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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 27, 2005.
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 27, 2005
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Once a year, generally at the start of the holiday shopping season, we like to remind everybody that a great way to show your support for The DVD Dossier is by purchasing DVDs directly through the links you find in this newsletter.
As you probably know, we earn a very small commission on each item purchased. Because so many of you do click and buy, it goes a long way towards defraying the operating costs of The DVD Dossier and the entire DVD Direct 4 Less web site. So, if you enjoy the Dossier each week, please consider making purchases at any of our affiliated merchants.
And of course, it's not just DVDs you can buy, many of these merchants - like Amazon and Target - offer everything from Toys to Home Furnishings to Electronics and more. Click any link in the weekly newsletter (or at the DVD Direct 4 Less web site) before you shop and we'll get "credit" for your non-DVD purchases, too.
So, when shopping online - any time of the year - please begin your journey with us; you'll pay no more than you would if you went to these stores directly... and you'll be helping your favorite DVD resource while you shop. Thanks very much for your support!
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There's a bit of a sleepy post-Thanksgiving lull in the DVD release schedule this week, but here's a look at what's new and different this Tuesday.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in "Mr & Mrs Smith."
After five (or six) years of vanilla-wedded bliss, ordinary suburbanites John and Jane Smith (Pitt and Jolie) are stuck in a rut the size of the Grand Canyon — until the truth comes out. Unbeknownst to each other, they are both coolly lethal, highly paid assassins working for rival organizations. Oh, yeah,,, they're also each other's next target.
The film arrives in widescreen and full screen editions, both with three deleted scenes and three separate commentary tracks: one with director Doug Liman and screenwriter Simon Kinberg, another with commentary by the crew, and a third with commentary by producers Lucas Foster and Akiva Goldsman.
Rob Schneider is back as the title character in the decidedly humorless and completely unnecessary sequel, "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," while director Ziad Doueiri’s thought-provoking story of teenage lust at first sight, "Lila Says," also makes its DVD debut.
Featuring fierce rivalry, stopwatch suspense, and larger-than life personalities, "Murderball," winner of the Documentary Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, is a film about tough, highly competitive rugby players who happen to be quadriplegic.
These are men who were forced to live life sitting down. In their own version of the full-contact sport, they smash the hell out of each other in custom-made gladiator-like wheelchairs. (And, no, they don't wear helmets!)
"Murderball" will destroy every stereotype you ever had about the disabled. It's a film about family, revenge, honor, sex and the triumph of love over loss. But most importantly, it's about standing up, even after your spirit - and your spine - has been crushed.
Being a teenager in high-school is always awkward time... but especially when everyone in school has super powers. In "Sky High," the students have wacky teachers, big dates and lots of homework, but they also have to deal with being a hero, a side-kick, or even a super-villain.
The new Disney heroic family comedy blazes its way onto store shelves this week in both full screen and widescreen versions. The film stars Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Michael Angarano, Danielle Panabaker and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, along with Lynda Carter, Bruce Campbell, Dave Foley, Steven Strait, Kevin McDonald and Cloris Leachman.
Bonus features on "Sky High" include an alternate opening, "super-bloopers," a stunts featurette, a music video and the "Welcome To Sky High” behind-the-scenes featurette."
Hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year, the documentary hit "March of the Penguins" makes the journey to DVD this week in widescreen and full screen editions.
Special features include a separate full-length documentary on the filmmaking process, a National Geographic feature offering a first hand look at penguins' natural behavior as they dive, swim and feed together under water and an animated short in which Bugs Bunny tries to return a penguin to the South Pole.
Anne Hathaway takes a gritty turn in director Barbara Kopple’s new drama "Havoc," available this week in both Unrated and R-Rated versions. "Havoc" is an edgy look at a group of rich teens who, so bored with their privileged existences, adopt an urban street lifestyle that ultimately results in harrowing tragedy.
Written by Academy Award®-winner Stephen Gaghan, "Havoc" features a strong ensemble that includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bijou Phillips, Freddy Rodriguez and Mike Vogel.
Also new this week is the "Jurassic Park Adventure Pack," a new boxed set that includes "Jurassic Park," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "Jurassic Park III."
And the Muppets are back in "50th Anniversary" Editions of "The Muppet Christmas Carol," "Muppet Treasure Island," "The Great Muppet Caper" and the original "Muppet Movie." In case you're wondering, these new editions commemorate Kermit the Frog's 50th, not the anniversary of the films.
All four films have been restored and remastered and come complete with all-new bonus features.
Three-time Academy Award® winner Peter Jackson directs Michael J. Fox in the 1996 comedy thriller "The Frighteners," a new director's cut of which streets on Tuesday.
Frank Bannister (Fox) plays a small-town ghostbuster in league with the very spirits he’s supposed to be exorcising. The scam works well until the supernatural sleuth becomes a suspect in a series of mysterious murders.
Pursued by a crazed G-man with a grudge (Jeffrey Combs), he enlists the help of his non-corporeal pals (John Astin and Chi McBride) and a friendly doctor (Trini Alvarado) to exonerate him. To find the real villain, a diabolical ghoul on a murderous rampage (Jake Busey), Frank must follow the paranormal perpetrator all the way into the nether world.
