From: Universal Studios Home Video - Year: 2002/2004 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! No real need to double-dip if you already own the earlier releases, unless you're dying for the nifty manilla-folder like packaging and the 45-minute teaser disc for The Bourne Ultimatum. If you've held off, however, this budget-priced set has the same extras found on previous versions, and if you do your shopping carefully, you can even end up with free movie money for the new Bourne thriller. Lots and lots of action make this an easy recommendation. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1984 - Rated: R - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Fans of Prince will not want to miss this HD DVD. It is the best presentation of the movie ever put out for home entertainment, with a good transfer and nice sound mix. The extras will not appeal to people outside of the Prince fan base, but are they really meant to? Amazon Compare
From: Universal Studios Home Video - Year: 1930-56 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! If you collect classic animation, then this set will likely have something you'll enjoy. Still, with a passel of classic Tex Avery and and several rare items, this is a bargain for the price. The discs are put together well and the shorts themselves look very solid for the most part. I can't say that Woody and company stand up to the Warners' stable, but there are plenty of laughs here. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1991 - Rated: R - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * If you like Steven Seagal movies, this is one of his best and a must see. If you don't, well, this is a decently made offering in the genre. It looks great, but don't expect any extras. Amazon Compare
From: HBO - Year: 1997-1999 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Ditch those previously issued flippers and partake in this snappy-looking four-disc steelbook anniversary edition set, with all three digitally remastered seasons on their own single-sided dual-layer disc, as well as a fourth disc of supplemental material (though lacking some of what was found on the previously issued "Ultimate Collection"). The storyline is consistently dark and violent, and there are no punches pulled here to soften the grim stuff in any way. A fairly faithful adaptation of one of the more popular anti-heroes of recent years, with Season Two being the best of the lot. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Magnolia - Year: 2006 - Rated: R - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Bong Joon-ho skews and reworks the rampaging giant monster genre with a fresh dose of Korean narrative unconventionality, balancing humor and tragedy in great doses. The film's park attack sequence is a nail biting joy to behold, with Bong Joon-Ho boldly giving audiences extended, full-on daylight shots of the creature within the first 15 minutes. And it just gets better from there... Not just the year's best monster movie, but one of the best releases of 2007—period. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1962 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Andrei Tarkovsky stepped in for another director to create Ivan's Childhood, but he definitely placed a personal stamp on this memorable picture. It's an early work and contains a jumbled plot, but we do see the growing confidence of a classic filmmaker. This might not be your best first choice to begin exploring Tarkovsky's work, but it is a worthy picture for completists and cinephiles interested in Russian cinema. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1950 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: July 24, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! It's easy and rather tempting to turn the film into an auteurists parlor game and try to figure out where Cocteau ends and Melville begins, but doing so kind of misses the point, for this is a bruising look at how casually and permanently we can inflict psychological damage on those to whom we're closest, especially when we're young and vulnerable. Amazon Compare
From: 20th Century Fox - Year: 1961 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 12, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Extras! * - Recommended! There may be a bit of duplication in the extras, but the two-disc set certainly gets points for thoroughness. This classic American film of winners, losers, and the high cost of success gets a great transfer along with the strong assortment of extras it deserves. What more do you need? Amazon Compare
From: Rhino - Year: 1992 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: May 22, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Costello completists will presumably be the main market for this disc, as anyone else can pick up the actual album release. The music video format of the songs can get a bit tedious after few tracks, but the interview material breaks up the monotony. No extras and a nonanamorphic transfer are a bit of a letdown, though. Amazon Compare
From: Reprise/WEA - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 27, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! A keepsake for diehard fans and a primer for newbies, Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks salutes the legendary female rocker with a supremely satisfying audio-video package. Her heyday may have been the '80s, but this collection proves Nicks' music and personality is still as fetching as ever. Recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1959 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 05, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! An iconic Western with the greatest actor in the history of the genre, and a culmination of sorts of the career of the great Howard Hawks. Amazon Compare
