DVD Talk: June 2012 Archives

This week in theaters, Steven Soderbergh brings the early, stripping days of star Channing Tatum to life in the seriocomic drama Magic Mike. Read reviews by Jason Bailey, Tyler Foster, and Jamie S. Rich. A little girl and her father attempt to survive on the wrong side of the levee in the Sundance sensation Beasts of the Southern Wild. And Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen's marriage hits an unexpected crisis in Sarah Polley's Take this Waltz. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Brave, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, To Rome With Love, Your Sister's Sister, The Invisible War, Rock of Ages, Prometheus, Moonrise Kingdom, Safety Not Guaranteed, Lola Versus, Snow White and the Hunstman, Men in Black III, and The Dictator.

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include: Web Therapy - The Complete First Season - the show has a consistently hilarious feel with Lisa Kudrow's seemingly bottomless comic resourcefulness flowing through her characterization of entrepreneur/anti-therapeutic therapist Fiona Wallice; Ghost Story aka Circle of Fear: The Complete First Season - Producer William Castle's horror/thriller anthology program from 1972-'73 has held up as nicely though the show struggles to find its footing; and Midsomer Murders: Set 19 - DCI for Causton CID, Tom Barnaby, tackles four more cases one of which introduces his cousin (and soon to be replacement in the series) John Barnaby. Other shows recently reviewed include: Dan vs.: The Complete First Season, Gene Simmons Family Jewels: Season 6 - Part 1, and WWE: ECW Unreleased, Volume 1. 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: Yellow Submarine - Uncut and at the correct AR, the adventures of the jocular moptops in Pepperland and their defeat of the Bue Meanies is still quite a show; Doomsday Prophecy - This end of the world extravaganza features entire pieces of the world crumbling, an errant Cosmic Whatsis coming to swallow the Earth whole, and our favorite theme, trendy young folk running from Evil Government Conspirators while trying to save the world; and The Age of Consent - This Pre-code delight offers a warped view of college life in 1932 - or does it? Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Another banner week for DVDs with the studios releasing some great films such as: 21 Jump Street [Blu-ray review, DVD review] - Smart, hilarious, exciting and endearing, this is a must-own for any fan of great comedy; The Artist [Blu-ray review, DVD review] - a thoughtfully crafted and thoroughly joyous tribute to Hollywood and the movies -- past and present; and Deliverance [Blu-ray review] - a classic slice of 1970s filmmaking that still packs a punch. Other reviews of note include Little Lord Fauntleroy [Blu-ray review], Ici et Ailleurs (Here and Elsewhere) [DVD review], and The Night of the Grizzly [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.

Check out the latest DVD reviews that have been entered into the DVD Talk Review Database including: Superman Vs Elite - this direct-to-video feature has plenty of high-octane action while offering serious substance; Attenberg - one of the most intelligently, boldly, and uniquely rendered comings of age you've ever seen on film; and The Seduction of Mimi - a spirited, sometimes devastating satire jumbling the politics of sex, relationships, labor relations, and communism. Other recent reviews include: The Jayhawkers!; She Played With Fire, and One Piece: Collection Six . 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 Scottish princess takes her fate into her own hands in Pixar's latest, Brave. Steve Carell and Keira Knighley are Seeking a Friend for the End of the World; we've got reviews from Jamie S. Rich and Jason Bailey. And Woody Allen's world tour moves on to Italy in his new romantic comedy To Rome With Love. Also out this week: Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Mark Duplass form an unexpected romantic triangle in Your Sister's Sister, Kirby Dick examines sexual assault in the armed forces in the searing documentary The Invisible War, and the Greta Gerwig-fronted indie rom-com Lola Versus moves into wider release. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Rock of Ages, Prometheus, Moonrise Kingdom, Safety Not Guaranteed, Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding, Snow White and the Hunstman, Men in Black III, and The Dictator.

