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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for January 2, 2005.
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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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January 2, 2005
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Happy New Year to you!
We wish you all the best and a year filled with the "special features" and "extras" you deserve. And now on to this week's new releases...
The biggie - certainly in terms of budget and hype - is "Troy," director Wolfgang Petersen's curious retelling of Homer's "The Iliad." The film, starring Orlando Bloom, Peter O'Toole, Diane Kruger, Eric Bana, Brian Cox, Julie Christie and a horribly miscast Brad Pitt as the warrior Achilles, can be a lot of fun... as long as you're not a historian or devoted student of Greek mythology.
Like most big films these days, "Troy" is available in both widescreen and full screen versions. Also out this week, a companion piece of sorts: National Geographic's "Beyond the Movie - Troy" takes a look at the myths and unsolved mysteries on which the film is based.
In addition to appearing in "Troy," the late Peter O'Toole also stars this week in "Augustus," another sweeping historical epic. This one is set in turbulent ancient Rome and explores the volatile period following Julius Caesar’s assassination, when Rome was split by civil war.
O'Toole plays Octavius/Augustus, heir to his uncle's command of the Roman empire; Charlotte Rampling plays his wife, Livia and the famous cast of characters battling for control of the Roman empire includes Marc Antony, Cassius, Brutus and Cleopatra.
Rising stars John Cho and Kal Penn take the buddy comedy genre to mind-altering new “highs” in both R-Rated and "Extreme Unrated" editions of "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," arriving on DVD this Tuesday. Propelled by a serious case of the munchies, Harold and Kumar set out on all-night epic journey of deep thoughts, deeper inhaling and a wild trip through New Jersey.
Along the way, they meet an array of crazy characters and confront one screwy obstacle after another.
In "Little Black Book," a young woman's life begins to resemble the daytime TV talk show she works for after she is persuaded to snoop through her boyfriend's Palm Pilot and discovers more than she wants to know about his past - and present.
Brittany Murphy stars, but Holly Hunter steals the show as a cynical coworker. The movie also features Kathy Bates, Ron Livingston and Julianne Nicholson.
From its early Hawaiian roots to its current status as a recreational lifestyle enjoyed worldwide, big wave surfing is given the definitive exploration by acclaimed director Stacy Peralta in the outstanding documentary "Riding Giants."
One of our favorite films of last year, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," is back this week in a new 2-Disc Collector's Edition.
Also coming to DVD this week is a value-priced edition of "The Old West," in which Gene Autry is at his rockin', sockin' best singing and shooting as well as taking part in a furious stagecoach race.
Good value is also on hand when you buy or rent "Employee of the Month."
You'll get two films in one with this one... "Employee of the Month" is a very bad comedy and also a very bad heist film. We don't blame Matt Dillon, Christina Applegate or Steve Zahn, three very likable actors who find themselves totally lost in this mess of a film.
And while we're being catty, we'd like to point out that a slew of, um, "fitness" videos is out this week. We're not saying you ate and drank too much over the holidays, but clearly many of the studios think you did.
Why else would there be a need for DVDs telling us how to "Lose Fat Fast" and for "Fitness For Dummies" and for two new Kathy Kaehler DVDs, including "Total Fitness Workout?"
(By the way, we checked: a dozen or so does indeed qualify as a "slew," so, please, no e-mails!)
Several new DVDs for kids arrive this week... these include a Winnie the Pooh double feature, "Un-Valentine's Day and A Valentine for You," a re-release of another Pooh adventure, "Springtime with Roo" and two Berenstain Bears videos: "Fun Lessons to Learn" and "Bears Mind Their Manners."
Television brings us the Second Season of "C.S.I. Miami" and "Millennium" (available separately) and Season One of "Las Vegas" starring James Caan.
Complaints from NBC affiliates caused the cancellation of the controversial animated series, "God, The Devil & Bob," before all 13 episodes could be broadcast in 2000.
