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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 25, 2004.
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 25, 2004
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A spirited adaptation of the Dark Horse comic "Hellboy" comes to DVD this week in a 2-disc Special Edition packed with extra features. One commentary track features thoughts on the making of the film by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and co-executive producer (and comic book creator) Mike Mignola. On another commentary track, the film's stars (Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Rupert Evans and Jeffrey Tambor) chime in with their observations.
There's also "Hellboy: The Seeds of Creation," a 147-minute making-of documentary broken up into 27 bite-sized segments. Plus a feature-length storyboard track, four computer-generated animated scene breakdowns, five "Board-a-Matics" (side-by-side comparison of scenes with the animated storyboards), eight all-new DVD comics by Mignola, theatrical trailers and more.
Special DVD-ROM features on "Hellboy" include a director's notebook, a printable script and a script supervisor's book. All in all, it's one of the most feature-packed DVD releases we've seen this year.
Also hitting store shelves this week is "The Whole Ten Yards," the not very successful follow-up to the far better "The Whole Nine Yards." Bruce Willis returns as a former professional hitman and he's about the only thing worth watching in this silly sequel. Matthew Perry, Kevin Pollak, Natasha Henstridge and others from the original flick also are on hand to repeat their roles.
Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom star in "Ned Kelly," a film loosely based on the life of the legendary Australian outlaw who became a revolutionary. Also starring Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths and virtually every other Australian actor working in the cinema today.
If you read your DVD Dossier a couple of weeks ago, you know we went on and on about the delicious camp delight that awaits you if you rent or purchase the new "Showgirls: V.I.P. Special Edition." It's out this week with a bunch of unusual special features. Buy it and you can be the first in your neighborhood to have your very own set of Showgirls shot glasses and playing cards!
We're big fans of the 1978 British miniseries "Pennies From Heaven."
Written by Dennis Potter (who also gave us "The Singing Detective"), this six-part miniseries follows the adventures, mishaps, and yearnings of a traveling song sheet peddler in 1930's England (Bob Hoskins) as he tries to make his dreams fit the promises of the lyrics he carries.
It's a dark original view of the British class system, spirituality, love, sex, death and the divide between reality and art. "Pennies From Heaven" was remade into a disappointing 1981 film, with an adapted screenplay by Potter himself and starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters.
Both versions are coming to DVD this week, but we prefer the longer BBC TV production.
We think you will, too.
Also from TV this week comes Season One of both "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" and "Nero Wolfe" (available separately) and a 3-disc, 19 episode uncut set of "V: The Complete Series."
The #1 rated daytime television program on the Discovery Channel from 1990-1992, "Pasquale's Kitchen Express," has now been brought to DVD. Chef Pasquale’s philosophy of “la cucina expressa” is to cook a full-course meal for four people in less than thirty minutes using market fresh ingredients. And that's exactly what he does in Volume One of "Pasquale's Kitchen Express."
That's all for this week; we'll see you next Sunday.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: July 27, 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.
Links above are for Region 1 (USA) Editions. Availability and release dates elsewhere may vary.
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It's been twenty years since Prince burst onto the big screen with his elaborate two-hour music video, "Purple Rain." He took home an Oscar for Best Music (Original Song Score) for the film and it remains an essential artifact of 80's pop-culture.
A new 2-disc Anniversary Edition will be released August 24th. The audio and video have been digitally remastered and the discs will also include 8 classic music videos, an MTV Premiere Party Special, commentary from the filmmakers and 3 all-new featurettes that examine Prince's lasting legacy.
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Also available on the same day will be Prince's lavishly produced (but self-indulgent)1986 follow-up, "Under the Cherry Moon."
Shot completely in black and white and starring Prince as a gigolo and musician in the South of France, this highly stylized film successfully captures the look and feel of movies of an earlier time. "Under the Cherry Moon" also marked the film debut of Kristin Scott Thomas ("The English Patient") as a romantic interest for Prince.
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In 1990, Prince made a sequel to "Purple Rain."
"Graffiti Bridge" shared many of the same features as the first film: bad writing, bad direction (by Prince himself) and a silly plot. Its saving grace is The Music.
And the fact that Prince is hot this year... he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, his new album, "Musicology," debuted at #3 and he's embarked on a 38-city summer concert tour.
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So all three of these releases will likely find an audience of old and new fans when they street on August 24th. But you can preorder them now and save 30%.
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| Dogville with a Capital "D" |
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In "Dogville," a Depression-era allegory from writer/director Lars von Trier ("Breaking the Waves"), Nicole Kidman plays Grace, a beautiful fugitive on the run from gangsters.
She winds up in a small isolated town and the community keeps her in hiding. In return, she agrees to work for them. Things change, though, when a police search gets underway and the townsfolk demand a better deal in exchange for her safekeeping. But Grace has a dangerous secret and the town soon regrets it ever bared its teeth.
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The film boasts an all-star cast including Lauren Bacall, James Caan, Patricia Clarkson, Ben Gazzara, Philip Baker Hall, John Hurt and Chloe Sevigny and was a featured selection at many film festivals, including Sundance and Cannes.
Critics were on both sides of the fence on this controversial film, which many believe has a strong anti-American bias. Some called it brilliant and profound; others felt it was stilted, full of half-baked ideas and - at nearly three hours - painfully long and repetitive.
We're in the latter camp.
We thought the staging and the set design were interesting... for about a half an hour.
In "Dogville" the movie, the town of Dogville is represented by chalk lines on the floor, surrounded by fragments of buildings. The overall effect is that of watching a play being rehearsed.
To be sure, it provides a simple framework on which to rest the Big Ideas and noble notions this movie aspires to. But - setting aside the pervasive politics - the ideas fall flat, we don't care very much about the characters at all and the movie wears out its welcome as quick as you can say...
Pretentious.
With a capital "P" ...which rhymes with "D" ...which stands for "Dogville."
"Dogville" comes to DVD August 24th. If you have three hours to kill and we haven't talked you out of seeing it, you can preorder "Dogville" prior to release and save 30%.
The DVD will feature commentary by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and director Lars Von Trier. Maybe they can help you make some sense of this flawed film.
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Have you been wishing for a "whole new world" of family entertainment?
Your wish has been granted... Disney's "Aladdin" comes to DVD for the first time on October 5th.
Special features include deleted scenes, pop-up fun facts and a featurette: "A Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin." You'll also get two all-new music videos: a deleted song found in the Disney vault - "Proud of Your Boy" - performed by Clay Aiken and "A Whole New World" performed by Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson.
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"Fun and Games" included in this 2-Disc Special Edition are "Disney's Virtual DVD Ride: Aladdin's Magic Carpet Adventure," "Inside the Genie's Lamp" (a never-before-seen 3-D Tour) and the "3 Wishes Game," which will reveal your fortune.
This is the first-ever digital presentation for "Aladdin" and an all-new 5.1 Surround Sound enhanced home theater mix has been created specifically for this release. The film tells the story of a commoner, his mischievous monkey and their battle to save a free-spirited Princess.
"Aladdin" features the voices of Robin Williams (as the Blue Genie), Lea Salonga, Brad Kane, Scott Weinger, Gilbert Gottfried and Jonathan Freeman. It won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Song and Best Original Score.
You can now preorder two versions of this Disney animated classic: the 2-disc Special Platinum Edition or the 2-disc Special Platinum Edition Collector's Gift Set, which also includes 5 exclusive all-new sketches by the original animators, a film frame from the movie, and a new "Aladdin" Special Edition book, all enclosed in a slipsleeve case.
Save 30% when you preorder!
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: August 3, 2004 |
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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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