DVD Talk: June 4, 2006 - June 10, 2006 Archives

Recently Anime Talk's intrepid reviewer Todd Douglass had the opportunity to attend one of the country's best anime get-together, Anime Boston, and he naturally jumped at the chance. In this week's column he gives his impressions of the event from the dealer's room to the guest appearances and beyond. He also has sneak peeks at a couple of upcoming series: the outstanding This Ugly Yet Beautiful World and the weird and perverted Vermilion Pleasure Night. This week's installment also features capsule reviews of the latest anime discs including the decidedly wicked Desert Punk and the penultimate volume of Cowboy Bebop Remix. There's also more anime bargains courtesy of bargain hunter Holly and our table of upcoming anime discs. Be sure to check out our previous columns including our coverage of Anime Overdose 2005 and Gantz Season 1.

Now with over 16,000 DVD reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database, it's easy to overlook some of the great reviews. Recent DVD Reviews include: Running Scared - this ultra-violent urban gangster film is a thrill to watch simply for Wayne Kramer's visually stunning direction; The Omen: 2-Disc Collector's Edition - released to coincide with the current remake, Richard Donner's 1979 horror classic finally gets the DVD treatment it deserves; What's Eating Gilbert Grape: Special Collector's Edition - this sweet character study shows Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, and Lasse Hallstrom at their very best and finally gets a worthy DVD release; Equinox: Criterion Collection - this disc not only contains two different versions of the cult-favorite film, but Criterion also packs it full of great extra material; Dumbo: Big Top Edition - the endearing Disney classic about an outcast elephant gets an updated DVD with some excellent new extras; Fried Green Tomatoes: Extended Edition - this story of friendship and love among four women gets the extended-cut treatment. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

On the sixth day of the sixth month...The Omen (2006) opened to the largest Tuesday opening in motion picture history, and we had Scott Weinberg, Brian Orndorf, and Eric D. Snider each take a look to see if this remake is worth your time. Short answer: It's not. Over $12 million (and a bevy of negative reviews) later, the John Moore remake of a Richard Donner horror classic, will go head to head with one of the most powerful entities on the planet: Pixar. From the same people who brought you Toy Story and A Bug's Life, Pixar's latest effort, Cars, opens to a ton of positive reviews and a lot of industry hype. Will it become an instant classic like Pixar's previous films, or will it not be able to dethrone Damien at the top of the box office charts? Start your engines! Cars hits theaters nationwide today. Also in theaters this week is the latest Robert Altman film, A Prairie Home Companion, starring Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: The Break-Up, The Puffy Chair, Peaceful Warrior, The World's Best Prom, X-Men: The Last Stand. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films in theaters in our Movie Talk Forum Area.

It's back! DeepDiscountDVD.com is running their famous 20% off blow out sale where you can save an additional 20% off their already low prices on DVDs and get free shipping on your order. Every title is on sale, all you need to do is enter the coupon code DVDTALK in the promotion code box when you check out to receive your discount. The Coupon is valid from on currently available DVD's only. Coupons do not apply to orders for prerelease DVD's or other merchandise, including video games or electronics. Coupon may only be used once per customer! DO NOT MISS THIS SALE (Sale runs 6/9-6/17) Compare notes with other DVD Talkers about this sale in our DVD Bargain Forum.

DVD Stalk is in its third week and going strong, thanks to some great reader feedback and suggestions. This week, DVD Stalk is loaded with tons of great reviews, including a very early look at The Hills Have Eyes: Unrated. We also have information on all of this week's new horror releases, previews of upcoming scares, and an in-depth look at some overlooked horror TV shows. Not to mention a very special look at Movies You Should Never Watch With Your Girlfriend/Wife in our Severed Limbs section, and even more reader responses to the column. We hope you'll take a look at DVD Stalk and drop us a line to let us know what you think. And be sure to check out DVD Talk's reviews of nearly 1,500 Horror DVD Reviews as well as all the archives of the CineSchlock-O-Rama column.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: The John Wayne / John Ford Collection - Warners empties the vault with reissues and two new 2-disc special editions in this eight-title collection between the Johns Wayne and Ford; The St. Valentine's Day Massacre - Roger Corman's gangster masterpiece is a triumph of style and semidocu detail capped with blasts of extreme violence; Track of the Cat- William Wellman's weird western is the most stylized oater ever seen; The Last Wagon - Delmer Daves chains Richard Widmark to a wagon wheel, but Felicia Farr's there to sympathize; Fists in the Pocket - Marco Bellocchio's bizarre family drama sets murderous Lou Castel in a plot against his unlucky siblings; Tora! Tora! Tora! - Fox's two-disc reissue of this newly-appreciated classic has a host of great extras. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some great TV on DVD releases reviewed this week including: Numb3rs: S1 - a crime drama that sets itself apart with great cast chemistry and an interesting mathematical spin to the familiar FBI procedural; X-Men Evolution: S3 - the third season of the animated series that takes an entertaining approach to the X-Men mythos by focusing on the mutants in their teenage years; Walker, Texas Ranger: S1 - after strangely releasing the show's final season first, Paramount finally gives us the first season of this Chuck Norris modern day western; Time Tunnel: V2 - the second volume of this cult-favorite Irwin Allen sci-fi series doesn't hold up quite as well as the first, but Fox still manages to give it a great DVD treatment; Leave it to Beaver: S2 - the classic series that only got better during its second season and still holds up remarkably well after all these years; Here Comes the Bride: S1 - the highly subversive 1960s series that manages to transcend its time and speak to a completely different generation. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted TV on DVD.

