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The DVD Dossier is the free newsletter published weekly by DVD Direct 4 Less.
This is the archived issue for September 19, 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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September 19, 2004
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Join the Columbia House DVD Club and Save...
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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.
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The big DVD news this week is the long-awaited debut of "Star Wars."
It's a Special Edition that comes jam-packed with extra features and commentaries and is available in both widescreen and full screen versions. Place your order before Tuesday and you can still take advantage of the generous 40% preorder savings.
We're equally excited about "Mean Girls," in which Lindsay Lohan plays a home-schooled 15-year-old who enters public high school for the first time and falls prey to the psychological warfare and unwritten social rules faced by teenage girls today.
Written by - and costarring - Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey, this is a teen comedy with a lot of biting satire. Extras include commentary from Fey, director Mark Waters and producer Lorne Michaels, plus 3 featurettes, 9 deleted scenes and a blooper reel.
"Mean Girls" is available in both widescreen and full screen editions.
Also out this week is Bruno Dumont's controversial "TwentyNine Palms," a mesmerizing story of love, sex and evil set deep in the Joshua Tree desert.
While scouting for a photo shoot location, an American photographer and his Russian/French girlfriend spend their days engaging in impassioned fights, hasty reconciliations and frequent sexual interludes, until a shocking act of desperation leads to an unforeseen and brutal climax.
And "How to Draw a Bunny," a film by John W. Walter and Andrew Moore, tells the story of artist Ray Johnson through interviews with his peers in the art world.
From television this week comes the Junior Years (Season Three) of "Felicity."
Golden Globe winner Keri Russell plays the title character, who returns to the University of New York for a new course in self-discovery. Her big decision to move in with Ben shapes the direction of the school year, but it's just one of the many challenges in a season of passion, heartache and excitement.
You can buy just Season Three alone or in a special set that includes The First Three Complete Seasons of Felicity.
The Complete First Season of "Popular" is also out on DVD this week.
Inside the walls of Kennedy High, there's a war being waged for the most elusive prize of all... popularity. Get into the heart of the battle as Nicole, Josh, Sam, Mary Cherry fight to claim their rightful place on the popularity scale.
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross bring their irreverent wit to the Fourth Season of "Mr. Show," while the cast of "MADtv" do the same for the First Season of their late night sketch series.
And Kevin Costner explores America's Indian heritage as host of "500 Nations," an 8-part documentary series that's educational and also highly entertaining
While we're on the topic of TV, a word or two about the Emmy Awards. The Emmys, TV's highest honor, were handed out in Los Angeles on Sunday.
Many of the top awards went to "Angels in America," "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City," all of which are now available on DVD. Check them out and see for yourself why they're among the most watched shows on TV.
We'll be back next week with more DVD news and commentary.
See you then!
Regards,
DVD Direct 4 Less
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| This Week's New DVD Releases - Street Date: September 21, 2004 |
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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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| "Practically Perfect" Nanny Turns 40 |
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Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews
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Winner of five Academy Awards®, "Mary Poppins" is one of the most beloved movies of all time. And now, Walt Disney’s crowning achievement of live-action, animation and music has been fully restored in a very special 40th Anniversary Edition boxed set which will debut on DVD December 14th.
"Mary Poppins" is one of Walt Disney’s greatest achievements and a true milestone in cinema history.
Not only did Julie Andrews win the Academy Award® for Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character, but Dick Van Dyke won the award for Worst Cockney Accent.
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We're kidding, of course... about the award for Van Dyke. He's absolutely delightful in the film. But you gotta admit, his accent was not very authentic.
In "Mary Poppins," Van Dyke is Bert, the carefree chimney sweep, and Andrews is the lovable nanny who flies out of the windy London skies and into the home of a no-nonsense banker (David Tomlinson) and his two charming, mischievous children (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber).
Hoping to bridge the gap between them, Mary Poppins magically turns every chore into a game and every day into a whimsical adventure, including an unforgettable rooftop dance with Bert.
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This magical tale of the “practically perfect”’ nanny who brings cheer and happiness to children all around her won the Academy Award® for Best Score, Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”), Best Special Visual Effects and Best Film Editing.
One of the most popular Disney movies ever, "Mary Poppins" features the music of the legendary Sherman Brothers, with classic songs like “Feed The Birds,” “Spoonful of Sugar” and...
“Supercalifradgilisticexpialidocious.”
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Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins
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The 40th Anniversary Edition of "Mary Poppins" comes to DVD with a host of bonus features including many rare and never-before-seen treats.