The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series

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: The Sarah Silverman Program: The Complete Series - a TV comedy classic that's perfect for the DVD era, where we can all treasure it long after the tragedy of its premature demise has faded, leaving only its brilliant and amazingly well-executed creative vision; Top Gear 18 - Another great set of high octane, turbo-charged shows (with the traction control turned off); and Dog Bites Man: The Complete Series - a criminally overlooked series - howlingly, breathlessly funny- that deserves to be rediscovered on DVD. Other shows recently reviewed include: Pawn Stars - Volume 4, Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks, and Washington: Behind Closed Doors. 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 Space Children - A real oddity: a '50s American sci-fi picture with a pronounced, up-front anti-nuke, anti-defense, anti-Cold War attitude. Seven kids become 'voluntary' agents for a brain from outer space, and follow its orders to sabotage a military mission to put offensive nuclear weapons in orbit; As Good As It Gets - James L. Brooks pulls off a winner, with Jack Nicholson in a lively role and Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding Jr. all incredibly well cast; and 1900 - Bernardo Bertolucci's five-hour, fifteen-minute epic of the struggles between Italian farm landlords and working peasants comes to life in this near-flawless HD presentation. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these TV shows that have just made their way to home video: Wanderlust [Blu-ray review] - a very funny movie, especially for existing fans of David Wain's particular brand of comedy; Jeff, Who Lives at Home [Blu-ray review] - a fruitful, funny and touching experience; and Project X (1968) [DVD review] - A typically entertaining William Castle entry: slighty goofy, yes...but undeniably intriguing. Other reviews of note include Project X: #xtendedcut (2011) [Blu-ray review], The Code [DVD review], and Trial & Retribution - Set 5 [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.

Some cool discs have been reviewed over the past week. Check out these recent entries: The Artist - this love letter to early film earned 28 major award wins including five Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, and three Golden Globes; Spider-Man - Sam Rami's take on the Marvel web-slinger is a exciting and magnetic superhero movie; and U.S. Marshals - a delightfully cheesy popcorn movie that delivers plenty of thrills, action and fun. Other recent reviews include: Vincent Wants to Sea; How to Live Forever*, and The Fields. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Tom Cruise heads on all-star cast in Adam Shankman's adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages. Jason Bailey was the only reviewer brave enough to face the 80's music (so far). Other movies in theaters this weekend include: Prometheus, Snow White and the Hunstman, Men in Black III, The Dictator, Moonrise Kingdom, Safety Not Guaranteed, Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding, Lola Versus and, of course, The Avengers.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Eighth Season

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Eighth Season - one of TV's most consistently funny shows - there's not a bad episode in the bunch; Chuck: The Complete Fifth and Final Season - the perfect mix of action, comedy, adventure, and romance. How can you get any better than that?; and Victorious: The Complete Second Season - The second season expands on the types of stories from the first go-round while the expanding main cast's characters. Other shows recently reviewed include: Freak Show: The Complete Series, The Tribe: Series 1, Part 2, and Doctor Who - The Seeds of Death. 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: Colossus of New York - The cyborg's back, crackling with electricity, zapping people with his death ray and swearing to eliminate all those fools that want to do good things for the human race; The Wayward Bus - Joan Collins goes without glamour makeup and Jayne Mansfield gets the decent dramatic role denied her in a half dozen other Fox pictures, in this earthy CinemaScope adaptation of the book by John Steinbeck; and Run for the Sun - Richard Widmark is a reclusive author and Jane Greer is the reporter who tracks him down in Mexico. Both of them end up as human prey, hunted by desperate men that can't let them get away. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these TV shows that have just made their way to home video: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows [Blu-ray review] - this is the rare sequel that bests its predecessor in every perceivable way; The Gold Rush [Blu-ray review] - Criterion does a marvelous job of giving us both the original 1925 silent version and Chaplin's 1942 "with words and music" re-release looking and sounding their very best; and Harold and Maude [Blu-ray review] - Colin Higgins's exquisite script mixes whimsy and melancholy from page one and director Hal Ashby's distinctive and inimitable style make this dark dramedy a classic. Other reviews of note include In Darkness [Blu-ray review], Accident [Blu-ray review], and Countess Perverse [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.