A new DVD allows us to see the entire 13-episode series, which centers around an unlikely bet the Lord (voiced by James Garner) has made with the Devil (Alan Cumming). A rather ordinary dumb guy named Bob (French Stewart) is brought in for the simple stuff, like helping to determine the fate of the world.
The show is good, but lacks the wit and consistency of more successful shows like "The Simpsons" and "South Park." Still, how often do you get to see the forbidden fruit of a canceled TV series?
That's it for this week.
We'll be back here next Sunday with more tasty morsels, some of them forbidden, most of them simply rotting.
Hope to see you then.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: January 4, 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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Reese Witherspoon unites with director Mira Nair to bring to the screen one of the greatest female characters ever created, Rebecca (Becky) Sharp in "Vanity Fair." This new version of the classic novel by William Makepeace Thackeray introduces a new audience to the beautiful, funny, passionate, and calculating Becky.
The daughter of a starving English artist and a French chorus girl, Becky is orphaned at a young age. Even as a child, she yearns for a more glamorous life than her birthright promises.
As she leaves Miss Pinkerton’s Academy at Chiswick, Becky resolves to conquer English society by any means possible.
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She deploys all of her wit, guile and sexuality as she makes her way up into high society during the first quarter of the 19th century.
In addition to Witherspoon, "Vanity Fair" stars Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Geraldine McEwan, Jim Broadbent, Eileen Atkins, Bob Hoskins and Rhys Ifans.
The DVD will be available on February 1st and comes with few special features, but commentary by director Mira Nair and deleted scenes are included.
Preorder "Vanity Fair" now and save 30%. |
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The First Season of "Charmed," the sexy supernatural dramedy seen on the WB, will also be released February 1st.
The show stars Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs and its DVD debut is eagerly anticipated by legions of fans. (After "Seinfeld," we've received more questions about DVD availability for "Charmed" than any other TV series.)
Protecting the innocent, vanquishing evil and evil doers, and generally righting wrongs are not exactly on the agenda of every twenty-something on the fast track to discovering what life's all about.
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But for the Halliwell sisters, this has become their destiny.
Prue, the oldest, is driven to succeed and dislikes the free-spirited antics of the youngest sister Phoebe. Piper, the earthy middle sister, mediates between her siblings.
Phoebe discovers The Book of Shadows in the attic and their witchly powers are activated, igniting a bond that reaches beyond petty, sisterly grudges.
Prue has the power to move objects, Piper to freeze time and Phoebe to see the future.
The sisters must band together to protect themselves, and the world, from the dark, demonic forces that seek to destroy them. It's an existence fraught with excitement and danger, but these three unique sisters wouldn't trade their "Charmed" lives for anything.
This new boxed set contains all 22 episodes from the 1998-99 season presented on 6-Discs.
Preorder the First Season of "Charmed" now and save 30%. |
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Beloved by generations, Walt Disney’s timeless masterpiece, "Bambi" will be available for the first time ever on DVD in a 2-disc Special Edition on March 1st.
The film is one of Walt Disney’s greatest triumphs and one of the all-time most requested Disney classics.
It is widely believed that "Bambi" has had the greatest impact on viewers of any Disney film. Released originally in 1942, it has been re-released in theatres many times since for millions of fans.
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"Bambi" is an experience so strong that neither heart nor mind can ever forget it. In the film, the young deer Bambi grows to adulthood as he experiences the wonder and adventure of life in the Forest.
"Bambi's" iconic characters include Thumper the playful rabbit, Flower the lovable skunk and Owl, the wise friend.
The film's breathtaking animation stands among the milestones of Disney’s first “golden age.”
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Animated by many of Disney’s legendary “nine old men” - including Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Marc Davis, Milt Kahl and Eric Larson – "Bambi" was the first of Disney’s animated masterpieces to have an all-animal cast.
To achieve a greater level of realism, Walt Disney brought live animals into the studio for the animators to study, a first for any Studio. From their anatomical studies, the "Bambi" animators created the most lifelike animals ever seen in an animated film.
