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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for August 8, 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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August 8, 2004
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The Passion of the Christ Comes to DVD August 31st
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Uma Thurman, Daryl Hannah and David Carradine appear this week in "Kill Bill, Volume 2." the second part of Quentin Tarantino's slice and dice epic. This time out, there's a lot more plot and dialogue and Carradine gives the performance of his career as the title character.
We highly recommend "Good Bye, Lenin," a refreshing comedy about life in post-communist East Germany. The time is 1989, and after a young man fighting the regime gets arrested, his mother becomes ill and falls into a coma.
Eight months later, after the Berlin wall comes down, she suddenly awakens. But her heart is much too weak to withstand any shock, so her son goes to elaborate lengths to make her think nothing has changed.
Special features on "Good Bye, Lenin" include commentary by director Wolfgang Becker (in German with English subtitles), a separate commentary track with the stars of the film, deleted scenes, theatrical trailers and a featurette on the surprising digital effects used in the movie.
If you think "Johnson Family Vacation" is bad, wait till you see the deleted scenes. There are a whopping eighteen of them included on the DVD release. We could suggest a few more. In fact, at 96 minutes this film is about an hour and a half longer than it needs to be.
Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams, Lil' Bow Wow, Shannon Elizabeth and Steve Harvey all lend their considerable talents to this sorry mess, the vast majority of which takes place in a car.
Timed to coincide with this week's theatrical release of "Alien vs. Predator" is a new widescreen Collector's Edition of "Predator," the 1987 science-fiction thriller starring the Governor of California.
Special features include commentary by director John McTiernan, the documentary "If It Bleeds, We Can Kill It: The Making of Predator," seven featurettes, a deleted scene: "Arnold Schwarzenegger Fleeing Predator," three outtakes and a "Movie Cash" coupon good for one theatrical admission to "Alien vs. Predator."
Another 1987 thriller is re-released as a 2-disc Special Edition this week. Jason Patric and Corey Haim get mixed up with vampires (most notably Kiefer Sutherland) in "The Lost Boys," a cult classic from director Joel Schumacher.
And the 1956 shocker, "The Bad Seed," about a sweet and smart young girl who just happens to be inherently evil comes to DVD for the first time. The disc features commentary by actress Patty McCormick, who is all grown up now and has a lot to say about the making of the film.
Long before "The Cosby Show" changed the fortunes of the NBC television network, comedian Bill Cosby traveled the USA perfecting his standup comedy routine. "Bill Cosby: Himself," a complete 1983 concert performance, captures Cosby alone on a stage sharing his very funny observations on the ups and downs of family life.
The 1982 BBC mystery "Smiley's People" is out this week in a digitally remastered presentation that includes an exclusive interview with John Le Carré. Alec Guiness reprises the role of British spymaster George Smiley in this 3-disc serialization based on Le Carré's espionage bestsellers. "Smiley's People" is the follow-up to the highly regarded "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."
Also from British TV comes the First Season of "Manchild," which is best described as sort of a male version of "Sex and The City" with a great ensemble cast.
Anchor Bay Entertainment releases Season Five of "Highlander The Series" this week, while Funimation Productions comes through with the eagerly anticipated First Season of the anime series "Yu-Gi-Oh!"
If you want to teach your kids Spanish or French, you'll be interested in "Hola Amigos" or "Bonjour Les Amis," new 3-disc sets that make learning languages easy for children.
When we previewed this week's releases in last week's newsletter we said that the First Season of "Alf" - out this week - was the reason DVD was invented. Much to our surprise, we received a few e-mails questioning our wisdom.
Hey, guys, it was a joke.
We're sorry if we offend any "Alf" aficionados when we say this, but we don't actually think the 1980's show about a brown furry lovable alien is the reason DVD was invented.
(The real reason DVD was invented was to showcase "Seinfeld," the series about absolutely nothing created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. And The DVD Dossier can report that there is now a date for the long awaited DVD release of this brilliant sitcom: November 23rd. More about this in next wek's newsletter.)
Our favorite TV disc this week is "The Best of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog."
It's all-Triumph, all the time in this collection of the most memorable appearances by the popular pooch from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." Conan's 10th Anniversary Special is also out this week, but the DVD to cherish is "The Best of Triumph."
OK, yes, we know he's only a crude hand puppet.
But that doesn't mean his stuff, written and performed by Robert Smigel, is not the best sketch comedy now on network television.
