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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for May 8, 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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May 8, 2005
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| Get an iPod or a $250 iTunes Gift Certificate from freeiPods.com! |
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We're excited about two Criterion Collection discs out this week; we highly recommend one and sorta kinda recommend the other.
The one we have no reservations about is "Hoop Dreams." This three hour documentary, first seen in 1994, follows two extraordinary inner-city kids who dare to dream the impossible: professional basketball glory.
Filmed over a five-year period, "Hoop Dreams" follows young Arthur Agee and William Gates as they navigate the complex, competitive world of scholastic athletics while striving to overcome the intense pressures of family and the realities of their Chicago streets.
This epic chronicle of hope and faith includes special appearances by Bobby Knight, Spike Lee, Kevin O'Neill, Isiah Thomas, and Dick Vitale.
The new Criterion Collection edition features two audio commentaries with stars Agee and Gates and filmmakers Peter Gilbert, Steve James and Frederick Marx; segments from Siskel and Ebert tracking the acclaim for "Hoop Dreams;" an original music video and theatrical trailers.
The Criterion Collection 2-Disc Special Edition of "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" also arrives this week with a host of extras including ten deleted scenes; an interview with the cast and crew with behind-the-scenes footage; select scene commentary with director Wes Anderson; ten David Bowie Songs performed by Brazilian recording artist Seu Jorge; behind-the-scenes photos and original artwork; the theatrical trailer and more.
Buy "Life Aquatic" and you'll get an elaborately packaged 2-Disc set with the full Criterion Collection treatment. Our concern here is that the film isn't really worthy of all this attention.
You may remember that when we first reviewed "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" in the April 3rd DVD Dossier, we called this quirky comedy by Wes Anderson "uneven." Despite an inspired performance by Bill Murray as an internationally famed oceanographer, the film never really finds its way.
("Life Aquatic" is also available in a Single Disc Edition with bare bones special features.)
Also out this week is "In Good Company," which we liked quite a bit and "Assault on Precinct 13," which we didn't.
The former is a funny film about a middle-aged father who discovers his new hotshot boss is not only half his age but is also courting his daughter. The latter is a completely forgettable cops and robbers shoot 'em up which is actually a remake of John Carpenter's 1976 film of the same name.
"Racing Stripes," a heartwarming tale that combines live action and computer animation arrives on DVD on Tuesday in both widescreen and full screen versions.
The film features the voices of Frankie Muniz, Jeff Foxworthy, Snoop Dogg, Steve Harvey, David Spade, Dustin Hoffman, Joe Pantoliano, Mandy Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. The oh-so-complicated plot involves a zebra raised on a farm in Kentucky who dreams of becoming a racehorse.
"William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice" is as much screenwriter and director Michael Radford's "Merchant" as the Bard of Avon's, but it's a faithful screen adaptation with an excellent cast headed by Al Pacino, Jeremy Iron and Joseph Fiennes.
Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as Peter Sellers in "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," the HBO/BBC biopic that dramatizes the life of the great cinema star (Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther movies). Charlize Theron does her Britt Ekland impression, John Lithgow appears as director Blake Edwards, Stanely Tucci as director Stanley Kubrick and Emily Watson as Anne Sellers (his first wife).
But don't kid yourself... the film belongs to Rush who perfectly captures the neuroses, eccentricities and genius of the title character.
What can only be described as a female version of "Barbershop," "Hair Show" stars comedienne Mo’Nique as a down-on-her-luck hair stylist who finds herself in some hot water.
And in "The Last Shot," Matthew Broderick and Alec Baldwin head an all-star cast that includes Toni Collette, Calista Flockhart, Ray Liotta, Tim Blake Nelson, James Rebhorn and Tony Shalhoub.
The film is a comedy caper that totally tanked at the box office, taking in well under a million dollars in ticket sales. But it deserves to be seen.
"The Last Shot" is based on a true story of an FBI agent who cooks up an elaborate scheme to take down a mob gang with criminal ties to Hollywood.
Assuming the role of Hollywood producer, Agent Joe Devine (Baldwin) enlists unsuspecting, wannabe director Steven Schatz (Broderick) in a sham movie project. Everything goes according to plan, until the suits at the Bureau start enjoying their lives as Hollywood players a little too much.
And from TV this week, we get "Jamie's Kitchen" (The Complete Series), the Fifth Season of "Dawson's Creek," the First Season of the HBO series "Entourage" and the Third Season of "In Living Color."
Also this week, Warner Home Video releases both "The Dastardly & Muttley Show: The Complete Series" and "The Perils of Penelope Pitstop: The Complete Series." Both titles are a continuation of the legendary Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races franchise and will be released as 3-Disc collector’s sets.
And that's all we have for you this week... we'll be back next week to make the world a safer place for the DVDs of tomorrow.
regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: May 10, 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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On June 14th, Warner Home Video will debut two DVD collections celebrating two of Hollywood’s greatest and most enduring movie stars: Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
The two actresses made nearly 200 films, won three Academy Awards® and earned 13 Oscar® nominations for memorable classics, which are now newly remastered with bonus features including new featurettes, commentaries, documentaries and more.