From: HBO - Year: 2007 - Rated: R - Release Date: May 15, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * A complete waste of time, Creepshow III is a clinic on how not to make a movie, how not to act, and is just plain laughable. HBO's DVD is nothing spectacular either, delivering average audio and video presentations. Amazon Compare
From: Terwilliger Productions - Year: 2006 - Rated: G - Release Date: November 01, 2006 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! At times annoyingly preachy, One Six Right is a must for pilots and aviation buffs, and there are plenty of extravagant visuals for the rest of us to enjoy here as well. Amazon Compare
From: Rhino - Year: 1997 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: DD 5.1 * A curiously strong set list is enhanced by a multitude of backing musician combinations. The man rarely disappoints, and here EC is fully on his game as he proves his worth as one of the finest songwriters of the last 30 years. One of my favorites for 2007, this one comes highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: R - Release Date: July 03, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! It plays like an unholy marriage of Apocalypse Now and Gunga Din, and will change forever the way you look at what's on your finger, around your neck or in your earlobe Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1987 - Rated: R - Release Date: July 03, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * DTS * Extras! * - Recommended! One of De Palma's best comes to HD DVD with some interesting extras and a fine transfer. Recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Dark Sky Films - Year: 1976 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! A riveting horror film that is truly disturbing and frightening. Dark Sky presents a fine transfer of problematic elements, accompanied by some worthwhile extras. Very highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: S.R.O. Entertainment - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 24, 2007 A brief compilation of some of the finest singers of popular music from the middle of the last century. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2004-2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Pile on the weirdness with the entire 30-episode run of yet another truly bizarre Adult Swim series. An acquired taste to be sure, Tom Goes To The Mayor goes for surreal absurdity in a Groundhog Day sort of way, over and over again. And it's funny. Stupidly. gloriously funny. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Genius Products - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: May 29, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Hannibal Rising was a bad idea from the start, despite being based on another book by Thomas Harris. A boring screenplay coupled with disappointing performances make this an early candidate for many worst films of the year lists. The DVD rises above the film, though, thanks to excellent audio and video presentations, and a nice extras collection. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1943-1958 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: May 15, 2007 There hasn't been any major restoration work done on these shorts—which is a real shame—but fans of Tex Avery will no doubt still enjoy 18 out of the 24 gathered here. The later Michael Lah-directed shorts just don't have the same manic magic, and there was also a major shift and softening of the animation style. The early Avery stuff here is just outstanding, even with some troublesome image quality issues. Recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1940-50 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 24, 2007 - Features: Extras! * Your favorite Cagney movie is likely not in this set, but it's still an ample collection of five of the actor's star turns from the 1940s. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2006-2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Season Four of one of television's funniest half-hours gets the unbleeped, uncensored treatment, making watching the censored series on Comedy Central seem rather pointless. Kerry Kinney-Silver's Trudi Wiegel and her mysterious pregnancy is the recurring story arc throughout this season, leading to a double-layered twist in the season ender. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2005 - Rated: R - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Hustle & Flow is one of 2005's inspiring success stories, and it deserves awards consideration for several acting performances, especially Terrance Howard's DJay. Even if you're not usually the target audience for films where the lead is a pimp, you should give this worthy movie a chance. Offering a solid collection of extra features, this release is strongly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Columbia TriStar Home Video - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 12, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * DTS * Extras! * - Recommended! A surprisingly faithful adaptation of several generations of comic book stories, with a lovely transfer and some substantial extras to boot. But where's the trailer? Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1998 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 19, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Kids still love The Powerpuff Girls, but this Season One collection is squarely aimed at those of us who appreciate the show more for its zany pop art designs and pop culture references. In that respect, it's as much eye candy as ever. Me, though, I just like Bubbles, who has all the cuteness and intelligence of a fluffy kitten. Plus, the power to kick butt. