2011 saw a lot of great discs hitting store shelves. Many classic movies finally saw high definition releases, including some great silent films, and TV on DVD is still very popular. It was hard to narrow it down to just a handful, but DVDTalk's staff of reviewers did just that. They voted on the best releases of the past year and came up with an interesting and diverse list. From titles that should have received more attention such as the Ernie Kovacs Collection to blockbuster hits like the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray release and everything in between made the list, did your favorites? Take a look at DVDTalk's Top Releases of 2011 and see!

This week in theaters, Meryl Streep dons the iconic pearls of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. First-time filmmaker Dee Rees crafts a powerful coming-of-age story in Pariah. Iranian director Asghar Farhadi tells a powerful morality tale in the acclaimed A Separation. And the death of a child rocks a snowy small town in Angels Crest. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, We Bought a Zoo, Albert Nobbs, Pina, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Carnage, The Artist, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, A Dangerous Method, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, and New Year's Eve.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including: Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season - one of the most fascinating crime/mob dramas to ever hit television; The Angry Beavers: Seasons 1 & 2 - Clever and funny with silly scripting this show should be ranked a lot higher in the Nickelodeon pantheon of toons; and Gunsmoke - The Fifth Season, Volume 2 - another set of musts for Western fans. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Chuck: The Complete Fourth Season, Prep and Landing, and Dennis The Menace: Season Three.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

Savant sifts through the months and comes up with a subjective selection of favorites from 2011, DVDs and Blu-rays that tend to stay at the front of the shelves where I can get at them quickly. Fifteen key favorites and (this time) a shorter list of great restorations, discoveries and movies clearly released by companies that care. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

One super-strong hero has to defend a town against monstrous mutants in City Under Siege the sci-fi action thriller from famed director Benny Chan (Connected, Who Am I?). Featuring a star-studded cast including Collin Chou (The Matrix Reloaded) and Qi Shu (The Transporter) this flick packs a serious punch thanks to action sequences by choreographer Chung Chi Li (Rush Hour). Sunny, a lowly circus clown, dreams of following in his father's footsteps by perfecting lethal Flying Dagger technique. That dream seemingly dies the night a group of bullies force Sunny into a mysterious cave where an abandoned military experiment turns them all into mutants! Suddenly bestowed with superhuman strength, Sunny finally has the power to master his father's technique and defend the city against his horribly-disfigured fellow mutants! Check out City Under Siege available on DVD and Blu-ray now!

There are a few new releases this week that you won't want to miss. Check out these hot titles: Final Destination 5 [Blu-ray review] - a hell of a lot of demented fun and the best installment in the franchise since part two all those years ago; Tuesday, After Christmas [DVD review] - Another jewel in the crown of contemporary Romanian cinema; and Archer: Season 2 - Sterling Archer, the world’s most dangerous spy, is back for more adventure. 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, Entertainment One invites you to make a splash with The Pool Boys (watch trailer), the hilarious, new comedy from the creators of American Pie, starring Matthew Lillard, Efren Ramirez, Rachelle Lefevre, Brett Davern, George Takei and Tom Arnold (playing none other than Tom Arnold). Money, prestige and the pursuit of higher education collide when a pool boy (Lillard), a gardener (Ramirez) and a Harvard hopeful (Davern) team up for a can't-miss-scheme to get rich. With the help of a savvy escort (Lefevre) and her sexy friends, the three dreamers transform an empty Beverly Hills mansion into a house of illicit fun that's one hilarious, non-stop party. The Pool Boys arrives on DVD and Blu-ray along with a behind-the-scenes featurette and an interactive ("choose your own escort") virtual lap dance. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of The Pool Boys on DVD!