"For me to poop on!"
(As Triumph himself might say.)
And that's your week in DVDs.
Please join us next week when we do it all over again.
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: August 10, 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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| You Want Fries With That? |
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Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock unravels the American obesity epidemic In "Super Size Me," a Sundance award-winning feature and a critic's favorite that has appeared on many Top-Ten lists.
Spurlock traveled to twenty U.S. cities including Houston, the "fattest city" in the country, interviewing health experts, lawyers and marketing gurus. He also put his own body on the line, living on nothing but food from McDonald's for thirty days straight.
His personal McOdyssey - a 5,000 calorie a day journey through saturated fat, thick shakes and apple pie - is what makes "Super Size Me" so compelling.
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The film documents Spurlock's sudden lack of energy, his rapid weight gain and the loss of his libido (much to the consternation of his vegan-chef girlfriend).
We learn, in increasingly alarming consultations with his doctor, that his cholesterol has jumped 65 points and his liver no longer functions properly. Yet he continues to eat his way through the entire Mickey D's menu, sampling every item at least once and never refusing an invitation to "Super Size" his order.
"Super Size Me" is as entertaining as it is horrifying, delving into corporate responsibility within the fast food industry, nutritional education, school lunch programs, food addiction and how we, as a nation, are eating ourselves to death.
The film arrives on DVD September 28th in two versions, the PG-13 theatrical version and also a new PG-rated version. The difference? We're not sure, but we're guessing that the "family friendly" edition excludes a graphic and lengthy scene of a stomach stapling operation (which may be a good thing, if you're as squeamish as the staff here at DVD Direct 4 Less).
Extras on both versions include deleted scenes, director's commentary and additional interviews.
Preorder "Super Size Me" now and save 30%.
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What can we tell you about Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" that you haven't already heard?
Those on the left feel it's a patriotic statement honoring American soldiers and the victims of the World Trade Center attacks while indicting George W. Bush for leading us into an unnecessary war. Those on the right say it's a Bush-bashing free-for-all with no basis in fact.
This much we know for sure: "Fahrenheit 9/11" is now the highest grossing documentary film ever, earning more than $100 million since it was first released in June.
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Those are big numbers for a documentary. The hugely successful "Super Size Me," by comparison, has made only ten million dollars.
The film won the Palme d'Or, the highest honor, at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and remains one of the most controversial and provocative films of the year. Regardless of your own political affiliation, "Fahrenheit 9/11" demands to be seen.
The DVD of the film arrives on October 5th, with Moore promising lots of additional footage and updates, including a featurette on the theatrical release and a profile of Lila Lipscomb at the Washington, D.C. premiere.
Lipscomb, a self-described "really proud American" who encouraged her children to choose the military as a career, provides the emotional core of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Her strong support for the war changes as she becomes a grieving mother with a son killed in Iraq.
Other new and deleted scenes to be included in the DVD release of "Fahrenheit 9/11" include Condoleezza Rice's 9/11 Commission testimony, the Rose Garden press briefing after President Bush's 9/11 Commission appearance, a piece called "Outside Abu Ghraib Prison" and another called "Homeland Security, Miami Style," an eyewitness account from Samara, Iraq and a montage of the people of Iraq on the eve of the war.
Preorder "Fahrenheit 9/11" now and save 35%.
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| Rome Wasn't Filmed In A Day |
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Federico Fellini's award-winning masterpiece, "La Dolce Vita" (1961), has been digitally remastered and restored and is being made available on DVD in a new 2-disc widescreen Special Collector's Edition loaded with bonus materials.
One of the legendary filmmaker's most influential and popular works, "La Dolce Vita" revolves around the shallow life of an Italian tabloid journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) who wanders from one distraction to another.
Always searching for the next big scandal, he is continually seduced by the decadent and immoral life led by Rome's pampered rich. The film also stars Anita Ekberg and Anouk Aimée.
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Special features include commentary by film critic and historian Richard Schickel, a collection of never-before-seen Fellini shorts made for television, interviews with Fellini, Mastroianni and Ekberg, an extensive photo gallery plus an eight-page collector's booklet with rare and hard-to-find photos from the set photographer.
You can savor "the sweet life" for yourself on September 7th when "La Dolce Vita" comes to DVD for the first time.
Preorder now and save 30%.
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: August 17, 2004 |
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