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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for July 17, 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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July 17, 2005
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| Join BMG Music Service and Save! |
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 Save $197 when you get 12 CDs for the price of 1 at BMG Music Service!
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As the Summer slump continues and major DVD releases become harder to find, this week's big title is "Constantine," an action-packed supernatural thriller noir starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.
The film is based on characters from the DC Comics/Vertigo Hellblazer graphic novels and features Reeves as a spiritual warrior, a detective of sorts who has clearly gone to bible study school at some point (although the theology in the film is a bit muddled).
But if you're looking for a film with contrived action sequences and you don't care much about good acting or writing, this film will not disappoint.
You can buy "Constantine" this week in several ways: A 2-Disc Deluxe Edition is available in widescreen and the single disc of "Constantine" is available in separate full screen and widescreen formats.
(By the way, the Deluxe Edition of "Constantine" is only a couple of dollars more than the single disc and includes additional scenes, an alternate ending, a music video, extensive behind the scenes featurettes, filmmakers’ commentary and an exclusive collectible Hellblazer Comic.)
Also this week, Tara Reid, David Boreanaz and Edward Furlong star in the fourth chapter of the action-horror franchise "The Crow: Wicked Prayer."
And Luke Goss stars in "Charlie."
In the tradition of "Scarface" and "Sn*atch," this bloody and brutal film chronicles the violent rise and fall of Charlie Richardson, England’s most notorious organized crime boss.
Richardson stole and strong-armed his way to success, reaching a level of power that attracted South Africa's ruling elite and threatened England's Prime Minister. And he and his infamous "torture gang" were ultimately subjects in one of history's most captivating criminal trials, reenacted here in "Charlie."
Goss is terrific as sort of an East London Tony Soprano and the film has an edgy intensity and quite a lot of dark humor, although not a very clear narrative through line. Americans may find the accents a bit indecipherable, but then again, isn't that why you have that "rewind" button on your remote?
For the sheer chutzpah of it, we love the plot of writer/director Tim McCann's low-budget indie flick "Nowhere Man." The film details one man’s search for his missing penis, severed and stolen by his jilted fiancée after her sordid past in adult films comes to light.
O.K., shifting gears...
Michelle Trachtenberg stars in the family-friendly comedy "Ice Princess" as a brainy high-school student who discovers a passion for ice-skating, then uses her smarts and follows her heart to make her dreams come true.
"Ice Princess" is available on Tuesday in both full screen and widescreen versions. Extras include an alternate opening, deleted scenes, hot music videos “Reach” by Caleigh Peters and “No One” by Aly & A.J. and audio commentary.
For the little ones this week, we have a new Baby Einstein disc: "Baby Wordsworth," a new title created to expose children to first words and the idea that communication can take various forms.
Hosted by classic Baby Einstein puppets, the title includes a special guest appearance by Marlee Matlin, who introduces tykes to the concept of language, including verbal, written and sign.
Tommy Lee Jones plays a tough-as-nails Texas Ranger assigned to protect five fiery and feisty cheerleaders in "Man of the House," which seems nearly twice as long as its actual 100 minute running time.
This may well be because there isn't a single laugh - or even a clever idea - anywhere in the film.
Equally bad - but in an entirely different way - is "Harry and Max," which is a tale of an aging boy band singer and the forbidden love he shares with his own brother.
Hey, did we mention it was another lackluster week for new DVD releases?
Somewhat more watchable is "Producing Adults," a Finnish film (with English subtitles) about a woman trying to have a baby with her disinterested boyfriend, until she falls head-over-heels in love with the female doctor at her fertility clinic.
From TV this week comes the Second Season of "Dead Like Me," the Third Season of both "Sliders" and "Russell Simmons Def Poetry" (available separately) and 'Cleopatra 2525" (the complete series).
Also out is "Michael Palin: Himalaya."
Hot on the heels of his adventures in the Sahara, Michael Palin begins a 2000-mile journey across this mighty and majestic region of Asia. Encountering extremes of wealth and poverty, altitude and freezing cold, he once again brings his unique wit, charm and wisdom to each of 6 episodes.
Along the way he encounters, among many others, the Dalai Lama, the Bhutanese Royal Family and the once feared head hunting tribe of the Konyak.
While on his travels he passes through Afghanistan, across India to the feared Death Zone near the base of Mount Everest and then onto the Bhutanese capital before arriving in the Bay of Bengal.
Speaking of TV shows, that's where all the action is lately on DVD. There are currently more than 4,000 TV titles available and sales of TV-themed discs represent 6% of all units sold and 10% of every dollar taken in.
Furthermore, according to The NPD Group (an industry tracking service), TV-on-DVD unit sales are up 24% for the six months ending in March of this year.
So as a convenience for you - OK, we admit... we also had some empty space we had to fill this week - we've highlighted below some of the shows coming soon to DVD (many for the first time).
And that about does it for this week.
But we'll be back again next Sunday with 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: July 19, 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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Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet star in "A Lot Like Love," available on DVD August 23rd in both widescreen and full screen versions.
The film is a romantic comedy about destiny, chance, and two unique people for whom it takes seven years to fall in love at first sight.
Oliver (Kutcher) and Emily (Peet), both having reached a crossroads in their lives, begin a brief romance on board a flight from LA to NYC. They quickly part company, declaring that they couldn’t be more wrong for each other.
Although life keeps bringing them back together over the next seven years, the timing never seems right.
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As they search for love and a relationship that isn’t fated for disaster, both Oliver and Emily ultimately realize that what they might really have together is something "A Lot Like Love."
This movie was a nice surprise, sort of a "When Harry Met Sally" for today's MTV generation. The two young stars are extremely likable and definitely have chemistry, even if the events that keep them apart and then bring them together are wholly unbelievable (as they often are in romantic comedies).
But here's a gentle note for screenwriter Colin Patrick Lynch and director Nigel Cole: the maximum number of scenes in which your film's stars should be made to get cheap laughs by inserting objects into their noses is one; your film has two.
We eagerly await your director's cut in which you rectify this outrageous breach of screen etiquette.
Pre-order "A Lot Like Love" now and save 30%. |
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Another romantic comedy (of sorts) with Aston Kutcher is also making its way to DVD soon. "Guess Who" arrives August 2nd (in widescreen only).
When Theresa (Zoë Saldaña) brings fiancé Simon Green (Kutcher) home for her parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, she’s neglected to mention three things: He's broke. He's unemployed. And he's white.
Determined to break his daughter’s engagement, her father (Bernie Mac) does everything he can to make Simon feel “apart” of the family, from running his credit report to locking him in the basement at night.
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As the title suggests, "Guess Who" is not so much a remake as a comedic reimagining of "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner," the landmark 1967 film about a liberal white couple (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy) whose daughter becomes engaged to a black man (Sidney Poitier).
But what you'll find here is a lot more "Meet the Parents" than "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner."
The "race may divide us, but love will unite us" message still survives, but the movie seems as if it was cobbled together by committee (indeed, there are three writers credited for the screenplay) and the direction is so heavy handed that nearly all the gags fall flat.
Special features on "Guess Who" include feature length commentary with director Kevin Rodney Sullivan, seven deleted scenes (also with optional director's commentary), a gag reel and a "making of" featurette.
Pre-order "Guess Who" now and save 41%. |
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| Your Favorite TV Shows on DVD: Upcoming Titles |
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: July 26, 2005 |
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| Special Offer From The Quality Paperback Book Club |
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 Save up to 87% off publishers' hardcover prices...
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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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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.
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