This week we have a very special giveaway from Palm Pictures for The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. From cult author JT Leroy's best-selling novel comes Asia Argento's bold cinematic adaptation of the controversial story of a mother and her son living hard and fast in the dark fringes of America. The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things DVD features: Audio Commentary with Director Asia Argento and Producer Chris Hanley, JT Under Cover, New York Film Premiere & Party and more. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things we're giving away this week. Also 1 grand prize winner will receive a signed poster.

Comic genius Dave Chappelle takes his explosive humor and raw energy on the road in a freewheeling and heartwarming journey from small-town Ohio to the vibrant streets of New York City; the unforgettable daylong party that results is loaded with humor, as well as a historic showcase of today's most influential musical artists, including Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu plus the legendary Fugees, who reunite for the first time in eight years. Get a peek at the Dave Chappelle's Block Party DVD with these clips: a look at the film, Hit Me Two Times, Rain on My Parade, Dave Meets the CSU Band, Bring Yourself to the Block Party, Dave Races Tyrone and I Don't Know Where I'm Going (Get more info on Dave Chappelle's Block Party DVD here). Be sure to catch past week's clips at DVD Talk TV.

A strong week for notable DVDs this week including: Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic [Review - Interview] - the hilarious Sarah Silverman takes the stage in her very own comedic concert movie and the results are pretty magical; Underworld: Evolution [Review] - this follow-up to the 2003 werewolves-vs-vampires flick isn't quite as good as its predecessor, but it's still a lot of fun; Dazed & Confused: Criterion [Review] - Richard Linklater's endearing film about the 1970s get a nearly perfect Criterion treatment; Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Unrated [Review] - it didn't take very long for this "unrated" double-dip of the film that brought Brad and Angelina together to find its way into stores; Firewall [Review] - the Harrison Ford actioner that tries to prove the actor's still got a little bit of hero left in him. Other Notable DVDs out this week include: John Ford Collection [Review], Mommie Dearest [Review], Charmed: S5 [Review], Star Trek Fan Collective [Review], John Wayne / John Ford Collection [Review], Running Scared, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid: CE. Read our List of Top Upcoming DVDs for more great DVDs out this week, visit our DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Now with over 15,900 DVD reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database, it's easy to overlook some of the great reviews. Recent DVD Reviews include: The Princess Bride: Dread Pirate Edition - Rob Reiner's nearly perfect cinematic fairy tale gets yet another DVD treatment and this two-disc set is a winner; Syriana - the politically-charged film that earned George Clooney his first Academy Award®; Platoon: 20th Anniversary - the Oliver Stone war-epic gets its third DVD release and this one earns the DVD Talk Collector Series label; The Dirty Dozen: SE - another classic war film gets a DVD upgrade with a ton of worthwhile extra features; The Hills Have Eyes: Unrated - the grisly Alexandre Aja remake gets a fantastic unrated DVD treatment; Green Street Hooligans - a film about some very rowdy and loyal football ("don't dare call it soccer") fans that gets a DVD release just as the World Cup starts this week; Damon Wayans: Still Standing - this foul-mouthed and observant HBO special finally comes to DVD. Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

On the latest episode of DVD Talk Radio, DVD Talk Editor Geoffrey Kleinman speaks with comedian Sarah Silverman - the creative force behind the film Sarah Silverman - Jesus is Magic (on DVD 6/6). Sarah Silverman speaks about her comedic life including: her relationship with Jimmy Kimmel, what makes her laugh, what inspires her, and if she was seperated at birth with Joanna Angel (Jimmy Kimmel also chimes in from the background at several points in the interview). Listen to our complete interview with Sarah Silverman using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Sarah Silverman (18 min 13MB). Also be sure to listen to our recent interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Eli Roth, Bill Paxton and Darren Lynn Bousman.