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1949-69 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * "Cult Camp Classics" describes all three films, if you apply one of the terms to each film. Trog is the cult film, The Big Cube is pure camp, and Caged is the classic. The dearth of bonus material is a little disappointing, but the films are worth it as a package. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1958-1959 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! It's tough to beat a set of three sci-fi B-movie classics for $20, and the inclusion of a pair of enjoyable Tom Weaver-managed commentaries should only reinforce the fact. Silly, dumb, and highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2007 - Rated: R - Release Date: June 26, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! A weird concept given a striking realization, Black Snake Moan hits on a number of levels, careening along powered by its lead performances and a killer soundtrack. There are plenty of extras, and the transfer is decent. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1968/1969 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 06, 2007 - Recommended! Even forty years after its inital aring, Hawaii Five-O packs a punch as one of the finest police dramas ever produced. Led by the charismatic Jack Lord and set against the stunning Hawaiian backdrops, the first season has plenty of action, a good diversity of storylines and while a couple of episodes may feel a bit dated, the overall standard is high. If you haven't already got your orders in, my recommendation is to book 'em... Amazon Compare
From: A&E Home Video - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 27, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! It may seem an obvious point, but the great engineering marvels of influential civilizations are inseparable from the personalities that helped make them great empires. Engineering an Empire serves as a brisk but enlightening and entertaining introduction to some of the most important architectural and engineering feats, and the leaders behind them, from Pericles' Parthenon to Eiffel's Tower, with dozens of stops in between. Though known mostly for his movie work, Peter Weller provides thoughtful guidance. Hard-core engineering buffs may be a bit disappointed by the intro-level explanations, but there's a great deal here for lovers of history to enjoy. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1979 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 17, 2007 Beneath all of the wild Robin Williams silliness, there's a genuinely sweet relationship between Williams and Pam Dawber that holds Mork and Mindy together. There's a lot of that silliness to wade through, though, and that's a bit hard to stomach sometimes. Like many of the CBS/Paramount series releases, this is a bare-bones set in terms of extras, but the picture and audio quality are perfectly adequate. Mork lovers should have no reservations about picking this up; others may wish to think hard about just how much Nanu Nanu is enough. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1999 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 24, 2007 One of the goofier series to come from the Cartoon Network's treasure trove of animation, Ed, Edd n Eddy is also one of their most successful. Warner's second series DVD set keeps the laughs coming with 13 episodes that look and sound great, along with a handful of entertaining extras. Amazon Compare
From: Impulse - Year: 1970 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 24, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * This sexy retro-curiosity from 1970 comes from Impulse in the original uncut German version, and naturally the opportunity to see this intact will be the selling point for sexploitation fans. More of a soft-core tease than anything approaching porn, Ernst Hofbauer's once-randy-now-rather-mild expose on teen sexuality may provide more titters than titillation, but the girls are cute and the dialogue is often unintentionally comic. Amazon Compare
From: DreamWorks - Year: 2006 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: May 01, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! The engaging instant classic makes a splash on HD DVD, with a lovely video and audio transfer and a ton of extras, mostly in HD. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: May 01, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Dreamgirls may not have nabbed a Best Picture Oscar nomination, but it's still one of the year's most entertaining films. Brimming with emotion, powerful performances, and terrific tunes, this seductive musical revitalizes the genre yet again, and showcases the uncontainable talent of Jennifer Hudson, whose dazzling debut will leave you breathless. Excellent transfers and extras enhance the experience, and make this two-disc release a bona fide showstopper. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Studio Mythopoetika - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: May 01, 2007 A heartbreaking look at the neglect and abuse suffered by too many animals in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, made that much more wrenching because so much of this was so obviously avoidable. Amazon Compare
