Director McG and actor Christian Bale take on the future war of John Connor in the explosive sci-fi prequel/sequel Terminator Salvation. DVD Talk critics Brian Orndorf, Jamie S. Rich, and David Walker suit up for duty. Ben Stiller stumbles upon more trouble with historical figures and slap-happy monkeys in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. And the Wayans Brothers team up to mock popular teen entertainment in the spoof Dance Flick. Also in theaters: Jessica Biel meets Noel Coward in the period comedy Easy Virtue. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Sin Nombre, The Girlfriend Experience, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Management, Big Man Japan, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale, 17 Again, Tyson, and Next Day Air. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

This week sees the release of Valkyrie the Bryan Singer/Tom Cruise film about a German plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler at the height of WWII. With an exquisite architecture of suspense as legal tender to persuade audiences to follow what is a rather obscure offering of war-torn German history, the movie eschews gung-ho action for ice-cool subtlety. MGM/United Artists has released the film in three versions: a single-disc DVD, a Two-Disc Special Edition DVD set with a Digital Copy, and a Blu-ray disc, which also includes a Digital Copy. No matter which version you choose, you won't loose with this film that DVD Talk's Brian Orndorf rated as Highly Recommended. [Read his review here.]

Some great TV shows have made their way onto DVD recently. Titles to check out including:  Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Movie Collection - Set 1 - One of the most serendipitous pieces of casting and writing/producing talent in television history, these films manages to capture both the mystery intricacies as well as the quirk-filled characters that make Christie's writing such an unabashed joy; Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fifth Season - just as good as it ever was, the real star of this particular season is the wildly hilarious CSI crossover episode; and The Universe: The Complete Season Three - a thought-provoking series that offers plenty of information and entertainment that is definitely worth checking out. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Hope & Faith: Season 1, Penn & Teller: B.S!: The Complete Sixth Season and Shin Chan: Season Two, Part Two.  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: Field of Dreams [Blu-ray] - Kevin Costner hears the good word and builds an earthly tabernacle for a pantheon of baseball legends ... all of whom have personal wounds to heal. A sure-fire baseball Film Blanc; Three Days of the Condor [Blu-ray] - Robert Redford hunted by C.I.A. assassins! Faye Dunaway kidnapped by Robert Redford! Conspiracy paranoia and Hollywood romance mingle in Sydney Pollack's hit spy thriller; and Alexander Korda's Private Lives - Hungarian-English producer-director Alexander Korda is at the top of his game (not to mention the British Film Industry) with these remarkably good big-budget biographies starring folk like Charles Laughton in career-making roles. No Production Code over there -- the dialogue and wit is often very saucy. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

Fans of Prison Break will get a direct-to-DVD movie that is supposed to wrap up the series: Prison Break: The Final Break. It'll be released on 7-21-09 on both DVD and Blu-ray; The hilarious Joe Pesci vehicle My Cousin Vinny arrives on Blu-ray on 8-04-09; and the animated adventures of DC's most pliable superhero arrives on 9-01-09 when Plastic Man: Complete Collection is scheduled to hit shelves. Keep track of all the upcoming DVDs with the DVDTalk Release List.

The Tromasterpiece Collection continues with the grossly underrated slasher gem -- The Last Horror Film [watch a clip here.] The infamous Joe Spinell, best known for his iconic role in Maniac, delivers his "career defining performance" (Bill Gibon, DVD Talk) as an depraved, obsessed fanatic. Vinny Durand (Spinell) trails beautiful actress Jana Bates (fellow Maniac-alum Caroline Munro), to the Cannes Film Festival determined to have her star in his first film. As Durand's disturbing fascination grows, a mysterious killer begins slaughtering all people in Jana's entourage. Is the obsessed fanatic and the psychotic killer one in the same? Will this be Jenna's Last Horror Film? Troma's stellar treatment of this forgotten classic, with engaging Spinell-memorializing supplemental material, is a must-own for any horror film enthusiast.

There are some great new DVDs and Blu-ray discs coming out this week. Some of the more notable releases include: True Blood: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray review] - HBO's vampire show is populated with interesting characters and sprinkled with surprising plot twists; a show that is easy to get hooked on; Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Blu-ray) [review] - This second HD release of the film includes all three versions of the film and a slew of extras; and The Friends of Eddie Coyle - The Criterion Collection [DVD review] - Not just one of the best crime films ever produced, but one of the best American films of any category of the 1970s. Other releases of note include:  Valkyrie [review], Paul Blart: Mall Cop [review], and Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation and Advancing An Independent Black Cinema [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 past week has seen some great films reviewed here at DVD Talk. Check out the DVD Talk Review Database for all of the latest entries including: Outlander - a full-bodied adventure movie that's responsive and reverential to the needs of sci-fi escapism; The Uninvited - a brooding psychological ghost yarn that hits all the appropriate horrific notes; and My Bloody Valentine 3D - one of the best of the recent rash of F/X heavy heartstoppers. Other recent reviews include: Pigs, Pimps, & Prostitutes: 3 Films by Shohei Imamura, Steve Hogarth: H - Naked in the Chapel, and Disney Animation Collection 6: The Reluctant Dragon.  Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews including an entire section devoted to reviews of DVDs out this week.

Advertise With Us

Review Staff | Newsletter Subscribe | Join DVD Talk Forum
Copyright © DVDTalk.com All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Manage Preferences | Your Privacy Choices