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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 24, 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 24, 2005
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| Get an iPod or a $250 iTunes Gift Certificate... |
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We have an interesting dilemma this week. One of the major studio titles arriving on DVD bears a title that begins with a three letter designation that we can't put in this newsletter (although you can see it in the image above).
The problem is that this three letter designation usually refers to films that are rather naughty and mentioning it would almost certainly get us booted by most ISPs and e-mail filtering software.
There's nothing terribly naughty about the film itself; it's simply not very good.
The film in question - available in widescreen and full screen versions - is "State of the Union." It stars Ice Cube, Willem Dafoe, Peter Strauss and Samuel L. Jackson and it's the sequel to the original film with the same three letter designation.
And we're here to tell you: It's derivative, tedious and, frankly, doesn't make much sense.
Far better is "The Whole Shebang," a funny, heartwarming tale that plays like "My Big Fat Italian Wedding."
Stanley Tucci stars as a bumbling yet passionate man who travels to America from Italy to help save his family's firework business... but love is in the air and sparks - literally and figuratively - are soon flying. "The Whole Shebang" also stars Giancarlo Giannini and Bridget Fonda.
Also out this week is "The Upside of Anger," a critically-acclaimed drama in which Kevin Costner and Joan Allen tackle the ups and downs of family and relationships.
"Fighting Tommy Riley" can best be described as an overly sentimental poor man's version of ""Million Dollar Baby."
And Steve Martin returns this week as "The Jerk." In his big screen debut, Martin plays Navin Johnson, adopted son of a poor black sharecropper family, whose wild and crazy inventions lead him from rags to riches and right back to rags.
It's all even jerkier in this new "26th Anniversary Edition."
In a style as distinctive as it is penetrating, Errol Morris has spent 25 years making influential, provocative documentary films that have irrevocably altered audiences' perceptions of the world around them. A new 3-Disc boxed set offers the chance to revisit some of his best work.
Included is "Gates of Heave" (1978), which follows a collection of eccentric cemetery operators and anguished animal-lovers as they move the remains of their loved ones from one location to another following the closure of California's Foothill Pet Cemetery.
Also included are "Vernon Florida" (1981), about the quirky inhabitants of a small Southern town and "The Thin Blue Line" (1988), the story of drifter Randall Dale Adams, who was picked up by teenage runaway David Harris on a November night in 1976.
That same night, a police officer was shot in cold blood. And though all the facts pointed to Harris, a sociopath with a lengthy rap sheet, Adams was convicted of capital murder. Was Adams guilty? And if not, does Morris unlock the secrets of this baffling case?
All films are available individually, as well as in the "The Errol Morris Collection."
A new documentary called "Prom Night in Kansas City" is described as being about "God, Sex and Taffeta."
Filmmaker Hali Lee thought her own prom was a real letdown, yet she continued to be fascinated by the endurance of this quintessentially American coming-of-age ritual. To discover why, she returns to her hometown of Kansas City to track the pomp, preparations and individual stories of would be promgoers as diverse as America itself.
Among them: Smurf, an inner-city track star who is gunning for Prom King; Nick, who attends a No-Dancing-or-Spaghetti-Straps celebration of an ultra-conservative Christian school; Gayla, an openly lesbian teen who participates in an alternative event; and Oliver, an anti-prom slacker who takes his video camera as his date.
With wry humor and an analytical eye, Lee and co-director Peter von Ziegesar breezily capture the fabricated fantasies, kitsch and pageantry of "Prom Night in Kansas City."
From television this week comes the long-awaited Season Two of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Disappointing sales of Season One left plans for the distribution of Season Two up in the air for nearly three years.
But they decided to make it after all and it's out on Tuesday in a 3-Disc set including all 24 episodes from the Second Season, with audio commentary on selected episodes, an all-new documentary and an original documentary from 1973, Emmy Award® show clips, a trivia challenge, a MAD Magazine parody, a theme song karaoke track and a photo gallery.
Winner of 29 Emmy Awards® and three Golden Globe Awards®, the groundbreaking series premiered in September, 1970 on CBS and was one of the most literate, realistic and enduring situation comedies of the 70's.
As Mary Richards, Mary Tyler Moore symbolized the independent woman of the time and was surrounded by a topnotch ensemble cast (Edward Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Cloris Leachman and Valerie Harper) at both the WJM-TV newsroom where she worked and at home.
(Also available on Tuesday will be a re-release of Season One of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show.")
Other TV shows coming to DVD this week include two early efforts from many of the creative minds behind "Monty Python's Flying Circus"... "Do Not Adjust Your Set" and "At Last the 1948 Show," several new discs from the folks at "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy," Jacques Cousteau's "Pacific Explorations Collection" and "The Red Skelton Collection," four classic TV specials from the master funnyman, with guest stars Marcel Marceau, Vincent Price and Imogene Coca.
That's all for this week, ${token1}. Rest assured, as you go about your daily business, we'll be here making the world safe for the DVDs of tomorrow. All we ask is that you keep watching them.
See you next week... same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: July 26, 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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In "Layer Cake," a West London drug dealer (Daniel Craig) is caught in a high stakes game of life and death when he's duped into trying to sell one million hits of Ecstasy.
Unfortunately, the pills were stolen from a Serbian drug lord who'll cut off his head if he sells them. And with a London crime czar (Michael Gambon) promising to retire him permanently if he doesn't, he has every right to be concerned about his future.
"Layer Cake" is an entertaining and intricately plotted gangster picture that is smarter and more stylish than your average thriller.
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The film arrives on DVD August 23rd in both widescreen and full screen versions.
Special features include commentary from director Matthew Vaughn and writer J.J. Connolly, fourteen deleted scenes, two alternate endings, two storyboard comparisons, a making-of featurette and a Q & A with the filmmakers which took place at a screening at Britain's National Film Theatre.