From: Time Life - Year: 1983 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: May 01, 2007 The music is more than toe-tapping, which helps make up for the corny humor of Kornfield Kounty. Alas, the show was videotaped, and thus there are limits to how good it can look, and there are no extras at all. But as the cover suggests, it's indeed a must for George Strait fans. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1962-74 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 30, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Football fans in America above a certain age will lap up the goods presented in this three-disc set, collecting some of NFL Films' foundational works. There is a fair amount of wear and tear on the older material, but that sort of adds to the charm. Thrown in as generous bonuses are episodes of the Lost Treasures series that NFL Films produced. The retro-styled packaging aims this squarely at the over-30 crowd, the main audience for this set. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 13, 2007 Warner Home Video has truly made a commitment to provide NBA fans with the best possible DVD product for some of the sport's most memorable games. Indiana Pacers Greatest Games: Volume One is another great release, presenting four exciting games in their entirety, and in a good-looking boxed set. The audio and video is exactly how we remember it, with the only gripe the complete lack of extra features. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2005 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 06, 2007 The South Park boys return with another strong season. At this point, it's the show to beat when it comes to biting social satire, and Season Nine includes enough lacerating material—including the now-legendary, Scientology-skewering Trapped in the Closet—to choke a space whale from the moon. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: G - Release Date: March 27, 2007 - Features: DD 5.1 * I'm a major fan of IMAX films and really enjoy watching them on the big screen at our local science center. However, classic pictures like Dolphins also work on the small screen, which requires a strong script to accompany the majestic images. Deep Sea provides some memorable sequences and deserves a look, but it falls a bit short of delivering the unforgettable experience that will lead to repeated home viewings. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1989 - Rated: R - Release Date: April 10, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Wild Thing, you make my heart sing. And so does this Major League special edition from Paramount. At last, this riotous romp gets the DVD treatment it deserves, allowing fans to revel in all the revelry—on and off the diamond—as they cheer on a crew of lovable diamonds in the rough. With an upgraded transfer and solid extras, double-dipping is mandatory for baseball and film fans alike. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1975 - Rated: R - Release Date: April 10, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Brutally funny, scathingly candid, and sometimes unbearably tense, this is one of the great pieces of urban filmmaking that you'll ever see, featuring terrific work from consummate pros in front of and behind the camera. It's also wonderful that a grand raconteur like Sidney Lumet has finally recorded a commentary track. This special edition is one to savor, in Brooklyn, or Wyoming, or anywhere else. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 10, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! The director's cut is far darker and a tighter picture than the theatrical version, and it's recommended. Alas, the HD transfer is little better than the SD version. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: R - Release Date: April 10, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! An interesting take on Dick's novel, with a technique that both works for and against the themes. The movie is certainly well cast, however, and the picture quality is first rate. Amazon Compare
From: Genius Products - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 10, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * DD 5.1 * - Recommended! The sudden death of director Fabian Bielinsky in 2006 was a great loss to international film audiences, as we're never going to get another dose of his unique visual approach to the crime genre. With The Aura he tilts that approach in beautiful and unusual directions, pulling forth another compelling performance from Ricardo Darin. The extras are rather skimpy and the transfer is nonanamorphic, but the quiet energy of The Aura far outweighs those negatives. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Docurama - Year: 2005 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 27, 2007 An affectionate portrait of a group of kids who are happy to sing to the rafters for the summer and need not be embarrassed about it, whether or not Mr. Sondheim is calling about his new show or not. Amazon Compare
From: PBS Home Video - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 10, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Stanley Nelson's doc on Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple is darkly fascinating on its journey to the famously tragic end, and the wealth of archival footage enhances and magnifies the recollections from surviving ex-members who were there. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Columbia TriStar Home Video - Year: 1950, 1962 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 A pair of less common baseball pictures, one a charming winner and the other a rather crude and leaden After School Special featuring Yankee stars. Kill the Umpire is worth the price of the set, though. Amazon Compare
