DVD Talk: September 2012 Archives

Welcome to the first installment of DVDTalk's latest column: Brit-streaming. Every two week resident anglophile Greg Bakun will take a look at what TV shows from across the pond are being streamed through the web. In this inaguaral column Greg discusses Acorn TV, a channel launched by Acorn media dedicated to showing the best British Television has to offer, and in particular ITV's excellent WWII mystery series, Foyle's War. Read all about Acorn TV and what they're currently offering as well as taking a look at a great British show in this week's Brit-streaming.

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: Steve Martin: The Television Stuff - this set deserves a place on the shelf of anyone who likes comedy, it's a fantastic effort and well worth the low purchase price; The Streets of San Francisco - Season Four - it's business as usual for this above-average police procedural, the last season for co-star Michael Douglas; and Special Branch: Set One - a location-heavy 70s British television that still entertains. Other shows recently reviewed include: Downton Abbey Seasons 1 & 2 Limited Edition Set - Original UK Version Set, Bunny Drop: Complete Series, and Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Volume One. Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

Anime Talk: Crunchy Roll, Lupin, and Bunny Drop

Itâ€™s time for another installment of DVDTalk.comâ€™s Anime Talk column! We have compiled an excellent group of reviews to share with our readers this month, including a look at Lupin the 3rd's TV series, the latest excellent NIS America releases, Bunny Drop and Anohana, and the second seaosn of K-On. We also have a look at the Crunchy Roll Anime Streaming Service, and some great deals and news by our resident super-otaku, WTK. Read about all of this and more in the lastest Anime Talk!

The 8th Annual October Horror Movie Challenge

Consider yourself a horror movie addict and looking for a community of like-minded genre junkies to converse with this October? Well look no further than The 8th Annual October Horror Movie Challenge! Whether youâ€™re an aficionado, a novice or simply harbor a morbid curiosity, this is the destination for watching, sharing, discovering and discussing all things horror. And don't be put off by the 100 Movies. 31 Days. slogan, it extends way beyond watching insane amounts of macabre cinema. Check out the daily pick in our 31 Film Subset list with next day discussion, take a stab at the Theme Nights list for countless sub-genre ideas, dare to complete The Checklist, join our Facebook, Google+, and brand new Twitter pages and possibly even win a prize courtesy of HamiltonBook.com, Mondo Macabre, Synapse, Full Moon, Breaking Glass Pictures, Celluloid Terror and TLACult.com! Everything's covered -- from highfalutin Art House classics like Hour of the Wolf to the cheesy bad IMDB Bottom 100 rated Birdemic: Shock and Terror plus everything in-between. So Join Us and keep telling yourself ...it's only a movie!

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these new movies: The American President [Blu-ray review] - West Wing's creator Aaron Sorkin's first foray into the White House... if you have not seen the film yet, you need to rectify this promptly; Damsels in Distress [Blu-ray review, DVD review] - full of wry humor and awkward relationship mishaps, this movie is a winning effort from a unique talent; and Gerhard Richter Painting [Blu-ray review] - a fascinating look at renowned German abstract/photorealist painter Gerhard Richter as he works to perfect his art. Other reviews of note include Lone Wolf and Cub: Complete Six-Film Collection [Blu-ray review], Au Pair Girls [Blu-ray review], and Cheeky [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 we have a special giveaway from Cohen Media Group, consisting of two critically-acclaimed theatrical films, which are newly arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Based on the riveting, ongoing true story of Burma's national heroine, The Lady (arriving October 2 on Blu-ray and DVD) details the epic and extraordinary life of Aung San Suu Kyi, portrayed by Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies) in a film by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional). Delicacy (arriving on Blu-ray and DVD on September 25th) features Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code, A Very Long Engagement) in "one of her best performances since Amélie" (Paste Magazine), playing a young woman, who finds love and joy in the most unexpected of places... right in front of her eyes. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of The Lady and Delicacy on DVD from Cohen Media Group and Entertainment One.