Even with the holidays, we've been able to review some great releases this past week. Check out these recent entries in the DVDTalk review database: The Lady Vanishes - this film is essential viewing for any admirer of Hitchcock (which is virtually synonymous with any movie lover); Golden Needles - Bizarre, but completely entertaining this movie is a must-see for 70s chop socky fans; and Sherlock Holmes (1922) - John Barrymore portrays the world famous detective in this restored silent feature. Other recent reviews include: Design for Living; Boy Wonder, and Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special.  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 we have a special giveaway for WinX DVD Copy Pro, which is an universal DVD copy software. As holiday season is drawing near, a great number of movies are coming out. Would it be wonderful if you could make a backup of these movies for safe storage, later burning, playing? WinX DVD Copy Pro works perfectly to copy DVD to DVD disc, DVD to ISO image, DVD to MPEG-2 and DVD to VIDEO_TS folder while keeping 1:1 ratio and preserving all menus, subtitles & languages bonus. Or you could take advantage of WinX DVD Ripper Platinum (for Windows) and MacX DVD Ripper Pro (for Mac OS) to convert any DVD movies to MP4, AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, 3GP for playback on iPhone/4S, iPad/iPad 2, iPod, Android, HTC, Samsung, XOOM, Galaxy Tab, PSP, etc. Enter to grab the free copy of WinX DVD Copy Pro

With the holidays almost here, it's a perfect time to cuddle up in front of the TV and watch your favorite movies and TV series. But how do you catch those hard-to-find cult favorites that never seem to air on television anymore? Easy-go to The M.O.D. Squad and check out all the latest reviews of manufactured on demand discs, straight from the studio vaults! Right here, right now, at The M.O.D. Squad!

This week in theaters, director David Fincher takes a crack at the best-selling "Millennium Trilogy" in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Steven Spielberg crafts a 3D animated adaptation of the beloved series The Adventures of Tintin. Read reviews by Jamie S. Rich, Jason Bailey, and Tyler Foster. Spielberg also returns to the trenches of the battlefield in War Horse. And Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson star in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo. Also in theaters: Glenn Close spends decades hiding her true self in Albert Nobbs, and Wim Wenders brings modern dance to three-dimensional life in Pina. Also this week, the silent movie valentine The Artist and David Cronenberg's psychosexual drama A Dangerous Method go into wider release. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Carnage, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, Addiction Incorporated, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, New Year's Eve, We Need To Talk About Kevin, I Melt With You, and Shame.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including: It Takes a Thief: The Complete Series - the popular spy/crime series starring Robert Wagner finally makes its way to DVD; The Cleveland Show: The Complete Season Two - This second season ups the laughs and sight gags from its first go-around; and Peanuts Motion Comics Collection - a gathering of 20 mini-episode "motion comic" shorts that are quite fun and animated as much as anything else on TV today. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Mission: Impossible - The '88 TV Season, Bonanza: The Official Second Season, Volume 2, and Spongebob Squarepants: The Complete 7th Season.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: Tora! Tora! Tora! - All the resources of 20th Fox, the U.S. Navy and special effects pro A.D. Flowers recreate the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in awesome detail and scope, using real planes and ships at the original location; Fright Night - Vampire Chris Sarandon is running amuck, and Roddy McDowall's has-been movie actor and TV horror host is the only person who knows how to wield a crucifix and wooden stake. A tame Teen Sex comedy blossoms into an all-out horror thriller, thanks to terrific special effects and macabre makeup designs; and Seven Chances - Buster Keaton is Jimmy Shannon, a man who must be married by 7 0'Clock to inherit 7 million dollars -- but how can he find a woman to wed in just a few hours? Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

