Yes, it's the Ides of March, for a couple hours more at least, so if you happen to be wearing a Toga, watch your back. The illustration may seem to be about me, but it's a coincidence from one of today's reviewed films. Mark Bourne of DVD Journal pointed it out to me ... and I haven't yet thought of a way to incorporate the headline into DVD Savant.

Fox Studio Classics dazzles us with their release of The Day The Earth Stood Still, everybody's favorite old Science Fiction classic. In his essay, Savant waggles a puzzled finger at the film's unique vision of a paranoid, militaristic America, and its odd choice of Alien Utopias. With Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Billy Gray and Sam Jaffe.

Miramax surprises us, by releasing an extended director's cut of the beloved Cinema Paradiso, a 1990 crossover arthouse hit that became a big date movie. There's reason to check it out again, as the added scenes include material that extends the story of the film's central romance. With Philippe Noiret, & Salvatore Cascio.

The other Fox sci fi classic won't be far behind, but I'm first going to take a detour into film noir, and some weird newer pictures ... goodnight from a rainy Los Angeles .. Glenn Erickson