DVD Talk: March 2013 Archives

Check out DVDTalk's latest reviews of movies that are in theatrical release. This week's crop includes: G.I. Joe: Retaliation - this sequel is a clear improvement over the first G.I. Joe film. Granted that's not saying much...; and The Place Beyond the Pines - This emotional crime drama kept reviewer Jeff Nelson sitting at the edge of his seat, it's a strong piece of cinema that shouldn't be missed. Other recent films include: Olympus Has Fallen, The Croods, The We and the I, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Oz The Great and Powerful, and Jack the Giant Slayer. Check out these, and more, in DVDTalk's Theatrical Review section.

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: Star Trek: Enterprise - Season One - CBS' commitment of bringing the Star Trek world to Blu-ray is admirable and this first season is a decent start to a polarizing series; Veep: The Complete First Season -another solid show in the CV of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the ensemble cast of actors do a tremendous job; and Storage Wars 4 - The show always seemed staged, but it's always entertaining and this season is no exception. Other shows recently reviewed include: Continuum: Season 1, Hot in Cleveland: Season Three, and Matlock: The Eighth Season. Want more? Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

April is coming up, and that means it's time for DVDTalk's Fourth Annual Drive-In/Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge! In this event, fans of trash cinema, the dreck and dross of films, will try to watch 100 B-movies in a single month and (optionally) complete the movie checklist that has such diverse items as watching a 60s Beach Movie, a Mexican wrestling film, a "bad sequel to a well regarded film" and a nunsploitation flick (and much more!). Can you spend the evening chatting about the relative merits of various Bruce Lee imposters or are you someone who realizes that Russ Meyer films are an art form unto themselves? Then this is the event for you! If you think you're up to the test, or even if you just want to watch, check out the official Challenge thread. It'll be loads of fun, and there are prizes too! The fun all starts on Monday, April 1st!!

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews and articles including: Gorgo - Mother Nature arises from the Irish deep in the form of a 200-foot water dragon, stomping through London to retrieve her stolen offspring. Like a prayer answered for '50s kids, we now have an acceptable video version of this relatively lavish, exciting, and almost universally popular giant monster saga; Wilson - Alexander Knox gets his big starring role as Woodrow Wilson, the man who kept America out of WWI as long as possible, and who tried to sign us up with the new League of Nations, to prevent further wars; and Hitchcock - Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren shine in a retelling of the making of the movie Psycho, investing a lot of interesting events with humor and warmth. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some great discs are being released this week. Check out these new movies: Killing Them Softly [review] - This is one of those movies that no one saw but that everyone should own... Brad Pitt leads an excellent ensemble to violent, invigorating glory; Monsieur Verdoux: The Criterion Collection [review] - this Charlie Chaplin talkie is a surprisingly effective, intriguingly dark motion picture; and Little Fugitive [review] - this charming, low-key, classic from 1953 follows a little boy as he spends an eventful day and evening at New York's Coney Island. Other reviews of note include From Beyond [review], GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling [review], and Phantasm II [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: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth was worth the wait. This is a lovingly made film with an amazing amount of adventure, action, comedy, and whimsy; Rise of the Guardians - a marvelous film that can be enjoyed year round.; and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (25th Anniversary Edition) - This thoroughly entertaining blend of live action and animation is an irreverent send-up of Hollywood noir and classic studio cartoons. Other recent reviews include: College, Les MisÃ©rables, and Zulu Dawn. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Planning a trip to the local multiplex this weekend? Here are DVDTalk's reviews of the latest theatrical releases: Olympus Has Fallen - this popcorn flick isn't outstanding but it keeps your attention from start to finish and it will surely satisfy those craving an action-filled cinema experience; The Croods - a cute animated film... if you're looking for some light entertainment to keep the family busy, this isn't a bad choice; another review of Spring Breakers; The We and the I - for his latest film French director Michel Gondry employed a group of New York school kids and developed a script that would allow them to express something about the world they are growing up in; and Dorfman in Love - yet another generic romantic comedy with a likeable lead. Other recent films include: Stoker, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Oz The Great and Powerful, Dead Man Down, Jack the Giant Slayer, and A Good Day to Die Hard. Check out these, and more, in DVDTalk's Theatrical Review section.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Continuum: Season 1 - this Canadian import strikes the perfect balance between a heavily serialized sci-fi action and an accessible police procedural... it's smart, it's funny, and it's wildly addictive; Doctor Who: The Ark in Space -this Tom Baker adventure is interesting and well told and it moves at a fast pace... it's great stuff; and Top Gear: The Complete Second Season (U.S. version) - Funny, engaging hosts, consistently entertaining, and cleverly engineered challenges make the U.S. version of this show a whole lot of fun. Other shows recently reviewed include: Hot in Cleveland: Season Three, Chance in a Million 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: College - Buster Keaton's least silent feature is still a superior knockabout comedy. Taking a page from the Harold Lloyd playbook, Buster is this time a college freshman trying his darndest to succeed in athletics and win his girl; She Devil - Kurt Neumann's cheapie double bill partner for Kronos is a real find, a howlingly funny, conceptually outrageous sci-fi horror thriller about two doctors that save a dying beauty with a new serum, and unwittingly create a conscienceless murderer; and Voice of the Turtle - It's yet another good movie starring Ronald Reagan. That may make only four or five titles, but it proves that he can be quite good when well cast. 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: This Is 40 [review, a 2nd review] - this is Judd Apatow's best film to date, one that will likely make you laugh until your sides hurt; On Approval [review] - the Blu-ray release of this indescribably anarchic 1944 film is one of this year's delightful surprises; and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp: The Criterion Collection [review] - this long-lived masterpiece arrives on Blu-ray with a new high-definition transfer as well as some great bonus material. Other reviews of note include Badlands: The Criterion Collection [review], A Mind to Kill - Complete Collection [review], and Rust and Bone [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: Mulan / Mulan II: Two-Movie Collection - an inspirational, enduring film that focuses on a "princess" who is capable of saving herself; The Blob (Criterion Collection) - one of the most emblematic and enduringly popular sci-fi films of the 1950s; and Phantasm II -a very different but completely worth follow up to the classic origina. Other recent reviews include: From Beyond (Unrated) , Once, and Tristana. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

