DVD Talk: January 2006 Archives

Some great notable DVDs out this week including: The Corpse Bride [Review] - Tim Burton reunites with Danny Elfman for another great stop motion musical; In Her Shoes - LA Confidential director Curtis Hanson shows his sensitive side in an enjoyable film that transcends the 'chick flick' genre; The War Within - a daring look at human face of terrorism; Bubble - Magnolia Pictures ballsy move to release a movie on TV, DVD and in theaters all at once pays off. Other notable DVDs out this week include: All American Girl [Review], Hill Street Blues: S1 [Review], The Legend of Zorro [Review, Love, Ludlow [Review] and The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection [Review]. Read our List of Top Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

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: Serenity- a mini-feature on the Fruity-Oatey-Bar commercial with Joss talking about the making of the commercial; Seinfeld Season 6 - 5 goofy bits and gags related to the sixth season of Seinfeld and a bonus behind the scenes feature; Toy Story 2 - a humorous outtake from the "Jessie's Song" sequence and a bonus clip of Woody playing baseball; American Idol Best Of - Season 1-4 - a great clip of Bo Bice singing Whipping Post with his own band; Madagascar - behind the scenes of a few key sequences. 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.

Now with over 14,600 DVD reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database, it's easy to overlook some of the great reviews. Recent DVD Reviews include: Bambi II - a direct to DVD sequel's whose heart is in the right place; Elizabethtown - too uneven to stand among Crowe's better work, but it's too smart and heartfelt to dismiss entirely; Lord of War: 2 Disc SE - a film that has the power to hook you in and surprise you with a powerful theme and the punch to deliver it effectively; MirrorMask - a moderate success thanks to the strength of its strong art direction and interesting visuals; Red Eye - compelling lead performances by Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy's are enough reason to take this trip; SPL: Sha Po Lang - a damn fine film with plenty of action, great fight choreography, some excellent performances and style to spare. Visit the 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 Savant has a number of new reviews including: Cabin in the Sky - the most heartwarming as well as the funniest of the all-black musicals is a film blanc battle royale between Heaven's angels and Lucifer's "Idea Men" of the infernal Hotel Hades; Stormy Weather - Bill Robinson romances Lena Horne to the swing beat of Cab Calloway. The performance numbers easily top Anglo musicals of the time, creating a hep, all-tap, all-swing tuneful fantasy; An Unmarried Woman - Paul Mazursky's insightful look at a wife set free by a sudden marital separation plays even better now than it did in 1978; Boys Town - Savant shows no mercy on this worst of the MGM 'family fare' sentimental hogwash genre. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

We have a special report from Sundance on DVD Talk Radio: DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman speaks to director Neil Marshall about the American debut of The Descent - one of the most spine tingling and exciting horror films to be released in a very long time. Neil Marshall talks about the making of The Decent, how it will translate to an American audience and why he's such a DVD fanatic. Listen to our interview with Neil Marshall using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Neil Marshall (14 min 10MB). Also be sure to listen to our recent interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Alex Gibney, Craig Brewer, Judy Irving, Joss Whedon, Leonard Maltin and George A. Romero.

We're excited to bring you coverage of the 2006 Sundance and Slamdance film festivals. DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman has been hard at work watching as many films as humanly possible in Park City. He files the first part of his festival coverage with 10 films reviewed including: The Descent - a phenomenal horror film that is bound to be one of the key genre releases of 2006; Adams Apple - A truly superb Danish film that explores the concepts of good and evil, faith and destiny in a way so unique and inventive it demands to be seen; Neo Ned - Jeremy Renner and Gabrielle Union star in a romantic comedy about a neo nazi who falls in love with a black woman; Clear Cut: The Story of Philomath, Oregon - a rural Oregon town is sharply divided over the issue of whose values should a community and its schools reflect? Read Reviews of these and several other films playing this years fest.

On this week's episode of DVD Talk Radio: DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman speaks to director Paul Provenza about the DVD release of The Aristocrats. Provenza talks about the experience of making The Aristocrats, the impact of Sundance and what might happen if the DVD is a smashing success. Listen to our interview with Paul Provenza using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Paul Provenza (17 min 12MB). Also be sure to listen to our recent interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Alex Gibney, Craig Brewer, Judy Irving, Joss Whedon, Leonard Maltin and George A. Romero.