Pre-order "Layer Cake" now and save 30%. |
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| Taking Stock of Classic Rock |
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A new series of DVD releases will preserve the most important and entertaining episodes from "The Dick Cavett Show" with guests from the worlds of literature, art, politics, sports, comedy, theatre, film and music.
The first 3-Disc boxed set focuses on appearances from some of the most influential rock ‘n’ roll musicians of the time: David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, David Crosby, George Harrison, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Ravi Shankar, Paul Simon, Sly & The Family Stone, Stephen Stills, Stevie Wonder and Gary Wright.
Several of these performances and interviews have not been seen since they first aired over 30 years ago.
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With recently taped introductions and remembrances by Cavett himself, "The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons" arrives on DVD August 16th,
When Dick Cavett joined the late night talk show parade in 1969 with "The Dick Cavett Show," his intelligent wit pumped a needed breath of fresh air into the format. His show offered guests a forum for controversial opinions and didn't shy away from an occasional debate about women’s liberation or the war in Vietnam.
Cavett also gave the Woodstock generation a reason to stay up late. "The Dick Cavett Show" quickly became the late night home of rock ‘n’ roll, with a guest list that reads like a who’s who of the era’s top rock performers.
Unlike many of today’s nighttime talk shows, Cavett invited his guests to remain on stage for the entire show, creating an atmosphere for discussion among the celebrities. As Newsweek commented at the time, “[Cavett] mixed guests like a chemistry professor.”
During "The Dick Cavett Show," not only was the audience treated to a Janis Joplin performance of “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)” or “Get It While You Can,” the viewer also witnessed the fascinating interactions between Joplin and Gloria Swanson or Raquel Welch on the couch.
Sly & The Family Stone performed their #1 hit “Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Again),” then sat on the couch with Debbie Reynolds. At other times, Cavett created more of a themed show, such as the episode featuring performances by Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, Steven Stills and David Crosby, taped just hours after the Woodstock Festival.
In July 1972, Cavett couldn’t get The Rolling Stones to come to the studio, so he went to Madison Square Garden to interview them. This set contains a portion of Cavett’s interview with Mick Jagger and performances of the songs “Brown Sugar” and “Street Fighting Man.”
These episodes of the ""The Dick Cavett Show" provide rare and intriguing glimpses into rock ‘n’ roll history.
Pre-order the "The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons" now and save 30%. |
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One of the most beloved Astaire-Rogers musicals, "Top Hat" (1935), has it all: art deco elegance, a whimsical storyline involving a case of mistaken identity and the ideal chemistry of the two leads dancing to Irving Berlin’s finest film score.
Directed by Mark Sandrich, "Top Hat" was nominated for four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture. The film’s highlights include Astaire’s signature “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” as well as “Isn’t It a Lovely Day (to Be Caught in the Rain)?” and “Cheek to Cheek.” An added treat is a young Lucille Ball appearing in a small role as a flower clerk.
Astaire and Rogers return in "Swing Time," (1936), a romantic comedy with a sublime Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields score, nimble direction by George Stevens and the leads’ effortless dancing (after reportedly 350 hours of rehearsing).
Standouts of the film, considered one of the team’s very best, are the songs “Pick Yourself Up,” “Never Gonna Dance,” and the Oscar®-wiinning “The Way You Look Tonight” – plus Astaire’s “Bojangles of Harlem” tap tribute.
In "Follow The Fleet" (1936), the fifth of ten Astaire-Rogers pairings, Fred trades his top hat for a sailor’s cap, Randolph Scott gets the girl (Harriet Hilliard), Ginger gets a tap solo and viewers get the unending delight of seven sparkling Irving Berlin numbers, including “Let Yourself Go,” “We Saw the Sea,” “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket” and “Let’s Face the Music and Dance.” |
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In their seventh movie together, "Shall We Dance" (1937), Astaire and Rogers croon, swoon and sway, this time to a score by George and Ira Gershwin which includes “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me” and “They All Laughed.”
Dance highlights include a terrific roller skate number and Astaire's solo in the art-deco boiler room of an ocean liner. The film centers around world renowned ballet star Petrov (Astaire) and musical revue sensation Linda Keene (Rogers) who decide to wed and publicly divorce to quash persistent rumors of their secret marriage.
After 10 years apart, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers reteam for their final film, "The Barkleys of Broadway" (1949), written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and directed by Charles Walters. The story mirrors real-life creative tensions the two shared, with Astaire playing driven musical comedy hoofer Josh Barkley and Rogers his wife Dinah.
When Dinah leaves to become a great dramatic actress, Josh vies to win her back. The routines include Astaire’s “Shoes with Wings On” and a reprise from "Shall We Dance," “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”
All five films - available both in the Collection and individually - have been newly remastered and include extensive bonus features such as documentaries, featurettes and commentary by Fred Astaire’s daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie.
Save 30% when you preorder "The Astaire and Rogers Collection: Volume One."
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: August 2, 2005 |
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Coming next week is "Cypher" with Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu, "Guess Who" with Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher, a 2-Disc Collector's Edition of "The High and the Mighty" with John Wayne and Claire Trevor, a Special Edition Director's Cut of "Alexander " with Colin Farrell, Rosario Dawson and Angelina Jolie and "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters 2" together for the first time on DVD.
The biggest DVD next week is actually a TV show. The eagerly awaited First Season of "The Cosby Show" arrives in a 4-Disc boxed set. "The Cosby Show" ran on NBC from 1984 to 1992 and held TV's #1 slot for a record 5 consecutive years, while staying in the Top 20 shows for all eight seasons it was on the air.
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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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