Check out the latest DVD reviews that have been entered into the DVD Talk Review Database including: Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Director Don Siegel wrings every shred of suspense out of what you soon forget is the small scale of the film to make the alien invasion feel like something truly eerie and threatening; The Devil's Advocate - a sharp, unsettling fusion of '90s gothic horror fantasy and straight-faced legal suspense; and Suburgatory: The Complete First Season - one of the funniest and most enjoyable series that was created last year. Other recent reviews include: Steel Magnolias (Limited Edition); Lisa and The Devil / The House of Exorcism, and Pet Sematary. 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, the British comic book character Judge Dredd gets a cinematic reboot in Dredd 3D. Clint Eastwood plays an aging baseball scout reconnecting with his daughter in Trouble with the Curve. Los Angeles cops Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael PeÃ±a hit the streets in the tense thriller End of Watch. Paul Thomas Anderson explores the roots of a post-war religion in the drama The Master. And the popular young adult novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower gets the big screen treatment; read reviews by Jeff Nelson and Jason Bailey. Also out this week: the stirring AIDS activism documentary How to Survive a Plague, the New York counterculture documentary Radio Unnameable, and the controversial drama Compliance goes into wider release. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Finding Nemo 3D, Arbitrage, 10 Years, Liberal Arts, Bachelorette, The Words, Hello, I Must Be Going, For Ellen, For a Good Time, Call..., Detropia, Lawless, The Possession, Sleepwalk with Me, Hit and Run, and Samsara.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: The Vampire Diaries: Season 3 - still one of the most infectiously addictive series on television, and anyone who's been following the show desperately needs to have this set in their collections; Masterpiece Mystery: Endeavour - another example of a fine detective story from the British; and Kukla, Fran and Ollie - The First Episodes, Vol. 2 - This second collection of shows from the early television show provides hours worth of entertainment. Other shows recently reviewed include: Cajun Pawn Stars - Season 1, Green Lantern: Animated Series - Season One Part 1, and Mike & Molly: The Complete Second 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: The Navigator - One of Buster Keaton's most enjoyable comedies is also one of his personal favorites. A clueless wealthy bachelor finds himself (and his sweetheart) cast adrift on an enormous ship.; Black Sunday - Italian maestro Mario Bava's first horror triumph arrives in an impressive HD transfer; and Lone Wolf and Cub - The best-known Japanese Samurai series arrives in a full set of Blu-ray transfers. 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: The Cabin In The Woods [Blu-ray review] - the smart horror film of 2012 - an intelligent, superior horror item with a creative new twist or two; Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures [Blu-ray review] - Indy fans should definitely appreciate the near-perfect A/V presentation, sharp packaging and treasure trove of bonus features; and Halloween II [Blu-ray review] & Halloween III [Blu-ray review] - Michael Myers returns again and again, this time in high definition. Other reviews of note include Get A Life: The Complete Series [DVD review], Joseph Campbell: Mythos (The Complete Series) [DVD review], and Macbeth (1948) [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: Fringe: The Complete Fourth Season - In the fourth season, the show is still the same high-caliber, exciting piece of science-fiction television that viewers have come to expect; Umberto D.: The Criterion Collection - a genuinely heartwarming piece of work by renowned Italian director Vittorio De Sica's (Bicycle Thieves); and Color Out of Space - Eerie and haunting with some excellent cinematography, it is one of those rare films based on a H. P. Lovecraft story that manages to capture the feelings and atmosphere of the original. Other recent reviews include: Seven Seas to Calais; Post Mortem, and Damsels in Distress. 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 Pixar classic gets the three-dimensional treatment in Finding Nemo 3D. Richard Gere plays a rich man on the wrong side of the law in the thriller Arbitrage. Channing Tatum and Rosario Dawson head up an all-star cast in the high school reunion comedy/drama 10 Years. And aimless twentysomething Josh Radnor falls for a charming undergrad in Liberal Arts. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Bachelorette, The Words, Hello, I Must Be Going, For Ellen, For a Good Time, Call..., Detropia, Lawless, The Possession, Sleepwalk with Me, Hit and Run, Samsara, Rifftrax Live: Manos, the Hands of Fate, 2 Days in New York, ParaNorman, Cosmopolis, Robot & Frank, The Awakening, Compliance, The Bourne Legacy, The Campaign, and Hope Springs.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including: Get A Life: The Complete Series - at long last this entire cult series staring Chris Elliott gets released thanks to Shout! Factory; The Lieutenant: The Complete Series, Part 1 - an impressive, little-seen drama from Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry; and Young Justice - Dangerous Secrets - this collection ends the first season of shows on a high note, paying off on all the investment viewers put into the previous episodes. Other shows recently reviewed include: 2 Broke Girls: The Complete First Season, Doctor Who: Spearhead from Space, and NCIS: The Complete Ninth 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: Steel Magnolias - a tight-knit group of women that support one another through good times and bad; Ray Stark's production is a winner from top to bottom; The Devil, Probably - a disaffected student drifter breaks from his alienated friends, deciding that suicide is the only rational response to a relentlessly destructive and hateful humanity; and Child's Play - Sidney Lumet directed this promising tale of cult-ish violence in a moody Catholic boys' boarding school. 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: Spartacus: Vengeance - The Complete Second Season [Blu-ray review] - the Spartacus saga returns to the small screen to continue the tale of a former slave who has lost everything and will do whatever he can to exact vengeance; 30 Rock: Season Six [DVD review] - In its sixth year, 30 Rock is as funny as ever; and Cleanskin [Blu-ray review] - the film as a whole rocks. Other reviews of note include Up All Night: Season One [DVD review], Lewis Black: In God We Rust [DVD review], and Kojak: Season Five [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: Sixteen Candles - One of John Hughes' best movies and a classic 1980s comedy, this film retains every bit of its charm and humor; Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season - this show combines excellent ambitious storytelling with interesting fairy tale characters and the result is unlike anything seen before on television; and The Last of Sheila - a witty, cynical, suspenseful, but mostly extremely clever and well-acted whodunit. Other recent reviews include: Halloween III: Season of the Witch; Korczak: Kino Classics Remastered Edition, and Airport. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

