The crazy, kooky, hyperactive, violent, trendy, slapstick bullet train continues in the unlikely sequel Crank: High Voltage [1st review, 2nd review.] Bloodthirsty demons have come to take over Earth in the sci-fi combat film Mutant Chronicles. And Russell Crowe investigates murder and corruption in the journalism thriller State of Play. DVD Talk critics Brian Orndorf and Jason Bailey join the hunt. Also in theaters: Zac Efron returns to high school in the time-twisting comedy 17 Again. And Rip Torn, David Carradine, and Bruce Dern portray salty dogs looking for love in The Golden Boys. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Dragonball Evolution, Observe and Report, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Fast & Furious, Adventureland, C Me Dance, Lymelife, Monsters vs. Aliens, Best Worst Movie, Knowing, I Love You, Man, and Anvil! The Story of Anvil. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

Last week, the 18th annual Florida Film Festival completed an impressive, immersive 10-day run of events and screenings in Central Florida, and DVDTalk Reviewer Brian Orndorf was there to cover the event. Films shown include: Shall We Kiss? - Emmanuel Mouret's charming, if acidic, "unromantic" comedy; The Wrecking Crew - a documentary about a group of session musicians who put their stamp on nearly every smash hit of the 1960s; Battle for Terra - graceful, luxurious filmmaking that treats the audience with an unusual amount of respect; and Alien Trespass - a loving tribute to the quirks and low-budget determination of 1950's sci-fi schlock. Be sure to read DVDTalk's complete coverage of the 2009 Florida Film Festival.

More TV shows have made their way on to DVD, and DVDTalk has got them covered. Check out our reviews of the newest TV releases including:  The Fugitive - Season Two, Volume Two - The music substitutions continue, but they've been significantly cut back, with most of Pete Rugolo's underscores kept intact; and Head Case: Season 1 - Dirty, politically incorrect and frequently lowbrow,this live-action cartoon that pokes fun at celebrities and fame whores starts predictably but quickly finds its hysterical stride. Other shows recently reviewed include:  The Ruth Rendell Mysteries - Set 4, My Very First Treasury of 50 Storybook Classics - Preschool Stories, and Wildfire: Season 3.  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 She-Beast - Michael Reeves' first full directorial effort is a surprisingly good movie, finally released in widescreen Cromoscope, mastered from original elements. With Barbara Steele and Ian Ogilvy, both of whom appear on a terrific commentary track; Gigi [Blu-ray] - Vincente Minnelli's musical smash is a knockout in Blu-ray quality. With Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan, Hermoine Gingold and Maurice Chevalier; and Rachel, Rachel - The Paul Newman Film Series presents the revered actor's acclaimed directorial debut. Joanne Woodward is an unmarried schoolteacher who realizes she'll have to take some chances with life, or settle for spinsterhood. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

From classic film to TV shows based on classic films, there are a lot of interesting titles scheduled for release. Recently announced DVDs and Blu-rays of note include: The Graduate The film that earned Dustin Hoffman an Oscar nomination and ranked at #7 on the first AFI top 100 movies list gets the Blu-ray treatment on 6-16-09; The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 6: 1949-1951 - featuring some laugh-out-loud funny shorts featuring Shemp and the other Stooges, it arrives on 6-16-09 too; and Zatoichi: Complete First Season all 26 episodes of first season will be released on 6-2-09. This Japanese TV show (spawned from a very successful series of movies) concerns a wandering blind masseur who also happens to be a deadly swordsman. Keep track of all the upcoming DVDs with the DVDTalk Release List. List.

New from E1 Entertainment... In the blood-soaked tradition of 300 and Braveheart comes 1612 (view trailer) - the new, historical epic from the award-winning writer of Mongol and Prisoner of the Mountains. "The action comes fast and furious" (The Moscow Times) in this battle-filled adventure that the Sunday Herald called "reminiscent of Lord of the Rings." Chaos reigns as foreign invaders converge on Russia. Guided by faith and mysticism, a young serf sets off on a quest to save the missing Tsarevna. Joining forces with the leader of the people's army, he faces down the Polish forces in an explosive battle for Moscow (watch clip). Don't miss 1612 - now on DVD with over 40 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus material including a making-of featurette!

Some noteworthy DVDs are coming out this week including: Lost in Austen [DVD review] - it's fun, it's smart and most of all it humanizes these characters in extremely unexpected ways. Any Pride and Prejudice fan is going to love this series; speaking of that Austen classic, the BBC mini-series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice [1st review, 2nd review] staring Colin Firth arrives on Blu-ray with an amazing transfer that is certain to open a lot of eyes with its shockingly good clarity and color; and Pillow Talk - 50th Anniversary Edition [DVD review] - a delight even fifty years later, especially with this nicely restored transfer; and . Other releases of note include:  Mean Girls [review], The Spirit [DVD review, Blu-ray review], and House of Saddam [DVD 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.

Our reviewers have been busy this week, filling the DVD Talk Review Database more great entries. Some new reviews of note include: Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard's film is a fascinating character study of two men from completely different lifestyles, who were forever changed by their meeting; Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Lament Configuration Box Set - the original horror film on Blu-ray and DVD as well as the sequel on DVD, all wrapped up in a cool package; and Forbidden Hollywood Three - another terrific set for fans of classical Hollywood cinema this collection gathers six films by William A. Wellman. Other recent reviews include: an entry from this year's After Dark Horror Fest The Broken, Poil de Carotte, and a very typical - but enjoyably so - spy / action-thriller from Japan's Nikkatsu Studios 3 Seconds Before Explosion.  Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

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