DVD Talk: May 2012 Archives

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: Hondo - John Wayne's best self-produced movie sees him effortlessly playing Louis L'Amour's heroic western scout, opposite Geraldine Page's interesting frontier woman; an excellent set of extras does the rest; Fat City - John Huston shows that his maverick sensibility is perfectly attuned to a story about an alcoholic loser; and Run For Cover - James Cagney approaches his career sunset in a VistaVision and Technicolor western that makes him the surrogate father of an untamed and unprincipled young delinquent, John Derek. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

There are a few new releases this week that you won't want to miss. Check out these hot titles: True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray review] - a great collection that even manages to top season three; Goon [Blu-ray review] - a genuinely enjoyable film loaded with great performances that does not require a love of hockey to truly appreciate it; and Coriolanus [DVD review] - Star Ralph Fiennes directs this update of William Shakespeare's political play and creates a tense, modern war film. Other reviews of note include We Need to Talk About Kevin [Blu-ray review], Requiem for a Vampire: Remastered Edition [DVD review], and Monroe - Series 1 [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.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Inch High Private Eye: The Complete Series - This cartoon from the 70's has a lot of clever little visual gags and the voice work is spot-on; Hazel: The Complete Third Season - More laughs this season, with Hazel's heartstrings plucked less in favor of more wacky situational comedy; and Designing Women: The Complete Sixth Season - while this season is a step down for the show, there's still some very funny episodes. Other shows recently reviewed include: Covert Affairs: Season Two, Doctor Who: Nightmare of Eden, and Fantasy Island - The Complete Second Season. Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

Some great DVD and Blu-ray reviews have been added to the the DVD Talk Review Database recently including:: The War - Ken Burns's tried-and-true signature style pries out unique and riveting material not seen before, as intelligently and probingly as his best shows; Smokey and the Bandit - as far as pure, unadulterated escapism goes, this movie is pretty tough to beat; and Erin Brockovich - Julia Roberts delivers a fierce, entertaining, take-no-prisoners performance, reminiscent of the kind of barn-burners Barbara Stanwyk or Joan Crawford used to deliver. Other recent reviews include: Perfect Sense; Certified Copy, and Clueless. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

"Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before." The investigation of this classified ad provides the plot of Safety Not Guaranteed, a new comedy/sci-fi/romance feature starring Aubrey Plaza ("Parks and Recreation"), Mark Duplass (co-director of the recent Jason Segel/Ed Helms comedy Jeff Who Lies at Home with his brother Jay), and Jake M. Johnson ("New Girl"), and directed by Colin Trevorrow, in his fictional feature debut. DVDTalk writer Tyler Foster sat down with Trevorrow in Seattle to talk about Safety, his previous documentary experience, and what might be in store when Safety eventually arrives on home video. Read about this and more in the latest DVDTalk Interview.

This week in theaters, Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones (along with Mr. Brolin) return in the sci-fi comedy sequel Men in Black III. Read reviews by Jamie S. Rich, Jason Bailey, and Tyler Foster. Also this week: Wes Anderson returns with an all-star cast (including Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Harvey Keitel) in the charming and delightful Moonrise Kingdom. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: The Dictator, Hysteria, Virginia, Indie Game: The Movie, Bernie, Mansome, Polisse, Beyond the Black Rainbow, God Bless America, Sleepless Night, The Avengers, The Five Year Engagement, Elles, The Giant Mechanical Man, and Citizen Gangster.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 4 - three excellent adaptations of the world's best-selling author and her famous sleuth; Adam-12: The Final Season - Reed and Malloy on their last patrol... powerful moments still manage to manifest themselves in the show with more episodes working than not; and Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete Second Season - the sublimely silly sitcom returns for 30 more episodes. Other shows recently reviewed include: Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol, Borgia: Faith and Fear - Season One, and King Arthur and Medieval Britain. 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: Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Sony's new disc of the Pythons' funniest film gives the wild comedy a terrific HD transfer; an excellent set of extras does the rest; The Big Heat - Fritz Lang's furious film noir cop saga sees Glenn Ford as a hell-bent avenger out to bring down an entire syndicate for the death of a loved on; and The Odessa File - Jon Voight disguises himself as an older SS sergeant to help track down a Nazi war criminal. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

This week several great movies and TV shows are coming out, including a few that shouldn't be missed: Sherlock: Season 2 [Blu-ray review] - one of the most extraordinary series on television... all three of this year's feature-length adaptations are phenomenal; The Secret World of Arrietty [Blu-ray review] - there's so much about the film to admire and adore not the least of which is its stunning animation and gentle nature; and Route 66: The Complete Series [Blu-ray review] - Quite simply, the best television drama anthology of the 1960s. Other reviews of note include Castle in the Sky [Blu-ray review], A Bullet for the General [Blu-ray review], and Carol Channing - Larger Than Life [Blu-ray 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.