In addition to the original 1965 theatrical trailer, you'll also get trailers for the 1966 and 1973 re-releases, plus a nostalgic look back at the film’s fabled, celebrity-filled premiere.
The "Mary Poppins" 2-Disc DVD set also features newly recorded audio commentary with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, co-composer Richard Sherman and Karen Dotrice as they reminisce about the making of "Mary Poppins."
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And an all-new animated short, done in the style of the chalk drawings seen in the film, has been produced exclusively for the 40th Anniversary.
Julie Andrews and two children magically enter the animated world of those drawings to experience "The Cat That Looked at a King."
The whimsical tale is based on one of the chapters from the original series of Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers and features the voices of Sara Ferguson, Tracy Ullman and David Ogden Stiers.
But wait, there's more!
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A deleted song, “Chimpanzoo,” has been reconstructed using original storyboard and concept art and utilizes a newly recorded rendition of the song performed by Richard Sherman.
There are also several behind-the-scenes "making of" featurettes, a musical reunion with Van Dyke, Andrews and Sherman, "Poppins Pop-Up Fun Facts," still art galleries, cast photo collections and other bonus features.
This definitive, must-have “Mary Poppins” 40th Anniversary Deluxe 2-Disc boxed set will be released just in time for the holidays.
But you can preorder now and save 30%. |
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| Matrix Reloads One More Time |
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On December 7th, Warner Home Video will release The Ultimate Matrix Collection, a remarkable 10-Disc DVD set with 5 all-new DVDs featuring never-before-seen bonus materials: over 100 new featurettes, new audio commentaries, "Enter The Matrix" videogame footage and more.
All three films in the Matrix Trilogy - "The Matrix," "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions" - will be presented together for the first time ever in this new boxed set, along with "The Animatrix" the bestselling fusion of CG-animation and Japanese anime made up of nine short films exploring the world of "The Matrix."
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Also included is "The Matrix Revolutions Revisited," the cataclysmic final confrontation chronicled through six documentary pods revealing 28 featurettes.
Why should fans buy?
Well, for starters, there'll be a newly remastered picture and sound for the original film, plus an astonishing 35 hours of extras that encompass every aspect of "The Matrix" universe.
Perhaps recognizing that the likely audience for The Ultimate Matrix Collection probably already owns all three films, Warner has established a quite reasonable Suggested Retail Price of only $79.92 for this edition, meaning that the actual street price will be closer to fifty-five dollars (only $5 or so per DVD when you preorder).
Also available on the same day will be The Ultimate Matrix Collection Limited Edition, which features not only the complete 10-DVD set, but also a Limited Edition Neo figurine and an 80-page Collector’s Book.
Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers and produced by Joel Silver, The Matrix Trilogy stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. As one of the most successful science-fiction film franchises of all time, The Matrix Trilogy has grossed a staggering $1.6 billion dollars in worldwide box-office receipts to date.
You can now preorder either The Ultimate Matrix Collection or The Ultimate Matrix Collection Limited Edition and save 30%.
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A trio of Pee-wee Herman DVDs are headed your way, but we have mixed feelings about two of them. These are the two new sets of complete episodes of "Pee Wee's Playhouse," which will be released in November.
On the one hand, it's great to finally have all five seasons of this highly innovative, wonderfully creative, sly and witty Saturday morning show on DVD. On the other hand, the sets are decidedly lacking in the extras department.
But as they might say on the show, the secret word is: wait.
Rumor has it that a "more complete" collector's set will be out in 2005, with commentary by Pee-Wee himself (Paul Reubens) on some episodes and a bunch of other bonus material taken from the show's archives.
If you absolutely must have these as soon as possible, you'll be glad to hear that both "Pee Wee's Playhouse, Volume 1" (Seasons 1 and 2) and "Pee Wee's Playhouse, Volume 2" (Seasons 3, 4 and 5) will be available November 16th.
Preorder now and save 30%.
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Available a month earlier (on October 19th) is the standalone "Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special." We have no reservations on this one... it's absolutely wonderful and comes complete with two audio commentaries.
The show features tons of celebrity guests including Frankie Avalon, Charo, Annette Funicello, Whoopi Goldberg, Magic Johnson, Grace Jones, K.D. Lang, Little Richard, Joan Rivers, Dinah Shore and Oprah Winfrey. |
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| Preview of Next Week's Releases - Street Date: September 28, 2004 |
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