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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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August 14, 2005
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| Classic Movies at Low Prices from DVD MegaPacks |
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The big mainstream hit this week (at $74 million) is "Frank Miller's Sin City," based on a series of graphic novels created by Miller, who co-directs with Robert Rodriguez. This highly stylized film noir is lousy with criminals, crooked cops and sexy dames, some searching for vengeance, some for redemption.
"Sin City" is nice to look at and has a great cast (Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Clive Owen, Benicio Del Toro, Rosario Dawson and more names you'd recognize), but we were bored through most of it. And excuse us, but isn't it relentlessly violent, sexist and well, just plain dumb?
(We're in the minority on this one; most reviews were pretty good and if you're predisposed towards wanting to see "Sin City," the fact is you'll probably like it just fine.)
The big TV show this week is once again "The Simpsons." Typically with TV shows, sales diminish as each successive season hits the street. But that hasn't been the case with "The Simpsons," still going strong as the Sixth Season hits DVD.
With record-breaking retail sales in excess of eight million units, "The Simpsons" reigns as the best selling TV-on-DVD property of all time. There are reasons why, of course, and they include the quality of the writing, the character development and the superb ensemble voice cast.
Another reason is the clever packaging: Season Six comes in a special keepcase shaped like Homer's head. Inside you'll find all 25 episodes on 4-Discs, including the season cliffhanger, "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"
Bonus materials include an introduction from series creator Matt Groening, audio commentary on every episode, the TV special "Springfield's Most Wanted," special featurettes, multi-angle animation showcases on select episodes, deleted scenes, commercials, illustrated commentaries and more.
The most controversial film this week is "The Brown Bunny," which is both a love story and a haunting portrait of a lost soul unable to forget his past. The controversy stems from the graphic portrayal of male sexuality at the very end of this unrated film.
Far less frank - but much funnier - is "The Wedding Date," starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. It's a hip romantic comedy that takes a poignant and sexy look at love, weddings, family and the delicious surprises life sometimes throws your way.
And romance and intrigue await a copy machine operator who learns that counterfeiting and murder are a lethal combination in the quirky Brazilian thriller, "The Man Who Copied."
"The Krzysztof Kieslowski Collection" features six films from the Polish filmmaker, while Volume 1 of "The Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers Collection" includes five memorable classics from Hollywood's favorite dancing duo.
Each of the five new-to-DVD titles - "Top Hat," "Swing Time," "Follow The Fleet," "Shall We Dance" and "The Barkleys of Broadway" - are also available individually, but it's a much better deal when you buy the complete set.
All of the films have been newly remastered and include extensive bonus features such as documentaries, featurettes and commentary by Fred Astaire’s daughter, Ava Astaire McKenzie.
Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Keener, Beau Bridges, Jason Lee, Camilla Belle and Jena Malone star in "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," a disturbing coming-of-age story from writer/director (and Mrs. Day-Lewis) Rebecca Miller.
Jack (Day-Lewis), an ailing idealist farmer and his 16-year-old daughter Rose (Belle) live in relative isolation on a beautiful island off the East Coast. When he invites his mainland girlfriend (Keener) and her two teenage sons to come live with them, it is Rose’s first exposure to society - and sexuality.
As worlds collide, the consequences will threaten not only Jack and Rose’s way of life but also their unusually close bond.
Day-Lewis is a great actor and is always watchable, but his character - and the film - is just a little to creepy for comfort. Fans of Daniel Day-Lewis will do far better by renting or buying the Special Edition of "My Left Foot," which is also out this week and for which he won the Academy Award® for Best Actor in 1989.
And if you have been unable to select, train, and care for your pooch all on your own, you may want "Dogs for Dummies." The producers promise that you'll "not only find out how to select and care for a new pet, but you also discover how to solve common canine behavioral problems."
We don't mean to offend, folks, but on second thought, if you need a home video release to help you manage and care for your dog, maybe those behavioral problems aren't confined entirely to canines.
Why do we insist on saying these things? Because we care.