From: 20th Century Fox - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 27, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! The Shield: Season 5 retains the high quality of previous seasons and actually improves over the most recent incarnation. The addition of Forrest Whitaker helps considerably, and the exploration of past crimes generates riveting television. Supported by an excellent collection of extras, this release is highly recommended. The sixth season begins on April 3rd, and even novices should tune in to F/X and give the complex series a chance. Amazon Compare
From: HBO - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Refresh your memory before the next new installment with HBO Video's Entourage: Season Three, Part One set. This series has never been better, and this sampling of episodes is the ultimate proof. The audio and video are as good, if not better than broadcast quality, and a decent smattering of extras are included as well. Amazon Compare
From: Genius Products - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * The story itself isn't really all that fascinating, yet somehow Bottom Feeder manages to rise above all that, wallowing in its cheap horror glory with a subtle smirk, full of likeable characters in mortal danger who spout funny dialogue and spend much of their time onscreen covered in blood. Very fun stuff. Recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Shout Factory - Year: 2007 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * A cheering look at a season that went well but came up short. This is why there's always next year. Amazon Compare
From: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - Year: 1984 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Barry Levinson, Robert Redford and company have knocked the cover off the ball; this has never been a movie for baseball purists, and this director's cut stokes the mythology of the piece still further. In truth, though, it's got to be impossible to be a baseball fan and not have some deep-seated sentimental weakness for The Natural, which looks marvelous on this disc, and has been suited up with a fine package of extras. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1990-91 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 - Features: DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! One of the great television series is just as haunting in its second and final season, and this long-awaited set finally returns us to the endlessly fascinating world of David Lynch. Most highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Kino on Video - Year: 1899-1926 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: April 03, 2007 This widely disparate accumulation of baseball pictures from 70 to over 100 years ago serves as a fascinating picture of how the love of the game has both changed and remained the same. The condition is mixed as one might expect, but more than acceptable. Amazon Compare
From: 20th Century Fox - Year: 1984 - Rated: R - Release Date: March 06, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * A goofy relic from 1984, Revenge Of The Nerds may not have aged all that well, but it still holds a sweet spot in this reviewer's nostalgic brain. Simplistic and cartoonish more often than not, it's all dumb buffoonery and nerdly righteousness and so ridiculously one-dimensional that it makes Animal House look like The Seventh Seal. But that's ok, because sometimes dumb and nerdly is just what I need. An absolute guilty pleasure of mine, this one comes recommended, weak transfer and all. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1990 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: March 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Blockbuster smash and best picture nominee Ghost isn't as effective as it was 17 years ago, but it is still an unforgettable cinematic experience. Powered by an award-winning screenplay and whimsical cinematography, there's no denying its significant place in movie history. Although the audio is similar to that of the previous DVD, an improved video transfer makes this a worthy upgrade. While it's too bad there aren't any deleted scenes, the extras will make rabid fans very happy. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1956 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 13, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! More spiritually bracing than just about any other war movie imaginable, The Burmese Harp blends its seemingly discordant elements into something deeply resonant. Kon Ichikawa's film has more of an affinity with the ethereal pictures of Robert Bresson than with conventional war pictures, and that's a compliment of the highest order. The movie looks wonderful on this DVD, with just enough extras to whet your appetite for more of the director and his work. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1959 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Fires on the Plain frames the final days of World War II from the Japanese point of view, though its approach is sometimes questionable. As an anti-war film, it's filled with potent if sometimes beautiful carnage, with enough brutality and unpleasantness on hand to give most people second thoughts. Criterion's DVD features an excellent looking transfer, though the sound occasionally presents minor issues. The extras are brief but substantial. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1987 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 Even with zilch for extras and unreliable picture quality, fans of this show (and they're absolutely out there) will likely be delighted to have the entire first season, uncut. Myself, I couldn't get enough with its tough and perfectly suited leads, but I have no doubt that others of equally flawless taste will find its odd and conflicted mixture of crime-drama, over-the-top romance, and fantasy a bit tough to swallow. I'd certainly recommend checking it out, but you may want to hold off buying until you've caught a few episodes. Amazon Compare
