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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for June 20, 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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June 20, 2004
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Some weeks there are so many good DVDs being released, we don't know where to begin. This is definitely not one of those weeks! Unfortunately, there are just a couple of high profile releases this week and only a few others that are truly worthy of your time and attention.
First up is "Bad Santa," in which Billy Bob Thornton plays a hard-drinking, chain-smoking, lascivious son of a gun who makes a living cracking open safes. His "cover" is to be employed as a department store Santa by the very stores he later burgles.
It's a bravura performance by Thornton, who swears, pukes, leers and steals his way into our hearts. And there's an excellent supporting cast, including Tony Cox (as Thornton's dwarf sidekick), Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham, Cloris Leachman, and - in his final film role - John Ritter.
The film is being released in its original R-rated theatrical version and also in a slightly longer "unrated" version ("Badder Santa") that incorporates five extra minutes of low brow comedy and sex into the film itself, along with a nasty uncensored "gag reel." Both versions include outtakes, deleted and alternate scenes and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Also out this week, "Secret Window," a so-so thriller based on a Stephen King story. Johnny Depp stars as a writer stuck in an isolated cabin and John Turturro is the meddlesome intruder who won't leave him alone.
"Gettysburg: Three Days of Destiny" is a docudrama that shows what happened when 15,000 Civil War buffs got together last year to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. They spent three days reenacting the epic battle on the very fields where it took place in 1863. This film documents most of it.
"The Line King" (no, that's not a typo) is another documentary being released this week. This one focuses on the life and work of the late Al Hirschfeld, creator of thousands of famous drawings of stars and celebrities for more than sixty years.
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature (1996), "The Line King" celebrates Hirschfeld’s many years of work for The New York Times, where his drawings were a centerpiece of the Sunday Arts section. With appearances by Lauren Bacall, Carol Channing, Joan Collins, Barbara Walters, Robert Goulet, and many others, this film is a fascinating portrait of the artist as a cultural icon.
As for this week's crop of TV shows on DVD, we like "The Joe Schmo Show" the best. A product of the fledgling Spike TV cable channel, this show came about at the height of the Reality TV craze. It mimics the conventions of such shows, while simultaneously parodying them... buy or rent this one and expect a healthy dose of immunity challenges, silly competitions and elimination ceremonies.
But the gimmick with this show is that everyone on it - except for one contestant, a guy named Matt Kennedy Gould - is an actor. None of the people we meet are real, none of the rivalries that develop among contestants are real and the show's outcome is never in doubt. It's an elaborate joke set up to fool one guy, and we get to watch the action unfold both before the cameras and also behind the scenes.
Think of this as a real life "Truman Show" with a team of producers and writers always nearby, writing plot outlines for the show's "characters" and scrambling to respond to whatever Matt does or says.
By the way, they could not possibly have picked a better "star" for their show. Though they repeatedly put him in compromising and embarrassing situations, Matt Kennedy Gould turns out to be one heck of a very nice guy. And "The Joe Schmo Show" is one heck of an entertaining ride... you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe. Highly recommended.
Also of interest this week, "Lonesome Dove: The Series," the First Seasons of "Wire in the Blood" and "Reno 911" (available separately), a collection of "Hit Celebrity TV Commercials," Series Two of "Mapp & Lucia" and the ninth edition of "Agatha Christie's Poirot."
And that's pretty much it for this week. But we'll be back next week with a more robust lineup of new DVD releases, including "Cold Mountain."
See you then.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases |
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Street Date: June 22, 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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We have no idea why they've chosen to remake "The Manchurian Candidate," but a new version (starring Denzel Washington) is headed to a cinema near you on July 30th. We don't think, however, you're going to find a more suspenseful political thriller than the original "Candidate," the 1962 John Frankenheimer film.
Based on the novel by Richard Condon, "The Manchurian Candidate" stars Frank Sinatra as a man haunted by his experiences as a POW during the Korean War. His recurring nightmares lead him to uncover a horrible truth: he and his buddies have been brainwashed and turned into sleeper agents.
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To say more than that might be giving too much away. Then again, this movie, as adapted for the screen by George Axelrod, is so full of surprises you could easily watch it half a dozen times and discover something new each time.
Controversial - and perhaps misunderstood - when first released, "Candidate" was put back in the vault by Sinatra for more than two decades following the assassination of President Kennedy.
Rediscovered in the late 1980's and now re-released in a Special Edition timed to coincide with this summer's remake, the film will be available on DVD July 13th.
Preorder The "Manchurian Candidate" now and save 15% |
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Remember the Tom Hanks movie "Big," about a 12-year old boy who wishes he could skip his childhood and then wakes up one morning as a 30-year old man?
Well, it, too, has been remade (sort of).
This generation's version is called "13 Going on 30" and it's a vehicle for Jennifer Garner, star of TV's "Alias." The story is essentially the same as the 1988 Hanks film... a sweet young girl skips seventeen years of her life to fast track her way to adulthood, but manages to sacrifice her soul in the process.
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Garner is silly and goofy and completely manages to make you forget about the rather ordinary nature of everything else in the film. "13 Going on 30" will be released on DVD on August 3rd.
Save 30% when you preorder this film prior to its release |
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We previously told you that Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" will come to DVD August 31st.
Now it seems that virtually every other studio is searching their backlists for "religious" titles they can reissue to coincide with this blockbuster's release. The most interesting of the re-releases announced so far is definitely a Special Edition of "Jesus Christ Superstar."
"Superstar" was a big hit as a live stage show on Broadway and in London in the 1970's and was made into a movie in 1973. This "rock opera" features music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice and stars Ted Neeley as Jesus. The film arrives on DVD the very same day as "Passion."
Preorder "Jesus Christ Superstar" now and save 30%
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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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