 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for September 4, 2005.
Click Here To Subscribe To The DVD Dossier Newsletter
|
|
|
Published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less, the online source for DVD Discounts & Deals
|
|
In This Issue
|
|
September 4, 2005
|
|
|
| Join the Columbia House DVD Club and Save... |
|
|
|
Choose from big hit films like "Ray," "Shrek 2," "Anchorman," "Meet the Fockers" and more.
For a limited time, get FREE SHIPPING when you sign-up here.
|
|
|
|
The Labor Day weekend here in the USA marks the unofficial end of Summer and for the home video business this year, it also means an end to a decidedly lackluster release schedule.
Indeed... in terms of quantity - and in some cases quality - this week is quite a contrast to the past couple of months. So today's Dossier will help you sort through the large number of titles out this week.
We begin with "Crash," being released in both widescreen and full screen versions. Directed by Paul Haggis, from a screenplay by Haggis and Bobby Moresco, the film is a smart and edgy drama about racial intolerance and a deeply felt meditation on hope and redemption in the wake of tragedy and loss of faith.
The film's excellent ensemble cast includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichter, Brendan Fraser, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe and Larenz Tate.
"The Girl In The Cafe," a small HBO film, is a funny, touching and quirky love story with a powerful humanitarian message.
Mild-mannered Lawrence (Bill Nighy) is a dedicated civil servant who doesn't have much going on in his life except for his career. But that changes when he meets, Gina (Kelly Macdonald), a mysterious, attractive woman who he impulsively invites to the G8 conference in Iceland.
As the conference on world poverty progresses, Gina makes her displeasure with policies of the G8 conference leaders well known, much to Lawrence's chagrin. But together, this unlikely couple might change history... or perhaps just his employment status.
"Toy Story," the groundbreaking action/adventure comedy that started the computer animation revolution, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special 2-Disc Anniversary Edition, while the 15th Anniversary Special Edition of "Pretty Woman" comes to DVD this week as well. Julia Roberts plays a spirited, streetwise "working girl" who meets a no-nonsense billionaire played by Richard Gere in this 1990 comedy directed by Garry Marshall.
"Paris Is Burning" arrives on DVD for the first time on Tuesday. It's a fascinating and lively documentary on Harlem drag balls, thrown by predominantly inner city African-American and Latino gay men in the 1980’s.
The film features unique footage of the wild pageants as well as compelling interviews with ball participants who describe their backgrounds and dreams. The film has won 11 awards at international and domestic film festivals. (The title is taken from one of the larger drag balls, also titled "Paris Is Burning," hosted by Paris Dupree.)
Another new documentary, "Lipstick & Dynamite," shines the spotlight on the forgotten first ladies of wrestling. Each of the woman profiled here reflects on her own remarkable life with fond and bitter memories, reconciling a wild, flamboyant youth with the reality of getting older and fading away.
Universal inaugurates their new "Legacy" series with three Academy Award®-winning films, "To Kill A Mockingbird," "The Deer Hunter" and "The Sting." Each Limited Edition 2-Disc set features a digitally remastered picture and fully restored audio with all-new enhanced 5.1 tracks, collectible packaging and unique extras.
Two new boxed sets are out this week and worthy of your attention.
"Garbo: The Signature Collection" is a remarkable ten film, 10-Disc Collection that includes seven Greta Garbo classics, six of which are brand new to DVD including ""Mata Hari," "Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina," the four-time Academy Award®-nominated "Ninotchka," "Queen Christina," "Anna Christie" and "Camille," as well as the previously released Academy Award® Best Picture winner "Grand Hotel."
The Collection also includes the deluxe 2-Disc "TCM Archives: Garbo Silents" with three of the star’s greatest silent films – "Flesh and the Devil" (1927), "The Temptress" (1926) and "The Mysterious Lady" (1928).
In addition, the brand new bonus feature-length documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Brownlow and Turner Classic Movies, "Garbo," featuring interviews with Garbo’s friends and colleagues, will be available exclusively in this set.
And "The Charles Dickens Collection" brings together six dramatizations of his novels, as seen in BBC productions.
From television this week comes Season Three of "21 Jump Street" and several good choices for kids, including "The Adventures of the Little Prince," 26 episodes of the beloved animated series based on the children’s classic by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines" which comes in editions packaged with and without a Limited Edition Bronze Engine.
Another Thomas the Tank Engine title out this week - "10 Years of Thomas" - also comes packaged with and without a toy.