From: Genius Products - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! While far from the funniest thing out there, School for Scoundrels knocked me for a loop with its surprising blend of laughs and emotion. You can't go wrong with the eclectic casting, and director Todd Phillips builds upon past successes to deliver his most heartfelt comedy yet. The disc is just as impressive, with excellent audio, video, and supplements, including a nearly 20-minute making-of that is just as funny as the film itself. Dubbed the "Unrated Ballbuster Edition", this version runs seven minutes longer than the theatrical release, with new footage that probably would have landed the latter an R rating. Amazon Compare
From: Image Entertainment - Year: 2004 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: December 12, 2006 - Features: Widescreen * Despite some vocal limitations, these two bands combine to give enjoyable performances of a steady stream of hits. The transfer is quite attractive. Amazon Compare
From: Image Entertainment - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: December 26, 2006 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! This is very dangerous territory—making parodies of/homages to old fashioned sci-fi serials—but it's done right here by Richard Lowry. Made for next to nothing, but looking like it was all spent wisely, both Monarch Of The Moon and the bonus feature Destination Mars! have that kitschy, cheesy scotch-tape-and-tin-foil look down pat, and the cast helps make it all work better than it should have, especially Kimberly Page as the kimonoed villain Dragonfly. A very nice two-disc set from Image that is calling out to all B-movie nerds. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Disinformation - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 23, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! A thought-provoking if often opaque look at the life and work of one of the most influential thinkers about the media that envelops us. The extras are in many respects more linear than the feature, and in fact they complement each other nicely. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1975/1976 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 23, 2007 The fourth season of The Waltons continues to deliver the quality family entertainment that has made it an enduring favorite. Recommended. Amazon Compare
From: Walt Disney Home Video - Year: 1953 - Rated: G - Release Date: March 06, 2007 - Features: DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Disney scores again with the excellent "Platinum Edition" of Peter Pan, one of the studio's lighter animated films. The commentary and backstage information offer intriguing material about the production, and the transfers are very worthwhile. This might not be the best Disney creation, but it should provide a fun experience for both children and adults. Amazon Compare
From: MGM Studios DVD - Year: 2005-2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 06, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * Extras! * - Recommended! Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Second Season did suffer a minor identity crisis while the creative staff strived to develop the series' personality. However, the acting and entertainment level remains strong throughout the year and effectively leads into the excellent third season. New episodes return to the Sci-Fi Network on April 6th and will almost certainly take the story in an enjoyable direction. Amazon Compare
From: Time Life - Year: 1986 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: March 06, 2007 It doesn't last all that long, but it's a jumping hour of greatest hits from three legendary figures in popular music. Bring your own po'boys. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1968 - Rated: PG - Release Date: February 27, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Bullitt is a classic, and it's great to see Warner Home Video give it its due. This HD DVD features everything from the two-disc set with solid audio, and a collection of extras that include two of the better documentaries to ever be included on a special edition. Amazon Compare
From: Image Entertainment - Year: 1987 - Rated: PG - Release Date: February 27, 2007 - Features: Extras! * I'll give Philip Cook all the props in the world for not only trying to make a science fiction movie in the late 1980s on a shoestring budget, but also then for reworking and re-releasing it later with improved visual effects. Clearly a lot of work with a small crew and very little money. But I still can't find a way to like Outerworld—or even its original incarnation as Star Quest/Beyond The Rising Moon—or see it as anything but just plain dated sci-fi that wants to look like something more than it is, but can't. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1948 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! This is in some ways such a modest film that it sounds a little foolish and bombastic to claim such great things for it. But it truly is nothing short of a masterpiece—an accessible, resonant story, a vital document in the evolution of postwar cinema, and a movie of peerless influence. I couldn't recommend it or any other film any more highly. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2003-2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 27, 2007 - Recommended! For the Reno 911! faithful who already have the first three seasons on DVD, this seven episode best-of set might merit a rental/purchase just for the Paul Reubens appearance from the not-yet-released Season Four's Rick's On It episode, but that's a tough call. As a primer to the series, it's a nice introduction and tease for the feature film, and the material is certainly very funny, but I'm a season set kind of guy, so I typically have trouble endorsing these kinds of samplers, no matter how brilliant the content. Amazon Compare