Check out the latest DVD reviews that have been entered into the DVD Talk Review Database including: Chronicle - The Lost Footage Edition - a superhero origin story that's like nothing that's come before; 42nd Street Forever: The Blu-ray Edition - a trashily enjoyable, often uproarious, frequently filthy treat, the fine A/V presentation, jazzy audio commentary, and smattering of new titles make this one well worth snatching up; and Dirty Dancing: 2-Film Collection - you get the first film, remastered, with an explosive amount of extras that are sure to keep you busy for hours on end, as well as the unnecessary sequel for a very reasonable price. Other recent reviews include: Demoniacs: Remastered Extended Edition; The Shrine, and Requiem for a Vampire: Remastered Edition. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

It's a busy week in theaters, with Sacha Baron Cohen returning to the big screen as The Dictator, Maggie Gyllenhaal bringing the humble origins of the vibrator to life in Hysteria, and Jennifer Connelly as a slightly off-balance single mother in the small-town comedy/drama Virginia. Richard Linklater's true crime comedy and Jack Black vehicle Bernie goes into wider release; read reviews by Tyler Foster and Jamie S. Rich. Also this week: Morgan Spurlock explores changing notions of masculinity in Mansome, a French police squad investigates child abuse in the Cannes Jury Prize winner Polisse, DIY gamers take on the video game industry in Indie Game: The Movie, and a therapist and patient lock in a battle of wills in the trippy sci-fi throwback Beyond the Black Rainbow. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: God Bless America, Sleepless Night, The Avengers, The Five Year Engagement, Elles, The Giant Mechanical Man, Citizen Gangster, Damsels in Distress, and The Cabin in the Woods.

Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including: Marvel Anime: Iron man - this set presents every episode of the entertaining and action packed series; Fantasy Island: The Complete Second Season - the show holds up remarkably well all these years later; and Time Team: Unearthing the Roman Invasion - Fans of classical era history and archaeology are in for a treat . Other shows recently reviewed include: Laverne & Shirley: The Fifth Season, Treasure Houses of Britain, and King Arthur and Medieval Britain. 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: Bird of Paradise - One of the hottest of the Pre-Code wonders, Dolores del Rio is the island princess who chooses sailor Joel McCrea for her man, but clashing cultures and a menacing volcano intervene; Joan of Paris - Paul Henried's a downed Free French flyer and Michele Morgan's an ordinary girl who prays to St. Joan for the deliverance of her country; together they try to evade the clutches of the suave Gestapo chief - Laird Cregar; and Miracle in Milan - Vittorio De Sica's Neorealist fantasy fairy tale about the fate of the poor works like a sentimental Charlie Chaplin movie - funny, tragic and suffused with humanity Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Blood will be spilled. Lives will be lost. Men will be ruined. AMC's critically-acclaimed series Hell on Wheels (watch trailer) tells the epic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a Confederate officer (Anson Mount) who travels west to find the Union soldiers who murdered his wife. His unrelenting quest leads him to "Hell on Wheels," the dangerous, raucous town that follows the construction of the nation's first transcontinental railroad. Loaded with Bonus Features (including over twenty behind-the-scenes featurettes), experience this must-see series from the very beginning with the 3-disc set of Hell on Wheels: The Complete First Season - available now on Blu-ray and DVD. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of Hell on Wheels: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray from Entertainment One.

Some pretty cool discs are being released this week. Check out these new titles: The Grey [Blu-ray review] - this movie has guts and Liam Neeson grounds it with a perfect mix of authority, compassion and pathos; Being John Malkovich [Blu-ray review] - a clever, quirky masterpiece that plays even better now than it did in 1999; and The Walking Tall Trilogy [Blu-ray review] - fans of the series should be pretty happy with this release... the movies have never looked better on home video than they do here. Other reviews of note include Albert Nobbs [Blu-ray review], Road Trip [Blu-ray review], and One For the Money [Blu-ray 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.

Some cool discs have been reviewed over the past week. Check out these recent entries: True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season - a great collection that even manages to top season three; Don Juan Demarco - a genuinely surprising and satisfying romantic comedy; and La Haine - this artfully crafted and supremely powerful film is an essential discovery for those who have yet to experience it. Other recent reviews include: The Flaw; Man on the Train, and Killer Bride's Perfect Crime. 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, a terminally ill man and his teenaged sidekick take to the open road to take out the country's trash in Bobcat Goldthwait's pitch-black satire God Bless America, and a dirty cop has to penetrate a giant underworld nightclub headquarters to save his son in the relentless French action film Sleepless Night. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: The Avengers, The Five Year Engagement, Bernie, Elles, The Giant Mechanical Man, Citizen Gangster, Damsels in Distress, Darling Companion, The Cabin in the Woods, The Moth Diaries, and Lockout.