A solid week of notable DVDs this week, including: Thumbsucker [Review] - a unique, stylish and enjoyable take on modern life with Lou Pucci, Keanu Reeves and Tilda Swinton; The Aristocrats [Review] - a hilarious documentary about the world's dirtiest joke and the people who tell it; Virgin Spring [Review] - a darkly beautiful film made by a true master of world cinema; Repo Man: SE [Review] - Universal Repo's Alex Cox's cult classic and puts out their own packed special edition. Other notable DVDs out this week include: Dim Sum, Educating Rita [Review], Flightplan [Review], The Fog [Review], Oliver Twist [Review] and The Tomorrow Show: Punk & New Wave [Review]. Read our List of Top Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

On this episode of DVD Talk Radio: DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman speaks to comedian Gilbert Gottfried about the DVD release of Gilbert Gottfried: Dirty Jokes as well as The Aristocrats. In addition to talking about the two DVD releases Gilbert Gottfried tells some of his favorite jokes and gives the clean punchlines to some of his dirtiest jokes. Listen to our interview with Gilbert Gottfried using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Gilbert Gottfried (20 min 14MB). Also be sure to listen to our recent interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Alex Gibney, Craig Brewer, Judy Irving, Joss Whedon, Leonard Maltin and George A. Romero.

Anime Talk has always featured reviews of the latest anime DVDs, and this week is no different. However, in addition to our take on the latest installments of Samurai 7, Madlax, and the new Neon Genesis Evengelion Platinum Collection, this installment we have a look at a DVD release that may have passed under most reader's radar: Kamen Rider V3: The complete series This live action super hero show from Japan has been released in region 1, one of the few 'henshin' show to appear on this side of the Pacific. It's a lot of fun and will really appeal to anime fans. Holly also returns with another set of anime bargains and we have our tables of upcoming anime releases. If you missed them, be sure to check out our columns on the best anime of 2005 and those that earned an honorable mention as well.

This week marks DVD Talk's 7th year on the web. Over the past seven years DVD Talk has grown to be the largest DVD site on the net with over 14,500 DVD reviews, 3 million posts in our forum, an ever growing DVD Easter Egg Database and an extensive video game review section. This past year saw the successful launch of DVD Talk Radio as well as the new Anime Talk column. DVD Talk also continues to run several DVD columns including: DVD Savant, Silent DVD and The Blue Room. Also, over the past year DVD Talk has expanded its presence on national radio with regular appearances on the Thom Hartmann Show and the Wall Street Journal Morning Radio Show. It's been a blast bringing you DVD News, Reviews and Info over the past seven years and we look forward to the next year as we begin to cover HD-DVD and Blu-Ray (see the new HD Talk area) and all the wonderful things instore for movie lovers.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: Pinky Elia Kazan directed this fascinating "social topic" drama about race prejudice; Mister Peepers - Wally Cox is Robinson Peepers, a shy and unassuming new teacher in this early sitcom that seems the daddy of all classroom comedies; American Experience: Eleanor Roosevelt - The most accomplished First Lady is given her due in this fascinating and truly inspirational biographical documentary; The End of August at the Hotel Ozone - A marauding band of women scour a post-apocalyptic forest for food and drink; Next Stop Greenwich Village - Paul Masursky has done what almost no filmmaker has succeeded in doing - make an autobiographical comedy that works; Hallelujah - King Vidor's artistic look at Alabama sharecroppers is a fascinating study on the intersection of race and cinema; Educating Rita - Michael Caine and Julie Walters both won Golden Globe awards for this serious but amusing story of a hairdresser seeking a higher education. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

A fairly light week for notable DVDs, but still some really good ones to check out including: Junebug [Review] - a beautiful and subtle film with one of the best combinations of performer and character in years; Enron: Smartest Guys in the Room [Interview - Review] - a fascinating documentary about the rise and fall of one of America's most notorious companies; Lord of War: SE - Nicholas Cage goes head to head with Ethan Hawk in a very rentable thriller; Two For The Money [Review] - Al Pacino chews up the scenery in DJ Caruso's fresh take on a familiar genre. Other notable DVDs out this week include: Adventures of Superman: S2 [Review], Doogie Howser MD: S3 [Review], Lois & Clark: S2 [Review] and Mary Tyler Moore Show: S3. Read our List of Top Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

This week DVD Talk is proud to present a special giveaway from Magnolia Home Entertainment for Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room. A truly amazing documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room is getting released on a super packed DVD featuring: Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Alex Gibney, Deleted Scenes, The Making of Enron, Conversations with Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind and much much more. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room DVDs we're giving away.

