Popular demand and the fact that it was a breeze to write forced Savant to take extreme measures by reviewing a disc the studio didn't send him! Don't let this get around. It's a guilty favorite, what could I do?

MGM's Casino Royale used to be Columbia's Casino Royale, but here it is on DVD looking terrific and graced with a director interview that provides some very welcome explanations of how this crazy mess got this way. Woody Allen steals the show in this disorganized but musically magical sendup of 007.

Savant saw a preview of THE RING last night, and has to conclude that it was exceptionally good. I was nervous and on the edge of my seat most of the way through, not always a pleasant feeling. The slight but gripping story was as intelligent as a basically unexplainable horror premise can be. Graphically it was excellent - there's a movie in a movie here that's creepy beyond belief. Excellently directed, free of cloying sentimentality or gotcha! tricks, there was always a surprise on the way. Also a lot of perfectly judged allusions to (as opposed to lifts from) previous horror films - the shack of THE EVIL DEAD, etc. There's even a digital nod to the uncanny jumpcuts in the 1922 NOSFERATU! The whole movie has a clammy terror around it. Because it's really disturbing, I think THE RING is far too intense to be rated PG-13. Can't compare it to the foreign original, which I haven't seen. Opens Friday. Glenn.