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include: Paul F. Tompkins: Laboring Under Delusions - Dapper, yet hilarious storytelling ; Reunion At Fairborough - Surprisingly moving television drama, with the iconic leads bringing along a heavyweight, nostalgic buzz; and Jo Koy: Lights Out - Jo Koy and his energetic, family-based observational comedy is hard to resist... this special is just plain enjoyable. Other shows recently reviewed include: Bob - The Complete Series, The Manions of America, and Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales: The Complete Collection. 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: Journey to the Center of the Earth - James Mason and Pat Boone explore the interior of the earth and find monsters, mushrooms, massive oceans and the lost city of Atlantis; Pillow Talk - a fancy restoration of the fresh and witty Doris Day - Rock Hudson sex comedy that changed the direction of screen romance; and Bell, Book and Candle - A publisher falls in love with the owner of an art gallery, not realizing that she's a practicing witch. So who's perfect? Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

There are not a lot of exciting discs are coming out this week, but a few may (or may not) be worth checking out: Chuck: The Complete Fifth Season [Blu-ray review] - After a good five year run, cult spy-comedy show calls it quits after this final season; Underworld: Awakening [Blu-ray review, a second Blu-ray review] - Kate Beckinsale returns as death-dealing Selene in the fourth entry in the vampire/lycan series; and Mother's Day [Blu-ray review] - a competent thriller whose dark, twisted heart is in the right place. 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: Men in Black - This film is genuinely fun and funny, and Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are a surprisingly capable pairing; Eclipse Series 32: Pearls of the Czech New Wave - a grouping of adventurous, alluring films that complement and play off each other in a way that feels just right; and Pharaoh's Curse - a fifties horror film undeserving of its almost total obscurity; it is ambitious and atmospheric for its budget level, and in some respects it's vastly superior to Universal's more familiar Mummy movies. Other recent reviews include: The Wizard of Gore / The Gore Gore Girls; The Walking Tall Trilogy, and Road Trip. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

The only game in town at the multiplex this week is The Avengers, the carefully prepared and eagerly anticipated all-star superhero powwow from writer/director Joss Whedon. Jamie S. Rich calls it "a summer movie knock-out that gets everything right" in his four-star review, while Tyler Foster is a bit more reserved in his praise, warning that "it's all so big and so amped up that it practically becomes monotonous." If your screenings are sold out and you want some alternatives, be sure to catch reviews of other recent theatrical films: The Five Year Engagement, Bernie, Citizen Gangster, Damsels in Distress, Darling Companion, The Cabin in the Woods, The Moth Diaries, Lockout, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope, and The Hunger Games.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales: The Complete Collection - a must-see vintage toon for the small fry; Eight Is Enough: The Complete First Season - serious comfort food; both in a nostalgic sense, and as an example of good TV; and The Three Stooges - a mostly-accurately, dramatically interesting biopic about the famous comedy trio that's an earnest, generally excellent TV-film. Other shows recently reviewed include: The Lawrence Welk Show: Classic Episodes, Vol. 1 - 4, American Dad!: Volume Seven, and Fan Favorites: The Best of The Honeymooners. 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: A Night to Remember - It's THE Titanic movie, the one built from the facts of the sinking, telling the true stories of the victims and survivors. The truth turns out to be more compelling than any fiction could be; The Red House - A weird genre mix from the late '40s, Delmer Daves' noir melodrama mixes bucolic Americana and wholesome teenagers with a curse from the past and obsessed, misguided adults; and Badge 373 - Robert Duvall is Eddie Ryan, a rough, profane and racist ex-detective who follows up the killing of a pal and uncovers a gang of revolutionaries smuggling machine guns. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

New York's Tribeca Film Festival has drawn to a close, and DVD Talk's Jason Bailey has filed his final report from the fest. In it, Bailey takes a look at his nearly four dozen Tribeca reviews and runs down the best films, documentaries, and performances at this year's festival, which he calls "far and away the strongest slate" of their past several years. Check out Bailey's Tribeca report here, and follow the links in it to read all of his reviews from Tribeca 2012.

There are some new titles coming out that might make it worth a trip to the video store this week. Check out these recent releases: Haywire [Blu-ray review] - a fast-paced spy movie in which mixed martial arts star Gina Carano beats her way through a rather distinguished cast of supporting players; Mimic 3 Film Set [Blu-ray review] - Monster movie fans who pick up this trilogy will be pleased with the high def upgrade and the interesting extras too; and Who Do You Think You Are: Season 2 [DVD review] - it's pretty remarkable (insane, even) what the investigators are able to dig up regarding the past history of family members of the celebrities featured in this season. 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.