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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for November 28, 2004.
Click Here To Subscribe To The DVD Dossier Newsletter
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Published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less, the online source for DVD Discounts & Deals
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In This Issue
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November 28, 2004
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Own "Hero" on DVD This Week...
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Miramax Brings This Stunning Martial Arts Epic To DVD on November 30th
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Hi there!
It's the start of a new week and that means it's time once again to learn about all the latest DVDs. And if last week belonged to "Seinfeld," this week is all about Spider-Man, with the release of "Spider-Man 2" on Tuesday.
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) gives up his crime-fighting identity of Spider-Man in a desperate attempt to return to ordinary life and keep the love of MJ (Kirsten Dunst). But a ruthless, terrifying new villain, the multi-tentacled Doc Ock, forces Peter to swing back into action to save everything he holds dear.
The latest installment in the blockbuster Spider-Man series, the film comes to DVD in no less than six different packages. There are, of course, widescreen and full screen 2-Disc Special Editions of the film. These will feature more than ten hours of all-new content including commentary from director Sam Raimi, producers Avi Arad and Grant Curtis and Tobey Maguire; a blooper reel and a "pop-up" trivia track.
Other extras include a 12-part documentary that takes you behind-the-scenes from pre-production to the Hollywood premiere; an "Ock-Umentary" that follows Doc Ock's journey from the comics to the big screen; a featurette on the women in Peter Parker's life; a multi-angle dissection of the climatic Pier sequence captured in real-time and much more.
But why stop there?
Also on tap is a single disc SuperBit Collection version (widescreen only). You sacrifice most of the special features when you buy this one, but you gain a high bit rate digital transfer that optimizes video quality, along with both DTS and 5.1 audio.
And if you don't already have Spider-Man on DVD, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment has thoughtfully packaged the 2-Disc Special Editions of both films in one handy boxed set, available in widescreen and full screen versions.
If you're a collector, you may want the "Spider-Man 2 Special Edition Gift Set," which includes not only the 2-Disc widescreen Special Edition, but also a postcard collection of Spider-Man 2 artwork, an exclusive limited edition 25-page comic book artists’ portfolio, collectible “concept-to-screen comparison” portfolio and a reprint of the Marvel comic book, The Amazing Spider-Man #50, titled “Spider-Man No More.”
Also out this week is "Hero," an incredible marital arts adventure. The film stars international action sensation Jet Li and a huge cast in a visually stunning, epic tale in the tradition of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Promoted (some say "produced," but we say "promoted") by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Zhang Yimou, "Hero" has won worldwide critical acclaim, and was nominated for the 2003 Academy Award® and 2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The film, based on a famous Chinese legend of a lone warrior who rises up to defend an empire, will be available on DVD with both the original Chinese language audio (with English subtitles) and an optional English audio soundtrack (as well as Spanish subtitles and French audio).
Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette; storyboards and live-action comparisons to four scenes and “Inside The Action: A Conversation with Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li.”
Jim Caviezel (you may know him better as Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ") stars in the true story of inspirational golf icon Bobby Jones, who through his intense passion for the game, rose from obscurity to become one of sport's all-time greatest legends. "Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius" is an uplifting tale with a good supporting cast.
For Adam Sandler fans this week, we have the "The Happy Gilmore/Billy Madison Collection." You get both movies in new remastered prints with never-before-seen bonus features.
Cinema historians please take note: "Happy Gilmore" is presented on DVD in widescreen for the first time in this collection (it's also available in full screen.)
TV brings us the First Season of "Tru Calling," Season 2, Volume 2 of "Lost in Space," the Second Season of "Northern Exposure" and the 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition of "Prisoner Cell Block H."
We'll be back next week with details of more new DVDs; we'll see you then.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: November 30, 2004 |
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Visit us online to see a comprehensive list of new DVD releases for the next six weeks.
Links above are for Region 1 (USA) Editions. Availability and release dates elsewhere may vary.
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Shipping is now FREE (with minimum purchase) at many of these online merchants:
Amazon l Barnes & Noble l DVD Empire l  DVDPlanet l ebay  l Half.com l Target l Wal-Mart
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| Passionately Political Polemic |
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"Silver City," the new feature from writer/director John Sayles, arrives on DVD January 11th.
Grammatically challenged gubernatorial candidate Dicky Pilager (Chris Cooper) is running for Governor of Colorado on his daddy's political coattails. Things are going well, but take an unexpected turn when Pilager reels in a corpse while filming a lakeside campaign commercial.