The Carol Burnett Show - The Ultimate Collection

The Carol Burnett Show ran for an impressive 11 season on CBS from 1967-1978. During that time the show became a staple of American life, broadcasting 278 episodes, winning 25 Emmy Awards, and consistently ranking in the top 25 shows based on ratings for most of its run. It's been listed as one of the best TV shows of all time by both TV Guide and Time Magazine too. In other words, it's a classic. Time/Life has now paid tribute to the fondly remembered show with the release of The Carol Burnett Show - The Ultimate Collection on DVD. This massive 22-disc set includes not only 50 episodes, but four exclusive DVDs filled with bonus material and a nice 20-page book all in an nicely designed custom case. This is the set fans have been waiting for. Read more about this huge set in our DVDTalk exclusive review.

This week in theaters, Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, and Lizzy Caplan play three friends whose wild pre-wedding party doesn't go quite as planned in Bachelorette. Read reviews by Jamie S. Rich and Jason Bailey. A mediocre writer finds fame through plagiarism in the turgid drama The Words. And a divorcee finds herself in the arms of a much younger man in Hello, I Must Be Going. Also this week: Paul Dano stars in the intimate drama For Ellen, documentarians Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady profile a city in decay in Detropia, and the phone sex comedy For a Good Time, Call... goes into wider release. Be sure to catch our reviews of other recent theatrical films: Lawless, The Possession, Sleepwalk with Me, Hit and Run, Samsara, Rifftrax Live: Manos, the Hands of Fate, 2 Days in New York, ParaNorman, Cosmopolis, Robot & Frank, The Awakening, Compliance, Chicken with Plums, Side by Side, Searching for Sugar Man, The Bourne Legacy, The Campaign, Hope Springs, Celeste and Jesse Forever, and Red Hook Summer.

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include: 30 Rock: Season Six - a show content to keep doing what it does well, and that's quite good enough; The Closer: The Complete Seventh Season - This final season does a great job of wrapping up the series and it ends on a high note before becoming tired and stale; and Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Second Season - this second year pulls together forecefully into a strong, taut, well-crafted show. Other shows recently reviewed include: Up All Night: Season One, Franklin & Bash: The Complete First Season, and The Story of the Costume Drama. 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: High Time - Crooner Bing Crosby bounces back in a family comedy about a middle-aged millionaire who decides to get a college degree and ends up showing all those undergraduate 'kids' how to really have fun; Crime Does Not Pay - This six-disc set contains MGM's entire short subject series, that ran from 1935 to 1947; and Pursued - Robert Mitchum is an orphan in the old West with a life made violent and hostile by forces he doesn't understand in this key psychological western. 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: Parks and Recreation [DVD review, another DVD review] - With laughs a-plenty and an enjoyably timely political subtext running throughout, this show's fourth season is its best to date; The Navigator: Ultimate Edition [Blu-ray review] - an essential work for silent film aficionados brought to Blu-ray by Kino in an excellent transfer; and Lisztomania [DVD review] - a film the more adventurous movie-watcher should sample at least once. Other reviews of note include The Five-Year Engagement [Blu-ray review], The Office: Season Eight [Blu-ray review], and Having A Wild Weekend [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: Pocahontas: 2 Movie Collection - a creative, visionary, and beautiful film; Quadrophenia: The Criterion Collection - Based on The Who's classic rock-opera, this is a very well-made film that investigates the dark side of being a "joiner"; and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia - an incomparable cinematic endeavor... it's a police drama, a travelogue, and an existential parable. Other recent reviews include: The Incredible Mr. Limpet; The Lucky One, and Breathless. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.