There's usually not a lot of high profile films released this time of year. It's after the Oscars and before the summer blockbuster season starts, so what's the outlook for the Ides of March 2013? Check out DVDTalk's latest reviews of flims currently in theaters: Stoker - Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's first English-language film is a paranoid horror thriller with a striking visual style; Spring Breakers - Writer/director Harmony Korine will keep you immersed, entertained, and uncomfortable during the whole running time; and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey play three magicians in this comedy. With a cast like that, it couldn't fall flat, could it??. Other recent films include: Oz The Great and Powerful, Dead Man Down, Jack the Giant Slayer, A Good Day to Die Hard, The Girl, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.. Check out these, and more, in DVDTalk's Theatrical Review section.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include: Veep: The Complete First Season - this HBO comedy is fabulous stuff - the cynicism and wit that this show uses to skewer modern American politics generates belly laughs; Nurse Jackie: Season Four - one of our favorite continuing American TV dramas, this fourth season keeps the quality that fans have come to expect; and Bonanza: The Official Fifth Season - It just keeps getting better and better... a confident, assured dramatic anthology television at its best. Other shows recently reviewed include: Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters, Storage Wars 4, and Matlock: The Eighth 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: On the Waterfront - Elia Kazan's powerful direction makes Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint one of the hottest couples of the decade in this '50s classic about union racketeering and moral atonement on the New York docks; Ministry of Fear - Fritz Lang's paranoid spy thriller frees Ray Milland from an asylum to match wits with a ring of Nazi agents in London during the blitz; and Pfitzner: Palestrina - This rare opera by Hans Pfitzner is a mixed bag. Music-wise the production is flawless but the modern/abstract re-interpretation is a major distraction. 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: The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Two-Movie Collection [review] - the original movie is a gorgeous, entertaining flick that deserves more respect than it gets; Rise of the Guardians - a fun-filled family adventure about the legendary guardians (Jack Frost, the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and Sandman) banding together when the evil Pitch threatens to take over the world; and This Is Not a Film [review] - a handmade, intimate act of filmmaking spun into something momentous in the way only a very inspired and very resourceful artist could manage. Other reviews of note include Samson and Delilah (1949) [review], Ministry of Fear [review], and Cirque Du Soleil - Worlds Away [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 great DVD and Blu-ray reviews have been added to the the DVD Talk Review Database recently including: Zero Dark Thirty - Jessica Chastain is excellent as the obessed C.I.A. agent in director Kathryn Bigelow's story of the ten-year manhunt for Osama bin Laden; The Insider - a tense, tightly crafted drama about Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand and 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman's work to expose the deception of Big Tobacco; and Holy Motors -a flat-out mind-blowing thrill the first time you watch it, but the subsequent viewings it demands will undoubtedly prove it to be a true milestone. Other recent reviews include: Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, Chronicle of a Summer: The Criterion Collection; and Rust and Bone. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