From: Dark Sky Films - Year: 1970 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 27, 2007 - Features: Extras! * Christopher Lee tries to do a faithful version of Stoker's novel, but the results aren't always the happiest. The transfer is decent, but not stellar. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: January 16, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! While it has quite a few shortcomings, there's no denying that Wolfgang Petersen is a master of manipulating emotions and generating suspense, and he's pulling out all the stops here. It's a brainless survival picture but within that genre it's quite well done and quite the spectacle. Amazon Compare
From: Retromedia - Year: 1961-1964 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 09, 2007 While there are some problems with the source materials, including the use of pan-and-scan dubbed TV prints, there's no denying Retromedia provides good value for the price. At least one of the three pictures is very good, and another is at least watchable. Amazon Compare
From: Image Entertainment - Year: 1986 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 09, 2007 A strong sixty minutes of jazz from Chet Baker late in his career, featuring some brief ruminations on his life and cameos from some high-profile friends. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: R - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Scorsese takes on the Irish mob in this grimly unforgettable tale of deception, violence and brutality that features some terrific lead performances. The HD transfer is somewhat soft and lacking in detail. Amazon Compare
From: Universal Studios Home Video - Year: 2005 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: November 14, 2006 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * - Recommended! Despite overkill in the middle, this is certainly a worthwhile remake that re-envisions its tale not as a horror but as a love story. In that, it exceeds admirably with Watts turning in a superb performance. The transfer is impeccable, and marks one of the great triumphs of the early days of the HD DVD format. Amazon Compare
From: Something Weird Video - Year: 1960/1962 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 09, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! Something Weird has already issued both of these titles in the past (in the case of Nude on the Moon, twice), and the extras here don't offer anything new if you already own those earlier incarnations. For those that missed out, however, here's another chance to pick up a pair of wonderfully retro Doris Wishman-directed nudie titles. Highly recommended if you appreciate the kitschy sex appeal of abundant vintage 1960s nudity. Amazon Compare
From: Blend Films - Year: 2001-2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: May 23, 2006 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! The only real disappointment with this collection is that it's so short. I enjoyed all the films here, and I daresay most animation fans would enjoy taking a look at them. An interview with Smith and commentaries on some of the films provide some good detail about the nuts and bolts of putting them together. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1985 - Rated: PG-13 - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * It helps to have a reservoir of good will toward the director and his two stars as you watch this movie; without it, it feels a little warmed over, but still very good natured. Fellini never lost his eye for the peculiarities in the day to day, and the incidental atmosphere of this film is in many respects more compelling than its story. Amazon Compare
From: Koch Lorber - Year: 2005 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Unusual in spots, but overall a hostage story that I couldn't connect with. I had no real concern for any of the characters and Constantine Giannaris's attempt at stinging social commentary was just lost on me, due to little previous knowledge of his subject. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1998 - Rated: R - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * DD 5.1 * The Butcher Boy made a considerable impression with critics and audiences during its 1998 release, but it has been largely forgotten since that time. Although this DVD release could have used better extras, it deserves a look from viewers like me who missed it originally. You may be confused and shocked, but I promise that you will not be bored by this distinctive film. Amazon Compare
From: LifeSize Entertainment - Year: 2005 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Don't be put off by the title or odd cover art, because this one explores some rather touchy issues with a heady mix of sex and morality. Two wonderful performances from Denis Lavant and Isild Le Besco—who put a new spin on the meaning of summer romance—prove that love (or lust) at first sight apparently knows no age limits. Tragic, romantic, and highly recommended (even with a less than perfect image transfer). Amazon Compare