Our reviewers have been busy this week, filling the DVD Talk Review Database more great entries. Some new reviews of note include: 13 Assassins - a very technically sound release of a phenomenal film - director Eiichi Kudo's film is beautiful, tragic, and intense, often at the same time; We Need to Talk About Kevin - a thoughtful, chilling film... Tilda Swinton excels under Lynne Ramsay's direction as the mother of a teen who commits a school massacre; and The Maisie Collection: Volume 1 - this 5-movie collection gathers together the first five movies in the well-remembered M-G-M series starring sassy, sexy Ann Sothern. Other recent reviews include: Tosh.0: Hoodies; Django Kill...If You Live, Shoot!, and A Perfect World. 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, Ridley Scott returns to science fiction with the Alien-inspired Prometheus. Read reviews by Tyler Foster, Jamie S. Rich, and Jason Bailey. And Wes Anderson's latest, Moonrise Kingdom, goes into wider release; we've got new reviews from Jamie S. Rich and Tyler Foster. Also out this week in limited release: Aubrey Plaza seeks out a potential time traveler in Safety Not Guaranteed, Jane Fonda seeks to reconcile with estranged daughter Catherine Keener in Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding, and Greta Gerwig looks for love after a bad break-up in Lola Versus. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Snow White and the Hunstman, Men in Black III, The Dictator, Hysteria, Virginia, Indie Game: The Movie, Bernie, and The Avengers.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Maverick: The Complete First Season - one of the most satisfying TV Westerns ever created. Producer Roy Huggins allowed the show to be funny one week, serious the next, and action-packed the following; The Big C: The Complete Second Season - the program ups the bar in its second season with more compelling drama, funnier situations, a bigger array of supporting characters; and Shazzan: The Complete Series - this cartoon stands out for both its awe-inspiring premise (who wouldn't want their own magic genie?) and for the quasi-psychedelic stories. Other shows recently reviewed include: Frontline: Lost in Detention: President Obama's Tough Immigration Enforcement, Peep and The Big Wide World: Star Light, Star Bright, and Emily's Reasons Why Not: The Complete Series. 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: New York Stories - Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola and Woody Allen contribute chapters to an anthology of personal movies about New York; Pearls of the Czech New Wave - six fascinating Czech films, made during a brief window of leniency under harsh Communist rule. The range varies from anti-Soviet anarchy to frightening political parables, to movies that simply acknowledge that people have aims other than the struggle of the proletariat; and Coriolanus - A victorious warrior is pressured into running for high office, but cannot overcome his distaste for common citizens. Banished, he leads a neighboring country in an invasion of his own home. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these TV shows that have just made their way to home video: Breaking Bad: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray review] - there are a lot of great shows on television currently. This is simply the best one of them all. If you're not watching, you should be; Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Eighth Season [Blu-ray review] - one of TV's most consistently funny shows, there's not a bad episode in the bunch and HBO's two-disc DVD package is a well-rounded effort that fans should enjoy; and Doc Martin - Series 5 [DVD review] - the latest season of this show continues to charm with its eccentric, funny and endearing characters. Other reviews of note include The Sting [Blu-ray review], Smokey and the Bandit [Blu-ray review], and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island [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.

This week the DVD Talk Review Database has some great new entries, including a few discs you may have overlooked. Recent DVD reviews include: Lethal Weapon: The Complete Collection - this collection packs all of the bullets and all of the explosions in between the laughs and fleeting poignant moments as nicely as one could expect; Fat City - this John Huston film is a must-see: an old-school Hollywood master joining the rebel hordes and showing he can tell a good story with the best of them; and Reggie Watts : A Live at Central Park - Watts is a magic man, a comedic shaman who conjures up humor from whatever dubious dimension Andy Kaufman passed on to. Other recent reviews include: Dragon Tattoo Trilogy: Extended Edition; Hannibal Buress: Animal Furnace, and Of Dolls and Murder. 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, Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth put a new spin on an old classic in the action/fairy tale hybrid Snow White and the Hunstman. Read reviews by Jason Bailey, Tyler Foster, and Jamie S. Rich. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Men in Black III, Moonrise Kingdom, The Dictator, Hysteria, Virginia, Indie Game: The Movie, Bernie, Mansome, Polisse, Beyond the Black Rainbow, God Bless America, Sleepless Night, The Avengers, and The Five Year Engagement.