Front and center in The Bette Davis Collection is "Mr. Skeffington" and "The Star" (both new-to-DVD).
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Also included in the 7-Disc Davis Collection boxed set is a new edition of "Dark Victory," which has been restored from the original camera negative and remastered for optimum picture quality, plus two other Davis essentials: the unforgettable "Now Voyager" (originally released in 2002, but newly restored from the original negative and now in sturdy keepcase packaging) and "The Letter" (released earlier this year).
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These two new collections, as welcome as they are, would come as quite a surprise to the actresses themselves. Not because they are being honored, but because the studio would choose to do so together.
The fact is Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were two of Hollywood’s most prolific actresses of the ’30s and ’40s, yet they are known almost as much for their celebrated off-screen rivalry. No one is sure exactly how or why the feud began but Davis and Crawford consistently made headlines and kept the public amused with their verbal sparring.
Crawford once said of Davis “I resent her. She’s a phony but I guess the public really likes that.” Davis, upon hearing the news of Crawford’s death in 1977 said, “You should never say bad things about the dead, you should only say good… Joan Crawford is dead, good!”
The two stars shared the screen only once, successfully exploiting their real-life antagonism as battling sisters in the 1962 thriller, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" The film garnered six Academy Award® nominations, winning one for Best Costume Design and will also be rereleased by Warner Home Video on June 14th.
You can pre-order "The Bette Davis Collection" now and save 30%.
And also save 30% when you pre-order "The Joan Crawford Collection." |
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Steven Spielberg’s "Jaws," one of the most enduring action-suspense films of all time, comes to DVD June 14th in a brand-new 30th Anniversary Edition.
Oscar® winner Richard Dreyfuss and Oscar® nominees Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw star in this terrifying thriller about an enormous, man-eating shark that terrorizes a quiet beach resort.
Originally released in 1975, "Jaws" broke all previous box office records and remains one of the highest grossing films in motion picture history. (It has also changed forever the way entire generations think about swimming in the ocean!)
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Chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 Greatest American Films of all time, "Jaws" was a cultural phenomenon that sparked a worldwide fascination with sharks that continues to this day.
Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling book, "Jaws" (the film) launched a tidal wave of other movies, newspaper and magazine articles, books and television specials and even a popular Saturday Night Live sketch featuring the voice of Chevy Chase as a terrifying "land shark" that charms his way into the homes of unsuspecting women.
The artwork for the film’s poster – a huge shark rising out of the ocean depths toward a lone swimmer – has also lived on, inspiring thousands of newspaper illustrations. Composer John Williams’ suspenseful score won an Academy Award® as did the film’s editor and sound team.
Bonus features in this 30th Anniversary Edition (available in widescreen and full screen versions) include a two-hour documentary on the making of the film and a previously unavailable interview with Spielberg, as well as deleted scenes, outtakes and more.
Pre-order the 30th Anniversary Edition of "Jaws" now and save 30%. |
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"Beyond the Sea," Kevin Spacey's love letter to 60's singing legend Bobby Darin comes ashore June 7th, each copy hand delivered by Spacey himself, who has also generously offered to hook-up your home theater system and sing all the songs from the film while mixing you a refreshing cocktail.
OK, maybe we're exaggerating... but only a little.
Spacey has done just about everything else associated with this incredibly ambitious biopic. He directed it, co-produced it, co-wrote it, stars in it and does indeed sing all the songs.
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And while the film contains three or four good scenes and more than a few highly entertaining musical numbers (some Spacey renditions actually seem like improvements on Darin's original tracks), in the end it comes across as one big vanity project from which we learn more about Kevin Spacey than Bobby Darin.
Extras on "Beyond the Sea" include commentary from the director and producers, a "making of" featurette, interviews with cast and crew and theatrical trailers.
Pre-order "Beyond the Sea" now and save 30%. |
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: May 17, 2005 |
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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.
We send this newsletter only to those who request it. Each newsletter we send directly to you includes an "unsubscribe" link. (This is an online archived issue of The DVD Dossier which does not contain that link.)
At DVD Direct 4 Less, your privacy is always guaranteed. We promise that we will never sell, rent or trade our subscriber lists. You can view our complete privacy policy here.
Academy Award(s)® and Oscar(s)® are the registered service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Golden Globe(s)® is the registered service mark of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Republishing the content of this newsletter - online or off-line - or posting the content contained herein on other websites without written permission is expressly forbidden.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please let us know.
Savings percentages quoted apply to preorder purchases from amazon.com and were in effect at the time of publication; preorder savings may vary at other online merchants.
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Please note: all DVDs were available for sale as of the original publication date of this newsletter. Some may no longer be in inventory at the present time and preorder savings may not be in effect. If you're having difficulty finding a particular title, you can search current availability for any DVD here.
No DVDs were harmed in the making of this newsletter.
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