DVDTalk reviewer Jeff Nelson has been locked up in a theater all week screening the latest films. See what he had to say about these new releases: Oz The Great and Powerful - the film has numerous flaws, but it will still entertain audiences; Dead Man Down - an interesting European neo-noir whose main characters most certainly keeps us interested in what the plot has to offer; and The Girl - a feature that carries strong messages about the importance of family, morality, and compassion. Other recent films include: Jack the Giant Slayer, Stoker , A Good Day to Die Hard, Beautiful Creatures, Side Effects, Identity Thief, Stand Up Guys, and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.. Check out these, and more, in DVDTalk's Theatrical Review section.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including: Gunsmoke - The Seventh Season, Volume 2 - this is first season in which Gunsmoke had switched from a 30-minute to 60-minute show, the quality of the show not only doesn't suffer but there are some truly outstanding episodes in this set; Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season Four - this reworking of the Dragon Ball Z saga is pretty much a masterpiece - the action is remarkable throughout and the final 10 episodes easily rank as some of the most memorable anime of all time; and The Loretta Young Show : 100th Birthday Edition - Best of Complete Series - Compelling drama and lighthearted comedy formed the basis for the program and this 17-disc box set is the most complete version of this eclectic anthology going. Other shows recently reviewed include: WWE: TLC - Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Doctor Who: The Reign of Terror, and Naked City: 20 Star-Filled Episodes. 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 Thief of Bagdad - Douglas Fairbanks' wonder picture put high budget fantasy on a paying basis -- the lavishly produced picture has sets and action bigger than anything seen before and the public ate it up; The Blob - Steve McQueen is the most level-headed, long-in-the-tooth teenager in high school, and he's still a heck of a monster fighter. The film's sincerity makes it seem less disposable than many another monster romp, and its simple Sci-Fi premise is, in its own way, almost perfectly frightening; and Three Strangers - This second-tier WB production from the war years gives star billing and star-worthy roles to Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Geraldine Fitzgerald, all of whom leap to the challenge. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

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: Wreck-It Ralph [review] -one of the most entertaining animated films to arrive in a good long time... every element, from the story to the comedy to the action and the heart, is just about perfect; Schindler's List 20th Anniversary Limited Edition [review] - Spielberg's big Oscar winner looks and plays even better than it did twenty years ago; and Regular Show: Party Pack 3 [review] - a 16-episode collection of episodes from the funniest toon on TV today. 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: Julius Caesar (1970) - a superb film of Shakespeare's eminently accessible tragedy, a film boasting at least a half-dozen great performances... a movie that's entertaining, exciting, and always engrossing; Anna Karenina -This Academy Award winning film is sweepingly beautiful, epic, intelligent, and it is entirely compelling from beginning to end; and Hello I Must Be Going - an emotionally rich drama about mid-life detours with an amazing cast, led by a raw performance from the charming Melanie Lynskey. Other recent reviews include: Sansho the Bailiff: Criterion Collection, Les MisÃ©rables (1958); and The Vertical Ray of The Sun. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Before you head off to the cinema this weekend, check out DVDTalk's reviews of the latest releases including: Jack the Giant Slayer - director Bryan Singer takes a stab at making a film that's reminiscent of the classic family movies of yesteryear; and Stoker - the type of picture that begs to be seen multiple times and it deserves attention from those looking for a fresh and unusual thriller. Other recent films include: A Good Day to Die Hard, Beautiful Creatures, Side Effects, Identity Thief, Stand Up Guys, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, 56 Up, and Django Unchained. Check out these, and more, in DVDTalk's Theatrical Review section.