Now with over 14,500 DVD reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database, it's easy to overlook some of the great reviews. Recent DVD Reviews include: The Best of The Electric Company - Whether you want a quick fix of nostalgia or a 10-hour marathon, The Best of The Electric Company has got you covered from A to Z; Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (R3) - Chan-wook Park continues his amazing run with a film that hits the perfect balance of drama, humor, suspense and character development with so much style it almost hurts; Black Books: S1 - every episode has great wit and surreal asides delivered by a trio of good performers whose characters were obviously perfectly molded around them; Gilmore Girls: S5 - an excellent season full of interesting characters, shifting relationships, deceit, and some really satisfying growth in the main players; Underworld: Deluxe Edition - a slight upgrade, but more importantly a price drop for an enjoyable film; Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary - the first issue of the Ironweed Film Club shows real promise with an excellent documentary debut. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

On this episode of DVD Talk Radio: DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman speaks to filmmaker Alex Gibney - director of the acclaimed documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room. Geoff spoke to Alex Gibney about the making of Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room, what roadblocks he had to overcome and what the reaction from Enron employees has been. Alex also covers a little about his next film focusing on Hunter S. Thompson. Listen to our interview with Alex Gibney using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Alex Gibney (14 min 10MB). Also be sure to listen to our recent interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Craig Brewer, Judy Irving, Joss Whedon, Leonard Maltin and George A. Romero.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: Sam Peckinpah's The Legendary Westerns Collection - Warner DVD gives us about all the western thrills we can handle with sterling transfers of Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch (2 discs), The Ballad of Cable Hogue and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (2 discs, two versions); The Magnificent Seven Collector's Edition 2 Disc Set - MGM puts a cleaner, brighter transfer of everyone's favorite high-fashion gunslinger epic; Island in the Sun - An all-star cast backs up Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in this well-meaning but gutless soap-opera about sex and race in the West Indies; Stripes Extended Cut, Ghostbusters & Groundhog Day 3-Pack - A bargain box combines three Bill Murray hits including the superlative Groundhog Day, one of the very best films of the 1990s and perhaps the best film blanc ever made; The Hoodlum - Lawrence Tierney dominates this not-so-good gangster tale, poorly written and sloppily directed; The Roger Corman Puerto Rico Trilogy - Corman's three runaway Filmgroup productions make a combo release from Retromedia;Grimm - Ultra-weird Dutch director Alex van Warmerdam tells an ultra-weird adult fairy tale about two abandoned 'children' who go on a sex and crime spree from Holland to Spain. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Silent DVD takes a look at a trio of Cecil B. DeMille double feature DVDs this week. Included on these DVDs are Don't Change Your Husband and Why Change Your Wife both staring Gloria Swanson, the director's first romantic comedy, Old Wives for New and his last "art" film, The Whispering Chorus. There is also coverage of David Gill and Kevin Brownlow's excellent 1983 documentary, Unknown Chaplin. This installment also has something a little unusual, a review of a new silent film: The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's adaptation of The Call of Cthulhu. Be sure to check out the previous columns you might have missed including an interview with Suzanne Lloyd and a look at the Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection, a review of Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant Garde Film 1893 -1941, and our take on Kino's second wave of slapstick comedy, Slapstick Symposium Too.

This week DVD Talk is proud to present a special giveaway from Warner Bros. Home Video for Sam Peckinpah's The Legendary Western Collection. This new collection features some of Peckinpah's greatest westerns including: Ride the High Country, The Wild Bunch, The Ballad of Cable Hogue and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. These new DVDs are packed with special features including audio commentary from Peckinpah historians and featurettes on Peckinpah. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 Sam Peckinpah's The Legendary Western Collections we're giving away.

A real solid week for notable DVDs including: Hustle and Flow [Review] - one of the best 'indie' films from 2005 get the royal treatment on DVD; Sam Peckinpah's Legendary Westerns Collection [Review] - an excellent collection from a quintessential American director whose work defined the American Western; The Constant Gardener [Review] - excellently acted and directed this is intelligent cinema at its best; Saraband [Review] - a fitting closure to the career of the greatest Swedish director ever. Other notable DVDs out this week include: The Bad Sleep Well - Criterion [Review, Black Books: S1, Ferris Bueller's Day Off: SE [Review] and The Transporter 2 [Review]. Read our List of Top Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week

This week we have several clips from the popular British mystery series Rebus starring John Hannah in an adaptation of Ian Rankin's nest selling novels. Rebus confronts the underworld and his own personal demons while scouring the streets of Edinburgh investigating a series of deadly crimes. Clips include: Ian Rankin on the origins of Rebus, John Hannah on playing Rebus, Examining the character of Rebus and Bringing Rebus to the screen (get more information about the Rebus DVD here). Other clips this week include: a look at Eric Rohmer's Triple Agent and four clips from Ingmar Berman's Saraband - Getting Personal, Creating Conflict, Stunt Work and A Perfect Ending. Be sure to catch past week's clips at DVD Talk TV.