From: Koch Vision - Year: 2006 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! An amazing performance brings the Dark Ages to vivid life. Highly recommended for your mead hall entertainments. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1925-1979 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! The seven feature films contained within this set are a decidedly mixed bag, ranging from the excellent (Body and Soul, The Proud Valley, Native Land) to the wretched (Sanders of the River) to the simply odd (Borderline). Film never allowed Robeson to live up to his immense talent, a fact the entries here provide some plain evidence of. This set, however, operates as a time capsule in many ways, giving us a look at one of the first major black stars and the constraints he operated under in trying to make films of which he could be proud. Robeson was treated despicably by authorities in the United States, and his courage and passion for justice deserve to be remembered by more than a select few, something this set will hopefully rectify. Amazon Compare
From: Koch Lorber - Year: 2005 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 13, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * The spin on the standard issue gritty urban crime drama gets a cross-cultural facelift from writer/director Yilmaz Arslan, filling the screen with lost and disenfranchised Germans, Turks, and Kurds living on the refugee fringe. Bleak but compelling. Amazon Compare
From: Image Entertainment - Year: 2000 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: December 12, 2006 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Even though I'm no Manilow fan, the concert is infectious fun, and the transfer is excellent overall. Recommended. Amazon Compare
From: BBC Video - Year: 2004 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: August 22, 2006 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * The Worst Week of My Life: The Complete First Season is another example of just how funny British comedy can be. With a streamlined story and cast of characters that are easy to emotionally invest in, this series' first seven episodes are well worth a look. BBC's disc offers a couple of supplements, as well as solid audio and video. Amazon Compare
From: Kino on Video - Year: 2000 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: February 06, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * A fascinating film that, while somewhat predictable in its ending, is well made and acted. If you want something off the usual beaten path of Japanese film, give it look. Kino's DVD is a bit substandard, but still watchable. Amazon Compare
From: Fantoma Films - Year: 1947-1954 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 23, 2007 - Features: Extras! * - Recommended! The back cover refers to Kenneth Anger as a "cinematic magician" and a "legendary provocateur." Right on. It's tough to call someone like Anger merely a filmmaker, because he's really more like an interpreter of dreams—good, bad, or otherwise. This collection of five of his early experimental works has been exceptionally restored by Fantoma, and each film includes an informative yet properly vague Anger commentary. I may not know art, but I know what I like. Highly recommended. Amazon Compare
From: The Criterion Collection - Year: 1961-2 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: January 23, 2007 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! A fantastically rowdy pair of samurai pictures, with Toshiro Mifune striding across the Japanese landscape as a great movie star under the sure and steady guidance of Akira Kurosawa. They're great, thoughtful, intriguing and viscerally made movies, film of the highest order that's as approachable as any action picture and many times more rewarding. Criterion has decked them out in a handsome set that is sure to please. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 1989 - Rated: R - Release Date: January 23, 2007 - Features: Widescreen * DTS * Extras! * - Recommended! One of the better action/crime dramas of the late 1980s, with a full array of extras and a nice HD transfer that makes the most of the darkness and neon glare of Scott's vision. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1963-67 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: December 05, 2006 - Features: Anamorphic * Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! A decidedly mixed bag, with one remarkable film and three mediocre ones. Unless you simply cannot get enough of Liz and Dick no matter the quality of the material, your hard-earned dollars may be better off spent on the special edition of Virginia Woolf only. Amazon Compare
From: Paramount Home Video - Year: 2006 - Rated: PG - Release Date: November 07, 2006 - Features: Widescreen * Extras! * - Recommended! Despite its disappointing showing at theaters, Nacho Libre is the kind of film, like Anchorman and Old School, that is made for DVD. It is a comedy full of catchy lines and sequences that are sure to be quoted and (gasp!) reenacted for years to come. Having Jack Black as the headliner only increases the film's potential cult status, and Paramount's fine HD DVD doesn't exactly hurt either. Amazon Compare
From: Walt Disney Home Video - Year: 2005 - Rated: Not Rated - Release Date: December 05, 2006 - Features: DD 5.1 * High School Musical is fun and all, but I can hardly praise Disney for the way they've milked its surprise success. Releasing a gimmicky special edition/marketing ploy mere months after the first DVD is never cool, sending it out sans extras to at least justify the double-dip, less so. If karaoke is your thing, there's always subtitles. Amazon Compare
From: Warner Home Video - Year: 1989 - Rated: R - Release Date: September 12, 2006 - Features: Widescreen * One of the most enjoyable action comedies ever made, the HD DVD of Lethal Weapon 2 disappoints somewhat in the video transfer and extras departments. Amazon Compare