The weeks right around Christmas are traditionally a slow time for DVD and Blu-ray releases, but there are still a few new items that might make it worth your while to pay a visit to your favorite B&M or on-line retailer. Check out these movies that are hitting the shelves today: A Farewell to Arms: Kino Classics Edition [Blu-ray review] - Gary Cooper stars in this wonderful 1932 screen version of Hemingway's novel directed by Frank Borzage; Dolphin Tale [Blu-ray review] - one of the better entries in the crowded kids-and-animals drama field; and Futurama: Volume 6 - 13 new episodes of futuristic comedy from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. 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: Fright Night (2011) - Sharply written, well-acted, sopping with splatter, and legitimately funny - what's not to like?; Three Colors: Blue, White, Red - The Criterion Collection - a marvel of cinema - it is thoughtful without being ponderous, philosophical without being preachy, and at all times, deeply human; and Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection - one of the best DVD releases of 2011. Other recent reviews include: Seven Chances: Ultimate Edition; The Simpsons: The Fourteenth Season, and The Rocketeer: 20th Anniversary Edition.  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 in theaters, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law return to the roles of Holmes and Watson in the high-spirited Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the entire IMF agency are disavowed by the U.S. government in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Read reviews by Jamie S. Rich and Jason Bailey. And Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly team for Roman Polanski's dark comedy of manners, Carnage. Also in theaters: "King of the Bs" Roger Corman is profiled in the entertaining Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, and the fall of Big Tobacco is chronicled in the documentary Addiction Incorporated. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, New Year's Eve, We Need To Talk About Kevin, I Melt With You, Shame, Melancholia, The Muppets, Hugo, The Twilight Saga-Breaking Dawn: Part 1, A Dangerous Method, My Week with Marilyn, and The Descendants. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

More TV shows have made their way on to DVD, and DVD Talk has got them covered. Check out our reviews of the newest TV releases including: Damages: The Complete Third Season - The good, the bad and the angry...all one and the same in this fun show; American Restoration - Volume 1 - a fun and informative series, especially for those with an interest in Americana and pop culture artifacts; and Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time - for Stone Cold fans, this is a mandatory purchase for the epic main feature alone. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Doctor Who: Colony in Space, Perry Mason - Season 6, Volume 2, and Babar and Father Christmas.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: The Rocketeer - Air racer Cliff Secord takes to the skies in a nifty rocket pack, to save his girls from gangsters, Nazi agents, and oveager FBI guys; The Help - The remarkable surprise summer hit is an absorbing, startling and frequently hilarious drama about a Southern women who decides to write a book about the true lives of black maids -- an effort pointedly outlawed in Mississippi; and Welcome to L.A. - Alan Rudolph comes forward with the prime candidate for laid-back hipster decadence in the City of the Angelsc. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

This week several great movies are coming out, including a few that shouldn't be missed: Rise of the Planet of the Apes [DVD review] - The film manages to succeed in achieving an impossible hat-trick of being not only a successful reboot of the legendary franchise, but also acting as a simultaneous prequel and standalone film; Meet Me in St. Louis [Blu-ray review] - a wonderful-looking and -sounding picture, but it has never looked or sounded as wonderful as it does on this beautifully done new Blu-ray release; and Heavenly Creatures [Blu-ray review] - arguably director Peter Jackson's most interesting (and in many ways his most creative) film. Other reviews of note include: Velvet Goldmine [Blu-ray review], Detective Dee & The Mystery of the Phantom Flame [Blu-ray review], and 99 And 44/100% Dead / The Nickel Ride [DVD 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 DVD reviews include: 12 Angry Men: The Criterion Collection - Sidney Lumet's cinematic interpretation of Reginald Rose's script is a scintillating drama; Farewell to Arms - a must-see specimen of American film from right after talkies took over; and Another Earth - a uniquely haunting drama with science fiction elements running through its veins. Other recent reviews include: Lost Horizon; Point Blank, and Mahler: Symphony 2.  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 in theaters, Garry Marshall assembles another giant cast of paycheck-hungry actors for the insipid New Year's Eve. Juno's writer and director reunite for the tart black comedy Young Adult. And Gary Oldman heads an all-star cast in the masterful British spy drama Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Also in theaters: Tilda Swinton plays a troubled, unhappy mother in We Need To Talk About Kevin, and four college friends hit a particularly dark midlife crisis in I Melt With You. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Shame, Melancholia, The Muppets, Hugo, The Twilight Saga-Breaking Dawn: Part 1, A Dangerous Method, My Week with Marilyn, Into the Abyss, Rampart, The Descendants, Another Happy Day, Immortals, and J. Edgar. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

