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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 2, 2004.
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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 2, 2004
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"The Last Samurai," an epic action drama set in Japan during the 1870's, comes to DVD this week. Starring Tom Cruise, Tony Goldwyn and Ken Watanabe, it's a story of conflicting cultures as an American Civil War veteran (Cruise) introduces his Western ways to a group of ancient Imperial Samurai warriors. (Don't confuse this title with Season One of "Samurai Jack," the great animated series from the Cartoon Network, which is also being released this week.)
A new adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic children's fantasy, "Peter Pan," is out on Tuesday in a 2-disc edition and DVD provides a superb showcase for its mix of spectacular special effects, CGI animation and live action. Extras on the second disc are divided into five thematic areas for kids and grown-ups alike to explore and include 11 featurettes.
Based on Tracy Chevalier's novel, "Girl With A Pearl Earring" tells the story of a peasant girl (Scarlett Johansson) employed as a maid by the painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). She acts as his muse and becomes the model for one of his most famous works. The cinematography here is exquisite, with very frame of the film evoking a Dutch master's painting. And there are strong supporting performances in this one from Essie Davis, Judy Parfitt and Tom Wilkinson.
From HBO Films comes the Winner of the Palme d'Or and Best Director prizes at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, Gus Van Sant's "Elephant." The film, inspired by the Columbine shootings, takes us inside an American high school on an ordinary day that very rapidly turns tragic.
Based on a true story, "Calendar Girls" celebrates the lives of a bunch of fiftysomething British women (led by the wonderful Helen Mirren and Julie Walters) who pose nude for a calendar to raise money for a local charity. Think of it as a female "Full Monty," but without all that messy singing and dancing. This is a funny and moving film about friendship and learning how to deal with unexpected fame.
Mandy Moore shines as the romantic lead in the otherwise lifeless "Chasing Liberty," which also features Mark Harmon, Annabella Sciorra and Jeremy Piven. Moore plays the daughter of the President (Harmon) and causes havoc when she slips away during a diplomatic trip to Europe to meet up with a mysterious stranger.
From French director Francis Sylvain Chomet comes "The Triplets of Belleville" an animated film like none you've probably ever seen. Very little dialogue, but lots of catchy music (composed by Benoit Charest) and quirky hand-drawn animation give this film a most unique look and feel. The story concerns a grandmother who teams up with a song-and-dance trio to rescue her grandson, who was kidnapped while riding in the Tour de France. "Belleville Rendez-vous," a song from the film, was nominated for an Academy Award.
The TV on DVD trend continues in full force this week with the release of "The Osbournes 2 1/2," along with the First Season of "The Bernie Mac Show," "Gilmore Girls" and "Party of Five," as well as Season Two of "Law and Order." And Howie Mandel would no doubt be upset if we didn't mention "Bobby's World: Classic Scratch 'N' Sniff Episodes."
But our favorite TV show on DVD this week is the Second Season of "Three's Company," more for the special features than the show itself. We've often thought John Ritter was a great actor, much undervalued and largely unappreciated for most of his career. Ritter died just before the Season One DVD set was ready for distribution, so Anchor Bay Entertainment was unable to include a fitting tribute to him on that release.
That error has been rectified with the release of Season Two. In addition to the season's 25 episodes, this 4-disc boxed set also includes two salutes to the late comedic actor: "John Ritter: Always Leave Them Laughing," an all-new documentary featuring interviews with Joyce DeWitt and "Eight Years Of Laughter," a tribute to Ritter showcasing his funniest "Three's Company" moments.
Other nifty special features include the never-before-seen pilot episode #1 (made before Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers were cast), a blooper reel and commentary by Chris Mann, author of "Come and Knock on Your Door: A Hers and Hers and His Guide to Three's Company."
And that wraps it up for us this week; we'll see you next Sunday with more new DVDs!
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases |
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Street Date: May 4, 2004
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Shipping is FREE when your order totals $25 or more.
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Visit us online to see a comprehensive list of new DVD releases for the next six weeks.
The links above are for Region 1 (USA) Editions. Availability and release dates elsewhere may vary.
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| The One with The Goodbye Scene |
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On May 11th, only five days after the broadcast of the series finale, Warner Home Video will release a "Friends: Exclusive Limited Edition" DVD containing the final episode of the popular NBC comedy. Also included will be the show's pilot and an extended version of the finale with additional never-before-seen footage.
This is strictly for Friends fanatics and is being released to capitalize on the huge media frenzy surrounding the final episode. The disc is out of sequence with the release of full season box sets of "Friends" and includes just the one episode.
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Currently, there are seven seasons of the long-running sitcom that have been released. You can buy them individually or in one megaset collection that has them all. There is no announced release date yet for Seasons Eight, Nine or Ten, but stay tuned.
Preorder the "Friends" Finale now and save 30% |
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| Are You Ready For Some Football? |
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Last year, Warner Home Video and NHL Films released a collection of the first ten Super Bowls to great response from fans. On June 1st - just in time for Father's Day - this new collection brings together Super Bowls XI through XX and includes more than ten hours of action and behind-the-scenes footage, a commemorative booklet and a Super Bowl XX ticket replica (but, sadly, no commercials).
Relive the excitement of the second ten Super Bowls and the seasons leading up to each big game in this new 5-disc collector's set loaded with defining highlights, enhanced content and exclusive memorabilia.
Save 18% when you preorder now
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| Girls, Homework and Kryptonite |
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On May 18th, the second season of The popular WB series, "Smallville," comes to DVD. The show is an interesting spin on the Superman legend and details the early years of Clark Kent, who as a teenager growing up in Smallville, discovers he has superpowers.
This 6-disc collection includes all 23 episodes (two with commentary, five with deleted scenes), plus bonus materials: "The Chloe Chronicles," "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Visual FX of Smallville," "Christopher Reeve: Man of Steel" and a gag reel.
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Has Clark Kent been put on the earth to serve humanity or to destroy it? This is just one of the many questions answered in Season Two of "Smallville."
Preorder now and save 30%
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases |
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This year's Oscar Winner for Best Documentary, "The Fog of War," is also out next week. It's a film by Errol Morris about the former US Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, and the lessons he learned from the Vietnam conflict. We like the amazon.com details page on this one which proudly states the film stars "John Kennedy, Fidel Castro and Richard Nixon."
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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 you're having difficulty finding a particular title, you can search current availability for any DVD here.
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