And at long last, the First Season of "Fraggle Rock" makes its way to DVD in a 4-Disc boxed set... you'll get all 24 episodes of the premiere season, filled with all the Fraggley Fun you've been waiting for. Extras include a replica of series creator Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" notepad, a behind-the-scenes documentary narrated by the late Henson himself, new interviews with the show's cast and creators and a deluxe embossed collector's box.
That wraps it up from here for this week. We'll start all over again next week and we expect you to come along for the ride, too!
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
|
| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: September 6, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The feature film "Bewitched" comes to DVD October 25th in a widescreen Special Edition.
Rather than simply adapting the TV show to the big screen, the conceit in this new comedy from director Nora Ephron is that Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell play actors who play Darrin and Samantha Stevens on a remake of the show .
Egomaniacal star Jack Wyatt (Ferrell) casts unknown Isabel (Kidman) as his costar in order to monopolize the limelight and regain his top spot on Hollywood's A-list. Complications ensue when Isabel, who just happens to be a real witch, discovers Jack's self-centered scheme.
|
|
Sounds like a clever idea, doesn't it?
The film does start out with a lot of promise, but it very soon fizzles. The screenplay is repetitive, overly smug and cynical and there's very little chemistry between Kidman and Ferrell.
By the end, you'll likely be far more bewildered and bothered by these hapless characters than you are bewitched.
The film does boast a terrific supporting cast, however. Especially good are the suddenly ubiquitous Steve Carell doing his best Paul Lynde impression as Uncle Arthur and Kristen Chenowith, who casts a spell over every scene she's in, even though she plays a mere mortal.
|
| Pre-order "Bewitched" now and save 38%. |
|
|
|
| Jennifer Aniston's Least Favorite Film |
|
|
|
|
"Mr. and Mrs. Smith," the film that many credit for busting up the marriage of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, premieres on DVD November 29th in widescreen and full screen editions.
Pitt and Angelina Jolie star in this action flick as ordinary suburbanites John and Jane Smith who, after five (or six) years of vanilla-wedded bliss, are stuck in a rut the size of the Grand Canyon.
Then the truth comes out...
Unbeknownst to each other, they are both coolly lethal, highly paid assassins working for rival organizations.
|
|
|
And when they discover they're each other's next target, their secret lives collide in an explosive mix of comedy, pent-up passion, nonstop action and high-tech weaponry that truly gives an all-new meaning to the phrase "Till death do us part!"
Pre-order "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" now and save 47%. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"The Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" arrives on DVD September 27th.
In this exclusive unrated 88 minute DVD premiere - featuring brand new, never before seen content - Stewie, the maniacal baby genius, is distracted from his plans for world domination when he sees a man who looks just like him on television.
Convinced that this man must be his real father (after all, how could he possibly share genetic material with the dimwitted Peter?), Stewie sets off on a cross-country road trip to find him. But his incredible journey leads him to discoveries far more vile and shocking that anything found in his diaper.
|
|
"The Family Guy" is one of the best selling TV-on-DVD franchises ever, with over four million combined units sold of it s first two DVD releases and "Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection."
"Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" will be a full screen release with special features including audio commentary, deleted scenes, still galleries and animatics.
Fan response to the previous DVD releases was so strong that Fox brought the series back to television as part of its Sunday night "Animation Domination" line-up. All new episodes resume this Sunday, September 11th.
Pre-order "The Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" now and save 47%. |
|
|
| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: September 13, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
It's another big week next week with Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore in "Fever Pitch," Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Paul Newman, Robin Wright Penn, Aidan Quinn and Joanne Woodward in the HBO telepic "Empire Falls," "Palindromes" from writer/director Todd Solondz, Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones in the 25th Anniversary Edition of "Coal Miner's Daughter" and Charlton Heston in a new Collector's Edition of "Ben-Hur."
TV shows out next week include the Second Season of "One Tree Hill," the Third Season of "Taxi," the Fourth Season of "Smallville" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" (available separately) and the Ray Charles and John Lennon & Yoko Ono Collections featuring highlights from "The Dick Cavett Show."
|
|
|
|
Support The DVD Dossier by buying your DVDs online from these respected merchants...
Amazon l Barnes & Noble l DVD Empire l  DVDPlanet l ebay  l Half.com l Target l Wal-Mart
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 12 for 1 from the BMG Music Service... |
 |
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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. Emmy is the trademark property of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
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.
Click Here To Subscribe l Click Here To Read More Issues of The DVD Dossier Online
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 2005 Stages and Pages. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy l Contact Us l Home
|
|
|
|
|