More TV shows have made their way on to DVD, and DVD Talk has got them covered. Check out our reviews of the newest TV releases including: Farscape: The Complete Series - an underappreciated SF show, with a creative group of characters, a lot of humor, and some excellent writing; Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume One - This Blu-ray collection is simply too beautiful, too filled with brilliance and too loaded with bonus content to not have; and Smallville: The Complete Series - this impressive collection does the show justice. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Planet Earth: Limited Edition (Blu-ray), Meet the Browns: Season 2, and Babar and Father Christmas.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: Doctor Blood's Coffin - A colorful, bloody exercise in gross-out mediocrity, 1962-style; 12 Angry Men - The late Sidney Lumet hits a home run in his first feature, which stars a full roster of acting talent headed by producer Henry Fonda; and The Rules of the Game - The say that Jean Renoir's masterpiece had to be reassembled from dupe elements, but this new HD transfer looks and sounds fantastic. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some pretty cool discs are being released this week. Check out these new titles: The Hangover Part II [Blu-ray review] - The Wolfpack is back for more of the same; Cowboys & Aliens [Blu-ray review] - if you caught the movie in theaters and dug it, you can fork over the money for this set with the full confidence, its release on Blu-ray is tremendous; and Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXII [DVD review] - a fantastic set that includes fan favorite Mighty Jack. Other reviews of note include: Rapt [Blu-ray review], Mammuth [DVD review], and Life, Above All [DVD 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.

Innocent citizens flee mutant marauders in this electrifying film from famed director Benny Chan (Connected, Who Am I?) Featuring a star-studded cast including Collin Chou (The Matrix Reloaded) and Qi Shu (The Transporter) this flick packs a serious punch thanks to action sequences by choreographer Chung Chi Li (Rush Hour).

Sunny, a lowly circus clown, dreams of following in his father's footsteps by perfecting lethal Flying Dagger technique. That dream seemingly dies the night a group of bullies force Sunny into a mysterious cave where an abandoned military experiment turns them all into mutants! Suddenly bestowed with superhuman strength, Sunny finally has the power to master his father's technique and defend the city against his horribly-disfigured fellow mutants! On DVD and Blu-ray December 27th!

Some great DVD and Blu-ray reviews have been added to the the DVD Talk Review Database recently including: West Side Story: 50th Anniversary Edition [a second review] - one of the great landmarks of cinema, it is the perfect blend of theatricality and cinematic wonder; Way Down East - a powerful film that still works its magic 91 years after it was made; and Meet Me in St. Louis - this film has never looked or sounded as wonderful as it does on this beautifully done new Blu-ray release. Other recent reviews include: Rushmore: The Criterion Collection; The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and The Human Resources Manager.  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 in art houses, Michael Fassbender plays a New Yorker with a crippling sex addiction in Steve McQueen's adult drama Shame, while Lars von Trier's haunting pre-apocalyptic epic Melancholia goes into wider release. In the multiplexes, the Twilight Saga returns to the big screen in Breaking Dawn: Part 1, Jason Segel and Amy Adams herald the return of The Muppets, and Martin Scorsese tries his hand at family filmmaking (and 3D) in Hugo. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: A Dangerous Method, My Week with Marilyn, Into the Abyss, Rampart, The Descendants, Another Happy Day, Immortals, J. Edgar, Tower Heist, and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series - From start to finish this was a fun season that passed way too quickly; 30 Rock: Season 5 - frequently ridiculous and hilarious, this season is just as enjoyable as the ones that preceded it; and Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXII - this is a fantastic set and includes the fan-favorite episode Mighty Jack! Other shows recently reviewed include:  Meet The Browns: Season One, Happiness Is Peanuts: Snow Days, and T.J. Miller: No Real Reason.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

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