Things have been relatively slow on the anime front, but we've amassed enough reviews to put together a good sized column. This month's Anime Talk looks at several discs and series that Geneon started distributing before they closed their doors. Luckily FUNimation has obtained the rights and are continuing them so series such as Black Lagoon, Elemental Gelade, and Ergo Proxy are readily available once more. There are plenty of great new shows too. Stuff like Claymore and Ghost Hunt are just getting their feet wet, while other shoes such as xxxHolic, School Rumble, and Blood+ continue to please fans. If that wasn't enough, WTK is back with his bargain section as well and this week we are featuring a guest review for the Blu-ray edition of Freedom. All this, and much, much more in this month's installment of Anime Talk.

The penguins are back! Oh, and the rest of the wacky CG-animated animals return in the broadly comic sequel Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott attempt to ditch their Peter Pan syndrome and assume court-mandated responsibility in Role Models. And Samuel L. Jackson and the late, great Bernie Mac team up to embrace a little old-school soul in the road trip comedy Soul Men. Also in theaters: Christianity takes a financial gamble on the horror genre in the lackluster fright film House. The horrors of the Holocaust are viewed through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. And Wayne Wang directs a gentle, heartfelt story of constipated communication in A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Changeling, The Haunting of Molly Hartley, Splinter, Let the Right One In, Dear Zachary, Synecdoche, New York, RocknRolla, Pride and Glory, Saw V, Rachel Getting Married, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Max Payne, and The Secret Life of Bees. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

TV on DVD remains very popular with more and more favorites being released. New TV reviews include:  My Three Sons: The First Season, Volume One - a brilliant sitcom, these first 18 episodes contain many wonderful, deeply funny and emotional, and truly innovative moments; The Simpsons - The Complete Eleventh Season - continues the tradition of excellence established by the ten volumes that came before it; and When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions - a thoughtful and well-produced documentary from start to finish. Other shows recently reviewed include:  A Shari Lewis Christmas, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The Eighth Season, and The Unit - The Complete Third 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 including: Poltergeist [Blu-ray] - Spielberg and Hooper turn the haunted house movie into an incoherent but entertaining 3-ring circus, with great acting from JoBeth Williams and some remarkably scary make-up effects amid the galloping ghosts; Strange Behavior - A horror favorite returns -- a teen terror film set in the American midwest but filmed in New Zealand. With a new postscript detailing the film's most arresting effect, related by makeup effects artist Craig Reardon; and Transsiberian [Blu-ray] - Brad Anderson leads an impressive cast on a cross-Russian train journey interrupted by drug-smuggling intrigue. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Some more exciting movies have been announced on both DVD and Blu-ray in the past week. Recently announced DVDs and Blu-ray discs of note include: Little Miss Sunshine [Blu-ray] - This hilarious cross country road trip with a dysfunctional family will arrive on Blu-ray on 2-3-2009; I Claudius: Remastered - this 13-part Roman epic is finally restored. Includes the documentary The Epic That Never Was chronicling Josef von Sternberg's aborted attempt to film the story in 1937. 12-2-08; and Office Space [Blu-ray] - Mike Judge's 1999 comedy classic gets more flair when it moves up to high definition on 2-0-09. Keep track of all the upcoming DVDs with the DVDTalk Release List.

With Pixar's latest hit, Wall-E, arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18th, DVDTalk's John Sinnott had a chance to sit down with some of the creative staff behind the film. He talked with director/co-writer Andrew Stanton who talked about his vision for the film as well as producers Jim Morris and Lindsey Collins who discussed exactly what role they play in getting the animated work on the screen. The highlight of the trip was the demonstration by four-time Oscar winner Ben Burtt who served as the sound and character voice designer for the film. Finally there's an interview with storyboard artist Derek Thompson who basically drew the entire movie, start to finish over and over and over agian. Check out what they had to say here.

It's election day, but what can you do after voting for the candidate of your choice? Why zip over to your nearest B&M big box retailer to check out the newest DVD releases of course! Some of the notable releases this week including: Futurama: Bender's Game [1st review, 2nd review] - the most satisfying of the three Futurama films; Kung Fu Panda - Jack Black stars in this hilarious animated adventure about a slothful panda who dreams of being a Kung Fu master; and Primeval: The Complete Seasons 1 and 2 [review]- Watching this British production it's easy to regress to a 10-year-old and just marvel at the dinosaurs fighting humans. Other releases of note include:  A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD [review] and Blu-ray [review], Chowder, Vol. 1 [review], and Reaper: Season 1 [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 some discs you may have overlooked. Recent DVD Reviews include: Waterworld - 2-Disc Extended Edition - the new extended cut only accentuates the film's positives, broadening the material to dramatic satisfaction that was never available before; Missing: Criterion Collection - A chilling, truly powerful work of cinematic art; and Talk Talk: Live at Montreux 1986 - an excellent way to get introduced to one of the '80s best, and most baffling, acts. Other recent reviews include: Jim Henson Classics: The Christmas Toy, Strange Behavior (Special Edition), and Gunnin' for That #1 Spot.  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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