Ok, well, summer is almost over and what have you done? If watching anime was on your to do list then I'm sure you were probably working through your backlog of titles because the industry really slowed down over the past month or so. Very few releases trickled out and for the most part publishers were relying on fan favorites and re-releases to drive sales. Hopefully the coming months will fix that but in the meantime Anime Talk a few releases you may have missed!

Anna Faris reinforces her status as a comedic national treasure in The House Bunny, a silly picture that would be lost without her bubbly touch. Death Race updates the 1975 Roger Corman cult classic with amazing displays of stupidity, making it one of the worst films of 2008. DVD Talk critics Brian Orndorf and David Walker swallow the Paul W.S. Anderson poison. And Steve Coogan destroys the art of the farce with the high school musical satire Hamlet 2. Also in theaters: Fred Durst, yes that Fred Durst, directs Ice Cube in the inspirational sports drama The Longshots. Rainn Wilson strips down in the name of laughs in the hair metal comedy The Rocker. And the art of train-centric suspense is revived in Brad Anderson's thriller Transsiberian, starring Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Tropic Thunder, Mirrors, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Pineapple Express.The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Hell Ride, Bottle Shock, The Midnight Meat Train, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Dark Knight, Fly Me to the Moon 3-D, Frozen River, Henry Poole Is Here, and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

It seems like more TV shows are being released than movies currently, with both popular and obscure shows arriving on DVD. Trust DVDTalk's staff of reviewers to let you know what's worth watching and what isn't. Recent TV on DVD reviews include: Lonesome Dove: 2-Disc Collector's Edition - a series that has the breadth and heft of richly drawn literature, an involving, intimate epic that will linger long after the final frames fade; Get Smart - Season 1 - the show so completely embraces the concept of the goofy spy spoof that it's genuinely endearing; and Saving Grace - Season 1 - a beautifully written, superbly acted show that entertains--and will make you think. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Dana Carvey: Squatting Monkeys Tell No Lies, Comedy Central's Kenny vs. Spenny: Volume One - Uncensored, and Tiny Toon Adventures: Season 1, Volume 1.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

There have been some great titles that were recently slated for DVD release, such as: Sex and the City - The Movie HBO's hit series jumped up to the big screen and will soon be available on DVD and Blu-ray. Watch for it on 9-23-08. The latest adventure of Indiana Jones has been scheduled too. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be released on both DVD and Blu-ray on 10-12-08; and quirky short-lived sci-fi comedy Quark will make its way to DVD on 9-2-08. Other newly announced titles include: Scooby Doo: Funland of Freaky Frights: Interactive DVD Game 11-11-2008, Munsters: Complete Series 10-07-2008 and A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All 11-25-08.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: Nixon (Election Year Edition Extended Director's Cut) - Oliver Stone's lengthy bio of America's least-loved president puts a limit on political distortion and features at least twenty solid performances, topped by Anthony Hopkins' amazing job as Richard Milhous; The Small Back Room - Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's small-scale drama of a scientist dealing with wartime politics is an intense, satisfying experience; and The Ballad of Narayama - Shohei Imamura's modern remake of a 1958 classic treats the story of hard times in a mountain village in realistic terms. To have enough to eat, the village must take harsh measures -- like condeming every citizen to death at age 70, healthy or not. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

DVD Stalk is back once again to bring you the latest and greatest (and not so greatest) horror reviews to pass through our pages over the last month, covering everything from an entry in the Criterion Collection to titles that will keep the gorehounds happy for days. There's also coverage of the cult favorite Dark City and the new director's cut that made its way on to Blu-ray. We also have a look at an earlier release you may have missed, Dark Sky Film's Amicus collection, a set of movies reminiscent of Hammer horror flicks. In case you missed them, check out our earlier installments where we covered Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead, and Wicked Pixel.

From Miley Cyrus to Criterion's latest releases, there's a DVD for every taste being released this week. Titles you might want to check out include:  Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour 3-D [DVD review, Blu-ray review] - a concert film that gets the job done in a bright, flashy manner that's more appealing than it seems, especially to those positioned outside Miley Cyrus's considerable reach; House, M.D. - Season Four [review] - season four changes everything, especially the team that works with House, and ends with a two-part story that's among the best episodes the show ever produced; and Twenty-Four Eyes - Criterion Collection [review]- Keisuke Kinoshita's 1954 epic drama follows one teacher and her class over two decades, from 1928 to the end of World War II, creating an effective lesson in how the hopes and dreams of our youngest citizens and the opportunities they are given are essential to the survival of any society. Other releases of note include:  Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles Season One [DVD review, another DVD review, Blu-ray review], Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day [review] and Street Kings [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 for the new eight-film Marco Ferreri Collection from KOCH Lorber Films. Ferreri's satirical and often surreal works embody a unique vision of humanity borne of exasperation and nihilism. Through these genre-bending masterpieces, the controversial director crafted a fiercely contemporary cinematic language of his own, delving deep into the alienation of both men and children. Included in this collection are the films: El Cochecito (1960), The Seed of Man (1969), La Grande Bouffe (1973), Don't Touch the White Woman (1974), Bye Bye Monkey (1978), Seeking Asylum (1979), Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981) and The House of Smiles (1988) - also included is the Bonus Documentary "Marco Ferreri: The Director Who Came From the Future" and a 16-page booklet featuring a critical essay by Italian film scholar Jacqueline Reich. Enter now for your chance to win one of 5 copies of the Marco Ferreri Collection.