From TV this week comes "The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons," which brings together appearances on Cavett's 70's talk show by 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, Ravi Shankar, Paul Simon, Sly & The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and more.
Also out this week is the Third Season of "The Andy Griffith Show," the Fifth Season of "I Love Lucy," the First Season of "Bliss," the steamy women's erotica series from the Oxygen network and "Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth," the popular comedian's recent Showtime special.
Winner of the Golden Rose (Europe's highest comedy award) and the 2004 and 2005 British Academy Award for Best Comedy Program, "Little Britain" heads to DVD for the first time in the USA this week.
The show is a small and surreal parallel universe peopled by over-the-top eccentrics, lunatics and social misfits. Meet Vicky Pollard, the gloriously incoherent trailer trash teenager. And Emily Howard, the world's least convincing transve*tite.
Then there's Andy, sitting all day in his wheelchair painstakingly looked after by Lou, who has no idea his friend can walk. "Little Britain" presents the breathtaking debris of modern life in all its glory.
In other news this week, Blockbuster said it will raise the monthly fee for its online DVD rental service by $3, effective August 19th. This brings their charge for the standard 3-at-a-time rental service to $17.99.
(Online rental pioneer and category leader Netflix also charges $17.99 for their 3-at-a-time service.)
Blockbuster posted a second quarter loss ($57.2 million) that was much greater than expected and the company nearly defaulted on its loan agreement.
The firm blamed the losses on a downturn in traditional store-based rentals, made worse by a paltry slate of new releases during the First and Second Quarter (we've been complaining about just such a thing right here in the DVD Dossier).
Adding to Blockbuster's woes was the elimination of late fees in their bricks and mortar stores and heavy spending and continued losses in their online unit. (Also, a late breaking bulletin indicates that the company dog may have eaten their homework.)
On the plus side, Blockbuster chairman-CEO John Antioco said the firm now has more than one million online rental customers and is "on track" to reach two million by the end of First Quarter, 2006.
In addition, the firm has started to extend the reach of its distribution centers by fulfilling customer orders through 200 stores, with the aim to have more than 1,000 stores participating by the end of the year.
By the way, if you're interested in online DVD rental, you may want to take a look at our comprehensive comparison chart; it could help you decide which rental service is right for you.
And that's all we have for you this week, but we'll be back next Sunday with more DVD news and reviews.
Please join us.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: August 16, 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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| Universal Leaves a Legacy |
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Three unforgettable Academy Award®-winning films - "To Kill A Mockingbird," "The Deer Hunter" and "The Sting" - inaugurate Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s new "Legacy Series" on September 6th.
Presented in Limited Edition 2-Disc sets, these critically-acclaimed Hollywood gems will each be digitally remastered for unsurpassed state-of-the-art picture quality. They will feature fully restored audio with all-new enhanced 5.1 tracks, collectible packaging and unique extras.
Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, "To Kill A Mockingbird" won three, including a Best Actor Oscar® for Gregory Peck’s brilliant performance as a Southern lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape.
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This inspiring and endearing film adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel evokes a time, a place, and above all, a mood, that sets it apart as a masterpiece. It was named by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the Top 100 Films of All Time and Peck’s character, the unforgettable Atticus Finch, was named the #1 Hero in 100 Years of Film History.
Bonus features on "Mockingbird" include: a documentary produced by Gregory Peck’s daughter, Cecilia Peck, that takes you into the personal life of the beloved star, Peck’s memorable 1963 Academy Award® Best Actor acceptance speech, Peck’s 1989 speech after he was awarded the Life Achievement Award from the AFI and an interview with Mary Badham, about her experience working with Gregory Peck. |
"The Deer Hunter" tells the story of three close friends and the devastating toll a tour in Vietnam takes on them all.
Nominated for nine Oscars® and winner of five including Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Cimino) and Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken), "The Deer Hunter" was also included in the AFI’s Top 100 Films of All Time.
Bonus materials on "The Deer Hunter" include deleted and extended scenes and feature commentary with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and film journalist Bob Fisher.