On this episode of DVD Talk Radio: DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman speaks to filmmaker Craig Brewer - director of Hustle and Flow [Review] about the films release on DVD. Geoff spoke to Craig Brewer about the making of Hustle and Flow, the amazing journey to getting the film greenlit and shot, placing the film in Memphis, and what he's working on next (including his take on Justin Timberlake as an actor). Listen to our interview with Craig Brewer using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Craig Brewer (23 min 17MB). Also be sure to listen to our recent interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Judy Irving, Joss Whedon, Leonard Maltin, George A. Romero, Miranda July, Bruce Campbell and Kevin Smith.

Now with over 14,400 DVD reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database, it's easy to overlook some of the great reviews. Recent DVD Reviews include: Nowhere Man - from the ever talented Lawrence Hertzog a show that was as enigmatic as X-Files and thrilling as 24; Open House - Dan Mirvish's indie musical romp is a ton of fun and defiantly worth seeking out; Flash Gordon - Silver Anniversary Edition (Region 2) - enormously entertaining and endlessly repeatable, Flash Gordon finally gets a respectable treatment; Dumb and Dumber - Unrated Edition - with a much improved transfer, better audio, a longer if not all together different cut of the film fans will probably want to snap this one up even if they own the previous release; Franz Ferdinand Live - anyone who enjoys Franz Ferdinand's brand of music simply can't go wrong with this one; Sound Stage Presents - Lindsey Buckingham With Special Guest Stevie Nicks - a delightful DVD perfect for fans of Lindsey Buckingham and/or Fleetwood Mac; Plan 9 from Outer Space (with Mike Nelson Commentary) a real treat from Mystery Science alum. Visit the 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 Savant has a number of new reviews including: The Bad Sleep Well - Akira Kurosawa's labyrinthine thriller about the diabolical vengeance of a company man whose father was forced to kill himself to protect the honor of his executive superiors; Naked Among Wolves - A really good prison camp thriller from East Germany, about the final days before liberation in Buchenwald. Let Him Have It - The true story of 'spiv' killers Chris Craig and his unwitting accomplice Derek Bentley becomes a gripping thriller; Tremors Attack Pack - Universal gives us a mini-box assortment of slimy terrors from under the sands of Perfection, Nevada. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

To start off 2006, Anime Talk looks at a few excellent anime shows that just barely missed making it onto our Top Ten list. These Honorable Mention titles were selected by the staff and represent some fine programs that haven't gotten a lot of notice in the press. We also have capsule reviews of the latest anime releases including the last volumes of Saiyuki Double Barrel Collection and Stellvia as well as the first volume of Doki Doki School Hours. If you missed some of the earlier columns, be sure to check out our Top Ten Anime of 2005, reviews of several boxed sets and our early look at the Fuccons, and our look at the animated feature Rock and Rule.

This week we have a number of clips from Dark Water [Review] - an American remake of the popular Japanese film, helmed by The Motorcycle Diaries director Walter Salles and starring Jennifer Connelly. Dark Water clips: Ceci Sings with Her Imaginary Friend, Singing in Class, Bad Dream Sequence and Elevator Scene. We also have clips this week from Greg Behrendt is Uncool [Review]: Being a Consultant on Sex in The City, Adult Rock Show, Air Guitar, Game Night and Too Old To Rock. Be sure to catch past week's clips at DVD Talk TV.

Happy New Year. A nice start to 2006 with a number of great notable DVDs including: Secuestro Express - a fantastic and all too real look the problem of abduction in Venezuela, with Alias' Mia Meastro; Broken Flowers [Review] - Bill Murray is sublime in Jim Jarmusch's latest film; Alien Nation - A great series inspired by a so-so film, a complex mix of action, suspense, humor and social drama; Wedding Crashers - Uncorked [Review] - Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson carry a fractured romantic comedy that isn't exactly what you'd expect. Other notable DVDs out this week include: The Cave [Review], Dumb and Dumber - Unrated [Review], Snatch - Deluxe [Review] and The Valachi Papers [Review]. Read our List of Top Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.