DVDs for only $12.95 each (While supplies last). Both DVDs feature extended action sequences, including almost three minutes of additional gun play in HARD BOILED's hospital finale.

HBO dominates this week's announced DVDs with a number of HBO original programming including: Iron Jawed Angels on 9/7 - an extremely well done film with Hilary Swank in a story about the woman's suffrage movement, Jim Brown: All American on 8/24 - a look at on of football's greats Directed by Spike Lee, and the latest Chris Rock concert film Chris Rock: Never Scared on 8/31. Fans of great television should look forward to the DVD release for the critically acclaimed but canceled Boomtown: Season One on 7/20 featuring: 6 Audio Commentaries and 2 behind the scenes featurettes which look at how unique structure of the series was created and how it worked. Also announced this week: From Criterion: Yasujiro Ozu's Early Summer on 7/20, MGM's Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London on 7/13, and Kotch Entertainment's release of the American Idol's most notable reject William Hung: Hangin' With Hung on 6/29. Read our complete list of Upcoming DVDs.

John Sturges' classic World War II film The Great Escape is an absolute favorite of the DVD Talk staff, and so we're ecstatic that MGM has restored and re-released this film in a new feature packed 2 disc collector's edition. The Great Escape (2-Disc Collector's Set) features: Audio Commentary by Director John Sturges, Cast & Crew , "The Great Escape: The Untold Story" Documentary, "The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones" Documentary, 5 Featurettes and more. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of The Great Escape we're giving away this week.

With literally thousands of DVD Reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database is easy to miss some of our top reviews. Here's quick round up of them: Survivor: Season 1 - with Survivor All Star now over this set is a great chance to see how it all began, Gilmore Girls - The Complete First Season - a rare, effortless balance between being wickedly smart, hysterically funny, and touching , Underworld: 2-Disc Unrated Extended Cut - can additional footage and alternate make Underworld a different movie? Nope, Stuck on You - a sweet comedy from the Farley Bros. , Tomorrow -one of Robert Duvall's favorite roles in perhaps the best translation of William Faulkner to the screen, Jonny Quest: The Complete First Season -a classic example of TV animation and should be cherished by old and new fans alike, Police Academy: The Complete Collection - seven hours of police buffoonery that has some great highs and lows and Peter Pan - an enjoyable live action adaptation of the classic tale slips under the radar screen in theaters but is worth checking out on DVD. Read reviews for these and more in the DVD Talk Review Database.

This week in CineMazing critic Alley Hector takes a look at the mega budgeted monster movie - Van Helsing and finds herself strangely amused. Read her thoughts on Van Helsing and why Buffy The Vampire fans might want to check it out. Also, if you're looking to get your monster fix but don't want to venture out to theaters be sure to check out our reviews of The Monster Legacy Collection on DVD from Universal including: The Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein. Want to get CineMazing right when it's published? Sign Up to get CineMazing delivered free to your email box!

This week we have 6 clips from Jim Sheridan's fantastic and intensely personal film In America (all presented in Windows Media for High Bandwidth). Clips from the film: The Family's first look at their new apartment, The Father dragging the air conditioner through the streets of New York and Father and Matteo argue about "believing". Clips from the In America Special Features: The Cast and Director talk about the girls, Director Jim Sheridan talk about the "sense of hope" the movie gives. and Director Jim Sheridan talks about getting bad news out of the way. In America will be released on DVD Tuesday May 11th. Find The Best Price and Read The DVD Talk Review and Read our Interview with Jim Sheridan.

This week The DVD Savant takes a look at a trio of Hammer Horror DVDs including: Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - Terence Fisher's fourth mad doctor outing is one of the best Hammer films and is presented with its sometimes-censored scenes intact, Taste the Blood of Dracula - Christopher Lee's Dracula crashes a movie designed to do without him, resulting in a stylish but confused tale and Dracula has Risen from the Grave - Drac is back in a nicely shot but oddly dull Hammer horror with Chris Lee donning the cape and fangs once more. Also in this week's DVD Savant reviews of The Ghost / The Dead Eyes of London, La Habanera, Helter Skelter and Down to Earth. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

A jam packed week full of notable DVDs including: the epic The Last Samurai [Review] - with a strong performance by Tom Cruise in a feature packed DVD, Samurai Jack: Season 1 [Review] - a very different kind of Samurai experience from The Cartoon Network, Triplets of Belleville [Review] - an exceptional French 'art house' animated film that should not be missed, Marx Brothers Collection [Review] - all the classic Marx Bros. films accompanied by some great documentaries, an absolute treat, Elephant [Review] - Gus Van Sant's Cannes Golden Palm winning film is as beautiful as it is harrowing, Girl With a Pearl Earring - Scarlett Johansson is fantastic in this sweeping historical romance film that looks at the work of Vermeer, and Calendar Girls - Helen Mirren stars in this extremely enjoyable British comedy. Read our Complete List of Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, and visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews

The DVD Talk DVD Easter Egg Database continues to grow, greatly in part from the fantastic submissions from DVD Talk readers like you. Some of the latest Eggs to be uncovered include: A clip of Tim Burton driving a golf cart loaded with exploding fireworks in Big Fish, A Deleted Scene introduced by a bloody and gory Eli Roth in Cabin Fever, Outtakes and 'Goats of The Abyss' - a video made by the crew for Ghosts of The Abyss. Find out how to access all these great hidden features and more in the DVD Talk Easter Egg Database. Also be sure to help our DVD Easter Egg Database grow by submitting DVD Easter eggs when you uncover them on your DVDs.

Fans of "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been waiting forever for their film Orgazmo to finally get released on DVD. The wait is over. HKFlix.com has an exclusive offer for DVD Talk Readers on an all-region import of Orgazmo. Get this hilarious movie on DVD for only $11.95. Hurry, supplies are limited, and so when they're gone...they're gone.

An interesting mix of DVDs announced this week including: Starsky & Hutch with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson on 7/20 featuring Director's Commentary, outtakes, Deleted Scenes and a spoof on Behind the Scenes Docs, The Big Bounce - also on 7/20 and also starring Owen Wilson, Hidalgo on 8/3 - a larger than life adventure with Viggo Mortensen in the title role and The Barbarian Invasions on 7/13 - winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Finally, for those of you who want to add a THIRD copy of Black Hawk Down to your DVD collection Columbia Tri-Star has a Superbit Edition now set for 6/15. Read our complete list of Upcoming DVDs.

If you're a fan of Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad & the Ugly you absolutely can not miss The DVD Savant's look at The New Extended Edition DVD. The restoration of The Good, the Bad & the Ugly has been a long time passion for The DVD Savant which was profiled in his article The Good, The Bad And The Restored. With a look at the project from the inside The DVD Savant shares his thoughts on this month's DVD release for the final restoration of The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.

Seen all S-E-V-E-N of the Police Academy movies!?! DVD Talk columnist G. Noel Gross valiantly stepped in front of each bullet o' buffoonery and survived to file this comprehensive report! Plus, a German reader reveals Beyond Re-Animator cuts and the ever-vigilant CineSchlock-O-Rama's Most Wanted.