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Oscar® winners Robert Redford and Paul Newman team up in "The Sting," winner of seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture.
Considered one of the greatest con artist-heist movies ever made, "The Sting" also features an all-star supporting cast including Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould and Dana Elcar.
All new bonus materials on "The Sting" include "The Art Of The Sting," a retrospective on the making of "The Sting" with interviews from the cast and filmmakers.
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Pre-order "The Legacy Series" now and save 30%: "Sting" l "Deer Hunter" l "Mockingbird"
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"Inside Deep Throat," the captivating documentary about the $25,000 “blue movie” that launched an unprecedented social and political firestorm, is coming to DVD September 20th.
The first sexually explicit film to cross over to mainstream audiences, 1972’s "Deep Throat" turned out to be far more than a titillating curiosity. Breaking longstanding taboos against openly discussing sex in polite society, the movie helped launch the sexual revolution – and ignited a conservative moral backlash.
Eventually banned in 23 states and an explicit target of the Nixon administration, "Deep Throat" nonetheless succeeded in becoming a cultural phenomenon like no other.
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With frank, lively interviews and fascinating archival footage, "Inside Deep Throat" examines the production, the politics, and the profound cultural impact of a phenomenon that remains as controversial today as it was over 30 years ago.
Narrated by Dennis Hopper, the documentary features interviews with "Deep Throat" stars Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, as well as director Gerard Damiano.
Helping to explain the film’s lasting effect on American culture are Carl Bernstein, Helen Gurley Brown, anti-por*ography activist Susan Brownmiller, Dick Cavett, Alan Dershowitz, Larry Flynt, Hugh Hefner, Erica Jong, Charles Keating, Bill Maher, Camille Paglia, Georgina Spelvin, Andrea True, Gore Vidal, John Waters and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, among others.
The fact that the film comes to DVD in its original NC-17 theatrical version, as well as a sanitized R-rated version (for skittish independent video store owners, one assumes) perhaps says more about how little we've evolved over the past thirty years than the documentary itself.
Pre-order "Inside Deep Throat" now and save 30%. |
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Drew Barrymore stars with Jimmy Fallon in "Fever Pitch," a new movie about a woman whose perfect man has another love in his life... the Boston Red Sox.
The romantic baseball comedy premieres on DVD on September 13th in two editions: a "regular" edition in both widescreen and full screen and a Special Red Sox Collector's Edition (widescreen only).
Based on the novel by Nick Hornby and directed by the Farelly Brothers, the film features Fallon as a diehard Red Sox fan who thinks that finding romance is about as likely as his beloved team winning the World Series.
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But when he scores a beautiful new girlfriend (Barrymore), suddenly anything is possible. Now the two passions in his life have a chance to go all the way... if he doesn't strike out first.
Extras on "Fever Pitch" include commentary by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, 13 deleted scenes, a gag reel, several featurettes including "Fox Movie Channel Presents - Making a Scene" and trailers.
The "Red Sox Collector's Edition" (same price as the "regular" edition) includes a seamlessly branched extended ending with bonus footage of the actual Red Sox 2004 World Series win, a fortuitous event that took place during the filming of "Fever Pitch."
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Pre-order either edition of "Fever Pitch" now and save 43%. |
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: August 23, 2005 |
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Hitting store shelves next week is the scary sequel, "The Ring Two," the hairy pseudo-sequel to the "Barbershop" films, "Beauty Shop," the romantic comedy "A Lot Like Love," the British crime thriller "Layer Cake," the unusual Japanese horror flick "Audition" and Special Editions of "Billy Madison," "New Jack City," "Gladiator" and "The Truman Show."
From television comes new seasons of "Six Feet Under," "The O.C," "Kung Fu," "That's My Mama," "Good Times," "Boy Meets World," "Emergency," "Adam-12," "Once and Again" and "Alf."
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Amazon l Barnes & Noble l DVD Empire l  DVDPlanet l ebay  l Half.com l Target l Wal-Mart
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| Get an iPod or a $250 iTunes Gift Certificate... |
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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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