Chris Weitz directs The Golden Compass - the first installment of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy - and looks to find Lord of the Rings success. Starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, this fantasic epic has gotten some good advance buzz (even from many fans of the novels). The Golden Compass is in theaters everywhere this weekend. Also in theaters this week is Atonement - Keira Knightley and James McAvoy star in this haunting adaptation of Ian McEwan's hit novel; Juno - Jason Reitman's follow-up to Thank You for Smoking is poised to be this year's breakout offbeat comedy; and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Julian Schnabel's latest film is a beautiful and devastating personl story. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Awake, The Savages, What Would Jesus Buy?, Romance and Cigarettes, Confessions of a Superhero, Oswald's Ghost, I'm Not There, The Mist. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films in theaters in our Movie Talk Forum Area.

If you've read Geoff Kleinman's report on his recent visit to Disney, I was a Pirate (for a Day), you already know what goes into the making of a pirate. To get a look at some of the other elements that went into bringing to life Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End -- the final installment of the trilogy that's just washed ashore on DVD and Blu-ray disc -- we turned to Industrial Light and Magic, who were kind enough to invite DVD Talk to their offices in San Francisco to talk about how they flexed their special effects muscles to bring Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones to the silver screen for one final row. Read Adam Tyner's complete coverage of the trip and learn some of the secrets ILM used to make movie magic.

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD this week including:  Seinfeld - The Complete Series - a sitcom that was consistently hilarious for its nine-year, 179-episode run; Heeere's Johnny - The Definitive DVD Collection from The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson - massive dose of hilarity from one of the seminal figures in 20th century entertainment; Dr. Katz Professional Therapist - The Complete Series - a set of one of the funniest series Comedy Central's ever delivered; Other shows include:  Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - The Fourth Year, Family Affair - Season Four,  Martin: The Complete Third Season, The Batman - The Complete Fourth Season, Full House - The Complete Series Collection,and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians.  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 including The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) - Image and David Shepard turn Lon Chaney's 1923 epic into an Ultimate Edition complete with 3D photos from the set; Executive Suite - a dynamic 1950s 'business ethics' drama with Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden, Fredric March and June Allyson; The Killing Kind Curtis Harrington's tale of a mad killer with a Mama complex has a taught script and a great cast; and A Big Hand for the Little Lady - A sleeper hit with a stinger in its tale, this ensemble delight stars Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Burgess Meredith & Kevin McCarthy; 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:  Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End [review] - a fun ride with some remarkable scenes and enjoyable characters; Superbad - Unrated (Two-Disc Special Edition) [review] - a thoroughly satisfying raunchy romp; and 24 - Season Six[review] - the indefatigable Jack Bauer (Emmy winner Kiefer Sutherland) returns for a sixth season of government intrigue and gritty brutality.  Other releases of note include: Battlestar Galactica - Razor, Saturday Night Live - The Complete Second Season,  The Wire - The Complete Fourth Season, and Ford At Fox - The 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.

In celebration of the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End Disney gave the opportunity to a select pool of journalists to come down to Los Angeles and be a pirate for a day. DVD Talk Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Kleinman jumped at this opportunity to leave the DVD Review workload behind and go play pirate for a day. From sword fighting to swashbuckling, from talking to pirates to talking like a pirate, the Pirate For A Day was a complete immersion into the world of a movie pirate. Read Geoff's complete report on what it was like to be a 'real' pirate for a day and listen to an interview with actors Lee Arenberg (Pintel) and Martin Klebba (Marty) about their experience making Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End.

This week we have a special giveaway from Koch Vision for Beyond The Golden Compass: The Magic of Philip Pullman (documentary: not associated with the New Line motion picture). Unlock the astonishing truths and hidden meanings inside the pages of Philip Pullman's best-selling fantasy novel. This cutting edge film examines the secret codes and symbols of Lyra's world – a parallel universe where each person is guided by their animal daemon and where dark, evil forces lurk behind facades of piousness and beauty. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of Beyond The Golden Compass: The Magic of Philip Pullman on DVD.

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 all three of the soon to be released Walt Disney Treasures Tins: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - Walt's first commercially successful cartoon character and the direct precursor to Mickey Mouse; The Chronological Donald, Volume Three (1947 - 1950) - Where Donald moves from previous war-time concerns to the battlefield of the American Suburban Home; and Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic - An exhaustive, eye-opening look at this icon of theme park; aside from the Disney tins, we also have a look at: Into Great Silence - a subtly powerful, decades-in-the-making look at life behind the walls of one of the world's most ascetic monasteries; and Nirvana: Unplugged In New York - a must-have for all fans of the grunge band from Seattle; Other recent reviews include: The Mario Bava Collection, Volume 2 , Christmas Time In South Park, Shrek the Third, Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007, and Keali'i Reichel: Kukahi - Live In Concert.  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.

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