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They pioneered the art of creating animals that were anatomically accurate, yet they incorporated endearing emotion and attitudes into the animals’ personalities.
To create the beautiful imagery of the forest, background artists painted hundreds of landscapes based on extensive field research and nature photographs. As a result, the hidden textures of "Bambi's" magical forest are delicately revealed as it changes from season to season. Animators even studied slow motion photography of drops of milk to recreate the elaborate splash patterns made by a raindrop.
"Bambi" took years to make, but Walt Disney was delighted with the results he saw, and remarked to his staff "it's a story that’s going to have a tremendous amount of appeal.”
The Disney film was nominated for Academy Awards® for Best Sound, Best Song (“Love Is A Song,”) and Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, 1942.
Not only is "Bambi" one of Disney's most popular and enduring films, but the movie also has its own 37 cent U.S. Postage stamp, issued in 2004!
The new 2-Disc "Bambi" Special Edition, part of Disney's celebrated Platinum series, features fully restored picture and sound with an all-new 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix.
Extras include “Inside Walt’s Story Meetings” – a trip back in time where viewers experience the production of "Bambi" with Walt Disney himself and his creative team; never-before-seen deleted sequences created from original storyboards; the all-new “Forest Adventure Game” with eight games in multiple levels of challenge; a special sneak-peek at the all-new movie “Bambi And The Great Prince of the Forest;” Disney Time Capsule 1942: the Year of Bambi; “Disney’s Storytime: Thumper Goes Exploring” an all-new story based on the classic; “The Making of Bambi;” original story concepts; music design, production stills; and much more.
Preorder "Bambi" now on Disney DVD and save 35%.
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Yet another boxed set of "Friends" arrives on DVD March 8th.
This 4-Disc set includes all 25 episodes from the Ninth Season of the smash-hit NBC comedy series.
It's all here: Phoebe confronts tough romantic choices, Rachel takes on motherhood and Monica and Chandler become inspired to start their own family.
"Friends" stars Courteney Cox Arquette, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Leblanc and Matthew Perry.
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Guest stars in the Ninth Season of "Friends" include Hank Azaria, Freddie Prinze Jr., Christina Applegate, Selma Blair, Jon Lovitz, Jeff Goldblum, Paul Rudd, John Stamos, Aisha Tyler, Elliot Gould and Dermot Mulroney.
Pre-order Season Nine of "Friends" now and save 30%. |
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In "Get Shorty," the 1995 adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel, a loan shark (John Travolta) travels to L.A. to collect a debt – and ends up a film producer.
Using tricks of his trade not unknown in Hollywood - intimidation, fear and deceit - he convinces a filmmaker (Gene Hackman), a movie star (Danny DeVito) and a B-movie queen (Rene Russo) to film the story of his last "debt collection."
Director Barry Sonnenfeld ("Men In Black") keeps the action moving briskly and Travolta won a 1996 Golden Globe® Award for his performance.
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A new Special Edition of "Get Shorty" will be released on February 22nd.
The disc includes a new high-definition transfer, commentary by director/producer Sonnenfeld, three featurettes, outtakes, a party reel, a photo gallery, the original theatrical trailer and the Bravo special: "Page to Screen of Get Shorty."
Preorder "Get Shorty" now and save 30%. |
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: January 11, 2005 |
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Coming next week, M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village," John Sayle's political comedy "Silver City," the offbeat canoeing teen comedy "Without a Paddle," the highly combustible urban comedy, "Gas," an "Ultimate Edition" of the 1997 sci-fi hit "The Fifth Element" and the critically panned primitive potboiler "Paparazzi," which was co-produced by Mel Gibson.
Also making their DVD debut... the Fourth Season of HBO's prison drama "Oz," the Second Season of "Gilligan's Island," Season Five of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," the First Season of "Hunter" and Season Two of everybody's favorite obsessive compulsive detective, "Monk."
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