The director's cut features fourteen minutes of new film footage and over four hours of bonus materials.
A new Deluxe Edition of the sweeping romantic epic "Legends of the Fall" is out this week. Based on the novella by Jim Harrison, the film is about two brothers (Brad Pitt, Aidan Quinn) in love with the same woman (Julia Ormond).
From TV we get "The Execution of Wanda Jean" which chronicles the life-and-death battle of Wanda Jean Allen, the first black woman to be put to death in the United States in the modern era.
The HBO documentary details the methodical way the state of Oklahoma proceeds to execute Wanda, a woman with a low IQ bordering on retardation, despite the desperate efforts of her family, legal team, and mental health and anti-capital punishment advocates.
Also from TV comes Season One of "Project Runway" and Volume 3 of "Family Guy."
At that wraps up yet another week of new DVD releases here at the Dossier. Please join us next week when we do it all over again... it wouldn't be the same without you.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: November 29, 2005 |
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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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| Screenplay Seeks Gullible Audience |
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"Must Love Dogs," a lightweight romantic comedy seen briefly in theatres this past Summer, arrives on DVD December 20th.
The film tells the story of a newly divorced woman (Diane Lane), cautiously rediscovering romance with the enthusiastic but often misguided help of her well-meaning family.
As she braves a series of disastrous mismatches and first dates, she begins to trust her own instincts again and learns that. no matter what, it's never a good idea to give up on love.
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OK, so we've seen it all before... romantic comedies can be entirely predictable. But they also have to be believable. "Must Love Dogs," as written and directed by Gary David Goldberg, is not.
It's horribly plotted and scripted and takes place in some strange universe where online dating is thought of as a mysterious and dangerous way to meet someone. Uh, hello? It's the year 2005!
Perhaps "Must Love Dogs" was conceived a decade or more ago and the script was placed on the shelf, never to be updated. Unfortunately, "You've Got Mail" can very easily turn into "You've Gone Stale." That's exactly what's happened here.
And could someone - anyone - please explain why Diane Lane would have trouble getting a date?
John Cusack gets all the best jokes here as one of Lane's suitors, but there's absolutely no chemistry between the two. It's, frankly, painful to watch these two likable actors get nearly everything wrong in this film. The rest of the cast, which includes Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Plummer and Stockard Channing, are also fine actors, but wasted here.
Buy or rent this one - available in full screen or widescreen versions - only if you love, well, dogs.
Pre-order "Must Love Dogs" now and save 38%. |
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Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins join Jake Gyllenhaal and Hope Davis in "Proof," based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning play by David Auburn. Miramax Home Entertainment brings the highly engaging film to DVD on February 14th.
"Proof" follows Catherine (Paltrow), a devoted daughter who struggles to come to terms with the death of her father Robert (Hopkins), a brilliant mathematician whose genius was crippled by insanity.
Catherine is forced to face her own long-harbored fears and emotions when she and her estranged sister Claire (Davis) try to settle their father’s affairs and their own longrunning feud.
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When one of Robert’s students (Gyllenhaal) finds a notebook in Robert’s desk that may be a new, priceless mathematical proof, it is discovered that Catherine may have inherited her father’s genius, but at a painful price.
The DVD release of "Proof" will offer the following bonus features: deleted scenes (with optional director commentary), “From Stage to Screen: The Making of Proof” and feature commentary with director John Madden.
Pre-order "Proof" now and save 30%.
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"The Brothers Grimm" also stars Peter Stormare, Lena Headey, Jonathan Pryce and Monica Bellucci and was written by Ehren Kruger.
Never-before-seen extras on "The Brothers Grimm" DVD include feature audio commentary with Gilliam, deleted scenes with optional director commentary; “Bringing the Fairytale to Life” (behind-the-scenes featurette) and “The Visual Magic of The Brothers Grimm.”
Pre-order "The Brothers Grimm" now and save 40%.
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: December 6, 2005 |
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Coming next week is "Cinderella Man" with Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger and Paul Giamatti, "Fantastic Four" with Michael Chiklis and Jessica Alba, "Ladies in Lavender" with Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Natascha McElhone, "Dirty Love" with Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra and "The Dukes of Hazzard" with Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Willie Nelson and Burt Reynolds.
TV brings us new volumes of "Murder She Wrote," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "24," "Full House," "The Rockford Files" "Roseanne" "Green Acres" "Law & Order" and "The West Wing."
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Support The DVD Dossier by buying your DVDs online from these respected merchants...
Amazon l Barnes & Noble l DVD Empire l  DVDPlanet l ebay  l Half.com l Target l Wal-Mart
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| Join the Columbia House DVD Club and Save... |
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Choose from big hit films like "Shark Tale," "The Aviator," "Million Dollar Baby," and more.
For a limited time, get FREE SHIPPING when you sign-up here.
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The DVD Dossier is a free weekly newsletter that contains objective information about new DVD releases that has been researched and written by the editors at DVD Direct 4 Less, as well as advertisements and promotional information provided by movie studios.
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