This week we're going to start what will hopefully turn into a regular feature: DVDTalk Book Reviews. This time around we have a trio of good books that will be of interest to movie fans. First is an intriguing overview of independent films, followed by an autobiography of one of the greatest directors ever, and finally a great look at those TV horror movie hosts of days gone by. Check them all out in this months DVD Talk Book Reviews.

Boxing aficionados have had reason to celebrate recently. Electronic Arts released Fight Night Round 4 and we just reviewed the Playstation 3 version. We also tackled the downloadable PSN title Bomberman Ultra from Hudson. XBox 360 owners should take a peek at our coverage for Activision's popular apocalyptic title Prototype as well as check out reviews for Sam & Max Save the World and CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars on the Xbox Live Arcade. Finally, Wii owners should be excited about the rash of excellent titles recently! We just finished the reviews on 3 new titles: Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 from Electronic Arts as well as Dawn of Discovery from Ubisoft. As always, our entire collection of video game reviews can be found here.

She's young, she's Russian, and she really wants to kill everyone. She's Esther and she's the murderous Orphan. Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler play the game of love in the raunchy romantic comedy The Ugly Truth. And guinea pigs are the thin line of justice in the adventure film G-Force. Also in theaters: Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt trade hipster winks in (500) Days of Summer. DVD Talk critics Brian Orndorf and Jason Bailey see two different films. Kevin Spacey hits the couch in Shrink. And war is declared in the political comedy In the Loop. Be sure to catch reviews of other recent Theatrical Films: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Bruno, I Love You, Beth Cooper, Labor Pains, Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, Public Enemies, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D, The Hurt Locker, The Hangover, Moon, Up, and Star Trek. As always, we invite you to share your thoughts on films In Theaters in our Movie Talk Forum.

Interested in the latest TV on DVD reviews? DVD Talk has you covered! This week's notable entries include:  Grey Gardens (2009) - this dramatic remake of the Maysles Brothers 1975 documentary is a fine piece of filmmaking in and of itself, lead by exceptional performances from its lead actresses; Tracey Takes On... Complete Seasons 3 & 4 - one of the most consistently hilarious comedy efforts on any premium cable channel, certainly one of the crown jewels in HBO's storied history; and Gunsmoke - The Third Season, Volume 2 - the show has matured to a point where its best scripts and performances were as good as the top movie Westerns of the period. Other shows recently reviewed include:  Perry Mason: Season 4, Vol. 1, Weeds: Season Four and Wolverine and the X-Men: Deadly Enemies.  Want more?  Check out all of the TV on DVD reviews in the DVDTalk database.

This week, a special non-DVD item for our readers. DVD Talk reviewer Jamie S. Rich and artist Joëlle Jones are releasing their brand new graphic novel You Have Killed Me through popular comics publisher Oni Press. This hardcover comic hearkens back to an old-school Hollywood tradition of private eyes, femme fatales, and the dastardly deeds that pass between them. Anyone who has followed Jamie's reviews knows he's a film noir nut, so fans of classic cinema should find much in this two-fisted tale to please them. Presented in glorious black-and-white, Joëlle Jones' art conjures images of a time when the movies dealt in murky justice, when men wore suits and gals dressed for glamour. In the tradition of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, of Howard Hawks and Jacques Tourneur--You Have Killed Me.

This week the DVD Savant has a number of new reviews including: 12 Monkeys - The powerhouse teaming of Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt guaranteed success for Terry Gilliam's ambitious gloss on Chris Marker's original La jetée. Willis is repeatedly teleported back to 1996 to prevent the outbreak of a deadly plague; For All Mankind [Blu-ray] - This 1989 poetic documentary on the Apollo Moon Missions consists of uncut NASA footage and the spoken thoughts of the astronauts who flew them -- no statistics and few technical specifics, but everything wondrous. All six moon voyages are intercut to produce a fluid "this is what it was like" expression of the space experience; and Lookin' to Get Out - Another interesting filmic rescue -- Hal Ashby's alternate personal cut, an Extended Version of the Jon Voight - Ann-Margret gambling comedy, has found its way to DVD. It's a major improvement. Read all this and more in this week's DVD Savant.

The big news this week is that one of this summer's biggest movies will be arriving in time for the 2009 holiday season. Star Trek (2009) will be hitting shelves on November 17th in both two-disc DVD and three-disc Blu-ray versions. These feature-laden discs are sure to excite Trekkers both new and old; Cult favorite film Shaun of the Dead gets the Blu-ray treatment on September 22; and the hilarious British sketch show Man Stroke Woman: The Complete Series comes out September 29. Keep track of all the upcoming releases with the DVDTalk Release List.

Another banner week for DVD releases. Check out these notable titles: Coraline [DVD review]- a richly realized film, dense with visual detail and unusually strong characters and themes; Watchmen: Director's Cut [DVD review, Blu-ray review] - Zack Snyder has added back in 24 minutes of additional footage and despite the running time now exceeding the three-hour mark, nothing seems unnecessary; and Made in U.S.A. [DVD review] - Jean-Luc Godard's pulpy dismantling of American crime fiction comes highly recommended. Other releases of note include:  SpongeBob SquarePants: To SquarePants or Not to SquarePants [DVD review] and FRONTLINE: The Madoff Affair [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.

Announcing the Semi-Annual DeepDiscount Mega Sale! Get an ADDITIONAL 25% off on all DVDs and Blu-ray discs from now until August 2nd, and, as always, your order will ship free with standard shipping. Use coupon code; DVDTALK at checkout to receive your discount.

Our reviewers have been busy this week, filling the DVD Talk Review Database more great entries. Some new reviews of note include: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - the project Joss Whedon busied himself with during last year's writer's strike is both hilarious and inspired. A must-see; 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her - fact and fiction smash together in a bright, colorful, heady stew; and Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector's Set, Vol. 1 - four films that are full of enough quirk and carnage that samurai fans will find them hard to resist. Other recent reviews include: Leverage: The First Season, Diaries, Notes & Sketches, and Moon Machines.  Visit the DVD Talk Review Database for all the latest reviews.

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