No, no, no...Not Ben and Fred... The Savages is the latest film from Director Tamara Jenkins and it stars Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The endearing tale of two estranged siblings reuniting to decide what to do about their mentally deteriorating father is getting some excellent buzz. The Savages is in theaters everywhere this weekend. Also in theaters this week is What Would Jesus Buy? - Morgan Spurlock produced this new documentary that asks the question: "What was Christmas before shopping?"; Romance and Cigarettes - John Turturro's latest project turns out to be a disappointment; and Confessions of a Superhero - this "staggering" documentary about four people who live their lives dressed as superheroes is "a mesmerizing, revealing look at Hollywood's bottom layer." Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Oswald's Ghost, I'm Not There, The Mist, Enchanted, August Rush, This Christmas, Hitman, Beowulf IMAX 3-D, Beowulf, No Country for Old Men. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films in theaters in our Movie Talk Forum Area.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including:  Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete Series - a fun and exciting sitcom about a goofy sportswriter and his neurotic family; I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - the classic show is just as funny today as it was 50 years ago; Dark Shadows: The Beginning Collection 2 - a wonderfully weird and entertaining endeavor, these first few segments are a hilarious, pre-haunted hoot; Other shows include:  Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 12, C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation - The Complete Seventh Season,  Wanted: Dead or Alive - Season Three, Veronica Mars - The Complete Third Season, and Love American Style - Season 1, Vol. 1.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

Ouch! Ouch I say! My wallet is reeling after all of the Black Friday deals and DVD bargains floating around in the forums. Needless to say if you're anything like me then you probably have a slew of anime on its way to your doorstep. Hopefully you listened to some of our advice and picked up some great shows such as Bleach, Ghost in the Shell 2nd GIG, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Beck. If you haven't checked out those reviews be sure to come in and read our latest installment of Anime Talk! We've been pouring through recent releases and have striven to help you with your holiday wishlists.

This week the DVD Savant has taken a short vacation, but still had time to write up a couple of reviews including: Up the Down Staircase - Sandy Dennis is delightful, and so is everybody else in Robert Mulligan's insightful bestseller adaptation. Fall semester at Grover Cleveland High is a nightmare for new teacher Sylvia Barrett ... the chaos in her classroom won't let her get any teaching done.; The Day of the Triffids - This English miniseries adaptation is short on scares but faithful to the literary values of John Wyndham's post-apocalyptic tale. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Another banner week for DVDs with the studios releasing some great films and boxed sets:  Futurama: Bender's Big Score [review] the first of four direct-to-video films based on the hilarious animated show; Drunken Angel: The Criterion Collection [review] - the first film where legendary director Akira Kurosawa found his filmmaking voice; and Elvis: Blue Suede Collection - A collection of nine of The King's best films including Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas, andIt Happened at the World's Fair; Other releases of note include:  Hot Fuzz: 3 Disc Collector's Edition, Mr. Bean's Holiday,  Edvard Munch-Special Edition 2-DVD Set, Happy Days: The Third Season, and Mr. Show: The Complete Collection. 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.

If you're looking for some unique gift ideas for this holiday season consider the work from the DVD Talk Review Staff including: David Walker who wrote/produced/directed a film called Black Santa's Revenge with Ken Foree which is now out on DVD; Jamie S. Rich's latest book Have You Seen The Horizon Lately? is out and is one not to miss; Paul Mavis' book The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 Through 1999 is a treasure trove for the spy film fan; the penultimate book to buy for the film fan on your list is DVD Savant's self titled book DVD Savant; if you can find a copy Stuart Galbraith IV The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune is one of the definitive books on these two great artists. Another gift idea is logo wear from DVD Talk and DVD Stalk

This week we have a very special giveaway from Kino International for an exclusive set of DVDs as featured in their 2008 DVD Catalog including: Battleship Potemkin - Kino International has a new restoration of Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 masterpiece (one of most influential silent film of all time), Nosferatu: The Ultimate Two-DVD Edition - F.W. Murnau's classic is triumphantly reborn in this breathtaking new restoration by the F.W. Murnau Foundation, Lady Chatterley - Winner of 5 Cesar Awards, a keenly perceptive, frankly sensual adaption of D.H. Lawrence's classic novel and She: Deluxe Edition - Filled with art deco sets, gorgeous costumes, Busby Berkeley-style choreography, and backed by Max Steiner's powerful score, She is pure heart-stopping, eye-popping adventure. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 Kino Holiday Packs and be sure not to miss the Huge Kino International Holiday Sale with 25%-30% off their entire catalog.

With over 20K DVD reviews in the DVD Talk Review Database, it's easy to overlook some of the great reviews. Recent DVD Reviews include: This is England - a raw yet often hilarious take on poverty and crime; The Lady Vanishes - Criterion Collection - - a classic Hitchcock thriller that gets the Criterion treatment with this new two-disc release.; and The McCartney Years - a 3-disc complitaion of Paul McCartney's music videos and concert footage is a fitting testimony to his achievements; Other recent reviews include: Knee Deep, Baby Shambles -Up the Shambles, The Girl Next Door, Doctor Who - Time-Flight and So Much So Fast.  Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week and the ability to browse reviews by studio.

DVD Talk Radio has an interview with Scott Dacko director of the indie thriller - The Insurgents. Winning raves at a number of film fests including a best of show nod at the Oldenburg Film Festival, The Insurgents is an explosive thriller that asks the question, "What if the terror thread came from within?". Extremely well written and expertly directed The Insurgents is one of those hidden gems of a film that's worth seeking out. And if you needed another reason to see the film look no further than the drop dead gorgeous Juliette Marquis. DVD Talk Editor Geoff Kleinman interviews Scott Dacko about The Insurgents including a discussion of: the strangest conspiracy theories he found researching the film, how Scott persuaded John Shea and Mary Stuart Masterson to be in his first movie, and how he's using an Apple TV to show his film in High-Def in theaters. Listen to our complete interview with Scott Dacko using our Online DVD Talk Radio Player or Download the complete interview with Scott Dacko (20 mins 12MB). Also be sure to listen to our past interviews on DVD Talk Radio with Brad Bird, Stephen J. Anderson, Mike Rowe, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg and Bobcat Goldthwait.

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