Enter his ferocious campaign manager, Chuck Raven (Richard Dreyfuss), who hires gumshoe Danny O'Brien (Danny Huston) to investigate potential links between the corpse and the Pilager family's enemies.
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Danny's investigation pulls him deeper and deeper into a complex web of influence and corruption, involving high stakes lobbyists, media conglomerates, environmental plunderers, and undocumented migrant workers.
The large and talented cast of "Silver City" also includes Daryl Hannah, Kris Kristofferson, Mary Kay Place, Tim Roth, Michael Murphy, Maria Bello, Thora Birch, Ralph Waite, Miguel Ferrer and Billy Zane. But that may be one of the film's problems.
This murder mystery cum political satire is a multi-character mosaic and well worth your time, even though the moral outrage - and the sheer number of characters - sometimes gets in the way of the storytelling.
Pre-order "Silver City" now and save 10%. |
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The filmmaker who brought you “Signs” and “The Sixth Sense” now brings "The Village" to DVD, also on January 11th. The film boasts an all-star cast including Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver.
This suspenseful thriller tells the tale of an isolated village confronting the mysterious danger that lies just outside its borders. When one strong individual plans to step beyond the boundaries of the town and into the unknown, the move threatens to forever change the villagers’ way of life.
"The Village" is written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
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Bonus materials for "The Village" include never-before-seen deleted scenes; “Deconstructing The Village” - a look at the making of the film from the premiere back to pre-production; a special M. Night Shyamalan home movie; and a production photo gallery. "The Village" will be available in separate widescreen and full screen editions.
Also available the same day, "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan." The creative secrets of this master filmmaker are revealed through exclusive interviews with childhood friends, neighbors, and Hollywood stars including “The Village” cast member and Oscar® winner Adrien Brody and Johnny Depp.
Preorder "The Village" and/or "Buried Secret" now and save 30%. |
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Every year, just as the holiday shopping season begins, we like to remind readers of The DVD Dossier that the small commissions we earn when you buy DVDs through this newsletter ensure our continued operation.
We know many of our readers and site visitors return week after week to show their support and make purchases using our links. Thanks! We appreciate that very much.
When you buy through us, you pay no more than you would if you went to the merchant's site directly (in some cases, you even pay less) and the referral fees we earn are used by us to defray our hosting costs, e-mail software maintenance and related expenses.
So if you'll be shopping online this year at all, please consider making a purchase through the links in the weekly newsletters you receive or at the DVD Direct 4 Less website itself.
And remember: there's no need to limit yourself to DVDs... many of our merchants (Amazon, Buy.com, Wal-mart and eBay) sell toys, electronics, clothing and just about anything else you might want to give as a gift! |
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Twentysomething, emotionally detached Andrew “Large” Largeman (Zach Braff) hasn't been home to New Jersey in nine years. Now, as Large attempts to re-connect with a variety of odd acquaintances – including his father – he decides to risk getting high on the most potent and unpredictable drug there is…life.
First time writer/director Zach Braff (TV's "Scrubs") delivers a great performance opposite Natalie Portman in the quirky, coming-of-age comedy, "Garden State," due on DVD December 28th.
This surprisingly smart and funny film costars Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm and Method Man.
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Special features include commentary with Braff and Portman, Director of Photography Lawrence Sher, Editor Myron Kerstein and Production Designer Judy Becker; 16 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Braff, outtakes/bloopers, a promo spot for the soundtrack and a making of "Garden State" featurette.
Pre-order "Garden State" now and save 30%. |
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The deadliest creatures from what may be the scariest sci-fi movies ever made face off for the first time in "Alien Vs. Predator," which will terrify DVD buyers beginning January 25th.
The incredible adventure begins when the discovery of an ancient pyramid buried in Antarctica sends a team of scientists and adventurers to the frozen continent. There, they make an even more terrifying discovery: two alien races engaged in the ultimate battle.
One thing is certain... no matter who wins... we lose.
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AVP will be available in widescreen and full screen editions; each includes the theatrical version and an extended version with a new beginning.
Extras include two commentaries: one with director Paul W.S. Anderson and actors Lance Henriksen and Sanaa Lathan and another with Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. (alien effects) and visual effects supervisor John Bruno.
You'll also get deleted scenes, a Dark Horse comic book cover gallery, and special DVD-ROM features: the first edition of the AVP comic book, an AVP comic book background study, an exclusive 16-page preview of the upcoming Alien Vs. Predator graphic novel.
Pre-order "Alien Vs. Predator" now and save 30%. |
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: December 7, 2004 |
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